Game Background

         There are two different types of auction house: one that’s officially run and has a cut for the city, and another, the black market, that you can get a bigger payout for but there’s a risk it’ll be much less (as ‘authorities hit it’—you still get what you paid for, but both you and the seller take a bigger hit on cred). There’s also the option of just advertising in in-game channels—there’s no cut taken, but it also requires trust and obviously that's where the scammers are.

         Oni is a generalized term used for any Akuma built to be max Might and physical damage with pretty much nothing else.  It's a player term, not a game term.

         There are those who argue (after the Tear): “See? Computer games are demonic!” There are those who argue that once the technology is understood it should be replicated for medical use, especially once exiting and entering is understood. Some people swear off computer games entirely, afraid of getting stuck. For some people it’s even more of a draw, despite the fact that it's not repeated since. They can’t experience it in the same way as those stuck during the Tear (short for Reality Tear), and no one’s gotten stuck since.

         There are those who are still taking Very Remote Classes while juggling that with actually living in this world. Others have been hired for various tasks; for example some Hackers in EC have gotten coding jobs. Some have realized that the tech available in that world is better than real life, so it’s actually pretty good on your resume. Translating is also big, especially as everyone who’s taken a language as a Soft Skill actually speaks that language. Everyone also speaks Japanese fluently, likely because the game was originally developed in Japan.  And, of course, it's cheaper outsourcing, because housing upkeep & food is a lot cheaper than for the real world, so 'living wages' are lower.  On the other hand, they are highly skilled and don't actually have to take the jobs, so it's not as low as it otherwise could be.

         Xander just used the in-game name generator to get a name. Jesse actually researched it.  Mostly he was trying to impress one of his many girlfriends.

         Some of the tech is Lovecraftian-based and they don’t actually fully understand how it works. This is not made clear to the general public or low-level players, though. Story-wise it functions a lot like the Secret World, with horror and monster meta-plot. There’s definitely at least one cult. There’s the usual corporation intrigue, those attempting to carve out a safe haven in the capitalistic machine.

         Players tend to be of two philosophies when it comes to cred and rep. Some players basically horde their cred and try to maximize profits. Some spend their cred and rely mostly on their rep. Xander is the latter, but he’s smart about it. Jesse just spends on everything that catches his eye and runs out before he sees something he really wants. He’s also really generous, particularly when it comes to hitting the bars. Xander’s generous but it mostly comes through getting discounted food for locals and the like, plus he has that extra stipend. (Jesse thinks it comes from his arena wins and doesn’t actually question it.)

         I interrupt this backstory to talk directly to my characters, specifically all the AU Xanders I write. Except for the one dating Leon. You’re good. But seriously. Stop trying to out-angst each other. It makes it very hard to write. Thank you.