paradisa | #003 - Questions & Answers

So I’ve been here for about two weeks and I have some questions, after exploring a lot and talking to people. This is going to be pretty long, so if you’re flipping numerous pages in the journal, I’m sorry. (But I’m not actually sorry.)

General

How long has the oldest resident been here? The resident that has been here the longest.
What’s the shortest anyone ever stayed?
Who has been here the most times? I’ve apparently been here four times, and I do not like it.
Why are so many people here from Earth?
How come some people come back with memories and some don’t?
How many people here have come back with memories? How common is it??
What’s the most people that was ever here at one time?
What’s the craziest reaction someone ever had to coming to Paradisa?
What have people tried to get out?
How do you know time stops back home while we’re here?
How many different universes exist here?
Do some of you really come from such, uh... unadvanced worlds?
To people who aren’t from the 21st century: how confused are you?
Are some people here the only people from their worlds? Like, has never met anyone they know, or comes from some sort of “anomaly” universe?
How many people have met people they know, but are actually from other universes?
If we don’t age, does hair grow? Fingernails? Periods??

Death

When you die, what happens? Does it effect the timeline?
How often does it happen?
If people don’t stay dead, are you guys cool with murder or is it still wrong? (It’s not cool.)

Journals

Why do liquids come through?
Why do people bother using them? Can’t we stop using them and instead all get laptops or something? I have never written so much in my life, if it were possible, I would have carpal tunnel already.

“Price Losses”

What do people lose?
If you lose a memory, are you aware that you lost that memory, or is it like nothing ever happened?
If you lose an ability, what happens if you try to do it anyway?
What is the weirdest loss ever? The worst?
Do we KNOW that it’s a price we pay for being here, or is that just an assumption? (And you know what they say about assumptions... Or you should, anyway.)
Why does the castle pick what it picks?

“Temporary Losses”

Why do we even call these “losses”? I feel like that’s a little dishonest, from what I’ve seen and read about, some of these aren’t losses so much as “everything going crazy.”
What’s the extent of what can happen? Basically, what HASN’T Paradisa done, where does it draw lines?
What’s the point? I get the “draws emotional power, we’re batteries” thing but why does it pick what it does?
What’s the longest one ever lasted?
Is there a way to stop them early?

The Building?

I’ve been looking at the way the wires and vents are, and nothing really matches up. Nothing makes sense. Do we know anything else about that? Everything goes down to the ground, has anyone tried going under the castle?
Why do so many people hang out on the roof?
Is the laundry room sponsored by Tide? That’s so confusing to me, you have no idea.

Insolitus

What do we know about the abandoned room in there?
Has anyone tried to map it? I know it seems to change, but is there any sort of pattern, to it? Does Tunnel B go left only on a Monday, that kind of thing?
Has anyone ever gotten lost in there to the point where they couldn’t be rescued?
Has anyone tried drilling or breaking through walls in there? I guess what I’m asking here is does it “match up” with other parts of the maze, or does everything exist on different planes of whatever? I haven’t been able to figure it out.

Outside of Paradisa?

Why don’t people go out there more often?
Is there anyone out there?
Are there no other cities?
I don’t know much about city building, but it’s kinda weird to me that they can have a whole city with no trade or anything. Do the people in the city ever get shipments or whatever?
Why are there all these random abandoned warehouse type things when the city is pretty Dark Ages? Or Medieval Times? Or Renaissance? I don’t know the difference. If someone can explain that, that’d be great.
How far have people travelled?
Do we have a map?
Why don’t we have powers out there? Does Paradisa do that?

Misc.

Why is there a garage full of cars and other vehicles if this place doesn’t have any roads meant for cars?
What’s that big orange crystal on the lawn? I, as a rule, don’t go near random coloured crystals.
What’s the biggest mystery you want an answer to? Having only been here two weeks, I can’t even imagine what I don’t know.
Tell me something cool about the castle that I maybe haven’t thought of.

Thanks!
Kara

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

We're an energy source. It's in the castle's best interest that we stay exactly where we are, despite whatever injustice or trauma it thrusts upon us. Call it malevolence, call it evolution, makes no difference in the bigger picture.

Gifts, wishes. They're placations, not gestures of good will. The more we feel there's something to this "paradise," the less motivated we are to escape it.

Fair enough.

I've been kind of surprised these past few weeks, to be honest. It seems like a lot of people are comfortable enough to stay... people have told me there's no way out, but people also claim to have been here for six years. There is really nothing stopping people from going out beyond the Dead Zone other than losing powers, which, let's face it, lots of people don't have. I mean, humans have accomplished a lot without superpowers, haven't they? So what's the concern? Are people really so invested in some gifts that they'll just... hang out here for three, four, even more years?

[He goes back and circles his answers about "the simplest option."]

It's not investment, it's contentment. The castle is comfortable, they've built friendships, everything they could ever want is laid out in front of them. Staying here is easy, whereas building new communities beyond the Dead Zone would be hard.

They've a promise that they'll go home "one day," and many of them are fit to wait.

If everyone got up and left together, we'd already have a community. There's like two hundred people here, that's a lot to start, but even then, it's not about building a community, it's about finding a way out. If it isn't here, it might be out there, and we won't know until we look.

Can the castle not send you home if you're in the dead zone, or something?

There's no evidence that it can't. If you want the real reasons for why the residents haven't left, try and rally them. They'll give you every rationalization you can think of and more.

Okay. Why haven't you gone?

Because the castle is interesting to me, not the Dead Zone. Since I'm not particularly interested in scouring the land for an exit, either, there's no reason to go anywhere else.

[If he stumbles on one for other people, cool, okay. But it's the puzzle he's looking for, not the result.]

And you don't want to go home, or anything?

No.

[casually:]

I've nothing to gain by going back.

Oh. [She's somewhat surprised.] Really? No friends, no family, no job...?

Not as such. [Does he need to be blunt about it? He can be blunt about it.] Though I'm told the funeral was lovely.

Oh.

[Awkward pause.]

I'm sorry.

No reason to be. I'm doing very well for myself.

Can't promise everyone else's excuses will be as good as mine, though.

They better at least try.

Who knows, could be that time of year again. To make a change, show the castle what for.

They'll certainly talk, I'll give you that.

New Years' resolutions, huh?

Certainly doesn't help.

I guess mine is to find out new things about this place, and then find a way out... for people who want it.

Most abandon their resolutions within the first two weeks, I've heard.

[His not-so-subtle skepticism. She's clearly new, and in his experience it doesn't take long for anyone to get jaded in this place, gung-ho or not.]

Ughhhh. Why do humans have such short attention spans?

Tragic flaw of our species. [He'll include himself in that, sure.] Long-term commitment requires emotional investment, which you rarely get in a half-arsed "resolution."

Isn't the point of a resolution to pick something you're really adamant about changing or doing, though?

In theory.

You're very optimistic if you think that actually happens.

I'm optimistic about a lot of stuff... but I know that's not how it always works.

It's very rarely how it works.

dictated

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