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

[coolerjunpei]

[Boarding school, god, it's so... young teen novel, isn't it. How are boarding schools even real. Is this place even— no, that's silly, he's standing here. Of course it is.

And actually,] Just drive around and hang out? I can do that. Actually, how do I do that instead of going to superguy class?

[Please, he would absolutely rather be big brother Junpei the chaperone than Junpei who has to go to time travel lessons, or whatever.]

[laserguy]

If you say so man. [He shrugs, clearly not as interested being a babysitter, but whatever floats his boat. This arrangement sounds like something that will only benefit Scott in the end, so works for him! He can almost see him and Charles corralling a bunch of hyper mutants around and maybe going a little insane, but they'll probably be fine.]

You'd probably have to talk to the Professor to arrange something like that. Just be really convincing, as a tip. He's a telepath.

[He smirks slightly at Junpei.] Didn't know you liked kids a lot.

[coolerjunpei]

What, someone volunteering for babysitting duty isn't already convincing? Besides, no one's going to be able to teach me how to time travel better.

[Well, maybe. But probably not, it's kind of a stupid power that doesn't work in a way that anyone would ever want. Ergo... designated babysitter.

He shrugs.]

Anyway, kids aren't that bad. There's a... time travel me who adopted a kid, sooo let's call it practice, I guess?

[laserguy]

Hey, you never know. There might a time travelling mutant around that could appear.

[Somehow, it really doesn't feel impossible. Guess he sort of opened his mind to many possibilities, like even different timelines. Huh, honestly, that really feels familiar... like there are mutants from other universes that don't have it as nice or easy as him. Something about Sentinels and Genosha--

He mentally shakes his head. Probably just a weird dream, right? Unlike what he's doing now. Yeah, it's fine. ...Just keep on ignoring that nagging feelin in his chest. He's just worried because everything is good right now.]

But if you say so. Maybe you can get Charles to join in, I'm sure he'd be happy to spend time with kids too.

[coolerjunpei]

I guarantee you, fighting time travel with time travel just doesn't work. That stuff gets real recursive, real fast.

[Terrible, awful. He's going to be the chaperone, much easier. It will be just like before all of this started, when all he had to do was close at the supermarket. Or when he worked at the sandwich shop...

There is no sandwich shop. He blinks, and Scott is talking about the kids again, and there is definitely no sandwich shop.]

Uh, yeah. Honestly, I'm surprised Charles didn't volunteer for that already...

[laserguy]

Heh, okay, that does sound like a pain.

[Two time travelers at it as they keep on resetting the time or going further back in the past so that they can 'fix' something or finally beat one another. At some point, the timeline would get completely fucked though, right? It's a little hard to fully wrap his mind around it, but like a lot of other thoughts he's been having here and there that don't feel comfortable, it fades away.]

Probably just waiting for you. [He smirks again, remembering Charles just... hanging out at the mansion somewhere.] He's also just adjusting living in a big mansion and feeling alive.

[...Why did he say that? That's odd, right? Of course Charles is alive.]

[coolerjunpei]

[Junpei hums his agreement, because yeah, it's just as much of a pain no matter what Scott is thinking of. And then there's the... there's the something. What else is there?

Well, he'll remember it later if it was important. He looks around again like just talking about Charles will summon him.]

Yeah, probably. It's pretty different from where we were before.

[But that doesn't make sense, because where were they before? Junpei gives Scott a look, brow furrowed.] I'm not, like, being hazed, am I? This isn't a hazing?

[laserguy]

Yeah. Different from before...

[Scott trails off slightly, as if trying to remember where he met Junpei. The thought occurred to him before and he brushed it off then, but it's becoming harder and harder to fully ignore. Like, dude, where did he meet him? It's on the tip of his tongue, but nothing comes to mind and it feels like he's missing something big.

Something uncomfortable begins to shift in his chest, and for a moment, he doesn't feel like things are actually safe and peaceful around here.]

Huh? [He responds a little late, suddenly snapped out of his inner thoughts. Oh, hazing, right. He normally would have a stupid comeback for that, but Scott shakes his head, actually serious.]

No. Why would you think that?