[Voice]

[undyingcrow]

[In the middle of a restless night, Akechi addresses the radio.]

One thing has become abundantly clear since my arrival: the vast majority of us hail from different times, if not different worlds.

[He pauses, letting that sink in.]

For instance, I'm from Japan in the year 2017. However, it is specifically the same version of Japan shared by Akihiko Sanada and Naoto Shirogane... in the future. That places the three of us in a shared reality, but not the same point in time.

However, our version of Japan has endured a number of odd, even supernatural occurrences, such as a "Dark Hour" and, more recently, the vigilante work of a group of "Phantom Thieves" who quite literally changed the hearts of wicked adults through the use of a parallel, cognitive world.

[His voice remains calm, if tinged with a subtle weariness.]

But that is far from universal. In my time here, I have encountered a talking turtle from a world where yokai and mutants are real. I've spoken with someone who had been sent into a digital world, like an isekai protagonist. I even had to explain the concept of religion to Serph-san, as well what a horse is.

[...]

All this to say, it may be worthwhile to cross reference the worlds and time periods we hail from. If nothing else, it may help us discern patterns that could in turn heighten our understanding of our present circumstances.

Comments

[guidemyway]

[Ooooffff. That sounds rough. But it's actually sounds a little similar to some other stories that Ruby knew.]

You know. It's not every day someone gets a second chance like that.

I think you're doing great with it so far.

Is that therapist of yours accepting new clients? There are some people I'd love to introduce him to.

[wereperrito]

[So meta! Given it's a comic book canon turned action movie...]

Oh. I think that's almost worse than the half the universe thing. More depressing. How could you get the whole of humanity to agree to something like that?

[bufudine]

Fresh slate.

[Now that he thinks about it... Has he undergone that process before? His gut feeling is no -- he and Gale had agreed that there was something different about himself, Heat, Argilla and Cielo compared to everyone else -- but how would he know? It's not like he would remember anything if he had been reborn in the Junkyard cycle.]

I think there's a similar cycle in Nirvana.

[undyingcrow]

So it's closer to genuine reincarnation.

[Hmm... Though, when you really stop and think about it...]

It raises questions of whether or not the reincarnated self is still you. Our memories and experiences shape us. Scrubbed of all of that, is that not someone new?

[bufudine]

[As much as he wanted to avoid thinking about it, here he is, thinking about it.]

Is it truly gone without a trace? Have you seen something you've never encountered before, yet it feels familiar?

cw for brainwashing talk

[undyingcrow]

You can't, but he was naive enough to believe he could grant everyone happiness.

[There's a growl to his words, a heat previously lacking in his voice.]

Sometimes, it was as simple as reviving loved ones from death. Other times, he'd take a struggling art student and change him into an archer to erase any struggle. Most damningly, he made an innocent girl believe she was her deceased sister simply because she believed her sister should have lived instead.

[That should speak volumes to his treachery in Akechi's eyes.]

[undyingcrow]

[...She's certainly a cheery one, isn't she? Huh.

If she knew what he'd done, perhaps she wouldn't be so sure, but that's hardly relevant here.]

I wouldn't advise it. Dr. Maruki's idea of helping his clients included brainwashing, with the end goal of creating a world scrubbed free of pain and trauma, disregarding those who saw their pain as an important part of their growth and individuality.

[undyingcrow]

I could. I'm not entirely sure how useful it'll be, but should any more monsters share similarities with Shadows, knowing their elemental affinities may prove useful.

[undyingcrow]

Like deja vu or repressed memories... The concept isn't unfamiliar to me, at least.

[So that might be it, then. A lingering trace, even if it's faint, like faded scars.]

[undyingcrow]

If you spot anything unusual that may be a clue, that's more than enough. At a later date, I may make an inquiry over the radio to see what others have unearthed.

Re: cw for brainwashing talk

[wereperrito]

[There's a pause while Jack takes the time to be properly horrified.]

Was he stopped? Please tell me he was stopped.

[solitarysoul]

O-okay! I'll let you know if I find anything.

[constantvrunning]

It is much appreciated.

None of the creatures I know of from home are necessarily classifiable as monsters, but if there turn out to be any that can appear here in similar fashion, I shall do the same.

[It's only fair.]

[faceguy]

Yeah, something like that!

There may be some shapeshifters... but most of the ones I know use a cloaking brooch. It lets you look like pretty much anything, but most yokai use it to look human.

[From what he knows, they aren't super common, but they aren't rare, either.]

[bufudine]

[Therefore...]

A past we don't recall still touches our present.

[Not as strongly as current memories and experiences maybe. Even if he and his officers don't remember, was it their shared past that had drawn most of them to him? They could very well have joined other tribes but instead, they ended up serving him even before the floodgates of emotion had been forced open within them.]

[undyingcrow]

Well, that's a sensible approach. Humans are notorious for distrusting and fearing what falls outside their understanding and expectations.

Though, that does sound like rather useful technology either way.

[Hologram technology is a staple in Sci-Fi, but the prospect of it being real certainly captures the imagination.]

[undyingcrow]

True enough.

[Philosophically, it's still so daunting. He's rather attached to his sense of self, despite all his crimes.]

Still, given the choice, I'd rather be "myself." I was given an "option" to start over in a world where all of mistakes no longer mattered.

I refused, of course, because the one making the offer was a sentimental fool who believed he had the right to dictate the entire world's happiness.

[thetatters]

Many 'abilities' come at a cost. I would be cautious of relying too heavily upon such things.

[ He says this with tired certainty, as though it's a known fact of the world. ]

[undyingcrow]

Perhaps, but this is the literal manifestation of my soul. There's no real cost at play, unless I rely on his abilities too much in quick succession.

[No, the cost came from his own bad choices as an idiotic fifteen year old...]

[thetatters]

You can manifest your soul? As a... separate entity?

[ Something stirs in the back of his head. An awareness of himself as he could be, as he ought to be, vast and golden. John stamps it down. ]

[serialmurderbot]

[Okay, that might stymie its attempts to rationalize this, mostly because it's once again thinking about alien remnants and compulsions and feeling just about ready to crawl out of its skin with horror.

Some of that has to come across in its voice when it says;]

Supernatural how? Caused by what?

[undyingcrow]

More or less. He's a manifestation of my "spirit of rebellion," taking the form of Hereward the Wake.

[That probably is a lot to take in, but moreover...]

At one point, I had two, one of whom was the Norse god Loki.

[undyingcrow]

Not only was he stopped, but he got punched several times by a high schooler.

[It makes Akechi wish he had gotten some hits in, but it was a fitting way to rub salt in the wound.]

I've no idea what he's up to now, but I don't particularly care, so long as he stays far away from me.

[undyingcrow]

Shadows. You could think of them as monsters, not unlike the ones we encountered here, save for the fact that they exist in a parallel reality that only a select few can access, and they're generally more cognizant.

[A soft snort of laughter follows.]

They reside within the collective unconsciousness, and thus many of them take on forms of gods and demons within various human mythologies. Anything from Jack Frost to Cerberus, though the latter lacks the three heads that Hades' hound is typically known for.

One of the monsters in the first attacks did look identical to a Shadow called Pisaca, however.

[serialmurderbot]

[Okay, so: still existential horror. It has to start playing an episode of Sanctuary Moon in the background just to stop its performance reliability from tanking. Because combination highly affective alien technology with what sounds like the plots of one of its shows isn't helping it keep its cool.]

So you think the same thing, or something similar, is happening here.