text - absence makes the heart grow until it explodes

[h2no]

YO.

I KNOW THERE'S ONE THING A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T REALLY WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE BECAUSE WE ALL GET IT: HOMESICKNESS.
I KNOW EVERYONE IS MISSING THEIR HOME AND THEIR FRIENDS. I'D BE SURPRISED IF THERE'S PEOPLE HERE WHO AREN'T.
NOT TO SAY IF YOU AREN'T THAT YOU'RE A WEIRDO, OF COURSE, I SUPPOSE YOU'RE JUST A BIT LUCKIER.
NOW, I'M NOT GONNA ASK YOU TO TELL ME ABOUT THE PEOPLE YOU MISS OR THE PLACES YOU MISS. THAT WON'T HELP, IT'LL PROBABLY JUST MAKE YOU FEEL EVEN WORSE.
I AIN'T EVEN GONNA GIVE A BIG SPEECH ABOUT HOW WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER AND WE GOTTA TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER, BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW THAT CRAP AIN'T GONNA HOLD UP.
BACK HOME I HAD A LARGE TEAM OF PEOPLE WHO VARIED IN AGES. A LOT OF THEM GOT HOMESICK AND WHEN IT OVERWHELMED THEM THEY WENT ON A DOWNWARD SPIRAL.
THING IS, IT'S REAL EASY TO LET IT OVERWHELM YOU.
MAKE A LIST OF EVERYTHING YOU MISS. EVEN IF IT'S SOMETHING YOU THINK IS SILLY, LIKE THE TREE THAT WAS NEAR WHERE YOU LIVED, OR A CAFE THAT DID THE BEST VERSION OF A FLAT WHITE COFFEE YOU'VE EVER TASTED.
ANYTHING YOU CAN THINK OF. EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT FROM EARTH. I GUARANTEE YOU THERE WILL BE SOMETHING HERE THAT IS SIMILAR ENOUGH IT'LL BE LIKE BEING AT HOME. EVEN IF IT'S JUST A GIANT ROCK THAT'S THE SAME SHAPE.
NOT TO MENTION GETTING OUT AND GETTING FRESH AIR ALWAYS HELPS.
DO STUFF YOU DID AT HOME. DON'T GET WRAPPED UP IN THE FACT THAT IT'S NOT THE SAME. YOU HAVE TO ADAPT TO HELP YOURSELF, THAT'S LIFE.
BUT THAT THE SAME TIME... DON'T SINK INTO IT. DON'T THINK OF NOTHING BUT WHAT YOU MISS.
IGNORING IT WON'T WORK, BUT NEITHER WILL DIVING INTO IT.
FIND A BALANCE.
DON'T LET IT OVERWHELM YOU.

Comments

[heliophilic]

Well there's the "merman" context... and the "slutty" context.

And I don't think we're at the stage of friendship where I want to know what you do behind closed doors.

[h2no]

NO, IT WASN'T IN ANY OF THAT.
IT WAS ENVIRONMENTAL STUFF, YOU DIRTY BUGGER.

[heliophilic]

:):):)

[h2no]

REMIND ME TO SLAP THE MOUTH OFF YOUR FACE NEXT TIME WE MEET FACE TO FACE.
ACTUALLY, UNRELATED, DO YOU WANNA GO FOR A DRINK?

[heliophilic]

You can certainly try.

If I say yes how can I really know that it's unrelated? This might be some insidious trap to slap me.

[h2no]

I'M A GOOD FRIEND.
I'LL WARN YOU BEFORE I PUNCH YOU.

[heliophilic]

Again, you can certainly try.

And yes.

[h2no]

GOOD.
SEASIDE BAR IN HEROPA.
8PM.
I'LL GET THE FIRST ROUND.

[heliophilic]

I'll be there.

actionnnnnnnnnn?

[h2no]

[AND SO WILL ARCHIE, sitting with his feet up at a booth and fucking around on his phone. probably watching cat videos or something stupid.

looks like he's already had a few. rude.]

[heliophilic]

[Several minutes pass before a warped, golden rectangle appears in the middle of the bar, and M steps out of it a moment later. Once fully in the bar, the portal closes, disappearing as though it had never existed. Quickly spotting Archie, M slips into the bench opposite him.]

Should I say something about mothers and table manners?

[h2no]

[he barely looks up over his phone.]

Somethin', somethin', you're extra as all get out.

[heliophilic]

[M snorts. Then he just sits back and waits until Archie can be bothered to give him his attention. He's very good at waiting.]

[h2no]

[he tosses the phone onto the table and shifts, swinging his legs under the booth.]

Alright, what ya gettin'? I need me some more shots.

[heliophilic]

I'll have whatever you're having.

So surprise me.

[h2no]

Strawberry jello shots? Sure.

[he waves at the bartender, who obviously knows archie well enough to bring over another round.]

Knock yourself out. Though-- that door thing, that was your power, aye?

[heliophilic]

Can't say I've ever tried that before. The bars I frequent aren't classy enough.

[He taps the side of his head.]

It's an implant, actually. Anyone could do it with the right tech.

[h2no]

...Freaky.

[he kind of blurted that out.]

What if ya activated it accidentally? Like-- I can think of at least twenty scenarios I'd end up in public bare ass-naked!

[heliophilic]

[M snorts.]

Sounds kinky.

[With a smirk, he leans back in his seat.]

Doubtful. First you need to call the door, then you need to give it a location, then you need to physically walk through it.

Still, I suppose if you yelled out "door" in the middle of things and you called it below you you could end up in public bare-ass naked.

[h2no]

Yeah, the way my luck's been recently that would probably happen.

[he shugs, grabbing one of the shot glasses. doesn't take it just yet.]

Pretty neat, though. Where'd ya get it?

[heliophilic]

It's just one of the many pieces of tech the woman that created me has stored on her satellite. She's got this habit of collecting black science and tech. Considering the whole place is practically a giant lab it was easy enough to install. I think the man that created me also created the tech, but that would require me giving him credit for something, and I refuse to give him the satisfaction.

[Because fuck Henry Bendix. And now that he's thought about the bastard, he feels obligated to promptly forget, so he picks up one of the shots and downs it.]

Not bad.

[h2no]

[down goes the shot!]

Really? Damn, that's pretty cool. I ain't got anything like that, just...

[he pulls off his bandana and holds it out, wordlessly. IS THAT COOL?]

[heliophilic]

The dick and crossbones emblem is a nice touch. It screams "slutty merman."

[h2no]

[he laughs, turning his bandana around to look at the aqua logo on the front.]

Bro, if your dick looks like that you might wanna go to a doctor.

[heliophilic]

I took it for abstract art.