Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Click. Click. Click click.

Maevika couldn’t justify spending an extra 60 Oriana coins to have the latest fashion item- dark flared jeans. Even without the tragedy that was fast fashion, a lot of things were held as intellectual property by the Oriana family. The illustrious Oriana family, or infamous depending on who you’re asking. It felt like a boiler suit kinda day. Done.

Maevika was about to go on her live stream. 4D streaming isn’t something Old Bangkok residents could access. Since the Oriana takeover, humans could be upgraded to another dimension- access to ‘technology assisted living- TAL’. Maevika had no choice but to join New Bangkok with her family who were so keen to get onto the TAL chain. The only thing she loved about 4D was the anonymity, facial reconfiguration software was so sophisticated now that she could be anyone. She has a solid base of 8 million followers after ‘perfecting’ the ideal face. Body shaming was so 2025, after all. Anything worth paying for / show off was in Oriana’s chokehold.

Maevika implemented the golden ratio! While this was technically public information that everyone had access to, Maevika’s face with the golden ratio recipe was unparalleled. But enough about that- Maevika’s true love was to start a revolution. She had seen what the obsession with buying into the Oriana ecosystem did to her parents. It felt as if people were so attuned to chasing what was next, what could accrue more value and the allure of conspiracy theories. Her parents were entrepreneurs in their own right but they could never talk politics. Maevika refused to use the Superior name in her own personal activities. Maevika wasn’t surprised that humans could be so susceptible to influence if they didn’t realise how much power they held. Books weren’t contraband but Oriana did have a branch of government which monitored the publications of books, scientific journal articles and credible sources. The Minister of Public Knowledge was Yam, the Oriana stepdaughter. The Oriana CEO was Aiwarin who didn’t even have a last name because that was more iconic. Nobody actually knows what she looks like, there have been speculations that she was a hybrid human.

“We’re live now.” G said as she snapped her finger.

Maevika started her live streams with a recognisable slogan; “authenticity is key”. The chat box was inundated with compliments and admiration from fans. G made sure to mute any hateful or irrelevant users. Today, the topic was “What do we do when the Oriana Air Act commences?”.

Maevika inhaled and exhaled deeply. “Mazers (her fans were called this), always stay calm in the face of adversity. You can’t enact change when you are driven by anger. I’m working with air activists to lobby against this, we still have a few weeks to implement an injunction.”

Maevika scrolled through the comments; Oriana is heartless, We believe in Maevika- she is so cool…a user sent a gift of 5,000 Oriana coins. Maevika was thrilled that she could use this for ethically sourced coffee and a nice meal later.

“Shit.” Aiwarin’s hand-eye coordination clearly did not match up with the advances in technology. Her bot-gloves had accidentally pressed the GIFT button as she exited her hydration pod. Only the Oriana family had access to the most pristine water in all of Thailand, unlike bottled water that everyone else had. Most utilities were hoarded by Oriana and sub-contracted to smaller, less dignified companies such as Superior.

“It takes you a fraction of a second to earn that back.” Yam adjusted her vision via a swipe. “What are you so intrigued by Mae’s content anyway?”

“It came up on my feed by accident.”

“Accidents only occur once, after that-“

“Yam, I need to know what the injunction would entail.”

“You have a legal team. Maevika wouldn’t be silly enough to say a thing so publicly.”

Aiwarin paused. She had only learnt of Maevika’s name this year, the year that could solidify the Oriana legacy. Aiwarin’s parents had just relocated to the Moon, leaving Aiwarin to continue the family business. She had been propagated in an engineered terrarium. Contained and low maintenance- the thought of this amused Aiwarin. The stars looked exceptional tonight, Aiwarin could almost see her parents waving from afar. Not that she wanted to, it felt like relief to have some space without the feeling of surveillance. Aiwarin kept relatively private despite being named as the Oriana successor. She couldn’t believe that Rachen had agreed to collaborate with Oriana to start commodifying air. The thing about power is that nobody truly knows how one would act when you have it. You can’t save people who don’t want to be saved. Aiwarin truly believed in that. Aiwarin leant against the white Carrara marble balcony rails, with a view of both sides of Bangkok.

Songkran is just around the corner.

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Yam stretched her body out akin to a cat, light on her feet but ultimately a predator in the food chain. It’s hard being the nation’s tattletale, although Yam mainly managed the admin as a minister. Her favourite method of punishment was the ‘hate chamber’. This consisted of placing the wrongdoer in a pod whereby the general public could either a) ragebait the wrongdoer into being angry or b) shout, bellow or scream at them. The anger produced was then extracted and converted into an energy source. A substantial part of it powered Aiwarin’s private swimming pool. Yam’s other favourite government sanctioned levies include banning microphones for men (podcast bros) who had opinions especially unsolicited ones and the ‘expat tax’. In Yam’s mind, it was unthinkable for people to move to a country chasing a lifestyle that they could not afford back home and have the audacity to be racist. Legend has it that White Westerners used to monetise videos of tasting exotic food and realising that shopping malls existed in Asia too. Non-nationals would have to undertake the mandatory White privilege test that was tailored to their lives in order to counteract cheating. This would entail deep levels of self-reflection and the ability to see a new perspective. Otherwise, one would have to prove their value to work while residing in a gated expat community in Old Bangkok. Oh and they were not allowed to drink matcha, #makematchaAsianagain . It was safe to say that living through the co-opting by the West of Ube was painful, but Pandan made it out unscathed.

Songkran was Oriana’s most lucrative cheerful time of year. All water sales were made via Oriana licensed merchants. However, water fights were outlawed because this was considered as wasteful behaviour. Aiwarin and her ancestors were not opposed to religious beliefs and practices- they just chose not to believe in things that they didn’t truly believe in. To them, religion becomes a problem only when it is weaponised. After all, humans would believe in anything as long as the seed of hope was planted within them.

“What are your thoughts on creating a new time system?” Aiwarin asked, being fed grapes by her robot butler.

“So we can have Songkran twice a year? Sounds wonderful.” Yam squealed with excitement.

“Now that you have verbalised it, it sounds a bit basic.” Aiwarin brushed her robot off.

“We could call your parents to enquire about moon related timestamps.”

“I’ll think about it.” Aiwarin appeared to be distant, Yam could see Aiwarin’s movements falter. “I need to be somewhere. Will you monitor for any abnormalities today?”

Yam saluted her.

___

“800 Oriana coins for the very sought after Balulu blind box.” Anne, the ethereal beauty to have ever graced any cyber platform, was the owner of the Rarities market. She was old money rich from the Andromeda generation. This was one of Aiwarin’s many guilty pleasures in life. The thrill of shopping for contraband i.e., plastic waste. The only reason Andromeda was able to operate in this way was because Aiwarin had a huge crush on Anne. Just kidding, it was because there was a right to sell products to drive demand. Anne had been very discreet with her personal life but it was speculated that she was married to her fans. Aiwarin admired the commitment to commodifying other people’s affections the way chatbot partners used to be legal.

“They are selling fast. Make sure to add your bank details for a faster checkout.”

Aiwarin loved the adrenaline that surged from not knowing if she would secure a box. She recognised the people who were here every week, most of them wanting to confess their feelings for Anne. There was one other person who was a nanosecond quicker than Aiwarin to these boxes. NotMyRealFace, when I find you…

“DevoidedAttention, hope you enjoy your box!” Aiwarin choked on her plant based smoothie. “We don’t apologise for the delayed shipping though as the couriers are on strike for fairer pay and I support that.”

Aiwarin remembered why it could never work with Anne. Unionists and their need for a fairer wage. Aiwarin truly believed that they were paid enough, she was dissolved of responsibility if actual humans were to hoard wealth. Business was business. Anne’s charm was too alluring which made Aiwarin’s heart rate quicken. Yam could see that Aiwarin was up to some sort of mildly strenuous activity like this approximately twice a week. Does she have a girlfriend?

___

“If money is infinite then why are people living in poverty?” Maevika was on a roll. She was feeling increasingly worried that the injunction may not be as convincing as it could be. She knew that everything was political and sometimes the weight of all worlds was too much to handle. Nuance was both a blessing and a curse. Nothing that Maevika was advocating for was new, she was simply relaying politics in an accessible way for other people to make informed decisions about how to live their lives.

YOU HAVE BEEN MATCHED.

Maevika had recently signed up for the National Provisions of Relationships and Connection. Despite advancements in time and technology, dating remained relatively binary…arguably mundane. It was a system implemented in New Bangkok to allow people to connect deeply should they choose the path of a solid relationship. No photos, no AI generated content. Matches actually set to create authentic connections over profit generation. This was a non-Oriana developed product because love was the one thing that felt like a human right.

Matched based on the following prompt- Have you ever been in love?

Your match answered: No. Love ultimately feels like a losing battle. A scenario that never has a guaranteed outcome. No person is an island. The human mind and its complexities have puzzled psychologists for years. No amount of self help analogies could explain the depth of love. It is difficult to quantify, it is too reductionist to simplify in chemical terms. I would like to find a love that makes me believe in a life worth living. A burning love that does not feel transactional.

Maevika spent the week re-reading the response. She felt flustered at that thought of finally meeting someone who could awaken her dormant heart. She was also curious about the human psyche in a world where technology has been at the forefront of everything. Why would people want to rely on language models to produce thought? The human condition cannot be replicated. Technology has been destroyed by the fascination of humanising robots under the guise of curing a loneliness epidemic. Thankfully, the world is now being run through a lesbian-centric lens.

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Life moved fast in New Bangkok. Everyone was rushing and invoking demands. Faster food, faster gains, faster sources of entertainment. Everything had to be efficient and optimised. People here do not need to live in the moment because a memory is stored on the Cloud anyway. Oriana was set to unveil a mystery archive of exhibits from past centuries, through its propaganda filter (of course). Virtual paperwork felt never-ending, lots of body hacking application forms were awaiting approval. For Aiwarin, Oriana’s legacy had to be memorable, sustainable and extravagant. Anne’s proposal had caught Aiwarin’s attention. On paper, it was financially sound but she had too many conditions for Aiwarin’s liking.

Anne was one of the Chosen people who has seen Aiwarin’s real face. Anne and Aiwarin’s family were historically intertwined but that’s a story for another day. Anne had rocked up to Oriana Mansion in her silk Boromphiman with a traditional sarong pleat. Aiwarin was always impressed by the Andromeda sense of style. Anne was actually a few years older than Aiwarin, which is a trait that was irresistible to her. Aiwarin loved a challenge and was notorious for not giving into other people’s requests easily. Anne was surprised that Aiwarin had made time for her, in person meetings were a rarity in the TAL world. The key to Oriana’s good side was to completely avoid humility and Anne knew that.

“Somebody’s been watching too many period K-dramas. Thrones are SO last millennia.” Anne smirked.

“If you want something from me, you know not to hurt my feelings.” Aiwarin gestured for Anne to sit beside her on said throne. Thrones were symbolic, transcending eras as Aiwarin loved reminding people of the social order. Aiwarin felt too good for this world but alas she wasn’t interested in living on another planet right now.

Anne was strategic in her body language, leaning in, grazing Aiwarin’s arms and capitalising on their obvious chemistry. “I want full autonomy of the Back in the Day archive. You can’t call yourself a feminist if you’re restricting my power, as a woman.”

Aiwarin did need more allies in this increasingly unpredictable world and she let the feminist argument go over her head. “In return, I need you to grant me a favour, though.”

Anne reached under Aiwarin’s shirt. “No, not that kind of favour.”

“Consider this a pro bono gift then.”

___

Maevika patted herself on the back for yet another successful live stream. It is wild to think that people used to own cars. Cars were just tools of oppression when travel systems could be better. Within a capitalistic framework, companies will sell you the idea of freedom. There was a significant shift towards equal access to travel within Bangkok, more advanced than the travel chutes in Futurama. Oriana contributed to the reduction in air pollution but their true intentions remained malicious. They were planning to monopolise the air space all along especially with Thai air being the cleanest after resisting against International intervention. Maevika took a deep breath in and out, wondering if commodified air would be fresh and crisp.

She made her way to Anthea Bar, the decoration was tacky for a modern lesbian bar. This was what NPRC suggested as a 99.99% romance inducing setting. G was one street away if things were to go awry. NPRC subsidised the first date costs to avoid any imbalance in power between matches. Not that this mattered as Maevika was using Maple as her alias. Maevika crossed her legs and sank back into the seat of a velvet curtained booth. The 2600K light emitted a warm glow and two drinks had manifested at the table via holographic printing. The drinks had an apology note attached to inform Maevika that her date was running late. Maevika started to read the menu to distract herself. Tempeh seemed to be the latest trend, Maevika rolled her eyes at micro trends. There was nothing sexy about capitalism.

“สวัสดี…Hello?” Her date had noticed that she was of mixed heritage. You can’t assume nowadays as New Bangkok housed only the elite and everyone spoke at least two languages minimum. People learnt English for fun.

“I can speak Thai.” Maevika laughed and returned the Wai. “You look beautiful.”

Aiwarin’s eyes expanded with surprise, people usually noted her handsome aura. She had her hair tied back in a relaxed ponytail. She was running late because Yam had been fussing over what colour brow to do. Black or Brown? “Shall we order some food?”, Aiwarin sipped the drinks she pre-ordered and accidentally choked from breathing fast.

“Are you ok?” Maevika smiled as Aiwarin nodded profusely.

Aiwarin felt a wave of dejavu as if she knew Maevika in a past life. In any case, Aiwarin would not let her guard down even if this could potentially be the love of her life. The conversation flowed quite well with both parties avoiding extremely intrusive questions. It was similar to a fencing match where both parties tied in terms of discretion.

“I have something to confess.” Maevika bit her lip. “I couldn’t help but notice your public Maps journey history.”

Aiwarin gulped but then remembered that her Maps journeys were fabricated to look like she was a New Bangkok commoner, rather than the Oriana empire. Also, wasn’t Maps more of an Old Bangkok thing? Oriana obsessed people tended to talk about our products.

“I love speciality coffee. Perhaps for a second date…” Maevika batted her eyelashes, her eyes were hopeful. Aiwarin didn’t have that much dating experience, she was experienced but in other ways. Aiwarin was perhaps expecting more of a challenge.

“Oh gosh, the pause makes me think that you’re disinterested.” Maevika winced and relaxed her shoulders.

“I’ll be free. What was the name of this coffee place again?”

___

One never forgets their first celebrity crush or fixation. There was a universal human need to worship beautiful things and people. Maevika was a top 10 New Bangkok celebrity in terms of all metrics.

Maevika will be mine. This sentence was plastered repeatedly over several forums and her social media accounts. The mystery superfan grunted heavily as they edited photos of them with Maevika across different settings.

Engagement.

Wedding.

Holiday.

Kiss on the cheek.

Deepfakes were banned but they kept this analog, on what people called hard drives with limited capacity. Deepfakes and haptic technology were illegal in New Bangkok because of the negative impact it had upon the female population perpetuated by men. Not all men but it always happens to be a man.

Maevika will be so pleased...

Chapter Text

Aiwarin and the Oriana board were hosting their daily meeting in the Cloudverse. They had a special guest in attendance: Rachen (Great and Glow CEO) with an update on the Great Oriana Air project. Aiwarin couldn’t stand the ghastly sight of Rachen but the G&G empire was one step ahead of the air market so Aiwarin would be a fool to not partake in this endeavour. Rachen was a notorious body hacker, he was categorically…a vampire. Aiwarin would have been more impressed if he was a legacy vampire.

I suppose nothing could stoop lower than the Twilight franchise but he really takes the cake. Aiwarin was half distracted by the Auntie Nid coffee shop that Maple was keen to check out. Aiwarin wasn’t used to taking things slow so she brought it upon herself to learn as much as she could about specialty coffee. Maple was easily impressed by latte art it seemed.

“Waiver forms are necessary to avoid litigation. We are supplying safe air regardless of which tier the patrons subscribe to.” Rachen explained, using over the top 4D animations.

“I think we should do a ‘standard tier’ using moderately polluted quality tier for Old Bangkok and then divide the lowly polluted air into graded bands for New Bangkok.” Aiwarin suggested, while popping Rachen’s balloons.

“Exactly, the dangerously polluted air can be up-cycled in the forests. The mapping of Thai air ensures that we have more than enough without buying abroad.”

“What’s the pricing strategy?” Aiwarin started to browse Maple’s Maps routine but it was incomplete. She seemed to have a social life, exercised regularly and enjoyed frequenting ethical coffee shops.

“G&G have a new device which measures exactly the atmosphere per unit. It would be unethical to stop air supply completely. This works like how other utilities are metered.”

“And…? I’m not investing in something so basic.”

Rachen cleared his throat. “It breaks down the composition of air in real-time.”

“Is it hackable? Charging via Oriana currency would be my condition.”

“Of course not, although you have the option to protect it via our company or outsource the protection.”

“Mmm, I’ll have to consult Yam about Cloud monitoring. What about the injunction and the public outrage?”

“Everybody has a price.” Rachen cackled and the meeting ended.

___

“Very fascinating.” Aiwarin had her hands behind her back. Anne had brought the ancient relics over.

“This is a Stanley cup, which had a scandal involving claims that some had been tainted with lead.” Anne tapped it for the ASMR sensation.

“The design isn’t even fit for purpose, why would people want this?” Aiwarin furrowed her brows. “It might boost sales for Oriana when they see how great they have it now with TAL.”

“I’ve also got the Crescent bag, CDs, hand sanitiser, Crocs…the fashion items are my favourite because their relevance is so cyclical.” Anne had the whole catalogue of Rarities but she had planned for the exhibit to only display one ultra rare item. Aiwarin would have to work for this Andromeda special.

“You’re really good!” Aiwarin clapped.

“But not good enough to be tied down by the Oriana heiress.” Anne took a drag out of her synthetic cigarette, much healthier than vaping and traditional tobacco.

“I believe in NPRC. They would have matched us if that was the case…”

“How are you so adept at compartmentalising your emotions? I’m quite envious of this woman you’ve matched with.” Anne hoped that Aiwarin could have been the Frank to her Amy from Black Mirror’s Hang the DJ. Or did she just enjoy the idea of Aiwarin and the game they played?

“If it’s any consolation- there could be sixteen versions of me but there can only ever be one of you.” Aiwarin was a sweet talker, so natural that even her own words caught her offguard.

___

Maevika had enlisted the help of May, a fellow activist to help her solidify the injunction and organise a protest against the Great Oriana Air ordeal.

“My sources have told me that Rachen had secured the permissions from the Air Committee two years ago. Around the time G&G started building the device.” May was a top lawyer at New Bangkok’s famous law firm, the only one without a power structure because everyone had equal partnership.

“And we can’t access the patent information?” Maevika felt the urgency more as each day passed.

“I don’t understand why they haven’t filed for a patent which means that everything is already public knowledge. We just don’t know the ‘recipe’.”

“I’m surprised we’re not getting enough signatures or any kind of revolt.”

“I think it’s great that you’re appealing to people’s hearts but humans are complex.” May explained. “Legally speaking, you would have to either have evidence which establishes intent to harm or commit a crime…or you could sabotage from within.”

“So like Mean Girls?”

“Let’s get you a job at Oriana.” May gave Maevika a thumbs up.

___

Aiwarin followed Maevika awkwardly from behind, tailgating her like a baby duckling. The coffee shop had turned from what used to be a simple shop lot to a hipster exposed brick wall space. The coffee menu was more complicated than Aiwarin needed it to be. She had everything in place for survival, macro counted meal service, the hydration pod and a smart home. Aiwarin had no experience of a coffee ritual.

Maevika ordered a flat white with ethical milk and the house bean. Aiwarin ordered a latte because she didn’t want to smell like coffee all day. She was trying to stay positive but it was just one of those days. Aiwarin didn’t have time to deal with emotions and annoyances. She stared into the abyss, in Maevika’s direction. This was the first time Aiwarin had put someone else’s scheduled activity ahead of her own needs. Plus, the no photos thing was killing her. She wanted to see Maple so she could solidify that things were going well.

Coffee brewing was considered as an archaic hobby in New Bangkok. A majority of people were happy with 5-in-1 coffee. Maevika started to tell Aiwarin about her favourite coffee notes, why it was important to get the milk right for pouring latte art and the importance of being in the moment.

“You’re really not like other girls.” Aiwarin accidentally blurted out.

“I think comparison is the thief of joy.” Maevika smiled.

“Can I ask you about your past relationships?” Aiwarin was the kind of person who did have a possessive streak. Not that she assumed ownership over somebody’s body but that she did feel jealous at the thought of her past lovers connecting with someone new. It was irrational, for sure.

“I’ve been single all my life. What about you?”

“Uh-“ Aiwarin’s phone started beeping from an incoming call, it was the Oriana theme song which she abruptly dismissed. “I work there, they don’t let us change the settings.” This was the iconic Oriana PR line avoid liability for the subliminal messaging effects the song actually had.

“Wow, do you think you could put in a good word for me?” Maevika couldn’t believe her luck…