#typing.

without a weekly dosage, current addicts experience typical stimulants withdrawal symptoms; anxiety, irritability, paranoia, depression ect, ect. however, due to the nature of her augmentations and abilities, these symptoms are often exponentially worse as her body tries and fails to compensate for various irregularities. agents are likely to experience hallucinations with or without taking current as a result of subconscious imprinting--- a phenomenon where objects/events/people from other subconsciousnesses appear in one’s own. but without the influence of the drug, it is harder to differentiate what is simply an imprint and what is not.

ivy was able to smuggle a small amount of current with her upon switching timelines but has been forced to ration her supply. she tries to compensate by taking caffeine supplements, although she is aware that there are more similar alternatives, albeit not... legal ones. she gets the shakes and the chills sometimes. she finds it hard to fall asleep as her dreams are no longer her own but instead are a terrifying mix of nightmares and lived experiences. she cannot sleep soundly knowing that some of the terror she sees is real.

in her alpha timeline, although dream eaters live lives just like any other person, they are not truly considered to be people? the main priority is to preserve their ability to work. the process of ‘ creating ‘ agents is extremely expensive and is seen as a lifelong project. people do not become agents, they are made into them. they are not people, they are tools. they are weapons--- and it is integral that they are kept sharp and steady. things like current keep them this way. out of the hundreds of candidates that are plucked to go into the program, only a handful of them make it out alive. the others either simply die due to the trauma of the augmentations or are stuck within the void of the crux forever.

human civilization in the alpha timeline was built by the last survivors of a world war two fueled nuclear apocalypse. humans are resilient but also full of fear. dream eaters were supposed to be the answer to this problem.