#the physical world and our place in it

[palettesofrenaissance]

Contaminated

genre: historical fiction; reincarnation au; past lives au; canon compliant word count: 2k notes: written for TPWAOPII Marvel Au series Epic™ - also posted here. this does not have to be read with the rest of the series and is a standalone

Summary: When Wanda Maximoff first hears about the show My Strange Attraction, the first thing her twin does is turn to her, flashing a cheeky smile, and teases, “That’s you!” She subsequently blasts Pietro across the small room with a tiny burst of red mist from her fingertips.

Wanda Maximoff is born immediately after her brother—twelve minutes, to be exact. Her family jokes that Pietro had rather remained en utero than to come out into the world because how fast Wanda pushed him out the way. Pietro comes into the world a new soul, screams punching from his tiny lungs; Wanda returns to the world recycled.

Decades ago in prewar-Europe, there lived a woman born Wanda Orsós—Wanda Maximoff’s first life and even then she’s stubborn and headstrong as ever to get what she wants. Even playing along to a marriage to a man she doesn't love

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘦 — 𝘐 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵, ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘧𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘩; ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝘐𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘐 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘵 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱

Wanda Maximoff is born immediately after her brother—twelve minutes, to be exact. Her family jokes that Pietro had rather remained en utero than to come out into the world because how fast Wanda pushed him out the way. It’s also joked that she wanted to get her tiny fists on her older cousin from supposedly hearing him make all those negative comments out the side of his mouth about her, about the twins, about there being more mouths to feed. However, when Wanda blinks her newborn eyes against the lights of the new world, her mother’s arms go lax in startle—Wanda’s born with pale, icy eyes and it’s feared she’s been born blind.

Pietro comes into the world a new soul, screams punching from his tiny lungs.

Wanda returns to the world recycled.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀* * *

“There’s a belief that a person can be reincarnated as another human. Alternatively, their souls might expel tragedy, seeking revenge on anyone who harmed him during his life on earth. Sometimes, an undeservingly tortured soul will get another chance at life, or if one dies unjustly. This doesn’t always happen or is proved—it’s merely a comfort myth, like blowing dandelion seedlings grants wishes or folding one thousand paper cranes grants a miracle.”

So, when she’s seven years old and expresses an interest in the old and unexplainable, Wanda Maximoff is merely labelled as peculiar. She wants to wear the color yellow all the time, loves the flavor of honey, kisses pretty metal trinkets scavenged from a pile of antiques, and smiles with unspoken wisdom laden dormant and secret.

For one assignment in school back in Sokovia, the class is told to choose a poem and explain what each student finds the most interesting about it, what he or she resonates with and why—their explanation explained written on at least two pages, front and back.

At thirteen years old, Wanda chooses “The Yellow Wallpaper.” She says that she relates to the female main character and goes into vivid detail why. As a result, her teacher gets in contact with Wanda’s parents and explains her suspicions and worries.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀══════ ⋄∗⧖̷∗⋄ ══════

Decades ago in prewar-Europe, there lived a woman born Wanda Orsós—Romani, short height stature, black hair, dark hazel eyes. Single child. Weaver by career necessity. Spinster by choice. Although a fighter in both lives, she doesn’t live long for her first.

Keep Reading

#wanda maximoff fic #wanda maximoff fanfiction #reincarnation au #reincarnated au #mcu wanda maximoff #romani wanda maximoff #wanda maximov #palettewrites #the physical world and our place in it #doctor strange multiverse of madness #marvel au #mcu au #marvel fic #marvel fanfiction #mcu fanfiction #mcu fic

[thenwethrowitonthefire]

Shout-out to everyone who survived a "fun" easter with the family

#fucking hell #it started with finding out my dad smoked in my car when I picked up my sister #who was equally dreading the day #my mum turns into the world's tensest and judgemental presence. worsened by my aunt #then hell for autistic people (of which there are multiple present) #multiple deaf people means one uninspired conversation that isn't interesting in any way. #combinations of passive aggressiveness and people not saying a thing because they can't participate. voice volumes too damn high #weirdass food situations. Very full table. so many smells. #this goes on for over an hour. wishing for literally anything but being there. soul crushing. #then you still have to sit in that room for 2.5 hours. it just goes on and on. #my autistic deaf dad physically looks like how I feel. my mum and aunt keep piling on top of him to demand his mental presence #i leave the room once (to get my phone to show pictures to my uncle) and am immediately followed upstairs by my mum #who demands I don't leave the room (What's next. following me when I need the toilet?) #me and my sister are so bored we start throwing paper planes and fake fighting. #Which amuses the bored and the deaf #but of course my mum and aunt have opinions and this is not allowed. only soul crushing boredom allowed #they complain to each other over it while aggressively doing dishes #finally it ends because my mum and aunt start insisting my dad should go to bed if he's 'that tired'. *sprinkle on some additional ableism* #still sitting through a conversation about allergies one of my sister's friends has. my mum preaching that people should take that seriously #(meanwhile i had to cook for myself for 9 years because when my allergies were really bad no one bothered to check if i could eat something) #me and my sister go sit upstairs to discover our mum has made things we care about vanish in her room #and made things appear that should not be there #I've washed the interior of my car and hope the smell will go #you think it's over after that. but woke up with the realisation that even more things have disappeared from my sister's room. #i can't remember a time when things left outside of my room didn't disappear #I don't know why we do these family gatherings at all. no one has fun on days like that. #the housing crisis isn't making these things easy. my sister is losing her place to live again as well #she'll go hiking for a month and then work on a campsite over the summer #maybe I'll go house sitting again. idk. #can't make commitments a few months in advance like that because I'll cancel everything the second Sparks announces anything important

[egopathic]

don’t reblog my tti posts if you think that bringing up capitalism in the argument against their existence “cheapens your trauma”! that is goofy bullshit and i’m not engaging with today!

#‘it’s actually bc of homophobia and christofascism and sanism and anti youth rights and’ THOSE FHINGS ARE ENCOURAGED IN CAPITALISM #THE POINT IS THAT THE WHOLE SUSTEM WOULD COLLAPSE IF THEY WERE NOT TURNING PROFIT #they also said that most programs are ‘not nice but not abusive’ so shouldn’t be shut down #where do you find these just ‘not nice’ programs? cause we got physically beaten and put thru conversion therapy over here!!! #and yeah actually i think that if our system wasn’t run by profit you wouldn’t have the tti. BECAUSE HOW WOULD IT FUNCTION WITHOUT PROFIT!! #that’s not cheapening anything that’s giving us an out. giving us a world view where this isn’t normal!! #it’s an answer to the question ‘why do these places exist’ not cure all for being hurt by them obviously

[snekdood]

people dont know what liminal means anymore. im gonna stab someone. an empty parking lot is not liminal THERES SO MUCH SPACE EVERYWHERE AND NO WALLS TF YOU MEAN

#nvm im wrong #but still the post i saw didnt seem liminal at all #i dont count outdoor spaces as liminal unless everything is perfectly pristine and trimmed #maybe im thinking of hell actually #grass trimmed under an inch #perfectly clean roads w no cracks or bumps #ROUND FUCKING TREES #SQUARE FUCKING BUSHES #nevermind the lack of biodiversity #bricks that look like they havent aged and have no chips or EVEN bird poop or ANYTHING. #nothing worn or weathered by time #yeah thats hell #mayeb i could consider that liminal. but like. just a regular outdoor place? naw... #and the above description i gave is physically impossible (and should remain that way death and decay is natural fuck immortality) #so thats kinda why i dont agree w wikipedias desc of liminal w the image of a playground w/o kids bc the grass isnt Perfect #so therefore it looks more natural #the episode of spongebob where everything is chrome in the future? liminal #empty playground but the grass is still different colors? das just a haunting image reminding the viewer of the state of our world #n capitalism n stuff #u know what im sayin dhfsafdggfsd. #there should be kids yes. but thats not the 'liminal' aesthetic (which i hate btw idk if i made that clear) #thats making you think about how there SHOULD be kids but instead they're inside all day on tiktok or being radicalized by the alt right #sometimes both #and that ppl are scared to bring their kids outside bc of so much propaganda out there about being in public spaces in general

[varjopeura]

.

#last night i got to hang out with a bunch of friends #t'was nice. was fun. i had a very good time with them #but now my brain is throwing an entire fit about it afterwards #all 'wahhhh you got a bad grade at social interaction. something that is normal to fear and possible to achieve' #'now suffer for the horrible sin of existing in the physical world where other people can perceive you' #like come ON. chill. it's fine. i promise it's fine. those people were friends! we like them! #like. dnd and work i can do just fine. those things have clear structures for the brain to follow #but loose hangouts where the entire point is to just Be There and Have Fun seem to be a lot harder for the brain #that just means i need more practice! gonna have to invite people over to our place. bake a cake maybe #(also yeah i do realize the vast majority of people from yesterday are my tumblr mutuals. in case any of you happen to see this: #hey hi i love you a lot <3 let's spend more time together sometime) #sussitalk

[coeursainte]

                    what would it take for her to toss all warnings aside, not only the ominous control of her stepmother, or the childhood memories of gentler words from her papa?      the former's fury at an attempt of ella to interrupt a berating to explain herself, that she hadn't done as much... only to earn herself a violent boxing about the ears by her stepsisters.      it was not the first, not by far, yet it proved too much to be borne.

                    so she ran, shoving her way out of her stepmother's grip, down the grand stairs, and out into the sunlight, the older woman's wrathful shouts chasing her out of the yard and into the dark woods beyond.      even once entirely surrounded by their embrace, ella still rushed blindly on, fear lending her wings lest her stepsisters chose to follow to continue their attack until she was deep within the forest.

                    until she was lost, hopelessly lost, and he found her.

❝ it does not matter. you have to trust me. ❞ — @paramounticebound

                    with a hesitant step in retreat, ella found herself shaking golden curls, not of her own accord but out of sudden welling of the terror she fought so valiantly to swallow from his first appearance.      ❝  i do not.  ❞      though her assertion was the most potent she dared utter in ages, even she wasn't quite certain whether she meant she did not have to... or that she simply did not trust the shadowy figure.

                    she felt so childlike in that moment, confusion and exhaustion vying for complete control over her frame.      another step back and the world toppled, damp from the leaf mulched earth instantly seeping through her skirts.      in the burgeoning dusk, the young woman missed the tree root behind her heels entirely.     the force of the fall sucked the air from her lungs, the impact of already bruised flesh hardly preserving any to bolster her to her feet, to turn tail and flee.

                    staring up at the dense canopy of pine above, though tears had been been wetting her cheeks since she fled out the garden gate, it was only now that ella truly began to sob.

#paramounticebound #. • ° ❃ over the garden wall — our part to make the world a better place. #abuse tw #physical abuse tw #listen i know your verse is only inspired by otgw buuuuuuut i was going to make a verse for it #and it allows me to put in a setting where his existence like this is possible #so it can be not strictly otgw just inspired by it :P

[mariautistic]

Aw fugg I'm gonna miss the Alan Wake part if i finish the main quest now

#.txt #extremely not my thing its just rly funny how Samey the conflict on both are #oh damn this weird entity thing is spreading in our world somehow and possesses people/things and sometimes sven mqnifests physically #its bad enough they did that twice eith the mold in the first place like why do uou have the same conflict twice in the game larwady

[aeide-thea]

[antisemitism cw]

like literally that m*pping project website is like ‘the listed universities have exchange programs with israeli universities!!1!’ someone please explain to me how ‘enabling people to experience for themselves what things are like’ constitutes ‘support for israel's violent settler colonialism’ per se (except, you know, actually don’t, because it doesn’t).

#i feel like deplatforming has a very specific place #and 'letting students see what's happening on the ground in other countries' is not platforming #like if anything americans who spend time in israel might actually learn abt the colonial violence being practiced there #so if the colonialism and violence are actually what you object to—you ought to see that as a positive?? #but no it's 'if you aren't literally shunning all things jewish you get added to our Proscription Map' #anyway i don't feel like the world needs my relatively uninformed opinions on what's obviously a complex topic #but it just seems like. a lot of what that project is trying to label 'support for zionism' just. really isn't! #and compiling a physical map of Targets is just. extremely fucked in ways the org is being extremely disingenuous abt #both in terms of the history of that rhetoric and in terms of its likely outcome #antisemitism cw

[nicolinocolino]

.

#a thinkpiece will start with ‘cancer has affected our family for generations’ and my first question is #have you ever considered to stop. ya know. the bloodline. #idk i just can’t imagine bringing a person into this world knowing they might struggle not just with the difficulties of being alive as is #but with heightened health concerns - physical and mental #and yes I did take that quote verbatim #really not my place to say anything I guess but I’m entering that age where people are asking about kids #and the silent judgement that goes with me saying no I don’t plan on it #because it’s seen as ‘selfish’ #and yet people are out here knowingly passing on life threatening health issues

[palettesofrenaissance]

The Sarah/Bucky headcanons. I just love them so much. I’m also very curious about Sam’s role in it, as well as Sarah’s friend. But honestly mostly Sarah/Bucky because of my unhealthy investment. Again, you’re a great, talented, creative writer! You’ve got me so invested! 🤍

okay here's some headcanons from the reincarnation/soulmates AU that might be spoilers. sorry if I'm repeating something you may already recall

there's two kinds of soulmates: romantic and platonic (best friend soulmates)

sarah and her friend (joséphine) are soulmates in this sense

speaking of joséphine, all hell is going to break loose when she interacts more in the present

sarah's soulmate from her past life is nearly entirely unknown, so everything that the readers read about sarah v. are the only ones who know this

there will be bonding between aj and sam being the only ones in the house who don't have a past life

as for sarah and bucky, it's headcanoned that their present lives are the ones which they wouldn't have been able to have in the past: including a family with kids

headcanons that bucky first dies a virgin (but now I'm thinking this could be up for debate by readers) and was explorative later in life

bucky takes the kids advice on how to take sarah w. on a date. sam can't help giving his two cents

I have this pretty visualization of sarah w. and bucky in one of those walkthrough tunnels of an aquarium. it's very romantic. I want to add this

(and I guess for a cool fanart idea, have their reflections in the aquarium glass being their past selves)

about the horny loveletter past bucky wrote for sarah v. (which was found when remodeling an old building) gets shared and it's some time until historians put a name with the handwriting script

this leads to an interesting path of their third life

sarah v. and bucky met one last time before she dies, but neither realize it

#asks #the physical world and our place in it #bucky barnes #sarah wilson #sarahbucky #sarah x bucky

[ataykiri]

,

#wearing hijab gives you a feeling of nobility that no worldly beauty attention or satisfaction could ever compensate for #It’s the epitome of true selfhood #because its the protecting shield and #unchallengeable honour of those who truly sumbit #some people see it as oppressive and tragic #what’s truly tragic is their blindness and enslavement to their desires #their desire to observe and dissect women until they feel watched even when alone #Islam means submission and submitting to the Divine Will of our One and Only true Creator means achieving freedom #from any norms any regulations any expectations any desires of other people who are merely creation #humans are inherently ungrateful and dissatisfied with everything and you truly want to place your self worth and definition #and satisfaction into the palms of a mere creation that is just as flawed and ignorant as you? #societies cultures and norms who are #alternating with time and circumstances #do we really want these ideals to dictate how to live our lives and how to define ourselves #or should we rather base ourselves on #unalterable Divine Wisdom and achieve true selfhood through true slavehood #like many generations before us who resisted to settle on this world and make it their home spiritually physically mentally idealistically #Islam is the only pathway to the Truth #Friday 💚

[bjurnberg]

My work boots are the most expensive shoes I’ve ever owned.

Also the most comfortable. I chose them after trying on several different brands and comparing lifespan vs usage vs comfort - I needed them for a physically demanding job, not the weekend hiking trails. I could have easily chosen cheaper boots that would have lasted long enough to be worth their low price, but I know the Sam Vimes Boot Theory and knew weaker, less comfortable boots would make my life harder in the long run.

So when the outside edge of the heel started wearing down after three years of heavy use I went to the shop I got them from and said “hey this is a common problem for me with how I walk but now it’s affecting my ankles and knees and I don’t wanna have to buy a new pair, is there a way to fix this?”

The salesman at this very fancy upscale boot store said “oh yeah, there’s a shoe repair place that can give you some heel guards - it’ll keep the rubber from wearing out.”

So at 8am this morning right after my 9hr shift ends I went to the shoe repair shop and it is the most hole-in-the-wall, is-this-a-real-business-or-a-mafia-front, am-I-gonna-get-shot tiny cinder block cube I’ve ever seen in my life. I grew up plenty poor and love me a good hole-in-the-wall business, but going from upscale store to this cash-only repair shop gave me whiplash. Wasn’t expecting this when a guy who wears three piece suits to sell boots said it’s the best place to go.

The skinny kid behind the counter looks somehow 16 and 25 at the same time, but when I tell him this place was recommended he smiles and says to hand over my boots. I hand him the vaguely warm foot-smelling boots, and stand in my socks in the 3’ square entryway surrounded by every color leather polish you could buy and watch as he turns my boots around in his hands, sizes up a crescent moon bits of plastic, and unceremoniously hammers tiny nails through them before handing them back.

The heels are perfectly level again. I can walk without almost rolling my ankles. They don’t clack loudly on the pavement or feel different. This is gonna fix my knee pain. It cost $10.

This kid had every tool he needed within arms reach, worked fast and smoothly, I was in and out the door in less than 8 minutes, and it only cost $10.

I didn’t think anything could cost only $10 anymore. I’m so used to hyperinflation prices I was spiritually thrown back to the 1400’s visiting the cobbler in town square. This kid might have been that cobbler and just decided to never die.

I’m still reeling from the whiplash, and gobsmacked at the price, and thrilled I didn’t have to go buy new, worse work boots (cuz I don’t have that kind of money for a second pair, I’m expecting these ones to last a decade) and it feels like I just experienced one of the rare little chunks of magic that floats around our world.

#shoe repair #cobbler magic #good work boots are a necessary part of life #and finding a cobbler I can take other shoes to is gonna change my life #I love craftsmen #bjurnberg

[asexual-levia-tan]

im kinda annoyed when i hear people talking about "why isnt ml for console?"

did you. did you forget about the entire gps mechanic of the game. you do remember quadratum, the world of fiction, looks basically like our real life right? the world that you get to by passing through the astral realm? you remember that part right? its literally the entire basis of the closed beta?

i am sympathetic to people not having a phone to run it though. im not 100% sure mine will be able to run it. but for people who are complaining only because they don't like mobile games its like. *gestures* the gps mechanic

#wwaffles bein' an idiot #wwaffles is kh trash #if it was a handheld console that would be one thing #why are yall asking about bricks that need to be plugged in to function #when a major mechanic in the game is /physically going places/ #if it was on console that entire thing would be reworked #and YES i understand that there is already a way you can play without leaving your home #and YES they could certainly expand that into something for the possible console release they are considering #im not against that or anything im just like. this is such a cool concept. the idea of that world technically being OUR world #and expanding on that concept by using a gps function to have you walk around your environment to play the game #and NO ONE is saying ANYTHING about it and theyre all complaining about how its not a console release #or worse: about how its not a ''main title''

[escapistcatontheinternet]

i love the extras of dungeon meshi in how it fleshes out the world because they make it so much more evident how race affects every part of the story while avoiding the zootopia racism problem. like obv a main theme of the story is like, humanity and desire, 'to eat is to live', etc, but since the majority of it takes place in the dungeon isolated from society and thru the lens of laios, the racial aspects play out more like shadows on a wall for most of the story.

then in the extras we get comics like this

which at a glance fleshes out the racial aspects via a character explaining the racial rules of universe - humans have x amount of bones, while orcs and kobolds have more. however, if u take it less straightforwardly, it points out how the concept of 'human' is a constructed concept in the world. the fact that there are different categories of human in different parts of the world based off of what types of humanoids occur there is already a demonstration of this. in response, the bones explanation seems to kabru and the characters as an objective way of measuring humans vs nonhumans.

but obv, when the culture was deciding what humanoids were humans and nonhumans, they weren't blindly analyzing skeletons and then deciding. just visually, one can glean that orcs and kobolds look less like the ingroup of tallmen, elves, dwarves, gnomes, etc. the bones explanation appears as a justification for that immediate prejudice under a scientific guise - I'm sure that one could come up with the same number of physical differences between a gnome and an elf that they would find between a tallman and an orc. it sounds a lot better to say 'well, an orc has 230 bones while a human has 206' then 'well, an orc looks ewwww yucky yucky to me while a human looks normal'.

and what i like abt the comic is that the characters take the explanation at face value for the most part. when a contradiction is brought up in the oni, kabru can neatly slot them into the predetermined number of bones framework. bc that's kinda how it works irl - there r cultural prejudices that we can posthumously justify, and if we find something outside of it, we can twist it to fit into our predetermined binary. however, since the reader does not live in a world where there are orcs and kobolds to be prejudiced against, we can see that flaw in the cultural logic. when the party encounters the orcs, the number of bones has no bearing on their humanity. They r shown to be cliquish and distrusting of outsiders, but not any more than the elves are later in the story.

tldr dungeon meshi worldbuilding is so good

#just me #dungeon meshi #kabru #there r 10000000 examples of how fantasy racism affects the story of dungeon meshi not brought up in the main story #like namaris backstory and chilchucks union and the oni #augh. tasty manga #girls when themes of social isolation #ppl talk Abt the neurodivergent rep/allegory #the racial allegories aren't half bad either #social isolation guys social isolation

[finnicknot]

you are supposed to find coriolanus attractive, they want you to sympathise with him, they want you to root for him and then remember who he is, they want you to be confused and shocked when he does something you did not expect him to do because "is he really that bad?", you are supposed to have twisted feelings about him, the whole point is that you struggle with how you easily you are affected with his charisma and his looks and that you question yourself about WHY you feel so twisted about him. suzanne collins is smart as hell for not making it obvious that he is bad. for not giving you the usual villian origin story where the kind guy gets evil because something happened to him, without physically changing him to look a certain evil way, you are supposed to follow his story and remind yourself who he is. they want you to not really understand why he "turned evil". because there are coriolanus snows in our world. at our work place, in politics, everywhere. They might not (all) kill kids in a brutal battle, but they do things you can consider evil. they all had normal lifes and chances to be a good person but chose to be bad. coriolanus hunger games are his hunger for power.

#thg #the hunger games #coriolanus snow #tbosas #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #hunger games

[foone]

There exist another dimension called The Empty World. It's very much like ours, in fact it seems to have been identical up until a few weeks ago, but it always seems that way. If you go there today, it was identical in late february, and if you go there this october, it'll have been identical until september.

It's empty, as you might guess. There's no humans, and no animals bigger than a cockroach. The sky is grey, and it slowly rains ash. It's colder than our world by a bit, enough to require a jacket even in summer. The streets are empty, the cars parked neatly in their garages or in lots, but they're all empty and abandoned, their doors locked like they expect their owners to return any minute now.

The newspapers left on stands don't mention any oncoming disaster. We have no idea what the TV or internet would have said: the power is out. The power is very, very out. Not just the grid, but batteries are drained. The cars won't start, the emergency lights are out, and anything with solar panels seems to be getting less energy than you'd expect, even with the perpetually overcast sky.

It's a very silent world, like the calm after a snowstorm. Sounds don't seem to echo as much as they should, nor does sound seem to travel as far. The radio spectrum is empty except for static, there's no one transmitting on any frequency.

There's fewer fires than you'd expect. Even places you'd expect to soon catch fire without human intervention are still standing, undamaged. Campfires can be lit but with difficulty: something is keeping them from burning as they should. Even if you pour kerosene on a campfire it'll barely grow, it's like something sucked the energy out of everything.

All the locked buildings are still locked. Alarms don't sound if you break in (understandable, given the power situation), and of course no one comes to investigate. So The Empty World is your oyster: you can break in wherever you want (provided you can physically do it: some doors are pretty hard to pry open even with tools), take whatever you want, and bring it back here.

Everything resets when you leave. You always enter The Empty World like it's your first time there, like this just happened and you're late to the party... but the party keeps getting rescheduled. You can even take something multiple times if you want.

When you enter The Empty World you get there at the same relative position as you are on this world. If you're in New York, you show up in the empty New York. If you're in Topeka, you show up in empty Topeka. So you have to travel around this world to get to where you want, and you can't just appear in the middle of a bank vault... unless you break into the vault from this world. (So it's great if you work at a bank and want to steal from your employer without repercussions, but not so useful otherwise).

You don't just have to take things, you know. You can take computers and files and books and diaries. You will have to deal with recharging laptops and breaking through any security when you get back, but it's doable.

So, imagine you've just gotten access to The Empty World. What are you going to do with it? What will you take, and where will you go?

#my writing #the empty world