Line #68 SoYouWantTo/WriteACyberPunkStory


1	So you've decided to write a CyberPunk story. You love to read about man's fight against injustice from MegaCorp firms' invasive and oppressive technology and corruption, and societal decay amidst advanced technological innovations, so you've decided to give your interpretation of it. You know that cyberpunk is about way more than just a mashup of Tokyo and film noir aesthetics; it's got to be about political or philosophical issues, too.
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3	First, be sure to check out SoYouWantTo/WriteAStory for basic advice that holds across ''all'' genres, with fleshed out characters with compelling motivation and some clear stakes. Then, come back here for some extra advice.
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5	All examples here are, well, examples. Do ''not'' try to wrap your head around a story using all of the examples.
6	----
7	!'''Necessary Tropes'''
8
9	The very nature of the genre dictates that your material ''will'' fall under any of these tropes. Learn to use them well. See also CyberpunkTropes for additional tropes.
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11	* BittersweetEnding: Usually, a cyberpunk story, with its dark and depressing themes, usually doesn't have an ending where the hero wins and lives happily ever after. Or maybe he does win, but something is left awry. In ''Film/BladeRunner'', [[spoiler:Deckard gets the girl and defeats the "villain" but has to run for his life]]. There are a few exceptions to this, but not many.
12	* DarkerAndEdgier: Use with moderation and realism in mind. Oversaturating the corruption and vice can make a story look cheesy or filled with more drama or [[TooBleakStoppedCaring worse]] than the audience can handle.
13	* {{Dystopia}}: A cyberpunk setting is usually a gritty, depressing world with crime and despair running rampant. It's not a nice place to live.
14	* EarnYourHappyEnding: A cyberpunk world is usually so messed up that it's almost impossible to change it for the better. However, if changing things for the better IS possible, then it will usually either be achieved [[BittersweetEnding at a]] [[PyrrhicVictory high cost]] or require a lot of time, hard work and determination to get there.
15	* ExtremeSpeculativeStratification; your futuristic cyberpunk city should have extreme contrasts of wealth and poverty. In the shadows of a gleaming executive tower for a MegaCorp, where executives fly from rooftop helipads in AI-piloted CoolShip copters, homeless people should scrounge for broken electronics waste in an AbandonedArea and sell their organs to BlackMarket brokers.
16	* GrayAndGrayMorality: Not surprising, considering that cyberpunk was quite influenced by the FilmNoir style. Most cyberpunk stories tend to have anti-heroes as their protagonists or anti-villains as their antagonists. Of course, there are a few exceptions to this, like ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'', for example. BlackAndGrayMorality is also a viable alternative.
17	* 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.]]
18	* 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. Of course, if you also want to explore technology's benefits, then go ahead, but like we said, don't forget to explore its negative side-effects as well. It's necessary -- one of cyberpunk's recurring themes is about how technology ''won't'' solve our problems or change human nature for the better.
19	* SlidingScaleOfCynicismVersusIdealism: Mostly cynical or at least Main/EarnYourHappyEnding. Cyberpunk stories tend to be set in [[CrapsackWorld a dark horrible world filled with injustice and crime.]] Bullets are a way to solve problems where hackers fail, and people, good and bad, if those terms are applicable, tend to die painfully.
20
21	!'''Choices, Choices'''
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23	These tropes cover a wide spectrum of choices regarding a certain element of your story, and you're going to have to pick a spot somewhere on that spectrum. Unless we've forgotten to include something, and you can spot it, because in that case you might actually surprise us after all.
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25	* PoliceState vs. Anarchy: Is the government an all-powerful organization that enforces the law through PrivateMilitaryContractors, SecretPolice and SinisterSurveillance, or is the ''lack'' of government and control that leads to a MegaCorp dominating and creating a CrapsackWorld?
26	* ScientistVsSoldier, especially TheGunslinger vs. PlayfulHacker: Your protagonist is going to have to solve their problems one way or another, [[AllLovingHero it's]] [[TalkingYourWayOut not]] [[ThePowerOfLove going]] [[ThePowerOfFriendship to]] be easy. Does he or she solve her problems through the careful ([[MoreDakka or not so careful]]) application of projectiles, or are they solved through the use of viruses, trojans, denial-of-service attacks and forced intrusion?
27	* TheAlternet: Is the net like the real world with webpages and other such things, or is some variety of {{Cyberspace}} the norm?
28	* 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?
29	* 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?
30	* TheSingularity: Want a big finale and/or an over-arching theme to tie together the actions of the characters? It's also a natural extension of the CyberPunk theme of disorienting rapid cultural and technological change. A technological singularity has featured in the works of the greats. Of course this last point might be a reason to avoid it, too.
31	* CyberPunk vs PostCyberPunk: Is technology a tool of dystopian oppression or something that allows the people to fix problems?
32	* WorkingClassHero: A good consideration for cyberpunk stories since this character archetype fits in the stories showing CapitalismIsBad. Generally a FarmBoy in most portrayals, but in science fiction works like this, scientists like ScienceHero GadgeteerGenius are quite a viable choice, as long as this character opposes the plutocracy of the upper-class people.
33
34	!'''Pitfalls'''
35
36	Watch out for these tropes! They're bad news - or, well, at least they're tropes you generally want to avoid - and they're particularly common in your chosen genre.
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38	* ClusterFBomb: People swear, it happens. However, having characters constantly swear will not make them look cool or gritty.
39	* RecycledScript: ''Literature/DoAndroidsDreamOfElectricSheep''-type plots have been done millions of times before (''Anime/BubblegumCrisis'', ''Anime/ArmitageIII'', ''Film/BladeRunner''...). This is not to say it can't be done again, but you should make sure you story is not a cliché ''Film/BladeRunner'' knockoff. If your trenchcoat-clad hero fights runaway robots and doubts his own humanity... you'd better be a damn fine writer, son!
40	* SummerBlockbuster: Consider this: In the entirety of ''Film/BladeRunner'', only about a dozen shots were fired. Not all Cyberpunk stories are (or need to be) ActionAdventure tales, but the best examples balance exciting action with deeper themes. [[ActionFilmQuietDramaScene Try to find the right balance for your story]], and check out SoYouWantTo/WriteAnActionMovie for more help on writing the action genre.
41	* TomatoInTheMirror: People who are interested in cyberpunk are [[ViewersAreGeniuses usually not the least]] GenreSavvy [[ViewersAreGeniuses in the world,]] and will usually spot this from miles away. That is not to say it can be done, but your readers will expect your main character to be an ArtificialHuman, or at least a clone even before they've ''read the first paragraph''. [[SubvertedTrope Surprise them.]]
42
43	!'''Potential Subversions'''
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45	These tropes are in common use throughout the genre, so we'll forgive you if you use them - but if you can think of a good way to subvert, invert, or just plain ''a''vert them, then you just might be able to start a new [[FollowTheLeader trend]]....
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47	* BadCopIncompetentCop: Remember that not all cyberpunk stories has authority as the enemy. Sometimes the police, or even the SecretPolice, or even a ReasonableAuthorityFigure, are the heroes tasked with cleaning up the mess of the anarchists and hackers and criminals make. ''Film/BladeRunner'', ''VisualNovel/{{Snatcher}}'', ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' and ''Anime/GhostInTheShell'' were all about government-employed heroes fighting off the DesignatedVillain.
48	* CorruptCorporateExecutive: These are usually {{Big Bad}}s, because of their access [[MoneyDearBoy to money]], [[MadScientistLaboratory secret research labs]] and [[PrivateMilitaryContractors mercenaries]], but do they have to be? Maybe [[PunchClockVillain they're perfectly ordinary people]], or even [[HonestCorporateExecutive heroes?]] [[PeaceAndLoveIncorporated Surprise your readers if possible.]]
49	* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: This was less of a problem before people had cybernetics [[note]]Yes, we do have these. 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. While it ''can'' still be used to emphasize transhumanism or the loss of one's autonomy to a capitalist system, beware its ableist connotations or the temptation to allegorize cybernetics with scientific racism.
50	* MadScientist: As with above examples, not all scientists, even in cyberpunk stories, are portrayed as morally-insane people (PlayfulHacker is one of the more-benign Mad Scientists). There might be more-positive alternatives like ReluctantMadScientist or even TheProfessor ScienceHero to [[RivalScienceTeams contrast them]].
51	* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: You can try setting [[NextSundayAD cyberpunk in the present day]] ([[http://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/2017/01/top-signs-were-living-in-cyberpunk.html like this]]) or maybe the distant BadFuture with humanity having long since abandoned a ruined Earth. Steampunk is partially a result of setting the concepts before cyber was a word. Also consider creating a RetroUniverse where things have diverged from our regular timeline, for an [[AlternateHistory alternate version]] of our own world. While '80s CassetteFuturism-inspired worlds are very popular, how about cyberpunk inspired by Y2K or histories around the world?
52	** Over the Runet such things are [[RussianHumor sarcastically labelled]] as "Cyberpunk that we deserved", especially as the occasions turn from grim to idiotic.
53
54	!'''Writers' Lounge'''
55
56	!!'''Blog'''
57
58	''[[http://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/2014/08/what-is-cyberpunk.html What is Cyberpunk]]'' by the author of the Blog/TheUnitedFederationOfCharles is a good explanation as to what the "mood" and major tropes of the genre are.
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60	!!'''Suggested Themes and Aesops'''
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62	* [[DoAndroidsDream What makes us human?]] Feeling, understanding, comprehension, self-awareness, etc.
63	* [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman How do people treat non-Homo Sapiens Sapiens?]] FantasticRacism, treatment of robots, androids, clones, etc.
64	* What is reality?
65	* Gnosticism: Themes and questions of the nature of what makes a human are nigh-omnipresent as humans gradually become walking Ships of Theseus through cybernetic augmentation.
66	* RomanticismVersusEnlightenment: Is human individuality superior to advanced tech, or is it the opposite?
67	* Individualism vs. Collectivism: Should the rights of the individual be compromised [[TheNeedsOfTheMany for the better of the group?]]
68	* Authoritarianism vs. Liberalism: Should people be [[SinisterSurveillance seen by CCTV cameras at all times]], [[BigBrotherIsWatching have their phone lines tapped and their daily lives monitored for safety]], or should they have privacy, even if that interferes with police work?
69	* Transhumanism vs. Human Conservatism: [[NoTranshumanismAllowed Should people be allowed to augment themselves]], or will that bring about social downfall?
70	* BreadAndCircuses: The potential for human apathy and hedonism as key to the success of evil.
71
72	!!'''Potential Motifs'''
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74	* Anything goes, but especially ancient literature and art. The Birth of Venus goes extremely well together with Main/PeopleJars, and images of gods and the divine fit extremely well with the creation of artificial lifeforms.
75	* FilmNoir themes usually go well with cyberpunk too, since cyberpunk was quite inspired by it.
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77	!!'''Suggested Plots'''
78	* A BenevolentAlienInvasion landed in a {{Dystopia}}n nations where HumansAreTheRealMonsters.
79	* A RedScare story set in BadFuture if you want to get political. Since some cyberpunk stories advocate CapitalismIsBad contrary to what RedScare does, try to write in certain conflicts such as class struggles. Explore the contrast between the chaotic, dingy, drug-addled and murderous corporate hell that is a typical cyberpunk society and the squeaky clean, spit-and-polish governmental panopticon on the other side of the Iron Curtain (Or Fascist[=/=]Religious Extremist Curtain, as a hallmark of Communism is extreme drug use that outpaces Capitalist countries). They are both authoritarian, make no mistakes, and none of them are good. But which is a better place to live? The commies may have bread lines, but they also have actual bread and not synthisoybread... except when [[TheCakeIsALie The Bread is a Lie]] or cooked with typically communist substandard ingredients, [[RippedFromTheHeadlines such as unfiltered cooking oil pulled from the sewers]].
80	* For a change of pace, consider letting your antiheroes leave the Big Noir City for a while and see what is outside. This will allow you to dip your story into other genres like AfterTheEnd or {{Dieselpunk}}. If all the money is in Big Noir City and all the food for Big Noir City comes from corporate soy farm/factories, the rest of the world is economically on its own. Explore the societies that could arise there: neoprimitives, neofeudalists or solid small communities that live on scraps left over from megacorps and macgyver their own low tech machines from junk.
81	* Another spin on that "what is beyond Big City Noir" question is the highway setting. Imagine [[https://sdelanounas.ru/blogs/130504/ driverless eighteen wheelers]] that haul cargo between corporate strongholds such as factories, data centers or power plants that tower over the forgotten countryside like medieval castles over peasant fields. Imagine "utinni" raiders that waylay these robotrucks with crude EMP devices to steal the cargo, and small fleets of kill drones that protect freights from these scavengers. Add local traffic between smaller and poorer communities, in the form of old timey human piloted trucks, always with someone riding shotgun and wielding an actual shotgun, and armed hitchhikers earnin their buck as freight guards. Characters who are on the run from Big Bad Inc, and wanted in Big City Noir may find refuge on the road.
82	* A ShinyNewAustralia (and perhaps New Zealand) where unfettered capitalism still exist in the dystopian future. The UsefulNotes/AustralianWildlife are under corporate threat, and UsefulNotes/AustralianAborigines still face racial prejudice and still under {{slavery\|IsASpecialKindOfEvil}} by the {{Sociopathic Soldier}}s in favor of OneNationUnderCopyright run by PeaceAndLoveIncorporated.
83	* What about using cryptocurrency as a driving force for TechnoDystopia and CorporateWarfare? What about a pack of self-admitted dumbasses holding on rapidly inflating stocks of a chain Game Store while singing sea shanties in a game of StockMarket Chicken until billionaires are having a nervous breakdown from the economic damage being done?
84	* A SympatheticPOV about the MegaCorp and its members (e.g. the CEO, the PR guy, the financial wizard, etc.). Said members needn't be portrayed as utter saints or dicks, just to keep up with the cynical cyberpunk theme. How did the company become this big and powerful? Is the MegaCorp as "all-powerful" as it projects itself to be? What about the corporate rat race? Do megacorp employees even have time to contemplate their morality when they're looking over their shoulders for rival employees?
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86	!'''Departments'''
87
88	!!'''Set Designer''' / '''Location Scout'''
89
90	* Cities. [[CityNoir Big, dark 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.
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92	!!'''Props Department'''
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94	* Weapons. {{BFG}}s. [[KatanasAreJustBetter Katanas]]. Go for cool as much as practical.
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96	!!'''Costume Designer'''
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98	* [[BadassLongcoat Trenchcoats]], [[CoolShades mirrorshades]], 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. Could your hacker wear a tool belt with electronics accessories?
99	* What about figures of authority and privilege? Should your corpos wear old-fashioned suits to match their greed, or godly robes to symbolize their disconnect from humanity? Are the cops dressed more like Deckard, or Judge Dredd? It all depends on how human, or inhuman, you want them to be.
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101	!!'''Casting Director'''
102
103	* [[Main/FemmeFatale Femmes Fatales]], Main/PrivateInvestigator, Main/CorruptCorporateExecutive, and other FilmNoir types.
104	* Androids, Transhumans, Super Soldiers, aliens and other ScienceFiction types.
105
106	!!'''Stunt Department'''
107
108	* Fight scenes, though you can get away without them. For flashy action scenes, look for action inspired by Hong Kong GunFu flicks or over the top anime stunts. If it's more subdued, quick and brutal gunfights or FilmNoir tension can do a lot with very little.
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110	!'''Extra Credit'''
111	!!'''Big Hits or Classics'''
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113	* ''Film/BladeRunner'' (Also check out its progenitor: ''Literature/DoAndroidsDreamOfElectricSheep'' by Philip K. Dick.): Ironically lacks most of the features, but the TropeCodifier in terms of scenery and neo-noir atmosphere.
114	** ''Film/BladeRunner2049'': With stunning cinematography and compelling explorations into human desire, Blade Runner's ActionizedSequel became a CultClassic.
115	* ''Literature/{{Neuromancer}}'': The ''other'' trope codifier, that masterfully defined the genre's slang, aesthetics, and tone.
116	* ''Literature/TheStarsMyDestination'': The UrExample of Cyberpunk before there was Cyberpunk. The Mirrorshade Writers were all pretty much inspired by Bester's stories and, according to Creator/MichaelSwanwick, the genre basically started as a response to the New Wave movement Bester was a part of.
117	* ''Franchise/GhostInTheShell'': One of the classic examples and TropeMakers of the genre... except that strictly speaking, it's a defining title of '''post-cyberpunk'''.[[note]]A rule of thumb: if your hero is on their own, it's a good ol' straight cyberpunk. If they work for the Man, it's generally post-cyberpunk.[[/note]]
118	* ''Anime/BubblegumCrisis'': A defining example and trope codifier for the whole anime industry. Drawing on the classics (even then) like ''Film/BladeRunner'' and adding a counter-culture note from the likes of ''Film/StreetsOfFire'' and a jumpy hard-rock soundrack, it sets the example to most of the followers like one above (except it replaces lively glam rock with a droning ambient).
119	* ''Manga/BattleAngelAlita'': Another LongRunner classic, the story still continues, exploring a lot of abovementioned themes to the point that OnceOriginalNowCommon — which it tries to fight with introduction of {{High Concept}}s like cyborg martial arts tournaments and switching to a Political {{Thriller}} genre.
120	** ''Film/AlitaBattleAngel'': A (very partial) CreatorPreferredAdaptation of the above, which failed to become a box office hit but got a very vocal and dedicated following, becoming a CultClassic straight on the release.
121	* ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077'': Adaptation and SequelInAnotherMedium of the TabletopRPG ''TabletopGame/{{Cyberpunk}}''. A good starting point for beginners to the genre, combining almost every cyberpunk trope with a more modern introspection on the genre's legacy.
122	** ''Anime/CyberpunkEdgerunners'': The anime SpinOff provides a quick and flashy distillation of the genre's bright yet nihilistic ethos that resonated strongly with audiences.
123	* ''VideoGame/DeusEx'': A ConspiracyKitchenSink in a cyberpunk setting.
124	* ''Literature/SnowCrash'': Both a send-up as well as a straight example of the genre.
125	* ''Film/AClockworkOrange'' for a Pre-Cyberpunk movie/book about society run amuck.
126	* ''ComicBook/{{Transmetropolitan}}'': Intrepid reporter exploring the in's and out's of a future world gone mad.
127	* ''Film/TheMatrix'': While straying from its cyberpunk roots, it brings up numerous interesting cyberpunk themes, and brought anime and GunFu-inspired action to the mainstream.
128	* Creator/IsaacAsimov's robot series, for additional reading on robot behavior. However, they predate when Cyberpunk was established as a genre and [[SlidingScaleOfCynicismVersusIdealism are more idealistic]].
129	* ''Literature/AScannerDarkly'', a very dark book/movie on people and the negative effects of drug use and ubiquitous surveillance.
130	* ''Film/{{Inception}}'', a much more subtle take on cyberpunk. Compare to ''Literature/{{Neuromancer}}'', contrast with ''Film/TheMatrix''.
131	* ''Film/{{Videodrome}}'' and ''Film/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.
132	* ''Literature/TakeshiKovacs'' by Richard K. Morgan for a far future example of the genre.
133	* ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'': Sequel to ''Film/TheTerminator''. What it lacks in neon-drenched streets or android detectives, it makes up for in fascinating discussions on being outcast from society, artificial intelligence, and short-sighted corporate greed leading to humanity's doom.
134	* ''Film/{{Tron}}'': Visually defined CyberSpace to the public, and shows an oppressive digital world with art direction by the legendary Syd Mead.
135	* ''Film/RoboCop1987'' combines a Cyberpunk setting with action, satire, and BlackComedy.
136
137	!!'''Critical Flops'''
138
139	* ''Film/JohnnyMnemonic'': TheMovie has a lot of NarmCharm but plot holes large enough to drive a truck through. Read the short story from ''Burning Chrome'' instead for a quick and well-executed taste of the genre.
140	* ''New Rose Hotel'': TheMovie is a subdued version of Gibson's story but with many good points.
141	* ''Film/IRobot'': TheMovie is notable for being an InNameOnly adaptation of ''[[WideEyedIdealist Isaac Asimov's]]'' work and a ClicheStorm of Cyberpunk stories.
142
143	!!'''Proceed with Caution'''
144	* ''VideoGame/DetroitBecomeHuman'': Fantastic performances and character chemistry haven't stopped audiences from noting its haphazard appropriation of bigotry and racism actually undermines its desired message.
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