I want to have the same last dream again (march catch-all)

[ghostfromthemachine]

WHO: Kaiko and... you, perhaps?
WHAT: assorted shenanigans
WHEN: throughout March
WHERE: Nightwake, Amberfall, probably wherever you least expect her—
WARNINGS: will update as necessary!

Prompts will be in toplevels! OTA unless otherwise stated.

Comments

[ghostfromthemachine]

Well, maybe if we do enough here...

[ buuut she sounds a little doubtful. ]

It's at least nice that we can trade around that kind of knowledge in places like this, though.

[abnormalizes]

It is nice. It's nice hearing about worlds that are nicer than mine, too. Like, holy shit, some places out there are great, I'd be jealous but I'm really just stoked they exist at all.

[ghostfromthemachine]

Honestly, that sounds like a healthier response? Not that I'd blame you if you were, from what little you mentioned, but I can personally vouch that being bitter is an unideal experience.

[abnormalizes]

I could be bitter, and sometimes it's tempting, but it wouldn't make my world suck less or make me any better-adjusted? So I'd honestly rather be out here going 'holy shit, the concept of a labor union' or whatever.

[ghostfromthemachine]

No, that's exactly what I mean? It's better to enjoy what good things exist when you can.

[abnormalizes]

Yeah! And Ellipsa's pretty great? Not perfect, but great.

[ghostfromthemachine]

It's certainly better in some ways than the last few places like it I've been. It's very... courteous? Towards its guests.

[abnormalizes]

Oh, are you someone else who went through... how do you describe it... being put on teams and made to play games for your soul, or something like that?

[ghostfromthemachine]

—through what? I'm sorry?!

[ technically yes that one time but I didn't keep that CRAU— ]

[abnormalizes]

Yeah uh apparently that's like. A thing? With literal torture? I wasn't there but I know a bunch of people who went to idol hell and multiple places like that and it was a bad time.

[ghostfromthemachine]

[ takes that entire concept in and groans quietly ]

Of course there'd be more than quaintly creepy crossroads... Are they okay?

[abnormalizes]

Uhhh. Doing a really good job dealing with trauma and healing considering the circumstances? But there's definitely trauma there, so. Your call.

[ghostfromthemachine]

I will take that as a sufficiently positive answer! While still offering my sympathies.

[ that's a mood, is what it is. ]

[abnormalizes]

Warranted. Ellipsa's a good place for healing in general, though.

[Something she has personal experience with...]

[ghostfromthemachine]

Mm. Is it strange that the adjective I keep reaching for for it is "wholesome?"

[abnormalizes]

That's not a bad word to use. People here are generally friendly or at the least don't mean you harm, and there's a lot of cute event stuff in the city.

[ghostfromthemachine]

Exactly, exactly. It's something of a breath of fresh air.

...probably even more so for you, it sounded like? Unless that's something you'd rather I didn't bring up, in which case please don't mind me.

[abnormalizes]

Oh, no, I mean - I don't mind talking about how much my world sucks in general? But a bunch of times I've mentioned something that was normal to me and gotten 'what the fuck, Evangeline, I'm going to have nightmares about that now', so. Don't love that part.

[ghostfromthemachine]

Well, that's tactless, I wouldn't love it either. ...I can't promise I wouldn't ever be shocked, but I think I can manage enough empathy not to... hell. Be offended because you talked about your life?

casual cannibalism mention

[abnormalizes]

I don't think they were offended or anything! [Alarmed!! Please don't think her friends are jerks!!] Just, like, maybe I should use some discretion with who I mention the cannibal restaurants to.

[ghostfromthemachine]

[ continued grumpy fluffing, though to her credit she does not bat an eye ]

Even if they weren't, that wording is still—

[ ...

pinching her nose and scrunching her face up]

No, never mind, I think I'm projecting, sorry. Discretion is certainly fair for that kind of topic.

[abnormalizes]

[Hold on, she needs a moment of thought here.]

I guess it's like - they're things I left at home and hopefully will never go back to, so I don't want to give them more power to hurt other people? ...And I also don't want people to feel bad for me and treat me weirdly because of it, that's gross.

[ghostfromthemachine]

[ ...softening ]

That's all very fair. My apologies— my own "normal" has involved some things that could easily get that kind of reaction, so I got unnecessarily defensive.

I think... not having the room to talk about where you came from—including in the metaphorical sense—can be stifling. But wanting to leave those things behind for whatever reason isn't wrong, either? So.

[ shrugging! ]

[abnormalizes]

You're super valid. And - I guess if you ever want to talk about those things, I've got a pretty high resilience? We could trade stories.

[ghostfromthemachine]

...that would be nice. I, ah, I might have been thinking about that, when you mentioned what your home was like?

[ a rueful chuckle ]

It... would be nice to talk to someone without— I guess without worrying the other person is going to be horrified? And frankly, my resilience at this point is pretty high, too, at least when it comes to human behavior.