elnysa | video | un: Crash Keys

Hey. This isn't one of those 'let's all get to know each other and be best friends' posts. I wanna know what you guys know about telepathy.

[Aoi holds a picture up to the camera. 'Picture' is probably a generous description.]

First, anyone know what this picture is?

Snake, before you even start, I fuckin' KNOW you can't see it, so I'm not asking you.

Don't cheat, just tell me what you think it's supposed to be.

If you're not into pictures, tell me about Archetypes from your world. There was a psychologist on Earth who noticed the same ideas pop up in various cultures that had no contact with one another. I want to see if that collective unconscious spans worlds too. So, I dunno, talk to each other about the legends and fairy tales and holidays and shit from your worlds and lemme know what common threads you find

The Follow-Up Video

[A couple of days later, when it seems like the majority of the people who are gonna weigh in have done so, Aoi makes a follow-up post.]

Alright, I know you all think I was tryin' to psychoanalyze you with the picture I showed you the other day, but trust me, you guys aren't that interesting. There's a right answer to the picture. I'll show you.

[He holds up the original picture and the solution to the screen.]

Some crackpot psychologist did an experiment to test the transference of knowledge through unseen means. He showed a picture like this to a population of people, and the distribution of answers was pretty random, same as you guys'. Then he broadcast the answer to that population. When he went to a to a remote location that had no contact with anyone from Population A. When he showed the same picture, there was a statistically significant increase in the percentage of people who knew the answer.

Even though nobody had consciously shared the information, because more people knew it, the answer was somehow transmitted. So that's the theory of Morphic Resonance.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Hey Aoi calm the hell down, how about that one??]

No, come on, listen for two seconds. Didn't she tell you about SHIFTing? [Can you hear him say it with the capslock, because he does.] I'm saying either you have to get out of here or she has to get in. It just—it didn't work for me, so...

[Good luck, buddy.]

[Um, since when has a Kurashiki ever had any chill?

But SHIFTing? That's still just a theory with a terrible fucking acronym, as far as he knows. Aoi kinda had tunnel vision when he was working on saving Akane.]

I know the idea behind it, but I can't do it. That's not how it works for me.

[Apparently he needs more life-threatening danger ~~easy~~ and more friends ~~impossible~~. That's never gonna happen.]

[Your whole family needs a nap, my dude.]

Oh— [There's a twinge of disappointment there, before he remembers the equally bullshit explanation for Eric and Mira—] No, wait, if you get enough people who can do it, it won't matter how bad at it you are!

[Hear that? It won't matter if you suck.]

I was there, I know it works.

You were where? [Seriously, what the hell, man? When did you get a level up in this crap?]

And you haven't been able to do it here either, so don't give me that.

[Like 3 weeks ago, dude!! It was awful.]

I know, but— that's not the point. I'm trying to help! [With nigh-impossible suggestions, but what else did anyone expect from him?]

Well, you suck at helping!

[Man, Aoi's great at comebacks. Who even needs an incinerator when you've got burns like these.

Besides, what's he supposed to do? Gather up all the refugees for another Nonary Game?]

Look, we're not gonna be able to hold hands and work together and save Akane this time, so just forget it. I'll figure out something else.

Well—uh... [That one kind of hits him in the face, all things considered. No, making a whole new game is stupid and crazy, but there has to be another idea - one that doesn't tidily remove him from the equation as an unhelpful loser. There's no telling what Akane would want to do if she woke up here and how on board he'd be, but come on... let him help!!]

Don't just write me off. You're going to need help or you'll wind up crazy screwed up in no time.

[Well, basically it's murder puzzles or bust, and even Aoi's in agreement that the nonary route isn't the right one to take here.]

We don't gotta pretend I'm not already screwed up. [Junpei missed the timeline where most of that came up, but it's true. It's him, not you. Aoi's a fucking mess of Santa Claus metaphors.]

Look, I need to find a new angle on this. I can let you in on it when I got somethin', but for now, there's no point.

[Fuck it. Aoi's going to take a page from the Tenmyouji school of thought and go sulk for a while. Alcohol may be involved.]

[Aoi, please get some new songs on your playlist. There are things in the world besides murder puzzles.

Regardless, Junpei isn't sure he's totally okay with a vague assurance that he'll be let in eventually - it's not as if he has any delusions that Aoi thinks he's not an idiot - but... fine.]

Alright, I guess that's good enough. [...] If I think of anything... you know.

[Spoiler: he won't think of anything good.]

[Up until a month ago, the other thing in his world was his sister. The last couple weeks are a start at learning about other things, but it's a process. Aoi's working on pinpointing goals in life outside of the role of Zero's Assistant and Akane's big brother. Maybe one day, the playlist will expand.

A couple days later, he'll text Junpei a message.]

sorry.

There's nothing to do for now but wait til Akane wakes up

until then, I'm gonna do what the aliens want

[Process is putting it mildly. People have been elbowing Junpei on more than one occasion - weirdly, unexpectedly - with questions like what will you do now? and are you happy here? and he doesn't know how to answer them without vacillating repeatedly.

So, playlists, etc. He's mercifully doing nothing more exciting than sitting around at home when he gets Aoi's text. Hmm.]

that sucks. i'm sure she'll wake up sooner or later.

[Unless, in another timeline, she knows about this one and has blacklisted it for the world ending—never mind. He should be... nice.]

hey..... you should come over for dinner sometime. it's not like we bite.

[There are a lot of prideful 'I'm not your damned charity case' responses Aoi almost types back, but at the end of the day, he does want to get to know Junpei and Snake better. Also, he pissed off his roommate and is now losing the War of the Thermostat, so he agrees in hopes of warmer climes.]

ok. lemme know when ur making something that doesnt suck and I'll stop by.

[Listen, it's not like Junpei isn't expecting Aoi to come back with some attitude, so his hardcore reputation is still intact. He likes the casual implication that his cooking sucks, too, that's Aoi for you...]

i could be a master chef and you'd have no idea. we'll let you know.

now you've set standards. I expect to be impressed

yeah yeah. you'll eat your attitude. and my great cooking.

video | un: Crash Keys

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