savetheearth | two. video.

[ the lights are dimmed significantly in the building he's in, save for some overhead ones nearby, but it's not too important in terms of his footage. hatter is leaning down on a countertop, arms crossed, looking not-quite-stern but perhaps rather unhappy. this time, he has a hat atop his head which is hardly situated at a jaunty angle, and every few seconds he fusses with it, moving it a touch in one direction and then another. ]

So, for curiosity's sake and my own... insatiable need to hear opinions other than my own- [ that would be mild sarcasm. ] - what's the first step after you discover you're hardly who you believe yourself to be. Do you tell your friends, random people on the street you bump into? Keep it to yourself and hope for the best?

Do you paint your house a different color to match your newfound personality? Perhaps a new wardrobe- something with paisley and far too much plaid.

I'd like to know what it was you first did when you found out you weren't who your birth certificate claims you to be. And i'm not talking about the shock and awe - that's awfully boring. I mean what did you do after that.

Because i'm sure there's more than a few variables out there that I could use to my advantage. I'd love to hear my options as.. as you can see, my new wardrobe- [ he gives a small nod, his hat sliding down a touch ] -seems to be purely unavoidable instead of a lifestyle choice. One can never be too fashionable when changing who they are on the inside.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Mostly I have come to terms with having someone else's memories in my brain, but as has been said, that doesn't have to change who I am, here and now. I believe no matter what there may have been in the past for us, and what we might assimilate of that into our own self, who we are now tempers that.

More practically, I did quite a bit of thinking and made several spreadsheets of notes and comparisons to try and sort things out for myself. I do not feel I have experienced any real personality change, beyond a bit of self-confidence, anyway. Mostly just physical ones. I have been at this for over a year now, however, so I've had quite a bit more time than most to come to terms with it all.

I'm impressed. And that's not sarcasm, i'm truly impressed that you made spreadhseets and actually thought this through quite rationally. Not that i'm sure i'll be doing the same thing any time soon but i'm impressed that someone - namely you - went to those lengths of observation.

But for me i'm stuck on the chicken or the egg condundrum. Which one of our memories are supposed to be the true ones, or did the chicken and the egg just happen to show up for tea at exactly the same time?

I can't help it, I'm a scientist at heart :) Biology teacher at Locke high school, to be specific.

I believe they both are. The main working theory seems to be that these are past lives, or at the very least alternate versions of ourselves that did exist at one point or at some place, so we have lived the lives we remember here on Earth, in Locke or wherever we grew up, and the "other selves" are the homes of those other memories.

[Look who has finally accepted that he really is connected to his "other fellow". It took him a very long time to get to that point.]

Pleasure to meet a professional.

And these other selves that we're merging with, as it may. Does anyone think that we might be merging with them for a reason. Not just for entertainment, but to truly become them once again?

I doubt it would be entirely possible to *entirely* "become them" again. Our experiences here shape us, as well, and I don't imagine we'll forget what we have been through on this life as we remember more of our last, so we will always be a bit different.

The purpose, though, is fairly murky. I believe there *is* a purpose, but what it is is harder to determine. I believe it may have something to do with these aliens and what Thunder Corp is doing and Wise Snake's emergence and subsequent death. But I can only guess beyond that.

Point taken. I'll give you that one, actually, that makes a fair bit of sense.

I don't think any of those things would've happened if there hadn't been some reason. Not an all encompassing fate sort of reason, but the sort that has to do with whatever it is that's happening to us and maybe an explanation as to why. Though... i'm not sure I want to put the explanation in the hands of Wise Snake considering I hardly knew the thing.

I don't think any of us did, except perhaps for David Proud who told us about Wise Snake to begin with, and he was lost months ago, I'm afraid. I'm not certain whether Wise Snake had anything to do with us and this network directly, or else we would probably have stopped getting pulses after he was destroyed, and obviously we haven't. He may just be a symptom of all this.

[There's a pause, then a second text reply:]

Whatever "this" is, anyway. As I said, it's still a bit uncertain exactly what the purpose *is*.

Are we sure there's got to be a purpose? Or are we just going off the fact that we sure as hell want there to be one simply because it makes it easier to deal with it if there is.

I can't imagine how this could be happening entirely at random. Someone, or something, had to create this network and set our changes in motion. Even if the purpose turns out to be nothing more than some twisted experiment, that will at least be some purpose.

I'd almost prefer it to be purposeless than for it to turn out to be an experiment..... or maybe not, I can't quite make up my mind on that one.

I suppose if i'm going to be changing this much, there damn well better be a reason for it.

I'm not entirely sure what I think of that, either. An experiment would be better for the world at large than some kind of apocalyptic event that we are supposed to take part in or prevent, but it does seem remarkably cruel.

And if it's an experiment than it means the reason doesn't have anything to do with us except for the fact that we've been chosen. But if there's a purpose greater than all of this, than there has to be a reason.

I'm not sure I want to know what that reason is going to be.

I think I would always rather know than not know, even if the answer is not one I would have liked. But that may be the scientist in me :P

two. video.

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