(no subject)

[recollecters]

It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm afraid things are really quite busy here, and unfortunately our liaison has been compromised. Well...so have a lot of people, actually. Are you still yourself if you're not the self you were? It's the kind of conversation we've had a lot of times, around here. I've always only been myself, but if I woke up tomorrow as someone else, would I still be me even if I wasn't? I think rather than worrying about that the best thing I can do is focus on trying to sort things out as best I can. I'm a little worried, actually, but I think I can manage to give everyone a shot even if I can't fix things on my own or even with everyone's help. But you can help! Or at least I think it will help if you think about what it means to be "you". It's okay if that answer changes or doesn't. Just hold onto that concept and don't let it go. And maybe tell other people what you think it means? Not like I'm saying you have to talk about that. I think usually you all just talk about anything, and I think that is also a good way to hold onto who you are and who you want to be. Sometimes I think it'd be fun, all those parties or little plans. I've never spent much time outside of these walls, did you know? I don't have time to really ramble, though. Those of you who know what I mean, we're doing our best. Those of you who don't, you do your best too. Pay attention to the things you tell yourself, and I'll try to fix what I can fix. Please take care. Joanne Wiseman Technician 2nd class Retrspec Incorporated Per the mod plotting post, you may use this post to obtain one of this month's freebies! This month's freebie can be earned by turning in a thread on this post that has 10 or more consecutive comments from you. Additionally per the mod plotting post, new AUs are now considered live and operational, though the dreamshares are not yet! Please feel free to use this post as a network mingle. Every toplevel can be considered a new post, and threadjacking is permitted. No NPC response will be given. Usernames are the character's full real AU names, not aliases or chosen nicknames or usernames, and seemed to have filled themselves in; nothing characters do can change or obscure their names currently.

Comments

[penalizing]

um...i think i'm still me???
because i'm not any different than i've always been
and i'd know better than anyone who i am!!!

more importantly!!!!!
i'm turning 18 on the 10th of july, and it's the summer before college starts, so who wants to party????????
i've already okayed it with mom and dad
they know how important an 18th birthday is
so anyone who wants to have a good time should totally come!!!!

[sketchythief]

im definitely coming! save a spot for me!!

also do you want anything art-related? i can probably make something for your present (ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

[penalizing]

of course i'll save a spot for you!!!!
in fact, i'll be really mad if you don't show, so now you better come!!!!!!!

and hmm.... what about a self-portrait???
with like a tiara and everything???
though i guess it's not really a self-portrait if you're the one drawing it...

[sketchythief]

i will!! definitely!!!

so you want me to draw a picture of you with a tiara and a cool dress?! because i can totally do that

[penalizing]

yeah, that'd be nice!!!
make me look pretty, daisuke!!!!!!!

[sketchythief]

[ self depreciation is not gonna work here. ]

itll be worth calling it your present!

[ which means it's time to scour through model magazines like he's always done, how fun. ]

18th birthday huh... do you think youll get a car?

[penalizing]

[ it's not self-depreciation so much as it's a request for a serious picture, instead of a caricature or something... ]

i never thought about that!!
but probably not
my parents are going to cover my college costs, so that's already one big ticket item!!!
so it'll probably be something smaller for an official birthday present

[sketchythief]

whoa theyre gonna cover your tuition?! thats so cool

[ he's slightly jealous, but damn. that's amazing. ]

hmm well... tbh anything looks smaller in comparison to that

[penalizing]

yeah!!
education's really important to them, so i think that's why they were saving up to help me out
but i'm definitely lucky there's only one of me... it'd be really expensive to do that for multiple kids!!!

that doesn't mean it's no good, though!!
small, thoughtful gifts are nice, too
you don't have to have a lot of money to let people know you care, after all!!!
but even if they don't get me anything else, i know they do

[sketchythief]

yeah, as long as you show that you care and let them know by telling them, i think that should be good enough

my parents are telling me to foot my entire tuition even though im an only child... so i guess it doesnt matter too much

[penalizing]

that's a bummer!!!
i wonder if there are any art scholarships you can use to help with the costs...

[sketchythief]

im trying to get as many scholarships as i can but im not sure if i want to live like this for the next four years tbh...

[ scavenging for scholarships every year.... wew. ]

[optimistical]

Happy early birthday, Kotone! What kind of party are you thinking about having?

[penalizing]

i was thinking of doing a pool party, maybe???
since it's the middle of summer and all
we can all float in the pool and try to melt away all of the heat!!!

plus i've got a really cute swimsuit i can show off

[optimistical]

That sounds like a pretty good idea! It's been getting a lot hotter lately so I think people would enjoy that a lot.

Do you need help preparing or anything? I can bring over ice cream or drinks.

[ naegi actually having money to spare in this new au... truly the most amazing thing ]

[penalizing]

i'm glad you approve!!!
i want it to be fun for everyone, too, not just me
it'd suck to host a birthday party everyone hated!!

and that's really nice of you!!
if you don't think it'll all melt, i'd never say no to extra ice cream...

[optimistical]

Yeah, I can understand that worry but I think a pool party is a really good idea! Is your pool big enough to have a lot of people, though?

If I rush over right after I buy them, I think I might be okay but maybe I should buy a cooler to carry them in, just in case. Hmm, I guess I can spend a few extra hours at the local casino and earn enough to afford a cooler :|a

[ new au change = naegi being a gambler who knows about his good luck and uses it ]

[penalizing]

oh, we don't have our own pool!!!
but there's a community one not too far from my house
i figured we could probably use that
that one's pretty big!!

if you have to buy something special for it, you don't have to!!!
that sounds kind of inconvenient...

[optimistical]

Oh, that's a good idea! Yeah, the pool there is huge. Maybe if you're lucky and make a reservation, they'll let you use it just for your party.

To be honest, I probably should get one anyway... My food often goes bad or gets all gross and hot whenever I take it to a picnic without a cooler.

[penalizing]

would they really???
i'll have to call them and see
that'd be pretty cool, if it could be just us!!

...that sounds really disgusting
how have you not gotten food poisoning?????

[optimistical]

Yeah! I don't know if they'll let you do it but it wouldn't hurt to call and ask ٩(◕‿◕｡)۶

I... guess I've just been really lucky. I don't think I've gotten food poisoning since I was a kid.

[penalizing]

i'll be sure to call them later today and ask, then!!!

...i don't believe it
there's no way it's been that long
especially if you're eating all that gross food!!!!!

[optimistical]

It's true, though! I've gotten sick recently for overworking myself but I've never gotten sick from eating something gross.

Why would I lie about that?

[doesntdiscriminate]

I'm pretty sure I'm too old to be attending parties with 18 year olds (and isn't that a depressing thought.), especially since we don't actually know each other, so I think I'll just settle for wishing you a happy birthday!

[penalizing]

that's a fair point!!
i dunno how old you are, but since i'm thinking of a pool party, that could get kinda creepy...

anyway, thanks!!!
in spite of all this retrospec stuff, i think it's going to be a good one