Complete Megathread MetaWorlds 2034

[Ash Vargold]

MetaWorlds 2034
[Ambient Music]

Main Hall

"Why did I let you convince me to come here again?"

It was only the first day and already the convention hall was far more crowded than Aisling was comfortable with. She kept fiddling with her mask, making sure it was secure against the sea of humanity surrounding her and the man who'd dragged her into it: Jacob Summers, long-time roommate-turned-housemate, theoretical 'friend', and bane of her existence.

"Blackmail. After all, you owe me for not saying anything about your shiny new 'job', Ais~."

Emphasis on 'bane of her existence', lately. "Sure. Nothing to do with you having an extra ticket." Aisling scoffed, looking at the convention schedule on her phone while Jake dug through his swag bag. There wasn't much happening today - not that there was much she was interested in at this convention in general. She hadn't gone to one in years.

"Besides, you've been ruminating, and that means I'm allowed to drag you out and about! Human interaction is good for you." He threw an arm over Aisling's shoulder, causing her to roll her eyes as he gestured towards the crowded hall. "You might even find something new worth playing here. Gotta be prepared for when that game goes tits up, yeah?"

Aisling shoved Jake's arm off her shoulders. "Yeah, yeah. Don't you have an exhibition hall to haunt, Jake? Surely that's more your speed than babysitting a grown woman."

Jake stepped back with a mock look of offense before he gave Aisling an overdramatic bow. "My dearest apologies, o landlord mine! I didn't know my presence disturbed you so." A moment, and then he rose from the bow with lopsided grin.

Aisling responded by flipping him off. "Get out of here, Jake. Call me when you decide where we're getting lunch - you're paying for it today."

Jake shrugged, then turned away with a flippant wave. Once he'd vanished into the crowd, Aisling looked down at her phone and continued scrolling through the schedule. If she was stuck spending her weekend out here, then she could at least find something to do, right? Maybe even do some above-the-table "work" for a change...

OOC Info

This is an open megathread taking place at MetaWorlds 2034, a technology convention located in Seattle, Washington. The convention is a mix of business show and community events covering all aspects of Virtual/Augmented Reality technology and culture. Some panels even utilize hologram technology to allow virtual performers to present without breaking character. There is also a "virtual convention" that allows visitors from around the world to attend the con.

Chronologically, this takes places a few weeks after the events of DRAGON.end. Consider time to be fluid otherwise.

People can attend as guests, be working at one of the exhibition booths, or be one of the guests/panelists. You can explore various parts of the exhibit, organize and attend unofficial meetups, or branch out into the city proper on an adventure. There's a few areas listed below, but you don't have to stick with it. Ping each other, cause shenanigans, spin off your own threads - it's all for fun, so go wild.

Terrasphere, of course, is a taboo subject here. That doesn't mean there aren't people talking about it, cosplaying as their characters, or hosting clandestine meetups here...

Main Hall

The main floor of the convention, where all the big names showcase their latest products. Intensely flashy, even without using AR equipment.

Panel Rooms

Various smaller conference rooms used for panels and presentations on topics related to the VR industry and community. Some of them are more crowded than others.

Independent Booths

Smaller booths run by smaller companies and independent groups that are scattered throughout the halls of the convention. There's even a makeshift 'artist's alley'.

Quiet Room

A quiet refuge for when people get overwhelmed, complete with comfy beanbags and darker lighting. Possibly has the best internet signal in the building.

Dive Booths

Private booths equipped with VR equipment that can be rented for free, allowing in-person guests to access the virtual convention. The avatar customization features are very limited.

MetaWrolds VR

A virtual venue that allows people around the world to explore a virtual Exhibition hall and attend panels, some of which are cooler looking in VR. The avatar customization features are very limited.

 

[MayoYume]

Yamanaka Nari

Yoshi...You managed to drag me here, now what?

Naka glanced over at her friend, wondering what sort of chaos the woman had dragged her to this time. The convention hall was far larger than Naka had expected - she'd heard it was a large scale tech presentation, of sorts. Something showing off all the major steps forward in various aspects of virtual reality and related pieces. Naka herself held a personal interest in some of it, but she knew that Mutsumi would be far more excited than she was - the woman worked in the creation of such devices, fawning over them whenever she had the chance.

Oh, come on...Sonoyōni naranaide kudasai! I know that you love this stuff almost as much as I do.

Naka couldn't help but frown at that, doubting the idea very much. Although her own interests had bordered on the line of otaku, for a while, she felt as if she had calmed down significantly over the last little while - going so far as to engage only sporadically with the world of TerraSphere. Not that her work and school life had allowed her to do more than dabble, that was.

Utagawashī. You live for this stuff, I'm just here as a tourist, and purse-holder.

As if to accent her words, she leapt forwards, attempting to grasp the handbag the other was holding and slamming into another patron, a redheaded woman from the quick glance she spared. Bowing quickly, Naka mumbled out a quick apology, her face flushing slightly in embarrassment at her overzealousness.

Sumimasen! I'm terribly sorry, I didn't see you there! I...was messing around with my friend, and...I'm sorry!

@Ash Vargold​

 

[Ayna Nietzsche]

⋇⊶⊰✦⊱⊷⋇

❰ Fukuhara Electric ❱

Main Hall

Xu Huifang had her arms crossed over her chest as she tapped, tapped, tapped her feet against the main hall's floor. Her face was in a full scowl as she watched the entrance from a relatively safe distance, clenching her jaw, frustrated that her traveling companion from Tokyo, Saito Ritsu (@Altria), was nowhere to be found.

"Where is that damned kid? He was supposed to be here before me. Is he even coming?"

Beside her snickered another Terrasphere Player, Colleen Wu, who was barely in the game these days. They had met a few weeks ago, in-game, but hit it off outside of the game when they found out they had more in common than they realized. Perhaps too much in common. Huifang was starting to realize this so-called friendship wasn't as fun as she had expected week ago.

"Maybe that's why he's not here, Hui-hui? He already—"

"Ugh, Colleen, please. I have no time for your street humor. I'm being serious here: I vouched for that kid to come with, and now he's abandoned me. What a disappointment. What are you even wearing on your head?"

Huifang raised an eyebrow, shifting her anger from her missing coworker (technically) to her gaming friend's overall get-up. She had some sort of weird mask on the side of her face, just propped up against it and not actually worn over, as masks were supposed to be. Huifang couldn't deny how good she looked, though, something she would never admit, not even in court.

"Cut the kid some slack. It's probably his first time coming here to the U.S., probably his first time away from Japan. And this is cosplay. You wouldn't understand."

"Why would I even want to?"

"Ugh, whatever. If I can give you some advice—"

"I'd rather you not."

"—let the kid live and focus on yourself, even for just today. Have some fun, probably for the first time in your life, you cold-ass b<basseal honk>."

Colleen rolled her eyes and playfully stuck out her tongue at Huifang before leaving her be. A part of the latter wanted to yell at the part-time cosplayer to stop and just stay with her, but she was too mad to show any sign of weakness. Needing someone beside you is apparently a sign of weakness for the self-made engineer.

She heaved another sigh as she realized some people were staring at her as they passed by. Being alone as a fairly attractive Asian woman at a technology convention located in Seattle, Washington, with all the "common" people was dangerous for someone like her, but pride always comes before the fall.

Ugh, where the hell are you, Saito Ritsu?!

 

[Erick Stryker]

He'd never left the Midwest before in his life.

It wasn't a long trip all told, but it was the longest trip he'd ever taken. The flight was an entirely new experience, with the anxiety of taking off and the invasive thoughts about crashing only diminished after landing, whereupon he concluded decisively that air travel was the next cool thing after cow tipping. Seattle was... well, darker and rainier than he imagined when he was planning the trip, but he always thought that everything beyond the borders of South Dakota was a No Man's Land. There were places on the TV and internet he saw, knew full well were real, and just relegated to fantasy simply because they weren't real to him.

It made the whole small rural existence a bit more palatable. Or it had, until he saw the Space Needle and realized just how small Sioux Falls really was.

"No freakin' way."

There was no hiding the awe in his voice as he sized up the entire city, how utterly metropolitan it was compared to the suburban sprawl he was used to. The city didn't fan out around an interstate, instead, the interstate fed into the city and became an afterthought almost immediately. That was the first thing he really noticed about it. Public transportation wasn't just a few busses that followed a route. He was on a bloody light rail.

His parents had probably seen it before, or at least heard of it- but they had been adamant. South Dakota was the best place in the world. Why would you ever want to go anyplace else?

Perspective was everything, and his had been so, so limited.

"Excuse me," he asked one of the other passengers, "Do you know how to get to the convention center?

"Oh, yeah, just stay on til you get to the stop. You'll be able to call for the tram to stop by pulling that little yellow cord," a woman smiled as she explained the process. "First time in Seattle?" she smirked.

"That obvious?" he asked

"Keep a hold of your wallet, and I hope you brought an umbrella!" Jim wasn't sure he liked the way she said that, but he kept his attention on the screen that lit up with various stops instead of concentrating on the negative. "You're here for that Convention, then?" the woman asked.

"Yeah! I thought I'd see more people traveling, but it doesn't seem like there's all that many."

"You might be surprised. It's a big city, so from the outside, things might seem small. Once you get there, though, you'll realize the only thing small in all of it is actually you."

"Thanks for the tip," he smiled and nodded.

And he had no idea just how right the woman was, until he stepped off the light rail and saw hundreds- no, thousands of people, many in cosplay, some handling VR headsets nervously as they waited to be ticketed.

 

[Ash Vargold]

Aisling, lost in the world of her cellphone, never saw it coming. She instinctively braced against the hit and spun towards the threat, senses on alert as she caught herself, her brief sharp glare quickly swallowed by confusion.

What the fuck was that?, she asked herself as she smiled weakly behind her face mask. She could process that entire... thing later. "No problem, I shouldn't have been standing in the way like that."

The young woman speaking Japanese, her mind helpfully noted. Combined with her age, she was either a student or a tourist. Was MetaWorlds really that big a convention? VR tech was big, but big enough that people would travel for fun...?

"Have you been here before?" she asked, before she could stop herself. Like she was talking to a newbie in Terrasphere, and not some random woman who'd had the misfortune to bump into her. Forced to follow up her own impulses, she scrambled for a continuation. "I didn't realize MetaWorlds was such a big event."

@MayoYume

 

[MayoYume]

Yamanaka Nari

Īe, I'm here for a friend...

She pointed towards Mutsumi as she spoke, the slightly taller woman giving a short bow before turning her attention back towards a booth that had caught her eye. Naka knew that her friend would likely only remain attentive until the politeness was over, before excusing herself to look at whatever had caught her eye.

We are...here to see the new technology. My friend, Osada Mutsumi works in Virtual Reality hardware, and said that the new pieces would be extremely interesting. I was dragged along due to watashi no ai...err, my enjoyment...of a virtual reality game.

She bit her tongue before the name of the game had slipped out, remembering just how dangerous admitting to engaging in it was. There was no immediate need to bring it up, nor any real necessity to explain anything to this stranger.

She was just considering politely excusing herself, when she saw a flash of blonde hair, and a face that seemed almost identical to one she remembered from her childhood. Her eyes lit up slightly as she slapped Mutsumi gently on the side, before bowing and mumbling an apology to the woman she had bumped into again.

Skipping the six steps towards the man, Naka gave a beaming smile before wrapping her arms around the larger frame of the blonde, and giggling as she spoke from behind him.

Yā! How long has it been, Des-kun? How have you and your family been?

@Ash Vargold | @Erick Stryker​

 

[Erick Stryker]

Taking in the sights made noticing the small things going on around him an actual chore. He didn't overhear any of the nearby conversations because they were just white noise to him, drowning as they muddled together with the sheer excitement of all the new things. So, when a woman hurried up to him from behind and wrapped her arms around him, Jim nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Yeeeewow!" he declared loudly.

Jim tried to put some ddistance between his body and the offending party, turning part of the way as he took a reflexive, half step. He didn't know anyone out here- or at least, he hadn't hit his rendezvous point or even made contact with anyone. It was improbable they'd be able to find him and single him out of a crowd.
.
When his toes hit the concrete again, he was fully facing the woman who'd tried to hug him as she asked about him and his family. Or well, someone else and their family.

"Oh, uh, sorry- I think you've got the wrong fella, miss." He said, rubbing the back of his head with a hand anxiously.

He hated to be the bearer of bad news, but then, she'd just mistaken him for someone else. When he saw her, he immediately recognized her as foreign- someone not from America, because the way she spoke was pointedly non-native English. With something else that he really didn't have any authority to try to pinpoint the nature of.

He didn't want to fall into the Midwestern mode of Stereotyping "all Asians are the same," after all.

Jim looked around and took stock of his immediate surroundings- something he should probably have done from the beginning- and looked at the woman who was talking to the girl who had hugged him.

"I get it. This place is huge- it's pretty crazy, yeah?" he said, trying to lighten the mood a little. "I'm pretty new to the VR scene, but the chance to get out and meet some new people from all kinds of different places was an opportunity I didn't want to pass up. Name's Jim, by the way. Jim Rainer. Sorry that I'm not exactly the guy you were looking for."

@Ash Vargold @MayoYume

 

[Ash Vargold]

It took everything for Aisling not to cringe as the woman pounced on someone in the crowd, only to find out he wasn't the one she was looking for. Not a reserved person at all, I see. She glanced towards her companion, wondering if she felt as awkward as Aisling felt...

...oh, and now the unfortunate victim was talking to her. Apparently somewhere between there and here her ability to fade into a crowd had malfunctioned. So much for weaponizing the Seattle freeze.

I guess so. I've been here before, but they've expanded since then.

About time, really. It could get really crowded before.

There was a vague sense of familiarity tickling at the back her mind. It was probably nothing. "I'm Aisling. I'm not too big into VR games myself, but a... friend dragged me here. He's always trying to get me into the hobby."

There was, of course, one VR game she was into, but she wasn't going to mention that in polite company. Never mind the fact that there were probably a lot of people here who played Terrasphere.

...including people who'd planned to come here and never would, now.

@MayoYume @Erick Stryker

 

[MayoYume]

Yamanaka Nari

Naka smiled in jest for a few seconds, before she realised that the other individual wasn't joking at all. Her smile - once bright and full - began to slip away as her cheeks reddened and a look of confusion, followed by fear, followed by pure admonishment at what she'd done flashed across her face.

Sumimasen! I...I thought that you were - I'm so sorry.

She bowed deeply as she spoke, her realisation causing her heart to race ever so slightly as she tried to figure out a way out of the mess she'd created. Instead, she found herself facing a new dilemma - the man had simply changed topics, not even truly acknowledging her apology. Sujiai. Kore wa Amerikadesu. Karera wa koko de onajiyōni kōdō shimasen.

Shaking off her confusion for the briefest second, she tried to stand and walk away, before realising that she'd now been dragged into a social conversation, and that it would be extremely rude to leave it. Her eyes darted around for Mutsumi, noticing that her friend had conveniently disappeared, before giving in to the reality that she would be stuck here until the social niceties were over.

Watashinonamaeha Yamanaka Nari. You may call me Naka, it is a pleasure to meet you, Jim-san.

She gave a short bow before turning to the woman she had first bumped into, realising that she hadn't originally gotten her name, in the entire debacle that had occurred earlier.

And it is a pleasure to meet you as well, Eeseling-san...I apologise for earlier...I appear to be having a clumsy day...

She held up her two fingers of her left hand in a V shape, before putting on what she hoped was her most adorable smile.

I have played a VR game or two...but I am actually here on a more...professional experience, as well!

@Erick Stryker | @Ash Vargold​

 

[Chrys]

《⋯《 ⋯ ❖ ⋯ 》⋯》

❰ Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway ❱

Main Hall

Sam let out a giant yawn, covering his mouth with his hand despite it being too late already. Chasing that with a sigh, he took his glasses from his face and cleaned it with the special tiny towelette that resembled more of a handkerchief, which he then stowed back into his shirt pocket. He began to speak after returning his spectacles to their rightful place: over his eyes, above the bridge of his nose.

"You know you didn't have to come with me, right? I'm just here to check up on a client. No big deal."

The girl beside him let out a charming chuckle, shaking her head before she wrapped an arm around his, pulling him closer.

"I know, I know, but I didn't want you to get lost. Besides, you hate these things. Might as well keep you company, right?"

"Right. Definitely doesn't have anything to do with my client, hm?"

Sam teased Song, an eyebrow raised. She quickly pulled herself away from him to gesture with both hands that that wasn't the case. Definitely. Honestly. Totally not suspicious.

"O-Of course not! W-why would I... O-Oh, I need to powder my nose. I'll be right back, sweetie!"

Leaving him with a quick kiss on the lips, the sus fangirl rushed toward the nearby toilet to, well, powder her nose. Whatever that meant. Why does she even need to powder her nose, Sam thought. Her nose was great. Her nose was perfect. Her nose was Korean.

Sam let out another giant yawn as he took out his phone to fiddle with it. His client should be in one of those panel rooms, doing panel things. He wasn't interested in their line of work. Well, not the parts that didn't need his legal expertise. Sam already knew what he needed to know. Everything else would endanger the very concept of plausible deniability.

 

[Luthien]

MetaWorlds was one of the yearly events that Valeria always made sure to personally visit and enjoy, with this year’s gathering being more special than the others as the blonde had been granted the opportunity to co-host a panel with a friend.

What had started as a random idea she’d pitched to the inbox of a fellow streamer one night, having enjoyed the vibe of Isa’s content, had soon turned into a biweekly joint segment they would both host on their platforms to both showcase new clothing and costume designs while also offering tips and lessons for fellow viewers that were trying to become skilled in the art of cosplay and the like. It had earned more attention than either girl had thought possible and, to both of their surprise, this year had led to a sponsorship with Hololive of all companies.

"Okay, I think we have everything… right?"

Another check had been given to the materials they had brought for their panel, a byproduct of the jitters that she felt—currently fueled by the bustling sound of people mingling in the hallway that connected to the panel room they’d been assigned. It was one thing to go around the event ina cosplay as she’d done in the past, all she had to do was pose for pictures with others as she enjoyed the event then, versus actually being assigned a room with a large amount of chairs and their panel segment advertised for others to come and enjoy.

@Isabella

 

[Rael]

Status: Co-Hosting a Panel with @Luthien. Getting ready for the public!

Once upon a time, a strange friendship had blossomed from a chance encounter within a death game people were, for the most part, warned against playing. The two girls encountered one another with a growing frequency, thrown together as if made to share with each other the terrible burden they brought upon others - mostly themselves, to be honest - with their shared terrible curiosity.

A friendship that saw them grow closer still as the bounds of a screen and the reality it held were broken, new interests brought to light and now commonly shared between the two. Their personal workspace, open to the world as they shared their works, and their creativity, with those who sat behind the screen to watch them.

"I... I think so!"

The blonde kept shifting her weight on and off the tip of her toes, her rapidly-beating heart showing no signs of ceasing its activity so long as she remained in the proximity of a stage she hadn't had the chance to dream of.

Beyond her, a blonde boy, of similar stature and identical features, couldn't help but to let a little chuckle at the sight of his sister near-panicking, being able to tell the signs better than anyone present could.

"She's gonna faint."

"Am not!" Isabella argued back, lashing out at his side with the back of her hand, the distraction having proved successful. Within that instant, and with a small intake of breath, the persona known by the cameras reappeared, her smile brighter than whatever expression she had worn moments prior.

"Check your microphone to see if it's working. Besides that, we got everything, I believe? ...Well, shit, I actually want to hold onto these..." Isa's hands traveled down the holographic fabric that made out most of her outfit, glimpses of the ever-changing colors catching in the light somewhat. "I expected them to look good, since it's quite the expensive brand, and all that, but this goes above and beyond.

How did you get them to talk to us in the first place?"

"That's how she says 'Thank you'. Honestly, if you think her rambling is bad right now, you haven't seen her the past few days at ho-..."

"Enzo, te voy a pegar."

---

@Luthien ​

 

[Luthien]

 Status: Co-hosting a panel with @Rael. Getting ready for the public!

It helped to know she wasn’t the only one with butterflies swimming in her stomach and jitters that refused to cease, one look at Isabella was all Valeria needed to confirm her friend was in a similar state. A hand reached for her own, its warmth familiar and comforting, before her magenta tinted eyes turned to look at Ari with a nervous smile. She gave him a soft squeeze, a simple gesture of reassurance though it was dubious if it was meant for him, for herself, or for the both of them.

"C’mon Enzo, don’t tease her too much." The exchange between the twins also aided in relaxing her, her shoulder lightly bumping against Ari’s before she turned towards her co-hostess and her brother. "I definitely don’t wanna do this panel without Isa."

Sometimes she wondered if the grip of Astramancy could extend into the real world, coincidence upon coincidence continuing to stack in her life ever since she’d begun to play a particularly outlawed and banned VR game. Isa had been a streamer she’d frequently watched before she’d submerged into that fantasy world, and the amount of shock and surprise that had flooded Valeria upon exchanging information with Rael in-game—only to realize the player behind the avatar was the very streamer she enjoyed—was indescribable.

"Got a wild idea on my head and figured it couldn’t hurt to pitch it," She finally addressed her friend’s question, a sheepish smile on her face as she spoke. "Wouldn’t leave my brain so I wrote a message to their Insta account one night after our session."

A wild shot in the dark, mostly to satisfy the nagging her mind had been doing so she could actually go to sleep, and one that Valeria hadn’t expected to actually yield a response back. "Never thought it’d actually lead to, well, all of this." Her hands gestured around the room, to the stage they had worked hard to set up to the best of all their abilities and the numerous chairs within the room.

It was still hard to believe this wasn’t just a dream.

@Isabella | @Ari

 

[Erick Stryker]

The unfortunate blonde youth watched with a slacked jaw and eyes that stared straight into the distance beyond her as @MayoYume began her self introduction. With the first few words spoken in a language he did not know, the South Dakotan realized that, for the first time in his life, he was in the presence of a true foreigner. Like Yuhan! Sort of. Maybe.

Errr... they were definitely both Asian, but he wasn't sure what kind of Asian this girl was. If only he knew enough Chinese to know what it sounded like...

When at last she said words he understood, Jim sucked in a breath and exhaled gratefully, careful not to let slip that he was terrified of saying or doing something wrong.

"Oh! Naka! That's a cool name!" Cool? Okay, so maybe only because it sounded different from what he was used to.

He braced himself for the confusion or worse that might come from trying to respond to the unknown with unrelenting positivity.

Thankfully, the other woman was there, and Naka readily engaged with Aisling at the same time. With any luck, his social faux pas could be swept under the proverbial rug and someone who wasn't a complete imbecile could take over and lead the conversation away from absolute disaster.

He was quick to jump on the bandwagon when Aisling mentioned not being all that into games herself.

"Oh, yeah, definitely. I'd been getting stir crazy back home, so I decided to take a trip and see some of the sights, maybe learn me a thing or two about VR while I'm here."

He flashed a winning smile to both ladies.

"Nothing like a massive event that takes you outside your comfort zone to meet new people and get a new perspective on life, right?"

@Ash Vargold

 

[MayoYume]

Yamanaka Nari

Naka glanced at the blonde man for a few blinks as he responded by saying her name was cool. It was far from the response she was expecting, and she wasn't entirely sure what to make of the commentary at first. At first, her mind raced trying to determine what about her name would remind the man of cold - perhaps there was a local activity with the same sounding verbiage? - before she realised that he had meant it was interesting.

Before she could correct the man, and explain that it was simply a name, the conversation had taken a divergence, and she'd given her own thoughts on the virtual systems that were the topic of the week. She listened politely as the man - Jim Rainer - explained his own minor interests in attending.

Oh, you came here just to...get out? That seems like an...interesting reason. Is it common to attend events like this if you have no interest in them? Or...sumimasen, I don't mean to assume that you have no interest...I should say, no business related interest?

She shifted her weight to her left, leaning ever so slightly against a pole that she had managed to slide closer towards. She wasn't entirely sure what to make of the blonde; he definitely seemed...nervous?...or at least not entirely comfortable, and for a few moments Naka wondered why he had even come here at all. At least, in a professional sense, she could argue that she had her own reasons. Hokanohito ni wa riyū ga nai to omoikomanaide kudasai.

Patiently, she glanced between Eeshaling and Jim, waiting to see if either one would enlighten her as to their true interests in the show itself, curious to hear their thoughts and intents.

@Erick Stryker | @Ash Vargold​

 

[Anne Archy]

Once on the internet, always on the internet.

The exception apparently being: Terrasphere. Sure, Skyler could make an paragraph essay or two of pure exposition as to why she was looking for this game and not having access to it yet, it didn't matter for the time being.

Instead, there were many other reasons for coming here. Cosplayers to take photos with, booths of artists to visit, conferences about the newest tech-trends, never seen before tech to try, and and and! Undoubtedly, that would lead to human interaction.

Though while some couldn't suspend their disbelief that Skyler's current attire of baggy clothes, a huge beanie, tinted glasses, backpack, and a face mask was giving her ABSOLUTE ANONYMITY, there was always the possibility that one simply thought she was cosplaying, too! Or worse, by being all alone, maybe just a suspicious creep? But not like that would happen.

Thus, Skyler pressed into the main hall. Adjusting her rigged smart glasses before whispering "Terrasphere," through her voice-altering face mask. A UI on her glasses flashed up immediately upon registering these words. Yeah, her tech seemed in order. Freedom was an illusion, surveillance the norm.

All that was left to do was to have some fun.

 

[Kamala Graham]

‧͙⁺˚･❀･˚⁺͙‧

Best Exotic Marigold Fields

Main Hall

Spoiler: The Song

After trying out a VR karaoke system with friends, complete with surround sound and surround holograms, Meera ended their makeshift performance with synchronized bows, much to the small crowd's delight. Before the cheers could end, the pair of small girls ran back to their group, wide smiles on their faces.

"Meera! That was so embarrassing! I'm never doing that again," the other girl shook her head, her face redder than a ripe tomato. A hand found its way to the same girl's head, and as her brother gave the embarrassed girl pats to reassure her that what she did wasn't that bad, he also reassured Meera of the same. "Oh, I don't know. You both looked very good up there."

The two gentlemen with them agreed, chuckling and sharing words of affirmation for the girl and Meera, their hands clasped together in a gentle display of affection, even though one of them was scowling like he didn't want to be there, and he probably didn't. Meera, however, was suddenly distracted by the appearance of a familiar face, and after politely telling her friends she'll see them later, approached the bespectacled man who was fiddling with his phone.

"Sam?" After confirming for herself the man's identity, she immediately gave him a tight hug. "It's been a while! What are you doing out here?"

Sam was a long way away from San Francisco, California, though to be fair, Meera was the same, if not more. This was definitely not Mumbia, most definitely not India, but after everything that had happened in the game, after Huifang kept ignoring her messages, and after a few friends invited her to come with them to this event, to this country, to have this much-needed vacation and respite from everything else, she couldn't say no. Besides, a part of her did hope Huifang was going to be here.

"...have you, uhm, heard from Huifang?"

...she worked in the field, so she should be here, right?

@Chrys

 

[Lune]

Dayeon Song

Around the middle part of the Main Hall, Polaristech was unveiling its latest AR equipment. Guess who they chose to announce and showcase the product? That's right, Dayeon mothereffin' Song. Somehow, they thought that hiring an idol to represent a part of their venture was a good idea.

And it actually was. They really wanted to push this series as the revolutionary, sport-based gaming platform and Dayeon was the perfect choice for that, the tech-y sportswear that she wore emphazied more of her toned figure, creating an image of someone who gained an aesthetic body as a result of playing AR games

"The future of gaming! Polaris Raiden II, complete with revolutionary localized haptic feedback system!" She announced to the gathering crowd. "Fulldive not immersive enough for you? Want to experience it all in the comfortable space of your home, with your own body?"

"Swordfighting with friends, monster slaying, or Jon Weak-style shootouts! Feel every parry and recoil in your hands and arms thanks to the SmoothRumble™ technology. The highest quality mini 360 projectors ensure you see everything, one-to-one." The idol continued, mimicking the actions of swinging blades and shooting guns.

"Keeping in shape was never this fun!"

The reaction was pretty positive. As the more technical presenter came to add more, she walked to the side to look around and she suddenly spotted Aisling (@Ash Vargold) among the crowd. She's with a group. Her friends probably.

For now, Dayeon is just going to wave politely in that direction. It's going to be very awkward to suddenly join an ongoing conversation while she's currently promoting something.

 

[Ayna Nietzsche]

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❰ Fukuhara Electric ❱

Main Hall → Panel Room

As Huifang continued to wait for her junior (@Altria), she checked the clock on her phone. Her eyes grew wide in horror when she realized that they only had minutes to spare before the panel would begin. Quickly, she started making her way toward the entrance, hoping that the boy was just stuck with security. Maybe he just forgot his pass, his badge, or whatever, so they couldn't let him in. Surely security would change their mind once she made her presence felt.

Wait, is that... No way! Huifang quickly pivoted on her heel when she caught sight of Sam (@Chrys) and Meera (@Kamala Graham) dawdling in the middle of the main hall. It took her a few seconds more to confirm whether it was them, but Sam was dressed up in his usual shit and, well, Meera was Meera. It didn't help that she heard her name coming out of her mouth just as she was about to bump into them. No, no, no! Not here, not now! I need to...run!

As soon as she could, as soon as she felt she was safe outside of their line of sight and hearing range, Huifang bolted out of there. The plan was to hide in that panel room, <basseal honk> Ritsu and his late-<basseal honk> <basseal honk>. She didn't even bother to look at the people she was bumping into. Maybe if she had, she would have avoided costing Colleen her drink.

"Hey, Hui-hui! I got us some Starbucks! These American ones are so sugary. It's like they're trying to murd— Hey! My Ralph Macchio... Pidgeotto? Machiatto!"

"Out of my way, weirdo! I ain't got time for your stolen drinks!"

Huifang was already past her and her wet cosplay top when she squinted in her direction, confused.

"...how did she know? That's sus. Oh, well. Now, which nerd can I trick into giving me new drinks..."

Colleen simply shrugged before looking around the crowd. It was full of nerds, so she wouldn't need to go anywhere else. All she needed was to find the perfect nerdy sap. Preferably one that hasn't touched a girl in a long while. Or a guy. All nerds come in all the genders. Like crayons.

Meanwhile, Huifang started texting Ritsu angrily, her fury clearly misdirected:

Mail

Wherever you are, I'm at the panel. There won't be a next time if you don't get your butt here. Right now. Shit's about to start! God, you are such a pain in my uterus. Don't reply. Just get here. NOW.

 

[Vina Skysong]

This was hardly the first time that Vina was in the USA, but she was still excited to be in Seattle for MetaWorlds. A massive convention dedicated to the present and future of Virtual and Augmented Reality? As an Indy VTuber she couldn't possibly miss it, which is why she came every year if life didn't decide to get in the way.

Fortunately this year wasn't one of those years that she was busy, which meant she could go and have fun. She'd also considered the possibility of being more officially part of the convention, but being stuck in one spot all day or having to deal with a schedule would get in the way of seeing all the amazing stuff all the other content creators were putting up. She'd heard that there was going to be a panel where two streamers who were well-known for their skill with cosplay and the like, and she definitely wanted to attend that!

Tapping the earpiece she was wearing she checked whether all her recording equipment was running. Even if she wasn't part of a panel or in a booth she could still record her experience at the convention and share some of the fun she was having with her fans afterwards. She'd have live-streamed her experience, but... well, she might be an optimist and a bit naive but she wasn't completely ignorant of reality.

When you attended a convention for VR there was always the possibility that Terrasphere would come up, if only by accident. After all, if you wanted to find people who played Terrasphere a VR convention was your best shot, and you could always end up blurting something out you should've swallowed down instead.

But now wasn't the time to get all worried about something like that. Humming to herself Vina entered the main hall, looking around at all the fancy displays that stood out the most. Big companies that wanted to draw the eyes of visitors as quickly as possible, as well as artists who had enough clout that they could put on a show where it was guaranteed that everyone would see it.

Let's see, first is...~

She skimmed through the convention schedule on her phone, the items she was interested in lighting up. The streamer panel she'd been thinking about was about to begin, so maybe she could get herself a snack and head over there?

Excuse me~!

She slipped past a group of people who were chatting away happily, shooting them a quick smile as she apologised for the short intrusion. Even with the main hall as big as it was the number of people here still meant that it was difficult to move about without stepping on someone's toes. Even with the VRSA cracking down on any VR programs which became too immersive people still flocked to the technology.

Of course, while Vina was smart enough to not live-stream her visit to MetaWorlds she did have a habit of overlooking one issue... the fact that the only differences between Vina Skysong and Vina Æther were fox ears, a tail, and cloth armour which would be considered scandalous on Earth. Which meant that anyone who played Terrasphere would have an extremely easy time recognising her.

After all, there weren't many people who had white hair so long that they had to braid it and wrap it around their neck as a scarf several times just to make sure it didn't get in the way in public.

@Ash Vargold @Erick Stryker @MayoYume