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

[chimericalclaw]

He wouldn't blame you.

[Another assumption, but one he sounds utterly confident in. If Oz was a friend of any worth, he can be sure of that much—and for whatever certainty Echo may lack, he'll embody it himself for her sake.]

More than anything else, that's what you need to remember.

[individualized]

[He's absolutely right. There was something else entirely going on with Oz and coincidentally enough, it did involve time travel and going through this multiple times. Echo was just around for the last part. She has a very strong argument for her being responsible anyway.

She shakes her furiously head under her arm. If this weren't a dream, she'd probably be keeping her emotions more in check. It's hard to hide what's been going on within your own mind when you're essentially inside of it.]

It does not matter! This is only the b-beginning. Everything...it's all ruined for him now...

[Whatever she's talking about definitely seems to be what's upsetting her the most.]

[chimericalclaw]

It does matter.

[He moves her away from himself slightly, in the hopes of seeing her face and meeting her gaze.]

Whatever it is that happened... you've been hurt, too. And you deserve to heal.

[individualized]

[He's not wrong. She still has the scars, but luckily her preferred outfit already hid them. People who know everything about her would also know that it takes some very special circumstances for her to even get scars, so she really doesn't want anyone else to see.

Echo does lower her arm a bit so she can meet his eyes. Her sleeve apparently did all it could to deal with her tears. Or maybe it was a dream thing.]

These will heal. [Eventually. But this is totally what he means, right?] I am not concerned about this. What happened to Lord Oz was a great deal of importance to many people, however...

[In general. Echo wasn't tormented by whatever they went through, but she does feel a little bit bad about that part too.]

[chimericalclaw]

[Even if he didn't already know that much, it wouldn't have been nearly as much of a concern. Injuries are almost always the first thing to heal.]

There's more to healing than physical recovery. [But he knows he'll have to be more explicit than that. Echo doesn't seem to be accustomed to being treated like a person with worth, if her earlier behavior is any indication...]

What happened to you, and how you feel about all of this, is just as important.

[individualized]

[Almost all of her existence back home was exactly that: not being a person of worth. Or, really, not being a person. Even being in other places hasn't gotten all of the mental effects of that out of her system.

Echo seems to calm down a bit if only to frown at him uncertainly.]

I have already been telling you what I feel.

[Not that she's an expert in that department, especially when it comes to her own feelings.]

[chimericalclaw]

You have, in a way, [he agrees. Her feelings have cut through the flat exterior she seems to favor, which he thinks must speak to their intensity.] But do you understand that they matter?

[individualized]

[Echo has to think about that, and the way she ends up scowling and averting her gaze probably is enough of an answer.]

I know they are real. And that they are mine. [She pauses.] Because of that, I also know what I believe matters...

[She shudders a bit as the crying she had been trying to manage lately forces itself back in action.]

[chimericalclaw]

[The lack of a clear yes tells him well enough what her answer really means, but it's better than he expected. He's never expected his encouragement to take hold in a day, and with the both of them stuck within their own memories, how much can he expect from this moment?

He lets out a breath and offers her a comforting shoulder squeeze.]

It's good to hold onto that kind of meaning. But... be kind to yourself, when you can.

[The surroundings start to get fuzzy. His own awareness is already starting to feel vague, but he keeps his amber gaze on Echo.]

[individualized]

[Echo nods stiffly, but she still doesn't make eye contact as she frowns uncomfortably. She's all too willing to let consciousness return to her; this dream had gone on far too long for her liking. As the scene grows hazy, she closes her eyes, if only in hopes that opening them will mean she's awake.]