| Philip K. Dick's Journal | |
|---|---|
|
Origin |
Philip K. Dick |
|
Type |
Journal |
|
Effects |
Actualizes surreal visions into local surroundings |
|
Downsides |
Causality induced psychosis |
|
Activation |
Amphetamine usage |
|
Collected by |
Warehouse |
|
Section |
|
|
Date of Collection |
May 9, 2024 |
| [Source] | |
Origin[]
Philip Kindred Dick (December 16, 1928 – March 2, 1982), often referred to by his initials PKD, was an American science fiction writer and novelist. He wrote 44 novels and about 121 short stories, most of which appeared in science fiction magazines during his lifetime. His fiction explored varied philosophical and social questions such as the nature of reality, perception, human nature, and identity, and commonly featured characters struggling against elements such as alternate realities, illusory environments, monopolistic corporations, drug abuse, authoritarian governments, and altered states of consciousness.
In 1971, Dick's marriage broke down, and he allowed other drug users to move into the house. Following the release of 21 novels between 1960 and 1970, these developments were exacerbated by unprecedented periods of writer's block, with Dick ultimately failing to publish new fiction until 1974. One day, in November 1971, Dick returned to his home to discover it had been burglarized, with his safe blown open and personal papers missing. The police could not determine the culprit, and even suspected Dick of having done it himself.
Following years of drug abuse and a series of mystical experiences in 1974, Dick's work engaged more explicitly with issues of theology, metaphysics, and the nature of reality. Dick returned to the events of these months while writing his novel A Scanner Darkly (1977), which contains fictionalized depictions of the burglary of his home, his time using amphetamines and living with addicts, and his experiences of X-Kalay (portrayed in the novel as "New-Path"). A factual account of his recovery program participation was portrayed in his posthumously released book The Dark Haired Girl, a collection of letters and journals from the period.
Dick's stories typically focus on the fragile nature of what is real and the construction of personal identity. His stories often become surreal fantasies, as the main characters slowly discover that their everyday world is actually an illusion assembled by powerful external entities, such as the suspended animation in Ubik, vast political conspiracies or the vicissitudes of an unreliable narrator. Much of his thinking and work was heavily influenced by the writings of Carl Jung. The Jungian constructs and models that most concerned Dick seem to be the archetypes of the collective unconscious, group projection/hallucination, synchronicities, and personality theory. One major theme of his work as the question, "What constitutes the authentic human being?" In works such as Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, beings can appear totally human in every respect while lacking soul or compassion, while completely alien beings such as Glimmung in Galactic Pot-Healer may be more humane and complex than their human peers. Drug use (including religious, recreational, and abuse) was also a recurring theme.
Effects[]
Causes users of amphetamine derivatives to reflect their outlandish and paranoia fueled trips into local reality, overwriting laws of history, sociology, religion and science to conform to their ideas. The entire infrastructure of that present moment changes to fill in whatever niche beliefs they daze through into existence. Many enact dystopic changes, although intensity of the outcome is inverse to the area enclosed. The world can also continually revise itself in response to new ‘edits’ from the wielder.
Eventually, the journal loops the effect back into the user. They witness the extreme worlds only, slowly reverting back to the correct story of life. But any random changes will pointedly happen only to them, as a sort of get-back from the universe being fiddled with. Changes are targeted at them, causing coincidences that loosen their grasp on reality. Fictional events are very physical to only them, and paranoid breakdowns become common until they make a misstep or enough chances pile up to cause permanent harm.