[X] Plan: A lesson in trickery
-[X] Write-in: Goad and suppress
-[X] Kuro action
--[X] Try to provoke Spiegel into dumping more FILTH onto you before dodging it using Apathanatismos.
-[X] Party actions
--[X] Have Gwen free Undine using her gun, not Daji, while trying not to reveal that Gwen has a Persona
--[X] Have Sinon attack Memory of the Champion with Kouga, manifesting the Luminous element however she pleases
--[X] Have LLEN attack Memory of the Father using her gun
[X] Talk: (write-in) Reductio Ad Absurdum
"You're right, Spiegel. We're all pieces of shit, every one of us, from time to time--you, me, your father, Sinon. But you don't really believe that, do you? The jeering faces you've made, all around you, they're...judging you, like they're on a higher position. If you really believed they were just as shit as you were, you wouldn't care how they thought about you so much! You know it just as well as I do, that even total shit has dreams, and can pull itself out of its hole, no matter what it's done!"
[X] Plan: A lesson in trickery
-[X] Write-in: Goad and suppress
-[X] Kuro action
--[X] Try to provoke Spiegel into dumping more FILTH onto you before dodging it using Apathanatismos.
-[X] Party actions
--[X] Have Gwen free Undine using her gun, not Daji, while trying not to reveal that Gwen has a Persona
--[X] Have Sinon attack Memory of the Champion with Kouga, manifesting the Luminous element however she pleases
--[X] Have LLEN attack Memory of the Father using her gun
[X] Talk: (write-in) Reductio Ad Absurdum
"You're right, Spiegel. We're all pieces of shit, every one of us, from time to time--you, me, your father, Sinon. But you don't really believe that, do you? The jeering faces you've made, all around you, they're...judging you, like they're on a higher position. If you really believed they were just as shit as you were, you wouldn't care how they thought about you so much! You know it just as well as I do, that even total shit has dreams, and can pull itself out of its hole, no matter what it's done!"
It just occurred to me, if Kyouji views everybody in a one dimensional way, could that apply to himself in some way? Like he has his own view of himself, and he hates himself, therefore giving him Eulenspiegel?
The Sidestory notes that, unlike us who get it from the outsiders we meet, for Kyouji the Persona is a manifestation of self-image. And this is it, the only self-image, now he's rejected the abilities of a Wild Card, and the self-knowledge of LAPLACE that could calculate the motions of the future from his position. A worm in the mud that can do nothing but bite back.
I have no idea, honestly. Given that we've got MAXWELL, we're unlikely to see the corresponding scene for us, but it'd probably have some kind of Shadow-run-rampant deal, Hiyori's only contract made with the dark part of herself she wants to forget. For Kirito, Personas are described as implements of war, and he seems to have trouble remembering who he is and that he's human, so...hard to say.
I have no idea, honestly. Given that we've got MAXWELL, we're unlikely to see the corresponding scene for us, but it'd probably have some kind of Shadow-run-rampant deal, Hiyori's only contract made with the dark part of herself she wants to forget. For Kirito, Personas are described as implements of war, and he seems to have trouble remembering who he is and that he's human, so...hard to say.
I have no idea, honestly. Given that we've got MAXWELL, we're unlikely to see the corresponding scene for us, but it'd probably have some kind of Shadow-run-rampant deal, Hiyori's only contract made with the dark part of herself she wants to forget. For Kirito, Personas are described as implements of war, and he seems to have trouble remembering who he is and that he's human, so...hard to say.
I meant the relationship between the attendants namesakes and their candidate. Sorry, I should have been more clear.
For instance, you proposed that as Kyouji's Persona are based on his own self-image, LAPLACE was something that can calculate the future given sufficient information, ergo LAPLACE could have assisted Kyouji in seeing what he could be in the future and becoming that possible self, but only if he first acknowledge what he is now.
Kazuto's attendant was DESCARTES, a famous philosopher whose most recognizable quote is "Cogito ergo sum, I think therefore I am.". Descartes also believed deeply in freedom and free will, rejecting the role of a Creator figure deciding the inherent purpose of all things, and explored the relationship and nature of the mind and body. Fitting for an AI whose Personas manifest as weapons and tools and is shackled by his creators.
For Hiyori, MAXWELL is... well, I actually had a harder time with Maxwell. Guy was primarily a physicist. But one of his proposals was that light, electricity, and magnetism were all different manifestations of the same phenomenon. An idea that how even if separate parts can seem utterly different yet still be one and the same.
For Hiyori, MAXWELL is... well, I actually had a harder time with Maxwell. Guy was primarily a physicist. But one of his proposals was that light, electricity, and magnetism were all different manifestations of the same phenomenon. An idea that how even if separate parts can seem utterly different yet still be one and the same.
Specifically, I think they're referring to the various "demons" each thinker had.
Laplace's Demon is a thought experiment about an omniscient mind that could calculate the whole future from a single point in time if it had all the info about that single point in time.
Descartes' demon isn't titled in the same way, but "Cogito ergo sum" originates from a thought experiment about some demon falsifying all the evidence of his senses, and therefore all he could accurately say was that, based on his own thoughts, he existed. The parallels with Kirito here should be obvious.
Maxwell's Demon is a physics thought experiment by Maxwell on the subject of thermodynamics. A demon has a box full of air, with a partition down the middle. If the demon sees a fast-moving air particle coming towards the partition one way, it will lift the partition (in a way which we assume adds no energy to the box) and let the faster particle into the other side, and vise versa for the slow particle moving the other way. By this opening and closing, we gradually sort the box into a hot side full of fast air particles, and a cold side full of slow ones--we have done work, sorting the two, but we have not expended any energy.
In the same way, MAXWELL is all about sorting two disparate halves (us and the Shadow) from each other. At least, that's the way I see it.
I think the linking factor between the attendants, philosophically speaking, is that all 3 have a "[Name]'s Demon"
Paraphrasing, and likely mangling the philosophy in doing so, they are:
Laplace's Demon, as you say, was a thought experiment about how if all things are the result of strict cause and effect determinism, then if you imagine an entity capable of knowing the exact state of the universe in terms of all atoms and forces at a given moment it would be able to determine the future exactly by simply calculating their future motion/interactions. Not 100% sure on how to apply that to hypothetical Kyouji MC.
Descartes's Demon was a thought experiment proposed in which an "evil demon" deceives one by presenting the illusion of an external world. i.e. the senses can not be relied upon to determine the real. Essentially, a proposition that all beliefs must be open to doubt. Related to the hypothetical Kirito MC presumably the theme would be about the nature of reality/which world is "real"/is there a real?
Maxwell's Demon was a thought experiment meant to show a way to disprove the second law of thermodynamics. Essentially, if a demon could manipulate a door between two chambers and separate gas molecules in the right way - the system's entropy would decrease without the application of work. In this case, I think the whole "controlling a door to separate out parts of a system precisely" is fairly self-explanatory with Hiyori's situation with the artificial separation of her Shadow.
Another thing, @afreaknamedpete. Judging by how you handled the KING of SWORDS link, it seems there are alternate candidates for some of our arcanas. Is there any problem in asking if any of our past Arcanas also had alternate candidates to it (again, no need to answer it, though I'm curious if my guess that Eiji would be the alternate SWORD holder hit true)
Laplace's Demon, as you say, was a thought experiment about how if all things are the result of strict cause and effect determinism, than if you imagine an entity capable of knowing the exact state of the universe in terms of all atoms and forces would be able to determine the future exactly by simply calculating their future motion/interactions. Not 100% sure on how to apply that to hypothetical Kyouji MC.
I think it's as simple as the determinism aspect--Kyouji believes that he's destined to be this much of an asshole forever, that his future is set from this exact position.
I think it's as simple as the determinism aspect--Kyouji believes that he's destined to be this much of an asshole forever, that his future is set from this exact position.
...OK, I was planning to try and hammer through SKY in my next plan, but now I kind of want to unlock the Stop-Being-Racist confidant arc.
OK, having looked up this corner of Gundam, fuck Itami and the Type 94 Gas Scattering Vehicle he rode in on--Hiroto could be a perfect narrative foil to Hiyori.
[X] Plan: A lesson in trickery
-[X] Write-in: Goad and suppress
-[X] Kuro action
--[X] Try to provoke Spiegel into dumping more FILTH onto you before dodging it using Apathanatismos.
-[X] Party actions
--[X] Have Gwen free Undine using her gun, not Daji, while trying not to reveal that Gwen has a Persona
--[X] Have Sinon attack Memory of the Champion with Kouga, manifesting the Luminous element however she pleases
--[X] Have LLEN attack Memory of the Father using her gun
[X] Talk: (write-in) Reductio Ad Absurdum
"You're right, Spiegel. We're all pieces of shit, every one of us, from time to time--you, me, your father, Sinon. But you don't really believe that, do you? The jeering faces you've made, all around you, they're...judging you, like they're on a higher position. If you really believed they were just as shit as you were, you wouldn't care how they thought about you so much! You know it just as well as I do, that even total shit has dreams, and can pull itself out of its hole, no matter what it's done!"
"You're right, Spiegel! We're all pieces of shit, every one of us, from time to time— you, me, your father, even Sinon." Your boots splash against the muddy water, running up the dunes toward higher ground. All the while you call out to your opponent hoping to reach him, to get him to listen to you.
All these laughing effigies— they were important to Spiegel, as important as your relationships were to yourself. You try not to notice your own double staring back at you, face dripping in mud. To Spiegel you were just one of the crowd, nothing more than a source of that ever-present laughter. Of all the things he decided to carry over into the virtual world, it was these effigies. They were more than just combat assets, they validated his worldview. "But you don't really believe that, do you? The jeering faces you've made, all around you, they're...judging you, like they're on a higher position. If you really believed they were just as shit as you were, you wouldn't care how they thought about you so much!"
The boos and jeers intensify. "HeheheheHAHAHA, oh on the contrary, I love the attention! You know why? Cause the truth is they need me, Kuro! They need someone to pity and bully, they need precious validation that they're special. That I'm not just them." His voice cracks into a hysterical fit. "You wanna know the funniest part? They work so hard, and sacrifice so much to become winners all cause they've got this dumb idea that any of it matters. That their cheap pride means fuck all!"
A massive wave of sewage rushes up the slope, and you roll forward just as the filthy tidal wave surges past you. Every dodge, every single step you take just covers you in a fresh new coat of filth. The longer this fight goes on the worse things get. You look around and find no trace of Spiegel, only the filth and the flies. The world has been consumed by a single, all-encompassing idea, and the distinction between Spiegel and the very dirt he's espousing is becoming hazier by the second.
"They're not as shitty as I am, Kuro. No, I am the lowest of the low— the bottom rung of the shitstain ladder, the shitlord supreme. But only from the bottom can I see the whole ladder. And do you know what lies at the very top!? JUST MORE SHIT!"
You spin your head left and right, and you find that the voice is coming from all around. You turn to look behind you, and find the mud bubbling up and the muck coalescing into a mass, Spiegel's grinning visage slowly rising out of the filth.
You slam down on the X-Calibur's trigger, but the mud splatters apart.
"BZZZZTTT! Wrong one! How will our contestant score on the next question!?"
You turn and fire, the light hitting nothing but air. You swing the gun and fire off another burst at a shadow to your side, and elicit a pan of laughter— the audience of mud golems chuckling along like a prerecorded laugh track.
All around you your allies are engaged in their own battles, but they're all meeting with the same resistance.
An invisible gunshot skips across the sewage, Gwen's attack missing as your own double literally swims through the muck like a fish in water.
Sinon's brilliant bolt of light strikes dead center, but the vision of『 』just casually rips its own body in two, letting the light pass harmlessly through its center mass.
You clutch your rifle close to your chest, and you look at the horde of golems before you, the figures staring at you, their expressions ranging from mockery to pity, with that unceasing laughter not letting up for even a second.
"C'mon Kuro! I know you're capable of more than this!? Where's that little demon inside of you!? Bring out the fireworks! You enjoy holding back that much? Or are you too scared to lose your precious advantage? AHAHAHAHAHA, FINE BY ME!"
You reach for a Persona but the distortions of Spiegel's world give you pause. Any Persona you bring out might be turned against you, the only immune Persona being a mad clown that's replacing your entire roster like a contagion. Your feet land on dry ground, the hill where you've decided to make your last stand the only true dry and clear spot. You raise your optical rifle, ready to blast the first opponent you see. The cloud of flies serve as a form of smokescreen, but you can feel the choking stench in the air intensifying.
"Do you know the difference between winners and losers?" comes the taunting voice of Spiegel from all around you. "Winners got to have everything! They win power and victory, but then they just take, and take, and take, and TAKE! Until they've got a fortress of junk piled up so thick they can't see past their own shit!"
You spin your head around, the sound of sloshing sewage growing ever louder. The footsteps are heavy, a clue that his physical body is fast approaching.
"But that makes them slow. They're so concerned with not losing that they're paralyzed, held down by the weight of past glories! All their treasures are nothing more than shackles! SO C'MON KURO! BRING THEM OUT! ALL YOUR POWER, ALL YOUR PRECIOUS PERSONAS! OR ARE YOU AFRAID!? SO USED TO WINNING THAT YOU CAN'T STAND THE IDEA OF CRAWLING IN THE MUCK WITH ME!?"
Motion on the corner of your eyes, something with weight and presence. You raise your rifle and point it at the incoming target. It's moving so fast you can just barely—
"AHHHHHH! STOP STOP STOP!"
She bursts out of the swarm of flies like a pink torpedo. In the split second you have before the X-Calibur's muzzle lights up with a bright flash, you recognize the girl in pink, her tiny body covered in grime.
"PLEASE DON'T SHOOT ME!"
"LLENN!?" It's a pleasant surprise, but Gwen did say she called for help. "Be careful, Spiegel's covered the battlefield in—"
"I NOTICED!"
She skids to a stop beside you, eyes bugged out and panting for breath. "Why did I want to be so short!? I want to be tall again! Argh it's up to my neck! Eugh, eugh, I wanna take a bath and never get out! Uuuugggghh!"
"Just bear with it! We've got to stop Spiegel!"
"Sure, whatever it takes to get this over with! So? What's the plan?"
That's the question, isn't it? For now, you're holed up on the top of the hill, and Spiegel's not attacking directly. You suspect his only goal is to spread the filth until it utterly overwhelms you, then mop you all up with the Black Star.
"Focus down all the laughing mud people, alright?" you instruct, looking over the battlefield at the effigies still standing. "I'm going to lure out Spiegel's actual body."
LLENN gives you a doubtful look. "And like, shoot him right? We are shooting him, aren't we? I'm pretty sure that's the only thing you can do in GGO."
"He's managed to raise a shield that can let him reflect attacks. I'm gonna keep him busy while you all thin out the mud— they're giving him strength!"
LLENN tilts her head and stares at you like you're crazy. "Uh... so you're not gonna fight him and just fight all the adds? Doesn't that let him, uh, spew this... stuff everywhere? How exactly does that help you win? The longer this goes on the harder it's gonna get!"
"It's a work in progress, just go hit the mud people!"
"Argh, sure, whatever, you're the boss! Just lemme know when you decide to shoot the weirdo! I'm good at that!"
With that, LLENN dives down the hill in the direction of the heavy set figure you're beginning to identify as Spiegel's father, SMG spraying wildly the whole time. Outside of Sinon's initial surprise strike, the mud targets are proving to be surprisingly sturdy, and with every missed bullet and failed plot their laughter soars through the air, drawing power from your failures and mistakes.
Hey guys, you won't believe it! This shitbag's loaded!
We're friends, right Kyouji? And friends share, don't they? Ain't that just some basic common courtesy?
You hear the taunting voices of the football team, each one overlapping on the other. You shake them out of your head, but their words wrap around you like a curse, sapping you of your ability to concentrate.
Keh. Hehehe, your balls finally dropped? Then let me return the favor!
Oh my god, is he dead? No, he's just pissing himself! Gahahaha!
You feel a phantom pain in your stomach, then your arms, then your entire body, as the sensation of a dozen blows raining upon your helpless body starts overwhelming you, all the while the heckling laughter echoes and booms through the battlefield.
You push the sensation away, feeling more of yourself eaten away with every passing moment. The longer the fight goes on, the weaker you become. Off in the distance you hear LLENN's battle conclude, the voices of the Father cutting off as she fills the image with lead. Sinon— the only clearly visible combatant in a halo of gold— finally lands a solid hit on her target, the figure of『 』wavering for only a moment. All of you are separated, each fighting independently, lacking any guiding voice— just warriors fumbling in the dark, unable to grasp a path to victory.
"You know what Kuro!? I'm feeling merciful today! I'll give you what you really need— freedom! All your Personas, all your power, I'll strip it away and leave you with nothing, and maybe then you'll finally find the courage to fight! KEHEHEHEH!"
Spiegel, the real one, rockets out from the swarm. You lurch to your side in his passing, the trailing wake of filth splashing against the dry hill, the muck already spreading onto the one patch of dry land you've found. There's no dexterity nor grace, he just bumbles forward at high speed, not even caring who he hits. His inability to control his speed was of no consequence when all he wanted was to spread more filth.
"Winners, losers, in the end we're all going to the same place! The only difference is who gets to have some FUN in the process!"
You can't keep playing into Spiegel's hands, but at the same time, you don't have a solid plan. Shiroe wasn't here to guide you, and this wasn't so straightforward as hunting a giant beast or defeating a horde of monsters. You have no one to ask for help, no source of...
No, you had something you could do, couldn't you?
System Call: Incarnate PERSONA [Mithras Liturgy]. ReferenceID:10.Droit
The body of your weapon shudders in a golden light. The keyboard unfurls to reveal a holographic screen, letters of a mythical invocation spreading over the display. Immediately you frown as the text begins to distort, the neat lettering of the Mithras Liturgy morphing into a mess of jumbled words and characters under the power of Eulenspiegel's curse.
"So you've brought out a new one!? Good! Keep bringing out more! I'll make them all into the best versions of themselves! That's what friends are for, right!?"
Though the voice is tinged with laughter, you can hear the invocation echoing in your mind, the words erupting from the hidden texts and spilling into the world itself despite the effect of Eulenspiegel. "It doesn't matter what you do to me, Spiegel. Even if you curse me, or tear me down, I'll still be able to stand. I'm not here to beat you, I'm here to help you. We're all here to help you!"
"I don't need your pity or your stupid help! The only thing I want, the only thing that matters, is to laugh!"
Hail, O Lord, O Master of the water!
The words are still clear and the X-Calibur's display burns with the first lines of the invocation. The mud below your feet begins to churn and the sky shudders in preparation for revelation. An unmistakable feeling of being watched descends upon you. "Is that why you're doing this? DEATH GUN!? Getting people killed just for your own amusement?"
Hail, O Founder of the earth!
The rocks and filth begin to melt beneath your feet. The land itself unfurls like a carpet, revealing churning lines of red and black that glow with an unholy light.
"What else!? What else matters, Kuro, huh!? If you can't laugh, why live at all!?"
Hail, O Ruler of the wind!
Black and red lines cross the sky, the night fading into a cloudless void. The sounds of the battlefield become dull, and the sound of your voice grows near silent.
"There's no bottom, Spiegel. Even when you have nowhere left to fall, life has a way of taking you down further. It'll keep digging —dragging you further and further until the only thing left is the hole. Is that what you want? Is that what your future is!?"
O Bright Lightener!
"It's not only my future! It's yours too, all of ours! You can make your choices, but when it comes down to it, everything ends up in the same place! So I make the only choice left to me! I choose to LAUGH! I laugh in the face of our shitty lives! I laugh at the world that brought us here to suffer! SO LAUGH WITH ME, KURO!"
You remember the struggle. Day in and day out, fearing for your life, committing all the sins imaginable just for a chance to see another day. Burning down a world, dethroning god to save those in need. And even here, chasing shadows and specters— all so no more would have to die.
Was all that effort wasted? Was saving Spiegel a waste of time?
The answer came easily, no matter how hard the question.
Give revelation O Lord, concerning the matter of [Spiegel].
"There's another choice, Spiegel. Because no matter how you fall, there's always something to reach out for. Even if it hurts, even if it's hard, we always have the choice to keep on climbing. You're here, aren't you, Spiegel? In your own way, you're struggling, refusing to lie down and die. You know it just as well as I do, that even total shit has dreams, and can pull itself out of its hole, no matter what it's done!"
You close your eyes, letting the world melt away. Even through the darkness, the putrid stench of Spiegel's soul heralds his arrival.
"You think you can climb out of this!? You think you get to lecture me!?"
The final words of the incantation inscribe themselves upon your soul. The final words have to be spoken, and the hidden god shall grant you his revelation. Thus is the pact between your Persona and the world.
"O Lord, while being born again, I am passing away; while growing and having grown."
You duck under a tackle, the heavy body of the madman barreling right by you.
"I am dying; while being born from a life-generating birth, I am passing on, released to death."
Eulenspiegel rises out from under you, the jester gripping your ankles with a cackle. You don't resist.
"As you have founded, as you have decreed, and have established the mystery."
A great wave of filth bears down upon you. Spiegel's open mouth is a gate for his curse, each drop of spittle turning into thick globules of mud trailing behind him like a tattered cape. He's going to crash right into you, burying you in a torrent that would strip out every last ounce of power remaining in you.
But it doesn't matter, because the spell has already been cast.
"I am PHEROYRA MIOYRI!"
System Call: Accessing Memory from Server:[Earth//Egypt] ReferenceID:[Mithras Liturgy]
Appending [Apathanatismos] into Main Visualizer. Release Recollection.
Sino uses Kouga on Memory of the Champion rolls 5d6e4 = 1 1 1 4⊕ 2 → 1 success against 4
Memory of the Champion defends rolls 5d6e5 = 1 5⊕ 2 5⊕ 4 → 2 successes against 5 No Damage
LLENN attacks Memory of the Father rolls rolls 6d6e4 = 1 3 3 5⊕ 3 1 → 1 success against 4
Memory dodges rolls 3d6e5 = 1 2 5⊕ → 1 success against 5 No Damage
Memory of the Champion laughs at Sinon! rolls 6d6e5 = 2 3 4 5⊕ 1 6⊕ → 2 successes against 5
Sinon rolls 5d6e5 = 3 1 2 3 6⊕ → 1 success against 5 Sinon receives -1 CHT for 1 TURN! (This and next)
Memory of the Streamer laughs at Sinon! rolls 5d6e5 = 4 6⊕ 2 5⊕ 4 → 2 successes against 5
Sinon rolls 4d6e5 = 1 2 4 1 → 0 successes against 5 Sinon receives -1 AGI for 2 TURNS!
Undine-Eulenspiegel laughs at Gwen! rolls 3d6e4 = 2 2 5⊕ → 1 success against 4
Gwen rolls 5d6e5 = 5⊕ 2 3 4 5⊕ → 2 successes against 5 No effect
Memory of the Father laughs at LLENN! rolls 3d6e4 = 4⊕ 3 1 → 1 success against 4
LLENN rolls rolls 4d6e5 = 4 5⊕ 3 2 → 1 success against 5 No effect
Memory of the School x 5 laughs at Kuro!
Kuro's defense rolls 3d6e5 = 2 4 6⊕ → 1 success against 5
School rolls 2d6e4 = 3 5⊕ → 1 success against 4 1
School rolls 2d6e4 = 1 3 → 0 successes against 4 0 ones1
School rolls 2d6e4 = 2 1 → 0 successes against 4 0 ones1
School rolls 2d6e4 = 6⊕ 5⊕ → 2 successes against 4 2
School rolls 2d6e4 = 2 5⊕ → 1 success against 4 1 Kuro receives -1 VIT
Sinon uses Kouga on Memory of the Champion rolls 5d6e4 = 3 6⊕ 4⊕ 5⊕ 5⊕ → 4 successes against 4
Memory of the Champion rolls 5d6e5 = 2 6⊕ 6⊕ 3 6⊕ → 3 successes against 5 1 Damage to Memory of the Champion
LLENN attacks Memory of the Father rolls 6d6e4 = 6⊕ 1 1 6⊕ 4⊕ 1 → 3 successes against 4
Memory dodges rolls 3d6e5 = 3 4 6⊕ → 1 success against 5 2 Damage to Memory of the Father
Memory of the Father is defeated!
Spiegel's Filth Wave misses!
Kuro uses Release Recollection!
The first thing you notice is the smell. Freshly fallen snow, pine needles, and the crisp air of a mountain retreat. The sun shines overhead, and a gentle wind cuts through the chill.
The second thing you notice is that you are no longer alone.
"I considered it my greatest challenge. One I confess to this day I still could not overcome."
You can't move. You don't even exist. Instead, all you can do is listen, your awareness locked away.
"Certainly, I managed a convincing facsimile. I can feel the heat warming my body, the difference between hot and cold. Just enough of one to make the other stand out. I understood quite early in development that the key to touch emulation was establishing that contrast. But I was never satisfied. The sensation of the sun upon an early winter morning... even now it doesn't feel right to me. Not to the way I remember it."
You want to say something, to scream. But you have no voice.
"This place is a bit of a personal project of mine. A personal touch to the SEED's debug room. At first, I thought building a cabin to be a tremendous waste of money, but then again, I did have money to spare. I figured I owed Rinko a bit of a vacation home after the death march I subjected ARGUS to."
It's a cabin nestled in the woods. The evergreens are covered in a thin layer of snow, while smoke wafts up from the chimney. It feels like home, or at least someone's impression of one.
"It's not as if I built it intending to spend much time there. It was out of the way, private... practical, considering that I would need to remain, let's say... off the grid. But really... of all the places in the old world... this is the only place I think I'll miss. Whether it's nostalgia for the scene or for the company... well, I suppose I'll keep that bit to myself."
There's a small figure on the front steps of the cabin, sitting there, as if waiting for something. He's dressed in a lab coat, slouched over a tablet held in his lap. His eyes stare unblinking at some distant horizon, and when he notices you he tilts his head in open curiosity. "I suppose I've been a poor host. Please, it's not as hard as it seems. Imagine your form, and will it into existence. You've done it before, haven't you? Consider it practice. You'll need to do a lot of it when you enter your new world."
Bones, blood and sinew. Skin, flesh and muscle. Hair, cloth and metal. The boiled leather chaffs at your skin, the iron sword feels cold in your hand. After all this time, it's still the virtual body you're most familiar with. That weak and frail human, wrapped tight in a cloak of lies, doing whatever she had to do to survive in the hell that was Aincrad.
"Kayaba... Akihiko..." You quickly brandish your weapon in his direction, a feeble attempt to intimidate. The man who once ten thousand souls hostage simply gives you an amused smile in return.
"How pointless. Do you really want another demonstration of my power?"
"Not you. Not now!" You growl out, unable to hide the frustration. You have so many questions and so few answers, least of all from the likes of him.
"I've been watching you, Hiyori. The last time we met, I did not much care for your presence. You were hardly one worth keeping tabs on in Aincrad. Since then, however, it appears things have changed. I do endeavor to not make the same mistake twice."
He's... watching you— Kayaba Akihiko. So you've finally drawn his attention.
"W-what are you doing to me? What do you want!?"
"What am I doing? You are the one who reached out, are you not?"
Your memory release... it was to take you out of the battle. Give you a chance to receive divine revelation...
"Disappointed? Your Persona is a power out of even my control, yet consider the method by which it acts upon the world. «Cardinal» is the land, the SEED, the «Main Visualizer» and the world itself. All you are doing is seizing a small part of it to create your Persona. When you ask «Cardinal» to speak with its god, who else could it possibly bring you to?"
Kayaba Akihiko snaps his fingers and everything melts away. The cabin, the snow, even the sun itself. An endless plain of red and black lines coiling around Kayaba's glowing core— that is the true shape of the virtual world. Smoke and mirrors, pixels on a screen, ticks upon the back of a silent, nameless god.
"The Persona is such a fascinating ability. Absent those with strong enough imaginations, the Persona lets you draw upon history, legend, and myth. Gods, demons, heroes, and monsters of old, all within reach of your hand. It's a marvelous ability, yet it's nothing more than a crutch. You do not need any of this, not truly. Surely you have realized the truth by now? All you really need... is a will. No... a wish."
Kayaba gestures with a hand, and a single screen materializes before you. With a swipe of his fingers, the image unfolds, revealing a young man in gray camo, smeared head to toe in grime, screaming into a broken sky.
"This young man is giving you trouble? I can understand. His vision is particularly... vivid. But you called for revelation, and I have answered."
"Why would you help me?" you respond, fighting back every urge to turn and run. "After everything you've done—"
"Because you have potential. A potential that was squandered in Aincrad, certainly... but potential nonetheless. You have one, no? Everyone does. A vision of a truly ideal world. Your very own... Heaven."
The words leave a sour taste in your mouth, but Kayaba continues, unfazed.
"Let me pose you a question, one I keep finding myself returning to. If you were god, what kind of world would you make? Would there be death? Suffering? Would there be loss? Or would it be perfect clockwork utopia, where every moment of life is nothing but endless bliss?"
"I just want things to be normal! For there to be a tomorrow without you messing with us!"
Kayaba shakes his head in disappointment, "Is that truly how you feel? I do not deny the beauty of the old world, but is that really what you would wish for? Where leaders a thousand miles away dictate whether you live or die? Where you trudge along existing with no goal and no purpose? Where, yes, you can even lose two years of your life due to the whims of a man conducting a simple experiment?"
Your vision begins to shake, and the endless sea of red and black begins to warp and distort. The lines grow sharp and jagged, and the endless flat plane twists into a spiral.
"A man once imagined a perfect world. Loved ones come to life, and all dreams fulfilled without fail. His endeavors were doomed from the start, for no matter how much he strove to understand others, he could not accept the most simplistic of realities— that he too was part of his world. He denied himself even his own selfishness— how could he understand the happiness of others when he could not even seek his own? It was a fascinating play. But ultimately? It was Heaven for no one. Least of all himself."
Its power wraps around you, the spiral converging on a singular point. You look up, you look down, but all you see are swirls of black and red closing in on you like some great, inescapable cage.
"My answer is simple, for I have only a singular belief. That you, no matter who you are, no matter what you have done— deserve to be happy. So I would see your Heaven, Hiyori. «Cardinal» is at your disposal, simply will it into being. Show me what you truly want, so I may better help you, and I shall reciprocate your honesty with some of my own."
What is Hiyori's vision of Heaven?
[ ] Resist. Do not play his game. Kayaba Akihiko will be disappointed.
He will truthfully answer 1 question.
[ ] A normal life, a good life. The life that you remember, before SAO came and stole it away. [NEUTRAL] Kayaba Akihiko will truthfully answer 2 questions of yours.
[ ] The sky falls, the monsters roar at the gates. But you stand ready, sword in each hand, your friends at your back. The world needs to be saved, and you will not permit the call to go unheeded. [LAW] Kayaba Akihiko will truthfully answer 2 questions of yours.
[ ] Your hands are soaked in blood, and the corpses chill in your wake. But the man that stole two years of your life lies broken with your hands around his neck, and your vengeance needs you only to squeeze. [CHAOS] Kayaba Akihiko will truthfully answer 2 questions of yours.
[ ] The heroes stand aghast. The villain has no idea who you are. But as the curtains rise you stand in the open for the first time in your life and show them all who's really in charge. [CHEAT] Kayaba Akihiko will truthfully answer 2 questions of yours.
[ ] Write-In your vision of HEAVEN. Kayaba Akihiko will truthfully answer 3 questions of yours.
What will you ask him?
[ ] I don't want a damn thing from you.
[ ] Write-In Kayaba Akihiko will answer general questions with generalities, and specific questions with specifics.
Kayaba Akihiko effectively knows, or is able to look up, answers to most questions regarding events that occur in the SEED infrastructure.
Choose between 1-3 questions.
Sample Questions Kayaba Akihiko will have some answers to, not even remotely exhaustive:
>Tell me how to defeat Spiegel.
>Tell me how to suppress Spiegel's power.
>Do you know who the members of Death Gun are?
>Do you know who is masterminding the Death Gun conspiracy?
>Do you know when and where Death Gun will strike next?
>Who is the GM assisting Death Gun?
>How is the Death Gun conspiracy managing all this?
>Who is Lugh working for?
>What is Lugh's goal?
>Who is distributing the Black Stars?
>What are the ArFA-Sys systems planning?
>Who is Lievre's Master?
>What is the identity of [INSERT PLAYER]?
>What would've happened if Sugou had succeeded?
>What is Yanai currently up to?
>What is Project ALICIZATION?
>Who is ADMINISTRATOR?
>Who is ΦΙΛΗΜΩΝ?
>Why is ΦΙΛΗΜΩΝ helping you?
>What is the SEED?
>What is Cardinal?
>Why did you create SAO?
>Why did people have to die in SAO?
>Is Rossa alive?
>Can you take me to see Rossa?
>Can you bring Rossa back to life?
>What is your goal?
>What is your name?
>What is your quest?
>What is your favorite color?
>What is the capital of Assyria?
>What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
Vote is NOT in plan format. They are separate. Also you can vote for as many questions as you'd like, but they don't need to be in a plan. The QM will simply take the top 3 most voted for questions and ask them. Or top two, or top one, depending on which vote wins with regards to revealing Hiyori's vision of Heaven.
[X] The heroes stand aghast. The villain has no idea who you are. But as the curtains rise you stand in the open for the first time in your life and show them all who's really in charge. [CHEAT]
I'm not going to turn down a write-in for three questions but this is how I've played Hiyori and who I want her to be. Someone who takes the chessboard and throws it off the table, who flips the script around, who changes the plot. And you know why? Because Hiyori's doesn't need a HEAVEN to get her dream. She's done it once before in Alfheim and she's going to do it again and again and again until Kayaba and PHILEMON are defeated.
[X] Tell me how to get through to Kyoji/Spiegal.
If Kayaba can answer this question then all the other Kyoji questions are pretty moot but I'm still thinking up a second question.
[x] I Will Face Myself
-[x] "You just had to ask such a complicated thing. If I answer that I want things as they were it means ignoring this darker part of me, something that may have existed before you put me into this mess. If I try to please you, I'm not sure I could trick you, because you're a god or something. If I answer that I want to see you die in a fucking ditch...well, I want it anyways because of the shit you pulled, but that wouldn't still be the whole truth."
-[x] "In the end, you keep preaching about Heavens, about reaching our dreams, but in the end, this is just an attempt at escaping who we are at our core, going into worlds where we can give the blind eye for the worst parts of our beings. So, if you ask me about an ideal world, is one where people face those failings of themselves and can accept them and get better from it. None of that bullcrap with Oberon or Spiegel, actual growth instead of dwelling like fucking worms in the dirt."
[x] "Tell me what makes Kyouji Shinkawa - and Spiegel, for that matter, let's cover our basis - tick. If he believes the world is full of shit, then why does he care for what others think of him?"
[x] "The NerveGears. BLANK was orchestrating a sale of fake NerveGears for other people by using that Kazuma guy as their extension...yet, I can't feel there's something that does not fit. Tell me...is there someone distributing actual NerveGears?"
[x] "And finally...tell me. After today, if we defeat Spiegel. What will be the next move of Death Gun?"
[x] I Will Face Myself
-[x] "You just had to ask such a complicated thing. If I answer that I want things as they were it means ignoring this darker part of me, something that may have existed before you put me into this mess. If I try to please you, I'm not sure I could trick you, because you're a god or something. If I answer that I want to see you die in a fucking ditch...well, I want it anyways because of the shit you pulled, but that wouldn't still be the whole truth."
-[x] "In the end, you keep preaching about Heavens, about reaching our dreams, but in the end, this is just an attempt at escaping who we are at our core, going into worlds where we can give the blind eye for the worst parts of our beings. So, if you ask me about an ideal world, is one where people face those failings of themselves and can accept them and get better from it. None of that bullcrap with Oberon or Spiegel, actual growth instead of dwelling like fucking worms in the dirt."
[X] "I want to know, how to make Kyouji Shinkawa listen. No philosophic bullshit, how do I get through that thick skull of his and make him listen?"
[X] "Death Gun...they are more than one man. I know Kyouji, Johnny Black is involved, maybe XaXa...Give me them. Tell me the names of every single person connected to the Death Gun conspiracy - real names and identities."
[X] "Pitohui. I want to understand who she is. Show me why she wishes to put her life on the line."
Well, wasn't expecting something like THIS to happen...you always find a way to surprise us, huh pete?
[X] Write-in: Honest Indecision and refusal
-[X] "I...I don't know. Deep down, in some delusional part of my being, I want to reunite with someone I lost in Sword Art Online, and apologize to her. Another part of me wishes I could have made a real difference as part of the Clearers. I also want to drag you and all of Laughing Coffin into the light so you can face justice for everything you did."
-[X] *suck in a deep breath as Shadow Hiyori takes over* "But we're not living in a fucking fairytale or shit Isekai story, are we!?" *tap the side of your head* "Dopey might have some delusional regrets, but even she knows that actions have consequences! And you seem to have failed to consider just what the hell the consequences of giving six BILLION people free reign over their own slice of reality could be! And not even of letting them do as they please, just the act of making a HEAVEN for them in the first place! So no, I don't really feel like fantasizing right now, so shut up and tell me what I need to know, or fuck off!"
[X] "How do I defeat Spiegel?"
[X] "How can I save Pitohui?"
[X] "How do I defeat BLANK?"
Don't know if the write-in will be allowed, but I'm steadfast in the questions to ask and will die on this hill.
[X] Bring it Down to Earth
- [X] "My ideal world? I'm already living it. It's this world where I can make people like Sugou, Kyoji, Mikami, that fatass who wants to be called Rudy, and yes, even you, Kayaba face reality. Sure you could give me a perfect bubble world where I beat up some brainwashed simulation forced to be some kind of punching bag but that wouldn't be real. I can only get what I want by taking down the real person who believes such things, that they deserve a prize for basic decency, that women are objects to be collected, that they're the best because they want to play a game that they're rigged to win. I can only get that by facing down the real deal."
Okay this is more of an attack on the generic isekai protagonist that the HEAVENs attract the most of while putting holes in the HEAVEN plan about even if your virtual world becomes real and the NPCs become sentient it's not worth anything because no matter how beign your ideal world is you're still making a race of slaves to prop up your ego and forcing most of them to think and believe certain things at their creation and potentially forcing new lifeforms to be monsters for a cheap feelgood moment.
