Those words simply sound so strange to utter. Ghosts, ghouls, demons, and poltergeists were fables and myths meant to strike fear into the godless. But here you are. A living testament to those false "tales".
Ghastly shades and haunting phantasms have stalked your movements since you were 11. They fed on your life force and manipulated your fate with their bony fingers. You rarely felt a moment of rest until their presence all but vanished one day. The dark ages.. or what you so affectionately refer to it as. From age 13 to 14 your life was just one large blank spot. You couldn't remember what you did, or the events of that year. On your 14th birthday, it was like waking up from a long nap. It was just another day for you. But to your family; that day meant everything to them. You were unfazed and blase at the concerned and crying faces of your family. Nor could you understand what exactly happened to you that year. No one talked about it, and they weren't willing to tell you what happened.. all you knew was that the spirits no longer plagued you. And for that you were happy.
Your life has slowed down significantly in terms of ghostly encounters. Your past demons have been subjected, and you may finally be able to move on with your life. However, you can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong… Oh, so very bad.
Your once peaceful dreams have become recurring nightmares. You dream of desecrated churches, burning red skies, and overflowing rivers teeming with dead fish. Shadowy figures with malicious intent and distorted cackles grip your soul. It’s just dreams; is what you tell yourself. But the choir of voices that hum melodically in your ears when you wake is too daunting to dismiss. Your spirits are back, and they refuse to be ignored.
The daily horror you experience and the constant stress of your life is beginning to take a toll on your psyche, and it is all too much. Your best friend Tama Shirosaki recommends an experimental VR game called ”A Trial of Horror” to destress, but something about the company and its website rubs you the wrong way. You don't understand how Tama would think this is a good idea, but an incentive of $10,000 to play is too good to pass up, especially when you have loans and bills.
The VR feels too real, every scratch and scrap, you gain burns with pain, and your lungs feel like they are on fire as you run. This game you are in may not just be a game; every mistake you make has real consequences. If you want to get out, it would be in your best interest to survive, but your survival does not mean the game is over. It is just the beginning...
Stuck within a vicious cycle, you struggle to find the truth behind these sinister plots and get yourself permanently unsubscribed from the company’s beta testing.
Perhaps you may finally get some rest after this is all over. If your ghosts will let you.
Select your gender, sexuality, and appearance!
Choose from 3 backgrounds that will help determine your stats.
Stats matter people
Develop a bond that is not easily broken with any one of 4-gender selectable ROs
1 mystery RO is included, but if you love yourself, don’t romance the mystery RO
Help your RO find their purpose, or stray them off course into chaos
Piss an eldritch horror off, and live to tell the story, maybe?
Shop til you drop, literally.
Players can buy products at Florences Precarious Wonders. You can use these items inside and outside of the game to survive.
These products are available using the points you accumulate after finishing a game. If you survive, that is.
Participate in 10 (at least for now…) games, all with different monsters, but a similar theme
Complete Instances
These are hauntings or paranormal events that you can investigate and solve in your everyday life.
You don’t need to complete them; however doing so may boost your skills, and your relationships and help you piece together just what is happening
Figure out who's behind these games, and stop them, if they can be stopped.
Some RO options may already know each other due to the games or for other reasons. These past relations can make romancing opposing RO’s difficult. There may be potential for more RO options, but I really want to play it by ear.
Alexander (M) / Alexandria (F) Adakai: Alex seems to be a pretty simple person from what you’ve seen. They know what they like and don’t like and have no problem letting you know it. However, you’ve realized that anyone chosen to play the games is far from simple. Passionate, warm, and supporting, you’ve found Alex loyal to a fault once you’ve earned their respect (or affection) and know that they would willingly follow you into hell, but is that necessarily a good thing? [Has a predetermined ‘relationship’ with Moore]
Meridith (F) / Micah (M) Moore: Moore is arrogant and confident, overly confident if you ask their friends, individual. They are an up-and-coming lawyer working in Napa Valley, California, at one of the most prestigious law firms in the country. With their put-together suits and overpriced cologne, you can almost smell the privilege rolling off them. For this reason, you cannot fathom how they got involved with the game. Is something hiding behind their well-placed façade, or are they really as arrogant as they seem? [Has a predetermined ‘relationship’ with Adakai]
Nasir (M) / Zahra (F) Faizan: An aloof and cranky player that seems hellbent on pretending that you don’t exist. They haven’t participated in the game for too long, but they already have a reputation. Considered an omen and not the good kind, it’s known that anyone who partners with them dies shortly after. Is their attitude towards you justified? Or do they just need a bowl of raisins to clear up that ever constipated expression?
Felix (M) / Jalissa (F) Alvarez: A computer programmer from New Mexico, the way you two met wasn’t exactly the best. To be exact, you almost get them killed, but they seem to still want to be your friend despite the blunder. Self-nominated as the cinnamon roll of the group, you can’t help but want to go to them for all of your emotional issues. You’ve found their optimism and gentile attitude to be precisely what you need in this game. However, behind their too-wide grins and hearty laughs, you can’t help but feel that something is wrong. Oh, so wrong.
Yue Tu (M): An entity that’s guile has only grown stronger with his age. He needs you, but for what, you’re not sure. Catching the attention of two eldritch horrors cannot be good, but you notice that he seems to regard you with a special kind of affection. However, you cannot help but wonder that his love for you will fade once his need for you is over. He is a wanderer, but once he finds himself committing to you. He will never let you go. Not even death will keep you two apart, unfortunately.
As of now. here are some important NPCs that show up in your journey.
The Magdalene: An ancient and powerful entity with which you have crossed paths on multiple occasions. She’s too sly and coy to fully trust; however, she has no problem going after what she wants. And what she currently wants is your help, whether you wish to give it to her. Her purpose is not fully known to you; hell, you don’t even think she knows what she wants. What you do know, however, is that you’d instead not get into ancient business, but when she laughs, you can’t help but be drawn into her like a moth to a flame. She can either become your biggest ally or your biggest enemy depending upon your interactions with her. (Please don’t piss off the thing that could probably rewrite the world at the flick of her thumb). Has a predetermined relationship with Alvarez, Faizan, and Yue Tu.
Jin Yeong (SO): A player that has a predetermined relationship with Faizan, and Adakai. He seems to possess a strange ability and moves through the games as if he was wading through water. He is looking for someone, but he cannot quite remember who that person is. He comes off as easy-going. However, you can’t help but feel that everything he says has a double meaning. His trademark expression is a smirk; however, you catch that lost expression he tries to hide.
Michael Samson: Has a pre-determined relationship with Faizan. They know them best and often worry about them. For whatever reason, they seem to always glare at you whenever you’re around
Charlie “Ahiga” Adakai: Adakai’s 4-year-old nephew. He is a strange child, and you have caught him seemingly talking to no one on more than one occasion.
Erika Smith: A player in the games with a predetermined relationship with Moore. She seems to spend too much time scheming and not enough time actually thinking.
Carlos(Meech) Perez (SO): An dealer with a sorted past, Meech loves the flashing lights and rhythmic beats, something that is far and few between in your large city. Being a South Nevada Native, you wonder just what he’s doing in Wisconsin? The dreary state just doesn’t seem to be his vibe, and refusing to get involved with the game, you have no idea why he’s so interested in you. But from what you heard from Jin, he’s chasing after a client with a huge bill and having fun along the way. Has a predetermined relationship with Moore and Jin Yeong. {Meeting Meech is contingent on having met Moore and expressing interest in them.}
Satinder (Sati) Singh (SO): A former player of ATOH, Sati has definitely moved up the food chain as she is now the North-Western regional manger for the Information Department for the gaming company Ego Tai. Sati is not what you expected from a former player. She is meek, and always apologetic; seeming to be afraid of her own shadow. Because of this, you don’t understand how she could have lasted as long as she did. Rumors are that she made a deal with something in order to get out of the game, but they’re just rumors... Right?
Khalid ibn-al Bakir(SO/RO): Alex's self-proclaimed best friend, he and Alex are joined at the hip; their dynamic reminds you a lot of your own relationship with Tama. As long as Alex thinks you're cool, then Khalid will find no problem with you. However, if you cross Alex, your may as well have crossed Khalid. Pre-determined relationship with Adakai, Jin Yeong, and Alvarez
Nola (Nora) Jenkins (SO): Daughter of Maribelle. After completing your first mission, you had begun to receive a bunch of strange emails and messages. All with subjects titled, ‘The Truth’. She’s a bit of a conspiracy theorist, and acts as if she knows something about the producers of the game. You’re sure it’s just a her being crazy, but after several incidents that she predicts come true, you start to believe that she might not be as crazy as you think.
Emiko/(Yuna) (SO): The older sister of Tama Shirosaki. You’ve never met her or the entirety of his family before, so when she arrives at your tiny apartment sobbing, you are thrown for a loop. You have no idea what she wants from you, but what you do know is that she’s pissed.
A common theme in such works is that characters uncovering the conspiracy encounter difficulty ascertaining the truth amid the deceptions: rumors, lies, propaganda, and counter-propaganda build upon one another until what is conspiracy and what is coincidence become entangled.
A little tidbit on conspiracy fiction and how it operates. May give a little insight as to why V3 is such a pain to ‘hack’ into
...I’m reminded of Ryoma telling Shuichi to be careful and to not let his eyes deceive him
Something I learned today. That I should stop chasing after boys who only like me for my outward appearance and start really looking for a guy who wants to know my soul.
