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It is now 13:13 and there is no sign of Karl at the salon. Perhaps they are redecorating here? You glance around at the ironic exposed brickwork, mix of faux-vintage and gentrified contemporary interior design of this establishment, and you are unsure whether you should feel ugly or out of place. In the struggle for algorithmic authenticity all of these places resemble each other, resemble a frictionless non-place, unbounded by geography, all located within the carefully curated parameters of aesthetic and cultural homogeneity. Who was it that once said that a prison resembles a factory, a school, a hospital, an asylum, military barracks... all of which resemble prisons? Perhaps postmodern hair salons should be enumerated in that list too. This is the paradox of locality: how can a place be specific enough to seem unique, yet also remain convenient and interchangeable enough to be liked, consumed and shared as quickly as possible?
There is still no sign of Karl in the anaesthetised interior of the salon. You scroll listlessly through your phone, and are harassed by the following autoplaying popup video advertisements:
(You can only click on ONE:)
>Enpower your career with 1-on-1 mentoring! Bring your whole self to work, be all that you can be! (Gain trait: Thousand Faces Of The Betrayer. Disguise yourself as anyone, male, female, corporate, casual, etc merely through appropriate possessions and disguises. Unusual or suspicious behaviour, and those that possess witch-sight, may dispel this illusion)
>Leverage scalable customer journeys to enrich cohort retention, deliver unprecedented digital transformation... (Gain trait: Red Ruin Acolyte. Upon receiving a mortal wound at 0/22 Blood, continue to endure up to 100 points of Trauma in the Afterlife, but at an ever-increasing cost... Bargain with the Red Lord of Ruin for your soul.)
>Ignore both of these horrifying adverts. Keep your soul and attempt to survive as a mere mortal (Blood: 22/22)
