Nice. Thanks. Means my inner sense of time isn't completely busted by being here.
[ which implies they might be working on earth hours. weird. anyway! more importantly!! ]
Looks like you've both got me beat. The only thing I've managed to bring is a headache on myself. [ but he shrugs lightly like he's not too bothered, deciding to perch himself casually on the back of the couch. with his own plate because he's eating that tart. also there's a perfectly good normal sitting place right there, but. no. ] Quick q-- either of you guys have special ... powers or abilities back home you can't access here?
[ he knows they should talk about the elephant in the bedroom (it's the bed.), but sometimes, you don't wanna talk about bed sharing. ]
Smart. [But he'll take the plate and nod a short thank you before perching on another part of the couch. The arm, specifically, so he can see both of them. He doesn't quite eat yet and there's a nod of agreement. Earth hours seems right to him, too.
The powers question is something that makes him pause though.]
Seems like a few people are missing some things. Powers, biological abilities...stuff you wouldn't think could be flipped like a switch.
[Thank you for not even remotely answering the question, Junpei. He'll busy himself with a bite of tart.]
I don't have any powers to begin with, so I haven't noticed any changes, myself...
[ Alchemy isn't a power or magic or anything, so she (wrongly) assumes it would be intact. If she had the right materials and a cauldron, which she doesn't. ]
Um, but speaking of time, it's probably worth mentioning that even if time feels like it's moving normally, there's still something wrong with it. My partner, Logy?
I don't have any, either, but yeah, that's what I gathered from other people.
[ he's open about it even if junpei won't be :/ rude. but escha's thing is a lot more interesting than junpei's caginess, and he looks at her with a frown ]
And you're sure he's the same guy you know? [ hm. ] A lot of us seem to be from different worlds entirely. Maybe even alternate dimensions. But if two people from the same place yet different times... There's really no limit to when and where they managed to take us from, is there? And what would the logic behind that be?
[ nightwing you can't just casually drop the different worlds/dimensions thing without expanding a little you absolute dick ]
[Look Junpei's thing is related to both of these, shut up? Give him a sec. Actually, this time he openly looks a little bummed upon hearing Escha's news.]
So you confirmed it after all. [There's a frown.] There can be a few reasons the timeline would be meddled with. If Logy was different four years ago than he is as Escha knows him at her point of time, our captors might figure they have a better use for him that way.
Long story short? No. There's no limit. [...] Carlos and I are a few minutes apart, too.
I didn't think about us all being from different dimensions at first... I figured it was just because I don't know that much about the world beyond my town, and it's also not unusual for other people to not know about such a small place. But... [ Well, all things considered, it just seems like the most plausible explanation, now. ]
[ She looks to Carlos, tilting her head curiously. ] ... By just a few minutes? How can you tell? [ Unless something very dramatic happened in those minutes? ]
[ it's said quietly. he'd know his own friends and family from alternates, he's pretty sure. not that he's thinking about it because wow! he does not want to! yea you know what the few minutes is. very curious and a lot more important let's all look at junpei ]
This related to the "situation" you said you were in?
[ not that he actually said it but whatever, implied. the importance is, if they were both involved in it... ]
There's a few of us who have at least one person from the same universe. The biggest number I've heard is five. But there's a lack of overlap between them.
[Please don't look at him. But there's a nod and he kind of holds up his weird-ass black watch on his left wrist.] It's a few minutes and a few hours at the same time. Depending how you look at it. Carlos and I were part of the same game before we woke up here, but something went wrong.
[ five people from the same universe makes dick kinda glad he's not stuck in a sex dungeon with people he knows. like batman. that would be. uncomfortable.
he doesn't have the same question about what kind of game-- he has a feeling he knows already-- but yeah junpei isn't getting out of the spotlight right now because. what. ]
A few hours and a few minutes at the same time... Did your "game" happen to involve time travel?
[ he's smart, there's time travel in yj, he's assuming that's the only way that makes any sense, don't look at me ]
[Batman fucks, but that's 100% not knowledge anyone needs to acknowledge. Given how this is unraveling, he might even be willing to detail the game he played but right now this is about him and about Carlos and--
--oh. Dick's sort of on the right track, at least.]
Yes, and no. [Helpful.] But during the Decision Game, a lot of us learned how to shift to other timelines. Carlos is from a timeline that's a few hours behind the one we were leaving at the same time.
[ That's so confusing? Escha just takes a bite of her apple tart to stall having to contribute anything, because she's having a hard time wrapping her head around it.
Shifting to different timelines sounds impossible, first of all, but then that they would be crossing over into timelines from other people and not all originate from the same one, and--ugh?? Her only question would be "Huh???" ]
Not exactly. [He knows this is going to go over Escha's head because she's from fantasy alchemy land, but Dick seems to be from Earth so he's going to try and explain this to them.
There's a bite of tart though before he starts.]
Say you go back in time to when your parents met, using a car as a time machine. You try to make sure your parents marry, but history ends up changing slightly due to your interference. You changed the chain of events, and upon returning to your own time, things aren't quite the same as you remember. Maybe...you're rich, or your father's a famous science fiction writer.
But there's a problem. What happened to the "you" who grew up in that fancy house and that rich life?
[He holds up two fingers.] There are two types of timetravel stories. The first states that there's always only one history, meaning that if someone changes the past, they erase that previous past. The other type is the kind where multiple histories exist. Multiverse theory. The world and universe split into branches as a result of someone's decisions. In the first kind of story, the you that went back to the past ended up erasing your old life, overwriting it with the next experiences even when keeping your old memories. But in the multiverse theory...there are two versions of yourself. You, and the secondary you. In this theory, both versions of yourself take the same action at the same time...in this case, traveling to the past. But the two of you make different choices. You allow your dad to beat up the neighborhood bully, and the second you from the rich timeline stops him.
So. What happens when these choices are made? If two versions of yourself take the same action at the same time, and you end up in the other timeline, where does the other you go?
[He wiggles his fingers a little.] Your consciousness switches places. History remains the same, but you keep your old memories. The timestream remains unaffected, and you change places, but you yourself remain the same with the lack of knowledge of the current timeline. Usually.
[...haha.] When a SHIFTer shifts, their body remains behind but their consciousness trades places with the them from another history.
[ Wtf is a car... Wow she's lost from sentence 1. She's really doing her best to be smart, though... ]
W-wait, so... Okay...
But if the other you is time traveling and changing stuff, too, then what good does swapping with them do? If they wanted to change things too, doesn't it seem like you still wouldn't be happy in their, um... Timeline?
[ She. Holds her head. ]
And if you go back in time wouldn't it have already happened and you already went back so nothing should change?
[ i hate time travel i hate time travel i hate time travel i hate time travel
dick's listening intently the whole time. he's never talked in depth with impulse and how his time travel worked-- there hadn't been time, and it's not like impulse would even know, since he couldn't exactly pop back to the future to check if what he'd done had affected his future or only prevented it in their own time, but it still helps to have that basis so he can follow along junpei's explanation.
as it stands, he tries to expand a bit for escha-- who is truly suffering here ]
Multiverse theory means time isn't a single straight line. If you had the information from the future and brought it back, you could create an alternate history where none of the bad stuff happens. Your original time would still exist, but you'd be part of the new one. So trading places with your past self would give you the advantage when it comes to knowing how things go if they happen a certain way, so you could easily prevent it. To trade for a couple of hours or minutes... Make a bad decision and you could-- go back and make a different one, knowing the one you made was bad. Is that it?
[There's a nod because wow, didn't even have to break it down further.]
Right. We figured it out while we were part of the game. Actually, Carlos figured it out first and the rest of us learned along the way. It's not easy, but doable in the right situation. [A glance at his watch.] We have most of the same memories. Carlos shifted to a new timeline and was there before we woke up.
[The implication here is that something might have gone wrong on Junpei's end.]
So like... Parallel lines and then making them kind of a zig-zag when you shift?
[ Thinking about it visually seems to help her a little, even if describing that visual in words sounds. Probably not so useful. But okay, she kind of gets it, it's fine if she doesn't understand all the details. ]
And I guess you can't just... Do that now, to get yourself out of this place, huh?
[ he grins at escha because it's not exactly an easy concept to grasp so he's very glad she seems to get it ]
All powers and natural abilities are off, even the ones that shouldn't be able to be turned off. [ he's thinking of the fact that polly's a fucking ghost who's now corporeal. wild. ]
It's hard to say. To shift, certain things have to happen. I haven't tried it yet, but my access to the morphogenic field's gone, I think. [Oh. ] Uh. That's an invisible field of consciousness for the timelines. Think of it like a storage space for memories and different histories.
So. Any ideas why that is? [Why and how are powers missing? ]
[ For some reason Escha absorbs the storage space thing way easier and just nods. Yes, of course. Sure. ]
Well... If we're all from different dimensions, and those of us who aren't can even be from different times... Doesn't it feel like this place is outside of all that...? And that's why you can't access the morphogenic field?
Like one big diagonal line slashed through all the timelines and grabbing us from wherever it intersected?
[ ... Still thinking a bit too visually but that's fine. ]
That's one possibility, but it doesn't account for people who's powers are biological. [ it does make sense for junpei's ... morphological field, though. however that works. ] We have technology back home that can take away people's powers if it's calibrated to them-- it's not outside the realm of possibility that someone powerful enough to get people from multiple timelines and dimensions has the power to cut off people's access to their powers.
Like a blocker. [Is that possible?] Probably held in the same place our captors are watching us from. It could be both of those together. It makes sense.
So they have some kind of tool that can do that... It's hard to imagine breaking away from captors who can do all that, or who have access to that sort of power.
[ Not that she wants to, like, lose hope immediately, but. ]
Oh, do you think maybe it's a side-effect? Like of whatever drug was used to knock us out and bring us here - whatever made us so nauseous. Maybe it'll wear off?
Not having any powers has never stopped me before.
[ he fights superpowered beings on a daily basis, it's not that big a deal!!! ]
Could be. There's a definite connection between us showing up here and the nausea-- there's nothing saying that can't be connected too. But I wouldn't bank on it wearing off any time soon if that's the case.
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Nice. Thanks. Means my inner sense of time isn't completely busted by being here.
[ which implies they might be working on earth hours. weird. anyway! more importantly!! ]
Looks like you've both got me beat. The only thing I've managed to bring is a headache on myself. [ but he shrugs lightly like he's not too bothered, deciding to perch himself casually on the back of the couch. with his own plate because he's eating that tart. also there's a perfectly good normal sitting place right there, but. no. ] Quick q-- either of you guys have special ... powers or abilities back home you can't access here?
[ he knows they should talk about the elephant in the bedroom (it's the bed.), but sometimes, you don't wanna talk about bed sharing. ]
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The powers question is something that makes him pause though.]
Seems like a few people are missing some things. Powers, biological abilities...stuff you wouldn't think could be flipped like a switch.
[Thank you for not even remotely answering the question, Junpei. He'll busy himself with a bite of tart.]
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[ Alchemy isn't a power or magic or anything, so she (wrongly) assumes it would be intact. If she had the right materials and a cauldron, which she doesn't. ]
Um, but speaking of time, it's probably worth mentioning that even if time feels like it's moving normally, there's still something wrong with it. My partner, Logy?
He's from four years in the past.
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[ he's open about it even if junpei won't be :/ rude. but escha's thing is a lot more interesting than junpei's caginess, and he looks at her with a frown ]
And you're sure he's the same guy you know? [ hm. ] A lot of us seem to be from different worlds entirely. Maybe even alternate dimensions. But if two people from the same place yet different times... There's really no limit to when and where they managed to take us from, is there? And what would the logic behind that be?
[ nightwing you can't just casually drop the different worlds/dimensions thing without expanding a little you absolute dick ]
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So you confirmed it after all. [There's a frown.] There can be a few reasons the timeline would be meddled with. If Logy was different four years ago than he is as Escha knows him at her point of time, our captors might figure they have a better use for him that way.
Long story short? No. There's no limit. [...] Carlos and I are a few minutes apart, too.
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I didn't think about us all being from different dimensions at first... I figured it was just because I don't know that much about the world beyond my town, and it's also not unusual for other people to not know about such a small place. But... [ Well, all things considered, it just seems like the most plausible explanation, now. ]
[ She looks to Carlos, tilting her head curiously. ] ... By just a few minutes? How can you tell? [ Unless something very dramatic happened in those minutes? ]
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[ it's said quietly. he'd know his own friends and family from alternates, he's pretty sure. not that he's thinking about it because wow! he does not want to! yea you know what the few minutes is. very curious and a lot more important let's all look at junpei ]
This related to the "situation" you said you were in?
[ not that he actually said it but whatever, implied. the importance is, if they were both involved in it... ]
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There's a few of us who have at least one person from the same universe. The biggest number I've heard is five. But there's a lack of overlap between them.
[Please don't look at him. But there's a nod and he kind of holds up his weird-ass black watch on his left wrist.] It's a few minutes and a few hours at the same time. Depending how you look at it. Carlos and I were part of the same game before we woke up here, but something went wrong.
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But Junpei's thing seems like it's worth more attention. She doesn't get it at all. Let's all look at Junpei some more. ]
At the same time? Huh? What sort of game is that?
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he doesn't have the same question about what kind of game-- he has a feeling he knows already-- but yeah junpei isn't getting out of the spotlight right now because. what. ]
A few hours and a few minutes at the same time... Did your "game" happen to involve time travel?
[ he's smart, there's time travel in yj, he's assuming that's the only way that makes any sense, don't look at me ]
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--oh. Dick's sort of on the right track, at least.]
Yes, and no. [Helpful.] But during the Decision Game, a lot of us learned how to shift to other timelines. Carlos is from a timeline that's a few hours behind the one we were leaving at the same time.
[Go on. Ask him questions.]
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Shifting to different timelines sounds impossible, first of all, but then that they would be crossing over into timelines from other people and not all originate from the same one, and--ugh?? Her only question would be "Huh???" ]
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[ i hate this entire conversation now fyi ]
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Not exactly. [He knows this is going to go over Escha's head because she's from fantasy alchemy land, but Dick seems to be from Earth so he's going to try and explain this to them.
There's a bite of tart though before he starts.]
Say you go back in time to when your parents met, using a car as a time machine. You try to make sure your parents marry, but history ends up changing slightly due to your interference. You changed the chain of events, and upon returning to your own time, things aren't quite the same as you remember. Maybe...you're rich, or your father's a famous science fiction writer.
But there's a problem. What happened to the "you" who grew up in that fancy house and that rich life?
[He holds up two fingers.] There are two types of timetravel stories. The first states that there's always only one history, meaning that if someone changes the past, they erase that previous past. The other type is the kind where multiple histories exist. Multiverse theory. The world and universe split into branches as a result of someone's decisions. In the first kind of story, the you that went back to the past ended up erasing your old life, overwriting it with the next experiences even when keeping your old memories. But in the multiverse theory...there are two versions of yourself. You, and the secondary you. In this theory, both versions of yourself take the same action at the same time...in this case, traveling to the past. But the two of you make different choices. You allow your dad to beat up the neighborhood bully, and the second you from the rich timeline stops him.
So. What happens when these choices are made? If two versions of yourself take the same action at the same time, and you end up in the other timeline, where does the other you go?
[He wiggles his fingers a little.] Your consciousness switches places. History remains the same, but you keep your old memories. The timestream remains unaffected, and you change places, but you yourself remain the same with the lack of knowledge of the current timeline. Usually.
[...haha.] When a SHIFTer shifts, their body remains behind but their consciousness trades places with the them from another history.
no subject
W-wait, so... Okay...
But if the other you is time traveling and changing stuff, too, then what good does swapping with them do? If they wanted to change things too, doesn't it seem like you still wouldn't be happy in their, um... Timeline?
[ She. Holds her head. ]
And if you go back in time wouldn't it have already happened and you already went back so nothing should change?
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dick's listening intently the whole time. he's never talked in depth with impulse and how his time travel worked-- there hadn't been time, and it's not like impulse would even know, since he couldn't exactly pop back to the future to check if what he'd done had affected his future or only prevented it in their own time, but it still helps to have that basis so he can follow along junpei's explanation.
as it stands, he tries to expand a bit for escha-- who is truly suffering here ]
Multiverse theory means time isn't a single straight line. If you had the information from the future and brought it back, you could create an alternate history where none of the bad stuff happens. Your original time would still exist, but you'd be part of the new one. So trading places with your past self would give you the advantage when it comes to knowing how things go if they happen a certain way, so you could easily prevent it. To trade for a couple of hours or minutes... Make a bad decision and you could-- go back and make a different one, knowing the one you made was bad. Is that it?
[ i hate time travel ]
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Right. We figured it out while we were part of the game. Actually, Carlos figured it out first and the rest of us learned along the way. It's not easy, but doable in the right situation. [A glance at his watch.] We have most of the same memories. Carlos shifted to a new timeline and was there before we woke up.
[The implication here is that something might have gone wrong on Junpei's end.]
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[ Thinking about it visually seems to help her a little, even if describing that visual in words sounds. Probably not so useful. But okay, she kind of gets it, it's fine if she doesn't understand all the details. ]
And I guess you can't just... Do that now, to get yourself out of this place, huh?
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All powers and natural abilities are off, even the ones that shouldn't be able to be turned off. [ he's thinking of the fact that polly's a fucking ghost who's now corporeal. wild. ]
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It's hard to say. To shift, certain things have to happen. I haven't tried it yet, but my access to the morphogenic field's gone, I think. [Oh. ] Uh. That's an invisible field of consciousness for the timelines. Think of it like a storage space for memories and different histories.
So. Any ideas why that is? [Why and how are powers missing? ]
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Well... If we're all from different dimensions, and those of us who aren't can even be from different times... Doesn't it feel like this place is outside of all that...? And that's why you can't access the morphogenic field?
Like one big diagonal line slashed through all the timelines and grabbing us from wherever it intersected?
[ ... Still thinking a bit too visually but that's fine. ]
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[ Not that she wants to, like, lose hope immediately, but. ]
Oh, do you think maybe it's a side-effect? Like of whatever drug was used to knock us out and bring us here - whatever made us so nauseous. Maybe it'll wear off?
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[ he fights superpowered beings on a daily basis, it's not that big a deal!!! ]
Could be. There's a definite connection between us showing up here and the nausea-- there's nothing saying that can't be connected too. But I wouldn't bank on it wearing off any time soon if that's the case.
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