Taylor
•
Lone Wolf
Mythstar
Posts: 491
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Taylor Finch
OOC Username: Lea
Arena Points: 72
|
Post by Taylor on Apr 5, 2023 5:33:28 GMT 9
She fully intended to launch that starting quest and finish the rest of the tutorials soon, but impatience had finally gotten the better of Taylor. As fond as she immediately was of her new Piplup, one Pokemon does not a team make, and she was dying to add to the team! Besides, even if nothing they encountered caught her eye, it couldn't hurt to give some battling a go, right?
"You ready for this, bud?" she asked the little water-type at her heel. His only answer was an enthusiastic crowing, punctuated with rapid flapping of his wings. "I'Âll take that as a yes!" she laughed, greatly amused by his antics. "Let'Âs see what we can find, eh?"Â
|
|
|
Taylor
•
Lone Wolf
Mythstar
Posts: 491
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Taylor Finch
OOC Username: Lea
Arena Points: 72
|
Post by Taylor on Apr 5, 2023 5:07:18 GMT 9
It struck Taylor as seriously cute that the tutorial missions were all themed around the typical tasks that started off the older mainline games. It felt meta to see such self-aware references and she couldnât help but giggle as she read through the description for the second of the four tutorials. Grinning, she hit launch.
After a few moments of loading, the environment loaded in. It looked to be the same location as was used for the starter lab â yep, there was the field tent! This time there was no Professor Ash in sight though. Rather, there was a different NPC standing just outside the entrance of the structure. Presumably some sort of aide to the Professor and the character to approach for the tutorial mission.
Once again though, the tutorial description had been quite clear that two players were required for this task. So once more, Taylor settled in to wait. Hopefully sheâd be lucky and someone else would show up soon, looking to work through the mission!
|
|
|
Taylor
•
Lone Wolf
Mythstar
Posts: 491
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Taylor Finch
OOC Username: Lea
Arena Points: 72
|
Post by Taylor on Apr 5, 2023 3:22:20 GMT 9
By the time the other new player approached, Taylor had gotten distracted interacting with the newly named Mumble and completely forgotten that she was supposed to be keeping an eye out for others to complete the tutorial with. When the stranger spoke, she jumped a little, but it didnât take long for the wide, startled eyes to be replaced by a friendly smile. âOh hi!â she grinned, rising from the crouch sheâd been in and turning to face the stranger. âThe âsay goodbye to your momâ tutorial? Yes, I am! I was waiting for someone to partner up with, actually!â She left the remark dangling, hoping that if he was here for the same then heâd volunteer. If he was here, it was likely he was, but you know what they say about assuming!
Her attention was quickly stolen from their conversation though by a second little voice. Dropping her gaze to much, much closer to the ground, the young woman failed to contain her gasp. âAww, arenât you adorable!â she gushed, crouching once again to offer a hand to the Sprigatito to sniff. The grass-typeâs question made her realise she hadnât yet introduced herself. Oops.
âIâm Taylor!â she offered, glancing up to the stranger to make sure it was clear that the introduction was aimed at him, too. âAnd this is Mumble! How about you?â Again, the glance was split between the starter and its trainer.
Mumble, for his part, was thrilled to make a new friend. Chirping enthusiastically, he flapped his flippers and bounced more than waddled his way over to the feline pokemon. <Hello! Iâm Mumble!> The fact that Taylor had already made the introduction and so his response was unnecessary was lost on the little Piplup. He⌠wasnât the brightest bulb in the box.
|
|
|
Taylor
•
Lone Wolf
Mythstar
Posts: 491
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Taylor Finch
OOC Username: Lea
Arena Points: 72
|
Post by Taylor on Apr 5, 2023 2:14:20 GMT 9
TAYLOR'S INVENTORY POKEMON OBTAINED: 14 POKEMON EVOLVED: 0 POKEMON MADE SHINY: 0
|
|
|
Taylor
•
Lone Wolf
Mythstar
Posts: 491
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Taylor Finch
OOC Username: Lea
Arena Points: 72
|
Post by Taylor on Apr 5, 2023 1:29:18 GMT 9
Taylor never had been one to shun the tutorials, and this game seemed particularly keen on making sure players opted into them; locking certain items and abilities behind at least a couple of them. They werenât vital, but even so, it was clearly encouraged. Honestly, she was rather impressed that they made them technically optional at all â normally the tutorial was mandatory in PokĂŠmon games.
Starting with the first of the four seemed smart enough, and now that she had her first pokemon from the lab, Taylor was more than happy to do so. Unfortunately, it did seem that all four tutorials required at least two players to start. Presumably this was a way of encouraging collaboration, but the young woman was a little concerned that since she was joining so long after the gameâs initial release, she might be waiting a while for a partner.
Idling in the designated waiting area outside the player home, the woman leaned against a waist-high brick wall, settling in for who knew how long. On the bright side, she had her new partner to keep her company! Letting the little Piplup she had named Mumble out of his pokeball, she grinned down at the little guy as he chirped and glanced around to get his bearings.
|
|
|
Taylor
•
Lone Wolf
Mythstar
Posts: 491
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Taylor Finch
OOC Username: Lea
Arena Points: 72
|
Post by Taylor on Apr 5, 2023 1:13:08 GMT 9
Taylor watched in fascination as the Professor continued making notes on her clipboard, and she only barely managed to restrain herself from leaning over to get a peek at what was being written. It wouldnât do to make a poor first impression, but she desperately wanted to see what was being recorded! Fortunately, just as her self-control was reaching its limit, Professor Ash seemed to finish up, the words snapping the new player out of it.
She hadnât even seen the little mite yet and still, just the species name on the front of the labelled pokeball pulled an âaww!â from the young woman. âI love Piplup!â Piplup? Piplups? She never could remember how to form plurals of pokemon names! âTheyâre such little cuties!â Realising she was still cooing over the as-yet-unseen pokemon rather than minding her manners, Taylorâs gaze jumped back to the NPC. âThank you very much, Professor! Iâll take good care of âem!â
|
|
|
Taylor
•
Lone Wolf
Mythstar
Posts: 491
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Taylor Finch
OOC Username: Lea
Arena Points: 72
|
Post by Taylor on Apr 5, 2023 0:47:54 GMT 9
Taylor wasnât sure what form sheâd been expecting the questions to take, but she was definitely surprised by the answer! Her head canted to the side curiously as she took a moment to consider them. It wasnât so much that she needed time to come up with her answers, but rather that she couldnât help wondering how on Earth the AI would extrapolate a good match for her from them! If theyâd been multiple choice then sure, but with such open-ended questions? She burned to ask the Professor, but shook her head hard â surely such data would be proprietary and besides, she was itching to get into the game!
"Do you know your Zodiac sign?" The first of the three questions pulled a more normal shake of the head from the young woman. ââFraid not,â she answered. âIâm a scientist and canât say Iâve ever seen any evidence that astrology is in any way rooted in fact, so itâs never appealed.â She had been told her star sign a few times by over-enthusiastic friends and co-workers, but had never made any attempt to actually remember, much to their apparent chagrin.
"How do you feel when someone criticizes you?" The next question had the young womanâs shoulders stiffening, her posture becoming abruptly rigid in her seat.
âUm, I guess it depends on who it is?â She stared warily at the professor for a moment, before taking a deep breath and forcing herself to relax. âMost people, it doesnât bother me too much â if itâs something reasonable I try to take it on board and adjust accordingly.â She considered leaving it there for a moment, before giving a mental shrug; it wasnât like she was answering a real person. âUh, if itâs someone I care about⌠guilty, hurt and uncomfortable, I guess.â It came out with a questioning inflection; it wouldnât be hard to read that she was uneasy with the question. "I still try to change, but it hurts more?" Thankfully there was one final question to answer, so with a shaky breath, she moved swiftly on to that.
"If you were trapped on a desert island what inanimate object would you talk to to keep from going insane?" This one made her laugh, and she felt the tension bleed from her shoulders as she considered it. âYou know what, I think Iâd make a makeshift scarecrow. Give him a coconut for a head and dress him in palm leaves! Hell, if nothing else itâd pass the time, right?â She grinned as she really got into the idea. âI think Iâd call himâŚâ she trailed off for a moment, contemplatively, before grinning triumphantly. âEdgar Allan Crowe!â
|
|
|
Taylor
•
Lone Wolf
Mythstar
Posts: 491
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Taylor Finch
OOC Username: Lea
Arena Points: 72
|
Post by Taylor on Apr 4, 2023 23:51:00 GMT 9
With Lucas at work, Taylor faced a stretch of several hours alone in the house. All of the day's essential chores were done â yes sheâd woken up early to get them done while Unovr installed, shut up â and sheâd promptly settled down launched the new (to her) game. Itâd been out for a while now, but it had taken some time to convince Lucas that the expense was worth it. Thankfully, he had no idea that the VR game was essentially an MMO. Had he known sheâd be able to communicate with other people through it, he almost certainly wouldnât have caved.
Still, sheâd managed to keep that little piece of information quiet, and as she moved through the process of making and naming her avatar, Taylor couldnât help a little happy wriggle. It was quite disconcerting to find the movement translating into the game, and she had a beat of cognitive dissonance, before laughing at herself and moving on.
NOW LOADING: STARTER LAB Welcome to the virtual world of Unovr! A grin split the young womanâs face as the words scrolled across her view, and before long she found herself blinking around at a stunningly rendered open plains area. Her mouth formed a small âoâ of fascination as her mind automatically started trying to pick apart the technology. Turning in a circle, the large tent that apparently served as a lab finally caught her attention and she snapped her focus to it, desperate not to miss anything.
And none too soon, it would seem, as she was teleported into the tent itself, coming face-to-face with a familiar character. Professor Ash was widely featured on the promotional material for Unovr, and Taylor barely refrained from clapping her hands in excitement. She forced herself into stillness as the professor spoke.
An enthusiastic nod was given in response to the question, and she hopped to following the instructions eagerly. âSounds good, Prof!â Taylor grinned, taking a seat as directed and quite literally sitting on her hands to keep them still. Another nod bounced the womanâs dark hair in agreement. âGot it! Fire away, maâam!â
|
|
|
Taylor
•
Lone Wolf
Mythstar
Posts: 491
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Taylor Finch
OOC Username: Lea
Arena Points: 72
|
Post by Taylor on Apr 4, 2023 22:28:47 GMT 9
PLAYER: Taylor Finch | CHARACTER: Taylor | | | PRONOUNS: She/Her AGE: 26 ORIENTATION: Bisexual LOCATION: Florida OCCUPATION: Research Scientist | GENDER: <F> AGE: Adult ENABLE PKMN SPEECH? Yes PAIN THRESHOLD: Realistic TRAINER CLASS: Swimmer |
OUT OF THE GAME Upon first meeting, Taylor often appears confident to the point of occasional cockiness. A bright, cheerful demeanour disguises deep insecurity. Trapped in an abusive marriage, she finds it difficult to accept casual, physical intimacy, despite craving it. At her core she has always been a very affectionate and demonstrative person, but current circumstances mean she's much more likely to flinch away from such things. She craves independance and self-sufficiency, but has not yet been able to leave her partner for good.
Aside from this and given the opportunity, Taylor is a friendly individual and takes to people very easily. She's very much an extrovert and would make friends with the whole world if they'd let her! Reckless but well-intentioned, the woman isn't usually one to carefully consider her actions before committing to them.
She spends more time than she probably should in Unovr. Her husband is hopeless with technology and isn't aware that she's able to speak with real people in-game, so has yet to find any issue with it. This is something that she has very carefully avoiding correcting him on.
| INSIDE THE GAME In-game, Taylor plays an idealised version of herself. To her, this means freedom, fierce independance and a strong sense of justice. Her confident, extroverted nature is exaggerated - she's very aware nothing here is "real". and with her husband being clueless as to how the VR experience works, none of her actions or inactions hold the same severity of consequence as they would in the real world.
Very much the kind to champion the underdog and "save" those in trouble, Taylor uses her in-game avatar as a form of escapism, wish-fulfillment and reassurance. Perhaps one day it will help her build the courage to leave for good.
| FACE CLAIMSOerba Yun Fang from Final Fantasy 13
| OOC NAME Lea / Lea#8841
| STARTER PKMN Do you want to receive your starter in-character at the Starter Lab?
- YES, I CHOOSE PIPLUP! START ME A THREAD
!
|
|
|
|