[open] November Catch-all

[peninhand]

🧙 WHO: Monika and ~~YOU~~!
⚔️️ WHAT: Monika got a temporary memory loss potion from Caster and is taking it, to test whether she is happier or not without all of her traumatic memories. There are prompts for while she is amnesiac, and prompts for once she's recovered her memories. I am happy to go with either prose or bracket, whichever you're most comfortable with.
🕒 WHEN: November 08th - November 14th (amnesiac) / November 15th (post-amnesia)
🗺️ WHERE: Camelot, surrounding areas
⚠️ WARNINGS: N/A, but it's Monika so there is always a risk for touchy topics to pop up. Will edit if this happens.

All prompts are inside the post in the form of comments

Comments

I/ Amnesia Week (November 8th-14th)

[peninhand]

[ The idea was simple: try a temporary amnesia potion that would last for a week, one that would erase every single memories she had made ever since her epiphany. Caster had made the potion for her, with a note that it was still experimental. It wasn't perfect— So it left Monika vulnerable to blanking out or having memory resurgence every now and then. Unfortunate side-effects, but she could do with them.

She had planned this very carefully. She'd told a few people about her plans and had purposefully taken a room in the hotel once again so she would wake up there once the potion ingested. She'd written a note for herself explaining the basic premise of Avalon and that she was in another world. Why, she'd even prerecorded and scheduled an auto-upload of her youtube videos for the entire week.

She was nothing if not well-prepared. ]

a) (not) new beginnings

[peninhand]

H-Hey!

[ You would suddenly hear someone call you out: that person was Monika. You may or may not have met her before, but you'd probably seen her around just in passing or on the network. She ran to you and took a deep breath. She then proceeded to smile sweetly. ]

I'm so sorry— Um, I am new here and I wondered if you could answer some questions?

[ New here? That couldn't be right... Right? ]

[noblestandard]

[Ferdinand was out for a stroll when he heard a woman's voice call out to him. He pauses to turn and look at her with a big smile.]

But of course! How can I help you, young lady?

[He may or may not recognize her, honestly. He's still relatively new here himself.]

[peninhand]

[ Oh thank goodness, he had heard her. She appeared to be somewhere between excited and panicked. Who wouldn't be upon waking up someplace far from her home, with no way back? After taking another breath, she raised a finger: ]

I just woke up in this world earlier today— [That was probably another element a bit off, that wasn't the day of newcomers was it? Well, maybe they didn't all come at the same time. Weirder things had happened, right?] ... You're, like, an offworlder too, right?

[ He most certainly didn't look like a fae or one of the natives! ]

[noblestandard]

[Woke up? That seemed off for an arrival here.]

I am an offworlder, yes.

But, you said you woke up? Do you man near the lake?

[bakudan_bambino]

[Gokudera has seen Monika on the network, and gotten a chuckle out of reading her conversation with Shigaraki some time ago. The teen startles a little at being called out to, turns and pulls his cigarette out of his mouth, exhales to the side away from her, then places it back in his lips as he listens to her.]

You are? Oh uh… sure. What do you want to know?

[Maybe she had an update/time-travel nap like he did once (for CRAU) or like Zuko. He won’t assume to know anyone’s business unless they share it.]

[peninhand]

Oh, um... Gosh, now that I finally found someone I don't know where to start. [She raised a finger. Noticeably a bit more awkward and natural than she would have been normally.] It's a bit confusing. You'd think there'd be like, a welcome committee or something and not just a note next to my bed, ahaha!

[ Of course, there was a welcome committee and nobody just woke up in the bed upon first arriving, but... She didn't know that. Not any more. Regardless, he had the looks of an offworlder just like her. ]

Um... So it's really the Avalon from the Arthurian legends?

[bakudan_bambino]

[Gokudera shrugs, not seeming too bothered. Maybe a little unamused and slightly grumpy, that’s just how his face is. He glances at her finger, then her face, then nods.]

Yeah. There wasn’t a welcome committee when I showed up here either.

[Though that may just be because he was among the first off-world era to show up.]

Apparently so. I’m not so well versed on Arthurian legends, unfortunately…

[doctorintern]

[ The voice does catch Fenton's attention, mostly because of how familiar it is, and as he turns his expression only grows more confused. ]

Uh...Monika?

[ He doesn't mind answering questions, of course, but...he's sure that she's been here almost as long as he has. ]

[peninhand]

Oh my gosh, you-you're a... A duck?

[ If her claiming to be new wasn't a hint, that sure would do it. She blinked in quick succession and took a step back. Unfortunately, this Monika had never dealt with anything more than what your average high-schooler did. ]

And you know me? [Now she was starting to panic— Why did this... Person? Know her?] Who-W-What are you...?

[doctorintern]

[ Fenton's frown grows as his confusion does. ] We've...met before? It's me, Fenton.

[ He's fairly certain it's her, though it probably wouldn't be too out there for someone who looked like the Monika he knew and had the same name who might have just arrived here. But somehow he doesn't...think so. ]

b) alms for the gore (quest)

[peninhand]

[ Monika, still under the effects of the amnesia potion, had decided to try one of those "quests." She'd picked this particular one because, well, you needed to start somewhere right? Dragons... Weren't really her thing. That was the only quest she felt she had a fairly decent chance at. Creepy faeries stealing people's food? Maybe she could do something about that... She wasn't so sure about being able to slay them, but she had to try at least.

But then she saw the Fear Gorta, and— ]

AAAH! [She screamed and ran away, hiding behind a wall. Hopefully there was someone willing to help her around.] W-What is that thing...?

[ Monika looked downright terrified— But that was a bit strange, wasn't it? Just last month she had pretty comfortably gone through the painting maze without being particularly scared... And as a general rule, she wasn't really easily afraid, and especially not to such an extent. What memories she had forgotten had definitely made her into a different person. ]

[reloves]

[ Monika's plan.. is A Lot.

Honestly, if Minako was anymore of a selfish person, she would have pushed for Monika to not do it. It just doesn't seem right, no matter all of the reasons the girl had for thinking of it in the first place. And Minako knows better than virtually anyone how hard it is when all the memories suddenly return and hit you extra hard.

But she didn't have it in her. If Monika really wanted to do it, then Minako shouldn't stop her.

But even if she couldn't bring herself to stop Monika before attempting this, Minako can at least do something else - stalk Monika follow Monika around to make sure that she's safe while she's under the influence of the potion. Minako wouldn't forgive herself for being okay with the plan if it ended up hurting the other.

So when Minako sees that.. that thing - oh god, what is it even?! - and Monika's scared reaction, she's quick to jump to the rescue.

Or at the very least move over towards where the other girl is hiding without catching the attention of the terrible monster - for now, anyway. ]

Hey. [ She whispers, making sure the other is aware of her presence before gently putting a hand on Monika's shoulder to try and soothe her. ]

It's okay, you're not alone. [ If Monika looks at her, Minako will even smile at her a little in a real attempt to seem reassuring. ] You came for the quest, right? It seems like they didn't exactly get the danger level right..

[peninhand]

[ A Monika never half-assed things! That included her own free trial for self-induced amnesia. What she hadn't expected was Minako stalking her... But if she was aware of it, she would totally count it as a plus. Hopefully her familiar would clue her in later because if anyone was to confuse that as a sign of love care, that was Monika.

She jumped when Minako whispered, fully expecting a monster to attack her. Yep, she was really easily scared compared to her usual self. She sighed in relief though and ]

Y-Yeah... It was listed as an assistance quest, so I thought... [That it wouldn't involve scary monsters she had to... Slay? Gah. Still, she tried to pull herself together. Some things never changed, and one of them was Monika trying to pretend being confident when she absolutely wasn't.] Who are you? [An awkward laugh as she made sure the monster wouldn't see her.] Ah, um, sorry I didn't mean to like, be rude... I'm Monika.

[reloves]

Minako.

[ Thank god she at least knew of the plan - just because of this moment. Because this isn't a moment where freaking out really helps. Instead Minako can just smile as she introduces herself, like it isn't weird to a point where it gives her a weird, goosebumps-like feeling to introduce herself to a close friend.

(Maybe it's since she practiced this moment beforehand in her head, just so she could come across as reassuring as possible so Monika wouldn't have to worry. Sue her!) ]

You're not rude though. Don't worry about it, Monika-chan! [ Also thank god for Minako's natural friendliness, where she's okay with just moving to that '-chan' level right away.. She'd feel so weird if she had to call the other girl anything else, amnesia or no amnesia. ] This is a pretty pressing situation, after all.. But, you know, maybe they weren't wrong about the way they assigned this quest. If it's an assistance quest, then there's got to be some sort of way to feed that thing without--

[ 'Getting eaten yourself', she almost says, but manages to swallow those words riiight back up at the last minute.

Smooth. ]

-- without anything bad happening.

c) pts-ddlc

[peninhand]

[ On this bright and sunny day, Monika was sitting on a bench, staring blankly into nothing. Maybe she was lost in thought... Or maybe she was spacing out for a reason or another. In truth, it was one of those side-effects. Blanking out while memories were crossing her mind. ]

...

[ She had a book in hand but remained still, nearly entirely blank. Interrupt her? ]

[scriptwriter]

[Kotarou was currently going about his own business until he noticed Monika sitting there on a bench. Usually, he was used to her looking a lot more chipper... But that blank look on her face was a little concerning. Surely she didn't get herself into trouble again, didn't she? Well, Kotarou wasn't the type of guy who'd just leave someone who seemed to be in trouble. Especially if it was someone that he knew personally... If he just walked by and pretend that he didn't see Monika spacing out like this, then the guilt would've eaten away at him as he was sleeping.

A bit tentatively, Kotarou approaches Monika sitting there and he waves a hand in front of her face.]

Uh... Monika-san? Heeeey, Monika-san! Heeeey!

[His eyes glance down at the book that she was holding. He couldn't make out the title, but there was one conclusion that he could draw here...]

Don't tell me that you ended up reading a terrible novel! Was it one of weird housewife erotica books?

[peninhand]

[ It took some time for Monika to react and snap out of it, though when she did? It appeared she hadn't registered anything he had just said. She blinked in quick succession, surprised and taken aback. ]

Huh? [Was that... Someone talking to her? Past the initial surprise, she looking at him apologetically.] Oh, um, sorry...! [She smiled, looking at the book she had in hand and setting it down on the bench.] Gosh, I think I was spacing out there for a bit, ahaha...!

[ A pause. Had he called her out just because of that...? She was probably just tired... So she hoped. Really, she should have warned him. But she hadn't wanted him to worry, she already felt bad having told Minako and Mukuro about it. ]

Did you need something sir, um... [Another pause.] I'm sorry, I don't think we have met before, have we?

II/ Post-Amnesia (November 15th)

[peninhand]

[ It was over... A week. For a week, she had had no memory of anything prior to her epiphany. No knowledge regarding the nature of her homeworld. She hadn't remembered ever entertaining the thought of hurting her own friends. Why, she had never stopped thinking of them as human beings who deserved all the happiness in the world.

For a brief moment, the monster had died.

But if the monster had been dead, what had been left behind? The person whom she had once been. Someone who was Monika yet at the same time wasn't. Someone who hadn't been suffering from her trauma and guilt. Someone unable to appreciate life because she had never realized how precious life was.

She had been so happy during that one week... Yet she hadn't been able to appreciate any of that happiness. What was the point in reaching the peak of a mountain if you didn't know what things were like at the bottom? It was like eating the most delicious dish in the world without having ever eaten anything before. There was no way to appreciate what you had because you had no element of comparison.

If the monster died, the human left behind couldn't truly live. ]

a) loneliness (closed to existing cr)

[peninhand]

[ Monika was back in her room, in the house she shared with Minako and her friends. There was no one in there right now, only her. It was a good thing, perhaps. It allowed her to put her thoughts together... But she didn't really want to be alone right now, either.

She took her phone and sent a message to someone she'd befriended before— Someone she felt she could talk to freely about this. Regardless of whether they already knew about her amnesiac experiment, of whether they already knew about her past or not... She just needed someone to be with her, right now. ]

Hey there~!

Could you come over? I need to speak with someone... If you can't that's fine (^_^) Thank you regardless.

woooo late af

[impostorsyndrome]

You okay?

I guess that's a dumb question. Yeah, I can come over. You're sure this was meant to go to me, right?

[There are two concerns here: Kadoc's usual self-defeating wondering why anyone would ever turn to him for comfort or anything else, and a past experience he had with Crow's doppelganger, when he'd walked right into a trap. . . . But if Monika is reaching out to him, he's not about to just say no, either. He'll go prepared just in case, but he'll definitely still go.]

no worries!

[peninhand]

No misfire, ahaha!

Take your time though. There's no rush at all.

[ Kadoc had been very friendly with her and more helpful than he could ever realize. So of course he ranked pretty high on the list of people she felt safe confiding in to— Even though she hadn't warned him about her little experiment. She'd meant to, but after he had had to half-carry her when she used the familiar symbiosis spell? She'd worried him enough for a lifetime. ]

b) postmortem

[peninhand]

[ On this bright and sunny day, Monika was sitting on a bench. But this time she wasn't staring blankly into nothing. She had a book in hand and was reading it. The book? An obscure novel called Love At Any Cost. She smiled sweetly at anyone passing by, greeting them— ]

Good afternoon.

[ Before diving back into her book. ]

[reincarnatedprince]

[Mamoru has been slightly worried about their new roommate, but hasn't really gotten a chance to approach her before now. A chance meeting somewhere outside.]

Good afternoon... mind if I sit near you?

[He does have a book with him, if she wasn't up to talking. They could just read in peace.]

[peninhand]

[ Ah, her absence from the house and her incredibly strange behavior this past week had probably been noticed, huh? Well, that wasn't that surprising... She just hoped Minako hadn't told everyone what she'd been doing and why, or this'd be embarrassing as hell. ]

Sure thing. [She glanced at the book he had in hand.] You're reading in your spare time too?