[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]

[Ouch, they haven't talked in awhile so he didn't even know Jon's dad left.]

Did it help?

[supersweet]

Yeah. I mean, I'm sure he would have told me in person if he could.

[alchemyfreak]

That's what concerns me. You would think more people would say goodbye.

[Obviously not everyone, Bucky brought up a good point there.]

We didn't get a chance where I was before, no one knew who would leave next there either. In the fist world I was in, my brother left me a note... After some time there, if people earned a way home they were given the option to leave on their own terms, but people still disappeared at random. Al didn't have a key to go home, and he would have said goodbye if he left by choice, the notes he left must have been written in advance.

It's not a bad idea, to try to give people here closure.

[supersweet]

I'm sure everyone tries when they came. But portals are weird. You can't miss your chance either.

[alchemyfreak]

Right. They've been pretty clear about how unpredictable it is from the start so putting something together in advance could save people a lot of trouble when it is time to go.

I have no plans to leave, but if there's even a chance of it happening anyway I'd rather be prepared. I would think others might think the same.

[supersweet]

I guess. It doesn't hurt to have something you wanna leave behind. At least for your friends.

It just sounds sad both ways.

[alchemyfreak]

Yeah. In theory, I shouldn't have to put anything together, but better safe than sorry I guess.

Choosing between a life here and a life back home is always going to be sad. It can't be easy on anyone that's conflicted about their friends or duties either.

[supersweet]

Are there a lot of those people here? Who wanna stay here forever?

[ Jon can't fathom it. ]

[alchemyfreak]

Honestly, I don't know. Most people I know want to go home or are torn between the two. Usually because of some obligation back home.

I know I'm not the only one that's perfectly fine staying here, but as for how many there are? People I've talked to seem to have a different idea of how common it actually is.

While almost everyone I've talked to about it wants to leave, someone on the network said most people he spoke to didn't.

[supersweet]

Well that is kind of personal. And it's not an easy decision to come to. I mean, even if the world was bad, it's still yours.

[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]

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.