⬣//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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<< What. Isn't he a bastard? Wouldn't be surprising if all his animals were bastards, too. >>
[ A momentary pause, then a shrug. ]
<< Besides, it's pretty tame. If it were even more like my cat, it would have just tried to bite your fingers off instead. >>
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He seems to have a soft spot for animals...
[Scritch scritch scritch]
...I didn't realise there were cats that could get that angry.
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[ Sometimes, you're salty.
Dosei plops himself next to Sinclair on the bench, leaning his head all the way back to look up at the sky. Luckily, he doesn't need to see to sign.
<< I got mine from a shelter. Hated kids. Didn't like being touched out of nowhere. He still bites me sometimes because he's an asshole. >>
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He glances over. Ah. He thinks he understands now]
Maybe he just doesn't understand how to play nice yet. [like someone here] Do you miss him?
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<< He gets along OK with my other one. It's other people he hates. >>
[ Spoiled attack housecat...there's a pause as he tilts his head up a bit further.]
<< I guess. >> [ His features crunch. ] << More like I don't know what's gonna happen to him now. He hates my siblings and my dad. My dad hates him. >>
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[Not like a dog...]
Would your siblings feed him at least?
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[ It's true he's pretty self sufficient...he just likes demanding attention. There's a long stretch of silence as Dosei seems to contemplate for a moment before answering proper. ]
<< My sister's not even in the country now. Or maybe she came back because of all this shit, who knows. Ezra wouldn't. They'd probably forget. >>
[ His frown deepens. ]
<< Niko would. I guess. >>
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[Kittyyyyy]
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<< Can you not sound like some shounen protagonist. Next you're gonna say 'I fight for my friends' or something. >>
[ This is also him avoiding commenting on how little faith he has in his family. Little meaning 0. ]
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[ Sinclair says. He's nerdy enough to know what that means. Also he definitely did that on purpose]
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<< Ok, nerd. >> [ Derogatory ] << Just don't ask me to hold hands with you for some weird power-up. >>
[ Get this shit outta here!! ]
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[help. this is too funny. ]
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[ He makes a gagging noise. Very mature. ]
<< You guys are way too touchy. Weird as hell. >>
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[ Sinclair is trying not to laugh...Finally he is Older Than Someone else in the room...]
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<< You. Tylor. Half this game, because I'm pretty sure I blink and someone across the street is cozying up somehow. Fucking weird. >>
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...hm. You know, if I have to think about it, Tylor probably had an influence on that.
[ Sinclair would never have dared to say half the things he can now aloud before]
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<< Not too sure I'd call that a positive one. >>
[ With all the energy of an introvert at a house party. ]
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[He's a little more resilient this way]
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<< Whatever floats your boat, I guess. >>
[ Could not be him...or so he says. He finally tilts his gaze down from where he's eyeballing the sky. ]
<< You seem to be doing pretty good despite the massive shitshow this place is turning into. >>
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It's easier to focus on things I can do rather than what I can't.
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<< What an optimist you are. >>
[ Hm. ]
<< I'd do that, but I'm too busy thinking about how to kick the shit out of someone I can't see. >>
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[Cat? He'll keep petting the cat then]
Oh, you mean the voice that keeps talking to us?
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<< Obviously, unless you're hearing more than one. Then you probably need a psychiatrist. >>
[ ...A lot of people around here could use one, on that note. ]
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[ But that's not wrong, honestly.
...cat... ]
...it's really annoying, isn't it?
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It's fine. This is normal cat behavior. He pulls his hand back to give it a little glare.
<< I don't need some little rat in my head telling me what makes me happy or not or how I fucked up. I can make those decisions for myself, thanks. >> ]
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