imagine NBZ 23rd century

[missionhill]

Thanks for the fan art and fan fiction. It lends so much to enjoyment of game.

At times, during the past few days, I wonder about the NBZ - in a how to write "hard science fiction" context. Or perhaps the genre is speculative fiction. I believe "hard science fiction" means sci-fi based in "hard" scientific fact.

So yea, I have writer's block! It's very difficult this challenge.

I liked a reference the forum member, aegis, offered, "Techno-Fix" I have yet to read. I gather it is a study about the pros and cons of tech advances and/or when these advances become status quo. (see thread: you want a chip in the head."

My post here, is simply a "fan essay", I guess. As I work on a real story to share, here is some of my process... to find a connection to place 300 years in our future.

--- my starting reference is my ten years of living, working, university in Boston, namely Roxbury Crossing.

Roxbury Crossing is on "Mission Hill" (hence my forum user name) - the Hill is one of few remaining of the original 5? or so? of the original Boston. The other hills were razed and became many areas of Boston that we know today.. specifically, Back Bay.

Other areas of the city, Beacon Hill, for one, are sinking into the bay. Similar to how Venice, Italy is sinking. The many houses and offices on the southwest side of Beacon Hill (near the Boston Public Garden) and the Esplanade... are built with solid wood pilings immersed into the Charles River. Thee pilings become petrified wood, stone, overtime due to salt water.

I'm not sure where the Charles becomes fresh water and where it becomes Boston Harbor. In Venice, its easier as the Adriatric is a salt water sea.

I remember the noise of the constant pile driving at one employer's home. She was an elderly woman I helped out.. what people call a Boston Brahmin (old revolutionary families - wealthy) Oddly, when she learned I was perhaps 10% Irish - she sniffed and I realised she was snobbish to that fact!

Over the years, I've learned the suburban areas outside silicon valley in Cali - and Bill Gates land in WA are among the very wealthiest per capita suburbs in USA. I was very surprised to learn that Metro-West Boston is also among the wealthiest, I guess not because of tech money --- but because of old money,East India trading, etc.

Lastly, as many know, Harvard is the wealthiest university in the world. (a 10 billion dollar endowment? I'm not sure.) I believe the only USA library with more volumes than Harvard is the Library of Congress. Perhaps one may say since Harvard existed before 1700, nearly 100 years prior to the an Revolution.. it will also exist in 2217 (albeit across the river.)

so yea, those are thoughts, considering history to write some sci-fi. I probably will let myself off the hook. As its difficult for me to imagine what the "scourge" was from the NBZ lore. Sounds scary!

thanks for reading.

[LordofSyn]

Thanks for the insight. It is very much appreciated. My hope is that both Harvard and Library of Congress would still exist in some form or so. My thoughts are that those two libraries had to be moved underground to conserve them. Granted, most of the combined libraries had been moved to repository constructs and nodes in the D-Down. I am sure the hard copies would have been moved as far underground as possible. Perhaps even moved to the massive underground bunker that was once NORAD.

I am far more intrigued in the domed arcologies themselves. News doesn't leak fast enough from any of the other Domes for us to get a good handle on just what is left of our civilization.

[LordofSyn]

I am also intrigued by the thought of how the planet itself has evolved in response to humanity, its decisions, its technologies, and the responsibility inherent.

How has the planet dealt with The Cataclysm?

I could go into more depth, but that might ruin a story I am currently working on...to finish for all the CK fans.

[ncaoa]

Is it odd that this Scifi game makes me think Lovecraft? The poisoned Earth and Ocean are what I mean. Imagine what has grown and adapted in the deepest reaches on the earth.

[LordofSyn]

or worse...what has been there all along...and has only grown in time.
Because cyberpunk deals with the self and internal struggles moreso than other power struggles and conflicts, fear and horror are somewhat integral.

Instead of a preternatural sense of horror, instead you have a profound sense of loss, disconnectivity, even the struggles of what it truly means to be human or to retain their humanity. In the murkiest place, no one leaves unscathed. It is simply a matter of self control...as in, how dirty are you willing to get and still live with a peaceful soul??

Think of it this way, if 30% of your current body were replaced with after market parts from Toshiba, Nissan, Apple, Ares, Kraken, etc. How would that change your personality?

[ncaoa]

Exalt!
Never thought of it that way.

[LordofSyn]

I am not important, but my cause is. I want cyberpunk to make a massive resurgence. I want it to be seen as cautionary, exciting, scary, and bring the living nightmare that humanity is currently marching headlong toward to a better light than it has ever had before.

It has been a long road, and troubled...

but a new air is on the horizon, and like a viral meme, this resurgence is necessary for us to better tackle the upcoming Singularity.

[missionhill]

LordofSyn

thanks! lots to reply to.
When you define cyberpunk, I can't help but think of the 20th century. Specifically World War One. "The Great War"

this quote of yours:
Instead of a preternatural sense of horror, instead you have a profound sense of loss, disconnectivity, even the struggles of what it truly means to be human or to retain their humanity. In the murkiest place, no one leaves unscathed. It is simply a matter of self control...as in, how dirty are you willing to get and still live with a peaceful soul??

To me, this is typyfied by the industrial age. some may cite "steampunk"

In a pocket of small time - end 19th Century - begin 20th...

we get Darwinism, we get Psychoanalysis, Freud, Jung, socialism...Marx

I often think the books and concepts put forth from Frued, Darwin and Marx are among the most signifigant and influential of all non-sacred text.
The main commonality could be "the Singularity" (self-aware A.I.)
perhaps that is the omega point of evolution... the UberMench --" the Superman"
a concept more explored by Frued and Marx, and more poetically by Nietzsche.

I share this because maybe the singularity already "discovered itself" years ago... being logical - perhaps it chooses to keep itself unknown from humans.

I should stop here from rambling too much.

I just should share - although we are living in a world rapidly changing - there have been eras of no change. ( I think of a metaphor for computer age as the black plague)

the dehumanization you mention, all the scary stuff..t real or imagined... I don't think western culture has really experienced the backlash of it yet. Perhaps because other countries, India, Brazil, China - perhaps because they have yet to regain their ancient place in the "first world" but of course they will. Maybe it is example of social darwinism.

All that to say, yea maybe we have to live underground or in a mountain - but we wont be the first humans who had to... also to say... it is strongly possible no scourge will happen... no apocolypse because it already happened.

I do believe the earth as sentient... I do believe the older cultures of the southern and eastern
henispheres... everywhere "in developing world" has vast wisdom and vast history.
and vast longevity. It is sad when one realizes the possibility of these things.

My point is, I'd like to write something that is a future that still very much looks like the past.
I wouldn't mind a long hiatus from "progress."

[LordofSyn]

well as I mentioned before, Cyberpunk isn't about saving the world; it is about saving one's self. Whereas Science Fiction often deals with technology and how it benefits humanity, and Cyberpunk shows how it doesn't.
The internal struggle is one of the harshest struggles, but can also be the most cathartic.
Self-Aware A.I. is merely a fraction of The Singularity. I don't see The Singularity as 'skynet launching an attack' on humanity.
You are on the right angle by mentioning the Übermensch. As the borders that separate man and machine get thinner and thinner, man will shave to evolve to survive, much like Neanderthal had to become enveloped and bred into the species. They didn't disappear as once thought...We are them!
2 out of every 3 people can trace their ancestry and mitochondrial DNA to show Neanderthal heritage.

We aren't the same creatures that mapped out our world and experiences in cave art ( in France for example) over 35,000 years ago. We are fundamentally the same creatures that existed 1000 years ago, or even 100 years ago; and yet, we aren't the same.

I love the struggle within that exists in cyberpunk more than most other genres, maybe because it IS so real now. It isn't so fantastic to be unbelievable, and yet we can see tropes in our everyday lives that mirror what the hardcore future could very well be.
* a recent study ( I will cite my reference when I find it) showed that more people would give up sex for a week over giving up their electronic devices or internet usage during that same time period.
...pretty scary idea.

Much like villains in any story type... the worst villains are the most human. Ripping the wings off butterflies, for kicks isn't nearly as scary as a villain that would burst into a full theatre opening fire, or go into a school and start murdering kids. Villainery for its own sake is scary, but knowing that you could live next door to a monster of humanity is much more chilling.
So while a rough life makes for a tougher lifestyle, the struggles of a Cyber Knight in their environment, of clashing factions and Über-Corps, of making sure they can eat or sleep in safety, of watching their back for a Strike Team that now has the Knight in their crosshairs, of deception and subterfuge...all are relatable to us even today in our own lives, jobs, hobbies, etc.
...As scary and ( possibly foreign) as those struggles day to day ;are and must be, if nothing for a sense of Theme, Mood, and pacing...the Internal Struggle of trying to reconnect to others in a Humane way when one is confused about what their Humanity has become is much nastier.

[Cory Trese]

Cyberpunk is a science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life."

Cyberpunk works are well situated within postmodern literature.

The term Postmodern literature is used to describe certain characteristics of post-World War II literature (relying heavily, for example, on fragmentation, paradox, questionable narrators, etc.) and a reaction against Enlightenment ideas implicit in Modernist literature.

Modernistic art and literature normally revolved around the idea of individualism, mistrust of institutions (government, religion), and the disbelief of any absolute truths.

Some of the characteristic features of this kind of fiction are the mingling and juxtaposition of the realistic and the fantastic or bizarre, skillful time shifts, convoluted and even labyrinthine narratives and plots, miscellaneous use of dreams, myths and fairy stories, expressionistic and even surrealistic description, arcane erudition, the element of surprise or abrupt shock, the horrific and the inexplicable hyperreality.

Hyperreality is used in semiotics and postmodern philosophy to describe a hypothetical inability of consciousness to distinguish reality from fantasy, especially in technologically advanced postmodern cultures.

Much of the genre's atmosphere echoes film noir, and written works in the genre often use techniques from detective fiction.

"Classic cyberpunk characters were marginalized, alienated loners who lived on the edge of society in generally dystopic futures where daily life was impacted by rapid technological change, an ubiquitous datasphere of computerized information, and invasive modification of the human body." – Lawrence Person

Cyberpunk depicts the world as a dark, sinister place with networked computers dominating every aspect of life. Giant, multinational corporations have for the most part replaced governments as centers of political, economic, and even military power.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberpunk
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postmodern_literature
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modernist_literature
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperreality
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Pynchon
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Vonnegut
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Person
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megacorporation
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_noir

[missionhill]

LordofSyn. Excellent reply to my tangential ideas.
The past few weeks I've been dealing with my first experience with pneumonia. I got it from my lawyer. I share that because after a week rise respite... I'm sick again. That said we'll have to wait for my reply. As I can't hardly think. Maybe humanity is different from civilization. Did my thoughts sound like save the world?

Yes I have not developed my definition of cyberpunk. At its core... I believe it is one of "the great equalizers" which is a category where I place Darwin Freud and Marx.

Like you said ... at atomic scale we are from Neanderthals. This is perfect of example of a great equalizer... I'll reply to the sex vs.tech when I feel better. Thanks

[LordofSyn]

Feb 19, 2013 22:40:51 GMT -5 Cory Trese said:

Cyberpunk is a science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life."

Cyberpunk works are well situated within postmodern literature.

The term Postmodern literature is used to describe certain characteristics of post-World War II literature (relying heavily, for example, on fragmentation, paradox, questionable narrators, etc.) and a reaction against Enlightenment ideas implicit in Modernist literature.

Modernistic art and literature normally revolved around the idea of individualism, mistrust of institutions (government, religion), and the disbelief of any absolute truths.

Some of the characteristic features of this kind of fiction are the mingling and juxtaposition of the realistic and the fantastic or bizarre, skillful time shifts, convoluted and even labyrinthine narratives and plots, miscellaneous use of dreams, myths and fairy stories, expressionistic and even surrealistic description, arcane erudition, the element of surprise or abrupt shock, the horrific and the inexplicable hyperreality.

Hyperreality is used in semiotics and postmodern philosophy to describe a hypothetical inability of consciousness to distinguish reality from fantasy, especially in technologically advanced postmodern cultures.

Much of the genre's atmosphere echoes film noir, and written works in the genre often use techniques from detective fiction.

"Classic cyberpunk characters were marginalized, alienated loners who lived on the edge of society in generally dystopic futures where daily life was impacted by rapid technological change, an ubiquitous datasphere of computerized information, and invasive modification of the human body." – Lawrence Person

Cyberpunk depicts the world as a dark, sinister place with networked computers dominating every aspect of life. Giant, multinational corporations have for the most part replaced governments as centers of political, economic, and even military power.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberpunk
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postmodern_literature
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modernist_literature
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperreality
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Pynchon
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Vonnegut
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Person
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megacorporation
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_noir

Hot Damn Cory! Wonderful post...

[missionhill]

Hi @cory sorry I missed your post from before. Thank you for it.

[rabidbite]

Here a badass.



GUNSLINGER CYBERKNIGHT

-Well shit, I guess I counted wrong ... but did you really have to spill my candy?

[LordofSyn]

Interesting picture! where is it from?
Did you notice the Renaissance painting split between both pistol grips?
Don't quote me, but I believe it is the Archangel Michael.