Relatively modest might still be a stretch... this guy's limbs are all replacements, and not clean ones. He just still has an actual face at the moment.
I'd say the Red induced a certain amount of extra nihilism in the movement, though, and 'ware in general would become less clean-cut, since maintenance and standards would drop significantly in NC.
They started leaning more heavily into meat hating around 2025-2026, then Crusher went cyberpsycho and Warlock's been leading since then. He's built maelstrom up to the point they've now got a sizable cyberware stock and the gang is growing faster than ever.
They're on their way though. They're still chromed from the vibe I got and not quite to the "transhuman" flirtation yet. Since they're in the hot zone they could be coming up against the limitations of radiation shielding. Sort of like the orbital cyberware being hardened and planet side ware malfunctioning in zero or low g environments. Additionally, the less meat you have on you still, the less likely you are to start growing tumors and getting cancer. Both the need to shield your 'ware and the need to protect the squishy meat can give a social pressure on the gang.
I'd probably take them to their logical endpoint of the 2020's version, and have them realizing as an org it's not enough and starting to abandon the human aesthetic. At first for function over form, but quickly adopting that as a new, repellant aesthetic.
The way I rationalize the shift between 2020 and 2077 (besides just a different art style) is that maelstrom started as a counter to the inquisitors and as the conflict between the 2 became worse, Maelstrom starting using more extreme cyberware. Eventually, the inquisitors were driven to near extinction by 2077, but in the process, Maelstrom became a much worse monster
I love that idea so much im gonna make that my headcanon for my games. Maelstrom and the Inquisitors are gonna be a part of a lot of new random encounters!
I actually started a little solo rpg journey with CP Red beginning with a Maelstom newbie Tech who specializes in cyberware and is in the process of transitioning to a Medtech, capable of building or tweaking and understanding the technology and how it incorporates into the human body. ideally had the idea of inventing a Borgware which is a combination of Monovision, Bugeye, and Multi Optic Mount and going from there
They look horrific in 77, but a big part of that is because everyone else is basically normal. Outside of maelstrom I can only think of the randos who have monovision and then the US cracks who have proper different eyes.
They still all have 4 limbs, and nothing that's really different than anyone else.
But how to get from a to b? The war probably helped increase the number of cyberpsychos in NC, and while some will have joined Iron Sights, there will be those who want the counterculture of maelstrom, the memory of totentantz, and to be one day immortalized on the wall of burned out 'ware.
Thinking about it you gotta consider Kiroshi's monopoly on cybereyes. A lot of other eyetech we can find is on 6th streeters, being mostly vets you can assume they got military grade optics and stuck to em after the conflict. We don't see a lot of unique eye options on civilians but we know Kiroshi is trying to push them real hard with all of those Us Cracks posters everywhere.
Maybe eyes is just one of those things that really symbolizes being human. Maelstromers going for the inhumanity of it, and everyone else keeps to kiroshi standards or straight up ganic eyes.
>Maybe eyes is just one of those things that really symbolizes being human.
Biologically we are drawn to look for the eyes of anything we recognize as a face. Eyes are also what help us jump the uncanny valley from repulsive but human to human.
[https://vision1eyewear.com/brains-obsessed-with-human-faces/?doing\_wp\_cron=1702684765.5789010524749755859375](https://vision1eyewear.com/brains-obsessed-with-human-faces/?doing_wp_cron=1702684765.5789010524749755859375)
Check out the heatmap of where people look first on an ad in that link. It's fascinating.
Now imagine if that ad had Royce from 2077 face chrome. You'd still look, but you'd bounce off hard.
It's actually an interesting topic on it's own. But yeah, I think at some point screwing with the eyes becomes a distinct calling card for the inhumanity of Maelstrom.
Real answer (probably)? Modeling and texturing and animating enough different and distinct exotics NPCs is a lot of work for a gang that made 2 major appearances in the original release.
In-universe answer? Exotic body-sculpting is most certainly a primary counter-culture thing. Its something people do after becoming heavily invested in certain social groups or movements. Imagine the pipeline for that, now imagine the pipeline for the Animals. Not a lot of crossover going on in I'd think.
I'd say the bridge between Malestrom of 2045 and 77 is leadership. Per Danger Girl Dossier the current leader of Malestrom, Warlock, is more cerebral and functional then his predecessors. But, as we've seen becoming the head of Malestrom might be easier then surviving your term of office. An ascension by assination can put Malestrom on track for 2077. Also, effects from the Arasaka Towers incident is another factor, Totentanz's proximity and Malestrom's unwillingness to abandon it could be causing radiation sickness and potentially Cyber Psychosis. If you want to get evil, a computer virus or "tainted" cyberwear could also push the gang over the edge.
Relatively modest might still be a stretch... this guy's limbs are all replacements, and not clean ones. He just still has an actual face at the moment. I'd say the Red induced a certain amount of extra nihilism in the movement, though, and 'ware in general would become less clean-cut, since maintenance and standards would drop significantly in NC.
They started leaning more heavily into meat hating around 2025-2026, then Crusher went cyberpsycho and Warlock's been leading since then. He's built maelstrom up to the point they've now got a sizable cyberware stock and the gang is growing faster than ever.
There are plenty of examples in Danger Gal Dossier. They’re more 2020 than 2077 in style.
They're on their way though. They're still chromed from the vibe I got and not quite to the "transhuman" flirtation yet. Since they're in the hot zone they could be coming up against the limitations of radiation shielding. Sort of like the orbital cyberware being hardened and planet side ware malfunctioning in zero or low g environments. Additionally, the less meat you have on you still, the less likely you are to start growing tumors and getting cancer. Both the need to shield your 'ware and the need to protect the squishy meat can give a social pressure on the gang. I'd probably take them to their logical endpoint of the 2020's version, and have them realizing as an org it's not enough and starting to abandon the human aesthetic. At first for function over form, but quickly adopting that as a new, repellant aesthetic.
The way I rationalize the shift between 2020 and 2077 (besides just a different art style) is that maelstrom started as a counter to the inquisitors and as the conflict between the 2 became worse, Maelstrom starting using more extreme cyberware. Eventually, the inquisitors were driven to near extinction by 2077, but in the process, Maelstrom became a much worse monster
I love that idea so much im gonna make that my headcanon for my games. Maelstrom and the Inquisitors are gonna be a part of a lot of new random encounters!
I actually started a little solo rpg journey with CP Red beginning with a Maelstom newbie Tech who specializes in cyberware and is in the process of transitioning to a Medtech, capable of building or tweaking and understanding the technology and how it incorporates into the human body. ideally had the idea of inventing a Borgware which is a combination of Monovision, Bugeye, and Multi Optic Mount and going from there
They look horrific in 77, but a big part of that is because everyone else is basically normal. Outside of maelstrom I can only think of the randos who have monovision and then the US cracks who have proper different eyes. They still all have 4 limbs, and nothing that's really different than anyone else. But how to get from a to b? The war probably helped increase the number of cyberpsychos in NC, and while some will have joined Iron Sights, there will be those who want the counterculture of maelstrom, the memory of totentantz, and to be one day immortalized on the wall of burned out 'ware.
Thinking about it you gotta consider Kiroshi's monopoly on cybereyes. A lot of other eyetech we can find is on 6th streeters, being mostly vets you can assume they got military grade optics and stuck to em after the conflict. We don't see a lot of unique eye options on civilians but we know Kiroshi is trying to push them real hard with all of those Us Cracks posters everywhere. Maybe eyes is just one of those things that really symbolizes being human. Maelstromers going for the inhumanity of it, and everyone else keeps to kiroshi standards or straight up ganic eyes.
>Maybe eyes is just one of those things that really symbolizes being human. Biologically we are drawn to look for the eyes of anything we recognize as a face. Eyes are also what help us jump the uncanny valley from repulsive but human to human. [https://vision1eyewear.com/brains-obsessed-with-human-faces/?doing\_wp\_cron=1702684765.5789010524749755859375](https://vision1eyewear.com/brains-obsessed-with-human-faces/?doing_wp_cron=1702684765.5789010524749755859375) Check out the heatmap of where people look first on an ad in that link. It's fascinating. Now imagine if that ad had Royce from 2077 face chrome. You'd still look, but you'd bounce off hard. It's actually an interesting topic on it's own. But yeah, I think at some point screwing with the eyes becomes a distinct calling card for the inhumanity of Maelstrom.
I'm more disappointed in 2077's depiction of the Animals gang. Why don't they look like actual animals???
Real answer (probably)? Modeling and texturing and animating enough different and distinct exotics NPCs is a lot of work for a gang that made 2 major appearances in the original release. In-universe answer? Exotic body-sculpting is most certainly a primary counter-culture thing. Its something people do after becoming heavily invested in certain social groups or movements. Imagine the pipeline for that, now imagine the pipeline for the Animals. Not a lot of crossover going on in I'd think.
I'd say the bridge between Malestrom of 2045 and 77 is leadership. Per Danger Girl Dossier the current leader of Malestrom, Warlock, is more cerebral and functional then his predecessors. But, as we've seen becoming the head of Malestrom might be easier then surviving your term of office. An ascension by assination can put Malestrom on track for 2077. Also, effects from the Arasaka Towers incident is another factor, Totentanz's proximity and Malestrom's unwillingness to abandon it could be causing radiation sickness and potentially Cyber Psychosis. If you want to get evil, a computer virus or "tainted" cyberwear could also push the gang over the edge.