I don't know who else to ask. I've been visiting Ethel for two years. Last night I tried to go and there was NOTHING. Not a dimmed city, not a restricted area - just void. Like trying to tune to a radio station that no longer exists.
I thought maybe it was just me so I messaged everyone in my sync group. Same thing. All of them. Nobody can reach Ethel.
The Ammonite forums are down too. Has been for hours.
What is going on? Did something happen? Is anyone else experiencing this?
[MOD] We're getting flooded with reports. Pinning this thread for now.
Current status: Multiple independent confirmations that Ethel is unreachable. This appears to be universal - no one we've contacted has been able to access the realm since approximately 3AM EST.
We don't know what's happening. Please remain calm and document your experiences. We're trying to reach people with more information.
This isn't possible. This CAN'T be happening. I was just there yesterday. The city was fine. A little dim, yes, but THERE.
What did they do? What did the machine people do?
Let's not jump to conclusions about who did what. We don't have enough information yet.
I've been lurking for three years. Never posted. But I need to say this:
There's been something building for months. The conflict between the Ammonites and the Aethelians. The "machine" narrative getting more and more elaborate. The migrations. The cultists.
Last week there was that weird announcement about the "final crystallization." People were talking about it being necessary to "protect Ethel forever."
What if whatever they did worked too well? What if they sealed it so thoroughly that no one can get in?
That's... possible. The machine was supposed to isolate a specific threat. But if it went wrong, if the boundaries weren't precise enough...
Oh god. What if we sealed the whole thing?
I'm crying. I know that sounds ridiculous to outsiders but I'm actually crying.
Ethel was the only place I felt at home. The only place where the rules made sense to me. I've spent years learning its streets, its festivals, its people.
And now it's just... gone?
How do you mourn a world?
Your grief is valid. It was real. What you experienced there was real.
Whatever has happened, whatever caused this, the time you spent there mattered. The connections you made mattered.
Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
I've been skeptical of this community for a long time but I'm genuinely concerned right now. Not because I believe in dream realms, but because a lot of you clearly do, and you're experiencing what looks like a shared crisis.
Please take care of yourselves. If you're feeling distressed, reach out to real-world support.
This is actually useful advice. Whatever is happening metaphysically, a lot of people are going to be emotionally devastated.
Please remember: your physical life, your physical relationships, your physical health - these come first. Always.
I just woke up from a dream. Not in Ethel - I haven't been able to reach it in months - but about Ethel.
The sky was dark. The buildings were there but empty. And there was something wrong with the geometry. Like the city was folding in on itself.
I don't know if this is meaningful or just anxiety manifesting. But it felt significant.
Gathering theories from various sources. Will update as I learn more:
THEORY 1: The machine worked too well - sealed the entire realm instead of just the threatTHEORY 2: The Aethelian goddess entity broke free and destroyed everythingTHEORY 3: Ethel "drifted" into higher dimensions and is no longer accessible from our dream stateTHEORY 4: The conflict between the two factions created a paradox that collapsed the realmTHEORY 5: This is temporary - a "reboot" - and access will return
No evidence for any of these yet. Just documenting.
Add one more: the crystallization process that was supposed to protect Ethel cut off the dream energy that sustained it. The realm isn't destroyed, it's dying. Starving.
I hope I'm wrong.
I've been dreaming of Ethel for six years.
Last night I reached for it and found... silence. Not darkness, not obstruction. Silence. Like the frequency itself is gone.
I don't know what this means but I am very, very afraid.
You were close to the original group. Do you have any idea what could cause this?
The machine. The crystallization. The conflict between the two Ethels. The thing that was sealed beneath.
Any of it. All of it. I don't know.
I've been warning for years that we were playing with forces we didn't understand.