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⬣//SPREAD, CONTAMINATE, ERADICATE
You've had a chance to adapt to your new circumstances and make peace with what your life has become… hopefully. If you haven't, don't expect life to get any easier.
A few things have changed in recent days. Healing no longer works as effectively as it did in the past. If you're in the habit of behaving recklessly, don't expect one of Fragment's few healers to pick up the slack. Broken bones will now remain broken no matter how many healing spells are cast on your shattered limbs. Damage to organs can't be repaired with the wave of a wand.
What's more, HP and SP restoring items have gotten harder and harder to come by. Potions are no longer available for purchase at generic NPC shops and gatherable items needed for crafting have become fewer and fewer in number, limiting your item making options. If you've gotten into the bad habit of injuring yourself heedless of the consequences, it's time to rethink your lifestyle. Playtime is over.
Think of the three core memories that have formed and shaped the person you are today. Some will think back fondly on family and friends while others have been jaded by the ill treatment they've received from important figures in their lives. In any case, it's of little concern to you now. One of those three precious memories has vacated your mind, taking with it a vital piece of you that you can no longer get back.
You may choose one of the three key memories listed on your application to be taken away from your character. Choices are limited to the memories supplied in your application and additional memories submitted for the previous memshare event or not eligible for convenient plot-induced memory loss. Choose wisely, because you aren't getting it back.
And Sky Fish, and Disco Knives, and Evil Armors…
Has anyone noticed the monsters around town lately? Which town, you may ask? The answer is all of them.
Monsters have invaded Root Towns in large waves, attacking anything and everything in sight. Any lovingly crafted signs or other furnishings you've erected around town are easily torn to shreds and destroyed by the monsters who have come to roost in your once safe Root Towns. On the plus side, PvE and PvP has now been enabled in all Root Towns, which is excellent news for those who wish to combat the monster invasion and those who can't seem to help hurting themselves and others.
These monsters range in level from 50 to 75, and while many of them can be defeated with a bit of ingenuity and teamwork, some of them boast impenetrable shields that no regular attacks or spells can break through. They are also immune to status/potion/armor effects.
When in doubt, turn to your fellow players for support. There may be some among you who know how to deal with these impossibly strong monsters, but there's no guarantee that they'll want to help you.
A lilting, boyish voice sings to you in your sleep. His voice sounds familiar to you, tickling your heart like a call from an old friend, but this is no friend of yours.
"You had every chance to abandon this world and return to your own. What stopped you? Was it ego? Hubris? In any case, it's too late for regrets now.
They say the world is what you make of it. Doesn't the same hold true for reality?"
The voice will periodically visit you and your sleep, but the moral of his message never changes: you did this to yourself. You were trapped here because you chose to look the other way. If anyone is to blame for the current situation, it's you and you alone, but there is a̸̬̲͔̘͈͚̠̫̘̬̗̖̋͑̉̓̿͛̈́̋͐̃̾̈̕̕ͅń̵̩̱̠̫̖̬̲̻͉̝̈́̀̀̚͜͜o̴͍͎̣͔̤̝̲͍̺̿̒t̴̨͚͓͍̜̮̥͊͑̿̈́̉̂̐͜͠͝h̷̨̨̦͕͖̙̞͙̗̗͎̬͛̂̾̋̅͜͜͝ȩ̸͎̭̙̜̯͎̯̳̮̘̲͒ȑ̸̡̧̢͓̠̦͙͇͍͎̭͑̈́̓̿̓̅̑̅̌͑̈́̕͝͝ ̴̧̼͕̟̬̰̞̮̗͔͈̬̙͍̈́̀w̵̗̖̩̘͇͖̲̩̫̣̗̙̲̌͜a̷̛͎͋͑̃͛̆̈̋̑̋͠y̴̡̬͕͈̗̫̯̟̯͊͐̌̀̐͑͘͝͝.
Another h̶̦̘̤̘͐͑̿̂̏̎͋͝o̴̧͖͚̖̜͓͂̏́͒̑̈́͝͝p̶̡͙̏̉̿̎̀̑́̈̆͌̉e̷̡̡̦̣̯̘̺͍̟̰͍̤͛̀́̚͝͠. Will you heed that voice and call to it?
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No. I've been able to avoid monsters so far.
[And he sounds confident in that, too. Another strangeness in his demeanor.
...]
...I'm still not sure what's going on. But if it's upsetting, do you want to talk about something else...?
[He's worried. Deto's taking this really hard.]
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No. No. I wanna face this head on. ‘Cause if I’m too scared to, then it means that all of the stuff I said or promised, all of that would have meant nothing in the long run. [ he’d said he was all in. he needs to prove that conviction to himself if not nanashi ] It may mean nothing to you now, too. But… I remember, so it’s important to me. All your words and mine.
I think when you get a chance, you should… double-check with the other people you’ve talked to. Ha, and then tell me if I’m the only one that’s gone crazy I guess.
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[ on any other day he’d be happy to hear that, but now it only means that a lot of what they’ve talked about was fake or has been erased or ???
and then there’s also: ]
… If. If this is a case of memory loss, are you… happier like this?
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I've been really lucky in life. Plenty of friends, a caring family... even the people here have all been kind.
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But… if we leave the game, and the reality was different from what you remember…?
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Like... if everything I read just now is what's waiting for me outside...?
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The Nanashi he'd spoken to before had nothing to lose. Certainly, his life could be worse, but not by much, and not from anything he personally could control.
For this Nanashi? That would mean losing everything.]
...
If...
[His words are soft. Scared in a way Deto never could have heard before.]
If that's what's really outside... if that's the kind of person I'd be...
Is it worth it to go back...?
[Would anyone even miss him?
It doesn't sound like it.]
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[ which… yeah, isn’t much. deto’s very aware of that. but he can’t stay here either. ]
Yeah, I get it. If you’re happier like this. But I. [ he swallows. ] I liked you before. A lot. I liked you just fine.
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A whole year living as a shut-in...]
...
Why?
Why did you like me so much when I was like... that?
[His every word was just another tale of misery with zero self-awareness.
What was there to like about someone who didn't even seem to like himself...?]
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[ high school boy logic ]
Don’t - don’t look down on him, on yourself like that. You were trying your best - in your own way. In the only way you knew. There was nothing wrong with you, you just couldn’t see it. But I could.
And besides, it was fun, wasn’t it? Hanging out together, talking about stuff.
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[There's a kind of desperation to his voice unheard of up until now. His voice, his expressions, all of them carry a certain liveliness he didn't have before.
The Nanashi Deto knew gave everyone the same smile no matter the circumstances. He accepted everything with the same detached air, unhurt even when unwanted.
That's not the case with him right now. He's warm and engaged and-
And so very vulnerable.]
...Was I really trying like that?
It... it sounds like I gave up.
[And it's heartbreaking to think about.
Was the reality something so harsh, so fearsome, that the only way to live with it was to laugh at the abuse, to hide away in an apartment for the rest of his life...?]
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[ he hesitates. ]
Why not… learn to be both? The you before and the you now? And even if it turns out no one out there will accept you - [ he holds out his arms. ] - I will. So…
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[Even after all they did...
...
There's a hesitant half-step in Deto's direction before he stops again, like he's run right into the barrier of fear stopping him from... well, doing much of anything right now, really. Fleeing. Crying. Screaming.
Instead, he's silent again.]
The things I don't remember doing... was that most of what we talked about?
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[ he waits ]
You know everything else we talked about. You remember the rest, don’t you? It was - it’s easy to talk about anything with you. Whatever was on my mind.
… And if anything, I probably pushed you to talk about it more than you wanted to.
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There's no blanks, no fuzziness, nothing. Everything I remember... it has nothing to do with any of that.
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[ deto doesn’t think it’s a good idea to just forget, but maybe nanashi wanted the choice so bad that now that it’s here, it would be wrong to change his mind
but deto thinks about the other nanashi, who thought so lowly of himself, that he would have accepted being erased like this
his heart hurts ]
I could tell you more of it, but maybe not now? You don’t seem like… you want that…
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...If I can't remember important things we talked about...
Would you really accept me? Or would you just be thinking of the person you spent all that time with...?
[Being both just... doesn't sound possible, to him at present.]
...I don't like seeing you unhappy, either.
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[There's a glimmer of the old Nanashi in his expression, a smile just a little too tight as he draws his foot back after all. So quick to throw himself under the bus for another's comfort.]
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Tell me the rest. Everything you want right now.
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I don't know anymore. This has all been so confusing.
[The Nanashi that cheerfully wrote such awful things about himself... the Nanashi he is now... which one's the truth?]
...I think...
Right now, I just want to stay with you? ...If that's okay.
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[ he’s committed to having this bun stay with him, so he adds: ]
You know… instead of wondering which you, I’m thinking of. I’m just thinking of you, Nacchin. Just you. Um, a lot.
[ like, a truly stupid amount ]
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-Eh...?
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