[ It smells like home gets the widest, warmest, most satisfied grin out of Maruki. That's the goal. If they can't get back to their reality, then he'll do his best to approximate a bit of it here.
He gives it one last taste test and shrugs. The sauce is most definitely off, not even in the same realm as what he could make at home, but it'll do.
Two plates, the rest set aside for whenever Vash shows his face plus leftovers – he's still working out how to cook for more than just himself and keeps making way too much. He doesn't join Akechi at the bar, just leans against it from his side as they tuck in. ]
Hmm... I might try it. Even just a random assortment of staples would be nice. Although, then what's stopping me from just putting in an order at Ore no Beko or someplace...
[ A rhetorical question to belie his keen interest in the second part of what Akechi said. Maruki looks at him over the top of his glasses between bites. ]
Is that true, about the abilities? I can imagine how frustrating that is for those who have them, but I wonder... Surely that's not a random fluke of a temperamental crystal. That seems like deliberate intervention.
[ The choice to return powers, but some only up to a point, is an odd one. Perhaps Vaeros likes a challenge. Perhaps he's able to carefully measure out what will be enough to keep the requester complacent. Perhaps he just likes messing around. No telling.
But if Azathoth returns to him in anything less than the state they left things in, he doesn't know what he'll do. Maybe a bit of the concern shows on his openly expressive face. Maybe. ]
[A quiet afterthought added before his first bite. It's not the same, but it's close. Similar to what he would expect from a homecooked meal versus the generous seasonings of restaurants and-
Well, it is a homecooked meal. One accompanied with the same unfamiliar sensation it had the first day he walked into Maruki cooking for them.
It's all temporary anyway - Akechi's paid for his portion with the items set by the man's door. All he needs to do is eat and tie up any residual feelings into a neat box. Concentrate on his voice instead because he's talking - the words momentarily drowned out by his own hunger being appeased. It's good.
He mentally backtracks through chews - abilities, right. It's probably fascinating to someone without any and who's new to a world of people alight with strange powers.]
If I were to put myself in their shoes, it would be incredibly insulting over frustrating. Imagine having something that's yours ripped away, along with your agency and will, for the whims of another. [Chopsticks move to soak a piece of green in a pool of sauce - like he's trying to drown it.] I thought the same - deliberate, especially because of the potions that give you 'approved powers' - so to speak. Weak as they are in comparison to what I've heard others have.
[A deliberate pause - more noodles. Happy thoughts. Tokyo will be in their sights before long.]
At this point, given my experience with our temperamental captor, the logic used in any decision made by him, or the group behind him, is far beyond rational thought.
[ Insulting sounds closer to the truth for him as well, but he wasn't about to say it like that and incur any suspicion. Takuto Maruki, just a normal guy, PsiD.
Still, it's impossible not to consider. If he offers his shards to the crystal and Azathoth returns to him unable to affect any real change, what will it all have been for? Not just the work he's put in to make that exchange, but everything, his whole life–
He nods along to what Akechi's saying, affecting thoughtful calm as his own mind races. ]
I don't envy the people that happens to, as much as I might wish I had some offensive capability myself. The total loss of autonomy, even in powers that are inherent to them...
[ He shakes his head. Takes a bite, then another. Wishes he had bean sprouts here. Wishes he had a guarantee of Azathoth here. Then sighs and straightens up, an excitable smile starting to spread over his face. ]
Speaking of applying psience to the illogical! Was there somewhere in particular you wanted me to start?
[ A weather-worn, dogeared little journal pulled from his pocket. It isn't the notebook Akechi gave him, and it's already half full as he flips through the pages to find a blank section, just in case he needs to diagram something.
Real nerd hours: START! ]
Edited (oh my god sorry for all the edits never tag sneeby) 2024-05-20 07:38 (UTC)
[That's the question isn't it? One he mulls over with a lengthy chew. He can feign basic knowledge from casual research of dubious origin. The police have access to a world the general public doesn't. It's the minor details that are vital. In depeth research only someone who concentrated on the field would understand. Outside of the obvious desire to rip themselves free of this world, this is an opportunity to learn outside of Shido's gaze. Find ways to ruin that man's life in the most brutal way possible - distort and destroy his cognition beyond repair.
The man wants to talk and Akechi wants to listen. A win/win scenario that goes beyond their shared goal of leaving this shit world.
With a swallow, he drops his utensils to pat his pockets - a little notebook and pencil pulled from it.]
The collective unconscious is the obvious first subject. Assuming the world shifts due to the unconscious desires of those who dwell in it - it's obvious a single person's will cannot overcome such a thing. A handful versus the many aren't odds I enjoy dwelling on.
[Fingers curl under his chin - pencil wound tight in his grip.]
Is it possible because of the power over time and space, the collective unconscious is also made of up of desires of those who were here and those who have yet to arrive? Ones targeted for future capture. It makes me wonder - it would certainly explain the extensive hold over us.
[Hand down - back to the notebook. A flip through filled pages to find a blank one.]
Though despite my comment only a moment ago, I'm also fascinated by the fact we're all being controlled. There is a group behind the scenes. If a single person's will cannot overcome the collective of many enough to reshape this world out of existence or remove Vaeros from his so-called power, how can those few people do it? It's quite baffling. Does anything in your research touch on that?
[A beat. Then a laugh and-]
Those were rather specific questions weren't they? A general overview of collective unconscious is fine as well.
mea culpa to atlus for running wherever i want with your half-baked concept
[ Is it his birthday and Christmas and White Day all rolled into one? Holy shit. Maruki can't help but look visibly pleased as Akechi speaks, so many solid concepts and good questions. This is fulfilling some deep and unattainable dream of being a professor.
Maruki knows full well that his food will begin its inexorable march toward being ice cold as soon as he gets started, so he finishes as much as he can while Akechi speaks and then sets it aside. Who cares about sustenance when you have rousing metaphysical discussion! On a related note, this is perhaps why he fainted a lot in grad school.
Regardless. ]
So, you touched on something I've been considering myself. Back in our reality, I would consider there to be three "planes," so to speak.
[ He draws them out on the paper, long thin rectangles stacked on top of one another. Between each one he draws arrows going both ways, and points to each layer from the top down as he explains. ]
There's our true reality, where we live out our daily lives. The cognitive reality, which impacts how we perceive the true reality. And the collective unconscious, where the very soul of all humanity resides. They can all influence one another in turn. Changes in the cognitive reality affect the true reality, as we both know, but I theorize that changes in the collective unconscious can do the same. This isn't proven by anything other than my own research, of course, and maybe I'm biased, but I do think there's merit to it.
[ He starts drawing multiple other layers of the cognitive reality alongside the original, filling up that middle section of the page with as many as he can. ]
But here in Somnius, with people pulled from potentially infinite different realities, we have potentially infinite cognitive planes. How you and I cognitively interact with the true reality – "true," of course, I'm only calling it that for the sake of simplicity but we both know that's not the case – is very different from, say, how Vash does. Our vastly different experiences, times in history, powers... Those all inherently affect our cognitions.
[ Very aware he's rambling, he tries to get to the point and taps the collective unconscious rectangle again. ]
Yet there is still only one collective unconscious that all of our different realities pull from. And that's what links us together, in my opinion. No matter how different I may be from someone from a much more fanciful reality, our souls draw from the same collective well. So then, to your point–
[ Maruki straightens up from where he's been bent over the notebook and laces his hands behind his head, stretching out his back and sighing before going on. ]
Why wouldn't the collective unconscious be able to draw from all realities, even those that belong to people who aren't currently here? It's not as if the different cognitive realities can be unlinked from the collective unconscious just because someone from them isn't physically present in the true reality. Based on everything so far, I'm more inclined to believe in limitless potential than limited. And if someone – a cabal of someones, perhaps – is tapped directly into that, they have a nearly incomprehensible amount of power over reality itself.
[ Pause. Deep breath. There is much more he could say to address Akechi's other points and questions, but he shuts up and spreads his hands wide, glad to take in whatever Akechi has to say to All Of That so far. ]
Edited 2024-05-21 10:18 (UTC)
thank you for explaining to me what atlus couldn't i finally understand the plot of the game
[The diagrams help - a method he was about to ride off as childish drivel for a kindergartener. He doesn't need pictures to understand a goddamn circle, but-
The words combined with the rapid movements of pen against paper, his own gaze attentive on every movement marked with every explanation of the concept.
This guy wasn't lying - it's on par with Wakaba Isshiki's own 'lost' papers, folded in the desk of some half assed, paid off scientist who isn't worth his weight in shit.
His body leans forward to assess the visual. Chaotic and unexplainable - it's the Metaverse. Too many aspects he could easily confirm in this moment, new problems to add into the mix, but that's not the act he's trying to convey.
Detective prince, budding interest in cognitive psience, a desire to learn to leave -
That's all.
And so he leans back, arms folding over his chest with that last thought poised his way. Mementos.
They need to go to Mementos.]
If that's the case, shouldn't it stand to reason this collective unconscious is accessible?
[Slow. Neutral. Thoughtful - as if he hasn't confirmed it for years.]
And if the cabal can access it, so can we. It's a matter of investigating what - perhaps attempting to alter the cognition of those here to 'make' a door form, so to speak. Offer the possibility and wait for an opening to appear or force it ourselves. If we all believe, then it must 'be'. If we all 'perceive' something, then it will appear. They are doing the same thing to us.
[Unleashing hell in his own turf, his own area of expertise - he can't wait to rip their captor's throat from their body.]
Although in asking this - the collective unconscious sounds equal and just, in the sense all are represented inside. The group controlling us included and all the puppets they've deemed enough to sate us.
[He flips the pages of his small notebook to a blank one - notes taken while Maruki was talking, his own thoughts hemming along the borders in small, clipped print.]
If we could find a true captor then the whole ordeal could be as simple as showing them we 'exist' where we shouldn't. A door opens that should be locked. A world opens that should be lost. My, it may be enough that we just 'appear' in front of them, when they thought they could stay hidden forever.
[Another note, smaller print - he avoids the word Mementos like a plague.]
I thought the dolls were useless, but it may be our simplest route to the true ruler of this place, if we can distort their cognition in our favor or break the world in an unexpected way.
The whole time Akechi is speaking. He just– stares. Whatever is happening on his own face, he's not aware of it. It probably shifts between some mixture of disbelief, delight, and a tiny bit of the mania that comes from infodumping about one's special interest and receiving the same energy in return.
With the talk of doors unlocked and worlds revealed, he presses his hands together as if in prayer, fingertips resting against his lips. When Akechi wraps his thoughts up, he inhales deeply through his nose and holds both hands out, palms up. ]
Exactly. That's exactly it. That's what I've been trying to prove! You have no idea... It's difficult enough trying to convince anyone in academia that changing just one person's cognition is possible and even useful. Bring the collective unconscious into it and you might as well be asking for the moon– ah, sorry to bring her up!
[ The inadvertent little teasing joke is good, it stops him from derailing this to rant about the woes of trying to make a career as a researcher, all the bureaucracy of academic institutions and red tape and funding. God, you know what asshole cut off his funding?
No, it's definitely good that he doesn't go off on that tangent.
:) ]
But you're onto something. This might sound crazy, but I really do believe it's possible to access the cognitive world – I mean that literally. Tangibly.
[ The memory of Takamaki doubled over in exhaustion between the buildings, Akira and Sakamoto hovering nearby to offer their support.
It's possible. He knows it is. ]
So, as you said, it stands to reason the collective unconscious functions in the same way. Honestly, on my worst nights I wonder if we aren't already almost there, in some capacity. It would make sense, wouldn't it? If we truly live in dreams, whatever cognitive plane we exist on in this state can't be too far off from it. Maybe accessing it would be easier than we think.
[ Which definitely is starting to sound crazy, probably even to someone as seemingly open-minded about these esoteric concepts as Akechi is. If that ends up being a step too far, he can brush it off as Just A Theory; A Psience Theory.
Maruki leans an elbow on the counter again and grabs his pen, clicking it a few times as he turns to another blank page in his journal. ]
Ah, my apologies for the stupid question, but– dolls?
[ Big, sincere, earnestly curious eyes. Pen poised. Ready to write. What the fuck are you talking about, Akechi. ]
Edited (wtf html OKAY LAST EDIT JESUS) 2024-05-24 01:45 (UTC)
[It's laughable. If Akechi were alone in his condo, he wouldn't able to refrain from the irony in this man's words. The fight to prove the existence of an all too real plane of reality, that hits the news almost every single day between himself and the Phantom Thieves.
Or did, rather. For the both parties. A life meant to end, whether through a line of corpses or the natural loss of will that comes from losing their lynchpin.
He's about to add onto that, but he mentions the moon and Akechi can't help the way his face contorts into an expression of pure annoyance. A held back sigh, a contained eyeroll that only makes it to the side of his vision and-
We're back. It doesn't damper the discussion. Only tempers his expectations and gives an opportunity to think about how much to discuss. In Tokyo, he could either speak freely or not at all. The team-up with the Phantom Thieves was the first time he had to hold a delicate balance and even then, feigned ignorance worked.
He reaches for the slips of lined paper, erratic circles that remind him of Mementos. Taps the edges with his finger and-]
Maybe they don't overlap.
[Cautious - inquisitive. Like he's thinking out loud, in the moment.]
The collective unconscious - I mean. If you think about them being stacked, connected and layered-
[His own pencil etches into a newly blank page in his own journal, a seemingly nonsensical of blocks, paths, and lines. Only a few areas, connected and disconnected in bizarre ways.]
The reason I say this is because while the unconscious may be an unsolidified area, it's also just as likely that it takes a form similar to an experience most share. It feels like it could be right in front of our eyes. Maybe under our feet or perhaps in a mysterious, closed off labyrinth. A tree within a forest, so to speak.
[Back to the doll comment? He has some nasty words to say - all held back with a thoughtful hum.]
As for my doll comment, my apologies - I consider the Moon and Vaeros nothing more than figureheads at this point. Dolls. Puppets - whatever you wish to describe them as. That's a humble opinion. They are proposed to us as all knowing, all powerful entities. I doubt they're anything of the sort. If we can find a way to-
[Rip them apart. Break them. Tear them in half in front of the real pieces of shit hiding in the shadows-]
Use them to our advantage, that may be enough of a jolt to the status quo and the foundation of this world, plane, or reality to show us an answer to all these queries.
[ Maruki watches what he sketches with hawk-eyed, careful intent.
At first, he wants to push back against it. He's so used to the way he's always considered the collective unconscious – the way all cognitive psientists consider it, some great primordial soup pot of all human pathos. But is there any factual confirmation of that? Are the theories really even built on anything truly, unshakably solid? No, it's just the accepted way of things. And he's a researcher. He never takes anything at face value.
It feels so stupid, in hindsight.
And the diagram Akechi draws looks promising.
He's still staring at it even as Akechi prattles on, his own mind whirling with the possibility of layers on layers, winding corridors and twisted connections.
He needs Azathoth back. He needs him back so, so badly.
It's the explanation about the dolls that finally gets Maruki to lift his eyes. ]
That tracks. My thought from the very beginning was that any reality, especially one that contracts so many potentially volatile people into its existence, would not be so transparent and forthcoming about the true ruler in charge.
[ The very first dreamers who entered his cognitive Shujin office said it like such a simple fact. Vaeros, the ruler of this place. Why believe that on its face? After all– ]
It's the same in our comparatively mundane reality, isn't it?
[ He traces his fingers idly along the marble top of the bar, in meaningless patterns that reflect the jagged version of the collective unconscious that Akechi drew. ]
Tokyo alone is powered by people pulling strings in the shadows. To say nothing of the rest of the country, or the rest of the world. Nothing is ever as simple as it seems. So, to your point, I agree. A place like this needs figureheads to maintain an illusion.
[ He leans his cheek into his other hand, elbow resting on the counter, and lets his gaze wander away from Akechi. ]
I don't know. Maybe it's as simple as altering just one cognition to get the dominoes to start to fall. Nothing is without consequence, after all.
A familiar paranoia rises to the surface with that comment. Maruki, cognitive psience researcher. Wakaba Isshiki, cognitive psience researcher. One alive, one dead, and both have knowledge of a shady underbelly they shouldn't. It could be written off as a mindless comment about the state of society. From anyone else, Akechi would have. If Eren, Aubrey, Vash or any number of others made a passing statement about the illusory state of cities, even Tokyo specifically -
He wouldn't be staring at them with a wild eyed intensity he can't control. It takes one blink. Then two. Three before he breathes again and four to remind himself not to get comfortable.
Maruki is amenable, docile and gentle. Maruki is a threat. This is a threat. Shido is a threat. A soon to be gone threat. A series of slits against against throat and bulging, black spewing eyes from his fingers pressing too deep into-
He wonders if Maruki is on a list in Shido's office somewhere. If the second Akechi gets back, it won't be the thieves, but someone too close to the truth, with a map handed to him on a silver platter.
A desire to be acknowledged and praised acting as a death warrant to another.
He laughs. There's no joy in it. There's nothing in it, as he tears out the half assed Mementos sketch. Rolls it between his fingers to use as a stress ball.]
Everything has a consequence - every action, every word, every map.
[He forces another laugh out complete with a token smile - one that reaches his eyes in a practiced, precise way.]
This was enlightening, Maruki-san. Perhaps we should call it a night and think about the discussion we had. Your knowledge is an asset and has opened my eyes to a different perspective that I need time to assess.
[ He's so in his own head about all of this, it doesn't register when Akechi's breath catches and holds. Maruki doesn't look at him until the laugh jolts him out of his own thoughtful reverie, and when he does, he winces apologetically. ]
Of course. I'm sorry, I know I tend to go off into left field when I get started on these topics.
[ He straightens up, closes his own journal and loops the leather cord around it again. Takes both of their empty plates to the sink, turns on the water to let it get hot as he packages up the leftovers to go in the fridge. Going through the motions as he speaks. ]
I feel the same. I never expected to be able to discuss cognitive psience at all here, let alone at the level you understand it on. Your perspective is invaluable, and you've given me a lot to think about.
[ Sleeves rolled up, a genuine smile tossed over his shoulder back at Akechi, bright and warm. ]
Any time you want to regroup and discuss it further, you only have to say the word. I'm always available to you.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
framing that tag. that's the cutest shit i have ever seen. i want you dead for it
He gives it one last taste test and shrugs. The sauce is most definitely off, not even in the same realm as what he could make at home, but it'll do.
Two plates, the rest set aside for whenever Vash shows his face plus leftovers – he's still working out how to cook for more than just himself and keeps making way too much. He doesn't join Akechi at the bar, just leans against it from his side as they tuck in. ]
Hmm... I might try it. Even just a random assortment of staples would be nice. Although, then what's stopping me from just putting in an order at Ore no Beko or someplace...
[ A rhetorical question to belie his keen interest in the second part of what Akechi said. Maruki looks at him over the top of his glasses between bites. ]
Is that true, about the abilities? I can imagine how frustrating that is for those who have them, but I wonder... Surely that's not a random fluke of a temperamental crystal. That seems like deliberate intervention.
[ The choice to return powers, but some only up to a point, is an odd one. Perhaps Vaeros likes a challenge. Perhaps he's able to carefully measure out what will be enough to keep the requester complacent. Perhaps he just likes messing around. No telling.
But if Azathoth returns to him in anything less than the state they left things in, he doesn't know what he'll do. Maybe a bit of the concern shows on his openly expressive face. Maybe. ]
please kill me and end the akechi goro brainrot
[A quiet afterthought added before his first bite. It's not the same, but it's close. Similar to what he would expect from a homecooked meal versus the generous seasonings of restaurants and-
Well, it is a homecooked meal. One accompanied with the same unfamiliar sensation it had the first day he walked into Maruki cooking for them.
It's all temporary anyway - Akechi's paid for his portion with the items set by the man's door. All he needs to do is eat and tie up any residual feelings into a neat box. Concentrate on his voice instead because he's talking - the words momentarily drowned out by his own hunger being appeased. It's good.
He mentally backtracks through chews - abilities, right. It's probably fascinating to someone without any and who's new to a world of people alight with strange powers.]
If I were to put myself in their shoes, it would be incredibly insulting over frustrating. Imagine having something that's yours ripped away, along with your agency and will, for the whims of another. [Chopsticks move to soak a piece of green in a pool of sauce - like he's trying to drown it.] I thought the same - deliberate, especially because of the potions that give you 'approved powers' - so to speak. Weak as they are in comparison to what I've heard others have.
[A deliberate pause - more noodles. Happy thoughts. Tokyo will be in their sights before long.]
At this point, given my experience with our temperamental captor, the logic used in any decision made by him, or the group behind him, is far beyond rational thought.
no subject
Still, it's impossible not to consider. If he offers his shards to the crystal and Azathoth returns to him unable to affect any real change, what will it all have been for? Not just the work he's put in to make that exchange, but everything, his whole life–
He nods along to what Akechi's saying, affecting thoughtful calm as his own mind races. ]
I don't envy the people that happens to, as much as I might wish I had some offensive capability myself. The total loss of autonomy, even in powers that are inherent to them...
[ He shakes his head. Takes a bite, then another. Wishes he had bean sprouts here. Wishes he had a guarantee of Azathoth here. Then sighs and straightens up, an excitable smile starting to spread over his face. ]
Speaking of applying psience to the illogical! Was there somewhere in particular you wanted me to start?
[ A weather-worn, dogeared little journal pulled from his pocket. It isn't the notebook Akechi gave him, and it's already half full as he flips through the pages to find a blank section, just in case he needs to diagram something.
Real nerd hours: START! ]
no subject
The man wants to talk and Akechi wants to listen. A win/win scenario that goes beyond their shared goal of leaving this shit world.
With a swallow, he drops his utensils to pat his pockets - a little notebook and pencil pulled from it.]
The collective unconscious is the obvious first subject. Assuming the world shifts due to the unconscious desires of those who dwell in it - it's obvious a single person's will cannot overcome such a thing. A handful versus the many aren't odds I enjoy dwelling on.
[Fingers curl under his chin - pencil wound tight in his grip.]
Is it possible because of the power over time and space, the collective unconscious is also made of up of desires of those who were here and those who have yet to arrive? Ones targeted for future capture. It makes me wonder - it would certainly explain the extensive hold over us.
[Hand down - back to the notebook. A flip through filled pages to find a blank one.]
Though despite my comment only a moment ago, I'm also fascinated by the fact we're all being controlled. There is a group behind the scenes. If a single person's will cannot overcome the collective of many enough to reshape this world out of existence or remove Vaeros from his so-called power, how can those few people do it? It's quite baffling. Does anything in your research touch on that?
[A beat. Then a laugh and-]
Those were rather specific questions weren't they? A general overview of collective unconscious is fine as well.
mea culpa to atlus for running wherever i want with your half-baked concept
Maruki knows full well that his food will begin its inexorable march toward being ice cold as soon as he gets started, so he finishes as much as he can while Akechi speaks and then sets it aside. Who cares about sustenance when you have rousing metaphysical discussion! On a related note, this is perhaps why he fainted a lot in grad school.
Regardless. ]
So, you touched on something I've been considering myself. Back in our reality, I would consider there to be three "planes," so to speak.
[ He draws them out on the paper, long thin rectangles stacked on top of one another. Between each one he draws arrows going both ways, and points to each layer from the top down as he explains. ]
There's our true reality, where we live out our daily lives. The cognitive reality, which impacts how we perceive the true reality. And the collective unconscious, where the very soul of all humanity resides. They can all influence one another in turn. Changes in the cognitive reality affect the true reality, as we both know, but I theorize that changes in the collective unconscious can do the same. This isn't proven by anything other than my own research, of course, and maybe I'm biased, but I do think there's merit to it.
[ He starts drawing multiple other layers of the cognitive reality alongside the original, filling up that middle section of the page with as many as he can. ]
But here in Somnius, with people pulled from potentially infinite different realities, we have potentially infinite cognitive planes. How you and I cognitively interact with the true reality – "true," of course, I'm only calling it that for the sake of simplicity but we both know that's not the case – is very different from, say, how Vash does. Our vastly different experiences, times in history, powers... Those all inherently affect our cognitions.
[ Very aware he's rambling, he tries to get to the point and taps the collective unconscious rectangle again. ]
Yet there is still only one collective unconscious that all of our different realities pull from. And that's what links us together, in my opinion. No matter how different I may be from someone from a much more fanciful reality, our souls draw from the same collective well. So then, to your point–
[ Maruki straightens up from where he's been bent over the notebook and laces his hands behind his head, stretching out his back and sighing before going on. ]
Why wouldn't the collective unconscious be able to draw from all realities, even those that belong to people who aren't currently here? It's not as if the different cognitive realities can be unlinked from the collective unconscious just because someone from them isn't physically present in the true reality. Based on everything so far, I'm more inclined to believe in limitless potential than limited. And if someone – a cabal of someones, perhaps – is tapped directly into that, they have a nearly incomprehensible amount of power over reality itself.
[ Pause. Deep breath. There is much more he could say to address Akechi's other points and questions, but he shuts up and spreads his hands wide, glad to take in whatever Akechi has to say to All Of That so far. ]
thank you for explaining to me what atlus couldn't i finally understand the plot of the game
The words combined with the rapid movements of pen against paper, his own gaze attentive on every movement marked with every explanation of the concept.
This guy wasn't lying - it's on par with Wakaba Isshiki's own 'lost' papers, folded in the desk of some half assed, paid off scientist who isn't worth his weight in shit.
His body leans forward to assess the visual. Chaotic and unexplainable - it's the Metaverse. Too many aspects he could easily confirm in this moment, new problems to add into the mix, but that's not the act he's trying to convey.
Detective prince, budding interest in cognitive psience, a desire to learn to leave -
That's all.
And so he leans back, arms folding over his chest with that last thought poised his way. Mementos.
They need to go to Mementos.]
If that's the case, shouldn't it stand to reason this collective unconscious is accessible?
[Slow. Neutral. Thoughtful - as if he hasn't confirmed it for years.]
And if the cabal can access it, so can we. It's a matter of investigating what - perhaps attempting to alter the cognition of those here to 'make' a door form, so to speak. Offer the possibility and wait for an opening to appear or force it ourselves. If we all believe, then it must 'be'. If we all 'perceive' something, then it will appear. They are doing the same thing to us.
[Unleashing hell in his own turf, his own area of expertise - he can't wait to rip their captor's throat from their body.]
Although in asking this - the collective unconscious sounds equal and just, in the sense all are represented inside. The group controlling us included and all the puppets they've deemed enough to sate us.
[He flips the pages of his small notebook to a blank one - notes taken while Maruki was talking, his own thoughts hemming along the borders in small, clipped print.]
If we could find a true captor then the whole ordeal could be as simple as showing them we 'exist' where we shouldn't. A door opens that should be locked. A world opens that should be lost. My, it may be enough that we just 'appear' in front of them, when they thought they could stay hidden forever.
[Another note, smaller print - he avoids the word Mementos like a plague.]
I thought the dolls were useless, but it may be our simplest route to the true ruler of this place, if we can distort their cognition in our favor or break the world in an unexpected way.
frankly they should be paying us
The whole time Akechi is speaking. He just– stares. Whatever is happening on his own face, he's not aware of it. It probably shifts between some mixture of disbelief, delight, and a tiny bit of the mania that comes from infodumping about one's special interest and receiving the same energy in return.
With the talk of doors unlocked and worlds revealed, he presses his hands together as if in prayer, fingertips resting against his lips. When Akechi wraps his thoughts up, he inhales deeply through his nose and holds both hands out, palms up. ]
Exactly. That's exactly it. That's what I've been trying to prove! You have no idea... It's difficult enough trying to convince anyone in academia that changing just one person's cognition is possible and even useful. Bring the collective unconscious into it and you might as well be asking for the moon– ah, sorry to bring her up!
[ The inadvertent little teasing joke is good, it stops him from derailing this to rant about the woes of trying to make a career as a researcher, all the bureaucracy of academic institutions and red tape and funding. God, you know what asshole cut off his funding?
No, it's definitely good that he doesn't go off on that tangent.
:) ]
But you're onto something. This might sound crazy, but I really do believe it's possible to access the cognitive world – I mean that literally. Tangibly.
[ The memory of Takamaki doubled over in exhaustion between the buildings, Akira and Sakamoto hovering nearby to offer their support.
It's possible. He knows it is. ]
So, as you said, it stands to reason the collective unconscious functions in the same way. Honestly, on my worst nights I wonder if we aren't already almost there, in some capacity. It would make sense, wouldn't it? If we truly live in dreams, whatever cognitive plane we exist on in this state can't be too far off from it. Maybe accessing it would be easier than we think.
[ Which definitely is starting to sound crazy, probably even to someone as seemingly open-minded about these esoteric concepts as Akechi is. If that ends up being a step too far, he can brush it off as Just A Theory; A Psience Theory.
Maruki leans an elbow on the counter again and grabs his pen, clicking it a few times as he turns to another blank page in his journal. ]
Ah, my apologies for the stupid question, but– dolls?
[ Big, sincere, earnestly curious eyes. Pen poised. Ready to write. What the fuck are you talking about, Akechi. ]
yo what if i posted the whole tag
Or did, rather. For the both parties. A life meant to end, whether through a line of corpses or the natural loss of will that comes from losing their lynchpin.
He's about to add onto that, but he mentions the moon and Akechi can't help the way his face contorts into an expression of pure annoyance. A held back sigh, a contained eyeroll that only makes it to the side of his vision and-
We're back. It doesn't damper the discussion. Only tempers his expectations and gives an opportunity to think about how much to discuss. In Tokyo, he could either speak freely or not at all. The team-up with the Phantom Thieves was the first time he had to hold a delicate balance and even then, feigned ignorance worked.
He reaches for the slips of lined paper, erratic circles that remind him of Mementos. Taps the edges with his finger and-]
Maybe they don't overlap.
[Cautious - inquisitive. Like he's thinking out loud, in the moment.]
The collective unconscious - I mean. If you think about them being stacked, connected and layered-
[His own pencil etches into a newly blank page in his own journal, a seemingly nonsensical of blocks, paths, and lines. Only a few areas, connected and disconnected in bizarre ways.]
The reason I say this is because while the unconscious may be an unsolidified area, it's also just as likely that it takes a form similar to an experience most share. It feels like it could be right in front of our eyes. Maybe under our feet or perhaps in a mysterious, closed off labyrinth. A tree within a forest, so to speak.
[Back to the doll comment? He has some nasty words to say - all held back with a thoughtful hum.]
As for my doll comment, my apologies - I consider the Moon and Vaeros nothing more than figureheads at this point. Dolls. Puppets - whatever you wish to describe them as. That's a humble opinion. They are proposed to us as all knowing, all powerful entities. I doubt they're anything of the sort. If we can find a way to-
[Rip them apart. Break them. Tear them in half in front of the real pieces of shit hiding in the shadows-]
Use them to our advantage, that may be enough of a jolt to the status quo and the foundation of this world, plane, or reality to show us an answer to all these queries.
frothing so hard i'm a cappuccino
At first, he wants to push back against it. He's so used to the way he's always considered the collective unconscious – the way all cognitive psientists consider it, some great primordial soup pot of all human pathos. But is there any factual confirmation of that? Are the theories really even built on anything truly, unshakably solid? No, it's just the accepted way of things. And he's a researcher. He never takes anything at face value.
It feels so stupid, in hindsight.
And the diagram Akechi draws looks promising.
He's still staring at it even as Akechi prattles on, his own mind whirling with the possibility of layers on layers, winding corridors and twisted connections.
He needs Azathoth back. He needs him back so, so badly.
It's the explanation about the dolls that finally gets Maruki to lift his eyes. ]
That tracks. My thought from the very beginning was that any reality, especially one that contracts so many potentially volatile people into its existence, would not be so transparent and forthcoming about the true ruler in charge.
[ The very first dreamers who entered his cognitive Shujin office said it like such a simple fact. Vaeros, the ruler of this place. Why believe that on its face? After all– ]
It's the same in our comparatively mundane reality, isn't it?
[ He traces his fingers idly along the marble top of the bar, in meaningless patterns that reflect the jagged version of the collective unconscious that Akechi drew. ]
Tokyo alone is powered by people pulling strings in the shadows. To say nothing of the rest of the country, or the rest of the world. Nothing is ever as simple as it seems. So, to your point, I agree. A place like this needs figureheads to maintain an illusion.
[ He leans his cheek into his other hand, elbow resting on the counter, and lets his gaze wander away from Akechi. ]
I don't know. Maybe it's as simple as altering just one cognition to get the dominoes to start to fall. Nothing is without consequence, after all.
`uh oh uh oh uh oh uh oh`& sighs cw: violent thoughts
A familiar paranoia rises to the surface with that comment. Maruki, cognitive psience researcher. Wakaba Isshiki, cognitive psience researcher. One alive, one dead, and both have knowledge of a shady underbelly they shouldn't. It could be written off as a mindless comment about the state of society. From anyone else, Akechi would have. If Eren, Aubrey, Vash or any number of others made a passing statement about the illusory state of cities, even Tokyo specifically -
He wouldn't be staring at them with a wild eyed intensity he can't control. It takes one blink. Then two. Three before he breathes again and four to remind himself not to get comfortable.
Maruki is amenable, docile and gentle. Maruki is a threat. This is a threat. Shido is a threat. A soon to be gone threat. A series of slits against against throat and bulging, black spewing eyes from his fingers pressing too deep into-
He wonders if Maruki is on a list in Shido's office somewhere. If the second Akechi gets back, it won't be the thieves, but someone too close to the truth, with a map handed to him on a silver platter.
A desire to be acknowledged and praised acting as a death warrant to another.
He laughs. There's no joy in it. There's nothing in it, as he tears out the half assed Mementos sketch. Rolls it between his fingers to use as a stress ball.]
Everything has a consequence - every action, every word, every map.
[He forces another laugh out complete with a token smile - one that reaches his eyes in a practiced, precise way.]
This was enlightening, Maruki-san. Perhaps we should call it a night and think about the discussion we had. Your knowledge is an asset and has opened my eyes to a different perspective that I need time to assess.
good god akechi. WRAP ??
Of course. I'm sorry, I know I tend to go off into left field when I get started on these topics.
[ He straightens up, closes his own journal and loops the leather cord around it again. Takes both of their empty plates to the sink, turns on the water to let it get hot as he packages up the leftovers to go in the fridge. Going through the motions as he speaks. ]
I feel the same. I never expected to be able to discuss cognitive psience at all here, let alone at the level you understand it on. Your perspective is invaluable, and you've given me a lot to think about.
[ Sleeves rolled up, a genuine smile tossed over his shoulder back at Akechi, bright and warm. ]
Any time you want to regroup and discuss it further, you only have to say the word. I'm always available to you.