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CyberConnect Corporation ([personal profile] cccorp) wrote in [community profile] altimit2023-08-24 02:17 pm
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⬣//A SINGLE CRACK LETS THE LIGHT IN.

//BRAVELY SAILING INTO THE UNKNOWN

As they say, fortune favors the brave. Five lucky players took part in a Limited Quest: The Mysterious Sky Islands, in which they discovered a brand new Root Town. While the team was largely successful in their efforts to make the mysterious floating town in the sky habitable, not everyone embraced the spirit of teamwork on this journey.

When you gate in to this shiny new Root Town, you'll notice something curious: it has no name. Its name simply displays as "???" in every context menu and there is no signage around the Root Town itself that points to its true name— rather, the name it had before they came along.

Whispers on the wind tell of an evil wizard in flowing white robes who ruthlessly boiled the village elder alive. With him died all of this mysterious Root Town's lore and history, and in its place are tales of the monster who robbed this land of its identity. The elemental sprites that populate this village refuse to speak their name, simply wishing you "good luck, have fun!" as you turn to leave.

While on your journey to check out the island, you'll notice how unstable the bridges are. Unstable might be putting it lightly, because for some unlucky souls, crossing the wrong bridge means plummeting to your death. It seems that whoever was put in charge of constructing these bridges didn't give a damn about structural integrity.

The local sprites are pleading with adventurers to assist them in building better, more stable bridges, but bridging the gap between one island and the next is not a job for a single person. If you have enough of a heart to heed the pleas of the sprites, you'll want to work with your fellow players to get the job done. All the wood, nails, and rope you need to construct better bridges has been helpfully supplied to you by the sprites. You could always sabotage the project too, of course, but what kind of person would you be if you did that?

//BUILDING THE FUTURE

The professions system has been added to fragment. Rejoice, busybodies, for there is much furniture to be built and dubious potions brewed.

In celebration of the new crafting & gathering system, a crafts festival is being held in the Unnamed Root Town. Take care not to plummet to your death while traversing those rickety bridges.

Players are encouraged to set up a booth of their own and trade their unique handcrafted items with their fellow adventurers. In addition to being supplied with enough level 1 and level 2 crafting materials to give the crafting system a spin, the local NPCs are running a contest encouraging people to come up with their own for a chance to have their creations canonized as real crafting recipes.

To submit your own recipe ideas, you need only fill out this handy form:

Recipe name:

Recipe category: Alchemist, Carpenter, Chef, or Jeweler?

Which two items does your recipe call for? Choose two items to combine. Only gatherable items (refer to the professions page) can be used.

Effect: What does this item do, if anything?

Description: A brief description of your lovely new product.


Submit your recipe contest submissions here.

//ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK

Fragment's beta test has seen its fair share of unusual bugs and unintended features, and with the latest update bringing many new changes, it's inevitable that some things have broken behind the scenes.

If two players happen to log in at the same time, they might find their avatars swapped with one another's. Thankfully, this issue doesn't lead to the unpleasant exchange of deep-seated memories or anything of the sort, but getting used to a body that isn't yours takes time. Thankfully, this particular bug resolves itself when both players log out.

The windy town of Unnamed Root Town is generally quite scenic and pleasant, but there's just one issue. It's far, far windier than it should be. If the rickety bridges don't kill you, the gusts that intermittently blow across the sky islands might knock you off your feet if you don't watch your footing carefully. Thankfully, the crafts festival on the southernmost end of the island hasn't been impacted by the severe winds. Among them is one voice that you don't recognize: a voice that promises a death, gruesome and bloody, in the days to come.

To everyone's relief, the carnival and its notorious hall of mirrors has packed up and left Lumina Cloth, but your past hasn't finished haunting you. The foul winds carry whispers of the past along with them, uttering words and phrases uncomfortably familiar to you. They're the voices of your past, the voices of people you've known, loved, and lost. Covering your ears won't keep the voices out of your ears. Nothing will.

Finally, on the more mundane some of things, professions have a few kinks of their own that need to be worked out. Occasionally, a crafted item won't come out quite right, instead resulting in one of the following "items":

Alchemist: Truth Serum. Become unable to lie for 24 hours.

Blacksmith: Whatever you're enhancing transforms into a denim disaster. Introducing your new "body" armor, "leg" armor, "head" armor, and "arm" armor.

Carpenter: Mirror Mirror. Reflects the person you're most afraid of becoming.

Chef: Durian Delight. A succulent durian pudding that reeks so strongly that its stench can be smelled all across the Root Town or Area you're occupying.

Jeweler: Crystal Ball. Breaks after one use but allows you to read another player's thoughts for five minutes.

//WHAT ARE YOU, AN IDIOT SANDWICH?

With crafting in full swing, a certain admin has been lured out of his hidey hole by the smell of delicious chef-prepared meals. Hien is hungry, and you will feed him.

Chefs are not limited by the recipes they know like some professions are, so players are encouraged to think outside of the box and combine unique ingredients to cook up something truly special.

Taste, however, isn't the only important part of a perfect meal. Chefs looking to impress the big man himself are expected to present their culinary delights to him with pomp and finesse. You need to impress Hien if you want to gain more from this venture than the participation prize of a chef skin.

Those who successfully woo Hien with their delectable dishes will be given an additional prize: a little black pomchi pet to accompany their avatar around Root Towns and Special Areas. Hien will be giving these out at his discretion, so you better suck up to the dogboss in charge if you want a pomchi of your very own. If you catch Hien in a good mood, he may even agree to give you a different breed of dog if you ask nicely.

Feed the local Hien here.


//ZELKOVA’S CORNER

Hello, everyone! Can you believe it's been an entire month since our beta test began? Even though we've already been through a lot together, we've still got three months left! I'm rooting for you all!

As of today, the level cap has increased from 25 to 50. That means new armor and weapons will be available to you! Get out there to different Areas and start leveling up! But don't forget to stop every once in a while and enjoy your surroundings, too. Which reminds me—don't forget to check out the new Recreational Areas! We have a beach and hotsprings for you to enjoy now. I hope everyone continues to have fun exploring!

We've also opened up the GP shop, where you can create your own special armor set for a certain price, along with a few other things. Please check it out!

Oh, and don't forget to use these three new greeting cards I've made! Here they are! Make sure you use them so you can connect with your fellow players! We're all friends here, after all.

insinning: (neutral; this world is...)

[personal profile] insinning 2023-09-01 07:49 am (UTC)(link)
[And Sinclair is avoiding telling her the worst of it. He sees that expression and--]

...yeah.

[Not even saying sorry here tbh. Not so much of a doormat?]
threatmewted: ([Explain] Keep runnin' runnin')

[personal profile] threatmewted 2023-09-01 07:50 am (UTC)(link)
...

So. Have you picked up any of those professions yet?
insinning: (neutral; press f to doubt)

[personal profile] insinning 2023-09-01 07:52 am (UTC)(link)
[SAFE TERRITORY thanks]

Um. I've tried the 'chef' one...I'm working on Monster Hunting and Botany now to make Alchemy easier though...
threatmewted: ([Smug] Keep runnin' runnin')

[personal profile] threatmewted 2023-09-01 07:53 am (UTC)(link)
Sounds to me like somebody needs to level up their fishing.

[>Swallow is inviting you to her party!]

C'mon, let's hit up Mac Anu.
insinning: (neutral; his penis was like this)

[personal profile] insinning 2023-09-01 07:55 am (UTC)(link)
[>Accepting]

Oh--are there good places there?

[Definitely hasn't tried his hand at fishing yet]
threatmewted: ([Explain] Keep runnin' runnin')

[personal profile] threatmewted 2023-09-01 07:56 am (UTC)(link)
When you're level one, it's pretty much the best place to start out. Your only options are root towns anyway.

[Turning to head to the chaos gate!]
insinning: (thinking; not the worst thing)

[personal profile] insinning 2023-09-01 08:00 am (UTC)(link)
Mm...I guess fishing in dungeons would invite attacks.

[To the chaos gate--lets hope they don't get blown off Pete's terrible bridges]
threatmewted: ([Neutral] And I've messed up)

[personal profile] threatmewted 2023-09-01 08:03 am (UTC)(link)
[She honestly seems to have a sort of rhythm for it, pausing outright when the wind and bridge combo seems a little too iffy, waiting for it to die down before crossing.]

That's probably the logic, yeah. I've been dabbling in all the different jobs just to see what they're like.
tablescraps: (pic#16641652)

[personal profile] tablescraps 2023-09-01 08:16 am (UTC)(link)
( A sharp crack cuts through the skies, his nose cleanly breaking - and then a soft crunch in the wake of Oria's heel. It's enough of an impact to break the ferocity of Mithrun's grip, but he digs his heels in and absorbs the brunt of the kick even if it rattles his brain like a steel marble in a pinball machine.

His body rubberbands back - and then slings forward. He tries to shoulder Oria into the ground with him before Oria can take advantage of the slip in his grip and his stance going off-balance, the hand at his neck snarling into the front of his shirt to drag-slam him down if gravity isn't enough, as if this were some sort of brawl.

Still, while he tries that, he's clearly not in his best form - he's all full of openings, agitated to violence as he seems to be, and while his eye is on Oria, his gaze's unfocused. Blood spills from his reddish nose, the bridge fucked up. )


Don't make me hear him if I can't kill him, asshole.
Edited 2023-09-01 09:24 (UTC)
insinning: (thinking; that's a lot of money)

[personal profile] insinning 2023-09-01 08:21 am (UTC)(link)
[Thinking about Swallow's class. Honestly, it made sense. He follows her pattern, trying not to think about anything else but crossing safely]

Is fishing your favourite?
threatmewted: ([Smug] Go on)

[personal profile] threatmewted 2023-09-01 08:24 am (UTC)(link)
As if. I'm not really the "sit around waiting for something to happen" type.

That's why you're coming along.
insinning: (surprise; what)

[personal profile] insinning 2023-09-01 08:25 am (UTC)(link)
...um?

[PLEASE EXPLAIN]</small.
threatmewted: ([Smug] But time passes by)

[personal profile] threatmewted 2023-09-01 08:29 am (UTC)(link)
Waiting for fish to bite is a total bore, so it's up to you to keep things interesting enough for me to stick with it.

Don't blow it, now!

[Aaaaaand arrival at chaos gate!]
insinning: (surprise; another fluster)

[personal profile] insinning 2023-09-01 08:30 am (UTC)(link)
T-That seems really stressful--

[PLEASE?? But cool, through the chaos gate and well away from hell ????? floating sky island.]
threatmewted: ([Smug] Go on)

[personal profile] threatmewted 2023-09-01 08:43 am (UTC)(link)
[Back to the nice, safe, finally-no-longer-boiling Mac Anu!]

...Wow, you really just crumple like a paper bag at even minor stuff, huh?

[Immediately striding to a Prime Fishing Spot.]

It's just fishing. Chill.
tablescraps: (pic#16682231)

[personal profile] tablescraps 2023-09-01 08:51 am (UTC)(link)
Yes. Certain pathways of the brain, when damaged, cause a loss of certain drives— desires. Without the desire to eat, a person will starve. Without a desire for safety, comfort, or just to avoid pain... a person won't avoid things that will hurt them.

( Like cars...

Not that he's gotten hit yet, but there've been some close calls. )


There's buzz in the medical world that VR could be used as a means of recuperation for people like me. I can't say it's fixed me, but I think it's had some use. It makes the beta worthwhile, despite the risks... like the way deaths are handled.

( The way it knocks you unconscious in reality, he means. A force shutdown isn't safe for either a computer or brain... though he kind of forgot (in that he lacked the desire to recall) it's dangerous, at first, until he was recently reminded by a few people. )
gluttoning: (032)

[personal profile] gluttoning 2023-09-01 10:13 am (UTC)(link)
...

[The hand curl stings. But he lets his fingers extend just enough to take the cupping, to rest against Morgan's face.]

Not everything needs a promise.

Just please... don't give up on yourself and the people that care about you.

[He finds his chest aches hard. He wonders if Tylor and Hani know. But he won't be they one to tell them. ]

Die when you're old and wrinkled, Morgan. Asleep in a chair in the sun with something sweet. When it's supposed to happen.
Edited 2023-09-01 10:16 (UTC)
insinning: (fluster; a little pout)

[personal profile] insinning 2023-09-01 10:19 am (UTC)(link)
Somehow the way you put it...

[Mrrgh. But he knows when he's being trolled so he sighs and equips a fishing rod. HMM]
tablescraps: (pic#16641649)

[personal profile] tablescraps 2023-09-01 10:23 am (UTC)(link)
( Dying old... Hah. Now, that's a thought.

His eyes slowly open, his only good black eye slowly tracing its way back to Barrett. He doesn't look like he's in good spirits, but that exhale of his did almost sound near like a laugh, at the very tail end of it. Just the briefest change in pitch. )


... I've never thought about dying old.

( He seems to ease with Barrett's hand staying where it is, and he falls quiet again, for a moment.

If not everything needs a promise, he won't. But he's heard him. And he'll have the time to turn it over in his thoughts for awhile yet. )


... Am I that much like Booker?
Edited 2023-09-01 10:25 (UTC)
dissimulative: (pic#15273321)

[personal profile] dissimulative 2023-09-01 10:31 am (UTC)(link)
[ The way Oria chooses to play this game is that he turns pain sensors on whenever he's in a no fighting root town, because when if he can't feel regular pain when he's not actually fighting, he feels like it'll fuck him up in the long run.

But that's also why all this really hurts, especially when Mithrun slams him to the ground. He quietly winces, but at least he can breathe again. That's why he reaches out with a hand and tries to slap Mithrun's cheek the hardest he can, in hopes of bringing him to his senses. Though, if the kick didn't do anything, he has small doubts that this will work too.
]

Wake up, Mithrun!!
gluttoning: (051)

Cw: suicidal ideation

[personal profile] gluttoning 2023-09-01 10:42 am (UTC)(link)
[Here they sit. It's an awkward position for Barrett, but his free hand still rests against the back of Morgan's shoulder.]

Sometimes. You don't put plastic wrap over toilet seats or send glitter bombs to professors you don't like.

[It's a moment given to humor and nostalgia, before he lets his voice slip quiet again.]

When we were ten, he'd sit with me at night a lot and talk how the only thing he wanted was for our dad to die. How he wished he'd been the one to go instead. He'd get angry at me for pulling him away from Lily... or from trying to ask him to stop. He'd cry until he went into cataplexy, and then would cry out of frustration when he woke up from that.

[He swallows hard, letting his gaze drift to the side, to the water.]

I never knew how to help him when he felt so helpless and angry. All I knew was... I didn't want to lose someone I loved so much when I already almost lost him once.
tablescraps: (pic#16643698)

[personal profile] tablescraps 2023-09-01 10:59 am (UTC)(link)
( Yeah. He sees some resemblance. He thinks he was right, what he thought the first time he met Barrett - his brother's lucky to have him. )

... If we really are alike... then it's better he had you than not.

( Maybe he would've been on a much worse path now if Barrett hadn't been there for him. Maybe a path like Mithrun's. But maybe Mithrun assumes too much.

He notices their awkward positions, though. He'd made Barrett stay, but maybe he was just keeping him. He lets his hold come loose from Barrett's hand. )


... Do you want to move into the springs? I can work on your back there. I'm fine now. You've done enough.

( He doesn't clarify if he means his splinters, or his state of mind. Maybe both. )
Edited 2023-09-01 11:02 (UTC)
gluttoning: (121)

[personal profile] gluttoning 2023-09-01 11:14 am (UTC)(link)
[Morgan's hand drops away, but Barrett's stays, just a few seconds longer with a trace of his thumb over Morgan's cheek.

...

Oh. Right, the splinters.]


...Ah.

Yeah. Hold on, let me get a towel.

[His thumb traces one more time, before his touch finally lifts, hoisting himself back up to his feet with a huff of breath to grab a second towel.

There's the sound of fabric as his pants hit the floor, but he keeps his back turned as he steps out of them and tosses them with the rest of his clothes. Enjoy a nice ass before a towel blocks the view, Morgan.

He flinches as soon as he dips down into the water, leaning down to start picking more of the wood off his own legs.]


Do you want me on the edge, or just, uh... just sitting in here in front of you? What's easier?
secondthoughts: (please braham go to therapy)

[personal profile] secondthoughts 2023-09-01 11:49 am (UTC)(link)
[ The sincerity in Yael's voice doesn't escape Hector. It tears him up inside—why show he cares, after all the poking and prodding and hostility he's shown him thus far? He'd prefer it if Yael deride him for being an insane murderer the rest of them thought of him as. He'd prefer it if Yael berate him for letting a mess of his go untended for so long. Anything to protect himself. But instead...

That, and the sentiment. Hector's mind races, flipping through his memories of the years that followed his discharge. His squadmates looked at him like a monster. His parents, the very good, very traditional people they were, had been appalled to learn he had been in a relationship with a man to begin with. He never told the men and women he brought home in an attempt to fill the void in the months that followed. He ran away into the wilderness the moment he had the chance, stuffing down his memory and locking him away in the deepest, darkest recesses of his heart.

No one's said that to him before.

Hector presses his fingers to his eyes, trying to keep the tears at bay. Why this? Why now? Why is this game so determined to shatter all his walls and bring these memories back to the forefront, where they don't belong?

There's a lengthy pause before Hector takes a deep, shaky breath. He doesn't want to cry in front of Yael, but it's probably too late for that. ]


...Thanks.
secondthoughts: (listening)

[personal profile] secondthoughts 2023-09-01 12:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[ With the warp and the cool hues of twilight come silence.

Hector braces himself against Fai, a hand gripping hard at his shoulder to steady himself. The warp isn't the problem, no; he wasn't sure how much longer he could take the whispers...

But now that they're gone, he almost misses them.

Hector lets loose a sigh and straightens himself, looking up at his friend. His face looks more tired, more worn than usual, but there's relief in his eyes. ]


...Same here. Thanks for that. [ There's a clear attempt to pull his mouth into a smile, but it falls flat.

And in typical Hector fashion, he quickly pivots the attention away from him. ]
You doing okay? Did you hear voices, too?