Alicornutopia

Rockeye ninja'd my summary, but here are a few more details:

The world itself is doing multiversal kidnapping through its agents, and it picks kidnappees based on them being unlikely to be able to resist the kidnapping. (Nobody with inherent world-travelling abilities, nobody with powers on the pentagon+ level.)

If you've been kidnapped by this world, you can find other kidnappees. It might not be easy, but it's not impossible. They may or may not originate from the same world you came from.

Do people ever get kidnapped together?

Quite possible: however, they'd both be forced to make the choice independently, and they wouldn't necessarily wake up in the same place in the new world.

Also curious about Horrible Thing

What the Tarot cards do?

Most Pentagon powers can be achieved mundanely: good acting skills, speaking foreign languages, good personal finance skills, etc. Did you mean hexagon+?

I am also curious what depends on the choice. Also, what happens if I refuse to choose? I had imagined that the choice would determine which world I go to, but that doesn’t seem likely any more.

The choice of tarot cards determines what your life will be like in the new world: social class, "superpowers", what your new body will be like, etc. If you refuse the choice, the nightmare-beast has discretion over what to do with you.

Note that the nightmare-beast isn't obligated to tell you any of this unless you ask.

If you do ask, then you can get a decently high degree of control over what your new life will be like, though there are trade-offs involved. The nightmare-beast is obligated to give you as much time as you need to make a decision, so long as you're actually considering your options. (It can cut you off if it thinks that you're stalling.)

Re: Pentagon vs. Hexagon: Most powers granted by a pentagon are not enough to avoid Nightmare-beast, but having a pentagon's power (IE, a pentagon available to wish on) is enough.

Most powers granted by a hex are probably enough to avoid being kidnapped, though it likely depends on how good they are for direct confrontation.

What is the purpose of all this? Why are "superpowers" scarequoted?

So prepealing Loki maybe wouldn't get nightmare-beasted, but prepealing Aegis might if she was unarmed?

Kappa wrote:What is the purpose of all this? Why are "superpowers" scarequoted?

"Superpowers" is scare quoted because a good number of them are either A: mundane-but-fate-says-so or B: have nasty side-effects. One option is Gem-style magical-girlness.

As for the purpose - it can be generally summarized as 'entertainment.' The longer-term reasons are a bit more complex, but stem from mismanagement of the world by its creator.

rockeye_stonetoe wrote:So prepealing Loki maybe wouldn't get nightmare-beasted, but prepealing Aegis might if she was unarmed?

Generally accurate.