Transhuman: Difference between revisions
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* [[Emergency Transformation]]: If you become better than you before. Better. Stronger. Faster. |
* [[Emergency Transformation]]: If you become better than you before. Better. Stronger. Faster. |
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* [[Goal-Oriented Evolution]]: Or at least an attempt at it, via technology. |
* [[Goal-Oriented Evolution]]: Or at least an attempt at it, via technology. |
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* [[Humans Are Psychic in |
* [[Humans Are Psychic in the Future]]: The concept is self-explanatory, if not the science. |
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* [[Magic Enhancement]]: Magical transhumansim, when applied to people, at least. |
* [[Magic Enhancement]]: Magical transhumansim, when applied to people, at least. |
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* [[Nanomachines]]: One of the most common ways to become Transhuman is through them. |
* [[Nanomachines]]: One of the most common ways to become Transhuman is through them. |
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* [[Transhuman Aliens]]: A variation where the transhuman can't be called "Human" anymore. |
* [[Transhuman Aliens]]: A variation where the transhuman can't be called "Human" anymore. |
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* [[Transhuman Treachery]]: For when this makes you go bad. |
* [[Transhuman Treachery]]: For when this makes you go bad. |
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* [[Touched |
* [[Touched by Vorlons]]: Aliens or whatnot might be the cause. |
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* [[Ultimate Lifeform]]: The end-all and be-all of transhumansim, in fiction at least. |
* [[Ultimate Lifeform]]: The end-all and be-all of transhumansim, in fiction at least. |
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* [[Uplifted Animal]]: A Trans-Animal, basically. |
* [[Uplifted Animal]]: A Trans-Animal, basically. |
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* [[We Can Rebuild Him]]: Forced to be enhanced due to injury, instead of personally seeking it out. |
* [[We Can Rebuild Him]]: Forced to be enhanced due to injury, instead of personally seeking it out. |
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* [[Working for |
* [[Working for a Body Upgrade]]: Enhanced because they earned it as a job perk. |
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* NewTypes from the [[Gundam]] series have superhuman spacial awareness and some empathic or predictive abilities. They are suspected/considered to be the next stage of humanity, a result of man's move into space. |
* NewTypes from the [[Gundam]] series have superhuman spacial awareness and some empathic or predictive abilities. They are suspected/considered to be the next stage of humanity, a result of man's move into space. |
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** [[Gundam Seed]] additionally had Coordinators, transhumans of the [[Bio Augmentation]] variety, {{spoiler|(a pair of) Ultimate Coordinators of the [[Designer Babies|Gattaca Baby]] variety,}} and Extendeds of the [[Super Serum|Super]] [[Psycho Serum]] variety. |
** [[Gundam Seed]] additionally had Coordinators, transhumans of the [[Bio Augmentation]] variety, {{spoiler|(a pair of) Ultimate Coordinators of the [[Designer Babies|Gattaca Baby]] variety,}} and Extendeds of the [[Super Serum|Super]] [[Psycho Serum]] variety. |
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* ''[[Ghost in |
* ''[[Ghost in the Shell]]'' is all about this. |
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* In the entirety of ''[[Blame |
* In the entirety of ''[[Blame]]'', we do not see a single purely biological human. Everyone is heavily modified, be they cyborgs, human-descended androids, or gene-modded superhumans. The closest to "pure" human we get is Seu, and he's an eight-foot giant with enough enhancements to fight in hand-to-hand combat with advanced Silicon Life warriors, who has been reconstructed and had his personality restored from backup countless times. Most "normal" humans were exterminated by either the Silicon Creatures or the Safeguard, given the events of ''NOiSE'','' [[Blame]]'s'' prequel. |
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* ''[[ |
* ''[[Biomega]]'' - <ref>[[Spiritual Successor]] to ''[[Blame]]''</ref> takes this [[Up to Eleven]]: The very first chapter features pretty much everybody who wasn't a robot, cyborg or mutant of some sort being wiped out by a full-blown [[Zombie Apocalypse]]. |
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* ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'' |
* ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'' |
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* ''[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]'' presents a very disturbing take on this theme. Yes the girls do become supremely powerful, but in doing so {{spoiler|their souls get ripped out of their body and placed inside a [[Soul Jar]]}}. |
* ''[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]'' presents a very disturbing take on this theme. Yes the girls do become supremely powerful, but in doing so {{spoiler|their souls get ripped out of their body and placed inside a [[Soul Jar]]}}. |
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** In [[Orson Scott Card]]'s version of [[Ultimate Marvel|Ultimate Tony's]] origin, he was born with a [[Healing Factor]] because of experiments by his parents. This seems to be getting treated as [[Canon Dis Continuity]], however. |
** In [[Orson Scott Card]]'s version of [[Ultimate Marvel|Ultimate Tony's]] origin, he was born with a [[Healing Factor]] because of experiments by his parents. This seems to be getting treated as [[Canon Dis Continuity]], however. |
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* [[The Incredible Hulk|Hulk]] villain the Leader seems preoccupied with creating more Gamma-powered mutates like himself. |
* [[The Incredible Hulk|Hulk]] villain the Leader seems preoccupied with creating more Gamma-powered mutates like himself. |
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* The short-lived [[DC Comics]] series ''The New Guardians'' (unrelated to the current ''[[ |
* The short-lived [[DC Comics]] series ''The New Guardians'' (unrelated to the current ''[[Green Lantern]]'' spinoff) involved a [[Xanatos Roulette]] by the [[Green Lantern|Guardians of the Universe]] to turn humanity into a race of transhumans. Unfortunately, the series' execution was... somewhat lacking, and it's been forgotten, with reason. The method for spreading super-genes through the population was to, well, [[Everybody Has Lots of Sex|have sex with as many people as possible;]] by picking people up in singles bars; despite one member of the team being an apparently sterile cyborg and another being gay. Oh, and they were all wince-inducing [[Ethnic Scrappy|Ethnic Scrappies,]] to boot. |
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* [[Captain America]] would have been the first of an army of super-soldiers if the formula hadn't been lost immediately afterward. It's worth noting, however, that the existence of a few other, far less successful super-soldiers like USAgent stand as proof that it's not just Cap's ''powers'' that make him Captain America, it's his personality. |
* [[Captain America]] would have been the first of an army of super-soldiers if the formula hadn't been lost immediately afterward. It's worth noting, however, that the existence of a few other, far less successful super-soldiers like USAgent stand as proof that it's not just Cap's ''powers'' that make him Captain America, it's his personality. |
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* The [[Marvel Comics|Inhumans, Eternals, and Deviants]] are humans genetically modified by aliens. |
* The [[Marvel Comics|Inhumans, Eternals, and Deviants]] are humans genetically modified by aliens. |
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* ''[[Blade Runner]]'' |
* ''[[Blade Runner]]'' |
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* ''[[Gattaca]]'' |
* ''[[Gattaca]]'' |
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* ''[[ |
* ''[[Repo! The Genetic Opera]]'' |
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* Arguably, the protagonists in the ''[[Tetsuo the Iron Man]]'' films. Sure, they become grotesque walking lumps of scrap metal, but as the films go on, they can sprout guns from their bodies, become giant tanks things and crawl on walls. |
* Arguably, the protagonists in the ''[[Tetsuo the Iron Man]]'' films. Sure, they become grotesque walking lumps of scrap metal, but as the films go on, they can sprout guns from their bodies, become giant tanks things and crawl on walls. |
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== Live Action TV == |
== Live Action TV == |
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* The Traveler (and later Wesley Crusher) from ''[[Star Trek |
* The Traveler (and later Wesley Crusher) from ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]''. |
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** Not to mention the [[Cyborg|Borg]]. |
** Not to mention the [[Cyborg|Borg]]. |
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** A more fantastic version could also be applied to [[Reality Warper|Q]] and the rest of the [[Energy Being|Continuum]]. |
** A more fantastic version could also be applied to [[Reality Warper|Q]] and the rest of the [[Energy Being|Continuum]]. |
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* ''[[The Culture]]'' |
* ''[[The Culture]]'' |
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* [[Greg Egan]] often uses this trope in his novels. |
* [[Greg Egan]] often uses this trope in his novels. |
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* ''[[ |
* ''[[Lilith's Brood]]'' |
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* ''[[ |
* ''[[Beggars in Spain]]'' is about the rise of a new breed of transhuman, the "Sleepless". |
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* ''[[Childhoods End]]'' |
* ''[[Childhoods End]]'' |
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* ''[[Oryx and Crake]]'' |
* ''[[Oryx and Crake]]'' |
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** Several Exalted types are quite literally transhuman. The Alchemicals start as cyborgs with human souls, and eventually turn into giant robots and even living cities as their permanent Essence rating increases. The Infernals have the ability to become like their [[Our Titans Are Different|Yozi]] patrons, the many-souled, world-like beings that first made the world. You've even got cases among the other Exalted, like the First Age Solar Queen Ktula, who experimented with her body so much that a bunch of her Charms shut down because her Exaltation no longer recognized her as human. |
** Several Exalted types are quite literally transhuman. The Alchemicals start as cyborgs with human souls, and eventually turn into giant robots and even living cities as their permanent Essence rating increases. The Infernals have the ability to become like their [[Our Titans Are Different|Yozi]] patrons, the many-souled, world-like beings that first made the world. You've even got cases among the other Exalted, like the First Age Solar Queen Ktula, who experimented with her body so much that a bunch of her Charms shut down because her Exaltation no longer recognized her as human. |
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** Abyssals too. Except that rather than become something more than human, they become something less - something hollow and malignant, a walking conduit to Oblivion. The ultimate destiny of the Abyssals could be Deathlords Mark Two - or something greater and more terrible than even the Deathlords can imagine. Or, y'know, they could kick the Void in the face and powerload hope and light into their Shards until they can achieve redemption and become Solars. One of the nice things about ''Exalted'' is that there's always a choice. |
** Abyssals too. Except that rather than become something more than human, they become something less - something hollow and malignant, a walking conduit to Oblivion. The ultimate destiny of the Abyssals could be Deathlords Mark Two - or something greater and more terrible than even the Deathlords can imagine. Or, y'know, they could kick the Void in the face and powerload hope and light into their Shards until they can achieve redemption and become Solars. One of the nice things about ''Exalted'' is that there's always a choice. |
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* In ''[[ |
* In ''[[Strike Legion]]'', transhumanism is ubiquitous. The average human in either the Imperium or the Star Republic is already genetically enhanced to the point that they make modern humanity look like degenerate apes. This is before factoring in extensive bio-augmentation, cybernetic implants, and nanotech enhancements which are commercially available to civilians and military. And ''that'' is before one gets into the Imperium's countless supersoldier programs (cybernetic modification, genetic modification, [[Demonic Possession|extradimensional modification]], genetically-enhanced [[Reality Warper]] powers....) and the Republic's [[One-Man Army|Legion]] [[Person of Mass Destruction|Process]]. |
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* Terran Ghosts from ''[[Starcraft]]'' and ''[[Star Craft 2]]'' both thanks to their inherent psychic abilities and the technology and training that helps them harness it (and keep it under control). Also, Protoss Dragoons, Immortals and Stalkers are mildly transProtoss by virtue of their mechanical bodies. |
* Terran Ghosts from ''[[Starcraft]]'' and ''[[Star Craft 2]]'' both thanks to their inherent psychic abilities and the technology and training that helps them harness it (and keep it under control). Also, Protoss Dragoons, Immortals and Stalkers are mildly transProtoss by virtue of their mechanical bodies. |
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* ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'' |
* ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'' |
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* ''[[ |
* ''[[Deus Ex]]'' |
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** Transhumanism is a major theme in ''[[Deus Ex Human Revolution |
** Transhumanism is a major theme in ''[[Deus Ex: Human Revolution|Deus Ex Human Revolution]]''. You've got people in support of it, people against it, lots of reasons for both, and Adam Jensen himself has lots of cybernetic upgrades, also called augmentations. |
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* ''[[ |
* ''[[Half-Life 2]]''. "Transhuman" is a [[Transhuman Treachery|politically loaded]] word in the ''Half-Life'' [[Vichy Earth|universe]]. |
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** To clarify, any human who volunteers to join the Overwatch is brainwashed, gutted, dismembered, and rebuilt as a cyborg. [[Cybernetics Eat Your Soul|The augmentations make them entirely dependent on the Combine.]] |
** To clarify, any human who volunteers to join the Overwatch is brainwashed, gutted, dismembered, and rebuilt as a cyborg. [[Cybernetics Eat Your Soul|The augmentations make them entirely dependent on the Combine.]] |
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* ''[[ |
* ''[[Bioshock]]'' |
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* ''[[Command and Conquer]]''. Mostly Nod cyborgs and Yuri's psychic army. |
* ''[[Command and Conquer]]''. Mostly Nod cyborgs and Yuri's psychic army. |
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* ''[[Eve Online]]'', just watch the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jfFKSIqkvM intro movie]. |
* ''[[Eve Online]]'', just watch the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jfFKSIqkvM intro movie]. |
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* Alice Margatroid from [[Touhou]] used to be human, but transformed into a magician as a species. |
* Alice Margatroid from [[Touhou]] used to be human, but transformed into a magician as a species. |
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* In the [[Sequel Series|series that follow on]] from ''[[ |
* In the [[Sequel Series|series that follow on]] from ''[[Mega Man X]]'', this becomes the [[Take a Third Option|third option]] solution to the [[Robot War]] that has plagued human- and Reploidkind for hundreds of years. |
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* MegaMan.EXEHub Hikari in ''[[ |
* MegaMan.EXEHub Hikari in ''[[Mega Man Battle Network]]'' and ([[Wild Mass Guessing|possibly]]) Dr. [[Mega Man (video game)|Light]] in ''[[Mega Man X]]'' are this via [[Brain Uploading]]. |
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* Fawkes in ''[[Fallout 3]]'' refers to his fellow [[Viral Transformation|supermutants]] as "meta-human" but even he admits most of them are [[Hulk Speak|mentally inferior]] to unaugmented humans. A small minority however are mentally equal ''and'' physically superior (not counting their sterility, of course), exactly how the Master intended them to be. [[The Virus]] causing all this was ''intended'' to create superior human beings but [[The End of the World |
* Fawkes in ''[[Fallout 3]]'' refers to his fellow [[Viral Transformation|supermutants]] as "meta-human" but even he admits most of them are [[Hulk Speak|mentally inferior]] to unaugmented humans. A small minority however are mentally equal ''and'' physically superior (not counting their sterility, of course), exactly how the Master intended them to be. [[The Virus]] causing all this was ''intended'' to create superior human beings but [[The End of the World as We Know It|their research was interrupted by a nuclear war]]. |
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** It also seems to be what version of the virus, Fawkes and the DC mutants were made with an early version. The Master's army was the "newest" resulting is most being at least human level mentally. The Enclave's mutants updated the Master's but due to their racist views they designed it to make them dumb. |
** It also seems to be what version of the virus, Fawkes and the DC mutants were made with an early version. The Master's army was the "newest" resulting is most being at least human level mentally. The Enclave's mutants updated the Master's but due to their racist views they designed it to make them dumb. |
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* The Spartans in ''Halo'', although in the games it's portrayed more as soldiers wearing power armor. The EU goes a great deal further into explaining that they biologically and cybernetically enhanced the bejeezus out of them before putting them into their really fancy armored suits. |
* The Spartans in ''Halo'', although in the games it's portrayed more as soldiers wearing power armor. The EU goes a great deal further into explaining that they biologically and cybernetically enhanced the bejeezus out of them before putting them into their really fancy armored suits. |
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* Albert Wesker in the ''[[Resident Evil]]'' games and ''[[ |
* Albert Wesker in the ''[[Resident Evil]]'' games and ''[[Marvel vs. Capcom 3]]''. |
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* In the ''[[ |
* In the ''[[F.E.A.R.]]'' games, creating transhumans was part of [[Mega Corp|Armacham's]] goal in initiating Projects Origin, Harbinger, and Perseus. [[Gone Horribly Right|They succeeded.]] [[Person of Mass Destruction|Hoo boy]], [[Psycho Prototype|did]] [[Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds|they]] [[Reality Warper|succeed]] [[Axe Crazy|at that.]] |
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* In ''[[Crysis]]'', this is the ultimate goal of Jacob Hargreave. He has been working for {{spoiler|[[Really Seven Hundred Years Old|more than a century]]}} to prepare mankind for war with the [[Sufficiently Advanced Alien|Ceph]], using [[Imported Alien Phlebotinum|their own stolen technology]] to enhance human technology, and it culminates in the Nanosuits, which are hyper-advanced [[Powered Armor]] designed to turn their wearers into "post-human warriors." They go so far as to {{spoiler|literally replace entire organs, co-opt brain functions, and generally turn their wearers into full-on nanotech cyborg supersoldiers}}, and are capable of {{spoiler|sustaining a person even after death}}, and on top of that, they contain internal machinery and advanced computers that can sample, analyze, and adapt to Ceph environmental weapons. |
* In ''[[Crysis]]'', this is the ultimate goal of Jacob Hargreave. He has been working for {{spoiler|[[Really Seven Hundred Years Old|more than a century]]}} to prepare mankind for war with the [[Sufficiently Advanced Alien|Ceph]], using [[Imported Alien Phlebotinum|their own stolen technology]] to enhance human technology, and it culminates in the Nanosuits, which are hyper-advanced [[Powered Armor]] designed to turn their wearers into "post-human warriors." They go so far as to {{spoiler|literally replace entire organs, co-opt brain functions, and generally turn their wearers into full-on nanotech cyborg supersoldiers}}, and are capable of {{spoiler|sustaining a person even after death}}, and on top of that, they contain internal machinery and advanced computers that can sample, analyze, and adapt to Ceph environmental weapons. |
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* Kimiko of ''[[Dresden Codak]]'' is all for transhumanism. In the ''Hob'' storyline, an alternate universe version of her didn't do a terribly good job of carrying humanity through its Singularity and apparently came to a sticky end. The human remnant of that reality did make the step into trans-humanity in the end though. |
* Kimiko of ''[[Dresden Codak]]'' is all for transhumanism. In the ''Hob'' storyline, an alternate universe version of her didn't do a terribly good job of carrying humanity through its Singularity and apparently came to a sticky end. The human remnant of that reality did make the step into trans-humanity in the end though. |
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* Yuri of ''[[Spacetrawler]]''. When she lost her limbs, she obtained robotic replacements. And she went the extra step of [[Bio Augmentation|BioAugmenting]] herself with part of an [[Technopath|Eeb brain]]... and [[Catgirl|cat ears]]. |
* Yuri of ''[[Spacetrawler]]''. When she lost her limbs, she obtained robotic replacements. And she went the extra step of [[Bio Augmentation|BioAugmenting]] herself with part of an [[Technopath|Eeb brain]]... and [[Catgirl|cat ears]]. |
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* ''[[ |
* ''[[Freefall]]'' |
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* ''[[ |
* ''[[Schlock Mercenary]]'' is loaded with the stuff. Cyborgs, [[Nano Machine]]-based boosts, genetically engineered sophonts (including [[Uplifted Animal|uplifted animals]]), and that's just for humans. |
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** Interestingly [[Schlock Mercenary]] approaches the the concept from the other side as well. Haban II and The Fleetmind/Petey started out as pure [[A Is]] residing in computer systems but both have since have partially migrated into organic vessels. Haban started as the AI half of the human/AI team of DoytHaban but after his gate close suffered a severe head injury, functionally killing Doyt, leaving one version with Haban as the sole intelligence. Petey on the other hand created multiple 'blank' clones and use hypernode communicators to wire them into the Fleetmind Gestalt to act as physical representatives. |
** Interestingly [[Schlock Mercenary]] approaches the the concept from the other side as well. Haban II and The Fleetmind/Petey started out as pure [[A Is]] residing in computer systems but both have since have partially migrated into organic vessels. Haban started as the AI half of the human/AI team of DoytHaban but after his gate close suffered a severe head injury, functionally killing Doyt, leaving one version with Haban as the sole intelligence. Petey on the other hand created multiple 'blank' clones and use hypernode communicators to wire them into the Fleetmind Gestalt to act as physical representatives. |
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* ''[[A Miracle of Science]]'' |
* ''[[A Miracle of Science]]'' |
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* The Valkyries of ''[[ |
* The Valkyries of ''[[Cwynhild's Loom]]'' are cyborg [[Super Soldiers]]. |
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* Cellphone and key-chip implants. |
* Cellphone and key-chip implants. |
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* Nootropics. Basically brain boosting pills. They've gotten better in the last couple of decades. The good ones don't necessarily push you into superhuman territory so much as they allow you to function closer to your optimal level with greater consistency and, in some cases, in spite of age. |
* Nootropics. Basically brain boosting pills. They've gotten better in the last couple of decades. The good ones don't necessarily push you into superhuman territory so much as they allow you to function closer to your optimal level with greater consistency and, in some cases, in spite of age. |
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* Also of note are smartphones. Small computers that are capable of doing pretty much anything their desktop counterparts can do, with their owner at all times (or at least as long as their owner chooses). The only difference between the characters in [[Ghost in |
* Also of note are smartphones. Small computers that are capable of doing pretty much anything their desktop counterparts can do, with their owner at all times (or at least as long as their owner chooses). The only difference between the characters in [[Ghost in the Shell]] and a person with a smart phone is that the former has a more seamless interface than the latter. |
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{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |