⬣//A WHOLE NEW YOU.

[cccorp]

>>Premise // >>Introduction // >>Party // >>Zelkova Corner

⬣//CONGRATULATIONS! YOU WON! 🙂

On a day like any other, you're checking your email when one in particular catches your eye. We invite you to Fragment, the subject line reads, and the sender is a name everyone is familiar with: CyberConnect Corporation.

It doesn't matter whether you signed up for Fragment's closed beta months ago or simply found the mysterious email sitting in your inbox. The fact remains that you are one of the select few chosen to participate, and in a word gone fully digital, you can't afford to turn down such an opportunity.

Those who accepted the invitation were given much more than a free pass to beta test the latest and greatest MMO. Upon confirming their participation, employees of C.C. Corp arrive at their homes and outfit them with top-of-the-line internet — a must to play such an advanced game — a brand new PC, and a state-of-the-art VR headset created by C.C. Corp themselves specifically for this beta test. You may call it excessive. They call it necessary.

Welcome to The World's first event! Your plotting post is here.

⬣//YOUR ADVENTURE BEGINS SIMPLY.

When the morning of July 29th rolls around, you're finally able to access Fragment and create your character. By default, your avatar resembles your real world appearance, but naturally you're able to fully customize your look from head to toe. Want green skin? You got it. What about twintails that stretch down to the floor? You won't have to worry about those clipping through your armor in a game as advanced as Fragment. The sky is truly the limit!

Once you've settled on your avatar's appearance and class, you log into your home Root Rown: Mac Anu, a city forever at twilight with a series of canals snaking through it. It's done up in a series of flowing banners and balloons, glitter and confetti carried along by a gentle breeze you can feel along your cheeks.

Players are given some time to wander around the Root Town and acquaint themselves with the feeling of being fully immersed in a digital fantasy world, but after some time, a soft, playful voice echoes all across the Root Town.

"Hi, everyone! It's time to begin! Meet me at the Chaos Gate!"

When everyone gathers for the meeting, they're greeted by the cheerful face and pitchy voice of an enthusiastic young boy. Unlike you, a level 1 newbie without a single GP to your name, targeting the boy reveals a few things: his name is Zelkova and he's level 100. Huh. Is he cheating? Maybe he's someone important?

In either case, you'll have your answer when Zelkova begins to speak, sweeping his arms out wide to greet all the new beta testers.

"Welcome! I'm Zelkova. I'll be your point of contact during Fragment's closed beta! Before we start celebrating, let me give you guys your armor and equipment. You can't fight monsters without that stuff, huh?"

With a wave of his arms, a table pops into existence before Zelkova. Sprawled out on the table is an immaculate collection of... shabby level one weapons and equipment. Yikes. What, did you think you'd be fabulous from the jump? That's not how MMOs work!

Zelkova encourages everyone to step up and grab the set (or sets, if you're an Adept Rogue) to outfit themselves.

YOUR NEW ARMOR AWAITS.

Blade Brandier: Rusted Blade Leather Cap Ugly Cuirass Deft Gloves Worn Boots

Twin Blade: Railroad Spikes Leather Cap Ugly Cuirass Deft Gloves Worn Boots

Wavemaster: Splintering Rod Tacky Hat Light Robe Light Gloves Old Shoes

Macabre Dancer: Paper Fans Tacky Hat Light Robe Light Gloves Old Shoes

Edge Punisher: Yaoi Oar Helmet Worn Armor Frayed Gloves Squeaky Boots

Flick Reaper: Farmer's Sickle Leather Cap Ugly Cuirass Deft Gloves Worn Boots

Harvest Cleric: Magical Girl Stick Tacky Hat Light Robe Light Gloves Old Shoes

Lord Partizan: Stop Sign Helmet Worn Armor Frayed Gloves Squeaky Boots

Shadow Warlock: Travel Pamphlet Tacky Hat Light Robe Light Gloves Old Shoes

Steam Gunner: Water Gun Leather Cap Ugly Cuirass Deft Gloves Worn Boots

Tribal Grappler: Fishticuffs Leather Cap Ugly Cuirass Deft Gloves Worn Boots

It's... not very impressive, sure, but beginner sets in MMOs never are. Better get dungeon crawling if you want to step up your glamor game.

"Well, that's all the boring stuff for now! This is an exciting opportunity for us all, so why don't we start the beta with a proper party?"

⬣//PARTY LIKE IT'S Y2K.

What better way to celebrate your acceptance into Fragment's prestigious beta program than a blowout party? Every inch of Mac Anu is decked out for the occasion, and once everyone has picked up their armor, Zelkova's armory disappears to reveal a vast banquet table piled high with food, drink, and party favors.

There's cuisine from every corner of the world just waiting to be devoured, and what's more, you'll taste the food like you're really eating it! Zero calories never tasted better. The drinks work much the same way, and there's even alcohol that will get you drunk in no time flat. Take it easy on the cocktails!

Still, maybe you're not feeling adequately dressed for the occasion. Never fear! There are a set of armor skins to pick from. Feeling a bit peckish? Dress up as a vegetable. If veggies aren't your style, how about this sleek little number? Those are just a few of the silly party costumes available for the occasion, and when it's time to depart, Zelkova will graciously allow you to keep your favorite skin to wear whenever you please.

Finally, don't forget to pick up some party favors! There's a foam weapon that, when equipped, takes the form of your class' weapon of choice... but what does it do, exactly? Well, hit another avatar with it and find out for yourself. There are also an array of paint ball guns, nerf guns, and water guns for use in Root Towns. Pick up one of each! Be the annoying friend no one wants to invite on a dungeon run.

Before you leave, Zelkova hands you a Greeting Card that can be emailed to anyone on your friend list. "Try sending it to one of the new friends you made today! I promise they'll love it! Oh... but be careful not to accidentally send it to someone too."

⬣//ZELKOVA'S QUESTION CORNER

⬣ Zelkova, this level one armor sucks! I want better stuff!

"Don't worry, new player! Better equipment is a button press away! Well... after you earn it. Why don't you give Area Exploration a try?"

⬣ I'm a social butterfly ready to spread my wings and take flight on the winds of friendship! Can I start a guild?

"Heehee... About that! This is a beta, you know? We're still getting stuff ready! Maybe if you wait patiently, you'll be able to form and join guilds in... a week from now. While you're waiting, make some friends! You'll need guild members!"

⬣ I hate walking! My feet hurt! I want something that will do all the hard work of moving around for me!

"What? Your feet hurt...? Turn off the pain sensors in your feet! As for alternative travel methods... well, there are "those"... Oh, that's a great idea! Give me some time and I'll see about finding some Grunties for all of us!"

⬣ How can I communicate with other players? I want to stay in the loop!

"Great question! That's what the official forums are for! You can ask for help, search for parties, share interesting discoveries you've made and just about anything else on your mind! Give it a try, but be careful: the head admin is kind of a grump... but you didn't hear that from me, hehe!"

"That's all for this week's edition of Zelkova's Question Corner! If have questions you'd like to ask me, send me an email any time!"

>>Navigation

Comments

[fluorite]

[ That look is met with a sharp one from Fai in turn, his gaze shifting from friendly to assessing for a brief moment before he feels those hands on his cheeks and the silly grin is back on his face.

He doesn’t take long to accept the friend request. Once he does, Fai takes a step back to give Hector a salute. ]

Aye aye, Captain! I’ll follow your every order.

[fluorite]

[ Wow, rude as hell once again. But Fai doesn’t seem bothered, giving Yael a light shrug. ]

I’ve gotten what I wanted from you.

[ Attention. ]

[tablescraps]

I had a similar reason, at first. I thought it would make me seem more important socially, since it was exclusive. So I signed up for the raffle.

( frank, )

... But I don't really care about that anymore. I wasn't going to accept, but my family thought it would be a therapeutic experience, They told me to try it. So I'm here until they're satisfied.

[userunfriendly]

Which? Well...

[ Look idk if this AU has the same games, but assume he rattles off the equivalent of Ultima Online and slightly more obscure French MMO T4C.

He doesn't prompt, but he's looking down at that bright expression waiting for Sinclair to volunteer his own. ]

[tablescraps]

( hits the ground

jk, he slumps back by default like a puppet with its strings cut, but he catches himself before anything unfortunate happens. He can manage that much right now, at least.

Slowly... he seems to manage a proper sit...? He still looks like he'd rather be horizontal, but he's maintaining this.

He seems to wait for Hector's approval, looking at him. )

[tot]

If it's anything like other games then it could be a bit of both. There could be themed items or weapons but also more generic ones.

[ seeing that she broke character rather quickly, she's back to being ""authoritative"" in her tone as she wants to make sure fai knows this. ]

Themed weapons tend to be more expensive but don't always have the best stats so you should watch out for that.

[tot]

I think I can imagine what you're thinking of...

[ she would go to describe it but that actually might make things worse so she holds off. ]

But I definitely understand that! It feels like this might be the kind of game that I will have trouble logging out of, especially if we can sleep while staying logged in.

[ which is kind of scary?? if you think about it, but we're not going to focus on that right now. ]

[regressive]

[ Thanks, he hates it. This is way more annoying than the air horn, somehow. ]

I'll make you scream for real if you don't stop.

[ But this is for real. Kind of. Just in a game. ]

[regressive]

You're not a kid? I thought it's your first time online.

[ Joonghyuk scoffs a laugh and crosses his arms on his chest. ]

[userunfriendly]

They want to streamline their beta testers getting to the content. [ The cynicism is reflexive, oops. But after a pause, as if he's trying to make a concession: ] ...They probably put a lot of development time into this party.

[dissimulative]

[ You know what doesn't get him to stop? That. But also, he screams even louder if that's even possible— ]

YOU'RE TOO ANGRY TO BE MY TYPE!!

[ He throws a foam toy that will make a loud noise on top of that. If given the chance, Oria will bail. ]

ii

[tot]

[ it's good to see that there is at least one girl here who taking the matter of her appearance very seriously. a pleasant difference from uta here who is standing in her very round glamour that she has (temporarily) settled for.

look, sometimes people are here to look nice and sometimes people are here to look ridiculous...to then look nice later on. ]

I personally think that the second one is cuter. [ with an affirming sage nod. though— ] Well, they both look good on you and you look good in both but I'd go with the second choice.

It looks cuter when you twirl, too.

[regressive]

[ Joonghyuk doesn't say anything, just points at the canals and one of the gondolas. ]

If we're going to do something useless as drinking, then we could at least familiarize ourselves with the city's layout.

[ ...wow. ]

[userunfriendly]

You seem invested in me being competitive.

[ Winter's tone is deadpan almost regardless of what he's saying. But the speed of the response, at least, hints that he's enjoying the back-forth a little. It's fun that Ganymede counters so quickly.

He raises an eyebrow a tiny bit at that almost-nickname. ]

Is it interesting? [ A little skeptical... unless Ganymede means him lumping the two of them together is funny. ] Or do you like to show off after all?

[ He's not making any assumptions from the dancer class, really. From his perspective, Ganymede could have picked it to satisfy no one but himself. ]

[trollophoroi]

I would imagine a debuff that causes utter agony would have killed me too quickly to bring back. It would make sense, no? The more painful, the more powerful it happens to be?

[ And them being lowly low levels and all. After the initial reminder that, yes, this feels like a slow, irritating twinge ticking down to death, he settles into simply accepting it. There won't be any further grimacing at the pain. ]

Of all the things they would be lambasted for, I doubt letting players suffer would be one of them. People typically prefer avoiding pain, after all. [ He tilts his head towards Owen, his gaze flitting away from the afflicted NPCs to the man sitting next to him. ] Only you don't seem to mind it in the least.

[regressive]

You? [ Time to give Owen a look from head to toe. ] A support?

[ Aren't supports supposed to be reliable—]

People will need life support after running into you.

[userunfriendly]

I don't believe I was the one who initiated that.

[ Yael only has himself to blame. That snort makes Michel narrow his eyes a tiny bit in amusement as well when he offers the filled glass back. ]

Now, I recall someone volunteering to test, before they became distracted.

[ Or Yael could just drink it right from the bottle like a total American. Winter couldn't stop him. ]

[sicklysweet]

Something like that.

[So, yes.]

It’s a shame you’ll never get to hear me.

[userunfriendly]

Not in the least.

[ Maybe he could use it to narrow down what players are closer to his age range? But it's not that deep. A dungeon run is a dungeon run. ]

[notfunny]

[ both eyebrows raise in surprise, but that's it in terms of a reaction. if anything, he's pretty much confirmed what makes sense--- pieces of equipment people can't use are basically completely useless. ]

Pretty sure nothing's busted. Most of it looks pretty done anyway.

[ they're basically being given the worst of the worst. the least valuable and least effective, but it's better than nothing. ]

Maybe you could try something else?

[sicklysweet]

[Thank god he drops it… Owen is safe. For now, at least.]

You can just call me Owen.

[Which, sure, going by his name is risky - but there’s so many Owens in the world, and he’s done more then enough legwork to cover his tracks… What’s the odds a dumb game blows his cover?]

Shouldn’t be too hard to remember, hm?

[sicklysweet]

There’s only so much range on my spells, you know?

[He considers Yael for a moment, smiling sweetly.]

Though if you insist, I suppose I won’t interfere if I see you struggling should we cross paths out in the wilds.

[He wants to see Yael die!!]

[ganymed]

[ Not yet, he thinks. He takes the comment decently, but also...Ganymede is the type of person who needs to succeed to earn it.

But Ganymede is pretty stubborn, and so reorienting his aim again, he fires off another shot, towards — and hitting — the other blond's chest. ]

There!

[ganymed]

Oh, I thought you meant arriving at a sleepover at that time.

Either way, I don't understand what you mean by your question.

[ But he's sure she can explain it?? ]

[ganymed]

[ He gives a small nod. ]

Do you usually go to those sort of things?

[ City celebrations, he means... ]