♪001 | Video

[shibuyasmusic]

[Joshua is holding his wrist out before him, smiling at the watch's camera. This thing is interesting... this whole place, really, is interesting to him. He's sitting in a cafe, with a steaming cup of coffee in his hand. While aware of his need to spare the money he had for food here- after all he was practically human again- it did good to rest his nerves.]

I've been investigating this extra thirteenth hour in the day as others are calling it. It's quite interesting, really, for more reasons than one. Most interestingly... restrictions on my abilities are lifted during the Thirteenth Hour.

[In other words, he's completely human every other hour of the day, and that's incredibly frustrating.]

I'm perfectly aware that there are those here who are more experienced with this world than I am. I'd like to know more about the Thirteenth Hour, if it's possible. What exactly it is, why it exists, what effects it has on this world... Anything you can tell me~

Comments

[tangentlion]

Baahahahha! I managed to summon my ZETTA AMAZING Persona during the +1 Hour. And then we iterated some demons together. It was mathmagical. I think I'll just keep him out all the time!

... But, wait. You're still at these coordinates. Even with your powers, it's not enough to get back?

[shibuyasmusic]

Good for you, Sho, I'm so proud of you. [Can you taste that sarcasm? It's about as thick as he can muster.]

It turns out this universe isn't a parallel one... I'm not sure where this is, but it's separate from the timeline of our universe and all of its infinite branches. Even if I wasn't lost, I don't have enough power to get myself home, let alone you and the others who belong in Shibuya.

[tangentlion]

You should be, zero. [Sarcasm, what sarcasm? He'll just take that at face value because he's in a CHEERY MOOD and also because it pisses you off]

.... [but that news makes him slightly less cheery] Are you factoring kidding me. This world is in a pocket universe all by itself? But... the planes HAD to intersect somewhere, or else there's no way our coordinates could be transposed from THERE to here. Point S^1 to Point Z. Unless our kidnapper really does have transdimensional powers as I originally hypothesized.

.... Fractal. Sometimes I hate being the right angle.

[shibuyasmusic]

[It doesn't piss him off he actually finds it kind of hilarious.]

There is something I've heard about... Strings, linking us from our own universe to this one. Some people are capable of seeing them, apparently... I need to learn more about them, though... It seems little is known about them at present.

[tangentlion]

[EITHER WAY everyone is happy]

Strings? [that sounds ridiculous. But everything is ridiculous] Well, I need to know all the variables to solve this problem. I'll ask around about these "strings".

[shibuyasmusic]

If this isn't a parallel universe, then we've been pulled to an even further outside dimension, likely via this link. Still, aside from the appearance of demons and Persona, a Thirteenth Hour, and the absence of Noise, this universe is extremely... normal.

More normal than one would expect an outside dimension to be. Perhaps it's more parallel than I suspect.

I'm going to attempt to contact someone from our universe the next time the Thirteenth Hour rolls by.

[tangentlion]

I guess the multiverse is a circle. We're so far along the circumference that we're almost back to the starting point. But it's just out of reach. But this world is populated by humans, with architecture like ours, general laws like ours... same physics, too!

Hm? Who? [he cackles a little] An Angle? I wonder if this is even out of their discipline.

[shibuyasmusic]

An interesting theory. If we viewed it like a spectrum, you could say our universe is red and this one is violet. Similar in nature, almost side-by-side, but on completely different wavelengths.

[It surprises him a little that he knows that Angels are capable of crossing universes... how much did that Fallen Angel tell him?] I'm not sure. It might be out of my own power to even contact one, but if anyone from our universe could cross over to this universe, it'd have to be an Angel.

[tangentlion]

Well we got here. There's no such thing as a one-way door! The target is 700 nanometers!

[Lots. And he actually listened, then] How are you gonna flag down one of those feathery functions, anyway?

[shibuyasmusic]

At least for you there certainly isn't, I'm sure. That's an awfully small target, though~

[Joshua wonders how much he'd be able to reveal... though knowing Sho, he probably knew more than Joshua even realized as it was.] I know one of them personally, I can contact him across universes psychically. Granted he isn't 'out of range' as it were.

[tangentlion]

Well, technically, the target is between 620 and 740 nanometers. The wavelength of red light. Or can't you keep up with your own metaphors, zero?

Ha. The Angle said that the Composer kept an Angle ally. Never said what they DID for you, though. Well maybe you can pick up on his frequency and get his asymptote over here.

[shibuyasmusic]

I think you're taking my metaphor a little too literally... Though if we really are going to equate our universe to red light, it's still quite a longshot to a small target. Especially considering the fact that 'red light' would likely consist of all of our infinite parallel universes.

If anything he'll be picking up on my frequency..... You know, this Angel friend of yours happened to know quite a lot about me. I'm curious to know exactly who your mysterious contact is~

[tangentlion]

Then it's even MORE apt! There are digits here from all different kinds of worlds. Each of their worlds has their own set of parallel planes, divergent timelines. There are infinite points on this line. And I don't mean a lot, I mean actual infinity. A nanometer is actually generous, given the scale!

Ha! Like I'd tell you. I won't tell anyone. He told me what he did was zetta high treason, and I'm not low enough to sell him out.

[shibuyasmusic]

We're talking about a figurative nanometer, Minamimoto. In actuality, yes, we are literally looking at infinite other universes where we just want one. To put universes on a spectrum is, itself, being generous.

But given that our own set of parallel universes is infinite, I suppose it isn't too much of a stretch to believe that we could at least reach our own part of the spectrum. If we can accomplish that much, finding our way back to our own original universe becomes infinitely easier.

[Hmm...] Yes, you're right, whoever the Fallen Angel is is going to suffer severe consequences for what he did. If you won't give me an inkling to his identity... how about a motive? Did he explain why he was helping you?

[tangentlion]

I can tell this isn't going to be easy, no matter what kind of metaphor we slap on it. Each little world and its parallel universes are... probably... separate from one another. Probably. They're the points.

[Sho has SOME morals, man; don't bite the hand that feeds you and makes sure you get revived properly] .... Backup. He said I was backup. I asked him what he meant by that, but he wouldn't say. And that's the truth.

[shibuyasmusic]

No two universes intersect, so yes, points... If you want, we can view this differently. [Joshua pulls up some basic graphing software on the watch and puts up a graph with a basic y=sinx function, from 0 to 2pi.] Expanding on our theory that we're on a spectrum, or a circle, imagine we're currently here. [Joshua points at the origin on the graph.] And our universe is therefore somewhere between 3/2 pi and 2pi. There is literally an infinite number of points in between those two x coordinates. Our universe could be anywhere in between there. At the same time, we're close enough that this current universe is not very different from our own in terms of basic laws of physics as well as human civilization.

[He's going to put the math talk on hold though because... this honestly intrigued him more.] .... Backup? So you were a pawn in something bigger...

[poweryetunknown]

I doubt something like that would be on the visible light spectrum. Try 10 to 400 nanometers.

[tangentlion]

Since when do you know any physics at all, yoctogram?

[poweryetunknown]

... I do pay attention in class sometimes, Pi-Face.

[tangentlion]

Well Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally! You could have fooled me, what with those 'phones specifically tuned to block out all the noise.

[poweryetunknown]

... I happen to like science, okay?

[He knows it's nerdy, shut up.]

[spaztastic]

... You like science, Neku?

[poweryetunknown]

[SOB SHIKI WHY.]

K-kinda, yeah.

[He was a little nerdy when he was younger, shush. It stuck a bit.]

[spaztastic]

[Because she's been watching the feed like a creeper pretty closely. And this is probably payback for the pig crack, Neku 83]

I didn't think you were the type!

... Now I can't unsee you wearing really thick glasses.

[She demonstrates this by putting both of her hands in front of her eyes, making an "O" with both of her fingers to pantomime her wearing glasses.]

Like these!

[poweryetunknown]

No. I never wore glasses like that. Or glasses at all.

[Shiki stop. 8( ]