text;

[steadycourse]

I'm assuming that others also received a word, mine is 'beta!' I'm still uncertain what that really means, but maybe we should do a tally and go from there!

Anyway, I do have two other questions that I wish to ask! So, I'm going to ask!

Question 1: Has anyone heard of the name 'Kiyotaka Ishida?' I assure you that is not my name, I'm Kiyotaka Ishimaru, but I've been getting strange messages about him! From what I've gathered, he's a college student with blonde white hair.

Question 2: How would you define a 'moral compass?' Is it really possible to be the um, best in that? An ultimate moral compass??

Comments

[usurpers]

In theory. You can be the greatest person in the world, and somewhere out there, there’ll be a person to hate you.

What has you worked up about that anyway?

[steadycourse]

This might sound really strange, but I recently learned something about my past self. He was the Super High School Level Moral Compass, which means he was the best in doing that.

For him, it was following and reinforcing his school's public morals committee and earning top honors, but since I'm not even in school, I can't do something like that. But I still want to be someone that can claim such a title!

[usurpers]

Please don’t do that.

[steadycourse]

Eh?! Why not?! I don't see the problem here!

[usurpers]

Why waste your time going after a you from the past when you could use it to find yourself now? I made the same mistake once and I’d hate to see someone doing the same thing. The past is called past for a reason. It’s gone.

Set your own standards to surpass instead of walking behind a shadow. You’ll never get anywhere following ghosts.

[steadycourse]

What if I want to improve myself? What if I do want to be more 'moral?'

Not to mention, I feel like that I'm disappointing my friends if I'm the only one that can't live up to their past title! One of them is a famous pianist and she definitely fills that role!

[usurpers]

Striving to be a better person than you are is one thing. Wanting to be more “moral” just sounds stupid.

Nothing I said made sense to you, did it?

[steadycourse]

But... aren't they the exact same thing?

It made sense, really! You said to set my own standards instead of looking at the past. It's just hard for me to accept that!

[usurpers]

Obviously not? I could want to improve in talking to strangers. Some people hate talking to strangers or even talking at all and think I’m doing wrong. That’s got nothing to do with moral.

Why is it hard for you to accept? You don’t value yourself from now?

[steadycourse]

It's not that I don't value myself.

It just feels like a waste to not even try and become someone that moral. I mean, wouldn't you want a friend that has a title like that??

[usurpers]

I don’t choose my friends by their titles.

But if I did have a friend like you, I’d still try and talk them out of it. The world is actually too cruel for the paperback version of moral to work.

[steadycourse]

I don't believe the world is that cruel.

It's not any crueler than the world my past self faced and he still managed to do his best.

[usurpers]

I hope you don’t learn about it, then.
Keep doing what you think is right. I’m only an outsider with an opinion.

[steadycourse]

Are things really that bad here?

Shouldn't I know about it? Especially if I want to do my best.

[usurpers]

Probably not, but. Sometimes it’s better to be prepared for the worst. You don’t get any surprises.

And even then, it still catches you off guard. Imagine if you’re not prepared— you’re fucked.

[steadycourse]

In that case, tell me all the bad things you know! At least then, I'll be more prepared now!

[usurpers]

Have you ever been around death? Violence, dark spirits, hard choices, etc. Past memories included.

[steadycourse]

[It takes him a little longer to respond to this text.]

Yes, I've been around death before. Violence and death.

[usurpers]

Then you haven’t seen enough.
If you find a way to get used to that, let me know.

[steadycourse]

I don't want to get used to that, no matter how awful it is to deal with.

[usurpers]

Good that you know that, because you never do.

[steadycourse]

Then we'll just have to carry that weight, right?

[usurpers]

If you choose to.
I hope you figure out who you are, and who you want to be.

[steadycourse]

Thank you, I truly appreciate your encouraging words!