00. Dear Ocean

[pinksidekicking]

Type: Text
Sender ID: Anon
To: Everyone
Subject: Dear Ocean
Warnings: People are going to be talking about their problems, so please put appropriate CW/TWs

Hello everyone! I'm going to be starting up a "Dear Ocean" post. This is where you can reach out to your fellow Riftfairers if you're in need of advice or help, and you can do it Anonymously. Other people can respond to your anon posts to try and help you figure out a tricky situation, or offer up advice on all sorts of things.

If this one goes well, I may do another in the future.

I'll even start us off.

____________

Dear Ocean,

Last month I saw someone that had hurt me, but he didn't stick around. We sort of got to talk a little, but I still feel like we left a lot unresolved. I don't know if I should still be angry and hurt by what he did, or if I should try to accept that he just doesn't understand me, but he was the first person who tried in a very long time.

Signed, Not-A-Monster

Comments

text; anonymous

[voxt]

Dear Ocean,

This is a ridiculous waste of time, but I suppose I have nothing but time to waste now.

What exactly do people do when their lives aren't in danger? How do you live with the fact that your home could be dying, while you languish away in the sand or enjoy a meal that you know others would kill for? Perhaps you'll tell me that the weight of an entire world shouldn't be on my shoulders, but you'd be wrong. I'm the only person who could ever do anything for my world, but instead I'm here.

I'm frustrated. It leads me to perhaps be somewhat crueler than those around me expect. Or deserve. I know I'm merely struggling to adapt to this "new" way of life, and I should make the best of it, but it's difficult not to feel as though this is all an incredible waste.

Signed, Wasting What Time?

[ He is never coming off of anon. ]

[pinksidekicking]

Wasting What Time,

Okay, I'm not going to tell you not to worry about your world, or that you shouldn't carry the weight of it. I don't know your situation and how you can change it there, but I do know that this is an opportunity for you. This is a time of rest before you go back to that particular fight. You can't help your world if you burn yourself out before the climax happens.

And I will say this, as the original poster, the person I met arrived two months after I did - and he was from basically the same point in time as me. So you are probably going to go right back to the moment you left, with your world no worse off than it was before you got here. Maybe it won't ease all of your worries and concerns about what you'll have to face, but hopefully that at least helps you not to carry the idea that time is moving on without you there.

Not-A-Monster

[voxt]

Fair enough.

[ Oh he was so tempted to only answer with that, but it's anonymous so he doesn't have to hide all his feelings. ]

I have a thought exercise for you. What if I was dead before I arrived here? Or dying, at least. What if the world I'm returning to is dying as well? I'm afraid my situation may be hopeless.

[pinksidekicking]

Hm, if I was someone who'd fought so hard to save the world, and I was dying... I think I'd want to die with my world. I'd want to keep trying, until the very last breath.

[ Is Nimona happy in her world? Not entirely. She's hunted and feared, has no friends, and has been betrayed. But she couldn't leave it to die without trying to save it. ]

[voxt]

Good answer. That's what I'm looking forward to.

[ Home is home. Even if it sucks. You have to try and save it. ]

[pinksidekicking]

But that just means you have to make the most of what time you have here. You aren't dying - other than aging and whatever - here, so why not enjoy it while you can? It might take time to adjust to doing things for yourself, but if this is the only chance you get, you may as well use it.

[ Her situation is different from his, the people of her world hates her no matter how hard she's tried to change that. So she has no problem enjoying it, even if she can still find it hard to trust people. Waiting for the other shoe to drop. ]

text; anon

[vermilloci]

Dear Wasting What Time?

I'm so sorry for what you've been through. It seems crushing, and I can only imagine. All of what the above anon says is valid, but I wanted to add something else.

If it's too difficult to face the grief, it's okay if you choose not to. You can find ways to distract yourself. Or if there's nothing else possible, maybe you can find something to help you forget.

Sincerely,
Bird

[voxt]

Dear Bird,

Distracting myself may be all that I have. I don't want to forget -- forgetting would be too easy, and I've never been one for doing things the easy way.

But I'll waste the time I have here, since it's all that I have. Whether that means finding a new purpose or simply taking up a hobby remains to be seen.

Do you happen to have any suggestions on either of those?

Curiously,
Wasting What Time

[vermilloci]

Dear Wasting What Time,

You would choose to remember, even though it's painful?

Suggesting a new purpose is a tall order, I think. I don't think anyone would have an easy answer to that, but how about starting with something near to your original one? If it can be applied here.

As for hobbies, that's also a little difficult. Reading above, you seem to have been very busy in your homeworld doing all you can for it. It might not have left you with time to explore other things and learn more about yourself. Did you ever think something like "oh, If I didn't have to struggle or fight, I would try my hand at baking?" Or learn how to dance, or act, or sing, or play a sport or an instrument?

With hope for you,
Bird

[voxt]

Bird,

Of course I would. I would, and have, suffered every pain for my home. I have bled and struggled and lived for nothing else. All I want is for the dawn to break where my world is not dying, or for the day to come that I might see the sun and hear birds and life among the streets of London. If I forgot all the pain, I'd leave my home to rot. I won't do as others have already done. I will find a way to save it.

When I get back, anyway. If I survive.

Unfortunately my old job, if it can be called that, was making deliveries. A service made obsolete by these shellphones. If my world were different, perhaps... I'm not sure. I enjoy nature. And reading books I suppose. I'll keep your suggestions in mind.

Thanks,
Wasting

[vermilloci]

[ She reads over the first part of his answer more than once. A "dying" world. Same thing with the "if I survive" part. ]

Dear Wasting,

Sorry. I don't mean to bring up painful things. I can see how strongly you feel about it, and it sounds as if it's worth giving your all to. So in this case, I'm going to change my answer:

Your old "purpose" still applies in this one. Your purpose is still doing all you can for your world, but in this case, you have to do all you can to return to it. I don't think you shouldn't explore more hobbies when there is time, but your world is also too important to remain idle. Some things just take priority.

Maybe doing "all you can to return to it" also means exploring and investigating this world further, talking to locals, and making new friends and allies. There can be good moments, as well. We can fight together, too, to return to all of our worlds. I know I'm trying to. It might be a slow endeavor, but for our respective worlds, it's worth doing everything and anything we can to return as soon as possible.

You're not alone in this,
Bird