ABOUT

Mankind Inside the City

The story of MANKIND takes place hundreds of years in the future. In the wake of a devastating conflict, humanity has withdrawn behind the walls of the Mega City, a super structure streching the length of the coast. The Mega City is made up multiple disctricts each with their own sub-cultures and customs. While every district is different they all live under the rule of the singular governing body; The Human Alliance. Their rule has been everlasting and their cruelty knows no end. The people are kept in line through violence and dependency; freedom is something lost to the people of the Mega City. Their are factions who wish to see change inside the city but their efforts are often fruitless, only amounting to small distrubances.

PLOT

Break Free from the Cage that Holds You

The story of MANKIND follows the robot detective APO-8KBVE, also known as "Marcus", and the search for a serial killer inside the Mega City. Recently, victims have been cropping up all over the districts; none of them related and each left mysteriously as dried husks drained of all body fluids. These murders have left investigators clueless so APO along with it's partner Detective Sarandon are tasked with solving the case. APO's investigation leads it to all parts of the Mega City; from its deepest, darkest depths, to the highest corridors of power. Will Marcus be able to stop the killings and learn to be more human?

MARCUS

The Inspector

APO-8KBVE, also known as "Marcus", is what is known as an Inspector; mechanized detectives equipped with advanced technology and weapons that serve as "peace keepers", or so that is what the people of the Mega City are told. In reality, machines like Marcus are seen as killing machines with no empathy for human life, always taking things to the extreme. While all that is true, Marcus himself wants more. It desires to be human or atleast understand them. It doesn't like the things he does, but he doesn't know what else to do. All it is programmed to do is keep the peace.

SIDD

The Butcher

Sidd Haley Creed as he calls himself now, was once a man who loved one thing most of all, life. He lived to experince as much of life as he could. Eventually his peaceful life is brought to ruin and once confronted with death he can't help but hold on to life; a desire so strong he manifest the supernatural ability to multiply himself, creating copies of his being all sharing the same mind. These abilities come with a cost, he must consume the life essance of others to stay alive less he wither away to nothing.

GREG

The Blob

Greg, the Blob, is one the main characters of MANKIND. A being made up the liquified remains of humans, these remains were discarded down into the network of tunnels beneath the Mega City. There, the consciousness of those whos bodies made up the mass became one, manifeseting into a empathic being that learns from those it surrounds itself with. Growing into a conscience being, Greg protects it's friends in the tunnels beneath the Mega City, fending off any that would come to harm them.

GENRE

Neo-Noir Nightmare

MANKIND exists in the crime/thriller genre. It's world is a blend of science fiction, dystopian and crime noir set in a dark and gritty city plagued with societal ills like poverty, inequality, crime, and corruption. Our characters grapple with questions of morality while trying to capture the murderer haunting the city.

Here are some of the stories, people, things, or concepts that inspired the creation of MANKIND.

THEMES

What Does it Mean to be Human?

MANKIND explores themes of humanity, friendship, empathy, and finding purpose. These themes are carried through our characters as they try to find their place in the broken world they inhabit. Even though they may not be human themselves, they still crave to be so and grapple with existential thoughts and feelings. Other themes on display are those morality and justice, technology, explotation, and corruption within it's world.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Two Year Journey

I've had the story of MANKIND whirling around my head for the past two years. It started as an in-class assignment to create character design sheets. We were allowed to make whatever we wanted but it had to be design fully and named. I first came up with the idea of the robot Marcus, a robotic police detective. Originally the setting I had in mind for these characters was much more classic noir. Once I designed the villian of the story Sidd, the serial killer with supernatural abilities, I knew the setting had to become something more. When developing the setting further I drew upon influences like the Sin City comic, the cyberpunk genre, the Bladerunner franchise, and the Judge Dredd comics to create a gritty, neo noir city for these characters to inhabit. All these ideas would help in my writing a short story that introduces Marcus in a quick story showcasing the kind of world he lives in and the kind of character he is; a lonesome detective who only knows hwo to deal with problems with force.