3 ∅ [Anonymous Text]

[callbacks]

[Cleared font formatting, check. Autocorrect, check. Masked I.D., triple check. Dave's been wrestling with this question for over a week, and he's no closer to an answer than he was eight days ago. No closer than he was three years ago.

Where's Dear Abby when you need advice?]

Have you ever been in a situation
Where you knew something somebody else didn't
And you weren't sure if you should tell them or not
Like you knew that if they found out they'd be really upset but there's also nothing they could do about it
And you don't want them to blame themselves
Or
Get mad at you
But pretending it didn't happen feels
I don't know
A lot like lying I guess
What would you do in those circumstances?

I'm asking for a friend.

Comments

[anon text]

[callbacks]

You're not the first person to say that things would've been different a year ago
Does this place change the circumstances that much?
Or is it something else

[grapeeater]

It's just given me time to think about it.

[callbacks]

It's when I'm left to think by myself for long periods of time that I get fucked up about shit usually

[grapeeater]

Yeah, I can understand that. But I messed up really badly before I got here and this place at least has given me a chance to think about what went wrong.

[callbacks]

...
Yeah
I guess I did too
But I was trying not to think about it instead

[grapeeater]

Looking back at things helps you figure out where not to screw up in the future. It's when you get stuck looking at those things that there's a problem.

But this is about the problem you're having. Do you think the person you don't want to tell this to would stop being your friend or stop talking to you if you told them? Even if they got mad, would they stay mad forever?

[callbacks]

It's less that I think they'll be mad at me if I tell them what happened
And more that they'll be upset with themselves
And circumstances are such that
Like
It might be hard for them to be around me without feeling upset about shit that was completely outside their control
Whereas if I say nothing and they find out that's when they might be mad at me but only for not speaking up

[grapeeater]

Ah. That's a bit tougher, I guess.
Is there a way to test the waters? Like ask them something else that is sort of similar and see how they react to that?

[callbacks]

Kind
Of?
Something similar happened a few years ago so I guess I could ask her if she's still upset about it
But the way we currently appear to be dealing with that previous issue is by dancing around it tiptoe like a couple of asinine sugar plum fairies pretending it isn't there

[grapeeater]

Yeah, avoiding it doesn't mean that it didn't happen. You're going to have to face it sooner or later.

[callbacks]

This is not what I wanted to do with my surprise winter vacation

[grapeeater]

I think it's not what most people wanted to do, honestly. But we haven't found a way back even if people disappear sometimes.

[callbacks]

Not that I want to go back
That's the last thing I want and by last I mean it's so far down my Christmas list it fell off and rolled into the fire and died a slow death of asphyxiation by burning
I just didn't exactly sign on for all this heavy emotional shit either
Some people might say that that's the unavoidable baggage bundlepacked with continued existence but to that I raise at least one objection
Which I don't really want to get into here in the interest of avoiding further heavy drama but know that it has been raised

[grapeeater]

Understood.
Honestly I'd rather not deal with that kind of thing either.
I've already ruined one friendship here I'd rather not ruin more so I kind of know the feeling.

[callbacks]

The forever kind of ruined or just the temporary kind

[grapeeater]

Probably the first one.

[callbacks]

Oh
I'm sorry to hear that
It's rough when that kind of shit happens

[grapeeater]

It is. But life goes on, right?

[callbacks]

Somehow
Well at least there's a lot of other people here so you're not stuck in a total dead end companionship-wise
Obviously it's not the same as having the friend you had back but
You know
It could always be worse

[grapeeater]

Yeah, that's true. And people keep coming and going all the time.

[callbacks]

Yeah
So there's always gonna be someone to talk to even if you just gripe anonymously into the Pokécyber void
So it doesn't look like there's really any reason to ever be alone if you don't want to be

[grapeeater]

I guess. And there's always your Pokemon to keep you company, even if some of them can be difficult.