EVENT #12: ADVERSITY 6568654

[expiationmods]

EVENT #12: DO AIS DREAM OF ALGORITHMIC SHEEP?

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…

JANUARY 13

SLEEP MODE INITIATED.
LOADING………………….

The calming hush that falls over Aldrip is strangely comfortable, lulling all Chosen into a deep sleep…or a sleeplike state, for those who will. Whatever the case, it is a very quiet night.

The sleep that follows is anything but.

THE DREAMSCAPES

The Chosen dream of memories, in this dreamscape. They can be twisted and altered by the dream world; events can be contorted or made up; but all of these dreams have within them a kernel of truth. Whether they express an event that happened or part of a person’s past that’s gone fuzzy with age, whether it’s a real moment or just a feeling, something about the dream tells you something about the Chosen to whom it belongs. This may even express itself in multiple dreamscapes, fragments of different memories and feelings to navigate.

Fellow Chosen can travel through these dreamscapes, of course, stumbling upon dreams they were never meant to see. But their presence is not without consequence; the longer two Chosen share the same dream, the more the dream will begin to take on elements of both their dreams, drawing in elements from the Chosen who was simply meant to be watching.

They’re vivid, these dreams–the kind that are so clear, one begins to doubt whether it’s a dream at all. Could it possibly be reality? Whether it’s a good dream or a bad one, the Chosen may find it’s difficult to want to wake up. How could they possibly wake up, when this is so very real? Why would they want to, if it’s a good dream? It’s comfortable, and the idea that it may not be reality is intimidating, isn’t it?

It’s so real that you could stay here forever.

A WAKEUP CALL

Wake up.
You have to wake up.

Staying within the dreams too long is a dangerous thing, and those who don’t wake even once before morning will risk falling into a deep sleep, perhaps never to wake at all.

But how to wake them?

Only by convincing the Chosen that they are most certainly dreaming, as it turns out. Whether that’s someone realizing this on their own, or being helped along by someone else, is entirely up to you. But they must choose to wake from the dream, saying goodbye to the dreamscape without any certainty that they’ll ever see it again, and for some…that could be easier said than done.

Once they wake in Aldrip, they’ll be able to come and go from the dreams at will, helping other Chosen navigate their own waking…or perhaps sabotaging it, for those whose intentions may be less than charitable. (But none of you would do that, right? Right?)

Time becomes meaningless within the dreamscapes, allowing the Chosen to pass through as many of these dreams as they wish before dawn breaks in the morning.

The next day dawns as normal, and surprisingly, the Chosen don’t feel any less well-rested from their long and difficult night chasing after dreams. They may even–_

A sea of numbers, zeroes and ones, their combinations meaningless, their forms shifting. Digital artifacts mar the vision, as if the sequence is somehow corrupted. In those pockets of artifacts, one can see something beyond the numbers, something darker, something blurry with distance.
Query: is this what it is to “dream?”
It feels…warm.

_feel refreshed, actually, as if they’ve lifted various weights from their shoulders. Even those who haven’t may find it difficult to linger on the less happy parts of what they’ve seen. They’ve shared quite a unique experience, after all. Better take some time to process it, before they let it weigh them down.

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

[digthefuzz]

[Kurt looks on pensively as Rogue approaches. Nothing registers as strange to him, as if this is 'his' Rogue. He frowns.]

Come on... You know who.

[He sighs.]

It's our mother. She needs us... She needs you.

[southernchere]

[every single muscle in her body tightens the moment the word "mother" flows through his lips. and for that brief point, rogue falls tensely silent with her eyes lock in hard to her brother's.

if she's going to proceed with rousing him, rogue will have to be somewhat understanding... even if this means facing her again. in addition, it's not like the woman is actually here, so that's another thing she will have to keep in mind. with arms steadily folding over her chest, her expression faintly sours but says:]

Guess we oughta not burn the rest of daylight. ... Lead on, Elf.

[digthefuzz]

[Her terse reaction also fits in with what he remembers of Rogue's reaction. She wanted nothing to do with this, while he wanted to save her. Because he feels it's the right thing to do.]

Right. [He manages a small smile, glad that she's agreed to come along.]

Here we go...

[He teleports, and now both of them are at the gazebo overlooking the cliff - along with two other figures: Mystique and an elderly woman. But Mystique is looking a bit worse for the wear - currently petrified in the form of a statue. Kurt stares at her, shakily.]

Th-there she is.

[southernchere]

[once they arrived at this gazebo, her heart instantly wants to leap out of her chest, and her stomach grows sour at the mere sight of their mother. and while this version of her have some different features, she is still recognizable. unfortunately so.

rogue's lips thin for a second, then side-glances over at her younger brother to take note of his trembling demeanor. right. she can be mature about this... maybe. no, she has to be. for kurt. so when she swallows a deep breath and fists ball into rocks at her sides, she marches forward.]

Mind lettin' in on a gal on what in tarnation is goin' on, and just who the hell are you?

[... that's mature-ish enough.]

[digthefuzz]

[Kurt quickly realizes she might not have gotten to the right conclusion, so she teleports between them to quickly interject.]

W-wait! She's okay. I brought her here! She's our last hope to figure out how to save her!

[Not even the Professor could figure anything out. But when he aaked Wanda about some kind of magical solution, she pointed him towards this woman.

The old woman, humorless and unafraid, introduces herself as Agatha Harkness.

"If your mother is alive, only you have the power to save her. Rest your hand against the stone and absorb the mutation."]

Is that even safe?? What if she-

["A moment is all it will take."]

[southernchere]

[agatha harkness is a name she isn't familiar with, unfortunately. and even when this lady briefly explains herself and the situation at hand, rogue frowns and folds her arms tight over her chest — shifting her weight from one foot to the next.]

Now hold on. Ya must think I ain't got no walkin' around sense if ya believe I'mma just gonna do as you say. I've always used my power drain as a last resort to all things. Have ya took her to Hank? Or anyone else? Or are ya really her and just tryin' to pull a fast one?

[digthefuzz]

[Kurt nods along slowly.]

Yeah. The professor, and Mr. McCoy... Neither of them can figure out anything about how to save her. This is our last hope.

[Agatha just stands there unflinching, stating this is the only way.]

...I understand how you feel. Especially after- after how she used you like that. But I still can't give up on her.

[southernchere]

[ the mutant's frown deepens as her gaze shifts from the mysterious lady and mother, spatting out her words without any hint of wavering. ]

Well, I think she looks fine as frog hair split both ways. Keepin' her like this will get her to stop being slicker than owl shit.

[ with that said, rogue turns on her heel to head away from the trio — trying to keep her composure and her anger from flaring out of her chest. ]

Thanks for the family reunion.

[digthefuzz]

[Her metaphors are sometimes hard to follow, but Kurt feels the meaning of these very keenly. Especially with the expletive! Her words have a crushing effect, and he teleports over towards her.]

W-wait! You can't mean that. This was supposed to be different! I thought that - that you were different!

[He can tell that much right now - that this isn't really the Rogue from his world. She's one who's seemed more cheery and friendlier... which makes her blunt refusal hurt more. He thought she'd pick differently than his Rogue...

But as he tries talking more to her, they're disrupted. Echoes of voices ring out around them. One of the voices is that of Kurt, the other of some teenager with a slight Southern accent - though the identity of the other person quickly becomes clear.

"Rogue, she can't hurt us anymore!"

"Speak for yourself!"

"I know you have every reason to hate her. I mean, look what she's done to us. But still, she's our mother."

"Either you get her out of here, or I will!"

"Anger and hatred destroyed her. If you don't get rid of yours, it will destroy you, too."

"It already destroyed me."

Those last words sound distorted, and as they're uttered, the ground begins shaking. Kurt winces and crouches down, covering his ears.]

[southernchere]

['i thought that you were different'. she halts in her step, and her body tightens in a way she had never known it could do. rogue peeks over kurt as she gets ready to speak, but the voices that mists by their sides hush her immediately to listen. the southern accent, while tone different, she can recognize in an instant this is herself in her little brother's earth.

and the mutant feels... somewhat guilty that she can relate to her counterpart's argument, if anything, the sentiment is mutual. but what keeps her from sinking too deep in thought is the abrupt earthquake, whereby rogue hovers a few inches off the land by sheer intuition. but then she glides quickly to her young brother, both her hands resting on each shoulder to consulate and lift his chin, so the two can make eye contact. ]

Sugah, now you listen to me. None of this is real. This is a dream we're locked in, and nothin' can hear you or me. And... that lady over there and Mystique ain't really there, either. You gotta wake up, Hon.

[digthefuzz]

[He's practically shaking as he looks up at her. He blinks as he tries to process her words, even if something in him feels resistant.]

A- a dream? But... No... No, that can't be! This is our chance... our last chance to save her!

[He shakes his head, with teary eyes.]

Rogue, this is our chance to fix things! We can fix this family!

[The rumbling intensifies, and the grass beneath them starts to shrivel away, leaving them standing on stone. Their surroundings have shifted - they're now standing on an outstretched stone arm of a giant stone Mystique, that is rumbling and slowly starting to crumble.]

[southernchere]

We can be a family without her...! And if that woman is as a lowlife good for nothin' like mine, then we don't need her.

[ it's a slightly risky move, but rogue curls her arms around her younger sibling as the two take flight — not high, but enough that her voice can be heard clearly throughout the booming. ]

I'm tellin' ya, Kurt, she ain't real. And even if she is, she only cared about herself and my powers. Nothin' else! — Mystique is always savin' her own skin, and every time you let her in with her damn,"Sorry"s, she'll knock the wind right back outta ya.

[digthefuzz]

[At first, he struggles a bit within her grasp. He looks past her, at the crumbling stone statue of Mystique.]

I- I know! I know all that! But that's why I wanted to help her! To not be like her - to be better! ...I guess I also hoped it would help her to become better. Like, like Scott's version of her. She... she can be anyone... but she chose to be that.

[He closes his eyes for a moment, letting loose from tears. Deflating briefly, he then stops his struggle and wraps his arms around Mystique.]

A-and... This already happened. It ended, she's gone. That's... what's real. And I still... I still have you, right...?