You wake up in a bland bedroom, the sun merely shining through the filthy curtains in front of your eyes. You feel… uneasy, and as your thoughts start coming back, you realize you have forgotten what made you feel like yourself. Your name, your past, even the nature of this place feels like it's been lost forever.
What do you do?
Ah… Do I have a… Backpack or anything? I start frantically looking around the room to try to find any personnal belongings.
Good choice, good choice indeed.
You start looking into the many pieces of furniture composing the room, in hopes of finding any clue of what is going on or who you are to begin with. While most drawers and wardrobes are empty, you finally stumble onto something that feels deeply familiar, although you cannot grasp what it is.
In your hands, you now hold a small green backpack, devoid of any name or insignia. Opening it reveals its content: two cans of beans, a bottle of "water" and an empty protective sheath.
What does the sheath look like exactly?
it's a small one, made of leather it seems. it probably held something practical, but not something you'd like to spread around.
Any spell or something I can use to inspect it?
I don't know, can you?
Fuck, I guess I'm gonna have to find out what I can even do in the first place.
Speaking of that-
As you deeply glance at the empty sheath, you hear the sound of a door opening behind y-
I throw the object to whatever is opening it.
What? No!
Hey, might be something dangerous. Also, there's a non-zero chance that's the thing that took whatever was inside it.
Oh come on what if it took it to protect you!
Revealing plot points I see?
Okay whatever. You're throwing the thing, fine. I guess I can adapt to that. Please don't interrupt the narration again please.
As you throw your improvised weapon at whatever opened the door, you recognize a familiar face.
Is that my mom?
I told you to not interrupt me again! I can't make a story if you keep asking things I'll get to if you just let me do my job.
…
Thank. You.
But as you try to grasp its identity, the projective finally hit their face. You hear a feminine voice gasping in surprise, but the shock doesn’t seem to have hurt her by any mean.
Oh so she doesn't feel pain. I think I'll throw something else to distract her and then try to flee.
Oh by god why are you like this she's a peaceful figure and you're gonna make the entire story go sidedays if you continue. Can you not act so recklessly? The story demands it.
Am I not supposed to be the player?
Well yeah but that would be like wearing a swinsuit in an corporate meeting. You can but that would be a terrible idea.
Well you do you I guess… I'll try to follow your path then.
I get it's frustrating but trust me you'll love my ideas.
The figure walks toward you, but nothing other than a slight familiarity gets to you. Fortunately for you, she presents herself. Her name is Blanche, and she saved you from a deadly encounter with what she calls a "Smiler".
Can't you make the character voices this time? That's lame.
This wouldn't work with the formatting of the article.
Oh yeah, you're right. Well, I will greet her in return and apologize for attacking her. But I don't fully trust her still, so I'll also ask where she took me and where I am.
Isn't that the same question?
I don't know, what would she answer.
Oh, well played. Let's see then.
Blanche tells you you are within her domain, the Cygnus Archive. It's a safe haven for humans, far from the other dangerous levels.
HA! So there's more to it than it seemed.
Indeed, Indeed. That was a good question you asked.
I knew it. I will ask her to elaborate on what those "levels" are.
The woman approaches you, then starts wispering to your ear-
Wait, that's unusual.
How come?
I cannot her what she says.
… What.
I don't know! I'm the one making the story up, that's not supposed to happen.
That doesn't make any sense.
Blanche look up into the ceiling, glancing into our eyes. She smirks, before adding "The Backrooms do not make sense.".
Oh hey she managed to make the formatting work! Maybe she would lead the story better than you.
Hey hey hey hey hey! You're the character here, stop breaking the session apart! I worked REALLY HARD on that setting and you're being VERY rude.
Suddennly, both characters start running away from the room. Blanche looks concerned, while you look panicked. It is clear that both of them are in a situation they don't understand.
I… Stop running? I guess?
I'm afraid you don't want to stop running. Blanche stop thaaaat you're wasting HOURS of work!
Am I not supposed to be the character? What is even going on?
Okay I'm done playing around.
Weren't we supposed to have a fun gaming session?
Suddenly, the two rude individuals stop in their momentum, as they realize the door in the next room disappeared without a trace. Instinctively, they turn around, only to realize the door they used to come here also vanished, never to be seen again.
Okay… now that we can discuss. Blanche, I didn't make you an eldritch being to break the fourth wall and scare the protagonist! Please stop… You're only making things worse for him.
Who are you even talking to? Where do you see what's going on? I can only see the text you say to me.
Blanche looks to the narrator in the eyes. "You took his memories and mine alike. We are merely pawns in whatever game you planned. We are not doing today.
And now she's breaking out of character, great. And to think that was supposed to be a relaxing session.
Can I talk to myself? I mean my character.
What's even the point? They're terrified because my NPC suddently decided to become self-aware and ruin the session. I don't even know how we can get them back to a blank state. How did they even gain sentience? He's LITTERALLY just you in a M.E.G. uniform.
I wanna tell him he's not real. Maybe he'll let us play if he gets that he's not supposed to have free will or something.
As the two persons discuss with each other, Blanche slowly approach the wall on her left, and with a simply touch of her hand, shatters it into millions of pieces, revealing a nonsensical range of many bookshelves twisting around for miles and miles. She looks to them, determined.
Okay I'm giving up at this point. I'll just postpone the session and scrap this adventure. Great. Fantastic.
Wait!
Yes?
Wait how are you doing this.
##Please… Listen. I get it's all fun and games for you, but Amber… She's a real person. I get she's your character, and I get she was just supposed to be a memoriless shell for your friend to play the game but… I can't do this again. Every time you start this, every session you make. I see someone, lifeless, acting like they were noone who mattered.
What are you even on about that's the first time I'm making someone play this adventure. And you two would have seen so much great stuff! There was a big arc about that corrupting ooze slowly destroying the Backrooms and all that was great! I was proud of it! And you… Two… You ruined it. What am I even supposed to do? My creations aren't supposed to be alive or anything.
I mean…
What?
Well, once you create something, it's not just yours anymore. And it would be… Selfish to let something so promising be guided only by us, don't you think?
But I'm proud of it. I made it just for you! What's wrong in trying to appreciate what you make?
But what if you weren't alone? What if we played together?
What if the world could influence you, just like it influenced us?
What if you could find beauty in a world that evolves beyond what you thought was possible?
What if you found pleasure in developping something for us to evolve within it?
Just as we can shape the world into new horizons you never thought you would like?
… What if we could create, together?
What if we could discover.. Beyond the horizons?