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The Veridica Trade

AI-GEN-IMG -MJ V5.2
Characters and World-building
Rapid Prototyping

In a near-future world straddling the bustling streets of Lagos and the neon-soaked alleys of Hong Kong, two cities become interconnected by a dangerous new trade. At the center of it is Veridica, a bioengineered algae cultivated in secret African labs. This algae, when ingested, grants users fleeting bursts of psychic abilities—visions of the past, present and possible futures. But the algae’s power is volatile and the visions come with a price: the more you see, the more you lose touch with reality.

This exercise focuses on generative art world-building and scenario development, exploring the intersection of algorithmic creativity and speculative narrative construction. It combines AI-generated imagery and prompts to create complex fictional settings and storylines, emphasizing the interplay between machine creativity and human curation.

The process involves iteratively refining and critiquing AI outputs, aiming to push the boundaries of automated artistic production while maintaining a critical perspective on the aesthetics and coherence of the generated scenarios. This exercise serves as a contemporary exploration of AI’s role in artistic processes, blending digital art with narrative theory to create immersive and speculative worlds.

This is a quick note reflecting on my experience playing with an old prompt. I’m having issues with MidJourney—versions 6 and 6.1 just aren’t working for me.

Relying on style references doesn’t really appeal to me, but my biggest frustration is how using those references and personalized codes introduces too much unpredictability and uncertainty in the process.

It’s led to outputs that feel especially bland and lacking in detail. So, I’m going back to version 5.2 to see if I can recapture that creative edge and move away from the dull results I’ve been getting with the newer versions.

In Lagos, brilliant but desperate biotechnologist Dr. Adebayo has perfected a strain of Veridica that outmatches anything the world has seen. Her laboratory, hidden deep in the city’s slums, has become a target for criminal syndicates who see the algae’s potential not just as a drug, but as a weapon. Adebayo’s secret strains are smuggled through an underground network that winds all the way to Hong Kong, where they fuel a growing class of seers—fortune tellers whose visions guide the city’s black markets and shadow governments.

In the sprawling cityscape of Hong Kong, Reza, a former police detective turned smuggler, has become one of the top suppliers of Adebayo’s special algae. But the game is getting dangerous. Reza’s seer, Bai Ling, is the best in the business, her visions guiding the city’s most feared triads. But when she foresees her own death at the hands of an unknown assassin, the triads, Reza and Adebayo are all thrown into chaos.

Desperate to escape her fate, Bai Ling seeks out Adebayo, believing the biotechnologist can modify the algae to extend her life and control her visions. Meanwhile, Reza finds himself caught between the triads who demand Adebayo’s secrets and the whispers of an emergent AI entity that has begun spreading through Hong Kong’s digital underbelly, threatening to collapse the fragile balance of power between the human and digital worlds.

As Reza, Bai Ling and Adebayo are drawn into a web of betrayal and shifting alliances, they must navigate a landscape where information is power, but knowing too much can drive you mad. From the labyrinthine alleys of Lagos to the neon-drenched towers of Hong Kong, the trio races to stay ahead of the forces that seek to control Veridica—and to rewrite the future itself.

In this gritty cyberpunk world, where minds are commodities and reality is a fragile construct, trust is an illusion, and time is running out. The Veridica Trade dives into the dark currents of global trade, the blurred lines between man and machine, and the sinister power of seeing beyond what the eye can perceive.

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade (Exception, this is a V6.1)

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade / With some prompt magic, this one came out well using the V6.1 without any personalisation codes.

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade (Also V6.1)

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade / Same V6.1 magic

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade

AI-GEN-IMG – The Veridica Trade

This text has been generated by an AI, drawing from a series of notes and references provided for inspiration. When asked about how it understood the ambiance of the world-building and tone of the story, the AI described it as: “Think Bruce Sterling meets Akira, with the raw grit of District 9 and the frenetic energy of Blade Runner 2049.”

 

The images are generated using Midjourney. A visual exploration of a personal and ongoing project involving too much ATA.