[Video]

[neverfeltthatway]

[As he has after every jaunt for nearly the past two years, Armin appears 'on screen' to announce the release list.]

I have the list of Travelers who've vanished over the course of the jaunt. Elphaba, Eliza, Liara, Xena, Gabrielle, Jotaro, and Persephone.

[He closes his eyes for a long moment, still and silent in respect for those departed - giving everyone a moment to hear and accept his words before moving on.]

I know there have been other conversations about it, but, I think, nothing comprehensive where everyone can hear - we should share what we found out from the Arcana during out conversations with them. We've learned more about them, our past, and our situation in the past couple months than in years before that, it can be hard for everyone to keep up.

Comments

[fearinahandfulof]

Strength said she would send people back to their worlds if she won, as long as they had a place to go. People who don't could stay in Liminal Space if they wanted, and she'd...

[There's a short pause as Cassandra tries to remember her exact words]

"Ensure we were mostly undisturbed in future cycles."

When I asked her how they chose us, she said that those without... impetus?... were "removed from candidacy" and then possible Travelers were chosen at random. But who shows up and when varies wildly, because that's how Fortuna wanted it.

[There's another pause, longer this time.]

I asked her if we were copies and she said no, but her phrasing was slightly strange.

[uzoda]

I was talking with Strength, too. That's.... pretty much the promise she gave me, too.

She also said that Fortuna had "unfortunately passed". Maybe that's not news? Maybe it is. It's confirmation, anyway.

[fearinahandfulof]

I remember someone telling me that a while ago, but there've been a lot of new people since then.

[uzoda]

Really? Aah, I still feel like a new person, and I've been here for months... guess it's worthwhile to bring anything interesting up.

[neverfeltthatway]

We figured that out quite a while ago, yes - four of them are deceased. Hierophant, Fortune, Temperance, Star. As far as I know, however, the circumstance surrounding their deaths are still largely a mystery.

[uzoda]

Huh. And here I was hoping someone else might have known what happened to them.

[neverfeltthatway]

Well, someone might - that's of why I'm asking everyone to share. We've never had an opportunity to speak with them all like this before.

[uzoda]

Right, right... maybe we should make a habit of doing this, when jaunts are done. I mean, you usually do your... announcements [Of the people who are gone, which is rather uncomfortably sad] so that's a good a time as any to have us put our heads together and see if we've learned anything new, yeah?

[fearinahandfulof]

It's easy to forget, I think. To tell people.

[uzoda]

It is. It really is. I'm still getting used to... being able to tell people anything.

[fearinahandfulof]

Are you not allowed to do that where you come from?

[uzoda]

Eeh, it's not that I'm not allowed, but that it wouldn't be a good idea?

...look, there, I'm doing it again, not really explaining things. Sorry.

[senpaidol]

Oh wow I'd forgotten to ask that. Thank everything, I can get back to my job.

[And certain large protagonists can stay here like they ultimately want.]

Future cycles don't sound fun, though. Maybe we can talk to them about that more when they're closer to finishing.

How'd she phrase it when you asked if we were copies?

[fearinahandfulof]

[There's another brief silence as Cassandra thinks back.]

"The Cassandra who stands here in this room is real. You are not a copy."

[She doesn't think she's got it quite right, but it's close.]

Job?

[neverfeltthatway]

Did she say anything about whether you were still back home, in some form or another? That is an odd way to phrase it - it seems to me to imply that it's more complicated than she's saying.

[fearinahandfulof]

Back home, I would be thrice dead. I do not think I would be the best example.

[neverfeltthatway]

...Thrice?

[fearinahandfulof]

Yes.

[Private]// Psychic Protection II

[neverfeltthatway]

[Armin is curious how that's even possible, but if she doesn't want to share, he's not going to press.]

...I'm dead too, back home. Not from the time I come from, but a couple months in my future. But I die doing something very important - so if it wouldn't happen if I don't go back, because I've vanished from there, then I don't have a choice.

[senpaidol]

Huh. That sounds like some kind of logic puzzle...but I think the idea is that we're The Real Us in Liminal Space, but put into other peoples' bodies or Arcana-made bodies for Jaunts? I think I remember that coming up as the reason that dying on a Jaunt gets undone more easily than...doing that here.

[Yeah, time for a subject change.]

Oh, I'm an idol! That's kind of a singer-dancer-actor. It's nothing like world-saving or anything, but I left a looooot of people hanging when I got brought here.

[fearinahandfulof]

No, it wasn't that. A copy of me would have had to be altered in the same way I am, and... I needed to know if they would really be that cruel.

[There's another pause while she seems to mentally switch tacks.]

What's an actor?

I realized that Japanese still differentiates actor vs. actress whoops

[senpaidol]

I...if you want to talk about that, we should probably make it private.

An actress is someone who performs in a show, like a drama or a comedy. I mostly did TV dramas, or a lot of commercials. And now I'm gonna have to explain TV and commercials, huh?

[fearinahandfulof]

It's not necessary to talk about it.

[Mainly because she's not sure this person would want to hear it. She doesn't really know Cassandra, after all.]

I... don't know what any of those things are.

[senpaidol]

If you ever want to, I've seen a lot more stuff than it probably sounds like I have, okay? But let's stick to acting for now.

Hm...how about plays? Do you have plays or theater where you come from?

[neverfeltthatway]

For a lot of us, I imagine whether we want to go back depends on what will happen if we don't. Unless we know that, it's hard to make a choice.

But it's good to know which Arcana are willing to take our desires into account when determining what's going to happen to us.