[Video | Public]

[otakuro]

Hey.  Looks like I've got this working.

[Atsuro's face appears on the network under somewhat inadequate lighting.  An astute guess would place him in his room illuminated only by the backlight of his laptop.] 

Everyone get out of that first mission OK?  I can't speak for anyone else, but geez, I think I slept for a few days straight there.  If they, uh, wanted a report or anything, the research labs are fine.  ...Probably.

[He stifles a yawn before continuing on, the camera zooming out slightly to reveal a lot of bedhead and a conspicuously absent trademark floppy hat.]

Hnn...  Sorry.

So!  Anyway.  I've been thinking a lot.  About what they've told us and about... what they haven't.  Hah, I'm still surprised this place isn't some weird hallucination.  It's a little unreal, right?  Like they're asking us to act out a game or a fantasy novel.  But... even if it seems like it might be fun to stick around, I think we need to find out what it is we're really getting into.  ...There's something I want to say about all this.

You've all run into the monsters by now, right?  They talk, they cast magic, they do tricks.  Not all of them are bad, but they're things we've heard of in myths and stories from different cultures all across the globe - Cerberus, the hound of Hades.  British pixies and kobolds.  Nekomata and other youkai from Japan.  So... what gives?  What're they doing here?

...I'm not gonna get into details, but I should say that these guys - the exact same identical demons - have popped up in at least two other worlds that I know of.  And both times.... they showed up because the world was about to end.

I'm not saying this place is the same way, but... maybe that's why they need our help badly.

[addendum a few minutes later]

Ah, someone reminded me - if you guys want to see a database of all the demons I've ever met, you can drop by my room.  Libra 5-07.

Comments

[greatseal]

[to be honest, the idea holds water. In her experience, Personas are only needed when something big is happening. And it's interesting for her to hear that these demons aren't something only on this world. But still...]

...I'm not really sure what it means for your theory, but I've seen some of these demons before, too. Except they weren't demons, they were Personas.

[otakuro]

Persona... I'm guessing you're from, uh... Yu Narukami's world, right? The one with the televisions.

I don't really know anything about them, but do you remember which ones, exactly?

[greatseal]

Well, it sounds that way, but I only just met him myself.

Let's see... I saw Alp and Incubus, Lilim and Lilith...

[greyerrant]

Such sorcery always appears before a world burns.

[otakuro]

Oh.

Er.

...I'm not sure if that was philosophy or if you're saying you've seen the same things.

[aboyandhiscat]

Demons had always existed in my world - it's usually most on another 'plane of existence', though they become more active during dangerous times.

[otakuro]

That's a bit reassuring. It's more along the lines of how they're usually imagined, right? Most people don't see them, but they come out to play tricks every now and then.

[misery_hates_company]

*She really shouldn't be bothering with anybody, but she had to admire this boy's good humor next to her, ah, STRONG personality.*

Oh my, aren't we the dramatic one. And here I thought you were all about the knock knock jokes.

[otakuro]

Oh, uh. Sorry. I just don't know any that end with 'Who's there? The apocalypse!'.

Maybe a Russian joke.

[blitzkriegzwei]

[He's trying out this network thing for the first time. Forgive him for sounding so stiff and formal.]

Ah... Atsuro, was it? It's Ludwig. How are you faring since the fight in the labs? I assume one of your demons healed all your injuries...

[otakuro]

Yeah, that's right! ...Aha, I think all that's wrong with me now is that I've slept too much. My head feels like cotton.

Video

[universebeware]

I swear, if any of you lot caused the loss of any of the projects I was working on, I'm not going to be very happy.

[Not that Brainstorm's often happy to begin with, but that's neither here nor there.]

As for things we didn't tell you, well - there was that small issue of the attack that cut us off before we could finish.

As for your theory, well. The year here is 9AC. "AC" as in "after-crisis". One apparently bad enough that we're sealed in this city. We don't know what that crisis was, yet. I do think your theory is likely about nine years too late, though.

text

[putonagoodshow]

To add to that, the demon population here seems to have existed far longer than the city has been sealed for. Many of them have called this place 'home'.

I would like to believe that they are not, themselves, a sign of things to come. Or at least that they do not need to be such.

[Video]

[jundere]

The end of the world? That's pretty exciting isn't it? At least we won't be bored.

[She'd really really really rather be bored.]

Mind if I swing by your place to see your demon collection, though?

[otakuro]

I don't know... I was looking forward to watching my apartment's paint dry back home. Kind of a rare opportunity.

Aha, yeah, sure. Come on over whenever you want!

[...And then Atsuro glances around his already very messy room.]

Actually, give me a few minutes and I'll meet you in the lobby.

[cantgive100percent]

_{[It's so weird using this tech, but.. it's better to just run with it than resist, right?]}

They're all the same as the ones you know...? Weird... I haven't seen anything I can recognize.

..I'd like to see that database. When's convenient?

[otakuro]

Some worlds seem pretty similar to this one - there's one where they already learned to use Persona, too.

I was just lucky enough to share the demons, aha.

Why don't you come by in fifteen minutes or so? I should probably clean myself up.

[endears]

Eh, so it's something like that...? [Wait, no, sounding forlorn isn't allowed.]

I'd really like to look at that database sometime! Is any time good for you?

[otakuro]

Yeah, sure, come on over. Just give me a few minutes to look presentable.

[drakenguard]

You are not far from me.

[Libra 7-05 dude]

Your theory holds merit, considering the events of the day we arrived here. Although the world is not yet on the verge of destruction, it appears to be heading in that general direction. However...

We should still be cautious of whatever hidden goals they may have.

Also, I am open to comparing demonic compendiums.

[Yamato has it practically 100% filled considering how the Hotsuin family catalogues those things for generations...but he could still be missing a few]

[otakuro]

Whatever hidden agenda these guys might have, I think the Anoli have a pretty open agenda of mass destruction. I don't mind helping out for now.

And sure, feel free to drop by whenever you'd like. ....What do you mean, though, 'comparing'?

[Video]

[risetocaesar]

I wouldn't mind taking a look at that database, when you've got the time to spare. Actually, it looks like I'm right next-door to you.

[Demons of any kind? Not a good thing. He's curious about what they might have in common with shadows -- and forewarned is forearmed, anyway.]

Some of those demons aren't unfamiliar to me, either, except I've seen them as Personas where I'm from.

[Video]

[otakuro]

Someone else from said the same thing earlier. I've been thinking...

If these are things that are well described in myths, and Persona are representations of our soul... maybe they're taking the form of demons because it's a familiar way to express a concept. Like... a god of war is a conceptualized image of someone's violent nature.

...But I guess that would mean everyone was secretly a mythology buff.

And, yeah! Come right over. ...Ah, give me a second to clean up, though.

[Video]

[itswhoopasstime]

Oh, those sound familiar! I know I've seen a Nekomata before, and my share of pixies. There are plenty of demons where I come from, too.

[Video]

[otakuro]

...I'm hoping I'm wrong and your world's doing just fine, then.