Experiment Log 02: Film Theory [Open]

[mementomoritz]

[Anyone passing by the theater in Limbo today, whether out of chance or curiosity, will find that it's running another one of its' "special presentations". In between the usual mix of random gibberish and actual films are two short clips, both featuring the same young girl.]

[Neither of them is a particularly long memory, but it's enough to see that the child in question is unmistakably a much younger Medic.]

[The first is a cheerful little memory, in it's own... unique way. At least the cat seems fine.]

[It's the second one where things get a little uncomfortable.]

[The source of the memories in question, once someone has eventually clued her in that she's getting another fifteen minutes of fame, can be found sitting in one of the theater seats and absently eating popcorn while staring at the screen, lost in thought.]

I didn't remember until I saw... Was the video the cause, or did it appear here because I was going to remember soon? [Thankfully, she doesn't seem too bothered by her personal business being shown publicly, but she does seem pretty wrapped up in contemplating it.]

[Alternately, if you show up later, you may hear a lot of thuds and clatters coming from the back.]

[Apparently, she's trying to get answers from the source by locating and breaking into the projector room. Her success is... mixed at best.]

[On the bright side, she left her giant bag of popcorn unattended. Free movie snacks?]

Comments

[mementomoritz]

Would it help if I offered to answer questions? You've been answering mine and trying to help me understand, so it feels like it's only fair if I try to answer anything you want to ask.

[She doesn't understand people, but she understands wanting to.]

[emberserker]

Oh, I doubt it. I've got my own problems.

[mementomoritz]

I'm starting to wonder if anyone here is okay. ...I mean, we're dead, but that seems to be one of the smaller issues for a lot of people! This is a statistically significant amount of trauma.

[She's not here to judge, but also she is your major source of medical care and you all raise a lot of concerns with your everything.]

[emberserker]

I'm not traumatized! And if I were, I wouldn't know! I've barely gotten a few memories back as it is.

[mementomoritz]

I hope you aren't, but at this point even if we discount you the numbers don't look good.

...I wonder how much trauma even would affect someone if they couldn't remember it. We seem to retain a lot of our basic personalities, but how much do the parts that were shaped by experience still stay that way?

[emberserker]

I don't know. Wouldn't anything have been shaped by your past? Even if you don't know why you act that way.

[mementomoritz]

Maybe, but then why do some of us act drastically differently when we get our memories back? If it was already our current personality, even without knowing the reasons, would it be that much of a shock?

Speaking of which, what do you think of "memetic shock" as a term for the emotional upheaval and disorientation caused by suddenly regaining intense memories? I'm trying to assemble a glossary of medical terms for the dead, to make my note-taking on all of this a little easier.

[emberserker]

I don't know! I don't know who I was, or why I became the way I was. And I'm sure you'd like to know, because that's always how you are.

[mementomoritz]

Of course I would- you're important to me, after all. [Just dropping that casually, as though it's not even noteworthy.] Why wouldn't I want to know more about you?

[emberserker]

How can you say that? All I know about myself is wanting and hating and throwing people away when I was done with them, and I don't even know why! No one could care about that!

[mementomoritz]

Well, I know for a fact at least one person does, because I do. [Her tone is gentle, but firm. She's not at all swayed in her belief.] You don't have to be a saint for me to like you.

[emberserker]

[She stares. There's no "naturally you would" or "I was born for this." Just... shock, almost the same as when she had her last memory.]

...you'd think that you'd settle at least for good people, honestly, now.

[mementomoritz]

The dichotomy of good and evil is very complicated and I'm not completely sure how it works. [Just shrugging. It's not her field, okay. You can't dissect it at all, what is she supposed to do with that? You walk into a philosophy classroom and there's nowhere to put a scalpel.]

But I enjoy talking to you, so that seems like a good enough place to start.

[emberserker]

Hmph. Well, at least someone here is enjoying herself.