Shinsou Vaan Osiris

To the best of Shinsou's reckoning, Lessa was a student of history. He himself held an acute interest in the industrials and mechanics of both world wars, as well as a working interest in the Napoleonic wars, so her response was not lost on him in the slightest and actually served to cheer him up. Finally, there was someone with something in common with him.

“Right you are, Lessa,” Shinsou replied, “Napoleon Bonaparte once said that he never picked his generals just for being good; he wanted them more so if they were lucky. More relevant here in SAO is his other philosophy; “God is not on the side of the biggest battalions, but the best shots”. That’s why I’m here.”

He scratched at his nose as he spoke. He was, for all the savagery attributed to Mancunians and Englishmen alike, a gentleman of some kind. Well spoken, well dressed, very calm, at least as calculating.

Huge Sonic fan.

Between 1991 and, say, 2002 I lived in a utopia of Sonic excellence. 1, 2, 3, 3&K, SA1 and SA2 were the staples of one of the greatest game series in the world.

Then, some weird [censored] happened and Sonic fell into the abyss.

It was only recently that Sonic Mania won me back entirely.

Lessa hadn’t told him anything he didn’t already know, but it was still good to see her interact with her guildmates. Here, where Shinsou became sure there was nothing false about anything she had told him before, he suddenly felt safe to speak in front of this assortment of characters.

"I’m Shinsou Vaan Osiris," The blonde haired man exclaimed, nodding to Lessa, who nodded back. "I’m as green as it gets here. That’s right, you all heard correctly; level one without so much as a single experience point to my name. Don’t let that fool you, though; whilst some people might take a look at me and think I’m weak, I’m a quick learner. Once I learn the ropes here, you can bet I’ll be difficult to stop. As for the rest? Well, I work on trust. We’ll figure the rest out as we go, but its nice to meet you."

The party, their spirits now a little higher and their bodies a little warmer, was starting to loosen up. The cold had slacked off a bit, but some clouds rolling in overhead outside the cabin were still menacing enough to keep the entire fourth floor under a pall of snow that made it look like a vast tundra. Shinsou could feel the warmth in his body slowly seeping away again as the fire began to slow. Outside of the window, looming on the horizon and dominating the skyline, was a mountain range. It could have been a skybox, or perhaps actual scenery programmed into the game, but its sheer size and weight seemed to pull the entire floor towards itself.

If there was one thing Shinsou loved, it was a good winter level. If there was one thing he hated, it was a winter level populated by things designed wholly and exclusively to extinguish him.

Shadows danced around the occupants and along the walls of the cabin as the flames flickered from the fireplace. The bitter smell of burning kindling wafted into the Mancunian’s nose, stirring his senses in a way he would have preferred to not have experienced. As he slowly cast his ocean green eyes about the unfamiliar faces of Lessa's "Vanguard" guild, the man took in all the details. Each face had a name - Genji, Ariel, Claim and Lessa, but only Lessa's held any modicum of safety for him in this place. For the others, Shinsou could have been forgiven for being wary. He knew that a man may welcome his neighbour on a Monday and massacre him on a Tuesday without a thought, and no amount of pandering to guild regulations or codes would be able to stop anyone should they put Shinsou in their sights. That being said, there was something about the collective's aura that lent itself to security. Genji's sagely words filled his mind and he found himself nodding to himself silently at the anecdote. Claim and Ariel weren't setting off any alarm bells at the moment.

As Shinsou sat up in his nicely upholstered seat, he gripped his spear just a little tighter. The Mancunian briefly sat up before glancing towards the window and began to take in the reality of today; a freezing cold, snowy dawn. Sleet began pelting the glass, and suddenly the view of the looming expanse through the flawed transparency was distorted by thick streaks of white.

"In my country, we have a saying too," Shinsou smiled, "Press X to not die."

He joked, but Shinsou stared icily at the outside, thinking upon the significance of the reputation of this floor amongst the lower level players. He was nowhere friendly, judging from the rumours in the town of beginnings and the way that even Lessa felt uncomfortable without armor outside of the safe zone.

The worries crumbled from his mind as his eyes fell upon the assorted pieces of his inventory. Included were his cloth armor and spear, Enpera. They were the only things he could truly trust in this bizarre situation. So far, the monsters weren’t doing a very good job of killing him. This led Shinsou to believe something else far worse entirely was going to happen to him, and soon.
 

The town of beginnings was nearly silent; only the ambient noise of steadily beating rain washing over the girl's words. Shinsou felt his shoulders sag as the rain pulled down at his clothes, adding heft to his somewhat slight frame. Two bright eyes of blue swivelled lazily towards him. Behind, two players marched steadily, quietly, past them, eyes using the lights of the town to seek deepened puddles and potential footfalls.

"Plenty of times," The blonde man said, writhing a hand through his soaking strands, "Mostly out in Manchester bars. I'd stand and watch them all out there smoking or waiting for cabs, but none of them carried an arsenal or were armored like sherman tanks, to be fair. Probably because they weren't stuck in a situation like we're stuck in."

Back in the world, he always found rain was cleansing; it would wash the beer off his breath and dirt and salt from his skin. Here, it just reminded him that they were all at the mercy of something much more powerful than humanity.

The woman listened, or half listened. He imagined she wouldn't have the patience to stand Shinsou's prattling for too much longer. “One thing this world and our world have in common; you only get so wet, though, and then the rain can no longer burden you.” A smile spread across his face as the metaphor rung through to him.

"I'm Shinsou Vaan Osiris. To be honest, i'm still trying to work out who to trust here."
 

Shinsou, stopped under the dripping awning at the front of the game’s shop, shook his head silently as he took stock of his situation.

It hadn’t been all that long since that bastard Akihiko Kayaba had bled from the sky that fateful day, November 6^th 2022, to deliver his chilling manifesto; beat the game, or remain trapped here for as long as your real-world body can sustain your life. Assuming you don’t die in the game, that is, which meant erasure in the real world.

The virtual night was as black as an inkwell. Oppressively low clouds had rolled over the towering form of Aincrad as soon as the sun had touched the horizon, ending the day before its full time had been spent. Now those clouds were emptying out all over the city, flooding the streets with sudden ponds and streams that swelled and splashed up the pants of the few foolish enough to be on the streets. There were no moon or stars tonight, only rolling clouds and sheets of water filling the sky. Wind slapped the rain up against his face every now and again, making useless his attire.

"Well," Shinsou said, turning to the shaved bald, almost adolescent level one player who shivered beside him. "No point hanging about here. Time to start thinking about how we get up those floors." The monk looking character, peering up at Shinsou through the darkness, frowned and shook his head.

"Even those first floors are difficult for a single level one player," the monk piped. "I recommend finding a party with stronger players. That’s what I’m going to do."

The bald guy’s right, Shinsou admitted, I’m going to be almost a complete nonentity in the eyes of many here. My best bet is to look around and group up. It’s just difficult when the game seems to have brought all of the cockroaches out of the woodwork. It’s hard enough to relate to the few people I can still call my friends, let alone those who are using this shitstorm to further their own agenda.

"Probably the best idea, sure." he muttered to himself. “Just be careful who you team with. There are plenty of people out there looking to take advantage.”

With that, the bald headed man, his iron longsword sheathed by his side, nodded his appreciation and turned.

“Good luck to both of us, Shinsou Vaan Osiris. Try to keep your name from being crossed off the monument, yeah?”

Username: Shinsou Vaan Osiris
Real Name: Chris
Age: 31
Gender: Male
Height: 5'11"

Background

Born in Manchester, UK in 1986, Chris grew up in the ever expansive era of gaming. From the age of six, the young man went from 16 bit consoles to full virtual reality by the age of thirty one. Hailing from a broken home, where his parents divorced and he was often moved around from place to place, Chris found the most stability and comfort in his life through virtual means. He found he could relate to the characters he often played. He could find a place to ‘let off steam’, a place where, unlike the real world, he would not have to suffer the consequences of his actions, whether it be a first person shooter, a beat-em up or even just a strategy game.

There was a horrendous irony in the way things turned out for him. After logging on to SAO and subsequently being trapped in the game, Chris has realised that his greatest love has become his worst nightmare. Gone were the days of actions without repercussions. Here, death in game meant death in real life. He found himself faced with many classes of people, all with different motives – some played the game for power. Some wanted to just get out and return to their lives. Others enjoyed the killing, often going out of their way to establish themselves at the top of the food chain.

Chris adopted his pseudonym, Shinsou Vaan Osiris, and became determined to beat the game once and for all. He wasn’t a saint, but he resolved to help as many people as he could to escape this nightmare. Perhaps along the way he would even discover a little bit about himself.

Appearance:

Hair color: Blonde
Hair length: Short
Eyes: Green
Body Type: Average
Skin Tone: Caucasian

VIRTUES:
 

Comedian: Shinsou will often try to cheer up those around him with jokes, dry humour and pranks. In a world filled with so much loss and pain, he figures that a little humour could go a long way; a way to stay sane and develop a coping mechanism with the stresses of the SAO situation.

Morality: For the most part, Shinsou will always lean towards doing the right thing. Of course, what the ‘right thing’ is tends to lend itself to deliberation, but he will rarely step out of line if it means endangering himself or his friends.

Loyal: To those who offer their loyalty, Shinsou is loyal back. Quick to make friends, he sees every player as a possible ally in escaping this nightmare and knows that building relationships in SAO is going to be key to his, and many other people’s, survival.

FLAWS:
 

Stubborn: Once Shinsou has his mind set on something, he is hell bent on accomplishing it. Sometimes, this works to his detriment, and will annoy other people.

Temper: If angered, Shinsou can be a handful. It takes a lot to push him, but once the red mist descends it’s probably better to be in a different place altogether. He can be quite scathing.

Pride: Though this could be classed as a virtue, Shinsou can be particularly proud. This can sometimes cloud his judgment in situations where swallowing one’s pride could help a situation rather than hinder it. 

SKILLS:

Points: 5
Used: 0
To Use: 5

INVENTORY:

Iron Spear “Enpera” x1
Basic Cloth Armor x1

ROLEPLAYS:

"To Aincrad and Back" [F1-PP] W/ Lessa

Thanks for the warm welcome Zeke. See you out there!

Hey everyone. So, obviously i'm new here and in the tradition of newbie greetings, here are some fun facts about the man behind Shinsou Vaan Osiris.

- I am British. English, specifically. Therefore I spell words funny and drink a disproportionate amount of tea. 

- I was recommended by my good friend Shelby (I know her by her Althanas account Rayleigh, it may be different here). I understand she's been rocking this joint for quite some time.

- I hail from the hybrid roleplaying / writing website Althanas, where I am currently serving as an administrator and general whipping boy of the forum. 

- SAO is familiar to me, but I have much to learn.

I'm looking forward to becoming a part of this community. I'm pretty experienced as a pbp roleplayer and writer so I'm hoping to use those tools here to enjoy something new.

Looking forward to getting to know you all a little better soon.

Cheerio.

Shin.