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Private text convo: closed to Shen Yuan & Ezra
[Continuation of this conversation.]
Wow...what an experience. I have so many questions, starting with "How did Game of Thrones finally end?", passing through "How else did it parallel your real life?" and ending with "What was Lothal like in comparison?" but I don't want to be weird or make you uncomfortable. (ᗒᗜᗕ)՛̵̖
You can ask me stuff too, if you're interested. That'd be much more fair than me just sitting here interrogating you or whatever. Or not, it's your call!
(Hang on, did you say you'd been in another cross-dimensional nexus before this one? How does that even work?? Not that I'm disbelieving you, but man. The multiverse really is weirder than I ever knew.)
Wow...what an experience. I have so many questions, starting with "How did Game of Thrones finally end?", passing through "How else did it parallel your real life?" and ending with "What was Lothal like in comparison?" but I don't want to be weird or make you uncomfortable. (ᗒᗜᗕ)՛̵̖
You can ask me stuff too, if you're interested. That'd be much more fair than me just sitting here interrogating you or whatever. Or not, it's your call!
(Hang on, did you say you'd been in another cross-dimensional nexus before this one? How does that even work?? Not that I'm disbelieving you, but man. The multiverse really is weirder than I ever knew.)
no subject
I don't think I remember anything about Game of Thrones. I assume that's some form of fiction?
Yeah, so I found myself in a town called Temba on a planet named Agra-10. It was similar to this in that people got pulled from across time, space, universe, the works. Different in that there weren't any native humans, and the beings that *were* native couldn't live on the planet anymore. Similar in that the place had been devastated by crisis that seems partly environmental and partly spiritual/psychic. The native Agrii were particularly sensitive to the weird storms. Tended to kill them rather than just make for a bad few days.
They called us Heroes and hoped we'd figure out how to fix the problem. It was one of the Heroes who cast the reality altering spell, in the middle of a meltdown. I gather the City was pretty close to *Billy's* version of Earth, in that superpowers were common. Although, funny thing, he'd turned himself into someone who believed they were baseline human with no powers
So here's some other wild things. One of my buddies here, Kyle, remembers both of us being in Temba together and the City. There are, however, people I know from Temba, who are from the same galaxy I'm originally from, but their memories just go home--->here. So I know different diverging versions of them now.
One of them, I knew as an older man back home. And then in Temba, he was like 20 years younger than when I'd first met him. And now, here, even a little younger than that. Except now he's recovered memories from home that put him in pretty much the exact same time as that slighter older version. Yet, it's just memories from home. We've even talked about Alternate Earth City life a little, recently, and no recognition on his part.
(I do have questions for you. I'll get to them!)
no subject
Not to mention how there's nobody else here from my last world right now, but last month I had to go on an entire dream quest to apparently learn the lesson that maybe a guy I had issues with back then won't try to immediately kill me on sight if he ever turns up here, so who knows when that's going to be relevant. >_>;
But anyway! Sorry for asking such a petty question, you're right that Game of Thrones was a work of fiction. It was a tv show adapted from a book series I was kind of half-following for a few years before I died, and since you said the illusory world was set in the year 2020 I thought I'd ask how it ended? But it's fine that you don't know, you really weren't missing much. It was kind of a mixed bag, production-wise.
(Sorry, I am kind of a nerd sometimes!)
I am so curious to know what's going on metaphysically with these people you know from different points in their/your personal timelines. Have you heard of the multiverse theory? I mean obviously you have, you're living it, but I mean the additional idea that there might be multiple iterations of the same universe, identical except for very small variations? It's possible that the version of the older man you knew in Temba and the one you know now are actually different versions of that particular person, that they came from completely different origin universes despite being nearly identical to the one you knew in your own home dimension.
Does that make sense? I used to read stories about things like this all the time, someone would get hit by a truck or whatever and wake up in an alternate universe where they had to go on a grand adventure to get home, or they'd be trapped there and discover they never married their wife or things like that. They could get pretty sadistic sometimes, you should be glad you're still existing in your own body. XD
no subject
Learning how to co-exist with the sort of people, or even specific individuals, who might have been your deadly enemy back home is a valuable skill in this sort of place.
I'm not sure how the metaphysics works. I tend to think of it was time splitting within the nexuses, but I'm sure there's plenty of takes that are just as valid. I will say these people feel similarly on a base empathic level, to me.
Ok, example, Obi-wan, the guy I've met several times now. I'd say I know him pretty well, so when spotted him when I got here, I could tell he was Obi-wan instantly, on that level. And also that he was younger than any of the other versions. That he hasn't Seen the Same Level of Shit, yet.
Also, are we *really* existing in our same bodies? We're squids. I'm especially not convinced that there's any way for any of us to truly 'go home'.
no subject
Sorry, I'll try to explain. I've noticed, while observing people in Trench and on the network, that some of the active Sleepers seem to bear more than a passing resemblance to fictional characters I heard or read about on Earth. For instance there's a young woman I've seen around Sanctuary who looks an awful lot like one of the actresses who worked on Game of Thrones...But my point is, of all the various stories told on my version of Earth, the story of how a group of disparate rebels lead by a young Jedi knight defeated an oppressive, galaxy-spanning empire is probably one of the most famous. We're talking translated into twenty different languages or more levels of famous! And Obi-Wan Kenobi was a central figure in that story.
So as you can imagine it's a little shocking to learn that you know the guy! Are you a Jedi too? You said you recognized him, so...it's okay if you're not, of course! Sorry, I am basically biting my nails over here trying not to be weird about this XD I wound up basically cutting off my conversation with that Anakin guy because I didn't trust myself not to start publically speculating about his parents or something equally uncalled for, it was kind of embarrassing.
no subject
I guess that explains why some other people have gotten excited when I mention Obi-wan or that I'm a Jedi. I thought it was just because he's been here for so long and he's awesome like that.
I guess it sort of is because he's awesome like that.
So, yes Jedi Master Obi-wan Kenobi, member of the Jedi Council and former High General of the Republic. He's one of my teachers. I guess I haven't mentioned my own name. I'm Jedi Padwan Ezra Bridger, and I was part of the rebellion back home.
I suspect the Jedi Knight you mean is Luke Skywalker, though. He's here too. Anakin Solo is his nephew. And his namesake Anakin Skywalker is here, as well. There's a bunch of us from my galaxy, but pretty wildly different native times, actually.
no subject
Look, I'm just going to apologize in advance for being a huge super-cringey weirdo, nothing in my life has ever prepared me for the possibility of talking to an actual person from the galaxy far, far away, I'm totally out to sea here.
(Man, that saying really hits differently here, doesn't it?)
There's an entire charity organization in my world that dresses up as stormtroopers for fun. It's not even a political statement, nobody's saying the Empire were secretly the good guys or anything like that, it's just...that look, that armor, is so fucking recognizable in my world that people see it and think, 'oh, something cool's going on over there. I should go see what those guys are all about.' And then they use that recognition to raise money for children's hospitals and things like that. That's how huge that story is.
I'm...not sure if it would be more or less weird if I recognized your name? I'm sorry, this is so cringey, I'm going to shut up now! Sorry for making things so weird!
no subject
Now, I don't know what it was actually like for anyone else, but I always knew from the first moment I woke up here that I was in a completely new body, made by whatever forces are governing this world. I'm almost certain that my first body died back on Earth. I felt myself get sick and fade out, and then I woke up in an entirely new body that had belonged to someone else before I arrived there. Not by my choice, I want to be clear on that; a Pthumerian-like entity called the System put me in that body, presumably after disposing the poor bastard that lived there first. Not a great time in my life! So it was honestly a huge relief to wake up here, for multiple reasons.
This body that I exist in now combines traits from mine and that other guy's body, for reasons unknown. I'm stronger than I was in my own body, and I inherited some of that other guy's magical abilities, but I'm nowhere near as strong on either front as he was. At the same time while there is a physical resemblance, I don't think I'd be able to impersonate him to anyone from that world, even if I wanted to. (Which I don't, for the record! I don't want to have anything to do with the bullshit the System put me up to in that world, if I can avoid it >_>) It's a little odd, honestly. When I first woke up here I thought I'd been given a completely fresh start, like I could just forget about everything that happened in that other world. But since then I've learned that there are forces in this world interested in making us confront issues from our past, like that dream quest I mentioned earlier. Makes me wonder what kind of intelligence is behind it all, and what they really want from us.
Anyway if anyone from that second world shows up I'd just as soon make peace with them as anything else. It wasn't my choice to make enemies or inconvenience anyone, I'd rather live a quiet life studying this world and all the weird shit that happens here. But the point I was really trying to make is that your body at least looks like yours, and is presumably unique to you. You didn't inherit it from anyone else, unless you did actually and I've been gnawing on my own foot this entire time!
no subject
So, let me see if I follow. The version of Earth you're from doesn't have magic, that you know of, and then you got botted to another universe, into another guy's body and had to deal with the abilities he had?
Did other people realize you weren't actually that guy?
no subject
But yeah, you're correct that my native Earth didn't have magic. It was the stuff of fiction, literally. I was able to adjust to the second world pretty quickly because it resembled a place I'd read about, and the magic used there followed familiar genre conventions. Not like here; this blood stuff is completely new to me.
What about you? Still got all your cool Jedi powers here?
no subject
Better that people look like stormtroopers do charity work than the things they actually do back in my world.
Although that's not entirely fair - the stormtrooper armor looks a lot of like what clone troopers wear and the clone brothers I know would have loved to do marches for children's hospitals.
I really, really don't expect anyone to know my name. Luke didn't know who I was when I got here, either. I'm pretty sure I'm dead or something, in his time.
That's ok. I took a big risk right before I got taken out of the galaxy. I knew that it take me very far away, at best.
My Jedi abilities are pretty intact, yes. My telekinesis is a little weaker, except when the moon is out. My empathy can get outright overwhelming at times. Both of those are tied to me being a Paleblood, I think.
So what kind of magic can you do?
no subject
So far as my own magic goes, I'm still figuring that out. When I first woke up here I couldn't do anything, even things that are apparently supposed to be universal abilities like talk to my own Omen. >_> I didn't even realize that's what she was until somebody else used their own magic to talk to her and explain it to me, it was humiliating. I'm doing a little better now at least, that wave of wild magic we had at the start of the month was not fun and I'm still pretty pissed off that John Gaius guy for making it happen but at least it apparently knocked some things loose in my brain? I can actually hear Xiu Ya now and I know I'm capable of telekinesis even if it doesn't come easily to me. Xiu Ya's convinced that I'll eventually be able to get back to the same power level as the guy whose body I used to live in, but idk. Right now I'm just trying to survive.
Oh, I'm sorry. I'm being weird and rude again, aren't I. My name's Shen Yuan, and it genuinely is my pleasure to meet you, Ezra Bridger. Xiu Ya is my Omen, a spirit sword I somehow dragged with me from the last world we both inhabited. She was bonded with the man whose body I used to live in, but luckily she doesn't seem to have a grudge against me for that whole unwilling-beneficiary-of-body-theft thing. And she says hi too. Well, "greetings," anyway, she's kind of a priss.
no subject
Tell Xui Ya hello back!
I was on Agra-10 for about 8 months - well less if you don't count the month the Agrii sent us to Coruscant, which is a whole other fun story, and then there's the reality altering spell I mentioned. And I've been here for over a half year. So, yes, time to process. The things about our lives transcending universes as fiction is definitely new - but everything's connected, right? That's basic Force philosophy, and all the timey-whimey multiverse stuff I've experienced has just reinforced that for me, really.
Sounds like you're a Darkblood. And you can't do anything with the kind of magic learned in your accidentally borrowed body?
no subject
You're right that Yuan is my given name -- and thank you for asking! With so many Westerners here I'm this || close to just swapping the order around like an emigrant to save time. My great-grandmas might just crawl out of their graves and cross the space between dimensions to yell at me for it, but hey! Nothing wrong with a little family reunion, right?
So, it occurs to me that cultivational traditions aren't really that different from Jedi training strikebecause George Lucas was a culturally appropriative hack so perhaps you can give me some useful perspective. I am a Darkblood, but the problem is that this body I've been given seems to be arranged to force me onto an approximation of a cultivational disciple's path anyway, despite the differences in the rules governing the local magic system. Xiu Ya suspects it's divine retribution for my benefiting from a master cultivator's stolen base, which is...definitely a theory! We'll table that for now.
In the world I used to live in, magic-users developed their skills by studying and refining a type of energy similar to the Force, called qi. Qi is produced and stored by living souls, though it can also sink into the ground and inanimate objects through prolonged or traumatic exposure. A sword that is carried by a master cultivator and survives multiple battles with them will eventually acquire its own qi signature and might as well be considered a living entity in its own right, for instance, even if it was made from completely mundane materails. Graveyards or the site of murders are also frequently wells of resentful qi, which is the main driving force behind hauntings.
In that world, even commoners who had never studied cultivation had an identifiable though weak set of spiritual veins, called meridians, which work in tandem with the nervous and circulatory systems to keep the body healthy. A cultivational disciple studies to refine their energy and strengthen their meridians, until eventually the qi begins to pool in three discrete points in the body, called dantians, which act as reservoires of spiritual energy and allow the cultivator access to more powerful spells and techniques. With further study the lower dantian, in the belly, coalesces further and becomes a solid organ with volume and mass, called the golden core. At this point the cultivator ceases to age and no longer requires food or sleep with the same frequency as a mortal human; some traditions consider this type of immortal to be a sort of living god, although they still have a ways to go before they'll be permitted to ascend to the heavens and join the rest of the divine hierarchy.
(Side note: I know it was different in your home galaxy, but gods were definitely an empirical thing in that world so just take my word for it, 'kay?)
The body I was forced into in that world was an immortal with a fully formed if somewhat shaky golden core, due to various traumatic events in his life and untreated mental problems that Xiu Ya will yell at me for explaining in any further detail. XD He was nonetheless extremely powerful, and I did benefit greatly from using his power during my time in that world. This body, however, is still in the Refinement stage; I can see sense my own qi, but the flow is pretty weak and I can't use most of the spells I remember from the last world, aside from that one incident of telekinesis I mentioned before. To complicate matters further I don't have a discrete set of meridians in this body; my magic's embodied in my blood like everyone else. So I have no idea what that means for the future, if I continue cultivating and try to form a set of dantians or what. I'd rather not injure myself unwittingly, you know?