[written in stiff, blocky letters in an attempt to disguise his handwriting.]

[full-score.livejournal.com]

What would you do if you found a younger version of one of your parents here?

Do you stay away from them in order to reduce the chances of causing a time paradox?

Do you team up with them and risk everything to make sure they stay safe?

Do you just sit them down and tell them you're their kid from the future?

What if something happens to them? Will you stop existing since it would mean you weren't ever born in the first place?

Has this happened to anyone before??

Comments

[Oh so anon]

[tightsofmight]

[Hesistant, a lot of extra marks]

You should be careful about that. They might not be who they say they are. Even if they don't know it.

[Anon, same handwriting as the OP's]

[full-score.livejournal.com]

What do you mean? How could it be anyone else if they look the same as you remember them, have the same name, and come from the same "universe" as you?

Re: [Anon, same handwriting as the OP's]

[tightsofmight]

I don't think I should

There was a

If somebody makes a clone of a person, they have all the same memories and characteristics as the original person. It might not be your real father.

[strike-outs hastily written]

[full-score.livejournal.com]

But that's I don't Are you

You mean people can clone memories, too!? How is that even possible??

It seems like kind of a stretch to assume he's a clone, doesn't it?

[There is a noticeable ink blot at the tip of the "c", as if the pen had been pressed there for a moment before that word was written.]

Re: [strike-outs hastily written]

[tightsofmight]

I'm not sure how it's done, but it's possible. At least where I come from.

He could be a clone, or he could be something else entirely. I hope that it's your real dad, otherwise

Just be careful, okay?

[full-score.livejournal.com]

It's gotta be him! I just can't imagine there being an identical clone of him here, memories and all. I mean, if that were the case, who's to say I'm not a clone? How do you even sort that stuff out anyway?

And I'm trying to be careful, believe me. It's hard to know what to do, though...

[Strikeouts illegible]

[tightsofmight]

There's...really no way to tell for sure. Unless they remember waking up in a lab or something it's nearly impossible. Especially if their memories are exactly the same.

You've got a point though, about us being clones. As scary as it would be.

[More hesitant marks]

I know how you feel. The same kind of thing happened to me. My dad It's hard to think analytically about the whole thing when it's someone you care about. I guess you just have to take it with a grain of salt. There's no real way of knowing what to do in a situation like this.

I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

[full-score.livejournal.com]

I wonder...if that would explain how people's friends are able to come here and honestly say they never noticed they went missing in the first place. Then again, I guess it's just as possible this place tampered with memories or time. We've seen evidence of both of those things. But this is the first I've thought about cloning coming into the picture...

I guess we don't have enough information to know for sure.

You're right, though -- it's really hard to know how to act when it comes to people we care about. I know I'm supposed to keep my emotions in check and not act irrationally, but, to be honest, that sort of thing is easier said than done.

No need to apologize. I don't expect other people to magically have the answer. Maybe this is just something I'm going to have to work through alone. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me, though. I appreciate it.

[tightsofmight]

That does make a lot of sense. I'm not too clear on how things work around here yet, but it's a possibility we have to consider. I don't know what that would mean if we ever did escape and return home either, but...maybe that's getting a little ahead of things.

Tell me about it. Especially when it's someone you've lost before. If it were me, though, I think I'd rather be honest. It's too much to hold something like that in. Uh, though it probably goes without saying to avoid mentioning any major stuff that happens in his future? Just in case.

Anytime, man. I hope things work out okay for you and your dad.

[full-score.livejournal.com]

I mean...I guess I can see the point behind staying quiet about the future. But, hypothetically speaking, what do you do if something bad happened in the future that you want to change? Something that's really, really easy to prevent? Hypothetically speaking.

And I don't know if I can just explain everything so easily. It's tough enough being in a place like this. The last thing I want to do is give them one more thing to worry about just because it was too hard to keep things inside.

Thanks. Me too.