Data Bleed

Data Bleed is a condition uncommon to the population at large, but found relatively frequently among data jockeys and virtual reality addicts. It is described a pollution of one's identity through technical means, usually caused by unregulated technology capable of manipulating the user's long-term memory. Thankfully, the condition is considered treatable in all but the most extreme of cases, although it usually requires complete abstinence of the related technology, and therefore few addicts seek treatment of their own volition.

Causes

Data Bleed is frequently caused by users of technology that jack directly into their brain, such as advanced data receptacles and barely-legal virtual reality modules. These users are vulnerable to the various advanced intelligences and pre-recorded memories that can be found as part of these experiences, which may lead to corruption of the mind if used without the proper precautions. Species of strong mental fortitude, such as the Barathu, appear to be capable of withstanding more corruption than other species before succumbing to Data Bleed, but there is no species known to be completely immune to the condition.

Symptoms

Creatures experiencing Data Bleed for the first time often experience dreams that include another person's life, or their tastes begin to change in a way that matches that of the inserted identity. As the condition progresses, the afflicted may begin to exhibit drastic personality shifts, often a violent mix of the one or more identities inside of them, or even take on another identity's name and mannerisms entirely. Extreme cases of Data Bleed may lead to Splintering, although this has only be recorded once in Pact Worlds' history, and the patient died soon after.

Treatment

As most of the patients who contract Data Bleed are addicts of the technologies and experiences that lead to the condition, the recommended treatment is often a months-long stay in a psychiatric rehabilitation facility, where specialized memory modules are used to filter the good from the bad. Depending on the severity of the condition, patients may lose some of their original memories as apart of this process, in order to protect the remaining parts of their psyche from corruption.

Cultural Reception

While most species are horrified at the very idea of Data Bleed, Androids consider light cases of the condition to be normal, particularly after a new soul enters an existing Android body. The Android Abolitionist Front has long campaigned for such cases to not be classified as an illness, and instead a cultural phenomenon unique to their species. A sect of the Augmented don't consider Data Bleed to be a condition at all, and instead welcome augmentations of the mind alongside the modifications to their physical forms.

Type

Neurological

Origin

Engineered

Cycle

Short-term

Rarity

Uncommon