Was messing around with some network traffic logs for a project this weekend and realized literally 90% of the pings I was looking at were just headless browsers talking to other headless browsers. The entire web feels like it's just a massive simulation of human activity run by automated server farms

Its genuinely wild how fast basic software verification completely collapsed. captchas are a total joke now since the scraping scripts solve them faster than we do. We are straight up entering an era where you're gonna need cryptographic proof of biology just to access basic networks

like we're moving towards a reality where you have to rely on local hardware enclaves or an orb integration just to establish a baseline proof of life before a server will even accept your connection. You have to verify your physical existence at the hardware level just to post text on a screen.

It just feels like the most boring cyberpunk reality imaginable. No neon street samurai or flying cars, just endless corporate botnets forcing us to mathematically prove we actually have a pulse

Title. I have no problem with it just wondering why it's so common no matter the location

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/xdzrDR

I have been developing a cyberpunk fantasy setting called Legends of Eternalia, where Celtic- and Norse-inspired mythology survives into the year 2126.

For almost two thousand years, the gods and magic were silent. Their names remained, but religions, corporations, governments, and popular culture gradually repackaged the old legends.

By 2126, ancient mythology appears in advertising, virtual worlds, medical branding, corporate divisions, and breaking news, even before the real powers behind those names begin to return.

A few examples:

[ADVERTISEMENT]

WORK FROM HOME FOR THE GODS

WORK FOR THE SIDHE VIRTUAL WORLD
Long days of hard work within the virtual network could earn you a place with the gods.

[NORTHERN NEWS]

ROAK NEUROCHEMS UNVEILS THE TEMPLES OF VITA
For those unable to afford state-of-the-art medical treatment, Roak Neurochems presents the Temples of Vita.

Affordable care. Corporate salvation.

[THE LEXICON]

SERPENS LAUNCHES NEW DIVINITY DIVISION
Serpens forecasts a bright future following the expansion of its new Divinity division.

Company shares rose by 16%.

[FREE PORT NEWS]

THE PERENNIAL FOREST RESERVE CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
The Perennial Forest Reserve has been closed indefinitely.

Residents of the surrounding districts report strange sightings near the forest boundary. Several poachers have disappeared, including some who reportedly never entered the Reserve itself.

Authorities advise citizens to remain clear of the area.

The idea I enjoy exploring is that mythology would not simply vanish in a technological future. It would be renamed, trademarked, commercialised, and made familiar.

Then the real gods return...and discover what civilisation has done with their names.

How would old mythology survive in your preferred kind of cyberpunk world?

This is the first time that I know of that a "proper director" has made an AI short. I feel like this portends

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/31lX8Y

Hey everyone, just wanted to share another piece from a visual universe I've been quietly hand drawing for a while now. If you like the vibe, you can see the rest of the collection safely archived here: https://heyfozzy.myportfolio.com/before-the-last-broadcast"

Thanks
The Eye

Our cyberpunk dystopia is shaping up nicely

I’m practicing to try and get better at my drawing.

My office is now a little arcade with a cyber repair shop in back.

There's a few more small details to finish up, but Gruddamn, it feels good to turn all the noise and lights on.