(U)topia [RP] - Rated R

Hydrangea · Dec 12, 2017

Explorers in (U)topia

☙--------------♣--------------❧
Arabella Monet // Ante Meridiem (A.M.)
Ranger
Lunarville University - 3:01pm

Arabella clutched the headset in her hands, she wasn't ready for this. She had never been all that interested in this stupid game, she actually found the whole prospect quite annoying. She could barely walk out of her classrooms without hearing someone say 'Hey! Did you see the new quest on (U)topia?' or 'Woah! You got that awesome armor? Where did you find it?' It was driving her insane. However, the club had grown interested following the leader hearing rumors involving the game. Many people had begun seeing the monsters hanging around in real life, no longer just in the game. Was it a simple trick of the eyes? Or was it something more serious? No one could be certain, especially considering no one in your group had actually played the game before in their lives. She sighed deeply, looking up at a clock. It was a little after three, most of her friends would probably be arriving in the classroom where their club met anytime now. She stood up, looking around --- she didn't see any of her friends near her, but it was possible that they had already walked to the room.

"Bella?" A voice spoke up, causing Arabella to turn around. Hardly anyone called her Bella, she actually hated it to tell the truth. She looked at their face, seeing one of the other girls in her program --- Grace. She was a freshman, not much different from Arabella herself. If Arabella remembered correctly, she was only eighteen; newly eighteen at that. Arabella flashed a smile, trying to put on her best face. Grace looked a little worn down, large bags under her eyes, she was glancing repeatedly next to her --- clearly bothered by something.

"Hi Grace... you're looking, well. Like ****." Arabella was never one to sugarcoat things, and this was no exception. Grace chuckled to herself before glancing to her side again, she had a scared expression --- almost as though some unseen force was going to attack her at any given moment.

"Yeah, haven't been sleeping the greatest..." She murmured back, glancing at Arabella's hands. "Is that a (U)JOIN? I never thought (U)topia would be your thing." She smiled warmly. "I love it! I can't stop playing it! You should send me a friend request when you get on! My username is xXF4LL4RUMGR4C3Xx!" Grace grinned at the prospect, clearly excited to have people she knew playing the game. Arabella nodded, before looking back at the time --- she really had to go.

"Oh, yeah. I'll try to remember." She gave a forced smile, "I have to run though --- my friends want to meet up and head in together." With one more wave goodbye, Arabella fast walked towards the free classroom that had been reserved for their club space. 3pm to 5pm, between when all of them had their classes. It was ideal. Arabella entered the door, looking at the club leader. He was the only one there at the moment, Phillip O'Neil. He nodded at her as she entered, leaning forwards in his chair.

"Always on time, Ariel." He smirked, he knew she hated when people purposely got her name wrong. She ignored it, placing her bag and the headset down. "You make your character? I'll add you to the guild so we all spawn in the same place." Arabella nodded, sitting on one of the many chairs that had been assembled into a makeshift circle.

"Yeah. I'm Ante Meridiem." She said, looking at him. He smirked at her, coyly.

"Wow. Can you really get anymore basic?" He chuckled to himself, causing Arabella to laugh. She liked Phillip, he was just as snarky as she was.

"Oh like yours is any better, it's my initials and my favorite time of day." She grinned, looking back at him. He rolled his eyes.

"I knew there was something I disliked about you. You're a morning person, that has to be it." He grinned, looking down at his own headset as he typed in her username. "There. Welcome to the Mystraids." He said, leaning back in his chair and looking at her. "For ease, and because people can hear us over there... we're gonna use our usernames to address each other. I'm BaristaBoy." Arabella burst out laughing hearing his name, causing him to chuckle. "Yeah yeah, everything else I tried was taken."

"What are you? That class chooser was insane, I actually couldn't believe it." Arabella asked, glancing at the door. Everyone would hopefully be here soon, she wanted to see what was so alluring about this world.

"Thief. I like being basic." He grinned, looking at her. "I can see you're a ranger. Surprising, aren't women usually healers?" She shot him a glare, not meant to be menacing, just as in a 'haha very funny'. If Phillip wasn't, well, playing for the same team; Arabella would have totally dated him.

"Any clue when the others will be here?" She asked, causing Phillip to shrug.

"Knowing them... whenever they feel like it." He replied.

TheSequelReturns · Dec 12, 2017

< Azusa Morrison // Jade Rabbit >
Summoner
Lunarville University - 3:00pm-ish.

There was something about the middling part of the afternoon that made Azusa want to murder everything.

Perhaps it was because 2:00 was a good time to refill on coffee but she wasn't able to since she was stuck in that most accursed of core classes, Biology. That meant that when 3:00 finally rolled around, she had a caffeine headache and a growing desire to hack into the science teacher's computer and replace tomorrow's lesson plan with screenshots of the movie Alien. Now that would be an interesting biology class. And at this stage class, the growing xenomorph explodes from its host's chest cavity...

But no, it was 3:00pm, which meant that she had two priorities. One, acquire coffee by any means necessary. Done. She took a self-congratulatory sip of her Americano just to prove the point. Two, make her way to the club room for another day of sleuthing. In progress.

Truth be told, this whole business with (U)topia was a little unsettling. She was no stranger to spending hours in front of a screen, but when the screen was basically your brain and your poor neurons could no longer tell what was actually happening and what was just a part of the game... that was a little scary.

She clutched the unfortunately expensive headset a little tighter and took another sip of her coffee. With both hands occupied, it was fortunate that someone had left the door ajar. A little push with her foot to boop open the door and Azusa could slink into the classroom.

"Any clue when the others will be here?" She heard a voice say. Arabella, one of her club mates. She had a class with the other girl at some point during the day. History? Didn't matter, not like socializing during class was something most teachers were cool with. But still, like most of the people in this little Unknown Club, Arabella was someone she didn't mind hanging out with.
A rare thing, honestly.

"Knowing them... whenever they feel like it." Another voice replied. Phillip, thier glorious leader. Who was also one of the few people Azusa had met who could somehow make her want to strangle him without actually being mean. Which made interacting with him a little more tedious than with the other club members. But it was what it was.

Azsua tapped the door with her foot, letting it open slowly, and then sauntered in with a headset in one hand, a large coffee cup in the other, a white tote bag slung across her shoulder, and a set of bags under her eyes that she hadn't been able to get rid off all day. Damn you Biology test. Damn you.

"Luckily for you, I'm fairly punctual." Azusa said as she found her usual corner seat.

"That a headset Azula?" Phillip asked. "Nice. You make your character yet?"

"Yep." Azusa took a moment to sort her things and set down her cup and the headset. And also to ignore that "Azula" reference. Death glare, preparing to fire. "The name's Jade Rabbit."

Phillip nodded. "I'm surprised that wasn't taken." He fiddled with the screen on his own rig for a moment. "There, you're all set. Welcome to the Mystraids."

"I'm guessing that's our guild?" Azusa nodded to herself. "Cute. Well, if you need me, I'll be over here caffeinating myself."

Solsabre · Dec 13, 2017

Eugene William 'Snot' Snodgrass // Bjorne Kjarr
Forester
Lunarville University - close to 3:00 PM

Passing quietly through the University halls, Eugene waved in greeting to a classmate from his Photography Class. His right hand descended back down the wheel at his side, never missing a beat as he continued to push himself along. Yea, he could have gotten a wheelchair with an electric motor to steer himself around. But those tended to be very jerky in their movements, unless you could afford the more expensive model. He preferred moving under his own power, smoothly and precisely. No, Eugene didn't always choose the easier route in his situation.

Besides he could pop a rather sweet wheelie, if he was in the mood for it.

Two sets of paw pattered briskly on the tile floor. Eugene's German Shepherd, Thor, kept paced with his owner with ease. His tongue hung contently to the side as he breathed with each step, all the while attentive to Eugene. A blue and yellow service vest wrapped securely around the canine's front legs and chest.

“Thor, push,” Eugene called to the canine, pointing to a heavy door, leading to the main hallway. Thor shuffled forward and shifted his weight onto his rear legs to rise up and put pressure on the push bar of the door and release the latch. Once, that was accomplished, the german shepherd dropped to all fours and moved to hold the door open with the rest of his body. A well practiced habit.

Eugene rolled through with his chair and bag hanging on the backside. Thor wagged his tail as Eugene scratched the dog's head with both hands, “Good, boy.” Gene said with a rare open smile, encouraging the black and tan K-9 with a light and easy tone. “Now, we can't keep the rest of the group waiting too much longer, now can we.”

The pair continued the rest of the way without further delay. They only had to deal with one more door and that was to the meeting room itself. Fortunately, the door was already ajar and Thor just had to nudge it with his nose to swing it open all the way.

“Hey, guys.” Gene called out to Arabella and Phillip, when he entered the room. “Morrison,” he nodded to the japanese student, noticing her in the corner.

He glided to the only spot at the table without a stationary seat. Thor crawled under the table to lie down until Eugene needed him. The former basketball player reached around for his backpack and pulled out his laptop.

“So, O'Neill, we're really doing this today?” he asked, shifting through the dozens of articles he'd researched ahead of time concerning (U)topia's questionable, but still raved about, reputation. The new VR headset rested in his lap the whole way there.

“Yep, I just need your character name, Snot,” Phillip said with a knowing smile.

Eugene didn't react in anyway to the nickname, it's what people used to call him all the time. Though he knew
Phillip got a kick out of it every time, “Bjorne Kjarr.”

“What?” Phillip gave him a blank look.

“B-J-O-R-N-E space K-J-A-R-R,” Eugene explained, not looking up from the laptop sceen, “It's Norwegian. It roughly means 'bear of the woods'.”

“Okay,” the club leader replied, drawing out the word. He muttered, shaking his head, “I'm almost afraid to ask what your avatar looks like.”

VampirateMace · Dec 14, 2017

Lance Jönsson
White Mage (SilverStar_20)
Lunarville University - around 3:00pm

Lance barreled down the hall, probably the fastest anyone had seen him move in a while, but finally he had something to be excited about. He clutched his violin case handle tightly in his dominate hand, he took the instrument everywhere, and his backpack carrying some books and his new gaming equipment bounced against his back.

His pre-history history teacher (what a wonderful oxmoron) loved to talk, and he knew he was cutting it close to make it to the club on time. And for a meeting he was really excited about. He knew he was should be nervous or apprehensive, after all there was some weird reality warping stuff that was supposed to be going down with (U)topia, but honestly, he'd wanted to try the game out for a while now.

He twisted past a group of people yammering about modern art. He really could care less and they were blocking the hall. Funny thing, wanting to be an entertainer, but not really caring what people liked. They liked his music, after years he finally knew that, and it was kind of a relief. . . He could see the door to the classroom they used for meetings now. Making his way inside, Lance was somewhat relived to see he certainly wasn't the last to arrive. He threw the others a casual, “Hey guys,” as he took a seat, setting his violin case down next to him, and digging through his backpack.

He took out his headset's protective case, and popped it open, revealing what was honestly, his new prized possession, after his violin of course. The (U)topia headset, he'd not had time to do much more then set-up his account and customize his character, but it was already a thrilling experience. He looked over at the table where Eugene was setting up his char on a laptop, the multitude of articles reminded him he should be concerned.

“You get set-up Johnny-Boy?” asked Phillip, the club leader, who seemed to have a thing for odd nicknames. No point arguing that it was Jönsson, he knew that he knew that. Lance just moved on, “Yeah, got my avatar hammered out at least. . . I'm Silver Star underscore Twenty.”

He knew the name was a little cumbersome, but it was name he'd used elsewhere online and he felt a little attached to it. Lance lifted the headset from it's case and placed it on his head, adjusting the fit, so he was ready to pull it down and play when the time came, while Philip took a moment to make fun of that, “Okay, Something That Ends In 20, got it.”

Vern · Dec 15, 2017

Valerie Arkwright // Pyromancer
Firebloom
3~ish

“Sh*t." Valerie mutters, looking at the screwdriver in her hand. She had been working on a little side-project of hers - a sloppy, wooden model hand of sorts - and one of the screws had just come loose, causing the middle finger to clatter to the floor, curved up to point accusingly at her face. Her boyfriend, Kite, had asked her to make one for him, for some sort of very strange art project. Just a simple wooden one, he'd said, as long as it has five moveable fingers and looked anatomically believable. Not at all a complicated request, and she had gotten to work the instant she had the chance, for lack of anything better to do. The sawdust hanging in the air didn't exactly do her lungs any good, but that's nothing a few minutes of coughing and drinking lots of water can't fix. Humming to herself, she bends down and picks up the finger, screwing it back on.

Her wristwatch makes a loud beeping sound. Surprised, she starts and almost drops the unpolished hand, cursing again as she steadies it on top of her palm.

"I guess I'll call it a day." She sighs, closing her eyes and stretching her arms over her head, wincing as her spine makes a few cracking sounds. Sitting still on an uncomfortable bench, hunched over a small object, isn’t exactly the most comfortable way to spend your afternoon. Whistling a tune, she takes the model hand and drops it into the little drawer where she keeps all of her miscellaneous half-finished objects, bumping it shut with her hip and then sauntering out the room, turning off the lights and closing the door behind her.

A few minutes later, with two bottles of milk tea under her right arm and an (U)topia headset in her left, Valerie walks into the clubroom with a cheerful grin on her face. Messing around with wood, drills, and saws may be fun, but everyone needs a break from something, and for her, the club provided that. Seeing that four people are already there, she gives them all a cheery wave and then experimentally chucks one of her bottle across the room. It lands on a table by the windows, and she strides towards it, half jumping, half collapsing into the corresponding chair, ignoring the circle of chairs in the center of the room. “Yo.” She grins, addressing everyone and nobody in particular, “How are you doing?”

“You’re almost a full fifteen minutes later, Val.” the club leader Phillip says, in a tone that makes it clear he’s not actually annoyed about it at all. He had always had a thing for nicknames, and she’s glad that he latched onto her preferred one instead of pulling another, probably more embarrassing one out his ever-creative brain. He’s certainly capable of it. “Do you have an excuse for me?”

“I was making a wooden hand.” She says, brushing some sawdust off her crinkled hoodie, “I dropped it, and it flipped me off.”

Phillip gives her a confused stare.

“Never mind.” She laughs, unscrewing the cap of her drink and taking a long gulp. “Hey, Phil - You already made a guild, right?”

“Yep.” He replies with a characteristically easygoing smile, “We’re called the Mystraids. Give me your username, and I’ll add you.”

“It’s Firebloom.” She says, “As in, fire” she wiggles her fingers around, miming a flame, then spreads open her arms in what looks like a cross between an explosion and the beginning of a slightly overenthusiastic hug, “and bloom.”

Phillip nods and shrugs, with a strange, oddly amused expression on his face - what, you got a problem with that? - and then, after typing something, looks up. “There, all done.”

“Thanks.” She replies, kicking off her shoes and shifting into a cross-legged position on her chair. Then, as an afterthought, she holds up the unopened bottle of milk tea - she was originally going to give it to Kite, having forgotten momentarily that he had an inexplicable hatred for caffeine, preferring simply to remain eternally tired instead - and idly twists it around in the air in front of her own face, staring at it like it's an object of intense interest to her. “Anyone want some tea?"

Andydemon · Dec 16, 2017

Alexander 'Alex' Wesker // Tsukiyomi
Arcane Trickster
Lunarville University - 3:01 PM

*I'll be right back as soon as my classes are over for the day. Okay, Alice?*

*Alright, Big Brother...See you when you come home!*

And with that last text from Alex's little sister, he looked at the time as shown on the top of his phone's screen and decided it was time to head to an upcoming meeting. One wouldn't know it based on what they were planning to do in said meeting, but it was important, or at least personal as far as Alex was concerned, not that he's told anyone that, or why it is. As far as the others were concerned, Alex had just heard of the club's interest in (U)topia and decided to come along for the ride in a fit of boredom. He wasn't sure if they believed him or not, but it's not like he could think of any other excuse for wanting to jump into an online game with a group of people he'd never met until recently.

That online game, (U)topia, he first heard about it from his sister. She had gotten into it herself at some point, and she plays it to occupy her time whenever Alex isn't able to spend his own time with her, of which he's had less and less of since enrolling for University. He hadn't been interest in the game himself since he was so busy with his studies, but he's been hearing things about the game lately, something about people that play the game see things from said game in real life. It made him wonder how this could impact his sister, and if he should intervene. The best way to find out was to go into the game and see what was going on himself. It may have meant that he was just using this group for his own ends, but he didn't care.

He would stop at nothing to make sure his sister was safe, and besides what was the worst that could happen to a group of full grown adults in a video game?

Alex had made it to the room where the meeting was being held. He would've taken a deep breath if he didn't feel like he had to keep up an appearance around the passing students. If there was one thing that everyone at the school had come to expect from Alex, it's that he was always relaxed and never took anything seriously. Instead, he simply wore the most smug, nonchalant smirk he could muster before entering the room, in which he saw there were already several others in there ahead of him.

"Oh dear, I hope I'm not late to the party~." Was the first thing to come out of Alex's mouth when he noticed the others seated in the room.

"You're right on time, actually." The group's leader, Philip told him in response almost immediately. "You're the new guy, Alex, right? I almost thought you weren't gonna show, honestly. You haven't really been taking any of this seriously."

"Now what makes you say that? It is just a video game, isn't it? What's there to take seriously?" Alex replied with his hands behind his head.

"That's what were going into the game to find out." Philip answered. "At least tell me you took the time to set up a username and character."

"As a matter of fact, I have." Alex told him as he took a seat, leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. "My name is Tsukiyomi, after the Shinto God of the Moon. Heck, once you see me in the game I guarantee you'll think I came straight out of Japan."

"So you're a weeaboo, huh? I never would've guessed." Philip remarked as he input the given username into his phone, only to look a bit puzzled afterwards. "You're an Arcane Trickster? You know I hear that's one of those hybrid classes that's hard to play as?"

"Perhaps, but in the end it was the class I felt suited me best. Besides...I prefer a challenge~."

REAL DADS · Dec 24, 2017

Martin Mauss : MARTIN0WSKI
Adventurer
Lunarville University - 3:12

Being a teacher’s assistant for a 101-level course was about as easy of a job that you can get; and equally as boring. Martin only half-listened as the professor droned on about the very basics of anthropology to a group of freshman only taking the course for the science credit. As much as he liked Professor Marowitz, that chick could talk. She was notorious for presenting until the very last second of class. One couldn’t deny her passion for the subject. It was something Martin respected, but today he had places to be. Today was the day the Unknown Club plugged into (U)topia, and he could start his study.

Martin was entering his final year of study as an undergrad and as such was tasked with writing his dissertation. His specialty was in immersive studies, living among the societies you study in order to best understand them. When Martin learned about the online community of (U)topia and how it was changing the very fabric of our own culture, he found the perfect subject of his paramount project.

Five minutes after class was supposed to end, Prof. Marowitz finally dismissed the class. He had five minutes to get the club meeting and booked it out of the classroom before a frosh could ask him a question and hold him up. Any other day he would be glad to, but he didn’t want to be late on the club’s first visit to (U)topia. Inevitably, he was late.

“Just in time, Mauss,” Philip said as Martin walked in. “We were just about to start without you.”

“Oh shove it, O'Neil,” Martin responded with a smirk. “You know I’m coming from across campus.”

“Better have your character ready, and I swear if he looks like Indiana Jones I’m kicking you from the group.”

“Come off it, Indiana Jones doesn’t even look like an anthropologist,” Martin retorted as he got out his gear. “Aight add me to the group, man. I’m MARTIN0WSKI, that’s with a zero instead of an ‘O’ since apparently that username is a hot commodity.”

Philip was quiet as he added Martin to the group. After a moment he laughed.

“Dude you totally look like Indiana Jones.”

xxfunghoul · Dec 25, 2017

RENJI AOKI - Veil
Assassin
West Dormitories - 3:16pm

"Dude! You need to stop passing out on that deck!"

Loud, boisterous laughter was heard inside of a dormitory on the third floor. Inside, Renji Aoki and two of his friends were laughing, smiling, going over details of a small party they had recently attended at a mutual friend's house.

"I know! I know, okay, it is just weirdly comfortable out there - and I did not pass out! I just took a breather out there, and closed my eyes," Renji says in defense, hiding a smile behind his hand. He was grateful for times like these - and it was times like these, where he'd forget that he had other priorities to attend. Midnight hues glance behind his friend, towards the digital alarm clock, and his eyes widen. "Oh - oh, crap! I gotta go!" The journalist gasps, clambering to his feet from his seated position on the ground.

His friends could only look on in confusion, as he gathers his things - his bag, his denim vest, his phone - and darts for the door. "Sorry guys! I gotta go meet up with my friends in - crap - bye!" Is all he has time to exclaim, before sprinting down the hall, having forgot the coffee thermos that his friends were now staring at.

"... He's gonna die without that coffee." The other friend chuckles under his breath.

Ren doesn't like being a menace, sure, but he sure as hell didn't want to be late. With a mix between a brisk walk and a jog, he was trying his best to rush towards the classroom before he was too late. Knowing his friends, there was a solid chance he wasn't the last one - but he damn positive he wasn't even close to being the first there. He practically bursts through the classroom door, trying not to sound too out of breath, and he gives everyone a smile.

"Hey!" His entrance is long and drawn out, making sure he meets the gaze of everyone before shutting up. "Sorry I'm late, guys - kinda got held up in the dorms."

"Man, I need to start telling you 2:45 instead of 3," Phil snarks with a sassy click of his tongue, rolling his eyes. "Maybe then you'll be on time."

"Yeah, yeah, Phil. Keep rollin' your eyes. Maybe you'll find a brain back there," Renji teases back with a grin, giving the other a friendly clap on his back. "Seriously, though. My bad guys." He apologizes once more, reaching inside the bag slung over his shoulder to grab his phone, and the new VR headset. Holding it in his hands again gave him a strange sense of unease - evident by the furrowing of his brows, eyes intently staring at the piece of plastic. With a shake of his head, he sets it down, removing the earbud inside his right ear.

"Alright! Who we still waitin' on? And, uh - Val, the offer of that tea still up? Thought I heard you mention it and, uh. Kinda forgot my coffee in my buddy's dorm."

Cue the sheepish grin. He probably owes her at least three drinks, at this point.

"Alright, Aoki, gimme your username and I'll send you an add to the guild." Phil reminds him.

"Right, right - uh," Renji looks through his phone, opening the hub app for the game. "Veil. Just, Veil."

"Dude, pick between hipster or edgy. Ya can't keep doin' both." Quips the guildmaster, sending the invite.

"Can't bag on my user name when you made the group Mystraids. Real original, dude." Ren scoffs in response.

Monster Guy · Dec 26, 2017

Leo Silverstone/Lionheart
Paladin
Lunarville University 3PM

Leo sat in class, listening to the algebra professor ramble on and on about the X = some number or whatever. He tried to pay attention, but it was just so uninteresting. This was not what he signed for. It felt like high school 2.0. He went to college as a Culinary Arts major, but being a freshman meant doing all the boring prerequisites. That included math, his worst subject. Even when it was time for class to be finished, he kept right on talking. Would it ever end?

Finally, the professpr realized class was supposed to be over by now. The minute the class was dismissed, Leo walked as fast as he could without crashing into people, and made his way towards the classroom the Unknown Club used for meetings. Today was a particularly exciting day, because they were going to play a video game. Not just any video game, (U)topia. One of the best new MMOs out there. Or, so he had heard. He hadn't played it before today. Supposedly, people were seeing stuff from the game in real life, and they were going to investigate. It sure sounded like fun.

Leo finally made it to the classroom. Several of the other members hade beaten him there. "Hey guys!" Leo waved, with a bug toothy grin on his face. Everyone was already getting there stuff set up. "Sorry, I'm late. Class just dragged on and on... The professor kept on talking even after class was supposed to be finished. That guy sure does love numbers."

"It's about time you got here." Philip responded. "Have you made your character?"

Leo and Philip high fived each other, and then Leo sat at one of the available chairs, and put the headset on his head, and took out his phone. "Yeah, I named my guy Lionheart. Get it? It's because Leo means lion, and... well, Lionheart just sounded cool."

Philip noted Leo's username. "Oh? Something simple. For a minute I thought you were going to pick something My Little Pony related. Like Pinkie_Pie8 or something like that."

"Oh you know me so well!" Leo giggled. "Nah, Pinkie Pie doesn't really fit with the whole Paladin look."

fango pango · Dec 28, 2017

Alexander Jones/Dead Beat
Necromancer
Lunarville University - 3.00 PM

Alexander sat on the toilet in a stall in the bathroom some 20 metres from his classroom. He was relieved his lesson had been almost done when he felt the shutdown begin. His rational brain told him yes it was in part on him being up the whole night before making sure his presentation was everything it had to be. That didn’t matter in the moment though. The noise his classmates were making, coupled with his exhaustion, lead him to this. A balled up mess trying to compose himself.

In a panic, Alex delved his hand into his bag, and bought out his plushie dog, Fang. He stroked its head. He held it close. He began to calm down. His thoughts stopped racing through him as fast. With a few deep breaths he felt his body begin functioning as he wanted it to.

He stayed there for a few minutes more, before getting up and leaving the bathroom. He checked his wristwatch. “Ten past Three? **** me this punctuality thing is overrated eh? He thought to himself, before dashing to the free room that had been booked.

As he closed in on the room, he began to feel a buzz in his body that he’d missed for most of the day. The sheer anticipation of being around this group of people he got along with was what he looked forward to week in week out, and he didn’t realise how much he missed it until he was about to join them. His walk had an extra spring as he got closer and closer, before he finally reached the door of the room, and opened up.

“And here’s our resident late one. Same as always Alex? Lost the time?” Phillip said, almost joyously. Alex sighed, before retorting “First off, actually, it’s hard to lose time when it’s strapped to your damn wrist” he pulled his arm up, showing his watch, before continuing, “and secondly no. I was in the bathroom near my classroom, being too autistic to stand here and deal with the garbage you spout.” Phillip forced a chuckle out, before looking at Alex’s bag “I’m assuming you’ve got your headset in there? Give us your username so I can add you to the guild.” Alex went into his bag, pulling out his headset casually. “It’s Dead Beat. With a space.” With a look at his headset and a few moments later, Phillip had added Alex to the guild. “Welcome to the Mystraids, Dead Beat. What’s your class?” Alex looked at his headset, confirming the hold invite.

“I’m a necromancer. And what kind of a name is BarristaBoy?”

Hydrangea · Jan 9, 2018

☙--------------♣--------------❧
Arabella Monet // Ante Meridiem (A.M.)
Ranger
Lunarville University - 3:20pm

With everyone present, and everyone made fun of at least once by Phillip --- it was time for the true purpose of the club to actually commence. With a quick motion of the hand, everyone took their seats in the circle. Arabella eyed Alexander carefully, he hadn't changed much. She had to wonder if he was here because he knew she'd be here, or if it was just pure coincidence that brought them together again. Whatever it was, she didn't like it. He broke her heart, yet she was expected to sit here and pretend they were all friendly with each other and on good terms. He pretty much pretended she didn't exist, which was fine. She put her hand on her cheek and learned forward, watching Phillip as he went to shut the door.

"Alright. So now that we have everyone in the guild and present, it's time to discuss strategy. We have this room for the rest of the day, perks of being a simple 'Barista Boy'" Phillip began, smirking at Alexander. "Luckily, everyone made their characters so that's step one. Our next plan is to pick our entry point," He looked at everyone, who's eyes were lit up in wonder at the prospect. "I... kind of went ahead and picked the lowest traffic area. Most of us are newbies at this, and I didn't want any casualties early. The punishment for death is having to wait a real world day before you can come back in, that's brutal! Especially for us, considering we need to stay alive and gather info." He picked up a marker and began to draw a crude map on the whiteboard.

"Yo, Phil. Your art sucks." Called Arabella, who had turned her chair backwards so she could rest her arms on the back of it. Phillip turned and glared at her, causing her to giggle to herself. Upon completion, it was a crude map of their plan for today.

"Our entry point is going to be Bubbling Beach, a beginners area beach that doubles as a hot spring." He pointed to the board once again, taking a different colour and drawing a line to the next point of the map. "Our next place, is going to be either Shining Cavern or Skans City --- depending on how we feel. If you all are ready, I want you to plug in your headsets to your phones and get ready to go. Pick the top server, Chaugnar... and I'll see you all inside." With that, Phillip walked to an empty chair, placing his own headset over his face --- leaning back in his chair. He had presumably entered the world, fading into a stupor-like state while his avatar explored the world.

Arabella placed her headset on her face, kicking back in her chair as she felt her eyelids getting heavy. When she came to, she was face to face with a rather imposing looking Berserker. Clad in full black armor, and wearing a tremendous looking dragon helmet. It was probably actually a dragon skull, not that she'd know what that looked like. She glanced at the berserker, who turned towards her, he was holding his axe strongly in his left hand.

"You dare disturb Bubbling Beach, Mortal? Prepare to die!" He motioned towards her strongly, causing Arabella to point her gun arm at him in defense.

"Get. The ****. Away from me." She said firmly, readying the trigger. She heard a bellow of laughter, and watched as the dragon helm opened up at the jaw --- revealing an all too familiar Phillip.

"It's me. You trigger happy cuck." He said with a smile, looking around. Arabella's eyes followed, scanning her environment. The beach was as you'd expect, sandy with a beautiful ocean lapping at the sand. A few pits rested around them, pools of water with steam rising out of them laid within. Arabella's eyes couldn't help but notice the five foot tall crabs that scuttled a few feet away from them, probably to be their first monster encounters.

"So. I want to start by seeing if we can find other human players. Don't worry though, A.M., there's no PVP in this area." He looked around, trying to spot their next course of action. "Once the others get here, I say we head toward the beach village. We can probably snag some sort of quest from an NPC." He continued, his helmet lowering to cover his face once again.

"That helmet makes you sound like Kylo Ren." Arabella said, bluntly. Chuckling to herself as Phillip turned once again to face her.

"You're one to talk, furbait. Who made that costume? Fox McCloud?" The two laughed together, listening to the waves grab at the sand.

VampirateMace · Jan 14, 2018

Lance Jönsson
White Mage (SilverStar_20)
Lunarville University - around 3:00pm

They waited while the rest of the group arrives, some quite fashionably late, with Phillip making weird nickname comments to each of the arrivals in turn. It kind of got old after a while, no wonder they all accepted it without arguing at this point. Lance zone out a bit, staring off into a corner, and glancing down at his violin case. The conversation of the others was background noise as he thought about the game. It looked really cool, but the rumors of something sinister, that really triggered his imagination.

He knew he should be trying to remember everyone's in-game names, but it was hard to focus with how long they were waiting. He never really realized how laid back the club's starting time had been until now. He came to attention when he realized the room was quite save for Phillip making an announcement. Lance looked up, to see he was making a map for them.

Bubbling Beach, got it.

Phillip sat back down and entered the game, going concerningly limp. Lance shifted the violin case between his legs. Logically he knew that if they were as out of it as Phillip looked, this wouldn't make a difference, but it made him feel better. He reached up and dropped the headset over his face, noticing others were doing the same.

It was dark, and he felt surprisingly relaxed. A high detail world had formed around him. Beautiful. A berserker and a fox girl were arguing nearby. From context he assumed the berserker was Phillip, and he was explaining this area was safe from players trying to kill you. Lance stepped up to the group, ignoring their banner, “That's a good idea. We should probably try and figure out the safest ways to level-up.”

Phillip turned on him, laughing through the helmet, “That's the idea with the quest pretty-boy. . . Damn, that hair, those clothes. . . why didn't you just make a girl?”

“I'm not a girl, I'm an elf, like from Lord of the Rings? Dumb***,” returned Lance, “At least that fits the theme better then a dragon-headed Sith Lord.”

Vern · Jan 19, 2018

Valerie Arkwright // Pyromancer
Firebloom
3:20~ish

"And, uh - Val, the offer of that tea still up?” A familiar voice floats over from the other side of the room, "Thought I heard you mention it and, uh. Kinda forgot my coffee in my buddy's dorm.” Glancing over her shoulder, Val locates the source - Renji Aoki.

The black-haired guy hadn’t made much of an impression on her when they had first met, but over time, she had come to remember him as that one guy who kept forgetting his coffee. With a resigned chuckle, she waits for him to finish speaking with Phillip, then swings her left arm around and tosses him the bottle from behind her back. “Catch!” She chuckles playfully, “How many does that make it? Four? At this rate, you’re gonna be seriously in debt by year’s end.” Feeling a dryness in her throat, she quickly takes another sip from her own bottle. "Next time, you're buying me a drink, got it?"

Phil begins drawing a crappy diagram on the board - which prompted a snide comment from Arabella - explaining their planned strategy and instructing them to log into the Chaugnar server. When he was done, he sat down, leaned back, and faded into unconsciousness. Val watched as a couple of others did the same, leaning back and falling into a sleep-like set as they entered the virtual world. Grinning with anticipation, she downs the last of her tea and hops off her chair, lying down on the ground with both hands under her head.

“Well then,” she says, addressing nobody in particular, “See you all on the other side!”

With that, she places her headset over her eyes and allows a manufactured drowsiness to overtake her. The real world fades to black, and then another, virtual one springs into life in front of her eyes. A beach, rendered in disturbingly realistic detail, with the waves lapping gently at the shore. It was oddly peaceful, and she might have spent a while just lying down, feeling the sun washing over her skin, if the sound of people yelling at each other didn’t snap her out of her stupor.

Turning around, she closes the distance between herself and the other three people in three quick bounds, feeling free-er than she had in a while. While in real life, the injury that she had sustained forced her to wear clothes that shielded most of her body from the outside world and avoid too much exercise, she was free of such restrictions here, and could do as she liked. The sensation of wind flowing across her bare skin is delightfully foreign, and immediately, she feels happier than she had in a long time - not that she wasn’t happy in real life, but still. Already, the appeal of this game was becoming apparent, and the concept of people spending almost days on end entrapped in here no longer seemed so incomprehensible. The warm sand felt so real beneath her bare feet that if she really wanted to, she was sure she could start accepting this as reality.

"Dumb***,” a shirtless elf was saying in a voice she recognised as Lance's, “At least that fits the theme better then a dragon-headed Sith Lord.”

“That sounds pretty cool, if you ask me.” Val says, casually stepping into to circle and patting Lance on the shoulder. The Sith Lord in question is probably the heavily armoured Berserker, revealed to be Phillip by the opening in his helmet. The other person is unmistakably Arabella, who looked pretty much the same, except for a pair of fox ears and a bushy tail. “Ooo! Fox ears!” She exclaims, hopping to stand next to her, a wide smile on her face, “I never knew you liked those kinds of things. Hey -“ she adds, reaching out with her right hand, “Can I touch your tail? It looks fluffy as hell.”

Solsabre · Jan 22, 2018

(U)topia
Eugene William 'Snot' Snodgrass // Bjorne Kjarr
Forester
Lunarville University --> Bubbling Beach, (U)topia 3:30pm ish

Eugene watched everyone, from the corner of his eye, fade off into an oblivious trance. Val was the last one beside himself to enter the Virtual World, though she opted to lay on the ground instead. Smart choice. Most of the club members were likely to come back to the real world stiff from being in the unusual slouch positions for so long. Not that Gene had much of a choice.

The wheelchair-bound athletic held his headpiece with slight hesitancy. Eugene had done additional research his fellow club members didn’t know about. Those few specific articles he’d read in the privacy of his apartment, they were not displayed on his computer right now. Was (U)topia just as great and liberating as others in his predicament claimed. Did he dare get his hopes up or should he braced himself for disappoint?

A warm tongue flicked across his right hand, jolting Eugene from his thoughts. Losing focus from the task at hand wasn’t like himself, but his life was hardly normal since the car wreck. The older student scratched the attentive German Shepard’s head. Thor proved to be more than just a highly trained service dog, but a supportive companion to give him that occasional nudge of assurance when he needed it.

Eugene checked his watch real quick. Good, he’d taken Thor out for a bathroom break not that long ago, so his partner would be good for a while. Indicating to Thor with a gesture to wait, Snodgrass finally put the headset on and the world he knew faded around him.

He heard first the gentle crashing of wave, but he was still surrounded by darkness. Eugene realized he was holding his eyes shut. With a deep breath, he opened his eyes finally to (U)topia. The beginner’s beach, Bubbling Beach, was exactly as Phillip described, a low traffic area since he couldn’t see any other players nearby except for those characters he assumed were his friends. He looked over his left shoulder to see a few others already gathering together. Feeling the extra weight of his lower body following along as he twisted at the waist, Eugene realised he was sitting on a rock near the water, but with one big difference.

He wiggled his toes.

A large smile crept across his Avatar’s rugged face, slowly pushing his feet outwards on the sandy beach. Savoring every sensation and texture at each second, a single tear slid down his cheek. Inhaling deeply to calm the brewing storm of emotions, he shifted his weight forward onto one leg, picturing and remembering the sensation of such a simple act as if he were getting off the bench to join his team on the basketball court. Eugene stumbled forward slightly from over judging the effort needed to simply stand. Flailing his arms for a few seconds, Gene found his balance and managed to steady his legs under his large muscular body.

It seemed almost too easy after not being able to walk for so many years, but maybe that was just the advantage of virtual reality where you could pick a perfect body free of defect or disability. All the years of intense physical therapy he endured seemed pointless the moment he entered (U)topia.

Eugene wasn’t sure how he felt of that line of thinking. His inquisitive mind started branching out at possibilities and theories, but he stopped before it went much further. He wasn’t here alone to learn (U)topia’s mysteries. The Club had a mission to figure out together.

Keeping his usual serious expression, though he was smirking inside, Eugene (now going by Bjorne Kjarr here) crept with slow deliberate steps behind Phillip. His leather moccassions allowed him to feel every difference in the sandy surface, making him able to disguise his approach to Phillip with minimal noise. He held a beefy finger to his lips for secrecy to Val, Arabella, and Lance, who no doubt saw him coming up behind the Sith Lord-wannabe. Eugene missed their reactions to his hulky figure and startling height.

Towering over their fearless leader (and still clueless), Snot slapped a beefy hand on Phillip’s shoulder like any close friend. “I don’t know about you, BarristaBoy, but I think I’d like to get some practice in with our abilities before heading off on a quest.”

Bjorne chuckled quietly from the resulting yelp. He didn’t think it was possible for someone to jump that high with that much armor, even in virtual reality.

TheSequelReturns · Jan 28, 2018

< Azusa Morrison // Jade Rabbit >
Summoner
Lunarville University - Mission Clock 00:00

As each person gave their character info and user names to Phillip, Azusa made a point to look up each of them so she'd recognize their avatars once they logged in. That seemed like a useful thing to do, especially since she got here first and could take her time with it as each person arrived. And then, the time came.

Azusa watched as the first few club members sunk into the strange stupor caused by logging into (U)topia. It was... disconcerting to say the least. They got so still and limp is was almost like they had suddenly died. Like their souls had literally jumped ship and left their bodies for the digital world. Azusa knew about this of course. With all the hpe the game was getting there was of course a plethora of material saying how safe it was, how the limpness was nothing to be concerned about, how you would be perfectly fine as long as you didn't forget to log out every now and again. Still, the suddenness of it was off-putting.

But, a deals a deal. And besides, if millions of people around the world did this every day, how dangerous could it be right? Right? She took a moment to adjust her seating position so she wouldn't fall out of her chair while she was away and picked up the headset. Azusa said a quick prayer in her head before donning the device and starting the login process.

Odd, she didn't fell herself go limp. She didn't feel much of anything for a second really. Just a sudden darkness and a momentary loss of sensation, and then-

---

Lv. 1 HP: Full MP: Full
Bubbling Beach, (U)topia
Play Time: 00:01 and counting...

The sound of water, like one of those noise machines you sleep to but without the static.

The feeling of soft, sandy ground beneath her feet, and thankfully not yet in her shoes.

The smell of salt in the air, a scent that was at once nostalgic and disorienting.

All the sensations hit her so suddenly she nearly toppled over. Then her body fought against the sudden immediate change of sitting to standing without actually getting up and she really did fall over. Luckily, she was able to catch herself on a nearby palm tree and avoid getting sand all in her jacket.

No, wait. Not a jacket. Her robes. Her summoner's robes.

She turned to look at her hand against the tree and was pleasantly surprised to see her weapon choice, the Lucky Star, floating around her wrist. This was real. It felt so real. And yet, here there was magic. The allure of this game world was suddenly very apparent. Azusa felt like she understood the addiction now. The ability to actually exist in a world with magic and monsters. And then she saw Eugene, or his avatar at least running around in the sand with the biggest grin she had ever seen.

For some people, that feeling of freedom was a little closer to home.

She approached the growing group of noobs that were her friends just in time to hear Eugene say: “I don’t know about you, BarristaBoy, but I think I’d like to get some practice in with our abilities before heading off on a quest.”

Azusa, or Jade Rabbit rather, raised a hand in greeting and quickly shifted the wave into a "V" sign. "Now that sounds like a solid idea. And luckily for us, there's some crabs right over there that look pretty low level to me."

She flexed her fingers and actually felt the magic flow around her hand. It was like liquid electricity, energy that swelled and flowed in invisible arcs around her hand, up her arm, through and around her body and back again. This must be what power felt like. She could get used to it.

"Well, guild leader?" she said with a nod towards BaristaBoy. The name was even stranger now that she saw his large and imposing avatar. "When the rest of the gang arrives, wanna see what we can really do in this game world?"

xxfunghoul · Feb 19, 2018

RENJI AOKI - Veil
Assassin
Club Room - 3:30~pm.

"You're a life saver, Val!" Replies the young man, catching the drink with a grateful smile. It turns to embarrassed, though, as she was very much right - sometimes, he needed the damn thermos clipped to him at all times. Nervously, he scratches at the tip of his nose - a little quirk, an instant tell that the club would see him in a nervous state. "Of course, dude - at this point, I owe you half the damn cafe. I'll get you back, promise!"

As the others began to place the headsets over their eyes, Renji's smile slowly starts to fade. With each whir of headsets and each body that went limp in a faux unconscious state, his heart dropped further and further. Something about this seemed off to him, and he couldn't quite place it but his gut was telling him that this was one investigation that his club would seriously be challenged with. Phil, Val, Snot, Azusa... They were going virtual, one by one. Right.

A sigh, and he brings another couple of desks together - he was already sitting down, but seeing as Val had the right idea, he thought to mimic it. He removes his jacket, making sure to fold it for a little more comfort, and lays one the desk. Right. Here goes nothing. The headset goes over his face, he clicks the machine on, and he waits. His eyes close... He doesn't feel much. And then - darkness.

Bubbling Beach
Veil - Assassin, lvl.1

Mismatched eyes open, and a gloved hand raises to shield his vulnerable eyes from the shining sun. He looks down - glancing at the black leather gloves, the coat that was flowing in the slight breeze. A weight on his back - reaching an arm behind his head, he can feel the hilt of his blade. It's removed from its confinement with a dull shwing sound, and he gives it a few practice swings. Lightweight. Perfectly balanced. Good.

It's twirled, and slides back into its sheathe. Looking forward, he sees the group of others. He walks up to them in time to hear Bjorne and Jade suggest a little skirmish - a warmup, to get used to their weapons and abilities.

"That's a good idea," comes his input, voice leveled and calm. A slight difference from his usual, more cheerful demeanor. "I mean, not only to get used to this place, but - I think if we try, we can really find some good combos and team commands. Who knows what an assassin and a summoner can do to a single target. Or a mage and a forester, for that matter."

Andydemon · Mar 9, 2018

Alexander 'Alex' Wesker // Tsukiyomi
Arcane Trickster
Lunarville University - 3:20pm

Sometime after Alex arrived, the remaining members of the group had shown up as well, and they were all finally ready to jump into the game for the first time. Alex leaned back into his chair, crossed both his arms and legs, and nearly shut his eyes almost looking like he was taking a nap as Phillip went over their game plan. However, he was ultimately forced to keep his eyes at least half open once he started drawing a map on the white board. Alex didn't say anything then and there, but he had to agree with Arabella that Phillip's map was poorly drawn, especially when compared to how well he's seen Alice draw things from memory.

As Phillip spoke, Alex's eyes did open up more at the mention of hot springs in Bubbling Beach. Hot springs were commonplace in Japanese media, admittedly not portrayed in the best ways. Too often they are used to portray the female characters in little to no clothes whatsoever while the male characters get portrayed as Peeping Toms, sometimes on accident as a result of a more perverted characters clumsy antics. To think back on those scenes in anime left Alex feeling disdainful towards prospect of visiting a hot spring, but he had to wonder about their aesthetic in (U)topia.

Once the briefing was over for now, Phillip put on his headset and seemingly fell asleep in his chair, with others in the room doing the same. Alex took a moment to observe this, knowing that Alice had done the same back home many times before, and now it was his turn. After a sensation that could be comparable to to falling asleep then waking up, Alex found himself in the game for the very first time.

Once he could move, Alex took the time to examine his avatar. He was taller than in real life, he was dressed in a haori, a hakama, and wooden sandals. His sleeves nearly covered his hands as well as concealed a pair of daggers strapped to his arms. Alex moved his hand onto the top of his head and found himself feeling what could only be described as the kind of triangle shaped fluffy ears one would expect from a cat or a fox, and finally he looked behind himself to see not one, not two, but nine large pure white fox tails. Yep, he had become a Kyubi-no-Kitsune straight out of Japanese mythology.

"Well I could certainly get used to this~" Alex said to himself before deciding it was time to meet up with the others, thankfully he didn't have to look far as he could already hear the commotion they were causing nearby. Though not making his presence known right away, he listened into their talk long enough to hear the large Forester, who he figured out was Eugene, sneak up behind Philip, now being jokingly described as an armored Sith Lord, and suggest they try out their in-game abilities before setting off on some grand adventure.

Seeing this as his opportunity to have some fun, Alex noticed that he had a skill that enabled him to move from his current location to directly behind a target in an instant and decided to put it to good use. At that moment, he shadow stepped, almost teleporting to an untrained eye, directly beside Phillip saying, "I agree, we should practice a bit on the small fry around here before taking on something out of our league. It simply wouldn't do to have one of us kicked out of the game for a day because we charged in unprepared~"

The sudden appearance startled Phillip, and Alex didn't give him time to adjust to the situation, as he shadow stepped again to his side, putting him at Eugene's other side as he looked him over. "Why, Eugene, is that you? I don't believe I've ever seen you out of your wheelchair before! What is it like being able to walk here? You must feel like a fish out of water~"

"Is that you, Alex?! Stop doing that!" Phillip said as he was startled again before getting a chance to look at Alex's avatar. "You too with the fox look?"

In response, Alex immediately shadow stepped behind Phillip again with his face next to his ear, "Awww, but I was just having so much fun~" He said before proceeding to ask, "And just what do you mean by, 'you too?'"

Before Phillip could answer however, Alex looked and noticed another player, who he worked out was Arabella, also had given her avatar fox ears and a tail, albeit it just one as oppose to the nine Alex had given himself. Seeing this, Alex shadow stepped to Arabella's side telling her, "Well well, I didn't expect someone else to go for the same look I did, and here I thought I was being the original one in our group, but alas~"

(U)topia [RP] - Rated R

Hydrangea

Just a creature

TheSequelReturns

Faithful Crusader

Solsabre

The Reforged Soul

VampirateMace

Internet Overlord

Vern

Why not both?

Andydemon

Nanomachines, Son!

REAL DADS

Shampoo Thief

xxfunghoul

New Member

Monster Guy

Fairy type Trainer

fango pango

You're My Man Of War