//------------------------------// // A Study in Displaced: Part One // Story: The Doctor Displaced // by Kaffeina //------------------------------// A Study in Displaced Part One by: The Doctor Article I The Void The Void is that transcendental space mentioned by various people and entities across the Omniverse. Most people, in particular the Displaced, seem to be more informed than others, likely due to their interactions with the beings that dwell there. Many still write off as a place where anything and everything and nothing is always happening, yet, according to the beings interviewed, this is far from a proper explanation. The Void, as its name implies, is the area between universes and, most densely, between Multiverses. This next dimension of 'space' is not exactly a void, however. A void implies complete and utter nothingness. As known by most, universes are the areas of order and matter in the Void, represented in various forms. Void Dwellers, the entities that reside in this place, have claimed to have seen every variance of shape size and color. Some universes aren't even visible at all, though, visibility is only relevant if one wishes it to be, whilst in the Void. Despite the variance, there is one common factor. A universe cannot directly access the Void, though, vice versa is not true. The limitations made here seem to be vast, however, as even empty universes do not reflect a copy of the Void. Few universes have ever been properly affected by the Void, and each have resulted in results that defy what has been stated, perhaps the result of the universe still not receiving a perfect corruption. These universes spawned multiple things, yet, the most notable are the first Void Dwellers. The first Dwellers were then met with by 'Sentient Concepts' the previous reigning rulers amongst the Void. These first beings were even stranger than their followers, with abilities that still leave many confused and speechless to these days. Void Dwellers are entities that have been slightly corrupted by the Void and can control a small fraction of it. Sentient Concepts, by comparison, can control massive portions, though they vary as well. The other universes spawned 'Voidlings', powerful corruption lesser entities that attempt to devour crumbling universes. Mostly, these are harmless, as they seek to devour only the universe and not its inhabitants, for some unknown reason. Lastly, we have Displaced. The first Displaced were also the result of a Void corruption. They were disrupted and, by the will of whoever stood by them that day, allowed to survive and flourish in other universes. Few universes see this happen, and, as of yet, have only resulted in these three effects, an odd occurrence in a place of random possibilities. In the Void, universes act much like planets, and many are, in fact, barren, empty, or uninhabitable, though not usually all three. Despite the variance, after having been granted to study a universe amongst the void, discoveries were made about them. Much like planets, they have an 'atmosphere' of sorts, however, through this veil only a portion, the most 'active portion' of the universe, is visible. However, after using portion of bottled Void, this atmosphere showed little resistance. Yet, when paired with the 'magnetic field' of the universe, provided a very resilient surface to Void interaction. Despite much research, no explanations have been garnered about this force, though some theories have arisen. When theory after theory arose, even amongst Void Dwelling associates, a Concept was questioned, their response was a mere smile. Current agreed upon theory is that it is the force of pure order, whereas the Void is the force of pure chaos. The Void itself is far more confusing than typically agreed upon. Even amongst the many, many, Void Dwellers, there is little agreed upon. However, research has been led to believe that the Void itself is energy and pure, raw, matter. Matter in an unknown form. None of the studied matter holds properties of the usual physical realms. This matter seems to be a soup, a raw primordial soup. Some atoms hold 1 billion protons and a single neutron, while some seem to be nothing but electrons, or even nothing at all. In a sense, the properties of this form of matter is the combination of all forms of matter, liquid, solid, plasma, gas, and even Einstein Bose Condensates. The entanglement of this matter with all forms of other properties makes it something considerably interesting. This matter is now referred to as Primordial Quantum Voidic Matter, PQVM for short. The colliding atoms create a small portion of the energy, while, in the other section, the energy seems to be generated by Concepts, by universes, and seeps from the very Void itself. This energy holds no constant, disappearing at will. Strangest of all, is the Concept who was most interested in the research. Whenever entering the room, all the energy and matter would repel and suddenly splash back. They seemed to both absorb and expel all at the same time. When using their power, the Void would bend flawlessly to their will. When asked, the response was nothing short of yet another smile. Dwellers seem to hold a small control over the energy, yet do not generate it, nor do 'Realmers'. Dwellers bend and absorb the Void, yet none have a fair amount of control over it. Whenever placing a Realm being into the Void, they seem to dissolve and convert to matter and energy. It would seem that ordinary matter, even forms of antimatter, cannot be held to their predecessor or counterpart. It is, as stated, pure and raw. Order plays no part and dissolves before it. The process is painless, oddly enough, and can be reversed with disturbing ease. The Void seems to hold itself back when doing this, as if it has a will of its very own. The Void is an odd, existential, level of dimensions, matter, energy. It is the place where, yes, anything and everything exists, and yet, not even in the Void, is there a place where truly nothing exists. Each universe, person, place, in this Omniverse truly holds some of the Void in it, yet, the Void is something far different from what one might expect. If there is a truly a place where it is nothing, it would, in all truth, be deadly to anything of our Omniverse, because Existence is what we dwel in. Should we find that place one day, studies will most definitely have to be made. * * Article II Displaced and Tokens The Displaced, as previous mentioned, are the 'Dimensionally Misplaced' (See Footnote II.a). In a typical situation, the Displaced is changed to fit the bill of a character they were roleplaying or cosplaying as, the usual center for a victim is a convention. Conventions are commonly used for their number of people, lack of guards, and just the type of person attending them. Due to this, the majority of Displaced are, or start as, humans. Humans are typically found to be incredibly adaptable, quicker to accept fate, and in general are more susceptible to Displacement. Due to their high amount of fictional content, universes with humans, though mostly the human planet, are found to have a thinner barrier and are much easier to access. On the other half, humans are also often found to deny reality, and this can be either a pro or a con, for a Displacer. The majority of current Displaced accept their fate, or have gone mad enough, a common occurrence which will be explained momentarily, that they don't care anymore. Displaced are often seen in various light, some being villains, some heroes, some neither. As such, many worlds have varied opinions on their residential Displaced. Humans are also susceptible to changes in their mental state, both for the madness, though this holds yet other reasons, and for their abilities to quickly change to fit their character and learn its powers. Many Displaced are granted with knowledge of how to use their powers rather quickly. Madness is a common occurrence amongst Displaced for a variety of reasons. The most common being the sheer amount of force put by their new powers on their mind and the physiology of their body being changed, along with the change in mental biology. The character they may have been changed into may have a mental state susceptible to madness or just so different from the Displaced's original that it drives them mad. Another occurrence is the presence of Madness, a Concept, in that world. Usually madness tends to only affect the Displaced of the Merchant, or her own to a lesser degree. We will delve further into why she does this at another point. Last among reasons, is the force put forth by a Displacer's will, making the Displaced obey their will so they will do what the Displacer requires. As humans are not as susceptible to this as most races, they have a tendency to rebel and fall to madness. Despite the common occurrence of Convention Displaced or roleplaying Displaced, there are a fair number of which whom are not of either. Some are Convention Displaced who merely bought an item and ended up being forged around the item in question, while others have an even stranger start. There are Displaced whom received a few powers and were sent there as themselves, or in another physiology, and these have a startling low amount of madness as their power forms around them, as opposed to them forming around their powers. These Displaced are never brought from the same events, though they do seem to share that they have been given a second chance at life, having nearly died before being Displaced. Others merely wished for a way out and were by chance gifted it. The Displaced are not common, though they seem to have boomed in the latest cycles. There are several thousand more than in the beginning, and it seems to provide an odd sort f balance and competition amongst their Displacers, a group of Void Dwellers and Concepts who, if it were not obvious, Displace people or other variances thereof. Displacers share some traits with their Displaced, and some once were Displaced, but a few seem to have more at stake in the 'competition' that has arisen, if one can even call it that. Some Displacers only have one, maybe two, Displaced while others have an exponential amount more. Most notable are the Merchant, and Madness, also called Essence. Common belief states that the Merchant was the start of Displacement, and much evidence says to this, though that may not be true. The Merchant is an odd sort of Concept, being the Concept of Greed and Desire, and seems to have a more sinister reason for Displacing people, even following a more dark form of Displacement. In this form of Displaced creation, the victim of Displacement is taken from their world and their body is destroyed whilst their consciousness, their soul, is held during the acquiring of a new body, the body of the person the Displaced is becoming. The original soul is removed, and the Displaced's is put there in its stead while the original soul ceases existence. This form often left worlds crippled and bent, until a failsafe was instilled, forcing, after a number of Displaced, the Merchant to follow the same methods as his rivals. The more humane method of Displacement involves placing the person into the Void itself and letting their body dissolve slightly, whilst their mind or soul is placed in a hibernation of sorts. After a long enough time, a new body is formed around them through the force and will of their Displacer. This form also seems to lead to less ill effects, as, in technicality, it is still the Displaced's original form. There are a likely number of other forms of Displacement, but those need not be mentioned as they are simple as can be. Once a person is Displaced, they are allowed to adapt to their new world, and in the case of the Mental Exchange Displacement, this often leads to certain Displaced having their body's old world inhabitants among Equestria, though these seem to evolve to the new world quickly. In the case of Reformation Displacement, the Displacer copies the base form's world's inhabitants, creatures, or items and minerals, and places them amongst the new world, putting them there either shortly before the Displaced, or at the beginning of time. Amongst the Displaced, there is a common form of communication. This form is often called a 'Token' and is usually an item of some sort, usually something pertaining to the person who has a desire to create it. Displaced tokens are often copied and scattered amongst all Displaced worlds, allowing them to meet up and help each other, an odd event in most Multiverses. Despite common belief that a Displaced's powers create a Token, this is far from the truth. Displaced Tokens are already instilled with the power by a Displacer and the Displaced merely activates this power. In other cases, the Displacer will react with the Displaced and create the Token as the Displaced does, giving the illusion the Displaced made it themself. A token also acts as a few other things, namely a means to summon a Displaced. When a Displaced is summoned, unless they hold something capable of surviving in the Void, they will not arrive at their destination. In most cases, the Displaced's original Token base if given this ability, as many items seem to hold a higher resilience to the Void. However, a normal item such a table will dissolve much faster than a living being, this being due to the lack of power in the item itself. In other cases, the Displacer will create a universal tunnel, allowing the Displaced to travel to this other world. Tokens also act as a means of communication, creating an almost telepathic link between the Displaced and the Token-holder. Displaced are not the only beings to hold the ability to sue this, or the ability to summon Displaced. It requires a level of power, but only a fraction, as the Token merely requires an anchor. These tokens finally serve as a power holder, or canister of some sort. While not all can do this, some hold a mimic of the original Displaced's power. There are restrictions, starting off that the power is not as strong or potent, and only lasts a short period of time. Tokens are a important piece of the Displaced community and structure.