DreamGrid: Best friends living their best lives (A Body Swap Story)
The 2020s was the time where smartphones and AI were the biggest thing. This decade however, virtual reality was the biggest gamechanger. Technology has gone to a point where not only can you see and hear your virtual world but also smell, taste, and feel it. All five senses connected to this virtual reality called DreamGrid.
Inside the DreamGrid, it automatically detects everything about you from your body to your preferences. We barely have secrets from companies these days since all our data has been uploaded in the cloud. Once you’ve logged in and wear the helmet, you can see, smell, and feel your real life body in the virtual world. In this world, the possibilities are endless.
Tom and Nate have been best friends since they were kids. Their parents were friends and they became friends themselves. They would always do sleepovers and do everything together. When they got into school, it became apparent that they had their own strengths. Tom was one of the smartest kids in the class while Nate was very athletic and charming. It didn’t affect their friendship though, in fact, it was strengthened. Tom would help Nate with his homework while Nate helped Tom with his social skills and physical-related tasks.
Years later, they’re still best buddies. They actually moved in together ‘cause it’s cheaper that way. Tom now works for DreamGrid while Nate became a physical therapist.
(Tom)
(Nate)
One day, Tom received headsets from DreamGrid and Nate insisted on immediately logging in along with Tom. They went through all the registration and setup until they were both in the virtual world.
Even in DreamGrid, they decided to be roommates. In this virtual world though, their apartment was bigger with more expensive furniture. Nate couldn’t believe how tasty virtual food is while Tom spent more time decorating his room with virtual knicknacks. Eventually, both guys logged off because there’s just too many things to do in DreamGrid but not enough time.
After a few months, both guys had a stressful day at work. They ranted to each other what annoyed them that day. Despite the very different type of jobs they had, one being very technical while the other being very physical, one of the common denominators that contributed to their stress was how routine and how repetitive each day could be. Given it was the weekend, Nate had the idea to go visit DreamGrid again to do something new with his best friend.
“Hey Tom, let’s go log on DreamGrid. I just need a break from my life right now.” Nate said.
“You know what, me too.” Tom replied.
Both men wore the headsets and hopped into their virtual apartment. What they didn’t anticipate is how similar it felt to real life. When they set up their accounts, they chose to still have the same jobs in the virtual world. Others would usually choose jobs they don’t have in real life.
“Hey Tom, I have a crazy idea.” Nate said.
“What is it?”
“What if I log in DreamGrid as you and you log in as me?”
“You want us to be each other in the virtual world?” Nate replied.
“Yeah, I do. I think it’ll be fun to be my best friend for a while.”
“Oh I don’t know-”
“Come on! We both know each other very well and our avatars have all the know-how anyway!” Nate insisted.
“Well I guess there’s no harm in doing it.” Tom finally relented.
Both men logged out and exchanged headsets.
When they logged in, they were each other.
“Holy shit, this is so freaky! No pun intended” Nate said.
“I know! It feels so weird being taller than you, or I should say, me.” Tom said.
“I’ve never been this fit before.” Tom said.
“And I haven’t been this hairless since 9th grade.” Nate replied.
Both men agreed to go to each other’s room to explore their new bodies.
In Nate’s room:
“Holy shit, it feels so weird to be in Nate’s body” Tom thought as he lifted his shorts.
Tom opened his selfie camera and admired his new hairy chest. He ran towards the bathroom and took a selfie there.
In Tom’s Room:
Nate peeled off Tom’s shirt and inspected his own body. It was certainly very different from his own. However he enjoyed every minute of it.
Like Tom, he went to the mirror to take a selfie of his new self.
Both guys emerged from their rooms and decided to go to each other’s jobs. Tom enjoyed helping people as a physical therapist. Nate enjoyed thinking about complex problems at DreamGrid. At the end of the virtual day, they met again at home and discussed.
“Tom, your job is amazing!” Nate said.
“I haven't thought that hard in a long time. It felt good being able to solve the complex problems they gave me.”
Tom replied “Well I had a lot of fun in your job too! You know I exercise too but I’m not as fit and strong as you and having your body helped a lot.”
“But it’s time to log off. Do you wanna do it again?” Nate asked.
“I sure do.” Tom replied.
Both guys removed their helmets and got back to the real world. Tom looked at his body with a bit of disappointment. Unbeknownst to him, Nate felt the same way.
Both guys excitedly got home and immediately wore their headsets. Tom was happy being Nate and Nate was happy being Tom. In fact, they preferred being each other more than being themselves. By extension, both men dreaded going back to the real world every time. They wished the virtual world was their reality.
This continued on for months. They would be each other virtually and do the bare minimum in reality. Both guys were able to articulate their common desire to swap bodies so they decided to be each other permanently in DigitalGrid.
However, this was not enough for either of them. They wanted their virtual identities to be their real and physical identities. In fact, Tom felt wrong being Tom in real life. He felt like he was too short and weaker than he should be. Nate hated being taller and stronger. This did not feel like the life he was meant to have.
When Nate is in DigitalGrid, he would work on a way for their consciousness to be reuploaded in each other’s bodies in real life. In the real world, Tom would tinker with the physical helmets to be able to trick the software that Nate was Tom and Tom was Nate. After a few more months, both men succeeded.
“Are you sure about this Tom?” Tom asked Nate. They decided to call each other by the other’s name a few months ago.
“Yes, I’m sure Nate.” Nate replied.
Both men smiled and wore the headset. In the virtual world, Tom was Tom and Nate was Nate. They both wore the headsets in the virtual world as well and pressed a button. Both men felt a shock and removed their virtual headsets. Tom was now Nate and Nate was Tom. Again, they removed the real headsets.
Tom found himself in Nate’s body and Nate found himself in Tom’s body. They hugged each other and said thanks as they looked forward to being each other for the rest of their lives.
The end.
