☿ // 008; [text]

[fionnuisce]

There is a concept in my world known as 'Second Magic'. The details of it are not common knowledge, nor is it widely used or explored at all by more than one individual. What is known is its definition in the broadest sense: 'the operation of parallel worlds'.

In short, parallel worlds where I come from are confirmed fact. And while I am not a scholar of Second Magic itself, now I find myself seriously considering the subject. Personally, I don't believe things are predetermined...and yet now I find myself wondering. Even if we restore everything to the way it was, what is the probability any of us live in a timeline that will end well? Mathematically, the odds are astronomical.

I don't know what I hoped to accomplish by communicating this. Maybe I'm so fucking tired I'm just going to ramble incoherently about magical theory until I officially go insane. Of course, maybe I already have gone insane. I might not be able to tell anymore.

On the slim chance anyone decides to come looking for me, I'll be in the laboratory. Exhaustion or not, I have work that needs to be done.

Comments

[fionnuisce]

I appreciate it.

[Waver didn't seem to be very productive for once; a girl made of mercury stood by silently, but between them a whole lot of nothing seemed to be getting done.]

You were probably the smarter one staying upstairs, all things considered.

[bloodyashes]

[The girl gets a glance before being dismissed - Waver certainly doesn't seem to be paying her much attention.]

I could have guessed that. What happened down there?

[fionnuisce]

A fucking mess, though I'm sure that much is obvious. It started with falling asleep and dealing with nightmares, but that was really not the worst of it.

[bloodyashes]

[A pause.]

You mean you don't always have nightmares when you sleep?

[He's half kidding. Half.]

[fionnuisce]

...Not quite like this, no.

[Total. Deadpan.]

When we all woke up, we were in this utterly featureless void together. It seemed like we were some value of 'awake'--it could have been some form of astral projection for all I bloody know. But there was...this strange sense of being pulled off in one direction. Eventually, we just decided following it was our only clear option.

[bloodyashes]

[The only response is a noise that can be roughly translated as "yeah, okay, get on with it.]

[fionnuisce]

[Waver sounded hesitant as he talked, like it really wasn't something he wanted to recollect at all. (It definitely wasn't.)]

What that was leading us to was a mirror. I remember feeling this compulsion to touch it, and when I did-- [Shaking his head, Waver pressed a hand to his face.]

It's difficult to recall exact details, thankfully. But I know I saw...everything, for lack of a better word. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of alternate realities all at once. Every direction my life could have taken or could still take, being shoved into my head in what I'm willing to assume was a matter of seconds. I saw myself fail and die horribly more times than I think anyone could possibly measure.

So despite how exhausted I am, I don't think I'll be able to sleep well for some time yet.

this is not the reaction Waver expects

[bloodyashes]

[Asch considers that for a moment, visibly, before speaking again.]

Do you think everyone saw roughly the same, then?

asch pls

[fionnuisce]

...I have no reason to assume otherwise.

sorry bro

[bloodyashes]

...Maybe I should have gone, then.

[fionnuisce]

. . .

Excuse me?

[bloodyashes]

What?

[Did no one tell you about the Score, Waver.]

I was born in a world where it was taught that the future was set in stone. I spent my life, literally, fighting against that idea, without ever knowing if it would change a thing.

Seeing proof like that would have been worth it.

[fionnuisce]

[not quite]

I'm not sure I could agree with that being worth it, frankly.

[bloodyashes]

[A snort. There is nothing you can say that would pop his bubble right now, Waver. He's over halfway to smiling, which by Asch standards is damn near overjoyed.]

Of course it is. It means that everything I did, the things some other me who didn't get sucked up by the Tower died for, wasn't for nothing. It meant something.

It means that our choices are real.

[fionnuisce]

Everything means something in one measure or another, you raving lunatic. What kind of miserable world do you people come from that's gullible enough to believe so wholeheartedly in fate?

[There's some meta sense of irony here, I just know it.]

[bloodyashes]

One that's functioned almost entirely off prophecy for two thousand years.

[YOU CAN'T BUST THIS BUBBLE WAVER.]

[fionnuisce]

...Fucking tradition.

[WHY IS THIS ALWAYS AN ISSUE.]

[bloodyashes]

Yell at Lorelei about the details later, it's not the point.

[BUBBLE STATUS: NOT BUST.]

[fionnuisce]

About that.

What exactly is going on with you and him?

I had a jello shot but I'm not drunk enough to make this make sense

[bloodyashes]

[Magical homophones, that's what.]

We have the same fonon frequency. That's the root of my ability to use hyperresonance and various other abilities linked to the Seventh Fonon - as far as the fonons are concerned, there's no difference between Lorelei and myself.

[It's the fact that Lorelei also seems to think this way that finally puts some sour back in his voice.]

....bb pls

[fionnuisce]

I'm going to pretend that made a shred of logical sense and assume 'magic bullshit' is at work here.

how do you work fonons. how do you work isofons /without/ the phrase magical homophones

[bloodyashes]

...Good enough for my purposes.

[Really needs to get Waver that book.]

/nasubabbles for eighty million hours

[fionnuisce]

I'm at least used to that explanation.

see I understand most of fonon shit AND nasubabble. I just can't words it when dunk

[bloodyashes]

If you meant "why do we look identical," the answer involves a lot of the reasons why trying to figure out causality in prophecies is stupid.

[Which came first, the stupid or the redhead? We'll never know.]

[fionnuisce]

...I'll pretend that made sense too. But then again, 'total coincidence' would sound much stranger.