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⬣//JUST AS A SEED TAKES ROOT.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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[ Tylor heaves himself up as he says it, wordlessly reaching for Morgan once he crouches near him. As if it's the most natural thing in the world to toss his arms around the shorter man's neck, he accidentally tries to pull Morgan down to Tylor's level. Just so he can rest his head on Morgan's shoulder for a moment. A deep breath, he'll mumble happily wherever he ends up. ]
Oh? Does the room look comfier?
[ Most things are comfier than the floor, especially without his now abandoned pillow. But Tylor is drunk and his eyes are closed. ]
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It's probably better.
( Like, objectively speaking. But he's not particularly motivated to move there if Tylor doesn't care for it. )
... You've been drinking.
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[ Tylor giggles softly into Morgan's shoulder, folded arms squeezing once before straightening out again already. He stretches them out over those shoulders before he leans back. He barely catches his own weight, one hand landing a step lower than the other with a little sound of surprise. His apron keeps his decency, though he doesn't seem that concerned with it in the first place with his chest fully out like it is.
His expression goes comically serious as he points. Though his aim is bad, and he's probably poking Morgan lightly wherever his wobbly finger lands. His balance doesn't look so great on one arm. ]
You haven't been drinking, huh?
no subject
He shifts to pulls him against him closer, figuring they might as well commit to movement now, but he pauses with Tylor's titties just... out there... the girls are free... )
Should I have been?
( His gaze settling there, leaving Tylor to his one armed fate, looking at the faint marks left behind.
Then, after a moment, he does pull him against him, and wobbles up into a stand. He's surprisingly strong for his height and frame. He sets off to dragging Tylor, arms wrapped around Tylor under Tylor's arms, toward that room he seemed to be trying to get to before. He'll drag him up onto the bed, at least. )
... Are the people in this guild pretty?
i forgot to upload this for the other comment but it's still relevant hjfgh
[ For once, it's someone else's turn to be the rag doll. Tylor doesn't fight being pulled close, in fact he welcomes it. Well, it tickles enough that he can't help giggling softly again as he tries to talk-- ]
Wow, you're strong.
[ His arms loop and the world turns on itself until he feels the soft give of a comfy bed hit his back. Instinctively, he tries to pull Morgan down with him in a heap, limbs loose. The drunken haze doesn't cloud the clear way he looks at Morgan, but his slurred tone is too light. ]
Yeah, you'd fit right in.
the girls...........
He is quiet, for a moment, looking at Tylor, before he replies. His expression, as always, his hard to read. )
... All right. I'd be fine joining.
( The same way he's fine with most things. Like this. )
Do you want me to stay here?
o/
[ He sounds that word out too slowly, idly reaching for him. The question catches him off guard, has him blinking over at Morgan with a sigh. ]
Yeah. [ Tylor breathes the quiet answer, eyes going soft in the dim light. But he curls into Morgan, wrapping his arms around his waist and pulling him close before he adds with levity-- ] Only if you want to.
[ Because even drunk, even through his curling fingers and affection starved embrace, it's hard to ask someone to stay. He could've stayed at the bar. He could've stayed at any other guild. And yet fate has him here. Drunk on too many empty affection cocktails at war with his nature, while dressed in a maid outfit. ]
no subject
... I don't really want to go.
( The touch, as always, is nice. His arms left around Tylor, he doesn't find particular motivation to move them, so he lets them stay, fingers curling against the back of his maid-enly blouse. )
... I would've hit you if you didn't say yes.
( If he'd just said "only if you want to" when he meant "yes," that is. )
no subject
This close, it's hard to miss how deep the source of his laughter is; chest moving against the other man.]
Well, I'm happy you want to stay. It's way comfier in here, don't you think? [ Up to his neck, as he's forced from his slouch, his touch is firm like the hall of mirrors. ]
Did you have a fun day too?
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... I don't know. I ate a lot of mandarins, though.
( Thanks, Hien... A little less stationary than usual, his thin fingers trace light up along Tylor's spine. )
... Did you? ... Have fun, today.
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Yeah... I visited a lot of guilds. There are some really nice ones. With nice people. And nice drinks.
[ It's more reciprocation than retaliation, the way Tylor's hands twitch into Morgn's hair when he arches his back even more. ]
You know, it's funny... I dunno know how long I've even been logged in for.
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... Were you having so much fun, you forgot to log out?
( His fingers curl up, over the edge of the loose, undone collar, his nails scraping light against the exposed skin. )
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[ Tylor mumbles, but he doesn't sound tired. He shifts as Morgan's touch travels, slouch returning without fingers to coerce his back into bowing. Goose bumps trail Morgan's fingers over his mostly unmarred skin. Tylor curls in, letting his nails graze slightly as he nuzzles into the top of Morgan's hair.
The words are warm, innocently huffed out with another shiver-- ] That feels nice.
no subject
( Mithrun kind of naturally ends up with his face shifted against Tylor's exposed chest, his collarbone, where he feels Tylor's shiver intimately, the graze of Tylor's fingers against him feeling - he doesn't know. Maybe something he's more conscious of. Though so much of it's suppressed, the faintest shift of his body into the touch suggests he doesn't dislike it. )
... You're sensitive.
( His fingers linger there, reached the terminal point of how far he can reach around the curve of his back. He exhales soft, but warm against Tylor's exposed skin. )
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[ Tylor says into his hair. Morgan's breath makes him squirm only slightly as one hand drifts slowly down to trace what he can reach of his ear, his neck, his jaw; the pathing of featherlight tips of warm fingers. His other hand keeps stroking Morgan's hair, down to his nape and up again. He's affectionate by nature, soaking up the chance for touch while keeping a drunken, lazy rhythm between both hands.
Open curiosity after a pleased sigh, there are no expectations-- ]
Do you like it?
[ His sensitivity? The touch? It's unclear, or it's both. ]
no subject
A soft exhale escapes his lips as Tylor traces the line of his jaw and neck; it's a small response, but the most tangible sign he's shown after all the times Tylor's touched him.
He holds the answer in his mouth with some uncertainty. )
... I don't dislike it.
( The touch, the sensitivity? He doesn't clarify either if he means either, or both. )
this doesn't need a cw but i almost want to put one anyway
Tylor kisses the sentiment into his hair-- ]
M'glad.
[ The hand in his hair trails lower, reaching as far down Morgan's spine as he can manage and keep the touch light. ]
no subject
This time he inhales sharp, between the touch and the kiss, in concert, his fingers curling more firmly into the back of Tylor's neck - less experimental, more firm; his fingertips brushing light against Tylor's jaw, as he arches in against him.
And then, more softly, with his exhale: )
Tylor...
no subject
[ Tylor hums the wordless question where he'd pressed the innocent kiss. Guided by the firm pressure at his neck, the encouragement at his jaw, he moves to press his lips to Morgan's forehead; soft skin, slightly wetted from where Tylor had idly licked at them before. It's natural affection, easy and undemanding as the movement of his hands.
Tracing the hem of his swimsuit top, teasing just beneath it without committing, Tylor's movements remain unhurried. ]
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He swallows, the touch landing on his skin warm and - strange. )
... You can touch me how you want to.
( Is it unfair, to offload the burden? It is. But it's the only language he knows, right now. He doesn't have the words for anything else. )
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Okay.
[ He says it, clear as crystal through the haze of alcohol and glassy eyes. It's the only warning before he reaches blindly for one of Morgan's hands by sliding a palm over the bared skin of his his freer arm; to lace their fingers and allow him to kiss at his wrist. ]
Tell me if you don't like it.
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His expression is hard to read, and his gaze is hazy, unlike Tylor's ever-crystal one - there's a lot he doesn't understand about this, himself. But there doesn't develop in him a compulsion to stop it, or a preference that tells him he preferred things before they got into this. )
... I will.
( Three kisses. He's starting to feel a little warm, and he isn't certain why. He... holds his hand back, his other hand, by now, loose against Tylor's chest, brushing against the marks he knows are faint, but there. He lets it settle over Tylor's heart, fingertips pressing firmer against the skin than the palm. )
... Does everything feel nice, to you?
cw they're getting touchy, what do i put here.
Yeah.
[ Tylor's voice is quiet for once. Maybe Morgan can feel it now, how Tylor's pulse finally jumps for him. It's the first time.
Tylor's still close, watching his expression shamelessly. Even sober he would do the same, thumb rubbing at his cheek as Tylor's bolder hand trails to the small of his back. Another hem to tease at dipping under, the waist of his shorts draw the current blurry boundary. Both hands work gentle circles over his skin, keeping the same rhythm again; erratic enough to be hard to predict, but slow enough that there is no need.
They would almost be chaste touches, if not for the innate sensuality of it all. ]
hiens don't look
He finds his hand feels empty when Tylor's palm isn't warming it anymore, and what crosses his expression for a moment is uncertainty, again - and then, his eye widening so slightly, as he feels that hand teasing down his skin, swallowing when it brushes against the small of his back, just faintly sensitive there - he'd made a similar face, lightly, when Tylor had punctuated his touch at the base of Mithrun's spine, there.
His gaze drops down, and he presses into Tylor's palm, lips brushing against skin - it breaks their foreheads' touch, but it reveals a faint reddishness at the tip of his ear, accentuated along the old scars that mar it.
It's an expression of confusion - not dislike, necessarily. It's surprising him, how he's reacting. But there's a sense of anticipation as Tylor lingers at the boundary. His other hand comes to settle finally at the crook of Tylor's neck, his fingers spread, curious - unsure - along Tylor's jawline, one just so faintly pressed at the edge of Tylor's lip. )
no one look. avert thine eyes flatlander
He doesn't fully breach the shifting boundary, pushed down by centimeters. His palm flirts with it; suddenly moving with all the intention of sliding beneath the fabric to bare skin, fingers pressing more firmly down his back, ready to gently cup and knead. But they stop, agonizingly short of reaching the point of no return, leaving his shorts low on his hips to retreat instead. Nails ghost up his lower back, slipping up and under Morgan's top, as if that was never a boundary at all.
At his jaw, Morgan's finger is just out of reach for his lips to fully find. It's drunken instinct that has his tongue seeking the intruder at its edge, a slow swipe to entice it closer for kisses and to be caught gently between his teeth. ]
(no subject)
cw fingers in mouths
picks this thread up and runs