needsaconstant | And So My Confusion Begins

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And So My Confusion Begins

I don't really understand how I got here.

I was on the island, when the next time shift arrived, and then...

I'm here. In Manhattan. An island, but not the island I want to be on.

Is it possible the electromagnetic frequencies somehow were disrupted on the island? Then, why is no one else that I know here? Like Juliet or Sawyer? (No, I can't think of Charlotte. I cannot.)

Oh, and before I forget, thank you Silver. I'll try to stay away from those crab things if I can.

...

I wish I had my journal...

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...I don't really know. It doesn't have a name. It's just the island.

It's a place where enormous electromagnetic frequencies disrupt the space-time continium around it. It literally skips from place to place, from time to time, in a series of shifts.

Let me put it this way. It's a record skipping- except you have no control over where the island will "skip" next.

That's not very logical, is it, calling it the island? I mean, there are loads of islands out there - even more than that if you count all the islands on other worlds - and "the island" is rather vague when you're trying to pinpoint one particular island among billions. Then again, I s'pose "the island" is better than "an island". It's a bit more specific, at least.

Now, that's odd. Brilliant, but very odd. I've never actually encountered an electromagnetic frequency powerful enough to disrupt the flow of time. Time shifts are generally caused by holes in the Time Vortex and the like, you see, in my experience. I've used electromagnetic forces for disrupting electronic equipment and that sort of thing, but never to alter time. It's a shame I have no way of popping off to "the island" for a little visit, because I'd fancy a go at studying that!

Well, I call it the island because it's the only island in my world that develops these sort of electromagnetic frequencies. Therefore, it's fair to say that it is the one and only island with these traits. But yes, I agree that it should have it's own name. It's a little too vague to write down "the island" in my research notes all the time.

*sounds interested* You've used electromagnetic forces before? Pray tell, where did you get these forces from? In my world, electromagnetic forces are not readily used like that. But I wouldn't call the island and it's time shifts brilliant...it does have the awful side effect of messing up one's mind to the point where one can't tell the difference between past, present, or future. I call this condition "temporal displacement".

...A friend of mine even died from that. *takes a deep breath and sighs rather forlornly*

That's sensible enough, I suppose. Technically, it would be less vague to call it "The One and Only Island That Develops These Sort of Electromagnetic Frequencies," but that would be awfully long. No one would bother to say the whole thing, and people would be right back a square one, calling it "The Island" again.

Ooh, the sources have varied. I've used an electromagnetic pulse bomb several times - one of them came from the inner workings of a very friendly cyborg. Standard stuff, really.

...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm a bit surprised to hear about that, honestly. I've never known time travel to have such adverse effects. Where I come from, it's...well, it has its risks, but nothing like that. It's one of the most wonderful pastimes in the universe.

It's fine. It's okay. I mean, it's already part of the past, and I can't keep dwelling on her if I want to keep going forward in my future...

Electromagentic pulse bombs? In cyborgs? Well, your world seems to be more highly developed than mine.

And time travel is a pastime? But how would that work? Do they set restrictions on what time you go to? One of the leading theories in my world is that messing up the past will most certainly mess up the future. Is that true in your world or not?

Yes, that's true. The best thing is to remember her while still moving forward. Strike a balance.

Well, it wasn't actually my world, per se. But, yes, there are quite a few worlds that are more highly developed that Earth - assuming that your world is Earth, of course.

It's more of...well, it's more my personal pastime rather than something that's commonly done. And considering that there isn't exactly anyone else who's doing it, there's no one other than me around to set restrictions. There are rules, though - laws, more like. Fixed points in time can't be changed, but other points can, and that can certainly impact the future.

So...you have to be careful. Which is a bit of an understatement. Well, an enormous understatement, really.

So, you've been to other worlds before?

I'm definitely sure that time traveling is one of the most risky things you could do...If I remember a science fiction story correctly, even steeping on a butterfly in the past will greatly change the future.

So, what times do you travel to most often?

Ohyes. Far too many to count.

Ah, right, the butterfly story! I remember hearing that one. That's more an urban myth, really. If the probability of changing the future was that high? There'd be no way of time traveling safely at all.

Quite a wide range of them. I've been from the creation of the solar system itself right up to the year one hundred trillion. I'm rather fond of the nineteenth century - there's always a mess there that needs to be straightened out. Alien races are nearly always causing trouble in nineteenth century Earth, for whatever reason. What about the time shifts on your island - what times did those involve?

But you've never been to this world, am I correct?

...Nineteenth century? And aliens? Oh dear, we had a nineteenth century but that's the first time I've ever heard of a mess being caused by extraterrestrials.

I can only assume what times the island moved, since only key features that were present or not present could only give us some clues to when we were. I believe we were in the 1970s, the 1950s, the twentieth century...but definitely not as many times that you've traveled to, I'm sure.

That's...a bit of a tricky question, actually. I've been to Earth quite a few times, but not this particular version of Earth, considering that my version was never attacked and isolated from the rest of the world in this way.

Again, same world, different version. Rather troubling, really. It shouldn't be possible to travel to different versions of the same world, yet it is possible, apparently, and I'm...well, I'm supposed to know about these things.

Very nice decades, the '50s and the '70s. Awful lot of good music. Not at all bad eras to visit!

My Earth was never attacked this way either. I would have heard about it if it were true.

Almost paradoxical, don't you think? The fact that you can't travel to different versions of the same world, and yet you can.

Yes, the '50s and '70s are good times...unless you're on an island where hostile Others are trying to kill you. Then they're not so great.

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And So My Confusion Begins

Scientist rant ahead.

Another scientist rant ahead.

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