![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
⬣//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!̵̩͑
no subject
hector.
So, here they were. Just two dudes in a hall of mirrors.
Cringey. ]
What. Not enough bad virtual wine around to keep you entertained?
[ Oh, oof. That echoes weird in this stupid hall. It takes Dosei only a second to open the menu without a second thought and turn the volume down a little, with a faint grimace to accompany the action. ]
no subject
He hears that voice and immediately knows what he's in for—obviously, no one else in this place uses speech like that. He gives a little internal sigh before turning past his own reflections to look at Ramiel. ]
No, sadly. I've gotta settle for boring carnival attractions instead.
[ He starts walking towards him, tease in his eyes. ]
Run out of people to hit?
no subject
Just looking for the right bastard to hit.
[ And PK. Maybe more than once. Watch out, Hector.
He lets him walk closer, but takes one step to the side when he gets too close with a cautious squint. He still doesn't trust many of the people around here, and it shows. ]
Watch your step, old man. Things like this are a hazard to the elderly.
[ He says, walking in and continuing his trek. Whether or not Hector decides to follow is up to him, of course- albeit with the odd tugging at his skull, like it's trying to remember something long forgotten, maybe that's not a great decision. ]
no subject
You're right. They really should give me a staff for a weapon so I can at least use it as a walking stick.
[ He decides to follow Dosei, but from a comfortable distance. He noticed how displeased he was when he approached, so he decides not to push his luck. Just in case he actually does decide to turn around and hit him. ]
I didn't think I'd find you at the carnival.
[ He comes across as a "too cool for school" type of kid. ]
no subject
As long as Hector doesn't get too close, he won't necessarily complain about him tagging along. The scrutinizing gaze he tosses over his shoulder isn't exactly friendly, but it's followed by a shrug. ]
Bored. And Mac Ainu is too fucking hot.
[ Something in the voice changer falters, as his gaze flickers to the mirrors themselves, brows furrowing in confusion. But you've hardly the time to think about that, when you can catch the reflection warping in the corner of your eye.
It plays back like a memory in the back of your head, gone and forgotten, the faint smell of cigarette smoke lingering in the well-lit, expensive office. You stand in front of the desk, staring at the well-dressed man behind it, but you don't feel good. There's an anxiety in your chest, a discontent that makes you clench your fingers. You're not very tall- you never have been, but at 15, you're the smallest of your class and likely will continue to be.
It's quiet. The ticking of a clock, the faint shuffling of paper as the man- tall, handsome, with creased features, stares at the paper in his hand. It's your first test of the school year, and you thought you did pretty good. You think-
Is this-, comes the baritone, as he tosses the paper back on the table, what you call acceptable
The tightness in your chest wells. You can see the mark here, from the barest hint of your eye. It's a 75. That's not bad. You tried really, really hard, because that's what he had said to do, and you thought it would be enough.
You are faintly aware of your nails digging into your hands, and your hands shakily come into your field of view, to start moving-
Speak when you answer me.
Your hands pause, then drop.
There's a few moments of steady silence, and then your mouth opens- your throat aches, scrapes when your voice comes out, young and yet raspy, like a chainsmoker's straining to breathe. It hurts to talk. It always has.
I...tried my best.
Another beat. You can feel the stare, and it makes you sweat, to accompany the sick feeling in your stomach. The more he looks at you, the worse you feel, until it comes to a peak.
An exasperated sigh, and the chair turns around, blocking his face from view.
Your best isn't good enough.
You want to throw up. With the scratch in your throat, you could.
You wait for something else. Another question. Maybe some kind of reassurance, that you can do better next time. But all you get is a wave of a hand. Dismissive. Uncaring.
Cold.
When you turn stiffly and exit the office, you run right past Ezra- they only give the faint look of surprise as you dart pace, blond hair protecting their face from view as you shove them aside, and the door to your room slams with an echoing yell.
You didn't want to hold out any hope.
You hate that you did. ]
no subject
Was...was that Ramiel's memory?
He turns to see the boy has wandered farther down the path, totally unaware of what just happened. He stands frozen on the spot, wondering if he should say anything. He's not very good with kids, after all. ]
...Hey.
[ It's not a yell, or a command. It's quieter, more sincere than he usually speaks, just loud enough to get Ramiel's attention. Even if he doesn't turn around, Hector will continue: ]
Can you come here a sec?
no subject
At the first word, he doesn't stop, so it's only the request that has his feet slowing to a halt. He slightly turns his head as he squints, frown tugging at his lips. ]
What.
[ Why does he have this look on his face. It makes him twitch, body turning a bit more fully as he crosses arms tight across his chest. Dosei doesn't approach just yet, suspicion creasing his brow. ]
Why. What do you want?
no subject
Can you tell me if this mirror is glitching out or something?
[ He leans forward to get a better look at it, wondering if any of those visions will come back again. ]
I think it showed me something I wasn't supposed to see.
no subject
Maybe you're just going senile.
[ Still, he takes...A!! cautious step forward, peering into the mirror with a squint for a few seconds, blue eyes carefully scanning the weird distorted reflection up and down. Hmmmmm. ]
Dunno what you're talking about, I don't see anything.
[ Yet- ]
no subject
This is going to sound crazy, [ He lifts his head and turns to look at Dosei, expression serious. ] but I saw a...a memory, of sorts. And I think it might've belonged to you.
[ The raspy voice, the abuse... He'd hate to jump to conclusions, but if the glove fits... ]
no subject
His face falls for a brief moment, bewilderment flickering on his features. Something uncomfortable settles and twists in his guts, but he quickly tries to slap it away with an aggravated morph of his features. ]
I don't know what the fuck you're talking about..
[ It's an irritated, defensive bite. Because- ]
This is a video game, you know that, right?
[ And a video game can't just broadcast stuff it doesn't know. ]
no subject
... But no, actually. This game is kind of fucked up and he's starting to think he needs to think about that some more. ]
I know. [ He looks at the mirror again. Still nothing. ] It doesn't make sense, and I know I sound crazy. What sick dev would program in a person's memories?
[ He pauses for a second before speaking again, unsure of how to word this without immediately going in for the pry. ]
But there was this...man, I guess he was supposed to be my dad. But all I could sense from him was disappointment.
[ He glances at Dosei, wondering if he'll see any recognition on his face. ]
no subject
Dosei almost interjects, fingers twitching, to say he is crazy. That he's drank too many virtual reality margaritas and now he's got a debuff or something.
But then Hector speaks again, and Dosei can't stop the very visible twitch of his features. There's a brief moment of silence as he swallows that down, feeling a sickening burn in his throat, like he does whenever somebody talks of disappointment.
You can't really stutter with text to speech, so there's silence as he seemingly deletes what he's trying to say, makes another attempt, deletes it again, hands curling to dig the nails into his hands. ]
That's your problem.
[ It's about as rushed a vocalizer program can be, yet he notably refuses to make proper eye contact. ]
I don't see it. Maybe there's some other fucker wandering around in here, or maybe you're just delusional.
no subject
So it was him. ]
It wouldn't be the first time. [ He says this quietly, because it's true. Don't dig at his mental illness like that. ]
Look, [ He straightens himself, turns to face Dosei fully. ] if that was your memory—and I'm not saying it was, it's just if—then... No one deserves to be treated like that by a parent. You didn't do anything wrong.
[ Adults are so fucked up. ]
no subject
Feel it. It makes his skin itch worse than whenever they light the fireplace in winter.
He knows he didn't. Of course he didn't. He doesn't need some whackjob in a stupid online game to tell him that, just like how he doesn't need the therapists to. He grows tired of using the vocalizer, and falls into the rapid, aggressive signing of his hands, a pop-up box automatically accompanying the hurried movements to translate. ]
<< You don't fucking know me. >>
[ Nobody really does, and he's just fine with that. Or so he says. ]
no subject
[ Well. If the kid's not taking it, then maybe he should stop twisting himself to open himself up to him. At least, for now.
Hector sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. He can almost feel the echoes of that migraine from a few weeks ago. Maybe he needs to log out.
When he speaks again, his voice is louder, more tense. ]
Look, it was obviously a breach of privacy. I shouldn't have seen what I saw. I'll just forget about it. [ A lie. ] And just forget what I said.
[ He whirls on his heels to leave, the mirrors behind him, the ones around Dosei, shimmering oddly as he does. ]
no subject
Dosei's hackles are raised in a defensive, aggravated stance, shoulders tense and fingers clenched tight. The fact the guy has the audacity to act exasperated has his face twisting further into an unfriendly scowl.
He's the one who wanted to talk about shit he didn't understand in the first place. ]
<< Like I want your weird fucking pity anyway. >>
[ It just...feels uncomfortable. Being seen, in a way he hates. He'd rather people not look at him at all if it's just to treat him like he's made of broken glass.
Dosei's not going to protest as he leaves, turning his head with a huff ( one almost of relief, now that he'll be alone )-
until he finds a faintly startled noise slipping once his gaze catches the ripple of the mirror. Uh, what the fuck. ]
(no subject)
anaido.
Clearly.
So here he is. Looking around for someone who'd made an adequate victim- one who doesn't look strong, or particularly all there. Whichever works better.
And he finds one, in some overly enthusiastic looking weirdo. When they talk, they let their guards down, so he's just going to saddle up next to him quietly and squint like he's actually paying attention. ]
What're you doing.
[ Does the voice synthesizer make him any less conspicuous...probably not. ]
ME RUNNING TO THIS I MISSED THE LINK
[Hm? Hm? He tilts his head side to side like a friendly golden retriever.]
Oh, nothing, I think. Just trying to sort through my inventory. How are you doing?
[Doesn't seem to see anything wrong with this scenario....brain empty(?)....]
OPENS MY ARMS 4 U
Yeah, he can see that, now. Admittedly, he takes a more serious glance, because he is morbidly curious even if he plans on shanking this guy eventually ]
...What, you didn't get the same weapon 3 times in a row? They did that to me. The loot in this game sucks ass.
[ He's being genuine about that, at least. If he gets the same scythe again, he's going to make a circle of them with Hien's name in the middle as a warning. ]
no subject
[Hm.]
Is it possible to trade them away?
no subject
Yeah, right. I wouldn't be holding onto them if I could.
[ What use are these damn things...probably can't even melt them down till crafting is a thing, and he doesn't even feel like crafting. ]
'Just' rough. You go run through a volcano area and end up getting the same thing you got the week before. Especially since turning off the heat sensors isn't working worth a damn now.
no subject
[How sad...]
I'm sorry you've been through all that...this game still has a lot of bugs, too. I guess they still have a lot to work on. Maybe they'll patch it and you'll get different stuff!
no subject
The way Dosei eyeballs him is nearly unblinking now, but he still gives a dismissive shrug. ]
Doubt it. I think they like seeing people suffer more than they like pleasing them.
[ Which, honestly, relatable- ]