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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!̵̩͑
no subject
But I'm having fun. Don't you care about what I want?
[Here, Justy. Allow him to sweeten the pot.]
I'll tell you about the old military folks I knew. I've got stories for days.
[Justy is drunk enough that he can't possibly remember these sob stories, right? No harm, no foul.]
no subject
From within the fold of his arms comes a croaky answer-- ]
Peggy Tylor.
[ He'll stay folded up like this for a beat longer before popping back out of it, pointing at Yael with wobbliness and a grin-- ]
Your turn.
no subject
Sheza. Now tell me about Peggy.
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Big blue eyes. [ The only thing he'd never been able to fully forget, even when he'd broken free and stopped thinking of their faces. ]
Tell me about Sheza.
no subject
Yael exhales a long, thin sigh, considering what sort of man "Sheza" was from an outside lens.]
He was the dumbest man I knew. Reckless, hung up on the past, scared of his own damn shadow. You're lucky you'll never meet the guy.
no subject
Well, Peggy would've kicked his ass for wallowing like that. You've got to enjoy the present 'cus that's all we ever really got, y'know?
no subject
Sounds like Peggy was a wise woman. Do you miss her?
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It still hurts. And it shows all over his face as he flops down again. Mmhmm. Is all Yael gets. ]
... Do you miss Sheza?
cw suicidal ideation.............. looks away
Not at all. I've killed him many times over, but he refuses to stay dead. Maybe a bullet between his eyes would do the trick.
.... looks directly at milky
Even as his one drunken brain cell works hard to decipher that answer. ]
But what'd a guy like Sheza do to make you so mad?
quickly looks away
Everything. Some people never learn, you know? You try to give them advice and they don't listen. You try to offer them a helping hand and they push it away. All you can do with someone like that is give up on them.
no subject
[ Time for a drunken ramble, but for all the slurring his tone is too light, too casual from personal experience-- ]
Sometimes people jus gotta make the mistake first t'know it's a mistake. Learning sure's hard.
B'sides, when they get all push away-y like that, that's when they need you the most. And maybe they'll accept your hand someday, maybe th'won't but they'll remember your hand was there, y'know?
no subject
What are you, some kind of therapist? Fuck off.
[Ah. Too harsh. Yael's drunken hand juts out to pat Tylor on the head.]
I think some people are meant to die. Destiny and fate and all of that crap. You think a dictator has the right to live? That someone can just offer a hand to them and they'll see the error of their ways? Change for the better?
no subject
That's not very nice.
[ --not when the hand on his head visibly settles him down like some pet. ]
Oh, I agree. Nothing ycan do when your luck runs out. That's why you gotta enjoy it while you have a life.
An-some people are just mean. But you didn't say Sheza was mean. He just seemed sad. Dumb and sad and he might not listen but does anyone listen to him? An-then you wanna kill-im? No wonder he was so scared.
no subject
No one cared what Sheza had to say. He was a child born out of wedlock and a source of shame for his whole family. I'm not the only one who wanted him dead.
[It's harsh, speaking of any child this way, but so it goes. There's a lot of baggage here. A lot of unpleasant memories that never seem to fade.]
He disrupted a lot of lives, that kid. If he'd never come into the picture, his folks would've been much happier.
no subject
[ Well, that comes out oddly resolute. Too snappy for sober Tylor. But there is a small nerve here. None for his own pain, not really. Tylor's mouth settles in a wobbly little frown, brow furrowed.
His words come out serious, even if his expression could easily be confused with a pout. ]
It's families that do that. They're the shameful ones. There's nothing wrong with having a kid without being married. It's not Peggy's fault. Not Sheza's mom's fault. They should be allowed to live their lives the way they want.
It's pretty stupid to blame Sheza for any of that, you know. You should give him a hug, choose his life like you chose mine, Mr. Soldier.
Besides, he'd probably be less dumb and scared if you stopped blaming him for being born.
[ The end gets mumbled into the bar petulantly. ]
tintin stop making me cry
Yael shifts and becomes aware of the lump in his throat. The weight of it, how unpleasant it is, how trying swallowing it down only makes it heavier. Its jagged edges make his eyes prickle and sting. He wonders if Peggy's son feels it too.]
...You're hopeless, you know that?
[This is what he gets for tangling with big bleeding hearts like Tylor— this weight in his throat, this stinging in his eyes. Throwing a hand around Tylor's shoulders, Yael lets the weight of his arm impress itself upon him.]
He'd have a few words for Peggy's son, that's for damn sure. Advice he'd never take himself, but words he knew the other kid needed to hear. Something about everyone being deserving of love and a good life. Something about how choosing a life like that over his own would be an honor. The whole purpose of his life.
Cw mild kids being racist brand bullying
The words that follow tumble out as fluid as the move to shift and face Yael. He's taller than he looks when he straightens out like this, sturdier too in the width of his shoulders usually hidden beneath baggy clothes. ]
But Peggy already taught me that. [ He arms reach for Yael's shoulders, to tug him in as close as his mom had back then. Back before he was as unflappable as he is now. When he'd met his cousins for the first and only time and they'd made fun of him for the shape of his eyes and having a dad that lived in another country. Kids can be cruel, but Justy had been soft. ]
So, give Sheza this hug for me, okay? [ He'll settle in comfortably if he's gotten this far in the openly offered and undemanding affection. While he relaxes, one hand eventually seeks the back of Yael's head. Into his hair-- ] Man, I sure hope he knows what love feels like. It's the best.
no subject
Yael is a hard, cold man, but warm hands are still enough to melt him. When Tylor's hands fold up around him, he stiffens at first. He isn't used to this, not anymore, but he recalls what it felt like to be held in the arms of someone who cared and realizes how severely he's missed it.
This is why Yael refuses hugs. This is why he keeps everyone at arm's length. When he doesn't, the result is this: painful reminders that he is, in fact, no less human for all the efforts he's made to ruin everything Sheza is. Yael failed to kill that man, it seems, because it's that man whose arms rise up to meekly return that hug. It's Sheza who feels those warm fingers in his hair long after they retreat. It's Sheza who pinches the bridge of his nose and tries so, so hard not to cry. This time, it works. Next time, he might not get so lucky. Tylor is a menace, one he's silently grateful for.]
...He does, unfortunately. That's one thing you can't forget once you've felt it with your own hands.
not me rewriting this three times oop
Whatever the reason for the meekness, he doesn't pry. He's never been the type to pry into more than what is offered as answers or actions, no matter the sparks of curiosity that fly freely. Because this moment is enough, enjoying the comfort of another person matters more than whatever happened to Sheza or how Yael knows so much about him.
Tylor has an idea they're close, that there is something more there. But he'll likely forget the details and suppositions, falling to the wayside of a lost and drunken memory. This, though, the feeling of Yael here so open and warm in his arms, that will stay with him.
Into Yael's hair, he mumbles-- ] Yeah, that's true. M'glad he knows.
no subject
Tylor's embrace cracks him open just as well as it warms him, soothes him, but he can't allow himself to grow used to it. This is a small joy he simply can't allow himself, lest he grow weak, lest he come to rely on it.
Even so, he allows Tylor to remain close... for now. All that mumbling and slurring? He's due to conk out in a drunken stupor any moment now, Yael figures, and so he remains still with that in mind, not wanting to jostle him. He'll find somewhere safe to lay him down and hope he has the sense to log out and get some actual sleep offline once he stirs from his slumber.]
...Thanks. Just do me one small favor: forget we had this conversation.
[That would be better for them both.]
no subject
Then he promptly passes out. He's not prone to snoring, so his even breathing is soft as all of his weight is left to the other man to manage. It is unclear if he heard anything Yael said at all. ]
no subject
He can't afford to let himself get attached. Never, ever again.
Tylor's breathing evening out is Yael's cue to carefully get to his feet and haul him up and over a shoulder, depositing the sleeping man on his personal bed in the guild @ home. He'll stay logged in for now so Tylor doesn't get unceremoniously booted mid-slumber. Until next time, Tylor.]