Cam nodded, entirely willing to entertain the hypothesis that Caido wasn't real. Though ... "See, I have a pretty good imagination, but I don't think I could come up with a dream this detailed -- or long. I've been here for over a year now, so that would be a hell of a nap." They chuckled, adding, "If it's a brainwashing cult, consider me pretty well brainwashed. But this place is big -- you couldn't hide it somewhere. Unless it was VR, maybe, or like ... the Matrix."
It hadn't occurred to Cam before that Caido might just be the Matrix, a simulated world in which their mind had become ensnared. (Nor did Cam realize that Lilliane's thoughts had also tended in that direction.) The idea was kind of compelling, actually. But in that case: "I mean, if you live in a simulation that's functionally indistinguishable for reality, then doesn't it just become your reality? You still have to live in it. Like, who's to say that Earth as we know -- knew -- it wasn't a simulation too? Maybe it's Matrices all the way down."
Oh, but Lilliane had questions. To the first one, Cam replied, "Well, that would depend on which of us is doing the dreaming, wouldn't it? Like, I have no way to definitively prove to you that I exist as a separate entity and not a figment of your imagination, since you can't read my mind -- and, I mean, Wessex can do telepathy and I still don't think she can technically prove that, since I could have just imagined her telepathic abilities. You'd have to be able to, I don't know, experience my consciousness ..." They trailed off, realizing they'd gotten distracted. "Uh, anyway. Yeah, people actually show up here from other worlds pretty often. We're called Outlanders. It's because of some magic, or, uh, technology? From the Voice. The Voice is one of the gods here. She set up the portal system, and she made it so that sometimes the portals pull in people from other worlds."
It hadn't occurred to Cam before that Caido might just be the Matrix, a simulated world in which their mind had become ensnared. (Nor did Cam realize that Lilliane's thoughts had also tended in that direction.) The idea was kind of compelling, actually. But in that case: "I mean, if you live in a simulation that's functionally indistinguishable for reality, then doesn't it just become your reality? You still have to live in it. Like, who's to say that Earth as we know -- knew -- it wasn't a simulation too? Maybe it's Matrices all the way down."
Oh, but Lilliane had questions. To the first one, Cam replied, "Well, that would depend on which of us is doing the dreaming, wouldn't it? Like, I have no way to definitively prove to you that I exist as a separate entity and not a figment of your imagination, since you can't read my mind -- and, I mean, Wessex can do telepathy and I still don't think she can technically prove that, since I could have just imagined her telepathic abilities. You'd have to be able to, I don't know, experience my consciousness ..." They trailed off, realizing they'd gotten distracted. "Uh, anyway. Yeah, people actually show up here from other worlds pretty often. We're called Outlanders. It's because of some magic, or, uh, technology? From the Voice. The Voice is one of the gods here. She set up the portal system, and she made it so that sometimes the portals pull in people from other worlds."
cameron ?
"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
