Beyond Time - The Temporal Vortex [FINISHED]

[Leebot]

IV: The Temporal Vortex

Mechanics: Standard Time (The timeline of the Temporal Vortex exists in parallel with Home and Another.)

Nature: Serge arrives in the Temporal Vortex after acquiring Lynx's body and being cast off by Dark Serge. The scenery resembles famous painting styles, both Impressionist and M.C. Escher. The chapter subtitle refers to it as "The place where lost souls wander." Both the scenery and the enemies found there (TotalChaos) appear to be completely two-dimensional.

Analysis: The most prevalent theory about the Temporal Vortex is that it is the gap between Home and Another.

Could be a place between the 2 dimensions, that's why 2-dimensional foes live there and why you can gather all your characters in this place.[Edited for grammar]

This raises the question of why the Temporal Vortex is 2-dimensional. If it's the space between Home and Another, one might expect it to have an additional dimensional element, rather than one fewer. One way this might occur is as follows: We know that Home and Another are connected at many points (Opassa Beach, the Dead Sea/Sea of Eden, the Bend of Time, Turnip, and possibly more). If a path is traced out around these points, it will form a polygon. Stretching this accross another dimension (to bridge Home and Another) will create a two dimensional surface that bridges the gap between the two dimensions. If we extend this idea, the Escher-inspired portion of the Temporal Vortex might represent a knot in the connections.

The fact that the Temporal Vortex is represented by artistic styles that are very recognizable to players is highly indicative that the Temporal Vortex is QC-like.

Residents:

Sprigg - Little green woman capable of morphing into monsters. She doesn't say much about her past, but we know the following tidbits:

......! It's been a long time, Lady Sprigg. Have you been well?

Analysis: She's definitely been to Another before, even though the TV only connects to Home (at least, for us).

You say Sprigg has been to another, yet her TV connects to home. She probably last visited El Nido before the Time Split.

This is power I can't make me own...
Hah! There ain't no use telling me to do anythin', chum!
...you don't ave to tell me nothin'!
I know I might've led an easier life if I'da been kinder to otherz...

Sprigg, Guile, and Sneff all belong to some esoteric, magic guild. Whether we can interpret these as leftovers from the time when Magus was Guile is unknown, but it does mean these guys are in some kind of cahoots.

If you take Sneff to Guile, he begins ranting about Guile being the rising star in the guild. Sprigg is supposed to say something as well, but I'm not sure who I need to take to who. I'll try it later.

Analysis: We know so little about Sprigg that any theorizing is better left to fanfic writers. A few possibilities:

1. She might have been a treasure hunter who tried to steal the Frozen Flame.

2. She's a reclusive magician.

3. She's a demon.

[ZeaLitY]

I referenced Time Error as such in Gaspar 3, the final installment in my fanfiction series. Is this correct? I'm implying that its a sort of extratemporal time axis; that from one's viewpoint, time could exist as a finite line, but with the passage of time relative to the person watching, changes in time could be seen coming to pass.

The excerpt:

“Two days ago, you wanted to know how I knew of the Chrono Cross; of the Project Kid. As you could tell from your vantage atop the hourglass, I did not travel with this kid. You could not see me at all – for when I departed to search for Schala for the first time, I examined the ruins of the Undersea Palace – and found the dwelling of Lavos. It had been rendered empty since that red-haired idiot aided me in destroying the creature, but I had never come to fully appreciate the home of Lavos, which essentially is a pocket dimension. And as I turned from my entrance and gazed into the auras, the history of the world lay sprawled before me – including the axis on which changes occur –“
“Time Error,” Gaspar noted.
“Yes. I saw Belthasar enter the future, and discover where my sister…was being held. I could not interfere with his plans, however..."

[Leebot]

Yep, it seems like you've got it.

Quasi-Philosophical question: If someone can see a timeline, is that person experiencing a different time? ie. If someone sees our timeline as such, they are experiencing the passage of Time-Error rather than normal time. So, if the speaker (sounds like Magus) can view Time-Error as a timeline, does this mean there's a third axis of time, or am I once again overanalyzing?

[ZeaLitY]

Only question I could come up with: Could there truly be further levels, on which someone could watch the Time Error axis proceed in relation to Time Error?

[Leebot]

Maybe. Some theoretical physicists believe that there may be an unlimited number of dimensions, but most agree that there are at least 10 or 11 (I can give a relatively simple explanation for why there are at least 7 based on empirical evidence--but I stress "relatively"). These modern theories don't use all of these dimensions, but they require them to exist (we currently use three spatial dimensions, one for time/gravity, and possibly one for the electrostatic force; the universe's curvature could add zero, add one, or double this number depending on the model). But anyway, the point is that as long as there are more dimensions, it may be possible for one to "regress" beyond their current viewpoint and use the next as time.

[GreenGannon]

You say Sprigg has been to another, yet her TV connects to home. She probably last visited El Nido before the Time Split.

[Leebot]

Good point; that's going in.

[GreenGannon]

That still leaves the question of why her TV connects to home.

I'm thinkin'

1. It's a conveniant Plot device

OR

2. It has something to do with Home being an anamoly.

[Leebot]

While 1 is true, I'd probably go with 2; if we go with the theory that the TV is the gap between Home and Another, it follows that it wouldn't exist if Home didn't exist, so there may some connection there.