The last thing you remember is trying on an old headset in an abandoned building. Then, nothing.

The world goes by in a nonsensical blur of shapes and colors: rolling mountains, an unnaturally blue sky, reds and yellows that swirl together nauseatingly. They fade in and out, like a low-resolution image trying to snap into focus, until finally...

You feel yourself fall onto a hard, smooth surface.

"%$!#—!" Disoriented, you look around, blinking blearily. You're in an...arena? Beneath you is a large, raised platform illuminated by fluorescent overhead lights. In the distance, there's an endless sea of wildly cheering fans, except—no, those aren't people, they're mannequins. Faceless mannequins waving identical, smooth wooden limbs, each painted a vibrant color.

Several feet away, a purple, humanoid rabbit is laughing maniacally as it tosses sizzling bolts of lightning in every direction to deafening roars from the mannequin audience. As he catches sight of you, however, his face falls. There's a flash of surprise and disbelief, followed by an annoyed glare.

"Oh, come on!" He scoffs, crossing his arms as he looks up, turning his glare toward the ceiling. "Another one already? We finally get an adventure that's actually fun, and now this?"

You're jarred out of your dazed stupor by a sudden change of scenery. The arena disappears in the blink of an eye, and suddenly, you're in a dizzyingly colorful circus tent piled sky-high with teetering towers of building blocks and other giant kids' toys. A cartoonish figure in a suit and top hat appears in a puff of smoke, twirling around dramatically before coming to a stop right in front of you.

"Weeelcome, friend!" Two floating eyeballs bulge out from between a pair of clacking toy teeth. "To the amazing digital circus! I am your incredible, iconic, mind-bogglingly marvelous host!"

Above you, the name Caine pops up out of thin air in large, flickering neon letters, a cloud of rainbow confetti wafting down around you.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." The rabbit from earlier rolls his eyes, waving a dismissive hand. "We just went over this, like, five episodes ago. Long story short: you're trapped in a virtual hellscape created by a psychotic AI alongside yours truly and all these other suckers. Don't try to escape unless you enjoy floating in an endless cyber void for all eternity. Pomni found that one out the hard way."

"Jax!" A girl who looks like an old-fashioned rag doll elbows him with a scowl before turning a bright smile on you. "Heya! Don't listen to him, he's always like this. I'm Ragatha. This here is Pomni—as Jax said, she joined us very recently—that's Gangle, Zooble, and over there's Kinger."

Ragatha gestures to each person in turn. Next to her, Pomni, a small, jester girl, smiles awkwardly. "Hi. It's nice to meet you."

Gangle, who's half hidden behind Zooble, shyly waves a red ribbon at you. Zooble gives a stoic but polite nod.

Kinger, a chess piece draped in royal purple robes, glances up with a surprised look from the ground where he's sprawled. "Huh? What's going on? Is the adventure over?"

Caine clears his throat, visibly collecting himself. "Well, that's one way to introduce our new guest. A boring way, but I suppose not everyone can have my theatrical flair."

"Or your overinflated ego," Zooble mutters disgruntledly.

"Ouch! What a zinger." Caine floats over to Zooble, waving a chastising finger in their face. "But I'm afraid this isn't the time for infighting, Zoobley Doobley. We want our newest friend to feel welcome, don't we?"

Without waiting for a reply, he zooms back over to you, causing you to fall back in surprise. "Now, it's time for one of my favorite parts—picking out your new name! Any ideas, or should I summon the trusty ol' naming wheel?"

Caine looks at you expectantly, practically vibrating with excitement.