Editing List of Possible Futures (section)

==[[Coil]]==
Although Coil experiences his alternate timelines simultaneously with the events in the real world, they are actually possible futures generated by his [[passenger]] at the point he chooses to "split the timeline".<ref name="SB1">Coil's power doesn't create universes. It's essentially precognition in the present, purely thought based. - [https://forums.spacebattles.com/posts/12848625 Wildbow on spacebattles]</ref><ref name="R1.2">Think of it more like when he chooses a future to follow, his thoughts/actions automatically follow that script until it's done, and then he can think freely again. - [https://redd.it/2e3jdx Comment by Wildbow] on Reddit </ref> For this reason, sources of "causality interference" interfere with his power - including most precognitives, meaning he can't make use of information-gathering powers an unlimited number of times in throwaway timelines.<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/Parahumans/comments/2e3jdx/coil_and_the_coins_wildbows_mistake_spoilers_608/cjw2363 Comment by Wildbow on Reddit]</ref>

Several minor examples of Coil's alternate timelines are shown in [[Interlude 8.z|his Interlude]]. More plot-critical examples are discussed in [[Extermination 8.8]]: 

*A succession of brief uses of his power to allow him to guess coin flips correctly when he first met the Undersiders;<ref>“Trick being that you can only have two realities running in parallel at a time, and the only differences between those realities hinge on the choices and calls you make.  So you delegate.  You find people who will follow orders.  Sometimes you send them out to do something in only one world, so that if things don’t go the way you want, you can default to the reality where you didn’t send them.  Or, in simpler terms, in one world, you flip a coin.  In the other, you hold on a second, delay, say something.”<br><br>“Until every coin you’re flipping gives you a heads.  You’re talking about Coil,” I realized. - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2012/03/27 Excerpt] from [[Extermination 8.8]]</ref><ref>Universe one: I, Coil, notice Taylor and nod. Taylor flips the coin, reveals it.<br><br>Universe two: I Coil, pretend not to notice Taylor. I speak to Grue. "It's a question of power. I can manipulate events, I have manipulated events for your benefit, and I have a wealth of resources at my disposal..."<br><br>Stop as soon as the coin is revealed. If Taylor's coin landed heads, go with that universe. If it didn't, then...<br><br>Universe 1: Notice Taylor, "Oh, yes, go ahead." She flips and reveals coin.<br><br>Universe 2: Keep talking. - [https://www.reddit.com/r/Parahumans/comments/2e3jdx/_/cjvqtm4 Wildbow on Reddit]</ref> 
*A world where the Undersiders [[Taylor vs Lung|engaged Lung]] earlier and Taylor turned up and attacked them both,<ref>“Anyways, point of this explanation is this:  Knowing we had an imminent fight with Lung coming, knowing Lung planned to pyrokinesis our general area until he rooted us out, got civilians to finger us or brought in enough capes to make life difficult for us, I called Coil.  He said he’d help, told us to wait five minutes, then take the more direct route, straight into the heart of ABB territory.<br><br>“We go, we take out a contingent of ABB gangbangers and scare off Oni Lee.  Then I get a call back from Coil.  The other reality?  We left earlier, went a different route.  Got in a fight with Lung before you showed.  You decided to attack both our groups while we were occupied fighting each other, worn out, only Lung was stronger at that time, too strong for you to do too much.  By the time you realized you’d have to work with us to stop him, which wasn’t long, it was too late.  Lung was too tough.”<br><br>I tried to picture that scenario.<br><br>“I got away, managed to call Coil, let him know what had happened.  Coil, in turn, informed me in this reality, the one you remember.  Told me to watch out for a junior hero in the area.” - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2012/03/27 Excerpt] from [[Extermination 8.8]]</ref> 
*A version of the [[Battle at the Bank]] where [[Bitch]] fought [[Glory Girl]] and was injured,<ref>The bank robbery, he had our back.  But timing was sensitive, and I guess he wanted to maximize the chances that he’d get Dinah, so he didn’t have a concurrent reality where he kept us out of action.  And, according to him, we succeeded in both cases, though Bitch got hurt in a fight with Glory Girl in the other one.  Lucky for us, I suppose, that the world where she didn’t get hurt was the same one where Coil got his captive. - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2012/03/27 Excerpt] from [[Extermination 8.8]]</ref> a world where the [[Battle at the Gallery]] didn't take place in case it was unsuccessful,<ref>“We didn’t have him for the fight with Bakuda, but we did have him for the fundraiser.  He had the other version of us in reserve.” - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2012/03/27/extermination-8-8/ excerpt] from [[Extermination 8.8]]</ref> 
*  An alternate version of [[Buzz 7.9]] where the Undersiders encountered [[Krieg]] and were taken down (based on a version of that chapter that was quickly edited by Wildbow.)<ref>“And the fight with Empire Eighty-Eight?”<br>Lisa frowned, “Apparently that was one case where he saved our hides.  Remember that call I got?  Telling me to be careful?  Same thing he did with the bank robbery.  Tells one version of me to push us to be careful, tells the other to go in for direct confrontation.  Knowing how he works, I try to nudge us in one direction or the other.  The group of us that went in for the headlong attack?  We got taken down.”<br>“That happened?” my eyes widened.  That would have been the fight with Night and Fog, and it hadn’t been pretty as it was.  “Did we die?”<br>Lisa shrugged, “Not sure.  He didn’t elaborate, often doesn’t, unless it’s key info.  But Coil decided not to go with that option, so it was clearly worse than what did happen.  Or worse in his eyes.” - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2012/03/27/extermination-8-8/ excerpt] from [[Extermination 8.8]]</ref><ref>Krieg used his power in the first 'lost chapter' - the chapter which (now) opens with Brian's chest getting stitched up after fighting Cricket. I wrote it at a point in time when I was pretty damn busy (IIRC, end of last semester at University?) and preoccupied (end of last semester at University?) and I rushed it. It came out rushed, a lot of conflict that made no sense. I pulled an all-nighter to rewrite it before the sun came up.<br><br>That chapter doesn't exist anywhere except in the email notifications and minds of the earliest Worm adopters. Before anyone says "Death of the Author", remember: it is canon. In the last chapter of Arc 8 before the interlude, Lisa talks about Coil's power - and how the events of the lost chapter were merely lost as a Coil altworld. - [https://forums.spacebattles.com/posts/15196243 Wildbow on Spacebattles]</ref><ref> I changed events for two reasons. The first is that I know from experience that I get really bored and frustrated if I do sweeping edits and/or rewrite a segment of story with the exact same events. The second will become apparent later – I’m simply having some fun with the mistake.<br>There’s no change to actual powers, here. The previous chapter is canon in many respects. - [https://forums.spacebattles.com/posts/15196243 Comment by Wildbow] on [[Buzz 7.9]]</ref> 
* A timeline where Coil kidnapped [[Panacea]] to heal Noelle's physical body and Shard connection. Due to the interaction of touched-based biology alteration vs. touch-based power/dampening & absorption, things didn't work out well and Coil was forced to abandon that timeline.<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/Parahumans/comments/39cfrs/_/cs287bv Reddit comment] by Wildbow, [https://forums.spacebattles.com/posts/17825565 Archived] on Spacebattles.</ref>