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15strangers2020-03-01 01:58 pm
strangerpeople) wrote in 15strangers2020-03-01 01:58 pm
Entry tags:
Isn't this where.....
[Living and dead have reunited. That is all well and good. However, all these trains and cars and starships mean nothing by themselves - many of you may be wondering precisely where they are headed, and the answer presents itself soon in the form of a yawning portal in the middle of space. Yawning, calm, so as not to be mistaken with the writhing and twitching of the wefts - it seems to belong, or at least to be accepted as a cosmic inevitability. And this is what all of the dubious spacecrafts sail into for now - it is just barely large enough for all of them to go in one at a time, and to come out on the other side of the wormhole.
That appears to be some kind of airspace. Those curious about the place they're going may want to open the stained glass windows of the trains to get a much better view of the scenery they're descending on. The landscapes are mostly gorgeous, looking from a distance as though they were painted with watercolors, although some may think it also looks a bit, well, haphazardly patched together. For the trains, there is a floating dock above the land that looks brand new, and an elevator to take down to the ground. All other ships can find an easy landing space in the meadow, like the weird UFOs they are. Nevertheless, there is a path to follow from there, leading to a castle in the distance. It is a path lined with wonderful flowers and trees... and also a chaotic smattering of other trees that don't look like they quite belong. Sheets of dry lasagna make up the bark of the spaghetti trees, their inexplicably cooked pasta hanging like a weeping willow as marinara drips from their meatball fruit. The smell is overpowering, but don't let that ruin the trip. "In fact, it would be better if you let it work up an appetite", the cheerful voice of 707 suggests as he leads the pack up the trail like a hyperactive boy scout leader.
Finally, the doors of the castle open up. The halls are full of doors, each glowing from within - some of you may recognize the names of your homes, and others may not. But going past them, there is an enormous arch that is named The Hall of the Beginning as indicated by the carvings on it. Inside is a table that will be familiar to one of the strangers. It is the table that the original 15 Titled met at the beginning of Nirn, and it's overflowing with a feast even more grandiose than the last time. All of the drinks and cuisine you've been missing for so long is here - from sugar-spiced coffee and bubble tea, delicious scones as good as an aunt's, ridiculously spicy takeout wok, popcorn, philly cheesesteaks and the most perfect star shaped peanut-butter-jelly sandwiches known to man, a big toblerone on a long silver platter, three types of ramen, beer, so many grapes, melon bread, something labeled "dead chicken" that is obviously just a regular roast chicken.... it definitely seems like there were too many cooks here, but cooks with their heart in the right place. Some other favorites of the strangers will also be among the chaos if they look hard enough, but certainly, somewhere, it was deemed that they should have a celebration feast.
But then, you are not strangers any more, are you? Everyone here is a familiar face now, and there are even more familiar faces waiting around the table. The ones who wrote the letter, 707, Halley, Maka, Alexis, and Cardia are already there coming and going, but occasionally many others will stumble through one of the many doors. People from the games who had not fallen to IT. People from home, people you love. What we have here is a nexus and a party all in one. Here, there will be as much time for goodbyes as you like - or, as the hall suggests, new beginnings.]
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But...it can get better. I promise you, it can get better, even if it will take a while, and even if it’ll still effect you. It can and will get better.
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... It's not like we got a manual on how to deal with this.
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‘But it’s not time for that,‘ he thinks, calming himself. There’s nothing he can do for it, so it’s no use getting worked up over, at least at the moment.]
Well, you’re going to have to now. It’s...it’s not fair, I know, but that’s the way things are going.
And no, there isn’t. But what helps...is people. People that are close to you and care about you. People that know how to deal with trauma and PTSD. People...people that will want to help you.
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It won't be easy, not in the slightest, but...if you want things to get better, for something like that not to hurt as much, that's the best thing I can tell you. People help, even if it's hard to talk to them.
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Then maybe you could confide in each other? It's what Caleb and I did. Instead of just forcing ourselves to deal with it on our own, we talked with each other. We were there for each other for these things. And if we hadn't been there for each other...I'm not sure either of us would still be here.
And if that's still not good enough...I'm willing to help. I'm probably not as close to you as others, but I'd like to help where I can. And if that means shouldering a burden, why not. It wouldn't be the first.
[Yeah, he's dealing with a lot of stuff. But he'd rather be dealing with even more stuff like this kid deal with so much on his own.]
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[Hm. Worth asking.]
I don't... you shouldn't have this stuff put on you. It's bad enough that I can't seem to deal with it. I don't want any of it to fall on her.
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[He would be himself, if not for the already present crowding in the wolf house.]
That's why I'm offering. Everyone else...it seems like everyone else dealt with a lot worse stuff, before these things. Meanwhile I was just trying to be a dad, all of the worst parts of my life behind me. I think...I think I could handle it, if I needed to.
[And he's starting to think he needs to.]
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[School is super important, King.]
... I. Well at least you were trying to be. That's more than some people could say.
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[Oh, that's cute-DON'T SHOW IT YOU'RE HAPPY FOR THEM KING BUT YOU DON'T NEED TO MAKE THIS WEIRD
He has to take a deep breath and actively resist smiling for him. Solutions for that kind of problem...oh!]
Caleb's got a lot of gold. I'm sure he'd be willing to give you some, and help where he can.
[Be a fake guardian and all for Jun buying a house. Or something like that.]
Do you want to talk about that? About...about dads?
[From the tone of his voice, it seems like he can understand it being a hard topic to talk about.]
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... I. I don't know. I mean I don't really know what it's like to have one that acts like the ones everyone else seems to have. And it's too late, I think.
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[With the diverse number of people that get pulled into these things? Someone has to be good at forging, right?]
...who says it’s too late? That...you can’t find someone that does fill that role? That’s more like a traditional dad?
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[He presses his lips together and tries to fight off the weird feeling he still has even thinking about that.]
I... because I'm going to be in a new world. And one where I'm the only one from my world. It's not like I'm going to go get adopted again. Even if I wanted to, there's not many people willing to take n someone my age, I think.
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[Have fun dealing with magic school Jun.]
I’m not to sure if that’s right, actually. I mean-yeah, you might be the only new person going to her world, but...everyone is still going to be able to talk with each other, I’m pretty sure. And...I think someone would still want to take you in. Just because you think no one would take you in, doesn’t mean you’ll be right.
[It’s surprising, how nice people can be sometimes.]
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But... I... I don't... know.
[He takes a few deep breaths in and out.]
I don't... I don't know. I don't know what I'd even do with a father figure. I've been pretty independent since I was young. Maybe that's because of how he raised me and maybe it's not, but...
[He's not sure how to lean on people. Emotional vulnerability is still difficult, even after all of this time. It's not something he was raised with.]
Besides... don't you have your own kids to deal with?
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[He thinks back to when he first was dealing with these murder incidents, where magic and all types of it were more or less the cause of all of his problems. Now it's not so bad to him-or, at the very least, it's better in other worlds.
He gives Jun a pat or two on the back, still trying to be comforting before speaking again.]
Just because you're independent doesn't mean you can't have someone as a father figure. You don't have to have one, but...it's nicer, if you have someone willing to look out for you. That wants to look out for you.
[And for the last part...he lets out a bit of a laugh. Nothing big or anything, but it's at least a chuckle.]
The pups are puppies. They can be a handful sometimes, but they're not as bad as you might think. Plus, at this point? Feels more or less like I've got at least six kids now, with the people I've gotten close to.
[He feels incredibly protective of Ris, Mithos and Karma, anyway. Whether or not the former two see him as a father figure, he's not sure, but he knows that they matter to him about as much as his own kids, and he is not letting any thing or anyone hurt his kids.]