Miranda scanned her options in the blank world that expanded endlessly. The floating menus overwhelmed her at first, but slowly she managed to sort through it and found what she wanted.

She began with appearance.

With a dramatic beep, a light scanned her from the top down. The default state was her own body, a body that couldn’t be called feminine. Thin without curves, and too short for comfort, Miranda cringed at the avatar that mirrored her imperfection. She took a step and touched the stranger like her, then clenched her fist.

“Race,” she said, skipping gender.

A robotic voice responded. “Affirmative.”

Like a windshield wiper, Miranda’s hand waved left to right and scrolled through dozens of options. Human, orc, high elf, dwarf, gnomes, fairies. Even angels and devils were options. None appealed to her, especially human. Strange races never before seen also existed in Viarem, but they displeased her all the same.

Miranda went through the options again, slower. She watched her avatar morph. Her face turned demonic, reptilian, and then cat-like, but still with faint echoes of her look in reality. The land changed with it. Switching to high elves changed the world into a lush forest with homes that looked like treehouses parents made their children. They were a step above, however, and were majestic rather than wooden shacks.

The unfamiliar smell of nature wafted through her nose. Miranda was a city girl. She never experienced the open world, but knew this was what it was like. The human landscape was industrial and boomed with the workings of machinery. It irritated her ears, and she had enough of that for a lifetime. She clicked her tongue and hovered over another race.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

The dark elves. Almost the opposite of Miranda, they had duller skin tones that ranged from black to the pale blue of moonlight. Their hair was bone white, which could not be altered. A sensual race, the women had curves she dreamed of, and the men muscular without bulk.

Towering, gothic cathedrals and buildings surrounded her, the moonlight shining down on her brighter than the sun. Miranda rubbed her hands and got to work. First, she sharpened the nose and narrowed the eyes. It reminded her of a hawk. Her lips became thin, but with a pout. Her body — Miranda hardly had to tweak that. The system had calibrated her body to conform with the average dark elf woman. Her limbs and torso had lengthened, and her chest grew. Satisfied without further tune ups, she admired her work.

Reaching for the hud, Miranda tapped [Name] and inputted her own.

“Name unavailable, would you like recommendations?” the voice said.

The worst names imaginable appeared. Mariah, Mystogan, Merry. They were beyond understanding. Miranda rattled off new names. “Mystique. Maribelle. Maelynne.”

“Name unavailable.”

Her hope shriveled by the second.

“Meziah?”

There was a pause, and then a ping as if it registered. A pop-up came into view.

[Confirm] or [Cancel]

“Confirm.” Miranda no longer cared, and wanted to get in.

“Welcome to Viarem, Meziah,” the voice said. And the landscape below Miranda’s feet vanished alongside the world and her avatar.