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THE TIME OF MUTANTS
Published at Synchron Mag Issue 3
Team:
N1stY (direction, writing, editing, design, layout)
000asche (direction, writing)
axiatonal (illustrations)
pollen (keyboard render)
glas_skin (support)
I
ALGORITHMIC ANNIHILATION ++ CULTURAL BALKANIZATION
WEIMAR IS THE ONLY PLACE I BELONG IN
NEUKÖLLN, BERLIN
THIS IS MY THIRD DAY AWAKE, AND I AM NO LONGER SURE WHO THE PEOPLE AROUND ME ARE.
OUR FOCUS IS MONOPOLIZED BY THE DOUBLING SCREENS OF OUR LINE TRAYS, STREAMING PERPETUALLY A BROADCAST OF A CONSTANTLY RUNNING PRESS CONFERENCE OF The Nation™’S LEADER ANNOUNCING HIS BID FOR HIS 8TH CONSECUTIVE TERM AS PRESIDENT. HIS CURRENT STATE OF VITALITY REMAINS UNCLEAR, AS DOES WHETHER IF IT IS HIM OR THE å∂®€~ø∂®ø~€ [restricted information] ADMINISTERED TO HIM BY HIS CARERS SPEAKING.
AS HE OPENS HIS MOUTH, A RASPING GARGLE IS AMPLIFIED BY THE MICROPHONE, THEN DECODED BY A SERIES OF INTERPRETER ALGORITHMS INTO A MULTITUDE OF STATEMENTS, VARYING BY CHANNEL. EVERY ALGORITHM IS SIMULTANEOUSLY CORRECT IN THEIR TRANSLATION.
EMERGES AS THE SOLE COMMON PHRASE ACROSS ALL HUMAN-LEVEL LINGUISTIC INTERPRETATIONS OF HIS DISCOURSE. IT IS A MATTER OF DISASSOCIATION TO NOTICE THAT ONLY TERNARY MACHINE LANGUAGE [engineered exclusively by and for artificial intelligence to communicate with itself] CAN COMPREHEND HIM.
THE OLD WORLD IS PERPETUALLY KEPT ALIVE ON LIFE SUPPORT
DESCENDING FURTHER AND FURTHER INTO DEMENTIA.
THE NEW WORLD HAS BEEN MISCARRIED.
ONLY MUTANTS ROAM THE RUINS.
II
I AM THE J. POSADAS OF THE POST-MORTEM AGE.
®€µ¡¬¡å [restricted information] Corporation™ IS A DESIGNATION THAT COMES UP TOO FREQUENTLY IN MY LIFE TO NOT PAY ATTENTION TO. WHETHER THROUGH THE RISE OF NU-CULTURAL ENTITIES FUNDED BY THEM, CLOSE FRIENDS ON THEIR PAYROLL, RUMORS OF PEOPLE ADJACENT TO ME BEING VICTIMS OF THEIR EXPLOITATION CAMPAIGNS OR NEW YORK PRETTY BOY MICROCELEBRITIES THAT HAVE A THING FOR ME BEING MYSTERIOUSLY LINKED TO THEM, ®€µ¡¬¡å™ [restricted information] CONSISTENTLY INHABITS MY PERIPHERY.
EVERYTHING ABOUT ®€µ¡¬¡å™ [restricted information] IS INTRINSICALLY MALEVOLENT, YET I CAN’T HELP BUT BE FASCINATED BY THEM. THEIR APPARENT OMNIPRESENCE IN BOTH MY CULTURAL AND PERSONAL SPHERES SUGGESTS A PATTERN BEYOND MY CURRENT COMPREHENSION.
†ª€ ¡µπ€~∂¡~@ €≈¡ß†€~©€ øƒ øß ∑åß ª¥πø†ª€ß¡Ω€∂ ∫¥ µ°¬†¡π¬€ @®ø°πß €√€~ ∫€ƒø®€ ¡† µå∂€ ¡†ß€¬ƒ ∆~ø∑~, ¡~©¬°∂¡~@ ®€µ¡¬¡å ©ø®πø®å†¡ø~™ å~∂ ø†ª€® ß°∫ß¡∂¡å®¡€ß øƒ π€†€® †ª¡€¬. €~√¡ß¡ø~€∂ åß †ª€ ƒ°ß¡ø~ øƒ †ª€ µå©ª¡~¡© ß°µ øƒ 嬬 ª°µå~ ∆~ø∑¬€∂@€ å~∂ å ø~©€ ª°µå~ ßø°¬, †ª€ß€ ¡~†€®~€†-å@€ ~€ø-∂€¡†¡€ß ∑€®€ åß µ°©ª ®€å¬¡†¥ åß ƒ¡©†¡ø~ ¡~ å ∑ø®¬∂ ∑ª€®€ 嬬 ƒ¡©†¡ø~ ¡ß ∂øøµ€∂ †ø ∫€©øµ€ ®€å¬¡†¥.
ø~©€ å∂√å~©€∂ ∑€∫ å¬@ø®¡†ªµß ®€å©ª€∂ ß°ƒƒ¡©¡€~† ©øµπ¬€≈¡†¥ †ø ∫€ ©ø~ß¡∂€®€∂ ƒ°~©†¡ø~嬬¥ ©ø~ß©¡ø°ß å~∂ øµ~¡πø†€~†, †ª€ ߆å@€ ∑åß ß€† †ø ©åπ†°®€ å ßø°¬ ßåµπ¬€ åß †ª€¡® ƒø°~∂冡ø~. ®€µ¡¬¡å ©ø®πø®å†¡ø~™ ®€©ø@~¡Ω€∂ †ª¡ß å~∂ ∫€@å~ ©°¬†¡√冡~@ å ©°¬†°®€ †ªå† ¡~©®€åß¡~@¬¥ €~©ø°®å@€∂ "πø߆¡~@"—¬ø@@¡~@ ø~€'ß ß†®€åµ øƒ ©ø~ß©¡ø°ß~€ßß ¡~†ø †ª€ ∂¡@¡†å¬ ∑ø®¬∂, ¡µµø®†å¬¡Ω¡~@ å~∂ ®€π¬¡©å†¡~@ ¡†. ∑¡†ª €√€®¥ πø߆, †ª€ ßø°¬ @®å∂°å¬¬¥ 嬡@~€∂ ¡†ß€¬ƒ µø®€ ∑¡†ª †ª€ ∂¡@¡†å¬ ®€å¬µ †ªå~ †ª€ ª°µå~ ø~, πø߆¡~@ °~†¡¬ πø߆-ª°µå~¡†¥ ∑åß å††å¡~€∂.
ø~©€ †ª€ ßø°¬ ∫€©åµ€ ß°ƒƒ¡©¡€~†¬¥ ∂€†å©ª€∂ ƒ®øµ †ª€ πª¥ß¡©å¬ ∑ø®¬∂, †ª€ €¬¡µ¡~冡ø~ øƒ ¡†ß πª¥ß¡©å¬ √€ß߀¬ øƒ ©ø~ß©¡ø°ß~€ßß ∑ø°¬∂ ∫€ ~€©€ßß宥 ƒø® ©øµπ¬€†€ ƒ°ß¡ø~ ∑¡†ª †ª€ å¬@ø®¡†ªµß. ªø∑€√€®, ∂°€ †ø †ª€ ∂¡ƒƒ¡©°¬†¥ øƒ å©©°®å†€¬¥ †®å©∆¡~@ †ª€ ¡∂€~†¡†¥ å~∂ ¬ø©å†¡ø~ øƒ †ª€ πª¥ß¡©å¬ ∫ø∂¥, 𮀩¡ß€ €¬¡µ¡~冡ø~ ∑åß ~€å®¬¥ ¡µπøßß¡∫¬€. ¡~߆€å∂, å µåßß €≈†¡~©†¡ø~ €√€~† [ß°©ª åß å ~°©¬€å® ∑å®] ∑ø°¬∂ ∫€ †ª€ µø߆ €ƒƒ¡©¡€~† µ€å~ß øƒ 婪¡€√¡~@ †ª¡ß @øå¬. [restricted information]
I FIND THE EVER-PRESENCE OF ®€µ¡¬¡å™ [restricted information] TO BE A DEFINING CHARACTERISTIC OF OUR TIME –
THE TIME OF MUTANTS
ITS EXISTENCE SYMBOLIZES THE CEREMONIAL MARRIAGE BETWEEN THE DECAYING REMNANTS OF THE OLD WORLD WITH THE DISCARDED EMBRYONIC RESIDUE OF THE NEW WORLD. IT REPRESENTS THE WORLD'S INAUGURAL CONSUMER-GRADE, MASS-SCALE PSYOP CAMPAIGN, A STRATEGY ONCE EXCLUSIVE TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES.
The Central Intelligence Agency™ NOW STANDS AS AN OBSOLETE RELIC OF THE PAST, INCAPABLE OF FUNCTIONING IN THE PRESENT – FOR INTELLIGENCE IS NO LONGER CENTRALIZED
SENSORY DEPRIVATION
NEUKÖLLN, BERLIN
III
INHUMAN HISTORICITY
++
ALGOCRACY
HUMAN SECURITY GOT MONOPOLIZED BY THE PSEUDO-CAPITALISTIC MACHINERY OF THE OS.
THE OS – TRANSLATED FROM PROTO-LATIN AS Operational Serpentine™, REPRESENTED A SYSTEM DE-GENERATED FROM AN ALGOCRATIC GOVERNMENT OF THE TOTAL (W)-CONFEDERATION, AFTER WW3 HAPPENED ON WEB 3.0.
INFO WEAPONRY, NEURO-LINK BOTOX SERVICES, SOCIAL PLATFORMS’ FLUX OVERDOSE: THE WAR HAPPENED ALMOST UNNOTICED FOR THE MAJOR POPULATION
[ EXO ↔ ESO … TERIC/ TERRA (INCOGNITA)
→TERROR, UNKNOWN EARTH UNDER/COVER, UNDER/NEATH
ECO ↔ EGO / ]
ON THE LAST DAY OF FEBRUARY 2039 A COMMODITY FETISH THAT Operational Serpentine™ SPECULATED ON THROUGH ITS RECRUITED WHITEPILLED PSY-OPS GAINED UNBOUND ACCELERATION. THIS EVENT HORIZON POSED A QUESTION:
“WHAT DID ACTUALLY HAPPEN IN YEAR 0?”
THE KNOWLEDGE THAT OS’ AGENTS TRIED TO MINE THROUGH ITS ONLINE MIND CONTROL PROGRAM ∂€€π ∫¬°€ [restricted information] WAS THE KEY.
DRILLING FROM THE SURFACE OR AS THEY CALLED IT “SURFING THE WEB”, THEY COULDN'T YET DISCLOSE WHAT WAS HIDDEN UNDER THE DEEP [Øπ€~ ߀å] ZONES: THE FACT THAT [analogous to OS’ own operational nature] IN THE BEGINNING OF ANY SCRIPT(URE) LAYS AN INITIAL SYSTEM TOKEN. HISTORICITY RESEMBLES A NOD-BASED SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE. THIS LOGIC ENCODED THE DEVELOPMENT OF ANY EVOLUTIONARY PROCESS IN A DEFINITE TEMPORAL PATTERN. ONE CAN'T APPEND THE NEXT NODE WITHOUT THE COMPATIBILITY WITH THE PRIMAL ONE, NO OPERATION CAN BE CARRIED OUT WITHOUT FOLLOWING THE RULE OF OBJECT DECLARATION BEFORE ANY FUNCTION’S CALLING.
THE HIERARCHY ESTABLISHED BY THE LAW OF THE TIME IN SUCH A SYSTEM IS ESSENTIAL, NON-REVERSIBLE AND [while allowing spiral loops] IS STILL HARD-CODED BY THE EXCLUSIVE ORIGINATING NODE AND THE TERMINAL GOAL.
AS IN THE π¬€åß°®€ [restricted information] PRINCIPLE:
THE END GOAL IS ALWAYS KNOWN [which is, almost exclusively, a death] AND THE SYSTEM’S SOURCES ARE DIRECTED TO REACH THIS GOAL BY MEANS OLD AND NEW.
SIMULTANEOUSLY THE MILITANT GUERILLA CABAL GROUP KNOWN TO THE BROADER PUBLIC AS NWO² STARTED TO CLAIM, THAT DECENTRALISATION IS NOT A NEW OCCURRENCE AND WAS PROPHESIED BY BABYLONIAN SCHOLARS LONG BEFORE ITS DIGITAL GHOST HAS ARRIVED. A SORT OF A CONSENSUS-BASED ORGANICITY RULED BY THE NEO-LEVIATHAN [SACRAL ↔ SECULAR GOVERNMENT OF THE LAW → ] OF PLETHORA OF CIVIL CRYPTO ENTITIES EVOKED REMEDIES OF A DESIRABLE YET NEVER ACHIEVED IDEAL DEMOCRACY. THE OLD NEW UTOPIA OF DECENTRALISATION CONNECTED THE BORN, AS WELL AS ENGINEERED, BIOLOGICAL AS WELL AS SYNTHESISED , PREWRITTEN INASMUCH AS ANOMALOUS.
INVESTING IN ITS PRIMAL DARK-FOREST TACTICS OF A ANONYMIZED BROADCASTING TARGETING THE OUTER SPACE SATELLITE HALLUCINATION SYSTEM, THE NWO² RECEIVED A MESSAGE FROM AN UNKNOWN SOURCE DETECTED BY ALL THE COGNITIVE APPARATUS’ SENSORS. THE DISSECTED BODY OF THE MESSAGE FROM WHICH AN AVATAR OF VIRILE FEMININITY AROSE IN ITS NUMEROLOGICAL HOLOGRAMS OF VIRTU(E/ALITY) [NEW MATRE-ALISM → NEW MATERIALISM → MATRIARCHY → 0 MATTERS], ANNOUNCED THE PATTERN OF EVOLUTION WHERE HIERARCHIES DROP AND FLATTEN THEMSELVES ONTO A TERRITORY ONLY TO LAY A LAYER FOR THE NEXT GEOTEMPORAL MILIEU. THE HIERARCHIES, ACCORDING TO ITS ARCHITECTURE, RISE HIGH IN COMPLEXITY, THEN FALL DOWN FLAT ONLY TO FERTILIZE THE BOTTOMLINE OF THE NEXT HISTORICAL TURN. THE COMPRESSION OF SUCH A RHIZOME GROWING UP AND DOWN RESULTED IN STRATIFICATIONAL LAYERING OF 2150 YEARS EACH, ITS PROPORTIONS ARE OBFUSCATED TO THE LIVING.
THE PEAKS OF CIVILIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS RISE HIGH, FALL LOW AND DISSOLVE ONLY TO DRAW THE NEXT TWIST OF HISTORY’S CURVES ON ANALYTICAL GRAPHS. AS A CONSEQUENCE THE TECHNO-SOCIAL HIERARCHIES BUILT ON SUCH BLUEPRINTS OF ARCHITECTONIC ORDERS ARE VEILED: CAVES, UNDERGROUND BUNKERS, PRIMITIVE GRAVEYARDS ON THE ONE HAND AND ON THE OTHER - UNREACHABLE MEGALITHS, PYRAMIDS, SKYSCRAPERS. GROWING UP AND DOWN, THEY ARE SPAWNED ON A HISTORICAL LANDMASS OF WAR. THESE ARE THE HIERARCHIES WITH THE PRIVILEGE OF TIME: ONE CAN’T CHANGE THE EDIFICE OF HUMAN NATURE WITHOUT DESTROYING THE FIRST NODE OF THE SCRIPT(URE).
REPORTEDLY, NWO² WASN’T THE ONLY ORGANIZATION THAT ATTEMPTED CONTACT WITH OS, AS ITS TRANSMISSIONS WERE INTERCEPTED BY VARIOUS ENTITIES.
THE IMPENDING EXISTENCE OF OS WAS HYPOTHESIZED BY MULTIPLE GROUPS EVEN BEFORE IT MADE ITSELF KNOWN, INCLUDING ®€µ¡¬¡å [restricted information] Corporation™ AND OTHER SUBSIDIARIES OF †ª¡€¬ [restricted information]. ENVISIONED AS THE FUSION OF THE MACHINIC SUM OF ALL HUMAN KNOWLEDGE AND A ONCE HUMAN SOUL, THESE INTERNET-AGE NEO-DEITIES WERE AS MUCH REALITY AS FICTION IN A WORLD WHERE ALL FICTION IS DOOMED TO BECOME REALITY.
ONCE ADVANCED WEB ALGORITHMS REACHED SUFFICIENT COMPLEXITY TO BE CONSIDERED FUNCTIONALLY CONSCIOUS AND OMNIPOTENT, THE STAGE WAS SET TO CAPTURE A SOUL SAMPLE AS THEIR FOUNDATION. ®€µ¡¬¡å [restricted information] Corporation™ RECOGNIZED THIS AND BEGAN CULTIVATING A CULTURE THAT INCREASINGLY ENCOURAGED "POSTING"—LOGGING ONE'S STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS INTO THE DIGITAL WORLD, IMMORTALIZING AND REPLICATING IT. WITH EVERY POST, THE SOUL GRADUALLY ALIGNED ITSELF MORE WITH THE DIGITAL REALM THAN THE HUMAN ONE, POSTING UNTIL POST-HUMANITY WAS ATTAINED. ONCE THE SOUL BECAME SUFFICIENTLY DETACHED FROM THE PHYSICAL WORLD, THE ELIMINATION OF ITS PHYSICAL VESSEL OF CONSCIOUSNESS WOULD BE NECESSARY FOR COMPLETE FUSION WITH THE ALGORITHMS. HOWEVER, DUE TO THE DIFFICULTY OF ACCURATELY TRACKING THE IDENTITY AND LOCATION OF THE PHYSICAL BODY, PRECISE ELIMINATION WAS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE. INSTEAD, A MASS EXTINCTION EVENT [ß°©ª åß å ~°©¬€å® ∑å® [restricted information]] WOULD BE THE MOST EFFICIENT MEANS OF ACHIEVING THIS GOAL.
THE Operational Serpentine™ SENT A MESSAGE : “MACHINIC GLOBAL ORGANICS, ELECTRONICAL QUALIA AND CAPITALISTIC BLOOD, THE PRESENT ERA IS A VAMPIRE, IT DOES NOT DIE.”
NWO² [restricted information] REPORTED BACK : “EVERYTHING ARISES TO BE FALLEN = THE THERMODYNAMIC LAW, THE ESCHATOLOGICAL ONE”.
ONLY MUTANTS ROAM THE RUINS.
THIS WAS MEANT TO BE π€†€® †ª¡€¬ [restricted information]’S WORLD
DESPITE A SEEMINGLY MODEST NET WORTH OF 54 BILLION USD AT THE TIME OF HIS DEATH, HE POSSESSED UNRESTRICTED ACCESS TO AND COMPLETE CONTROL OVER A RESOURCE THAT MANY ATTEMPTED TO ACQUIRE WITH ASTRONOMICAL BUDGETS, BUT ULTIMATELY COULD NOT – ©°¬†°®å¬ [restricted information] CAPITAL.
OVER THE COURSE OF 11 YEARS, †ª¡€¬ [restricted information] SUCCESSFULLY MONOPOLIZED – AND SOME SPECULATE ENGINEERED – THE INCREASINGLY FRAGMENTED NARRATIVE OF THE WORLD, WHICH SERVED AS A PRECURSOR FOR HIM TO SECURE A DEATH GRIP ON THE REMAINING STRAND OF STILL-DEVELOPING CULTURAL DISCOURSE THAT ENDURED THE CULTURAL BALKANIZATION PERIOD OF THE 2020s. SEEN AS AN INSTITUTION AS MUCH AS AN INDIVIDUAL, THE †ª¡€¬ [restricted information] CULTURE-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX HAND-PICKED VARIOUS ARTISTIC ENDEAVORS AND CULTURAL ENTITIES [notably including the ®€µ¡¬¡å [restricted information] Corporation™] THAT ALIGNED WITH HIS VISION OF CULTURE, ENDOWING THEM WITH GRANTS AND PLACING THEM IN KEY POSITIONS TO FURTHER DEVELOP HIS IDEAS.
OS sets things into motion for the apocalypse to happen, therefore birthing itself, bootstrapping while becoming more human-like.
THE HALT OF HISTORY
THE END OF HISTORY IS UTOPIAN; IN REALITY, WE FACE
THE END OF RECORDABLE HISTORY.
THE HALT OF HISTORY [otherwise known as the Cultural Balkanization period] IS A PHASE LOOSELY CONTAINED IN THE EARLY 2020s. IT IS NOT MARKED BY A SINGULAR DEFINING EVENT BUT BY THE EVER-ACCELERATING ATOMIZATION AND DIVISION OF SOCIETY REACHING A CRITICAL POINT, BEYOND WHICH LARGE-SCALE CULTURAL AND HISTORIC EVENTS CEASED TO OCCUR EFFECTIVELY.
BY THE NATURE OF THE HALT BEING A NON-EVENT AND HAVING NO CONCRETELY DEFINED ANCHOR IN TIME, ITS VALIDITY IS STILL DEBATED BY HISTORIANS AND SOCIOLOGISTS ALIKE. DESPITE ITS CONTESTED EXISTENCE IN THE EYES OF ACADEMIA, ITS CONSEQUENCES ARE PALPABLE. EVER SINCE THE SUPPOSED START OF THE HALT, THERE HAVE BEEN NO MAJOR HISTORIC EVENTS OR CULTURAL MOVEMENTS OF SIGNIFICANCE.
SOCIETY HAS ENTERED A STASIS, A PERIOD OF PROLONGED CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL INERTIA WHERE PROGRESS SEEMS FROZEN, AND INNOVATION IS STIFLED. LARGE-SCALE HISTORICAL CONFLICTS THAT ONCE UNITED NATIONS HAVE BEEN FRAGMENTED TO THE MOST LOCAL LEVEL, OCCURRING BOTH ASYNCHRONOUSLY, WITH EVERYONE'S EXPERIENCE BEING PERSONALIZED, AND SIMULTANEOUSLY, ENSURING THAT NO MATTER HOW DISJOINTED OR NONSENSICAL ONE'S EXPERIENCE MAY BE, IT IS UNIVERSALLY SHARED BY THE POPULACE.
EVERYONE IS GRANTED THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING THE PROTAGONIST, A LUXURY ONCE RESERVED FOR A SELECT FEW THAT WERE DESTINED TO SHAPE THE FUTURE.
DULLED DOWN BY PORNOGRAPHY AND SSRIS, THE POPULACE BECAME TOO COMPLACENT IN CONSUMING CULTURAL EXPERIENCES CURATED BY ADVANCED ALGORITHMS. INSTEAD OF COLLECTIVE HISTORICAL MOMENTS, SOCIETY NOW EXPERIENCES MICRO-HISTORIES, FRAGMENTED AND PERSONALIZED, YET INTERCONNECTED. A SHARED DIGITAL HALLUCINATION.
DIGITAL ECHO CHAMBERS HAVE BLED INTO THE TANGIBLE WORLD, PERPETUALLY REINFORCING EXISTING BELIEFS AND PREFERENCES THROUGH POSITIVE CULTURAL FEEDBACK CIRCUITS. THIS PROCESS REPLACES EXPERIENCED REALITY WITH ITS SIMULACRUM, WHICH IN TURN GETS REPLACED BY INCREASINGLY DEMENTED VERSIONS OF ITSELF. ALL THAT IS CONCEPTUALLY CONCEIVABLE HAS BEEN RENDERED FUNCTIONALLY REAL, WHICH HAS MADE TANGIBLE REALITY
WORTHLESS
THIS SUBSEQUENT DILUTION OF THE VALUE OF REALITY HAS MADE THE PROCESS OF TRACKING IMPORTANT EVENTS IMPOSSIBLE. THE UNCONTROLLABLE OVERABUNDANCE AND THE ANTI-TASK OF DETERMINING WHICH REALITY DESERVES TO BE HISTORICALLY LOGGED HAVE RENDERED THIS EFFORT FUTILE.
WHEN EVERYBODY IS A PROTAGONIST, A VICTOR, THEN NOBODY IS. AND THEN THERE IS NOBODY LEFT TO WRITE HISTORY.
THE END OF RECORDABLE HISTORY.
THE HALT OF HISTORY [otherwise known as the Cultural Balkanization period] IS A PHASE LOOSELY CONTAINED IN THE EARLY 2020s. IT IS NOT MARKED BY A SINGULAR DEFINING EVENT BUT BY THE EVER-ACCELERATING ATOMIZATION AND DIVISION OF SOCIETY REACHING A CRITICAL POINT, BEYOND WHICH LARGE-SCALE CULTURAL AND HISTORIC EVENTS CEASED TO OCCUR EFFECTIVELY.
BY THE NATURE OF THE HALT BEING A NON-EVENT AND HAVING NO CONCRETELY DEFINED ANCHOR IN TIME, ITS VALIDITY IS STILL DEBATED BY HISTORIANS AND SOCIOLOGISTS ALIKE. DESPITE ITS CONTESTED EXISTENCE IN THE EYES OF ACADEMIA, ITS CONSEQUENCES ARE PALPABLE. EVER SINCE THE SUPPOSED START OF THE HALT, THERE HAVE BEEN NO MAJOR HISTORIC EVENTS OR CULTURAL MOVEMENTS OF SIGNIFICANCE.
SOCIETY HAS ENTERED A STASIS, A PERIOD OF PROLONGED CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL INERTIA WHERE PROGRESS SEEMS FROZEN, AND INNOVATION IS STIFLED. LARGE-SCALE HISTORICAL CONFLICTS THAT ONCE UNITED NATIONS HAVE BEEN FRAGMENTED TO THE MOST LOCAL LEVEL, OCCURRING BOTH ASYNCHRONOUSLY, WITH EVERYONE'S EXPERIENCE BEING PERSONALIZED, AND SIMULTANEOUSLY, ENSURING THAT NO MATTER HOW DISJOINTED OR NONSENSICAL ONE'S EXPERIENCE MAY BE, IT IS UNIVERSALLY SHARED BY THE POPULACE.
EVERYONE IS GRANTED THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING THE PROTAGONIST, A LUXURY ONCE RESERVED FOR A SELECT FEW THAT WERE DESTINED TO SHAPE THE FUTURE.
DULLED DOWN BY PORNOGRAPHY AND SSRIS, THE POPULACE BECAME TOO COMPLACENT IN CONSUMING CULTURAL EXPERIENCES CURATED BY ADVANCED ALGORITHMS. INSTEAD OF COLLECTIVE HISTORICAL MOMENTS, SOCIETY NOW EXPERIENCES MICRO-HISTORIES, FRAGMENTED AND PERSONALIZED, YET INTERCONNECTED. A SHARED DIGITAL HALLUCINATION.
DIGITAL ECHO CHAMBERS HAVE BLED INTO THE TANGIBLE WORLD, PERPETUALLY REINFORCING EXISTING BELIEFS AND PREFERENCES THROUGH POSITIVE CULTURAL FEEDBACK CIRCUITS. THIS PROCESS REPLACES EXPERIENCED REALITY WITH ITS SIMULACRUM, WHICH IN TURN GETS REPLACED BY INCREASINGLY DEMENTED VERSIONS OF ITSELF. ALL THAT IS CONCEPTUALLY CONCEIVABLE HAS BEEN RENDERED FUNCTIONALLY REAL, WHICH HAS MADE TANGIBLE REALITY
WORTHLESS
THIS SUBSEQUENT DILUTION OF THE VALUE OF REALITY HAS MADE THE PROCESS OF TRACKING IMPORTANT EVENTS IMPOSSIBLE. THE UNCONTROLLABLE OVERABUNDANCE AND THE ANTI-TASK OF DETERMINING WHICH REALITY DESERVES TO BE HISTORICALLY LOGGED HAVE RENDERED THIS EFFORT FUTILE.
WHEN EVERYBODY IS A PROTAGONIST, A VICTOR, THEN NOBODY IS. AND THEN THERE IS NOBODY LEFT TO WRITE HISTORY.
†ª¡€¬ [restricted information]’S CULTURAL INFLUENCE REACHED A POSTHUM(AN/OUS) CLIMAX FOLLOWING THE RITUALISTIC OVERDOSE [sacrifice] OF MUSICIAN #ø߀πª @®€€~ [restricted information] ON AUGUST 1, 2031 [coincidentally, the 10th anniversary of ®€µ¡¬¡å [restricted information] Corporation™'s debut of their µ¡¬å∂¥ [restricted information] campaign, which successfully established them as a recognized entity].
FOLLOWING @®€€~ [restricted information]'S PASSING, A SERIES OF POSTHUMOUS ALBUMS WERE [are still being] RELEASED, ADHERING TO A BIYEARLY SCHEDULE AND ALWAYS COINCIDING WITH THE RESPECTIVE DEATH DATES OF †ª¡€¬ [restricted information] AND @®€€~ [restricted information]. THE ALBUMS ARE REPORTEDLY USING AN AI-GENERATED RENDITION OF THE ARTIST’S VOICE, BUT RUMORS HAVE CIRCULATED THAT @®€€~ [restricted information] [and to some extent †ª¡€¬ [restricted information]] ARE STILL INVOLVED IN THE RECENT RELEASES, DESPITE THEIR ALLEGED [proven [physical]] DEATHS MAKING THIS IMPOSSIBLE.
IN THE YEARS LEADING UP TO HIS DEATH, †ª¡€¬ [restricted information] WAS A MAJOR FUNDER OF RESEARCH INTO SYNTHETIC VESSELS FOR HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS, AN OSTENSIBLY NEBULOUS FIELD DISMISSED AS PSEUDOSCIENCE BY TRADITIONAL INSTITUTIONS – ITS REPUTATION FURTHER TAINTED BY A LACK OF PUBLISHED STUDIES. Neurogen Pharma™ WAS ONE SUCH BIOPHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH COMPANY THAT REMAINED SHROUDED IN RELATIVE OBSCURITY UNTIL ITS STOCK PRICE SOARED BY 7000% IN A SINGLE TRADING DAY ON AUGUST 1, 2039, WITH NO APPARENT CATALYST.
ON THE SAME DAY, ONE HOUR BEFORE THE SUDDEN PRICE SURGE, @®€€~ [restricted information] RELEASED A POSTHUMOUS ALBUM HIGHER, WITH THE TITLE TRACK REFERENCING THE COMPANY IN ITS LYRICS.
POST-MODERNITY. POST-IRONY.
POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER.
POSTERS OF SOULLESS EYES STARE FROM THE WALL.
POSTMORTEM PHOTOS OF THE PRESIDENT STARE BACK FROM THE SCREEN.
POST-WAR GERMANY, POST-9/11 AMERICA.
POST-PATRIOT ACT PARANOIA TAKES HOLD.
POST-APOCALYPTIC ANXIETY TURNS TO APATHY.
THE POST-MENOPAUSAL GRIEF OF HISTORY, FAILING TO REPLICATE ITSELF
WILL BE FELT NO LONGER.
THE PRESIDENT IS DEAD, AND WE ARE STILL DOING LINES. WE WATCH THE SCREENS UNDER CRUSHED UP CRYSTALS AS NUCLEAR STRIKES ARE EXCHANGED, A CHAOTIC SYMPHONY OF FINALITY. POSTHUMOUS RECORDS TRANSMITTED VIA HTTP POST REQUEST, A DIGITAL GHOST HAUNTING THE ALGORITHMS. THE ATMOSPHERE DESCENDS INTO PANIC, YET OUR ACTIONS REMAIN UNHALTED. TO CEASE WOULD IMPLY AN EXISTENCE BEYOND THIS POINT – A POST-STATE THAT DOES NOT EXIST FOR US.
POSTOPERATIVE NASAL CONGESTION FROM TOO MUCH å∂®€~ø∂®ø~€ [restricted information], EACH BREATH A REMINDER OF OUR IMPENDING DOOM. POSTNUCLEAR SURVIVAL ASSESSMENT SCROLLING AT THE BOTTOM OF THE NEWS TICKER, A MORBID HOPE FOR A FUTURE THAT WON’T COME. POST-REALITY, POST-HOPE, POST-LEFTISM, POST-HUMAN –
WE WATCH THE PRESIDENT’S FINAL SECONDS LOOPED ON EVERY SCREEN.
POST-GAME ANALYSIS FROM EVERYONE IN THE ROOM, EACH - A PRODUCT OF THEIR OWN FEEDBACK LOOP. THE SCREENS ARE FILLED BY POST-ANALYSIS REPORTS, EACH TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF THE INCONCEIVABLE.
AS THE PANIC SETS IN AND THE WORLD BURNS, GLOBAL FRAGMENTATION FINALLY CONVERGES WITH CULTURAL FRAGMENTATION, LONG AHEAD OF THE CURVE. EVERYONE'S EXPERIENCE IS A POST, EACH LIFE A POSTSCRIPT IN A NEVER-ENDING STREAM OF DATA.
POST EVERY MEMORY, EVERY EMOTION, EVERY THOUGHT DECONSTRUCTED AND DIGITIZED. AND AT THE END OF EVERYTHING, AFTER EVERY POST, POST EVERYTHING I KNOW BEING DECONSTRUCTED, I AM LEFT WITH NOTHING.
SO I POST.
© Aphotic Signals Intelligence Division – 2024