reality_crossroads | (no subject)

*A certain being is sitting with his back against the well, reading a book with a plain red cover. He's humming tonelessly to himself as he flips pages and in general he seems exceedingly bored. A better distraction than the interminable tome would be welcomed.*

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

dee_lorean81

. . .again? How many times have they abolished gravity?

From:

thelightontheedgeofsleep

You know, I don't recall. Probably every time it started working again.

From:

dee_lorean81

Ooookay. . .you wouldn't happen to know what they have against gravity, would ya? Because I like flying, sure, but I also kind of like being able to land too.

From:

thelightontheedgeofsleep

It's a law, they dislike laws on principle.

From:

dee_lorean81

Right. Okay, maybe that place is weirder than Irem. How the heck does anyone even live there?

From:

thelightontheedgeofsleep

With great difficulty, I imagine. More than one person has gone Seeking just to cope with visiting that place for too long.

The Iron Republic is Liberation as the Devils see it. Things are . . . different there.

From:

dee_lorean81

Seriously?! Well, I guess that's good for you, but it doesn't sound like it's good for anyone else.

Oooooh. . .so it's run by literal creatures from Hell? Okay, that makes a little more sense. Making everyone confused and miserable is all part of a devil's job -- er, right?

From:

thelightontheedgeofsleep

Devils are always rebelling, as well. Between the two you get a dreadful mess.

Not that I stand against a Liberation of Night, but that’s the worst possible ending to the matter. Devils would generally tend thus.

From:

dee_lorean81

Yeah, I can imagine -- at least it explains why they've got such a thing against gravity!

[frowns] Why do you think that would be the worst possible ending? 'Cause it's gotta be pretty bad if you think it's the worst.

From:

thelightontheedgeofsleep

Perhaps it is not the very worst, but not for want of the Devils trying. The only worse thing I can imagine is reality coming apart too much for anything to continue existing at all.

A world with so many of the laws of physics broken in such pointless ways . . . I hardly care about the Chain, or about the usual madness of the Neath, but to lose gravity and time? To have your nightmares embrace you as an old friend while your body mutates and your mind shatters? When attempting Liberation we must make things better and not worse.

From:

dee_lorean81

[Dee shivers] Yeah, that -- that all would be -- bad. [understatement of the century, but DeLoreans aren't know for their way with words] I can understand wanting to stick it to the jerks higher up the Chain, but -- yeah, if you're not working to make things better for people. . .but then, I guess devils wouldn't be interested in that. Have they tried to outlaw time too in the Republic?

From:

thelightontheedgeofsleep

They probably did next Friday, or something equally inexplicable. *He chuckles darkly.* To be fair, more than a few of my Seekers have a 'no candle' in their collections of candles, so the inexplicable is hardly unique to the Iron Republic. St. Destin's Candle is one of the stranger ones.

From:

dee_lorean81

Yeah, I can see that. [she raises an eyebrow at the mention of collecting a 'no candle'] I'm guessing it's more complicated than either just not getting a candle, or getting a candle and then burning it down to nothing. . .and is Destin's the candle the same, or some other riddle-brought-to-reality?

From:

thelightontheedgeofsleep

That is the one, yes. As for getting one? You may get it from someone who doesn’t have it either, although even in the Neath that level of impossibility gets retaliation from the Law. You can get it by denying your fame and erasing much of your importance, as well, for no man can have no candle.

Would you like no candle? You lose no candle entering the lighthouse on Winking Isle, and that place is one I often spend time.

From:

dee_lorean81

[Dee can't help a slight smile as Eaten details the first way to get no candle] Yeah -- there's only so far you can take breaking logic before it snaps back at you. Though I guess it's more forgiving of wordplay. . .

[Dee sticks her hands in her pockets] Well, I'm not carrying a candle, so technically don't I already have no candle? And losing something you don't have sounds like another thing that should get you slapped by physics.

From:

thelightontheedgeofsleep

You don't have a candle, but only in the normal way. Having no candle is somewhat different.

Winking Isle is in Parabola. Dreams aren't very logical to begin with.

From:

dee_lorean81

[Dee nods] Yeah, fair enough. Guess you can feel the absence of that candle. [she grins] What happens if you try to light it? The room get darker?

Ahhh -- yeah, okay, free pass for breaking logic there. You can't force dreams to make sense.

From:

thelightontheedgeofsleep

The only mortals who have found that out are Seekers, and it is probably best to keep it that way.

In any case, Winking Isle does enough damage all on its own.

From:

dee_lorean81

[Dee nods again, smile fading] Yeah, probably. It's amusing to think about, probably horrifying in practice. [pause] Bet that's true for a lot of the "sillier" things in the Neath.

Because of the dream logic? Or because you spend a lot of time there? Or some combination of the two? Or something else entirely?

From:

thelightontheedgeofsleep

It can be, yes. Look at the poor Rubbery Men--they may look like squid in badly fitting suits, but they are the result of Shapeling Arts committed in desperation by the Flukes of lost Axile trying to communicate with mankind.

Mostly because of my dwelling thereupon, although the dreamy nature of it does not improve things.

From:

dee_lorean81

[Dee winces] And they still can't talk with humans. . .that sucks, honestly. At least getting turned human by weird portal magic made it so I could talk and think like a human too!

Yeah, I guess that makes sense, given your whole -- thing.

From:

thelightontheedgeofsleep

Perhaps we ought to entice one here, it might do the same for it.

My own dreams filled that place too long.

From:

dee_lorean81

[Dee's expression turns -- curious. Which is probably dangerous, but she's a time machine built by a man who is full of curiosity about the world, and. . .like father, like daughter?] I wonder. . .I mean, there's ways of getting to your world that don't involve your well. It appearing here just seemed to open the way.

That'd do it. You have some scary dreams, I bet.

From:

thelightontheedgeofsleep

And doors open both ways. If nothing else we may be able to find out why they can't speak.

Fearful and sorrowful, yes. Even before the betrayal. I knew I was expendable--not that we weren't all expendable, but I was more than most. Runtery and aberration . . .

From:

dee_lorean81

Yup! That's how you get so many people coming and out. . .and yeah, maybe. I think this place is supposed to have some sort of translation field over it anyway, so everybody can understand each other.

[she pouts, sympathetic] Oh jeez, that sucks. Did the others pick on you before the "big event?"