Dan looked over the note one more time. Specifically, the part that reads, "customize your world and those in it". He knew the Chronivac could change the user but the concept of changing the world to suit his whim was very tempting. His mind raced with possibilities, some grand and filled with adventure, and some more close to home, and some just plain hedonistic. Before he could get too wrapped up in his own thoughts, he decided to pull the device out and see how it works first hand.
The device in question was a mostly featureless black box, with a long antenna and USB cable. There was a CD-ROM in the package and also a digital download code, since not all users had CD drives now. Dan was a big nerd and had a few different computers from different eras, so anything worked for him. He plugged the device into his favorite machine, and popped the CD in, and awaited the program's opening.
In only a few moments, the device whirred to life and the program started up. The screen showed the view from his webcam, all his collectibles, spare parts, his Gunnar gamer glasses, and himself, seated at his desk. There were a variety of options on the side of the screen, all laid out in a sleek web 2.0 font. Scan, Transform, Transform Other, Transform Environment, and Settings. He started out by clicking Transform Environment. A disclaimer popped up on screen: "This option may conflict with other Chronivac users. In the event of a contradiction, you may be split up into separate realities for the duration of the change."
In the next menu, there were a list of presets, some sliders and text prompts to customize them, and a page with advanced options for experienced users. The presets were common types of fiction; fantasy, urban fantasy, sci fi, anthro, horror, and the like. He started with science fiction and played with the options.
Subgenres: Soft SF, Utopia, Space Exploration
Population: Humans, Robots and AIs, Aliens (Very diverse)
Level of realism: Middle Low
Level of technology: High
Level of environmental health: High
Tone: Optimistic
Aesthetic: 2001-era pop videos
Adult content: Common (nudity and sexual content) Medium (substance use) Rare (violence and non-con)
Duration: Indefinite until user reverts changes
This looked just about perfect to Dan. He mashed go on the Chronivac and waited. The room around him started to vibrate, then change. Chrome spread over his furniture, which then molded and shifted into rounded, futuristic shapes. His ugly wallpaper became pale blue walls with square lights. His computer became liquid crystal with neon lights and a holographic screen. Dan reached out and found he could move the windows around with his finger. The floor shifted around him as his room rose up and up until he had an awesome view of the future city. The style spread to his clothes - they soon morphed into a skintight silver singlet with a black leather jacket and platform boots. His hair was spiked up and he gained neon green sunglasses. Other than that, he was still the same skinny young kid he always was.