video- bat signalling

[magician_king]

Okay, I guess I'm a little overdue for this-

[Here goes nothing.]

My name is Quentin Coldwater. I'm a magician. I used to teach at Brakebills, and for a while, I lived in Fillory. I've got a pretty good grounding in physics and mathematics, and interuniversal travel. Normally I would consider myself able to claw my way out of this shit, but no dice this time.

Is there anyone here who knows anything about any or all of the above?

[He pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose, a nervous habit.]

I would like to get the fuck out of here, if anyone has any, uh, inroads on that one. Novel, I'm sure, but we've all got to start somewhere. Cheers.

Comments

video

[unnature]

I knew someone who called themself a god and Tethered worlds together at a fixed point. Access that Tether and boom, you're in another world.

'Course, that's only if this world is in their purview, so to speak. But there would be a Tether in every world they have access to. Of which there are countless, so who knows, maybe we'll get lucky while we're hopping around.

Re: video

[magician_king]

Sounds almost like different user interphases for the same magic.

[He says, pondering the mechanics.]

Do you know how yours was built?

video

[unnature]

Tethering's their Nature. They can just do it 'cause they were born super lucky. The non-high-and-mighty can't replicate a Tether. It's been tried.

[And technically Natures aren't magic, but Avisheh knows better than to argue something that literally does not matter.]

Of course, the Door proves that wrong, but I suspect that's because the Nexus bases all its technology on Natures.

[magician_king]

I hate stuff like that. 'Born to it' systems. Piece of shit cop out.

[Says Quentin, listening along.]

So how did it start? Tell me again, who set it up?

[unnature]

Tell me about it.

So. Everyone's born with a Nature, and the original three gods decided theirs were better than everyone else's, so the Separator, the Tetherer, and the Destroyer took on fancy titles and split the single, chaotic world into many, many different worlds. Or so the story goes.

I guess the current Separator is way more destructive than I am with my lowly Nature, though, so there's some truth to their claims.

[magician_king]

I'm embarassed to admit that I am not totally tracking.

[He says, with just a brief blink.]

[unnature]

There are people better suited to explaining it than me.

[She sighs, preparing for a full on explanation.]

Natures are just... an aspect of yourself, that follow you your whole life, that you can either fully embrace or resist as necessary. Some give you abilities to affect the world (or worlds) around you, or you can learn to control them to do so.

There's only one at a time that have the Natures of Separation, Tethering, and Destruction, and they're quite powerful, so they decided that makes them gods and they decide to interfere or not interfere with worlds from their lofty tower in the center of the Nexus, the world-between-worlds.

That's where I'm from.

[magician_king]

Does every single person have a different, non-specific nature?

And how do you find each other? Aren't there huge swatches of time where one person with Tethering is from rural Botswana?

[unnature]

I don't know where Botswana is and it's not my job to know, but yes. Basically half the gods' jobs are finding the others to make their own little trio.

And yes, every single person in all the worlds has a Nature. Some are more common than others. Mine's a fun one.

[magician_king]

Just North of South Africa. Landlocked between it, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

[Nerd.]

So what's yours?

[unnature]

[She shrugs. All these words, they're nonsense to her.]

I think I've heard of Africa? There are a lot of different Africas out there.

[Oh, but he asks the million dollar question, and she angles the camera so her room is visible in the background. It's an absolute mess, like it's been hit by a very tiny tornado. There's a chair that's completely upended and then just left like that, for some reason. It's her leg-leaning chair.]

Disorder.

[Now to see if she gets the same cool reception from him she got from that pointy-eared guy about it.]

[magician_king]

So what does that mean, now that you're here? Aside from having a crazy messy house?

[He asks; no judgement.]

[unnature]

Chaos follows me where I go. If things can happen in a way that causes Disorder, it will most often happen that way.

Basically I make things fun just by existing near them.

[magician_king]

So we should send you to hang out with Fear some.

[But he's smiling, isn't particularly serious about this plan.]

[unnature]

It's not scary. Maybe Confusion would appreciate it better.

[She's only protesting for the sake of it; it's a better assessment that she could fuel Fear. Just not herself -- she doesn't scare easy, but Disorder can be destructive, and using her Nature can be scary for other people.]

Besides, I don't think I much like Fear anymore.

[magician_king]

No shit.

[He says, now with a small quirk of a smile. He gets it.]

But I meant you could use your aura to lowkey sabotage his nonsense.

[unnature]

Ooh.

[Now that is the kind of thinking she appreciates. Sorry, were you not serious about this plan? Because Avisheh now is.

Because Avisheh is also the person that went and egged Fear's temple during the last god venture.

(Well, she had help, but she suggested it and that's what counts.)]

I wonder if Natures could affect these sorts of gods' powers...

[magician_king]

Hey if you're into it, I'm into it. But how do we keep this from acme-gunning back in our faces? Seems like a crazy weapon to try to point.

[But kind of... charming, also?]

[unnature]

[She grins wide.]

There's literally no way to predict it. Anything could happen!

[And this is a good thing, obviously.]

[magician_king]

Jesus Christ.

[He's getting old.]

So want to go meet up at his temple?

[unnature]

[Who's Jesus Christ?]

Absolutely.

[A pause.]

Uh, that's on the western island, right?

[That may throw a wrench into their plan, actually.]

[magician_king]

Oh shit, good point.

[How can they solve this?]

Are the boats here yet? You shouldn't pilot one, fyi.

[unnature]

I absolutely shouldn't. I'm a dead albatross and I've got no legs.

[She has no plans to, even when the boats would have arrived.]

Apparently at least one boat's about. Somewhere.

[magician_king]

Awesome. Which island did you say?

[Because he's moving. Could be fun, he figures. Strike while the iron is hot.]

[unnature]

Fear's on the western island. I'm on the southern.

[So not... so far apart, she guesses. Well, there's a first time for everything, and apparently today will be her first time on the ocean.]