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I entered Necropolis and read the sign at the entrance:

"A wind whispers in from the East, blowing across the terrain of Necropolis© INCorporated. A scent of fire and incense wrapped in a darkly shrouded mist rolls in softly with the ash, enveloping your being. You are gently summoned to enter the dark and foreboding, yet oddly inviting Necropolis© INCorporated. There is a sudden realization that your desire for rational and calculated control has more to do with a drive toward DEATH than with a love of life."

A banner aggressively appears:

"Over 5000 methods of death to choose from! NEW and IMPROVED ways to delete yourself added daily! These methods are compiled by our DEADicated HOME surveillance teams, working to keep Bodies©INCorporated at the bleeding edge of technological advancement. See your death broadcast in SHOWPLACE!!!© INCorporated to the ENTIRE Bodies© INCorporated community, FREE OF CHARGE!"

#0299: killed by a common type of breast cancer known as infiltrating ductal carcinoma
#0398: the bottom part of your brain that connects to the spinal cord is attacked by Brain stem gliomas
#0087: rendered unconscious and then strangled and sodomized simultaneously
#1800: dismembered and a magic stew made out of your heart, genitals and spine
#0201: killed by the following germ cells attacking your brain: germinomas, embryona carcinomas, choriocarcinomas, or teratomas
#0100: killed by meningiomas tumors that occur in the membranes that cover and protect the brain and spinal cord
#0084: brutally raped and strangled and dumped in a neighboring village that bore the same first letter as your e-mail address
#0089: turned into a zombie after receiving a homemade lobotomy and having acid poured into body cavities and so on...

I looked through every single method of death and wondered for a long time if it made any difference how I choose to delete it. Finally I decided that it is better not to risk having a horrific death attached to the trace. It is possible that a horrible death may have a harder deletion impact, but there is a high risk of backlash and I was already too afraid I chose "death in my sleep" and proceeded to write an o-bit-uary which was a particularly agonizing process for me. Knowing that the writing will remain permanent almost paralyzed me. I sat motionless for a long time before starting: "I put to rest my headless friend who was created by mistake, and for whom I never meant to carry the burden of death forever. By being headless, Noend was always lost and attached herself to many innocent data bodies now in pain. She was moving around the network aimlessly, her trace invisible, her life span much longer than planned. Somehow I forgot the password to her code and had to manually track her down. Now I finally am putting her away and hope that she can rest in peace. " I wrote and rewrote different versions of the o-bit-uary and still don't feel satisfied when I think about it. I hesitated as the incense trailed in again and passed gently around... The sitar playing got louder than ever as the red veil fell over me, while I descended into the dark abyss of indecision. The veil still hangs and I am afraid of the consequences.

 

 

GRAVESITE CONSTRUCTION ORDER FORM

Construct a final resting place for your recently disposed body.

Please complete the form below and answer the Bodies© INCorporated gravesite building questions carefully. It should only take a few minutes of your time.

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STEP 1: Your Body's Name

This is where you type your name, e-mail, and password, as well as your body's name for gravesite identification purposes. In addition to the name, your body will also receive a day marking its death (the day you place your order).

NOTE: The information must be typed in EXACTLY as you entered it during your membership validation.

Name: E-Mail: Password: Body Name:

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Make your choices carefully. This gravesite is in remembrance of you, and only you.

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STEP 2: Your Body's O-Bit

This is where you complete an o-bit commemorating your dearly de-parted.

NOTE: you are not limited to a single line with your entry, type as much as you like, the text will wrap.

I put to rest my headless friend who was created by mistake, and for whom I never meant to carry the burden of death forever. By being headless, Noend was always lost and attached herself to many innocent data bodies now in pain. She was moving around the network aimlessly, her trace invisible, her life span much longer than planned. Somehow I forgot the password to her code and had to manually track her down. Now I finally am putting her away and hope that she can rest in peace.

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STEP 3: Gravesite Part Types, Textures, and Sounds

Your gravesite will be made up of four different types, four different textures (from a list of twelve), and one sound (from a list of twelve). Please choose the types, textures, and sound you want for your gravesite.

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STEP 4: Special Viewing Instructions and/or Gravesite Descriptions

Please enter any special viewing instructions or gravesite descriptions here. This will help others to remember your body's passing better.

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STEP 5: Order Your Gravesite

Please go over your entries in the form. If you like what you've chosen, click on "Order" below. If you don't, then click on "Clear" to start the form over.

NOTE: If you haven't yet viewed your gravesite, click the "view grave" button to do so. Once your order is submitted, you will no longer be able to view your gravesite from this screen.

 

 

NAME: Noend

DATE OF DELETION: April 1, 1999

SEX: none

SEXUALITY: bisexual

AGE: 199

RELATIONSHIP TO OWNER: A haunting presence that searches and deletes, approaches and connects, seduces and disconnects...

SPECIAL VIEWING INSTRUCTIONS: look away

OBITUARY: I put to rest my headless friend who was created by mistake, and for whom I never meant to carry the burden of death forever. By being headless, Noend was always lost and attached herself to many innocent data bodies now in pain. She was moving around the network aimlessly, her trace invisible, her life span much longer than planned. Somehow I forgot the password to her code and had to manually track her down. Now I finally am putting her away and hope that she can rest in peace.

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