stilldontgotit | 48 - voice/action;

Heh. The end of the year. Time sure flies, huh? This marks the third winter I've spent holed up in this place. Now, I could get all nostalgic about how things changed, but frankly? I'm sure you guys are tired of that by now.

There's... something else on my mind, though. Something I've thought about for a while, about the way this place works.

[He pauses for a few seconds, mulling over how to properly phrase this...]

Anyway, I'm sure most of you guys are familiar with the way people vanish out of the blue just like I'm sure you're used to people showing up without a single memory of their time before. Assuming they'd been here, anyway. But sometimes people come back with memories fully intact or those memories return after a quick reminder. I've even seen a few cases of somebody coming back as a blank slate and showing up again later with memories from a visit before the last.

Maybe I'm over thinking it, but have you guys ever thought that maybe the people who show up without memories might be different versions of someone rather than the same person with those memories wiped out? Now, I'm not saying people actually remember this place back home; I've gone back twice and I sure didn't. And, sure, timelines probably factor into it, but who's to say there can't be, say... twin versions of the same world?

Just some food for thought, I guess.

[Okay, and with that silliness out of the way, Riku can be seen in a few different places. First, there's the Community Housing 1 building, where he can be found feeding a big ol' chocolate cake and some colorful ice cream to his Dream Eater. Upon eating the goods, his bat sparkles and glows. Feel free to boggle at this.

Outside, he can be found strolling along in the snow for a bit. Aftr a while, however, he gives into some silly urges. What kind of silly urges, you ask? Snowballs, of course. He won't be outright malicious, but if he sees any familiar faces he miiight just toss a little snow their way. After all, it's been far too long since he's done something silly like that.

Otherwise, he can be seen practicing some magic out by the forest. And by magic I of course mean summoning gigantic, colorful balloons that explode. What's all that about?]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Huh. I can't say I know much about the way this place works, but twin versions of the same world? Totally a thing.

[She's just gonna go ahead and talk like she's some kind of professional here.]

Though all things considered, it'd be a pretty big coincidence for two versions of the same world to attract the same person here twice.

I take it you've got personal experience.

[Not that he doesn't. The twin versions of worlds in the Realm of Sleep sort of fit the bill, even if they weren't exactly parallel.]

And it might be a coincidence, but I'm sure it's happened at least a few times. Plus, I've seen cases of alternate versions of people from different worlds.

Of course! I've even seen a few examples of it here in Luceti. [Heheheh.]

But you know, it'd still have to be a pretty big coincidence! I mean, there's way more than just two versions of the same world, after all. Sure, it depends on the world sometimes, but for some worlds? They can be infinite!

That doesn't even sound strange after everything else I've seen. If one guy can split his heart into a bunch of different vessels, then I'd completely buy alternate dimensions.

[But ugh, Xehanort.]

Splitting his heart? That. Sounds messy.

[Both ways.]

And believe me, it is. The guy basically tried to turn twelve other people into copies of himself. He even tried taking my best friend.

[12 copies of himself...]

Sounds like a guy with an awful lot of issues to sort out.

But. You said tried, so. I'm guessing there's a happy end in this? Maybe? Or am I hitting a sore spot full of unfinished business from back home?

Oh, believe me, he's got plenty.

[Sigh.]

And it's the latter, unfortunately. I managed to save my best friend from becoming one of his vessels, but he's still claimed twelve others, and there's no telling what kind of stunts he'll pull next.

...oh. [She'd sound more sympathetic, but she doesn't exactly know the guy.]

Maybe we should go back to the other topic, then? I mean, I don't wanna assume, but I know I wouldn't want some stranger poking into my personal business.

Yeah, that's probably for the best. It's a pretty complex situation, especially if you don't know the context.

So... yeah. Back to our main point here: the idea of alternate versions. It makes you wonder what determines when someone will come back with or without memories.

Well, if it's the case of an alternate version of a person coming back, then that brings up a whole new point, too.

I mean, like, you know how people say they don't remember when they go back, right? What if they don't remember because the ones who were sent back and don't come back did remember, and ended up creating an alternate timeline in their world because of it? Most worlds are meant to be affected by outside influences, after all. You can really mess stuff up.

[Something she knows first hand.]

Yeah, and sending people back with those memories active could really screw things up. Heck, if I'd been sent back the first time I was here with those memories still present, I probably would've tried to change things.

But I didn't remember until I got sent back here. Either those memories were erased or disconnected and buried inside my heart.

Hmm... were you the same age when you were sent back as when you arrived? I mean, they say time is frozen back home, so unless you didn't age at all, you'd have looked totally different when you got back there, right?

That's where it gets complicated. See, when I came back this time around, I think I went back to the age I was back home, but I got kidnapped and tossed in the village so fast I can't really remember.

Next thing I knew, I was back to the age I'd been-- maybe even a little bit older. All in the space of... maybe a few hours, and that was after I left for a minute tops.

[...]

Not to be "that guy" or anything, but are you sure you even went home? I mean, can't those malnossy guys make people believe whatever they want them to with their crazy experiments...?

Yes, I'm sure. I got new powers, new memories... Just because I wasn't gone a week doesn't mean it didn't happen.

Plus, I've got one of my Dream Eaters from back home.

I guess you'd know better than me. [She means that sincerely, really.]

But when you think about it, it just doesn't make much sense. This place pulls people away from their own worlds, then tosses them back without making any change at all? Either something really powerful is doing this on purpose for some reason, or there's something seriously messed up with our worlds.

48 - voice/action;

[Voice]

[Voice]

[Voice]

[Voice]

[Voice]

[Voice]

[Voice]

[Voice]

[Voice]

[Voice]

[Voice]

[Voice]

[Voice]

[Voice]

[Voice]

[Voice]

[Voice]