[Text]

[hattersgonnahat]

From: Anonymous
Date: April 3rd

How do you know if someone you haven't seen in awhile is worried about you?

Would they really give up that you'll come back?


[Posted after completing this prayer]

Comments

text | Mephistopheles

[subconmodo]

In my experience, the more important question is whether or not you want them to give up.

Deal with that question, then worry about all the other baggage later.

Anon

[hattersgonnahat]

[...Of all people.]

I don't want them to give up!

[subconmodo]

In that case, take that baggage of yours and lock it in the nearest closet, Stranger! You've got yourself a win-win situation!

On the one hand, that person you're thinking about--whoever they are--hasn't forgotten you. Great! No complaints.

On the other hand, if they have decided to move on with their miserable lives, you get the distinct pleasure of proving that you still exist and shoving it in their faces when you track them down! In the end, you can make them regret it as much as you want and milk the surprised looks on their faces for every delicious drop of vengeance you can.

[hattersgonnahat]

[....]

[Huh.]

[That does kind of make sense.]

But, doesn't knowing that they gave up kinda hurt?

[subconmodo]

Of course it does! That's why you hurt them back. It's simple really.

[hattersgonnahat]

But I don't want to hurt them.

[subconmodo]

You're being too soft. That kind of thinking just leads to people walking all over you. In fact, putting this kind of thing out here for the world to see? Not the route I would have gone down.

Heck, if I was in a worse mood, I might have even taken the opportunity to slap you in the face with the cold, harsh reality of the world. Lucky you that I was more in the mood for navigation, eh?

[hattersgonnahat]

[Oh don't worry, already believing this was a bad idea.]

I don't let anyone walk over me! [Too bad she's only half certain about that. But hey, it makes her look better and that's what matters, right?]

I'm...pretty sure they are still waiting anyway so it doesn't matter.

[Then why make the post at all? Oh why indeed.]

[subconmodo]

Of course.

Just keep my advice in mind in case you happen to end up disappointed, won't you?

[hattersgonnahat]

...Maybe.

[No, not really.]

But I still refuse to hurt them.

[subconmodo]

Your loss.

Just don't come crying to me when it blows up in your face. I'm not one for sympathy.

text

[cleansingstrike]

It would depend on the nature of their bond, I would say.

And the strength of such.

[hattersgonnahat]

So, the better it is the less likely they'll forget about you?

[cleansingstrike]

'Tis a reasonable assumption to make, I daresay.

Someone who is close to their heart, for example.

[hattersgonnahat]

[Thinking.]

How close would family be?

[cleansingstrike]

Family is irreplaceable. A strong familial bond can be truly enduring.

[hattersgonnahat]

Then, they probably haven't given up yet!

...But I wonder how upset they are.

[cleansingstrike]

Would they have reason to be?

[hattersgonnahat]

Well...

I was already gone longer than I should have. Even before all the mess on this world.

[cleansingstrike]

'Tis reasonable they would want to know regards to yon vanishing.

text

[galrarm]

If they care about you, they're probably worried. There's no way to know without talking to them, though.

And if they care about you, they won't give up.

[hattersgonnahat]

They do care about me! But, I haven't seen any of them in a really long time. And I can't talk to either of them right now...

[A pause.]

They might've thought something happened.

[galrarm]

[ ... oof. Doesn't that just hit him hard. ]

They're not here, are they?

[hattersgonnahat]

Nah. This ain't my planet anyway, so there's no reason why they would be here.

text

[in4apounding]

[So that prayer was probably kind of rough, huh. And definitely not the kind of thing Penny had expected out of all this.]

I don't know

I mean, I think if it were me, I'd be more worried if someone were gone for a long time?

Anon

[hattersgonnahat]

[Of course Penny would figure it out first.]

I don't really want them to worry more either...

[in4apounding]

[Honestly, "figured it out" is probably pretty generous, she's still hanging somewhere around "wow, what a coincidence".]

Me neither, but

it'd be better than them forgetting



No it wouldn't. Not really.

I don't think there actually is a "better" here

text, from: Li Tieguai

[reformedsinner]

There's no way to know. Wouldn't it be better if they're not worrying, though?

Anon

[hattersgonnahat]

Maybe?? I don't want them to worry too much but I don't want to be forgotten either!

[reformedsinner]

Neither would I. But perhaps that's the nature of separation. We forget.

[hattersgonnahat]

I mean, I forget little stuff all the time if I haven't done it in awhile.

But not people, and especially not special people. I don't remember forgetting anyone anyway.

[reformedsinner]

Not entirely, of course. Not usually.

But one starts to forget details, and to miss them less. It takes quite a while to give up on seeing them again.

[hattersgonnahat]

...But could you just forget that you were supposed to be waiting for someone? I guess it's not quite the same as giving up.

[reformedsinner]

No, it's not the same.

Do you have some reason to think that someone you haven't seen in a while might have forgotten they were waiting for you?

Text

[handsome_genius]

That's a really weird question. It depends entirely on how close the people are, doesn't it?

[hattersgonnahat]

Yeah, probably.

Something recently made me think about it again. Maybe it doesn't come up that often for other people.

[handsome_genius]

I didn't mean it doesn't come up often. I mean that some of us are shinki, so the amount of people we have close to us is pretty small, around here.

Text; anonymous

[pure_radiantics]

[ That's a very personal issue for Kairi, but because of Sora and Roxas, she wants to keep it anonymous. ]

I think if it was me, I wouldn't want to give up on my friend coming back. Did something happen?

[hattersgonnahat]

Nothing that hasn't already happened.

...I had been traveling around, and was supposed to be back home soon. I was already delayed once, but now I have no way of returning back.

[pure_radiantics]

I... see. I'm not sure if this will help reassure you at all, but I've had some friends go home and come back here again, and they didn't realize I was gone. There's something strange about how time works so that they don't have to miss me.

[ She just misses them. ]

Text; anonymous

[royaltyloyalty]

Those're two different things. Just because you haven't seen someone in awhile, even if you do care about them, it doesn't mean you can ever go back to see them again either.

Sometimes it's better for the other person you care about if you leave.