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

[laserguy]

[Czeslaw's apology draws Scott out of thoughts, that troubling look disappearing and replaced by an apologetic smile of his own. Look, he doesn't need a kid to worry about it, especially if he's still trying to get used to everything.]

It's cool man. Besides, I can protect the people important to me this way. It's how I'll protect you.

[...Who is he protecting them from--] And yeah, that's why I'm always wearing these glasses. Have a hard time controlling them otherwise.

[Is that okay to admit? Probably. It's not like that's really a secret around here.]

[eternalcutie]

[czeslaw chews his lip for a moment, pondering. then,]

Do...things happen here often?

[surely not, since everyone looks so happy!! but all this talk of protecting people makes him wonder.]

[laserguy]

No, not at all, but... just in case and everything.

[But his answer is filled with some level of doubt, those earlier feelings now rising to the surface because saying it out loud makes it more real and harder to contain. Scott frowns, that confidence from him fading a bit, before he shakes his head.]

Sorry, Czeslaw, don't mean to worry you. You will be safe here. [...] You've already been through enough and... I want to protect all my friends.

[Based on what he's heard so far.]

[eternalcutie]

[czeslaw flushes despite himself. so forward...]

A-are we friends? Just like that?

[laserguy]

[The kid's question actually helps to snap Scott out of his previous mood, that sharp confidence returning as he once again smiles down at him. This is something comfortable and strangely, almost natural at this point.]

Uh, yeah?

[And just because he has to give Czeslaw somewhat of a hard time--]

Unless you don't want to be friends?

[At least Scott doesn't try to look sad or anything, the mutant still grinning at him without any real shame.]

[eternalcutie]

[a grinning idiot....well, at least he doesn't insist czeslaw smile, like a certain other grinning idiot czeslaw knows.

he puffs his cheeks out and huffs loudly, mostly to cover his embarrassment.]

I didn't say that! I was just - surprised, is all. We barely know each other.

[laserguy]

[It's a lot of fun to bully children--]

So, you do want to be friends with me. Good to know.

[He's glad that despite becoming the weird friendship guy now, he can still be an asshole to others. If he's not a dick in some way, then what even is the point??]