Video; un: kujakuroyal

[fusionjack]

[ The video feed opens up to a shot of a well-groomed sunglasses-wearing fellow sitting in a gaming chair of dubious tastefulness, smiling mildly. There's a VR headset offset to one corner of the shot, also helping set the scene. ]

How many Moonblessed are currently playing LmaO? That's "League Match Action Online", for those of you that might be unfamiliar. It was quite popular for a while! I'm certainly still playing it. To the point that I'm hoping to get together a proper co-op team for the next ranking event. Might any of you be interested in teaming up?

[ He settles back in his seat, then, and snatches up a small stack of plasticky, semi-transparent cards, fanning them out and holding them up to show them off. ]

And for those of you that haven't heard of it, but might be curious, I'd be glad to tell you about it. I have free item codes to give away, even. You don't even need your own VR equipment to give it a shot. The city's full of game centers where you can rent some time. And it's not as though we Moonblessed are all that short on funds, really...

[ He is making his best effort at sounding enticing and appealing... or at least enticing and appealing enough to convince someone to join his MOBA guild. Maybe he should have undone the first button of his shirt... ]

Comments

[Text; un: turntechGodhead]

[itsknighttime]

ive never heard about it but i guess i could be considered a gamer
dont care about items but i am all about asking more about this game
vr from my expert experience is p fuckin cool how full body of an experience is it?

[Text]

[fusionjack]

[ Seems only fair to answer the message in the same format. ]

You're familiar with this sort of game already, then?Excellent.
It's very immersive! More so if you're using higher-grade equipment, but on full settings you can even sustain bruises and cuts, if you take enough of a beating.
Not everyone might see that as a positive, but I think it makes things more exciting.

[itsknighttime]

you could say im pretty familiar with games i got to put my life on the line for yeah
other than learning the controls im down to fuck with some good ol life or death situations again
all i need is the equipment youre saying? im not low on funds ill just go grab that shit and do some good mechanic learning
what class are you looking to supplement into your team?

[fusionjack]

I'm familiar with those sorts of games as well. VR ones are about as good a substitute as one could hope for, in my experience so far.
A headset and compact control rig is reasonably priced. Don't go for the cheapest ones, the network hardware is worse, and the build quality won't stand up to any accidental drops or smacks.
We're going to need a healer, but other than that? More DPS of any sort.

[itsknighttime]

...you are? what was your game like?

aight i wrote it down and im gonna get what i need tonight when i head out
i could try healer but im a knight class by trade ill maybe sub healer if we dont have a healer

[fusionjack]

A battle royale at the dawn of Earth's history, to decide which lifeform would be given dominion over the planet.

[ Why not be honest? This place has all sorts. ]

There's a practice area. You can give them both a shot, see how they feel. When you say 'knight', is that more of a DPS or a tank?

[itsknighttime]

holy fucking shit
same fucking hat
but i guess it wasnt at the dawn of earths history it was like 2009

[[He's honest to the right person who also played a game to gain a planet.]]

going with both but i can play either
dps seems more my speed
theres nothing i cant cut through
as long as the blade holds up so can i

video; un: saxitup

[saxsongs]

Yeah, I've been playing it for a while. I wouldn't mind more company to play with.

[fusionjack]

Fantastic. What's your class setup? I've been focused on Lancer, but I've been considering cross-classing into a spellcaster class for some versatility.

[saxsongs]

I'm an black mage myself. I have been thinking about making another character and go with a Healer... but first I'll explore this path.

[fusionjack]

What good timing! We could use a healer, and no one's settled on that one for sure. There's time to run a test match or two to see how well we'd operate together, whatever you go with.

[saxsongs]

In that case, I'll definitely make a healer character as well. Though perhaps we should test with the character I already have leveled up.

[Text | UN: TachibanaS

[triggerhappytraitor]

You're still playing that damned game?

[[why yes he is using text so you don't get to see his face at that chair. ]]

[fusionjack]

[ How kind, Tachibana. ]

Yes, I am still playing "that damned game". It's fun.
You're still welcome to come join me.

[triggerhappytraitor]

Would have thought you'd have something better to do by now.

[fusionjack]

I can only spend so much time trying to seduce you, and the people who run the underground fistfights won't return my calls. I have to do something with my time.

[triggerhappytraitor]

[[he's so glad he's on text mode right now. So glad.

... just. pretend that he didn't just accidently post a small keysmash on reading that.]]

The hell is wrong with you?! There's a whole goddamned world here and the only thing you can think of is crap like that?!

[fusionjack]

Isn't "crap like that" the entire point of this city?

[ Being limited to text also spares Tachibana of seeing the smugly self-satisfied look on Isaka's face. ]

[triggerhappytraitor]

[[Not like it matters, as he can all but feel it in that text]]

Not even remotely!

[fusionjack]

Fine, then. It's at least largely about that.
There are video games to play, after all.

[triggerhappytraitor]

Just virtual fighting when you can't be actually fighting.

[[because he's completely focusing on the "underground fistfights" part of that and not the other part that has his face as bright red as a teenager]]

[fusionjack]

I like fighting. That should be obvious by now. The virtual sort is a little less unsavory, at least. Shouldn't you be pleased with that?

[triggerhappytraitor]

[[There's a bit of a pause before his reply]]

There's more to life than just that.

and I told you. If you really want a fight, just ask me.

[fusionjack]

...I will.

But I can't occupy every moment of your day with fighting, can I? Shouldn't you be glad that I'm doing something to give you a break?

[triggerhappytraitor]

Aren't there other things than exchanging a real fight for a virtual one?

[[He knows how you play that game, Isaka. You nagged the hell out of him to pick it up again to make you gear cause all you were doing was fighting. ]]

[fusionjack]

Probably. But none of those are what I'm interested in doing right now.

[ He does still want that gear... ]

Are you this critical about everyone else's hobbies? Am I simply special?

[triggerhappytraitor]

The hell kind of question is that.

[[That is to say, shut up]]

[fusionjack]

It's exactly the question you think it is.

[ ...this means he is special, isn't he? Hmm. ]

[triggerhappytraitor]

[[A stupid one then. And one he's not gonna answer. Cause he's being mature about this. or "mature" in air quotes at least]]

video | un: druidic

[arrowroot]

I tried it shortly after I arrived, but it was the event that caused Majestas to come into Lunatia. Can't say I've been terribly interested in going back to it since. The one... video game I knew from my world could be frustrating but it never caused anyone to sprout painful wings from their bodies or turn against their friends.

[fusionjack]

That was my first experience with it, as well. I can see how it might seem off-putting... whatever role it played in unsealing Majestas, the rest of that seems to all be on him.

[ He gives a slight shrug. ]

What sort of video games are you familiar with, out of curiosity?

[arrowroot]

Just the one Moto created. Video games were an entirely new concept when he made Super Adventure Box and nothing like it has really been created since. I think the closest was a training simulator that another Asura made using his blueprints, but that was less... fun.

[fusionjack]

"Super Adventure Box?"

[ He makes a 'huh' sort of uncertain sound. ]

Was it actually a "super adventure", or was the name some sort of sarcasm? If it was meant to be a game and not simply an imitation of combat, then...?

[arrowroot]

Well, it was certainly a different adventure than the ones I was used to! The creatures and the land were all blocky, and moved very jerkily. We had to fight enemies like snakes and monkeys and a giant toad but we weren't allowed to use our own weapons. We had to get ones from inside the game and started off with a stick. It was wild!

[video]

[letxequalnull]

I was unaware that it was still being played.

[Whether or not he's interested in doing so is another question entirely, but... he's answering, and that's a start.]

[fusionjack]

It is.

[ And he is answering as well! ]

The Prismal population still enjoys it. There's a bit of a lull right now, it's been a few months since the last update... which makes it an even better time to jump in and catch up.

[letxequalnull]

It was not something I found to be precisely to my interest.  However, I shall keep that in mind.

[fusionjack]

No? Fair enough. I can save my codes for other people, then.

[ He grins, but there's no warmth to it. It's the smile of someone with limited practice at properly emoting. ]

[letxequalnull]

[Given that Xemnas' smiles often run along those same lines, he doesn't even so much as bat an eye at it.]

A wise decision.

( video, un: seimei )

[machiavel]

I might be interested. How strong are you?

[ seimei comes in swinging with the questions, but only in the interest of efficiency. he doesn’t have time to waste on people who are only going to hold him back, even in a video game. ]

[fusionjack]

Very.

[ Said without a moment of hesitation. ]

That said, raw physical power in reality doesn't translate to capability in-game. What are you bringing to the table?

[machiavel]

Ahahaha.

[ his laugh is as insincere as the polite smile on his face, but he’s not really trying to pretend to be anything more than what he is. ]

I’m quite the accomplished mage, you know. I’ve been working hard every day to catch up with the other players.

[fusionjack]

[ He should probably be better at reading such insincere emotion, given how insincere his own expressions tend towards... but he's fine enough with how the conversation is going so far. ]

A mage! That takes practice. We could certainly use a mage on the team, if you're interesting in joining up.

[machiavel]

Just because I’m curious, what will you be offering me?

[ his kitty ears twitch, the picture of innocence. ]

[fusionjack]

[ Aah, bargaining. That's exciting. ]

I did come prepared with free item codes, if you're still in need of mid-range gear. Are you saying that the benefits of a well-trained competitive team aren't appealing enough on their own?

[machiavel]

[ ah yes, the free item codes… it is fairly appealing. ]

The items are remuneration for having me consider your team at all. [ with that confident statement, though, seimei shifts slightly, apparently more intrigued than he was a moment ago. ] Though I have to say I’m interested in the competition. What’s your username? Let me look you up.