video;

[pullsheavendown]

[Roxas doesn't address the entire network a lot, but he's reasonably social (well, kinda-sorta), so some people might recognize his face. Those who do won't see much difference, but his voice is a touch more gravel-y, as though he's been through a lot and gargled sand recently, or maybe he's just completed the journey of Boy Becomes Man and reached the bottom of his register. Who knows.]

Hi.

[He raises a hand in greeting and lets it drop to his lap, smile fading at the same time. He doesn't look upset so much as he looks really tired.]

It's been a while. Even before—I didn't want to talk to anyone for a while, because my best friend left and I didn't know how to deal with it.

But then I went back, too, so it's been even longer for me. I'm not sure how long, exactly—I didn't have a good sense of time. Months, for sure. Maybe a year. I don't know. Anyway, I'm back now, if anyone missed me. Or...either way.

[He moves as if to end the transmission, but then stops himself.]

A lot of you guys have done this before, right? Ported out and come back? Is it weird to feel like not much has changed, but everything has changed, at the same time?

Comments

video;

[plentystrong]

[ See, Catra's ears are very sensitive. Which is why the change registers with her. ]

Did you... go through puberty?

video;

[pullsheavendown]

What?

[He...sounds the same to himself? It's different from the inside of his skull.]

video;

[plentystrong]

Your voice dropped. How long were you gone?

video;

[pullsheavendown]

[That just gets a confused shrug.]

Don't know. I was...asleep, for a long time. And then everything started happening really fast.

[adamantlyardent]

[UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM HELLO????]

I might bet on years.

[pullsheavendown]

[Hi!]

It definitely wasn't years.

[adamantlyardent]

You sound different enough for it to be so.

[Video]

[kid_flash_found]

Can't really say as far as the 'porting bit here, but I was sorta dead for a while back home, and it was exactly like that.

Anyways, it gets better with time and good friends.

[Video]

[pullsheavendown]

Oh...that sucks.

Glad to hear about the second part, though.

[Video]

[kid_flash_found]

Yeah, well, how many people get to honestly say that it was the fault of their evil clone? Although I'm not exactly sure why he decided he wanted me dead again, but that's done now.

[ Bart shrugs, as if it's not a bit deal. ]

Well, if you need a pizza night or a chance to beat up virtual bad guys, I'm around, although not in the old place. Decided to relocate and move in with a friend after the whole thing with the Fates.

video; un: Julian Delphiki | Bean

[justlittle]

[ Bean is no stranger to porting home and then returning years later. But he's young enough that his voice hasn't started changing yet. (Unfortunately for him.) ]

Going home is like that. You're almost a completely different person, but everyone here is... the same.

[ And then, because Roxas had been kind to him, when they first met: ] Do you want to talk about it?

video;

[pullsheavendown]

[Yeah. Yeah, that's exactly what it's like. He nods.]

I don't not want to talk about it. It's just...a lot happened that's hard to explain. I got a new body.

[justlittle]

[ ... What. ]

You're going to have to explain that one a little further. A whole new body?

text; name reads "Tadashi"

[tadeadshi]

It's happened to me a few times. Once, I was gone for fifteen minutes back home but it was almost a month here. Then I was gone for three years here and came back.

It's not uncommon.

text;

[pullsheavendown]

Yeah, I've seen it happen a lot before. It's just doing it yourself feels a lot different than what I imagined. I can't imagine a difference of three years though.

[tadeadshi]

It's strange, I'll say that. Luckily there were a couple people I still knew here. But.. Yeah. It feels weird sometimes.

[continuousgroaning]

glad to see you again!!

i know what you mean. twice i've gone home and come back, and had a years' worth of memories but only 24 hours passed here. it's disorienting

[pullsheavendown]

Hi Tina :)
Yeah, it's really weird. I'm not sure how old I am now. I mean, I wasn't before, but even less now.

[continuousgroaning]

tell me about it. i'm 13 every time I go back home, then i come back here and i'm whatever age i was when I left.

it's confusing!!! time is weird

[burlyboy]

Long time no see, kid.

[ He seems rough off, doesn't he? ]

It's weird as hell. Like you're two people squished into one, yeah?

[ ...not that Roxas would know anything about that. ]

[pullsheavendown]

Hey, Magnus.

[It's been long enough that Roxas actually laughs at the question, instead of getting furious or just sad.]

It's a lot better than being two people squished into one, I promise. I'd know. But yeah, it's weird.

[burlyboy]

Oh. Right. Sorry. Guess you'd know about that one pretty well, huh?

[ Magnus scratches at his cheek a little sheepishly, though not very. ]

Everything go okay back home?

Voice

[perfectlyhuman]

[ The last part - the part about leaving and coming back -, that definitely gets Adam’s attention. It’s not the first time he’s seen people talking about it, but it sounds like this person’s been gone for a very long time.]

Hello.

Did you mean you went back to your world and came back here again?

Voice

[pullsheavendown]

That's more or less what happened, yeah.

[It wasn't his world, because he doesn't really have one. But it was where he came from. Close enough.]

I'm not sure how long I was gone, but it was a while. Months, at least.

Re: Voice

[perfectlyhuman]

[ Not that Adam can really know the difference. ]

What's the last thing you remember? From here, I mean.