Well I was working on other (unposted) fics and quests, and then suddenly this nattering shriek of an idea popped up and whoops, now I have the first Detroit: Become Human quest on SV. Funny how that turns out, oh, and in this house we mock David C*ge, waster of great concepts and all-around terrible worldbuilder of epic proportions who wouldn't know a decent character arc if it punched him in the dick; I am forever salty and will do my best to just... Replace reality with my AU, thanks.
Frequently Asked Questions: faq
What is 'Detroit: Become Human?'
A video game by Quantic Dream, set in a cyberpunk future (that the David C*ge manages to fucking waste among other things, because he wanted it to be 'irl but with robots and terribly-written allegories') where the mega-corporation CyberLife has all but taken over the world economy with the invention of free labor of extremely human-like androids and the world is slowly circling the drain as things grow worse by the day. Oh, and there's an android rights/abolitionist movement that literally starts and ends in the span of a six days, canonically.
It's an AU?
Anybody who has ever heard me rant about DBH anywhere KNOWS this is gonna be an AU, but for those who haven't… This is gonna be an AU, soooooo very AU!
1. Don't be a jackass.
2. Just don't do anything that might summon the wrath of the mods, I guess?
3. No character hatetrains (feel free to take potshots at David C*ge though, 's'not like he makes it all that difficult).
4. Have fun!
Mechanics (*Undergoing system revision, please standby): Status Guide:
Fettle: Represents Emma's physical wellbeing; wounds and illness reduce Fettle; while treatment, rest, training, and the like can increase it. Reaching the levels of Extinguished means that thou are on death's door (again?) try not to do that. Basically, its Emma's HP bar; players also have the option to use Erg points to heal to the next color-level up in emergencies.
Emma's Base Fettle Bar:||||||||||||||||||||
Levels are (Lowest to Highest):Extinguished <Dim< Hazy < Shiny < Gleaming
Fettle Level Rules:
Gleaming
+1 die to Body Attribute-typerolls
+1 training die to Bodyskills
Shiny
+1 training die to Bodyskills
Hazy
No bonuses or maluses
Dim
Each failed roll results in rolling to gain a Condition (*effects vary)
Extinguished
Failed Body Attribute-type rolls have a 60% chance of resulting in further Fettle loss
Pluck: Represents Emma's relative bravery and emotional resilience against stress; you'll generally want to keep this high. This can be regained via rest, leisure activities, or spending enjoyable time with people. Basically Emma's stress/sanity meter; players also have the option to use Erg points to heal to the next color-level up in emergencies.
Emma's Base Pluck Bar: ||||||||||||||||||||
Levels are (Lowest to Highest):Broken < Brittle < Nebulous < Confident < Resolute
Pluck Level Rules:
Resolute
+1 die to Mind and Soul Attribute-type rolls
+1 training die to Mind and Soul skills
Confident
+1 training die to Mind and Soulskills
Nebulous
No bonuses or maluses
Brittle
Each failed roll results in rolling to gain a Condition (*effects vary)
Broken
Failed Mind and Soul Attribute-type rolls have a 60% chance of resulting in further Pluck loss
Auto-fail all training actions
Erg: It's… Something. Basically represents Emma's accumulated EXP points that can be used to for several things, so spend wisely.
Uses for Erg:
Improve Emma's Attributes: Body, Mind, Soul
Heal up 5 ticks of either Fettle or Pluck
Flavor Text: Are you entertained?
How Attributes & Skills Work:
Attributes:
Emma has 3 Attributes Body, Mind, and Soul which have two functions:
Adds x# of die to their dice pool when using skills or Defaulting skills a character doesn't have any skill levels in.
Determines how many training die a character rolls when taking a training action.
Skills & How to Train Them:
Emma's skills are classified under one of the 3 Attribute categories (Body, Mind, or Soul), and skill levels add x# of die to skill dice pool when using skills. Characters can train those skills when the opportunities arise.
Skill Roll Guide:
Skill Level # + (Attribute Level # * D6[only 6s are successes]) VS Difficulty Lvl #
Skill Check Example:
You need to sneak into the house!
Body 1 + Sneak 0 (*no levels in Sneak; Defaulting: -1 Die pool): 1 + (1D6) VS Difficulty Easy (1 Success Total Needed) --> Great Success!
You manage to sneak into the house without being spotted.
Training Skills:
Training Example: Players voted to have Emma work on her Computers 1 (0/50)skill twice.
A half-Chinese, half-Korean girl of five, who's a bit short with dark hair and eyes. She was born with several congenital defects, said congenital defects include a missing left arm just above where the elbow would've been (she's still hoping for a cool robot arm with a laser!) and a lack of vision in her left eye. Quiet and smart, usually very asocial unless being trotted out to impress her parents' friends. Recently came back from the doctor's for some sort of head surgery.
Body 0 (0/1)– Your body feels weak and it aches something fierce, it feels tight and loose at the same time, something about it doesn't fit. (Can only be improved with ERG)
Mind 1 (0/5) – Your thoughts are clearer, and your memory, analysis, and critical thinking skills are average. A marked improvement from before, but still average. (Can only be improved with ERG)
Soul 0 (0/1) – You are strangely hollow. (Can only be improved with ERG)
Gymnastics 1 (0/80) – Measures your balance, general athleticism, and all-around ability to use your body. Currently you can do handstands, rolls, cartwheels, climb, and more, despite your small size and constitution.
Computers1(0/50) – Represents your skill at using computers and other related operating systems, as well as your grasp of programming concepts. Currently, you can turn them off and on again, know how to copy/paste, and how to make a 'hello world,' at this point you're mostly a script kiddie.
Etiquette 1 (0/80) – Represents your level of understanding and awareness of proper social rituals. You know how to say 'please' and 'thank you' and can eat in functions with only a relatively small chance of embarrassing your parents. ~And yet many skills you have yet to uncover.
-Locked-
Edgewood Academy uniform – smells like chlorine, damp, and stained with some blood and vomit.
Fancy Icepick – A tool with many uses; there's black gunk flaking off of it.
Flavor Text: Still not your bag. Something is glowing inside?
- Empty Soda Can - Light and sticky, noisy if dropped or thrown. [0.5 Slot]
- Strange Bracelet - Looks like a metal hospital bracelet. Your head feels clearer, maybe you should try reading it again? [0 Slot]
- Blue Keycard - Opens doors. Your head feels clearer, maybe you should try reading it again? [0 Slot]
goals
Main Goal:Vivere
1) Find Your Bag- The bag is the key. --Get to the Lost and Found through the cafeteria.
---Find your way back to the cafeteria. 2) Leave this place.
Bonus Goal:Memento Mori (1/3 Found) – Your memories aren't coming to you like they should, and familiar things seem to trigger recall, maybe finding more things would help? You don't know where to start though; after all, it's a big school and there's a creepy Tall-thing out and prowling about. Reward: ???
Fancy Icepick – Parties have rarely proven any fun, always full of grownups who don't listen and juice you can't drink.
Emma's parents have enough money to live in one of the most expensive penthouses in Columbus and fund her mother's frequent shopping splurges; you don't have access to any of it or an allowance of any kind.
Base: the penthouse
Ivory Heights Luxury Apartments
224 Gildview Ave.
Apt. 70A
Columbus, OH 43XXX
Description: 2 bed, 2 bath. On-grid with full utilities on top of a high-rise luxury apartment building, also exorbitantly expensive and not your problem, because you're five years old. Has a pool overlooking every altophobe's worst nightmare, but otherwise a lovely view.
Well this is certainly an interesting concept for a story. I have high hopes for this, as it is the first Detroit Become Human Quest/Story here in SV. I'll see this till the end.
A/N: FIRST. DBH. QUEST. ON. SV. (I was working on some other ideas rattling around, then THIS motherforker of an idea came outta nowhere to rattle louder than the rest! So here we go! Let's do dis!) *rattles exuberantly*
(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*✲ﾟ*｡⋆
Sink 0.01
It's dark when you wake.
Your head bumps gently against the concrete and tiled siding of the pool, and then your body starts to thrash. Lungs burning, eyes open but staring unseeing into the abyss, and then your entire chest feeling both crushed and bloated at the same time.
Then it's as if your body goes electric, limbs fluttering and hand flailing for what must've, has to be, the pool's edge that had woken you seconds ago.
Your outstretched hand is met with nothing.
Cold…
Your struggles weaken, and your skull buzzes with echoed static. No thoughts, only death-
Your mouth opens again, still full with water and choking on muted terror unutterable. You find no purchase, no oasis of dry land from this watery grave as your limbs grow colder, heavier.
Very interesting, and hopefully much better than the real thing. Pls be better than canon, pls. Canon setting was interesting, but what they did with it was ughhhh.
Something warm wraps around your weakly fluttering wrist, and suddenly you've been hauled through the water and onto the dry land.
Your mouth is open but there's no air, just water spilling out-
And just like that, no time to even look at your savior because then you're on your knees, body heaving violently over a brightly painted sparrow. Your chest feels tight like a drum and it hurts to keel over like this, and everything in your torso lurches as you throw up.
And it keeps going.
Water pours out your mouth and dribbles from your nose, your throat and nose feel like they're burning and every horrid retch would have you crying if you could breath, but your body keeps on lurching and the water keeps coming.
…
Your head feels light and fuzzy by the time the water stops, and you manage a deep, desperate lungful before-
You retch again, and nothing comes out, ithurtsithurtsithurts-!
…
You don't know how long you lie there after your chest finally stops threatening to expel your lungs out through your mouth. You lie in a cooling puddle on your side, still gasping greedily at every lungful of air. Everything hurt, your limbs feel heavy, and despite being utterly drenched your mouth feels like it's been stuffed full of cotton.
Your head doesn't feel much better, and everything was still dim and fuzzy. First you just breathe, then a hiccup escapes, and then finally a sob.
You want to go home.
Something spongy prods at your face, a… Mop?
Your head might as well be a sack of bricks for all the effort it takes to look up and see the fuzzy outline of Mister Cody, the janitor, at least you think that's his name, you don't remember where you heard it. Mister Cody stares down at you owlishly, his glowy temple-light a blinking yellow, and a puddle of smelly poolwater forms beneath his shoes.
Mister Cody was a robot, you liked robots, they're not scary like most grownups are.
The fancy light-fabric designs of his uniform give off a soft, blue glow in the dark of the big room. He stood, unblinking, you think, but your vision can't quite make out the details, and your head starts to throb as some of the feeling comes back into your limbs.
He mops around you.
"MiisssthhherCooodddeee? Diiithoooo saffffmeh?" Your tongue doesn't quite cooperate.
A brief pause between mop strokes, then an almost-flat, "please vacate the natatorium, as pool hours have been rescinded until the return of the school staff."
'Oh,' you think, skull buzzing, 'natatorium, fancy word for a poolhouse, I get it.'
The floor is cold, and your skin feels jittery and crawly beneath, and Mister Cody isn't waiting. So with a massive amount of effort, you sit up.
Nothing spins, and apart from some weak coughing sending shivery aches through your chest, you're alive.
Trying to shake off the staticky fuzz on your brain, you roll over onto your knees and hand, shivering uncomfortably and hating every moment of it. By the time you manage to get onto your wobbly feet you realize that the light of Mister Cody's uniform is the only thing illuminating the dark space of this place.
He hadn't even turned on the lights, or was the power off?
Mister Cody is currently mopping up a mixed puddle of gross stuff that's entirely your fault, and you feel a bit guilty. Also your mouth tastes like something crawled in and died inside it, ugh.
what do you do now
[] Talk to Mister Cody (maybe you should thank him too)?
[] Look for your bag, you must've dropped it somewhere around here. Your stuff, including your phone, should be in there, probably.
[] Where's your arm? Mom's gonna be sooooo mad if she finds out that you broke it again.
[] Try to remember what happened? (-Pluck, +???)
Fettle: Dim Pluck: Brittle Erg: ???
Outfit:
Edgewood Academy uniform – smells like chlorine, drenched, and stained with some blood and vomit. You hope mom doesn't see it.
Bag: -Missing- Hands (1): Free Money: $0
A/N: Lol, markalasbody.exe crashed before I could post this earlier. Some exposition, and Emma ain't dead, woo!
Well this is certainly an interesting concept for a story. I have high hopes for this, as it is the first Detroit Become Human Quest/Story here in SV. I'll see this till the end.
Very interesting, and hopefully much better than the real thing. Pls be better than canon, pls. Canon setting was interesting, but what they did with it was ughhhh.
You speaketh, my feelings about the DBH. David C*ge really knows how to strip the cyberpunk out of a cyberpunk setting, fumble worldbuilding and mishandle characters who deserve better dialogue and actual arcs. This is me, still yelling about how BITTER over Kara, Ralph (we should've been able to recruit him), North (who deserved better than a contrived romance in 3-4 days and more than 'RAH DO A VIOLENCE'), Simon (who deserved actual 1v1 dialogue and should've been romanceable imho), and soooo many others I am mad about getting shafted (also I'd never say no to more Connor & Hank adventures, but at least we got some of that). But especially Kara's story, especially with how little it actually seems to matter in the supposed "intertwined 3 protagonist plot" that the game was trying to go for. Also because the 'it's better in Canada' plot imho really dumb and terrible and wouldn't work because Canada is NOT the Civil War North equivalent because that would require Canada to recognize Androids as people/non-commodifiable products and in canon they DON'T, they just won't let CyberLife or their shell companies set up stores or sell the wares over on their turf, which is NOT THE SAME THInG-!
The overall timeline of CyberLife's rise to power is too. Tight. I can't even, no. Also the plot seems to not acknowledge that there's a literal HOLE in the back of Markus' head from the cop bullet (of whom I'm convinced might've been a CyberLife catspaw hit to get rid of Kamski's custom individuals perhaps)? You can't just stick a replacement eyeball and forget about it, the bullet went straight through! That synthskin is just a coverup patch! Also I hope rain and mud didn't get gunked up in there...
Also those fucking food assets in Markus' chapter. Ugly as hell. They made bacon, eggs and fruit look like inedible cardboard-blah. Un-fucking-forgivable. Even the food assets in Beyond: Two Souls apartment chapter on PS3 looked better, DBH is on PS4.
*huffs dramatically*
TLDR, that's a mood. Anyways, I'll do my best, thank you for your kind encouragement!
Because mystery options never go wrong! But seriously, either that's Erg or some mystery 4 Stat.
@Markala: To be fair with the rapid romance between Markus and North, they are robots. I just chalked it up as them going through the whole emotional bonding thing in a condensed time. After all, if someone knows your life story completely and doesn't hate you, good sign they like you.
I do agree Simon got underused, and they could of done more with Kara. Mean, I liked the whole "Robot mom and her adoptive daughter" angle, but they definitely wasted an opportunity when it came to Alice.
Having her be human or even her actual (half?) human daughter would of helped sell the whole emotional story. Instead, you're left questioning if Alice is even deviant and waste the chance to have anti-robot bigots feel real awkward about killing a little girl's robot mom.
Edgewood Academy uniform – smells like chlorine, damp, and stained with some blood and vomit.
