PRF: 0̵̧͔̲̣͉͕͎̙͇̟͍̗̰͈̃̅̈͆̐̾̐͑̐͌̃͝1̷̢͒̊͐͒̐͛̍̇
SYSTEM OVERRIDE
RSTFR: 1̷̢͒̊͐͒̐͛̍̇3̵̨̲̳̤̩̞̐̍́́̋̏̋̈́M̵̢͙̺͍͔̼̯̦̪̦̄͛̀͂́̿̌͌O̷̹̯̱͛̅3̵̨̡̥̟̞̜͎̲͉̗̭̯̥͚̞͒͑͌̌͆̄̄͐̂̄͝2̵̢̗̠͕̭̳̝̪͔̮̯̥̺͋̌̅̑̅̂̔̀͘͜͝͝3̴̢͙̦̗̤̮͎͕́͝2̵͉͚͈̲̞͙̿̍̄̎̊͆̕͝2̵̨͔̩̠̖͙̫͊̽̍͌͋̈́̅̑̽̇̃͜͠͝0̵̧͔̲̣͉͕͎̙͇̟͍̗̰͈̃̅̈͆̐̾̐͑̐͌̃͝
I play and you are the game character.
The first memory I have was opening my eyes and staring up at the ceiling. I remember closing my eyes quite forcefully, feeling pain from how bright the lights were. Once I was able to keep them open, I noticed how the entire room was white. It was empty except for the lamp that shone on my face and the recliner I was laying on. I remember how my muscles ached with each movement. It was as painful as my headache though. I tried to think of where the place was or who I was but only a blank came up.
I’m called ████
My body is 23 years old. It was the same age as when I woke up. Maintaining your body’s age is important for players like me. Every 6 months, we have to be tranquilised and transported to the facility in which, once again, we wake up in a white room with a spotlight beaming at our faces. Same room, same recliner, same muscle pain and headache. The first time I woke up was quite memorable, we were ushered by the existing players into a large hall where the operator gave us instructions and information. I’m quite curious, that’s how I was … ….. …. .. … …. .. .. …. .. . . … .. … .. . ….. . …., so being inputted that much information when I was starting from a blank slate was very interesting for me.
Life is a game and there are no rules, that is, if you are a player like me.
Each player has different gameplay. Some like changing the world, gaining knowledge and making characters that are wise and make differences. These players are usually given top pick in the characters they play, most go for good starting stats like being born into a wealthy family, or having good genes. There are a select few who like adversity, zero to hero gameplay. Entertaining, I’ll give them that. Most players choose from characters that are drawn randomly. The number of characters you can play depends on many things, the main one being existence. When I first woke up, I got to play 7 characters for my first run. Some don’t even get to play a character in their first few years of existence, so I am guessing I had pre-keyed existence points.
Although you are but a game character to players like me, it doesn’t mean you aren’t sentient. In fact, giving characters free reign to their own lives is one of the most famous gameplay styles within the association. Unpredictable, interesting, fun. Some players like to bet on things like whether a character will choose this or that. I personally don’t find the fun in it but to each their own.
Like characters, players used to have a lifespan. Rejuvenating the body and reversing ageing was one of the milestones that led to the establishment of the association. Nowadays, we’ve even found ways to extend the brain’s life. We are expecting to achieve deathlessness by 2178. That’s around 3 or 4 more runs from now. It excites me.
Like game characters, we can also form partnerships with other players. Since our bodies are human, many choose to coexist in your societies. It’s been a thing since hundreds of thousands of years ago but around a thousand years prior to now, something caused players to recluse, I haven’t been briefed on it and my existence does not trace that far back. Since a couple hundred years ago, there’s been a reemergence of players looking to assimilate into player’s societies. There’s a funny irony with living side by side with the characters you play while knowing you have control over their lives. We are advised not to meddle too much and be observers but players have no rules so some do tend to do actions that are risky.
I personally like interacting like a real character. I find reading your content particularly interesting, books, articles, news, even conspiracy theories. Having observed for the last hundred years, I find it quite funny how you bend and change your stories so often. Comparing history with your history is particularly funny for me. Sometimes I find myself giggling while I look at the material we’ve acquired from the Seat of the Muses. Players who make remarkable contributions to the association are rewarded handsomely by being given the honour of inputting their consciousness into our system so their existence lives on until this day. I’ve always wanted to meet them but unfortunately, the technology to communicate with them is still lacking.
Ignorant characters are easier to play. Once you are put in charge of a hundred and more characters, you start preferring idle gameplay where characters won’t go off course even if you leave them alone for long periods of time. It’s much more entertaining to play with a select few characters. Everyone else is just to fill up the world.
My type of gameplay is quite different. Playing with characters that are in secret societies, partake in secretive activities and hide information from the majority of the existing characters while not knowing the biggest secret of all. It’s funny in an entertaining way.
The existence of players might be a scary thing for most characters to hear, however, the existences you should be most wary of are characters just like you. Next time you go out, keep an eye out for me. I might just give you that stroke of luck you need, or better yet, I might help you find what you’ve been looking for.
Life’s a game. You’re a character I play.