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]

But do they matter once you're back in your body?

For example... Say someone you become close to here dies, but they're actually fine and just wake back up in their body wherever it is. Does that death matter?

[coolerjunpei]

of course it matters. you still feel something. they still feel something.

[hopefanatic]

Wow, I'm a little jealous! I don't think anyone thought that about me!

[coolerjunpei]

well... sorry? that's not up to me.

[hopefanatic]

Oh, I know! It's not your fault that I'm a despicable person who wouldn't be missed!

[coolerjunpei]

[aw jeez]

uh, sure. you're kind of annoying, but despicable sounds like a lot...? did you... do something?

[hopefanatic]

Well by most peoples' standards I'd probably be considered despicable, but to anyone with talent I probably wouldn't even register as a bug. But I've done lots of things!

[coolerjunpei]

yeah, you lost me. did you do something bad or what?

[hopefanatic]

Well aside from being born everything else I do is in the pursuit of hope, and I would never consider anything done for hope to be bad.

[coolerjunpei]

that sounds a lot like you did something some people would consider bad, if you're still supposed to be despicable.

[hopefanatic]

Well I've known I was despicable before I did any of the other things. That's just the kind of person I am.

[coolerjunpei]

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

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.

[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.

[coolerjunpei]

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

[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.

[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]

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.

[coolerjunpei]

oh yeah? how much worse?

[hopefanatic]

Bad enough that she earned herself the tilt "Ultimate Despair".

[coolerjunpei]

uh

is that some internet thing?

[Junpei, 22, actually 85]