A Story From Fairelands Chat

 

The following is from the Fantasy Faire chat on the night of April 18, 2023.

 

 Pookie Wolfsong gathers her charges to wait for the mists to  lift and  the portals to open. The song of the Fairelands has been growing stronger.  "So  my friends the veil will  lift and the wonders will be there to behold." The spark  of wonder and the excitement  of hope fills  the group. Their guide waits for the change "Soon, so soon and you will see that there is still  magic, Hope and love."  She smiles knowing  she will once again meet her friends and her old dear friends in the Fairelands.

She checks on each one of her group. "Remember when entering the Portal you may find you have changed from what you are now. Just enjoy the change. For now you can be what ever you want to be. Sing with the Fae, swim with the merfolk, or even eat waffles with the pawlice. I wander, explore listen to the tales of each  land. Then I  meet old dear friends and  dance."   She smiles seeing the grins from souls that are so tired. For their struggle has left them exhausted. "Please my friends take your time enjoy yourselves. I know there is so  much to see and do.  Talk  to the people and know you are not alone. You all know  where to  find me. If you need  me. I promise not to bother you once we enter."  With  that she hugs each one softly kissing  each person. "I am so glad you can come."  They all look up into the clear nights sky watching  the stars slowly move across the heavens. Like a key to open a lock the stars glide into position.

She watches the stars. Marking the time. Soon the portal will open once again. "So close I just have to hang on a bit more." She walked, slowing back into her home carefully placing each step.

She prepares for  her rounds on her dear friends. Each day grows more treasured than the last.She gathers the gifts for each. then takes the precious medicine that allows her to visit. She marks how much she has left so little left  but enough. The Faire will come and her friends will go and experience the wonders, the fun and the love of the Fairelanders.

[She makes her way to visit each one of her friends. Years ago She would have called them her patients.  Now all are her dearest friends and part of her family. Time is a fine teacher if one cares to learn.  No one knows how much we have and each day is truly magical.

A young girl in her bed weak from therapy looks to her. She takes from a pouch the tablet and  hands it to her. "It is all set for you. Soon the fantasy faire will open. And you see what I have been telling you  about. Remember to have fun  And I want to hear all about it"  She smiles seeing the light still shine in this young ones eyes. 

 

"Nurse Why are you doing this?  I mean you don't have too? Why?"

"You need to see and know there is still a world of magic and wonder. With wonderful beings that do care. You are not alone and never will be. I do expect to see you dance on the FaireChylde with  me" She says with a smile, then makes her way to finish her rounds.

Her shift ended  and she reports to her own treatment. Tried sore she prepares for the next day.  She takes a tablet and starts to create the avatar that her newest friend asked for to go to the faire. "So little time so  much to do."

Pookie Wolfsong (Helixer Resident):

 

SL Fiction: Christmas In The Deathlands

 

By Bixyl Shuftan

 

It just wasn't his day.

Melvin Cooper poked at the trap. Empty. A few weeks ago, he was getting an occasional rabbit. Now it seems even rats and mice were getting scarce. Fried rat had been unpleasant enough when he first arrived on the Deathlands. Now it seems he was going to have to resort to eating cockroaches soon. And right on Christmas Day too. His smartphone was displaying December 25.

Looking around, snow was still covering patches of the desert ground still in the shade. The good thing about this time of year was it was no longer broiling hot at midday. The flip side was it got more bitterly cold than ever at night. Thankfully he was able to make some shelter from the wind, keeping himself somewhat warm in ragged leftovers of blankets. He recalled the dreams he had of that high-tech city in which for a time he was limited to a "capsule" to sleep in, a space not much bigger than he was. That was luxury compared to all this. Mile after mile of desert and dry grassland, with the occasional wreck, ghost town, and watering hole.

"Raaaaaarrrrr!"

Melvin spun around. A mutant! They varied wildly. Some were almost as smart and reasonable as humans and furs. Most were of limited intelligence and hostile. This one looked almost like a zombie, with skin peeling off part of it's face and several teeth fallen out. It sported a two-handed axe. Probably slow, but very bad news if it got the drop on him.

Where was his weapon? Melvin looked around. He thought he had it in a certain place, but it wasn't there. Dammit!

"Raaaaarrrrr!" The mutant raised it's ax, and rushed forward, faster than Melvin thought it could move. He stumbled out of the way. The mutant continued to charge in a straight line and the ex-burglar was already well out of it's path when it moved past. It wasn't until it had gone twenty feet further before it stopped and turned around, "Raaaaaarrrrrr!"

Melvin still hadn't found his weapon, he looked at a pile of old junk cars. He only had a short time to look before he saw the mutant charging again. Once again, Melvin ran out of the way. Unable to stop, the mutant charged and ran right into the pile. It hit hard enough for the top of the pile to fall on top of it. The mutant was buried.

The former bandit could hardly believe it. With no sign that the mutant was still moving, he decided to see what the toppling of junk had exposed. He noticed the wreckage of a delivery truck that had been in the middle of the pile. Going inside the crumpled cab, there were several smashed packages. But one caught his attention, "Freeze-Dried Meals." He opened the box, and could barely believe it. There were over a dozen foil-packets of dried turkey, ham, potatoes, corn, and cherry pie. Thankfully he saw a thermos, and looking inside, there was water.

Melvin was relieved. At least for now, his food worries were over. He was about to tear into one, then he noticed more movement. Looking over, he saw not a mutant, but ... a child? This looked like a young fox kit.

"Um, hello?" He greeted the boy, at least he thought it was a boy.

"Please," he heard the youngster say. Then there was the gurgle of hunger.

Melvin felt his heart ache. The Deathlands was hardly a place for a kid. Let alone one on his own. He motioned the youth over, followed the instructions on the packet, putting in a little water and shaking it, then handed it to the youth with a plastic spork. But instead he gulped it down from the container.

"Whoah! Take it easy! There's plenty more. What's your name, kiddo?"

"Ar, Arthur."

"Well, pleased to meet you Arthur. My name's Melvin." The ex-burglar fixed a packet of his own, and slowly ate the contents with another spork.

"How you, find?"

"I guess I was lucky. Where's your mom anddad?"

"Mom? Dad?"

"The grownups who take care of you?"

"Uncle Giz. Not know, where."

The two sat there for a while. Melvin tried to talk to the child, but he would say little. Eventually, he decided to start a fire. After he got it going, he thought he saw some movement ...

And then he got knocked backward

"Stay away from him!"

Melvin looked up, and saw himself looking at not the fox kit, but a full grown one, and angry.

"Don't you dare hurt my nephew!"

"Your nephew? Oh, wait! I wasn't trying to hurt him."

"Like hell. You know how many times I've tried to keep him from slavers! I should - "

"No! Uncle, stop!"

The fox looked down, and Arthur was tugging at his pants, looking up with a pleading look in his eyes.

"Arthur! Are you okay?"

"Melvin fed me. Best meal in long time."

"What?" The fox's expression softened.

"I came across some food, he happened to show up, so I shared it."

The fox looked remorseful, "My apologies stranger. Very seldom have I seem a helpful soul around here. Granted things are not as desperate as they were in the past, but this is still not a place known for mercy."

"Apologies accepted. Since you're taking care of him, well, maybe I should give you a share as well."

"You really mean it?'

"Yeah, I do. Merry Christmas."

"Christmas?"

"It's a holiday where I'm from, on this day."

"I know what it is, but what's so merry about it?"

"We usually celebrated with dinner, giving gifts."

"My Father would tell me tales of Santa Claus kidnapping children to work as slaves, making gas masks and other things."

"Huh?" Melvin blinked, then chuckled, "Nah, Santa doesn't kidnap kids, he brings them gifts. I did hear about some other guy, Krampus, who punishes naughty kids. But they're different."

"Krampus?"

"Yeah, Santa's evil counterpart. I guess there's been some kind of mixup over the years."

The fox looked intrigued, "I would like to hear more." Then his stomach rumbled.

Melvin chuckled, "I guess the gift-giving starts now." He got another packet and handed it to the fox, "Merry Christmas."

"Thank you, I, think."

"Welcome ... no, you don't eat the powder, you need to mix it with water. I'll show you .."

Before long, the three were sitting by the fire, eating more of the dehydrated food. Melvin thought to himself. This place still sucked. But at least he could take a moment to relax and end the day with a full belly, and he had made some new friends.

Bixyl Shuftan

Breezes Thoughts: The Wolf - Part 2

I woke in a daze, I had been thrown from my horse as he stumbled while jumping a fence.My head was spinning and there were flashes of light, when all of a sudden, a big dark shadow appeared  coming near me. I slowly opened my eyes, and saw my Wolfie, warily coming to me.  I saw his yellow eyes glaring around, I had blood on my gown and the look in his eyes was a sight to see. He was snarling and snapping his teeth. The howl he let loose was a mournful sound.He hunched over to lift my head and then he gathered me in his powerful limbs, he stood, and looked around very carefully.  He sensed the hunters were looking for me. I had not returned to my home for quite a spell.  If the hunters saw him carrying me, they would shoot to kill of this I know.  They would never believe this werewolf was actually caring for me.

The darkness hid him well, but soon the day would break  and he must be hidden away.    I wondered what he could look like beneath that skin of a werewolf.  How do I know he must be a fine man to care this much to risk his life to take me home.

Well, I had read my books of history and discovered many things I never understood before. Taking account of  humans and such,  I know there is good and bad  among everything on this earth. I feel no evil when Wolfie is around. knowing he probably would not be pleased with the name I called him.

He loped quickly through the trees and  crossed many roads as fast as could be.  We came to home, and quickly he rushed me to my room  and lay me down with a sadness in his eyes, I looked at him and weakly said, "Run for your life now... please do go." growling, he turned away.

I later  heard a great howling atop the mountains not to far away. I knew he was letting me know he was safe  and this gives me great happiness. who else can say of this from a creature hardly none do know. 

Breezes Babii

Breezes Thoughts: The Wolf

Working hard all day, stressing from outlaws running around ... and  lawmen trying to outsmart those rotten cowards, who rather rob then work, I stumble on the long dusty road to my beautiful land of streams and gardens on which my neice and her husband let me live . Dinner was waiting but ... but good grief, I saw this creature stand by my horse, he turned and was upon his beautiful mount. A werewolf no less did I see.  My eyes were wide with fright,  ,  his fangs were glistening white as can be.. Gnashing and snapping  at me, he tried to frighten me away, I knew he be  hungry as he eyed my horse.

No man nor beast will get too close to me or my horse. His name is "I am Man", a Pet now. I raised him from birth.

Hands on hip I looked this beastie in his eyes  straight away, he growled and snapped at me. Though I was truly scared, I show no fear. Wolfie decides this human was a different brave lady and lowered his body to sit afore me. I signed in relief and sat near him.

We watched the apples fall from the tree. I took one and bit into it, so he would see it was tasty. I handed one to wolfie, he turned his head in disgust.  I know he wanted bloody meat, but not to be tonight.

He was so tired and morning would bring the hunters, following his trail. He rose, looking back and somehow I knew I had made a friend.

Breezes Babii

SL Newser Reporter Breaks into Published Fiction with "Ginny"

By Grey Lupindo

          Long-time SL resident and SL Newser reporter Grease Coakes just published his first book, Ginny Griffin's First Day of School.  Grease is traveling around SL as a pink avi to promote its publication and the brave little girl who is the protagonist.   We met early one morning at my home on Syzygy to discuss the book and Grease’s publishing journey.

Ginny Griffin’s First Day of School is about Ginny Griffin, a third grader who moves with her parents to Spoonville, a totally furry world.  Because she’s the “new kid” and doesn’t know anyone, she's scared to go to the new school.   “But Ginny certainly has an exciting first day of school,” Grease explained.  “It's not a run of the mill day.”   The little griffin learns bravery as she goes up against incredible odds, although Grease wouldn’t reveal what specific hazards she encounters.    Those revelations would spoil the book for readers.     

While this is his first published book, Grease has been writing for many years.   “I remember as kid I wrote some and read a lot,” he said.    He has also been writing and publishing a lot in SL, both as a reporter and on other projects.    As we discussed his book, it became obvious to me that Ginny Griffin wasn’t the only one who faced incredible odds and triumphed.   Here is part of the interview that I conducted with Grease. 

Grey Lupindo:    Is this a book for young readers or one for parents to read to children?

Grease Coakes:  At 18 pages, I would think that children could read to themselves.  Or perhaps adults could read it to their little ones.  Or, adults could read it themselves for kicks.  Adults might relate to Ginny's struggle with their first day at a new school. 

Grey Lupindo: How did you get the idea for Ginny's story?

Grease Coakes: I always thought it was neat looking at those Richard Scary stories.

Grey Lupindo:   Oh, yes.  I remember those.

Grease Coakes:  So I thought, wouldn't it be neat to write a story with similar characters?   I associate pink with girls so I made Ginny pink.  Her mother is pink, too.  So it's in her family.”

Grey Lupindo: Yes, very appropriate.  ....  Is this your first children's book?

Grease Coakes: Yes, but I have written other stories.  A lot of them aren't meant for children. 

(At this point I see Grease smiling.)

Grease Coakes: I sell myself at tail sales for furries to use my writing services for less savory themes.

Grey Lupindo:  Oh...well...moving right along....What surprised you the most about the process of writing a children's book?

Grease Coakes:  It was a lot harder than I thought to get it published AND hard to look around for an artist to draw the cover picture. ... I knew a publisher via her phone number found off a website. She was supportive and helpful, but in the end she told me she would not publish my story.

Grey Lupindo: It's very hard to publish, especially in the last few years.

Grease Coakes: Yeah, it is.  Plus I had to keep editing and changing it as I got feedback from my friends.  So I've been working this story since my inception in SL, which is what... 5 1/2 years now.

Grey Lupindo:   Did you do the cover?

Grease Coakes:   Oh, goodness no! I can't draw worth a booger.   Perri Prinz told me about her friend Lampie.   I looked over her website and her pricing.   I think her artwork is simple and colorful, but also very professional and neat.

Grey Lupindo:   You said you received feedback from friends.  Were young readers among those friends?

Grease Coakes: No, this came from an old friend in SL. She read it over and hated the ending so I re-wrote it altogether.  I showed it to other friends, and they liked it.  But I think they were biased in my favor....   This friend was honest saying this won't work.

Grey Lupindo: The original ending?

Grease Coakes: Yeah.  I ended the book too easy, with not a lot of conflict.   This time I made it more exciting and more believable.

Grey Lupindo: Ah, yes. It's hard to make your characters suffer.

Grease Coakes: But also my characters have to grow.   I mean as a child just doing what your parents tell you is suffering.  Or being pushed around by the school bully.  No one person lives a carefree life.   Life doesn't work that way.

Grey Lupindo: Is there any bullying in this story? That seems to be such a hot issue right now.

Grease Coakes: There could be.

Grey Lupindo:  Is there anything else that you want readers to know about your book or the writing process?

Grease Coakes:  All I can say is, if you believe in yourself and apply yourself, anything is possible.  If you keep at it. I mean I could have just given up when someone didn't draw my picture for me after I paid in Lindens.

Grey Lupindo: Did that happen?

Grease Coakes:  Yes, it did.  And when I IM’d her, she gave me a rude response.

Grey Lupindo: How terrible!

Grease Coakes: I said the hell with this.   Let me look for someone else.  Luckily when I ran into Lampie, she was very professional and very swift.

Grey Lupindo:  Who is the publisher? How can people buy your book?

Grease Coakes:  That's easy.  They can go to http://www.lulu.com/shop/john-krauss/ginny-grffins-first-day-of-school/paperback/product-20635273.html    I have the link in my picks, too.

          Ginny Griffin's First Day of School is available from Lulu Press for $12.00 U.S.    

Grey Lupindo

Reader Submitted: My Journey in Second Life by Skylark Lefavre

Way back when I started on Second Life I was but just a newbie. Everything was new and fascinating. I saw a new world worth exploring, yet I knew how to do nothing. Someone I made friends with on a website got me to sign up for Second Life. I met him on my most favorite hangout then named Beat Island. This sim I remember was education and full of musical entertainment. My friend lived and worked here. It is here where my journey started.

I eventually caught up with my friend who is a New Zealander. I thought "how cool is this?" and after getting voice to work learned to build and move lickety-split. Still using the freebie white winged wolf angel av I picked up from Help Island, I looked for avatars different than I saw as mainstream. "What could these be called?" From time on furry websites I knew they were furry avs. I did a search and low and behold I found a place called Rocket City Furmeet.

Knowing this to be a real life furry convention center I thought "what the heck?" I walked into the structure and into the vendor room. Back then it was small and in the Second Life building instead of where it all is now. I found the Aventity vendor which back then they sold a few avs. I bought an orange fox after realising where to buy it from. I was still under the Linden Currency buying cap being new. Now I needed to wear it. How do I wear it? I wore it and dragged the contents from the box it was in to a new folder in the inventory. Then a resident says it's easier to use a sandbox. Hmm sandbox, well something to use for a later day. Well back then I didn't know it was inappropriate to not have clothes so I searched for clothes. I found Bare Rose in 2007. This was nice, good looking clothes at affordable prices. I bought as much as I could. Back then Bare Rose wasn't laggy not did it have the sheer volume of what it does today nor selection. I this time used a sandbox.

I hung out with my new friend and his friends which led me to a medieval RP sim called Alchera. This was a very noteworthy RP sim that had alot of possibilities had it not gone under with the time and rising costs of land. It was this magical place I met two other friends where all three would become my oldest and best friends. Later on I wanted a dragon av, and at the time I still had trouble purchasing Linden currency through lack of experience. I had purchased enough to get an Isle Of Wyrms Fire Wyrmling of what was then known as Xstreet, a Second Like marketplace offline of Second Life. Well I was proud of my new avatar. I wore it all over I even danced with a Second Life elf from another medieval RP sim called Avalon a sister island to Isle Of Wyrms. I became Dragon of the Mist with the help of someone I would know only for a short time and miss everyday. He was already a Dragon of the Mist there. We dated some hung around shopped for things teens liked like Superheros stuff. Me and him were flying in a sim that was a wasteland of rock and caverns that was supposed to be like the place bad people go when they do evil in life. Me and him flew around having fun we felt right at home. Two humans were on the ground below us. A New Chapter unfolds.

The two humans bought a sim it had a glorious mountain with a waterfall and grotto, there was a cave for me and my love. on the other side cottages. The two humans adopted us as Pet Rider Dragons . We were the first and last to be in this pet rider dragon group they called Climbing Rose Rider Dragons. Time passes, and two more were added to the group, our daughter and son dragon hatchlings. The RP fell apart misunderstandings and wrong assumptions led to the selling of the island and to the end of the RP. I was heartbroken. I had lost touch with my lover due to things beyond my control. My handler thought I wanted to quit.

I went to Exterminatus Labs and got me a Black Therion av and had Black Demon Rot Wings and an aqua Green gown, 'cause Avalon rules then were if you walked on two legs you wore clothes. I met a Portuguese elf that took me in as his dragon lady. I helped him with lots of things off of SL and been best friends with him. I left Avalon and headed to Isle Of Wyrms. This place was a place where I am accepted and loved. I learned important life lessons, and my first taste of keeping order to chaos was here. I bought me at their Cathedral a Storm Hatchling. I joined the group Hedgies Hatchlings and Tinies and became a Tiny. I later rented my first home in Hatchie Haven.

I lost contact with my Portuguese Elf friend but I met two other Portuguese kids. One loved me with a kind and happy heart. We went to a water sim that had a road. On the side was the entrance to a Water Dam. Inside there were freebie Transformer avies that transformed from the transformer movie. He got me a free black cat av from a sim that now is a werewolf RP store. Things changed though. The breakup and loss of my home and family and friends at the RP and a plethora of troubles associated with this first account. I made this account. This account became my primary. My journeys were not over. I had gotten more work hours and found a better way to buy currency and make currency. I knew how to do more. I started collecting avs and making cute and beautiful avatars. I met a horse avie and we hit it off. Thus a memory entails our meeting and a legacy never dies.

Me and my best friend forever and then my lover had an idea, a dream, a dream to bring something special to this virtual world. He was a crackpot telecommunications programmer. A Hatchling I had met that later created the Gadzoo line of furry avs helped build the final version of the building that started a legacy. My friend from Alchera was the DJ manager. I was the manager, but I preferred and was good mainly at hosting. Yes this was a club: Furry Desires. I was co-owner with it with my lover. We had a different way to do things. We never did adult themed things. We never allowed pole dancing, we never did event contests. The crowd we drew came for the music and a good time nothing more.

He lost his job and the payment for all the lots for the club, avatar mall, and other more adult themed items mall down the street was threatened. We sacrificed the malls but we never gave up. We payed monthly rent all on tips alone. I met up with the owner of a popular av making company and the owner came by in this small av and told me how much he enjoyed reading my notices to club gigs at Furry Desires. Well this was becoming a strain on the regulars. We shut Furry Desires down for a short time, sold the parcels. This would not be the end!.

My Lover was in a bad way and in poor health. We basically just parted without hatred anger or vengeful thought. Instead I did what I do a lot. I became best friends with him. Well I met a few others afterward I dated. I ended up in Wolf Valley. It was a little laggy and somethings like my diving Board and kiddie train I couldn't use. But my best times were spent renting there. I didn't know this, but the time I was there the one running the sim was teaching me how to be a sim admin which I will always be thankful to him for since later down the road I would be sim admin to three sims.

I eventually had some job hour cuts and had to sell all my parcels. Last I heard I rented just under the amount the gf of the one who was teaching me had and she had a good share of Wolf Valley rented. My second exposure to renting a home. I moved to Cape Suzette a Sunweavers sim owned by my now Second Life beloved mother owner of the Sunweaver Islands. Due to a failing economy in and off world, people could no longer afford rent. Before the final death of Cape Suzette, a place I wished I could have kept, I was lured to a place called Kitsuhana, Japanese Kitsune and forest themed. The owner there was fascinated with my landscaping talents and I made her Faerie Acre Forest. People came from all over Second Life to see it. With what I was taught I kept script lag down low while keeping it aesthetically pleasing with a faerie theme. I had finally found a place to set up my kiddie train and it worked the Christmas before I had to leave due to the owner selling off a big part iof it and my parcel was on the list of parcels to be sold.

I remet up with a person I met in Wolf Valley who had ventured to my giant 5 story castle. He is the owner of Mythica Woods. He asked me to adopt him, which I did. My Second Life Mother owns the homestead his place was on. So I became Estate Manger there. He asked me to make things. I far outdone myself in originality and creativity. I even created a community or mixed residents furry, neko, dragon, and human. Seeking a place I could call home I looked for a sim or part of a sim. I met a fur who later became my sister a pink bunny and fox mix or fennec. She took me in on her sim. I rented 1/5 of a sim on mainland. I had so many prims I didm't know what to do but build the first of the many space stations I would call home. I loved that place as well. The owner and the co-owner had a difference of opinion so I left that place before it wa shut down and moved to Mythica Woods. I finished most of my work there and kept everyone happy as I was the landlord as well and I made the rules on how to run it and I did banning, ejecting, and all that an officer and sim admin would do. Drama has followed me since I had a taste of running sims and my family had grown bigger. I got pulled into fights and war I didn't belong in and I got tired of it. Another life lesson learned, look out after yourself.

Well I sought a group access place or adult themed hideout for a home. I found it finally and no farther away from my Second Life mom's home. But along the way I met special people, been to special places, and found out things that will in turn allow me a more peaceful life in any life and last if not least a lover who I am now engaged to in real life I have been seeing 5 years. For me Second Life was more than a Virtual World. Its been a magical fairy tail full of memories I will never forget. Not everyone has had my luck or my kind of journey but there is no reason to give up hope of having it!

Cheers and hope your Second Life is as good as my own life.

Skylark Lefavre

Real Memories Brought to Virtual Life

A swirling vortex of textures, colors and shapes danced before him, teasing him with a semblance of order and familiarity, before morphing once again into a jumbled mass of code in search of form. “Still rezzing,” a familiar voice reassured him, “give it a minute.”

Slowly, the spectrum of visualizations began making sense. First a house…then a yard…a dog in the backyard slowly came into focus. “I hate this lag!” He shouted, but did not type. Something though became oddly familiar to him; the station wagon in the driveway, the open wheat field across the street, standing sentinel between the neighborhood and the major interstate visible a half mile away. Then, like an unprepared boxer taking one full force to the gut, it hit him. He spoke underneath his breath, not sure who he was asking, “I’m home?”

“I know this house. It’s...my…home.” His voiced trailed off. He’s sat unmoving – stunned - as if having seen and felt a ghost of a long dead friend brushing past him, disbelieving with his mind what was obvious to his eyes. The entire neighborhood – the one he grew up in - slowly materializing in front of him, with the clarity and detail of a high-resolution perfectly preserved digital image, but with life, movement and increasing emotion.

His boyhood friends, calling his name, riding their bikes in the street in front of the lower-middle class home in which he, his younger brother and three sisters grew up. Details long ago forgotten appeared exactly as he had once known them to be; the untrimmed hedge in front of his bedroom window, the large red-painted wooden fence at the side of the house that he would often rappel from; the shed, rusty and near collapse in the backyard slowly squeaking at the suggestion of each lovely summer’s breeze, and the majestic Pecan tree, towering over the home of his childhood - exactly…exactly, as it was years ago. “But, it’s impossible,” he whispers. “Welcome home, John. It’s good to see you again,” his older sister’s comforting voice again came through his earphones. He shuddered with emotion.

-BREAK-

She continued to sob violently in front of her laptop screen. A torrent of salty tears spilling across her face. Her husband rushed across the room towards her, expecting to find some horrific detail in an email from her sister, or something so utterly and globally tragic in the news that would cause this kind of devastating emotional reaction from his wife. He wasn’t expecting what he saw on her screen. He stared…in disbelief. Seconds passed, then he uttered, “Turn it off.” “Baby, just turn it off…”

“No! Don’t touch it!” her shaking voice shattering the stillness of their quiet evening, enough to wake the children. “It’s her!” “Oh my God, Allen…it’s Mom.” He saw it too, frozen at the sight of the frighteningly accurate and lifelike image of her mother, dead now 5 years, but…alive now, on the computer screen and looking directly at them. Shifting her gaze, as if with consciousness from her daughter to her son-in-law, and then back again; she stared past the computer screen, fixing her gaze upon her daughter. Her mother’s eyes now – as they always were - full of life, joy, glistening, blinking, looking with seemingly genuine emotion at her daughter, who continued to weep. “Jeannine… it’s me, Princess. It’s me…” the avatar whispered.

Across the globe, people are having very similar, emotionally charged experiences. The catalyst: The new Memory Augmented Reality Module (M.A.R.M.), which became available in the U.S. just one week ago. Available only through licensed online virtual communities, including SL, the units and related software sell for approximately $1,500 U.S. per unit. The experiences promised and delivered have been nothing short of stunning, surpassing the hype and advertising, pushing demand far beyond the ability to manufacture the units and creating a backlog estimated to reach at least 6 months into the future.

The advances in what is now commonly referred to as “mind mapping,” via the science of Neuroinformatics, has finally bridged the divide between human brain memory, processes and analytical thinking and the technology utilized to structure and operate virtual and augmented realities. The first consumer driven application, M.A.R.M., despite the surrounding ethical controversy, has been nothing short of a cataclysmic event in the evolution of the human brain and its fusion with today’s technology.

Linden Lab, the pioneer in this newly christened M.A.R.M. technology, has been beta testing the software and equipment for nearly 2 years. While all publicly released findings of the clinical trials demonstrate the technology as being “safe” for the general population, the emotional impact and experiences being reported by some of its users appears to have been grossly underestimated, and the duration of the emotional side effects, misjudged. Sales of the units were recently halted due to reports from across the county of users experiencing anxiety disorders, generalized depression and conditions replicating PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). These reports notwithstanding, demand for the units continues to grow almost exponentially, with backorders in the tens of thousands.

The most recent and tragic incident involved Seattle, WA resident, Nora Taylor, a 38 year old mother of three, who after completing the 24-hour mind mapping base-line process, began to utilize the M.A.R.M. device to recreate her childhood environments, friends and family. These simulations being made possible by importing the memory data mined, cataloged and translated into readable code into the SL data base, where a personalized region was then created based on these inputs.

The ensuing 36 hours for Nora Taylor can only be described as heartrending, as she rekindled old friendships, and reunited with relatives long since deceased, “losing herself,” as described by her husband, Jeff Taylor, “within the virtual recreation of her past life.” Upon returning from a business trip, finding their children uncared for and unfed, and his wife in a coma-like nirvana, Jeff promptly phoned 911 for emergency assistance. While the children have since fully recovered, sadly Nora Taylor died 2 days later while suffering from psychiatrically-induced catatonia.

Dr. Alred Russo with the National Institute of Mental Health, NIHM, stated that in extreme cases, involving already unstable, highly emotional or hypersensitive individuals, a real danger may in fact exist. “The virtual recreation of past real-life environments, and the sight of highly detailed recreations (avatars) of friends and family created via the improved 3-D imagery of SL, can be overpoweringly real, particularly when combined with the strength of real life memories and emotions.” He goes on, “The users’ brain can become so overwhelmed with sensory and emotional stimuli, that this virtual world and real life can become indistinguishable.”

Sales of M.A.R.M. products are expected to resume by next week – albeit with revised warnings and cautions. M.A.R.M. software and hardware may be purchased directly from Linden Lab, the official vendor of the M.A.R.M. Experience © in Second Life.

Latest version of Mind Mapping Hardware, M.A.R.M. ©

FoxM Ember

SL Fiction: Walk Into the Water

He walked toward their beach house, the one he and Deborah had worked so hard to get. It was still hard to believe, after all the years of work, of saving and planning that they had finally made their dream a reality. The house on the beach, the 42 foot schooner moored to the dock, everything was perfect. Deborah, his true love and wife of 19 years, by his side, fulfilling everything he could have ever desired in a partner. He had never before been this content with his life. “Surfing,” he though to himself, “I think I’ll go surfing today.”

The sounds of the waves licking at the pier were in perfect sync with the gulls singing overhead. The breeze, out of the west, was soft and gentle on his face. He loved the smell of the salty air, it reminded him of family vacations at the coast when he was a child. But the coast where he and his parents would trek to during the hot Texas summers was nothing like this. Here, the sand wasn’t gray, but white, and delicate and pristine; the water not the sea green of the gulf, but a beautiful azure blue ocean, clear and crystalline.

He scooped his feet through the soft clean sand as he walked, relishing the sensations. He wanted the passing of time to freeze at this very moment, to seal and preserve forever this feeling, this moment, this wonderful sense of contentment. He would be happy to live in this moment and in this place for the rest of his life. “Heaven…this must be what Heaven is like,” he mused.

“Dad?” it was his daughter.

“Good Morning, Princess!”

Heather was almost 15 now, and had been begging to start driving lessons this summer, but the thought of her behind the wheel terrified him. In fact, the thought of driving period – had become unnerving to him. Maybe it was old age creeping in, or the increasingly dimming memory of hectic city driving, exchanged now for their life here on the island, where walking, biking and sailing were the only needed modes of transportation. The thought of Heather going away to college, and having to drive the treacherous highways, cars and trucks recklessly flying by and at her at breakneck speeds…he shivered.

“Princess, I’ve been thinking…about the driving lessons. I think, maybe, we should wait a little bit…maybe another year before…”

“Mom!” she shouted. “Why do we always have to remind him? Every time! It’s getting old.”

“Dad, walk into the water with me.” She waded out into the ocean defiantly, and then suddenly dropped under the surface.

“Heather!” He ran in, small explosions of foamy water flying out from under his feet, until she popped back up.

“Heather, that’s not funny! You scared the heck out of me.” They walked slowly back to shore, his arm wrapped around her shoulder.

“Dad, look.” she spoke softly now.

“What?” a smile returning to his face.

“Your pants, your shoes, your socks…see? See them? Geez.”

“Hey, I like these pants! And these are the shoes that…” he stopped.

“Dry? I’m…dry. But…”

Deborah’s voice broke into the growing awkward silence, “It’s the software glitch, Honey, we should have it fixed soon, I told you that already. You need to be patient, and stop shutting down at night like I told you. Now go get ready for school and let me talk with you dad.”

Deborah was now beside him, looking amazing. She always looked amazing. She was wearing a yellow sundress and sandals, and like the sun itself, radiated warmth and beauty from her hair, her eyes, her fingers. She was gorgeous, her long auburn hair waving gently with the ocean breeze. She rarely wore makeup or jewelry; she didn’t need it, and he loved that about her.

Still, after 19 years, there wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t remind himself how lucky he was to have won her heart. He could have easily become one of those sad middle-aged men he used to see on business trips; unhappy with their spouse, pitifully and always unsuccessfully seeking illicit happiness with a waitress or a stranger in hotel lounges. They reminded him of desperate salmon, fighting the ruthless currents of time and reality, looking for a one night spawn.

“Software glitch…Deb, What are you talking about?” he chuckled, waiting for the joke.

“John, the upgrades should be available within a month or two, until then I’ll keep trying to make sure Heather doesn’t shut down at night unless…oh, wow, this is…” there was a disquieting despair creeping into her words. “I hate to keep having to tell you.”

“Tell me what? Deb, what is it?” his brow furrowed by his sincere confusion.

“John, once the upgrades come, you’ll be able to remember everything from the previous sessions. It’s just that, for now I have to tell you every…”

“Sessions? Deb, what’s going on? Where did Heather go? Tell me what?!” His frustration always seemed to reach a new high each time she went through this. It concerned her that it was beginning to turn to anger. She didn’t want Heather to see him like this, to spoil her memories of him.

“Heather had to sign out, she’ll be late for school again. She’ll be back online later.” she sighed.

“Deb…I don’t understand…”

“John…Baby, try to remember…the accident.”

“Accident?” his voice trembled.

“Yes, Baby. Six months ago. Try to remember, John. I hate this. They said that the AI interface-software-patch-thingy would fix this. What a waste of money. I should have just waited for the upgrade, but they said the patch would allow you uninterrupted access to the MARM data, without rebooting, but…

“Wait! MARM? The ‘MARM’ data? That was the mind and memory mapping program we did together in June. I…I remember. Memory, augmented…reality…module. MARM, that’s right isn’t it?”

“Good, baby. Yes, that’s right. That’s good. We did the baseline mind mapping together, the whole family. John…do you remember…the accident?” she waited.

“Rain,” he felt the blood drain from his face. “It was raining and I was late. The meeting in Portland,” his mind raced backwards. “I…I wanted to drive instead of flying. But…oh…” he felt sick. “God…please help me.”

“It’s OK, John. It’s over now.”

“No! I remember now, spinning out of control and…the truck, the semi…it was just there, in front of me, barreling at…me. Then…” he stopped as his mind replayed the sound of metal twisting, steel scraping against steel, glass shattering. He heard himself screaming, and then, the sickening smell of gasoline, of smoke, of intolerable heat, singeing his nostrils. He started to weep.

“I know baby. I know it’s hard, John, but it’s over now.”

“But,” he looked over his body; his perfect body, without scar, without blemish. He was lean and muscular and…perfect. “But, I…”

“John, your mind mapping data…your thoughts, your memories, your emotions…the essence of who you were…you’re still here. We created this sim, Heather and I, from the data you uploaded, so we could be together, and…”

“Were? I…I’m…” he stopped himself from saying the inevitable. Then silence. She knew it usually took him about 30 seconds from this point. She waited.

“I died? I’m dead? God, please help me…I died. This isn’t real? This isn’t real.”

“Baby, it is real. It is you. Don’t lose control, don’t let go of that thought, stay with me. John, everything that made you a person, everything that made you who you were is still here. You’re here. We can still be together.” she tried to reassure him, but she didn’t know what “being together” meant anymore.

“But, Deb, it’s not real, this isn’t real - none of it. The beach, our home…it’s…what is it…a simulation? This is all virtual…I’m not real…I’m…a program? I’m a damn software program?!”

“No. John it’s more than that, a lot more.”

“Dear God…help me.” his plea was desperate and sincere. Then, as if in answer, there was a sound, a cry…a baby.

“John, I’m so sorry, but I have to run. I have to get the baby ready, and my small group meeting at church is in 20 minutes, then I’m supposed to run over to see your mom, and..”

“Baby…our baby?”

“John, I can’t do this again now. We’ll talk later, ok? I’ll be home about three-thirty. We’ll do something fun. Hang gliding or dancing at that weird Jazz club you like.”

“But…we had our baby? I don’t…”

“John, I have to shut down the computer again. I’m so sorry, but the cleaning people will be here today, and I don’t want the computer on when they’re around. So, I need to shut down, ok?”

“Wait. Shut down? What happens when you shut down?” he felt all of his breath being sucked out of him, gasping for air, for clarity, for…hope. He was terrified.

“Nothing happens, Baby. Just sleep. Go to sleep, and we’ll be together before you know it.”

“Deborah…I love you.” he heard his voice crack under the strain.

“I love you too, John. I miss you so much.”

“But, I’m right here…right?”

“Sleep, Baby,” she whispered.

The tears started to flow down her face now, the salty pools already blurring her vision of him. She forced herself to reach for the mouse. She’d already learned to do it quickly. Not to listen at this point, to go into autopilot. She clicked START, SHUT DOWN. Open programs began to close, the sequence would only take 30 seconds.

“God, please help me,” he whispered. He closed his eyes and began to pray.

By FoxM Ember

Originaly printed in Second Life Newspaper

SL Fiction: The MARM Mind-Mapping Software

News Journal: The advances in what is now commonly referred to as “mind mapping,” via the science of Neuroinformatics, has finally bridged the divide between human brain memory, processes and analytical thinking and thetechnology utilized to structure and operate virtual and augmented realities. The first consumer driven application, M.A.R.M., despite the surrounding ethical controversy, has been nothing short of a cataclysmic event in the evolution of the human brain and its fusion with today’s technology.

LL, the pioneer in this... newly christened M.A.R.M. technology, has been beta testing the software and equipment for nearly 2 years. While all publically released findings of the clinical trials demonstrate the technology as being “safe” for the general population, the emotional impact and experiences being reported by some of its users appears to have been grossly underestimated, and the duration of the emotional side effects, misjudged. Sales of the units were recently halted due to reports from across the county of users experiencing anxiety disorders, generalized depression and conditions replicating PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). These reports notwithstanding, demand for the units continues to grow almost exponentially, with backorders in the tens of thousands.

The most recent and tragic incident involved Seattle, WA resident, Nora Taylor, a 38 year old mother of three, who after completing the 24-hour mind mapping base-line process, began to utilize the M.A.R.M. device to recreate her childhood environments, friends and family. These simulations being made possible by importing the memory data mined, cataloged and translated into readable code into the SL data base, where a personalized region was then created based on these inputs.

The ensuing 36 hours for Nora Taylor can only be described as heartrending, as she rekindled old friendships, and reunited with relatives long since deceased, “losing herself,” as described by her husband, Jeff Taylor, “within the virtual recreation of her past life.” Upon returning from a business trip, finding their children uncared for and unfed, and his wife in a coma-like nirvana, Jeff promptly phoned 911 for emergency assistance. While the children have since fully recovered, sadly Nora Taylor died 2 days later while suffering from psychiatrically-induced catatonia.

Dr. Alred Russo with the National Institute of Mental Health, NIHM, stated that in extreme cases, involving already unstable, highly emotional or hypersensitive individuals, a real danger may in fact exist. “The virtual recreation of past real-life environments, and the sight of highly detailed recreations (avatars) of friends and family created via the improved 3-D imagery of SL, can be overpoweringly real, particularly when combined with the strength of real life memories and emotions.” He goes on, “The users’ brain can become so overwhelmed with sensory and emotional stimuli, that this virtual world and real life can become indistinguishable.”

Sales of M.A.R.M. products are expected to resume by next week – albeit with revised warnings and cautions. M.A.R.M. software and hardware may be purchased directly from LL, the official vendor of the M.A.R.M. Experience © in SL.

Latest version of Mind Mapping Hardware, M.A.R.M. ©

FoxM Ember
Originally posted in SL Newspaper