Wyatt isn't much of a town, so it doesn't have much of a library, but it's enough of a library to have a couple computers available for public use. Not thrilled with storing this stuff on cloud docs, but I don't have a lot of options.

I was lucky to be carrying about $150 when I stepped into the circle. When Original Me stepped into the circle, yes, but keeping track of that is going to get old. And yet I should probably learn to do it.

So it was a complete copy, except for the physical age. So Eorzea Me got a phone and wallet and stuff, all of which was useless in Eorzea, so it got shoved in a bag and stuck in his inventory. Which means I have a copy of that stuff with me now. The phone worked with a charge, which means the SIM is okay; it's effectively a clone of Original Me's phone, just as I'm (I think) a clone of him. That probably means the money has duplicate serial numbers with paper moving on the east coast, so I'd better get change or something soon.

I haven't tried the credit cards or the ATM card yet. They might actually work as long as security protocols don't have a hissy about the two locations. But I'm not going to spend Original Me's money without his permission. Or any way to pay it back.

We've been emailing, once I set up accounts for Tsu'na and me. He's excited to hear about what it was like in Eorzea, being there in person. He may be jealous that he himself didn't go there. If we ever figure out the mechanics, maybe it'll be possible to do day trips or something.

In the meantime, I have to work on identities. Part of that is IDs, and I have no idea how to get those. Tsu'na should be simple enough since she's not already in the system, but I might be, if I'm actually a clone. Original Me and I will need to exchange fingerprints and maybe genealogy DNA kits to see how physically close we are. I don't want to accidentally implicate him in anything, even though he'd probably have a really great alibi.

The other part of identity is

The main part of identity is determining what makes me me. Do I have a family? Are his kids my kids? What do they call me if they ever see me? Or Janet, for that matter. In one sense she's his ex, but in another sense she's my ex. And in yet another sense she's probably my sister in law, if clones are considered brothers like in Bujold. Or, God help me, am I technically his son?

But that's all still external relationships. Who am I? Who do I need to be? Original Me has hobbies and interests and likes and dislikes and preferences and squeams. I still have most of that, though Eorzea has changed me some. I keep thinking that I'm Steven Fredrick Osgood and Steven Fredrick Osgood is such-and-such, therefore I should be too. And yet now when I pick something up because it's interesting I feel myself doubting, wondering if I myself actually like this thing or just remember liking it.

It shouldn't make a difference. I like something or I don't. But would I still like it if I had no memories at all? Over and above maybe being a drooling idiot?

Should I be the me I remember being because that's "me"? Or should I try to not be Original Me in order to be "me"?

Well, I'm the guy in this world who's married to the woman in this world sitting over there reading a magazine. I really should start there.