Momona's Potion Shop (1)

"Hah! Gotta work hard again today!"

I stretched out long, loosening up my body. Sitting in the familiar capsule, I logged into my broadcast account. There was still some time before the stream started, but I needed to run the capsule a bit beforehand to avoid any residual lag or glitches.

Glancing at the familiar character icon in the corner of my broadcast account—my stream avatar, Momona—I steadied my nerves and began prepping for the broadcast.

"Hmm, what're we doing today... Oh, right, the thing that got sent over."

I didn't have anything else scheduled anyway, and right on cue, a fan had sent some content. Perfect timing.

"Wonder what they sent this time?"

This wasn't the first time from MPG. This made the fourth piece of fan-made content they'd gifted me.

The first was a solid RPG. They'd said it was thanks for one I'd made myself.

The second was another RPG, but buggy as hell—kinda disappointing. It was fun to play, but viewers were busy ripping it apart in chat.

The third tried something new with a quiz, but a few off-the-wall questions had folks begging me not to take any more.

"Still, they took the time to make it for me. It's not like it's malicious—how could I turn it down?"

Rejecting something made just for me with their precious time? No way. Unless they were trying to piss me off or tank my stream, but that wasn't the case. Brushing it off would just look bad.

"Might as well check it out before going live."

It had been three months since the last one, so maybe their skills had leveled up. Each submission showed growth, fresh ideas sprinkled in.

"...Huh? What the—"

Launching the code-shared content brought up a crisp opening screen that left me stunned. This level of polish? From them?

"Is this even Full Dive VR?"

The sensations didn't feel virtual at all. It was like I was really deep in a forest. I clenched my fists in awe.

"This one's got me hyped."

I didn't start the content yet, just looked around, then remembered the file that came with the code.

"Oh yeah, they said to wear this for it."

Recalling the email note, I ended the content session with anticipation bubbling up. Today's stream was gonna blow everyone away.

"Let's see what they sent..."

Checking the file name in the email, my eyes sparkled.

"Oh... nice."

Peeking at the file amped up my excitement even more. Yeah, today's broadcast was gonna be a massive hit in every sense.

"Alright, time to prep the stream!"

I buzzed with energy, eager to share this gift with my viewers.

"Hey, nice to mo-ha~ Your pal Momona's here!"

The stream went live, camera trained on empty air. A crackling campfire in a dark forest was the only light piercing the shadows.

"Hehe, mo-ha everyone~ Felt like this vibe today, y'know? And what's Mo-ba?! You that eager for Momona? Oof!"

Teasing the chat like always to kick things off. Viewers piled in, chat lighting up—I grinned, satisfied.

"You all know what's up today, right? Bet some of ya are hyped."

"We'll reveal today's gift later~ But whaddya think of this map? Came with it."

I panned the camera around the forest. Dark woods lit only by the campfire, but faint green firefly glows added mystery. The occasional whoosh of wind felt real, not VR.

"Right? It's dope. But nah, not from the company. They're swamped—no way they'd hook us up with this."

New gen recruiting, brainstorming content—they're stretched thin for extras like this.

I chuckled at their guesses, locked the camera, and got ready.

"Ding ding ding~ Chat got it: fan-made. You all know who sent this content, right?"

"Yup, blew my mind too~ And get this~ Ta-da!"

Enough viewers now—I hopped into frame with a bounce.

Content alone would've been plenty, but this unexpected bonus? Gold.

"Ta-da~ Whaddya think?"

I spun for the camera, checking my stream overlay on the side.

Light green twin-tails ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠whipped with the spin, my mischievous grin sparkling with blue eyes that seemed thrilled to stare back from the screen. And my fan character, Mokong-i, floating like a sprite beside me? Perfect.

It screamed "I watch and get your streams." I'd whined about adding Mokong-i to my avatar before, and they'd remembered, slipping it in. So thoughtful.

"Cute, right? Made for today's content. Came with the package!"

Kinda bummed, though. Not a company avatar, so I couldn't use it outside this. Told the team, and they said one-and-done for this stream.

"Checked around just in case—no similar avatars out there. They made it from scratch, so no doubting! Don't diss my precious content gifter!"

I puffed my cheeks at the screen. Hard to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠believe myself, but my pre-stream search turned up zilch.

"Anyway! Cute avatar means the content's gotta be fun, right?"

"Psh, last one had bugs, sure, but not that many, right? Anyway~"

Screen transition time—I input the content code and warped the map. A smooth whoosh, brief blackout, then light flooded back, revealing the forest I'd previewed.

I switched the broadcast feed.

"Alright! Let's dive into today's content!"

I beamed at the camera.

"Oof! Told ya it's not scary. And honestly, no clue myself. Dove in blind, no readme."

Seeing the map, I just had to experience it fresh. I knew the title, at least.

"Content's called Momona's Potion Shop, so probs potion stuff?"

Past gifts tied into me, so I strolled forward. Something'd pop up soon.

"Like, me brewing and selling potions?"

"Ahead? Oh, a house?"

I flinched at the bold sign: Genius Alchemist Momona's Potion Shop. Early stream gimmick—total black history.

"Eek, so embarrassing. I don't push that anymore!"

Face burning, I grabbed my cheeks and stepped through the open door. Time to scope what to do.

"Ugh! Quit teasing. So, what now?"

Scanning inside, my eyes locked on the alchemy cauldron—glowing edges screaming "touch me." Mesmerized, I reached out.

"Oh! This starts it?"

A ding, and a blue window popped up. I read the content rules.

"Right? Looks blast! Let's brew some potions ASAP!"

Hype building—I headed out to gather.

"Let's go! Time to make some killer potions!"