01. Text

[hopefanatic]

There's something I've been thinking about for a while so I hope all of you will be patient enough to indulge me.

A good deal of fantastic and seemingly-impossible things happen in this place, ranging from all of us raising dragons to encountering killer plants like ones out of an old horror movie. I know that I don't just speak for myself when I say that a lot of the things we encounter here simply don't happen where I'm from... In fact one could even call all of it downright impossible and against the laws of nature and physics! I mean, the moons changing us into animals? Some mysterious space society that we've "mysteriously" encountered right when they need our help? It almost sounds like a video game!

Which brings me to the question I'd like to pose to all of you...

How do you know that any of this is reality?

Comments

[hopefanatic]

Is there really that much of a difference? It seems like it mostly just depends on the preference of your word choice.

[His idea of "encouragement" is just as extreme as "pushing" anyway...]

[takingchances]

Pushing someone is forceful. Encouraging them is passive.

[coolerjunpei]

are you going to tell me what the other things are or not? dude.

[hopefanatic]

Wow, I guess I've had those mixed up for a while now!

[He hasn't.]

1/2

[hopefanatic]

My mere existence makes anyone close to me experience bad luck to the extent that most of them die. I've gotten my own parents killed, had friends end up in the hospital, and that's just the start of it! I also helped to orchestrate the downfall of society, so if you take that into consideration I have a lot of blood on my hands... But I did it all in the hopes of undermining the real enemy!

2/2

[hopefanatic]

Well, I bet if it was something like all of that you would feel sorry for me, wouldn't you? Or would you only find me more despicable?

[coolerjunpei]

[Oh, he's another one of those end justifies the means types. Grim...]

i almost want to say something else entirely instead of giving you what you want... but right now i still just think you're obnoxious, so sure, you're the worst.

[takingchances]

[Interesting. Eva cocks a brow upward to herself, curious now. Who gets pushing and encouraging mixed up?]

So have you been in a simulation before? It sounds like you have experience with them.

[hopefanatic]

Together?

I'm honored, but I definitely don't think I'd be worthy of practicing with Nanami-san in any capacity. Even my first kiss was pitiful!

[Which he... Said to the guy's face. And then continued to talk until he shut him up.]

[hopefanatic]

That's right! I was in one for a while before coming here. This place is like a vacation in comparison!

... Well that place was supposed to be a vacation too technically, but things didn't quite work out that way.

[hopefanatic]

Just obnoxious? Wow, you're really pretty tolerant! I guess that's why you're so casual about just accepting this place. I'm a little envious that you can have such an outlook, really.

[takingchances]

That's unfortunate. I do agree with you about this being like a vacation in comparison though but I mostly use a simulation for work.

[coolerjunpei]

let's just say i've been worse places and met worse people. you're like a 5/10 on that scale.

[hopefanatic]

What sort of job do you do?

[hopefanatic]

I'm almost curious about what types of people could be even worse than me. Are any of them here?

[coolerjunpei]

none i've met before... but there's bound to be some in a place this size.

[takingchances]

I'm a senior memory traversal agent for the Sigmund Corporation. I mostly go through simulations of client's memories.

[hopefanatic]

Can your system alter the memories in any way? Or just replay them?

[takingchances]

It can alter memories and create completely news ones as well. It can't *erase* memories however or destroy the original memories.

[1upzero]

[And this was probably why no one was accepting any help.]

Komaeda kun, we are classmates, if we don't help and support each other, no one else will.

And if it was bad, then all the more reason to grind experience! I know you are very capable, so please dont say things like that, especially when you say you want to help.

[Maybe she needs to try and trigger the right flags? Well, she did say she needed to learn that better. Challenge accepted! Game start.]

[hopefanatic]

That's very true! There's someone very unpleasant from my world here, it's really the worst.

[coolerjunpei]

[..........]

is it you? is that the punchline?

[hopefanatic]

So why do you alter peoples' memories? That must be pretty controversial work.

[princessascended]

I guess, but we mostly fight to stay alive. And keep other people alive.

And protect the worlds.

Really there's just a lot of not wanting anyone to die involved.

[Ironic.]

[hopefanatic]

How harsh! I wasn't making a joke that time!

[Of course he also wasn't really joking about anything else he's said.]

No, believe it or not there's someone here even worse than me.