retrospec | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

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
Retr

spec 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.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Hitori Togusa Thanks, Joanne.
Hitori Togusa Is Zee okay, though? Somebody want to go check on him?
Hitori Togusa What she's bringing up is the whole debate I've been having with people in bits and pieces. Can we still hang on to ourselves even with what Retrospec is doing to us?
Hitori Togusa I know and I trust in who I am. But if the people that we're all seeing are giving people different perspectives on themselves, or that you're getting hope that you can do the great things this person can do, then I'll encourage that.
Hitori Togusa But don't lose sight of who you are, under it all. Of what's important. Family. Friends. The goals that you had before Retrospec came along. No matter what they do, what they show you, you can still be the person you know you are.

Arschloch why would I be someone who I'm not? Ich werde immer ich sein you cannot change that.

Honestly, why do I bother listening to things such as this? My time is too valuable to deal with your shit.

This sounds like a fortune cookie.
I'm sorry, I don't get it.

And now I want Chinese...

I've now sent you four unsubscribe requests and received no acknowledgement that they're even being received. I can only guess that this is the proper way to communicate that to you, since you have no clearly marked way to unsubscribe from these messages and this application.

If that weren't enough to put you in clear violation of CAN-SPAM, ignoring my equally clear requests since February would do it. I will be reporting you to the FTC shortly.

For the last time, take me off your list.

oh great, more esoteric bullshit
just what we all need

Um...

Is it me... or is... this even less understandable than it was the last few months...?

I'm even less sure what it means to be me than I was before... I guess being me now means being a lot of different things.

...Literally.

why is it always philosophy or shitposting
like where is the memetic inbetween
do you guys still remember the fruit video i guess that was the most meme theyre ever gonna get
anyway

theres been a suspicious lack of pool parties ive heard about
either we havent been having any or theres some sort of conspiracy to keep me out of pool parties
if there is a secret anti pool party with dave thing im going to sic the save dave conglomeration on them
which
will do nothing at all but hey
im still charmed by me shaped pies

i want a me shaped apple pie now this backfired horribly
anyway what it means to be me right this second is like wanting to be strong nad not give mewpac a third treat today
and yet shes staring at me and im too weak a man
fuck

I'm not going to even bother trying to make sense of this, this time.
I mean, I get the whole philosophy of the self thing.
But this is pretty on the nose, isn't it? Considering we're all remembering past lives.

that sure is a lot of words to say nothing. worrying about stuff like that's a big waste of time. you're you. done. mystery of the universe solved. the crowd cheers.

besides, if the lot of us on this damn network haven't figured that out already what with those memories or whatever, we probably won't soon

[[AU!AU quick reference!]]

I've paid a lot of thought to this topic in particular, as my other self was subject to some things that were unpleasant, to say the least. And witnessing how aspects of that former self have ingrained into this one, I've pondered what the truest self ever actually was. In reality, I've come to believe that thinking in terms of "true" or "false" with myself, or even "same" and "other", are fallacious. Instead, I think it's more sincere to think in terms of "honest" and "dishonest". Who we are, versus who we perceive ourselves to be. The self changes by nature. Our perspective... may not. At least that is what I have come to believe.

[Well, jeez, this hit upon some fresh wounds-- not that he's going to be talking about any of THAT, but--]

I think what it means to be 'you' is operating how you usually do, and not letting whatever we remember influence who you are as a person now. What our other selves have done in the past doesn't have any bearing on the people we are here. You can use it as a guide if you wish, to pursue or avoid things from happening again, but... ultimately, it's not who we were that makes us here. It's what we've done here and now.

But to propose a different question of my own: what sort of things do you do when you can't get to sleep?

This is some seriously ominous sounding shit.

What the fuck did you do this time? Because I seriously don't like this. Not that you're going to answer me, because you never do.

But christ, fine, I'll play along. What kind of person am I? A pretty shitty one. Thanks for asking.

Edited 2018-07-02 01:11 (UTC)

I completely support this
but I can't help feeling the FTC is going to come back telling you they have no idea what you're talking about

Hey Joanne, haven't seen you in a while.

But this isn't exactly a new conversation? We've been having pretty much this exact conversation from the moment any of us get the app. So I guess, I'm going with option 2, talking about something else.

Like congratulations to all the high school seniors on your graduation! I'm real proud of you all.

I have a bad feeling about this...

It's not just you, I don't understand it either.
But she did say she doesn't get out much...so maybe that's it?

I guess that's true, although put that way, it sounds more New Age-y than superpowers and stuff.

How am I supposed to question what "I" am when there's an alternate "me," all thanks to you, Retrospec? You may not reply but given that you probably monitor these anyway, I still want you to know that I hate you. Not all of us are so lucky to have a simple, basic concept of self! Even rejecting the memories don't mean anything if there's still more than one "you" coexisting in the same place. How is that supposed to be fixed, Joanne? You idiot.

I guess I'm still me? My birthday is coming up in two days from now. That's not going to change anytime soon soo...

I honestly wonder if I should even be thinking about stuff like this.
Seems kind of pointless to overthink it, tbh.

I want to focus on the important things here. Talk to me about kittens.

[ Well, isn't this just the most useless bit of philosophical rambling. But he's been reading through old posts the past few days, trying to figure out what the hell this app is and what's going on, and this type of pointless non-post doesn't seem to be all that unusual. ]

so usually any time these retrospec employees post it means that something with the app is about to get messed up
or something in the world is about to go wrong
anyone have any ideas what it's going to be?
because if joanne here is trying to tell us what it is then she's being very cryptic about it

Edited 2018-07-02 01:15 (UTC)

You'd think after a year plus of all this I'd have a better answer to questions like this but I honestly don't. But I will say while I don't agree with everything that girl was or believed, she wasn't a bad person. So I guess I can live with that, right? Other folks aren't so lucky, I guess. Anyways, I've got a match to get ready for tonight! Wish me luck, everyone! The Pirate Queen is taking to the skies!

is it me or does this makes less sense than usual? you feeling okay jojo??

....do you think she's talking about fighting my darkest timeline self in the alley for dominance or something?

hm
good answer, kiddo

as for sleep, a nice cup of chamomile tea would usually do the trick

[ Hey bros it's everyone's favorite grandmother who ... no longer looks near as old as she is. Well, if you're rolling with the new AU-of-AU thing. That said, ]

Golly, I do hope that you're able to get some rest there, Ms. Wiseman. And you too, Mr. Carlisle. Well, as much rest as you're able, given the circumstances.

Actually, if you want to spend time outside, perhaps you could take off for the Fourth? I'm not sure one day would kill anyone. I should hope, anyway.

... Actually are there firework plans this year? Only being able to be out at night might have it's advantages for that.

"You" are whoever you are right now... right? The past is the past, the future is nebulous, but you of the present is what matters. I guess.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 1 of 221