Aster

Deep in the shopping district at the heart of the Starting City, nestled between attractive, lively, and welcoming shops lies a meager building with a simple wooden sign hanging above the door to display its name. 'Magical Mixtures', the alchemy shop looks more like an old shack. As if over-preparing to open her doors to the public, the shop owner has spent plenty of time making the space as presentable as possible. While it looks like the building was likely run-down and shown plenty of previous wear, it's completely spotless. Simple drapes are pulled back from the windows to allow in as much natural light as possible. Besides being in need of a general facelift, the interior feels a bit "cozy" once you get used to it. A small girl by the name of Aster spends most of her time holed up here, recently pushing herself to take care of the place and open her doors to other adventurers.

Upon entering, a most inquisitive orange fox is likely to either watch or investigate any new player to pass through the shop's doors. The familiar certainly isn't shy, and would eagerly accept attention players are willing to give him.

Alchemist Information

Rank 7 - Mentor Alchemist
EXP: 644/5120
Crafts Per Day: 9
Crafting Reset: 12:00:00 AM PST
Items Types Available:
Salves: 
Potions: 
Crystals: 

Tools in Use:

Ranking Chart

CD Result Chart

Potions on Hand:

Orders Working

Item Pricing

Quote

Tier 1 Potions

• Uncommon: 400 col or 1 materials.
• Rare: 800 col or 2 materials
• Perfect: 1200 col or 4 materials

Tier 2 Potions

• Uncommon: 600 col or 2 materials.
• Rare: 1300 col or 4 materials
• Perfect: 1800 col or 6 materials

Tier 1 Crystals

• Uncommon: 700 col or 2 materials.
• Rare: 1100 col or 4 materials
• Perfect: 1500 col or 7 materials

Tier 2 Crystals

• Uncommon: 800 col or 3 materials.
• Rare: 1600 col or 6 materials
• Perfect: 2100 col or 9 materials

Tier 3 Potions

• Uncommon: 600 col or 2 materials.
• Rare: 1300 col or 4 materials
• Perfect: 1800 col or 6 materials

Tier 3 Crystals

• Uncommon: 800 col or 3 materials.
• Rare: 1600 col or 6 materials
• Perfect: 2100 col or 9 materials

Aster continued to examine the monument, still unsure of its purpose here. Her eyes narrowed slightly, as if she had expected reading and re-reading unfamiliar names engraved in stone would help her understand. Noticing they seemed to be listed in alphabetical order, she couldn't help moving her attention to the section of 'A' names. Every so often her gaze ran across a name here or there with two lines through it. She was searching now, going down the list of names. Surely enough, she came to a stop at the name 'Aster' etched the same as the thousands of other names around it. The girl practically felt a chill run down her spine, still not fully understanding, but getting the feeling this list was something very important.

Taking a break from her studying, Aster glanced around apprehensively. There were a few other players here or there, but nobody looked to be in the best mood. She started feeling her nerves get the better of her, but her mind wouldn't allow her to leave this place before she found out its purpose. Swallowing what was left of her pride, Aster meekly approached the nearest player, a man clad in green resting on the steps below the massive wall of stone. "Ah, excuse me..." She started, hoping that her newbie appearance might excuse her ignorance. "Can you explain this place to me, please?"

Aster found herself in an unfamiliar part of town, coming as a surprise with how many times she'd circled the massive city since she'd been trapped here. Many of the times she'd see players crying as they entered or exited the large stone building. The place had a very somber atmosphere, even from the outside, and anyone around it had serious expressions. Her curiosity finally compelled her, and the orange-haired girl took a small breath before approaching the entrance. As she passed through a large archway, she squinted to adjust to the change in lighting. Rays of sunshine spilled in through high windows, and she could see a large circular window letting in more light in the middle of the high curved ceiling. The small building reminded her slightly of a church, and she looked around quietly at the stone pillars and detailing on the walls.

Aster's attention was finally drawn to the center of the room. A large stone tablet was the only thing on display here, causing the girl to tilt her head in curiosity. She approached slowly, surveying what looked like a few grief-stricken adventurers nearby. As she got closer to the dark stone to examine it she could finally make out words engraved into the surface. 'Are these names...?' She wondered, unable to recognize anything that was written.

"Oh, err--" Aster chose to nonchalantly avoid the man's compliments. 'Recon?' She thought curiously before responding. "Just...exploring, I suppose. I haven't been to one of these events before." She explained simply. She idly pushed up her glasses out of habit. They had likely never slipped down or moved position in this virtual world, but occasionally she found herself displaying the same physical habits she had developed in the real world. The pair continued their slow pace past the stalls of merchants offering their wares. Her eyes fell upon a small stage that she hadn't seen before, and she began to look with interest. A man with a lute seemed to be performing, although at their distance she couldn't hear a thing. She wondered if the performer was an NPC or a player--sometimes she had trouble telling the difference unless she actually spoke with them. Curious, her attention was drawn, but she was content following Endilix's lead, assuming he had some sort of destination in mind.

Hello everyone! My character's name is Aster, and I plan to be building her as a support with little to no focus on damage or tanking abilities. I have some fun ideas for my character's development, but unfortunately combat is something neither her nor I are particularly comfortable with. SP's also seem like a bear, so I wanted to know if anyone is interested in doing one (or several) threads with me. I don't plan on putting any points into her attack or defense unless I absolutely have to. Some basic info on my character:

Aster is very much a booknerd, and before SAO she had actually never played a video game before. She was privileged, smart, etc., but in exchange she is not very social and has no streetsmarts to speak of. She isn't the type to ask others for help, but wants to be able to grow stronger to help others. Link to her journal here.

If anyone thinks their character would easily get along with mine or could help her make the transition to learn more about Aincrad, please let me know! I would just generally ask for help with quests, but I don't want it to feel forced. Thanks in advance for anyone interested!

Aster wasn't expecting the armored man to accompany her just like that. A little flustered, the girl did as he asked and followed the knight, adjusting her pace once she'd caught up to his. She watched with interest as he casually plucked an apple and left the vendor his payment. Things in this game were still so new to her, despite how much time had passed, and as much as she hated to admit it she was sure there were concepts of gaming and virtual reality that would always elude her. As the man spoke up again, asking her name, the orange-haired girl nervously caught herself, "Ast--err, Aster. And you are?" She stammered a bit as almost gave her name by instinct. Although it was just a few letters shorter, she remembered that it was customary to use screen names.

As she glanced up at the comparatively tall man, she couldn't help but wonder if his attention was somewhere else. His eyes seemed to be looking for or watching something, but it was impossible for her to match his gaze in the crowds around them. He then turned to face her directly and flashed a charming smile. She tensed and averted her eyes, giving a smile smile as she faced forward so as not to seem too rude.

((OOC: Feel free to post the summary,  or let me know if I should edit to include it in this post))

Aster looked towards the horizon to see a beautiful sunset over a mountain range. For a moment she was impressed by the beauty of the virtual world, but was brought back to the stammering boy before her. Aster smiled, nodding in agreement. She tried not to stress the situation, and didn't worry about what she assumed was his change in moods. A sudden, drastic change in moods. "Right, let's get back." She felt comfortable enough to lead the way as the two adventurers headed back to the main city of Floor 1.

"Oh, no no no!" Aster laughed nervously, both surprised and confused at Ratatosk's apologies. The boy went from being gung-ho to chilling out to thinking he was a nuisance. Aster was just starting to think she was getting used to their interaction when he completely turned the tables on her. The girl humbly accepted the last set of materials and col, averting her gaze as she wasn't sure how to handle the situation anymore. She mustered another small smile, she took a deep breath. "Thank you for all of your help. I wouldn't have been able to complete this quest without you." She bowed slightly before clumsily opening up her menu again. 'Now how do I do this...' She scrolled around before her expression showed she had found what she was looking for. She poked the buttons and sent the boy a friend request. "When I make something cool we'll have to meet up so I can give it to you!"

Trade Accepted

Ratatosk's sudden change in tone caused her to mentally shrink. Assuming she'd said something inappropriate or offensive, the girl immediately followed suit. "Oh, uh," Her words were less sure as his energetic nature seemed to wither. "Go ahead, if you'd like to. You've helped me plenty already." She wasn't sure if she was being too polite or stiff, but she definitely didn't want to feel greedy. Past the awkward encounter, she had a feeling of eagerness inside of her, being so close to finishing the quest and trying her hand at whatever alchemical experiments the game would allow. With all of her thoughts squirming around inside of her, Aster's fingers fidgeted slightly as she kept her hands busy fiddling with the hem of her shirt.

Aster frowned at his statement. What was wrong with being a female healer? Now that she took a moment to think about it, male nurses were few and far between. Perhaps the same stereotype existed in video games. Regardless, she wasn't going to be dissuaded. Her expression changed with a small smile and she couldn't help poking some fun at him. "Well, why don't you learn some healing skills?" She joked.

Getting curious, she awkwardly waved her hand in front of her a couple of times before her menu opened up. She navigated to the quest pane and checked the requirement of her task. "Oh, I think I have enough now actually. Do you want to head back to town soon?" Admittedly, she'd gotten accustomed to spending her days in the safety of the Starting City.

Through her pouting face, Aster couldn't help but take a half-glance at the very obvious beginner clothing she was wearing. Her protests turning to slight embarrassment, she accepted the col. 'I guess I can understand.' She thought, recalling her initial ability choice. She picked First Aid because she wanted to be able to heal first and foremost, but doing so early on put her in a massive disadvantage for combat. "What kind of lane First Aid can't even be used on yourself?" She muttered.

Aster's lips curved into an amused smile. When Ratatosk quickly went back to cutting his way through more enemies, she assumed her role as a gatherer, looking a bit farther out for similar flowers or lootable foliage. She couldn't help watching his swift combat as he ran four more boars through. It was both scary and amazing.

When he passed the materials on to her, she looked inquisitively at the trade box. "Col? Oh, is that the currency?" She vaguely recalled encountering the term before. "You don't need to give me that as well." She said with a bit of a pout.

Gathering Attempt

Aster's mind began to wander, paying little attention to the general city sounds around her. She was beginning to get bored of the whole event, as the primary means of entertainment required a full coin pouch. She was just about to search the grounds for anything else of interest when a tall man in a full suit of armor approached her. The girl was taken aback, surprised and confused that someone would speak to her out of the blue. As if by reflex, Aster politely bowed her head in return, attempting to find the right words to respond with. "Oh, err--I'm sorry, I'll have to decline. I wouldn't be able to pay for your services." She was immediately embarrassed to admit she was broke, and for a moment wondered if that wasn't the right thing to say. Even more curious, she wondered if the man was some sort of bodyguard for hire.

Aster cocked her head once again, intrigued by the new information and making a note to remember the name. She wondered what she should do if she ever happened to see those people around town. Ratatosk took out his sword once again and prepared for another combat. Aster simply nodded, admittedly a bit eager to finish her quest and explore the secrets of alchemy. 'I still wish this game had magic...' She thought sourly, recalling how upset she'd been when she found out she couldn't become the most powerful wizard. Shrugging off the thought, she took another look at the grassy field around her, failing to spot anything else of interest.

Gathering Attempt

'It's noisy...' Aster had ventured into the heart of the Starting City, despite the hustle and bustle she normally tried to avoid. She caught wind of a day-long festival and couldn't help her curiosity from dragging her to investigate. She had a slight pout on her face as she browsed among vendors and merchants. With not a col to her name, she reserved herself to window shopping, very interested to know what the food tasted like. She still hadn't had much experience with the way the NerveGear interpreted senses--the bread she had been given when she first entered the game was hardly appealing.

Still donning her beginner adventurer's clothing, she didn't stand out too much from the other players and NPCs alike shuffling through the crowds. She felt like she was playing the part of an observer, taking in all she could about the city and memorizing bits of information she figured may be important to her later. Occasionally she would look around at the other faces around her, but quickly went back to minding her own business.

Aster's eyes narrowed slightly in both concern and confusion. "Samurai guild...?" The sight of something like that marching through town would have surely caught her attention. She slowly shook her head, "No, sorry." She couldn't help herself from prying, curious as to what could have prompted such a specific question. "Are you looking for those people?" Since she had hardly ventured outside of the Starting City she was rather naive about not only general game knowledge, but current events or goings-on outside of the city walls.

Aster looked up as the blonde boy walked over towards her, and she straightened back up. He asked about her glasses, and the girl grew a bit flustered, not expecting the question. He continued on with casual conversation and she offered a light smile. "Ah, yes. I had to get them when I was little, but I've always liked them." Ratatosk mentioned he wanted to ask something, and she immediately grew curious. From their interactions so far, she expected him to speak his mind at any time. "Hm?" She inquired simply, waiting for him to speak again.

Aster fidgeted with her hands, increasing her pace to keep up with Ratatosk. She felt a bit embarrassed as his words echoed her thoughts, but she kept quiet for a bit while he stopped and came across a tight pack of boars. She hadn't seen the creatures up close before, and she wasn't eager to. She kept a fair distance as the boy drew a sword and approached the monsters with no hesitation. She watched the fight intently, and her eyes widened a bit in surprise as it turned out to be more like a slaughter. With a swift movement he cut through four creatures at once, draining their green health bars in an instant.

As the boars shattered into pixels, Aster remained in a stunned silence. She frowned only slightly, picturing herself trying to attack something like that. She took a few steps forward before spotting something out of place near her feet. Curiously inspecting a large flower, a dialogue box suddenly appeared above the plant, catching her off-guard. 'Dahlia - Crafting Material' it read, and she cocked her head in curiosity. Reaching out towards the flower, it disappeared when she touched it, another dialogue box appearing that claimed she received the item. Aster smiled, a small sense of pride filling her.

Gathering Attempt

((OOC: I wasn't able to choose the name for my account, but if you wouldn't mind, please refer to my character in game as Aster.))

Her body tensed as a voice cut through the thinning crowds nearby. Aster heard someone shouting for her, causing her to turn in surprise to find the source of the voice. She quickly calmed down, reminding herself this must be the person she was meeting. She put on a small, polite smiled before speaking "Oh, hello! Yes, I already accepted the quest I need." The boy mentioned monsters and the thought had her nerves crawling back. "R-right. Thank you for your help!" By the way the boy was acting, she thought she may be coming off too formally. In the middle of her thanks, she saw him practically leaving the city already and hurried to follow after him.

Aster filled her lungs with a deep breath of air. The small girl stared at the message sitting in her inbox menu for a few seconds before closing the interface and shaking her head slightly. She still felt like she had just barely figured out the controls of this cursed game. In an attempt to psyche herself up for the social encounter she was soon to have, Aster felt a bit of pride for her courage in messaging another human being in this place.

A couple of days ago she finally admitted to herself that she couldn't do a profession quest alone and decided to put out a request for assistance on a town messaging board. It didn't take long for someone to send her a message, and she agreed to meet this person named "Ratatosk" to start the quest.

Aster stopped at the proper NPC to accept the quest and headed for the East gate at the edge of the city where they agreed to meet.

I just created my character and originally wanted to use the name "Aster" when making my account. The name was taken, so I went with "Asteria". What I would like to do is have my character's real life first name as Asteria with the in game username of Aster, but I don't want to cause confusion with my account username. I noticed the user who currently holds the name "aster" was created in May of 2015 and has not been online since, with no content posted.

Is it possible for me to request that name considering the age and lack of content on this other account? If not I understand, and please let me know if there would be any trouble with my character's username not matching my account username. Thank you!

Profile
Username: Aster
Real name: Asteria Mehlian
Current Age: 17
Gender: Female
Height: 5' 3"

History

Asteria was the child of every parents' dreams. Ever since she was small, the girl loved to learn. Her thirst for knowledge lined up well with her parents' wishes of having a smart, successful daughter. She was raised strictly and was always well-behaved, respectful, and curious. Being born as an only child into a wealthier family, Asteria was sent to the best schools, rewarded nicely for her good performance, and generally did not want for much. The family's library was her playground as a child, and by the time she was in middle school the girl had read nearly every book it had to offer, from the most boring history texts to the most outlandish fantasy novels.

By her teenage years, the girl decided on a career path of nursing, which made her parents proud. They've had their well-behaved little girl, and now they would have a successful student of medicine, who would go on to be an accomplished adult. She felt happy with the choice, and pleasing her parents was a very convenient bonus. She studied hard, continued to make excellent marks, and received praise from her teachers. Nearing the end of her high school career, however, she started to feel...bored.

She wanted something different, something that exceeded her imagination. After some research, Asteria worked hard and waited patiently until she could ask her parents for something she hadn't given a second thought until then.

"I want to play a video game."

Exchanging a concerned look, her parents reluctantly agreed to her wishes. She pointed out the newest virtual reality system and the game Sword Art Online. After some coaxing, her parents promised to get it for her once it was released to the public. Once the system was finally available, Asteria was thrilled. She had been left to wonder what an online game was like, and the concept of virtual reality intrigued her more and more as her mind continued to paint the world that she would soon be a part of. Bursting with excitement, the girl removed her glasses, clumsily slipped the device over her head and spoke aloud, "Link start."

Virtues:

Intelligent: Asteria is a very smart girl. In her 18 years of existence she's read and learned much about many different topics. At times she won't hesitate to share that knowledge, even if she wasn't asked to. One thing she can never resist is the unknown.

Quick Learner: When a concept is laid out in front of her, Asteria is pretty good at picking things up. If there's an instruction manual she'll usually read through the whole thing. Even if she may fall flat putting things into practice, she can usually take a step back to analyze the situation to make adjustments on the fly.

Helpful: For the past few years, Asteria has been driven by the urge to help people. Her studies helped to supplement her newfound passion. She wants to be able to share both her knowledge and skills to aid others however she can. 

Flaws:

Naive: Having lived a pretty sheltered life, Asteria won't deny that she was given plenty of privilege. Despite her impressive education, she hasn't experienced a lot of things other teenagers commonly have. There are many times when she feels out-of-touch with reality, which is usually when she'll want to change the subject or just curl up with a book.

Socially Inept: Being a bookworm, Asteria has always been rather awkward when it comes to other people, especially when she hasn't mentally prepared herself. Speaking with adults and teachers was easy, but she typically shied away from other students. She doesn't like being thrown into most social situations.

Athletically Challenged: If there was any subject where Asteria struggled, it was physical education. The girl was hard-pressed to run more than a few minutes without being out of breath, but she could always make up for her lack of athleticism with a well-written essay about nutrition and the importance of a balanced lifestyle. Even if she had no muscle to speak of, she would win over her teachers one way or another.

Profession: Alchemist [Rank 6]

Skills
Non-combat skills:
►[Extra] Survival

Combat skills:
►First Aid [35/50]: Rank 4 - Master
►►[Rank 3] Mod: Purify

Weapon skills:
►Martial Arts [0/50]: Rank 0 - Unskilled

Armor skills:
►Light Armor [0/50]: Rank 0 - Unskilled

Level: 22
Total SP: 61
Available SP: 13
Spent SP: 48

Gains:

Inventory

Col / Transactions

Col on hand: 6,185

Gains:

Losses:

Friend List

»Ratatosk

Roleplays - In Progress

Roleplays - Complete / Chronological

Quest Log

Roleplays - Incomplete / Abandoned