Parallels

You just completed the ritual. You did everything right, why didn't it work? You've done it thousand times. Whats missing? What went wrong? Your colleagues are going to laugh at you, you can't bear that embarrasment all over again. Why is it so hard to understand that multiple spaces coexisting all at once? Maybe thats not the hard thing for everyone to understand... Maybe they laugh at you because you think you can view these multiple realities all at once from conducting some silly ritual you read about in old book. [[Do the ritual one more time]] [[Give up, and go home]] <blockquote class="imgur-embed-pub" lang="en" data-id="a/TB7jm"><a href="//imgur.com/TB7jm"></a></blockquote><script async src="//s.imgur.com/min/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

*sigh* You complete the ritual one final time, but alas, nothing. Sure you could conceptualize these spaces, perhaps even make a diarama of them, in fact you've already done that to present your theory to the funding board. *you just left out the fact you would be conducting a mythological ritual to view them* But thats... lacking, for you. You need to actually **see** them Ah well, maybe tomorrow [[head to the bar for a drink]] [[Give up, and go home]]

The dog starts following you it wont leave you alone. You're getting closer to your apartment now, but the dog wont leave you alone. <blockquote class="imgur-embed-pub" lang="en" data-id="Re0guOL"><a href="//imgur.com/Re0guOL"></a></blockquote><script async src="//s.imgur.com/min/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script> [[go faster]] [[play with dog]]

Suddenly, the dog splits in 2 right before your eyes! Theres 2 dogs now,completely identical dogs! Right there in front of you! [[run away]] [[keep playing with the dogs]]

You get to the bar, take up your normal seat, and make eye contact with Frank, your favorite local bartender. [[Ask him about his day]] [[Ask for today's drink specials]] [[Wallow in silence]] <blockquote class="imgur-embed-pub" lang="en" data-id="a/GHUw3"><a href="//imgur.com/GHUw3"></a></blockquote><script async src="//s.imgur.com/min/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Do I know you? - Frank [[uhm? yeah Frank I've been here a hundred times, thats my name scrawled into the bartop...]]

uhhh, lets see here, I've got a IPA on tap, and I'm making a mean gin and tonic these days. [[Frank you tell me that everyday.]]

After a few drinks, and a couple hours to mull over your thoughts you still can't figure out what went wrong [[keep drinking]] [[Give up, and go home]]

Dude, I dont know you, but that name there is my best friend... and you're **NOT** my best friend. Just then you look down and see the name *Matt* scrawled into the bar top. But Matt's the researcher who told you your idea was absurd! He said you can't possible use a ritual to see alternate realities... He just wanted to create *representational spaces*, to *imagine* what other worlds looked like. Not you, you wanted something different, you wanted to make something impossible happen, you wanted to expereince the spatial practice, to see how other universes worked, the daily reality of another world. [[Thats weird, I wonder whats going on?]]

Just then it clicks, the ritual worked!...Well sort of... You havent been able to see the infinite realities of the universe, but you have been transported to one of them, and in this one, you dont know Frank. *now how can you prove it* [[Leave and perform the ritual again]]

Do I know you? -Frank [[uhm? yeah Frank I've been here a hundred times, thats my name scrawled into the bartop...]] [[Wallow in silence]]

It's been a few hours now, you really should head home, it's dark, but you walked here so you're going to have to walk back. You're not going to figure this out tonight anyway. [[Give up, and go home]]

The dog starts chasing you it wont leave you alone [[go faster]]

They keep multiplying! theres hundreds of dogs swarming you now! [[What is going on!?]] [[It doesnt matter, I actually love dogs this is awesome!]]

You cant run any faster, and you're out of breath! You're going to have to stop and play with the dog. [[play with dog]]

You pause to think for a moment but are overrun by all of the dogs! [[It doesnt matter, I actually love dogs this is awesome!]]

Just then it dawns on you, the rital worked!?... Well sort of, I mean did you get to see all of the alternate realities of the universe? Not technically, but it appears this time it transported this dog, and all of its copies in all of the alternate realities here to this very spot! [[But how do I prove it?]]

You head back to the lab to perform the ritual, everything seems normal, although you did notice some of the street signs appear slightly differently, you just can't quite figure it out. <blockquote class="imgur-embed-pub" lang="en" data-id="a/s333u"><a href="//imgur.com/s333u"></a></blockquote><script async src="//s.imgur.com/min/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script> When you get to the lab, your key doesnt work, in fact, the lock that you have been un-locking for the better part of a decade doesnt even exist anymore. You can't get in! The sign on the building still reads *Creative Energy Systems* could they have updated the locks?... No its only been a few hours since you left. Wait a second...that's just it, no one has every heard of you because in this universe, you dont exist. you have literally transported yourself into a new world, and the only difference is you never existed in it, and with out being able to get into the lab, you'll never be able to get back to *you're* universe. <u>I guess you'll just have to make do here in this new world<u>

Just wait till you tell Matt about this! Matt's the researcher who told you your idea was absurd! He said you can't possibly use a ritual to see alternate realities... He just wanted to create representational spaces to *imagine* what other spaces looked like. But not you, you wanted something different. You wanted to make something impossible happen to expereince the *spatial practice*, and to see how other worlds worked, the daily reality of another world. What was produced, and reproduced could be totally different somewhere else! Howelse can you know that with out actually visiting that other space. Which didnt *exactly* happen but hey this pretty close right? [[Head back to the lab with all of the dogs]]

You head back to the lab, everything seems normal, although you did notice some of the street signs appear slightly differently, maybe merging all of these realities, altered your own? <blockquote class="imgur-embed-pub" lang="en" data-id="a/s333u"><a href="//imgur.com/s333u"></a></blockquote><script async src="//s.imgur.com/min/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script> You get into your lab and as the dogs enter the space in which you performed the ritual, one by one they begin to dissappear! Great, you think to yourself, now how am I every going to keep my funding with out anything to show for all of my research.