02 ♥ Voice (posted in the morning)

[matadorable]

[After his epic fail from the other week, Manolo isn't in a hurry to try using the video function. Instead, he sticks to the audio (and triple-checks that it's really just the audio), although it seems to take him a moment to realize his device is actually on, and people are treated to the sound of his communicator shifting in his hands.]

Um, hi there. Hahah…

[Okay, not the best start. Let’s try that again…]

So! For anyone who doesn’t know, today is the Day of the Dead. Back home, it's a time to remember those who’ve passed on before us, to make sure the dead aren’t forgotten.

I may not be in my village anymore, but today is still important to me, and it’s probably important for some of you too.

That’s why, if anyone wants to talk about dead friends or family, I’d love to hear about them. You know…what kind of person were they? What are your favorite memories of them? That kind of thing.

...Oh, and if some of you have died back home, you’re welcome to share stories about your life here too. Not the traditional way of doing things, but that only seems fair.

[There’s an awkward pause here, since he’s unsure how he ought to end this message. It’s not like a letter, but it’s not like talking with someone face-to-face either.]

Ah, right! Maybe I should properly introduce myself this time. My name is Manolo Sanchez, and I'm…looking forward to hearing from you?

[Then there's an awkward pause before the feed finally shuts off.]

Comments

text; anonymous

[superposition]

[Ouuuuch. There are so many though. Qubit wavers on whether or not to actually respond to this, but eventually compromises - respond in such a way that nobody can prove you did.]

I'm not much of a storyteller, I'm afraid.

[Good job, Qb, A+ opening up, gold star]

text;

[matadorable]

thats okay
the point
isnt to entertain people

text; anon

[superposition]

It's not that. It's more that I can't hope to do them justice. Not that they were perfect, none of us are, but... they deserved better. They still do.

Now my friend, back home - she's marvelous at it. When she tells stories of the dead, they cross back over to listen.

text;

[matadorable]

ah
i see what you mean now

i think your family
would appreciate the thought more than anything else
even if the story falls a little flat

your friend
sounds like a great person
to have next to a campfire though!

text; anon

[superposition]

She's a great person in general. Although I imagine she'd have a few choice words for me if she heard me singing her praises like this.

[Sigh. He misses all of his friends, of course, but with Kaidan he can't help playing favorites a little. Her strength, her resilience, her compassion... the merciless chain of tragedy had broken so many others, but not her. Not Kaidan.]

text; anon

[matadorable]

why?
is she the type who gets embarrassed?

text; anon

[superposition]

You could say that. [Also, she's Japanese. That's probably part of it.]

text; anon

[matadorable]

still
theres nothing wrong with
sparing a kind word for a friend
right?

text; anon

[superposition]

True enough.

[There are kind words to be said for all his friends, really. Even the one that murdered millions of people in cold blood, or the one that sold out dozens of planets to an alien menace, or the one who tried to set himself up as a god of the new world. Maybe there are even kind words to be said for himself... although there are certainly times he has trouble thinking of any.]

I suppose I prefer to talk about the living, at any rate. Dwelling on the past doesn't change what happened. All we truly have is the future.

[Now, once he cracks time travel, it might be a different story, but... he'll cross that bridge when he gets there...]

text

[matadorable]

i guess thats true
but i like to think
remembering those who have passed on
can give us the courage to live
for the future