[VIDEO .005 | username edward.elric]

[alchemyfreak]

The way things work here, people are supposed to leave by choice. Has anyone been contacted by a friend, before they left? I’ve heard some theories that when we leave we don’t get a chance to say goodbye, once the portal points the right way either you go or you miss it.

A few of us have talked about leaving a message in advance, so if the opportunity comes and we have to take it without warning people here have something left behind. Some people used to do that where I was before… has anyone here done anything like that? It seems worth it.

Even if we don’t want to leave, I’m not entirely convinced everyone that’s gone left here by choice.

[A pause. There’s no emotion when he speaks, if anything there’s a distinct lack of emotion, expression carefully neutral with the last part.]

Yuffie’s gone. For anyone that knew her and isn’t aware yet.

Comments

[alchemyfreak]

It's complicated, I've seen people that go home just to die who would rather be gone.

For me, I know that what I set out to do gets done even without me there. I'm sure I'll go back eventually, but there's no point in being in a rush when my being here changes nothing.

[supersweet]

Doesn't it?

I think being here can change things here too.

[alchemyfreak]

That's what I'd like to figure out, though I'm more concerned about people being prepared in case it does happen. If they want to be, at least. If it's possible the portal sends us back by accident, it seems smarter to be ready for that outcome.

If displaced feelings are all we need to go through that portal, even a note is better than nothing.

[alchemyfreak]

Back home, at least.

Being here can alter a lot, especially with the people here. Even within ourselves. We make friends we never would have met back home, being places like this as long as I have has changed my priorities a bit.

[supersweet]

What did they change into?

[alchemyfreak]

I realized there's no point rushing home to fix things if that happens whether I'm there or not. It's not like I get to stay on my world when I get back anyway.

The community I was in before needed me, I'd just rather be here for the people that I've gotten to know than go home to what inevitably happens without me even being there.

[supersweet]

How many places have you been in?

[alchemyfreak]

Five, including my home world.

Or... I guess it will be five once I leave here.

[Did canister memories count as "being there" already?]

[supersweet]

Is there any one you miss the most?

[alchemyfreak]

[That was something didn't tend to talk about, but thankfully text meant Jon wouldn't see his reaction.]

Yeah.

Objectively, the worst one of all.

[supersweet]

How come? If you wanna tell me, that is.

[alchemyfreak]

Guess I just adapted there better. We all really relied on each other and the population was small enough to get to know everybody. We struggled to survive, but we did it together.

Where I wound up after that was kind of like it is here, most of the time. The horrors we faced were different, more like internal struggles and the population wasn't as close.

The reason I'm here is probably because I didn't belong there in the first place, Attollo was not an easy adjustment after being in Purg.

[supersweet]

Yeah. We all have to adjust. I used to keep moving, so I never really had friends or anyone. Because we wouldn't be there for very long.

[alchemyfreak]

When my brother and I were kids we traveled the country after I joined the military. I was never used to being in one place for long, either.

Nevermind a building with nine room mates.

Is it better here, not having to move around so much?

[supersweet]

It's definitely better. I mean, I get to make actual friends and stuff. I couldn't do that before.

[alchemyfreak]

That's good, then.

It's kind of the same thing, in a way. The first place I really had to settle down and get to know people just happened to be a lot more malicious than this one. I was still a teenager then though.

[supersweet]

Malicious how?

Did you all have to fight for a spot or were there like zombies?

[alchemyfreak]

The place was run by beings that called themselves gods. They said we were there to repent for our sins and put us through trials in order to do that. It all seemed pretty bogus, like we were just toys for them. Half the place had no electricity or running water, you had to earn those, we had to kill monsters to stay safe, sometimes even just to eat.

There were plenty of places to live but they were mostly run down rotten wooden buildings. They didn't provide much shelter from the floods, fires and blizzards.

Attollo had proper housing, electricity and running water. It was more modern, but not nearly as advanced as it is here, I've never had a cell phone. We had to deal with curses there, but nothing like killing monsters or the land itself seeming out to kill us.

[supersweet]

Wow. That's pretty intense. I know a few dimensions like that, but we never stayed longer than a day or two.

[bringbackgold]

It helps, I'm sure. I had two -

[ There's hesitation here. ]

People I knew from home that went back at the same time. No notes. But Yuri got keys to a place that belonged to one of them around that time.

[ It was like a parting gift. Hard to say if the gift was from Yuuri or if - it just happened to work out that way. ]

Since then, I am not sure what to expect. So...I don't.

[ Which is hard for him because he likes to plan and calculate and behave. And the lack of predictability of the portal so far makes him a little uneasy. He is always worried it's going to be Yuri next. Or himself. He wouldn't want to leave Yuri behind. ]

I just prepare the best I can.

[ At least mentally. A little. He thinks about what he'd do when the portal would start taking his most cared about home. ]

[tempredmental]

Well, they seem pretty excited when people seem to want to stay, yeah? So maybe they don't want you to think that, if you wish it hard enough, you'll just... go home. Or, maybe the whole... waiting our turn... or the time it takes... maybe that's just a way of describing it, and the portal is suddenly directed when your desire is strong enough, and that's your cue to leave.

[Keith wasn't sure, either, and he knew he probably sounded like he was just rambling with ideas, but it was something to think about and string together. He wasn't much of a verbalizer when it came to thoughts and ideas. He preferred to work visually with diagrams and other things, but he didn't really have a place to do that, yet. He and Shiro had only moved into their new place a few days ago, and they were still settling in with the Lions.]

It's probably not a bad idea, at all, really.

[alchemyfreak]

[Keith stop being so logical, damn.]

It would make more sense, if we direct ourselves here that our own desires would direct us home too. Honestly, that might also explain how our stuff gets brought here, if we're thinking about that more than going home - or even if we're not, they might just be easier for the portal to obtain than sending us home right off.

[It made sense to him, but that also meant he'd have to admit that he was thinking about the General Store itself more than leaving this place. As much as Ed didn't want to leave bringing the store here wasn't exactly on his to-do list. It was just such an iconic part of his time in Purg.]

[tempredmental]

Hm.

Well, the Lions indicated to me and Shiro that they had felt some sort of need and reacted, coming through the portal on their own. So, maybe you're right. Maybe stuff comes through because we wanted it to.

[Keith had no real reason to think otherwise.]

[alchemyfreak]

Guess it's a good thing you can communicate that with them, I can't exactly ask a store why it came here.

[So the logical explanation seemed to be that their own will could bring them (and their stuff) through, and that was the mentality he'd likely operate on until further information said otherwise.]

[tempredmental]

I've seen weirder.

[Keith just shrugged.]

It's something to think about, at least. A better explanation, maybe, then just them suddenly being sucked back home without even the slightest bit of consideration.