Heaven's BBS | Text

[subtract]

Posted: 28 July 2016 04:55 PM
From: Henir

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At the beginning of the month, Ekko and I began working on a collaborative project that combined our technology as well as our status as time-related gods in this world. The intended goal was to visit or otherwise witness a specific time and location in the "past" of this world's timeline, approximately two months ago.

On July 15th we were able to successfully generate a portal to the past. Unfortunately, there were some unintended side-effects in the present. Rest assured that reality is quite resilient and there should be no significant long-term damage caused by the mishap.

We were able to witness the exact moment when an outsider god "vanished" from this world before being thrust back into the present time. Since there are no other examples to draw upon at this time, it's difficult to confirm if this is what happened to all outsider gods that vanished, or if it also occurs for outsider shinki or native gods and shinki. But based on the information I have on the observed specimen, I don't believe there's any reason they would be an outlier. They vanished without any prior warning, their temple disappeared without a trace, and their shinki were immediately reassigned and relocated. Until more data can be properly gathered on the subject, we can theorize for now that this is the "normal" way that outsiders are removed from this world.

Summary of observations:

• Something is "detached" from the subject's body. It is similar in nature to the "souls" that appeared in the parade from late May.


• The subject's physical body rapidly disintegrates into a dust-like substance. Due to the lack of dust-like samples found around the homes and former temples of missing gods/shinki, it's likely that this substance continues to disintegrate to the point of being undetectable. I was unable to acquire any samples.


• A portal opens nearby to absorb the subject's detached soul. Inside the portal is dark with distant lights, appears to be exiting into space somewhere else. Further information on this other space is still being processed.


• Once the detached soul has been absorbed, the portal closes. No traces of the subject's soul or physical form are left behind.


• Unable to observe the disappearance of the god's temple due to being forced back into the present.

I'm posting this information publicly so that it doesn't become lost or destroyed. Considering that Ekko was killed earlier today and will likely have forgotten all of this if he's revived, I'd rather not let all of this data go to waste if something happens to myself. I'll also be backing up my data somewhere safe while I continue processing what's left.

If anyone has any questions, I'll attempt to explain as best as I can.

Comments

[redotiertwo]

i fucking knew it
someone was trying to convince themselves that whole thing was more than just a timescrew but i could feel it
or at least i could when you both managed to age us all over the place
congrats by the way

the way we disappear still sounds pretty fucked up put like that
but hey still better than murder
ill take it
so we know they go somewhere else but not exactly where right

[subtract]

It wasn't an intentional effect, it was most likely the result of a miscalculation causing the timeline to attempt to correct itself. A mistake doesn't really warrant any congratulations.

I'm working on that part.

[redotiertwo]

sounds right
it felt pretty screwed up from what i remember
trying to make itself rebound seems like the thing to do
also come on dude if you have some kind of phd in timefuck surely you can detect sarcasm

should i be looking out for an update whenever you get through the processing
i know thats one of the big things people lose their shit about when it comes to the disappearances

[subtract]

I've been working nonstop on this data for a week and I just found out my colleague is dead, so sorry if my sense of humour is a bit dull right now. Is that sarcastic enough for you?

[Though it's more like working nonstop on the data for half a week and being too exhausted to even move for the other half. Distorting time in a world outside his own puts way too much strain on his body, even with Ekko mitigating a portion of it. And now that Ekko is gone he can't risk another attempt just to gather more sample data...

If only he could find someone else with time-related powers. But where???]

If I find anything useful, I'll do what I can to make it available. Finding out where those missing gods and shinki go is my top priority at the moment. But since there's no one else here qualified to work with this data, it's going to take awhile to decipher it all by myself.

[fullcowl]

Thank you for sharing this information.

The bodies that are left behind from the murders. They don't seem to turn to dust.

I guess they're still alive when they're killed.

[That's not soothing in the least.]

[subtract]

That's an interesting observation. If the corpses don't turn to dust in a similar manner and no portal is observed at the time of death, does that mean something different happens to those who die here? Or are the souls removed in a more discreet manner after they've been detached from the body through death?

[fullcowl]

Maybe the souls are still attached to the bodies when they're killed. Who knows if they stick around.

[subtract]

[... okay, now that's a really disturbing thought. He's kinda gotten used to the existence of afterlives to the point where he's not as bothered by people dying or disappearing like this, but the idea of someone being bound to their corpse...

Isn't that where ghosts would come from? He doesn't even want to think about that possibility.]

I'd hope not. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how such a thing could be tested. The existence of a soul isn't something easily supported by scientific means, so trying to detect one wouldn't be within my abilities.

[bussounoshima]

[A portal. Now, when someone thinks about traveling between worlds, what's the image that comes to mind?]

Put like that, our physical bodies seem pretty unimportant. [And unsubstantial. Even by normal philosophical standards.] The process sounds very careful, for something that shouldn't be expecting observers.

[Who could have predicted that Add and Ekko would travel back in time to see that?]

The destruction of the temples themselves aren't quite as concerning as the people in them. There are plenty of ways to get rid of a building, even before you take magic into the equation.

[subtract]

I doubt they're our real bodies anyway. The Heavens have been quite clear that our "souls" have been brought here to act as gods and shinki, and we've all gained new abilities to match the other entities of this world. It's likely that the bodies we have here are only replicas and our original bodies are either deceased or still exist somewhere in our own worlds, depending on the circumstances.

Certain physical objects as well as shinki are also moved during the process, so I still think it's worth looking into, if not to the same degree as where the portals go to.

[bussounoshima]

Deceased, still in existence or somewhere in storage, maybe. If just our "souls" have been taken, then they are what's being directly altered and manipulated. New magical abilities and amnesia are rather simple to understand,
but some of the possibilities are possible. That is, if you're right.

[What Add's described actually sounds similar to the destruction of a shikigami. Once the talisman that the spell centers around is removed or destroyed, it's not uncommon for the the physical body to crumble into dirt or sand. She considers mentioning it, but decides she'd rather not make that connection public just yet. If it's relevant to his research, he'll notice on his own or not need the comparison.]

I wonder if our souls still have any connection to our physical bodies, wherever they are.

[subtract]

I have other reasons to believe these aren't our real bodies. For example, someone appearing here who wouldn't normally have a physical body to begin with. There are also the shinki who may have suffered severe injuries upon death that even magic would have difficulty healing. It would make more sense in those cases to simply create a new body.

Perhaps. I wouldn't know about something like that. It's difficult to test since we don't know where those bodies would be right now or how to reach them.

[cuteshit]

Holy shit. Portals?

[The picture of eloquence, yes-- but he's not sure what else to say.]

Good we have this on record. Thanks for sharing.
Are you okay? I mean, considering the situation.

[subtract]

Thank you for that groundbreaking observation.

My body hasn't been dismembered and strewn about the temple grounds, so yeah, I think I'll live.

[cuteshit]

That part goes without saying.
I don't just mean okay on the outside.

[subtract]

I've seen my fair share of dead bodies. I'll be fine, it's just a pain to deal with. [because it's not like he's going to talk about his feelings or anything weird like that...]

The more annoying part is that it's unlikely he'll remember me even if he does appear again. Or worse, he could appear as a shinki and become completely useless to me.

[kokuyoyo]

So it was you. At least that saves some research.

Do you plan on continuing without your colleague?

[subtract]

Obviously. I was working on this before we decided to collaborate, so I'm not going to give up just because I'm on my own again.

[kokuyoyo]

Will you keep people updated on any significant finds?

[very_goodman]

Wow, that's some pretty sci-fi stuff right there.

[subtract]

Hardly. If it can be analyzed and studied, then there's nothing "fictional" about it. It's just science.

[time travel isn't sci-fi, just like how magical space crystals that can be used for spellcasting are also scientific.]

[very_goodman]

Still some pretty advanced stuff. I bet most people couldn't make heads or tails of it.

(private text)

[sweetspringwater]

How very innovative of you. And given your experience, I expect there will not be another repetition of those side-effects.

My condolences on the loss of your partner.

Do you anticipate being able to observe another one of these ‘portals’ to gain further data?

(private text)

[subtract]

[you can really tell Suijin doesn't know Add that well from how she expects that would be enough to dissuade him from trying it again... he'll just casually avoid answering that part.]

Possibly, but doing so without use of time travel would mean predicting when and where a god or shinki would vanish.

Alternatively, tracking devices and surveillance equipment could be installed in the temples, but it would be difficult to implement something like that on a large enough scale without getting everyone's permission. I can start on a smaller scale, but it's not guaranteed to give any results.

Also, regarding the corpses of dead gods and shinki. There have been several recent deaths that left corpses rather than the bodies disintegrating. What's done with the corpses after?

[sweetspringwater]

[More that she expects him to have learned from that so that it won't have side-effects when it does happen again~
But admittedly, not knowing him well is a factor in this communication.]

So long as there is a chance of a result that doesn't outbalance the investment put into it, I would hope you would pursue it.
And so long as you have permission, of course.

In regards to the corpses- As you might imagine, Takamagahara is not well equipped for dealing with dead corporeal bodies.
I would think that any who died here are likely on the Near Shore now. However, I have no personal knowledge of it.