Asimov's Ghost - Chapter 39 - The Reality Adjustment
The subject of ‘greys’ is one I have touched upon previously in LOTQb, however it is fascinating and deserves to be reviewed in this instalment.
The fact that we have greys at all is largely due to reality networks such as MakiTec, Hyun-Smart, and of course the grandest of them all, the StayTel Network.
It is easy to see how in a post-reality world, most networks decided to cater for tastes that were more on the fantasy side of virtual reality entertainment. However, networks such as StayTel have brought ‘real-experience’ back into fashion.
Of course this was no mean feat, most denizens of the wider Qblock much prefer to spend our time in virtuality in an animated dreamland full of high definition hypo-polyspheres and mythical beasts, monsters and wonders. So to persuade users to adapt the reality networks was an uphill struggle at first, especially for StayTel which could be considered to be a hyper-reality network.
This is because when you are on any number of the StayTel real cities, it is almost indistinguishable from being in the actual real, in fact many StayTel residents, especially those of Principia, Magdalev and Throol, are known to run through several checks when they log off, to make sure they really are back in the real!
Although many (including myself) cannot understand why anyone would waste their time in a virtual fantasy that was almost identical to their real lives, supporters of the real-networks say that all sorts of wonders unfold themselves to a user.
For instance, it is possible to travel back to practically any pre-confusion human era in history. If a user desire’s they can go back to any point in geological history and witness long extinct flora and fauna.
Users also point out that even though the experience is real, the various scenarios that one can encounter on StayTel, Throol or any of the others is far from actually being real. There are cities on StayTel where unicorns run free and dragons rule the skies! However they insist that it will all feel real, and that is the appeal to them.
The way StayTel and others originally attracted users to their networks was to use the good old fashioned tactic of incentive. StayTel in particular have a very generous reality-reward system.
The system is simple, for more time you spend on StayTel in a state of reality the more rewards you get, plus if you become a member of their network, StayTel will give you extremely favourable rates on your personal coin. There are many different levels of reality you can take part in, in order to gain your reality-rewards.
The first and simplest level is to get a job in one of the many establishments in the network cities [R-Link: extra information package- term ‘grey’ originates at this point, it was felt that to live a life on the Qblock without the chance of fantasy was to live a grey life: …package end:], or to play a character in one of the network games. Which of course brings us to StayTel’s Empires, the game with the highest reality-rewards on the entire Qblock. It is no wonder that the most advanced-level greys are all Principia residents and expert Empires players.
There are few who have taken the ‘burden’ of being a grey more than K-Rox, ScinTaxx6, and Jarvinder_909, these three Principia residents have amassed as many reality rewards as the other ninety seven citizens in the top hundred of those who can claim the title Advanced-Level Grey.
One can only imagine the kind of mind it takes to survive as a grey in Empires, living like some kind of pre-confusion savage, no technology in your body or mind, just you and your wretched organic soul for company.
May Hubbard have mercy on all our mindstates!
~ From Life On The Qblock by Maze66
Previous Chapters
Asimov's Ghost - Chapter 38 - Vengeance Requiem
Asimov's Ghost - Chapter 37 - A Life Less Lost
Asimov's Ghost - Chapter 36 - The Quantum Paradox
Asimov's Ghost - Chapter 35 - Identity Crisis
Asimov's Ghost - Chapter 34 - The Devil's Advocate
Asimov's Ghost - Chapter 33 - Memory Reparation
Asimov's Ghost - Chapter 32 - Reclamation Inferno
Asimov's Ghost - Chapter 31 - Memory Boot Initialised
Asimov's Ghost Summary And Chapter links 21-30
Original artwork by @fr3eze
Original words by Cryptogee
Altered Image: Cg
Just pinched myself to check I am in 'the real'
@cryptogee You have received a random upvote from @transparencybot for not using bidbots on this post and using the #nobidbot tag!
Then again is the reality truly real? After all there is a question of what is known of the pre-confusion time. How can they recreate what no one seems to know anything about?
I feel that K-Rox being a grey gives him an upper hand because he would have levels of endurance that machine bolstered strength is yet to experience. I think his mind would be purer and it would be easy for him to identify manipulation or maybe not.
But is he strong enough for Marschain?
This chapter reminds me very much of the Ready Player One!
Him, interesting that greys (Zetas) are being introduced into the Quantum blockchain relatively early.
There is a guy named Tom.T.Moore, who says that scientists won't find out before the 2500s that the pineal gland is NOT a residual organ but fully functioning.
He also says that Earth will "prepare for the stars" not before the 2700s, and that his own next lifetime will be in the 3500 era as a female pilot of one of a total 14 spaceships on Earth. By that time, Zetas will have visited Earth quite often, and probably even have established mutual living-together on Earth. In some of my astral experiences I too have travelled through some portals which allowed me some glimpses into other timelines, and I ended up in a timeline where they lived together with Earth Humans. But ok, there are infinite timelines.
" If a user desire’s they can go back to any point in geological history and witness long extinct flora and fauna."
Not nice at all!
Interesting, however I am not using the term 'grey' in the same sense, it is simply referring to somebody who lives on the quantum blockchain a life 'without colour'.
Cg
Haha, that is funny! Your description of "monsters"and "fantasy side of virtual reality" probably made me paint too much of a strict picture here.