sixth entry ⊗ permanent residency

[flamekthunder]

Sender: Eustace
To: Everyone
Subject: A Method to Stay in This World

As everyone should know, the version of ourselves in this world is wholly separate from our originals that remain awake in our home worlds. What we do here has no effect there, and vice versa. Most won't care whether they are here for a temporary stay, however there are those like me and Tifa who have formed relationships that would be impossible if not for this world.

And I am determined to make it last.

When the Halloween Carnival arrived last October, we had the opportunity to speak to the tapirs and inquire about the nature of our existence here. In short, we are tethered to our home world which allows us to return, currently at random. However, the fae, creatures, and every other being that is not a dreamer like ourselves do not have such tethers. They either traversed into this world or were directly taken through other means.

This leads to the conclusion that if we want to stay in this world, we need to somehow break the connection, either by completely severing it or changing the tether to connect to this world instead. Perhaps we need to completely change the nature of our current "dream self." As the risk of being sent back is high if the tether is cut, I aim to focus on other means.

However, there is of course no known knowledge or means to do this, and the tapirs do not know, either. Thus I am sending this inquiry to:

1) ask if there are any others who would be interested either to help or in the results;

2) if there is anyone who is familiar with dimensional travel or strong magic that could give some clue as to what to look for.

Currently I am looking through the Tree of Stories to find any text or story that could be of use. My current suspicion is dreamotion will be the main component, however manipulating it for such a use will be difficult.

If you are interested, you can respond here or contact me privately.

— Eustace

[ooc: AND THUS MARKS THE BEGINNINGS OF A VERY LONG QUEST but yeah Eustace is trying to find a way to stay permanently in this world and is looking for anyone who wants to help, wants to benefit, or has ideas that they can look into and be possibly incorporated in the actual method. An additional sign-up post has gone up for an official head count. Those who sign-up will be able to play a significant role in finding a clue and/or piece that will lead to the final result. More details there!]

Comments

[flamekthunder]

Exoflection. I recall you talking about this before.

How would using dreamotion change it?

[stillarhino]

[I think you mean boobies.]

huh aint thought of it like that before
but i aint talked to them small elephant dudes much since i got here

where else you gotta look?
maybe thats where i can start checking things out for ya

[Besides the usual things he's been doing, he needs a bit more of a distraction anyway.]

[flamekthunder]

Currently I'm still at the research phase, but there are a number of stories and books the Tree of Stories holds.

[..............]

However researching may not be the most interesting for you.

[stillarhino]

[If you could only see the unimpressed look on his face.]

hell naw!
i gotta have me some action man
none of that boring reading stuff

[rudehero]

I don't think we can just up and clone ourselves— unless we already are?

[That's waaaaaaay too much thinky for his himbo brain though... let's not go there.]

Nah, couldn't be. I remember things and clones wouldn't. But stuff involving the soul can be dangerous. I don't mind being used for experiments though to see if stuff could work. Would it be reversible though? Just in case?

[azuresong]

[ There is a long pause before another message is received ]

you have done so much to help me and i want to do the same for you too

[sleightofhans]

[He takes the question at face value and--]

I'm no scholar, but I don't mind spending my time reading deeper into things. It just might take me longer to understand concepts such as dimensional travel, as I never heard of that before living in this world.

[burnttoashes]

Exoflection produces a physical copy of the item or person being exoflected. It's possible for aspects of the person being exoflected to be altered - the changing the nature of the "dream self" that you mentioned - but it would be the exoflected copy with the changed nature, not the current you. The laws of exoflection itself cannot be changed... in my world.

However, here it might be possible either to use dreamotion to alter the way exoflection works, or simply to use it alone in a similar process that would allow that "overwriting" without creating the copy. In theory.

[nulland]

Yeah, I'm aware of that.

Just wasn't sure if things I'd seen here could help save it from what's coming. Because apart from that, I literally have nothing to go back to. I may as well stay here.

Sender: Zelda

[multidisciplinary]

[ Wow, he just came out and said it: he and Tifa want to stay in Songerein forever. Such a thought has intruded on Zelda's mind multiple times, but she always guiltily shoos it away. She shouldn't want to stay here forever--she has a duty to her kingdom and all its people. Eventually, Zelda knows she will have to go home, rejoin her real self and face that destiny.

Even though she doesn't want to at all. ]

Are you so certain that staying here won't negatively effect your real self in your homeworld?

[ Zelda didn't wanna say something about this at the wedding, but she's been thinking it ever since Eustace and Tifa announced their engagement. Is it really wise to get married when your time together could end at any moment without warning? ]

[flamekthunder]

[He can easily imagine it.]

Then unfortunately I don't have anything for you unless you want to try and hunt down some fae or the dragons and try to interrogate information out of them that way.

[He's joking.









It may have crossed his mind a few times, though—]

[flamekthunder]

[...Hum.]

Is your world in danger?

[flamekthunder]

As far as I've come to personally understand it, it's more like we're an alternate version of ourselves still capable of merging back to our original body.

But as to whether this would be reversible, I would think that at least in the "testing" phases it would have to be. I'd rather there be a fail safe than an irreversible mistake one way or the other. However, I'm not sure how I feel about calling it an "experiment" even if that's what it will eventually be.

Regardless, I won't let anyone try until everything has been thoroughly researched and all possible care has been taken in the process.

[Another thing he's considered. Even if they find the method, they won't know if it works until they test it. And this trial and error could have a lot of impact depending on those who are willing to try it. Then of course the matter of how comfortable he is on letting said volunteers try. It's something he has to consider and be prepared for regardless, and with Eustace's work ethic and penchant in trying to cover single possible option and vulnerability, it will at least be thorough.]

[flamekthunder]

[Okay that long pause is a little worrying—]

You'll still see me back at home, at least. Just a little different, perhaps.

[Or maybe not so much, who knows. Certainly his current situation and development is a far cry from what he'd expect to have right now in their world, but maybe one day... For all they know, this could just be a glimpse of a potential future there still.]

[flamekthunder]

[He won't say no—]

I've only become aware of it myself in recent time, so I'm not so knowledgeable, either. But there may be different ways to go about this, so you could always expand the search.

Some other methods I considered is reaching out to the fae or even the dragons. They would be more knowledgeable about magic and could have some other ideas. Whether we can trust the fae in particular is a different matter, but there would be no harm i at least looking into an idea.

[flamekthunder]

The theory sounds plausible if it can change the nature of the item instead of creating a copy. However, I imagine doing this to a person would necessitate a large amount of dreamotion.

There's also the issue of whether it would rely on you to make it work.

[flamekthunder]

[He fully understands her concerns as it was a question they also had to consider about. But where he once hesitated, he no longer does.]

I've already left this world and returned once, not by my own will. I have also been to a different world, and apparently I was in yet another though I have no recollection of it. At this point, if it's possible for me to exist in so many worlds and yet my own suffers no change, I can only believe that it is very likely that there won't be a negative effect.

However, that's still not a guarantee and something I have to keep in mind. The only words we have to rely on are those from this world, such as the tapirs, and even then they might not know for sure.

That said... As selfish as it might sound, if I did have to choose one or the other, if staying here would remove myself from my original world entirely, then I would choose this one.

[azuresong]

i know you are smiling at home, but i also know there is a lot of pain there too. here i know you can be happy

[ it's... a conflicting scenario, especially for someone who only just arrived here. But she'll do anything for her friends, even if that meant- ]

you said that in order to stay here we may have to break the tether that connects us to the other world... does that mean it will affect everyone or just you?

[sleightofhans]

Yes, I don't believe it would hurt to at least ask them.

[Unless they ask for a bunch of favors or lie directly to their faces. Hans likes to think he's good at reading others, but this is a whole different area for him.]

I haven't dealt with fae or dragons all that much before. It feels like I came from a rather boring world, with little magic and everything.

[monolike]

That part you mentioned about us returning home if our tether is cut, how did you find out about that?

Sender: Zenkichi

[lemiserable]

Hey, I can't judge others for wanting to stay here. Especially if you've made a new life out of it.

Personally, I have a daughter to return to and a man to put behind bars, but I have to ask, do you think this might have...repercussions for what happens if you never return home?

Even if we are technically separate beings (does that make us clones of the original? Dream clones? Maybe I should stop overthinking it before I think I've gone mad.) do you think severing that link potentially harm the other?

[He's asking partly out of his own curiosity, and partly to see if the other's put some thought into that as well.]

[flamekthunder]

I don't know. But I would rather there be no effect as I do not want to disturb the life my original self is having.

It's part of why this is a very complicated matter as there are many unknowns that will need to be dealt with. I can only hope there is information out there from either someone else or some other accounts of similar situations.

[flamekthunder]

The tapirs. We have an opportunity to speak with them so we asked how much they knew. However, this was still a conjecture on their part as they were not completely certainly, only answering from what they could observe.

[flamekthunder]

[Time to up your charm and diplomatic negotiation tactics, Hans—]

While mine has these, I personally have no real experience communicating with them directly. The dragons may be more straightforward...the fae, however, I would be more wary. From what I've seen in another world and have been warned by others, they are more likely to deceive.

And from what I know of the dragons in my world, they seem to be more knowledgeable with ancient magic. If I were to choose a group to try and get information from first, it would be them. Even if it may not be so straightforward or easy, either. They've only recently shown themselves and open their lands to us.

[Trust will certainly be a factor here. ironic to say in this thread—]

[flamekthunder]

I cannot say for certain and it's something I'm also keeping in mind. From what I heard from the tapirs, they don't seem as concerned but I can't wholly rely on them.

Personally I'd rather not sever the link as that seems to pose the most risk.