=== Chapter 11 "Straw men dance"

 

Welcome to the theatre, today we have three guests. We would be having four, but unfortunately I was not able to contact that person. With that aside, I want first to introduce our characters before we get to the main part.

 

I order to do that, I’m going to ask a few questions individually first, one person at a time. Let's start then. First question, can you tell something about yourself?

 

[Hello, I'm the player of the character WRose. I'm basically your everyday person, more or less.

I don't find anything special about myself, though that might be because I lack self-confidence.

I used to work in IT and had several music projects that were really small and purely a hobby.]

 

So what do you currently?

 

[Currently I'm unemployed and not searching for work or education. Ever since I finished college,

I have been trying to find a job I would enjoy. Unfortunately, everything I tried ended up a failure.

The only job I managed to secure was a position of an Informatics Technical, although not officially.]

 

[The circumstances of that were that I was asked by my parent to help them with computers.

I'm not really that knowledgeable when it comes to very specific things related to computers,

but at least I was able to help with basic things. Yes, it is something I did because I was asked to.]

 

[Normally, I spend time pursuing my hobby, which is creating music with a few programs I self-learned.

Nowadays there is a bunch of online tutorials and free audio synthesizer programs everyone can use.

Thanks to that I was able to create a few pieces myself. I used to enjoy creating music just like many other producers.]

 

[Even though it was a hobby, I took creating music very personally. My pieces were usually sad and melancholic,

maybe that's why no one actually listened to them. Furthermore, when I try to listen to them now, I feel depressed.

That's because they remind of me of my deepest and darkest thoughts, a history that can't be deleted from my memory.]

 

I see, that seems quite a nice hobby you had there, albeit quite dark and depressive.

In any case, if you think so, then I can't force you to say otherwise. Unfortunately,

I can't help you with getting a job, but look at the bright side, there are still video games right?

 

[Video games, although I don't play them a lot, are another way to cope with my depression.

Even though I know in the end it is only a temporary medicine, there is only so much I can do by myself.

Because I know that too much is not good either, I try not to give in completely. But there are times…

when even that is too difficult. I forget about the time, play all night, wake up and regret I did that.]

 

[Additionally, I exclusively focus on online games that allow you communicate with other players.

And even though I have friends online, they always lie when they promise to play a game with me.

That's quite a downer, but as long as I meet one person in the game I can probably spend my time there.]

 

So tell me now, what do you expect from playing an online game? The connection between you and another person?

 

[Yes, that is a very important aspect. I think when I talk with people about myself too much,

I am only going to push away them from me. That's why I mostly keep silent until I know I can trust them.

Furthermore, you could say that the real reason why I play MMOs is to dump my worries onto other people.]

 

This is why you started playing Unwritten? The MMO seems like an interesting genre, although it does require a lot of investment, both mental and time wise.

 

[Yes, I thought firstly that I wanted to play that game because of its features. I was greatly impressed,

but I was worried that I would find myself alone in the world. I waited until the game got popular enough.

Then my friends said they were playing the game so I have decided to buy it as well. I still had enough savings.]

 

[Unfortunately, it was as I feared, my friends didn't play that game for too long. When the second server opened,

they split and eventually lost interest in playing the game entirely. Thus, I was once again, alone, playing the game.

However, by a mere chance perhaps, I was able to meet new friends and enjoy the game with them. A very dear friends.]

 

That's when you met Wolf right? Could you tell me what did Wolf mean to you?

 

[When I first met Wolf I wasn't sure what I should do. I felt a strange feeling, the feeling of loneliness and fear.

That caused me to plead to him, so we could travel and play the game together. I was glad that in the end he agreed.

He wasn't looking like a person that would normally say yes, but somehow he decided that I was good enough for him.]

 

[He treated me like a new player at first, since I asked him too many questions about game mechanics.

Thanks to that I learned more about him, like I noticed that he was not quick to trust people. Because of that,

I wanted him to see in people potential, for him to break away from being a loner—a sad person like myself.

I did manage to change his opinion on friends, but eventually I think I went too far. I wanted to make him my man but...]

 

But that didn't work out? That's fine, Wolf was just that of guy after all.

 

[Yes, eventually I realised that I was the one that actually needed to change, to transform into something else.

Thus thanks to my friends I was able to gather courage and be true to myself. It was just in game however,

nothing actually changed in reality. This is why even a slightest of hope of change in real life was precious for me.]

 

That's why you believed Wolf when he explained about Words and world codependency right?

 

[With how he explained things I had doubts, but in the end I believed in him. There were several reasons for that.

For example, he knew about the lake and its connection to Lunar. That alone made his other statement more creditable.

Sooner or later, all pieces fell into place and his story about Words that can create existence made a lot of sense.]

 

But you also had a particular reason to why you believed him right?

 

[That is correct, my personal reason for believing him was that I would be also able to transform, thanks to Words.

If I used the Words in a way that would transform me in reality as well, then at least I had hope. That hope alone...

was enough for me to decide to live on. However, when Wolf left the game I lost all the light he granted me.]

 

That's very sad indeed. But tell me maybe, what was your actual wish, why did you need to transform?

 

[In my life I was always thinking about my role to others, what purpose I had in life. It is hard to say for myself.

 I'm always trying to search for an answer, but in general I believe that had my life been different from the beginning,

I would have been not as sad as now. Had my childhood been different, I would have enjoyed life more, I think.]

 

[For example, if I had the looks to become a cute idol, or a voice to become a professional actor or something...

Those things were never possible for me from the very beginning. Therefore, in order to grant myself a role,

I had to become someone that entertains people, in spite who I was in reality. The truth was however, I wanted to cheer myself up the most...]

 

However, things didn't go as planned, right? You even used a voice changer and all...

 

[Technically it was voice synthesiser, I used my keyboard to type really fast to create my lines in the game.

Additionally I had another program which helped me, transforming my voice into letters, so I eventually got used to it.

In any case, if I would have used my real voice I wouldn't be able to play how I wanted to play the game.]

 

The way you wanted to play the game? There was a specific reason to why you did that all?

 

[Yes, because my gender doesn't match with my expectation, I pretend to be someone else online. That's fine,

I say to myself, because I'm different than other people. I'm someone who has an impossible dream,

a dream I can't get rid of. That's why I thought it was okay to deceive everyone. I still think so.]

 

[Every time I touch my body in reality I feel really disgusted. Thanks to my friends online for the first time in my life,

someone actually made me feel like a little girl. It was just a game, but it felt quite authentic, all thanks to Synapse.

I had pleasant dreams and nightmares, about becoming a girl, and about everyone learning who I am really.]

 

[But if it wasn't for Wolf, I wouldn't be able to cope with my online persona. It was he who really made me into a girl.]

 

I see, if you say so then it must be true right? That takes quite a bravery to admit that, even thought I was the one that wrote your script. I wish you luck though, we still have two more.

 

===

 

So now, the next interviewee, this time it's actually a girl! You guys must be surprised that girls actually play video games right? It's 2026, get on with the times already!  Anyway, can you tell something about yourself first?

 

[Good morning everyone! feeling well? I maybe just a high student but I'm always full of energy and stuff.

Anyway, I played Titania, the beautiful and courageous knight, though she was more like a paladin right?

So what do you want to know about me anyway? Don't ask about naughty things or you are going to jail.]

 

Well then, how about your school life? How old are you?

 

[I'm only seventeen years old, but you shouldn't ask a girl about her age you know? That aside,

I'm attending my second year of high school and its pretty fun I must say. “Really really fun!”

Is something that people force me to say through my grinding teeth. I really hate this school and this country.]

 

[The reason behind it all is that not only adults don't understand the youth nowadays,

but the youth themselves are becoming like those corrupted adults. All I hear during break is...

"Hey did you finish your homework?" or "You shouldn't waste your time on video games or something."]

 

[Is this even okay to consider this normal now? Because all I can think of is that they want to win,

they want the success right away they leave the school. Everything is less important them their success.

It must the current economy right? Everyone just wants to be on the top and step on the weak along the way.]

 

[That includes fake friendships and big meaningful words that are not backed up with actual actions.

I'm normally a good person to others, but it really irks me when someone decides to become a fake friend,

only because they need that person to make them feel better about themselves. That's really twisted don’t you think?]

 

Yes... that's quite an interesting opinion here, I'm sure the viewers are glad to hear that. However, tell me more about your school life if you please. A person like you must have...

 

[Yes, I have lot things to say now, things I can't say normally. I'm a member of the school's track team.

However, I don't like running and I'm not good at it either. I'm usually in the reserve, so it's kinda sad.

But the reason I joined in the first place was to get good at something, I thought this was easy at first.]

 

[However, as soon as I noticed how much effort others were giving into such a simple sport,

I too got fired up and decided to do my best. Days of hard training was really tiring of course,

but in the end, although I did improve a little, I have reached my limit that I wouldn't be able to pass.]

 

[The limit meaning, I couldn't run even faster like the other girls. Because of that I was angry,

angry not at myself but at my creator. I had limits that I could not overcome, all because I lacked a talent.

If I was able to do one thing at all, if I had one special ability, I would be able to accept myself in the end.]

 

And that ability is also connected to playing the MMO game Unwritten yes?

 

[Right, I played the hell out of that game and got really good at it. This really suck to know but...

if there is one thing I am actually good at, it must be video games. Of course that is hardly a talent,

at least according to myself and others, thus I can't consider playing video games as a way of life personally.]

 

[It was just innocent fun for me, until I played Unwritten with Wolf. He was an okay player I do admit,

however I quickly realised that he lacked the reflex and decision making of an pro. Thanks to that,

I was actually able to accept that I’m good, that I was this far ahead from everyone in terms of skill.]

 

[Eventually when I fought against the horde of monsters attacking Maremoda, Albert told me so.

He told me that I'm actually good at the game, in a way. Coming from someone as good as him,

that was a huge compliment for me. I was glad that someone in my life actually said I have a talent.]

 

I see, so you played the game for fun, but you also enjoyed the praise from other players?

 

[Something like that yes. Although when Wolf actually left the game I was thinking what I should do next?

Because it was clearly fun playing with him and the others, I wanted to continue playing and improving.

But then I felt like there was no actual reason to get better at the game, now that Wolf was gone.]

 

[I have decided myself that I would quit the game and do something else, but that was a mistake.

even my boyfriend said so. I felt a little empty and without doing the only thing I was good at.

I asked Robie if he was able to help me find something gamer related, but he said it would be hard.]

 

[Thus I'm at this point now, I can keep trying to live my school life and continue doing things I'm not good at,

or do something that I like and have talent for. I know someone who designed this world did not thought of people like me,

but at least I should be able to choose my own destiny right? I should be able to overcome my weakness...]

 

Right I think that be enough from you Titania, thanks you again for speaking. This is really getting interesting, right? Still this is just the first stage...

 

===

 

Our last interview today! After that we get to the main part. So people in the audience, welcome out last interviewee, Darku! Say, you should be able to tell us something about you that's not depressing right?

 

[If you think so, I probably have to disappoint you. I played the character Darku in the MMO Unwritten,

although the character was a female, I'm actually a guy. There is only one reason to why I was playing a girl,

the female uniform school looked a lot better than the male uniform. Pretty simple right?]

 

That’s usually the case with MMOs out there, I’m sure the viewers can confirm that as well.

 

[Right...I'm not really all that against trying new things in virtual reality worlds, it's always fun.

I have a history of playing those kinda games, so of course I picked up Unwritten. It looked amazing,

like the possibility of an actual virtual world with game mechanics that remind me of old time classics.]

 

[The previous generation of VR games was pretty basic. Yes, it allowed you to see a different world.

Yes, there were certain controllers that allowed you to touch things in VR. However it lacked depth.

Even when Synapse was invented, most of the games were just simulators of various kinds, including adult games.

They had the player trapped inside a small room, doing some things, experiencing the story, or whatever...]

 

If I may add, even in online VR games people would often prefer comfy private rooms over the chaotic public ones. But I guess that’s just how humans are. They rather seclude themselves within a closed circle of friends than risk going to the oppressive and expansive outside...Pardon, please continue.

 

[What I was interested in was an open sandbox VR games that allowed the users to create their own worlds.

It was always interesting meeting people online and doing stuff that was not possible in real life.

Although it may sound nostalgic, I feel like the years when I played VR games were the happiest time of my life.]

 

Still, you had other things to do than playing VR games right?

 

[That is correct, and although it is hard to explain, I had real life worries as well. My job is not standard,

I get called by various companies for jobs including either programming or computer network related tasks.

I may be a freelancer but my major was actually mathematics, I learned programming as a hobby on the side.]

 

[Furthermore, I have friends who I met online and in real life. We were pals ever since college,

a very long time ago. I should be in my thirties now, so making new friends is quite hard to me,

especially deeper relationships. This is why I'm glad I have friends that are always there for me.]

 

I see, so the reason why you started playing this game must be related to your friends right?

 

[Partially yes, but even so I decided something else. I wanted to break out from the cycle of the past,

I wanted to enjoy the game for its novelty but ended up just comparing it the older games. It was painful...

to learn that I actually started to play the game because of nostalgia not to fight against it.]

 

[I guess I wanted to become somewhat of an adult, someone who can make decisions despite emotions.

Like, even if MMOs are fun, they always remind the person of him or her hedonistic way of life...

But then a friend taught me that feelings are important, they are the arrow that leads to the destination.

I was without destination when I started playing the game, I even left TSA to run away from the past.]

 

[As soon as I realised that was a mistake, I started to appreciate my past once again, thanks to G1 and Xyl.

I know it's filled with bad memories of me and my GF, with whom I couldn't established a relation past VR,

but there was a lot of good memories too. That actually reminds me... I still should reply to her letter...]

 

Right, but before you do, could you tell me about your involvement with Wolf? A guy like you must have had something common with the hero of the world right?

 

[Not particularly, he was kinda there and he was a friend, but I was involved with him only on day to day basis.

When he shared a secret with us, I was not sure if I should believe him or not. However, he did had credibility,

his theories had basis in the modern science. That's why I did trust him, although nothing more than that.]

 

So unlike others, Wolf wasn't anyone special to you right?

 

[I do agree that we formed a bond greater than you usually do in virtual games. I felt like I was talking with someone,

someone who is not just a friend but someone deeper, a soul mate. That is, of course, why I enjoyed that game a lot.

Comparing to my past video games, this was something that I wanted to experience for a long time, being a part of a story.]

 

I see, so Wolf created the story and you were a character in it? That's quite a small dream, but nevertheless, what did you do when Wolf left?

 

[When he left the game I started thinking about myself. I felt like it's about time for me as well, to leave the game behind.

That would allow me to move on with my life, I thought. I had the courage and support from my friends but what was lacking was...

I really wanted someone close to be at my side, someone like another part that would fill the blanks for me.]

 

[That of course is saying that I did search for a girlfriend in the game, but that didn't work out.

This is why I have decided that I should have searching for a girlfriend outside of video games from the start.

Regrettably, it seems that I had that wrong idea about relationships. Even Titania and Roberto manage somehow,

though unlike me, they are still young and...but that is the past, I will have to deal with it on my own now.]

 

Right, and good luck to you too! I sure hope that all of your dreams will come true someday. But now, we shall initiate our long awaited main feature! Everyone was waiting for this.

 

===

 

There was a great danger that would befall upon the world of men. Humans were scared,

despaired and raised their hands to the heavens. “If only a hero would appear”,

“If only the darkness would be cleaned by light”, they hoped upon their naivety.

 

Eventually one man appeared from the crowd, he claimed that he would lead them to victory.

Giving hope and courage to others, the hero triumphantly marched the path to the beast.

It was a fearsome dragon that could destroy the entire world if it wished so, but the hero was not scared.

 

Returning in glory, he claimed to have defeated the monster.

Everyone came to the hero's side and cheered for him loudly and in joy.

But in truth, he didn't slay the beast, even though he has said so.

 

The truth of this story was that he did in fact defeat the beast, but lacked the [Courage] to finish it.

 

“It is impossible to cut all those heads off—they grow back as soon as I slice then. But as it is now, it will no longer be a threat, thus my job is finished.”

 

Because he wasted his [Gift] from the gods, the beast would be able to appear again at a later date.

 

“If it returns to this world, I will be ready. I am going kill it until it vanishes completely!”

 

That was the lie which the Hero created for himself. It soon became the truth for the rest, creating this miniature [World].

It is a world of dreams where people escaped to and will be living in until the dragon appears again.

But will the hero be able to save them again?

 

L>Hello, this should be working. Please respond if it does.

W>Is this Lunar?

D>Good morning.

T>What is this?

 

For our grand finale tonight I had to set up a meeting between the three people I just introduced. I actually never interviewed them—I just collected information on them. At the current moment, I had a mobile device placed in a park for each one of them. It is currently the night of the full moon.

 

L>Yes, you are not mistaken that I am actually the one you call Lunar.

L>But let me tell you more, I'm actually a real person, A GM of the game Unwritten.

L>You must have played that game right? I didn't pick you all randomly.

W>Huh? I don't understand.

L>All in due time WRose, I need to explain everything from the begging then?

T>Like hell you do! I mean you asked me to come alone to the park in the night...

L>Very well. At our company, Avalon, we created various mechanics in the game.

L>Obviously you were not able to see them, because we basically decided to make the game as cryptic as possible.

L>For example, you don't get actually download any files, all you get is a stream feed from our servers.

L>This way there is no actual way to look into our coding. Thus when I say I'm Lunar...

L>I mean I was the GM who played that character. Well to be precise I was told to.

L>I'm actually a marketing person, so this might be a little bit outside of my expertise.

D>In any case, I am not sure what are you talking about even.

D>You have a reason to why you are telling us that?

D>Because it is hard to believe as things are now.

L>Right, I assume all will be clear once I tell you everything.

L>You see, an avatar of a GM is invisible to players, but you can still interact with them.

L>You can’t send direct messages but you can, for example, create events, manipulate rng or spawn monsters for them.

L>Of course I they gave me directives about what I should do in the game.

L>My job was to enlighten players, be kinda like their spiritual guide.

L>Lunar's attributes were Rebirth and Change, Deceit and Falsehood, Ascension and Entitlement.

L>That's basically what I was told, I had no idea what to do afterwards.

L>They just said I could do whatever, as long as it was within my role.

L>I must say I also really hated that job.

W>I'm sorry, but there is a lot of things that doesn't make sense now.

W>Let's start with the whirlpool at the lake. Did you cause it?

L>It would be me yes. I even gave him the Feather.

L>But I had a reason for it.

L>I have been following people who were interested in Lunar, in order to see why.

L>I thought this game was doomed from the start, but I was mistaken.

L>Because of that I wanted to learn why people are enjoying this game so much.

L>And so, when Wolf did his thing, I presented him with something he wanted.

L>His reaction was very much as I predicted, he believed in it instantly.

T>But we were there too right? Lunar showed that to us all.

L>Yes it is true, you were there too, and that might be reason why he actually believed in anything.

D>If we are at that point, I would like to discuss the screenshots.

D>WRose and Titania each received a screenshot of the whirlpool.

D>But they claim that when they screen captured it in the game they only got the lake.

D>Do you have an explanation for that?

L>Yes, naturally we used some coding to control what content could be screenshotted.

L>This included the "Ghost AI" content you are talking about.

L>When you press the screenshot key in game, the primary function in your computer is blocked by our program.

L>Instead we send you a printscreen from our servers, with our modifications of course.

L>Even if you take a photo it doesn't work because when you use a monitor, the game blocks you from seeing "Ghost AIs".

W>Wait... Wolf didn't say what device he was using either. I used a VR by the way.

T>I used a VR too Rosie, he must have used a VR as well right?

L>That is correct, we can tell what device you use due to our client.

L>Furthermore I’m not sure if Wolf mentioned that or not.

L>If you use a camera to take a picture of the VR screen itself, the very thing you are seeing.

L>Then you can bypass our filter. It’s that easy.

L>Although, I really thought people would figure that on their own.

L>When we searched far and wide, there were no such pictures on the internet.

D>I understand that, but there are still more things you should explain.

D>Like the screenshot printouts that WRose and Titania recievied.

L>Okay so, about those screenshots that was mailed to you, it was of course me who did it.

W>What? Is that the truth?

T>Huh? You're not lying or something?

L>It wasn't that hard to get your addresses, but moving on. I had a certain goal.

L>At that point I couldn't fight against what Wolf said, about his visions and such.

L>Thus to prove my point I sent you something that would further prove his lie.

L>Doing so, his lie would have surfaced eventually, as he wasn't able to back up now.

W>So you wanted to put him against the wall with things that was out of his control?

W>Why would Wolf lie anyway?

L>Ever since I noticed that he was I had no idea why would he lie.

L>Maybe he didn’t have the courage to tell the truth to all of you?

L>I assume he either knew the about the game’s code or was really lucky.

W>He used to mention a lot about different secrets of the game, yes...

L>Then perhaps he read it on some internet page?

W>That’s possible but...

D>That's interesting, but does it even matter if he thought up this himself, or read it online?

D>You have his visions, his world codependence and how things connected.

D>It’s pretty hard to go against, especially that he had evidence for it.

L>You mean like the Morphic Fields theory? Like if Wolf actually saw visions thanks to that?

L>Can you prove that things like biochemical signals exist?

D>Maybe not now, sorry, but what he saw in the game would be real.

T>Yea that’s it! There’s no way you can prove us wrong you nerd.

L>Ok...

L>How about we start with this screenshot? Look exactly where are his eyes looking at.

L>You can see that they are slightly off the centre, and there is a reason behind that.

L>You see, the VR headset is not the only thing you need to see "Ghost AIs".

L>You also need a Synapse.

L>With those two detected, our system will give an “ok”, and you will be able to see everything.

L>I already said we can check them, so do you guys want to know?

W>Well, I'm not sure if that changes anything but...

T>Sure, go ahead. You probably are really enjoying this too.

L>Wolf did not use Synapse, therefore all his visions in the game.

L>As well as the outside of the game becomes lies. There is no doubt.

D>Really... I mean you could be lying too, you know?

L>Do I look like I’m lying? I know what devices you all used.

L>I can send all the information to you guys if you want, how about it?

W>Not interested. I still believe in Wolf.

T>Yea... me too.

L>Then how about I tell you that Ares was behind pushing people into the war?

L>Obviously we did that because we wanted to match that event with the outbreak of an war in the real world.

L>We could have backed out if that wasn’t the case, but everything in the end turned out well.

L>The same could be said about our lunar eclipse event.

L>Albeit it was quite patched up, we used the big snake model for the boss.

L>We had no time to actually make any animations except the idle one.

L>Thus the boss did nothing, we had to summon mobs for the players to fight.

D>But the monster appeared because of Wolf's plan, didn't it?

L>Not exactly, we had no idea what to do at the start.

L>We created this doomsday scenario, but we haven’t planned when exactly players would fight the boss.

L>It was just coincidence that Wolf managed to rally up people to plant trees.

L>We noticed how everyone, even the players from the first server, was doing it.

L>So we decided it was a good idea to use that to our advantage.

L>And finally spawn the boss near a large city, to compel people to fight it.

L>We also had this endless starless sky, in case the game needed more memory during the battle.

L>Funny story about the sky, someone commented that it was very fitting for the game.

L>It symbolized that the dreams and hopes are not in the sky but on the Earth.

W>So... are you going to say that Wolf’s actions had no influence over the event?

W>That all he ever said was lies? That there is no connection between this and the VR world?

T>If I could say anything, they are definitely connected.

D>Right, maybe not in a literal sense, but through the minds of the people.

L>Are they really? I beg to differ, and that's according to what did happen in reality.

L>For example, when you consider that you guys did defeat the giant dragon.

L>How that affected the real world? Did it also destroy the problem in the real world?

D>Thank goddess it did. We somehow managed to win the vote once again.

L>But that's not the problem you see, fighting Net Neutrality is like fighting a Hydra.

L>When you cut off one of the heads, another two grow from it.

L>Only Hercules could defeat Hydra, normal people could not.

L>To truly get rid of Net Neutrality you need an actual hero that is able to slay the beast once and for all.

L>But heroes like that are only exist in stories. To make them reality we need to become heroes ourselves.

L>That’s what is lacking, that's why I don't believe there is actually a connection.

L>That's why I said why I said during that time “You have to abandon this dangerous conviction.”

L>”You have to improve and break away from the cycle, not in the shadow of a lie but in the light of truth”

 

===

 

When wishful thinking fills your mind, when many share your belief and accept your lie, there is no turning back. You fall deep, along with others, because just maybe... this one moment is worth it. However, the Eyes of the World are always watching, they’re always there. No matter what you do you will always be brought back to reality.

 

“It would take a miracle”, “I’m just a simple guy”, those are words you hear you ask “Why don’t you change the world if you think there is something wrong with it?”. No one in truth wanted to become a hero in the real world. But even if they emerge by pure coincidence, this world needs still heroes, even today.

 

In that situation, shouldn’t we then create them, inspiring people through the works of fiction? If we manage to create a narrative that would allow one to undergo a dream-like hero journey, with that experience, transferred into the real world, people should become their better versions. Should... but yet, the world remains the same.

 

That’s because in classic stories Hero’s Journey supposed to improve the hero by putting him in an unknown world. Yet, we live in real life, and even with current technology. VR is in our control, we can always turn it off. Comfortably sitting in our chairs, can we really say we have experience a Hero’s Journey through fiction? Can we really change, like fictional heroes do?

 

If that was the truth objectively, the world would have been saved multiple times by now.

 

 

D>So what are you trying to say is that...

T>Despite what we believe about the connection between virtual and the real world...

W>It is unwise to do so, it only leads to false and perilous thoughts?

L>I do expect you to understand, that is why I called you here for.

L>Ask yourselves, if the power of the Words is real, can they can create existence?

L>Can they also encourage the youth to rise against oppression?

L>But until that actually happens I won’t believe in that power.

L>Therefore I reject the idea of fiction having factual and positive influence for humans.

L>It only fuels their dreams and desires, only drives them mad them like looking at the Moon.

L>As for now you must wake up from this dream, and face reality.

W>But dreams and hopes... without them life is not possible.

L>You should chase after your dreams they say.

L>You should think realistically about your future they say.

L>But what they really mean is to connect the impossible with the possible.

L>You should know well WRose, there is no way our generation is able to do something ridiculous like that.

L>That is why I advise all of you to stop now, or you will face only regrets.

T>But there is no way knowing if you don't try!

T>Even if you have to hit your head against the wall.

T>Even if you have to literally go against the entire world.

T>It is the effort that counts, the journey.

T>That is what being a true hero is all about!

L>But isn't that a little bit selfish? A hero that only desires for self accomplishment.

L>A true hero is someone that doesn’t dive into the battle, but dives deeper in order to understand others.

L>It takes great bravery to try to comprehend someone who is different than you.

L>Doing so, the hero learns from the journey and improves upon himself as well.

L>Thus, rather than trying hard for his own sake, isn't a Hero someone who understands their own limits?

D>I do agree that in development, others are important.

D>But what is more important is not to lose yourself within your doubts.

D>For that you need role models or something in believe in.

D>Heroes are needed, they are something that people use to connect with each other.

D>Even if it’s just a fiction, it’s thanks to those experiences we can grow and improve upon ourselves.

L>That's interesting, because I always thought exactly the opposite.

L>Let’s take fiction and see how well it actually improved our generation.

L>Naturally, throughout the history, in order to preserve the established well being.

L>The newer generation is given an economical baton from the previous generation.

L>However, what if the young people don’t accept it, what if they ran?

L>What if they choose pleasure over responsibility?

D>As in fiction over reality? That’s an interesting way to look at it...

D>I'm... not sure about that.

D>A lot of people have negative thoughts about what is happening today.

D>They are desensitized by the media but still...

D>I want to believe that with our efforts we will be able to overcome our inability someday.

D>That fiction might be strength that we need in order to achieve that.

L>If anything, you do agree that is better for our generation take control right?

L>But if so, then we need somehow to convince them, to make them believe they can change.

L>By that I mean everyone only complains about the country, politics and economies.

L>To get past that we need to be united and stand together. We need to fight.

D>Yes, that is what my friends also would say.

L>But unfortunately, in the current narration, all we do is pray and wait.

L>Because fiction is fun. That’s how we now socialise, through fiction.

L>While talking about politics, religion or problems of the world is not welcome in general chats.

L>While discussing them in general leads to nothing.

L>We naively wait for someone to appear, for a Hero to lead us to victory.

L>Thinking that we can’t do anything by ourselves.

D>At least most of do think that, yes...

L>Thus, like a hero, I went deeper and asked you guys for help.

L>If my truth would be able to convince you guys, then...

W>...

L>I don't want a world where people are forced to escape into the worlds they created themselves.

L>Because the world didn’t gave them any other choice.

L>If words have the power to create existence, we have to use that power to make the youth stand for themselves.

L>Even if words can't fix things, we can still try doing something. It's better than nothing.

L>It's really a pity that in history, it's always the younger generation that had to fix everything that the older one broke.

T>...

L>There are the time we can't sit idly and delve into our fantasises and memories.

L>We can't afford to be silent and to not speak loudly. We have say something is wrong.

L>My goal here is to say that video games are just entertainment as long as you don't apply them to real life.

L>Because Wolf became the main hero, because you guys were also a part of this as well.

L>You have to prove me now, that you can to give up on your habits and face reality.

D>...

L>Why aren't you not responding? Is something wrong with the chat program?

?>...

L>Hello? This is Lunar.

?>...

 

...

 

Only silence... the worst outcome I have feared... exactly as I wrote it.

 

...

 

The spiral stairs go deep down, each step sounds quieter than the previous one.

When nothing is alit anymore, the silence births a begging to a world within a lie.

It encompasses all, echoes within and prevents form the words to escape to the outside.

 

L>Hello? Earth? Do you read me? This is Lunar!

 

...

 

Wasting my effort I still try to contact them, I can't be defeated here.

I might be not the hero of this story, but even for me there should be something I could...

 

...

 

But in the end, I'm like them—I'm holding their hands and dance around the fire place.

I was born as a straw man, someone who is exploited like a [Feather]-less doll, and I will forever stay that way.

And when the fire will rise due the [Rain] I will be too burned, and nothing but [Ashes] will remain.