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Sword Art Online Inspired SB



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Mon Jun 15, 2020 3:01 pm
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Mageheart says...



With SB Month right around the corner and lulls in activity in the majority of my storybooks, I thought now would be the perfect time to test the waters with a new storybook idea! I've had an idea for this ever since I played Sword Art Online: Integral Factor a little while ago.

For those who don't know a lot about SAO, Sword Art Online is a popular, still running anime that started with a whole slew of gamers getting trapped in the world's first virtual reality game - which is where the title of the anime came from. After realizing there was no log out button, the characters were summoned to the main square of the game and reverted back to their original appearances. Almost all of them had customized their in-game avatars to look different than their actual selves, so it was the rude awakening they all needed to realize how real the game had become for them.

But while I was playing one of the show's several mobile games, I realized you could 1) make your pre-reveal and post-reveal avatars identical and 2) that you can give your post-reveal avatar an appearance that didn't make any sense in real life.

That's when I got an idea for a fun storybook: the characters are in a SAO-like situation where everyone is trapped in a new game and reverted to their original appearances, but there's just one little problem.

Our protagonists still look like themselves.

In the anime, the people who played the game before it was released - the beta testers - were villanized and called "beaters" for short. The argument was that they should have known better, and should have been doing more to help out the newer players. In this storybook, it's a little different. Those who didn't have their appearances go back to normal are the ones that are hated by the other players; mostly are convinced they had something to do with getting trapped in the game.

So our characters have been pretending that they aren't one of those people.

After hearing about a side quest that can give them answers to any questions they might have, our characters decide to complete it as a party - the only catch is that they haven't told the other members of the party why they want to complete the quest.

Shenanigans ensue as the cast travels across the digital world, trying - and often failing - to keep their secret. The fun of it would be having the characters slow reveal the truth to each other; for example, in a party with A, B, C and D, A & B would know the truth about each other. C & D would know the truth about each other. But neither pair would be aware that the second pair is just like them, too.

I don't really have a world in mind for it, so the game's setting will be mostly up to all of us. If we want to throw in some monster or location, we can! I'm still working on a reason for why they're stuck in the game and why their appearances haven't changed, but I should come up with one the farther we get into the story.

If you've read through this massive post and it sounds interesting, let me know your thoughts on it! I'd love to know if anyone is already interested in joining.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.
  





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Mon Jun 15, 2020 3:09 pm
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soundofmind says...



I AM INTERESTED

I do has question though. And maybe it’s dumb, but, how hard can it be to pretend that you’ve always looked like your avatar? Unless like.... your avatar has horns or blue skin or something clearly not-real-irl. Like, if you made a human avatar but it just don’t look exactly like you, who’s to know you didn’t get changed? Idk if that makes sense?

Maybe the whole avatar not changing could he more stressful if the game they’re set in has characters with clearly-not-human characteristics. Like pointy ears, horns, tails, all that jazz.

IDK JUST A THOUGHT BUT I ALSO SKIMMED A LITTLE BECAUSE IM TIRED SO MAYBE IM MAKING A BIG DEAL OUT OF SOMETHING U ALREAYD CLARIFIED

ALL THAT TO SAY u hav me attention
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.

  





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Mon Jun 15, 2020 3:19 pm
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Mageheart says...



Your question does make sense!

I feel like it might not be too hard for characters who only made minor changes - like unnatural hair and eye colors - but I also think a lot of people make idealized versions of themselves in games.

(Like how Kirito made himself look way cooler in SAO compared to his normal self, which I will never stop getting a kick over.)

So someone who might look relatively average irl could be incredibly buff in the game and have to explain why they're so buff, while another person might look like they're an adult when they're only in middle school or high school.

So it shouldn't be too hard for most of them to hide the truth, but there's definitely going to be plenty of opportunities for slip-ups and hurried/questionable explanations.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.
  





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Mon Jun 15, 2020 3:20 pm
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soundofmind says...



THIS MAKES MORE SENSE and i can dig it
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.

  





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Mon Jun 15, 2020 3:31 pm
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keystrings says...



This sounds awesome though
name: key/string/perks
pronouns: she/her/hers and they/them/theirs


novel: the clocktower (camp nano apr 24)
poetry: the beauty of the untold (napo 2024)
  





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Mon Jun 15, 2020 5:31 pm
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Shadeflame says...



Yes! This sounds really cool.
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Mon Jun 15, 2020 5:40 pm
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Teddybear says...



I'm interested.
formerly TheMulticoloredCyr

he/they
  





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Mon Jun 15, 2020 5:51 pm
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Mageheart says...



@EditorandPerks who I definitely didn't almost tag as fraey @Shadeflame and @TheMulticoloredCyr, I'm glad you're interested! :)
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.
  





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Sat Jun 27, 2020 3:13 pm
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mythh says...



OH THIS IS SICK! I'm in!!!!!

I'm late T-T
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