#re.oc

life before death (tw: implied murder)

Born in southern China, Yanhao parents noticed their son had an interesting set of traits. He more aware than someone his age should be, learned the alphabet with relative ease, required little direction in feeding myself. As he got older it became more obvious, while other kids were out playing Yanhao spent his time reading chapter books, watching the news, documentaries, etc. He was absorbing so much information but was also to recall what he had learned and apply it to solve problems. At around 6 that’s when childhood ended as he was then seen as a gifted child. People came by to visit and give him these test to determine his IQ. His parents took the opportunity filling his day with activities; music, art, languages, chess, a variety of sports. He even got on TV and sometimes was paid to attend events and show off his talent. Yanhao didn’t think much about it only when he was around others his age and realized he didn’t have much in common with them. His experienced were more common for someone a decade older than him (or a celebrity) not an elementary school student. He was starting to see no point in school but it was the one place were he could be somewhat “normal” outside of his IQ he was just like everyone else. Though not everyone saw it that way. “Freak”, “Uppity”, “Stuck Up” school was the one place were his IQ was a negative instead of a positive. Sure his grades were remarkable but getting along with his peers was a challenge.

Yanhao was given permission to graduate high school early given he passed a comprehensive test. A few universities had already extended him full or partial scholarships even before taking the test. Though he was confident he would pass he still studied to better understand the material and reviewed which of the higher education options were appealing. Surely he could’ve gone to a standard Ivy League but that was expected…why not do something /unexpected/. When the day of his results came in he accepted an offer to study applied science. It was the 1st time in his life he had done something rebellious. Strangely enough this was also the time when both of his parents died in a car accident, what a coincidence …

College was a huge learning curve for him, not academically wise but socially. Most of the people around him were at least 5-6 years older than him. He was a literally child among adults, sure he was smarter than them but he didn’t have their freedom (to vote, drink, drive, run for office). Outside of a few professors Yanhao wasn’t praised for his gift, it almost didn’t matter since outside of displaying feats of intelligence he was a shell. Though he kept up with his studies he took the time to know himself through self-reflection, therapy, and volunteer work. His grades weren’t affected in the slightest but he was learning about the world in a more nuanced way. There was this unlying fear that if he didn’t do well, he would met the same end as his parents. Yanhao didn’t express his thought that their passing was done in retaliation for not playing along to the “rules”. College allowed him to channel his grief and reach some closure with them. He wouldn’t stop until he graduated for them no matter the challenge or how long it took.

At age 20 he earned his PhD in Biomedical engineering becoming one of the youngest doctorate students to graduate from the university. Such an honor elevated the school prestige and Yanhao had job offers from all over the global. Though it was tempting to take the opportunity he had experienced some of the normalcy he craved and worked out a deal to be a professor. In doing so he had achieved a different sort of fame, his classes were full, his research funded, he was respected in a way he wasn’t before. He was popular actively participating in the clubs and sports he advised. Other high intelligent people came to the university partly because of him. The standard Ivy Leagues were going to have to do more now to get the best and brightest. As he grew older Yanhao became more and more involved in his reaching which on the surface was to “use medicine to help achieve the best function of the body”. Bionoics, medical devices, whatever it was called it was to take humans to a higher level. POST HUMAN. It was far from harmless in the wrong hands it could abused with irreversible consequences. However it never came…Yanhao’s body was found in his mansion over the summer. The house was stripped cleaned and his research lost. Whatever breakthrough he had discovered was gone now… .

life after death

What a drag! After spending most of his life living for others he had about 10 years for himself before meeting his end. Being uploaded was jarring for Yanhao now going by August, it really felt like cheating death. Though it meant that someone had gotten a hold of his will as it stated for him to be uploaded in Afterlife should he meet his end before 50. Did that mean his death was a set up? It was a thought that never left his mind, this world was familiar but everything around him was slightly off with this digital feel to it.

Reality as simulation?

life before death (tw: mentions of terminal illness) 

on her thirteenth birthday sora was given a book. it wasn’t anything fancy. just a leather-bound, black, unlined journal. her grandmother’s. she crinkled her nose at the idea of writing on a page without any structure. her lines would be messy and curve to one side - something her tutors had consistently given her marks for. neat and precise, neat and precise, they would repeat. still. the journal was a gift. not for any assignments. not to practice penmanship. but to free her mind. the note on the first page said so.

her grandmother’s death rattled the very foundation of the family. the wealth had to be distributed evenly ( somewhat ). the estate had to be dealt with accordingly. of all that was left in the will, it was notable that sora, and sora alone, be the owner of this small book. she kept it with her for years. adding entries on and off. doodling in the margins. stapling polaroid photos and concert ticket print-outs in between pages. her brothers couldn’t imagine why she held on to the decrepit thing. perhaps they were envious to not have their own.

as the youngest of three, and the only daughter, sora fell into her role as the reserved and studious child without much fuss. she continued on to pass her college entrance exams with flying colors, study at some of the most prestigious institutions, and take up a career that she found relatively fulfilling - albeit exhausting.

not wanting for anything, her life seemed to be perfect. until it wasn’t.

terminal illness is a tricky thing. it progresses quickly and runs rampant throughout the body. it takes over your limbs and weighs you down - way, way down. her days normally filled with work and social activities were exchanged for hospital visits and sleeping. lots of sleeping. the visits became stays, and the stays turned into residence.

in those times leading up to the end, she found herself returning to the little book. forgotten as the years passed. her eldest brother brought it to the hospital along with the flower bouquets, the balloons, and the well-wishing cards. she would write about all of the things she still wanted to do. open a bookstore. learn how to play a traditional instrument. be at her first nephew’s birth. get married. things she knew she may never get the chance to. but in the comfort of her mind - her dreams - she could do all of it and more.

still, she found comfort in what she had. her family and friends. romantic gestures made in between vital checks. all the good memories. and her journal.

the last entry reads as this:

there’s a quote that goes “understand this and be free: we are not in our bodies; our bodies are inside us.” although i no longer have use for this body, i am free. so do not cry for me. because i know this isn’t the end. see you soon.

life after death

sora was told of afterlife. and she wanted no parts of it.

it’s unnatural, she’d mutter under the voices of her family members, pleading with her to reconsider. she’d made up her mind. the idea of her consciousness being uploaded to the ‘cloud’? AFTpex was a joke. she would demand against it in the legal documents regarding her final plans - if they were ever signed.

the sudden coma left the decision to her legal next of kin - her parents. they had already planned a space for themselves in afterlife, along with their three children and extended family members as they saw fit. without her input, and despite arguments from her then boyfriend ( he hadn’t left her side throughout the ordeal ), she was enrolled into the program.

adjusting was…hard. at first.

she bided her time by going about her life as per usual. morning routine, work - or well, what she thinks is work. she can’t quite seem to remember what it is she’d done before this. before long, she realizes that trivial things don’t matter. there’s no need to sleep or eat. the same rules she lived by before no longer apply. there’s no one to check in with. for the first time, she was truly free.

now with this new chance at life, she decides to expand her horizons. learn all that she can. experience every thrill. taking on a new daredevil persona - there’s no height too high, no speed too fast. in death, she’s found a new way to live.

she has a new journal now. although its just a figment of her imagination - bytes and hex codes. the pages are unlined. and it feels so real. the first line reads: