hardboiled.

ANTIVIRUS. REFERENCE POINTS: BLACK MIRROR, THE LONG GOODBYE, RIVER, THE NICE GUYS, TRUE DETECTIVE. OVERVIEW: Progress is inescapable. What was impossible ten, twenty years ago is suddenly possible, now. To a certain extent, that's a blessing. It's easier to get things done, easier to keep in contact with loved ones, easier to figure out if a cough is just a cold or a symptom of something more serious, easier to find and match fingerprints at the scene of a crime. The latest development in technology is a cybernetic nodule pioneered by the SARANG Corporation: a small device that can be affixed to the user's temple to connect them to every other SARANG application that they might use, thereby erasing the need for so many extraneous objects and making it infinitely easier to keep one's life in line. For a pretty penny more, it can be surgically implanted in the user's brain so that the possibility of loss or theft are drastically reduced (and, according to the marketing pitch, the implant increases functionality, efficiency, and overall satisfaction). But, as with all things, there's a catch. Lines of code can be corrupted, nodules can be altered, and implants can just as easily be cut out of a user's head as they can be entered in. There's a certain argument that says that such things will be easier to track, given enhancements in police surveillance, but — where there's a will, there's a way. The same goes for all other such developments. Maybe you've been blocked from somebody's perception filters. Maybe someone's gone missing and they're not on your camera feed. Maybe you think someone's hijacked your personal AI. Certain professions fall out of fashion, and the job of private investigator is almost one of them, but Silas Hugh has made it this far, and he likes it just fine. ELEVATOR PITCH: A neo-noir. NAME: Silas Hugh AGE: 45 HEIGHT: 5'10" FAMILY: A sister, Chella; a brother, Volta OCCUPATION: Private investigator MISC: Lean in build. Divorced, though he still wears the band, and will chalk it up to habit. British accent (received pronunciation). No cybernetic implants to speak of. Stab wound scar on his left chest. A previous mishap has left him extra-sensitive to light, which he largely mitigates with sunglasses. (It's mostly to do with transitions, though bright days will give him headaches.) INFORMATION: (RELATIVE) LUDDITE: Despite the progress that's been made in the last few decades, Silas has mostly resisted "upgrading" in any way, at least not where his physical self is concerned. His phone, car, and computer software are up to date, but he's forgone any implants. He doesn't have much of an opinion of them with regards to others, but sticks to personal preference when left to his own devices. (He still wakes up to an alarm clock rather than using any apartment programming.) SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY: Though it's not OCD, Silas likes things to be neat, and tends to keep a tidy apartment. It's arguably a reflection of the order that he seeks through his work. These sorts of things are easier to control than the swings of his own emotions and personal life. STEREOTYPICAL BACHELOR: Silas has a routine to his day, but when engaged in case, typically forgets about taking care of himself, not in terms of hygiene but in terms of eating and sleeping well. (He likes to think that he'll retire to the country some day, but the practical likelihood — given his personality more than any financial straits — is slim.) On the other hand, he doesn't really drink, and he doesn't smoke, so there's a little trade-off, there. OLD DOG: He's about as worn as he looks. His sense of humor is deadpan or sarcastic more than not, and he has a (sometimes annoying) fondness for older music. Roy Orbison is in rotation more often than not. That said, he's generally fairly easygoing; it's only when on a case that he becomes relentless, and occasionally difficult to get ahold of if you're not the client he's working for. GROUP PROJECTS: He doesn't play all that well with others where his work is concerned. He has contacts in the police department as well as around the city to nag when he needs a lead, but in terms of working a case, he prefers to go it alone. This is, naturally, a bit of a mixed blessing. FAMILY MATTERS: He is extremely close to his sister. They have no other immediate family to speak of (some cousins, uncles, and aunts, but nobody they were particularly close to.) His divorce is something he sees as a bit of a personal failure, though he won't speak about it even if pressed. He's somewhat freer with his more general history. SIDE EFFECTS: Ever since the incident that left him with exacerbated light sensitivity (or is it since the divorce?), he's been experiencing dreams that occasionally tip over into his waking life. They've never been severe enough that he's ever really told anyone about them (apart from Chella, briefly), and he's deeply reluctant to lend them any credence. This has a little to do with his overall disinclination to indulge in any cybernetics, himself.