video; cw: war, genocide, pows

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ Rogue is sitting outside with an idyllic landscape of spring green forestry behind her. Her characteristic white-striped brown hair is loose and moving in the breeze, and despite the topic at hand she seems... almost relaxed. It's not something many outside her close circle see often. Even her typical southern drawl seems softer than usual, though that might have to do with the glass of wine and half-full bottle sitting beside her. ]

Before I was brought to this version of Earth, my own was at war. A war to wipe out what became half the population. I fought to help end the war, but then I was captured and held prisoner for three years.

[ She pauses to take a sip of that wine, savoring the taste and buying herself a few moments to properly compose what she's here to say. ]

Is there a support group here for former soldiers or civilians who have been through such experiences? I'm sure there is for the native population, but our situations are usually so different from the people of this world that there should be one specifically for imPorts. Right?

Comments

☂ Not-A-Tag

[numberthree]

[ Even nowhere near coming to terms with losing all three of her parental figures, and everyone on their planet to being vaporized in the last week -- including her daughter, and her ex-husband, and everyone else she'd been working with before that last week -- Allison replays the woman's message two more times even though she knows she heard it clearly the first time.


Half a population lost to war. Imprisonment for years after.





What was this place?







Though she starts a handful of times to type something, Allison erases it each time. Finally, the last time, instead, she marks it for the network to follow the post for updates -- and, hopefully, the answer to the question Marie asked. ]

Video

[hadthehighground]

[Obi-Wan didn't often respond to most posts on the network. But well, this one resonated with him quite a bit. As a general who fought in a war, and was a survivor of mass genocide... well. He could relate.]

There are not any that I know of, though I might be interested in this as well.

Perhaps, if none exist, we could form our own.

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ Rogue offers the stranger a smile — good old fashioned southern manners at work. ]

That's what I've been thinking too, sugar. At least, where I'm from, there's not a whole lot of talk about these sorts of things; it's easier to ignore when people have hard things to deal with rather than give them the tools they need.

[hadthehighground]

Sugar?

[He's a bit confused by that. Obi-Wan doesn't think he's ever been referred to as a sweetening condiment.]

That's a pity. My people had ways of supporting those that suffered trauma. However, they no longer exist. Or rather, the few that do, are in hiding.

[What Obi-Wan wouldn't give for Yoda's wisdom, or that of his old master. He was alone in his galaxy. And here? Here he's the elder providing the support.]

[ video ] » ID: Wanda Maximoff

[divaricate]

I can relate. [ She grew up in constant war, been through a couple of possible world ending ones, the second of which did end half the world. Including herself. ]

I can't say that I've ever actually looked, though, but I'm sure if there is one, another can't hurt if you wanted to start one.

[theycalledmeacurse]

If there is one and it's working for people, then there isn't need for another. We'd just need to get the word out that there's a place for people who need it.

[ She doesn't want to step on toes, but it's also a case of don't fix it if it ain't broke. ]

[divaricate]

this one might fill a niche that others don't?

text;

[hellogoodhigh]

[ He almost didn't answer this.
Blame it on his own wish to forget everything he had seen, his own fears of confronting it all. He wants to keep the last year- the torture, the war, the end of everything and everyone- neatly packed away in a little box, shoved deep in the back of his proverbial closet where no one will ever find it.

And he'd already slipped once.

So maybe it's a bit of bitterness that gets him to reach out, flippant and irreverent for whatever she's gone through. Because why ask for a lifeline when you can just drown quietly?]

just drink to forget like the rest of us
can get u the name of a great weed dealer in mf too

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ She's not surprised to get this particular type of response. Really, she'd expected it to come sooner than the notes of support she'd received already. ]

If that works for you, sugar, then more power to you. Unfortunately, that's not really an option for me, though sometimes I sure wish it were.

Voice

[by_candlelight]

I haven't heard of one. But I haven't been around long.

[ There's a bit of a pause before she speaks again. ]

What would count as a war? I uh. I was trained to be a soldier, and I definitely fought, was a human shield a few times, you know. That type of stuff. But it wasn't like a civil war, or a war between countries. Just a crazy militarized cult.

[ The truth is she wants to know if she counts. If 'just fighting' is enough to qualify her in such a group. Maybe her experiences weren't enough. ]

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ Rogue can read between the lines easily enough and... Oh, sugar. Everybody counts. ]

It doesn't have to be a war. Sometimes even a single battle is all it takes to leave scars, both physical and psychological. No one can judge whether those scars meet some arbitrary measure of trauma. No one should judge that. We're the only ones who can say if we need help or not. And if we need it, we deserve to get it.

text; un: Julian Delphiki | Bean; private

[justlittle]

If you started one, I would attend. We ended one war, only to fall into more wars across Earth to decide what we would do now that we were no longer under threat of invasion. Humanity is no longer united under their hatred of their common enemy.

[theycalledmeacurse]

One war always leads to another. I'm so sorry you had to go through that, sugar. As soon as I've got things sorted, I'll let you know.

In the meantime, if you ever need someone to listen... Well, now you've got my number.

action;

[therewillbeorder]

[He wasn't sure how long he was gone for this time until he checked his phone, scrolling through messages with a frown. When he arrived at the house, he didn't see Rogue inside but there were signs that she was at home, somewhere.

It wasn't until he was scrolling through the network that he figured out where she was. He grabbed a wine glass before putting on the old carpet slippers and heading out to the back deck to find her. It was peaceful out, the weather mild so he could understand why she came out here.]

Did you save any of the wine for me?

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ She hadn't noticed it at first when he'd gone. The house arrest period had ended, so of course, he would be out enjoying himself somewhere. But when the hour had grown late, she'd worried. Sent him a message to ask if he'd like her to save him some dinner. She was still waiting for that reply, refusing to leave the house until he returned or it became clear that he...

The thought occurred to her again as she sent a reply to her message on the network, and she turned her phone facedown on the table before reaching for the bottle to refill her glass. That voice made her pause, every part of her going still until she finally gathered the courage to turn to look at him. The expression she wore must have been part relief and part devastation, and it was all of five seconds of staring at him before she was on her feet. She hadn't taken it easy with the wine, but while she tilted slightly to the left her aim remained true as she punched him in the shoulder. Hard. ]

voice;

[kanyounot]

I'm with Master Kenobi - I haven't heard of anything like that here, but I think it's a great idea. I know talking about my experiences has sometimes helped me, in the past.

[theycalledmeacurse]

Thanks for the vote of support, sugar. I'll let you know when we've got something set up, okay?

video;

[fridgeflower]

... Half of everybody was a mutant?

[theycalledmeacurse]

Half the world was a mutant, supported mutants, would have mutants in their family line... They weren't too picky at the end.

Voice;

[codeoracle]

I don't...know of any. But we should have them. A lot of us could probably use a support group or five.

[theycalledmeacurse]

I'll let you know when we get things up and running, sugar.

voice;

[plentystrong]

Are you even a real soldier if you need support for it? Sounds like weakness.

[theycalledmeacurse]

I would hate to think the soldiers defending me or fighting by my side are so far gone as to forget what it is to be alive. Fear, pain, grief — those emotions are what separate us from machines that blindly follow orders.

text;

[deformer]

I'm sorry y'had to go through that
that's really messed up

did you eventually get free or like
were you still there when you got ported here?

text;

[raidraptors]

[Well, after the less than successful attempt to attend church, Shun is kind of fresh out of ideas on how to deal with his trauma… though a support group with other imports sounds definitely better than what he's been attempting so far.]

Sounds familiar enough to me.

[At least this person's world is still standing… not that that's much comfort, probably. There is no point in playing Who's Got It Worse.]

If you manage to organize this group, I'd like to attend.