In THE SPIRAL: Connected Stories & Fragments from the Virtual Future

VOICE/FRAGMENT: 'Ariella (2)' [7XP]

In a time of web-world addiction a virtual world promises to release users from their addiction, where it also draws them into it...


He was not re-wiring himself into those realms again. The ones that had drained him so completely in the past; drained him of fire and time and money. Such sights had flushed his intense eyes pink at the edges, so that under certain real-world lighting he would feel himself to be a living vampire; a zombie monster in the eyes of others. It was a return to the self-consciousness endured in adolescence, so he would resort to wearing sunglasses.

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe...

These days, most people had seen these things. It felt this way anyway, because of their sheer accessibility. Dark images of blatant desire vividly imagined and unbound. It was easy as a young man to feel that purity and love were dead and no longer cherished in a distracted world. He had even sought these spaces out; through his desires and his needs; his nurture and his nature. It was easy to find such worlds if you searched for them. Partly from addiction, but partly just to see how far people would go, and how low - how long - before his own desire diminished or depleted, and he start the climb back out again.

Where others were concerned, you couldn't be sure. There were more people wearing sunglasses, but this could simply be the increased temperature and sunlight.

These were all just shower-thoughts; his conjectures; his suspicions. He just figured: if the modern world was sheltered and spoiled enough to foster this nature in himself, then surely such desires would occur in others too; a growing number of them. The modern world was not promoting the thing it needed - reality - but the opposite.

However, he felt at least that he had the gift that older years and - ironically - exposure to those realms had given him. This was the gift, or power, of restraint; an ability to see through desire to its after-effects. Was it really a power, this garnered insight? It wasn't something he felt he had gained for himself but simply survived and suffered. The dark times had simply been encountered, and now he could watch for them, and try his best to avoid their effects. Yes, surely the dark times would be over soon for him... or would they?

What were the words again? He made some motions with his hand and soon the letters appeared, burning slightly from their scroll of warm parchment that floated in the digital space. He made some more motions and found the highlighted passage with ease. The heaviness of the thumbprints in one of the corners accurately represented how many times he had read or listened to the section. The words came, of course, from The Lore of Being:

The Forces of the Game - Positivity (order) and Negativity (chaos) - counteract one another... Vicinity to chaos and its addictions serves one, vital function: to appreciate and struggle for a restoration of Positivity (peace of mind and of will; the subsequent return of Power).

It was an unfixed Lore, in that it was always evolving through the agreement of its keepers, its Innervators so that the text he summoned would not always be exactly the same. But this was a key passage so would be unlikely to change. He had had to memorize it - like all other designers - during his time as a shaper.

He thought of the Jedi Knights, now a very real, very powerful online order that had originated from the game worlds. Their enemies were, principally, those who would oppose their code, and attempt to break it, merely for the desire to break it. And also the Sith. Then there were also those Jedi who had achieved the Jedi status but were now bored, needing to feel the dark powers they opposed for a while, so that in future, they could be restored to the light again. It seemed to be a perpetual cycle.

Addictive tendencies take route through subtlety and lack of change, trial or growth, where environment is a key factor. However, tendencies may return after long periods or during therapy or at any triggered time. Although setbacks the process may lead to a level of moderation being restored until a final balance enables self-value and better growth to continue.

The words were read in an old, battered voice that crackled convincingly like old paper. But yes, they still held a reassurance of some truth.

He just needed to decide where to go. Environment. He needed a world to go to, that was for sure. Somewhere to lose himself for the evening. Keep busy. Inspired.

He was drawn to this Neuroceans thing, even without owning one of its elaborate interfaces. He decided not to seek out a musical space. It was true that there was nothing better than playing a guitar chord and summoning shapes in the air but he didn't feel like creating, working - concentrating - anywhere just now. Even in the elevated mind-set of sharing music. What he needed was... passivity yet inspiration; encouragement, relaxation; a place to fall-out for a while, with no after-effects.

He searched the list of Therapy sims. The trouble with this genre was that it was saturated with light and quiet, repetitive music; consoling animations without much thought about the world. He found the Game of Being and its Lore to be the strongest therapy. But he had been there. Done that. Maybe he was just a hard case.

Maybe something in the RPG world. The mythical ones...

Suddenly something did catch his eye; a super-world he'd heard something about. The menu image showed a fantastic form of castle at the top of an oriental-style mountain staircase and his eyes skipped straight to the many reviews and feedback which were all positive, assuming they were real reviews. He scanned quickly some of the blurb that began to be read out in an alluring voice filled with antique mystery:

"Ariella... Inspiration, Elevation, Belonging... In a dark age across a wounded land stands a bright castle and a shining sword... First you begin as an elven thief; broken, shamed and cast out into the back of a horse-drawn wagon...Until you meet a knight willing to give you one more chance..."

It sounded... ok. Maybe he could find a little peace of mind there - some redemption - from the restlessness and longing for... escape and power... inside himself. Maybe he would meet a good-looking female warrior knight too...

As the shapes of the world began to materialise he quickly realised it was not going to be any experience he'd expected or had been tempted with. He was almost sure for a moment that he was in Bedlam.

Ariella was... burning... or perhaps, dissolving.

SUPER-WORLD NOTES: by Blake Welder
PRIVACY SETTING: Locked

Today I saw another of the Neuroceans web-worlds die from the inside.

Ariella.

It's not that someone was tracking my avatar again. And it was not a coincidence. I'd received a summons by someone who must clearly know that I work for ImmerTech and waited for my arrival before unmaking - spoiling - Ariella's great presence all around me. The message is somewhat clear to me: this bright world had been suffering from attacks and changes by The Falling and by those possibly overwhelmed by the richness of its content. The sheer strength of the virtual in its current configuration and the settings for interfaces. I suspect it was an act of sabotage, yes, but not just this. The spell was cast too carefully. It might have been for the preservation of its fabric and likely someone will be looking to migrate it - export it - away from the Neuroceans permanently - until some new home can be found or created.

But Is this something I should be able to do something about? What can I do now? Many parts of the Neuroceans are undoing themselves... Is it time for me also to quit and join the Salvagers?

I must get John, Rosa and Ben together soon to discuss this as I know they have so many plans and something seems likely to happen soon if we don't directly challenge the board. However, it doesn't look as though they'll be so much time before the next testing session in the Boston sim...

I hope one day Ariella may be resurrected. Now it will sleep and if it ever reappears it will be so changed but... while I knew it... as it was... it was a fine thing.

Was this why I was brought in there, to witness its demise? So I may write this. So it can be remembered?

NATTER-CAST:
@spiraltimes Was the downfall of the Neuroceans project predicted by one of its tragic testers? Read more from newly-disclosed blog entries...

[FRAGMENT COMPLETED! +7 XP : PROJECT ITEM - see more under XP + Ranking.]