expiationlogs | EVENT #12: ADVERSITY 6568654

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)!

♡

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[Something flares inside of Death then and there. Something bright and burning. And with it comes with unfamiliar cruelty:]

You do not have the right for an early rest.

[His expression shifts to that of surprise, as if he did not expect himself to utter such things. This is beyond the extend of his role: shouldn’t he be a peacekeeper above all? Not to spark conflict and confrontation?

Perhaps there is something else that could say such things, beyond the wings and the night and the bearing weight of the full moon.

From the corner of his eye, Fandaniel might be able to see a glimmer of yellow beyond the pale.]

The road stays how it is. You have yet to reach an end because your conclusion is incomplete. Until then, peace will ever be outside of your grasp. Such is your punishment.

[Fandaniel flinches at these words and looks up into Ryoji's face with a pained expression, as if a knife has just slipped into his ribs.

No...not Ryoji. Whatever this vast being with moonlit eyes is.]

Early!?

[A ragged laugh.]

For ten thousand years I've walked this road. [Ten thousand or five thousand? Why can't he remember?] Why am I not permitted to step from it? What more must I do?

...Pray, put me to rest. 'Tis what one does with rabid beasts, is it not?

No, not yet. Ten thousand years is but a drop in the great expanse of time.

[It may be too much for any mortal, but Ryoji is anything but. Death has existed since the beginning of time, and will continue to do so long after the end.

Darkness spills from Death, dragging tendrils against Fandaniel's feet.]

If you ask such things, then it is not your time yet. You are no rabid beast - you are human.

[One who would recoil upon the ichor that now crawls below them.]

Hear. Feel. Think. Is this not the duty that has been given to you?

[Fandaniel stills. Something sweeps over him that feels likely to tear him apart. Dreams. A voice.

A voice that once reached for him before the Darkness of Zodiark blocked her cry entirely.]

Aye...

Hear the song of creation's end

Feel the sorrow at hope's demise

Think and find your way in the darkness.

But... That is my duty no longer. I am the song of creation's end, the sorrow of hope's demise and the smothering darkness.

[He clasps his hands against his ears, closes his eyes, and snarls.]

Fie!

Human? What nonsense! No, I am the foulest of beasts. The duty you claim I have is a rallying cry to the rest of the world to stop me!

Edited 2025-02-24 16:31 (UTC)

Don't fool yourself.

[Something old and ancient speaks within him, undeterred by the other's cries.]

You are no beast, no harbinger. I should know - I am one.

Your song is but a movement in the great expanse of time. One that is easily smothered by the turning and changing of tides. Don't you remember? You have already been stopped.

Your initial duty is at an end. Your second duty has failed. You must now look for another, to find your place in this tapestry of life.

[Fandaniel stares through the ancient being hanging over him.]

The only duty I have is to myself, and that is to burn this tapestry of yours to ash.

[The words are spoken like a mantra chanted to ward off intrusive thoughts. Overhead, the burning sky flares brightly.]

The world serves only as a vessel for suffering! Life is only a meaningless chain of misery. That is... my answer to the question.

[He pushes against Death's arms in an attempt to stand.]

And I'll not change it so easily. Let me burn or take me now, 'tis your choice.

EVENT #12: ADVERSITY 6568654

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cw: suicidal ideation and melodrama

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sorry for the wait!

no worries!

GOD. Sorry I keep dying