Los Angeles is the world. That’s how it seems to most of its inhabitants, anyway. Surrounded on all sides by desert or ocean, there’s no place to go for anyone but the richest of the rich. The mayor says that the rest of the country is out there, but if that’s true then no one ever sees anyone from outside except for maybe a brief vid appearance. He may just say that to make himself feel better, though, since he doesn’t run things anyway.
The city is ruled by the corporations. There are too many to count, but only three that matter: United Fruit Company keeps the populace fed, ParaCentury keeps the entertained, and Standard Oil keeps the city powered. No matter what anyone says, everything that happens in L.A. that matters happens because of them.
Anyone who’s not in the top 1% has to eke out a living somehow, and if you want to be living above the poverty line then the way you do it is probably illegal. There’s a world of options, but it seems like sex, drugs, and sticking it to the corporations (frequently for another corporation) are the only truly reliable forms of work, at least in meatspace.
The Metaverse, essentially owned, though not created by, ParaCentury claims to offer a respite from real life, but for all but the most knowledgeable hackers (or well-connected others), mostly feels like a dirtier, more poorly spelled version of the real world.
You’re probably never going to be the 1%, but maybe if you play your cards right you can get out of the (hopefully metaphorical) gutters. Or at least drag a few more people down to your level, anyway.
Hosted and narrated by:
Eric Johnson (Pythonite)
Started 06/11/14.
Scenes played: 3
License: Community License
