[Video/Memory Post] - Locked to Travelers - he doubts he can keep out the Trumps, but he'll try

[neverfeltthatway]

[Instead of simply his thoughts, Armin's image and voice appears in everyone's head. Dressed like a medieval knight with strange gear, he looks halfway between nervous and professional.]

Hello, everyone. For those of you new here, my name is Armin. If you'll bear with me for a few moments, I have a few things to share.

First... I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to make a list the Travelers who have left us - though whether temporary or permanent, it's impossible to say. But it's better to be organized, and to let everyone know as soon as possible.

Élise de la Serre, Genevieve Blanchard, Cesare Borgia, Owain, Rekka, Hajime Saitou, Heisuke Toudou, Harry Dresden, and Cecil Harvey have left us since last liminal space. I... I think that's a complete list, but I can't be certain.

Next - The Trumps. I had... not a vision, not exactly. I was one of the automata, and tried to corrupt ROSE - but she reversed the flow of data. Before she killed me... some of the images became clear. But I don't understand them. And she has a telling reaction to my attack as well, so I'd like your opinions. [He takes a deep breath.] Here goes.

[And suddenly it's not Armin everyone sees, but his memory - and not just the events, but the thoughts and emotions too. The confusion and the disorientation and the fear. He ends the feed in the second between the end of her data stream and the moment she kills him - though it's fairly obvious it had been about to happen.]

The roses might refer to her, and the hands might belong to the Fool - but beyond that, I'm at a loss.

I think we might learn a lot from what she said, too - she was surprised, and perhaps not as careful as she would be the rest of the time. She's talking to the Lovers, obviously. But she said she knew they were listening - so we know somehow they're able to listen in like that. And 'overlay' - I assume that referred to my infiltrator persona. Did anyone else hear them mention that?

When I went back to speak with her again, later, she offered me a complete answer to any one question. I deferred it till later, so I could think, and ask you - what do you think is the one question that would do us the most good, the one thing we most need to know?

Finally - we need to talk about what might happen as more of us become marked. They've obviously accelerated the process - it may not take too long before we're all marked, now. And they may not wait till we're all marked to start... whatever the next stage is. I think we all fear there's a chance they may try to pit us against one another. Given how divided we were at the end there, we can't afford to assume we'll be able to refuse that so easily. We should talk about how it might happen and what we should do about it now, so that we're ready for it later.

Comments

[thirdarrow]

We already know that Lovers and Devil are against Hermit and Magician. Amongst us, there are Marked individuals from all four. I fear civil conflict may lie in the future, even if it is not borne from our wishes.

[ And about those images. ]

I know less about Tarot than the majority, but those visions may be tied to the Minor Arcana. Cups, Wands, Swords, Coins.

[professorwolf]

Is there a way to keep these things written down somewhere? Keeping a tally of just how many of us there are, who has vanished, who is new, and the like? How much of liminal space is actually permanent, and remains through each Jaunt?

Are there any major arcana cards that also include the dish and cup, or a ribbon? It is entirely possible these do relate to the minor arcana, but I know a number of the major cards have symbols like these on them, I just couldn't tell you off-hand which ones. I only learned about these recently, I'm afraid.

[And he's flipping through his notes while he sends, too, so. There's that.]

... also, if I may ask, just how did you do that? Project a visual, and a feeling, onto the network like this?

OTA

[shantiprayer]

Oh they said something like that to me too! I was turned into an Automata as well, and went to the I/O Tower to speak to one of my Users. The one that was two. That's... the Lovers, right? Uhm, I spoke to another Trump, but I don't know which one. They said "the one that crafted my overlay makes no claim on my Template." I was really confused as a Program and thought the overlay was the Automata code, but now that I remember being a Traveler I think they were talking about Infiltrator me and the real me.

[truthvalue]

[There is so much that is problematic about this situation: the tarot imagery, with which Souji is more than passingly familiar; the disturbing memory, shoved into Souji's brain, uninvited, and the force of the feelings surrounding the images; the talk of being killed, as if it's an everyday occurrence.

Mostly, though, it's the fact that someone he doesn't know is inside his head.]

Excuse me ... Mr. Armin?