is that a dude or a lady?

Hotel and restaurant infrastructure would be nessecary for transient groups, as would housing, grocery and municipalities for the permanent residents.

>small, non-saggy breasts

My God...

File: 1350331561920.jpg-(37 KB, 450x293, GundamCafe_CompositeImage[1].jpg)

>>21138532
I was assured that both of them is a lady.

Also yeah, those would be necessary but I was more interested in what kind of unique touches can /tg/ come up for those installations

File: 1350331986872.jpg-(374 KB, 852x699, 1334177239682.jpg)

map for the city although it will change with time

File: 1350332444697.jpg-(291 KB, 1280x544, tekkonkinkreet.jpg)

I've gotta go in about 30 minutes to go work, but with any luck, I can steal wifi from the store nextdoor to keep an eye on this thread from my phone.

>>21138532
>>21138570
>>21138661
The dark grey borders on each district are Hotel and Restaurants for visitors and tourists. Everything in between is a bit of everything else, including stores, apartments, convenience stores, arcades, public services (Post offices, Police Departments, registration kiosks, etc) and whatever else a city might need.

As for unique stores, I could imagine carts being quite common as a means for selling stuff without needing the large amounts of dosh to secure an actual brick and mortar store.

Pay a bit out of pocket to get some wood and miscellaneous parts from the scavenger vagrants and put together a simple sales cart, peddling assorted collectibles, books, and shit.

File: 1350332730967.jpg-(107 KB, 1100x691, 1343280520424.jpg)

>>21138762
>As for unique stores, I could imagine carts being quite common as a means for selling stuff without needing the large amounts of dosh to secure an actual brick and mortar store.
and way easier to get secure your "store" if shit hits the fan

>>21138478
Can we get more info on this picture please?

Honestly, I see a lot of cart vendors, as well as the usual assortment of standing shops and sale stalls. There may even be matryoshka stores, where there is a primary storefront for, say, a book retailer, who rents or leases stalls for comic artists, and who is in turn located within a mall whose primary store sells fabrics and leases sowing areas and equipment for insta-cosplay.

Obviously, the most difficult arrangements would involve food. I picture food being sold in wandering carts, with an upscale version being a set kiosk, then scaling up to a foodcourt-style vendor and up higher to a formal restaurant with wait-staff.

File: 1350333315265.png-(348 KB, 443x347, 1327106726267.png)

>>21138859
I don't have any more info about it, it was posted in a /cgl/ thread with a bunch of similar images.

and yeah, I can totally imagine wandering merchants selling whatever they have, although the food business could be a little tricky as food poisoning is not a fun thing so I think the ConSec would "harass" every food vendor

File: 1350333552978.jpg-(291 KB, 732x1035, 1290655888774.jpg)

>>21138859
There would definitely be a place within the city for actual restaurants and grocery stores. Imagine the possibilities you could have just with theme restaurants alone. The Animu district would go crazy for Maid Cafes and those Steak houses where they cook the food in front of you. Sci Fi district might have "replicator" restaurants where it's entirely self service and the pre-prepared food is delivered automatically to the table through pneumatic tubes. Fantasy and LARP districts would have a number of traditional Taverns where they serve Ale and Mutton and have busty wenches to serve you.

Also, that opens up a new business opportunity for bouncers and guards at all those places with hot ladies as waitresses. Anyone who dares place a hand on the ladies gets tossed right out.

File: 1350333581845.jpg-(293 KB, 1417x941, OPHKR2_RAZOR'S_EDGE_148.jpg)

also I can totally imagine a guy who bought a BTR and sell his stuff (most probably toy weapons and related stuff) to the wannabee stalkers

File: 1350333696739.jpg-(95 KB, 800x533, _MG_5299.jpg)

>>21138993
don't forget the pig roasting in a larp village

A key thing would be infrastructure. A city like this will be getting a lot of it's money from tourism, so you need to be able to get people into, around and out of of the place pretty efficiently. You would need a decent train station with links to an airport or a city that has one and coach parks, along with some kind of tram or light rail system running around the key venues of the city. A large amount of parking space, and/or a park and ride system set up on the outskirts would also be needed for those who don't want to travel long distances on public transport

>>21139074
the main idea was that there are a lot of underground trains and metros, this way there could be a lot of abandoned tunnels in a semi-plausible way.

>>21139074
Wait, hold on.

I know this is a little late for a massive overhaul, but there is already a city that conforms to what you are talking about: Las Vegas.

Why not use a central strip, with LARP at one end, venues along the way, parking and support in the back, storage and shipping underground, and so on and so forth?

We could even say there would be an off-ground light rail system, with a heavier cargo system in the back/outside/whatever.

>>21139074
and the relevant part fro mthe wiki
>Transportation - Like most densely packed cities, owning a car is almost entirely unnecessary for the average citizen. A tangled network of skyways between major hotels and apartment and public transportation in the form of busses, subway trains, and trolleys means most people can get around the city without much trouble. There are also the major tunnels that are kept well-lit and patrolled regularly that can be used as shortcuts, though many consider that to be skirting it too close to the UnderCon.
>For most, walking is the preferred method of getting around with biking at a close second. In some cases, a bicycle may be nothing more than a prop for a costume, but it does make for a convention transport. For those who may not be able to afford a motorcycle, there is also the option to ride a bicycle with a modified outer shell to appear more appropriate for their costume. Space Marine Bike Squads, for instance..

>>21138478
throat looks female on the left one, but the right has man-hands

>>21139136
actually when it came to numbers like population and stuff like that we stole more than one thing from Las Vegas

>>21139147
My penis and I have really just given up trying to make heads or tails of it.

>>21139187
My penis just wants in.

Still no luck on reverse-image searches on my end, though.

>>21139074
Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen mention of the need for an airport in all the threads I've seen on this topic. Considering that this is sort of a Las Vegas of conventions, then the need for an airport suddenly becomes much more understandable. However, would it be on the outside of the city, and if so how far away?

>>21139353
Probably on the outskirts, over where the dark brown unlabeled area south of the "industrial area" is in this map: >>21138661

File: 1350335531969.jpg-(2.2 MB, 761x3500, 1328562824435.jpg)

so as I said there is a lot of abandoned underground tunnels and such things because there is a thing called UnderCon. This is basically where all of the rejects live or those who doesn't have enough money (basically beggars) or those who wan't to disappear for one reason or another. And people who would like to cosplay postapoc scavangers, and every now and then a group go to the underground to "purge" what is there with more or less success...

>>21139353
there are a lot of city which have their airport on the outskirts for one reason or another. So I think it's safe to assume that InfiniCon is one of those cities, and the airport will be most likely linked to the underground mass transit system

>>21139399
>>21139455
Alrighty, well that settles that. Any name suggestions for the airport? I like Infinity City International, myself.

>>21139612
probably that would be the best, it would do no good to try and choose any more specific name for it

>>21138478
>What kind of shops and businesses would one open up there?
McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Subway, Jamba Juice...

>>21138993
>>21139663
Combining these two things, there is the possibility of entirely new chains of businesses for clothing, food, etc. So, for example, you could have The Old Smith Pub in the Fantasy-RPG district, while in the Sci-Fi/Tech district you have the Smith Consumptionarium(?). I'm sure someone can come up with better ideas than that, but there's a start.

>>21138993
>replicator tech

Isn't that a little far-fetched? I thought that the technological index of InfiniCon was very similar to our own.

>>21139821
I think the good Anon meant a replicator "themed" restaurant. InfiniCon is set in modern times.

>>21139663
as I said it1s not really about what they sell but how. As it was said the anime district will be filled with maid cafes and similar stuff, somewhere in the Fantasy or LARP district will be taverns with proper darc corners, etc. But those are just various kind of restaurants if you look at them.

So when someone want's to make a living buy opening a shop he will probably want to make it special in one way or another to make it appealing to the people that lives there.

>>21139821
yes, it's today's tech but it's not like the gundam cafe has real gundams in it. It's all about the make believe

File: 1350339033322.jpg-(83 KB, 556x409, 1318215456966.jpg)

so because I see it's a little vague let's pin down a few specifics and make some kind of shop, shall we?

Let's say there is a guy in the Fantasy/RPG District who wants to make a living there and he can rent a small place for a reasonable price in one of the alleys. Not one of those dark alleys but if it needed he could probably make it into one.
So what kind of possibilities you guys see for this person if he has no outstanding talent in anything but he saved up a moderate amount money for this?

>>21139821
They would be fake replicators that are just fancy vending machines. Key in your order on a slick little screen and it pops up on an automated tray on the table.

Other than a few creative peculiarities, Infinity City is modern or very near future.

File: 1350343622466.jpg-(182 KB, 500x500, 1342846500433.jpg)

so it seems like you guys aren't really interested in this today, or it's just me who accidentally the whole thread

I'm kind of interested, but from my view it'd be a weird social experiment bordering on dystopia.

As a dude who cooks for a living, I do kinda wonder how that would go down. Lot of food cart culture probably, lot of themed dishes. Lots and lots of japanese food. If I could corner the market on pocky I could live like a gangland king.

>>21141102
well ChrowX who originally come up with the idea intended it to be a kind of noir setting, so dystopia isn't that far fetched.

And I'm pretty sure it's not all sunshine and happiness to live there, but the degree of darkness depends on the various interpretations. We left a lot of room for that

>>21140148
Alright lets get crackin', what are our store's dimensions?

A lot of people talk about setting up a farm when they leave the army. Im imagining setting this up now. I'm heavily into sociology. Where would be best to locate this place? Ideally, it'd be at a place where two railroads meet, which suggests Midwest for me, but maybe the east coast would be wiser, though there's very little undeveloped areas there.

I was on a train leaving town as two conventions were leaving chicago. Having so many fans from two seperate conventions on one train was awesome fun. Something which wouldn't have been achieved on an airline flight.

>>21141305
I will pull out a few numbers from my ass and say that it's a 10m x 5m with one entrance and two windows, plus a small 3m x 3m storage at the back.

Or if you have a better idea say it we pretty much just brainstorming here

>>21141382
well, generally the larp district is mostly forests and fields so maybe that's a good place for it. But maybe you have to chase away larpers too much from trampling your corps.
Then again I'm not an expert on farming... Why is a railroad important?

>>21141456
To get people to and from the con. One doesn't just start a city with an international airport in it. Hell there could even be a "con car" where the congoers can mingle.

>>21141572
ahh, I though you were talking about the farm thing.
But yes it has a fair enough mass transit system and probably railroads to but we didn't really bothered with this until now

File: 1350346632376.jpg-(199 KB, 744x582, 1332893538585.jpg)

about the exact location of the city. We never really pinned it down, kind of hand-waved it away. Probably in the US but it wasn't really important either, I mean if it's too dependant on others things it's harder to place it into different games

Huzzah! The setting is back! Jarboot here, as obvious by my tripfag.

File: 1350347053275.jpg-(45 KB, 460x691, 1344546312889.jpg)

>>21141857
it never really went away. It just took a little nap

A question that comes to mind is how money flows into the city.

Merchants, providers of services and food will make money off of the populace as always, but value has to be created from somewhere else in the city. A small number will probably be creative types, but the number of creators to fans at a convention is small, not to mention many big-name creators wouldn't want to live surrounded by fans all the time.

What happens next? Probably jobs become increasingly scarce, highly-prized commodities. Prices would fluctuate wildly in collectible and media markets, especially with rampant piracy and fickle tastes of a large nerd crowd. At this point we have to look at what else a city like this has to offer economically.

- No industrial facilities to speak of
- No major shipping lanes
- Large workforce. Relatively computer savvy

If I were business oriented I would start a call center. Try to hire people for IT work, let them hang their nerd shit around and pay the a pittance because work is so fucking hard to find in this burg. It brings in money from out of the city (wherever the companies hiring us are from) and might jumpstart the anemic local cash flow.

>>21142014
A lot of this can be explained by "Roleplaying setting magic", since I honestly don't see much explanation besides the idea that most of the people are rich.

It's not very realistic of a setting since people would never really live at a con without being wealthy and having enough money to survive for a long time without a job.

>>21142110

But then the food and accommodation starts to cost a bit more than you can afford. Maybe you start crashing with a friend who can still afford a place to stay. Maybe you start sleeping on a bench in the convention center whenever you've got some down time. Time goes by and you're having to make hard choices, choices about how to stretch five bucks out for an entire day's worth of food. You start trading doujinshi that you've picked up, well-made porno being something that people always need. Start playing the market, keeping an eye out for creators who are coming up or series that are about to get big. You pick up the porn for cheap and try to coast on it once it's in a bubble. A few Haruhi Suzumiya doujins set you up for three months of easy livin', but betting too much on Nyarlathotep show cost you big. Eventually you become a hardened merchant, a mover and shaker in the underworld of the convention city, the kind of man everyone knows but nobody wants to admit knowing. You become the fapfather.

File: 1350348059438.jpg-(586 KB, 600x900, 1349363843593.jpg)

>>21142014
yes, that's a real problem, and while I wouldn't say that industry is non existent in the city it's pretty much minimal. It is under all the costumes and nerdiness is a working city everything else came after that. So there was a small city at start that could sustain itself but then suddenly grow in population and area, and after this came the problems you mentioned.

The main income of course would be the tourism, but as you pointed out it's not enough.
And this IT thing actually very interesting and good. Makes me think about the Indian tech support. If you have any more ideas like this do share

>>21142176
That could work on a small scale (not sure if serious...), but not everyone can be a sort of black market dealer. I suppose that everyone could have a part-time job, but then there would hardly be time for conning.

File: 1350348425319.jpg-(31 KB, 555x519, 1346493666542.jpg)

>>21142197

There's only one Fapfather. He was just the sharpest of the traders in the porn market. Has a connection at all the big Japanese cons, gets the shit so fresh you can still smell authentic otaku tears on it.

Heard he found a group of scanlators that tried to undercut him. Said they just wanted the people to have the newest Mari x Rei shit from Rebuild of Evangelion, said they didn't know the Fapfather had a crate of the same doujin ready to hit the market. Didn't know their free release could've cost him big bucks.

They say the Fapfather actually left the with a few complimentary copies of the doujin, along with some more underground stuff. Really hot stuff from the same artist, grade-A porn. He also had his goons break the fingers and thumbs of everyone in the translation circle so none of 'em could fap to the stuff.

>>21142267
I think FapFather is canon now

File: 1350348748400.jpg-(17 KB, 399x276, 1328133393543.jpg)

>>21142298

It pleases the FapFather that you would do this for him. He wants you to know that when the new Harumi Chihiro work is released you will be well taken care of.

>>21142267
This is glorious and really fits in the setting... I love it!

The problem we have concerning fluff is that there is not enough lore for a lot of other districts. Would someone mind writing some interesting writefaggery for the sci-fi and tech district as well as the Western Media?

File: 1350349173680.jpg-(48 KB, 600x450, 1297350129570.jpg)

>>21142342
and of course the FapFather will be always welcomed among the slaanesh cults

>>21142430
WAY too young.

>>21142464
I'm surprised that you can accurately guess her age. Then again it's my fault that I post these thread derailing images

File: 1350350191990.jpg-(362 KB, 991x1487, 1305567806080.jpg)

>>21142388
>The problem we have concerning fluff is that there is not enough lore for a lot of other districts. Would someone mind writing some interesting writefaggery for the sci-fi and tech district as well as the Western Media?
I would second this. If there is any writefag who is up to the task then feel free to contribute

>>21142388
I'll give it a whirl. I like to call myself a writer on a good day.

The Sci-Fi/Tech district is, essentially, the Tomorrow Land of InfiniCon. But this place is much more serious than Mission Space. From multi-touch digital bulletin boards to ConSec wearing power armor, Sci-Fi/Tech will make you feel like you've been flung far into the future.

They try to keep it at an appropriate level for varying sub-districts, however. You can't go totally hardcore in the Stargate area, but if you're in 40K territory don't expect a smile. These kinds of rules aren't law, but breaking setting too hard might make you a pariah.

File: 1350352305723.jpg-(56 KB, 470x350, coffin hotel.jpg)

>>21142673

Something in Ben's rig had gone wrong. A wire somewhere, the USB that he used to charge his phone off of his laptop. The wall charger had burnt out months ago and he didn't have the cash to replace it, and the coffin hotel he was staying in didn't offer loaners anymore. One Tuesday morning he stashed his possessions in the pod the Center was helping him lease (from their block of employee pods that took nearly a third of the coffin hotel), doublechecked he had the cash and made his way to the tech market.

>>21143155

The tech market always made him a little uncomfortable. Technically it wasn't a true store as much as a space, some big-box department store that had folded and been halfway converted. Individual stalls stretched as far as the eye could see indoors, roughly divided by what you might need. Parts to build a PC, parts to try repairing a laptop, bins of discarded mouses and keyboards you could get for cheap. No refunds, of course. The standard gamble was to just buy one at a time until you found one that worked and try to pawn all the rest off on some other vendor.

It was almost eerie this early in the morning, moving through the stalls as they set up for the day. Tired men and women, those lucky enough or ingenious enough to make a living at it were laying out their goods. He stopped to check out a tablet computer with some skillful mods to make it look like something from the season's hottest mecha show. Four hundred bucks. More than he would probably clear in disposable income this month after food and rent. Maybe he'd get lucky and come back with some good collectibles to barter. He made a note on his phone about the vendor's tastes - some fantasy manga stacked in a corner, a Gurren from Code Geass perched on the cash register. Never hurts to have something to barter you know they'll want.

File: 1350353129107.png-(264 KB, 600x387, 1350000332162.png)

>>21143339


It took him nearly half an hour to find where cables had drifted to in the market. A young man in goggles and some sort of old-fashioned admiral's coat lorded over a stall that looked promising.

"You take trade?" he asked the kid. Kid looked up from the Gameboy Color he was playing (retro, Ben thought, see just how retro) and scrunched up his nose.

"Whatcha got?"

"Whatcha into?" Ben asked. "You running an emulator cartridge in that thing?"

"Course."

"Got some good MegaTen ROMs. Can send you a Mediafire link for a USB charger for a Droid phone."

"Trading ROMs for physical goods? They better be primo roms."

"Top quality," Ben said. "Digital Devil Story I & II."

A hand landed on his shoulder. "You trying to pass off illegal ROMs, son?"

Oh fuck me, Ben thought, this is the worst thing that could happen. I had to wander into a district with a Judge.

>>21142933
Currently, there are three factions whose influence is considered strongest: the Trekies, the Gaters, and Warsians. These are, of course, based upon Star Trek, Stargate, and Star Wars. The first have their hands in several hotels, motels, and apartment buildings, and they're led by the High Captain. The Gaters have investments in bike and scooter renting, buses and guided tours, and their leader is called General. Finally, the Warsians are invested in media stores (book, DVD, game stores, etc.), a couple of restaurant chains, and even medical clinics, and they are led not by an individual, but by a Council.

Although they're not exactly allied, generally the Big Stars are at peace with each other, and conflicts normally don't escalate beyond border disputes and the occasional minor espionage.

File: 1350353601328.png-(78 KB, 193x240, proceed.png)

>>21143345
Go on..

>>21143345

"N-no," Ben said, suddenly sweating bullets. A fucking Judge, a fucking Judge had to overhear him talking about ROMs. They couldn't crack down on other digital media piracy, but they had to choose one thing to make an example of so that real antipiracy measures never came down on the rest.

"No, it's cool," the kid said. "We were just hagglin' over a USB charger, he was just making a reference to how you gotta negotiate with demons and shit in the game."

"That the case?" the Judge asked Ben, face so close Ben could smell his breakfast. This guy was taking the cosplay too far.

"J-just right, sir," he managed to squeak out. "I was gonna pay this kid cash."

"Twenty bucks," the kid said.

"Fifteen and I get to test it."

"Fifteen and go fuck yourself, I only sell working gear."

"Deal," Ben said, forking over the cash. Cash he had plans for, but you can't buy doujins while entertainment lawyers are reaming you.

"While you're at it, send me that link we were talkin' about," the kid said. "That creepypasta you said was funny." He tossed in a business card to the bag he was stuffing the charger into. "Sounded good."

"Y-yeah, I'll do that," Ben said, aware of the judge's hand on his shoulder. If that's what it took to get out from under this mess that was worth it. He tried to play it cool and not look back, but he could sense the kid's overenthused jaunty wave and the Judge's frowning stare. He thought of hitting an arcade on the way to work, maybe see if Tommy was working so he could get a few free plays. Man could use some stress relief in a city like this.

On my way home. I have many many posts to catch up on.

>>21143462
How about calling them Warsies instead?

Having their franchises this organized seems a bit strange, but nothing major. For some reason, I'm thinking there'd be a more flea-market feel to things. Barter.

Is that silly?

File: 1350353902314.jpg-(25 KB, 526x350, haters gonna hate.jpg)

>>21143480

I might be the only one actively writing this setting as a dysfunctional nerd shantytown. Not sure if people are diggin' it.

You know what they say about haters, though.

>>21143550

Seems to be what >>21143155 is going for.

File: 1350354036640.jpg-(69 KB, 644x726, 1339366301584.jpg)

I am both confused and yet intrigued at the same time

Continue onwards

>>21143559
There's really two ways to go at this point: A dysfunctional nerd cyberpunk sort of place with lots of bartering and dirtiness, which is better for roleplaying and I believe is a better setting, or a shining capitol of cosplaying with a bunch of gang wars over silly things.

>>21143559
>Not sure if people are diggin' it.
they are

>>21143550
I felt Warsies felt too much like Trekies. And I do like the flea-market feel, I just felt like the big guns should have their fingers in bigger stuff.
>>21143559
I'm digging the story. It's been argued that both bright and dim versions of InfiniCon are valid, and that it depends on what you want. While I say that the Trekies control some hotels, these could be anything from Hyatts to Super 8's in terms of quality.

>>21143682
>It's been argued that both bright and dim versions of InfiniCon are valid, and that it depends on what you want.
and this is completely true. I mean when it will be complete it will be a setting that you can use for your games and that means there have to be some room for different kind of games. writing everything into stone would be the equivalent of railroading (or we could just write a book instead)

>>21143742

It's probably like Vegas - brightest and shiniest when you've got money or you're a tourist. I'll try to whip something up to touch on that.

>>21143847
That actually sounds like an excellent analogy.

Off topic: I feel like the cosplay district, if it was run the same way, would barter with accessories and bolts of fabric. Although if there was anyplace that would fit the "bright shining city" mold, it would be that place.

>>21143908

I don't know that the cosplay sector would be some "bright shining city". I like to think that, at least for the dim version of InfiniCon, you get people so obsessed with the characters they're playing that the characters' personalities end up completely overtaking their own, and given what people often like to cosplay as, this ends poorly.

Alright, I need to run this for the gaming group I frequent, if people were up to it.

Any suggestions on systems? I'm nudging them into learning GURPS as I just gave them a packet of GURPS lite, but I'm not sure if there's another system to use. The friendlier, the better.

Also, hey Jessie. You're playing this with me too and bringing the entire group into it whether you or they like it or not.

>>21143959

To elaborate:

Let's say you've got some /co/splayers. You've got a Batman, a Joker, a Poison Ivy, a Dr. Doom, etc. The Batman starts ambushing suspected criminals at night and breaking their arms/legs, the Joker begins straight-up murdering people for laughs, the Ivy gets heavily immersed in drug dealing via cultivation of rare/prohibited/dangerous plants, etc etc.

I do think it's better to have the cosplayers seeded in everywhere rather than have a separate cosplay district, as that adds to the 'feel' of each district and gives you more potential for crazies running around.

In terms of tone, I think the bright version of InfiniCon would play a heck of a lot like a less murderous version of Paranoia. Not much logic, bizarre setting that the characters have very little control over, wacky nonsensical adventures.

>>21144101

It might be rare for them to go quite that far, but those extreme cases might be a good thing for players to have to track down. One Deadpool cosplayer goes too far and shoots a guy in the leg, you're hired to find out which of the dozens, if not hundreds, did it.

Doesn't help that you're all pretending to be different detective archetypes from comics, movies, TV shows and anime.

>>21144101
This sounds about right, but there should be some downtown area that is sort of the "bright shining" area where tourists go and shop. Security is heightened, prices are higher, and the stakes are too.

Think Ginza, Downtown Manhattan, or other urban, high-scale "tourist traps".

File: 1350356445095.jpg-(329 KB, 1024x848, 1303116968437.jpg)

Back-ish.
>>21141102
At a glance, InfiniCon is supposed to seem ideal and utopian. All these different people all with different interests, living together in one massive city where all they do is get along and play nice and be awesome nerds who spend all day reading comics and eating candy.. But it's actually a great deal darker than that. Some people are absolutely desperate to stay and go to great lengths to do so. In fact, most real conventions end up at some really dark places just due to so many adult-ish people all gathering and having a good time.

Drinking, drugs, overdosing, unwanted sexual contact, molestation, rape, and other unsavory things are all quite common at many conventions. At one con I went to, a 15 year old girl nearly died of alcohol poisoning in the hotel room next to ours. At another, I came across a crying girl in the hall who was sitting outside the room where her boyfriend was banging another girl. At another, I witnessed a disagreement between a man and a woman get very violent..

Dystopian, indeed... Cons aren't all horrorshows, but they aren't perfect either, and when you mix the business of trying to afford and maintain your basic needs while constantly in a state of con-going ecstasy, things can get quite bad.

>>21144101
And beyond Bright and Dim you also have Realistic and Fantastic.

>>21144101
>I do think it's better to have the cosplayers seeded in everywhere rather than have a separate cosplay district, as that adds to the 'feel' of each district and gives you more potential for crazies running around.
Actually that's the idea. There is no cosplay district because the whole city is one. the districts show what kind of cosplayers you can found there most likely (although there are always people who just accidentally got there or like more than one fandoms etc)

Ben took the number two rail back from the tech market. It would take an extra half-hour compared to the direct line, but it was a tourist line. Free. After the reaming that kid gave him for the wire he needed to save all the cash he could get.

On the train he found himself alone except for an eager-eyed young kid gazing out the window in wonder. To a noob it was all shining city, the huge entertainment districts and manga cafes, a glittering wonderland.

"First time, kid?" Ben asked. The kid jumped.

"Y-yeah," he said. "Name's K...DarkBlade."

"Ben." They sat in silence for a few moments until the kid worked up the nerve to talk more.

"So...where should I start?"

"You're not doing a tour?" Ben asked.

"No, thought I'd just wander around and see the sights. Now I'm finding I'm kinda overwhelmed.

>>21143992
Hello friend. Beta test at your own risk

>>21144159

"Huh. Where you staying? That might be a good place to start."

"Haven't found one yet. Know any good hotels?"

Ben's ears perked up at this. "You know, I could actually help you with that. You ever stay in a coffin hotel?"

"Like a vampire?"

"Nah, like in Japan. Those little booths you get for cheap." The kid's ears perked up at the mention of Japan. Now it's an easy sell. "It ain't much more than a bed, but I've got one for a few days I can let go at a discount. Say...twenty bucks a day?"

The kid gave him a shit-eating grin. He was expecting to spend a minimum of fifty bucks a night. Now a stranger on a train had set him up for a fraction of the cost. Didn't seem worth it tell DarkBlade that he was only paying ten bucks a day through the company lease and pocketing the difference. He put out his hand to make it a clammy handshake deal.

File: 1350357240928.jpg-(176 KB, 800x600, 1297464560515.jpg)

>>21144237

>>21144237

Ben took the kid by the coffin hotel to show him his pod and stuff a few of his belongings into a carrying bag. Most of his clothes were out at a cleaning service, all he really had were a few more shirts, a pair of khakis with a weird hole in the leg, a laptop and his external hard drive. Enough he could carry to Tommy's place for the weekend, make enough to buy Tommy a six-pack of beer for his trouble and still make a handsome profit

"So how do I get to the...you know, the nicer places from here?" DarkBlade asked. "I mean, it's cool to see kinda the real part of the city, but I really wanted to...you know, check out the tourist spots."

Ben rubbed his temples. He didn't have work for another few hours yet and he needed to make sure this kid stayed in town as long as possible, no getting disillusioned and leaving early. Time to play tour guide.

"...okay, what would you like to see?"

>fuck it, I'll take a community suggestion for this. what's the kid wanna see?

>>21144298

He's a weeaboo, right? Show 'em the Japanese section. Let's say mecha?

File: 1350357359229.jpg-(76 KB, 536x720, 33y3slv.jpg)

>>21142014
The short and sweet answer is that it probably wouldn't work at all.

However, the industrial/business district, while not directly related to the production of any goods, would act as the major shipping hub. Whether that's because of trains, planes, or traffic lanes, I haven't really nailed down, but the point is that there is a part of the city where everything is constantly flowing inward. Merch, swag, collectibles, consumables, materials, and so on.

There probably should be an airport, though. "Infinity City International" works for me, especially since it implies that it flies in people from all over the world, which it totally should.

At any rate, I don't think Infinity City will ever be a realistic, but it should at least make some sense in some small way. Whether or not it would be exceedingly profitable or just barely breaking even is hard to say. However, there are ways that it could bring in the cash it needs to keep things running.

Fucking field length.

File: 1350357392248.jpg-(164 KB, 800x1200, Catwoman-cosplay.jpg)

>>21144322
First off, taxes and fees - Renting space on a convention floor or even just simply owning a business or building within the limits of the city means that you are paying directly into InfiniCon. Additionally, any panels, events, or gatherings within the various con centers would be managed and controlled by the people running InfiniCon and they would charge a fee for space rental, ticket sales, and so on, meaning that there is a constant influx of cash from every little transaction. Also, the money that goes into public transportation.

Secondly, tourism, and gobs of it, all year round. What more is there to say? A constant influx of new people spending money all over the place who need to use your trains, trolleys, public services, facilities, and con centers.

Also, there could be some exports from Infinity City, as some of the best costume and prop makers in the world might set up shop there.

Not saying you wouldn't be able to set up an IT call center of some sort, but I don't think many people would find such a job too palatable or enjoyable and many others might even consider it against the spirit of the city.

>>21144298
he wants to see.......GIRLS

>>21144298
>>21144313
mecha gladiator show. Of course there is no such thing (with real mechas at least) but kid doesn't know this

File: 1350357605643.jpg-(344 KB, 1280x720, [Commie]_Muv-Luv_Alternat(...).jpg)

>>21144313
>>21144330
MECHA GIRLS

>>21144330
>>21144352
>>21144369
Kaijuu Girl Mud Wrestling shows.

>and then I accidentally another quest

Ben looks at DarkBlade's tshirt. Some sort of Japanese robot. He's not really up on the current mecha. He's also about twenty, so...

"How about a maid cafe? Those are pretty fun." DarkBlade looked around furtively - like he expected to get yelled at - and saw nothing but a janitor dressed as Justy Ueki Tylor windexing the pods. A slow grin crept over his face as he realized he could basically do what he wants.

"Y-yes, I'd very much like that," he said.

---

Cafe Meido is pure tourist cheese. Nerd girls with wildly dyed hair, ridiculous maid outfits you can barely move in, much less clean anything, old-world charm out the ass. A half-dozen girls were even lined up to shout WELCOME as you walked in the door.

Ben shadowed behind DarkWolf, trying to stay low-profile. He'd dated a girl here once a few years back. Even with the high turnover he couldn't be sure how many of these girls remembered him, or how many were likely to hate him now. Still, if he's going to play tour guide, he's gonna take him to the places you see in the brochures. The kid's eating it up as the girls help him out of his coat and show him to a table. Ben waves off their attentions and follows the kid.

>>21144412
>Even with the high turnover he couldn't be sure how many of these girls remembered him, or how many were likely to hate him now

Oh shit we got a history of broken hearts here!

IF ANYONE ASKS, SAY YOU MUST HAVE MISTAKEN ME

"Would you like some tea, master?" a girl with neon hair asks. DarkBlade grins and nods. "And for sir?" she asks Ben. Less respect. She can probably tell he doesn't belong here.

"Just water," Ben says. "A glass of water. Not bottled." The waitress barely acknowledges him when she leaves, gives the kid her biggest and warmest smile. Probably a smart move, a man making sure he doesn't run up a bill isn't gonna tip.

Fuck, I gotta leave it there tonight, I've got class at 8 in the morning. If this thread's still active tomorrow morning/afternoon I'll write some more about Ben and DarkWolf's ramblings around town.

>>21144328
well, IT jobs, the not well paid ones are relatively easy, you just have to sit on your ass and do stuff that doesn't really need higher education. So yes, ti's not a perfect job but for the desperate or the lazy it's good enough. And you can make an IT business from basically not too much, you will need computers, people and somewhere to place them. You don't need raw materials, don't have to worry about logistic and such. So it's a viable thing although it won't give you gold.

Also there was the idea that infinicon must have a very good digital network, lot's of wifihotspots, telecommunication stations etc, someone has to maintine these things too.

and if we want to dwell into the darker parts of this then I'm pretty sure there is a market for cosplay porn, be it consensual or not, and we all know that pron is basically an internet business.

>>21144472
I must warn you that if somehow the thread 404 before you can finish this story we will start a new one so you can continue there.

And if you don't finish the story then we will have to track you down and kill your dog

File: 1350358493286.jpg-(193 KB, 1140x860, 26754159.jpg)

>>21144475
>and if we want to dwell into the darker parts of this then I'm pretty sure there is a market for cosplay porn, be it consensual or not, and we all know that pron is basically an internet business.

Oh yea definitely

Hell I'd imagine some H doujin circles being almost akin to drug cartels with people addicted to their goods and artists constantly having to dodge other circle goons

also I go and get some sleep too as it's 5:30 am here and I need to get up at 9

>>21144596
how can the human race go this far without any decent sleep. Caffeine will only go so far!

>>21144527

>implying you could look at my dog's dumb little face and feel anything other than infinite love

But seriously, bump this in the morning or so and I'll whip up a continuation.

File: 1350358878066.jpg-(275 KB, 740x1110, 1336943571160.jpg)

>>21144475
All good points, especially the one about the internet network within the city. However, I think there's a difference between being a network technician and maintaining the city's wifi network, and being a tech support call center, India style, where you get several thousand workers and pay them shit wages for worthless work.

Either way, Network Techs would likely be employed by the city and premium access to the best kind of internet connection would surely be a valuable commodity.

>>21144660

Could we call the city network techs Linemen, like the old-timey slang?

File: 1350359775261.jpg-(350 KB, 511x700, 29421647.jpg)

>>21144777
Well if peeps are using Fiber, then about about FIBERMEN

>suddenly imagines a fiber bar commercial with a guy named Fiberman

File: 1350360784346.jpg-(189 KB, 640x480, hl2-ep2-neuromancer-2831[1].jpg)

You know, I once though of something similar to this.

In the future, VR has advanced to the point where it is indistinguishable from reality, and massive amounts of people "live" online, rarely logging off to see the real world. However, the need for sleep still exists, so almost everyone has a house of some sort. Most choose to live on shared severs, mainly to allow them to do thing with their friends. I based the severs on current websites. What you guys are talking about is almost exactly what I imagined 4chan evolving into.

>>21145071
sounds like a more permanent version of The World from DOT HACK (aside from the fact that The World is a game and not a simulation)

File: 1350362454170.jpg-(326 KB, 680x1024, 1313878395770.jpg)

One last post before I call it a night. I'm glad this idea came around again.

>>21145357
All glory to Manly Finn.

File: 1350365569434.jpg-(2.02 MB, 2448x3264, IMG_1018.jpg)

This seems like a pretty cool idea. I've never read anything about Infinicon before.

I don't have anything constructive to add, and an important exam tomorrow morning, so I'll leave you all with something from my most recent bout of con-going: The Littlest Reimu.

I'm off to bed as well!
Goodnight bump

File: 1350385291268.jpg-(435 KB, 620x930, 1340431259650.jpg)

>>21144617
I have a lot of experience in this too

>>21145945

Oh no...please little girl, put away your armpit before the party van comes for me...

>>21148542
>Dat bulge
Perfect

>>21148580
I bet that there will be a dozen more like this

>>21145945
>Altaïr in the background

My African-American friend.

>>21148985
Ahmech, the suicide terrorist tech priest.

File: 1350391297286.gif-(455 KB, 350x213, 1313879027979.gif)

>>21145357
>>21145430

File: 1350405021364.jpg-(333 KB, 776x518, 1313595991527.jpg)

bomp

File: 1350405686208.jpg-(654 KB, 1536x2048, 100_2672.jpg)

>>21149155
ADVENTURE TIME!

But, yo, gimme like 20 minutes. I just woke up after staying up much later than intended, and I need to go mail a prop commission I just received payment for.

File: 1350405876224.jpg-(597 KB, 1060x1500, 1338569351778[1].jpg)

>>21148554

>>21150956

I...I also thought it was the penis.

>>21144439

"You sure you don't want anything? Its on me," the kid says. Ben blinks. Either this kid is really loaded or he hasn't looked at the menu yet. That cup of tea already cost him more than his accommodations for the night.

"Um, no, I'm good," Ben replies.

"You sure? You're really doing me a solid, playing tour guide and all."

"Not a problem. Didn't really have anywhere to be for a bit today anyway," Ben says. He loses the kid's attention when the girl with neon hair comes back with the tea.

"Would Master enjoy a private cosplay event? This one's on the house, due to your...companion," she said. The kid turns to Ben, eyes as big as dinner plates.

"Er. Go ahead," Ben says. "Have fun with it. But be a gentleman." Probably not worth explaining to him that the private cosplay event is just one of the girls drinking tea and making conversation for a bit in-character in a secluded booth. For the ludicrous amount they charge you don't even get a skimpy version of the costume. There are places for that, and more, but Ben wasn't gonna take DarkBlade to any of 'em unless he specifically asked. He smiled at the duo as genially as possible as the neon-haired girl led the kid away, explaining what anime and videogame heronies they had the costumes for today.

A tourist money-sieve like this offering free service to get the two apart. That meant what came next was gonna be bad.

File: 1350408522905.jpg-(62 KB, 613x559, 1325674500885.jpg)

>>21151361

>>21150814
sheeeeet that is awesome.
Except as a mechanical engineer, every time I see these threads it makes me sad that nothing is functional.
One day I'm going to bring back metal armor, and it will look sexy as hell.

File: 1350409024074.jpg-(80 KB, 800x1001, 1313600747342.jpg)

>>21151463
yeah, I know that feel...

>>21151361

>just realized I'm slipping between tenses. Fuck.

The blow came in the form of a pale woman sliding into DarkBlade's vacated seat. A woman Ben knew too well. A woman he really wanted to avoid.

"Hi Mary," he said. "You're looking nice." She wasn't. She'd lost weight, grown even paler. It was like looking at the ghost of the woman he once loved.

"You look like you're still here," she said. She lit up a cigarette. "Thought you wanted to get out of Infinicon."

"It takes money," Ben said.

"You said this city was a soul-sucking nightmare. The whole reason you left was because you wanted to leave this town," she said. "Whole city's making whores and thieves out of everyone in it. Your words."

"Look, we both said things we regret," Ben started.

"No. I meant every fucking word I said." There was awkward silence as Mary took another drag from the cigarette. Ben looked at his hands, uncertain of what to do.

"I really thought you weren't working here anymore," he said. "I wouldn't have come if I knew." The only answer was more awkward silence.

"You still living on Tommy's couch?" Mary asked.

"Nah, crashing in a coffin hotel. Got a job with the IT call center, saving up to move back west," Ben said.

"How long have you been saving up now? Three years? Four?" Mary asked. She stubbed out the cigarette and stood. "You know you're here forever. Like the rest of us."

"Mary, I..." Ben started. Mary shook her head.

"You and your friend have five minutes to get out." Then she was gone.

>>21151481
no seriously, it will be the best suit. It will have a cooling system just like a space suit, except maybe with more redundancies, to prevent a bent tube from fucking it up. It will also incorporate the BLEEX, or something like it to allow long marches while supporting lots of weight. And it'll have intergrated computers and titanium alloys!
wait, come back!
why doesn't anyone believe me?

File: 1350409688251.jpg-(121 KB, 768x518, 1313600840037.jpg)

>>21151542
Don't worry, I believe you

>>21151498
you there, is your name somehow related to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUO8ScYVeDo
because if it is, that's pretty awesome.

>>21151721

Half that, half doing a Street Fighter variant on the first-edition D&D class Fighting Man. Started using this when I started doing Street Fighter Quest, just seemed like a natural joke.

That song's one of my favorite Rolling Stones tunes, though.

>>21151772
yeah, I have to say it's one of mine too. it manages to feel genuine without trying too hard, and comment about the times in a powerful way without endorsing either side. I'd say as a political statement, and as a song, it is on par with Gimme Shelter.

Also, it got banned from the radio when it was released, which is awesome.

File: 1350411960515.jpg-(138 KB, 1140x760, 1313598385414.jpg)

I hope you are writing the next part of the story right know street fighting man

File: 1350412527917.jpg-(50 KB, 431x750, 1334250072371.jpg)

>>21151498
>Remember, you're here forever.

One of the negative aspects of InfiniCon is exactly that. People who come don't want to leave, even when they are flat broke and sleeping on a garbage full of ripped up Manga in an abandoned service tunnel. Even if you've been selling pieces of your costumes to afford McNuggets just to stay fed. Even if you tackled some guy on the street and stole his ICRN card just so you could use the credit to register for some photoshoot event, even though your camera has no batteries and your costume is unrecognizable...

Then there's those who could afford to leave, but they tell themselves, "Just one more week.." or "I just need to stay long enough to get to that one panel.. then I can leave.." or even, "I'm making so much money off my commissions that it wouldn't hurt to stay a couple more months.."

You only had enough money for one short trip to Infinity City, but when you finally got there, you moved some money around, called off work for a few more days... Where did the time go? How'd you end up living in 2 room apartment with 12 other people? Oh fuck! Is that the landlord knocking? Quick, better hide before they boot all of you out for roomstuffing! You've had enough run ins with the ICE this month already!

File: 1350412955603.png-(7 KB, 152x160, this is the worst hell.png)

>A Convention so large that it occupies its own city and you can find all kind of fandoms there in all genre.

>>21151904

Splitting between this and SFQ. Also trying to decide exactly where this story is going.

>>21152001

That's kind of my read on the city. Without going full english major, I see the city as a manifestation of everything good and bad about fandom and being a nerd. The sense of community, the fun, the cool stuff, the comedown, the need, the expense, it's all there.

>>21152109
>Also trying to decide exactly where this story is going.
into awesome territory

>>21152001
I thought that was Atrocitus from the thumbnail.

...not sure why I clicked on it with that in mind.

>>21152109
>Also trying to decide exactly where this story is going.


A guy just ran into his ex-girlfriend. If romantic comedies have taught me anything, it's going towards sex.

The BTR rumbled into the parking garage unmolested, lights cutting a swathe through the darkness. Ahead, rare garbage fires flared in oil drums, amidst the wrecks of Civics and 'Truenos', one or two other functional vehicles grumbling in kind-a Dodge Power Wagon dolled up in Brotherhood of Steel colors toting an M2 Browning, and-this was new-a custom truck clearly made from a stolen Warthog, a machinegun poking from its tacked-on supercharger, proudly displaying its glowing Ammo Dump, Marcus Munitions, and Dr. Zed vending machines.

With the arrival of the BTR, other vendors slowly drifted in. A furry, hard-eyed beneath his SS cap, spread out a blanket covered in handmade MP40s and a worn STG-44. A woman in a tattered white cloak and black hat spread a selection of battered Stens, Skorpions, and TEC-9s across a rickshaw. A man in a long duster beckoned, offering ammunition and single-shots.

The Black Market was back in session.

>>21152316
The heavyset man sighed to himself as the market's trickle of customers began to stride in, toting their finds. STALKERs, Vault Dwellers, the occasional Desert Punk or 'cyborg', and other Underconners mingled, disregarding faction boundaries...after a fashion. Freedom and Duty might tolerate each other's presence, but Bandits and Raiders swiftly learned to wear proper colors, or were taught by .50cal fire.

Doujins, manga, various games...magazines, food, and the occasional grenade. This changed, however, when a STALKER with a heavy cylinder at his waist murmured a word to one of the guards.

As the door closed, the STALKER strode up and opened the container, carefully letting its contents slide out. Hovering above the trader's desk, wobbling slightly, was a pointed brown ovoid seemingly made of blown glass.

"If you only knew...where I've just been and what I saw."

>>21152449
RELICS
For Immersion play
Whenever sufficient belief accrues, items are created-little lumps of pure certainty. Some take the form of weapons, or empower existing ones-others form anything from STALKER Artifacts to Dragon Balls, Grief Seeds, or Behelits.

As a thing of belief, Relics decay under intense scrutiny. As a result, Relics are most commonly found in the Undercon, generally in the presence of those who believe in their existence most.

File: 1350426052719.jpg-(25 KB, 160x225, yuriko-starboxart_160w.jpg)

>>21151498

Ben didn't wanna be there long enough to see the deadline and went looking for the kid. Past more tables of dorky-looking men being served by adoring women. One was yelling at the man theatrically. Must've slipped her an extra fifty for the tsundere treatment.

Cosplay section is usually in the back. Ben scanned the booths til he found DarkBlade and some anime heroine he couldn't quite place.

"We gotta move. We've got..." Ben's brain cast for the most believable lie he could come up with. "We've got to meet a pal of mine who runs a local arcade. Some machines opened up that are usually reserved weeks in advance, he can get us in if we hurry."

"Mm? O-okay," the kid said. He could barely take his eyes off the girl. "Thank you for the tea, Miss Star." The kid actually salutes her as he leaves.

"She seemed nice," DarkBlade says when they're in the street. "I didn't know many people were into the classics like that, it was actually a pleasure to speak to someone who remembers The Irrespon..."

"Hey, street performers," Ben said. Had to keep the guy distracted for a few minutes, then he could just say they missed the performance. "How about we check out what's going on there?"

File: 1350426129828.png-(152 KB, 361x247, manlytears.png)

>>21154555

Missed the appointment. Derp.

Sorry I neglected you, weird short story. But it's okay. I came back for you.

Bump for more writefaggery?

File: 1350428028604.png-(357 KB, 548x564, mariner.png)

jeebus I wonder what the table top gamers will do to do

I'm going to repost this one more time (It's totally not a thinly veiled bump, I swear!): What system would work best for this, do you think?

>>21154571
don't worry just keep it comming

>>21155954
FATE maybe? Although when ChrowXcome up with the idea he wanted to make it into a WoD game IIRC

>>21156057
At first I read as FATAL. That would sure be an interesting game.

Do you think this would work in GURPS decently? Me and my group don't know FATE or WoD at all, but if it fits great for this setting, I would certainly take a long look at it.

I was thinking to run this as a series of smuggling missions in Shadowrun. There are already AR clubs where consensual reality is the norm, and extreme surgery to look like your favourite characters aren't unheard of. I could definitely see one of the media centred megas funding a city like this.

>>21156113
well, I don't know much about gurps but they say that it's good for everything.
WoD is a good choice because if you know what are you doing then you can easily modify the system for this
And FATE is a very neat system in my opinion and I really like the aspects part of it which, again in my opinion, totally fits for games in InfiniCon

>>21156221
When I originally started helping with this setting, I was going to run this as an adventure or two in Shadowrun. Sadly, I didn't really get my players into the game or setting enough to even attempt it.

If you happen to run it, I believe you will be the first. Tell us how it goes.

File: 1350435426236.jpg-(71 KB, 500x501, 1327176426116.jpg)

>>21156533

File: 1350435559894.jpg-(249 KB, 506x506, 1346424192375.jpg)

>>21156547

>>21156575
I doubt highly that Herr Ratzinger has expressed any particular condemnation of cosplay conventions.

>>21156595
probably, but hey, you never know!
And if you think about it it would be an interesting story if religious fanatics try to close InfiniCon

>>21156057
>>21156113
The nWoD Storyteller system was what I had figured I'd use if I got the chance to run an InfiniCon game with my group. The system does a fairly good job of running a "normal people" sort of campaign, with only a little bit of reconfiguring to add any supernatural or bizarre elements you might need.

GURPS could work, but as always, be very, very careful with which books you allow.

>>21156595
The Catholic church has a long and noble history of dressing up in costumes and drinking. In this, they are equaled only by the Orthodox. It is filthy protestants who do not recognize the merits of sweet hats, robes and binge drinking.

File: 1350436702906.jpg-(144 KB, 478x478, tron-legacy-gfx-003.jpg)

Would a cyberpunk-y atmosphere fit? I could imagine this being set maybe 20 years into the future, with powerful smartphones and holographic displays. Does anyone think this could fit?

>>21156829

Based on the Ben story you could run this as a cyberpunk game with current-era tech.

>>21152316
>>21152449
>>21153962
Is this too much?

I figured the Undercon would have a market for actual weapons.

Also, Relics.

>>21160919
well, the only too much is the relic, but only if it's the no "magic" interpretation

>>21162794

Agreed. If you were running a game and some crazy gestalt energy field of demented belief becoming solid is the plot maguffin that could work, maybe? Explain why the villain dressed as M. Bison can actually levitate and throw fireballs or whatever. Maybe leave that up to individual GMs.

>>21163578
well there is a few option that one can choose to explain supernatural things as we run a few circles around that question in the previous threads, you can read more about it in the wiki.
Personally I like the interpretation where there is no supernatural things or just so little that most people think about it as just urban legends

File: 1350494620775.jpg-(404 KB, 700x465, Sakura-Con-Crowd.jpg)

Really seems like I've gotta get writing for this..

>>21154555

"A swordfight?" DarkBlade asked.

"Sure," Ben said. "Everyone...everyone likes swordfights."

He wasn't sure if this was a performance piece of not. A white man with a katana and kimono was facing off against an asian musketeer. They circled one another, their blades occasionally tapping in a series of light parries and brief lunges, but there wasn't the usual overly florid banter or mangled Japanese. Something was off about this.

"Hey, you know what's going on?" Ben asked the middle-aged man dressed as Captain Harlock. Harlock shrugged and went back to his camera.

Suddenly the samurai lunged. His form was poor, but the musketeer was slow to parry and wound up with a gash on his right shoulder. Probably barely broke the skin, Ben thought, but it must sting like hell. The crowd gasped and murmured, but nobody was stepping in.

"Show's over, kid, looks like they fucked up their choreography." Ben started to turn away before the crowd began applauding. The fighters had raised their swords and were nervously parrying and jockeying for position again. Ben finally noticed the raw hate in both their eyes.

File: 1350500735461.jpg-(90 KB, 720x480, 1330708508537.jpg)

>>21165746
I hope you know that we are still interested in your writefagottry

>>21165746

Ben looked around the crowd. No Judges in this part of town, but...what kind of cops do you get in the Japanese part of the tourist area? People cosplaying the cops you see in old samurai movies? Ben didn't see any. Cyberunk cops? A woman dressed like the Major from Ghost in the Shell? Ben would settle for a man dressed like the Major at this point.

The unmistakable sound of steel on steel erupted again. The two were either becoming more confident or just sloppier. The musketeer lunged and sank his blade deep into the shoulder of the samurai.

"Stop! Stopstopstopstop!" Ben found himself shouting. He had to get these guys apart somehow before they murdered each other. "Cops! Cheese it!"

This worked for most of the crowd. Already nervous, the prospect of being hauled in for questioning was enough to send them scattering. The musketeer withdrew his sword from the samurai - on his knees now, crying out in pain - and drew the sword back for another blow, this time aimed at the heart.

Ben wasn't really sure what he was doing here. His years in the backstreets and underside or Infinicon taught him not to get involved, to keep your head down and watch your back. It's easy to slip between the cracks in this city, and you gotta do what you can to stay afloat. That's why he was as surprised as anyone to find himself running toward the musketeer with his fist cocked back.

This was going to be the start of a terrible week, he just knew it.

>>21169831

His fist barely connected. Ben picked up some weird skills here and there, but he never learned to fight. Something in his hand popped. One of those little bones by the pinky, he thought.

The musketeer seemed more surprised than hurt. Started backing away even though he had a sword. "You know what you're doing? This guy's fucking dead, you're fucking dead for helping him!" He turned and ran for it, trying to get away from cops that didn't even patrol this part of town.

"The fuck was that about?" Ben asked the kimono guy. "You need to go to a hospital?"

"N-no hospitals, I won't be safe there," kimono guy says. He comes to his feet. "I've got a guy, I just have to..."

He makes it a few steps and collapses. Shock, probably. He did just have a sword in him.

Ben looked at DarkBlade. The kid looked pale and nauseous. Wasn't ready for real violence. The look in his eyes when he turned to Ben was the kind of look you'd expect a child to give a superhero.

"What are we gonna do?"

bamp

Welcome, friends, to Infinity City! The convention that never ends! The city where reality is what you make of it! Today, let me tell you a bit about its history in a more grounded setting. I did some research and wrote up a couple pages of material for this, so bear with me while I get it all posted. I am by no means pushing this to be some sort of one-true-canon, especially because I couldn't think of how to get to some of the established lore for the setting. What I've written takes us up to about 2020, I figure the truly massive cyberpunk semi-dystopia with a fully developed under-con would start around 2030.

>>21174739
Infinity City lies on the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway in Illinois, conveniently nestled between Chicago and Davenport, Iowa. It started life in the late 1800s as a switching yard for a minor rail service. While it remained small, it grew into a more rounded community as people moved in from the surrounding farm land and thus survived the closing of the yards when the rail company went under and was bought up in the 1920s. While the line strengthened and changed hands, Infinity City was never more than a blip on the radar of those passing through it. That is until the real estate mogul Roger “Nero” Madison saw its potential. His son, Michael, convinced Mr. Madison to go to WorldCon in 1964, where he first saw what was known as a 'con'. Realizing the amount of money that could potentially flow through a convention center and its surrounding businesses, Roger Madison formed the Infinity City Convention Group set to create the Infinity City Convention Center.

>>21174750
Working with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (it would not become a part of BNSF until '96), the Infinity City Commerce Committee, architects, and additional investors, Roger Madison had the ICCC designed, approved, and funded. A glorious structure of the modern style, the ICCC was completed in late 1968 and held its first event in the same month. The ICCC was carefully researched, aggressively marketed, and hailed as an architectural marvel. Featuring enough hotel space for hundreds of convention goers and fully integrated into the new Infinity City Passenger Station, the ICCC was ready for the full booking it had for two years after opening. Seeking to maintain this steady stream of convention goers, the ICCG worked with rail lines feeding into it to create special deals for its attendees, so that no one could say that it was too expensive to get to.

>>21174753
Leveraging their value to the city, the ICCG expanded their empire, building three new centers and three dedicated hotels during the early seventies. In exchange, they fronted most of the money to create the Infinity City subway system, keeping the streets clear of the droves of people flowing in and out of Infinity City every day. Continuing their policy of integrating stations into their buildings, the ICCG made it possible to stay in Infinity City for days and cross town without ever needing to step foot outside their holdings. Wherever they built, the surrounding store fronts soon turned into restaurants and other services dedicated to travelers. The distinctive flavor we know today in Infinity City wouldn't take over for another two decade; science fiction conventions were regular events but business and professional conventions were still the bread and butter of Infinity City up through the late eighties.

>>21174760
Then came anime. Michael Madison had taken over the Infinity City Convention Group from his father in the mid-eighties after Roger Madison suffered a near-fatal heart attack. He had long seen the broad spectrum known in some circles as 'geekdom' as a severely underdeveloped market, waiting to be tapped by anyone bold enough to cater to it. Since becoming head of the ICCG, Michael had fostered an event called InfiniCon: a pet science fiction convention held in mid September since 1987. In 1990, Project: A-Kon hit the map in Dallas, Texas. Despite only playing host to 380 people, its success as a convention catering purely to anime struck a chord with Mr. Madison. That year he gave the convention a special focus on anime and pulled in producers and companies from Japan and the USA to hold events and run booths. The convention ran into a deficit that year, but the feedback pushed Michael and the board of directors to continue their push. By '96, InfiniCon was running at a fair profit, and had been turned into a seasonal event.

>>21174766
The regularity of InfiniCon brought on the first Infinites (in-fin-eyte): people who never wanted to leave. They started filing into the multitude of service jobs in Infinity City, forming a class of almost indentured workers who only saved money to spend it again at the next InfiniCon. The Infinites went mostly unnoticed at this point, although they soon clustered together and formed a small community among the dedicated convention goers. As their numbers grew, fractures formed in the community along various fault lines. While most Infinites straddled many fan communities, those who dedicated themselves to a single genre found themselves fighting with those of other genres; blaming them for their genre losing space in the convention or just forming prejudices from bad experiences with a couple people from that fandom.

>>21174774
The increase in Infinite population saw the creation of formal groups. The Society of Never Ending Tales helped RPG players and DMs find groups and even tracked reputations. The General Assembly brought together war gamers and bought an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Infinity City to slowly convert into huge areas of terrain for various games. The Anime Club got its own TV station and managed a complete line up of anime. The ICCG saw these ventures and encouraged them, dropping funding and endorsements here and there. It even started advertising job opportunities within its operations specially among Infinite populations. The board knew a golden goose when it saw it.

>>21174779
InfiniCon continued to grow beyond the expectations of anyone. By 2010, it had turned into a continuous convention that surged into extra space for it's major events. The George Spears Memorial Building was InfiniCon's permanent home, spanning two blocks by way of multiple sky bridges and tunnels. It was conveniently located to serve as a hub during the convention's larger periods and far enough away from the city center to not get in the way of other events. The coming years saw more and more space set aside for InfiniCon as international attention and business kept pouring in. December 2012 holds a special place in InfiniCon history, as the End of Ze World Jamboree marked both the first time the convention covered more than four city blocks for more than a weekend and the first time InfiniCon took space from other conventions. So many people showed up and stayed for the Jamboree that an entire extra building and several rooms in another had to be freed up to accommodate them. Special arrangements were made, a law suit was settled out of court, and a sign of the times was marked. Infinity City and the ICCG spun around InfiniCon.

>>21174783
Having realized their new direction, the ICCG set to creating the perfect environment for InfiniCon. A large area on the edge of Infinity City was rebuilt into the InfiniCon District and opened to the public in 2017 and billed itself as having something for everybody. The LARP Park covered several acres of land; featuring waterfront, fields, forest, simulated ruins, and miles of beautiful paths. The Command Center served dual roles, both as an HQ for many convention services and as the aptly named home of the General Assembly. The Hive featured the most advanced LAN network and extensive digital gaming space the world had seen, even featuring state-of-the-art virtual reality systems. The Grand Pagoda and its sister, Madison Tower, respectively served Eastern and Western media. Dozens of smaller buildings spread around them, housing rolling sub-conventions. The ICCG utilized the internet and other media to their full extent, turning InfiniCon into not just a convention and media empire but the very core of the zeitgeist.

>>21174791
The highways and BNSF Rail had long since become inadequate to serve Infinity City's traffic and had been supplemented by the Infinity City International Airport. It grew with Infinity City and while it never supplanted O'Hare, the ICIA was able to take load off of its air space. The old subways had also become too limiting for the needs of Infinity City and the ICCG, bringing about a push to innovate and improve the public transit within Infinity City. A second subway network was built to replace the now outdated one built in the seventies, offering speedy and regular service throughout the city. Surface trolleys were also brought into Infinity City, almost entirely eliminating the need for private transportation within city limits. The sky was not the limit for the engineers improving transit in Infinity City, and a massive network of skyways began to spread across downtown like a fungus. It was these changes that allowed Infinity City to operate almost normally during the grand opening parade of InfiniCon District. It was also this day that the long-time head and spokesman of the ICCG, Michael Madison, announced his retirement to the world. He would be replaced by Harrison Bucher.

>>21174799
The expansion of InfiniCon naturally led to a growing number of Infinites, much to the dismay of many long-time residents of Infinity City. Infinity City had become rich off of the ICCG and many businesses not related to the conventions had moved in or been founded there. The general population of Infinity City saw the ICCG as nothing more than a very profitable business and were happy to take the money of those passing through but did not want to see those convention attendees as competition. It began in the service industry, as waitresses and store clerks started to take a noticeable swing into being non-natives. Unemployment became a noticeable problem even before the economic downturn in the early 21st century, opening the doors to some shrewd business men. While the ICCG encouraged Infinites to take jobs they offered, the conventions could only provide so many jobs and each Infinite still displaced another person. In came the call centers. Taking over older convention buildings as the ICCG continued to improve its spaces, these companies found every way to milk the Infinites and displaced youths for all they were worth. Soon many found themselves company men, bound by contracts that made leaving or saving money next to impossible.

File: 1350539754277.jpg-(44 KB, 500x332, linkcosplay02.jpg)

>>21174813
Oh my.. that is a lot of material.. and a lot of acronyms.

It's all quite good, though a great deal more specific and concrete than I had intended to go with it.

I'll be keeping this on file, though, for future write-ups.

>>21174931
I tried to answer questions that had been brought up repeatedly. As I said at the beginning, there is no canon. I just think better when I have a frame work set down to build off of, like spinning the undercon out of the abandoned old subways and into other derelict areas of the city or what have you. Also, I figured by adding some names it would spark legends and characters. Harrison Bucher is set up to be either the next genius to bring the con to greater heights or an evil bastard that crushes a beautiful thing depending on how gritty you want your InfiniCon to be.

There's 4 acronyms in there I think. However, the only one used repeatedly is Infinity City Convention Group. I had a lot of time to think while I was banned for three days. Serves me right for filling an image dump request after forgetting about Global Rule #15.

File: 1350541449267.jpg-(39 KB, 500x333, linkcosplay03.jpg)

>>21174995
I can understand the desire for this to make sense. A bare minimum amount of internal consistence is needed for the audience to be able to move past the "how the fuck could this work?" stage, to the "okay, so what's going on here?" stage of things.

However, too much detail and too much scrutiny loops back around and turns the questioning towards how such a thing could still happen in such a realistic set of circumstances.

I'm not discouraging your interpretation, but any parts of it I might use are likely to be a bit more watered down, for the purpose of keeping things focused on the setting itself, rather than the logistics or history.

>>21175287
Oh, by all means. It's meant to be rent asunder. Something that occurred to me after writing that tl;dr is the inclusion of media producers. You have how much talent swimming around in InfiniCon? Why not hire up skilled, struggling fan artists to work your animation sweat shops? Why not base your station where your conventions happen? Not just studios rebasing or opening offices there, either. You'd have plenty of start up media companies all the time. Reality television set in InfiniCon, cartoons based on OC that crop up in it. Probably a whole indie comic shop dedicated to publishing comics presented to them by attendees. Similarly, the industries that feed conventions would be all over Infinity City. There are plenty of other convention centers, but the biggest name in convention supply would be based near InfiniCon. Banner and ribbon printers, promoters, screen printing, and so on. There are lots of jobs for our intrepid Infinites throughout the city outside of just servicing tourists.

Bump

Wow, that was some great background lore. Great job,

Bump

>>21170098

The problem wasn't finding a doctor in Infinicon. The problem was finding a doctor who was real.

Ben and DarkBlade managed to walk the samurai into a TARDIS-shaped phonebooth and shut the door, hiding him away for the moment. It can't last, but if they weren't safe in the hospitals they wouldn't be safe on the streets.

"Do we need to get him to a doctor?" DarkBlade asked. Ben nodded, flipping through the phone book. There was an entire section for eccentric doctors playing by their own rules. A dozen BlackJacks, half a dozen of that guy fro Soul Eater, more Dr Houses than he cared to think about. He needed to find one that was actually a renegade doctor playing by his own rules instead of someone pretending to do so that still operated according to standard hospital procedures.

The last entry was for a Dr Hank Smith. You rack your brains for what kind of a pop culture reference that may be. "Hey kid, ever here of a Dr Hank Smith? In like a movie or anime or something?"

"No?" the kid said. "Why?"

"Then he's not cosplaying. Alright, we've got a place to go. Help me carry this guy."

File: 1350611530294.png-(388 KB, 520x720, 1349687769298.png)

>>21185637

>You rack your brains

Hopping back and forth between this and a quest thread destroys my ability to be consistent, apparently.

>>21185775
I think we can find it in our hearts to forgive you.

Overly detailed back story guy again. Care to give me an assignment? Like develop a particular interest group or building or some such? I'd really like to see this setting grow more but am lost in options and directions. A nudge would be nice.

>>21188826
well, it could be interesting if you write about for example how a specific group (which is not furries in general or MLP) deteriorated into part of the UnderCon for one reason or another

Holy fuck is /tg/ still working on this setting? I haven't seen a thread for months. Heck, I never even worked on it beyond that one piece of write faggotry is still up with the old pseudonym I used back then. Must be around... what? Nine months since then.

>>21190192
Can do! Somehow I think this thread will survive into tomorrow afternoon for me to post it. I may have let myself stay up until 2:30...

>>21190569
Hell yeah we are! Come on in, the writing's fine!

>>21190633

No thanks, my ideas for the story has vanished and I actually like the ending of it as it is - it is open ended, can be used as the basis for a game or quest and most importantly of all, I was motivated back then.

Just so you know, the story I am talking about is "The Organizer", if I remember correct it is one of the more 'ill fitting' pieces when it comes to the idea most other people have of the behind-the-scenes of InfiniCon.

I still like the idea of InfiniCon though and I WILL run a game in it for my Girlfriend's friend group (they are cosplayers), if they'll let me.

So...

We have inhabitants, but conventions need guests, right?

And guests need liaisons...

I have this image of GLs being an elite social class, who are basically rainmakers; In a competitive world, if you can say Will Wheaton came to your diner once, that's a selling point. And if he was impressed, he might even tell his other potential-guest friends...

So, wielding massive indirect influence, GLs get freebies and offers thrown at them, in the hope of currying favour. This, of course, makes them feared and hated

Not to say that GL circles aren't fiercely (lethally?) competitive themselves... Everyone wants the prime contracts.

And the pressure is immense; One fuckup that upsets a guest, and BAM, fired (at best. At worst, the people whose guest you just insulted put a hit on you for the money you cost them) It's not like there aren't thousands of people after that job, after all. No wonder the most common cause of death among GL is stress-related conditions

>>21191006

I'm starting to think we should start a quest thread for this. Do it round robin, people can take turns as primary questrunner to build the world, when they've run the story for a bit they can hand it off to someone else. Maybe? When my current quest thread takes a break I'm half considering doing an Infinicon Underworld Quest either way.

>>21193363
Round robin sounds messy and doomed to failure. The undercon: Do eeet!

File: 1350670210636.jpg-(94 KB, 500x500, ICQ3.jpg)

>>21193363
I was actually going to run a quest and illustrate it at one point, but about 3 posts in, the filter slapped me with an autoban and shut it down.

If I recall correctly, we had created a lady fiction writer who had procured a modest tent in a part of the LARP district. We were just about to start asking around the camp if anyone had need of a Chronicler or a poet to immortalize their deeds.