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

[feintofhart]

Well... yes. It does. I sympathize with your mother's plight, but you and I are strangers -- if I'm to leverage my abilities and my connections, I need to know what the consequences may be. What's stopping whoever did that to your mother from doing it to one of my Mages in retribution?

[ He shoves his hands in his pockets, smiling ruefully at Kurt. ]

I am not so heartless as to leave your mother to her fate. But nor will I let someone else put their neck on the line for a stranger without knowing what the ramifications of that may be. Do you know why he decided to double-cross her?

[digthefuzz]

[Kurt frowns. He doesn't really like his hesitance. He wishes this guy could just see the urgency of all this!]

I don't know. No one was there to really witness it. It might have been part of the ritual to revive him, or he just did it for the heck of it... Either way, this guy's bad news.

[As Kurt thinks about Apocalypse, the skies darken. And an image of the being starts to appear in the sky, as if looming over the entire world.]

They don't call this guy Apocalypse or nothing! Whether you mess with him or not, it seems like he's going to try to conquer or destroy everyone eventually! So I really don't think it'll hurt your chances if you help her. Please!

[feintofhart]

[ Once an image of Apocalypse washes across the sky, Claude reflexively darts one hand out, grasping at Kurt's shoulder in sheer shock, stopping in his tracks. It may not be the strangest thing he's ever seen, considering everything they've seen in Aldrip, but... listen! It's a huge, scary man suddenly appearing in the sky! He's entitled to a little startle every now and then! ]

Do -- do visions of him usually darken the sky when you utter his name, or is that just for me? [ He makes out, relinquishing poor Kurt's arm. ] Wouldn't I have heard of someone like this...?

[ The thought washes over him, then disappears like sand held between his fingers. ]

Okay! Okay, fine! But in return, you have to tell me everything you know about this guy! I live here too, you know.

[digthefuzz]

[Kurt is startled as Dimitri grips his shoulder, and it is only then that he notices the figure of Apocalypse in the sky. He is instantly alarmed.]

N-no way!! There's nothing normal about this!

[The figure of Apocalypse seems to lean forward, somehow growing closer to them while his eyes blare red. The ground shakes and crumbles like eroding rock-

-And in a blink of an eye, everything's back to normal. Or mostly. The figure of Apocalypse is gone, but the sky is now blood red. Kurt blinks a little in confusion, but goes on as if that didn't happen.]

Sorry, what was that? Oh right! You wanted to know about Apocalypse. I guess word of him hasn't spread that much beyond us mutants. Basically he's the first known mutant from like thousands of years ago. He might be an alien! And he took over Ancient Egypt before he was sealed away, until he just recently got released.