ubermensching | Ein - Menschliches, Allzumenschliches

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Ein - Menschliches, Allzumenschliches

[It was rare for him to feel anything similar to surprise, but he hadn't exactly expected to wake up in a strange bedroom surrounded by pictures of people he didn't recognize. It would be a surreal experience and feeling for anyone, but there were a few things that added to it for Wilhelm.

The first was that there was no reason for him to wake up. He never slept.

The second was that there was no person, galaxy-wide, in his reality he didn't recognize.

He simply picked up the picture and stared in wonder at it for a moment. What an altogether odd occurrence. ...Had something gone wrong during the struggle against Zarathustra? Had he hallucinated mankind's eventual victory entirely? He could identify the clothing as being common in 1950s America; had a bizarre temporal anomaly occurred. He felt lightheaded. He needed to-

He felt lightheaded. He dropped the picture.

He didn't experience physical feelings.

He tried to search, to see if he could connect with the Unconscious. Nothing. ..An entirely new dimension then? Or had just that much damage been dealt. With his usual means of gathering information cut off, he supposed he'd have to explore. Looking at the phone next to his bed stand, he said in a calm, collected voice.]

...How interesting. There isn't, perhaps, anyone who could explain to me as to how I got here, or why?

[OOC: Anyone who possesses psychic powers, or some form of magic that can detect mental waves or something, you're going to feel a short moment of extreme discomfort when Wilhelm first wakes up. Being the personification of the Collective Unconscious of his universe, imagine the sensation his entrance brings as feeling like you're swimming in the ocean, and feel something just impossibly massive moving underneath you. It's only there for a brief moment before it's gone, but it's clearly there.

Also, MOMO-mun and Rubedo-mun, since you have both been accepted, I've decided to start by making the first post of our group's cast. I hope you don't mind, and please inform me if you do.]

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Nice to meet you, Wilhelm, circumstances aside...

Most people think the reason is that whomever is in charge just likes to watch people squirm. I-I'm inclined to believe it. I guess... I've somewhere in the middle ground. I've been here almost 6 months now. [Boy, that's depressing.]

No, I suppose being plucked from one's natural habitat can prove quite an upsetting experience.

Perhaps, though if that is the case, the project is doomed to failure if the reason is so purposeless. It should have faltered and failed by now.

And you dislike it here in entirety?

O-of course. This place is terrible. I-I hate to drop all this on you being that you just woke up here, but... this place isn't good. And whoever you might be, I feel like anyone being brought here should know what they've gotten in to. They... they brainwash people, and strange things happen all the time that's almost... almost torture. It's barbaric. I-I'm sure whoever they are have their reasons, but nothing excuses what they do to us here.

A place cannot naturally be good, nor bad. Places are what we make of it and the obstacles put before us in our environment. And without knowing the actual purpose of why they do what they do, it becomes hard to judge whether or not it's a worthwhile practice.

Do you mean to say you can find no camaraderie even amongst others who are brought here? It'd be rare to find such a...singular person, if that were the case.

...You almost sound as if you have experience with something like this. I suppose it's not technically the place that's bad then, sure, but those who run it. It's a closed space, you see. The town loops, you can't leave. You get kidnapped, randomly brainwashed into playing along with the facade, and then the things they do to us... it's terrible.

I-I wouldn't say that I guess. Actually I have more friends here than I ever did back home. [Nervous chuckle] Some of us work together to try and find a way out of this, but some... there are some people here that just can't be trusted, or those who would rather stay than leave.

Are they though? Without knowing their reasoning, how can you claim so certainly that they are evil?

...A pocket dimension, then, I suppose.

Tell me, what are the things they do to you?

That is hardly different from any other place.

Even if it's a case of them thinking they're doing good, they're not. People die, suffer, they're taken from their friends and families, brainwashed into playing along with their stupid game.

You just missed the last thing that happened. For about a week, we all woke up on a Soviet version of the town. It was... it was just as an extreme stereotype as this is of 1950s America. People were given impossible jobs and were executed for not completing them. Some were put to work in factories with machines that injured and killed people every day. Th-they brainwashed you when you disagreed or didn't do your work. People were breaking down physically and mentally. A-and those who died didn't come back like they did here, n-not until it was all over, but w-we had no idea... we didn't know if they ever would...

[There's a shaky sigh as he trails off. Soviet Mayfield was really hard on Crowe.]

And yet, without knowing the greater cause, how can you identify those as being evil? For no action is inherently evil, despite some attempts to claim such.

[So whoever is in control have power even over death, though not as he did. How interesting.]

I see. A truly interesting social experiment, it would seem.

I'm sorry, but after what I've seen and what I've been through here... I suppose "evil" is subject, but I definitely can never call it good. No good people could sit back and let their fellow man suffer like this. Now that you're here, you'll unfortunately be subjected to all of their games as well. You'll soon see what I mean.

Do "good" men exist? How would you define them?

It will be an interesting experience, to be sure.

[There's a pause. He knows what his answer is, but it makes him think of his parents, and their friends, back home...

they're not good people, by his own definition. It's something he's been wrestling with internally since he got to Mayfield. Going home was going to be very hard after being here.]

...Good people do things to help others. Out of the goodness of their hearts, not expecting anything in return. Good people don't intentionally cause others to suffer, or stand by while it happens. I-I know I've not the most stunning example but I do my best. I'm trying....

And yet, no one does a good action without expectation of personal gain. That's how mankind has caused society to function. Even if their is no physical reward gained, there is still the satisfaction of having performed a good deed.

So are all interactions: attempts to gain something. Thus, can any action truly be called good or evil?

[This isn't really the sort of conversation he ever thought he'd get into with someone who just woke up here. Mayfield brought in all kinds.]

I-I suppose. But I think if your intentions are to harm someone, well, that's certainly not good. And too many people here are being harmed for any good to arise from it.

[Quietly] Just really my opinion though. But I'm sure most people would agree with the fact that they want to get out of here as soon as possible.

But what if harm was necessary for a greater good. Let us say you saw a train barreling down a track, and there were two split paths it could be transferred down. However, there would be people walking on both paths who could not hope to get out of the way by the time the train hits. On one path, there are five people. On the other, one.

Morally, which would you see as more acceptable.

No, I suppose most would wish to return to where they are from.

I don't think there's anything I can say. It's hard to answer a question like that unless faced with the situation... there is no right answer of course.

[If only you knew the thoughts you were putting into this thief's head, Wilhelm.]

Isn't there?

[Oh, he can make guesses...]

It's bad no matter how you look as it, as innocent people would die. You could only hope to save whoever you can.

[A puase.]

You must enjoy debates like this. C-considering how calm you are for someone who was just kidnapped and brought here...

And yet, the better response would be to send the train down the path with the one pedestrian, for the death of one is certainly less loathsome then five. Would you disagree?

I do enjoy speaking with people like this. It provides an interesting sense of insight into how they think.

Maybe, but... I-I couldn't let anyone die if I could help it. I-If it were me.

Ah. I-I'm not sure what all of this would say about me. [Another nervous chuckle] What do you do, where you're from? i-If you don't mind me asking.

Then what would you do?

Overly concerned about the right thing to the point of being paralyzed when presented with a choice to do the right thing, for one.

I regulate and protect.

[Another pause. Hmph.] I... I guess I'd do my best to save whoever I could, be it the one person or the group of 5. I would do whatever I could to make sure no one died. Accept it or not, that's my answer.

[Well that's nice and vague.] ...I see. As part of an organization?

If you so believe it to be one.

Somewhat. I've established many organizations in order to ensure my universe's stability.

Your... whole universe? Is it something to do with the Green Lantern Corps? There's someone in my house who belongs to that, it sounds like something she's involved in.

Yes. Reality in general, although I am charged with protecting the Lower Dimensional Domain specifically.

That name is unfamiliar to me.

[Poor Crowe, it's hard to be the ordinary guy in a town full of pan-dimensional badasses.]

You...protect reality. S-Sorry, that's just.... I never heard of anything like that before. It uh, sounds difficult.

Ein - Menschliches, Allzumenschliches

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aaah i don't want to go to bed, this is so good. BUT I MUST.

Ah, it's okay. We can always continue later.

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and denial was such a happy place!

Poor guy...

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