⬣//GROWING WILDLY OUT OF CONTROL.

[cccorp]

>>Gathering // >>Waiting // >>Can't Return // >>It's Real

⬣//STERILE WHITE WALLS

September 23rd—conference day. In the hours preceding the meeting, beta testers are supplied with information on how to access the virtual conference room and offered a set of conduct guidelines. Testers are urged to read them thoroughly and instructed to sign their name on the bottom of the page to confirm that they’ve read and understand the following guidelines:

1. All questions will be addressed. Do not interrupt speakers or other beta testers when they are asking questions or having their questions answered.

2. Conduct yourself professionally and appropriately. Do not curse, shout, or otherwise engage in disruptive behavior. Violators will be muted and their speaking privileges revoked.

3. No eating or drinking. Keep your virtual space clean and free of debris.

4. Remain seated. Excessive movement or inappropriate behavior will result in restriction of your avatar’s movements.

5. PvP is disabled in the conference room. Weapons cannot be drawn and your Fragment inventory is unavailable during the duration of the conference.

Players are generously allowed one hour to filter in and find their seats, review the guidelines, and discuss the questions they’ve prepared with their fellow beta testers.

⬣//THE LOW RUMBLE OF DISTANT THUNDER

One hour comes and goes. The room remains occupied only by the beta participants, CyberConnect Corporation’s flashy logo spinning idly on the conference room’s 80 inch display. Restlessness begins to settle in, idle chatter turning to frustration as one hour becomes two. Still, no one from the Corporation shows.

The conference room remains devoid of purpose, some forty-odd people sitting alone in a sterile conference room, a locked room, should anyone grow so restless they try to leave. Any attempts made to break doors and windows will fail.

The door is locked, as are the windows, the world beyond their stark white blinds a slurry of purple and black. Thunder crackles in that dark, endless void. Even if you could leave, where would you go?

⬣//TORRENTIAL RAINS

It’s painfully evident after three hours of silence that no one from CyberConnect is showing up to the conference, but you knew that already, didn’t you? This mandatory meeting was fishy from the start, some would argue, while others may yet hold out hope.

That ends the instant anyone tries to log out and leave. Everyone who attempts to leave will be met with the same error Shoka was some weeks ago, but this time, the error is permanent. This time, there is no connection between mind and body anymore, and any attempt to “reach” your real self will fail.

You feel no one on the other end. You no longer feel the weight of your headset on your head or the keyboard beneath your fingertips. All your worldly aches and pains have drifted away only to find you here in your new reality, every sensation so real that Fragment no longer feels like just a game. Fragment is reality.

Three hours pass from the start of the conference. The boring white walls and rickety office chairs shudder and shake and give way to the Mac Anu everyone knows. You’re back where you started, more or less. What you do from here is up to you.

⬣//LOST TO THE TUMULT AND BEDLAM

Some menus remain online. Players retain the ability to send and receive friend and party requests, access their inventories, spells, and weapons, and so on, but a few notable items are missing.

Players can no longer toggle their pain sensors on and off. Every blow you take is one you’re forced to suffer through, and what’s more, your health no longer automatically regenerates when idle. You’d better keep a stash of potions or a pocket healer handy.

While you’re at it, try not to die. The sharp-eyed among the group may notice that the respawn information nestled in the menus is no longer accessible to them. The respawn counter now reads as a series of zeros instead of the typical 20 minutes. Now is probably not the best time to continue testing Fragment’s death mechanics, but nothing’s stopping you from trying. No one’s going to save you, either.

Good luck, players. The real test has begun.

>>Navigation

Comments

[dissimulative]

You're also a "I only like it on my significant other" kind of person, huh?

[ Mood, but Oria is just trying to tease him. The cat ears twitch a lot when Sinclair stops petting him and he shakes his head as if trying to get the bangs out of his face. It's really just the ears. ]

[insinning]

[Sinclair's tail swishes slowly, happily]

Mmm, I guess so.

[That's also so cute?? Help]

Is that so strange?

[dissimulative]

Nope!

[ Because he's one too, and they established that before. ]

I wonder if the game gave you fox ears because your forum icon is also a fox! And you wrote about one.

[ ... ]

You like them a lot, huh?

[insinning]

Mm. There used to be a family of one that lived in the woods behind my family's home.

[ ... ok not dwelling on that]

I always liked watching them.

[dissimulative]

[ No wonder Sinclair has been fond of them. That's definitely a family tie as well, and he tries not to let Sinclair dwell on that. ]

I wonder if I drink the potion enough times, I can also get a fox set...

[ He looks over at Sinclair's fox ears and tail. ]

Would it suit me though?

[insinning]

[ Swish. Swish. Sinclair looks at Oria. What if indeed]

I think you'd look cool with them.

[ Cool, not cute. Cool-cute. He's trying to encourage Oria here]

[dissimulative]

[ He holds in his laughter, because he can tell that Sinclair is trying at least. ]

More than the cat ears I have right now...?

[ He leans in with a very mischievous face. ]

Master Nyan.

[insinning]

The cat ears are cute but...

[Sinclair calmly reaches up and puts his hands on Oria's face. Then he squishes]

You need a butler's outfit first before you try that.

[dissimulative]

[ Bwuh... Oria shakes his head quickly so that he can try to free himself from the hold. ]

So you're saying that you'd be into it if I wore a butler outfit.

[insinning]

Ah.

[Pausing for a moment as he thinks about it. Hm. Hmmmm]

Not the 'master nyan' part...but.

[dissimulative]

But...?

[ Oria looks so expectant. Even his cat ears are so focused and turned towards Sinclair. ]

[insinning]

[In turn, Sinclair's ears flatten a little in embarrassment]

Um. I might like it...

[ Something about Oria in a waistcoat is...hm.]

[dissimulative]

[ Oria grins at Sinclair upon his admittance because it's nice when Sinclair tells him things, even when it's things like what outfits he'd like to see on him. ]

Then sure! If I find one, I'll wear it just for you.

[insinning]

[Oh. His ears slowly unflatten themselves]

Don't go out of your way...but It'd be nice to see you dressed up at least once.

[dissimulative]

Ah, yeah... I don't really do much of that except suits, huh?

[ It's not Oria's thing, but it isn't as if Sinclair's choices are outrageous. His boyfriend deserves a treat. Many treats. ]

Anything else you wanna see me in? Maybe I should finally cash in GP at the cash shop.

[insinning]

Oh, I should do the same.

[ Now he's still embarrassed and he gives a little shake of his head. Reaching out to take Oria's hand]

I like how you normally dress too.

[dissimulative]

[ Oria smiles and takes his hand, tail swaying with a little bit of amusement. ]

Considering my choice in fashion, I bet you do!

[ He gives his hand a small squeeze. ]

But I like it when you tell me what you want.

[insinning]

[Sinclair sees that and his tail swishes with embarrassment]

You don't think it's greedy?

[dissimulative]

It's not wrong to want things. In fact, you should want things! Everything should be done in moderation though—if you're not sure about how much is enough, you can probably afford to want a little more.

[ He hung out with greedy people all the time. Take it from him. Oria is also one of them, even. ]

[insinning]

[ Be careful not to desire too much.

Unbidden, Mithrun's words from their last proper conversation rise in his head. He pushes them back down, leaning into Oria a little]

Mmm, maybe. It still feels strange to be told that.

[dissimulative]

[ His tail sways a little with curiosity. ]

How come? Were you told otherwise?

[insinning]

[ Ah. He disassembles poorly, so he doesn't even try]

Just once.

[ Or twice. His ears flatten a little]

[dissimulative]

[ The question of who told Sinclair rests on the tip of his tongue, but he bites it back. There are more important things to address. ]

Honestly, though? I want a lot. If I didn't have as many desires as I do today, I wouldn't be the same person. I'm very greedy and I turn that energy into motivation and ambition.

It's never an issue of how much you want, but how you handle it. I have no shortage of examples of people who get fucked over by their tremendous greed because they didn't know how to channel it well. On the other hand, I also have a lot of examples of how people took advantage of their tremendous greed and worked it out to the benefits of others, like some researchers who crave knowledge and share it with others for the sake of spreading information.

Greed and desire come in many forms. Without it, it would make people a lot more boring.

[insinning]

[ Something untwists in him, brief but welcome. He smiles, squeezing Oria's hand. He lets out a short breath.]

Then we'd all be doing the same thing mindlessly, huh?

[ Wanting things didn't have to be bad. And Sinclair wanted a lot, but often too afraid to put a name to it.]

[dissimulative]

Yup! So it's not bad to want things.

[ Oria returns the slight squeeze in Sinclair's hand. ]

Don't forget that, okay?