driftfleet | (no subject)

Who: A ~mysterious anonymous poster~ and you
Broadcast: Anonymous text
Action: In her room on the Bishop, if you really want to say hello
When:

[It's taken Nightingale a while to figure out how to make the anonymous text function work, and even longer to decide it's worthwhile to post. Still, she doesn't have anything else to do, and this has been eating at her for a while...]

I realized recently it's been over a year since I was last home. Over a year since I've ever seen anyone from my world, even. And that year has been kind of a mess. Now I'm two crazy worlds removed from home, and it's not looking like I'll get to go back anytime soon. It's just now really starting to sink in. I'm starting to get homesick, I guess. But I know there's a bunch of people here who have been here even longer than I have. Or have a lot more pressing things to get back to. So... How do you cope? How can you deal with this for so long? After this long, my usual distractions aren't really working so well anymore.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Well, for one. I'm too much of a coward to talk about any of this without it being anonymous. And the rest would kind of give me away.

Are you worried about what people you've met here might think if you actually just talk to them about it?

I guess. I'm not good at talking to people. And I already feel pathetic enough for this, how much worse would it be if anyone actually knew who I was for this?

You know, there's only so many people in the fleet. And everyone's got a very specific way of talking. Odds are, someone has already figured it out. Also, don't communications augments let people track anonymous posts?

Point is, you may as well actually talk to someone. Might actually find answers that way.

That would be why I'm deliberately talking like someone else.

[it's a total lie, but she didn't even think about that. whoops.]

Someone like who?

[Natasha hasn't 100% positive ID-ed the texter here, but she's at least got a pretty good couple guesses. And the pool grows smaller with every reply.]

Fleet's got a handful of people with counselor augments. You've got friends here, I'm assuming, if you don't want to talk to someone in an official capacity. Or you could grab a total stranger. No shortage of those, these days.

I'm pretty sure all of those options have better things to be doing than listen to me whine.

How many of them have responded already to this?

Enough that there's no way I'm putting my name to this.

Then go find someone and put it out in private. Sounds to me like you could use it. And it's not like no one else is dealing with the same issue, so your odds of helping someone else find their own coping mechanisms are pretty decent.

If you have this perfect solution, then, who should I go to for this?

I'd suggest one of the people who've responded to this post, to start. If they've replied, it's because they're dealing or have dealt with something similar. Or you could try any one of the dozen people here who've been bounced through two separate alternate universes already.

And if you really feel like you don't have any options, you could always swing by the Windrose. I'm not exactly the hug-it-out type, but you already know that.

You're assuming I know you.

[she's going to cling to anonymity until she dies, here, okay. ... And she thinks that offer is a bluff, so.]

But, if you're offering, then sure. When should I be there?

[She's pretty positive who's on the other end of the line at this point, comments about talking "like someone else" aside.]

Yep.

I'll be up on the bridge all afternoon. Just watch out for Officer Snuggles, he likes barking at new people.

[Sorry Nightingale. No bluffs here that she won't follow through on.]

... "Officer Snuggles"?

My security officer picked up a guard fox on planet. Helps deal with the vermin problem, so I don't complain.

[There's a long pause before her reply finally comes through.]

Are you the one who named it?

That would be my security officer. She's got an interesting sense of humor.

Maybe let's meet in an area less likely to get me set upon by a fox. Or crewmembers.

I've got an out-of-the-way spot on the Iskaulit, if that works better for you. Could meet there instead.

Yeah, that's much better.

19:00 ships' clock?

I understand. I'll meet you near the bars.