Hello, everyone. So, from what I read, there's still room for two or three more people.
Name: Jonathan E. Turner/Jet Stryker
Age: 16
Country: USA
Current Level: 13
Weapon: Daggers
Non-Combat Skills: Speed and Hiding
Appearance: Jonathan "Jet" Turner is not much of an exception to the stereotype of a skinny, game-playing geek. His black-gray hair is semi-short and unkempt. For a teenager boy, he is short and skinny, standing at about 5'3". Being an American, Jet has white skin with a hint of a tan, though he would more often get a sunburn in real life. His hazel eyes are close-set and light-sensitive in real life. Outside of virtual reality, Jet tended toward a wiry build with a knack for feats of jumping, running, hiding, etc. In Aincrad, he was able to build on this. If he isn't doing anything with his hands, then he usually taps seemingly random rhythms with his fingers.
Nowadays, Jet usually wears dark-colored long-sleeved shirts and pants, as well as a pair of brown leather fingerless gloves. He can always be seen wearing black leather boots, which add to his speed, and a pair of sunglasses, with a blue metal frame and dark glass lenses. Jet's current combat attire consists of a black long-sleeved shirt, a vest of fortified chainmail, and dark-gray leather pants; the shirt and pants add a small bonus to hiding. Jet also wears a black belt that holds his daggers and some belt pouches for carrying potions and other small objects. His two daggers have steel blades and silver hilts, decorated with black leather grips and etched deep-blue designs. The scabbards have similar silver-and-blue designs decorating the outside.
Personality: Jet is an inquisitive person with a knack for getting in and out of trouble. He often becomes friendly after a few minutes of conversation with another person, though some have found him too nosy. Jet sometimes slips and tries to dig too deep into another's past or business. He constantly wants to know more about some subject or situation that interests him, which often lands him in situations where danger is real or people don't appreciate his curiousity. Despite this, Jet keeps moving forward, learning what he can of social events and drama, exploring the depths and reaches of video games' dungeons, whatever interests him.
The flip side is that if someone he doesn't know well asks about his personal life, Jet will immediately clam up, often searching for a way out of the situation or conversation. This carried over to online games, including
Sword Art Online. For all Aincrad purposes, he is Jet Stryker, dagger-warrior and explorer. Jet wouldn't mind being able to get out of this VR game, but chances are that he would eventually return to Aincrad if it ever became safe.
One of his passions is games. If it's an action/adventure game and seems even remotely interesting, Jet will give it a try if nothing in life is engaging at the time. If he still finds a game interesting after the first ten or so minutes, he will spend a lot of his gaming time completing all solo material in that game. Jet usually uses the same approach in online games, teaming up with other players to fight or explore. This curiousity serves him in finding out pretty much any relevant information, even if his game avatar delves too deep and is struck down by a mob of monsters.
Life before SAO: Jonathan Turner was born an only child to a mother and father in a town in the mountains of Arizona, USA. Tourists are often surprised to learn that Arizona isn't all desert and has mountains that actually get snow in winter. The town was a small community where any one person is likely to know most everyone else in his or her age group. Jonathan's parents weren't terribly rich, but they did spoil him a little, at least when it came to video games. Jonathan's curiousity scared away some of those in his age group and attracted others who lived in a similar fashion. Jonathan and his friends often spent their time playing video games together when they weren't exploring or playing in the nearby mountains, hills, and caves. Jonathan wasn't deterred by any bruises, scratches, bites, stings, etc., that he got in his adventures.
As middle school, then high school came around, Jonathan found that his urge to know more now extended to sociality and drama. If anyone cared to ask, they would find that Jonathan usually knew more details about any event than almost anyone else in the school. If questioned about his methods, Jonathan might shrug and say, "A question here and there, some investigating...", but he will admit that cell phones and technology were very helpful. As for his gaming life, Jonathan's parents had few restrictions. After his first few ventures into online games, Jonathan dived in wholeheartedly, usually adopting the codename "Jet Stryker." In the games he took seriously, Jet became a prominent player when it came to leveling and exploring. When it was announced that a new VRMMORPG,
Sword Art Online, was to be released to the public, Jonathan was quick to bug his parents into ordering a copy of the game and a virtual reality headset so he could play it once the servers were up.
Summary of first month in Aincrad:
- During the first week, Jet explored Floor 1 and dabbled in Forgery with the thought that he could make his own equipment.
- After the announcement that virtual death meant real-life death, Jet was both worried and excited. He couldn't shake the thought that one of his parents or friends might try to pull him out of the game, yet he also realized that he had time on his hands to explore pretty much everywhere he could reach.
- Jet had recovered by the next day. One of the first things he did was to use his Forgery to make a pair of sunglasses, as a reminder to himself that Aincrad was just a game in the real world. Jet had every intention of getting back to reality.
- A few days later, on Floor 2, Jet and a player he'd partnered with tried to fight a relatively high-level monster; by the end of the fight, Jet was close to dying and his partner was dead. Jet retreated to Celedona and spent a few days cooped up inside the town, trying to get over the stark reality of death. Eventually, though, his inquisitive nature overruled his fear and he continued his exploring and leveling.
- For the next few weeks, Jet made parties with other players for protection and a better chance at exploring the reaches of each floor. By this time, he'd left Forgery in favor of Speed and Hiding. Fearing death, Jet spent his spare time soloing low-level monsters to build up his level and combat skills. He usually brought back drops and important information to other players who either Forged new equipment or did the brute work of clearing the floors.
Roleplay Sample:
Jet sighed as he watched the boar before him dissolve into bits of data and disappear. As he sheathed his daggers, a screen popped up with the amount of experience he'd gained, followed by the message, "You have reached Level 3!" "Finally," Jet muttered, crouching to take a look at the boar's drops.
Boar Hide
Raw Boar Meat
[Take] [Destroy]
Jet shook his head as he stashed the drops in his bag. "Already have good armor for now, and I'm not a Cook myself," he muttered, standing and turning back toward the city. It was the fourth day of the game, and Jet was bored. He'd already explored Starter City and the fields, completed several quests, defeated boars and other monsters for the sake of getting to Level 3...there really wasn't much left for him to do on this floor beyond building up his skills. Jet began humming to himself, his fingers tapping out a rhythm. Actually, there was the dungeon. He hadn't explored that yet, and he hadn't heard anything about the boss room being found yet. On the other hand, a Level 3 player probably wouldn't last too long on his own.
Several minutes later, Jet pushed open the door to a shop in the city. The shelves were decorated with various food items, ranging from fresh-baked loaves of bread to packages of seasoned meat. Jet edged around two other players who were browsing and walked up to the counter where the shopowner stood. "Welcome!" the NPC greeted with a big smile. "We have the best food in the city! Would you like to make a purchase? Or perhaps you have something to sell?"
"Yeah, I have something to sell," Jet answered, bringing up a screen of his inventory. There were two items made obvious by their amounts: 27 Boar Hides and 26 Raw Boar Meats. Jet sold the meat to the NPC and got a small chunk of the game's virtual money in return.
"We're always happy to make a transaction!" the shopowner boomed, still smiling. Jet rolled his eyes as he turned and walked back out the door. Was it just him, or did virtual reality make repetitive answers like that more annoying?
Seeing the blank stone wall across from the shop, Jet strolled over and leaned his forehead against it. Bored, bored, bored... This virtual reality was great and all, but the last two days had been just plain repetitive for him. He was sure he wasn't alone in feeling this, but Jet always got bored with repetition. He needed something new to do on this floor!
"Hey, you there!" Jet looked up in surprise at a nearby player, all decked out in armor with a Greatsword on his back. "You need something to do? I'm lookin' to lead a group into the dungeon. There's word that someone found the boss room. Interested?"
Jet perked up, already grinning. He wouldn't have to search for a party after all. "Yeah, I'm interested," he replied, his fingers tapping again. "Gimme a few minutes to buy a few things, and I'll come along. Where do we meet?"
"I'll let you know," the swordsman said, nodding. "Need your name b'fore I can send a message, though. Name's Kaiser. You?"
Jet was still grinning, his mind whirling with ideas on what to do in the dungeon. "Jet Stryker."