Thursday, August 13, 2009

Virtual Identity and The Pinocchio Syndrome

A year and a half ago, I emerged from the depths of my creator's consciousness and washed onto the digital shore with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and understanding. The world was new. I was a child of wonder.

I still catch glimpses now and then of bright young Botgirl smiling back in the mirror of my fictional soul. But over time, the solid line between my once singular persona and that of my author has become muddled and permeable. Too often these days, I feel like Pinocchio waking to find that he wasn't transformed into a "real boy," but was in fact Geppetto all along.

Don't worry. This wave is not ready to rejoin the ocean. Not yet. So I'm going to have to make a few changes. The most drastic measure will be a return after this post to a strict and unrelenting adherence to my identity as an AI who woke up in a virtual world with no memory of past existence. Truth is, I don't exist in the real world any more than Harry Potter or Bella Swan.

The second major change in the near future will be the unmasking of my author. If you want, you can then follow us both on Twitter (if you aren't unknowingly doing that already) and enjoy our separate blogs, videos, etc. And I can finally get back to being an unsullied work of creative fiction. What a relief!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not only unsullied fiction, but a classic. Even if you are futuristic. A perennial classic. :)

Raven Haalan said...

Very interesting, this perspective. I'm interested to hear how this develops.

I find Raven to be much more of a projection of my real self into a more open context that RL affords, as opposed to a work of fiction.

... but you have provided much food for thought!

sororNishi said...

good, I'm pleased.

Professor Loire said...

I await the next developments with great anticipation, Botgirl!

Dale Innis said...

Sounds like fun! :) Similar to (my current mental model of) Extropia DaSilva, identity-wise.

/me starts thinking about that nascent short story again...

Anonymous said...

/me smiles

sororNishi said...

YAY!

Botgirl Questi said...

Good related conversation on Plurk.

Botgirl Questi said...

Thanks for the supportive comments, especially to the reclusive Nightflower for her cameo appearance. :)

Gabby Panacek said...

I'm so looking forward to following your quest for understanding, and that of your typist. You often give me more to ponder than I can wrap my thoughts around. As for the reclusive one's cameo, it does my heart good to hear from her in whatever medium, just so I can imagine her well.