trace of nostalgia [video]

[zanarkandian]

[Tidus is out by the water on the Curti Center island, as he usually is. There's a sunglasses-wearing moogle, Zunne, sunning on the beach behind him. But for anyone who knows Tidus, it might seem more odd that his eyes, usually bright blue, are now red.]

Hey guys, me again. I hope everybody's doing okay after that trip---and if you've run into any chocobo eaters, rest up. They're really tough!

Anyway, I've just been thinking. Does something about this place seem off to anyone else? I don't really know how to explain it, I know it sounds crazy, but I can't help but wonder why we're really here. It's just...I see these little things everywhere that are familiar, but they aren't? And I have to wonder if something big's lurking out there that we should know about?

Maybe I'm just homesick. Or hungry, that could be it.

[Distantly, from the Moogle's direction: 'How astute.' Tidus mumbles and ducks his head.]

All right, he's right. That's enough. If anybody's still up for blitz practice, I'll see you tomorrow!

Comments

[zanarkandian]

No, it's okay. I'll try to explain. But it's all pretty weird, so it might not make much sense...and I think what's going on might have something to do with it all, so.

Long story, as short as I can make it...

[He shrugs. Hoo boy.]

Where I come from, summoners are pretty powerful. It's why the summoner guild kinda creeped me out a little when we went. A thousand years ago, there was a big, bright city called Zanarkand full of summoners. There was a war with another city, Bevelle, and Bevelle won.

The leader of the summoners, Yu Yevon, hated Bevelle for what they'd done---so he gathered all the surviving summoners and put them to sleep to summon a dream version of Zanarkand that would be preserved forever, and he summoned himself a horrible monster called Sin that would fly around killing people if it meant keeping that dream city safe.

Yu Yevon had his daughter start a fraud religion that had people sacrificing themselves for the greater good, always hoping things would change. They never did, because everything they'd been taught about guilt and sacrifice and all that stuff? Was a lie.

[That is definitely not acid in his tone, oh no.]

Flash forward a thousand years. That dream city still exists. People live and die in it, and I'm born there...except I have no idea about all that, I think I'm real because it's all I've ever known. Then I get pulled into the real world, fall in love with a summoner planning to sacrifice herself, and we blow it all to smithereens. Sin won't hurt them anymore.

Except I still had to sacrifice myself, because ending the summoning meant I wouldn't exist anymore either. I don't know how, but...I think I can exist here because all of us were pulled from dreams. Or something like that.

[Suddenly, he looks up and realizes he'd lost track of time.]

...whoops, I guess it's pretty hard to make that shorter. Sorry.

[how_do_i_shot_dog]

[Well, that sure was a lot to take in. Her heart really feels for him on the lost love thing. At least she still has a chance to reunite with Squall. Tidus sounds like he's SOL.]

I'm not sure I understand. You seem pretty real to me. And why would that Yu person want to create a dream Zanarland or whatever in the first place if none of it was real? That doesn't seem to make any sense to me.

[She bites her lip, thinking back to the start when he thought his situation and the world at large here might be connected.]

Are you saying that you think that the Dream Width is made up of fake worlds? Then... wouldn't we all be fake? Or that this one is fake?

[This is all just a bit too much for her to comprehend. Maybe she should rewind back to the whole him sacrificing himself thing for now.]

Did you know?

[zanarkandian]

Because...dreams are almost as good as reality. When everything sucks, sometimes you just want to make it hurt less. I can understand that...but after so many years he lost his mind.

[He shakes his head.]

No, I don't think you're dreams! I think...this world might be like a dream, with the way it has weird little parts of different worlds. Maybe. There's a lot we don't know yet.

[But. But then they're back to Yuna, and it's hard to keep the sadness from his eyes.]

Yeah, I knew what I was doing. I used to think sacrifice was ridiculous, and I still think it is if there's no point to it....but this time we knew the truth. And I knew it was the only way we had to save the world from that nightmare. So I don't regret it---now they all have a chance to sleep in their beds without worrying Sin's gonna kill them overnight.

[how_do_i_shot_dog]

[Oh, so it was the crazy talking. That she was more familiar with, having dealt with some crazy sorceresses of her own. She nods at his thoughts on the place though; it makes sense, in a way.]

When Selphie and I came here we were running through time compression trying to get back to where we were before so it kind of makes sense that it's a little weird here. [She pauses, thinking for a moment.] At least, I think Selphie was. I haven't asked her but it makes sense.

[She feels bad as he keeps speaking, having clearly made him dredge up memories that clearly aren't happy ones. Her gaze drifts on the waves for a moment before she speaks.]

You're a lot stronger than I am, then. When I thought I was going to have to sacrifice myself, I went along with it but as soon as Squall showed up I jumped at the opportunity to get out of there. I was really scared. I don't know how you did it.

[zanarkandian]

[He just smiles gently.]

I'm glad you two made it. You're both great friends.

And...hm. If there was a way I could have stayed with her and saved everyone, I know I would've. I'm not that brave. But she's the one who taught me that saving other's smiles was worth everything. I just couldn't save hers...

I just hope she gets better. And, maybe if I'm really lucky, I'll find her again someday.