History SoYouWantTo / WriteACyberpunkStory

* A fantasy/horror piece that's heavy on Telepathy and MindManipulation? Try FakeMemories, GrandTheftMe, AmnesiaDanger, JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind, and SomethingHeWouldNeverSay.

* ''Film/TheMatrix'': While straying from its cyberpunk roots, it brings up numerous interesting cyberpunk themes if you can spot them.
* Creator/IsaacAsimov's robot series, for additional reading on robot behavior.
* ''AScannerDarkly'', a very dark book/movie on people and the negative effects of drug use and ubiquitous surveillance.
* ''Film/{{Inception}}'', a much more subtle take on cyberpunk. Compare to ''{{Neuromancer}}'', contrast with ''Film/TheMatrix''.
* ''{{Videodrome}}'' and ''[[{{existenz}} eXistenZ]]': Combining the CyberPunk with heavy doses of BioPunk, these films question the ScienceIsBad assumptions common to the genre, the fear of mass culture, and the very nature of ideology.

* {{Cyberpunk}}: Read this first.
* FilmNoir: A primary inspiration for the genre.
* {{Dystopia}}: Of course.
* PostCyberpunk: Mandatory reading.
* AntiHero: Cyberpunk is heavily inspired by FilmNoir, and the rough, dark, brooding hero is no exception.

* DarkerAndEdgier: Use with moderation and realism in mind.
* RuleOfCool: Style is everything. If the hero can't do it with panache, it's not worth doing ([[SubvertedTrope Unless]] [[BoringButPractical it is]]). [[MundaneMadeAwesome Use in extreme moderation.]]
* ScienceIsBad: To a certain degree. The negative effects of technology feature heavily in cyberpunk fiction, but it is often not technology itself that is explored, but rather the possibilities for abuse.
* SlidingScaleOfCynicismVersusIdealism: Cynical, or at least Main/EarnYourHappyEnding. The world is dark and horrible, filled with injustice and crime. Bullets are the best way to solve problems, and people, good and bad, if those terms are applicable, die. Painfully.

* DoAndroidsDream?: If your story centers around the existence of [[ArtificialHuman Artificial Humans]], how are they treated? Are they on par with humans, or are they treated as slaves? What makes it possible to discern an android or an AI from a human? Do android have emotions, desires, feelings?

* BlackAndWhiteMorality: ''Nothing'' is what it seems like in a cyberpunk world.
* SummerBlockbuster: Consider this: In the entirety of ''Film/BladeRunner'', only about a dozen shots were fired. ActionAdventure tales these ain't.

* BadCopIncompetentCop: Remember that not all cyberpunk stories has authority as the enemy. Sometimes the police, or even the SecretPolice, are the heroes tasked with cleaning up the mess of the anarchists and hackers and criminals make. ''Film/BladeRunner'', ''VisualNovel/{{Snatcher}}'' and ''Anime/GhostInTheShell'' were all about government-employed heroes fighting off the DesignatedVillain.
* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: This was less of a problem before people had cybernetics [[note]] Yes, we do. ArtificialLimbs, pacemakers, bionic ear implants, bionic hearts, etc[[/note]]. Nowadays, we know that any implants short of rewiring your brains doesn't cause personality damage.

* ''{{Inception}}'', a much more subtle take on cyberpunk. Compare to ''{{Neuromancer}}'', contrast with ''Film/TheMatrix''.

!!'''The Greats'''

* ''GhostInTheShell''

!!'''The Epic Fails'''

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''All examples here are, well, examples. Do not try to wrap your head around a story using all of the examples.''

* BadCopIncompetentCop: Remember that not all cyberpunk stories has authority as the enemy. Sometimes the police, or even the SecretPolice, are the heroes tasked with cleaning up the mess of the anarchists and hackers and criminals make. ''Film/BladeRunner'', ''{{Snatcher}}'' and ''GhostInTheShell'' were all about government-employed heroes fighting off the DesignatedVillain.

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* BittersweetEnding: Usually, a cyberpunk story, with its dark and depressing themes, rarely has an ending where the hero wins. Or maybe he does but something is left awry. In ''BladeRunner'', Deckard gets the girl and defeats the "villain" but has to run for his life.

* RecycledScript: ''BladeRunner'' plots have been done [[BubblegumCrisis millions]] [[ArmitageIII of]] [[DoAndroidsDreamOfElectricSheep times]] before. This is not to say it can't be done again, but you should make sure you story is not a cliché ''BladeRunner'' knockoff. If your trenchcoat-clad hero fights runaway robots and doubts his own humanity... you'd better be a damn fine writer, son!

* SummerBlockbuster: Consider this: In the entirety of ''BladeRunner'', only about a dozen shots were fired. ActionAdventure tales these ain't.

* BadCopIncompetentCop: Remember that not all cyberpunk stories has authority as the enemy. Sometimes the police, or even the SecretPolice, are the heroes tasked with cleaning up the mess of the anarchists and hackers and criminals make. ''BladeRunner'', ''{{Snatcher}}'' and ''GhostInTheShell'' were all about government-employed heroes fighting off the DesignatedVillain.
* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: This was less of a problem before people had cybernetics [[hottip:*: Yes, we do. ArtificialLimbs, pacemakers, bionic ear implants, bionic hearts, etc]]. Nowadays, we know that any implants short of rewiring your brains doesn't cause personality damage.

* ''TheMatrix'': While straying from its cyberpunk roots, it brings up numerous interesting cyberpunk themes if you can spot them.

* ''{{Inception}}'', a much more subtle take on cyberpunk. Compare to ''{{Neuromancer}}'', contrast with ''TheMatrix''.

* ''BladeRunner'' (Also check out its progenitor: ''DoAndroidsDreamOfElectricSheep'' by Philip K. Dick.) Ironically lacks most of the features, but the TropeCodifier in terms of scenery and atmosphere.

* ''JohnnyMnemonic'': TheMovie

* ''JohnnyMnemonic'': TheMovie (though YourMileageMayVary on the actual degree of failure).

* IsaacAsimov's robot series, for additional reading on robot behavior.

* RuleOfCool: Style is everything. If the hero can't do it with panache, it's not worth doing ([[SubvertedTrope Unless]] [[BoringButPractical it is]]). [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome Use in extreme moderation.]]

* ''AClockworkOrange'' for a Pre-Cyberpunk movie/book.

* ''BladeRunner'' (Also check out its progenitor: ''DoAndroidsDreamOfElectricSheep'' by Philip K. Dick)
* ''{{Neuromancer}}''

* Your High School SitCom could include such plots as TwoTimerDate, InWithTheInCrowd, FarewellMyFriend, and even HorribleCampingTrip.

The very nature of the genre dictates that your material ''will'' fall under any of these tropes. Learn to use them well.

The very nature of the genre dictates that your material ''will'' fall under these tropes. Learn to use them well.

* AwesomeButPractical: See RuleOfCool below.

* DarkerAndEdgier: But of course!
* {{Dystopia}}

* AntiHero: Cyberpunk is heavily inspired by FilmNoir, and the rough, dark, brooding hero is no exception.

* Cities. Big cities. Loads of neon lights and dull surfaces. Glass, urbanism, downtrodden undergrounds and shady pubs. Small apartments. Everywhere looks like central Tokyo. Maybe a space station or an abandoned genetic factory.

* Trenchcoats, sunglasses, leather jackets, and the alike. Everything is in black or other dull colours, with small amounts of bright colours for emphasis, especially neon-green, neon-blue, neon-red, fluorescent orange and neon-purple.

* Dystopia

* ''DeusEx''

* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: This was less of a problem before people had cybernetics [[hottip:*: Yes, we do. ArtificialLimbs, pacemakers, bionic ear implants, etc]]. Nowadays, we know that any implants short of rewiring your brains doesn't cause personality damage.

* PoliceState vs. Anarchy: Is the government an all powerful organization that enforces the law through SWAT teams, Main/SecretPolice and SinisterSurveillance, or is the lack of government and control that leads to the state of the world?
* TheGunslinger vs. PlayfulHacker: Your protagonist is going to have to solve their problems one way or another, [[TheMessiah it's]] [[TalkingYourWayOut not]] [[ThePowerOfLove going]] [[ThePowerOfFriendship to]] be easy. Does he or she solve her problems through the careful ([[MoreDakka not so careful]]) application of projectiles, or are they solved through the use of viruses, trojans, denial-of-service attacks and forced intrusion?

* SummerBlockbuster: Consider this--In the entirety of ''BladeRunner'', only about a dozen shots were fired. ActionAdventure tales these ain't.

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: These are usually {{Big Bad}}s, because of their access to money, secret research labs and the like, but do they have to be? Maybe they're perfectly ordinary people, or even heroes?
* CorruptPolice: Remember that not all cyberpunk stories has authority as the enemy. Sometimes the police, or even the SecretPolice, are the heroes tasked with cleaning up the mess of the anarchists and hackers and criminals make.
''BladeRunner'', ''{{Snatcher}}'' and ''GhostInTheShell'' were all about government-employed heroes fighting off the DesignatedVillain.

* [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman How do people treat non-Homo Sapiens Sapiens?]] Racism, treatment of robots, androids, clones, etc.

* Authoritism vs. Liberalism: Should people be [[SinisterSurveillance seen by CCTV cameras at all times]], have their phone lines tapped and their daily lives monitored for safety, or should they have privacy, even if that interferes with police work?
* Transhumanism vs. Humans Conservatism: Should people be allowed to augment themselves, or will that bring about social downfall?

* ''IRobot'': TheMovie

* Main/AwesomeButPractical: See RuleOfCool below.
* Main/{{Cyberpunk}}: Read this first.
* Main/DarkerAndEdgier: But of course!
* Main/PostCyberpunk: Mandatory reading.
* Main/RuleOfCool: Style is everything. If the hero can't do it with panache, it's not worth doing ([[SubvertedTrope Unless]] [[BoringButPractical it is]]). [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome Use in extreme moderation.]]
* Main/ScienceIsBad: To a certain degree. The negative effects of technology feature heavily in cyberpunk fiction, but it is often not technology itself that is explored, but rather the possibilities for abuse.
* Main/SlidingScaleOfCynicismVersusIdealism: Cynical, or at least Main/EarnYourHappyEnding. The world is dark and horrible, filled with injustice and crime. Bullets are the best way to solve problems, and people, good and bad, if those terms are applicable, die. Painfully.
* Main/BittersweetEnding: Usually, a cyberpunk story, with its dark and depressing themes, rarely has an ending where the hero wins. Or maybe he does but something is left awry. In ''BladeRunner'', Deckard gets the girl and defeats the "villain" but has to run for his life.

* Main/PoliceState vs. Anarchy: Is the government an all powerful organization that enforces the law through SWAT teams, Main/SecretPolice and SinisterSurveillance, or is the lack of government and control that leads to the state of the world?
* Main/TheGunslinger vs. PlayfulHacker: Your protagonist is going to have to solve their problems one way or another, [[Main/TheMessiah its]] [[Main/TalkingYourWayOut not]] [[Main/ThePowerOfLove going]] [[Main/ThePowerOfFriendship to]] be easy. Does he or she solve her problems through the careful ([[Main/MoreDakka not so careful]]) application of projectiles, or are they solved through the use of viruses, trojans, denial-of-service attacks and forced intrusion?
* [[Main/MohsScaleOfSciFiHardness Hard Sci-Fi]] vs. Main/{{Cyberspace}}: Is everything in your world explained through plausible technology, or are you writing this on a typewriter?
* Main/CyberneticsEatYourSoul: How do people who have cybernetic implants act? Do they run around and kill everyone because their implants makes them go crazy, or are they perfectly well adjusted beings?
* Main/DoAndroidsDreamOfElectricSheep?: If your story centers around the existence of [[ArtificialHuman Artificial Humans]], how are they treated? Are they on par with humans, or are they treated as slaves? What makes it possible to discern an android or an AI from a human? Do android have emotions, desires, feelings?

* Main/RecycledScript: Main/BladeRunner plots have been done [[Main/BubblegumCrisis millions]] [[Main/ArmitageIII of]] [[Main/DoAndroidsDreamOfElectricSheep times]] before. This is not to say it can't be done again, but you should make sure you story is not a cliché BladeRunner knockoff. If your trenchcoat-clad hero fights runnaway robots and doubts his own humanity... you'd better be a damn fine writer son!
* Main/TomatoInTheMirror: People who are interested in cyberpunk are [[Main/ViewersAreGeniuses usually not the least]] Main/GenreSavvy [[Main/ViewersAreGeniuses in the world,]] and will usually spot this from miles away. That is not to say it can be done, but you readers will expect your main character to be an Main/ArtificialHuman, or at least a [[Main/CloningBlues clone]] even before they've read the first paragraph. [[Main/SubvertedTrope Surprise them.]]
* Main/BlackAndWhiteMorality: ''Nothing'' is what it seems like in a cyberpunk world.
* Main/SummerBlockbuster: Consider this--In the entirety of Main/BladeRunner, only about a dozen shots were fired. ActionAdventure tales these ain't.

* Main/CorruptCorporateExecutive: These are usually {{Big Bad}}s, because of their access to money, secret research labs and the like, but do they have to be? Maybe they're perfectly ordinary people, or even heroes?
* Main/CorruptPolice: Remember that not all cyberpunk stories has authority as the enemy. Sometimes the police, or even the Main/SecretPolice, are the heroes tasked with cleaning up the mess of the anarchists and hackers and criminals make. Main/BladeRunner, Main/{{Snatcher}} and Main/GhostInTheShell were all about government-employed heroes fighting off the DesignatedVillain.

* [[Main/DoAndroidsDream What makes us human?]] Feeling, understanding, comprehension, self-awareness, etc.
* [[Main/WhatMeasureIsANonHuman How do people treat non-Homo Sapiens Sapiens?]] Racism, treatment of robots, androids, clones, etc.

* Authoritism vs. Liberalism: Should people be [[Main/SinisterSurveillance seen by CCTV cameras at all times]], have their phone lines tapped and their daily lives monitored for safety, or should they have privacy, even if that interferes with police work?

* TheMatrix: While straying from its cyberpunk roots, it brings up numerous interesting cyberpunk themes if you can spot them.
* Isaac Asimov's robot series, for additional reading on robot behavior.
* AScannerDarkly, a very dark book/movie on people and the negative effects of drug use and ubiquitous surveillance.
* {{Inception}}, a much more subtle take on cyberpunk. Compare to {{Neuromancer}}, contrast with TheMatrix.

* ''Main/BladeRunner'' (Also check out its progenitor: ''DoAndroidsDreamOfElectricSheep'' by Philip K. Dick)
* ''Main/{{Neuromancer}}''
* ''Main/GhostInTheShell''
* ''Main/DeusEx''
* ''Main/SnowCrash''
* ''Main/AClockworkOrange'' for a Pre-Cyberpunk movie/book.

* JohnnyMnemonic: Main/TheMovie (though YourMileageMayVary on the actual degree of failure).
* NewRoseHotel: Main/TheMovie
* IRobot: Main/TheMovie

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<<|SoYouWantTo/SeeTheIndex|>>

* Weapons. {{BFG}}s. [[KatanasAreJustBetter Katanas]]. Go for cool as much as practical.

* AScannerDarkly, a very dark book/movie on people and the negative effects.

* Newrose Hotel: Main/TheMovie

* AScannerDarkly, a very dark book/movie on people and the negative effects