003; Video

[maevelous]

So mind telling me what you lot have been up to these days to piss off so many people across the cities? And mind telling me why you lot can't sit still long enough without doing something that interrupts the normal lives of imPorts?

[ She shakes her head, mildly chastising and mildly annoyed. Seems things don't change. They only escalate. ]

I swear, if I port out and return again, I don't expect there to be much of a world left.

[ With a sigh, Maeve settles onto the edge of her bed -- one leg crossing over the other. ]

Now, then. I know all of the basics about this world. No need to clog up the feed with that nonsense again. So how about we do a little role call instead. Who are you and how long have you been here? And if you've been here a while, have you found anything meaningful in this universe?

Seems with how fickle the porter can be, there's no point in getting attached, is there? And yet, are we able to really prevent the fondness we find, the bonds we make?

[ A pause. A thoughtful, solemn pause. ]

Are these feelings any less valid simply because we will return to our worlds without memories of our time here? I suppose that's a bit of food for thought.

Comments

( video )

[determinans]

[ a rather puppylike headtilt. ] Do we always return to our worlds with our memories wiped?

( video )

[maevelous]

Without fail.

[ And she gives him a meaningful even us sort of look. ]

[ video ]

[divaricate]

Who am I and how long have I been here? Wanda Maximoff, two and a half years. And yes, I've found lots of meaningful things here -- people, mostly ... who've nearly all been ported out now. Once, well actually over the last year, I even went all in and was actually foolish enough in our circumstances to fall in love with someone and get married. I don't regret it, but, the porter ripping your heart out sucks -- I can say that from experience. So I don't know what that means about feelings being any more or less valid here or not, but I sure as hell think about the same question almost every day here.

[ video ]

[maevelous]

It would be easier to have saved yourself the pain initially, would it not? But even so, you moved forward. Got married. How long were you together before the porter tore him away?

[mortalweapon]

If there is an effective measure to be taken against growing attached, I have yet to discover it.
The futility of that attachment is not a sufficient deterrent.

[maevelous]

[ Even Danger. Here Maeve was starting to think she was broken. ]

Have you found yourself attached to individuals here already upon your re-arrival?

text

[h2no]

it's not really as simple as people just doing bad things. sometimes it's stuff that's good that backfires, sometimes it's something uncontrollable.
it would be an easy problem to solve if it was just some assholes inciting it all, but it's not.

i've been here almost two years
i think it's possible to avoid gaining attachments while you're here. is it the right thing? no. people come and go in places where the porter isn't involved.
it's life. maybe the whole memory thing is a new problem that only exists here, but you can only deal with what happens when it happens.
losing the memory of it doesn't mean it didn't happen. even if no-one else is aware of what happened and you return here without the memory of it yourself. it still happened. it doesn't change everything you felt in that moment. stopping yourself living because of what ifs like that is counter-productive to yourself and those around you.

welcome back, by the way.

text

[maevelous]

Do you believe this whole Mars ordeal is "something good?" Genuinely curious since I know nothing about it nor do I know the events that led up to it.

You give wise advice, darling. I'm inclined to believe you. I know from experience it's impossible not to get attached in some way to some individuals. But I didn't expect to be the one who hurt people when I left.

In this two years of yours, how many of your friends have come and gone? And have any of them returned after a period of time?

video

[fource]

Ah, were you here before? It seems like a lot of people have lost their memories of this world recently. At least it saves time if you remember.

I've only been here for about four months, but I think it's sadder to avoid getting attached. Saying goodbye isn't as bad as never allowing yourself to care about other people. If that were the case, why bother making connections back home at all? Eventually you'll have to say goodbye to everyone, one way or another.

video

[maevelous]

I was. And yes, I've noticed many people seem to be afflicted by...whatever is going on. You are...still the age you were upon arrival, correct? It would explain why you recall the length of time you were here.

[ But for someone so apparently young, he has such wise and optimistic advice. It makes her gaze soften and makes her miss her child all the more. ]

It is true you run the risk of losing those you care about back home through some means or another. But in this world, things feel so much more temporary. Have your four months treated you well?

[quickfingers]

Might as well enjoy the time we have here, right?

It'll suck to lose it one day, but I've been here going on a year and if I didn't pick the choices I did, I would've been alone and miserable for the most of it. For a time I thought that was better, but is it?

YMMV. That whole "loved and lost" quote goes here.

[maevelous]

Has it worked out for you? Have many of the attachments you made in this world stayed here for a length of time -- long enough to build something substantial?

audio

[devoutish]

Alfie Solomons, and quite a long time.

[He says it teasingly, because of course she knows this - but then he sobers up.]

And as for the point to it all - I suppose it depends on what it takes for you to consider something worth it, doesn't it. Are things only worth having if they last forever and ever?

audio

[maevelous]

[ He can't see it, but there's definitely relief on her face upon hearing his voice back to normal. ]

Well, I for one am glad to hear you've found your way back to normal, darling.

[ A quiet pause. ]

You were a bit of inspiration for the post, after all.

[ She couldn't help but think of Alfie and his refusal to call this world his home -- even though he's only set to die in his world. ]

text;

[lightinside]

I'm Laurel Lance and I've been in this place for over two years now.

The people have been the best part. I've connected with others from my own world, made some new friends and until recently I was involved with someone. He was sent back home, but I don't regret what we had.

text;

[maevelous]

Oh, darling. I'm sorry to hear of your loss. Even if you don't regret it, you do have to carry the weight of his memory with you. And that's never an easy burden to bear.

Video

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

Hey Maeve, welcome back. You might not be wrong about the world not being here next time you return.

[Jacob looks oddly relieved to see Maeve again. Like he could use all the good news he can get right now, even if it's the return of a hookup/source of interesting conversation.]

Anyway, I've been here four years, and I've found a lot that has meaning. Look at it this way: every connection ends, even back home. If people don't leave, they'll die. Either way, all you've got left is memories. Even if memory fades, the fact that it happened is still something.

Video

[maevelous]

Jacob, darling. I'm not surprised to see you still here.

[ He seems like the sort who will stay. The world needs a hero, unfortunately for him. ]

But for all the meaning you've seemed to find, you do look a bit exhausted. Are things taking their toll?

[ That relief -- for as arrogant as Maeve could be -- she is also observant enough to sense it goes beyond her. ]

video.

[larped]

It's like you said. What choice do we really have?

[ A considering pause. ]

We might know how this ends for us, but we don't know how the middle plays out.

video.

[maevelous]

And you've resigned yourself to going along for the ride?

[ Her brow furrows. ]

But what if you come to realize you're the one who let people down -- by vanishing in the first place? It's not really in your control, and you can't really be blamed for the whims of the world. But if you return and realize there was a whole lot of good you could have done for someone while you were away -- how do you even begin to make amends?

Video

[liverletdie]

Considering that I have been here longer than anyone else here, I can attest that throwing away the opportunity to meet new people is pretty foolish.

Sometimes, you're lucky, and someone you get along with even comes back.

Video

[maevelous]

I'm sure you've seen many losses and returns in your time, of course. But have any of those people held a deeper meaning to you? Deeper than simply someone you 'get along with?'

voice; un: Ash Starmer | Green Newman

[subroutined]

My name is Green, and I've been here for about half a year, now. I've found loads of meaningful things here, like friends and other AI, and a whole new identity.

[ He pauses, as though he would sigh, if he actually did such things. ]

I know it won't last, that I'll have to go back to being who I used to be when I leave here, but... It's nice to be someone different for the time being.

voice;

[maevelous]

[ Whoa, whoa, whoa. Other AI. Maeve looks at him in unmasked surprise before she quickly controls it. ]

So you've found yourself.

[ A pause. Maeve doesn't want to immediately switch to private and make it seem like she's ignoring him to anyone who might be listening in on conversations, so she'll have to proceed carefully as she asks the questions that have true meaning to her. ]

Were you lost before?

video;

[grandtheftequine]

We won't have anything to miss when we leave, so who cares if they're "valid" or not? Nothing we do here matters.

[ He doesn't sound put out by that fact at all. On the contrary, he's almost delighted by it. ]

video;

[maevelous]

[ Logan. Logan!!! ]

So this world means nothing to you?

audio;

[uzumaniac]

...Shuchi Saito.

Only a few months.

Do you know someone that may know more than the 'basics'?

audio;

[maevelous]

That all depends on how much more than the basics you want to know, darling. I'm afraid there aren't too many people still here from when I was. But I could perhaps answer some of your questions. You'll find I have an excellent memory.

[ Photographic, really. She's the perfect little data storage unit. ]