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

[jaganshi]

[ Most of the time here he hates that he can hear so well too, Scott. Don't worry. In their world his Jagan and demonic heightened senses are a boon and here...

He hears a little too much. More than he would like to most days, which is why he ends up in trees, napping, to shut his brain off for a little while.

At any rate he's chuckling lowly as Scott confirms he can smell stinky human teen, giving Kuwabara at least a moment's compliment as he gestures the opposite way. ]

Kuwabara hasn't been here long enough, yet.

[ When asked about his room Hiei simply points to the tree central to the house and then... up. He's indicating some of the taller branches where he prefers to sleep, of course, slouched down in the crook of a tree bough with his hands behind his head. ]

I don't need a room down here. I sleep in the tree.

[ and persists in leaving his shit everywhere around the house. ]

[laserguy]

[There's a pause as Scott takes a long, good look at the tree once more, head tilting up to take in its overall height and the branches that come out from it. Impressive, yeah, but still just a tree. And sure, Hiei mentioned that this was his favorite, but he didn't think he'd actually sleep it in all the time. He sort of assumed that he would still have his own room.

Suddenly, this explains why he saw some of Hiei's items in Kurama's room. Uh-huh.

He slowly looks back down, head tilting over to look at the short demon and--]

Are you a cat?

[Just flatly. That comment.]

[jaganshi]

A cat? [ Hiei repeats it with a little wrinkle of his nose, as if he isn't quite sure where the hell Scott would pull that question from. It is far from the first time he's heard the cat comparison. The cats here actually tend to follow him around, particularly at the farm when he is there, but he fails to see the resemblance in the moment.

He casts a glance to the tree, and then back to Scott before he comments in his.. well.

Usual way. ]

Idiot. Start your slow way down the stairs.

[ Because he is hopping over for the final floor of the house without further comment on the cat accusation. ]

[laserguy]

Yeah, cat.

[Is he going to offer an explanation for the comparison? Nah, especially since Hiei doesn't seem all that interested in hearing his reasoning. Scott will just be satisfied with the knowledge that he is 100% right about his assessment about the fire demon. He lives in trees, has a certain Attitude, and other cats like to crowd around Hiei. What other reasons does he need?

So, yeah.

He'll just walk down the final flight of stairs so that he can meet Hiei at the last floor.]

So, what's down here?

[jaganshi]

The kitchen is over there - [ Lots of evidence of Hiei's snacking is about, actually. Thankfully Scott won't get a demonstration of Hiei physically on the counter to crouch over his snacks to eat them right this moment, though who knows. There is a lot of time in the future for him to witness the fire demon's feral habits. ]

And then the.. [ Nose wrinkles again as Hiei makes a general motion, trying to conjure up the words. ] ... Dining room and living room things.

The communal areas are all on this floor so it's where it's most chaotic a lot of the time. Especially now that Kuwabara is here.

[ The teen is loud and Hiei has sensitive little ears, obviously, but beyond that it is his national passtime to pick on Kazuma Kuwabara as much as possible just because he can. Call it his petty little revenge for the crush on Yukina or something like that. Hiei's hands tuck into his pockets, then, assuming his usual casual stance. ]

That's it. Happy now?