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One day, a world similar to our own (henceforth calling it "science world") is connected to another, magical world. The magical world is just like those Japanese anime iseikais, with magics, demonic races, and monsters, but with sciences at the late 1700s level. Due to some incidents, people from both worlds can "reincarnate" themselves to another world for as long as they want. Magic world residents, no matter whether they were humans, minotaurs, demons, or harpies, will become a human version of themselves in the science world. A science world human will become a version of themselves most suitable to their soul when they "reincarnate" themselves to the magical world, be it human or any of the demonic races.

However, I want a catch so that people from both worlds will recognize these "reincarnators" if they were looked at carefully. It works like this. Say if a science world human A "reincarnate" to the magical world and becomes a harpy. Other harpies that are native to the magical world will, at a glance, knew that she is from science world. Other magical world native beings will also, after looking at her carefully, knew that she is from the science world. But if a picture of A in harpy form is given to another science world human along with other harpy photos, he would not be able to tell which one is a "reincarnator". It is the same for a magical world demon B who comes to the science world and "reincarnated" as a human. He would be immediately recognized as from the magical world by other science world humans passing by him as from the magical world. But if the photo of B in human form is given to a magical world human with other science world human photos, that magical world human will not tell the difference. Why is it?

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    $\begingroup$ This is entirely dependent upon how people from other worlds differ. This is dependent upon a myriad of factors that make this ultimately a matter of worldbuilder discretion. Perhaps there's some obvious trait or shibboleth, perhaps people from other worlds are exactly the same. You as worldbuilder will answer this question on your own as soon as you decide how your people differ, and not a moment sooner. $\endgroup$
    – sphennings
    Commented Jun 30, 2022 at 2:09
  • $\begingroup$ This question needs more guidelines as to what is and is not a suitable means of distinction. $\endgroup$
    – Monty Wild ♦
    Commented Jun 30, 2022 at 3:37

4 Answers 4

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How to tell a person is a furrin?

You can't tell by looking at a photo, especially if they are naked. I know. But there are lots of ways in person.

1: Thick accent. Some just have it all the time. Some fake pretty good. Getting them liquored can help bring that accent out.

2: Funny smell. Sometimes really good. I am told that is the "chypre" but I am not positive. Usually pretty funky. That is because

3: Furrins eat weird food. Unless they can't find it but they usually have ways. I'm not saying it's bad because that furrin food can grow on you. But weird. Not cheeseburgers.

4: Dance moves. This might be the giveaway if you try the strategy from #1.

  1. Hold cigarette with all 5 fingers on cigarette. This one is a giveaway every time.

  2. Writing numbers. A fair number of the furrins write 1 like 7 and then put a little bow on the 7 so you can tell it is not a 1.

  3. Try to fly but they can't. This really only applies to harpies and things that used to fly. Also relevant to the liquor maneuver from #1. Some of them might cry when they are full of liquor and realize they can't fly anymore. Be kind to these and show them things humans can do that now they can do too, like drink some more.

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  • $\begingroup$ but they Do become another creature when "reincarnated". It is as if their soul got put into another body. So those that become harpies can fly, those that becomes demons can cast demon magic, and those who becomes minotaur can have that kind of strength. My goal is trying to make interworld spying very hard. $\endgroup$
    – Faito Dayo
    Commented Jun 30, 2022 at 1:50
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Their aura is different.

When you're around someone from the other world, you can just feel it. This doesn't translate to a picture of them, it's about being physically near them. How do auras work? Well... how does any of this reincarnation stuff work? Doesn't seem necessary to explain it.

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A common trope for this is for their true self to appear in mirrors or shadows, and/or for animals like cats and dogs to be able to detect a difference even if most ordinary people don't notice (either because they aren't affected by an illusion or because their other senses such as smell, reveal that something isn't normal).

All of these methods basically presume that the appearance of normality is due to a "glamour", i.e. an illusion that magically makes someone look like something other than what they really are.

The webcomic Clinic of Horrors, has a variation of this concept, where mutated humans can appear as normal due to a biological agent that creates an illusion, but are seen in their normal form by people who are vaccinated against that biological agent.

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One way to make this distinction is to keep phenotypic traits throughout the reincarnation, like eye colors, pupil form or hair type. Those will not pass your photographic condition, so you'll have to take something like voice or scent. While the aura color and form could give away human in the magical world, in the science world, normal humans cannot see aura, they will need some kind of device to recognize magical incarnations. Same goes for 'feeling' reincarnations, it would not work in the science world, as humans don't have such a perception ability. The only way is to use a special device.

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