Heaven's BBS | Video (because spelling is hard when you're six)

[welcome_home]

From: Nanshe
Date: June 18

[ The video opens to Nanako sprawled on her stomach, kicking her feet in the air behind her but her expression is one of serious thought. Although she looks a little shy and uncertain about leaving a message like this, she also looks pretty determined, too. This... hadn't been something she was sure about asking her big brother, so instead she tries here. Maybe that will be easier? Or people will be less quick to guess why she might be asking... ]

Sooo.... this is heaven, right? And where people go after they die?

If someone died a while ago, can you find them here somewhere?

Comments

Audio

[subtract]

It's possible, but highly unlikely. This isn't the only "afterlife" out there, I imagine this world is just one of many that the dead can end up in.

And even if someone you knew did end up here, there's only about a fifty-fifty chance they'd remember you. [Assuming it really is random who gets picked to be a god or a shinki, at least.]

Audio

[welcome_home]

You mean, there's more than one Heaven?

[ That's troublesome. ]

Ah! It's... it's okay if they didn't remember me. [ Would her mother even recognize her now? She's more grown up. ] I just... wanted to know if they were okay.

Audio

[subtract]

This is the second world claiming to be an afterlife I've ended up in, and I still haven't run into anyone I knew from my own world. There could be billions of worlds like these.

[...and he could bring up how the last afterlife he was in was a broken, dangerous mess that liked to toy with people's fears and emotions, but...]

Death is just a transition into another state of existence. The person you're looking for is probably fine, wherever they are. Worrying about it is pointless unless you're planning to do something about it.

Audio

[welcome_home]

Billions?

[ That's way too many. Nanako looks discouraged. ]

Oh. I guess...

Audio

[subtract]

... Of course, there's also likely some form of criteria to determine where a person's "soul" ends up. It's not uncommon for two people who know eachother to be able to meet.

Audio

[welcome_home]

[ Okay, that helped some of her hopefulness come back. ]

Do you really think so? Have you ever heard of how?

Audio

[subtract]

I wouldn't know exactly how it works, but it's obvious to see if you ask around. Statistically it should be impossible for two people who know eachother to meet when a potentially infinite number of worlds are being pulled from, but there are numerous groups of people here who seem to know eachother. That's not counting all the shinki who could potentially know others here as well.

There are... also methods for travelling between worlds willingly. But a great deal of energy would be needed for that, in addition to knowing where you want to go.

Audio

[welcome_home]

[ That's a lot of big words, Mister. She's not sure she's following all this. But she's pretty sure the tl;dr version of all that was 'no'. ]

Oh. Okay. Maaaaybe... I'll just keep looking, then.

Audio

[subtract]

[Alas, Add was raised and homeschooled by two scientist parents, so he hasn't quite realized yet that most kids don't get the same experience...]

If it's for someone important to you... you shouldn't give up, even if it does sound impossible.

[welcome_home]

[ There's a pause before she responds, sounding determined still. ]

Yeah! I won't give up.