Fading Dream Answers

- What kind of person are you?
Some tend to say authoritarian, but really I just want to get the j- that isn't at all what you were asking was it. My name is Artemis Ravenholme, and I am fascinated with ancient history or any area not defiled by modern man. There's just something intoxicating about springing through uncharted territory and discovering things no one has laid eyes upon for millennia. I'm not always the most talkative, but I have no issues sharing when I get close to someone.

- What was your life like before... well, whatever happened happened?
I worked on a lot of archaeological digs and expeditions. When I was younger, I never had an eye for academics, so I was just hopping from job to job. At first, I only joined the expeditions to see something new and break up the monotony of waiter-receptionist-administrative assistant. But I began to take a genuine interest in what we were doing, and before I knew it, I was deeply involved in the history of things. The combination of that, an eye for detail, and just enough madness to hop into the unexplored before everyone else led to a fair bit of success, as well as earned me the nickname "Kingfisher". The joke was that, like the bird, I'd keep an eye out for prey, and the moment I saw something, I'd dive at it.

- Who were your friends? What was your day-to-day life like?
The first few expeditions were rather lonely, as it was grueling work done in the hot sun. Growing up in a city, it was the first time I'd ever really done backbreaking work like it, and I began to really appreciate the effort of people I'd always (ironically) considered slackers when I was younger. Eventually, the veterans recognized I would be around for a while (as opposed to college interns who tend to bounce in and out), and they gradually warmed up to me as I gained experience.

Initially, I was part of the dig teams: blue collar types that didn't have knowledge as a motivation. Movies always show things like the suave archaeologist unearthing a dinosaur skeleton with a few low-effort sweeps. In reality, the archaeologists usually just predicted a general area, and more gruff sorts (the kind you expect to be grizzled sailors swearing every other word) pawed in the dirt and mud until we found the unusual things, at which point the archaeologists usually took over. One such bear of a man was Franz, a foreigner relative to most of the group. He hardly spoke while working, but during every break and every night, he would explode into genial banter, telling story after story of his childhood. After years of working beside him, he ended up as something of a father figure, taking great pride in my achievements and helping me grow as a person.

Eventually, the academics in the groups started to notice how much knowledge I was picking up relative to some of the other workers. They started giving me a bit more specific information than the rest, they came to me when they wanted to communicate something to the others, and some of the younger ones even came to me for advice. Eventually, my time was split between the researchers and the workers about 50/50. I befriended two researchers about my age: Courtney and Aziz. They were incredibly friendly compared to the general angst throughout the rest of the camp (thanks to the tyranny of the sun), and it was nice to have some friends, though things got a little awkward one day when Franz just went off on the two of them. Later, I'd learn that he was apparently accusing them of some sort of competition to court me, but I think it was a combination of him looking at me like a daughter and me having less time with the workers, resulting in him being hyper sensitive. Then again, I'm terrible at recognizing flirtations, so who knows.

- What was settling down in this world like for you?
Well the dreams were disturbing. Not quite "wake up naked in the desert thanks to peyote" disturbing, but just as hazy and primal. I just recall waking up one day in the middle of an unfamiliar desert. I thought the heat, dehydration, and exhaustion were getting to me when I started seeing local fauna and flora that were COMPLETELY different than the animals I was familiar with. They were noticably more intelligent, most of them had developed social structures, most of them seemed to be self-aware, and some even almost seemed to express sympathetic curiosity towards me. I eventually collapsed, and in my lapses of consciousness, I became aware of something swimming through the sand circling around me. I eventually lost complete consciousness just as I heard a bird make a harsh squawk, and woke up some time later next to an oasis. About an hour after slaking my thirst in confusion, I heard the squawk again as a plump vulture-thing in half an egg shell approached, followed by several humans.

They helped me get back on my feet, taught me about many aspects of this world (while still giving some sidelong glances like I was crazy), and through them I was able to get back into similar work as I was doing before. It was awkward as first, since I kept finding fascinating new things that...everyone already knew about.

- How do you feel about this new world? About the world you came from?
There is definitely more to discover here. For all of the fantastic things with mundane explanations, there are still just as many inexplicable mysteries. I definitely miss some of the people I used to know, but this new world seems to have more opportunities, and this time I won't squander any. Apparently these pokemon things enjoy battling, and it has been a welcome supplement to my income. After a bit of time repaying the people who saved me and getting the lay of the land, I've started exploring this new world, searching for the unknown.