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

[manifestering]

[He accepts the wrench, turning it over to peer at it and see if anything is different about it... really he's checking for Goo, sorry Shigeru. Tentacles are gooey, in his mind? He has to check.]

I suppose your mind is changed. To account for more limbs. It makes sense.

[The way his own mind had forgotten what touching anything at all felt like, for so long-- like the opposite! Only depressing! He doesn't bring this up, instead looking at the tendrils touching his machine. Hey now.]

Be careful with those. [lightly chiding, it's a dream, but still--]

[mysophobic]

[ There is no goo, thankfully, his tentacles are 100% goo free. Shigeru's tentacle will undulate before it slowly moves back down toward its master. He nods his head as if what Octavian is saying makes sense, even if he's not sure it does?? But, ah, well it's fine he'll just roll with it because he has absolutely no clue himself. ] My mind? Hm. I guess you might be onto something there...

[ A lot about him has changed so it just makes sense to think that way.

He does startle a little and his tentacles that were idly touching the machine will retract. ] Oh! S-Sorry! They kinda just...wander on their own.

[manifestering]

[Oh? He isn't fully aware of them, then? Hmm.]

Your mind must be troubled. A restless mind leads to a wandering hand.

[....or, well,]

Such as the case may be.

[mysophobic]

[ He is always restless and stressed so this is pretty on point for him. His shoulders sag ever so slightly. ] I-I thought I was pretty good at-at hiding it...

[ Shigeru, buddy... ] But this was a-a good start to some practice! I guess they're also tied to my emotions sort of, so I'll have to figure that out at some point too.

[ When he gets flustered they just sorta...pop out, whoops! ]

[manifestering]

They are tentacles.

[Sorry bud, but the big wiggly appendages are a lot easier to read than something as mundane as a facial expression. Good luck and godspeed with that.]

Unfortunately I have no advice in that regard. Emotional regulation for me has been... all or nothing. Fundamentally.

[A shrug!] I do not recommend it.