Quote Based Worldbuilding: It's back, baby

Hey y'all. So, I used to frequent these forums, and, before taking a long leave of absence, one of the projects I was the most proud of was a world building enterprise called "Quote Based Worldbuilding". After I left the forums, I believe someone who participated in the old project created a similar thread (without crediting me :smallsigh:) that also had some success.
Well, I'd like to go for another round. For those of you who don't know how it works, it goes like this. I write a quote, without naming who said it. Then, the next poster quotes my quote, this time also adding the speaker, the date if they wish, and a little bit of relevant context. Then, they write their own quote, without naming who said it, and the cycle continues. It's best if people don't fall into a cycle of immediately answering the quotes, so everyone has a chance. Here's a demonstration:

Writer 1: "By God, Jeremy, I don't think we'll make it out of the atmosphere in time!"
Writer 2: "By God, Jeremy, I don't think we'll make it out of the atmosphere in time!" - Sir Hadsby, Commander of the Silver Petunia, on the day the Baron poisoned the sky.
Writer 2: "You're an old relic, aren't you? Why don't we get you polished up?'
etc

Without further ado, let's see how many people are interested in this! To give us a bit of a theme to work with, at least for the beginning, let's play around with Cyberpunk, Noir and Pulp Adventure. Of course, feel free to go wildly astray from those, and incorporate whatever you wish into this lovely world of ours, within reason. Remember, these quotes can be from the past, present, or future of this world. Now, I'll kick this off. Reality is our plaything!


"He has gone off system and fled in his car, headed to cross the Northern plains. He is still visible to the seer, but we trust he will escape our sight soon. We await your instructions."

So, something like this?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by D20ragon

"He has gone off system and fled in his car, headed to cross the Northern plains. He is still visible to the seer, but we trust he will escape our sight soon. We await your instructions."

---

-Seargent Wilsburg of CTPD, Dry season of 1497. Due to operator error, this sound bite was played several times over the city loudspeakers, making it a popular quote to spoof for a few years to follow. The case remains classified, though rumors and crazy theories abound.

"Let them take what they want; we're already out of anything that's worth a d*mn."

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Wranglyph

"Let them take what they want; we're already out of anything that's worth a d*mn."

---

~Margaery Lennox, bodega owner, during the third night of the Firedamp Riots, as recorded by freelance vid-jorno Lenseye Pete.

"Magi are all very well in the academic sphere, but when the alley's twisting into a labyrinth around you, your hired muscle is bleeding out on the asphalt, and your implants are trying to claw their way out of your skull, that's when you want a cunning man in your corner."

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Benthesquid

"Magi are all very well in the academic sphere, but when the alley's twisting into a labyrinth around you, your hired muscle is bleeding out on the asphalt, and your implants are trying to claw their way out of your skull, that's when you want a cunning man in your corner."

---

- Originally said by Dennis Malov in the book "The Mind is a Muscle". Nowadays taken as a creed by many a con-artist.



"The Electric Chronostone, said to be the foundation of a Seer's power, ain't nothing. Anyone with a bit of time on their hands and decent grasp of numbers can make a prediction. It might probably be correct, too. But the rest of it? Now that's a different matter."

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sgt. Cookie

"The Electric Chronostone, said to be the foundation of a Seer's power, ain't nothing. Anyone with a bit of time on their hands and decent grasp of numbers can make a prediction. It might probably be correct, too. But the rest of it? Now that's a different matter."

---

Maxwell Ramsey, author of "We can all see, just as long as we open our eyes!", at one of his seminars. He was well known and popular for his disbelief of the arcane.

"Do not speak of such things, child. For the lenders can hear you, and the lenders do not like to hear of such things."

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by _volcan_

"Do not speak of such things, child. For the lenders can hear you, and the lenders do not like to hear of such things."

---

Mary Quinn, mother of two; excerpt from Karl Gray's version of "Sue Quinn's Last Words," a popular folk tale.

"The enemy's dirigibles may be formidable in their warfare capability, but I believe they would be vulnerable to a battery of precise, high power projectiles capable of tearing through even a small number of the internal gas chambers. Your task, gentlemen, is to build such a battery."

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Wranglyph

Mary Quinn, mother of two; excerpt from Karl Gray's version of "Sue Quinn's Last Words," a popular folk tale.

"The enemy's dirigibles may be formidable in their warfare capability, but I believe they would be vulnerable to a battery of precise, high power projectiles capable of tearing through even a small number of the internal gas chambers. Your task, gentlemen, is to build such a battery."

---

~Lahkmi Dev, head of the Defense Research Initiative, addressing the members of the so called Gun Trust.

"Now, this is just one of a few points where the law and I differ, but I tend to the opinion that no matter how rich you are, there are some crimes you can't pay for. Not in cash, anyways."

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Benthesquid

"Now, this is just one of a few points where the law and I differ, but I tend to the opinion that no matter how rich you are, there are some crimes you can't pay for. Not in cash, anyways."

---

~ Lily Kate, to the Chairman of the Densport Magi. Lily is best known for developing the process the state uses to strip Magi on the wrong side of the law of their arcane prowess, though of course she's never been credited.


"Cute, ain't it? Listen buddy, don't look so revolted. These are the implants you're so eager to shove into yourself, so give 'em some respect."

I missed these!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by D20ragon

"Cute, ain't it? Listen buddy, don't look so revolted. These are the implants you're so eager to shove into yourself, so give 'em some respect."

---

~Karthrin Jenson, a street implanter famed for using living implants


"The only thing I need today, is a really big gun. Or a couple of them."

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Belac93

"The only thing I need today, is a really big gun. Or a couple of them."

---

Said by Tough Toni, leader of the street gang known as the Metal Valkyries, to her cohorts as their hideout was being surrounded by the Inner City Police Force.

"Real, synthetic, magical, mundane, it don't really matter to me. Alls I care 'bout is if it can get the job done, and done well."

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LarwisTheElf

Said by Tough Toni, leader of the street gang known as the Metal Valkyries, to her cohorts as their hideout was being surrounded by the Inner City Police Force.

"Real, synthetic, magical, mundane, it don't really matter to me. Alls I care 'bout is if it can get the job done, and done well."

---

-Johnny Nikos, Leader of the Bronze Triad biker gang.

"I don't care if there's sh*t in your eyes soldier! Just shoot thos d*mn birds down already!"

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Durzan

"I don't care if there's sh*t in your eyes soldier! Just shoot thos d*mn birds down already!"

---

- General Kia Dev, at the Second Siege of CurStone, where the enemy famously dropped barrels of fecal matter in the hopes of spreading illness and lowering morale. This was the first time that Lahkmi Dev's famous "Blimp Busters" were shown to be effective in battle.


"That's quite a setback, I admit, but our zeppelins are invincible; I think we'll pull this off just fine."

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Wranglyph

- General Kia Dev, at the Second Siege of CurStone, where the enemy famously dropped barrels of fecal matter in the hopes of spreading illness and lowering morale. This was the first time that Lahkmi Dev's famous "Blimp Busters" were shown to be effective in battle.


"That's quite a setback, I admit, but our zeppelins are invincible; I think we'll pull this off just fine."

---

Air-Commander Samila Murasa, seconds before her zeppelin exploded.

"That's all that history is: the best stories. The ones that last. Might as well be mine."

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jendekit

"That's all that history is: the best stories. The ones that last. Might as well be mine."

---

~ Last line of renowned historian and investigator Alexandra Diev's Memoirs. Strangely, they were only available on the net for three days before it became impossible to find a copy, due to the fact that any search made with her name in it ended in an error. This "vanishing" of information from the net has become known as an "Alexandra Phenomenon."


"Then let's find out which breaks first, my fist, or the wall."

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by D20ragon

~ Last line of renowned historian and investigator Alexandra Diev's Memoirs. Strangely, they were only available on the net for three days before it became impossible to find a copy, due to the fact that any search made with her name in it ended in an error. This "vanishing" of information from the net has become known as an "Alexandra Phenomenon."


"Then let's find out which breaks first, my fist, or the wall."

---

Peter Lao, disciple of Jake McNamara, upon the latter's dismissal of his mastery of the Diamond Body techniques.

"I was already seven layers deep, risking permanent brain damage just to process the datastreams, and laying it all on the line just for the chance of a quick peek behind Mother Bank's curtain. And nail my hand if I lie, but what I saw there, saw me."

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Benthesquid

"I was already seven layers deep, risking permanent brain damage just to process the datastreams, and laying it all on the line just for the chance of a quick peek behind Mother Bank's curtain. And nail my hand if I lie, but what I saw there, saw me."

---

~ Posted by the user ColdFire on the Creatures Unknown forum several years ago, which was the first known recounting of a Data Parasite

"Data Parasites are NOT an Artificial Intelligence. That's the first mistake people make. For starters, there's no intelligence THERE, just an 'instinct', for lack of a better term, to absorb data and replicate itself. Second, they aren't really 'artificial', in the sense that they were created, but rather, they're a 'natural' occurrence within the net."

I'm liking this; is there a part where we comb through the quotes and try to construct a picture of the world, before starting the chain again to add more detail?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sgt. Cookie

~ Posted by the user ColdFire on the Creatures Unknown forum several years ago, which was the first known recounting of a Data Parasite

"Data Parasites are NOT an Artificial Intelligence. That's the first mistake people make. For starters, there's no intelligence THERE, just an 'instinct', for lack of a better term, to absorb data and replicate itself. Second, they aren't really 'artificial', in the sense that they were created, but rather, they're a 'natural' occurrence within the net."

---

- User ColdFire, in his guide on current Data Parasite knowledge, posted on NetHacker forums a few years after his first sighting of one. Many net users actively attempt to gain information about these creatures, although their existence (and ColdFire themself) remains controversial.

"And then, they just gave it to us!"

Yes, there is, but in the past, a new thread was made for this purpose, and we waited for a solid page or two of material.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Wranglyph

"And then, they just gave it to us!"

---

~ Recovered from a voice recording: Anonymous looter, confused by the lack of resistance that criminals faced from the state during the Firedamp Riots.


"Am I worried about this operation being found out? Any nethead so much as knocks out a line of code in this layer, and they're the one who needs to worry about being found. Understand? This is our net. We make the long arm of the law look like a f****** amputee."

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by D20ragon

"Am I worried about this operation being found out? Any nethead so much as knocks out a line of code in this layer, and they're the one who needs to worry about being found. Understand? This is our net. We make the long arm of the law look like a f****** amputee."

---

Doc Spades, who was the first to quarantine a district of the net from everyone, even the governments most highly trained hackers and seers.

"I don't fight for honor or glory, or to protect the weak and innocent, nor do I fight for the excitement or the taste of blood and smoke. I fight because it is my part, do you ask why the turbines create energy? or why the trees provide fresh air? Do you ask why the farmers raise cattle. No, you understand that they are part of a system that is larger than honor or blood."

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by _volcan_

]"I don't fight for honor or glory, or to protect the weak and innocent, nor do I fight for the excitement or the taste of blood and smoke. I fight because it is my part, do you ask why the turbines create energy? or why the trees provide fresh air? Do you ask why the farmers raise cattle. No, you understand that they are part of a system that is larger than honor or blood."

---

~The Blade Onrushing, three year champion of the Willow City Glad Rings.

"Helping a brother get back on his feet. The freedom to tell your boss to go **** himself. There's a few things left that still count for something. Fewer than there were yesterday. Might be more than there will be tomorrow. But still, today there's something left worth fighting for."

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Benthesquid

"Helping a brother get back on his feet. The freedom to tell your boss to go **** himself. There's a few things left that still count for something. Fewer than there were yesterday. Might be more than there will be tomorrow. But still, today there's something left worth fighting for."

---

-Snark Vintage, Cunningman of the Bronze Triad.

"The sky is green, the birds are singing, there's smoke in my lunges and holes in my gut. It's a good day to die, but I'm not rolling over buddy, oh no, cuz' a good day to die, is a great day to live!"

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GorinichSerpant

-Snark Vintage, Cunningman of the Bronze Triad.

"The sky is green, the birds are singing, there's smoke in my lunges and holes in my gut. It's a good day to die, but I'm not rolling over buddy, oh no, cuz' a good day to die, is a great day to live!"

---

- The refrain of "A good day to die" a song originating in the trenches of the Fringe Wars, which was popular bars and pubs of veterans in the Inner City. While it is unknown who orriginally wrote the song, it's often attributed too General Kia Dev, a famous hero of CurStone. The Saphire Phoenix Productions, led by Allister Rilling bought the rights to her life story and produced a musical "The Smiling Soldier". This brought "A good day to die" to the wider public. General Dev herself,now retired, refuses to comment on show.

"I never thought I would be so scared to see a sunrise. the sun shone light on all the horrible things i'd done."

@Wranglyph: Do you perhaps mean "dubious" instead of controversial?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DMwithoutPC's

"I never thought I would be so scared to see a sunrise. the sun shone light on all the horrible things i'd done."

---

~ Graffiti found near the fourth suspected victim of the Baument Butcher, who remains uncaught to this day.


"So there I am, neck deep in body parts, bullets flying everywhere and suddenly my team's seer gets the genius idea to jump OUT of the third floor window. Turns out there was a cargo truck rolling by that window. We landed onto it, ended up with a cracked rib, but we made it out alive."

@Sgt. Cookie: I wanted to create the sense that some people discuss the topic vehemently, but "dubious" also works there.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sgt. Cookie

@Wranglyph: Do you perhaps mean "dubious" instead of controversial?

~ Graffiti found near the fourth suspected victim of the Baument Butcher, who remains uncaught to this day.

"So there I am, neck deep in body parts, bullets flying everywhere and suddenly my team's seer gets the genius idea to jump OUT of the third floor window. Turns out there was a cargo truck rolling by that window. We landed onto it, ended up with a cracked rib, but we made it out alive."

---

-Kasper Gyev, a grizzled old veteran who frequents local bars and entertains guests with his wide array of war stories, many of which are incredulous, to say the least.

"Of course, the electric chronostone isn't the only tool that a seer might have at his disposal, and certainly not the easiest to acquire. Why don't we take a look at some of the more accessible ones, beginning with this thing right here."

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Wranglyph

"Of course, the electric chronostone isn't the only tool that a seer might have at his disposal, and certainly not the easiest to acquire. Why don't we take a look at some of the more accessible ones, beginning with this thing right here."

---

~Doubler Vrash, purveyor of technomantic devices, speaking in his ad-vid "The Future and You."

"It's a difference in scale, not nature. When the street gangs and the neo-tribes fight, they use flash bombs, zip guns, a cunning man's knacks and twists. When the Corporate world goes to war, they use cluster bombs, colony drops, seven fold virtual ritual spaces."

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Benthesquid

"It's a difference in scale, not nature. When the street gangs and the neo-tribes fight, they use flash bombs, zip guns, a cunning man's knacks and twists. When the Corporate world goes to war, they use cluster bombs, colony drops, seven fold virtual ritual spaces."

---

~ Andabar Locust, diplomat, and the first Streetsider to hold formal public relations with the Suits, and, what's more, to be successful in doing so. Locust was responsible for the ceasefire that put an end to the war between the Ghost Horde neo-tribe and Herosha Corp, which had gone on sporadically for 15 years, laying waste to a solid fourth of the Densport sprawl.


"Of course I took into consideration civilian casualties. And, in my mind, and, more importantly, the data our seer gave us, the loss of life in the Firedamp riots that occurred due to our inaction is more than payed for with the new-found security our city has. As officers of the law, our first and foremost duty is to preserve the long term safety of those in our charge. Corporation-run CurStone was not safe. Our CurStone is. I refuse to let my sleep be troubled by such simple matters."

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by D20ragon

"Of course I took into consideration civilian casualties. And, in my mind, and, more importantly, the data our seer gave us, the loss of life in the Firedamp riots that occurred due to our inaction is more than payed for with the new-found security our city has. As officers of the law, our first and foremost duty is to preserve the long term safety of those in our charge. Corporation-run CurStone was not safe. Our CurStone is. I refuse to let my sleep be troubled by such simple matters."

---

~Lieutenant Grigr Volberg, explaining his actions to Commissioner Ravalish in the wake of the Firedamp Riots. The riots resulted in the deaths of more than 3,000 civilians, the majority of whom were Corporation workers.

"You think this is bad? You shoulda seen what we had to deal with twenty years ago. Reconstituting a body after its been hit with a Dissipater blast was **** near impossible. 'Specially because half the fools had modified their implants with direct neural connections. All we gotta do here is find all the pieces."

Quote:

---

"You think this is bad? You shoulda seen what we had to deal with twenty years ago. Reconstituting a body after its been hit with a Dissipater blast was **** near impossible. 'Specially because half the fools had modified their implants with direct neural connections. All we gotta do here is find all the pieces."

---

~Complaint of Ex-Coroner of Willow City Glad Ring, Belsh Lock, before his boss stabbed him to death with sharpened chopsticks for his constant complaining.

"Yeah, we hid out in the sewers during the riots. So what? So did a lot of other people. Yeah we raided all the shops we could beforehand. But officer, none of that matters! When we went down there, we wend down deep, down the tunnels which were abandoned for years, centuries maybe. That's when Billie started to act weird, saying that his implants felt funny. That was when he wandered off. We tried to find him, officer. We tried man! But Billie's gone, and some of us heard something really big moving down there. Just wanted to let ya know, man, just in case you see him, dead or alive."

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DuctTapeKatar

"Yeah, we hid out in the sewers during the riots. So what? So did a lot of other people. Yeah we raided all the shops we could beforehand. But officer, none of that matters! When we went down there, we wend down deep, down the tunnels which were abandoned for years, centuries maybe. That's when Billie started to act weird, saying that his implants felt funny. That was when he wandered off. We tried to find him, officer. We tried man! But Billie's gone, and some of us heard something really big moving down there. Just wanted to let ya know, man, just in case you see him, dead or alive."

---

~Excerpt from Juan "Snake Eyes" Carlos's second interrogation following his arrest in the aftermath of the Baument Butcher riots, included in the file on the Piper Virus.

"Now, Mr. Halloran, you're going to set the briefcase down and walk slowly back to me, and if the gentlewoman across from us remains calm and keeps her hand off those machine pistols, we may still all get out of this alive."

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Benthesquid

"Now, Mr. Halloran, you're going to set the briefcase down and walk slowly back to me, and if the gentlewoman across from us remains calm and keeps her hand off those machine pistols, we may still all get out of this alive."

---

"Slick" Jimney Svarlo, notorious sky pirate and captain of the Free Airship Barracuda.


"Scanning the latest in international news, it looks like the Czar is sending his new fleet of warships on patrol around the Japanese Home Islands. The Emperor and Corporate Consuls of all four main islands are protesting the move and threatening war if the fleet is not withdrawn. China and South Korea have raised their seawalls as tensions rise in the region. The Free Enterprise Zone of Taiwan and Taipei remains open for business as ever."