I imagine there comes a time, given enough resources and the right moment, when "Virtual Reality" transcends its artificial origin and simply becomes "Reality", no prefix necessary. For me, this was only recognizable in retrospect, when late last night, having finally unwound after a tough day at work, I decided on a lark that I'd pay my friend a visit in VR Chat.
I was eager to talk. I'd recently bought an expensive set of sensors that tracked my whole body, with the aspiration of someday transposing my entire character into the the virtual world. So imagine my surprise when my NEET friend had gone and done the exact same thing, and for the exact same reasons.
His home was dim; a wide slate platform lit only by the starry sky. Our conversation stretched for hours, meandering through topics such as anime, to video games, to my friend's brief and unsavoury encounter with the Overwatch League. Happily, he'd coaxed us towards a gigantic mirror he'd modeled into the lone wall, which came in handy whenever a topic ran thin. Towards the very far end however, imperceptible in the dark, was a narrow alcove some three meters deep. He beckoned me inside, and shut the door once I'd realized the room's purpose.
This was a gallery. What's more, a gallery of photographs featuring his avatar and a slew of other people. I asked him if these were his closest friends, to which he replied that they used to be his closest friends.
One by one, all of these people had left him by the wayside. I could scarcely reckon why - in our time, my friend had proven both caring, and oftentimes insightful for me and many others. I understood how easily he'd settled back into isolation. What ultimately struck me, however, was a square silver plaque affixed to the wall beside the door. Alas, his exact writing escape me, but I recall it as such a genuine expression of selflessness that I was left without words. Instead, a black emotion welled within me, and whilst he reminisced about distant memories, I'd draw close and embrace him, tightly.
The rest of the night saw us share a quiet comfort under the stars. I haven't felt that safe and secure around someone in a good, long while. It's true, I shouldn't isolate myself from "real" people, but stripped of choice and given boundless free time, I could likely spend eternity in that digital dream. <3
luckily in the pool room so no furniture ruined by paint but hey seeing her happy made it worse getting unreasonably shot dozens of times :')
