ratherbelocky | .007 Δ [Audio]

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[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.]

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

... I don't know if - I mean... it was like... I took to morphing way better than a lot of the others did. Cassie could control her morphing better but for me it was like... something better. Something I should do. Something I could do, to get away from everything. And yeah... it came with a heavy price. But I think...

[... He almost said it. But no. He can't say it. He's never said it outright to anyone.]

... I think that it's... for some people, just being able to break themselves free of what's holding them out is... the most amazing feeling they could ever have.

Yeah. ...It's like that, sometimes.

[He thinks of Carolina letting go of everything that ever held her back, that ever drove her, and finding her new family among sim troopers, of all things. Of staying in war, but fighting it on her own terms, building her own team, taking personnel decisions into her own hands.]

Y'know, according to the story, the next hard thing after freedom was finding a home.

... Yeah. I'm still... I have an apartment with someone who cares about me. I've got a job I like a lot. But it's still hard to think of... things as a 'home'.

I kept switching from West to East Coast every year or so. I've been here a long time. But it's still... just not quite right. And I don't know what would be.

Sometimes it comes in time. Sometimes it doesn't come, and you just make do. Eventually it might sneak up on you, but in the meantime we all just do the best we can and call it good enough.

It is kinda hard to think of a place where people come and go without warning as 'home,' I admit.

Yeah, exactly. I think this is 'good enough', for now. I mean... I wish I had my morphing ability, but... this is as good as I'm going to get for a long time, I think. Maybe forever.

And can you live with it, forever?

I don't know about forever... but for now, yeah.

Yeah.

I do hope you find it someday, dude. Someplace that feels like a home. In the meantime, just let me know what I can do to make sure things stay good enough.

Yeah. I'll... try. Kinda hard to know without having had it in the first place, but I'll let you know if I think of something.