Welcome to the Library of Babel,
a reference codex for the world, its history, and the people who live in it.
Excerpt from Sorakara Isshin's "Tinnitus"
It was recorded that the Scream was heard on February 14, 2000, at 5:25 PM United States time. It lasted for thirty-three seconds, from 5:25:21 to 5:25:54.
The scream was indescribable.
The scream was unnameable.
The consensus, as far as it can be described, is that it was a super high-pitched scream imbued with deep, profound sorrow, as if it were being wrung out.
But whether this description is truly accurate is uncertain and unclear. It just feels like a plausible expression. After all, how one perceives a scream depends on each individual – each person experiences it differently – and no matter what kind of survey any research institute could possibly conduct, it would be absolutely impossible to hear the opinions of everyone who heard that scream.
One-third of the people who heard that indescribable, unnameable scream died.
Not because their eardrums were destroyed, but because their minds were shattered.
And they died.
- The World — Babel's geography, governance, transit, and borderlands
- The Business — Magical Girls, Warlocks, Teams, Mascots, and Companies
- History — The six eras, from the first Scream to the present day
- Kraugology — The study of Screams, Mouths, Noise, and Throats
- Character Building — Tools and guidance for creating characters
Korean Ward Express Logs 41-Minute Journey Time, Beating Record by Six Minutes
The SARANG corridor has achieved its fastest recorded journey time following a scheduled infrastructure upgrade. The Transit Authority cited updated track geometry and a reduction in intermediate stops. The route serves approximately 2.4 million passengers daily and remains the most-used inter-Ward line in the eastern network. (Full article...)
Metropolitan Police Confirm Fifth Body; Decline to Use "Serial" Classification
A fifth Magical Girl has been found dead under circumstances consistent with the four prior cases. The Metropolitan Police's official statement confirmed that the investigation is "active and ongoing" and that "patterns are being assessed." When pressed on whether the cases are being treated as the work of a single perpetrator, a spokesperson stated that the term "serial" carries "specific procedural implications that are not yet warranted by the evidence." The victim's Company has requested that her name be withheld pending family notification. Online, the name "Magical Girl Killer" continues to trend despite requests from authorities to avoid speculative language. (Full article...)
Three Major Companies Post Record Revenue; Cite "Robust Demand Environment"
Executives across three of the City's largest Magical Girl management companies reported record quarterly revenues, attributing gains to elevated Scream activity and improved brand sponsorship rates. Recruitment applications are up eighteen percent year-on-year. The average age of a new signing currently sits at thirteen years and four months, down from thirteen years and nine months in the prior period. (Full article...)
- Founded
- December 31, 2005
- Population
- ~4 billion (est.)
- Wards
- 108 recognised
- Demonym
- Babelian
- Government
- Parliamentary republic
- Governing Body
- The Zodiac
- Active Screams
- 0 (officially)
- Currency
- Yume (γ)
- Internet TLD
- .bb
- ... that Magical Girl Maddered worked at a food processing plant before joining the legendary group Exosisters?
- ... that the Twin Towers have their own ZIP code, which serves the entire World Trade Center complex, and that it is the most commercially valuable ZIP code in the American Ward?
- ... that a trip from the French Ward to the Brazilian Ward takes 3 hours and 58 minutes by maglev rail?