synopsychic | (no subject)

I think I owe that giant scorpion-tailed piece of garbage another bullet or three after my return trip to that world. On the other hand, if we go back again, it's probably to deal with the fact we just kind of fled after an assassination the first time...

The symbolism is pretty clear, though. If we're not going back to Newport, we're definitely still dealing with Emperor or Empress, and probably royalty directly. Are there any places in the world besides Britain with chalk cliffs?

The first time that was technically the second time, considering they not only knew about us but to look out for infiltrators?

Mei's been knocked out, so short of another loophole-abuse situation - which we can't rule out, but I think one of the others benefited from the last one of those we've seen - we're dealing with her dear husband. As for the cliffs, no idea.

Did I forget about that or miss it...? Never mind, they work as a team most of the time regardless.

I wonder if anyone thought to pick up an atlas while in a world with bookstores? Those are surprisingly useful for obscure puzzles.

Grid redux. Were you around for that still?

An atlas is only as useful as the assumption they don't mean some other planet with chalky cliffs. Earth variants seem to be pretty common, but we've definitely hit space enough we can't just assume that.

I left immediately after that one. I suppose I missed the results.

You bring up an interesting question about this Liminal Foreshadowing, though.

[She mentally capitalizes it like a Skill.]

Liminal Space is crafted by the thoughts and emotions of its denizens - mostly the Arcana, presumably because they have the greatest control over it, and the influence of universal constants in their willpower. When we get hints of a Jaunt, I've been assuming it's because the Arcana are planning ahead and the focus of their attention affects the Space. But is it their attention alone, or specifically things the rest of us will perceive as being relevant later?

I kinda think if we hadn't worked out the Trojans were the Signifiers, she'd have had an easier time of it. Reclaiming an apparently empty system is one thing, but deciding it's yours when the people who made it are still there is another one entirely.

Huh. I know most of 'em don't have the best grasp on linear time, but I feel like if they were reaching into the future that reliably, none of them would end up dead because of jaunt fallout. And as a group we're not precognitive enough to be doing it ourselves.

It's a good question, though. I don't think we know enough to say for sure.

I'm not sure Empress realized imperialism had gone out of fashion. After all, why would she?

They at least seem to know where we're going and what they want. They usually have prepared pieces on the board when we get there, even. It's our actions as Travelers which are utterly unpredictable to them, rather than the scenario. And that, presumably, is what makes it a "game" worth playing.

She also might not have counted on us deciding that's what it was that she was after.

That'd definitely make it worthwhile for the one who set up the rules this time. I'm sure some of the others can't stand her idea of rules, though.

Well, Emperor would almost certainly prefer a nice orderly game of chess. As Fortuna has it, the outcome of every Jaunt is down to the roll of several dozen dice with infinite sides.

I'm just lucky I enjoy chess and games of chance equally.

Edited 2019-03-12 21:43 (UTC)

If the rules weren't 'there are no rules,' half of us probably wouldn't even be here.

The atmosphere reminds me more of Harrogate - though the summoning circles aren't directly related, at least, despite the colouring. That would be the last gods-damned thing any of us need, and not an entirely unforeseeable consequence of recent fuckery.

[Things she would not mourn: the deaths of literally any of the Arcana.

Things she is very wary of the consequences of: also that.]

Last time they wanted to head back to Harrogate, they were more up-front about it. Also that'd be just as dangerous to them as it is to us, so I don't think they'd risk eldritch bullshit just to make a point.

[She could be wrong, but that'd be one hell of a risky move after things have been destabilised anyway.]

I didn't necessarily mean a return trip. They may have been able to lock the King in Yellow out - eventually - but that doesn't mean he and his aren't sniffing around the threshold, waiting for our hosts to weaken enough that there's a chance to get a foothold here again.

I have no love for the Arcana, but they're far from the worst of our bad options, and I wouldn't put it past them to take the chance to remind us of that when we're already primed to look for signs and symbols.

Okay, I'll bite but what the hell are you talking about?

[Noct HAD spent most of his time as a traveller dead to the world and still didn't know really anything about the mechanics of anything.]

Fair point. This is the time when they're usually focused on dropping hints about where we're headed next, though, so I'm not sure how much they'd stream-cross the two.

Our hosts like to drop hints about upcoming destinations in the makeup of Liminal Space. How obtuse these hints are depends on which of them is setting up the space, and whether you have any kind of useful knowledge base for it, but there's usually at least one of us who can figure something out, especially by this point. Either we've gotten better at understanding their symbolism, or they're doing the 'talk louder and slower and the foreigners will understand you' thing, or possibly both.

Newport was a previous jaunt destination - technically the second time we'd been dropped into that world, but what few people were there the first time didn't remember it. Typical comic-book-superhero shenanigans, with a liberal side of police state and some 'the locals know about us and are prepared to exorcise infiltrators from whoever they're in' for dessert.

We kinda... killed the fuck out of the entity maintaining the police state, so a return trip would. Sure be a thing.

The whole chalk-cliff thing doesn't guarantee Newport, but there's only so many places it could point to, and if we don't consider the chance we're gonna be screwed from moment one.

If we do end up back in that world and Even's still around, somebody kill him. Please. Don't worry about me. You'll be doing me a favor giving that two-faced bastard what he deserves.

Edited 2019-03-13 08:22 (UTC)

I have heard of those cliffs in my own lands, across the straits in Alba. I do not think they are limited to a single world, luckily. You could just as easily claim we could be returning to Harrogate. Though I think that unlikely.

We have been to both places twice now, I think, yes? I do not believe that we have ever been to a place three times, as of yet. I should need to review the archives.

I do wish we might go back to France... Though given the cliffs, that, too, is unlikely this time.

Not to a single place in one world, but we have visited a single world or universe three times or more. The Labyrinthine Shoals and the Bando Peninsula, which we found out was the same world when we returned for the third time. Or questing country and the worlds it comes from, escaping from Gehanna. And we visited the refugees from that place after they escaped twice now, I think, without even taking questing country into account.

Ah, gods, no, you are right, of course. Where is my head today?

I admit, I often forget that Crownbreaker Isle and the Bando are of the same world. But perhaps that is my own experiences coloring the memories, along with the difference between infiltrating and investigating.

Bandages - and I guess the cliffs too, being a precipice and all - point to Fool as the other contender.

[ he'll be over here sort of idly listening. ]

Ah yes, our particular representation of the Fool uses those as a sign.

I suppose we should be on the lookout for "established order" versus a "new beginning". I feel like tastes aside, pushing the latter might be a good idea now that one of the Arcana responsible for renewal is dead.

In addition to what Claudia said, we also meddled with a summoning circle not unlike a giant version of the ones on the cliff, to break the scorpion bastard's monopoly on travel for spirits.

The fake magic circles and Emperor's obvious involvement in crafting this Liminal Space are what have me strongly suspecting Newport's world as our next destination.

So it... it doesn't eliminate Newport or Harrogate from consideration. [There's the slightest tremble to Armin's voice on the word Harrogate, small enough that most people might miss.] But also no reason to think it's likely to be them, unless we have more to corroborate it.

Darling, the white cliffs of Dover are universal in versions of England.

For all we know, we could be going home to see dear Josephine.