TokiToki Channel ch4: I Tried Keeping Time as a Pet (2)

This X represents your time.

This point where the lines of the X intersect
is where you are right now.

This part above is your future...

Um, you're a bit close.
Show us the whiteboard.

So below the X is my past?
That's right.

What about the left and right?
This area outside of X is something you can never meddle with.

Future
Past

The non-causal realm.

Yep, I'm already lost...
These two cones are called light cones.
The top one is the future light cone and the bottom one is the past light cone.

At the summit where the future and past meet is where you are.

Are you keeping up?
Not really~...

But I'll do my best so I can understand Time-chan.
That's the spirit.
Time-chan: A crystallization of time

Okay then, what do you think these lines forming an X that separate your time
from the non-causal realm are?

Erm~ They're lines that form an X, so~...
...X-lines?
That's way too simple.

You're not that far off.
Seriously!?

The correct answer is light.
The X-lines are light too.

There's a limit to the world you can conceive.
That limit is determined by the speed of light.
The speed of light is constant.

It's a wall you can't cross.
You can neither perceive nor influence what's on the other side.
That's what I mean by non-causal realm.

While we're on the subject of light,
Time-chan's skin is made up of light.

Think of what you're seeing as the boundary of the light cones formed by the X-lines
and what's inside as the non-causal realm.

You can't see it, so you can't meddle with it at all.
Eh~? But I pet it, didn't I? Felt it and everything.

That was a reaction from you making contact with the boundary of your world.
It didn't reach anything inside.

Erm... The boundary is this side? And...
the inside is the non-cow... corr...
Ah, right...
I'm guessing you don't get it.

I'll do my best!
I can still just about follow along... I think!?
I see.

She's having teething fever.
She's getting sleepy.
No, I really get it! I'll do my best! With all of you!

Ah, but there's more people than when we began!
Good for you.

For the people who came in mid-way, we'll have a break and a recap.
Erm, this little thing is Time-chan.

If this is my time, then what about other people's?
Like yours, Tatara-san.

There are as many X... light cones as there are people.

Me
Future
Past
Sakura

Each with their own non-causal realms.

Sharing the same time is impossible.

But we're sharing the same time right now, aren't we?
That's just what you think.

Light may be the fastest way to transfer information,
but between light reflecting off of me and plunging into your eye, there is an unavoidable time lag.

Therefore, you cannot say we are sharing "right now".
My now is in your non-causal realm.

Sounds like nit-picking to me.

So whose time is this anyway?
Yours, Tatara-san?

No.
It's a unique time that arose when I made this thing.
Woah.

Huh?
This person literally made time.

p10

She's right.
Can she make a single day double!?
No, I'm just like everyone else. Anyone can stretch out time if they wanted to.

Eh? Even me?
You just need to move quickly.

Just by riding a car, you become faster by a hundred-billionth of a second.
The closer to the speed of light, the more effective it becomes.
That doesn't sound very realistic.

Then just get close to a supermassive object.

Like a planet.

p11

Even now, just by being on this Earth, the planet's gravitational pull makes time slower.
The heavier the gravity, the slower the passing of time becomes.

If you wanna go somewhere close by, try going to the sun.
I see.

That's just the theory of relativity.
Relativity... Hey, isn't that...
That's right.

The theory of relativity, in that the passing of time differes depending on the person.
That's what it's like at the start.

p12

Time is surprisingly unstable, huh?

Never mind unstable.
When you get to a microscopic level, time is nowhere to be found.

Most things don't exist on an atomic level.
And it's not just time.

Colors are just labels that living creatures who can perceive light wavelengths use on their own.
Heat is just the result of materials vibrating from the kinetic energy of atoms.

Even we
are just clouds of hollow atoms if you zoom in closely enough.

p13

But in reality, time does exist.

That's why
we're talking about if time even exists in the first place.

Cooking exists because humans have a sense of taste.
Visual cultures such as manga and movies exist because we can see.

p14

So time exists because we can perceive time?
Yep.

I see.
Time is a creative work... I think I get it now.

If I'm gonna keep it, I should give it a proper name.
You're keeping it?
Hmm. Time... Time, huh...

p15

How about Ban-chan?

There's a character in Alice Through the Looking-Glass called Bandersnatch.
That's a being of time, right?
Never heard of it.

Well, anything's fine.
Yeah, this'll work! Ban-chan!

Come here, Ban-chan~
There's no way it'll come.

This way.

p16

Huh?

Looks like it's taken a liking to me.
Fufun.

Why do you look so shocked?

Um, sorry about that.
No, this can't be...

Don't worry, Tatara-san. If you just treat it kindly too...
That's not what I meant.
How...

p17

is it able to recognise you?

I see. Ban-chan is surround by light,
and inside is the non... the non-whatchamcallit.
The non-causal realm.

Covered in light
Can't see or meddle with

There's no way your voice should reach it...

p18

Tatara-san looks cool when she's lost in thought,
but the screen isn't moving, so let's leave her be.

Ch. Second Stream

Let's observe Ban-chan.
It's still moving to and fro like always.
Hmm. If I only knew where its eyes and nose were....

How about you draw some?

Hey, Ban-chan... Don't move...
Wait, what are you doing?

p19

The linework's all messy because Ban-chan kept moving around~
Look you...

That's actually pretty well drawn.
Oh.

A first time viewer~
I don't think ink particles are going to remain on its surface for very long, though.

Welcome. Thanks for com-...
Hm?

Viewer count: 45 + nu

p20

What's "+ nu"?
You're right.
Was that always there?
Maybe it's a bug?

Come to think of it, there was the other time too...

Viewer count: 61

You mean that unknown colossal listener!?
Maybe?
Wow, you really latched onto that one.

I hope that's the case.
In what way!?
It would mean they liked my last stream.

Hey, are you watching~
Feel free to leave a comment~

p21

A colossal listener?
What happened last time?
Oh right. I'd better do a quick recap for the first-time viewers.

I drank the universe.
Tatara-san here scooped it up from around here.

And then in the far-off distance was this huge person...
well, it might not've been a person,
but I connected to them.
I'd be happy if this "+ nu" turned out to be them.

Yeah, yeah.
You drank the universe?
What is this stream? Scary...
Oh crap, I'm scaring the first-timers!

p22

Time to throw in the cute creature!

Tokitoki Ch. Second Stream

Come here, Ban-chan~

The fact it comes when you call to it is weird.

What does time eat?
You're seriously keeping it?
Of course I am.

We brought this little guy home, so we need to watch over it.
I didn't bring it home.

p23

That's cute???
Which of the two of you brought it home?
That's an interesting question.

Do you remember which one of us it was?

I don't know.

Hmm.

p24

There there, Ban-chan~

A non-causal realm surrounding by light cone boundaries.

Ban-chan

There should be no way to influence it.

To influence it...
The reverse...
If it's the reverse.
...The reverse?

AAAAAAAH!

p25

You scared me~
What is it?
I've got it!

It's not the other side of the boundary.
It's operating on this side.

It's so obvious when you think about it!?
Wait, the inside and outside is mixed up?

So in other words, it's not the stuff inside Ban-chan
but the time surronding Ban-chan that's reacting to me?
That's right!

p26

The time within the boundary is what's allowing Ban-chan to move, like muscles inside an exoskeleton"
The boundary's surface is moving in response to the call of your own time!

And that means what exactly?

It means
the time you're in right now itself
is Ban-chan.

p27

This thing's time is Sakura's time so...
Huh?
Then I created Sakura's time?
Or at the very least had an influence on it...

Isn't that strange?
Strange?

You said people can't share the same time, didn't you?

What's the meaning of this?
Hey.

p28

Hey.
Hey.

She's coming on strong.
Is she stirring her up?
You said it was "impossible", but it was possible after all!
I'm breaking into a smirk.

No... It's not entirely impossible...
Like, for example, a quantum collapse region within a black hole...

Is this a black hole~?
I don't think it is~
Don't stir her up.

Tokitoki Ch. Second Stream

I don't get it...

p29

Sorry lolol That be me lolol

Eh?

Izz thiS translating okey?
What is this?
Where is it coming from?
I synchronyzed wIth Tokitoki ChanneL
and maed it whyle waTching ur channel (do it)

p30

What's this?
First-timer here. Commemoratory kakiko.

Ah, a first-timer. Welco-

The "+ nu" is gone!
Count: 51

Was that voice just now
the Internet 3 thingy who came last time!?
Seriously?

Erm, thank you for your comment!
I dunno if you're still listening, though~

p31

It said something about synchronising with your channel.

If I had to guess...
When I created that time, the mysterious listener

might've observed the creation of photons
and then synchronised with your channel?
That led to your time being created.

I understand perfectly.
I see.
Really?
Uwah.

p32

Uwah
It's crazy outside
Look outside!!

Outside?
Wah~
Ban-chan~

p33

Ban-chan's face is in the sky...
Why?
Maybe Ban-chan's two sides have become connected.

It's looping.
Everything up to that area is your time.
Ah.

Uwauwahuwah
Isn't it bad to shoot outdoors?
You'll dox yourself
End the stream
Oh crap!

Sorry, I'll end the stream!
Erm, I'll temporarily private the VOD, and if there's anything bad, I'll edit it out.
End it already.
Okay! Thank you very much! Please come watch me again!

Please watch over our new member Ban-chan from now on too!
Stream has ended.
Channel subscriber count: 21 -> 56

A cute pet has joined.

Warning