"You've mentioned."

so in conversation a topic that came up is the fact that the world might be imminently destroyed by sentient artificial general intelligence and even if it doesn't there are a lot of other things that are going very very very wrong with it like diseases and violence and natural disasters and all of that

and it occurred to me that it would be unconscionable to just leave without at least a token attempt at fixing those

Vivian points out that probably you can help with that, and suggests that I ask you to request that the world not end, from the Spirit, or something

my selfish wants are to not have to worry about saving this world before being allowed to go elsewhere, but my selfless wants are, well, i want the world to be okay

I think it seems much likelier that you could find good ways to help your world by leaving it than by staying! And I think the Spirit wouldn't put you in a story where taking some time to have fun and see the multiverse left your original world devastated. That sounds like a really sad story and not one the Spirit would like at all.

yeah

when you put it like that that makes sense

i was just kind of, it's the sort of thing i usually think about, you know? when i read other fiction, i always go, "you're being given phenomenal cosmic power and you're using it to find a new boyfriend, what is wrong with you?"

and it turns out that what is wrong with them is that dedicating my life to fixing the world's woes would, apparently, make me kind of miserable?

or, not exactly miserable, because i do want to grab this lever i'm given and move the world with it, it's just that i guess i've been offered power to go much farther beyond the confines of my universe and it felt kind of awful to

Tap tap tap tap.

leave that behind for, uh, "ethical" reasons, you know

and i think i'd like to acquire multiversal magic and then use that to fix the world a lot more than i'd like to, as Vivian put it, gaze wistfully at brilliant scientists and hope a solution to the world's problems falls out of that

i guess that'd be a pretty cool dating sim but i'm a fantasy girlie not an earthfic girlie

"Notebook says it's fine."

Vivian leans into Peter's personal space to gently pat the notebook.

That makes sense. I think you will get to have a story where you both have fun and—oh! Did someone just pat me?

He grins.

Vivian did, she really likes you

it makes sense for her to because you are the best notebook

Oh... ♡♡💖♡♡♡💖♡

"Oh my god this is the cutest fucking notebook," he says, showing the others the hearts.

"...can we group pat her. Would that be too much. Peter can you ascertain your notebook's interpersonal boundaries. I don't care about the rest of your interpersonal boundaries, if she's cool with it we're doing this."

"I approve of this plan."

"You're a dick, Viv," he opines.

the others want to know if they can give you collective pats

my guess is that you'd like that and furthermore would even like a group hug

but we want to be respectful of your boundaries

I don't know if I've ever been group hugged before! That sounds lovely. ♡

"She is okay with group pats but I suggested a group hug because she has expressed wanting to hug multiple times and forlornly mentioned that her lack of limbs for hugs is an issue."

"'Forlornly'."

Elbow.

"That was just uncalled for."

"No, that was both justified and righteous."

Vivian initiates groupbookhug.

Groupbookhug!

Yeah sure uh that.

"Gabe stop being so awkward all the time," Peter sighs, pulling him into a tighter hug.

(I hope I'm not poking anyone with my corners...)

I maintain that whoever told you your corners made you unsuitable for hugging has no idea what they were talking about, hugging books is a time-honored tradition of bookworms around the realm

"What'd she say?"

"She's anxious about her corners being too bad for hugging."

"...I've hugged tons of books."