audio (after shield is repaired and things are settling down at the end of the area)

[coffinturk]

[ Vincent isn't one to mince words. The message is relatively short and precise given its content. ]

We are all changing.

[ Yes. That is correct, Valentine. ]

The marks that appear are connected. But the changes are different even when two people seem to be becoming the same type of monster.

Contact me with the changes you are experiencing and the sigil's appearance. I will make a record.

Deliver it however you wish. Your thoughts on the changes are welcome.

Comments

[firstsoldier]

Fair. Until arriving here I worked for such a charismatic politician.; I agree they can be very persuasive when they choose to be. Likewise I cannot dismiss the possibility of mental manipulation, but in my experience it tends to not be all-consuming, there are those who can and do resist.

[Robio had been .. A Time, but Angeal had repeatedly shrugged off the effects of the spirits consuming the place, enough where he could try to force others to come to their senses too. Such resistance might be as common as the ability to manipulate to begin with.]

However for both scenarios, a masterful politician with nefarious purposes or a person with the ability to tamper with minds will still find themselves in a strange planet, and I doubt their abilities or charisma will work on the trucks of the convoy.

As far as I have been able to tell, so far only humans and near humans have been brought via the summoning ritual. While this doesn't mean nonhumans can't appear, it also doesn't mean they will. And who can guess the mind and motives of an alien?

[Sephiroth knows better than to doubt such things exist. He's fought them. Fallen under their sway. Had to be dragged back to freedom kicking and screaming. It would have happened again in a few short years had he not wound up here.]

It is my hope our conflicts with such creatures will be opponents, not those drawn here to be "allies". But seeing as this planet seems to draw from other worlds repeatedly, if there is such a being that may appear because you are here, such information may save lives.

[phantomshow]

[Ren’s satisfied he probably won’t be dismissed out of hand, so he decides to elaborate.]

My team and I fought a god not long ago. It called itself the God of Control, and it wanted to make reality peaceful by taking away humankind’s ability to think freely. Before that, it was pretending to be someone who claimed he wanted to help me, through “rehabilitation” so I could fight off the “ruin” it was causing the whole time. It had me fooled into working with it for close to a year before I learned the truth.

[And sometimes, that still eats at Ren a little
bit. He was a pawn in a game he didn’t know was even being played for so long.]

I don’t think it’s likely that something like that would be brought here, but it’s not impossible. Something like that could already be here, and you’d never know. People wear masks all the time.

[firstsoldier]

[He must wonder what qualifies as a god under this particular topic. Not all powerful and all knowing certainly, or human agents wouldn't be required. But something didn't have to truly be a god to be a superhuman threat.]

Masks are an unfortunate necessity of civilization. Would you recognize this god if it appeared here?

[phantomshow]

[Ren is well acquainted with the need for masks. He started wearing fake glasses to appear less intimidating at his lawyer’s suggestion during his first legal ordeal. But at least his deception isn’t done with malicious intent.]

Sure, if it looked the same as it did when we fought, or as the Prison Master who pretended to help me. I’d guess it’s probably able to look like whatever it wants, though.

Someone talking mysteriously about “mankind’s ruin” might be a tip-off, too.

[firstsoldier]

Behavioral recognition will do just as well as visual. There are plenty who preach about mankind's ruin even on my own planet.

I can't begin to know the mind of other humans beyond my own observations. Doing the same for an alien is unlikely. The morality of another species is unknowable, especially one who might be hypothetically immortal as someone would expect a god to be. Whether it could be relied on to accept the need to cooperate I can't guess. We may only hope such beings are few and far between, and not likely to appear. I would prefer to contend with the lesser threat of petty criminals.

[phantomshow]

I’d prefer not to contend with criminals at all. But I see your point.

[Sephiroth has made his points in a logical manner, without resorting to insults. Even if Ren doesn’t entirely agree with them across the board, he appreciates the ability to present a well-reasoned discussion in a level-headed fashion.]

You’ve made a good argument. I’ll think about adding information to this registry.

[He doesn’t have much to add, but something is better than nothing, right?

And now for something entirely different:]

Have you ever gone fishing?