EVENT #11: ADVERSITY 4590683

[expiationmods]

EVENT #11: REMEMBER YOU ARE MORTAL

This event takes place in conjunction with a player plot that is open for participation! Participation in that plot is not needed to experience the world effects outlined in this log. You can find the log for the player event here!

THE STORY SO FAR (click to expand)

-Over time, characters have discovered that the world of Expiation is actually a large, elaborate simulation run by an AI that seems to be intent on helping them atone for their crimes. This news is well-known by the Chosen, enough so that any new character who wishes to handwave this knowledge is able to do so.

-In September 2024, that AI needed to be reset as a consequence of some catastrophic systems failures. So far, there has been no downside to this reset–but the AI has also been strangely absent since then.

-Things have been quiet in Aldrip since September, aside from the routine arrival of new Chosen. The locals seem less than happy with the Chosen, though, as if they have already branded them all criminals. As if they no longer trust them…

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11

The moon looms large and full over the buildings of Aldrip this morning.

… Wait. The moon?

It’s true: Aldrip seems to have settled into an eerie perpetual twilight, lit by the full moon and little else. The ambient lighting is dim, but not dark, still light enough to see by. Which is good, because nothing else seems to be serving as a source of light. No sun, no street lamps–nothing. How odd is that?

In fact, it seems that no electronics are working during this strange week. Tablets don’t turn on, computers won’t work, even the lights inside the houses are unresponsive. STEM club’s dark web devices remain capable of some rudimentary communication, however.

The Dark Hour permeates Aldrip entirely. Well. Almost entirely–more on that in a minute. But first: monsters of all kinds will be more prominent during this time. If you would like to add new monsters to the bestiary, you can do so here! Monsters will be more aggressive and enterprising, freely roaming the streets of the city and attacking more boldly than they otherwise would.

Now, all is not lost, here. Because some Chosen-owned spaces remain immune to its effects. Notably: the Inn, the Willow Clinic, and some other player-run businesses can serve as safe houses, as well as some storehouses that were constructed long ago. The lights will still go on in these locations, though the network restrictions above still remain in effect.

For the most part, monsters and other event happenings will avoid safe houses, though if you’d like to play around with that, we see no reason why you shouldn’t. Just remember that characters and players who choose to limit their participation in the event are making use of these spaces, and be respectful of that.

As for outside of the city…who knows? A thick, impenetrable mist surrounds Aldrip, keeping all characters within the city for the duration of the event. Anyone who may have been outside of Aldrip before the event began will mysteriously find themselves inside the city as the Dark Hour takes hold. Better make your way to a safe house…and good luck out there.

MY OWN WORST ENEMY

Who is the monster and who is the man?

It seems that monsters aren’t the only obstacle roaming the city. The Chosen may find themselves facing doppelgangers, of themselves or of fellow Chosen. In terms of appearance, they may be identical to the Chosen they reflect, to the point of being difficult to tell apart. Some may have minor changes–different eye color, different clothing, things like that. But in many cases, it may be impossible to tell which is real and which is not based on looks alone.

These doubles reveal a dark reflection of the characters they look like: their deepest fears and regrets, repressed desires they refuse to admit, feelings and experiences they’ve never told anyone about…all of these things and more will come to the surface with them. These doubles desperately want to see a character’s accused crime confronted, and they will do anything to make that happen, even resorting to violence if they must. The doubles have all the original powers and abilities of their real counterparts, making them extremely difficult (but not impossible!) to fight one-on-one.

Some characters may find themselves inexplicably drawn to their doppelgangers, as if called by some force. They may feel compelled to seek them out, as if they’re unable to rest so long as their double roams free. This is an optional effect, but should you be looking for an excuse to get your character out and about–please feel free to utilize it.

Doubles can be injured and incapacitated, but not killed; the only way to eliminate them is through acceptance and recognition. Characters do not have to do this alone; in fact, having some moral support or coaching may prove useful. Confronting the double and accepting or seriously reflecting upon the crime they’re charged with will make the doppelgangers first turn docile, and then disappear, leaving the original character feeling lighter and more sure of themselves.

A MINOR TECHNICALITY

What happens to a simulation when the electronics stop working?

Good question.

Occasionally, you may see what looks like a strange, thin line, just from the corner of your vision. Early in the week, trying to look at this line straight on reveals…nothing. It seems to vanish.

As the week continues, this strange happening seems to intensify, bit by bit. By midweek, Wednesday or so, you’re able to look at this line head-on. It seems to be a small crack, little more than a hairline fracture, outlined in light. As the weekend creeps closer, this crack seems to grow, bit by bit, becoming more pronounced, the gaps between it getting larger.

By the weekend, it’s wide enough that you can see through it.

What you see is difficult to describe. You seem to be looking into a large metallic structure, so large that the end seems to curve off into the horizon. How far does this go on? There’s a ceiling overhead, so high up that you can’t make out details. Much of this structure seems to be empty within, but you see a floor at foot level, made of metal.

The gap is wide enough that you can stick your hand right through it. When you do so, you begin to feel a strange tingling, starting at the tips of your fingers and extending to the part of your arm that goes into the crack. Nothing about your hand changes, really, but when the tingling subsides, you get the strange sensation that you’ve been unable to feel anything with that hand, up til now. Something about the air against your skin feels more real, here. As if your senses were muted before…

The crack never widens more than this. It is sometimes visible to just one person, and sometimes it can be visible to a group. This crack can appear in any surface, in any location, but it always looks the same and always reveals the same structure within.

Interesting…

ENDING

In conjunction with the conclusion of the player plot, the Dark Hour comes to an end one week later, on November 18. Monsters vacate the city, the sun reappears…this happens slowly, over the course of the day. By Tuesday, the network and electronic usage is restored. By Wednesday, the crack in the world seems to be gone for good. By the weekend after the event, all doppelgangers seem to have vanished.

This is fine, we always say. And it is! Everything is back to normal!

…

Or is it…?

WILDCARD

Make your own fun! Just because it’s not in the prompts doesn’t mean it’s not possible. Have at it! Go crazy! Try not to break anything (too much)!

♡

Comments

[coolerjunpei]

Something like that. And I didn't actually go, but...

[He sips his own coffee with a shrug; he stayed home? He is done, professionally, with sticking his nose in fate-of-the-world type stuff? But he was still here, so:]

So, uh, this place is kind of a simulation, or something? And there was this AI that kept the lights on, but it started going nuts with errors and stuff. Whole bunch of people went out to press some buttons at the same time or whatever and give it a factory reset so we wouldn't all get deleted.

That's about it.

[cupidsammo]

Oh.

[ That sounds... surprisingly simple? (Then why couldn't she get a straight answer before... Ah, whatever.) Koharu was expecting it to be more complicated, but maybe she should be relieved it isn't. ]

But if it isn't an error– [ She assumes, if the AI got supposedly fixed. ] –maybe this isn't an accident...?

[coolerjunpei]

You think somebody would do this on purpose...?

[He looks at the window again, frowning— because he can't honestly say that's impossible. Somebody could do this, he figures, and even on purpose. What for he couldn't guess, but it's definitely possible.

He sighs and shrugs.]

Could be. Not sure how to prove that unless somebody comes forward to make a big "I was the villain the whole time, ha ha ha" speech.

[cupidsammo]

I don't know...

[ Would someone do this on purpose? Those she's come across so far have been nothing but kind, so it's hard to imagine. Koharu takes a careful sip of the coffee, then: ]

But I was thinking more—would that AI do this?

[coolerjunpei]

If it did, that means it's still broken, so...

[That would mean that the whole reset thing didn't actually work, only fixed the funny weather patterns and the way people kept changing - maybe not even that, given, well. The coffin things outside. The duplicates of people.

Although, that last part...] This place does like to force us to- [he will do the finger quotes, one-handed,] "reflect on our crimes," so, uh, maybe. Maybe it's a different AI now altogether.

[cupidsammo]

[ Koharu hums, thoughtful. ]

I'm not a computer expert or anything, but I would think a total reset would change it.

[ P...robably? She's an average PC user; she's done school assignments, scrolled through social media, and watched a YouTube video or two. But she does know a complete reset is essentially a clean slate, and nothing is the same after that. In theory. ]

... And besides, it's still bringing more of us in.

[ Case in point: herself. There's nothing benevolent about that. ]

[coolerjunpei]

Oh. Oh, shit.

[He didn't think of that!! How did he not think of that, oops—]

Okay, so there's definitely still some kind of AI, yeah. Maybe it's not evil, though? I mean, if it's just a program, it wouldn't know the difference. The old one was broken because it gave a shit about us, I think...

[Well, he has a vague idea. He has gotten the vibe. He doesn't know for sure.]

[cupidsammo]

[ ... It was broken because it cared? ]

Yeah... maybe. But I'm really just guessing—I don't know anything about it, and I've never seen it. Honestly, understanding it might be a little beyond me.

[coolerjunpei]

[Don't think too hard about it, that's how the depression starts.]

Yeah, honestly, same here. I've used a computer before, but all of this AI this and that stuff is way outside my wheelhouse.

[........however,] But turning everything green and dropping coffins and monsters everywhere? That's really not subtle, compared to the usual shit that happens around here. Dunno.

[cupidsammo]

So this is—worse than usual?

[ Truth be told, the whole ordeal has left her pretty spooked and anxious about what more could come. But if this was an anomaly among the anomalies, that would be a silver lining. ]

[coolerjunpei]

I mean, if you ask me, yeah. Even the moon's fucked up.

[That just shouldn't happen! He shrugs; there's a nonzero chance others will disagree with him, and technically he himself has done more personal suffering during other strange occurrences, but this one still feels the most... widely dangerous. So.]

But if we give it a week and it just... stops, I'm going to consider that a lucky break.

[cupidsammo]

... Yeah.

[ Another sip. Waiting it out feels like the logical next step. ]

In that case... Will you be staying here long? If you need anything, you can always ask me.

[coolerjunpei]

What, here in the inn? I guess. My house is in the creepy blackout monster zone, and this guy's monster snack sized.

[This guy being the little dog Gab, who senses he's being talked about and snuffles and wags his tail for a moment, then resumes just chilling at their feet.]

And I guess if you ever need someone to grab you another free coffee, uh, I can do that again. That's like, my main skill.

[He does not Fight...]

[cupidsammo]

[ With a small chuckle: ]

Delivering the coffee, or making it too?

[ His pupper buddy has been so quiet, too! ]

Well, either way—I don't think standing around will do me any good, so... the offer extends to your friend there, too.

[coolerjunpei]

Depends on how consistent you like your coffee. I don't make that much, so I might actually suck at it.

[He shrugs, like, maybe this coffee is a fluke? He only knows how to push buttons on a machine, everything else is up to the will of the cosmos or something.

And the dog is just an old man content to take naps wherever he can, including right here on the floor if they stand there long enough--]

So like... a dog-walking service?

[cupidsammo]

[ Koharu blinks, her expression shifting into mild surprise. ]

... Do you need a dog walker?

[ She wasn't expecting him to ask, clearly. ]

[coolerjunpei]

Oh, uh, no? If you were really desperate for something to do, though...

[He shrugs, like, he would get that? He himself has very few obligations besides slinging sandwiches in Silco's restaurant, but that literally means he has loads of free time to walk his own dog.

It's very nuanced, his fumbling attempts to help other people. Don't think too hard about it. Ahem.]

I guess not.

[cupidsammo]

Oh! Oh. Um.

[ She must have misunderstood, she thinks while making a small, awkward shift on her feet. Okay, okay—she can recover this. ]

Well, mainly... I've recently started working here, so I can help in that way!

[coolerjunpei]

Oh. [Ohhhh... Employment. Yes. This makes sense. Here he was just offering to be a coffee runner casually, but oh, right--]

Uh, okay, yeah. That- yeah. So you work for Richard...? How's that going?

[Wry, because he likes Richard, but Richard is also super fucking weird. Amazing that Richard even thinks girls can have jobs--]

[cupidsammo]

[ Completely oblivious to that train of thought: ]

It's working out well, I think! He's been nothing but kind so far, so I really can't complain.

[coolerjunpei]

[Kind... Again, Richard strikes Junpei as weird most of the time, so he wouldn't go so far as to say he's unkind... but. Huh.

Well, can't just say that, so.]

Did you meet the pig yet? Uh, Whitey? I guess he's a boar.

["I guess" in the tones of a guy who forgot pigs and boars weren't the same animal for a second.]

[cupidsammo]

I did!

[ At that, she definitely beams. ]

I see him every day, in fact. I'm surprised he's such a sweet thing, but I guess I've never met any boars before to know.