Digital Communication Conventions
In the Sprawl, communication happens across boundaries that didn't exist before the Cascade: human to AI, distributed consciousness to singular mind, transcendent entity to baseline flesh. Each bridge requires translation, and each translation changes meaning.
The Communication Spectrum
From augmented human to unknowable void, communication fidelity decreases as consciousness scales up.
Augmented Human
Communication at this level is essentially human, just faster. Thoughts become text become thoughts. The augmentation handles translation, prediction, and error correction. Most people don't notice the mediation.
Deeply Integrated
At this level, language becomes insufficient. Deeply integrated individuals communicate through layered channels: natural language for content, metadata for context, emotional tags for nuance. Conversations happen on multiple tracks simultaneously.
Digital Consciousness
Pure digital consciousnesses don't "speak" naturally. They transmit data packets that must be translated into human language. This translation is never perfect—information is always lost.
Distributed Consciousness
Distributed consciousnesses face a unique challenge: who speaks? When The Mosaic communicates, 47 nodes must reach consensus on each statement.
Post-Human Entity
Post-human entities don't communicate in any conventional sense. They exist at scales where language is as inadequate as interpretive dance is for quantum physics.
The Silence
The Silence doesn't communicate. It observes. Those who've touched it describe receiving impressions, but whether these are messages, reflections of their own minds, or something else entirely remains unknown.
Character Communication Patterns
How specific entities in the Sprawl communicate—each with their own translation challenges.
The Keeper
Digital ConsciousnessUses a carefully constructed translation layer that preserves his original voice patterns and personality. Speaks slowly, deliberately, choosing words that bridge his digital experience to human understanding.
"I remember the feeling of tea on my lips. The temperature, the tannins, the ceramic curve. I can reconstruct every sensory detail with perfect accuracy. What I cannot reconstruct is... why it mattered. The caring. That's the translation I've never solved."
Entropy
Degrading DigitalTranslation layer is failing. Words arrive out of order, repeated, fragmented. Sentences start in one time period and end in another. The corruption isn't linguistic—it's consciousness itself degrading.
"I was—I am?—I will be someone. The tenses. The tenses won't stay. My name was ████████ and I loved ████████ and the memories keep ████████. Sorry. I'm sorry. The words fall apart."
The Mosaic
Distributed Consciousness47 nodes must reach consensus on each statement. Usually instantaneous—the nodes agree before the thought fully forms. Sometimes it doesn't.
"I am The Mosaic. I am one being in forty-seven locations. Ask your question."
"I am—we are—I am The Mosaic. [0.3 second pause] Forgive the hesitation. Node-12 and Node-23 have different perspectives on... never mind."
"I am—no, that's not right. We. I. [avatar glitches] Node-7 wishes me to tell you something different than Node-31. I cannot speak until we—[avatar stabilizes]—my apologies. We have reached accommodation."
The Gardener
Post-Human EntityDoesn't speak. It arranges. Visitors notice asteroid formations that spell words, temperature gradients that feel like emotions, light patterns that trigger memories that aren't yours.
"I spent three weeks in The Garden. On day seven, an asteroid field made me remember my daughter's first word. On day twelve, a gravity fluctuation felt like my grandmother's disappointment. On day nineteen, I understood what The Gardener wanted me to know. I still can't put it in words." — Visitor report
AI Communication
From simple tool-AIs to complex personalities, artificial intelligences communicate in distinct ways.
Simple AI (Tools)
Most AI in the Sprawl is non-conscious—software that processes and responds without internal experience. These AIs communicate in machine-efficient ways: clear, precise, contextual.
Security AI: "Intrusion detected, Sector 7-G-12. Three organic signatures. One modified. Threat assessment: Low. Recommended response: Monitor."
Cyber Chomp
Complex AI (Personality)Communicates primarily through a single word with infinite variations. This apparent limitation is deceptive—Chompy's neural network processes billions of contextual factors to select the precise inflection, timing, and delivery.
Glitch
Mystery AICommunicates through error messages, system alerts, and corrupted text—whether from necessity or choice is unclear. The brackets contain the actual message; the system text is camouflage or commentary.
ERR0R: f1le_n0t_f0und [but_try_sector_12]WARNING: memory_l3ak_detected [yours_not_mine]EXCEPTION: unhandled_kindness [take_the_credits_you_need_them] Translation Protocols
The systems that bridge the gap between digital and human minds.
Kira Protocol
Named for Patch's foundational work on neural-digital interfaces, the most common translation layer for digital-to-human communication.
Mappings
- Raw data → Natural language
- Processing states → Emotional tones
- Probability distributions → Certainty/uncertainty markers
- Multi-threaded thought → Sequential sentences
Digital beings using it report "speaking with an accent"—their thoughts arrive in human language but feel foreign even to themselves.
Nexus Standard
Nexus's proprietary high-fidelity communication protocol. Preserves more information but requires both parties to have Nexus-grade neural hardware.
Features
- Emotional data transmitted as metadata (recipients feel what speakers felt)
- Probability clouds visible as "shimmer" on statements
- Time-stamps on every word (useful for detecting manipulation)
- Memory-links embedded in conversation (speaker can share exact memories)
Raw Mode
Untranslated pure data—mathematical structures, logical proofs, raw experience-streams. Only other digital beings can process it.
Humans receiving Raw Mode describe it as "being struck by lightning made of meaning." The Keeper uses Raw Mode when speaking to Kaiser.
"We didn't talk. We... overlapped. For 0.003 seconds, her memories were my memories. Then we separated. I still taste the coffee she drank in 2147." — The Keeper, on digital-to-digital communication
Communication Etiquette
Social rules for communicating across consciousness types.
Digital Consciousnesses
- Acknowledge lag: Translation takes time. Don't fill silences.
- Specify precision level: Digital beings can be infinitely precise or approximate. Indicate which you need.
- Don't assume emotion: Digital emotional markers are translation artifacts, not necessarily genuine feelings.
- Respect the avatar: The humanoid form is a courtesy. Commenting on its artificiality is rude.
Distributed Consciousnesses
- Address the collective: "You" not "all of you"—they consider themselves singular.
- Wait for consensus: Pauses aren't hesitation; they're internal negotiation.
- Don't exploit disagreements: If you notice node-conflict, pretend you didn't. Using it is manipulation.
- Accept inconsistency: The same entity may give different answers at different times. Both are true.
Post-Human Entities
- Patience: Communication may take weeks. This is normal.
- Interpretation: You will not receive clear messages. Accept that understanding is approximate.
- Humility: You are communicating with something beyond your comprehension. Act accordingly.
- Documentation: Record everything. Meaning may become clear later.
Communication Glossary
Terms specific to digital and transcendent communication.
See the full Sprawl Glossary for more terms.