The Heart of A New World RP (Start)

[BlackTalon]

The sound of a doorbell ringing near of the cusp of dawn is a starling and eerie experience. It breaks the heavy silence of early morning like a gunshot. The weather seems to sense the electric unease in the air, dense black clouds ripping open to flood the streets with cold rain. The wind, not to be outdone by the rain, howls along the street. The morning calm is no more. Moments later, a buzz, a hum, a musical tone, dozens of cell phones receive the same message. It is brief but ignites a flame of excitement across the city. “Good morning, your pre-ordered copy of The New World has been delivered.” To many it sounds cryptic but to those who wait, it is a call to arms and adventure.

On hundreds of doorsteps, mailboxes and driveways a large cardboard box has mysteriously appeared. The box is plain, glossy white with an embellished blue logo that clearly identifies the contents. The New World, in beautiful scrolling letters, is the only adornment on the box. Many may have noticed and ignored the empty envelop taped to the bottom. Odd to be sure but excitement over rules logic, as many of us rushes to start our new experience.

Within the box, packing materials hold the treasure in the centre, keeping it safe from harm on its journey. The game that we have all been waiting so long for has finally arrived. The case is the same plain white, with the same scrolling writing, telling us yet again what is contained inside. The case contains only a disc, no instructions or manual or information on the game we so dearly want to try. This isn't entirely unheard of; many developers provide online guides and instructions so we rush to insert the game into the VLG system.

The New World is the single most anticipated game of the year and we are the lucky ones that managed to acquire a pre-order. The immersion process can always be a bit disorienting, lying on your back and allowing an electronic device take control of your senses is both thrilling and a little frightening. With eyes closed, the player reaches up and switches on the VLG. With a soft whir and a flicker of light the machine boots up. With a rush of excitement, we dive into our New World.

As you open up your eyes, you see a large screen floating inside of the white room. You seem to be able to move your right arm; you can even wiggle your fingers experimentally. Before you lies the menu to create your class and in game appearance. Choose wisely, for this will start your new life in The New World.

 

[LadyYunaFFX2]

Suki Kimura (Online UserName: Tsukihime)​

The light buzzing and humming of Suki's cell phone had been what woke her up. Yes, the cell phone ... not the doorbell. When she was genuinely tired, she could sleep through almost anything. But maybe it was the fact that few people had her number whereas the use of her front door could have just been some prankster. Her cell? Not as likely. A light groan passed her lips as she sat up in her bed, rubbing the sleep away from her eyes as she flipped the screen open.

And no sooner than she read the message did she feel almost instantly completely awakened. Setting it down, she headed to her front door and opened it, unable to help but smile and shake slightly in anticipation at the sight. Carefully grasping the box, she began pulling it into her room, using her foot to close the door again.

Ugh, thank gods that at least this is a damn efficiency and nothing overly huge ...

Because of that, it didn't take quite as long to get the VLG into her room. Using a switchblade - something she had hidden away in her room as break ins were sometimes common in the area she resided in - she flipped it open and began working on giving herself access to the device.

Suki had read the online instructions over the past weeks and already knew what to do. And now .. here it was. The visor that would allow her to change her life, completely. All the drama and crap like that ... she wouldn't have to endure it again, or so she hoped.

As far as Suki was concerned, she had little to no life at all. She'd hated it for years, loving at most the ability to learn at school. But she'd never had any real friends, her parents had died when she was a young age, her guardians had been pricks ... it made her wearily sigh. Her left hand lightly clasped around one of the last gifts given to her by her mom; a pendant and lightly squeezed it as she thought about them.

She was doing what was correct ... wasn't she? So why did Suki suddenly feel hesitant? She swallowed softly, glancing down at the VLG again. "... What more do you have to lose?" She murmured softly. "This is what you've been waiting for anyways, yes? So ... "

But before she logged herself in, another thought came to Suki. It'd likely be wise to change into ... something that wasn't a nightgown. Setting the visor down upon her bed, she pulled her pajamas off, grabbing a new pair of panties, bra, pair of denim jeans and comfortable tank top. Nothing was supposed to happen to her body but on the off-chance that wasn't true -- she didn't want to be in such a vulnerable state.

Her body shook slightly as she lied down on her bed, upon her back. Semi-shaking hands took the VLG and slowly slid it over her eyes, gently pushing the ON button to activate the device. Still, despite her anxieties Suki couldn't help but smile. After entering her username and password, she saw the character creation. Another nervous swallow left but this time she exhaled deeply to keep herself calm.

The name part had been easy, she'd thought of that for quite a while. It was filled in with a simple and yet elegant name all the same; Tsukihime, literally translated as 'Moon Princess'. It was a popular name, even used as one for another anime but she referred to herself and her love for the night over the day.

Scrolling carefully over the classes, Suki had a few that she'd contemplated on. A Templar wouldn't be too bad, especially since they could heal. Even the Blade Singer had gotten her attention for a while. But in the end, she decided on the Reaper; the thief or assassin more or less. She'd done a few similar characters in other MMOs before and thoroughly loved them. She assumed stealth would exist here .. or even if not, the speed that came with the class should. And with the latter racing through her head, Suki had a theory on how to do this well enough.

Sometimes it's not having an overly stronger character which can give one the best head start but faster. And hell, rogues were actually really good with DPS. Most basic quests gave potions real fast so even if she tried to solo a few dungeons and such ... she should live. That, of course, was the easy part of Suki. Now she had to choose her appearance.

Hm ... nothing exactly like the real me ... She inwardly mused. As much as Suki loved her actual body, it'd be ... nerve-wracking for complete online strangers to figure out she was a raven-haired teenager with blue eyes. The eyes she kept, albeit not nearly as bright as her real ones. The hair, though, was a reddish hue, bordering on amber or light brown. It was also a hell of a lot shorter than she'd like but none of the 'long' hairstyles had gotten her attention much. They seemed like they tried a tad too hard so she'd gone for something less complex.

Another gentle exhale from her nose and swallow left. Well ... that's it. Reaching a finger slowly up, she hit the "Log In" button and closed her eyes behind the visor. By the time they opened again, she'd be in "The New World". Suki was incredibly nervous .. but so very excited all the same. Her eyes slowly opened, adjusting to see what now was before them ...

 

[sorchasilver]

Catherine blearily sipped coffee at her kitchen table; letting the hot, bitter liquid shock her system into wakefulness. Despite being almost 25 years old, she had barely slept at all. She was like a child on Christmas Eve, the only thing that ruined her excitement is that her husband wouldn't be able to share in the first adventure. She raised her emerald eyes to look at him across the table. Dressed in his usual fluffy blue robe, he sipped on an extra-large cup of coffee and waited with her for the game to arrive.

When they had pre-ordered they had only managed to get their hands on one copy and her incredibly kind and loving partner had promised she could have the first try. It had been a disappointment as they had been planning for ages to play together. Still, he had even gotten up with her at 4:30 in the morning to have coffee with her. She gave him as bright a smile as she could muster at this hour. Neither one of them was really a morning person so they just kept each other company during the last little bit of the wait.

Finally the doorbell rang, making her jump even though she expected it and moments later her cell phone vibrated across the table. She ignored the message already bouncing to the front door to retrieve her package. Even the terrible weather couldn't dampen her spirits today. Pulling the large box inside she raced up stairs with her new game, her husband only a few steps behind her. After getting comfortable on the narrow bed in their home office, Catherine’s husband slid the disk into the VLG system. Before sliding the immersion helmet over her curly dark hair, he leaned down and kissed her gently. “Don’t have too much fun without me.” He teased gently. “Don’t sleep all day.” She responded with an impish grin, they both knew that he would.

With the helmet secured, Catherine reached up and flipped the switch; feeling a rush of excitement and adrenaline as the VLG connected with her nervous system. The white screen flickered into view and after a short launch sequence she was inside the starting menu. With a squeal of excitement she practically bounced on the spot. She had chosen her class ages ago after browsing through a wiki of leaked information. It was a bad habit of hers with any new game. She and her husband were going to be a Shield and Templar team but even without him here she was set on the Templar class. With that choice out of the way she settled in to make her appearance.

After pondering several of the options she chose a female avatar, with long, curly crimson hair and emerald eyes even more vibrant then her own. She named herself Faolan, the Celtic word for wolf. Smiling excitedly she clicked the confirm button that hovered before her in the air. Immediately after touching it she received the ‘are you sure?’ question. It seemed prudent to take a moment to make absolutely sure it was what she wanted. With a gleeful grin, Catherine clicked the bright green YES button. Several seconds later she was launched into a gorgeous opening cinematic that ended in a flash of bright light. She could not wait to see what waited for her in the New World.

 

[Laa]

This is the tale of Richard Gwenfield, a professional perfectionist, capable of sacrificing everything for perfection. Why, he had done so his entire life. From the moment he was born up until the moment he stood with that special package in his hands. This game would be the first time that he had ever rebelled against his parents. This game symbolized a new beginning, a way to save his life from disappearing right in front of his eyes. Fun. He wanted to have fun for once. He wanted to have friends for once. He wanted to avoid studying for once, ditching everything he had worked for so far, giving it all up in exchange for all that which he could never have… Before now.

While he wanted to leave behind the negatives of perfectionism, he couldn’t stop himself from fleshing out every little detail of his new self and how he should act once he got inside the game. First, he had to dump the sensation of fear completely, pretending to know when he did not. Second, he should become famous, not humbly avoiding the spotlight like he had been doing all his life. Third, he should actually talk to people.

If he followed these simple steps, he would already be well on his way to a proper second life… He was certain of it. Of course, a lot more was to be done, but it was a start. A start on his new life.

Ritscch, krssh, bam, weeep, bang!

With a scissor in his hand, he had ruthlessly ripped out the both his new VLG and his new game which he had purchased with his own savings. He had learned exactly how to set up the devices months prior to this date, making it easy for him to set it up within seconds. With now time to waste as his parents would be home soon enough, he threw himself on his bed, dressed up in a fine suit and everything.

With the VLG plugged in and ready to boot up, he flicked the switch, a seemingly never-ending smile spreading across his face.
Once the menu showed up, he hesitantly clicked on the character creation button. He actually wanted to read every other menu option first, but he decided to do so later. A minutes time in-game time would be crucial in the early stages of the game after all. Damn. He liked mulling over things for ages, so it wasn’t like him to jump into things like he was.

Character creation. Well, one thing was certain, the character shouldn’t look like himself. Although he had a fine height and width, everything else were somewhat lacking about him.

His hair was blonde and cut into the shape of a pot, making for clean and almost too-cleand nazi-styled haircut. It was, however, the haircut that his mother preferred.
He had little to no muscles and somewhat underweight.
To top it off, he was extremely pale and somewhat underdeveloped, meaning he had no beard. This wasn’t how he wanted to look. This wasn’t how he wanted to look at all.

Instead, he wanted to look like a valiant prince. Long blond hair, great well-nourished muscles, a delicate yet apparent tan along with a gentleman-like beard. That was what he truly wanted. And so, that was what he made. This, was the birth of a new him: Jaden Sornborn.

 

[TheMasquerade]

Act 1, Part 1--Opening Scene.

"Dreams... Why always dreams? Are dreams so different from reality? Are such things naught but what we perceive through our limited cognitive ability?... Is life, but a dream?"

Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, be--

With a loud bang, the alarm clock stops beeping. A young woman yawns and stretches as she slowly climbs out of bed. Her tall stature was atypical for a woman though not for a boxer, and her more muscular physique sometimes had her be mistaken for a man at a distance. She looks at herself in a mirror. Scraggly appearance? Check. Nightmarish looking bed hair? Check, and still that unfortunate chestnut brown that she loathed so much. Somewhere nearby was her bottle of red hair dye, she would have to remember to use that later. Bloodshot brown eyes? Check.

Quietly she steps away from her mirror and scratches the back of her head. Had the doorbell gone off earlier? She wasn't sure. Beneath her bed she reaches and grabs a pair of slippers, putting them on as she walks, sometimes on one foot, over to the door. 10:43 AM? Oh God. Her alarm didn't wake her up again, it must have been going off for hours. She sighs before rubbing her head. Alcohol was involved, that much was certain. The rest? Not particularly, just kind of a blur of drinking and hitting her punching bag with her old pair of boxing gloves.

Opening the door she immediately recoils and brings a hand up over her eyes. The sun was especially bright today. After a few moments she adjusts and looks down to see a package had been delivered and simply left there. Damn UPS. Those guys never got anything right. It could have been stolen. Luckily though she lived in a decent part of town. She reaches down and grabs it, looking over the package and closing the door behind herself. She walks over to a nearby couch, clears off a small pile of fan mail she had been sorting and throwing away back from her old boxing days, and sits down.

She notices the envelope taped to the bottom of the box. "Hmm..." She takes the envelope off and places the box down. It was odd that it would be so plain in appearance. She opens the envelope and finds... Nothing. Nothing? NOTHING?! UPS HAD FAILED HER! Someone probably stole the contents of the envelope! With her luck it was probably the equivalent to a CD Key, or passcode! Or it was just some cheap letter from the publisher welcoming her to their virtual land of make believe. Oh well. She shrugs and tosses the envelope off onto the floor with a few other miscellaneous objects and pieces of paper. This place was a mess. She should probably clean it... Sometime... Somewhere... Someday...

With a sigh she opens the box and finds all of the things she needed to make it work. She didn't really know much about how it worked, this would technically be her first game on the thing. Delilah quietly walks over to her VR helmet and glares at it for a moment. This thing cost her the career she wanted ever since she was a little girl. It destroyed entire sports and left a wreckage of what was once the PC gaming scene. It ruined thousands of people's lives. Including her own. She runs a finger down the somewhat dusty helmet. There had to be a reason for it. Perhaps this was God's way of testing her. Who knew, save Him.

She picks the helmet up off its stand and sits down with it. She dusts it off without much care, and then goes through the steps needed to install New World. Once that was finished she puts the helmet on and leans back, giving an empty smile as she feels herself slip away from the real world. Just like alcohol, without the convenience of poison, it seemed.

The character creation screen appeared. It was still a little bit of a blur, but she could see various entry fields, and the environment was cloudy. Light blue clouds? Then it slowly changed to other scenes, with various lighting. Probably to give her an impression of what she looked like in various locations. Her eyes open widely. It started with an identical version of herself, with class selection?... Is that really what she looked like when she wasn't a mess? Delilah bites her lip. "That can't be me." She mutters quietly. The game replies in a robotic voice, just as she had imagined. "It is an exact duplicate of user #1,263,020: You."

Her empty smile turns into a furtive frown. This wasn't right. She never looked that happy. "Get rid of that stupid smile... Also, brighten up her skin tone a little." The game complies, much to Delilah's amusement. So she could hide her own appearance? Change it all so that nobody knows who she really is?... Interesting little game. "Add some face and arm paint... Oh, and red hair. I love red hair. Can I have a spear for a weapon with my class?" The software gives a negative beep of some sort, one which made her flinch as it sounded like it was coming from everywhere. Alright. None of that obviously. "Alright. I'll take an axe then!" It complies, and with a small, girlish squeal of delight, a two handed axe appears in the hands of her more-than-duplicate self.

"Alright... Name it... Name it Mirana! Mirana Do'sevani!" The name simply leapt into her head, and with even more delight it seemed that after a brief checking period, nobody had taken that name. With her character created, and the real world so far behind her, she slams the log in button and feels herself slipping away once more. Whatever adventure she was about to begin, it would at least be a fun one... And probably less alcoholic. Maybe.