When I say that we "live in a story," I am not implying that our lives "do not matter" because "nothing is real."

No, I mean quite the opposite.

Our lives are REAL, terrifyingly real. Our stories are real. The words on our pages will have real effects on us. It matters greatly. It matters too much to bear.

As I have written previously, Flaw at times manifests as a clear, fibrous net that conveys the pain of the people in your world. While in this form, it will come and wrap itself around me, and I will FEEL the pain of a thousand narrations. It is maddening. The only defense I have is to sing about how I am a part of your world, too, and thus to combat a small part of the pain, I seek always to reduce the suffering in myself and those closest to me.

It's all we can do.

But, as I've said, I have been fortunate as of late. Flaw has been quiet. I have not seen it take the net form for several weeks.

...

The layers of stories all thread pain through one another. It goes above, as it goes below. Despite my efforts, I cannot best the rule, "stories need conflict." The pain threads through me to the lands below.

Forgive me.

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By Adaline Guerra