Alive, huh? He never thought of that before. The only experience he had during his first day was the attack of those wild chickens followed by the chain of mishaps. Thinking of it just made him a little embarrassed by how unprepared he was back there. Comparing to @Eleanor Loan's experiences and her feelings about it, she had it better than him. Though just staring at the crowds outside the alley might make a valid point on her remarks. The food he tasted, the lively crowd, the wild cats, and dogs roaming the streets of Stokbon, NPCs with unpredictable responses, living monsters... He was quite amazed at the technology they used to create Terrasphere. This also made him wonder if the reason for the secrecy was the advancements of this game's visuals and mechanics. He might even be cautious if this went to the wrong hands and repeat the SAO incident once more. "I wouldn't be surprised if I abandon real life for this. Though, I'm not actually the type to do so. I do have family and friends to worry about along with my job and my dreams there." He tried not to mix in the humor in this sentence. Being trapped in a game was no laughing matter and he felt that no one should do so for the sake of everyone who was involved there. "Although, since it looked like another world, I feel that there should be a story or lore around here like what happened during the Azog incident."
"It is dangerous to get swept up in a dream. We all wake up when the equipment comes off." She muttered, as she continued to fantasize about the wonderful world around her. With eyes dancing between the lively street and the dark sewer, her ears honed into separate echoes, each individual voice presenting a different, dynamic personality. A world, dense with reality. What mysteries could be hiding between the pages of an old novel? Perhaps portals to other realms hid, tucked away between false bookshelves or in the basements of empathetic bar owners. Monsters among men, and men among monsters, in a world where the powerful rule, and the weak follow. Where vigilantes can be adventurers, and adventures exist. The mere thought was a wonderland in comparison to the dull, routine reality outside. Certainly quite the tempting drug. The rabbit holes were the most tempting, for the cautious, curious detective. Knowing that each story had it's own backstory, and each action had it's own reaction. The world would grow, respond, and change, and she had the power to shape it, at the very least a small amount. There were people to save, and villains to be stopped. Evil plots to be quelled, and heroes to be corrupted. There were vibrant hazards and journeys, stuffed with experiences and sights to see. What a wonderful world. Whereas in reality, things never changed, and the world continued on with the monotony ticking clock. One second lead on to the next, as with days, months, years, and lives. People came, people went, along with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. An endless routine where the happiest are the ones who get used to it. It was a harsh, colorless world, but nevertheless a necessary one. Day by day, spending all of this time within the virtual world, Niko was beginning to understand why her brother played that little game all the time. When she was younger, she didn't get it. The world was still full of adventure and limitless potential to her, but as she grew older... The wondrous stone she called earth seemed to lose it's luster. Without time to sit on the beach. Without time to walk through the forests. Her life was reduced to work and sleep. She became... An adult. But the game served as an escape from that endless monotony. Although it was a temporary one, at least it wasn't sitting around doing nothing. Learning nothing! Seeing the same sights, eating the same foods, and dying the same deaths as everyone around! Within the game, there was life and change! Morals and dilemmas! She chuckled to herself. To believe, that foolish younger brother of hers had been right all along.
Verity sighed as he heard @Eleanor Loan's reply while he was still staring at the crowd outside. While the thoughts of staying in a virtual world were somehow interesting, he felt a great deal of doubt about it. A virtual world was similar to a dream and no matter what, he will always wake up from it someday. It may be bitter about that fact, but it would be best as no one should stay in this dream permanently. That's one fact he can stand for. However, this left him with one question: What was his role in this world? There was a player who was king for some reason and there are some who dedicated to taking on some quests around the world. For him, he was still a cautious professor. But he doubted that would be a good role for him. "Say... What will you do now? To be honest, I'm still wondering what can I do in here. My original purpose in here was to see the game for myself out of curiosity. But after that incident, I feel that my purpose in here is somehow empty."
"Empty?" Before answering, that statement had caught her off guard. It was something that Eleanor could not relate to in the slightest, for she felt the world itself was full of purpose! Not just in the idea of a vivid reality, but the thought of adventure and endlessness! "You don't wish to delve the deepest mysteries? To uncover the scandals of this world?" While these thoughts were precisely what intrigued the detective, perhaps they were not somethings that would intrigue the professor. "To me, those things give me purpose here." "In the real world," She described, "People suffer, people steal, and people get away with things they shouldn't. Power is derived from wealth and social status. But here in the game, power isn't how much money you have!" Eleanor smiled at the thought. "It's how strong you are. The power of your magic, or the strength of your fist. With enough power, you CAN save them here. The ability to help people, to save people, is in your hands." Stepping back and leaning on a nearby wall, Eleanor pointed towards @Verity 's hands. "You have the ability to go out there and make a difference. In the real world... Those things don't come easy to most of us. We end up old, or worked like low class cattle till we get there. Here, we have potential to grow and change." She had not realized just how much the world had influenced her perspective on reality. Not only had it made her perspective of the real world much more drab and colorless, but it had also caused her to be a bit more vindictive and assertive with her boundaries. To push her to be more influential within the real world. The game therapy was effective.
Verity was quickly surprised at her sudden change in character. Just asking about his lack of purpose was enough for @Eleanor Loan to described her own in a long rant, something that he didn't see this side of her until now. Being a newcomer to the VRMMO genre, he always thought of it as just another game for gamers to enjoy like the console games they played. So seeing her as a hardcore gamer of this genre made him feel wrong about his perspective about video games. However, what was made his thoughts change was her words, which mentally hit him hard regarding his own purpose in life. In fact, he thought just living his life in his dream job as a college professor made him careless about the world itself. He actually helped out a few people due to his kindness as his real trait, yet he was aware that he can't change the large parts of law and order to do the same with the rest of the world. He was aware of the world's state, but he was also aware of his lack of power to do so. So in a sense, he treated himself as a minor character of this huge story of life. But as he stared at his own hands once Eleanor pointed them, he also realized what she was saying about having a power to change because of their characters' abilities. As he thought about the past few events and quests he participated in, he felt like he was somehow important in others' stories. The Azog boss battle, the quests, his experiences while practicing his masteries... Most of those events wouldn't be possible without his participation. He was never the type to find fame, fortune, and power in Terrasphere, but just hearing about the mysteries and events this game created just make him curious at what lies ahead. But this made him a little skeptical about her explanation. "That might be tempting once you mentioned all of those. But even if strength and magic exist here, I feel that politics and morals also exist in this virtual world as well. Also, I'm not actually a type to be a heroic knight or a Chosen One like in those novels. So I doubt this game would need me to do anything in here."
Eleanor shrugged. Her words could only do so much, and it was not as though she could speak through his perceptions. She could only explain the world and it's dynamics as they could be viewed from her own lens, however bias that view was. She had not the means or effort to convince him of otherwise, if his mind was so set on such thoughts. "You know this as well as I do," She began, "It is completely up to you what choice you take from hereon out." Squinting one of her eyes, she turned her glance towards the sky, digging deeper for thoughts on how to word her point. "Whether you're the type to be a hero or not, this game gives you that choice. Whether you want it or not." Bringing her hands up behind her head, she motioned as though she were sweeping a hood over her skull. A moment later, a pair of raccoon ears flopped out from either side of her head, and a bushy tail sprouted from her back. While it was a rather comical display, and probably would instigate some sort of laughter from a majority of possible companies, she figured the outfit was primarily of informational use, as she continued to detail her idea. "Outside of here, I the idea of pursuing interaction is a needless, daunting pursuit. Here, I can be more than I am out there... Like training wheels." She detailed, using her hands to try and intricate the thought. Her face, for having taken on quite the odd disguise, was rather serious, without sign of jest. "You don't have to be YOU here. Isn't that the whole point? You can be anything that you want. From a murderer, to a king." "So the question is, what is it that you want to do?" Ever since the Azog incident, memories of her own reality had been slowly dripping into her virtual consciousness, and she found herself changing more and more into a persona that she could admire. Perhaps it wasn't herself, perhaps it was exactly who she wanted to be, but she felt more... Assertive in this state. At least there was that.
He already was someone else, which was his true self without the boundaries of putting up a fake smile for the sake of his friends and his students. Yet, those questions made him reflect his own goals. He was obviously not the type to kill anyone, yet his actions did make him like a hero or a knight in shining armor. However, to his eyes, he felt that he was not the protagonist-type of his own story. He was just a bystander to anyone's story. Yet as soon he saw @Eleanor Loan's raccoon ears, he somehow unable to take her seriously now. He even tried not to laugh for her sake as he strained himself to keep his stern face. But back to the topic at hand, he grew completely lost at his own goals in Terrasphere. But if he has no goals, then why did he have to play this game in the first place? Does he have some motivation to continue playing here? He sighed in dismay that he has to show his true colors, but he felt he needed to answer her question with an honest answer. "I'm not sure. I thought I only want to see the game for myself when I obtained it from an email. I even planned to stop playing after my three play sessions. Yet the more I roam through this virtual world, the more my mask begins to crack without any protection of my worries of real life. It didn't help that I have to meet strangers in here that I don't want to meet. But whenever I saw a quest that requires a help in need or someone in danger, I can't help but to step in and aid them as possible. Even if I did those heroic acts, I feel like a minor character in a fantasy novel." He slightly frowned at his words, now wondering about himself and his views to everyone around him.
"The game is a pleasant escape--" While Eleanor sounded as though she was to continue with her speaking, a notification blip interrupted her. Raising up her right hand, she squinted into the palm menu, before tapping her finger on the blinking (1). A moment later, a segment of information became visible upon it's virtual surface, before the detective dismissed, it. Nodding to herself, she placed her hand firmly at her side. She spent a moment pondering over her thoughts, flipping and turning the idea around. She wanted to speak with certainty, knowing that her diction and idea was a one with powerful objection and meaning. After the idea was malleated, stretched, and mangled within her consciousness, she finally opened her mouth to speak. "None of us... Are heroes..." She chose each word carefully, only allowing herself onto the next phrasing when she had properly analyzed. "Knights in shining armor and wizards of Oz to take us back to Kansas are meant for story books." It was a more grim, boring adult sounding statement than she had intended, but it was no doubt the concept she wished to convey. "We are just people with biases and flaws. We can do our best to be more than that, but we cannot escape that fact." "Either way, I must take my leave. This was a nice discussion that we had, and I hope that we can work together in the future." With an awkward bow, Eleanor turned her gaze to peer out towards the busy road. Traversing such a street to arrive at her destination would not be the easiest of tasks, but it was better than violent conflict! As she shuffled her way towards the bustling crowds, in a moment, her form had vanished within. The hurricane of merchants, customers, and citizens swept around her, as people pushed their ways through. Keeping her head down, she hoped that she could get to her destination peacefully and swiftly, attempting to weave through the social constructs twirling within her proximity. After all, she needed to go to retrieve her new coat! -Exit-
Verity was a little surprised at @Eleanor Loan stopped her sentence after she heard her notifications as well with her changed perspective based on her words. Though he can agree with what she said about reality. He took quests to help anyone he felt that would be in danger or in need and disliked the criminals and corrupted politics. However, nothing has changed of what he felt he was: a side character. He has flaws, she has flaws. everyone has flaws. That was how the world worked and seeking utopia or peace meant an exchange of freedom and free will. But what was important that everyone is a protagonist of their life. No matter how they view themselves as heroes, the fact remained the same: The world's protagonist is everyone, no one is a chosen one or a hero. He could add her to his friend list, but considering that adding her means giving out his life, he might hold it off until they meet again where he can know more about her. "I can say the same. Stay safe and I'll see you again someday both offline and online." With that, he watched Eleanor left the alley and into the crowd as he can see her form disappear. He sighed that he was thinking about the negatives, but at least it gave him an incentive about the game. But as he turned around and walked through the alley, he began to wonder. What will he do in this game? Was there a reason he was here than seeing the game for himself? He has many questions after that discussion right now and he doubted that he won't stop thinking about it anytime soon. -EXIT THREAD-
