The EQ Alternaverse ((PART 2))

And it's up!

http://www.janesenese.com/swiftverse/dream2.html

hmm...seems i was on the right path before. definitely a High One of some kind! seems more likely it's the Navigator...though it could possibly still be an ancient Glider spirit.

and now Tamsin is learning you should listen to your elders, because they have experiences and they do know things.

Perhaps more importantly, Tamsin is learning you should not engage in high-risk activities when you're out of shape and distracted by heartbreak.

Next time stay in the Palace and eat a pint of ice cream.

snerk. get out of my brain, i was wanting ice cream earlier :p

2nd or 3rd rereading, i had a thought...the wolf shadow snapping at her heels in her nightmare where Sylas won't appear...i thought that could be Russet's spirit trying to get her to change her path, but she can't see that or him as himself because she can't face him. she still blames herself.

i do love the idea of a Glider Lord Tamsin, or Glider Dewshine...always have XD

but now how did Sylas learn her soulname...? spying on her dreams when she thought she was alone and said it aloud unwittingly? wrested it from her mind?

also my theory of him being High One/Navigator just increased. he's talking about Timmain isn't he, when he has his little breakdown before Tamsin realized he wasn't just imaginary?

Awesome installment, Wingthing! Love it . The whole thing is super creepy.
My feeling is Tamsin totally kept herself open with the soul name thing and attracted trouble... but I'm to sure exactly how.
I think Vaeri's original speculation about this being something like Chesral with Weatherbird is a great example. It just feels like some echo. But it's weird you know, when I was originally reading about this, I was going to write that Tamsin's got some weird symptoms of deprived recognition or something. Reading about the soul name thing made me remember that.
Poor Tamsin. I feel sorry for her but I also kind of want to shake her and smack her out of it lol.
Can you imagine if she all of a sudden recognized or something, like a living elf? Would the effect scare her, terrify her?
I hope she can find some kind of solace because she's really dug herself into a weird rabbit hole.

Did I also read that the 'guide' initially 'faintly' smelled like Tamsin's old wolf? Does that mean anything, is it like some distant ancestor of Russet since he had a quarter elf in him?!

i really kinda doubt it's an ancestor of Russet considering his family tree goes like this

Timmain - Wolf
            |
       Starjumper - Wolf
                        |
                     Russet

i kinda keep getting these flashbacks to Spar and Fenn, how their recognition..or the beginning of it went. the not entirely forced but not entirely willing exchange of names. probably cause of how Tamsin breathed out his name. there's gotta be SOME kind of bond between them, but it may not be entirely benevolent.

it's possible the faintly like Russet might just be a manipulation of her dream senses, pulling on her most comforting memories to lower her guard. or perhaps it's just because Russet always had perhaps a vagueish scent of High One-ness, which this possibly High One spirit would definitely have.

Vaeri wrote:

i kinda keep getting these flashbacks to Spar and Fenn, how their recognition..or the beginning of it went. the not entirely forced but not entirely willing exchange of names.

Ding-ding-ding! It's definitely meant to echo that. Also that bit in OQ when Strongbow tried sending with Timmain and almost gave up his soulname. Total telepathy power imbalance.

Vaeri wrote:

it's possible the faintly like Russet might just be a manipulation of her dream senses, pulling on her most comforting memories to lower her guard. or perhaps it's just because Russet always had perhaps a vagueish scent of High One-ness, which this possibly High One spirit would definitely have.

Eau de High One: fresh and fruity, subtle but unmistakable.

yaaay! once again, i make a correct guess!!do i ever get tired of being right?....nah :p

also LOVE the Eau de High One!! that's bloody hilarious!

Vaeri, you're so damn good at these speculations.....I never even considered Spar/Fenn until you mentioned it! It definitely seems a lot more imbalanced though...shades of the same stuff happening, but Tamsin feels a lot less strong than Spar. Even when Spar was bound and seemingly powerless, she still had that unbridled passion and a strong sense of self despite her fears. I adore that entire series of installments of Gods Of the Forevergreen - it's such a seamless read.

So what now? Did Tamsin just accidentally attract the interest of a dead high one who perished during the crash, and is doomed to repeat certain memories?? Has he latched on to Tamsin as a 'way out' of the seemingly eternal, demised loop? He's supposed to be a guide, but it feels like Tamsin is also supposed to be one and isn't even remotely equipped to be one emotionally, considering how strung out she is.
I wonder how Timmain will take all of this lol. She's certainly got her plate full with many who either aren't happy with her or are out to get her ass

i've always had a memory for details in stories, and i tend to think a bit...abstractly. my train of thought definitely has some widespread stops...XD

i rather maintain my theory of Navigator...because it would make sense if he was so..dispairing. think of what he went through after the Palace was thrown back in time...Husk shock, and that rough treatment from humans, after being cocooned for untold time. and surely Timmain had been trying to contact him, and sending him things...

it's definitely a sort of Fenn parallel...he's so unbalanced and unsteady, he's drowning in himself, and he's clinging to Tamsin as Fenn did Spar to keep from drowning. but while Spar was strong enough to keep them afloat and taught Fenn how to swim, Tamsin is definitely not strong enough to keep either of them afloat or teach Sylas anything.

Timmain would probably go on some hippie rant and proclaim it couldn't be one of her friends, there's a lesson to be learnt here, you must accept and live with pain, blah blah blah...:p

Oh, but everyone is one of Timmain's friends... even if they don't know it yet.

And yes, if she found out about Sylas, she would have a 14 step recovery plan tailored to the particular painful lesson he needs to learn. That costs $500 per lecture series, and involves pledging her his eternal allegiance. Via binding contract.

you know i keep thinking, i find myself loving more and more when the Multitude is mentioned, especially when people describe things they see. but it keeps making me wish you would write some little Worldpool Alternaverse stories!

the one thing i do HAVE to know....what if Rayek DID recognize Leetah in this universe rather than Swift? how would that change the history we know? and for the love of god, don't just say everything would burst into fire and everyone would die. :p

Well... it isn't anywhere as bone-chilling as last year's Halloween offering but it's still pretty damn scary...


Young Bluestar sits in the Scroll Chamber of the Palace, with his parents, listening to Skywise tell ghost stories. The walls of the room are dark, and Skywise is using a glowing piece of starstone under his chin to create stark shadows. Swift and Rayek listen from the back of the room, occasionally trading amused glances.

Skywise: In the Multitude, there are an infinite number of realities, with an infinite number of Worlds of Two Moons. Some are almost the same as our own – so close you could wander into one of them tomorrow and not even know the difference. And others are so strange and different you’d never realize they were made from the same stuff as ours. And some worlds…. are terrifying.

Bluestar: (edging closer) Tell me!

Skywise: Well… in one world in the Multitude… oh… no, you’re too young to hear.

Bluestar: Skywise!

Skywise: Don’t come to me tomorrow if you have nightmares.

(Cheipar rolls his eyes)

Skywise: All right… in this world… you were never born.

Bluestar: That’s not scary.

Skywise: You were never born because you father never grew up. He died as a little baby – and no one tried to save him! And your mother… well… she was born a deformed, hideous creature… with webbed hands… and green hair! And… these really thick caterpillar eyebrows that didn’t match her hair!

Bluestar: (wide-eyed) Is that true? Rayek, is that true?

Rayek: (shrugs and nods) This is why I do not explore the Multitude.

Skywise: It gets worse. When I looked for your grandparents and great-grandparents… I found these huge gaps in the tapestry… like they had just disappeared for thousands of years at a time. And the Palace had… gone missing. Not to another world like Homestead. Just… disappeared out of the time-thread.

Bluestar: No!

Skywise: You know your Grandpa Aurek…? He was trapped underground for thousands of years, driven nearly insane by the spirits of Blue Mountain.

Bluestar: That’s awful!

Skywise: And your Great-Grandpa Rayek? He had to spend ages wandering the world, carrying…. Winnowill’s spirit around in his head!

Bluestar: I’m scared.

Skywise: And Swift… she was… a lad!

(In the background, Swift’s amusement gives way to horror)

Skywise: And… he Recognized…. Leetah!

Cheipar: Pfft.

Skywise: And I treed with them!

Weatherbird: (snickers under her breath)

Skywise: And then it turned out he was actually just a piece of Timmain’s soul that had broken off from the rest of her!

Rayek: (mutters) And he was doing so well.

Skywise: (getting worked up) And when he found out the truth… it tore his mind APART!

Bluestar: (jaded) You’re just making this up, aren’t you?

Rayek: Should have quit while you were ahead, stargazer. NO ONE would believe in a world that disordered.

Swift: He almost had me with the whole… lad thing.

Rayek: Can you imagine?

Weatherbird: Come on, Bluestar. Let’s carve some pumpkins.

Bluestar: Nice try, Skywise.

Skywise: Wait, wait! I didn’t even get to the mushroom elves!  They... they eat your dead skin when they hug you, they... oh... well. There's still some candy left, right?

okay that wasn't scary, but goddamn was that one of the funniest things i read in a while!! made me giggle like mad...and we got a multitude story!

i am a happy little monster tonight^^ *throws candy around for everyone*

Thanks for making my Halloween, Wingthing!

oh man, am i ever late to the party! (ugh, college)

anyway, new chapter was awesome! man, it's always rough when a kid leaves home, isn't it, dewshine? XD

skywise mentions that a trick he uses to remind himself he's in a dream is to picture someone saying his soul name who never would--who is he picturing? (my bet is on rayek tbh considering how red he gets when he brings it up)

ok but sylas bears an eerie resemblance to the character solas from dragon age--solas is another vaguely suspicious bald elf known to wander around other people's dreams and is often associated with a big ol' white wolf (and here's some screencaps of him: http://liderfin.tumblr.com/post/151938006720/idk-i-just-like-him-like-this )

anyway i'm totally banking on sylas being the navigator, or at least another firstcomer in wrapstuff. only a high one would consider sunstream 'young'. he also mentions that he's always with tamsin, even when awake--since she hangs out in the palace, that would actually make sense literally, not just figuratively, as his spirit could totally hang out with her. also, his elven form is described as being hugely tall, which would fit right in with being a high one or closer to them.

also considering all the stuff he's showing tamsin, that suggest someone who has a really detailed knowledge of how the palace works, and a navigator absolutely would. the navigator, having actually been out of his cocoon at some point, would also have a reason to reach out to other living elves, as other firstcomers hadn't.

(i also love the imagery of sylas' 'butterfly eyes,' which is pretty creepy for a wolf to have)

the multitude is a pretty cool concept, and fits right in with the time travel and stuff. thought it was funny when tamsin mentioned being disturbed by the timeline when dewshine went back to scouter, kind of leaning on the fourth wall, aren't we, tamsin?

i think tamsin might benefit from talking with littlefire or aurek, i think they would get where she was coming from, at least with her fascination with her dreams and the multitude

also i love how when dewshine brings up winnowill tamsin can just say 'mom she's dead and anyway, she's got a new body and lives on mars, so whatever' i love that that is a thing in this verse

ok but i also love how tamsin is the kinda girl who would absolutely make out with herself if pressed--the first time she kisses sylas she still thinks he's part of her so she's like 'oh well time for some super vanity here we go' i love her

another thing i find interesting is how tamsin starts to rely a lot on sylas in her dreams, to the point where she has nightmares if he isn't there. when pressed, sylas just says that she went 'where he couldn't follow,' which is an interesting thing to say. where is tamsin going in her nightmares?

and also i suspect sylas has some sort of beef with timmain--i don't think he's malicious, but he definitely has some kind of issue with the entire timeline and also probably timmain

Kaza999 wrote:

skywise mentions that a trick he uses to remind himself he's in a dream is to picture someone saying his soul name who never would--who is he picturing? (my bet is on rayek tbh considering how red he gets when he brings it up)

I can neither confirm nor deny.  

Quote :

ok but sylas bears an eerie resemblance to the character solas from dragon age--solas is another vaguely suspicious bald elf known to wander around other people's dreams and is often associated with a big ol' white wolf (and here's some screencaps of him: http://liderfin.tumblr.com/post/151938006720/idk-i-just-like-him-like-this  )

(Furiously hides many, MANY Dragon Age game disks, strategy guides, tie-in books, fanfic bookmarks) You don't say!

Quote :

anyway i'm totally banking on sylas being the navigator, or at least another firstcomer in wrapstuff.  

And it is time at last, for all to be revealed!

http://www.janesenese.com/swiftverse/dream3.html

OMG THANK YOU thank you thank you , wingthing! *pours a glass of wine*  
Also, Yay, Kaza is back!!!

Edit: (after having read) Oh mah gaaaaaaaahd! Whoaaaa! I'm not gonna spoil it until the others have read. But ...if I say anything more, I'd be giving too much away.
Awesome job, Wingthing!

(eyy high five fellow da fan! )

hey zadzi, glad you're happy to see me

this was a good chapter too--i totally called the navigator! or firstcomer at least

and omg sylas. the response to 'you lied to me' is not 'i...............mislead you' bro XD though i thought it was good that when tamsin expressed her desire to not die in the fall, he helped her to live, immediately taking a 180 on his previous position of 'ey screw the physical world', which i think is a good sign, shows he can grow

ok but i adore this line: '...and wondered what secrets she could learn, if only she could read the scripts written in the blood on her hands.'

and right but like imagine dewshine and tyldak meeting sylas? 'mom, dad, this is my boyfriend, a billion year old alien who may have almost killed me?' that'll go over well and by well i mean Super Awkward and i can't wait to see that

Yeah! Hey mom, dad, this is Sylas, he like, almost smothered me in the dreamworld with a pillow of sweetness, but it's totally ok now, ok? LOL . But yeah, I'm glad he changed his tune immediately. He began seeing outside of his own selfish needs as soon as he saw her as not consenting, which is promising. Anyone weaker though *shakes head*

I'm curious about what Timmain will have to say about all of this

Kaza, you and Vaeri totally called it with the navigator thing. I'm actually surprised, I thought it was an echo like Weatherbird had to deal with...but then Chesral hadn't been so coherent either, in retrospect.
Man, Timmain's really pissed off a lot of beings hasn't she ...

"Super Awkward" would make a great title for the next fic, because... yeah. There are gonna be so many uncomfortable conversations as Sylas makes the rounds of Abode to catch up on everything he's missed.

oh my goooood, I WAS RIGHT! AGAIN! XDD i was right!!! how long ago did i call this?! XD

and i just...frickin...love...the ending!! Navigator woke up!! HE'S AWAKE!! LEARNING TIME! LESSON TIME!! SUCK IT TIMMAIN! WAHAHAHAHA!

*sanity self comes to drag away laughing insanity self*

Yeah, you've been pretty right on consistently, Vaeri.
I'm dying to know what's going on at Oasis, any thoughts?