POST-GAME IRL PARTY LOG

[cccorp]

Who: All the living players
What: Reunion party
When: Post-game
Where: ?
Warnings: none for now


[ It has been several months since the incident. Recovering from your body being in disuse for around two months must have been hefty, as well as your other commitments as well. Hopefully, everyone has recovered to an extent, because no matter where you are, the living players will receive the following in their mailbox: an invitation to a reunion party at a location near the beach between the ex-beta testers of Fragment, a bank card, and a 4-digit pin to said card from "Oriade". The invitation card will mention the following:

- A very convenient location nearby you with access to a small, private plane. For security purposes, you'll be told to list your in-game name, real name, and class before boarding.

- The bank card contains $10,000 as some sort of "compensation" for everything that happened because of the Fragment incident. He knows it can't replace everything (like lost lives), but he hopes this will help some people (because some people live paycheck to paycheck and he understands that). Access will be revoked in a month, so you better withdraw it all while you still can. Any unused funds will be returned. The bank will not question you withdrawing all the money from that account nor exchanging it all with foreign currency. (But-- no buts)

- The servers have been located and he knows how much you guys want to destroy these, so the server bash (literally) will happen some time during the party.

Being rich has its benefits, surely. When the plane lands with their luggage and all (if you brought any. please bring some), they'll be taken to a house that doesn't seem like much, but once they walk inside, it is actually very big! There are numerous rooms inside the house. The kitchen is stocked with everything you can think of with some dude(?) preparing all the food (he's the chef. don't worry about him). There is sure to be loads of different kinds of food that can cater to everyone's tastes. Yes, there is alcohol. Get some free rich ass liquor. No, you cannot smuggle any. That dude(?) will be keeping tabs. Sometimes there's a maid or two(? or is that the same one) running around and cleaning up after everyone. If you want something, go get it yourself. Self-service only.

There's a walkway in the backyard that's also wheelchair-accessible that leads to the beach! Enjoy that too.

But for the main attraction, the server burning. ]

Comments

SERVER BURNING

[cccorp]

[ This event can take part on the driveway in front of the house. Will there be police to worry about? No. Neighbors? No one else lives around here. Go wild. Smash it. Burn it. Smash server equipment responsibly. There's a medic on-site, because Oria knows how some of you guys are. There are all sorts of tools for you to use. ]

[ganymed]

[ Ganymede doesn't give a shit about timing because he just starts to smash into the server right away with a large, metal bat is definitely happening at some point.

Wow he wasted no time at all... ]

[glassbell]

[ Fuurin has a change of clothes for this. All black, but tidy enough for a casual funeral. The only thing that stands out from that theme is a pair of bright yellow protective eyeglasses. ]

Is it okay? To just destroy it.

[ He has some reservations about it, like maybe this is too easy, or surely it'll bite them in the ass... But it's easy to convince him it's fine. ]

[secondthoughts]

[ Mehmet stands before the pile of servers, both hands resting atop his cane. He contemplates the tech, briefly going over all the awful, awful things that horrible old man put them—him through. He tries not to dwell on it for too long, because he isn't equipped right now to handle himself if he has a breakdown, but.

He's got some revenge to enact.

He sniffs, then glances to Oria. ]

Do you have a gun?

[gluttoning]

[Have you ever seen someone chuck a memory drive against a nearby wall with the force of a football throw?

Now you have. Out of all the muscles he's able to keep in shape, his shoulders are still relatively intact. Watch that baby fly and shatter. Huffs.]

[insinning]

[Sinclair isn't actually joining in on the server burning. He's just watching pieces fly with no small amount of bemusement. So that's how it looked when he went nuts on the training dummies...

Very much noted]

We do have a fire extinguisher on hand right...?

[trollophoroi]

[ Amon only stands by, watching everyone else taking their anger out on the servers. In those, an entire world once existed, and the thought leaves him feeling pensive. He won't help destroy these but he'll at least witness it. ]

[tablescraps]

( Surprisingly, there's no outburst of violence from Mithrun's end. He's sat down on the driveway, dismantling a tower, piece by piece, screw by screw, panel by panel, and splitting those panels into smaller and smaller pieces. If this were a human body he'd be stripping it down from flesh to bone. It is a meticulously loveless gesture. )

[ganymed]

[ Here is Ganymede! He looks surprisingly mostly like himself.

He's wearing sunglasses (which shields the fact his eyes are emerald green instead of blue like in the game), a t-shirt, sky blue shorts, and sandals.

Before or after server smashing, he's holding a glass of alcohol. ]

So. Enjoying yourself?

[ Ganymede is trying to socialize. Yeah...! ]

[dissimulative]

If you are, yeah!

[ Hi. Oria downs an entire bottle of water, scrunches it up, and tosses it in the nearby trash can. ]

Are you?

[gluttoning]

[Between the coma and his leg injury, Barrett's not quite as bulked up in the muscle department as he had been a few months ago. But being freed from his cast means he's up on two feet despite everything - still tall, still with that same flash of red hair. Loose board shorts tie against his hips with a dark sleeveless top that shows off a celestial themed tattoo against his right arm, a cane at his side that he favors far more with his bad leg as the day starts to grow long. Recovery is still a process.

He can be found with an always-changing serving of different foods every single time someone looks at him (surprising no one), though to those that know his previous habits, he seems to be making an effort to keep his tastings from going overboard. The only exceptions he makes is anything that's meant to be finger food - in that, he's generous in his helpings, openly trying to find people he recognizes and holding it out for them to try if he likes how it tastes. Eat with him. It tastes better with friends.

The later the day gets, the more one can find him closer to the beach, intentionally standing still in the surf or plopping down on his back against the sand. Aren't there perfectly good places to sit? Sure, probably, but he doesn't seem to care. In fact, if not for how he flexes his hands in the sand, or how he takes a moment to let his steps drift with the tide, one might think he's just drifting off to sleep. It's an illusion broken if anyone approaches, though, a careful turn of his head as his eyes open, expression as stoic as ever.]

...I think I really like these beaches a lot better. How about you?

[dissimulative]

[ Oria isn't surprised and he looks over at the chef, who just keeps smiling and smiling, cooking his time away. Is that guy happy to be here? Who knows, but Barrett is being satiated, so a happy guest is a good guest. ]

What are you gonna eat next? Maybe you should challenge the chef.

[ The chef is smiling, but it's the scary kind of smile. Oria ignores it though. ]

[sicklysweet]

[Well, at least the rich people from that cursed beta test are actually good for something. One of the first things Owen does is immediately withdraw the money from the card and deposit it into his accounts, though he's been lucky enough to have sorted out most of the worst of it.

Most of that money will probably end up going towards his dogs, since he always did spoil them. People at the party might actually see them before they even see Owen at the party - Echidna and Typhon can be found running or lounging on the beach. They're excitable, friendly dogs, but also shockingly well-behaved. Nobody will be getting bowled over out of the blue, and they don't ever wander off out of eyesight of the house. The third, Cerberus, is with Owen for obvious reasons.

At least everyone knows already how Owen looks in real life - almost exactly the same as his avatar, but with one blue and one brown eye instead. It seems he's dyed his hair over these last few months, though, as its now a light, silvery purple. His roots were just obnoxious... Also, it might seem like he's nervous. He keeps checking his phone, and shifting, and swapping between holding Cerberus, putting Cerberus on the ground, and walking around before taking a seat. He's not nervous, though! He's just... bored, you know? Waiting for things to start.

What does he have to be nervous about, anyways? That would be stupid. He keeps looking at his phone with a frown, though.]

[trollophoroi]

[ Oh, he is 100% sneaking up on Owen while he's looking at his phone. Quietly, quietly, making a humorous little shhh gesture at Cerberus as the dog turns to stare at him, and then leaning over to whisper in Owen's ear, ]

Waiting to hear from someone, hmm?

[ His voice isn't exactly to what was in the game. It's deeper, smoother, and far less clown-like, although, by this point, the two have very likely spoken over the phone. It shouldn't be that much of a shock. ]

[fluorite]

[ Yuui looks exactly the same as his avatar! It's easy to pick him out and know exactly who he is, especially when he rolls up to the party with Yael on his arm like the world's buffest piece of arm candy.

And if anyone notices that they have matching rings? Well, that's to be expected of them by this point, right?

The last few months look like they've been relatively good to Yuui—he's gained back the weight he lost while in the hospital and isn't quite as lanky and skinny as he used to be on top of that, as a healthy glow has instead settled over his skin. Yuui is dressed for the occasion, too, in a light green button-up and board shorts with flipflops that coordinate. He's tied his long hair up into a high pony just for this occasion, though the people that know him well in real life know that he usually wears his hair like this.

As social as his Fragment self, Yuui makes his way around the party to talk to those he recognizes and those he doesn't, holding a glass of champagne in one hand the entire time, slowly sipping at it so he can enjoy the depth of flavor that only absurdly expensive alcohol can provide. He grins whenever he approaches someone, his enthusiasm containing a softness that could never quite be properly portrayed in virtual reality. ]

It's good to see you.

[dissimulative]

Good to see you too! Hope you get your fill of whatever expensive alcohol you can get your hands on.

[ Hi, Yuui. Is that any way one should be talking to a tutor? No, but Yuui is just Yuui right now. ]

If you like that one, I think that hard to say brand name goes along well with it.

[curvaceous]

[ A few months ago, Kara would've looked exactly like her avatar! When she arrives at the party (with Levi), however, you may not recognize her at first. Kara is sporting a shorter hairstyle, having chopped most of it off a few weeks after her awakening.

She seems to be pretty healthy; certainly not as fit as she was before, but still warm and glowing. Seems like she's gotten back into makeup, too!

Kara will have a glass of wine in her hand and she can be found either lounging around, or approaching people with an actually friendly smile. ]

Yo! Long time no see!

[ Unless, you know, you may have seen her in the interim if you're in Cali. Eh, details... ]

How've you been? Nice to see you, for real this time.

[dissimulative]

[ Oria was notified of which guest would be coming before they land, so he's been expecting Kara.

... Kara doesn't look like Kara?? It really feels so disjointed to see people so different from their avatars from how Oria remembered them. ]

Kara, you made it! Everything been okay??

[ Since, you know. She kinda died once. ]

[trashtier]

[Levi isn't hard to miss, once he finally makes himself known. He looks almost exactly like his avatar, minus the horns and tail. After recovering from his coma, one of the first things he did was get himself back in the water. As such, he's a little more in shape than he's been in years.

(Some of the other first things he did was catch up on his anime and try to figure out what events he'd missed in his gacha games, in case anyone was wondering.)

In an effort to be more outgoing, he spends a good deal of time mingling, often on the arm of Kara. These are the people he's been through hell and back with. Of course he's going to want to know how everything's going with them!

But...years of a short social battery don't fade in an instant. When he's feeling drained, he heads to the beach to decompress. Fellow partygoers might even find him going for a swim. He truly looks at peace in the water. In a way, it's another old friend he's reunited with.]

[threatmewted]

[With that petite frame and long (longer than even the game?!) black hair, who could it be but Shoka? She's not exactly dressed for the beach, but apparently that's because she isn't really intending to be out there much - instead, she prefers to lounge indoors and help herself to spicy and/or sweet foods as they catch her eye.

She doesn't look too terribly different from her game avatar, and her attitude about meeting up with the people she's literally put her life on the line alongside for a matter of months is decidedly lax. Those who have met her in the interim get a fairly understated wave in greeting, while those she hasn't get a whole whopping:]

Hey.

[Shitty catgirl's gonna be a shitty catgirl.

That said she does speak Japanese as well so if any losers need to translate between ENG and JP she might be persuaded to help. Maybe. You can OOC handwave her doing the actual translation part if someone does in fact bug her for it.]

[deto]

Hey.

[ she even gets a salute ]

What’s been up with you?

[dapples]

[ The proposed trip did fill him with nerves, admittedly. Part of him wanted to refuse - but he knew that it would be beneficial for his own healing to meet up with others who experienced the Fragment. (Plus, money! Thank you, Oria.) Said money will be very useful for when he moves to Korea to start his PhD.

And so here is Brambles in the flesh - he's standing at a mere 5'4'' and he doesn't look all that different to his avatar. (Minus the robes and antlers, of course.) His skin is pale and freckled, already turning red from the sun around his nose, cheeks and shoulders. This poor pasty British man truly cannot survive in the sun. He can be mostly spotted near his taller boyfriend, Joonghyuk, better known as Punisher in the game.

His avatar has red eyes, but his real life eye colour is brown. He's wearing a red hoodie over the top of a swimsuit with flower motifs up the side. He's already had a glass of rich person liquor and he's happily wandering around with a second. Being in the presence of people with alcohol in his hand is a callback to when they first participated in the beta ... how things have changed since then. He's also definitely contemplating how much music would improve the atmosphere.

When he strikes up conversation with the person closest to him on the beach, his English accent very obvious. ]

How are you doing?

[aphonik]

[ Things from Dosei have likely largely been radio silent except for a few select people, for several reasons. Fortunately, with a lot of convincing (and stubborn arguing), he’s here! Or unfortunately, if you know how he is.

He looks…mostly like his avatar, with the exception of several new holes in his ears, that bright blue hair appearing in it’s true form of a stark inky black, and the bags under his eyes outlined in eyeliner. Not very dressed for the heat, the sweater is notably too large and hangs off his boney shoulders; he was already thin, but even after physical therapy, the time comatose did him no favours. Occasionally, when it droops, you can see the faint old remains of burns crawling up his arms. Dosei is usually found tucked away in a corner, staring out at either the people, the sea, or the sketchbook nestled in his lap as he absentmindedly taps on the page with the pencil in hand.

Alternatively, he can be found picking at the sweets at the table, or trying to hoard cola for himself while notably avoiding the alcohol. While not openly searching for conversation himself due to certain speech-related difficulties, he won’t turn anyone away who approaches him…yet, anyway. He’s behaving! ]

[insinning]

Dosei.

[Sinclair is genuinely happy to see Dosei and he'll bring over some slices of chocolate cake to sit with him at the beach. One goes in front of Dosei on the table next to him]

What are you drawing now?

[justonezero]

[He's pretty much fully covered with a long-sleeved hoodie, brimmed cap, pants, and shades, but given the white hair peeking out and the fact that he's currently attached to Deto, it's still obvious enough who this is.

Once he's inside he's pretty much staying there, thank you very much! The hood is lifted back and the cap and shades put away, replaced with a pair of glasses instead. He... also pretty much looks like his in-game counterpart! That star-shaped mole peeking out from under his hair is real! Wow! What!

His English is still pretty rudimentary but he does have a pocket translator to try to strongarm into working if there's communication issues. The future is now, truly.

He will largely be finding new foods to try, but he does perk up and wave when he sees familiar faces.]

Um... Hi!

[dissimulative]

[ Honestly, Oria is most surprised about the star-shaped mole being real, but it enabled him to figure it out it was Nanase quickly. But he figures Nanase isn't too fluent in English, so. ]

< Nanase! It's good to have you here. Did you find everything to be okay? >

[trollophoroi]

[ Amon isn't going to say no to a free vacation from that rich little shit Oriade (because, of course, he would be rich; he has to wonder why so many rich people managed to net beta invites). He's using that sweet ten thousand to... save for his inevitable move to California since he already knows that'll be pricey.

As it is, now that some time has passed, he can fit back into his typically stylish clothing anyhow, no new wardrobe needed; nice slacks, nice sandals, a black button down, simple but well-tailored. He looks very much like his in-game avatar, but he does not have a bowl cut. His hair in real life is a little longer, fluffier, and differently styled.

For the most part, he can be found lazing about on the couches tucked under the sunshade right up by the house, forever with some alcohol and a plate of food to snack from as he... reads? Yes. He brought reading material. They're obnoxiously science-y sounding titles and he's enjoying just hanging out around everyone else and being a huge introverted nerd for now.

After all, even if so many of them claimed to like him despite all of his bullshit, he did still... cause a whole lot of bullshit, so... Basically, he isn't going to bother anyone who doesn't want to be bothered by him.

Really, he'll understand. ]

[dapples]

[ Even though Fandaniel isn't going to bother anyone, Brambles is going to bother him! He's wearing a red hoodie over his swimsuit and he looks very similar to his avatar. After all, Brambles spots him reading a book, and there's nothing that the little English twink loves more than a good book. He sits himself down on the opposite chair with a drink in his hand, voice (and accent) immediately recognisable. ]

Hello! What are you reading?

[bleatingedge]

[Leo is Here! In the Flesh!

His IRL appearance is close enough to his in-game avatar if you squint a bit - just be prepared to see actual legs instead of hooves (what the fuck). Thanks to his (horrible) diet he's already gained back all the weight he lost while being comatose. And since this is such a fancy shindig, he's actually dressed up a little! He's currently got on a silly button-up shirt undone with a tanktop underneath, khaki shorts, and some nicer sandals. Not really 'fancy' compared to normal people but still!

When it comes to activities, Leo's all over the place mingling with his fellow survivors, and especially trying all of the fancy food and drink on offer. He's rarely seen without some kind of bougie drink in hand.

Occasionally you'll see him stare off into the periphery of the party. If you follow his sight line, it'll almost always be towards Dosei. He promised Dosei's brother he'd keep him safe after all! He's not going to let him down.]

[secondthoughts]

[ Someone miscalculated.

Harald claimed that a soul that had no true desire to live could not be brought back. Harald had reached into the depths of the past, to one's darkest hours, to find evidence of no will to live. In the wake of loss unimaginable, to blink and find a part of one's soul had been ripped from oneself by one's own hands, the desire to push forward seems far out of reach.

Harald had not considered the present. Harald had not considered that people can change, find new hopes, and, though small, give oneself reasons to face change with open arms.


There is someone here. The brief period of brain death has taken a toll on him in the months that followed, but his fellow testers had been fast enough, decisive enough, to send his data back with the rest of them. He's had to relearn how to speak, to walk, to remember, but the spark of Hector—no, Mehmet still burns bright.

He's late, of course. He didn't really tell anyone about his recovery (one, perhaps, might have seen faint signs of life from his online presence). A dramatic bitch to the very end...

His luscious black hair has been cut short, though his stubble is still there. He's a lot skinner than people might remember, having lost a lot of muscle in the interim, and he leans heavily on his cane as he walks, slow, from place to place in the house. That doesn't stop him from wearing a tight, low cut shirt or tight pants, though.

If he catches anyone's eye, he'll try to avoid them at first (he should've reached out, he should've said hi, he should've—), but corner him, and he'll greet with a wry smile and a quiet remark: ]

You look like you've seen a ghost.

[curvaceous]

[ Kara, indeed, looks like she's seen a ghost.

She stares at Hector with wide eyes and her mouth agape as she tries to sort through all the racing thoughts in her head, the months she'd spent wrestling with the concept of him having died in her place.

It all ends up culminating into a sudden burst of tears. She covers her face with her hands and doesn't move. ]

Hector...!

[dissimulative]

[ Getting all this prepared was not an easy task for Oria. The financial aspect was the least troubling part in all this. Sure, he hired some people to help him with it, but in the end, he still had to look over everything, make sure things were perfect, make sure the ten grand was actually in those accounts and so on. This was on top of his own issues to deal with and dealing with not showing up for his first semester in uni and possibly? being?? replaced???

Don't worry about it. Everything is fine. Probably.

All of that should be gone to the back of the mind, so Oria makes sure to greet as many people as he can, helping them around the house, showing people where the kitchen is and how to get to the beach...

He looks the same! Mostly. Some of the beige sand-like roots in his hair starts to creep up on him. Yeah, his hair isn't naturally black, and he had no time to redye it. Surprise! Now he just looks like some punk. ]

Hey! Glad you could make it! Want some drinks or something?

[userunfriendly]

[ Michel is here to worry about it! Thanks, Oria!

Enough that he was willing to get on a shady plane and fly some unknown distance around the world to this, for three of his least favorite things in the world: sunshine, crowds, and the looming menace of conversation. He gives Oria a sidelong glance, taking in the roots of his hair with a brief thoughtful look. ]

Since I'm already taking advantage of your hospitality, I won't refuse one...

[ Yes, it's in French. Yes, unlike Sinclair, Oria doesn't get the benefit of Michel's more deliberately paced pronunciation for non-native speakers. ]

[insinning]

[ Sinclair was one of the first to arrive for various reasons. He really isn't any different offline as he was in Fragment. His hair might be a little longer now, since he hasn't had time to cut it, but it's still as fluffy as ever. Oh...careful inspection might reveal a pair of lobe piercings he definitely didn't have before Fragment. It's very small, delicate, probably still healing. Nothing to see here.

He's managed to put back on the weight he had lost in the two months they had been in a coma, but without the bulk of his armor, he looks more delicate than would have in Fragment. He's dressed in something like this, with a golden hanging around his neck with a symbolthat people will recognise from his final level 100 armor set. Aside from the faded bruises scattered along his arms, he seems healthier than ever.

You can find him along the beach, seated at a table under an umbrella folding origami things, or being roped into a game of beach volleyball or inside the house in one of the many living areas, eating with a book on japanese language learning or french language learning in front of him, though it seems his French seems to be at a significantly higher level than his Japanese at the moment (maybe because he doesn't have to second guess what he's been taught?? :eyes emoji:). You might catch him looking around, maybe muttering "how much did Oria spend on all of this?" but, when approached at the beach, you'll get a bright smile and a warm greeting]

Hey, it's been awhile.

[But if you're approaching him while he's reading, you may need to poke him a little. He's into his self-guided studies ok]

[userunfriendly]

[ If this hadn't been arranged by Oria, there would have been much less than a coin-toss chance of Michel attending. But since it was...

His appearance won't come as any surprise to Sinclair, considering they've been video chatting more than once since they made their return to the real world. Even at the beach he's wearing long sleeves, jeans as his only concession to the sand and dust. But he settles at the table beneath an umbrella and pauses at the sight of Sinclair, whatever he'd been intending to say lost in a moment of surprise.

In French, slower and more careful than his natural delivery: ]

...Those are new.

[ He lightly taps one of the studs in his own earlobes by way of explanation, nodding towards Sinclair's. ]

[legendofthelion]

[$10,000 is a drop in the bucket for medical bills in America, especially when she's effectively been on life support for two months, and then the physical therapy. But that was never Oria's responsibility, and so she withdraws the money with plans to use it as a buffer for life expenses while she... tries to salvage her credit.

She'll try and send him a thank you ahead of the gathering, based on the address on the invitation.

So Dehya's here, she's dressed for the sun, she's got her little umbrella cocktail. Everyone, yes, everyone here gets a very enthusiastic wave, and those she knows particularly well also get a friendly arm slung around their shoulders.] Hey, good to see you! How've you been? Tell me what's going on with your real life.

[trollophoroi]

I think you already know, Dehya.

[ After all, they got in contact again through Scaperune once she was able to log in and unblock him. Whether she's thrown an arm around his shoulders, of all people, though... a mystery. He's been sipping a drink and enjoying the shade of the awning stretched out from the house over the nearby lounge furniture. ]

I'm working on finding a job over in California. There are a few teaching positions open that suit my skillset well enough, so that would, at the very least, be the foot in the door.

[deto]

[ and somewhere around, there’s a guy

deto looks about the same as he was in-game: dark hair swept to the side, covering his equally dark eyes, with three moles dotting his face. but he’s… taller? recovery went well thanks to his hearty appetite - and, uh, his determination to get fit for bun. so he ends up several inches taller, standing comfortably at around 5’10”-5’11” in a crew neck sweatshirt, sleeves bunched up over his forearms, and some jeans. there’s a chain around his neck and a ring on his finger, both rustic titanium. a messenger bag completes the casual boyfriend look; strangely enough, there’s a black, compact umbrella attached to the bag even though they're at the beach

sharp-eyed friends might notice the new phone peeking out from one of the pockets. thanks to both oria’s donation and his own savings! ask him if he remembers his number! (he doesn’t)

overall? he seems fine, the air about him easy and relaxed

hanging around the food area, deto will talk to anyone who comes up to him in a mix of slow, accented english and fast, fluid japanese. sometimes, he’ll pull out some flashcards and read off them, a little concentrated furrow lining his forehead. and when he actually comes up to anyone, he starts off the same: ]

Hello. Nice to meet you. Do you like… [ he pauses, pulls out his flashcards and flips through them, seeming to stop on a random one ] … beach?