Another leisurely day passes by through the city, especially through the eyes of the Stars who watch from where it is they hide themselves away. The city itself seems at peace, even after that dungeon had risen from the sands to be explored. Nothing new, nothing to be wary of β beyond the typing on the computer from one of the Stars known as Pleiades.
"I think it's been a little too quiet. We can only watch so much before testing them a little, don't you think?" Her voice echoes through the lit room, one finger tapping on her cheek as she observes the screens after she stops whatever input she was debating. It's a risk, but one she's always willing to take if it means progress, especially for those subjects they keep a keen eye on below.
"What were you thinking?"
"Hm. Progress... ? Progress... I want to see how much they've grown. Not just in the city, but from their past selves, too."
It was a curious idea, one that Pleaides was keen on seeing through upon it entering her mind. So the typing continues, strings of code at her fingertips being submitted into the computers before hitting enter so that it might take root.
Within the city itself, everyone feels just as always. Until that feeling of being ripped apart settles in, as if the very foundation of their bodies were being torn in two. Only when the pain subsides would they realize that it was actually the case, some coming face to face with none-other than themselves. Not just a duplicate, but one from a long before, looking as they did from a time they no longer live in: the past.
A smirk sprawls across her mouth at the incident, all too pleased at her doing.
"... Um, Miss Pleiades? How are we going to test that growth of theirs."
"Ah. Good question. Let's see..."
Leaning forward, it only takes a second for the screens of the city to flicker to life, overriding anything with a wave of static to relay her voice.
"Good evening, everyone. I trust you've noticed something strange has happened again... an unfortunate malfunction occurred just recently." A lie, but it was none of their business what the real reason was going behind the scenes, right? "You can feel it, can't you? As if something is missing. Well, it seems a part of you has broken free from who you are. A bit from your past, from the looks of it. This can bring dire consequences if not corrected. We can't have you running around in tandem without everything falling apart, so we'd like to ask that you track them down and regain what was lost."
"Of course, you're welcome to leave them alone if you'd like. But remember this: if you can't accept your past, you'll be losing your future. You don't want them taking your spot in life, do you?"
A pause, only for them to speak one more time without elaborating.
"That's all. Oh, and good luck."
The screens go black, fizzling out in a gentle tone of white noise before all falls silent. Before long, the city carries on with its own living β cars continuing to drive through the streets, shops selling their wares, and much more. But still, that sensation of something missing lingers in you, gnawing its way through your chest with an urgency that only continues to grow...
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Your muses have, plainly speaking, woken up to a version of themselves that has split off from them, one that has come from a pivotal point in their past! That means acting as if they would in the past, looking like they would in the past, thinking that they're from that time, etc. Essentially there are two versions of the character in the city at the current time, meaning others can also run into their past self at any given time since they have their own will and independent thought. There's also a noticeable part of them that feels like it's missing from your muse after the split, something that urges them to seek out that side of them to confront their past... Or remain with that empty feeling that continues to gnaw at them from the inside out, one that grows more and more with each passing hour.
PIVOTAL POINT? WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
Things such as: they were from another faction before defecting, a time they regretted their actions or decisions, or a point in time where they started to change to who they are today. Any point can be a pivotal point if you think it is, so long as they're different from who they used to be at the time. As long as there's a little bit of a difference, anything is fine and the decision is entirely up to you!
The goal is, ultimately, to confront your past self and accept who you were. Just as the Stars said (whether one believes them or not), in order to keep your future, you must learn to accept your past for what it is and co-exist with them once again in the same body.
There's also the philosophical side of it, such as questioning which is the real you? Can you tell? Does something like that even matter? You've both lived as yourselves, so why would one be more important than the other? Feel free to tackle things like these along the way!
DO WE ALL SEE OUR MUSE'S PAST SELF AFTER THE INITIAL SPLIT?
Not at all! Some people will have their past selves right in front of them, while others could have had their split selves appear in other parts of the city and need to track them down. Do whatever you feel you'd like for your threads!
CAN WE THREAD USING JUST OUR PAST SELVES?
You may! You don't need to have your present self in the thread to write with them, so feel free to mix and match people meeting your past self without the need to attach them to your present character. After all, they're just as independent and free as your characters are. Have friends meet who you used to be, meet who your friends used to be and so on. Just have fun with it!
WHAT IF MY MUSE DOESN'T ACCEPT THEIR PAST SELF?
Well, you'll just have to wait and see, won't you?
