Happy New Years! (and sneak peaks) · 1:05am January 1st
Well, it's New Year's Eve! I hope everyone's holidays went well and tonight is a good one for you if you're doing something to celebrate! I decided to have some fun and throw in some snippets and teasers for upcoming chapters, for those who want them. I will throw spoilers on anything I add, just to be safe. Also, bits are either redacted or edited to make it readable now. I can't spoil certain plans and others need more context than the snippets can provide.
I've been having a lot of fun with writing Floor 85 over the past two months. I'm talking 280ish pages, 124k words, or 15-20 chapter. Very, very thorough coverage for two-ish weeks on the floor. I've been having a whole lot of fun. I twisted everything into an atypical design that forced a new clearing strategy to be devised and employed. Sometimes, scene changes and redressing old enemies is not always enough. 
It took me almost three hours to write this and ensure it was all ready.
Episode 46 - The Evening Aria
The news had spread like wildfire: Yuna was in Mishe to perform. The young woman was a musical idol in Aincrad who had cropped up in the past few months. She would pop up at different locations to perform songs, free, for whatever audience was there. She sang a mix of modern popular songs, traditional melodies, and even some of her own original pieces. Her talent had earned her a cult following that meant she apparently had to go incognito the rest of the time.
The thirty-sixth floor had no good places to perform and Mishe had an amphitheater. Many Clearers still fell back to Mishe at night where they rented rooms and ate dinner. Mishe currently had the best selection in inns and restaurants in Aincrad. It had also seen an influx of players who were not clearers. It was a very good city for a regular life, but a large number of the players who surged in every night were still from the front.
It was certainly busy tonight. Many had left the field early to ensure they were back in time for the concert. Others took the day off, likely a much needed break. Yuna's pop up performance for the Clearers only had a day's notice and she had scheduled it as a later show in order to allow the Clearers the time needed to get back from the front. So far, the word had largely stayed among the clearers. They understood that this concert was uniquely targeted at them and was about lifting their spirits. The other players had different opportunities to hear her perform, opportunities the Clearer didn’t get. This is what she loved to do; inspire others and bring them hope through her own performance.
The amphitheater had been full for half an hour and it had moved to standing room only. Plenty were sitting on the steps. There were no microphones and speakers in Aincrad, however, Yuna knew how to project her voice.
At least that is what Bladescape understood. The Wondercolts hadn't ever been to a full concert, at least not as a group. A few of them — Bladescape, Diemond, and Doombunny — had caught the end of a pop up show a few months back, when she wasn't as well known. She had only sung two or three songs, but tonight was supposed to be a full performance. Those performances were a recent addition to Yuna’s schedule. Diemond had brought the concert up to the council the day before, encouraging them to mandate it as a “team building” exercise. The concert sounded like a good way to wind down and eight of the eleven Wondercolts actively played or performed in a band or group, while the other three enjoyed listening to music. Soryuto was in a brass band club at her school where she played the Cornet, a similar instrument to the trumpet.
Touch The Stars: Floor 85 - A floor always covered in night, with vibrant stars and, in some places, auroras dancing above them providing light. Bladescape is leading Special Operations One/SO1 (Thunderborne, Kirito, Asuna, Klein, and Pyrrha [a female lancer]), one of the reconfigured teams to address the new hurdles the floor poses while clearing. SO1 is often on elite quests necessary for clearing and getting boss info. Currently, they are investigate a hard to get to location for intel.
They [arrived] very high up in elevation compared [to anything else on the floor]. Everything in the immediate area was open. When it was obvious there were no threats, Thunderborne pointed out just how close they were. She leapt up to try and touch the ceiling of the next floor, something never before done by any player. Bladescape had just enough time to grab her recording crystal and video the monumental moment. Not even the highest mountains on other floors got a player close enough to touch the ceiling.
Thunderborne got more than she bargained for. Because everything was black with convincing stars of varying size, she misjudged the distance. It was an understandable error. Instead of touching her hand onto it, she overshot and ended up flattening herself against the ceiling. She stuck there for a moment, stunned, before plummeting back down without a landing strategy. Kirito had gotten his swords sheathed and easily intercepted her in the air, touching down with grace despite the extra weight.
“Ow,” Thunderborne groaned from where Kirito had gently sent her down. “That was unexpected.”
Kirito jumped up, succeeding in only planting his palm on the ceiling. “Yeah, that's really hard to judge,” he said. “I didn't think I had enough height until my hand actually touched it.”
Klein gave it a go, barely scraping his fingers on the ceiling. Pyrrha touched it with no problem.
Asuna rolled her eyes. “What is it, twenty feet?”
“About that,” Kirito said.
With only a slight bend, Asuna launched herself up. She did a graceful flip, quickly reorienting herself. Her feet touched the ceiling first and she let her knees bend until her palms also touched it. Then she kicked off, flipping as she landed back among them.
“Blade?” Klein asked, looking at her. “You're the only one who hasn't tried. I know you have the agility and Acrobatics to do so.”
Bladescape nodded to him. She took a few steps back, setting the recording crystal to float in the air, before running forward. She transitioned into a handspring meant to launch herself feet first. Her feet touched the top a lot faster than she expected, but she succeeded in bending her knees and planting her palms before launching herself into the fall. Bladescape let her hands touch down first and pivot her into a flip to land back on her feet. She bowed to her team members.
Thunderborne was quickly on her feet, not going to be outdone. This time she not only touched it, she was able to use the ceiling to pull herself into standing up, even getting in two backwards steps before kicking off with her toes. She landed in a split, hands held up high. She bowed in the split to them all before pushing herself back onto her feet with just her legs.
“That was impressive,” Klein stammered. “I knew you had mad skills, but I've never seen that before. I've seen landing in a split, but never coming back up without hands!”
“With a few more tries I could probably pull off a decent moon walk,” Thunderborne said. “But we have a task to complete. That was fun.”
Bladescape grabbed her recording crystal and stopped it. “Then we should get moving,” Bladescape said. “I'll make copies of the video so we can all keep that memory.”
“Wait, you caught that on film!” Kirito exclaimed. “I thought you were getting pictures. That's even better!”
“Dude!” Klein exclaimed, focused on Kirito. “We should totally find a way to make it public so everyone can see us! Everyone in Aincrad should know that this monumental milestone was achieved!”
“You two are so vain,” Asuna said, shaking her head.
“Why not?” Thunderborne asked. “It was cool! They all should get to see it!”
“Even your fail?” Pyrrha asked.
“Obviously,” Thunderborne said, rolling her eyes. “Even though it didn't go as planned, I was the first to touch a ceiling. They should see it all.”
“We can talk about that later,” Bladescape said.
Burning City: Floor 85 - Same team as above. Overarching quest requires the elimination of enemy warlords/queens. One of them is attacking a city with her army.
The crystal city was on fire. The shield was down and the [enemy soldiers] were sacking it. The residents were putting up a fight, but they could not stop it. They were not soldiers or guards. Most were artisans.
Thankfully the Expedition Forces had arrived, with Special Operations One at their head. Bladescape changed forward, cutting down two [enemy soldiers] as she passed them. She needed to find Queen Nightwind and eliminate her. This was the prime opportunity to do so. These assaults were very risky for the [enemy forces], meaning she was desperate.
A [enemy leader] charged Bladescape but stopped. It took Bladescape a second to realize his cursor was blue. He was not an enemy, he was one of their secret allies. “If you seek Queen Nightwind, I can take you to her.”
“Yes!” Bladescape answered. “Let's move before she gets away!”
Her party followed after her. Cynrrid [quest giving NPC warrior] was with them too. Bladescape had never been to this city, but she had heard enough to realize where they were going. The columns were a dead giveaway. The area ahead was the Starlit Conloquium, the outdoor governor's office and administrative chambers. It was described as a crystal version of the Parthenon of Athens.
They had to divert to kill a group of [enemy soldiers] who were trying to kill NPCs. They died very easily compared to [enemy commanders]. They had to leave the NPCs, but they were out of immediate danger.
Their ally told them to head in, before darting away. He couldn't risk being caught as a traitor. That was understandable. He got them where they needed to go. They rushed inside.
Queen Nightwind had long, golden hair and a more fair complexion, skewing red. On her head sat a circlet of silver and red with several star shaped gemstones; diamond and rubies. She was in a strapless leather dress, black with gold accents, and armed with a rapier. Her right hand was on the exposed chest of Governor Lucia Tarthus. Before their eyes she became a skeleton in the queen’s hands. She dropped her, causing the bones to shatter into polygons.
She looked at them, fully aware of their entrance. “So, you are the elite team attacking my forces. I have seen through their eyes as you battled them, as you killed my two lieutenants. No matter, you will all die!”
Several corsairs launched crossbow bolts at them as soldiers who had been guarding the other government employees also rushed them. The bolts were deflected or dodged with ease. The soldiers could not stop their team either. Bladescape was able to be the first to attack Queen Nightwind. It did not last long, her rapier was strong enough to block [her sword] and then she drove quadruple pain into Bladescape's chest.
Bladescape stumbled back as Asuna and Thunderborne went in. They were able to easily dodge her attacks as they both drove home their own combinations. Bladescape drank a health portion to assist in her regeneration and stood ready to switch in. Asuna called for the switch and the boys jumped in. Pyrrha was teaming up with Bladescape.
The queen's five health bars had taken a good beating from Asuna and Thunderborne, but Kirito's swords carved the HP off. Klein's damage was significant too. Kirito dodged the rapier but never saw the knife coming. The queen was armed with a parrying dagger used by renaissance fencers.
Bladescape and Pyrrha jumped in to cover them. Klein dragged Kirito out of the danger zone as Asuna went wide, around the fight, to assist. Pyrrha took the rapier on her shield and stabbed. Bladescape used that moment to attack. The spear was deflected but [her sword] hungrily bit into her shoulder as Bladescape sliced it. The slice was rolled into a stab, but Nightwind was able to deflect it, but Pyrrha skewered her with her spear. The rapier was slipped past Pyrrha's shield and went straight through her right shoulder. Bladescape got in a two combination attack and looked for Cynrrid. He was holding the entrance against a hoard of enemy soldiers trying to get at them. That was where they needed his skills at.
Pyrrha fell back as Thunder switched in, driving crucifixion into the queen's back. She turned to attack Thunder and slipped her head out of the way of Harmonic Salvation. The rapier was thrust at Bladescape and the parrying dagger redirected Thunder’s next attack. Bladescape stumbled backwards. The rapier had pierced her in the heart. It hurt, badly, and had been a critical attack. She was solidly in the red as Klein charged in to cover her. Bladescape pulled out a healing crystal and used it. It did not negate the feeling entirely, she needed a moment to catch her breath and observing the fight would be wise.
Five health bars and their efforts, as valiant as they were, were not enough to keep her below the halfway point of the first one. She had an insane ability to regenerate her health. Their only salvation in this fight was yet to be seen. They would only win if a depleted health bar could not be regenerated. That was with backup arriving, but the city was big enough to fragment all of their forces into their squads [parties]. They had passed many [enemy soldiers], but also a substantial number of [enemy leaders] and seen at least two dozen [enemy commanders]. They just had to hold out long enough for their reinforcements to catch up to them.
Kirito and Asuna switched in, relieving Klein and an injured Thunder. Pyrrha was assisting Thunder. Klein’s closest ally was Bladescape. He joined her side, panting.
“Looks like the next round is us, together, doll face,” Klein said, flashing her his goofy smile.
“Alright, fine,” Bladescape said, rolling her eyes. “You have been well behaved so I'll reward you.”
Doombunny materialized next to Bladescape. She almost got attacked for scaring them. There was a dangerous look in her eyes from underneath her hood. She couldn't get in without using Hide. She held up a weapon poison.
“It's the best I have,” she hissed. “Only one on me. Hopefully it will reduce her ability to heal.”
Kirito was thrown, almost hitting them. Asuna put up a great defense with just her rapier. Pyrrha slipped in, just in time and blocked for her, but the beating on her small shield was a lot stronger than what most rapiers could dish out. Thunderborne struck from behind and immediately had the same issue as Asuna. She could only play defense.
Klein had helped Kirito sit up while Bladescape applied the poison. They had to leave him behind and jump in. Bladescape loved working with Klein. They were fluid and knew how to read each other very well. They danced around Queen Nightwind, blocking and landing the hits they could. It was a great dance that frustrated the queen. She couldn't disrupt their synergy. The poison appeared to slow down her ability to recover her health, or Bladescape and Klein were too good at dishing our complimentary damage. No other attack runs had gone as smoothly or lasted as long as they did. They dropped her into the second health bar, nearly halfway, before Klein took a nasty stab and Thunderborne and Pyrrha switched in.
Down Time: Floor 85 - Just Bladescape and Lisbeth
Bladescape entered Lisbeth's Blacksmith Shop. She had just come from [a shop], dropping off her leg armor to get enhanced. Bladescape had everything for [her sword] to get heaviness enhanced. It was probably her last heaviness enhancement, she needed to keep the sword agile for her fighting style, but she needed weight for Rend when she used that Skill.
Lisbeth was by the counter in a similar, but cute, outfit that fit with the smith’s bright eyes and pink hair. Diemond had clearly decided to update the smith's look. Not too frilly or poufy, still with the wine skirt and white apron, but the top was a nice white blouse having wine shoulder boards, with gold anvil and hammers embroidered on top, and cuffs that were also wine with two stripes of gold. She still wore the same crossover tie and blue pin.
Lisbeth was currently talking to two players. They appeared to be a couple with how close to him she stood, but they were both well armed, at least for intermediate players. Bladescape walked up to the counter. They were just chatting, not directly doing business.
“You too?” Lisbeth asked. “Kaisho,” she hastily tacked onto the end.
“Who else came by?” Bladescape asked.
“Just Thunder, but Asuna and Kirito will be along soon,” Lisbeth explained. “Asuna was kind enough to shoot me a message ahead of time. I guess I shouldn't be surprised since the six of you have been running together in your special team. I don't know who Pyrrha goes to. Klein is supposed to get a custom katana from me, but is stalling himself for some reason. He won't let me make it. I don't suppose you know?”
“I think I have an idea,” Bladescape said. “But you can poke him about that.”
“So you are the Kaisho of the Wondercolts,” the young man said. There was admiration in his voice. “I never expected to even catch a glimpse of you. Oh, I'm Abdon and this is my wife Zorah. We've used Lisbeth for a while now. Started right before she got her shop here.”
“It's a pleasure to meet both of you,” Bladescape said, bowing slightly to them. “It's nice to meet other long term customers of Lis’. I'm sort of surprised we haven't at least crossed paths. I was using Lisbeth long before that. I always seem to be around.”
“Always popping in but always in a rush,” Lisbeth said, shaking her head. “I've lost track of how much you've spent bribing me to do something quickly.”
“It was money well spent,” Bladescape fired back with a laugh. “I'm not in a rush today. [The armor smith] has my armor for enhancements.”
“That explains your relaxed look,” Lisbeth said. “You were all dressed up earlier for the funeral. I never stayed for whatever was going on after. Piandao and I headed back to our shops right away.”
“Wait, funeral?” Zorah asked.
“Quest NPC,” Bladescape explained. “His final request. Lis helped us with a previous quest the NPC had us on. It certainly was unusual. Everything on the front line is currently unusual.”
“But you got to touch the ceiling,” Abdon pointed out.
That made Bladescape smile. “Yes, I did. That was fun. It was a crazy day yesterday. Felt way longer than it was because of all the hopping around I did.”
“Yet you saved a whole city,” Zorah added. “It's impressive to read what you all are up to on that floor. No one is visiting it yet.”
“I wish there was more materials there, but it's a dead one for players,” Bladescape stated.
[REDACTED CHATTER]
“Maybe,” Bladescape shrugged. “I don't get a good look at the intermediate players' daily lives, but I see the increasing complexity of this world. With each new floor, something new is happening, even if it is small changes. Guilds used to have a set tax rate for all members. Now customized brackets can be developed and different players taxed accordingly. Or messages used to be singular, but now you can message your entire party with an update, or send one message to up to ten friends, and guild leaders can send out a guild wide message. All of that helps us organize and stay connected.”
[REDACTED CHATTER]
“What did happen after the funeral?” Lisbeth asked. She had been waiting to get back to that topic.
“They gave us awards,” Bladescape said. “Medals. The important part was that they each came with great XP. Saving the city wasn't a quest, but giving us a reward was a way to make it one after the fact. Like I said, the game is getting very complex.”
Bladescape opened her menu and pulled out [her sword]. “I'd like to stay and chat longer, but I do have some things to do before tomorrow. Lis, I'll be back before closing to pick her up.”
“No problem,” Lisbeth said, taking the sword. “Another Heaviness enhancement.”
“Yep,” Bladescape said, taking a step back. “Thanks and it was a pleasure meeting the two of you.”
Bladescape stepped back outside and walked over to where Plaudit was hitched. She swung up into the saddle and rode him to the exit of Lindarth. The fields outside made for a good place to ride for the short time Bladescape would get.
After every incident, she rarely could recover enough to enjoy a ride. She usually felt horrible for a while yet had to plough onward or reset herself which took time. Realizing she had a brief window to get a ride in was great. It was even better now that Plaudit was thundering away beneath her as he surged across the floor.
It was freeing. It brought peace to her battered body and calmed her aching mind. The pain was washed away. The worry was ripped away by the breeze. Every oddity she felt over the past two weeks was flipped right side up. At least for a bit she was good.
It was a good two hours, but that was all the time she got. She met with [armor maker] and received her plate legs back. Both enhancements took. She was nearing completion for her set. [Armor maker] was keeping an eye out for something that might be better, to update the armor, but that may or may not come since it was leather armor. Diemond did not think so and neither did Ryukoken.
Pyrrha, eh? Well, it is the RWBY palace I suppose
Edit: Why does Klein look so damn good in that pic?
Edit2: Oh, he shaved
Decided not to spoil myself for those future chapters but I can't wait to see them!
5761742
Episode 43 also had a RWBY reference. 
I love throwing in as many good Easter Eggs and references as I can. The important stuff should be continually immortalized. I even forget many of them because I get so good at hiding them. Others just need to be plainly thrown out there.
For Pyrrha, I needed a female lancer, someone agile and fast and not using a big shield like most lancers. Someone who would not hide behind their shield. That just just screamed Pyrrha's fighting style in RWBY. I played with a few variations in the spelling, including Pirrha, but went back to Pyrrha because it makes more sense. No gun though, just the spear. Don't worry, she goes with the Greek style look for her armor.
And yes, shaved Klein actually can be a dapper fellow. Too bad he is so much of a dog with the ladies. lol.
5761746
I'm glad you enjoyed them. I'm working to get everything out as fast as possible. I try to not really spoil anything, especially that far ahead of where the release is at. There were some other great points that I really can't want to share, but have to wait for the chapters. Its 15 freaking chapters of awesome. Probably ten really, really, good ones, because the others are setting stuff up or important, but not as much fun.
5761795
I usually let the references pass with a smile and a nod, but this one was so on the nose I had to comment
As for Klein, I will continue to quietly ship him with Sunset. It's not weird! She's actually older than him! Probably. Maybe.
It could be worse. I could be shipping Klein, Sunset, Lisbeth and Fluttershy in a poly relationship. Out loud...
5761796
I feel the same with the book I'm writing. It's halfway through completion, but I can't spoil it to everyone til it's completed, which will take another few months give or take.
5761800
It's good to know readers are catching the more hidden ones, but yeah, Pyrrha was quite on the nose. I explained why. Lol.
Then you certainly have a lot to smile about while reading.
Yes, the fun question of who is older? Probably Sunset. The biggest issue is that regardless of age, she is still, technically, a high schooler and he is out of college. Age stuff does get discussed a few times. Aincrad brings a different perspective. In one way, everyone was born on the same day.
Now, Klein, Sunset, Lisbeth and Fluttershy in a poly relationship is a huge WTF cluster. I don't even know how I would write that. That's a ship I could not write. Somehow, it makes sense if I allow for poly relationships, but that's a bomb that I'm not going to touch. Lol.
5761805
I totally understand. I'm constantly bouncing around three projects. Ruby Palace and two other novels/series. Sometimes I go back to two older ones as well. I have to marinate through some problems with my older ones, which is why I do pick them up as I write something that fixes them. I think it's obvious I can't write short stuff. Lol. Ruby Palace is a way for me to get better at writing, with measurable progress, while I also work on all of the others I have planned.
Completing a novel is something to celebrate. I've don't it a few times, even though none of them were publishable (hence why I am working on redoing them). I absolutely wish you the best with that endeavor.
Jesus christ that Lisbeth pic is adorable... You almost gave me a heartattack this morning.
5761894
Haha! I know it's adorable! I stumbled on it and built th scene from there. I had inserted the image in the Google doc for reference and it copied over. So I kept it in. Besides, it was about time that Diemond got around to updating her look. Lol.
That first story got me thinking how voices work in SAO. When the player's true appearance was revealed, it pulled data from body scans done during the NerveGear calibration. That wouldn't get their vocal cords though.
It's possible that the NerveGear is picking up on whatever the player uses for their inner monologue, and using that for their in game voice. It'd be interesting for players that have a different inner voice, or for people that don't have an inner voice at all. Would they just be mute, or would their brain eventually adapt and make the necessary connections?
I'm overthinking it. I was just thinking if Yuna was as good of a singer IRL as she was in game, or if someone could change their voice enough just by thinking about it. What about the Rainbooms? Will Doom try some bilingual singing, like she did at the fundraiser concert?
5761817
5761800
Sunset's actual age mostly comes down to how old she was when she went through the portal, how much age regression was involved, and how quickly Equines age/mature when compared to humans. A lot of room for interpretation and headcanon, depending on how the author wants to write her.
But yeah, the main issue would be the public perception of a grown man dating a high school exchange student. I don't think it would be as weird once they leave the game though, since Sunset would be at least 20 by that point. It would mostly come down to what they plan to do once they get out of rehab. They're probably looking at a few months of physical therapy just to be able to move without assistance due to muscle atrophy. Beyond that, they'll probably be offered a place in the survivor school, and they can decide if they want to stay or return to the West. Sunset and/or Klein may hesitate to start something serious if they know they're going to part ways.
Thinking of muscle atrophy, that could be a way to get them into playing ALO or other VR games after SAO. They're going to be too physically weak to do much outside of physical therapy, so it'd be a way to easily stay together and communicate, even if the thought of VR worlds may be traumatizing to some of them. They could also potentially meet the members of Sleeping Knights in <Serene Garden>. The fact that the game is only open to those in a hospital is interesting.
The later sneak peaks were interesting, especially the increasing complexity of the game. It kind of remind me of Log Horizon, in the sense that tasks start as needing the specific job to do, but it gradually eases the requirements on the Adventurers the longer they stay there. I'm a bit worried about what characters aren't mentioned though. Good writing is when it feels like the main characters aren't wearing plot armor, but that doesn't mean that someone has to die to demonstrate that. I'm not going to over think it.
Anyways, thanks for the sneak peak and have a happy New Year!
5761969
So, I would say, the voice gets transmitted by the sensory equipment. We know what our voice sounds like. If the NerveGear can interpret nerve signals and turn them into the same actions, it could flip the nerve signals and understanding of the brain to apply it in Aincrad. There is certain elements about a person's body beyond the physical specs that would require it to be able to read and understand the mind. It literally has to mine a person's brain to fill in the gaps.
It's spoken about a little bit by Kirito in the Light Novel and the murder mystery about impressions of a player's will on the system. Later, in the Alicization Arc, that is further defined/refined by Kirito.
About point two:
We know Sunset abandoned her studies about three years prior. She went through the mirror three years ahead. But may have left earlier. She was a direct student under Celestia, just like Twilight, receiving the same special attention because of her magic aptitude.
Now, it's Twilight, friendship was an issue for her, but I'm guessing by the timing that Sunset has two equestrian years on Twilight. Otherwise, Twilight would have heard about a gifted student leaving the school, just by rumors. Two years is enough for Twilight to move from more group oriented learning environment and be picked up as Celestia's next student. Celestia can't directly mentor more than three with the rest of her duties, but likely it's only one at a time.
When they come out on the other side, they look roughly the same age and are treated as such. But honestly, can you imagine what would happen to Twilight if she stumbled through it without the express purpose of getting her crown back? Or without Spike? It would be easy to take someone who is lost and confused, diagnosing them with amnesia, and put them in the system and test them and judge their age as younger than they are, thus sending them to school at a lower grade to ensure they get the education they need. Because either you tell everyone about Equestria and get locked up in a mental hospital, or you realize you have to play along with having lost your memories.
Because of that. I'd age Sunset as 22 or so. Although she likely doesn't realize she wasn't aged properly. She is smart enough and manipulative enough to realize how to game them to keep herself from being labeled insane, but likely didn't think about age.
Yes, they will technically have an offer at the survivor school, but the Japanese government, while they won't have a problem supporting them, will want to return them to their families as soon as they are safe to travel. And then continue to provide assistance for them back home.
Point Three:
Having been through the medical system gauntlet, yeah. The muscle atrophy is going to be a huge issue and take months to correct. It took Kirito 6-8 weeks before he was without therapy and home to continue on his own, the start of Fair Dance Arc. And that was two years.
I had not thought about them using the Serene Garden. But how many are going to willingly dive into a virtual world again after just getting out. Especially one that isn't a game. Yeah, the pain will be tough, but few would likely trust the amusphere. Some might for ALO, but they also would have to get rigs. They may not be in hospitals that will provide them and the government assistance probably won't cover it either. Everyone is worried about their mental health and getting stuck in the past or virtual world, not living in the real one. A very valid concern.
So, probably 3 months in a hospital, slowly doing rehab. That's my thoughts. I'm absolutely open to more ideas on this matter.
Final point:
I totally understand that. I don't try to use plot armor. But the bits selected had to be edited and they were selected to be moments that can be fun and look forward to, while not overly spoiling the key elements. Bladescape set her team knowing the boundaries of the quest and an idea for what it would require. Malus and Diemond would be too slow. Konpeito can get loud. Knightstar can hesitate and hide behind her shield. Doom has her place, but still requires a strong shield. She isn't independent enough as a fighter. Also it was a fun way to bring in Asuna and Kirito and look good by not making it all Wondercolts. Picking the best for the job and not worrying about the guilds, but recognizing that it looks better to have more than one guild represented.
In hindsight, yeah, it makes sense that the system would just intercept the signals sent to the vocal cords, just like it does with every other limb. I was just dwelling on what we think our voice sounds like as opposed to what actually comes out of our mouths. I had a speech impediment growing up, and while I could understand myself just fine, others couldn't. Looking back at old videos, I can barely understand what I was trying to say.
I imagine that most of them would go back to their families, but Sunset doesn't have as many links to Canterlot, aside from proximity to the mirror portal and her friends. I could see a compelling case for her to stay or return to Japan, although that would mostly come down to what interactions the author would have planned for her outside of the VR worlds. If interactions with the SAO group seem interesting, leave her there. If Canterlot provides a better story, send her home.
Of course, this is all if the story hypothetically went beyond Ruby Palace, which hasn't been confirmed, or even hinted at. I'm not expecting it.
I was initially thinking about how to get the Canterlot girls in touch with other parts of the SAO story when writing that comment. I forgot that Serene Garden even existed. It makes sense though. I figure that the early days of their therapy would have heavy limitations on their bodies. Like, they would probably still be breathing through a tube and could barely move or speak.
Using a VR space would be a matter of convenience, since they could easily speak with medical professionals therapists, and each other that way until they can speak properly again IRL. From there, the girls would probably have a discussion on their thoughts about Full Dive tech, if it's safe to use, and if they want to continue using it. They can discuss if (outside the forced death game aspect) SAO was actually fun to play.
From there, I'm imagining they only use it occasionally for recreation or socializing while their physical bodies are stuck in hospital beds. Even if it is a VR world, some exposure to Serene Garden could be good for their sanity, since they can't actually go outside. Their physical recovery would be the first priority though.
(As an aside, imagine if someone like Stephen Hawking had access to this kind of tech. He'd be able to speak freely without the limitations placed on his physical body.)
As for getting the rigs, RECT would probably be willing to provide AmuSphere units to hospitals for the purpose above. With the SAO players waking up, they'd probably want to make a big PR push into showing that their product is safe to use and that Full Dive tech isn't inherently bad.
As for personal units, RECT would have the same incentive to show the girls that the tech is safe, since the whole reason they got NerveGear units in the first place was to try marketing it outside of Japan. Someone in the company, or Mister Nakamura's co-worker, may also feel personally responsible for getting the girls involved in the first place, and give them the new headsets as part of an apology gift.
And for the last point, I was thinking more of Natora than the other girls. She was pretty much a mentor figure in the early days of the game and helped the Wondercolts gain their early momentum. If one of the Wondercolts did die, I'd probably put my money on her.
But I'm aware that these are just slices without the context of the rest of the story, so I'm not going to think about it too much.
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A speech impediment does pose an interesting question. I think the answer is that it would overcome and give them the ability to speak without it.
A hospital, if the patient required assisted breathing, would pull it out as soon as they wake up. The vocal cords would heal fairly quickly. A few days at worst. Especially with proper fluid intake. Communication with doctors and staff would be a very limited issue.
And even if they need a wheelchair and assistance, they would move them out the garden or outside as soon as possible. The Serene Garden was used by terminal patient not for the garden but to meet others. It is true, many would have been unable to go to an actual garden, but it's purpose was not about getting them outdoors. I speak from personal experience on both. I never had it as bad, but hospitals and doctors removed anything unnatural as quickly as possible and push patients to walk or move ASAP. Breathing freely for sure. They have other ways to combat pneumonia (breathing exercise device) that is easy to use in any state by a conscious patient. And yes, they make you if you are down for a week or more.
They would have the average patient up and walking short distances within two weeks. Even if that means out of bed and into a chair beside it with a nurse right there. The human body's muscles can go a long way even with severe atrophy. That doesn't mean rehab will be short or easy, just that they would have them moving very quickly to facilitate both healing and mental health. It's horrible though when they make you get up that first time after ripping you open the day prior. Within 24 hours is preferred.
But you are right. Between the pain and otherwise being stuck in a bed. If they could get access, some may very well turn to VR to escape the pain and boredom. It all would come down to the individual. RCR Progress could easily pull a great PR campaign from donating the rigs. You laid out a few ways for them to easily get amusphere rigs.
Side note, Natora is fun. She is similar to Dash, but not as cocky. She does, typically, look before she leaps and has a strategy. Lol. I am much more satisfied with the Natora than I was with Astro from the first version. A much better, fleshed out character.
Her character development does block her from making it into many snapshots. The same with many of them. Especially for later stuff. Equipment, Skills. Etc. that I don't want to spoil quickly limit what I can show.
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I'm imagining RECT would be making huge lobbying pushes just to prevent Fulldive tech from being outright banned after acquiring Argus. Just for a sense of scope, the SAO incident killed 3,853 players in canon, while the 9/11 terrorist attacks killed 2,996. Japan's relatively low crime rate would add to the sense of panic. The way I see it, the Amusphere being commercially released is nothing short of a miracle. How the tech continued to spread despite the SAO incident could be a story in itself.
I mean, the series really couldn't continue otherwise, since the whole thing is based on VR worlds. Just reading the scene of Sunset getting the headset as a gift made me think of that. Even without the Wondercolt's review and input, the tech still made its way to other countries, and my mind wandered from there. Imagine Rarity's shock if she came home to find the AmuSphere on Sweetie's Christmas list.
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Yeah. They launched it about a year after the SAO incident went down with their flagship game, ALO. It's definitely something they had to work for. However, Asuna's father provides great leverage. Or rather, Asuna stuck in SAO does.
"Yeah, the SAO incident is terrible, my daughter is stuck there, but I still believe in advancing the technology, making it safer and building fun and exciting worlds for people to play and explore in. Because that's why my daughter went into SAO and it's a noble goal despite one madman."
Or something like that. Rarity and AJ would have a fit if they found Sweetie or Apple Bloom with one on.
The biggest shock would have been the roughly 1,000 deaths in the first month, then it would have been too slow and people move on. So they wouldn't think of it the same way unless you have someone close stuck there. The deaths add up in the end, but they certainly spike and the taper off drastically over a two year period.