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

[fieldtrip]

[ Toph's rough on purpose but she's genuinely a good person -- she just doesn't want to get all mushy about it. But there is a reason her closest friends at home are all insufferable do-gooders she's constantly backing up and bailing out...

She brightens at the suggestion, completely ignoring any evidence of hesitance on Clark's part. ]

Actually, if you've got cutesy farm animals, that's probably exactly where he'd be. Aang is a sucker for that stuff.

[ Obviously she isn't or anything. That would be uncool. ]

Think you can show me by walking on the nice solid ground, though? I can't 'see' you when you're in the air.

[anormalman]

Yeah, okay. We're not far from where I live.

[Even if there somehow doesn't seem to be anyone around, it's probably safer to just walk, anyway. After all, Clark and his first flight would later be featured in the tabloids as "the Flying Boy of Kansas".]

You can't "see" me? What do you mean?

[fieldtrip]

[ Toph's given this explanation a million times, even at home, so she rattles it off easily. ]

I'm blind, but I'm also a master earthbender. I can sense where things are through the ground because everything makes little tiny vibrations as it moves around, even something small like breathing.

Except when you're flying. Then I have to figure out where you are by hearing.

[anormalman]

Oh...

[Now that Clark can see Toph up close, her eyes don't exactly look like they're capable of seeing. Though aside from that, he wouldn't be able to tell she was blind.]

Does being an earthbender mean you can, like...move the earth, then? That's pretty cool. [And it is kind of nice to meet someone with abilities most other people don't have.]

[fieldtrip]

You got it. In my real language it's literally "move earth art".

[ Admittedly earthbending is her favorite topic, but Toph is not one to stand around idly chatting very much. She points insistently at the ground. ]

Down. Ground.

[ Land please, it's weird talking to a ghost, gosh. ]

[anormalman]

R-right.

[Clark's feet are now firmly planted on the ground. Even at this age, he's a bit of a people-pleaser.]

The farm's this way. Ma and Pa probably won't mind a visitor.

[Especially since they likely both worried about Clark's tendency to distance himself from people while growing up.]

[fieldtrip]

[ Toph visibly relaxes a whole measure once Clark is touching the ground, and she immediately shifts to orient herself to face him, proving her earlier words.

Unlike most gremlin children, Toph actually has parents and is comfortable interacting with other peoples' parents, which means she isn't dissuaded in the slightest by this proclamation. ]

Cool. So how are you flying? You're not an airbender, are you? [ That would be totally wild; there's only one left that she knows of, which is Aang. ]

[anormalman]

No, I'm...

[Clark pauses for a moment, not only because he's hesitant to reveal too much about his true nature to most people, but at this point in his life he didn't really know who he was. It wouldn't be until years later that he'd actually try to get some answers.]

I'm...not human, I guess.