.007 Δ [Audio]

[ratherbelocky]

You know, I never thought I'd be that guy, but I guess I'm that guy.

[He is the Jewish guy. It's him.]

Back home, the past week or so would've been a holiday for some people. I'm not gonna get into the whole story--well, unless you want me to and you've got some time--but the short of it's that it's a celebration of freedom, and of the end of generations of oppression, death, and slavery.

[That is, hag pesach sameach, Route. Happy Passover.]

Now, there are a lot of traditions that go along with the holiday, most of 'em about food, but the important one's the retelling of that story. Figured I'd open it up to everyone, though, especially now that the big sit-down dinner parts of the celebration are over.

What I mean is, you guys got any stories you want to share about...deliverance, I guess? Of getting free from something that was bringing you down, or worse. I know turning up here in Johto's been a huge breath of fresh air for me, personally, and I want to know about you all, too.

[Later, another text comes from that 'Nathaniel' character.]

Hey, all. After a few weeks of testing out how it works, I'm happy to say EXCH△NGE is completely up and open to anyone who needs to talk.

EXCH△NGE is an anonymous, text-based peer-to-peer support network created as a space for those seeking help, but who are unwilling to reveal their identities, to have safe, understanding conversations from likewise anonymous volunteers. The idea is to provide a listening ear and coping tips from other transplants to Kanto and Johto who may have gone through similar experiences, come from similar worlds, or share other common ground, so that no one feels that they have to deal with their burdens alone.

For more information, you can read the introduction here. If you'd like to volunteer or you want to be paired with one of our volunteers, please contact me here.

Have a good one, guys. Nathaniel out.

Comments

[Text][Anon]

[crouching_sin]

I'm not free and I haven't been for a very long time. I'm still waiting on my own Exodus from this whole thing.

[Perma non-anon text on York's end]

[ratherbelocky]

Sorry to hear that. It's not even a reprieve, being here?

[Audio]

[no_ufo_ending]

Waking up here was paradise once the shock wore off.

[Audio]

[ratherbelocky]

Amen to that, dude. That's pretty much how I feel about it, even if I can't seem to get my hands on a decent vehicle. You been here long?

[audio]

[motherfucking_ghosttype]

Wha--shit, it was Passover? I swear to god I don't even know what month it is most of the time. I mean, it was kind of a completely different time of year...when...I came from--

Wait. Hold on. Do--these people, do they even use the same time measuring systems? Are days and months and years the same length? Reminder: the sun never set in that god damn box canyon. So. Relying on HUDs to tell time and day were kind of a thing.

I mean...I mean, is Wednesday even still called Wednesday here? Is April...April? Do they have recognizable religions here? If I say Passover, will anyone native to this here know what that means? Just because I haven't seen a synagogue doesn't mean there aren't any...

[audio]

[ratherbelocky]

Whoa, dude, slow down.

[He never expected to find the Alpha kind of adorable. You know, like a nerd friend of your kid brother.]

Yeah, time's pretty much the same here, if you don't mind being about five hundred years in the past, supposedly. Though I don't think the natives know much about Passover. Pretty sure the closest they are to a culture we've got on Earth is Japan. Not a whole lot of Jews in Tokyo last time I checked.

[Video]

[codeforhope]

[At first, Chihiro isn't sure if he should respond to this. But in thinking on it...he's been here in this world for over two years, now, going on three. That's two entire years of peace. No Hope's Peak, no mutual life of killing. Just...peace. Has he really ever taken the time to reflect on that?]

Johto is the same for me, too. I...couldn't imagine what things would be like if I hadn't come here, to tell you the truth.

[Well...he can. He just doesn't want to.]

[Video]

[ratherbelocky]

[Oh my god this child is so tiny.]

The sentiment seems to be pretty common around these parts. What's your favorite thing about being here, then?

Audio

[a_sin_for_him]

My coming to this place was a deliverance from literal slavery.

But like your holiday story, the details are long. And unpleasant.

Audio

[ratherbelocky]

Then, like my holiday story, you don't have to share if you don't want to.

Think your people have a holiday like this one, too? Since yours and mine are similar enough.

[Audio]

[wing_attack]

[Well, he could talk about a bunch of things, but...]

I still remember the first time I turned into a hawk. It was... a little weird, but not scary. And the first time I pumped my wings and flew out the window it was like... like someone had opened the prison door and said I was free to go, or like someone had been holding me down with a chain all of my life and suddenly I was free.

[There's something there, something close to sheer joy in his voice, and it's clear he's smiling.]

[Audio]

[ratherbelocky]

...That sounds amazing, kid. I know the feeling.

Audio

[veggie_vamp]

Does the time when me and my ghoulfriends were trapped in a ghost school count? Oh, or when my ex-boyfriend tried to steal my heart so he could break it? Or when I was almost made the vampire queen?

Audio

[ratherbelocky]

Sure, all of those count! What was that about your ex, though? I don't think I've heard that one.

[Audio]

[mylittlesniperrifle]

[ Hey there. Guess who is stuck in his room right now with mini-t- rex sleeping in front of the door.]

Getting out of that containment unit is the best thing that ever happened to me. Everything after that went to shit a lot, but hey, now I know who the fuck my friends are and who wants me dead.

Or getting an actual flesh and blood body is great too.

[Audio]

[ratherbelocky]

[Wait. What. Isn't he already talking to the Alph--oh yeah.]

Yeah? Huh. What's being in a containment unit even like? Wonder if it's anything like how Pokéballs work.

[Audio]

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[Ah... That is... Ashley's not sure if she should say anything to this, but after a few minutes-]

...I think I'm still looking for mine. There was... I thought I was going to find it before I got here but- ...Well, I didn't. Things got complicated.

Sorry, that doesn't really uh, answer the question.

[Audio]

[ratherbelocky]

[Oh, Ashley. York's response is as gentle as possible.]

Nah, it's all right, kid. I'm just talking to make conversation. If you want to talk about it, you can, but I'm not gonna dock points for a 'no, thank you' and a change of subject.

text

[shotlocking]

[ "Of getting free from something that was bringing you down, or worse."

If that doesn't strike a chord with Aqua, she's not sure what will. ]

The same as you, actually--arriving here has been freeing in a way I hadn't felt in a long time.

text

[ratherbelocky]

Nice, isn't it? Second shots at the open road and all that.

[anon text]

[styxiedust]

[The only ID attached to this says "Psychic."]

I have a question about your volunteer sign up, if you would. To the "do you have a support group" question here, what if your answer is "I don't need one"?

[anon text]

[ratherbelocky]

I would raise my eyebrow skeptically but ask for clarification in a polite way. Something like, "I find that hard to believe, but can you elaborate for me?"

[text][anon]

[dancermai]

[She had thought about this for a long time. She wanted to tell the story but...was a little afraid to in case people didn't believe her.]

I have a story I can tell about being free from something! My home city was attacked by a lot of monsters for a long time. It took a lot of fighting and my friends got hurt along the way. Near the end of the war, I had gotten myself involved and was granted powers. But my powers didn't help me achieve of change anything. To this day I don't really understand why I was given them.

When peace was finally achieved, to stop future tragedy, my friend and I chose to exile ourselves to a new planet. It was great at first but then we were attacked by another monster and in turn, my original home town was threatened again. It all turned out well in the end but I realized again that I wasn't too much help.

During that process, I reached out for help to an old friend and it made me realize again how reliable and dependable he is. I still feel really bad for reaching out to him though. But really thankful that he came to help me. And it made me realize how lonely it was being exiled onto another planet. Being surrounded by animals and one other person in a paradise is really nice but you really miss other people. Building relationships.

Coming here has reminded me of how much I missed connecting with people. It reminded me of what it was like to have somebody looking out for me instead of having to always keep my eye open to keep a certain someone out of trouble. It's a nice change. It's nice to be here in this world. And it was nice to see a familiar dependable face again. But I don't know how much of that I can really tell him.

OH! I'm so sorry, I talked for so long. [She really hesitated sending this message because she didn't realize she had so much story she wanted to tell.] I hope I didn't bother you and I hope my story was something you wanted to hear about!

[text]

[ratherbelocky]

[Holy moly, Batman.

It's a lot, but it's all so weirdly resonant that it takes longer for York to process it all than he'd normally give himself credit for. He recognizes everything she's saying deep in his bones, in the center of his chest, in the prickling at the back of his neck where his last friend used to live.]

Hey, don't apologize. I actually know what you mean, on all of those counts. Minus the monsters, I guess. Maybe. The monsters I'm used to fighting looked a lot more human, I guess, and sometimes it was hard to tell if the monsters were the folks on the other side or us.

You don't have to feel bad for reaching out to people. That's what people are made for. To help one another, to connect. It's what makes us human.

I was in an exile of sorts myself, for a while. Just me and a friend of mine. You can talk about it if you want, I know what it's like.

[Audio]

[tearsofademon]

Deliverance, huh? We don't have any holidays like that, where I'm from. I'd be up to hearing that story, if you're up to telling it.

[Audio]

[ratherbelocky]

The whole thing? I don't know if I'll remember all the details right, but I at least got the gist of it.