Welcome to the world of the Torii Foundation, a universe where the multiverse is real, and dangerously fragile. This guide introduces the core ideas and reading approach for newcomers to the Torii stories.
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What the Torii Foundation Universe Is
At its core, the Torii Universe is a multiversal world built around one question:
What happens when humanity discovers that reality itself can tear?
Every Torii story explores those tears, called Fissures, where one Earth bleeds into another. These Fissures reveal alternate histories, broken worlds, and reflections of people who could have been us.
The tone blends scientific realism, existential mystery, workplace dramedy, emotional intimacy, and probably some other genres. Think Stargate SG-1 meets Friends, with touches of Fringe, Sliders, and maybe a little of Psych. It doesn't know what kind of story it wants to be.
The Torii Foundation does not just explore the multiverse. It monitors the cracks, contains the bleed, and explore the unknown.
Between realities lies the Nexus: a corridor of looping time, lagging reflections, and gravity shifts.
And at weak points in spacetime, Fissures, from which the multiverse bleeds through. Classified into four types:
Class-1 ("Whispers"): Micro-Fissure. One-way windows. Contained by Whisper Nets.
Class-2 ("Sonic Jackers"): Resonant anomalies. Disrupt quantum systems. Silence Protocol enforced.
Class-3 ("Doorways"): Macro-Fissure. Stable Fissures that provide access to the Nexus which leads to other realities. Only one active globally.
Class-4 ("Hellmouths"): Catastrophic. Uncontainable.
The One Macro-Fissure Rule: Only one active, large-scale Fissure exists globally (currently at Site-7, Meinong, Taiwan).
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The Torii Foundation
The Torii Foundation is the central organization across the setting. To the public, it appears as a humanitarian NGO devoted to disaster relief and research. Secretly, it's a containment and exploration agency that manages Fissures, and sends people to explore other realities.
Public CoverNGO as cover for the Torii Foundation's global presenceClimate and seismic disaster response teamsHumanitarian aidTechnology and ecological reconstruction grantsTorii Corporation as funding branchHidden MandateLocate, classify, and contain Fissures.Prevent knowledge of the multiverse from leaking to the public.Recover or neutralize cross-reality contamination.
The Foundation operates under strict protocols:
The Prime Directive: Observe, don't intervene. Never alter another Earth.The 72-Hour Rule: No mission exceeds 72 hours across fissure boundaries.The One Macro-Fissure Rule: Only one active, large-scale fissure may be maintained globally (currently at Site-7, Meinong, Taiwan).Operational Units
Expeditionary Force – "World-Jumpers"
15+ Expeditionary Teams operating globally.Mission Types: Reconnaissance, cultural integration, emergency extraction.
Security – "Watchdogs"
Not soldiers, reality's immune system.Locate and contain Fissures.Roles: Fissure perimeter defense, Silence Protocol enforcement, Gateframe oversight.
R&D – "Locksmiths"
Develops all multiversal tech: Wayfinders, Gateframes, Q-Comms, Rosetta Nodes.Reverse-engineers foreign tech from other realities.
Medical & Psychology Division
Manages Reality Displacement Syndrome (RDS).Runs Reality Anchoring Therapy and 24-hour post-mission quarantine.
Civilian Staff – "Surface Dwellers"
80% of personnel. Believe they work for a humanitarian NGO.Unwittingly provide cover for Torii Foundation's multiversal operations.
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Technology
Wayfinder Mark IV:
Quantum Anchor: Entangled particle tethered to Site-7.
Breadcrumb Trail: Projects path through Nexus corridors.
Echo Filter: Blocks auditory bleed-through (voices of alternate selves).
Haptic Pulse: Syncs to heartbeat; warns of identity drift.Emergency Recall: Auto-pulse on biometric flatline (50% success).
Failure Mode: Ghost echoes, multiple trails, temporal shear in Delta-class.
Gateframe Series-7:
Biometric Lock: Dual palm/retinal + daily quantum key.
TCA-7 Alloy Frame: Resists dimensional shear; hums at 87.3 Hz.
Gravity Well Fail-Safe: Stasis field on unauthorized entry.
Resonance Dampeners: Auto-deploy against Class-2 harmonic attacks.
Override: Board or Site Director only. Code Black = permanent seal.
Q-Comm Mark III:
Quantum Entanglement: Instantaneous, unhackable — unless reality itself degrades.
Blackout Triggers: Temporal shear, resonance interference, MTE collapse.
Emergency Burst: 3-second audio every 30s during silence.
Psychological Risk: Users report hearing alternate selves on the line.
Rosetta Node Mark V:
AI Linguistic Engine: Trained on 847 languages + 12,000 cross-reality anomalies.
Convergence Analysis: Seeks "prime root" language beneath all tongues.
Silent Mode: AR subtitles to avoid vocal contamination.
Hallucination Risk: In Delta-class, translates static as prophecy.
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Concepts
Fissure: A tear between realities; can appear as light, vibration, or mirror distortion.
Nexus: The visible interface between worlds; a shifting overlap of light and geometry. A corridor between realities.
MTE (Multiversal Tether Energy): Energy released when realities interact; dangerous but harnessable.
Echo: Memory or sensory residue from contact with alternate versions of oneself.
RDS: Reality Displacement Syndrome is the psychological and physiological disorder caused by prolonged or repeated exposure to unstable Fissures, Nexus fields, or cross-reality environments.
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Key Sites
Site-7 (Meinong, Taiwan): The only active macro-fissure; headquarters of field operations.
Site-6 (Itsukushima, Japan): Sealed after the Kyoto Incident; source of the Wen anomaly.
The Vault (Geneva): Central archive of fissure data and recovered cross-reality artifacts.
The New Penang Arcology Ward: Rumored long-term care site for retired World-Jumpers.
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How to Read Torii Foundation Stories
Treat each short story as an episode within a shared continuity.The Torii Foundation rarely understands everything it encounters; ambiguity is deliberate.Fissures are never just physical — they are psychological states made visible.
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