Item 202

I am always intrigued by science fiction stories about art. Especially in the now times, when new technology (NFTs, generative AI) are reshaping our ideas of how art objects will manifest in the future, with all the attending controversies and concerns. AI prompts are a part of what Angela Liu explores in this story (the title itself being one such prompt), but the goings on mostly focus on a technology called “NC orbs”, in which the artist can “paint” fresh memories into the mind of the user. Strapped for cash, the narrator of the story agrees to illegally paint an NC orb for a client of the brothel she sometimes works at, and consequences ensue. Liu has created quite a detailed cyberpunk dystopia here, though one so relentlessly grim it flirts with absurdity. Quite early in the story it is obvious this is all spiraling toward unavoidable tragedy. Despite this, the characters are compelling, and the author’s engagement with the story’s themes coheres quite nicely.