[ 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.
[The plate with the tart is balanced on his knee as his right hand comes to twist the bracelet on his left wrist. The bracelet (watch, actually) doesn't move much, and it seems like it's actually locked in place. He's thinking here...]
I didn't see any injection sites when I looked myself over earlier. [Just to clarify that, which means:] Dimensional travel could account for the nausea, but I agree with that. It's not going to wear off anytime soon because they don't want us to leave. There's also the possibility it's someone else's power that's overriding everyone else's. Something that can tap into every person here and disable certain parts of ourselves as they want. Muzet's wings don't work but they're still a part of her body, for example. I have all of my memories, but I can't connect like usual. Stuff like that.
Oh, right. I guess I can't just fall back on a normal explanation like a drug when there's... Time travel and other dimensions in play...
[ The more they talk about it, the more she wonders if she would be able to use her alchemy, even with the right tools... She twists a bit in her seat to check the tail that's clipped onto her belt-loop. And it's still moving, so that's. Huh... ]
We can barely even tell where the rules we're under are, let alone what rules they might be following.
We can't dismiss a normal explanation either. All possibilities are in play right now until we learn more about this place.
[ he leans back a bit as he says it, clearly not super jazzed by that fact. you know what he's gonna eat some apple tart to think it over. nom nom. ]
Polly's a ghost turned corporeal. Muzet's a spirit going through the same. It's like everyone's been brought down to ... well, basic human. [ he pauses ] That might be it. Something forcing everyone to be on the same page as far as capacities go.
[ Escha doesn't have much to contribute to that thought, but follows his look to the bag and back. ]
... Kagachi said he thinks they want us to fight, since so many of us arrived with weapons. But I don't think that's really the case, because they made sure each and every one of us had... Um, the other supplies... But not all of us have a weapon.
[ they can all look awkwardly at the duffle bag now. ]
...Both options aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. [ it's. a bit wry. ] A majority of people here do know how to fight, so I can see why Kagachi would think that. But I don't think the items are a hint towards that.
Kagachi and I talked about it, too. Given how many people have some kind of combat skills on their profile, you'd think it's something like that. But when you think about a staff, a grappling hook and my stuff? They don't really have too much in common.
[...he isn't going to tell them what he thinks is really going on because yikes.] One of the other things we were suspecting is there's a storage unit somewhere with everything else we had before we were brought here. You two are missing things too, right?
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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.
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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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I didn't see any injection sites when I looked myself over earlier. [Just to clarify that, which means:] Dimensional travel could account for the nausea, but I agree with that. It's not going to wear off anytime soon because they don't want us to leave. There's also the possibility it's someone else's power that's overriding everyone else's. Something that can tap into every person here and disable certain parts of ourselves as they want. Muzet's wings don't work but they're still a part of her body, for example. I have all of my memories, but I can't connect like usual. Stuff like that.
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[ The more they talk about it, the more she wonders if she would be able to use her alchemy, even with the right tools... She twists a bit in her seat to check the tail that's clipped onto her belt-loop. And it's still moving, so that's. Huh... ]
We can barely even tell where the rules we're under are, let alone what rules they might be following.
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[ he leans back a bit as he says it, clearly not super jazzed by that fact. you know what he's gonna eat some apple tart to think it over. nom nom. ]
Polly's a ghost turned corporeal. Muzet's a spirit going through the same. It's like everyone's been brought down to ... well, basic human. [ he pauses ] That might be it. Something forcing everyone to be on the same page as far as capacities go.
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Being human does make certain things easier. Especially if that's their goal.
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... Kagachi said he thinks they want us to fight, since so many of us arrived with weapons. But I don't think that's really the case, because they made sure each and every one of us had... Um, the other supplies... But not all of us have a weapon.
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...Both options aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. [ it's. a bit wry. ] A majority of people here do know how to fight, so I can see why Kagachi would think that. But I don't think the items are a hint towards that.
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Kagachi and I talked about it, too. Given how many people have some kind of combat skills on their profile, you'd think it's something like that. But when you think about a staff, a grappling hook and my stuff? They don't really have too much in common.
[...he isn't going to tell them what he thinks is really going on because yikes.] One of the other things we were suspecting is there's a storage unit somewhere with everything else we had before we were brought here. You two are missing things too, right?
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Yes...! I normally have my equipment for when I'm out gathering. Bombs, medicine, and other tools like that.
[ You know how bombs and medicine fit into the same general category? Yeah!! So just those, and other things in that 'category' of item! ]
You think we could get that stuff back? It would be a big comfort...
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