[ HELP, i just have to work harder to tag to 96 comments and then the stretch goal of 420... also 'currently' zero complaints is so funny. what will jy do...
anyway, kiraman will get some fondness returned to him! and a small wave. ]
I was thinking a detour to the comic shop, but I'm happy to accompany you.
[ tbh... he's just here to tag-along before The Horrors happen. also tossing out a guess as to where kiraman's headed, based purely on his work habits ]
Of course I do. You specifically asked, so why wouldn't I? [ this means nothing when he really does sometimes just dump other garbage out of his brain. ]
This? More like a mode of transportation. I mean I can teleport, but... I kind of miss doing things the normal way.
he laughs. ] Ah, I've got something to mend my bones, if they so happen to crack. [ (no he doesn't because he's using his sn**py bandaid on neve in a few hours teehee)
but he gives him a wink. ]
Have some faith. Even if I do end up being terrible at this, at least you'll have a good laugh.
[ but okay, he'll observe kiraman first before he kicks off himself! ] Any words of wisdom for a beginner? A powerpoint, perhaps?
And I think your healing process is sped up here. Recovery center and all.
[ but kiraman's turning his board to show jing yuan how his feet should be placed before they kick off and roll on... to the comic store! where there is likely a screen to make a memshare easier. ]
It wouldn't be that funny. [ no, it would. ] You don't want your legs to be completely straight. Having your knees bent slightly will help with centering your balance and evening out the board. I could make a powerpoint, but I think experience is better.
but first they gotta skateboard there hehe. the vibes are definitely lighthearted as he follows suit. jing yuan is a good student, and also athletic/coordinated if only from having owned the same body for 700+ years, so we are not expecting any tragic/comical accidents (alas...) ]
I'm feeling younger already. ...How do you turn, and what is the best way to control your speed?
[ looks at his canon. omo gimme a tone/theme you want though if you want something lighter or something more spoiler/personal.
he appreciates that jy is a quick learner, and kiraman, readjusts his feet again to show him how to turn the nose of the board and guide them in a new direction. ]
I guess skateboarding would do it, yeah. A lot of it is leaning and balance, and you push off with your other foot for speed. [ an easy demonstration, weeee. ] ... I had my license, but I didn't have my own car. So I'd skate to school.
[ to explain why he does this still. it's what he was used to. ]
also jing yuan is gonna take off after kiraman even as he's in the middle of a demonstration. A+ for patience but a B in humility, he thinks he can do this much, easy... ]
So it was out of necessity... and now out of habit? [ he imagines kiraman could make car (and more roads) happen. probably. ]
I can see the appeal already. This is very engaging.
[ there's a bit of wobble as he figures out how to best place his center of gravity. HE'S SO FRIKKEN TALL! he probably has to step off at least once to properly reposition his feet. but the emoshare is wheeeeee once he starts moving again ]
[ listen sometimes you must simply not be humble or you won't get anywhere. kiraman would agree. his humility would probably be a worse score if things had not happened back home. ]
Yeah, exactly. [ ... ] There's a lot of things I don't really have to do anymore since I uploaded, like eating or sleeping, but I still do sometimes just to make things feel a little more normal. Picking up my old hobbies is another one of those things.
[ he at least slows a little to make sure jing yuan is keeping up, skating along with the comic store in sight. ]
I guess things like this keep me grounded for now.
[ so TRUE... sometimes you need to be a bit cocky, and sometimes you need to be humbled. the fine balance of progress...
not exactly meant to be an immediate example, but when kiraman slows down for him jing yuan will take advantage to speed ahead. it's not a race (not one he could win even if it were), but he thinks it would be funny to pretend there's any challenge here. he's calling over his shoulder while he's (momentarily) ahead, ]
I think I understand. My situation may be slightly different than yours, but the idea is the same. It's important to be able to stay in touch with yourself, and to put the effort into being connected to the world around you. Even in the little ways, or especially so.
[ GOODBYE. there's a slight laugh as he watches jing yuan bypass him, picking up his speed to catch up a little. ]
I think your situation is very different than mine, but the need for normalcy is probably universal. [ but there's something... odd about how he reacts to that. ] I used to have a lot of things I used to do, and I quit most of them as I got older. I don't really regret that though.
[ and lo, the comic shop. he hops off of his board to bring it to a stop, kicking it up to grab it and then basically delete it from space. ]
[ hmM??? what is odd about that reaction... but jing yuan nods. ]
It's natural to grow out of things, too. Nobody stays exactly as they are, as the years pass. ...Though admittedly that can be a little difficult to remember, for the same reason.
[ stagnation, his old enemy... but his emotions are calm as he says this, a little amused and reflective. but yay! they've made it! it would be so funny if kiraman just deleted the skateboard under jing yuan's feet. ]
How I've been waiting for this day.
[ the fabled comic shop... as they go inside, ]
...Perhaps you've gotten this question quite a bit, but after speaking with a few others here, I've been wondering. Would it be possible for them to go to a different world after this project is over, instead of back to their original ones?
Yeah. When the changes are so minute in the span of hundreds of years you probably stop noticing and just let them happen.
[ he should delete the board under jing yuan, but unfortunately, again, he respects the guy so he waits until he's off before deleting that one, too. into the shop they go... ]
... I actually haven't gotten that question, specifically. [ he's drifting to browse comics, thinking this over. ] You mean permanently? It's... maybe possible, but I don't know if there'd be a way back if they ever changed their mind. Why do you ask?
[ kiraman... 🥺 i hope he respects jing yuan less w5
(also i'm truly floored nobody has asked kiraman about this!! but then again looking at the dysfunction in this gy, NEVERMIND!!) ]
Yes, I do mean permanently. I'm not sure how much you know of everyone's history [ all of it?? either way he's trying to be respectful of people's privacy ], but there are a few here who would be returning to very hostile environments.
For example, where forced human experimentation is rampant, and where fatality is guaranteed for all those who reach the age of 23. [ the virches, man. hawke had also said he wanted to go someplace nicer, but jing yuan doesn't have as much of a grasp of da2 lore. ]
...I suppose, in a similar vein I also have a question about timelines. I do intend to return to when I came from, however in Jiaoqiu's version of things, I never actually died. Would you say that we would be returning to two different realities, in this case?
[ depends on his behavior during the party, thanks. ALSO NOBODY TALKS PLOT WITH HIM most of you guys actually leave the gy npcs alone, very funny. ]
I don't know much about any of you outside of what's on the profiles. And nobody really says and assumes we know things, so... not much. [ SHRUG. ] If they're returning to hostile environments that's probably grounds for going somewhere else. God wouldn't send you right back to a place you'd likely die again immediately if you didn't want to. [ he just frowns though because what the fuck lore is this. WHO IS THIS!!! ]
... there's a thing called the Butterfly Effect. Something small, like the flap of a butterfly's wings, could cause huge changes in another set of linear events. That would make it another timeline, or another reality. So yes, I would say you'd be returning to two different ones. I do wonder though if you went back if those two realities would just... merge. If the only differences is you being alive or not.
[ yves is so fucking nosy. i say, as if he did not tell kiraman he reached out to god as of w5.
anyway. ]
Exactly. Why go through eight whole weeks to go back just to get yourself killed again and end up right back here? You may as well have been accepted in the first place. [ picking up a comic, he starts to thumb through it. ]
The timeline absorbing the old timeline would make sense to me. Like cutting back the dead end so the new one can grow over it. It's not erasing the main root, but it's creating something stronger. I think... it would be more likely yours was absorbed into his, if that's the way it worked. As long as he knew he was meant to contact you in the further. But if you both remember things as they were here, that's a lot of secrets to be keeping from everybody else.
[ which isn't bad. he thinks maybe they could do it? but also you said memshare so conveniently, the screen above kiraman's head kind of flickers on and jing yuan can see whatever the fuck this is. ]
Keeping secrets, hmm. [ the emoshare is calm in the sense of i wish to sleep.
but also thinks about a potential basqiu wedding in the future and all the lies they would have to make up to their mutual friends...
anyway he's no longer sleepy. AWAKE AFTER THAT MEMSHARE. a bit wryly, after he's absorbed a little more of whatever just happened, ]
...So whose car were you driving?
[ since kiraman had mentioned just earlier he didn't have a car. but more seriously, jing yuan is observing him more closely. it isn't so much he's seeing kiraman in a new light, but more that a new facet of him has been illuminated.
with genuine concern, ] What happened afterwards? Did this all have to do with Safesurf?
[ oh that's such a mood. so much that kiraman doesn't even realize this mood is not his, he just accepts it and sinks right into it.
that's very cute though. messy, but cute. trying to explain to hsr who the hell basilio is for jiaoqiu to marry... messy.
GOOD MORNING, SORRY FOR MEM. kiraman tilts his head back to look at the screen and just frowns a little. ]
The people posing as my parents each had their own car. So there was usually at least one I could borrow. [ as for what happened... ] A lot of things happened after that. Safesurf came later, as more UIs started to pop up. But after that specifically? I had Rachel play along to tell Renee I was no longer suspicious of her, while I did more research and waited to confront Cary about what they knew, what the job was, and who I was.
[ AHHH THE MUTUAL TIRED VIBES... and yeah it really will be so messy. PROBLEMS FOR FUTURE THEM!
also bending timelines a bit if that's okay since i don't thiiiink they have this discussion until the weekend: ]
'Posing' as your parents... Is that why you find it difficult to trust adults? And what were you being monitored for, to begin with?
[ reviewing our last lore share thread and though kiraman explained the technology aspect of things in detail... the rest is still a big question mark i believe... ]
[ bending timelines is fine because it's a natural question to ask. ]
That was before I found out my entire life was a lie. [ ...sigh. ] About eighteen years before I was born, there was a guy named Stephen Holstrom. The world thought of him as a genius, and he had the idea of advancing humanity with the creation of uploaded intelligence. Holstrom's company created the first UIs. But when he created them, there was a flaw in the minds he uploaded. Without solving for integrity, those minds would decay.
He died before he could figure out how to solve it. But he and his people had a back-up plan. [ ... ] Project Moonshot, I guess.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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anyway, kiraman will get some fondness returned to him! and a small wave. ]
I was thinking a detour to the comic shop, but I'm happy to accompany you.
[ tbh... he's just here to tag-along before The Horrors happen. also tossing out a guess as to where kiraman's headed, based purely on his work habits ]
...Back to the basement lab?
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I was thinking about it. [ yeah. ] But I can set up shop at the comic store just as easy. I think I did say I'd come with you next time.
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I'm glad you remembered.
[ looking at his skateboard, then at kiraman, ]
...A hidden talent?
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This? More like a mode of transportation. I mean I can teleport, but... I kind of miss doing things the normal way.
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...Would you be able to manifest another one?
[ he remembers him waving a chair into existence, so....... (jing yuan wants to be a COOL old man, how do you do fellow youths, etc.) ]
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considers this for a moment.
and yeah, manifests a second skateboard to hand to him. ]
Just so we're clear? I'm not taking responsibility if you break anything. [ it is definitely a joke, but also, please don't hurt yourself old man. ]
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he laughs. ] Ah, I've got something to mend my bones, if they so happen to crack. [ (no he doesn't because he's using his sn**py bandaid on neve in a few hours teehee)
but he gives him a wink. ]
Have some faith. Even if I do end up being terrible at this, at least you'll have a good laugh.
[ but okay, he'll observe kiraman first before he kicks off himself! ] Any words of wisdom for a beginner? A powerpoint, perhaps?
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[ but kiraman's turning his board to show jing yuan how his feet should be placed before they kick off and roll on... to the comic store! where there is likely a screen to make a memshare easier. ]
It wouldn't be that funny. [ no, it would. ] You don't want your legs to be completely straight. Having your knees bent slightly will help with centering your balance and evening out the board. I could make a powerpoint, but I think experience is better.
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but first they gotta skateboard there hehe. the vibes are definitely lighthearted as he follows suit. jing yuan is a good student, and also athletic/coordinated if only from having owned the same body for 700+ years, so we are not expecting any tragic/comical accidents (alas...) ]
I'm feeling younger already. ...How do you turn, and what is the best way to control your speed?
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he appreciates that jy is a quick learner, and kiraman, readjusts his feet again to show him how to turn the nose of the board and guide them in a new direction. ]
I guess skateboarding would do it, yeah. A lot of it is leaning and balance, and you push off with your other foot for speed. [ an easy demonstration, weeee. ] ... I had my license, but I didn't have my own car. So I'd skate to school.
[ to explain why he does this still. it's what he was used to. ]
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also jing yuan is gonna take off after kiraman even as he's in the middle of a demonstration. A+ for patience but a B in humility, he thinks he can do this much, easy... ]
So it was out of necessity... and now out of habit? [ he imagines kiraman could make car (and more roads) happen. probably. ]
I can see the appeal already. This is very engaging.
[ there's a bit of wobble as he figures out how to best place his center of gravity. HE'S SO FRIKKEN TALL! he probably has to step off at least once to properly reposition his feet. but the emoshare is wheeeeee once he starts moving again ]
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Yeah, exactly. [ ... ] There's a lot of things I don't really have to do anymore since I uploaded, like eating or sleeping, but I still do sometimes just to make things feel a little more normal. Picking up my old hobbies is another one of those things.
[ he at least slows a little to make sure jing yuan is keeping up, skating along with the comic store in sight. ]
I guess things like this keep me grounded for now.
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not exactly meant to be an immediate example, but when kiraman slows down for him jing yuan will take advantage to speed ahead. it's not a race (not one he could win even if it were), but he thinks it would be funny to pretend there's any challenge here. he's calling over his shoulder while he's (momentarily) ahead, ]
I think I understand. My situation may be slightly different than yours, but the idea is the same. It's important to be able to stay in touch with yourself, and to put the effort into being connected to the world around you. Even in the little ways, or especially so.
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I think your situation is very different than mine, but the need for normalcy is probably universal. [ but there's something... odd about how he reacts to that. ] I used to have a lot of things I used to do, and I quit most of them as I got older. I don't really regret that though.
[ and lo, the comic shop. he hops off of his board to bring it to a stop, kicking it up to grab it and then basically delete it from space. ]
And here we are.
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It's natural to grow out of things, too. Nobody stays exactly as they are, as the years pass. ...Though admittedly that can be a little difficult to remember, for the same reason.
[ stagnation, his old enemy... but his emotions are calm as he says this, a little amused and reflective. but yay! they've made it! it would be so funny if kiraman just deleted the skateboard under jing yuan's feet. ]
How I've been waiting for this day.
[ the fabled comic shop... as they go inside, ]
...Perhaps you've gotten this question quite a bit, but after speaking with a few others here, I've been wondering. Would it be possible for them to go to a different world after this project is over, instead of back to their original ones?
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[ he should delete the board under jing yuan, but unfortunately, again, he respects the guy so he waits until he's off before deleting that one, too. into the shop they go... ]
... I actually haven't gotten that question, specifically. [ he's drifting to browse comics, thinking this over. ] You mean permanently? It's... maybe possible, but I don't know if there'd be a way back if they ever changed their mind. Why do you ask?
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(also i'm truly floored nobody has asked kiraman about this!! but then again looking at the dysfunction in this gy, NEVERMIND!!) ]
Yes, I do mean permanently. I'm not sure how much you know of everyone's history [ all of it?? either way he's trying to be respectful of people's privacy ], but there are a few here who would be returning to very hostile environments.
For example, where forced human experimentation is rampant, and where fatality is guaranteed for all those who reach the age of 23. [ the virches, man. hawke had also said he wanted to go someplace nicer, but jing yuan doesn't have as much of a grasp of da2 lore. ]
...I suppose, in a similar vein I also have a question about timelines. I do intend to return to when I came from, however in Jiaoqiu's version of things, I never actually died. Would you say that we would be returning to two different realities, in this case?
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I don't know much about any of you outside of what's on the profiles. And nobody really says and assumes we know things, so... not much. [ SHRUG. ] If they're returning to hostile environments that's probably grounds for going somewhere else. God wouldn't send you right back to a place you'd likely die again immediately if you didn't want to. [ he just frowns though because what the fuck lore is this. WHO IS THIS!!! ]
... there's a thing called the Butterfly Effect. Something small, like the flap of a butterfly's wings, could cause huge changes in another set of linear events. That would make it another timeline, or another reality. So yes, I would say you'd be returning to two different ones. I do wonder though if you went back if those two realities would just... merge. If the only differences is you being alive or not.
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That's reassuring to know. It seemed unreasonable to go through the process of redemption, otherwise.
[ but hmm, he's heard of that theory before. ]
...That would be interesting, if the timelines did merge. Or perhaps mine would be absorbed into his, in a way.
[ curiously, ] If that's the case, I may have to wait for Jiaoqiu to contact me, first. Lest I give him a heart attack.
[ since he'd be hypothetically returning to an earlier point in time in their canon... THOUGHT EXERCISES! ]
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anyway. ]
Exactly. Why go through eight whole weeks to go back just to get yourself killed again and end up right back here? You may as well have been accepted in the first place. [ picking up a comic, he starts to thumb through it. ]
The timeline absorbing the old timeline would make sense to me. Like cutting back the dead end so the new one can grow over it. It's not erasing the main root, but it's creating something stronger. I think... it would be more likely yours was absorbed into his, if that's the way it worked. As long as he knew he was meant to contact you in the further. But if you both remember things as they were here, that's a lot of secrets to be keeping from everybody else.
[ which isn't bad. he thinks maybe they could do it? but also you said memshare so conveniently, the screen above kiraman's head kind of flickers on and jing yuan can see whatever the fuck this is. ]
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but also thinks about a potential basqiu wedding in the future and all the lies they would have to make up to their mutual friends...
anyway he's no longer sleepy. AWAKE AFTER THAT MEMSHARE. a bit wryly, after he's absorbed a little more of whatever just happened, ]
...So whose car were you driving?
[ since kiraman had mentioned just earlier he didn't have a car. but more seriously, jing yuan is observing him more closely. it isn't so much he's seeing kiraman in a new light, but more that a new facet of him has been illuminated.
with genuine concern, ] What happened afterwards? Did this all have to do with Safesurf?
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that's very cute though. messy, but cute. trying to explain to hsr who the hell basilio is for jiaoqiu to marry... messy.
GOOD MORNING, SORRY FOR MEM. kiraman tilts his head back to look at the screen and just frowns a little. ]
The people posing as my parents each had their own car. So there was usually at least one I could borrow. [ as for what happened... ] A lot of things happened after that. Safesurf came later, as more UIs started to pop up. But after that specifically? I had Rachel play along to tell Renee I was no longer suspicious of her, while I did more research and waited to confront Cary about what they knew, what the job was, and who I was.
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also bending timelines a bit if that's okay since i don't thiiiink they have this discussion until the weekend: ]
'Posing' as your parents... Is that why you find it difficult to trust adults? And what were you being monitored for, to begin with?
[ reviewing our last lore share thread and though kiraman explained the technology aspect of things in detail... the rest is still a big question mark i believe... ]
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That was before I found out my entire life was a lie. [ ...sigh. ] About eighteen years before I was born, there was a guy named Stephen Holstrom. The world thought of him as a genius, and he had the idea of advancing humanity with the creation of uploaded intelligence. Holstrom's company created the first UIs. But when he created them, there was a flaw in the minds he uploaded. Without solving for integrity, those minds would decay.
He died before he could figure out how to solve it. But he and his people had a back-up plan. [ ... ] Project Moonshot, I guess.
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...You created the cure for the decay, and that cure was Ramiel, if I remember correctly.
Are you saying then... [ his entire life being a lie, a back-up plan... ] Your work was something premeditated by Holstrom?
[ is kiraman (caspian) himself project moonshot...? IS HE A CLONE ]
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