Lingering Worries

[standalonehuman]

Hitori Togusa 10/2 near Recolle Police Station

I've got a question, and I don't mean for it to scare people, because what I'm really looking for is proof that I'm wrong. If these other people, the ones Retrospec is giving us the memories of? Retrospec is also slowly giving us their bodies. A piece at a time, it seems. What if they were sick? Is it slowly going to happen to us, too? How can we help each other out if it does start happening? So that I'm not wasting everybody's time with this, though. I've been asking about Dr. James Halliday, a memory researcher a bunch of us came across the name of in August. Despite the fact that Retrospec seems to have been interested in his work, I don't think they're using it. It specialized in deep-brain stimulation, but I personally had a check done to see if there were any changes to my brain from being on the app for eight months now, and there's nothing. Just so we can rule that one out.

Comments

[lostapprentice]

i don't have any of the proof you're looking for as far as preventing it, but given the fact that "healing magic" exists within some of us, that might be a good place to start.

[standalonehuman]

If people can help what's wrong without taking a cost onto themselves, then I'd be for it. But that's not true for all our healers.

Also I worry because I don't know if anyone has been able to heal something inflicted by Retrospec yet. Has anyone tried, with the scars or injuries people have gotten?

[lostapprentice]

i'm afraid i don't have any information regarding that. i'm certain someone must have tried it, though.

what do you mean by healers taking a cost onto themselves?

[liberal_arts]

This is something of a concern for many of us. Particularly those of us experiencing memories that are not from the perspective of humans, at all.

[standalonehuman]

Not human? What do you mean?

[liberal_arts]

While I am often prone to speaking in more poetic terms, I'm being quite literal. I mean the memories aren't sourced from another human.

1/2

[frostythehitman]

So we can finally debunk all those studies that keep telling us the internet is rotting our brains?

If Retrospec's giving us their old bodies "a piece at a time," then what next, they start straight up murdering us to match people's memories of dying?

[frostythehitman]

Wait, shit.

Why doesn't this stupid app have a delete button on comments, let's just all pretend I didn't just say that.

[ GOD HE REALLY HOPES RETROSPEC DOESN'T READ THAT ONE, SHIT ]

[standalonehuman]

[JAMES]

MY KINGDOM FOR A FACEPALM ICON

[standalonehuman]

Why do you do this to me?

No, James, I don't think they are going to kill us, even if some people remember dying.

[voice]

[blessmefather]

I hate to say it but I'm starting to suspect their goal is recreation of all the conditions involved, not recreation plus improvement.

I don't know if you were aware but they were willing to take a young lady's eye recently. Unless she gets a fancy replacement or special powers from this experience they simply took it for the sake of recreating a wound the "Other Her" experienced. What's to keep them from... taking someone's ability to walk next? [ Or you know, their sight? If Matt sounds upset despite the calm coating his voice it's not just Togusa's imagination. ]

Togusa, do you mind me asking what inspired this question? It's definitely worth looking into I just- [ He pauses, bites his lip as he thinks on how to put this. ] Were you made aware of someone whose memory counterpart has a condition or injury that they don't?

Re: [voice]

[standalonehuman]

[Togusa's response turns private. There is no way he is making this public.]

"I'm sorry to bring it up. But yes, I saw that post. That was definitely one of the things that started this."

"I-" Togusa cuts himself off. "I have the opposite. An injury, that popped up and I have no idea how I got it. Somehow seeing the scar wasn't enough to trigger the memory."

"But there is someone. Don't ask me to reveal who it is, please. I don't want to betray their trust." His voice is quite tense.

Re: [voice]

[blessmefather]

It's fine, you don't have to give any names. [ Secrets are a part of both their careers. Matt had 'privacy is of the utmost importance' drilled into his head all throughout law school. That and Togusa just plain sounds... uncomfortable. ]

I didn't realize that they can give people completely healed and scarred injuries. Growing something new or inflicting a fresh wound made some sort of sense but... All that trouble to create a scar? Are we talking about a particularly large scar?

[explodosafe]

'What if they were sick?'

How do you mean that, like if they had a cold you might suddenly wake up with a cold too, or in the 'some mysterious sickness wiped all those people out and now their consciousnesses and bodies are slowly being pushed over ours' way?

[standalonehuman]

Neither, actually. I was thinking along the lines of chronic conditions. Diabetes, a heart condition, something that is considered inherent to the person, but that the person in this world doesn't have.

[explodosafe]

Oh. In that case, it's most likely true. I mean, it's sort of happening to me already, although I seriously hope it's not some sickness.

[longwei2go]

hey just so long as they don't take anything away in the process
my eyes aren't creeping people out anymore
and my new arm's pretty sweet
but if they fuck with the ink I earned with blood sweat and tears then that's the last straw

[standalonehuman]

I'd actually have to agree with you on that one. Most of the things I've seen have been replacements, rather than strictly taking away a body part. Besides, that would be a lot of effort for nothing, then.

I worry that it'll bleed over into illnesses, too, but maybe I'm just paranoid.

[longwei2go]

I don't think being paranoid is off the table anymore
I hear more and more stories of people getting things back
having dreams and shit was just the tip of the iceberg
I'm starting to get photos with people in it and like
I know their names without thinking twice about it
one of them is from this city but looks just a little different

[vendettastool]

I would think that it depends on how they were sick. Some diseases are curable these days that weren't in the past.

[standalonehuman]

That's fair. Some things still aren't, but, even identifying diseases has gotten better. So current medical science would be able to help them more.

[Flip this to private...]

If you wanted to see the results of the scans, you're one of the people I'd be glad to show it to. Because I think I need your opinion on something.

[wordcarvings]

[ Ah... Again he's reminded of how he unintentionally can cause his best friend a whole lot of worry... ]






It's at least good that there doesn't seem to be any changes to it.

[standalonehuman]

[Oh no Koutarou I didn’t mean you but I did mean you but not only you and I’m worried but I dont want you to be worried that I’m worried and...]

I just want to know if there’s anything I can do to help when it happens.

slides in here excruciatingly late

[skald]

I know some people have lost eyes or limbs, and I guess it's a similar thing if it was an illness or something, so I don't know why I didn't think of that. But at the same time, my roommate has healing magic. Maybe it can balance out?

\o/

[standalonehuman]

I'd imagine so, if healing magic works that way. I know at least one person whose healing abilities wouldn't work like that.

But it's worth a try. Have they tried to heal something inflicted by Retrospec?