personavelvetroomdr | (no subject)

[A message appears on the network one morning, not long after a certain Ren appears.

Not long after it goes up, some parts are edited out.]

Attention, "Crow" and "Joker." With the arrival of my Ren, we formally challenge you over your precious codenames. Let us prove to you that we are the ones worthy of the titles, while you are mere variations from a simpler, happier world. despite the power you wield. You may have seniority within this space, but we were forged in the fires of our hardships and have emerged on the other side of Maruki's reality. You two have likely grown soft from your domesticity. Perhaps you'll find us worthy opponents after all this stagnation. They say the spirit of competition can bring out one's best and their worst.

[Is it bold to proclaim the challenge over the network? Yes. But he'd have it no other way, really. Everyone deserves to know how serious they are.]

As for the rest of you, I'd like to start a little bonding exercise. Tell me something about yourself, and I'll tell you something about me in turn. Won't that be fun?

[It should be a simple way to start and prove that he's just as capable of "bonding" as Ren is.]

[ooc: Original parts of the message in strikethrough, with the edits after, if you want your character to have seen the original version.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I do wear the title of Reaper with pride, though it's not so grim as all that.

[Everyone can see what he did there.]

Regardless, although I do miss my time time as 'Crow,' I can't say that that particular bird is central to my self-image anymore. When the matter of distinguishing Akechis by code names first came up, Shrike was the obvious choice and I swooped upon it without hesitation. And I was the only one who wasn't a corvid for quite some time.

[Oh, lovely. Puns...]

Was it a statement about how different you were from the others, then?

Nope. I said it was literal and I meant it. You guys just haven't figured out how yet. ☆(>▽ｏ)

Besides which, a lot of my differences come from being older and having been forced to learn to rely on others. I hope that more of you DO get the chance to grow up into any kind of person at all, but especially one who isn't so closed off from the world as I was before I died.

Well, you've given me quite the compelling riddle, if nothing else. I would say that I'm a work in progress. One doesn't simply change in the blink of an eye, but I have made some progress, however small.

You have the desire, which is the most difficult part. It's difficult to change those who don't desire to, and next to impossible to change those who don't think they HAVE to. The old saw about horses and drinking holds very true about us.

True. I'm not sure I would have been so eager to change if I hadn't had my entire sense of purpose dismantled before my eyes. I was too proud, really. Though I'm sure you understand.