Dice Synchronicity||Lore

[mikaluvkitties]

GOVERNMENT​

Though not as obvious as you might think, the entire city is scattered with cameras upon cameras upon cameras; hidden in foliage, lights, tablets and bank machines. Phones are tapped into rooms full of people screening for suspicious activity. True privacy is a rare, rare luxury for the citizens of New Rhyne.

Who’s watching? Not the Prime Minister, that’s for sure. You may think you voted for Mr. Good Values, but nobody sees the eight layers of political hell behind-the-scenes and the drastically biased election process. Mr. Good Values is nothing more than a puppet for influential members of parliament to play with.

 

[mikaluvkitties]

MEDICAL SYSTEM​

So long as you have a chip you have access to all the medical care you could ever need, free of charge. Base hospital staff has automated machines ready to stitch you up, administer vaccines and prescribe meds for every illness under the sun.

An added… Requirement, to put it truthfully, is the tests.

Annual ability tests, or AATs, are given every year after you turn one. All it takes is a bit of blood, a quick scan for that pesky rogue gene and you’re free to go. So long as your blood comes back negative, that is.

It’s theorized that powered genes can pass from mother to child during pregnancy, but proof of that theory has yet to be found.

Speaking of which, reproduction is heavily regulated and generally discouraged. Having children requires an expensive license and that you meet the required criteria for child rearing. Stable home, stable job. The to-be mother must have a signed doctor’s note proving her medically safe for pregnancy.

If a child is born unlicensed the parents are automatically guilty of law evasion. The child is either taken away or sent with the parents to the nearest holding facility, where they’re stripped of their chips and disappear from society.

If you find yourself pregnant accidentally or against your best wishes, don’t worry; so long as you’re willing to give the child up to the authorities and never see it again you’re in the clear.

 

[mikaluvkitties]

JUSTICE & MILITARY​

New Rhyne justice is… Unforgiving. Theft, murder, having a baby; It doesn’t take much to end up in prison with a life sentence slapped across the back of your neck. If you’re rich it’s possible to buy your way to a second chance, but not often. Evading arrest rarely ends well...

Public safety is handled by the good ol’ NRPD. They handle petty crimes, crowd safety during Meta confrontations and everything in-between. They’re also pretty hard to miss in a crowd, dressed to the nines in stark black and white uniforms. Snazzy.

Speaking of the Meta, if your AAT came back positive there’s a good chance you ended up one. Living and working in their own special division of the military, Meta are “powered” individuals who either joined willingly, or had abilities too intrusive to live normal lives. They’re organized to combat high risk criminals, catch or subdue rogue Metas and deal with any danger to the city too large for regular police. Many of them are also great at a party!

As great as fighting crime sounds there are a few downsides. Meta are isolated from the rest of the city and live on-base, with little allowance to leave and even less entertainment. Most of their time is spent waiting for missions, training and otherwise milling about. Many have described it to be “boring as sin”, but others still say it’s paradise. Six o’ one, half a dozen of the other.

 

[mikaluvkitties]

CRIME & PRISON SYSTEM​

Nothing is perfect. The criminal underbelly of NR is a smart one, hiding inside short circuits in the system like viral rats. Glitched electrical zones, or “glitches”, are malfunctioning areas with no working cameras or bugs. Often occurring naturally since tech wears over time, glitches are how unsavory business can happen at all in such a heavily policed city.

Unsurprisingly, the criminal-per-block ratio increases the poorer you get. Lower class neighbourhoods are more likely to spawn back alley deals, petty thieves and general misconduct. Not even the watchful eyes of the government can see everywhere.

People do such things despite the rather harsh consequences. Prison isn’t a “6 months and you’re out” kinda deal anymore-- prison is work, filth and an early grave. More people escape from their sentence than serve it.

Every prisoner is marked with a string of numbers tattooed across the backs of their necks-- dehumanization at it’s finest. Terrorist or mother, doesn’t matter to the higher-ups anymore. Worse still, children aren’t exempt from the process. Babies born in prison never receive a CHIP, and by social definition… Never exist.

 

[mikaluvkitties]

TECHNOLOGY​

C.H.I.P
Short for Citizen Habituation and Identification Program, the CHIP is only about the size of a quarter and flat like a disk, set under the skin of your forearm. Every legally registered citizen has one, but those in the shadier underbelly of NR do not. Easier to stay under the radar when your tracker is gone.
The CHIP can do almost anything you need it to, but below are some basic examples.
▩ Pay for goods and services; almost all your funds are saved in a connected virtual wallet.
▩ Message a friend or call your mother.
▩ Probably kill you somehow, ngl.
▩ Act as a voucher for base medical care, food, shelter or clothes.
▩ Ping your location so emergency officials can find you if you’re injured.

Cybernetics
The use of cybernetic enhancement in NR is highly limited. If you manage to have the money for one of the few legitimate prototypes on the market, there’s still the pain of installation and the danger of malfunction. Publicly allowed cybers include ocular implants, basic prosthetics and medical aids (pacemakers, automated dialysis, etc), as well as purely aesthetic-based tech.

There is, of course, a black market. Should you find yourself wanting more than the public allows, say… Fingers designed especially for hacking? The black market has you covered. Price-per-enhancement is generally lower as well, since most engineers make the parts themselves or steal. Danger of maiming or death rises dramatically sure, but considering the business you’re more likely to be killed by a raid than from a botched cyber.

Public Transportation
With roads for emergency vehicles or government officials only, getting around for the average Joe is limited to skytrains and subways. Skytrains are generally found in more well-kept neighbourhoods, so if you’re down on your luck I’m afraid it’s travelling underground for you.

Tranquilizers and Alozide
Since shooting Meta isn’t always effective, the NR Science Division developed a high-concentration tranquilizer capable of knocking out almost anything. Usually fired in needle-dart form, but for the lucky few gifted with iron skin a variation was made; projectile capsules that explode a highly pressurized “knockout gas” compound. It can also be sticky.

Alozide on the other hand is a purchasable power dampener for Meta. Unlike most medical care, Alozide falls under the “luxury” category and isn’t the cheap price of free. Or cheap at all, for that matter. But if you’re different and intend to keep it a secret like the government told you to, Alozide is your only option. If you can’t afford it you better hope your ability isn’t intrusive…

Androids
More of a rumor these days, androids were originally planned to act as undercover “cops” and blend with society; the first line of defense against Meta terrorism! They would have saved countless lives... If they had worked. Tests repeatedly failed, credits were wasted and engineers were fired. The NR Science Division hasn’t given up yet, but their research has dipped under the public radar where it seems it will stay.

For now.