097 - Return Ticket

Artifact: Return Ticket

Power: Significant.

Description: An old movie ticket from the demolished Aquaris 4 theatre in Austin, TX, the ink curiously unfaded by time. Dated Saturday, October 28th 1995 it was for the 7 o’clock showing of barely profitable film Waterworld starring Kevin Costner. It smells vaguely of cigarettes but is otherwise undamaged. It has not been punched, stamped or torn.

Effect: Take the return ticket to any cinema, manage to pass it off as a genuine valid ticket (someone has to at least glance at it, you can’t just sneak in) and see any movie. Remember the last movie you went to see at the theatre? That’s the experience you get again. This isn’t time travel, it’s a sensory illusion that persists so long as you stay in the theatre.

You essentially get a do-over, in your head, on watching the movie. This would be of niche value except that multiple users have discovered you can interact with the old audience too. Got into a fight and broke up with your boyfriend mid-way through your last date? You can try saving your relationship. Did you follow your cousin there after you spied on him nailing your wife and chicken out on the confrontation? Give him a piece of your mind or just shoot the son of a bitch. Is the final memory you have of your dad seeing a movie together? So long as it was your last cinema visit you can talk to him again.

None of what you do physically carries over into the real world. You didn’t really undo the damage caused by needling your beau about his parent’s religious beliefs and your cousin is still walking around. Their factual memories of the movie are the same as they always were, it’s their emotional recall that matches your changes (if they’re still alive, sorry about your dad). So if you want your ex to be well disposed to the idea of getting back together or for your cousin to shake in his boots every time he hears your name, the return ticket provides an opportunity. It’s also good for getting information out of people without them actually knowing you did it.

You can use a return ticket multiple times (seeing a movie on it doesn’t override the last experience by the way), but it stops functioning if it’s ever punched, stamped or torn.