(no subject)

[subigito]

Type: Text
Sender ID: anonymous (Astarion)
To: General Public
Subject: The Rifts
Warnings: None

What is even the point of becoming close to anyone here, if they can all just leave as quickly as they came?

Oh, sure, let's all play our little games and finish our silly little quests and feel this sense of camaraderie working towards a goal we all damn well know is unaccomplishable. And along the way, we can learn the magic of friendship only to have it taken away by the Rifts without any further explanation.

It would be nicer to believe we were being held to the whims of some vengeful god instead of the unfeeling randomness of the Rifts and their "unknowable" magic.

Then, at least, there would be someone to curse for the cruelty of it.

Comments

sender id: activatingcombatmode

[activatingcombatmode]

Whoa, hold on buddy... What happened? One of us was taken away by the rifts? Gone?

... You need a drink?

[subigito]

Either that or he left all his belongings behind and decided to adventure without them.

I can't consume alcohol.

id: partybabysitter

[partybabysitter]

[ Xenk really needs a new ID name. ]

Indeed, the fleeting nature of our encounters in this world are difficult to fathom. The mysterious powers that have brought us here are unfeeling, and we are tasked with tasks and responsibilities we did not ask for. These are whims of the Rifts, as you say, are unknowable.

Whether it be a god to blame or random chance, one cannot deny the cruelty of how one may grow to befriend someone, only for fate to see them removed from this world.

It appears as though you have experienced this cruelty. I sympathize, for I well know how painful it can be to see those you care for torn from your side in an instant. This threat is one we all face, and you are wise to share your frustration with we who are most likely to understand it.

id: notmymother

[notmymother]

I don't think there is a point really? Not one that fits everyone anyhow.

You could decide on a vengeful god for yourself though. I haven't seen signs of one here so far.

[This is coming though from a woman born in a land torn apart and burned to the ground by a very vengeful spirit so she'd like to think she'd recognize when there was one around.]

id: strung

[strung]

Is this the first time you've lost someone close to you?

[subigito]

[ but it's so accurate! ]

It would just be so much easier not care about anyone.

[subigito]

There are plenty of them where I am from, but I don't think their reach extends this far.

[ Unless you're god's favorite paladin, Xenk, apparently. ]

[subigito]

I don't see why that matters.

sender id: theleadingman

[theleadingman]

The same could be said for anywhere, I suppose.

People leave. Sometimes in the blink of an eye. We are, all of us, bit players in the lives of others, or so the fates would have us believe. Suppose the trick is deciding whether or not the time spent with them is worth it to you.

Everywhere is unpredictable, but I quite agree that it would be ideal to have someone to blame. Cursing at the Rifts admittedly feels rather hollow. Terribly dissatisfying.

[notmymother]

I only know of one. His reach is far but I don't feel him here or see his handiwork.

[It's unsettling to think of a world with several. Aku was bad enough.

She rolls his other words over in her mind a moment, thinking of the point of camaraderie and getting close to others. She wants to give a comforting answer like she could imagine Jack doing but Ashi more than realizes she isn't as comforting as the samurai could be. Even if she wishes she were.]

I think for me at least the point of getting close to others and having camaraderie is just having it. I already know what it's like to be alone and to not have help when you need it. Even if it's temporary I'd rather have it than experience being alone again.

Or being alone among other people.

Sorry if this makes no sense. I'm not used to writing words on these devices.

[strung]

I don't see why you wouldn't be candid considering no one knows who you are.

[partybabysitter]

[ He does not sit on babies! ]

I, too, believed this for a time. In truth, I am not sure that I have stopped believing it, much as I wish to. It is a most difficult change to bring about in oneself.

To care about people, the greater good, comes easily. To care for the people closest to you, is quite a bit harder. Those closest to you have a greater ability to inflict pain on you, certainly their inevitable absence here is a looming, known threat.

All the same, I would like to believe that the fond memories we build, the moments shared between those one cares for, are worth the inevitable pain. Though I know these words are easier for me to say, as I am not the one aggrieved.

You have my condolences, friend. Know that you did not make a mistake in caring for them, much as their absence may pain you now.

id: ramuhs

[ramuhs]

No different than meeting people in life in general. One day they're there, next they're gone. Moving, traveling, disappear without a trace, death. There is no guarantee in anything; that's just the nature of living, unfortunate as it can be at times.

Best you can do is treasure the memories if they were as close to you as it sounds.

text; id: pinksidekicking

[pinksidekicking]

Wow, someone left already?

But isn't people coming into our lives and then leaving just what happens anywhere? Sometimes life doesn't stop and wait for you to say goodbye to someone.

id: lordofcalamity

[lordofcalamity]

Suck it up. Everyone loses people, and if you expected anything different here, than you're a fool.

[subigito]

[ This is so much harder because it's Xenk, and Astarion knows that, and the fact that Xenk doesn't know its him is both an opportunity and a drawback. ]

What would you do, if you lost someone you'd become close to here?

[subigito]

[ This is actually good advice he's shocked everyone is so nice here even when he went to cry on the network damn ]

When you're used to being alone and not having help, at least it feels "normal." It's the status quo.

But if you go from that to learning what it's like to not be so alone, what happens if you go back? Isn't it that much worse, now that you know what you're missing?

[subigito]

Maybe it isn't worth it, knowing that the outcome is inevitable.

[subigito]

We barely had any time together at all. There's no reason for me to feel like we were close, and precious little to treasure.

[ but he was, that's the kicker. fenris saw him in a way that few others would be able to as a result of their similar circumstances. ]

If anything, I should be glad he left. Better for him to be home than stuck here.

[subigito]

Well, yes, but I'm not usually friends with them.

[subigito]

[ ugh!!! logic!!! ]

Fine. Yes. It's my first time losing someone like this.

[partybabysitter]

[ Xenk considers the stranger's words. He has indeed grown close to several people here. ]

I would mourn them. I would gather close their memories and keepsakes, and allow myself to feel the ache of their absence.

And once a new day dawned, I would continue on, with their memories and the ache of their loss alongside me. It has been my fate to do so, with the many people I have lost in this life.

The ache lessens in time, as one grows around them. But they are not forgotten. I would do the same for anyone here.

[subigito]

If you would do the same for anyone, then how do you know you care more about the people you're supposedly close to?

[subigito]

[ see this is what he's expecting!! thank god someone here actually seems normal ]

Well, I was trying to be nice for once. But it goes to show that you shouldn't just blindly accept the wisdom of strangers who send messages in a bottle.

[lordofcalamity]

[ Velvet's not normal, she's an angry, vengeful daemon. She is also very much a hypocrite. ]

If that's you trying to be nice, then you missed the mark. You should have just left it at the first question, without all the sarcasm and complaining added in.

Why would you try to be anything other than what you are? Especially when taking advice from strangers.