Skip to main content

AlterNet 2.0


[WP] The first fully immersive online VR game has released in which anything is possible. After months of saving you eagerly log in and hit 'random server.' [Link to post.]


Thomas Fincher smiled at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. His dark brown eyes roamed up and down his mostly naked body, making sure he attached the electrodes in all the right places. He grabbed the instruction pamphlet and checked all the marked spots on the pamphlet and himself.

"Wrists." He checked the golden stickers on each wrist, each had a golden AlterNet logo on it. "Temples." He looked in the mirror, the stickers appeared to be affixed in the right places. "Back of the neck." Thomas reached behind his neck and felt the textured sticker attached to where he guessed his spine connected to his head. He grabbed his phone from the grey marble counter top in his bathroom and padded out, in just his boxers, to his newly built 'Game room'. It'd taken him a long time to save up enough money for the remodel, but his patience was rewarded with the release of AlterNet 2.0 just as he reached his financial goal. He smiled at the large pit of soil taking up the center of the room.  He placed his phone on a nearby table attached to a charger, then grabbed a small vial of thick, bright red liquid and walked to the pit.

He stepped a bare foot into the soil and enjoyed the cool sensation as he squeezed it with his toes. He giggled with excitement, then laid down in the center making sure he was completely on the soil. He lay on his back and stared up at the clock he placed in the ceiling to keep his bearings about him whenever he logged out. He sat up, opened the small vial then drank the liquid inside in one gulp. Thomas laid back down. He kept his hands to his sides, making sure to keep the golden electrodes in the soil. It wasn't long before he felt a tingling in the back of his neck, then he felt nothing. He closed his eyes.

"Welcome to the AlterNet 2.0," a bright female voice spoke in his ear. "You may be aware of a sense of paralysis, please understand that this an intentional safety feature. Your body will remained paralyzed until you choose to log out of the AlterNet." The voice said. Thomas' eyes remained closed, but images and light filled his vision. He stood outside in a large empty wheat field, the golden grains swaying in the wind. He felt the wind brush his skin. A dark black, featureless, female mannequin appeared in the middle of the field then walked towards Thomas.

"Please select a server," the mannequin said though it had no mouth. Around her small windowed images appeared, each with a different name.

"Random server," Thomas said. The figure nodded, then projected a single image in front of itself. "Server: Random chosen."

"Wait, there's a server named, 'Random'?" Thomas asked. The mannequin nodded. "Alright, whatever. What's next?"

"AlterNet 2.0 is an upgraded version of the AlterNet. There are several varieties of games played within the AlterNet. Though you do not need a character profile for each game, it is recommended. Would you like to go through the games?" Thomas shook his virtual head.

"No thanks, I'm just here for Derby," he said.

"Okay. Let's create your Roller Derby character," the mannequin said. Again, Thomas shook his head, in a hurry to play.

"Just default everything," he said.

"While Roller Derby allows you to customize your character as you progress, there are some choices that cannot be changed later. Due to the nature of the AlterNet, it is recommended you think about these choices carefully. You will be unable to create a new character later."

"Default everything," Thomas repeated. The mannequin nodded its blank head.

"Default character created. Switching to tutorial mode," the mannequin said. Thomas' vision went black and he lost all sense of feeling again. Instead of the wind and grains brushing his legs he felt nothing. When he regained vision the wheat field was gone. Instead he stood in the center of a stadium surrounded by winding Roller Derby track. He moved around, taking in the sights. The stadium was empty, but the track was impressive. Sharp turns and corkscrew ramps dotted sections of the track.

"*Totally worth the wait*," Thomas thought to himself. He pumped his fist in the air happily, then realized his body felt wrong. He looked down and realized his character was a girl.

"Uh, help?" He squeaked out the word. The black mannequin appeared next to him.

"How may I help?" she asked.

"I don't want to be a girl," Thomas said.

"I'm sorry. Once your character is attuned, that is one of the choices that cannot be undone."

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

AlterNet Update (6-25-18)

[CW] Tell a story that's only told through patch notes. [ Link to post .] AlterNet 1.0: Commercial Release       The AlterNet streams your consciousness from your body to a shell in an alternate universe. The AlterNet game world is an Earth populated by nanos, tiny programmable machines that can learn to be more efficient. Your AlterNet body is composed of a swarm of nanos that relay sensory feedback. You can touch, feel, and perform magic in the AlterNet!        Choose from 25 different races, and classes to customize your character the way you want. Endgame character customization and advancement exists in the form of the OverSoul system. Completing an OverSoul legendary quest will allow you to learn special abilities from one of nine races.       The races include: Human, Orc, Troll, Goblin, Ogre, Gnome, Elf, Dwarf, Slime, Sappons(Frog humanoid), Naga, Mermaid, Angel, Demon, Fuan, Flora(Plant humanoid), Fairies, Min...

B-Squad (6-29-18)

[WP] You have lived on earth your whole life. One morning, you wake up in the center of a modestly sized crater, as you look about you see fields of violet-tinted grass, a faint red sun in the sky overhead, and two moons in *much* closer orbit than our own. [ Link to post .] Lupe Villalobos standing around in a crater would not answer any questions. She reached up one of the sides gripping the violet grass around the upper rim of the hole. The texture of the violet grass felt the same as the green grass on Earth. The girl's coppery hair shimmered under the moonlight that she was making a point to ignore. She scanned the large field, turning slowly and staring out along the grassy plain.  "Whoaaaaa," Lupe whispered to herself. Despite the situation, she marveled at the beauty of wherever she was. The sight encouraged her to face the two moons she purposely kept at her back. She turned around and found that she could still feel surprised.  "Hi." Underneath...

Hugoverse Guidebook

This is where I will start storing information about my Universe to help add some context to my short stories.  Magic: Magic is a natural force present on all Earths, though not all Earths have a population that can tap into it. Once a Soul learns how to tap into magic on one Earth they can tap into the magic from other Earths. Nanos:   Microscopic machines that excel at efficiency. As a result they work together and learn to optimize the tasks they're trained for. On some Earths they allow Zeroes to tap into magic, while on other Earths they evolved to mimic magic.  AlterNet:  A network that allows users from alternate universes to communicate with each other. It is an Earth that is completely dominated by nanos. Earths with the right technology can project their consciousness to that Earth, and the nanos will form an artificial body for their consciousness. This is primarily used for gaming, and has essentially become a giant cross universe M...