|| -------- -- -----  A E R I E   O B L I V I A N A . singular book of text wandertainment by Frank Edward Nora ------------------- ----------- OFFICE COMPLEX--CUP 5--"JARGON" <-------  ||  Severe Repair  ||  Office Complex  ||  -------> (Cup SRoc005, Created v2 (6/7/99), Copyright 1999) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = "Well," I said, "the weird thing is, y'know, I assumed that since all the worlds are so similar, that they all had a common past and each represented a certain branching of events. But as we've discovered, that's not really the case. For example, we've found certain rock bands, for example, occurring identically across various Earths, with identical or nearly identical discographies, but upon further investigation, it was found that their pasts leading up to their formation was often totally different. So it seems that the similarities are current-level, with pasts branching out, backwards." "That's pretty deep. I don't really understand it all yet. I mean, like, how do you just go up to space and confuse it? I mean, what the hell?" Hate said. "Well Ledrant, as I told you, I'm not entirely sure myself, but it does have to do with addressing reality in a certain way and employing certain tricks of illogic to create a local short circuit in a portion of reality, manifest in a three-dimensional area of space. But as to exactly how it works, I don't know. The terminology is this jargon that's meaningless unless you've studied Bestroystrawn theory extensively. You can ask Injure yourself, and he'll explain it all to you, but you'll wind up more confused than ever, as English is not really tailored to describe this sort of over-the-edge stuff." "English?" "Yeah--this language--English." "I never heard that word before, English." "Well, mostly in Aconck, English is called English, but I guess here on Timber you call it something else." "Well, this language is Apertalk as far as I'm concerned. But we're speaking the same words, so I guess the point is moot." "Yeah. But as I said, though things may be identical across Earths, such as this language, their histories, like the roots of words, for example, are likely very different." "Doesn't that suggest a time-specific element? I mean, if these things are current-level, then have the worlds been coexisting and things been coagulating towards the same end results, or are the Earths made, the opposite Earths, are they made at the moment of the first bridge?" "Well, that point has been hotly debated, but the latter seems to be, in general, the consensus view. I'm not saying that you and this whole Earth were just magically created the moment we first bridged over here. It's more, maybe, like we 'caught up' with you. I don't know. It's very confusing." "Hmm." "But beyond all that, you can't believe the sort of lifestyle you can have here. Like I said, it's not relative--Aconck is massively more interesting, enjoyable, and stimulating that any single Earth. I mean, the rush of entering a new Earth, being both alien and familiar--it's, like, awesome." "Yeah." Hate said. "I could see that. I just hope my decision doesn't blow up in my face." "Don't worry. All sorts of stuff is going on. And it's better to be in the loop than outside of it. You'll get into it, man. I'm telling ya." -------> ------------------- ----------- -------- -- -----