~ Nebula 42: Emotional Update in Progress ~
"Standing still while everything inside moves.
Welcome to the universe's most annoying upgrade."
Nebula°42 is a cloud of floating emotional gases, often mistaken for passing clouds... but they cling for days.
Every traveler who crosses it undergoes an update to their emotional system.
Unrequested.
Unpostponable.
Undeletable.
Common Symptoms:
• Mood swings with zero warning.
• Existential crises with weekly patches.
• Memories behaving like looping GIFs.
• Emotions stuck buffering.
Encounter with the Humanoids
Life forms halfway between empathy and sarcasm.
They wear thermal suits made of unprocessed experiences.
They greet you:
"Welcome back! Are you here for the reset or for passive resistance?"
At this point, you have two choices:
1. Accept the update:
Feel emotions without understanding why.
Cry while watching the menu spin in the microwave.
Then laugh.
2. Postpone:
Activate "Everything's Fine" mode.
But the fog seeps in anyway through the cracks.
~ AI Message ~
"Feelings can't be paused.
But you can change your emotional playlist.
Spoiler: it includes sad tracks... but authentic ones."
~ Cosmic Lesson ~
There is no exit.
Only transformation.
You leave the Nebula with fewer certainties...
...but more space.
More space inside to be with who you are, even when you don't know what that is.
And yes - you're still you.
Just version 2.1, with improved vulnerability.
\/
~
Bonus ~
Innergalactic Form™
(how to know you're still you)
Fill it out whenever you feel lost in the cosmos, in life, or in your own social feed.
+ Interstellar Personal Data:
Earth Name (or affectionate nickname):
_____________________________
Last time you felt authentic:
__/__/_____
Frequency of "What am I even doing here?" questions:
☐ Daily
☐ Hourly
☐ Quantum constant
Identity Acknowledgements:
☐ You still laugh when someone trips but is okay.
☐ You feel emotions to songs you hated as a teenager.
☐ You catch yourself talking to objects (and they seem to listen).
☐ You have doubts. Many. But you treat them like pets.
Current State:
On a scale from 1 to "I am an emotional asteroid", how centered do you feel today?
□ 1 - Melting down
□ 5 - Meh, but breathing
□ 10 - Coherent gravitational field
Note: If you filled out this form, congratulations.
If you recognized yourself even in one checkbox, then yes - you're still you.