[Jaunt] Check-in

[shiroganeheir]

[Naoto's mental voice is higher than usual, and definitely worried.]

Can someone please tell me what's going on? I seem to be stuck in a compact. Again. If someone could help find me, that would be greatly appreciated.

[She coughs and composes herself.]

At any rate, those of us who are Investigating should likely check in. Please let us know who is here, and any information you might have. For those who are new... welcome to your first Jaunt.

[Another pause.]

Oh. And I am Naoto Shirogane, usually small with a blue hat, but sometimes larger. Or a rock. Or a cat person. It is complicated.... but I always have my hat.

Comments

[cawfullyironic]

Just be glad you weren't around for the Doki-Doki thing. That shit was stupid.

[bitofafop]

The name alone doesn't give me faith in it being much else.

Dare I ask?

[cawfullyironic]

It's where I got my legs from. Like half the people got this virus that gave them manimal parts and personal special effects. So there was this talent show extravaganza where people got to show off their powers in a travesty of public performance. I got turned into this wingless tryhard who thought he could rap. I still want to shove sharpened fascinum in my ears just thinking about it.

[bitofafop]

And I missed seeing that?

No, but I'm quite grateful to have avoided that one now. Though maybe the experience would have helped makes this transition a bit easier.

[cawfullyironic]

Nah. Pretty sure the first one is a shock to wherever senses you got no matter what, one hundred percent of the time. I mean I kinda had a bit of experience with the whole world hopping jackassery before getting stuck here and even that doesn't help when you're not even you most of the time.

[bitofafop]

[...wait a second.]

What do you mean "when you're not even you"?

[He uh. Hasn't quite gotten that memo yet.]

[cawfullyironic]

Dude, no one told you yet? We really need to make a 'Welcome to Liminal Space: The Alternate Universe Mindfuck Minigame" pamphlet or some shit. Okay, so sit your ass down and prepare to get dumped on by some mad info, yo.

So like, sometimes shit goes down like this where you're still you but you get morphed to fit in. Lucky you, you probably just got a wardrobe upgrade but I got turned into a feathery, armless wonder over here because the Arcana seem to like making my life as awkward as possible. That means we're investigating. But sometimes you get the assblasting honor of actually infiltrating, meaning they stick you in the head of someone that already exists here. So when I said I got turned into some wingless try hard I was actually someone else.

[bitofafop]

[So it still takes a few moments to actually translate some of what he says to normal speech, but he gets the general sentiment. And makes a quiet frustrated noise.]

So it's not enough for us to be dragged out here to play their games for them. I have to worry about losing my sense of self at some point as well.

I suppose this whole situation wasn't frustrating enough, no.

[cawfullyironic]

Fuck no, that woulda been easy. I mean shit would probably go a lot smoother for them if they just, I dunno asked if we wanted to be hurled around the multiverse like some jackoff fuckin pinball machine's worn out useless projectiles. Theres probably an assload of people who's jump on a chance like this but they'd rather snag any old asshole that catches their eye.

[bitofafop]

I can think of more than a few that would be quite eager for an opportunity like this. Unfortunately, one of them is my traveling companion, and I'm starting to suspect he's exactly the reason I was dragged along.

I wonder if our hosts would be at all willing to trade if I could offer someone more willing in my place.

[cawfullyironic]

Yeah, supposedly they got no control over who gets pulled in when. Which sounds like a metric fuckton pile of steaming shit.

[bitofafop]

We're in agreement on that.

This is why I was never especially fond of gods and everything like them. They have the ability to bring us here in the first place. I doubt their claims that they don't have a choice.

[cawfullyironic]

I dunno I think I'm technically supposed to be a god now but whatever.It's not doin' nobody no good, though that could be a whole lotta garbage too. Like for all we know this is all happening in our minds and we're actually comatose in some vat of alien slime or some shit like that.

[bitofafop]

There's a mental image for you. If that's the case, how much do you suppose it would help to fall on my sword right now?

[cawfullyironic]

Mental images are my specialty. I hand them out like candy. And you can try but apparently you get unbirthed into the floor where you hang out in liminal space's uterine sack for a while before being squirted back out again like a newly reconstituted ignoramus.

[bitofafop]

[...why did he ask. That groan he makes even makes it into his mental voice, good job.]

Duly noted.

[cawfullyironic]

Yeah, from what we've figured out. If you die bein someone else you just end up back here. But if you die in liminal space it's like this big fuckin deal for some reason.