Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.
- Oscar Wilde
On today’s episode of the podcast: We love the masks we wear.
Direct Link to MP3 (20.6 MB, 22 minutes 31 seconds)
Links
Mefloraine – @mefloraine on Twitter
Special thanks to Kiy and Positron for their interviews!
Sound Credits
Opening (00:00-01-57):
“Startup” (Windows 7 SFX)
“Chiharu no Koi” (Midori)
“Poltergeist” (Kojima Mayumi, Ghost Hound OST)
Part 1: The Shut-In Princess (01:58-08:44)
“Melt (800% slower)” (Supercell/Hatsune Miku)
“A Couple of Idiots” (Clannad OST)
“Logic Moon” (Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto)
“Melt” (Supercell/Hatsune Miku)
Part 2: Memories of Vana’diel (08:45-21-28)
“Fushigi Purupuru Pururin Rin! (ringtone ver.)” (Welcome to the NHK OST)
“Dark Side ni Tsuitekite” (Yui Makino, Welcome to the NHK OST)
“FFXI Opening Theme” (Final Fantasy XI OST)
“Xarcabard” (Final Fantasy XI OST)
“Awakening” (Final Fantasy XI OST)
“Summon/Water/Fire/Provoke/Cure/Rejuvenate/Teleport” (Final Fantasy XI SFX)
“Orga’s Roar” (Godzilla 2000 SFX)
“The Republic of Bastok” (Final Fantasy XI OST)
“Gustaberg” (Final Fantasy XI OST)
“The Kingdom of San d’Oria” (Final Fantasy XI OST)
Ending (21:29-22-31)
“Hatsukoi” (Kojima Mayumi)
October 15, 2011 at 6:33 pm
Woooooo another great podcast!
Mef! -wave- I liked your story and I agree with you on your internet self versus your real life self, much like my twitter I don’t think I am as random in real life but I do enjoy talking and meeting people. The only person from the aniblog world I ever got to hang out with was Crusader from THAT, it was different talking to someone else about anime than my brother but kind of fun at the same time.
As for the MMO world I have played countless games from Everquest, City of heros, Aion and World of warcraft! I can remember countless raids spent with 40 other people killing some dragon that kept killing us over and over again. But finally killing it and winning the server first kill of that dragon was such an awesome feeling! Yeah it won’t do much for me irl but it’s the fun memories that I loved xD
Great episode again!
October 15, 2011 at 9:23 pm
*waves back
October 17, 2011 at 9:02 pm
You know, Kiy’s segment was tricky, because it’s really not a world I’m familiar with. I don’t game in any way, shape or form. But I figured I could rely on the power of a decent story.
Glad you enjoyed it!
October 15, 2011 at 6:45 pm
Delightfully reminiscent of “This American Life”. I like. :3
October 17, 2011 at 9:02 pm
Thank you! Welcome!
October 15, 2011 at 7:48 pm
It’s funny how Aftersh0k (another Yotsuba-Head) and I lightly mentioned the topic yesterday. It was brief, but he said “man, do you talk the way you type?” and my response was:
“yes”
“just not in public”
*BA DUM PSH*
I mean, obviously I don’t carry a drum set with me everywhere *BA DUM PSH*… okay that’s not what he meant. He was probably referring to my CAPS-LOCK and excessive exclamation points. The truth is I’m pretty shy in RL, too; I feel most outgoing-onliners are. But that’s not to say Jesus159159159 doesn’t exist. I’m always J159 when I’m with my brother, but I’ll never act that way to, say, a stranger or teacher. It’s mostly because I’m extremely self-conscious. I know I can be annoying at times, so I just stay quite to leave a not-good/not-bad impression. Being quite for so long became a habit, and as I grew older, I just became more and more shy.
In anime terms, I guess I’m like Nako from Hanasaku Iroha; that Nako-centric episode with the stupid fish and whatnot, where she’s all chipper with her siblings and then immediately shys away from that neighbor, I was like, “Wow… that’s me”… SO THEN I WENT TO FAKKU TO DOWNLOAD ALL THE NAKO DOUJINS I COULD AND THEN-*THWACK*. But seriously speaking, I felt a deep connection with the character, and that’s what I love about anime. I feel the creators leave a piece of themselves in their work, and I try to do the same with my posts, or anything else I create.
It’s a long battle to act less shy and more comfortable in my own skin (like I am with my brother), but I can definitely see an improvement. Sometimes I think “Wow, 3 years ago, I wouldn’t have the guts to do that, but now it’s not a problem” (… okay I know this is a long comment but hear me out! Last week I was driving to class and I’m at a traffic light. The lights turn green so I drive forward like any sensible guy would. The problem was I was stuck right in the middle of the road since no one in front advanced one bit (lots of traffic), and of course, the lights turned red again. I’m practically stuck there and everyone honked at me with very animated “FUCK YOU!!!” and “HURRY UP” hand gestures, but I couldn’t move one bit or I’d hit the guy in front of me. Basically, the ghetto has a ton of assholes (I can’t wait to leave Jersey), and I’m pretty sure they could see I had no space to move! At this point I’m thinking “WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO!?!?!” so I started honking Mary Had A Little Lamb while looking straight in their eyes. Everyone I looked at immediately stopped/looked away, and when traffic let up, I drove forward. I FELT GREAT!!! I was like “YEAH YOU WON’T HONK AT ME STRAIGHT IN THE EYE, HUH?!?! YEAH MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB BITCH!!! I’M FUCKIN’ JESUS I GOT DAT LAMBCHOP SWAGGER!!!” of course I was saying that last part all in my head, but the moral of the story is you shouldn’t let assholes be assholes! You gotta stick up for yourself, but most importantly, you gotta handle the situation like the real you!)
Anyway, yeah, thank you 2DT, Mefloraine, and those gamers. It was a good listen.
(As a side note: In non-anime terms, my friends usually compare me to Michigan J. Frog, haha! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_J._Frog )
October 15, 2011 at 7:51 pm
Also, I liked the ending song you had there, since it was used in this Nintendo commercial:
The message is very fitting, surprisingly
October 19, 2011 at 1:05 pm
That’s a happy coincidence!
October 19, 2011 at 1:04 pm
This is interesting to me, because I feel least like 2DT when I’m with my family. Somehow patience and good nature evaporates (which is terrible, I know.)
Interesting story.
October 15, 2011 at 9:35 pm
God, I forgot how embarrassing this was! I really don’t always sound like that, goodness, my roommate says so, so it must be true.
2DT, you just have the best podcasts. And I had totally forgotten that FFXI even existed…weird. It’s funny, yet not surprising, how easily it is to let ourselves get so caught up in gaming that it takes over our lives.
October 19, 2011 at 1:05 pm
You aren’t as shaky as you keep saying you are.
Thanks for being a great guest!
October 19, 2011 at 7:58 pm
That just tells you how much less shaky I am normally!
October 15, 2011 at 9:59 pm
I tend to take a view that no one can truly be themselves unless they have no interaction with the outside world or they happen to be a psychopath. I mean I really come down to a combination of two different identities, this one which seems completely mentally unstable at times and has fairly obvious interests based on what I tweet.
Then the ones I use in face-to-face interactions which are generally distant and lack soft skills. They things they share in common are feelings of both longing and loneliness. I imply multiples here because every new interaction could turn on what I say. Ultimately, they are really the exact opposite of the guy in the Dos Equis commercials.
Sorry to bore you with that. Another good podcast and I hope you keep up the good work in the future.
October 19, 2011 at 1:07 pm
This is true. The question of “me” is one I’ve been preoccupied with lately — if Buddhists and modern cognitive scientists are to be believed, “I” change from moment to moment, second to second, such that the idea of a singular identity is completely illusory. But that’s really going to drive a person crazy, thinking about that.
October 19, 2011 at 9:43 pm
I’ve never found it that hard to reconcile, perhaps because I tend to take an observer’s view on most everything (myself included). As a result I can see both my surprisingly popular handle on the internet and the real life person who is not very popular at all as the same person. The one time these both came together (meeting 2 people from this blogosphere and another stranger 1800 miles from home) there was no internal conflict.
October 16, 2011 at 1:09 am
Anime fans are weird… well some of them.
This internet vs IRL persona has always been an interesting topic, as for myself I can say I’m not really that different from what you see here, though I’m terrible at starting conversations with people I don’t know so well, (I’m better at talking with strangers.
I’d like to add, though, those who say their personalities are different (internet/IRL) well I don’t think is really that true, after all even if you are more shy or rude offline, what you say or mean is still yourself, another part you but still you. That might be just my opinion.
As I’m writing this I’m going to meet Hana (again) so it better be true…for me, you can ask her if I’m lying latter xP
Mefloraine’s story is kind of sad, (there is a huge difference between pretending to be a stalker and actually being one) but I guess we learn, plus now she is popular and if someone tries to harass her many people ( me included) will take their weapons. (Is not like we are Meff’s personal army or anything)
I remember that ep of Welcome to the NHK (another series I need to finish),
Is incredible how we can immerse ourselves so much into something, and it feels so real.
On the same note of “internet persona can’t be really that different”, if you are a jerk online, you are probably a jerk inside but can’t act like that IRL because you wouldn’t have any friends.
So Kiy man, you are hero and Japan salutes you (I’m not from Japan and haven’t been there either but I’m sure they’re thankful) and I’m serious.
On a side note, I like how 2DT censors the swearing so polite and elegantly, I insist he should conduce a radio show..
October 19, 2011 at 1:11 pm
Kiy appreciates your sentiments.
What’s interesting to me is that, as we’ve all gradually moved to Twitter and gotten used to this timeline business, we’re becoming more and more open about the things we share. Becoming more “ourselves,” though? Hard to say. About as much ourselves as we might be on Facebook, perhaps.
November 5, 2011 at 4:05 pm
as for myself I can say I’m not really that different from what you see here […] As I’m writing this I’m going to meet Hana [...] you can ask her if I’m lying later
Well deary, apart from the frequently displayed yandere tendencies on twitter, I’d agree!
October 16, 2011 at 2:27 am
Oh man the usage of Pururin, excellence. Your sound choices are a big part of why this is the coolest anime podcast.
“They’re just regular memories of my adolescence” – Badass quote.
As you may know, I’m as alike my offline self online as I think that I could possibly be. There’s nothing to hide from either side. I’ve never been normal in either world and never wanted to be—I’m too self-obsessed to want to change to what everyone else is doing, it’s more like, shouldn’t you all be more like me? Of course I don’t quite think that way, but the point is, I’m uncompromising. The best society can do is not make me put on a mask, but actually change my opinion and win me over. Have I started dressing a little nicer and shaving? Yes, but because those things became appealing to me, not because I gave in to pressure.
The amount that I talk to people online is directly proportional to the level that I feel they’re “real.” That’s why Mike and I are such great friends: we’re both just us, and nothing else. And he’d beat my ass if he caught me fronting.
But wait! It’s not that simple! I, too, have had multiple online faces. I used to be called Tical, and I became Digital Boy in an effort not unlike Mef’s, though it had more to do with emotional insecurity and leaving a past behind as a teenager than necessity. However! Last year, I created a persona called Se Dice Bisonte, who runs this blog: http://isthatyoumoatilliatta.wordpress.com/
For quite a while, I didn’t tell anyone whom I knew about this site. I posted in a style that was different from the one I used regularly at the time, and there were things that blatantly differed from the so-called truth, such as what manga I claimed to have read and what I had listed as favorites. This name also became the one that I used when I started working in manga scanslation, and continues to be the name I use for doing so. Why?
Role playing? Maybe. But to me, it’s simply another “me,” that exists every bit as much as this “me” that I’m speaking as. Neither is “the real me.” They’re both just fragments. Se Dice Bisonte is like a possibility of me. It’s something that I’m capable of seeing myself as, but not totally. To part of me, his favorite manga really is my favorite manga, but to another part, it’s completely different.
What I get out of all this is that I am everything that I am, and everything you say I am. (If I wasn’t, then why would I say I am?) This is precisely why I got into a huge squabble with a random anon troll in Baka-Raptor’s comments section on his latest post. I unleashed a part of me that I’m sometimes in denial about: a guy who can’t help but fight and be an immature ass. The thing is, unlike the anon I was against who hid his identity so that he could argue with no connection to his “self,” I fought him in the open, with my own name, being what I am even though people will see it, have things to say, and their opinion will be effected in ways I don’t necessarily want them to. It would be arrogant for me to say that they shouldn’t go thinking that way, that they should see through it and see who I “really” am. Rather, I should just accept myself for what they see me as and take what comes.
October 19, 2011 at 1:18 pm
You know, I can’t recall where I heard this, but someone once told me that “story” is the best indication of how we differ from other animals. More so than simply consciousness, sapience or the ability to use tools, what makes us human is the understanding of “My name is X, I was born in Y, I went to Z school and became a cab driver.” So in a way, who you say you are IS who you are, and all that you are.
October 19, 2011 at 3:34 pm
That’s a pretty awesome idea. I love it.
October 16, 2011 at 2:44 am
Now this is a podcast that hits home.
Having well over 6 Twitter accounts, 4 “major” IRC handles, 4-8 emails, and a variety of other pseudo-social accounts on a variety of networks, it is often mind-boggling when I take a step back, abstract myself from the situation, and realize just how many shoes I fill, how many roles, and how many lives I lead, most unbeknownst to others.
While, as of late, I have worked to merge some of these together, I still feel longing towards the time in which I had a different handle for every occasion, one to speak about more risque topics than I wanted associated with my main handle, one that could indulge in cutesy things, without losing credibility with the more masculine men that populated my online contact lists, and naturally the accounts for my offline self.
With the popularization of user-side anonymous on websites, rooting in 2ch/Futaba culture, it had become easier for me to divulge to my hearts content, discuss and squabble like the child I am, and speak with some semblance of intellect should the situation present itself in such a way that fosters these different sides/facades of my self.
Even now, while doing a bit of merging of my masks, there’s stil la bit of cognitive dissonance that keeps me from merging my online and offline lives. The internet allows much more freedom of expression than I could ever dream of presenting in my real life, and I will not give that up for the sake of simplicity. Then again ,that could be the domino that leads me down the road that I am trying to put behind me.
October 19, 2011 at 1:23 pm
Interesting. Originally, Facebook was going to play a bigger part in this episode’s intro. I’ve heard it said that Facebook and networks like 4chan represent two warring sides of the Internet identity crisis: One place that demands you “be yourself,” to put your whole life online, and one that prizes anonymity and the freedom of being no one.
Facebook seems to be winning, at least insofar as it gets money and prestige. I don’t think you’re alone in the great merge, Acostoss. But that leads me to wonder how used we’ve gotten to constructing not who we are, but who we want to be on the Internet.
October 16, 2011 at 8:34 am
I agree and identify with digitalboy quite a bit (largely how I feel about myself), and also Roghek about the two identities being different but still you. Personality and expressivity are represented differently depending on the context. Disregard the online world and we see that we do tend to act different with close friends and strangers (like J159), but I believe those differences are usually based in a varying level of intro/extroversion instead of discrepancy (deception of self).
The difference tends to be natural, but I still leave room for people to front about who they are, offline and especially offline. Some people will claim their online self is who they are and fallback on the notion that they simply aren’t that way in-person/reality, but each of us know when we are or aren’t being true. Sadly, that kind of front is rarely noticed with virtual personae, but I believe it is usually visible when we know someone well offline before online. I guess this argues with Wilde’s quote, “Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.” or alternatively: give him a mask, and he will take advantage of it. Arguably, that could be the [darker] truth, though shown instead of told (referring to Maya Angelou’s quote). It’s much more difficult to see people [virtually] simply by what they tell us, but they know, and how that plays out or who is hurt/affected in the end is completely in those hands.
It’s doesn’t bother me, for I don’t buy into a number of personalities. But back on the topic of “being oneself,” there’s something I’ve noticed with real people (not talking about high schoolers and college kids still trying to figure themselves out). Real people don’t mind who you are the vast majority of the time, and I feel it’s much easier for people to be turned off by someone not being oneself, by being grey or opaque, rather than being open about who they are to some extent. We will be accepted in reality even by those who may share no common interests or opinions, and those who accept us and love us offline even with little or no reason, are the people I find myself attracted to. And I don’t feel that’s the territory of “extroverts,” just people who are comfortable with themselves. Simple.
Thanks for the podcast guys! ^ ^
October 19, 2011 at 1:29 pm
High schoolers and college kids are plenty real. Just… mm, not a reality I think I want to return to, in some ways.
A friend of mine argues that masks encourage irresponsibility and lack of consequence. I won’t deny that this happens, that masks encourage people to take advantage of them. But I also believe we should go further than what Wilde said — there is no “own person” to hide behind. It’s masks all the way down.
October 19, 2011 at 9:25 pm
No it’s turtles! j/k It’s a sensible statement, masks all the way down. Because much of what we learn, we learn through ourselves, and usually about ourselves. It’s a constant process, and we are always learning who we are and what masks we bear for that reason. Though, I do believe we as social beings can come to understand patterns in these masks, assisting our intuitive assessment of “trust.”
One a personal note, I am a reader. After the numerous moves and attending different schools from age 8 to 18, working into the social food chain each time, befriending both popular and unpopular individuals, I ultimately spread myself so thin that the group I found myself part of, happened to be 10-20 years older than I was. It wasn’t good, and I could have easily ruined my entire life on any given occasion, but the first twenty years were a great social learning experience. This kind of learning never stops, we get more literate all the time, and from day to day we begin to see new things in people by what they do [what they want], and that, imo, greatly improves our decision-prowess when it comes to trust. Trust is not an emotion, but it’s a lot like love.
And I will say, that depending on the mask, whether it’s the Internet, a Confessional, or whatever, Wilde’s quote is a fair generalization. Not quite a tautology, but it’s a start.
Also, yes, I should have flipped “real people” with “people of a real world.” School is hardly the wild of society[, and society is hardly the wild of nature].
October 17, 2011 at 2:49 am
Well this was a pretty entertaining podcast, Kudos! Certainly got me through my writing.
I find that my online and offline identities are nearly identical, but with one distinguishing factor: My online persona just tends to be more emotional. Anybody who knows me in real life can verify that I don’t emote much. Hell, I didn’t even notice until I was told by a few close friends.
I crack jokes almost constantly and give present company a good-hearted ribbing, but it’s all done with an entirely straight face. I wouldn’t call myself distant, but I don’t tend to react with anything but a calm veneer.
Online, I’m a little more belligerent to those that I don’t see eye to eye with, and much more emotive to those that I do. Oddly enough, one similarity with both is I’m pretty damn shy. Both online and offline, I feel like I’m intruding whenever I share in a comment section like this, or join in on a conversation between friends that opens up to me, though I’m much more social online.
Part of it is the crowd that I tend to gravitate around though.
I could go on and on about this, but I think I’ll cut it short by saying that I tend to be more comfortable with online interaction. It doesn’t tire me out as much as real life socializing does, and I like being in my own world while I chat with folks. And damn these posts for always getting an essay out of me. Hell, any stranger who would stumble upon my comments here would know more about me than most people that I’ve known for years.
October 19, 2011 at 1:36 pm
That… applies to me too. >_>’
October 19, 2011 at 2:06 pm
Tiring out! Yes! I know exactly what you mean — In real life, I can only be jovial and outgoing for about four hours with one person, and each additional person removes about an hour. It’s just so exhausting to smile, to read cues and modulate one’s voice. On Twitter, I can do it forever.
Don’t feel like you’re intruding here. Thank you for feeding my ego.
October 18, 2011 at 12:07 am
Ah yes, secret identities. Another awesome podcast yet again.
I struggled with secret identities for quite a while. I would have Twitter and go on with my life watching anime: with the real world me being shy and unsocial, while I’m more outspoken and act as a better person online. (Hence, the blog name I chose.)
Many times I’d be socially awkward when meeting people in real life, since I tended to over-think situations tremendously (How would they think? How would they respond?) which ended up with a “If you got nothing good to say, don’t say it) attitude. Then I’d return home and act like a completely different person online, then different to friends, and different to my friends at my local church.
It started to drive me crazy. At times I thought I had dissociative personality disorder (multiple personalities). Or just bipolar. I would struggle with who I really was. Who was the real me. It felt like being a mirror shattered into many different shaped shards, which couldn’t be put back together into the original shape. Like Emperor J, I felt like I had two completely opposite identities. I sank into instability. Depression. Almost even dementia, at the worst of times.
Like mefloraine, at a certain point, I just started anew. I don’t know what came over me. Maybe it was just a “this is it, I don’t want to live this way anymore” feeling. Or maybe it was also partly because I was inspired by my friend who had become completely split or dependant on his online identity. He doesn’t go out, doesn’t communicate, and no one even knows where he lives/his phone #/etc. Maybe I just didn’t want to end up like him.
So this year, I started to change. I guess I just started to merge all my different personalities into the one I wanted to be. I haven’t really accepted all of them yet. I can still be shy (in fact, mostly). But I’ve started to be more social in real life as well. Like Ryan, I told myself that this was all part of me. And if people can’t just accept a person that likes anime or just to look cool due to social status, then they aren’t really the friends that I want to be with anyways.
I met a couple of new friends compared to last year’s attempt at making friends. I still need to work on it though, but I just take the best from both worlds: more outspoken and social while trying to be calm and encouraging. Part of my drive is from myself and my selfish desire to improve, and also from my blog which I am thankful for making.
Hopefully when I meet some of the bloggers possibly next year, I can be fine with my real self. And they won’t see an inconspicuous person with his hands in his pockets and rarely speaks, and instead a person who’s willing to voice his opinions in stride, open-minded, and just a cheerful/friendly guy.
Sorry for writing down part of my life story. I enjoyed this podcast very much and the words just started pouring out.
October 19, 2011 at 2:41 pm
I understand the urge to overthink. It’s probably common among our kind! And in fact, in some ways, being a blogger has made my social habits even worse, because I’ll just sit back and observe, and think about situations in terms of blogging material. But this has been a problem for ages:
http://xkcd.com/77/
Thanks for your thoughts! I’m always glad to hear from you, life story or not.
October 19, 2011 at 3:36 pm
>>I’ll just sit back and observe, and think about situations in terms of blogging material.
This is me at all times, but especially when watching anime. Sometimes it’s more like I’m just watching my post come together.
October 20, 2011 at 9:36 am
I admit that sometimes being a blogger takes away from an episode, especially when the scene is romantic/tragic/epic. Sometimes it desensitizes you from just absorbing the scene in general, and rather end up like your comic and think about how great a post would be, or deconstructing the scene, haha. At times, I just want to sit back and enjoy the ride.
However, I admit that being a blogger has its advantages as well. It helped me to become more analytic in what I see/hear, and to take everything with a grain of salt.
Of course, it also allowed me to discover new people and new blogs. It’s a great thing!
October 18, 2011 at 1:11 am
I love anime/manga, computer/gadgetry, music and such since primary school. I’m not those active boy, rather I would prefer to sleep, read books and sometimes watch educational programme on TV. So, I don’t keep my real life and internet life as separate entities.
I’m quite shy for first time meeting, but after I knew name and such, I can be reactive to people. While still in primary school, I always go everywhere with my little brother (raised in different families for several years before coming back, so we grew up to be closer). He is more outgoing, I always depend on him to start joining a group or such.
But after I joined secondary school, I grew apart to my family (living in dormitories), so I had to do everything myself. Then, I met some of my friends who share the love of manga/anime (this is good, I don’t have to spend a lot of monies to buy different manga, we exchanged titles until it got lost usually) . And we started to play online game together. That’s when I make an online persona to represent me (I never changed handle name, only email addresses).
In my case, I add my friends that I know IRL and that’s it. That’s why I rarely talk in forum, or join a group in internet gaming. And my MMORPG flame died out really fast. I tried to get into some other online game, but ended up playing solo and leaving afterwards.
I have Myspace/Friendster/Facebook, but I only use them to keep in contact of IRL families and friends. Then, 5 years ago, I came upon this game (Touhou) and I like them because of it’s music/gameplay/character. Then I come to know about western fan of Touhou, and ended up joining Twitter a few years later.
Only at Twitter I started to met/spoke to various new person that I never met IRL before. Only at this point I considered my internet identity have another side that I never knew before. I like human interactions, but I’m afraid of taking risks and costs. With Twitter, nothing is /that/ dangerous, and there are bots or RP people. And I wondered, how they can keep the side of them RP without mixing with their another self.
Even so, I am just a person, no difference in online/offline, using handle names for convenience. And recently, people at Twitter do offline meeting (like going to an event together), or just hanging out together. I think this offline/online gap will be diminished in several years later, when everyone is online, and stay connected. We’re heading there, slowly but surely. And seeing that company start rating their will-be employee on their online persona too, people that you see here in Internet is the person you will see IRL.
October 19, 2011 at 2:46 pm
Interesting that you bring up RP accounts on Twitter. What fascinates me about them is over time, how they kinda stop being who they pretend to be, and just end up being a mixture of RP + themselves on Twitter.
Much like how (personal disclosure time), when I began on Twitter, I tried to maintain the image that I had as a blogger, and it just totally failed. The timeline has a way of stripping away pretenses.
Thanks for listening, and for the comment!
October 18, 2011 at 9:34 pm
You have a really sexy voice. No wonder all those little Japanese girls swooned over you. I didn’t know what I’ve been missing all this time.
October 19, 2011 at 2:47 pm
Aw, you make a guy blush.
Thanks for listening.
October 19, 2011 at 12:13 am
This really hit home, Unlike most of you guys I have a reverse kinda situation. I am way too similar both online and offline , this ofcourse lead to some complications with my IRL friends on Facebook. See my IRL friends had no problem with me when we interacted face to face because I didnt talk about anime as much etc but once I went online I prioritized the otaku in me which I guess made them feel like I was ignoring them.
I didnt want to change my persona online just to suit them so I quit Facebook indefinetly and just used twitter which had more of a laid back feel. My IRL friends know I meant o harm but they have atleast come to accept that this is who I am and nothing will change that.
October 19, 2011 at 2:52 pm
Hmmm. You know, I understand this. I occasionally share my “otaku” interests on Facebook, and the reaction is this kind of… friendly, but somewhat alienated confusion, like I’m not being myself. But I am! I spend half of my life watching anime, reading manga, or talking about it outside of this construct that’s supposed to be my “real life.”
So to some extent, we suck it up and perform. C’est la vie.
October 19, 2011 at 1:35 pm
Yes, I have a different personality online and offline. Is it because I force myself into a specific role? No, it isn’t. I would dare to say that internet actually helps me become myself.
You see, I’m not a social person. Not outgoing, not spontaneous, bad at jokes, bad at showing feelings (seriously, even when something is funny, I can’t laugh!) and other factors makes me come off as quite the boring person, maybe a bit haughty too, as I tend to do my schoolwork and and viewing things in a bigger perspective, unlike some of my closest people. Over-analyzing stuff, perhaps. Quite the boring person.
These are some major problems for me, as I can’t help them. When I’m with a small group of people that I feel really comfortable with, especially when I’m tired, I loosen up and become more like my actual self. Personally, the less of sleep is probably the reason. Everything becomes funnier then.
On the internet, these problems doesn’t exist. Spontaneous? Nah, you can take your time writing your post. Showing feelings? Express them in written form. And so on.
It might sound a bit sad, but honestly, internet really is a great investment for me. I can become myself, without all the restricting barriers.
Nice podcast! One of the few I will follow.
October 19, 2011 at 2:55 pm
It isn’t sad at all, I think. It’s very understandable. Everybody needs their comfort zone, and it just happens to be online.
I’m terrible at speaking too. Outside of teaching, where I practice, or podcasting, where I edit the heck out of myself, I’m so bad at carrying on threads of spontaneous conversation. Better to take one’s time on Twitter.
Thanks for following me! I appreciate it.
October 21, 2011 at 6:56 am
Wow what a great podcast! Your voice is so soothing and your music pick-ups are so professional!!! The theme was awesome, too!
October 21, 2011 at 7:07 am
Forgot to say: me and my boyfriend also met online in an anime forum! So happy to hear similar stories!
October 23, 2011 at 10:28 pm
Thanks!
October 23, 2011 at 10:16 pm
Why am I not on this podcast (never mind that I’d have nothing interesting to say)
October 23, 2011 at 10:29 pm
Oh, don’t say that! I’ve heard about how you performed at the AX Shinbo panel, so I’m sure I could get something good. Let me brood on it a little.
October 27, 2011 at 6:40 am
Dang, can’t wait to hear this. Still floating along~
November 5, 2011 at 4:34 pm
I love how, amongst other things, your podcasts encourage such personal and moving responses from people. I’m afraid most of the gaming section with Kiy and Positron went over my head (sorry guys!), but Meffy’s story, as most of the other commenters have said, was very touching. I was especially drawn to her fears about disappointing people who she knew online who would want to meet her irl. To which I can only say that I’m sure that it isn’t true.
Can I boast now?
I’ll take that as a yes. For example, I once saw a pic that she posted of some very pretty earring that she had made herself and I asked her if she sold them. Basically, this lead her to making and sending me a similar pair (after asking me exactly how I wanted them to look), and refusing to accept anything in return (and believe me, if the naughty girl had left a return address on the envelope, I would’ve happilly sent some thing back – one day, Meffy, I’ll get you back).
In short – who does that?! Actually, I know: someone lovely.
Moving on.
Re: me: for the record, I don’t think there are many differences between who I am online vs. who I am irl. I assume this is because I’m an inherently lazy person and the thought of wearing masks of any kind simply requires too much effort. It probably helps that I only use Facebook and twitter, as well as posting anime reviews on THAT blog. I may only have anni people on Twitter, but my non-anime-related tweets are often pretty similar to my FB status updates, so, yeah.
Finally, more boasting…
With reference to their twitter names, I have met [at]Roghek ([at]Amelish_ at the moment) irl. And [at]Hanners1979, irl, too. And [at]5camp. And [at]Draginite. And [at]6ry. And [at]ExecutiveOtaku. And they were all lovely.
In short (again) – lucky, aren’t I?
December 3, 2011 at 6:27 pm
[...] situations? This is an interesting question, which was touched upon by 2DTeleidoscope in his third podcast. Are you the same person in real life and on the Internet? Are you the same on different websites [...]
August 26, 2012 at 5:59 pm
[...] I really liked the part where Kirito and Asuna talked about living in the game world while eating dinner. The prospect of “living the game” does seem very appealing to a lot of gamers, especially the hardcore players. Great MMORPG’s like WoW really have a way of hooking people into the game so much that some would prefer to spend more time playing it as if they are living in the World of Warcraft and almost neglect their real life. I guess that the charm of good MMORPGs to gamers is that here is a sense of accomplishment that one can get in playing MMOPRGs that he might never get in real life as legendary aniblogger 2DT discusses on a podcast. [...]