Penchant Posted February 16 Clone Share Posted February 16 (edited) The countdown clock to the server going live ticks down. Players have completed character generation and are just waiting for the PLAY button to light up. Some are using the latest VR gear while others are chugging away with primitive monitors and keyboard/mouse setups. And all await the experience with a variety of levels of anticipation varying from glee to dread. The countdown timer reaches zero and the button lights up. Everything is already loaded and ready and the players one by one click PLAY. There is a pause of silence and things start to happen. The world starts to swirl around you and the lights go down. With a lurch there is a feeling of falling and brief hit of noxious smells and your feet find new ground. The lights come up as the world comes into focus. You are now standing straight up with tufts of grass waving at your shoes. You look around and find... the world of Dynasty around you. The eternal sunrise is to the East. There are Tucca trees with fresh tuccanuts swaying in the breeze. The town of Cherubim lies below you along a winding road to the seaside and the peak of Stormwatch Mountain looks down on everything. It's a callback to the start of Dynasty Legends 2. But there is more. You can feel the wind on your face. The sound of your shoes crunching the grass reaches your ears and you can smell both the salty sea air and the fragrant flowers of the fields. You can feel the straps of your packs meagerly filled with starting gear and the coarse woven fabric of your clothes. You are taller (or shorter) than you should be and your hair waving in the breeze is not your own. Looking at your hands you see fresh unblemished skin that hasn't seen a day of work and you feel utterly new. As you look around and at each other you notice strange incongruities. Wherever you look you can see a compass at the top of your vision and a little circular picture in the corner with a cluster of dots, one of them green in the center. At the bottom there are little hearts and a few symbols with mysterious intent. When you look at each other you can see names floating in the air seemingly attached to the person along with a couple of hearts. Standing at the edge of the grove in which you find yourself is a woman with an expectant look upon her face. Above her head is a name: Kaori and above that is a cartoon exclamation point. Edited February 24 by Penchant (see edit history) Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cairo Posted February 24 Clone Share Posted February 24 ImpBiscuit One of the characters is a Chib with platinum blonde hair, dressed in an elegant, white bell-sleeved romper with lavish copper-colored cuffs and details. She wears boots in a similar style, a white stocking only on her right leg, and a three-tailed dark blue cloak. For jewelery she has a four-pointed obsidian star pinned to her hair and a copper circlet floating above her head. The circlet appears to react to her mood and is presently alternating between a question mark and an exclamation point as she jogs from flower to bush to rock, poking and prodding at every little detail. There's a look of curiosity and awe on her face and she keeps making giddy sounds. "Oh! Oh gosh!" ImpBiscuit eventually shifts her interest from the glade to those in it, testing the feel of the clothing of one of the other characters - not Kaori - that have yet to animate. "I could swear this is real!" Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rorytheromulan Posted February 24 Clone Share Posted February 24 Mercurius Another Chib, a strawberry-blond shrew of a maid, garbed in a miko battledress, stares with eyes as big as saucers at everything as she(?) takes notice of it, as if she can't decide which game feature deserves her attention the most. She wrinkles her eyes at the detailed, transfixed eye floaters in fleeting annoyance. She echoes the munchkin next to her, "Everything's so real..." The statement of realization reminds her that she ought to be stapled to a gaming chair right now - in a different body that should feel more real than this one, with its swollen chest mounds, and... Oh. Something's... some things are missing. And in their place... "Oh God." Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m3owdy Posted February 24 Clone Share Posted February 24 (edited) Cleo Cleopatra Taking a few, dazed paces forwards is another figure dressed like a nobleman's servant, white hair shifting in the breeze. Another human-with-a-twist, they stand at middling stature, with feline ears that peek out the top of their head. The pupils of their red eyes dilate to their full extent as they gradually raise a pair of trembling hands towards the sky. HOLY S___. It's everything I remembered The Starting Area to be and more. I can smell the sea, and I can smell the tuccanutty-tang of the tuccanuts on their tuccanut trees. Of course I'd know what they'd smell like. (A bittersweet, vegetal smell, huh. Guess that question's finally been answered by the Devs Above.) The sunlight glows softly from the EAST! The road to the town of CHERUBIM lies SOUTH! Just me, my trusted starter weapon of a skillet and a world of adventure to conquer, one, stupid dialogue tree option at a time. Just like old times and sleepless nights. Practically oblivious to the other player-characters standing behind them, Cleo shouted out to the skies at the top of their lungs. "I'm home, baby!!" ... The young, husky, feminine voice that came out of the Rai-Neko's mouth resembled nothing of the Player behind them. The only part of it that was still entirely them-them, was how their voice broke between syllables like a rubber chicken being flung down a flight of stairs. Exhilaration soon turned to an acute sense of horror as their pupils practically sucked themselves back into their eyes. They'd asked for player immersion as far as the state of the industry would allow, but not like this. Not like this. Not how they could feel their pointy, fluffy ears flatten against their skull, and not how symbols dotted their peripheral vision, and not how their hands seemed thinner and not how they could feel an actual tail extend out of their tailbone, drooping down onto the ground in existential despair. "Oh my god." Edited February 24 by m3owdy (see edit history) Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cairo Posted February 24 Clone Share Posted February 24 ImpBiscuit A Chib woman with platinum blonde hair, dressed in an elegant, white bell-sleeved romper with lavish copper-colored cuffs and details. She wears boots in a similar style, a white stocking only on her right leg, and a three-tailed dark blue cloak. For jewelery she has a four-pointed obsidian star pinned to her hair and a copper circlet floating above her head. The platinum blonde short stack jumps back and giggles happily as the character whose clothing she was inspecting - Mercurius - comes to life. "Hee-hee! They speak!" While the others start realizing issues with their state of being the 2-some-feet tall ball of energy starts running circles around the taller folk, arms out in glee, leaning back. What makes this even stranger a sight is the relatively speaking massive pack the little gal's carrying on her back - with no apparent trouble to boot. "I'm so short! Oh, I bet I could fit in a barrel!" She comes to a sudden stop, probably to look for a barrel. Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azure Kestrel Posted February 24 Clone Share Posted February 24 Rinah Brightsilver floats above her head in a gilded script. Kelsey feels her stomach whirling, as she sinks to the grass, grabbing a handful, feeling the small, piquant sharpness of the blades, and takes in the glory that is Dynasty. Instinctively she reaches up to adjust her glasses, and there's a moment of panic--they are lost! No wait! Where's the headset?--and a faint sensation of disconnect: a smooth, too-thin nose that meets her questing fingers: a nose that suddenly catches the whiff of vegetable-sweet tuccanut tree, and she sneezes, with an disconcertingly melodious sneeze. Frantically, she pats her face, mime-like, grabs a bunch of her suddenly short hair, twisting the silver strands in front of her face, then gasps in realization. This is so cool! What have you been working on, dad? She is confident of rescue; that all will be explained in good time. She stands up, noticing the small grass stain on her knee, and realizes that the fidelity of this world is amazing. In a melodious voice, more the stuff of an up-and-coming Disney villain than Kelsey, Rinah Brightsilver points down off at the seaside, where it meets the town of Cherubim, and exclaims, "I bet there are barrels down there!" Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inquisitor D Posted February 24 Clone Share Posted February 24 (edited) The NPC in front of the group doesn't seem to take being ignored too badly. She just stands there watching the group, hair flowing behind her in the breeze, the folds of her light blue haori perfectly rendered. Doubtless, the Dynasty designers had thought up a variety of scenarios for this introduction: proactive players, those more distracted. Now that most of the group are active, and have the basic controls of the simulation down, the blue robed warrior proudly steps forward to greet the new arrivals. "Hello there! Welcome to Cherubim, new... friends?" Kaori's first line of dialogue, the hearty introduction to a familiar world, dies on her lips. She looks between the new arrivals a second time, clearly concerned. Something's... wrong. How had she not noticed it just a second ago? Chibs getting up to adorable antics, that's all fine. It barely seems to register that one of them only just realized how short she was. But the second one, the maid... and then the Rai-Neko. They're distressed. Worried. That wasn't what she'd been expecting. The day's beautiful, her new companions have just arrived on the outskirts of Cherubim. What's made them so upset? It... can't have been something I did. Can it? Kaori abandons her position, moving into the midst of the group, and the big exclamation point above her head greys out, fading into the background. Anyone who focuses on it sees faint green text. Busy. She looks between Mercurius and Cleo, making eye contact with both. Whatever's wrong, she has to make it clear they're not alone. They're safe. They will get through... whatever this is. "Are you all right? What's wrong?" Edited February 24 by Inquisitor D (see edit history) Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigun Posted February 24 Clone Share Posted February 24 "-bout freaking time. Why is my room always at the edge of the wi-fi signal?" A voice sighed as the last character finally reacted. Ludwig blinked a few times and looked around at the starting area. "Is this Cherubim?! So freaking awesome!" He excitedly took in the view, the scenery of the town ahead, the Stormwatch Mountain behind them, feeling of the breeze, the scent of salt water. "Wait a minute. I can smell. I can feel it." That was when he heard the commotion besides him, coming from the other players. Their reactions told him everything, but his mind wandered as he saw the NPC reacting to the commotion. "Wow, her reaction is so realistic. The devs really thought the programming through. I wonder what e- Wait a moment! What am I thinking?! Stare in wonder later, Luis!" Ludwig moved over to the group and faced the NPC, the HUD highlighting her name, Kaori, talking to two others, a chib and a Rai-Neko. He decided to talk with the other Chib and the Tenebrate. "Excuse me. Is it me or did we just Sword Art Onlined when we all logged into the game? Because all of this feels so damn real." The sage asked with mixed feelings, both of trepidation... and excitement. He would never admit it but he was a bit of an isekai fan, even though he never actually wanted this to happen to him. Yet Ludwig liked the character he made, how he was younger and at least more fit than he was in real life. Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cairo Posted February 24 Clone Share Posted February 24 ImpBiscuit A Chib woman with platinum blonde hair, dressed in an elegant, white bell-sleeved romper with lavish copper-colored cuffs and details. She wears boots in a similar style, a white stocking only on her right leg, and a three-tailed dark blue cloak. For jewelery she has a four-pointed obsidian star pinned to her hair and a copper circlet floating above her head. "Oh! You think so?" the Chib starts excitedly, looking wide-eyed up at Rinah Brightsilver. It only then occurs to her that the other character had reacted to what she had said. "Hold on now, waitamminute!" she says, gesticulating wildly for a timeout. Peering at the pointy-eared Tenebrate, she continues, slowly. "You .. understand .. voice .. commands? Like Siri? Set a timer, five minutes?" Whatever Rinah has to say to.. that, is delayed by Ludwig's interjection. The lore he spouts makes very little sense to Biscuit, unfortunately. "Sorry .. I'm .. new .. here," she answers to the young man. Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azure Kestrel Posted February 24 Clone Share Posted February 24 The tenebrate's ears twitch ever so slightly at the question--apparently they can do that, and it feels like scalp-tingling-with-frowning. She waits her turn, though, idly trying to figure out how to activate one of the icons in her field of view. "I'm a player like you, " she says, as matter-of-fact, or tries anyway. She eyeballs Ludwig. "My dad's AR setup is cutting edge, and it really is like being here if that's what you mean. Did all the beta testers get, like, special rigs?" Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigun Posted February 24 Clone Share Posted February 24 "...seriously? I had no idea." Ludwig deadpanned, staring at the chib. He hadn't expected a total newbie to MMOs in general to suddenly be invited to a beta. The only conclusion the sage could reach was that the player in front of him had used the code meant for someone close to them. "I'll just note everyone as them until I know for sure what gender pronoun they're fine with. Geez, people these days are so sensitive about that. How is a stranger supposed to know what gender you prefer to be referred as?!" He shook the thought out of his head, well aware he was showing an expression of annoyance right now. Ludwig turned to face the tenebrate and answered. "No, I only got the code. Sides, my VR set is a year old. You're probably referring to that new model released for Christmas last year." He glanced at the chib and added. "BTW, I'm a player too and I was quoting an anime. Where the plot involved real life people stuck in a video game." The sage had a faint hope that the explanation he gave to the chib would be enough to clue her in to at least the oddness of it all. Ludwig turned to face the tenebrate again. "That said, let's try asking the other two players freaking out if they were using VR too." He really hoped that it was a yes and that this whole thing was just his mind playing tricks on him. But a deep feeling in his gut told him it was a very miniscule hope. Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rorytheromulan Posted February 25 Clone Share Posted February 25 (edited) Mercurius Mercurius starts to examine the HUD in front of her for a Help option, reflexively squinting front of her before adjusting. The rumbling of footsteps pulls her thoughts away from her plight to look up at Kaori... then down at herself. "Is... How do I zoom??" she asks. She coughs again, startled by her own high, cute voice. Which was odd, since Mercurius didn't play with a microphone. Mercurius couldn't recall selecting a voice in the menu, either. After struggling and finding no way to change her perspective, she turns her attention back to the towering NPC - is she really an NPC, though? Everyone else around her appeared in a cluster and they all have names above their heads, and so does she. "Is this the help guide??" she asks, then shakes her head with disappointment. "They keep trying to invent the wheel with menus... Okay, commands... 'Logout'? 'Exit'? 'New Character'? 'How Logout'? Um, excuse me, the game looks great and all, but something's very wrong," she says, giving up and talking to Kaori like a real person, which is more comforting than blurting commands at her. "This is all very real, all very cool, but I need to sign out and uh, create a new avatar?" Edited February 25 by rorytheromulan (see edit history) Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m3owdy Posted February 25 Clone Share Posted February 25 (edited) Cleo Cleopatra The Rai-Neko is clearly shaken as they dart their gaze around the surroundings that'd, until a moment ago, been a dream come true. But they weren't too sure of that anymore. The more they thought about their body, the more their mind seemed to reject it. Even the heart beating in their chest and the lungs that were taking in breath after wheezing breath weren't familiar. "Help. H-E-L-P. Question mark. Exit. [Esc]. Reset. >Cd backslash." With their fingers on their temples, they begin racing about in circles, muttering eldritch things under their breath. It's only after a moment or so of this pacing around that they realise other characters are standing beside them, the diminutive Tana and what was probably the tutorial welcome NPC being the nearest to them. "Not cool, dude, they took my ____. F___ me. F______-______, _____. (???) P______-v____-s____na!!" *[Tooltip: Spoken Languages.] As they calm down after a bout of impassioned miming, Cleo butts into the conversation between the Chib and the other lady in blue robes. Something seemed ever so slightly familiar about the way they both dressed - it was that one obscure region mentioned in the D2L manual... what was it? "I can't be the only beta tester here, right? [Aura - Easy 12] [FAIL] -Pipsqueak?" Edited February 25 by m3owdy (see edit history) Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rorytheromulan Posted February 25 Clone Share Posted February 25 Mercurius The players continue to flounder in front of the welcome NPC while it analyzes their behaviors and inputs. Tana Tootsweet <Mercurius>, AKA "Pipsqueak", almost retorts to Cleo's rude namecalling, before pausing and realizing she does resemble that remark, deadpanning, "No." Another pause, and then Mercurius latches onto Cleo's initiative as a potential resource for help. "Hey - I mean, I'm a beta tester too. How do I log off?" Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m3owdy Posted February 25 Clone Share Posted February 25 (edited) Cleo Cleopatra "Trust me, if I knew how to, I would. I am not enjoying this, and I can feel my sanity leak out of my little ears." Cleo has to crane their neck down to look at the small creature responding to their enquiries. [Insight - Medium ??] A moment spent studying the garden-gnomette reveals, impressively, that they'd be just as able to tear out someone's face as anyone around them. Something about a Chib Raider of all combinations put a dumb sneer on their face, like a hamster put in a no-fly list for its propensity towards violence. But that scar all but proved their deadly nature. Then again, they weren't in that good of a situation themselves, little catgirl. Maybe it's worth making a comrade stuck in the same boat. "I'm not the only one that's... like this, am I?" Edited February 25 by m3owdy (see edit history) Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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