Epitaph
- Reads 444
- Votes 32
- Parts 13
In the 22nd century, humanity has retreated into the safety of virtual realities and space colonies. Robert Ratajczyk, revived through cryonics, finds himself lost in this unfamiliar world of digital immortality, struggling to reconnect with a life he no longer understands. As he grapples with the emptiness of modern existence and the eerie perfection of VR and AR, an unexpected encounter with a figure from his past might be the key to unlocking a future he never anticipated.
✨#1 hardSF
✨#1 transhumanism
✨#1 postcyberpunk
All Rights Reserved
#52
metaverse
Join the largest storytelling communityGet personalized story recommendations, save your favourites to your library, and comment and vote to grow your community.
You may also like
In THE SPIRAL: Connected Stories & Fragments from the Virtual Future
VIRTUAL INSPIRATION: TEST OUT the SPIRAL INTERFACE and ENTER the brave new SUPER-WORLDS... For there are no limitations, only imagination and ideas manifested in these initial projections and snapshots - voices from the ashes of the Neuroceans as the new, super-hyped Spiral metaverse now grows and rises... for fresh ghosts to haunt this virtually connected age... ...where you too can jack-in and explore a new revolution in human technology-powered expression and creativity, where its secret pioneers must come together with a willingness to express the goodness and terror of its possibly real - but still only imaginable - plunder... This is background to 'Fountellion' game story. Ideas and comments always welcome. https://medium.com/fountellion-in-the-spiral (updated versions) 2006, re-compiled 2009, revised fragments 2015 +Complete
Migration
In 2095, everyone goes digital before they hit thirty-five. Everyone except the Ghosts who grow old in the side streets of the Metropolis, and the Lifers who escape to a life of foraging and tech in the wilderness beyond the wall. Zoe's already made her choice, and after her mother migrates she heads through the wall, to find a mortal future with Matthew and the Lifers. When a new software entity takes violent control of the virtual world, cleansing the system of the hypocrisies of humanity, a stream of refugees begin to arrive at the clearing and Zoe and her friends return to defend the Metropolis. There they find a different future awaits them and the fight for who controls eternity begins. "Give this a shot; it mixes future-tech dystopia with a chance for heroism and hope." ★★★★ Joe Crowe, RevolutionSFComplete
The Era of Stars: time of revolution
Since the era of colonization, the wheel of history has gone through 2246 APO years. Everything is slowly changing, the power of the old empire is gradually waning, and the new power has entered the political stage of the universe. There are new and energetic ones, and there are older ones which once powerful and willing to return. Countless intrigues in the universe make it difficult for people to escape the net of power. In the prosperous world, people lose themselves in the pomp. This is the Era of Stars, a material era, an era in which titles and thrones no longer represent everything, and an era with unlimited possibilities... In the independent districts of the Far Galaxy, a new drama is kicking off.Complete
The Day We Left Earth
If we stayed there any longer, we would have died. Earth was no longer our home, but instead a barren waste land from which we had to escape. Its calm blue oceans were replaced by big empty pits, and the green grass which used to cover our planet has now died, leaving all ground we tread on brown. The sun was getting too close to earth. It was going to explode soon, meaning we would have to leave. Either that, or die on what we called home. Not everyone left, not everyone was saved, but most of us are here in our new home. It's a huge space station called 'Earth Resides'. All of us who made it here, though, refer to it as our last resort. My names Mia. I've been here nine years. And I know the truth. ------------ Project ConstellationsComplete
ESCAPE FROM THE FUTURE
Less than forty years into the future, most of mankind has elected to upload themselves to digital nirvana, where they can live as many lives as they care to in parallel, in as many different fantasy worlds as they desire. A small percentage of humans, however, are loath to give up the mortal coil. These last holdouts are the escapees from the future. The question is, for how long? Will Mother, the sentient internet, be content with gentle prodding to upgrade and uplift? Or will she resort to more coercive means? Has she already, unbeknownst to the final holdouts?Complete
Susan's Plague
The future isn't friendly. People in Meta are dying from a mysterious disease and Sean wants to know why. But in the Core, asking the wrong question can be dangerous. Pursuing the answers, Sean and his friends embark on a perilous journey that will put them on a collision course with the malevolent Niles Galvin, the most powerful and treacherous oligarch on the planet. Could Susan's Plague be something more sinister than they thought? Will they discover a much darker side to the oppressive oligarchy that rules them? Sean finds himself caught up in the complex machinations of an evil man bent on seizing and controlling the power of the past for his use to rule the present. With their lives hanging in the balance, Sean struggles to save himself and his friends when he realizes the truth has dire consequences. By Rick Chisholm Copyright © 2014 Rick Chisholm All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or in any means – by electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without prior written permission.Complete
Mankinds last Silhouette
Empire. At the end only Empire remains. No matter how many times you rebel Empire remains. No matter how many times you fight for your democratic Empire remains. Now bend for your emperorr. Welcome readers to my fantasy world. I have brought you something beyond the constraints of my imagination, and I wonder if many are ready for it; however, a good story must be told, and I am fortunate to be the one to tell it. Imagine a world where the vile nature of mankind creeps its ugly head as humanity faces its first and last major catastrophe. The world plunged into everlasting darkness, entrenched in chaos and disorder, where hope is a distant flitting memory. The story I propose to my fellow readers follows Anthony Verdun, who was only a boy when all he knew was taken from him in an instant. Like many others, on that day, those who survived lost a part of themselves, forever scarred by the family, friends, and loved ones they lost. Their lives changed forever; how could it not? I welcome you to join the world I have created, indulge in this hypothetical, and dive into this what-if. What that is, well, you would have to read to find out. Weekly chapter uploads, so stay vigilant. Here is the link to the community discord, where we can discuss the book further. All are welcome, but please be respectful: https://discord.gg/nVPetSuc Link to chapters podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4fyolNUVpfAWSVSUqVe16h?si=ogU8YapNTcCaQLqHbDCnZQComplete
Echo-1 The Whale
An epic adventure, an unreliable narrator, an intense cast of characters. Follow a digital subroutine from a 21st century Earth VR simulation that uploads himself into an advanced synthetic body, yet still identifies as human, when he wakes up on a gargantuan space freighter piloted by a 100-year-old sperm whale named Jonas, who offers him a job he can't refuse. There are monkey eating lizard men, diamond scout ships, galactic witch cults with hordes of genetically altered space wolves, a naked tattooed female stunt bike rider, puppies, a gang of reincarnated save-the-whalers, an Israeli spy general, Inuits from the 1800s, hulk bodied Zero-G commandos, rainbow squid, indestructible rust robots, an aging biologist trapped in a young girl's body, secret oceans in the storage decks, technology hating narwhals, acid guns, giant wasps, red lightning electric samurai swords, Ursa Minor Gnomes, a nebula belching wormhole, and of course, sperm whales: social big brained computer geniuses and the best starship pilots in the galaxy.Complete
Mirror Sky. Part 1 - Blissful Nemesis
The future is predetermined. It can't be changed. But who casts the future in stone? It's you, me, and every one of us. The iron grip of our fate doesn't come from gods or physics but from us. You are oppressed by your future self to walk the one and only road. Knowing the future changes nothing - this knowledge has already been written into your fate. Time travel is meaningless for the same reason - all your meddlings had also become a part of your fate before you even embarked on your journey through time. Could this strange duality of free will and fate be challenged? If so, what would it take? How far are you willing to go to change your dark fate? Is the risk of erasing the universe from existence worth your brighter future?Complete
Sleepwalker || ONC 2023
No one has seen the real world in centuries. Since the creation of Dreamworld, humanity has transported permanently into the digital realm. The only ones who even know that Earth was-and is-a real place are the members of the Embassy, Dreamworld's sole government power. Tom Tolmafin, the last human to remember Earth, has hacked the aging process to prevent himself from dying before he finds his son, who was by the agency just before Dreamworld became operational. Now inside the digital realm, Tolmafin has created the catalyst to the Embassy's destruction and the only hope to finding his son-an android. Ace Raven, the most sarcastic AI known to man, has two objectives. Find Drake Tolmafin and shut down Dreamworld. When he meets a band of rebel teens attempting to break out of the system, he finds his chance to face the most lethal virtual landscape that will lead him to his goal. If they survive the Zones, they can hack the program and complete their objective, returning humanity to the real world. Failure is not an option. Failure means death. Prompt: In a dystopian world where technology controls every aspect of life, a group of rebels must navigate through a virtual reality landscape to hack into the mainframe and take back control from the oppressive government. {ONC2023 Shortlister}Complete
VIRTUAL INSPIRATION: TEST OUT the SPIRAL INTERFACE and ENTER the brave new SUPER-WORLDS... For there are no limitations, only imagination and ideas manifested in these initial projections and snapshots - voices from the ashes of the Neuroceans as the new, super-hyped Spiral metaverse now grows and rises... for fresh ghosts to haunt this virtually connected age... ...where you too can jack-in and explore a new revolution in human technology-powered expression and creativity, where its secret pioneers must come together with a willingness to express the goodness and terror of its possibly real - but still only imaginable - plunder... This is background to 'Fountellion' game story. Ideas and comments always welcome. https://medium.com/fountellion-in-the-spiral (updated versions) 2006, re-compiled 2009, revised fragments 2015 +
More detailsContent Guidelines