On a dying planet, it’s hard not to unapologetically live in the moment. Be who you are. Love who you choose. Do what you want to do, so long as it’s legal or you don’t get caught. Everybody needs to get by, so people take no shame in doing whatever it takes to endure. Luckily, LA has anything you need. Every passion, poison, and distraction you’d want. And a few you shouldn’t. Happiness is a warm gun for some, a warm bowl of noodles for others. You decide and spend off-hours at your discretion. Just be discreet. Even if your partners won’t judge you, the bloodhounds in Internal Affairs will sniff you out before you even know they’re on your trail.
ENTERTAINMENT: Hollywood isn’t the heart of the arts anymore, but LA is still a bustling city of endless diversions with entire Sectors dedicated to education, entertainment, and a naughty night life. A limitless playground for anybody with time to burn. Arcades, movie complexes, and uplink cafes. Music venues and events. Universities. Cinema is high art. TV is local news, comfort food, gossip, and luxury porn. Music is electric and loud. Drug use is casual. Sex is casual. Gender is fluid. Everything is fluid. Sex clubs are as quick, common, and conversational as coffee shops, though DiJis are the new craze. In such an isolated society, intimacy is the new and very addictive high.
BUSINESS : Until Wallace staked claim in LA, the city was written off by big business. Little more than slums to mine resources (mostly protein and energy) and advertise to a captive herd of consumer cattle. If Earthers excel at one thing, it’s buying shit they don’t need. Some cops capitalize on demand, running small businesses or side hustles to provide for families or dig out of debt. The market rewards entrepreneurs and ambition, especially those with political savvy and elastic ethics. Few make do without an envelope stuffed with cash and promises, may it be for city permits or syndicate protection. Hawking, or gray/black market trading, is also a legitimate way to pay bills. After all, the right buyer in the wrong part of town is willing to buy just about anything. No matter how you got it.
NO LONG - DISTANCE PLAN
Barring rare exceptions, you never need to communicate with other megacities or off-world colonies.
If you’re needed, they’ll call you. Or rather they’ll call the UN, who’ll call the Governor, who’ll call Chief, who’ll call you. So in other words, you’re on your own.
RELIGION: Off-world, faith is a nostalgic relic. Yet on Earth, religion is still a thing in certain socio-political circles. No one faith is more accepted than others. Kosher or Hare Krishna, makes no difference. Religion thrives in dark times, mostly among the poor yearning for strength in numbers and a greater plan. True, religion is more found on the lower floors today, though megarich sects with heavy consciences, occult fetishes, or god complexes do find faith, too. Religion is even found among Reps suffering closeted obsessions with souls and a reason for being. In truth, the laws tell you what’s legal, but rarely what’s right. So some cops find comfort in faith to question or legitimize their choices, if only to better sleep at night.
POLITICS : If you’re looking to pick a fight, you’re in luck. Everywhere you look, there is someone in dire need of aid or a punch in the face. You can join your megacomplex community. Lobby UN officials or the DA’s office. Consult for the UN or private sector. The most divisive topic is Replicant Rights, but it’s a coin toss which side a cop takes. Empathizers are experts at pouring salt onto angry wounds, while Sympathizers can guilt trip with the best of them. Even if you’re only just doing what you’re ordered (or engineered) to do, you’ll be caught in the crossfire between these two sides. Eventually, you may need to choose one or the other.
CRIME : The B&W color of law doesn’t always fit a morally gray world. It’s a hard truth that many cops take skim with their coffee. Some owe too much and fall into the wrong pockets. Others learn from punks doing it wrong and do it right for themselves. And there are those righteous or disillusioned who lose faith in the justice system, using off-hours to settle scores and do what’s right, regardless of what’s legal. It’s a slippery slope, though. One slip up in the moral gray can become a permanent black stain on your record. That’s why there is a network of cops who protect and self-police their own off the books. Allowing lines and laws to slip for fellow family in blue. So if a righteous cop aims to cuff a crooked cop, they should be prepared to face half the precinct. And get judged by the other half.
FOOD & DRINK : Some badges are basic. While others pursue causes or cash, all you want is a barstool and a stiff drink. Perhaps you savor the burn in your chest as you get drunk on regrets you refuse to let go. Or maybe those pains all melt away as you chomp into that cheeseburger you know is neither cheese nor burger. Doesn’t make it taste any less sweet. Since most living spaces lack kitchens, eating out is a way of life. Street food is everywhere, and whatever you’re craving, there’s a food cart, kiosk, cafe, or pub within walking distance serving it up hot. Luckily, your LAPD-provided apartment does have a kitchenette, so there is also a plethora of pre-made, pre-packaged options that vending malls deliver in moments, requiring only a stovetop and water to dine at home.