Genesis
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Weekend Warrior
Player Character
Posts: 158
Trainer Class: 
Player Name: Shiloh Hayes
OOC Username: Haberdasher
Arena Points: 20
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Post by Genesis on Mar 15, 2023 6:01:42 GMT 9
Forced multiplayer events had to be one of the worst things a game designer could inflict upon its players. Genesis hadn't liked group projects in school, and Genesis certainly didn't like them now. But they didn't want to miss out on an event, either, so...
They wouldn't be the only one who'd think of the old well for this event, right? It had just had an event of its own not long ago, after all. And Genesis had broken the rule about no wishing back then, so why not break the rule about no fishing now, too, just for kicks? And with a little luck, they'd bump into somebody there who'd do the event with them, and they wouldn't have to go through the hassle of coordinating with somebody else outside of the game's servers just to get that far. Ugh.
At least the well was pretty, and the fish in it looked as shimmering and promising as they had before.
Time to get this over with.
Kazuki |
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Kazuki
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You Can't Take Me
The Creed
Posts: 883
Trainer Class: 
Player Name: Himura Atsushi
OOC Username: Sleepy
Arena Points: 113
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Post by Kazuki on Mar 15, 2023 10:15:20 GMT 9
The crunch of footsteps signals the appearance of another player.
The church had been an interesting detour. Kazuki doesn’t understand what it’s for, exactly, as he hasn’t encountered any pokemon or other trainers so far, but the distant ominous chanting and endless rain tell him it’s probably for some wild plot reasons.
He is opting to ignore it. He is here for one thing only.
The well.
As he approaches the crumbling structure, he spots the first player character he’s met in the area so far. They don’t appear as colorful and strange as some of the avatars he’s seen, but the vibrant purple eyes and cybernetic implements give them an alien vibe.
“The hell are you supposed to be?” He raises a brow, and, considering that to be somehow a greeting, proceeds to barge into their quiet session, taking out his own fishing rod and throwing the hook in the well. It’s mostly for curiosity, but also the possibility he might pull up some terrifying-looking fish.
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Genesis
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Weekend Warrior
Player Character
Posts: 158
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Shiloh Hayes
OOC Username: Haberdasher
Arena Points: 20
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Post by Genesis on Mar 15, 2023 11:43:57 GMT 9
Genesis' first response to what the stranger seemed to think passed for a polite greeting was a loud snort and making a show of casting their own rod into the well in front of them.
The other player didn't seem to have much of a filter, so Genesis didn't hesitate to forego theirs as well, though they did think about their words for a moment before speaking.
"Funky cyborg, or something like that. Why the hell not? It's a game, you can be whatever you want, where's the fun in just being a normal person?" Genesis made a point of looking at the stranger up and down before adding, "At least my avatar has a shirt on. I don't think I'm the one with something to prove here, if that's what you were implying..."
There's a [Bigness]qGkoS83K1d100 [Description]1d90 [Blarney]1d100 on the line!Kazuki 1d100·1d90·1d100 |
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Kazuki
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You Can't Take Me
The Creed
Posts: 883
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Himura Atsushi
OOC Username: Sleepy
Arena Points: 113
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Post by Kazuki on Mar 16, 2023 2:32:04 GMT 9
Kazuki chuckles, amused by the stranger and the speed of their rebuttal. “A funky cyborg in a pokemon game. Checks out.” Though it did tell him something about how this player viewed themselves.
When he sees their eyes move over him, he doesn’t appear to mind, even moving his arm to the side as if invitingly. “What’s there to prove?” he grins. “You don’t know me, but you’re free to take a picture. It’ll last longer.”
The funky cyborg reels in the first catch. It’s not the fish of horrors he was hoping for, but it does prove you can fish there. A notification on the side of his screen pops up, displaying information about the fishing event nearing completion.
He clicks his tongue. "Damn. Should've gone here earlier." But he does feel a tug on the line, hastily reeling it in to beat the timer.
There's a [Bigness]n1FcqG3l1d100 [Description]1d90 [Blarney]1d100 on the line! 1d100·1d90·1d100 |
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Genesis
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Weekend Warrior
Player Character
Posts: 158
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Shiloh Hayes
OOC Username: Haberdasher
Arena Points: 20
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Post by Genesis on Mar 22, 2023 10:19:04 GMT 9
Genesis rolled their eyes. "Not exactly interested, don't flatter yourself. Besides, if I recall correctly, you were staring at me first."
The fishing event was almost over already, huh? Just their luck. Stuck with mediocre fish... and another player who hadn't thought to arrange a partner before it was too late. Genesis supposed it was what they got for procrastinating on this one. Better luck next event, perhaps...
"Ah, well, better than nothing I suppose. Though those descriptions certainly are... colorful, aren't they?"
Genesis might just have to keep that "fun-sized adulterous Mareanie"... if only because of that description and the strange mental images it evoked.
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Kazuki
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You Can't Take Me
The Creed
Posts: 883
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Himura Atsushi
OOC Username: Sleepy
Arena Points: 113
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Post by Kazuki on Mar 23, 2023 4:27:09 GMT 9
“Not everyone is blessed with taste,” Kazuki nods sagely, infuriatingly. Then he snickers as they point out he had stared first. “Was I not supposed to, Funky Cyborg?”
The timer hits 0 and the event officially ends just as he packs the strange catch.
The cyborg asks him about the labels, to which he blinks. “I haven’t been paying attention to any of them,” he says with a shrug. “Last place I fished at, I was talking to a girl that had rainbows for hair and eyes. Couldn’t read for shit.” Couldn’t be bothered, rather.
He chuckles, pulling up his screen to check on the label of his catch. “Adulterous. Wonder if that Blarney guy would be into that? Doesn’t seem impossible when he wants to marry five fish.”
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Genesis
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Weekend Warrior
Player Character
Posts: 158
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Shiloh Hayes
OOC Username: Haberdasher
Arena Points: 20
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Post by Genesis on Mar 28, 2023 9:38:00 GMT 9
Genesis just rolled their eyes at the man's quips. It didn't seem worth the energy to continue that particular argument just yet.
...which wasn't to say that they weren't willing to start a new argument with their muttered, "Oh goodie, you can't read either." in response to the whole not paying attention to the prompts thing.
Who didn't read that stuff? It's not like it was hard to see, it popped up right in front of your face with each catch! Even if you weren't interested in the site lore, that information could provide valuable clues for the challenge! Though admittedly, Genesis was having a hard time figuring out how "adulterous" as a description would fit in there...
As for the other man's possibly-rhetorical question, Genesis leaned into it more than was strictly necessary, which seemed to be an ongoing habit of theirs at this point. "Well, it depends on exactly how the relationship's defined, I imagine. He could be into polygamy, but not adultery, which is non-consensual on the part of the other partner almost by definition... but maybe it is meant to be a positive trait here, given the circumstances..."
Genesis thought about it for a moment longer, then shook their head as they realized that their conversation partner almost certainly wasn't up for the sort of nitpicky word definition they were getting into here, and besides, it was all speculation until they learned the event scores anyhow.
[/b][/blockquote] Kazuki |
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Kazuki
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You Can't Take Me
The Creed
Posts: 883
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Himura Atsushi
OOC Username: Sleepy
Arena Points: 113
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Post by Kazuki on Apr 1, 2023 17:59:51 GMT 9
“I can read fine,” Kazuki says with an upturn of his nose. “It’s just that not everything is worth reading. You don’t look the type to read tabloids, yourself.” Then again, these were basic instructions, which Kazuki was opting not to acknowledge, regardless of how they shove themselves in his face. It is impossible to lead a brick wall to water.
He stares curiously as the stranger goes off into a tangent, taking his mindless comment as an invitation to dissect Blarney’s psyche.
“You’re pretty weird, you know that?” Kazuki laughs. “You’re choosing to be a pedant over how many wives he wants, and not what he wants his wives to be. If the fish decides it wants to be with an actual fish instead of some seafaring loon, we don’t have the right to call it a cheat.”
There didn’t appear to be anything biting anymore. Still, he stands around, waiting for the impossible, or rather, relishing the impossibility. He’s fishing out of a well at an abandoned church where it rains forever, debating over a man’s fish marriage with a stranger dressed like a robot. It’s strangely refreshing. Reminds him that this is all truly a game, even if it sometimes tries to murder him.
“Why are you playing this game anyway?”
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Genesis
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Weekend Warrior
Player Character
Posts: 158
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Shiloh Hayes
OOC Username: Haberdasher
Arena Points: 20
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Post by Genesis on Apr 18, 2023 8:40:15 GMT 9
Genesis rolled their eyes at their companion's first comment, though they didn't argue against it. It was true, in the abstract, that not everything in the world was worth reading. Genesis just didn't think that basic game instructions fell into the "not worth reading" category, personally.
(The tabloid comment was surprisingly on point, though, given both their mother's love of the "normal" tabloids and Shiloh's own childhood obsession with the Weekly World News, tabloid parody extraordinaire.)
Genesis did respond to the second comment, however.
"Well, technically, it depends on the definition of cheating, which can happen even in polygamous relationships, though the whole one partner being a fish thing does rather complicate the issue..."
Genesis had kept a straight face for most of this discussion, but they couldn't hold back the laughter any longer. They were discussing fish polygamy. What a world.
As their laughter died down, Genesis added, "...yeah, I'm weird. Not exactly a newsflash there. But the game's a nice place for that. It's a good escape. I'd much rather be discussing exactly what constitutes piscine polygamy than be reading even more texts about the exact legal definition of 'probable cause' or some such. I mean, admittedly the latter's more likely to actually be relevant in life, but how often is a discussion of probable cause gonna ask about the inner thoughts and machinations of a fish, you know? Might as well apply my nerdiness to something fun."
After a beat: "What about you, then? How's this place appeal to you?"
Kazuki |
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Kazuki
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You Can't Take Me
The Creed
Posts: 883
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Himura Atsushi
OOC Username: Sleepy
Arena Points: 113
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Post by Kazuki on May 8, 2023 23:16:04 GMT 9
It’s a bit strange—usually, when people went on these long-winded monologues, Kazuki would find it mind-numbing to the point of mild homicidal tendency, but Genesis takes to every concern with such certainty and scientific meticulousness he can’t help but be amused and mildly intrigued, like a spectator to a formicarium.
Well, maybe not entirely serious. They do end up laughing at their own words.
“Probable cause?” Now that’s something he recognizes. “You a law student? That would explain the way you talk. I didn’t get half the shit you just said.” Kazuki’s by no means a scholar, having torched his family’s dreams of his higher education as soon as he could leave the nest to pursue a career giving people black eyes. But he does recognize some terms, particularly those that he overhears from his lawyers, during discussions of legal concerns that may or may not involve him.
“But I get the gist. Sometimes it’s better to fuck around than hit the books, huh?” A sentiment that he finds highly relatable.
Then funky cyborg turns the question to him, which gives him pause. “It’s someplace new to explore. Plus, where else will I get to fistfight fire-breathing monsters and know that death has no consequence?” He grins. “But a lot of it also has to do with the players here. This game has a lot of colorful characters running around.”
[Glitch]Cx0q4Wsx1d100 1d100 |
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Genesis
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Weekend Warrior
Player Character
Posts: 158
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Shiloh Hayes
OOC Username: Haberdasher
Arena Points: 20
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Post by Genesis on Jun 6, 2023 10:33:57 GMT 9
Genesis snorted at their conversation partner's question about them being a law student. They weren't quite sure how serious the other man had been about his guess there, but, well...
"Yeah, got it in one. Not too far from graduating, actually, but hey, finals are a few weeks off still, so..." Genesis shrugged, feeling a bit self-conscious about their use of their free time. They knew some of their fellow law students would never so much as dream of spending hours on a silly video game when they could be studying... but hey, they were still making pretty good grades, and they needed to let off some steam here and there, and... well, they rather doubted that their current conversation partner would judge them as much for it as those law students might.
In response to the man's explanation of why he was drawn to UNOVR, Genesis nodded enthusiastically; the whole "colorful characters" mention wasn't lost on them, but, well, it took one to know one, right? "You're not wrong about that one! And it's true that it's a lot easier to take risks in here when you know it won't have any real consequences. Unless the game really bugs out, I guess. But still, it's freeing to be somewhere where you can do just about anything, where nobody has to know who you are or what you're up to... it makes decision-making a lot easier, that's for sure."
Kazuki |
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Kazuki
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You Can't Take Me
The Creed
Posts: 883
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Himura Atsushi
OOC Username: Sleepy
Arena Points: 113
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Post by Kazuki on Jun 26, 2023 17:01:15 GMT 9
Kazuki is pleasantly surprised to find he’s correct. The law student fills him in on details. “Man, I don’t regret passing up college,” he chuckles. “It sounds like you’re in for it, lawbot.” Suddenly, the decision to fish at a church well makes a little more sense. People do weird shit when they’re stressed.
The conversation moves on to the benefits of UNOVR, namely the escapism and freedom. Kazuki hums. “That’s assuming it doesn’t have any connections to your actual life. There’s a ton of people running around with their kids.” He raises a brow at Genesis. “And if you’ve made your avatar too close to your face, it’s a dead giveaway.”
Unless you appear on television. Then nobody will be able to believe anything you say.
His grip on the fishing pole tightens as he feels it tug. Furrowing his brows, he gives it a pull thinking it’s a catch, only for the entire pole to dislodge from the well, being spat out in a harsh torrent of water that pours out like a shattered fire hydrant.
The ground trembles under a single loud force, a deep thump from underground.
“What–the fuck–?” It takes a second before everything calms, but the tremor repeats again a minute after. It’s going in perfectly-timed intervals, and with each thump, the stones holding the beloved wishing well together shake violently.
“Right, what was that about decision-making?” He looks down at the humble well and the vast amount of water it’s spewing, a complete impossibility unless the aquifer under their feet is truly that massive.
He puts away the fishing pole. The current is way too strong for them to use it to catch whatever’s gotten stuck in there. “Move over. I’m going to stick my arm in.”
[Glitch]j0bIBwBg1d100 1d100 |
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