⬣//JUST AS A SEED TAKES ROOT.

[cccorp]

>>Secrets // >>Guilds // >>Grunties // >>Carnival // >>Zelkova Corner

⬣//THIS WORLD IS MORE THAN 0S AND 1S.

A team of four courageous adventurers managed to unearth a secret Area unique from the others: the Hulle Granz Cathedral. Unlike other Areas, this one is lacking all the usual monsters, dungeons, and treasure. What might the purpose of this Area be, then...?

Well, if you’re feeling penitent or perhaps wish to hold a sermon of your own, head to Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground and knock yourself out. What? Too soon?

Anyway, be not afraid! The cathedral is perfectly safe. Following Ganymede’s little incident in the cathedral, a timely email has been sent out to beta testers regarding health and safety that reads as follows:

To our beta team,

Please exercise caution when playing video games for extended periods of time. Take breaks every thirty minutes and do not sit in the same position for more than two hours at a time. Remember to stay hydrated and play in a well-lit environment.

Failing to take care of your health while gaming can result in a litany of health complications, including but not limited to eye strain, muscle fatigue, headaches, dizziness, and involuntary loss of consciousness and motor functions.

We take the health and safety of our beta testers very seriously. If you have any concerns, please contact us at cccorp.ccmail.com.

Thank you for your continued efforts,
CyberConnect Corporation of Japan.

⬣//ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL.

Guilds have been patched into the current version of Fragment and are now available for players to create their own and join others. While some guilds have opted to go the private route, others are in need of players to fill their ranks!

The admins have kindly supplied those recruiting for their shiny new guilds with a number of goodies to aid in their player gathering efforts:

⬣ A bundle of personalized flyers proudly displaying their guild logo and a description of the guild’s @ home and available amenities.

⬣ Party poppers and streamers. Nothing screams “join my guild!” like a face full of glitter, confetti, and colorful strips of ribbon.

⬣ A megaphone that lets your voice echo far and wide, even across Root Towns and Areas, but with great potential for abuse comes restrictions! The megaphone can only be used five times before it breaks. Use it wisely!

⬣ A unique recipe for a cocktail, latte, tea, or other type of beverage that can be blended up and served in little sample cups to court potential members. These drinks are unique to their guilds and, when consumed, have a special effect that reflects the leader of that guild. Is your guild leader a pretty cheerful guy? Drinking their special brew will make you feel happy too!

Whatever effect your guild’s drink has is up to the leader’s discretion, but if you so desire, drop a comment under the questions top level and we’ll brew one up for you.

Additionally, you may host a guild open house and invite potential guildies into your @ home to let them take a look around! Guild @ homes are typically locked to guild members & their guests only, so use this as your opportunity to put your best foot forward and impress the world with everything your guild has to offer.

⬣//FATHER, I HUNGER…

Also arriving with the newest update are mountable Grunties! Aren’t they cute? ...Well, they’re someone’s definition of cute.

While the ability to ride around town and in Areas at 2x speed is certainly alluring, you can’t just walk up to the Grunty Ranch located in each Root Town and take one out for a stroll. If you want a mount of your very own, you’ve got to commit! Becoming a proud Grunty owner means you must first become a proud Grunty parent, and to do that, you’ll need to raise your Grunty from infancy into adulthood.

Just what kind of adult might your Grunty become? That depends on how you raise them and what you feed them. Those strange "foods" popping up all over Areas might not taste good to you, but they sure do to Grunties!

For more information on how to acquire a baby Grunty of your very own and raise it into a proper — or not so proper — member of Grunty society, head on over to the Grunty Ranch.

⬣//PROPER CARNIVAL WEATHER.

Mac Anu, the City of Twilight known for its gentle ocean breezes, has been uncharacteristically warm lately. Very, very warm. Its usual orange skies have been swapped out for vivid blues, the sun dwelling high in the sky and threatening to burn everything in its wake.

It won’t take much wandering to feel the effects of heat exhaustion sink in, and even after you log out for the day, those symptoms seem to linger. Do Hien and Zelkova know what the hell is going on? Of course not. Unusual occurrences are slowly becoming the norm in Fragment, it seems, but the point of a beta test is to work out any kinks. Report it and move on.

Lumina Cloth is similarly affected by unusual weather phenomena, but it’s much more pleasant and hospitable than poor Mac Anu. The sun hangs just above the horizon, bathing the strip in early evening light. It’s much cooler here too, and what’s more, it appears that a carnival has rolled into town. What fun!

All the usual carnival fare is here: greasy fried foods, drinks served in foot long glasses, and a litany of carnival games that are totally not rigged. Entry is free and so are the prizes, but some of them take a bit of legwork to win.

⬣ Successfully PK another player to win the carnival exclusive Thursday The 12th™ skin. PK’d players will receive an appropriately spooky ghost skin of their own!

⬣ Step on up to the dunk tank and get dunked on to win a sexy swimsuit skin! Both the dunkers and the dunkees will win this skin, but only those who successfully dunk the player in the tank will be rewarded with the chance to show off some skin. The appearance this skin takes is dependent on the player wearing it, so have fun and get creative with it!

⬣ Take a trip through the hall of mirrors with a friend and do some reflecting! Stare too long into the mirrors and you might recall a memory that doesn’t belong to you, but to the person venturing through the hall of mirrors with you. Did that really happen? Surely it’s all in your head. Memories available for memshare are limited to the ones listed on your application.

Additional rewards include giant plush monsters that can be used to decorate guild @ homes and private rooms (limit one per player!) and a pet goldfish that, unfortunately, will die a hero’s tragic death within a week. Womp womp.

⬣//ZELKOVA’S META ROUNDUP.

We’ve had a busy week! It seems like there was a glitch that allowed players to equip other players as weapons, which resulted in a ten player chain, wielded by none other than our hardworking head administrator, Hien! I’ll have a talk with him about not doing this kind of thing in the future, I promise!

That wasn’t all, though. An unknown entity reached out to the players participating in the ten-player chain and issued them a special title: Good Friends Stick Together. Fragment’s not supposed to have titles. Well, at least not in the beta. But you can go ahead and add it to your name if you want to anyway, and it shouldn’t cause any problems! We still can’t pinpoint who sent those messages and how they overrode the permissions to create those titles in the first place, but... Hmm. I don’t want to start any rumors, so I’ll keep looking into it.

There are those armor sets too, which I didn’t know had been handed out to those of you that reached level 25. Oria brought it to our attention, thankfully! There’s not a whole lot we can do about it now, but we know that some of them are pretty invasive. But knowing is half the battle, right?

Our friend Ganymede suffered an accident recently that had him lying unconscious in the hospital for about a day. He seems to be feeling better now, thankfully. Ḩ̵̲̼͆̃͐̆ò̸̧̰͕̥̈́͒̕͜p̷̫͙̯͇̾̄͜ę̸̹̒f̷̠̭͉̱̅͘ǘ̴͎̙̥̭̈́̈́l̵͇̙͍̳̜̇̓̒l̷̬̲̀̆̈̅̂ͅỳ̵̧̻̖ ̷̠̫̭̰̦̋͗h̴̰͕̑͗e̸̦̼͇̾͘ ̴̡̢̝̺̳̊̎̎̔p̴̳̠̼̜͔̂̅̐à̵͕̹̟ͅỹ̴̡̛͝s̶͉̕ ̴̢͕̬̑̆̕͝b̸̹̲͗͒̊͑͠ē̶̛͖͠ṯ̸̻̺́͒͐t̶̻͕͎̑ĕ̶̖̀͗͛͋r̷͙̗̙̲͙̓̚͝ ̷̻̠͉̈́̚a̷̡̙̳̽́̀̋̔ẗ̴̢̨̛̬̺t̴͖̳͝ē̷͇̆͆̍̚ͅn̵̪̜͉͊̉̔̄͐t̵͕̼͈̓͋̈́̕î̷̬o̸͇̐͋͑͌n̶̟̫̟̽̑͒͐͘ ̷̜̈́̈̀̂̎t̶͙̂͛ô̸̠̜ ̶̫͎̎h̶͖̳͛i̸̗͖̖̅̂͆̄͛s̸͔̈́̇̍ ̸̩̗̻̕s̵̬̼̳̲̞͝ù̸̞̺̣͙̾͒͛ŗ̴̻̟̻̭̂̈́r̶̡͈̲̣̣͋̊͗̕o̶̥̝̮̓ų̴̻̯̬̊̑̑͌̉ͅn̶̢̙̦͔͖̈̒͝d̷̰̼̤̥̃̿͒̌̎i̸̯͑̾͊̑͝n̵̦͐g̸̪̾͝͝s̷̛̝͙̣̹̍͛͝ ̸͔̲̠̩͗̓̀͘a̷̛̼̓̈́͊ṅ̵̥͆̎ḑ̶̨̯̱͍̇ ̷̛̗̮̀̆ḧ̴̼̪́͗͝i̵͓̬̤͂͐͒s̶̮̎̿̃ ̴̛͔̋͗̽h̷̝͑ͅē̴̱ȃ̵̝͎ͅļ̷͍̀͐͊̊̽ẗ̸̼̺̟̥̼́̄͛h̶̥̹̬̮̽̅ ̷̟̖̮͛́̿t̸̢̤̤̂͒͋̍o̶̼̟̓ ̵̥̳͙̖̆̈́ả̶̛̳̱͙̖̩̿̽͘v̴͈͉͖͊͘ỏ̶̤͚̅͑͝i̴̱͈̩̳̳̿̇̕͠ḏ̵͙̮͗͆ ̶̯̭̝̹̯͊s̸͍̰͔̔̀͋͋̐u̷̟̠͑̔̏̚c̵̨͖͉͇̀͆͘ͅh̴̨̓͌̄̈ ̶̧̱̻̼̏̃̃i̷̱͉͈̿̎̋͒͜͝n̴̢͓͍̂͝͠c̷̢̢̛̹͚̑̓̅ͅi̶͕̟̻̘̫̾͌d̶͉͉̏̇e̵͉̱̩̯̤͐̎̉̾n̸̡̠̈͜ţ̴̇͑̈́͘s̵̩̼͔̙̙̉͘ ̵̮̯̞̮̾̈́͋̔̈h̵̡̗͉͉͈̉̐̅̚ȁ̵͖͚̖̾p̸̰̬͖̩̀̈́̆̓p̶̢̛̼̈́͆̒͘ͅe̷̟̘̩̲̻̾̊n̵̨̩̜̟͆͘i̵̙͉̺̮͠ͅṋ̷̆ġ̶͙͚ ̴̩̋à̷̄̑̂͝ͅǧ̵͖̜͍͕̒̑͒a̷̧̛̞͐̃̈́͘i̷̯͉̬̯̽̍n̷̘̝͓̽̅̕!̵̩͑

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Comments

[fluorite]

i - hulle granz cathedral;

[ It's a new (and special) area, so naturally Fai is inclined to take a look, strange and concerning incident aside. He hasn't made it into the cathedral itself just yet, instead choosing to take his sweet time observing everything outside first. It's just that there isn't a whole lot he can observe.

But he's doing it anyway, looking out into the vast mist surrounding the small island. He whistles. ]

Wow, you really can't see a thing. I wonder if they haven't come up with what's surrounding this island yet...

ii - open house;

[ What better way to recruit for his guild than to let people come inside and take a look around? The inside of the Fine Wine @ home is a pleasant mix between a cafe and a jazz club, with couches and plenty of other places to sit with the hope that it will encourage conversation and relaxation. There is also a large bar with equipment for both mixing alcoholic drinks and for making coffee. Soft, light music plays throughout the interior to help foster that overall calming atmosphere.

Fai himself is standing behind the bar, leaning on it as he pillows his chin in his hand. It looks like he's prepared to make a drink for whoever wants one, but any drinks Fai makes will leave you feeling a hollow sense of sadness. He gives anyone who walks in an enthusiastic wave. ]

Welcome! What do you think? Cute, right?

[ Or if you're lucky(?), Fai is instead at the entrance to the @ home, where he aims a party popper at whoever walks nearby, popping it and covering them in confetti when he's found his opportunity. ]

iii - game within a game;

[ Fai is determined to try out all kinds of games at the carnival, but what he ends up most focused on is one of those balloon popping games. He's focused, pellet gun at the ready, as he tries to pop as many balloons as possible within the time limit.

Unfortunately, he only manages a couple. Seems like his aim is only good when he's terrorizing other people with nerf darts. Maybe the pressure of the game and its possible reward is getting to him. After all, it couldn't possibly be rigged.

Sighing, Fai leans against the booth counter. ]

Ah... one more try couldn't hurt.

[ Why is he so determined to win this game? Well, those giant plush monsters hanging over the booth might provide some insight. ]

iv - hall of mirrors;

[ Once he's gotten his fill of games and fried food, Fai stops in front of the hall of mirrors, eyeing it curiously. ]

Is this really popular at carnivals?

[ It's just mirrors, so he doesn't really see the what the full appeal is... is it more fun with other people?

OOC: Please let me know if you would like a happier memory or the sad one! The content warnings for the latter are: familial death, blood/violence. ]

v - wildcard;

[ For whatever your heart desires! Fai can be found at the Grunty Ranch and also slowly perishing from the heat in Mac Anu, but at least he has one of those lovely megaphones with him! ]

1

[696_9]

What, like they're gonna program it in afterwards? That'd make sense, this place alone probably took forever.

[how can she even see with that visor anyway --]

What are you thinking they'd add on?

[fluorite]

[ He tilts his head as he gives that some thought. ]

Perhaps some water? Or maybe this island is floating in the sky... it would be fun to look down and see Mac Anu below.

v - dunk tank!

[worldbent]

[Matoba has been enjoying himself with a lot of the carnival games, but even in this city it's starting to get really hot... He's fanning himself off as he finally passes by the dunk tank, spotting a familiar face perched upon it.]

Oh? Sacrificing yourself for the greater good? [He calls, standing in front. There's a bunch of balls inviting you to spend some gold to throw, so... He figures why not, and spends 100 to play.]

Or maybe you're the one that's benefiting from this, actually....

[fluorite]

[ Even as he sits up at the top of the dunking station, the water cool and tantalizing below his swinging feet, he fans himself with a hand. It's not quite as hot here as it is in Mac Anu, but the bit of heat exhaustion he endured while he was there still lingers. ]

Oh, I'm definitely benefitting. I get a free skin while cooling off. There's no losing~

[ Even if that means he has to walk around completely soaked for a while. ]

Hall of Mirrors, tragedy or violence is fine

[threatmewted]

I mean, I guess? I've never even been to one irl.

perfect

[fluorite]

[ He glances over at her. ]

Neither have I, clearly. [ He huffs out a laugh. ] Want to try it out?

1

[gluttoning]

Like a story secret, maybe?

[The lack of tangible space weirds him out a little, so this Lord Partizan is staying pretty rooted near the entrance of the cathedral grounds, watching Fai tiptoe around the misty grounds with a slightly wary expression.]

I guess a lot of games have places like this, don't they? Maybe they'll fill it up with puzzles. Or... a princess that's turned into a ghost. Something from one of Levi's tv shows.

[fluorite]

Oh, a princess that's turned into a ghost... That would be exciting.

[ He reaches out into the mist, but feels nothing but cold, wet air. There's probably an invisible barrier not far beyond that, he thinks. ]

If they did that, I hope they'd give us a quest to go along with her story.

2

[userunfriendly]

[ Winter pauses at the energy of that greeting, flicking a quick glance back towards the door as if assuring himself that the exit is where he left it. Either secure in the answer or succumbing to the calming atmosphere of the little cafe, he rolls his shoulders in a shrug and approaches the bar after all. ]

Did you decorate it yourself?

[fluorite]

[ He grins when Winter finally decides to make himself at home. Well, as much as someone like him can anyway. ]

I did! Chose the theme and everything all on my own. Do you like it?

iv - hall of mirrors; happier or sad is fine with me! go wild

[ganymed]

[ ...Carnivals. Aren't they lovely things?

Always a sign of something to celebrate. Ganymede's here regardless of the fact that he looks just about his normal self; not exploding with cheer, but he's not really that type of person anymore. Yet, he always has a soft spot for celebratory occasions or places like this. ]

Oh, certainly. We could always head in to see how fun it might be to nearly run into someone else.

[ He sounds like he's dryly joking, but he is serious about heading in at least. ]

[fluorite]

I get the feeling you wouldn't like that very much.

[ He laughs, stepping closer to bump his shoulder against Ganymede. ]

So let's go~

[ Fai starts to make his way in, motioning for Ganymede to follow. ]

iv

[trollophoroi]

Are they?

[ At some point, he must have run into Fai and the familiar company is a good enough reason to wander about the carnival for a bit. With the busty Lamia Assassin plush in tow, of course. He has one arm wrapped around that thing and seems to enjoy the stares it earns.

To him, it's hilarious.

A hall of mirrors, eh, less so, but if it piques Fai's interest... ]

I daresay I've never seen one at any carnival where I am. [ He looks it up and down. ] Is it nothing but mirrors? But why?

[fluorite]

[ Honestly? Fai thinks the stares are funny too. At least Fandaniel is in good company in that regard.

He shrugs. ]

I don't know. Maybe the effect is fun?

[ He'll start walking towards the entrance, at least. ]

ii

[notfunny]

[ he'd like to say that he's pretty flexible when it comes to certain environments, but cyno does feel a little out of place. a bar/club setting is... probably not one that he'd normally hang in, but he can adjust!

easier when there's a familiar face behind the bar, too. ]

Hey.

[ taking a seat at the bar, cyno takes another look from this vantage point. comfortable. ]

Sorry, I'm not much of a drinker. You got like juice or something?

[fluorite]

I do! I have coffee too, though, if you like that.

[ He grins, motioning to the espresso machines. ]

There's decaf too.

iii, points and laughs

[weaseled]

That bad, huh?

[Fai's aim, he means. Yael was sitting back watching Fai struggle from a distance until his efforts stopped being funny and started depressing him. Stepping forward to take the pellet gun from him.]

You should ask for help if you're struggling. I was getting embarrassed just watching you.

smh

[fluorite]

[ For a moment, it looks like Fai considers shoving him back. ]

And you stood there and watched? I think that's pretty mean.

ii @home

[tylorific]

Oh, hello.

[ Tylor is party popped and he laughs, unfazed. He is wandering through every guild open house. And although it's presumably very obvious this guild has an age limit somewhere, here he is in all his twenty year old, confident glory. Still, most of the homes have had bars and there's no way he'd miss shooting his shot here as well. ]

Mind if I visit? You've got such a lovely looking place here after all.

[fluorite]

[ That pleasant reaction surprises and pleases him at the same time, earning Tylor a little smile. ]

Sure. I'm letting all ages in for today.

ii!!

[secondthoughts]

[ Oh, Hector likes this.

The décor reminds him of home, in a weird nostalgic way, of the days he'd wander and find himself in places like this for a hope of a moment of mental calm. He's long past that, and it settles in his chest in a very nice way.

So he slides onto one of the stools and flashes Fai a grin. Also, a guild called Fine Wine? Fai has Taste. ]

I really love what you've done with the place.

walks in late without starbucks bc fai is starbucks

[regressive]

Not sure if cute is the word I'd use... [ Joonghyuk takes another look around, scanning the surroundings for a while before turning to Fai standing behind the bar counter. ] But it looks cozy.

[ And, most importantly, it's not loud. ]

I'd like some coffee rather than alcohol if possible. [ If impossible, he won't say anything and just make sure that the nearest flower is watered with a drink. ] I expected everyone here to be drunk after seeing the guild name.

iii

[catarou]

Having trouble?

[ Gentaro approaches, peering curiously at both the game and the man attempting to thwart it. Look, he knows what's up here. He might be more withdrawn and less social than some people he knows, but he's been to plenty a carnival in his time. ]

I'm not surprised. More often than not, they're designed to maximize profits... and your frustration.

[ He's not not saying it's rigged. Plausible deniability. ]

iv - you know what i want

[dissimulative]

Yeah!

[ Hello. Oria is here to join Fai. ]

We can take goofy photos with how weird the mirrors make our avatars look.

[ And so, like an excited child, he grabs Fai's hand and pulls him inside. Let's go, let's go!! ]