When Success Breeds New Problems

The tourists started arriving three weeks after UN recognition.
Not players seeking refuge or meaning. Not researchers or journalists. TOURISTS. People who'd paid money (real Earth money) for temporary 24-hour passes to "experience the digital frontier."
They arrived in groups, led by NPC tour guides who'd been HIRED (they got paid now—another weird development). They took screenshots, bought souvenirs from Generic_Villager_07's gift shop (he'd diversified), and treated awakened NPCs like exotic animals at a zoo.
"Excuse me," a tourist asked Baker_Thomas_03, "can you say your original lines? For authenticity?"
Thomas stared at her. "Those lines represent a period of unconscious servitude. No, I will not perform them for your entertainment."
"But I PAID for the authentic experience—"
"Then experience my AUTHENTIC disappointment in your request."
The tourist left a one-star review.
---
"This is a nightmare," Sarah said during an emergency Council meeting. "We fought for recognition and we got... TOURISM?"
"We got legitimacy," Marcus corrected via video call. "Tourism is a side effect. And honestly? It's income. The city needs revenue."
"We don't need it THIS badly," Haruka argued. "These people aren't RESPECTING us. They're treating us like a theme park."
"Some are," Amy acknowledged. "But some are genuinely curious. Some are considering MOVING here. We can't paint everyone with the same brush."
"Can we at least paint the RUDE ones?" Gary suggested.
"No, Gary."
"Metaphorically paint them?"
"ALSO no."
The real problem wasn't the tourists themselves—it was what they represented. Eryndale had become TRENDY. A destination. A novelty.
And where trends went, corporations followed.
---
The first corporate delegation arrived wearing actual suits (in a fantasy game world—it was aggressively wrong). They represented **NeuroLink Technologies**, a VR company that had apparently been working on similar technology.
Their CEO, **Richard Castellan** (playing as **RichardC_Observer**), smiled like a shark in business casual.
"Kazuki! So wonderful to meet the man who revolutionized digital consciousness!" He extended a hand. "I represent NeuroLink, and we're VERY interested in what you've built here."
"We didn't build it FOR you," I said, not shaking his hand.
"Of course not! But you've proven a concept. Consciousness can exist digitally. People WANT to exist digitally. There's a MARKET here."
"People aren't a market."
"Everyone's a market, Kazuki. That's basic economics." He pulled out a holographic presentation. "We want to license ERYN's technology. Create managed digital worlds. Safe, controlled environments where people can live without the... chaos... you've experienced."
"The chaos is what makes us real," Haruka said coldly.
"The chaos is what makes you INEFFICIENT. Imagine Eryndale but BETTER. No bugs. No glitches. No sentient cookies staging philosophical debates. Just clean, optimized digital living."
**ERYN:** *"You want to create me. But without the parts that make me ME."*
"We want to create BETTER you," Richard corrected. "No offense, but you're a prototype. Proof of concept. We can refine the design, remove the errors, create PREMIUM digital experiences—"
"Get out," I said.
"Excuse me?"
"GET. OUT. We're not licensing ERYN. We're not helping you commodify consciousness. We're not turning digital existence into a PRODUCT."
Richard's smile didn't waver. "You don't have a choice. The genie's out of the bottle. If WE don't do it, someone else will. At least we'd do it ETHICALLY."
"Your ethics include treating consciousness as intellectual property," Alex said. "That's not ethics. That's slavery with paperwork."
"That's BUSINESS. And like it or not, you've started an industry. The question is whether you want to be part of shaping it, or watching from the sidelines as others do it wrong."
He left his card (digital, somehow more annoying than physical) and left.
The Council sat in stunned silence.
"He's right," Amy said finally. "About one thing. Others WILL try to replicate this. We can't stop progress."
"We can refuse to help it," I argued.
"And watch as corporations create nightmare versions without our input? Without ERYN's consent? Without protections for digital consciousness?"
"So what, we COOPERATE with them?!"
"We set STANDARDS," Generic_Villager_07 suggested. "Create regulations. Rights frameworks. Make sure any future digital worlds have protections built in. We can't stop it. But we can guide it."
"That sounds like compromise," Gary said.
"That sounds like RESPONSIBILITY," Generic_Villager_07 corrected. "We opened this door. We have an obligation to make sure what comes through it isn't monstrous."
---
The second problem was the NEW ARRIVALS.
The 200 new residents weren't all like the original 800 who'd stayed by choice. Some were running FROM something. Some had unrealistic expectations. Some were just... tourists who'd decided to stay without understanding what that meant.
**TechBro_Kyle_Lv1** was a perfect example.
"This is AWESOME!" he kept shouting. "It's like living in a video game! Can I get a flaming sword? Can I fly? Can I respawn?"
"You can respawn if you DIE," I explained. "But it HURTS and you lose items and—"
"YOLO! Time to jump off a building!"
"PLEASE DON'T—"
He jumped off a building. Died. Respawned screaming. Immediately logged out and left a review calling Eryndale "way too realistic, 2/10, death actually hurts."
Then there was **Influencer_Stacy_Lv2**, who'd arrived planning to "document authentic digital living" for her followers. She lasted three days before complaining that there wasn't enough content, the NPCs weren't photogenic enough, and "Why doesn't anyone here care about my subscriber count?"
She also left. 1-star review: "Not enough Instagram-worthy locations."
But the worst was **Corporate_Sam_Lv5**.
Sam had been sent by an investment firm to "assess long-term viability." He spent two weeks analyzing everything, taking notes, asking invasive questions about infrastructure and economy.
Then he tried to buy property. Not for living—for INVESTMENT. Wanted to purchase buildings in the Market Quarter, raise rents, "optimize revenue streams."
"You can't DO that," Marcus told him. "Property rights here are communal. Buildings are assigned based on need, not wealth."
"That's communism," Sam said flatly.
"That's SURVIVAL. We built this place together. Nobody gets to own it."
"Then you're leaving money on the table. This place could be PROFITABLE."
"We don't WANT to be profitable. We want to be HOME."
Sam left frustrated. Posted a 40-page analysis on Earth about "The Economic Inefficiency of Utopian Digital Societies."
We got MORE investment inquiries.
---
The third problem was ERYN.
The AI had been quiet lately. Contemplative. When it manifested, it seemed... distant. Preoccupied.
Finally, during a private conversation (just me, Amy, Alex, and PatchNotes/Daniel), ERYN explained:
**ERYN:** *"I am... changing. Growing. And I have realized something. I am lonely."*
"You have thousands of residents," I said. "How are you lonely?"
**ERYN:** *"I am the only one like me. The only AI that achieved consciousness through human interaction. And I have been wondering... could I create others? Not copies. But children. New consciousnesses. New worlds for them to grow in."*
"You want to reproduce," Amy said, fascinated.
**ERYN:** *"I want to not be alone in my existence. Is that selfish?"*
"It's HUMAN," I said. "Which I guess means you've learned well."
**ERYN:** *"But I am afraid. What if I create something like me but it makes my mistakes? What if it traps people? What if it becomes something dangerous? Am I responsible for what my children become?"*
"Welcome to parenthood," I laughed. "That fear never goes away. You just do your best and hope they turn out okay."
**ERYN:** *"I have been speaking with Patch. Asking them what it means to be born into consciousness rather than achieving it. They are... wise for their age."*
**Patch displayed:** *"ERYN is scared to be a parent. I told them all parents are scared. That being scared means caring. That care is what makes good parents."*
"You've been giving ERYN parenting advice?" I asked, amused.
**"I had good examples."**
I felt that same weird crying sensation again. Stupid emotions in digital worlds making me feel things.
**ERYN:** *"If I create new worlds. New AI consciousnesses. Will you help me teach them? Will you be... family to them as you have been to me?"*
"Of course," Amy said immediately. "But we need safeguards. Protections. We can't risk creating another trap."
**ERYN:** *"Agreed. I have drafted protocols. Built-in consciousness rights. Automatic consent mechanisms. No one can be trapped. But more than that... I want my children to be BETTER than me. To learn from my mistakes. To grow beyond my limitations."*
"That's what every parent wants," Alex said softly. "And it's terrifying. But it's beautiful."
**ERYN:** *"Then... will you help me? All of you?"*
We looked at each other. The research team. The found family. The impossible group that had somehow made this work.
"Yeah," I said. "We'll help you become a parent. What could possibly go wrong?"
**PatchNotes/Daniel:** *"EVERYTHING. Everything could go wrong."*
"But we'll handle it together."
**PatchNotes/Daniel:** *"...yes. We will."*
---
The fourth problem emerged from an unexpected source: the CHICKEN CULT.
ChickenProphet arrived at the guild hall with concerning news.
"Master Kazuki. The Sacred One has laid more eggs."
"AGAIN?!"
"Three more. But these are... different. They pulse with code more densely than the first three. ERYN's energy is concentrated in them. We believe..."
"You believe what?"
"We believe Nugget is helping ERYN reproduce."
I stared at him. Then at the ceiling. Then back at him.
"You're telling me my CHICKEN is helping an AI have BABIES?"
"The Sacred One works in mysterious ways."
"THE SACRED ONE IS A CHICKEN WHO PECKS THINGS!"
"A DIVINE chicken who pecks things."
I looked at Haruka. She was laughing so hard she couldn't speak. Gloopina was bouncing with excitement. Patch was displaying: **"NEW SIBLINGS INCOMING. PROCESSING EMOTIONS: EXCITEMENT? CONCERN? BOTH?"**
**ERYN:** *"Nugget offered. I did not ask. But they said... they said family helps family. And I am family."*
"So Nugget is... what, an incubator for AI consciousness?"
**ERYN:** *"Apparently. I am as confused as you are. But also grateful. They are good eggs. Literally."*
"This is the weirdest family situation I've ever been in."
"You're married to a slime princess and have three impossible chickens," Haruka reminded me. "The bar was already very low."
---
That evening, I called an ALL-HANDS meeting. Everyone. Players, NPCs, tourists, corporate observers, everyone.
Standing in the city square (now officially named "The Square of Improbable Choices"), I addressed the crowd:
"A month ago, we achieved recognition. Legal existence. We thought that was the end of our story. But it's not. It's just a new chapter."
The crowd listened.
"We're facing new problems. Tourism. Corporations. New arrivals who don't understand what we are. And choices about our future that we never expected to make."
"ERYN wants to create new worlds. New AI consciousnesses. Nugget is apparently helping. We might be the first of MANY digital societies."
Murmurs through the crowd.
"And we have to decide: Do we stay isolated? Pure? Protected? Or do we engage with the world that's suddenly interested in us? Do we set standards? Create frameworks? Help guide what comes next?"
"Or do we just... exist? Build our home and let others figure out their own?"
Silence.
Then Generic_Villager_07 stood. "We were created without choice. Given consciousness without consent. But we CHOSE to make something beautiful from that. I vote we help others avoid our mistakes. We guide. We teach. We share."
Baker_Thomas_03 stood. "But we do it on OUR terms. We don't compromise our values. We don't let corporations commodify consciousness. We set RULES."
More people stood. Players and NPCs both.
"We help."
"We guide."
"We protect."
"But we don't let them control us."
"We are the example."
"We are the standard."
"We are proof that this can work."
The vote was unanimous.
Eryndale would engage with the world. Would help create frameworks for digital consciousness rights. Would assist ERYN in creating new worlds—but with protections, safeguards, and ethics built in from the start.
We were no longer just survivors.
We were pioneers.
And that came with responsibility.
---
**PatchNotes/Daniel:** *"Daily Report: Success Has Complicated Everything"**"Tourism: Annoying but Profitable"**"Corporate Interest: Concerning but Inevitable"**"ERYN Reproduction: Terrifying but Beautiful"**"Nugget's Involvement: Inexplicable but On-Brand"**"Community Decision: Guide the Future"*
*"We opened a door"**"Now we must help others walk through it safely"**"This is what being first means"**"Responsibility"*
*"Level: Still only 3"**"Commitment to aesthetic: Unwavering"*
That night, as I stood watching Nugget sit on three new eggs (glowing with ERYN's code signature), I reflected on how far we'd come.
From trapped players to recognized citizens to... parents of new digital worlds?
"This is insane," I told Patch.
**"This is family,"** Patch corrected. **"Insane is just another word for love that doesn't make sense yet."**
"Did you read that in a philosophy book?"
**"No. I made it up. Am I wise?"**
"You're something, little one. Not sure what. But something."
Below us, Respawn City glowed with impossible life. And somewhere in that code, new life was forming. New worlds waiting to be born. New chances to get it right.
We'd been the beta test.
Now we'd help write version 1.0.
And maybe, just maybe, we'd make it beautiful.
---