Erfworld 119, page 107

[fendrin]

The true origin of human ideas about: time being a 4th dimension, and it being fixed, branching, rejecting paradoxes, etc. is 'prophecy.'

Interesting idea. Do you have a source to back that up, or is it conjecture?

And the hilarious thing about that, is that if prophecy occurs, it has a very simple explanation that doesn't require any of the complexity mentioned above. Prophecy is nothing more than a promise. It's simply a group of words spoken by a being who is powerful enough to make that promise occur.

That does seem to be the only logical way to have 100% accurate predictions 100% of the time, but it does fall prey to the problem of conflicting or interdependent prophecies that was discussed earlier in this thread.

This excludes the necessity of the existence of time, (even though it is used as a variable in relativity equations, and relativity is quite real) and also excludes any necessity for time travel, grandfather paradoxes, etc.

The existence fo time is known in the same way we know anything else (other than our own existence, which is all we can truly ever know), observation and deduction. In a more scientific vein, there are a great many things we observe happening that are impossible to explain without a time dimension (note that 'dimension' is being used here in a mathematical sense).

Of course, we already know that time functions as a result of the actions of it's occupants, rather than the other way around (in our world, time flows as it will and we respond to the changes that occur because of the flow of time). Still, time does exist in Erfworld, regardless of it's variable rate of flow.

The predictamancer is calling him/herself that, but it's really just a trick of the trade. They don't predict at all, they CREATE. And therein is the magic. Predictamancy is the culmination of both understanding existing trends, small and large, the ability to change those trends, AND the influence of the prediction itself, which is without question, one of the most critical portions of the entire process. There's no escaping that both the predicted fact and the prediction exist simultaneously, and the more well-known that prediction is, the more the prediction must accommodate the effects of that prediction.

A simpler explanation is that predictamancy is closely related to mathamancy, and merely 'calculates' the actions of the various units. After all, predictamancy is right next to mathamancy as part of Hocus Pocus (fate axis vs. numbers axis). If erf were a computer game I would say that predictamancy runs through the AI routines to determine what each side would do when.

Is it possible for a predictamancer to do their job so well, that they lose sight of the big picture? Ie, they predict something perfectly, but then as they realize that it's actually going to happen much further into the future than they originally believed, they are stunned by their own failure?

I would say no, or at least not if erf units relate to their world the way we relate to ours. That is, a predictamancer would interpret their prediction through the lens of their own experiences and biases, subconsciously shaping it to fit their worldview.

So, based on what I just said, I don't think Wanda is upset that her supposed predictamancy failed. Until we learn more, I think that's thinking too far ahead.

I don't think that her supposed predictamancy has failed.

One weakness of Wanda's is 'Capacity for Hope'. Who can have less hope than someone who knows the future with 100% accuracy? Even if it's only parts of the future...