Cyclic Redundancy

Reality is part of a self-repeating learning programme designed to learn and archive as much about the whole of creation. This includes overarching insights such as the nature of physics, but also more macroscopic topics such as relationships, creativity and consciousness. The process of creation, letting creation rest, and destruction followed by the cycle starting anew but slightly adjusted this time is called Cyclic Redundancy.

This is not to be confused with a simulated universe. While Reality might be similar in concept to a simulated universe, it does not have a "higher layer" and there is no "escape" from Reality. Instead, Reality itself is part of Reality. This is a direct logical paradox, but it is also a central part of the concept of Reality as a self-repeating learning program. The idea is that Reality is self-contained and self-sustaining, and that all knowledge and experience gained within it contributes to its ongoing evolution and understanding of the universe, even if that evolution does not impact the continuity of Reality directly.

Reality is infinite, but linear. While Reality does collapse and reform into a new improved form of Reality, it does so without a goal or an end. Reality is, in concept, closer to the Library of Babel than it is to a direct evolutionary line - but this does not mean that every parameter in Reality is randomly defined.

Iterations of Reality always start from the same template - an infinite energetic void with no exit. Energy can be introduced, but not removed. An iteration either ends with entropic saturation (The Heat Death of the Universe) or collapse.

Reality doesn't collapse by itself. In itself, Reality is always stable - however, to improve and iterate upon what exists and what was learned from previous iterations, "sparks" can be introduced. These might be a naturally occurring element, a precursor comet seeding life, a specific event, a change in physics, or anything else - but they introduce stress into an otherwise empty and therefore balanced universe.

For instance, introducing precursor comets into the current iteration of Reality caused deterministic ripples in the fabric of Reality, causing deposits of Theorium in places where ripples crash into one another. These ripples do not operate within the classic three dimensions.

The discovery of Theorium within the current iteration led to direct manipulation of Reality from within, which wasn't intentional, but a fascinating new insight. It also meant that Reality could, if one had the proper skills and knowledge, be controlled.

This direct manipulation caused more deterministic ripples, which not only manifested in more Theorium, but also nearly impossible events occurring much more often - for instance, the 22 Atwood sisters surviving into adulthood is very uncommon.

Since Sparks can only introduce ripples at the beginning of a new iteration, the consequences of this happening during a running iteration had to be managed. To mitigate this, Reality chose "collateral" in the form of the Atwood sisters. They would be much more actively involved in revelatory "important" events, but the effects of ripples would be minimised.