[pre-Jaunt Liminal] It's that time again

[capital_asset]

[Raidou's mental voice, as it usually is when matters Questing Country come up, is carefully neutral.]

Well, it's definitely that time again, because I've been dubiously "blessed" with another prophetic nightmare.

It actually felt like it belonged to someone else. It started as a peaceful flyby survey of Questing Country, with occasional interruptions from the Transformed Lands. However, there was a pervasive, continuous sense of wrongness, and of many eyes watching, unbearably. At the end of the nightmare, there was an island floating above Questing Country on which a white wolf with blue eyes was performing the tea ceremony. The wolf spoke in a solemn voice, saying:

"None Us Tis Call Is See More Room Air At Is."

I'm fairly sure the dawning horror I felt as I started to look down at myself in the dream just as I was waking up also belonged to someone else. I woke up before I could see just what horrified that person.

For what it's worth, I also asked about Questing Country requesting our presence in the suggestion box. When I asked if the place itself had, the answer I got was "Yes, and at the same time, a huge, resounding no," and when I asked if the no was from the people in Questing Country, was told that "Whatever the no was from, it doesn't even look like people."

It's not eldritch - I did ask - so there's that, at least. But it's still concerning.

[After a short interval, Raidou chimes in again.]

Also, things are apparently changing Backstage, but while the Spirit Companions are aware, they have not yet told the Oracles.

Comments

[claudiometer]

I know an SOS when I see one, and this is sure as hell an SOS.

It's also a really general message, though. Maybe Questing Country asked... I dunno, the universe at large for help? And we happened to be the ones who got the message.

[capital_asset]

It still makes me wonder who the no was.

[claudiometer]

Someone who hasn't forgiven the Arcana yet? I mean, half the destabilisation problem was the baby Starmovers, but they didn't exactly help matters.

[capital_asset]

Whoever it is, it's someone the Arcana didn't identify as people... which admittedly is a longer list than it should be.

[claudiometer]

huh.

[capital_asset]

At least it's apparently not the eldritch this time.

[claudiometer]

Good. I think a good half of us would decamp to Liminal in protest.

[capital_asset]

I'm not sure even the Arcana would blame people for that. Well, most of them anyway.

[Raidou would... honestly probably still be out there trying to deal with things, because even now he can't not.]

[claudiometer]

I'd also hope they learned better than to ask us to do something that traumatic right at the last hurdle.

[capital_asset]

That too.

[Then again, the Grid had been one of the choices, so...]

[claudiometer]

[Individual trauma is always a risk. Blanket trauma of the kind eldritch bullshit always is? That doesn't need to be on the table.]

Really, if Questing Country is blanket awful, something somewhere has gone very wrong. In which case, no wonder there's an SOS out.

[capital_asset]

It worries me that it seems to be coming from the place itself.

[claudiometer]

Could be the place, could be someone in the place. We won't know until we get there, probably.

[capital_asset]

I asked if it was the place itself, and got 'yes, and a huge resounding no' for an answer, with the no also not being identified as people.

[claudiometer]

The Arcana have acknowledged we're people by this point, at least for the most part, but are we sure they can really distinguish between people and places?

[capital_asset]

That's... why I asked about the place specifically?

[He's going to have to go back and ask more questions, isn't he? He thought he'd been relatively thorough, but now he's seeing things he missed.]

[claudiometer]

Fair. I am by no means knocking your effort, dude.

[capital_asset]

I know.

[But now he's in full 'figuring out what else I missed' mode.]

[thornsofmalkav]

I mean, considering they're both, that's probably got a lot to do with why it took so long to realize we're people at all. Too small.

[capital_asset]

So this other entity could still be people, just not in a way they're used to.

[thornsofmalkav]

Quite possibly, yeah.

[capital_asset]

[There is a long pause.]

...I hate Questing Country.

[thornsofmalkav]

... I know, dude. I know.

[She still likes it, but she's a chump for magical girl bullshit and she knows it.]

[capital_asset]

I know you do. I'm sorry.

[Just because he hates it doesn't mean he expects everyone else to.]

[thornsofmalkav]

It's fine. Don't worry, my dude.