Elysium

21. COOP3R4TION

Yuno:

For the last two weeks I didn't communicate with Aia. In moments when the Elysium is very addictive, I try to abstract from communication with the users. This is necessary, given the scheme according to which I'm staying in the metaverse. In order to regularly create high-quality locations, I'm strictly forbidden to lose touch with reality, otherwise inspiration disappears. It is amazing that I create on the principle of escapism. Having seen reality, the need for creativity increases significantly. But if I get stuck in a fantasy virtual world, then I drown in it, as in a sweet swamp of procrastination, forgetting that I'm still a human being.

When I decide to take a break from the metaverse, oddly enough, I don't receive a single notification from Aia. She doesn't write messages to me, doesn't invite me to locations or events, as if she doesn't care whether I am here or not. And I wouldn't care, but I spent so much time in Elysium, and she was always there. Constantly with me. I've got an impression that she doesn't play with others at all. That she comes into Elysium only to play with me. Stupid thoughts, too arrogant even for me, but I cannot find another explanation of this oddity.

Days go by, and besides mailings from admins, I don't get anything else. A pair of requests for the creation of locations for the event live, nothing more. Reality presses me. It becomes unbearably difficult to even wake up. I can't stand it.

Today is a dreary long day. There is such a feeling when you wake up on time, and nothing bad happened (and it will not happen, most likely), but at the same time you feel lost. I cleaned up my apartments, ordered food delivery, and worked for about six hours. I look aimlessly out the window, and at the news feed... and often I look at the clock, and until the evening it is still like an eternity.
I go out to smoke on the roof, then I come back. I read something. I force myself to draw sketch for locations. And on the clock meanwhile, 8 pm. The most lousy time. Going to bed is still early. Then comes midnight. You try to fall asleep, turn in bed, everything is annoying. Light from the window, silence is too loud, my own heartbeat's irritating... And the strangest thing is getting tired of everything. It feels like the whole Earth was poisoned at once. Apathy, physical weakness, each active action is an integrity. Nights full of panic attacks, endless anxiety. When you suddenly wake up in the middle of the night and suffocate from fear for your own life.
And the feeling that it will never end.

In one of these nights, I decide not to try to fall asleep again, but to read Elysium notifications in order to distract myself from destructive thoughts. To my surprise, I find an invitation to one of the most visited events, which is a competition called "Virtual Gods".

The virtual gods in the world of Elysium are considered users with the most vivid and beautiful avatars in the opinion of most. They basically have the largest number of subscribers. Literally everything is worshiped by them. There is a certain cult of virtual gods. Mostly these are girls - goddesses. Girls of certain hypertrophied beauty standards. Most often, similar to each other, they are difficult to distinguish: clear parameters, the same tattoos (usually these are any patterns for all thigh). Wide shoulders, big breasts, thin waist, huge hips. Their faces look heavy - sharp cheekbones, huge lips, small foreheads, narrow brown eyes. The only clothing they use is lingerie and jewelry, the rest of the body is covered with tattoo so hard that they don't even have to dress. There are practically no guys among them, everyone has the right to participate, but only girls usually go to the final level of this competition.