Welcome to New York City 2.0 (Cyberpunk RPs M lf F/TG)

[Ron Don Volante]

This is a more open idea designed in a cyberpunk world. In the mid 2010s, thanks to a near total collapse of the economy and an overwhelming debt exacerbated by the fall of the Euro and chaos in the Middle East and elsewhere, the American federal government looked for drastic ways to reduce its crushing debt. The rise of social media and the nasty political climate led to an odd series of decisions. In exchange for vast sums paid to the federal and state government, most urban areas earned far greater local control from both federal and state authority. Coupled with massive cuts to the federal bureaucracy, most cities in America still send money to the federal and state government in taxes, have populations that are American citizens, pay social security, send representatives to Congress, etc. they are almost entirely self governing. Some cities have stayed relatively the same (Boston, Philadelphia, Phoenix), others have suffered from terrible internal strife (Pittsburgh, Detroit, San Antonio), turned into vice filled pleasure centers where little is outlawed (Las Vegas, San Francisco, Miami),  or turned into technological marvels (Seattle, Dallas-FW). Many, however, have turned control over almost entirely to the corporations. New York City, the largest city in America, is the most prominent example.

The New York City Development Consortium (NYDC), a collection of the most powerful corporations in New York City, has complete control of Manhattan and the five Boroughs and more or less controls Rockland County and Long Island. By 2045, they had orchestrated a comprehensive overhaul of the city's security, tax structure, traffic laws, residentiary permits, and other civil matters to turn Manhattan to the place for the Royalty (ie corporations and their upper management) and the boroughs for the lower rung workers (and the outer areas for the outsourcing). Added onto the rise of wireless networking, addicting virtual reality, a decline in standards (including safety) for entertainment,  the rise of social media, and, most importantly, near ubiquitous augmented reality (or AR) the NYDC has turned the vast majority of the city into a fascist police state with a population too busy and distracted to care.

There are, however, exceptions. The Neos (Neo-Anarchists, Neo-Luddites, Neo-Communists, Neo-Libertarians etc.) as well as street gangs,  plague the NYDC, particularly in Manhattan where the NYDC's grip was once the tightest. The Mafia, while working thus far with the NYDC, is at the zenith of it's power and may even rival the NYDC. Meanwhile NYPD, Inc. (long since having become privatized) has so far kept a lid on things they can only do so much. Five years prior, in response to the rising disturbances, the NYDC formed Rushford, Inc., a company whose sole purpose was to provide cover for a deadly and powerful secret police force, loyal only to the NYDC, intended to find and destroy their enemies by any means necessary.

(Lots more info to come! Idea threads include both sexual and non-sexual, con, and non-con mostly centered around the secret police and their corporate masters)

[Callie Del Noire]

Oh? Definitely picqued.

[Ron Don Volante]

Thanks to everyone who PMed me about their interest! Actually as this has grown (in my head at least) the more I'm thinking about moving it to group and the more ideas I come up with. So stay tuned! Here's part #2

Life in IRL NYC 2.0

Some things never change, and the separation between the rich, middle class, and poor is as real as it ever has been in NYC. The big change, however, is the lines between all three is more pronounced thanks to some very careful planning by the NYDC.

Sitting at the top is, of course, the wealthy. Most people of means live in Manhattan, whether in “low end” areas like Chelsea or the creame de la creame of the Upper East Side. Living situations run the gamut from lovely apartments to highly secure mansions and luxury condos. The rich don’t usually work short hours, unless they’re trust fund babies and idiot brats from wealthy families with do-nothing jobs, but they tend to get longer vacations and have many more options for entertainment than those on the lower rungs.

Middle class people might get by in Harlem or, if they’re real artists, in Greenwich Village but most people live in the Boroughs (the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, or Staten Island), Rockland County, or Long Island. Some may work out where they live or telecommute, particularly ones further from NYC, but many make the long commute into and from Manhattan every day. This means most middle class folks make the long commute to work, work for eight to nine hours, make the long commute back, and have just enough time to plug in or spend some time with their families.

People on the lower end of the scale usually live in the poorer neighborhoods of the Boroughs and outlying areas where urban decay has become a major problem. Many low rent residential and commercial areas have spotty NYPD, Inc. coverage and residents and business owners have to often times pay protection to street gangs or local crime syndicates. As for work, hours are longer, pay is less, and what legal entertainment they can squeeze in to their days tends to be even more laden with spam and shady offers than normal.

Then there are the areas where law has completely broken down and pure anarchy reigns. The most infamous area is The Grinder, formerly known as the Meatpacking District of Manhattan, though every borough has at least one of their own to deal with. Although a constant thorn in the side of the NYDC these areas are never cleared out as they are a great place to keep around as a dumping ground for criminals and low lives to congregate in a place where they can be contained and monitored. Life here is usually terrible and violence a constant problem.

The biggest thing that impacts the lives of people in NYC 2.0 is security. The ubiquitousness of wireless networking and Augmented Reality has made enforcement of some crimes, most notably trespassing, instant. With this in mind, the NYDC has set up a rather strict system. Anyone who wants to, legally, get into or around the city must receive a pass from either the NYC Department of Transportation or a corporation approved to give passes by the NYDC. Passes come in five flavors: Unrestricted, Work, Residential, Visitor, or Restricted. Each pass, except for Unrestricted, has carefully designed zones and time periods for its holder. For example, for a worker living in Brooklyn who commutes to Manhattan for a 8 to 5 shift, their pass would only allow them on his corporate approved transportation at 7 AM and in his assigned building from 8 to 5 on weekdays. Likewise, he’s restricted to his neighborhood and surrounding areas during the evenings.

Of course, things aren’t in lock down 24/7. On holidays and weekends pass coverage extends and people wanting to go to “the city” for tourism or shopping find it’s quite easy to purchase a pass expansion for cheap, so long as it’s done long enough in advance. In a corporate state, after all, it is necessary that the population gets a chance to spend its money freely, even if much of it can still be done at home.
Still, any attempt to stray beyond the area allowed by your pass grants you a large “Warning: Trespassing” sign in Augmented Reality followed by an alert sent to NYPD, Inc. after thirty seconds and a physical response not long after that. These rules are strictly enforced and much of NYPD Inc’s budget in NYC is spent making sure the system is as tight as possible.