Muddied hearts, beanie babies lies [Early Week 5]

[lightnovelexperiences]

...Turns out my power to read Roles is more accurate. I can see or rather hear them, now: and now I can differentiate the Roles of Companions from the Roles of their partners.

And I can hear the similarities.

A Cantor's Tesserae are like Doppelgangers in minor key. And they're to Questing Country what Doppelgangers are to Adversaries.

Not "Adversaries are to Doppelgangers as Tesserae are to Questing Country."

But "Adversaries are to Dopplegangers as Questing Country is to Tesserae."

Uh, I would appreciate ANY and ALL Oracles or Spirit Companions willing to tell me what the crispy fried fuck that means.

Comments

[helborn]

This is all just from what I've gathered, but... I think it means that they're channeling the power of Questing Country itself, not your own personal power. Champions and Adversaries are people who strike out on their own, even if Champions tend to drift more towards being team players. Oracles use their own knowledge to look for knowledge other places. Pillars don't use any power.

The spirit companions - or lack thereof - reflect those roles.

Since Cantors can be so interconnected, they're probably more direct conduits to the Dream itself. Or the Tesserae are, and they get their power channeled through the Tesserae.

What does that mean?

... No fucking clue. A way higher percentage of burnout, if I had to guess.

[lightnovelexperiences]

I swear to god if the punchline to this involves the Cantors being a pet class that should have been directing the Tesserae to fight -

[BRB cackling like a Seacats witch.]

[helborn]

A what class?

[He doesn't MMO, Deedee, pls.]

[lightnovelexperiences]

A summoner. Someone who hangs back to direct, and heal, a more powerful fighting monster.

...sonovabitch we should have been making the biggest meanest Volksgiest ever.

[helborn]

I mean in theory you probably could, but wouldn't that be hard to control? Even with coordination?

[lightnovelexperiences]

Maybe with any other kind of spirit companion but we just found out that the Tesserae are anti-Doppelgangers! The Cantors run on Trust the way that Adversaries run on individual Agency!

...Eranda's vast tracts of fucking land, we're supposed to make a war Glatisant. You ever feel like a Jaunt is working up to being a pun at your expense? That's probably not happening but it sure feels like it right now!

[helborn]

... Spirit Companions can't come out of Questing Country, even with that portal. ... Right?

Because if they can, the uh. The Council might have some problems if they try to oppress people again.

[lightnovelexperiences]

I'm not as worried about the Council right this second as I am about what's happening Backstage, but don't tempt me.

I am seriously tempted but let's not light a Jaunt on fire for the last one.

[helborn]

I mean that's fair, I have literally no clue how to handle the Backstage things.

... And that's fair. I just kind of want to kick them but I'm trying to be good.

[lightnovelexperiences]

Shaming the Council into realizing this is an Orthoprax revolt against people really leaning on the letter of the law is doing a lot of work. Getting violent... I think that's a card we should have up our sleeve in case that doesn't work, right now. And hope we don't need it.

But that's just, like, my opinion, man.

[helborn]

Oh I know, I just...

... I've been doing Nightmare cleanup when I'm not doing other things and I think it's getting to me. Sorry.

[notinthecards]

Being an Adversary's about having options. Having the freedom to tell anybody who wants you to fight for their cause to go jump off a cliff.

And the Spirit Companions don't like that so much.

So. Maybe Questing Country don't like Tesserae?

[lightnovelexperiences]

Adversaries are La- uh, best rivals, though. They're the people who tell you when you're being an idiot, not actual enemies.

...thank you, Roles aspect. I'm no Oracle but I can tell that much.

[notinthecards]

And everyone remembers that all the time?

[lightnovelexperiences]

...I seem to have read something about the Adversaries and everyone else not knowing that when they first showed up.

[notinthecards]

And kids with rivals, they never let a little competition sour them, either?

This boy don't mean to rain on your parade, but I used to work at a boarding school.

Sometimes a little spat, it feels like the end of the world. Sometimes a rivalry get messy. Don't take a real enemy to have a real fight.

You see anyone Remy should smack with a ruler and tell to behave, let the boy know.

[lightnovelexperiences]

I'm literally an MMO character. And a healer. I've seen interGuild and intraGuild petty drama like you wouldn't believe.

Given that I just figured this out, I'm going to see if I can get myself a bifurcated yard-long ruler.

[notinthecards]

Well. Remy get started on the popcorn, then.

[amadine]

The purpose of Doppelgangers is to tell an Adversary or Dark Oracle she's fucked up - from the perspective of the spirit companions - and annoy her into doing whatever they've decided she should do rather than what she's actually planning to do.

So it stands to reason that Questing Country's fucked up.

[lightnovelexperiences]

Something got Backstage. The Opaline Bore made it possible.

So something backstage is screwing things up... and...

...if the Tesserae are the reaction, not the cause, maybe it's affecting the Spirit Companions.