As human beings with consciousness, one thing we all have in common is these brains of ours, and the memories they store within ’em. But what we don’t have in common is which memories are stored and how they’re stored.
Sometimes peoples’ memories are actively selective. By that, I mean people choose what they want to remember because it gives them a sense of purpose. It makes them feel stronger for their morals and beliefs because their sense of worth is so strong. People with actively selective memories tend to feel little empathy for others because of their selfish choices in memory retention.
Other times, peoples’ memories are passively selective. These people want to forget certain things but risk takin’ out the whole memory bank. This kind of person tends to be erratic, and tries to make friends or acquaintances in odd ways. They keep themselves busy so they don’t have to worry about life gettin’ too dark for them.
Finally, on occasion, peoples’ memories are forcefully selected. These are people who had no intention of erasin’ anythin’, or messin’ with their own minds, only for others to take that choice away from them. This kind of person often has a penchant for vengeance and a taste for blood. They only concern themselves with ensurin’ justice for the memories they lost.
Grimskull has an actively selective memory. He chooses only to remember the pain and the feelings of freedom, and so in his head they are one and the same things. This means he cannot empathise nor view things from the point of view of those around him, as evidenced by his refusal to consider The Third Eye having valid points of view.
Drexl has a passively selective memory. There’s a darkness in him that he wants to forget so bad that he’s immersed himself in this seedy underworld of women of the night and narcotics, no doubt partakin’ heavily in both, in the hope he’ll lose the memories he can’t live with, and find some new memories that suit him better.
And I have a forcefully selected memory. Forced to forget everythin’ at the hand of Teddy O’Toole, forced to remember fake memories at the hand of Drexl himself, and then forced to remember what suited Stubbins Doom for me to know shortly after.
The problem for Grimskull is that his lack of empathy leads to a lack of understandin’ others, and without understandin’ the other Arcadians he will never truly flourish in its levels.
The problem for Drexl is that his memories are only masked by vice, not removed, and he’ll soon find that there’s only so long he can snort and fuck his problems away before the darkness returns.
The problem for both of them is that I understand Arcadia in a way that nobody else can claim to, and that I don’t have a secret darkness, only a burnin’ darkness that I’m clear and open about. The problem for both of them is that darkness that will only be sated with that vengeance, that sense of justice, and that blood.
And then they’ll remember me, forever.