VOICE

[burlyboy]

Right, so. Thought experiment. Bear with me here.

Let's say you got a chance to go back and change whatever that dumb shit you did was - you know, the point where everything went wrong, or you wish you would've done something differently. Only if you change that, that means erasing everything that ever happened after too, good or bad. Everything you're proud of, and all the friends you made.

Would you do it?

[ Hm. This sounds super specific and super suspicious! HE'S JUST GONNA... COUCH IT A LITTLE. ]

I met a really weird witch, fellas.

[ #nailedit. Which is to say: hello, everyone, one Magnus Burnsides is back in town and, ostensibly, acting as though he never left! ]

Comments

audio.

[youresovein]

It seems to me that anyone who can pinpoint just one moment they'd want to change has led a rather dull life.

audio.

[burlyboy]

Pfft. Yeah. Or maybe one that's not exciting enough. Even people who've lived a lot can think of that one thing.

You seriously don't have one?

[Voice]

[generalgrievous]

Changing my biggest mistake and the path that took would have resulted in only one other option. Neither of these ways would have brought about a good result.

[Voice]

[burlyboy]

So, what, no third option? It's not always one or the other.

voice

[am_i_a_monster]

That's a hard question. The stuff I'd change is also the stuff that kept me alive until it didn't. I would have died sooner. Would I still be portered here and brought back to life?

[A pause.]

I'm guessing you have a regret and this witch said they could help you with it?

voice

[burlyboy]

Oh, shit. Sorry, uh... sorry you're dead? [ JUST... GONNA IGNORE THAT QUESTION. ] You wouldn't go back and change whatever happened before that to put you in the position of doing - whatever it is you were doing that you'd wanna change?

private voice

[h2no]

[EXCUSE ME?????? EXCUSE ME]

Do you remember?

perma ^^^ ALL OF THE ABOVE

[burlyboy]

[ oh neat it's archie ]

Uh?

[ oh, shit. it's archie. ]

Yeah? I mean, yeah. I do.

[ IS THAT A BAD THING??? ]

u get both my boys for this one

[knaval]

No. I've seen that choice before and it always goes badly. You do it for yourself, and it messes up something for everyone else. It's selfish and short-sighted.

[it was on a bigger scale than what magnus is suggesting, admittedly - kill megatron and avoid the war, but have everyone on cybertron suffer greatly under the senate megatron would've dismantled. let him live and the galaxy suffers untold losses through the collateral damage from their civil war.

no-one won. having the choice at all was horrible.]

I don't say that lightly. I made a mistake recently that contributed to pretty much all my friends being killed. A cowardly, selfish mistake. I want to change it. I would probably say yes, if I had this choice, but... messing with the timeline like that can't ever result in anything good. Maybe I could change it and they'd survive, but something worse would happen.

[a beat.]

Though, I guess I'm only thinking about my own fears, here. I don't know. I hate this question.

HELL YEAH I DO, best of both worlds

[burlyboy]

[ Hey, when he asked this super heavy question, should he have expected heavy answers? Yes. Was he expecting all my friends are dead?

Well, he probably should have. ]

Well, dip. Sorry, fella. That sounds rough. [ He's quiet for a moment, trying to figure out what to say, and how to say it. ] You're really sure something worse would happen, like - like, one hundred percent? It can't just be that either things go bad or worse. There's gotta be a hundred different outcomes.

[mindsnakes]

No.

[See? That was easy. Ask him a hard one.]

[burlyboy]

Cool answer. I'm gonna give you a ten-outta-ten for brevity. So, which is it? You have no regrets, or you're just super chill about them?

Voice

[purple_reign]

Do we remember everything from the timeline we've lived already after we change it?

Voice

[burlyboy]

Yeah. But you can't, like, go back out there and do all that shit you did all over again. You gotta live like you don't.

Voice

[beautiful_monster]

What the hell, Magnus! You're not thinking about doing something stupid, are you? You better not change shit and screw up all my training!

Voice

[burlyboy]

Settle down! I already said no. I'm just... I'm curious. That's all.

Text

[viced]

That's an awfully pointed and personal question to ask an entire network.

permavoice

[burlyboy]

Ughhhhh, text. Come on, just talk like a normal person.

[ UGH!!!! ]

It's not like I'm forcing anyone to answer. If you think it's too personal, you don't have to say jack shit.

text

[beaky]

Depends how much that event defined you as a person and what you'd stand to gain.

When did you meet a witch?

permavoice

[burlyboy]

Boooooo text.

[ Okay, that said: ]

Back home. Trust me, if I thought everyone here could just start changing things willy nilly, I wouldn't be advertising it.

voice;

[riddleman]

My mistakes, such as they are, are what made me who I am.

But on the other hand, I suppose it would be interesting to have this second chance at being someone else. Someone more wholesome.

Re: voice;

[burlyboy]

If you wanted to be more wholesome, couldn't you just start now? No time like the present!

video

[halloflamer]

Yeah.

[Without hesitation. Without doubt. Absolutely, he would.]

[Blue puffs out a little sigh, but his brow furrows in concern now that he's answered, let his regrets sink beneath the surface again.] ...Are you okay? I mean, that kind of thing sounds like a fairytale, but...

video

[burlyboy]

No, it's, uh... I made the right choice. That's all that matters.

[ That's a mighty fast answer, Blue. He wasn't expecting it. Blue's a good kid. ]

...what would you change?

[Text]

[prophesiedone]

Yes.

Weird how?

Re: [Text]

[burlyboy]

Why is it that everyone sees a fella talking and decides to type back?

[ Is he going to bitch at everyone who texts him? Yes. Yes, he is. ]

Weird as in - I dunno, weird. Witches are weird, it's a whole thing. What'd you change?

[Voice]

[topmeup]

Thought about it, but if it meant the lives I've saved wouldn't be saved, and other people would die instead...not my place to be making that choice.

[But to the more important thing.] But you met a witch?

[Voice]

[burlyboy]

[ Magnus' voice is warm. Good answer, he thinks. ]

Now that's the way to think about it. I met a witch, sure, but that ain't really the point. What d'you do, that you're spending your time saving lives?

AUDIO.

[accelerate]

[ dude, why are you calling barry out like this? ]

Yeah. [ he doesn't sound so confident over it, though. something feels familiar about it ... barry may have lost his memories specifically tying him to running back in time and changing the past, but thinking about it here has rendered the memory blank. he can't remember. sorry, magnus, he won't be giving out any great advice. ]

[ his words begin slow, but then trip on one another. ] I mean ... Maybe? I don't know. What kind of witch did you meet?

Re: AUDIO.

[burlyboy]

[ look barry sometimes you're not the only one tempted to turn back time so some jackass murderer won't kill a special lady in your life ]

A weird one. Does it matter?

So something went bad enough for you to want a re-do?

video. private.

[functusofficio]

It is a thought that has occurred to me regularly, yes.

I'm not sure I know any real answer to it yet. It's hard to tell what a different choice would have changed.

I'm glad to see you back.

video. private.

[burlyboy]

Regularly, huh? That's not something nice folks like you should hafta think about.

[ Something... real bad happened to Padme, didn't it? And she's still out here, preaching kindness and civility. That's gotta say something about her, but mostly it just makes Magnus sad. ]

Glad to see you too, Padme. You wanna talk about it?