« 009 ⇢ event009.exe »

[reparator]

Who: CERES & you
When: ooc: 01/15-01/22; ic: 11/03-11/06
Where: Cerealia's Research & Technology District and Beyond!!!
What: Intro and Event log
Rating/Warning: PG-13 | possibly nsfw (please let us know if you need this rating changed, or you are welcome to continue any naughty shenanigans in a private log)

//event009.EXE Always Believe in the Heart of the Cards Except When They Tell You to Kill People Welcome to CERES Research Tower’s latest event! For all you new folk queuing outside of the conference room where you were just made to sit through a lovely power point presentation, you will be asked to stay a bit longer and test out some games in their Game Testing Center. It’s a giant space located in the basement level filled to the brim with cubicles for everyone to sit in and enjoy their newest array of pop-up games. The games themselves will be in holo(gm) form and will feature suggestions from CEO’s post, including a simplified, 8-bit version of Tetris, Baseball, Soda Smash, etc. Characters can control the game through moving their fingers and tapping them against the holo(gm) screens. Surrounding the cubicles will be tables of food and more food for characters to partake in. It’s all safe this time. No mind-altering candy corn or gut-exploding Knight Burgers. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the party. For those who have been in Cerealia for a while, they should have received an invitation to the event and an offer of 1,000 credits just for participating. So come on down and bring a friend or ten! Meanwhile, CEO has a small welcome for everyone- “Good Morning and thank you all for coming! We have been expecting you. We hope you will enjoy what we’ve put together today. Ever since we got your feedback on << RAINBOW NARWHAL MELEE >>, we’ve been developing new games for all of you to enjoy. We’ve also tried to draw in some things from your worlds. We hope to hear more feedback from you in the future. In the meantime, feel free to sample our food, generously provided to us by TGICERES, a moderately-priced family restaurant located in the Shopping District."

//SCENARIOS.EXE PHASE I [ xxxx ] Music lightly wafts from the speakers as the showroom opens. Julius Vincere, CERES’ CEO, delivers the opening announcement before leaving the room. He’ll be watching through all the video cameras placed around the room, so be on your best behavior! You will be guided to one of the many cubicles where you will sit and wait for a screen to pop up with a game. Once that game is defeated, another will pop up and another and another until your character gets hungry/has to pee/is so done with this shit. PHASE II [ xxxx ] Among the game rotations is a simple 8-bit fortune telling game starring Aria, the fortune teller. Come be enchanted by her mysterious wiles as she reads your future. She will do some 8-bit arm motions before summoning a ring of cards that will float around her. Characters will be encouraged to pick a card -any card. Once one has been selected, it will turn around slowly and unveil a card from the major arcana. Aria will then give your character their fortune, and that will be that. End of game. Onto the next! PHASE III [ xxxx ] You’ve left the testing center, and the evening has passed. As you wake up to perform your normal daily tasks, a niggling urge emerges at the back of your mind. It’s faint at first, just a whisper of a suggestion that pokes at your brain like a mosquito bite. However, that bite starts to grow bigger and become infectious. As the day wears on, you find that one little suggestion escalating. The next day is even worse. It starts to dominate your every thought, making you carry out actions you never thought yourself capable of. Who is this person in the mirror? Who have you become? PHASE IV [ xxxx ] By day three, the impulse is now a full-blown addiction. It’s set into your psyche completely. You’ve become something else entirely –the embodiment of the card. You will be acting out everything without anymore resistance, and it won’t stop until the clock strikes midnight. That’s when you’ll reel back to your senses, and when it’ll all have felt like the worst dream ever. Or a nightmare really. BONUS [ whyo'clock ] Among all the games present, there is also an 8-bit version of CERESLearn. Yes, you remember the magical game that won your hearts over not too long ago. It will come complete with the same rules. You choose a subject, you choose an 8-bit teacher among the three (Astor), (Hilda), or (UN-Zippy), and you watch them as they try to erotically teach you what you want to learn. Is that an 8-bit boob or her arm? Who knows? But beware… as you may remember, these teachers house a very terrible secret. They will transform into an 8-bit giant bug that will chase around your protag as you guide them to run away with your finger, but you can also flick the bug on the holo(gm) screen to send them away for good. Those who figure out that little cheat code will immediately receive a special real-time shoulder rub as a reward from a robot that looks eerily like a carbon copy of their teacher of choice. [ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with trigger-y or inappropriate material and do let a mod know if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so we can lock the log. ]

//RUN.EXE Welcome to CEREALIA's latest event and intro post. For your convenience, we have compiled a post detailing what's going on right here and feel free to consult the FAQ if needed. Please leave any lingering questions in the OOC post, and we'll answer them as soon as we can. If this post goes into overflow, we will make a new one to deal with the ever-hated captcha! Worry not!

Comments

[psycholawgy]

PHASE I
[ Sitting through the powerpoint presentation definitely wasn't easy. Extracted code? Sure, Athena would believe it! It was fishy and all, but there could have been some truth to it. Aliens.

She thought about what to do, and eventually decided to try and help out. She couldn't tell if any of this was a lie, so there has to be some good in it, right? Maybe if she tried to help out, she would be able to find people she actually knew here. She couldn't just be the only one from her world... that just won't be right.

Eventually, after sitting through about ten games or so, she hears her stomach grumble. That's definitely a sign to get up and pig out on something. She leaves her cubicle and walks down the hallway, probably bumping into someone who also wasn't looking at where she was going. ]

Oh, I'm sorry.

[ She wipes her eyes with the cuffs to her sleeves. Was she crying?

She totally was. Look, if you had to play a game about a dog finding his way back home to his master, you would be touched too okay? ]


PHASE III
[ It's nighttime, and Athena figures that she can't do all of this alone. She has to talk to some people about something— anything! She doesn't seem particularly bothered by any kind of thoughts, too. The card she picked turned into The Sun tarot, but it's not like she knows much about it. She knew more about herself than some fortune teller! Psychology totally beats fortunes, and that is that.

Whether it's right outside the testing center, or at the food district, or at the lobby of the apartments, or outside the gym, this redhead will be giving anyone who passes by a smile, and a friendly hand to shake. ]

Hi there! It's very nice to meet you.


( Opt-in/out post for Athena's lie detecting innate skill. )

[agonism]

[ You know how when you go to a restaurant, the waiter always asks you how your meal is right when you've just put a forkful in your mouth? That is the situation that Athena has accidentally caught Gon in, having spoken up just as he was walking by with a skewer of takoyaki. Between the choice of covering his mouth while trying as hard as possible not to be gross or chewing really fast and risking choking... he chooses the later.

And almost chokes. But not quite, and that's all the matters. He does, though, hack up a cough or two before he looks up and replies, still managing a smile in spite of it. ]

Hi, it's nice to meet you too! ... Uh, you didn't want something, did you?

[psycholawgy]

It's become my personal goal to befriend every single person here.

[ She says it with a lot of gusto. ]

So, here I am! Bonjour, monsieur!

[ Here, accept my generous offering of one (1) table napkin to wipe your mouth with. ]

phase i!

[souredsweet]

[The little bump is enough to cause some of the water in Kaoru's hand to slosh over the side, spilling onto a sleeve, but Kaoru seems unbothered.]

Ah, it's fine- [Is the initial response, but Kaoru looks up soon after and GOSH, a crying person?? That's just no good. Expression immediately shifting to concern, Kaoru will pull up the napkin from underneath the glass, holding it out toward her.]

Are you all right, miss?

[psycholawgy]

Oh, thank you so much...

[ She takes the napkin and wipes the tears from her eyes, and then just softly dabs it on her cheeks.

She realises that she's been walking around crying. Just - that was so embarrassing! She quickly puts on a smile. Maybe if she pretended it didn't happen, the other person won't remember it. ]

I wasn't crying! What're you talking about?

III

[prosecutory]

[It's nighttime, and Edgeworth is just returning home from work, and suddenly...there is a redhead smiling and offering him a hand out of the blue. Best course of action?

Stare at the girl and the hand, of course, while wondering what he should say next. Returning the "it's nice to meet you" jig might seem too forward of him...so...]

Er...

[psycholawgy]

Oh!

[ Hey, I remember you. You were that prosecutor in that trial. Well, retrial. ]

Umm, it's Mr. Edgeworth, wasn't it?

Phase 1

[niceguypose]

[Rock Lee sniffles as he rubs his own sleeve over his eyes.]

N-no... I'm the one who should be sorry! I gave in to the rashness of youth by moving so hastily!

[psycholawgy]

[ WE'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE CRYING!!

She gasps and puts her hands to her mouth. ]

It was my fault, but are you okay? Did I hurt you?

phase i

[dishonorstudent]

Eh? [ Although Ryuko wasn't exactly looking either, she's got enough strength to remain balance and catches Athena by her shoulders after they bump. ]

Naw, don't worry about it. Just.. Hey-- c'mon...! Seriously, don't cry!

[ Well, this is awkward. ]

[psycholawgy]

[ Well, great. First she was seen crying, and then she bumps into a stranger and almost falls! What an embarrassing day. But that isn't any reason for Athena to feel defensive about crying. ]

I wasn't crying!

[ That would have ended there, and she may have slipped away from this embarrassing ordeal, but nope. To add to that, her tiny robot friend hanging by her neck starts to talk. ]

Not about a dog finding its master, anyway!

Oh, shut it!

[ She looks even more horrified now that Ryuko may end up thinking she's talking to herself. ]

phase i

[dereban]

Don't worry about it.

[She brings her hand up, shaking her head apologetically as she says so, before noticing that she wiped her tears. Huh.

Normally she wouldn't mess with other people's affairs, but she was curious. Curiosity may have killed the cat, so thank goodness Inaba wasn't one.]

And are you okay?

[psycholawgy]

[ Athena nods, but her face still looks pretty sad. ]

Someone just threw something in my eye, that's all!

[ She says it as she wipes her eyes with her sleeves again. And with that, she's stopped crying. ]

phase i;

[insolvent]

Er... are you okay?

[ as weird as this playtesting may be, he's not really sure why it would bring someone to tears. of course, the entire "your world is gone" thing may have something to do with it, but... well... them's the brakes. ]

Um... I know everything is a bit overwhelming right now, but everything will be alright. [ never mind the fact that that's not what she's actually crying about. ]

[psycholawgy]

[ She holds up a sob and smiles, then starts running her fingers through the length of her ponytail, embarrassed. ]

I'm fine! It's fine! I'm fine now! Nothing's wrong!

[ Too much confirmation? Probably. ]

phase i

[projections]

[Shirou looks at Athena with a perplexed look and frowns.]

You don't have to apologize for anything. Are you alright? [Just making sure she's fine! It sucks to bump into people randomly.]

[psycholawgy]

[ That frown you saw? Totally non-existent. Take this giant smile, because nothing is clearly wrong! ]

I'm fine! [ That may have been said a bit too loud. It's instinct. ] Someone put some stuff in my eyes, and they were hurting, but everything's okay now.

i

[firstcloud]

[ Seeing that she had been crying makes Kagemitsu concerned. Sure, he doesn't know her at all, but he's still worried. ]

Are you alright, nee-san?

[psycholawgy]

[ She sobs one last time before she smiles and faces Kagemitsu. ]

I'm fine. Sorry about that, again! I'll be more careful next time.

phase i;

[mechanizes]

[ Nearly running into someone every couple of seconds is an event he's starting to get used to too quickly here. Why didn't they get a bigger space if they were going to invite this many people? They can't stuff a crowd this huge inside and expect them all to be comfortable, and he's been waiting for a gaming cubicle for too long, enough that his own stomach is growling like a dying bear.

Well, if they're going to hand out free food, he might as well stock up. Who knows if this will be the second Zelien, and they'll be reduced to nothing but cans of corn for months on end. It's not a chance he's willing to risk. Unfortunately, there's a crying obstacle in his way, and Gareki's immediately hit with feelings of discomfort, not really the type who likes to comfort people, let alone strangers, let alone women strangers.

He shifts a little and looks away, giving her some semblance of privacy. ]

Just go ahead. You go first. I don't need a sandwich that badly.

[ His stomach begs to differ, but the crying woman wins this round. ]

...I doubt it's- ...I don't believe they actually destroyed our worlds. They have no concrete proof of it anyway.

[ And that's his attempt to be somewhat comforting about the situation, mistakenly thinking that's why she's crying in the first place. ]

[psycholawgy]

[ As wrong as he was, Athena felt that he at least wanted to make her feel better. She's thankful for that! And she shows it with a small smile before she puts half a sandwich on her plate. She at least had the decency to save the other half for the other guy. The perks of cutting sandwiches into triangles - you can share them easily! ]

Thanks, you can have the other one. I'm sure you're just as hungry.

[ It was a long and emotional day, after all. And she knew it wasn't just her who felt that way. While some people lost their appetite due to shock or sadness, some people could only find comfort in food.

Athena was quick to accept the facts of the matter. As much as she didn't want believe it, there didn't seem to be any lies. The powerpoint presentation was real. She's never been wrong before when it came to hearing and detecting lies, so she couldn't be wrong now. ]

But, you know what? I believe it. In the Flamines, I mean. [ She clarifies this just in case he might think about the sandwiches and believing in them. Nothing wrong with that, though. ]

[ionicwoman]

[Since none of these little games provided money, Anise's attention could only be held for so long. Her interest was more in the people playing them. Her chances of getting lucky and finding some geezer to scam weren't great, but--]

Ow!

[Oops, she didn't pay enough attention and got bumped into. --Wait, was that girl crying? Over a game?]

[Seriously?]

What's wrong?

[psycholawgy]

[ Um. Don't be rude.

It wasn't just a game. It was a touching game about reuniting two loved ones together. ]

Nothing! Nothing's wrong! I'm fine!

[ Maybe if she covered crying over something so "small" with mild horror, she could get away with it. ]

phase III

[dielectrics]

Uh. Hi?

[ Killua's not exactly used to people coming up to him out of the blue and, well, trying to talk to him, let alone being friendly to him at the best of times. And this? This is not exactly the best of times, what with how he's currently... dragging a very large sack behind him. A large sack that could totally fit a person in it. And is... wriggling. Because that's totally a thing sacks full of definitely-not-a-person do.

He eyes Athena — not because he's suspicious of the friendly greeting as might be reasonable to assume, but because he's definitely trying to gauge whether or not he can fit her in the sack, too. When it comes to ritual sacrifices, the more the better, right? ]

Did you want something?

iii

[offstrings]

[good thing Xion hasn't been affected by her own card yet, otherwise things might get a little... awkward. or well, even more awkward than they might already be, given that she usually wanders the streets with her hood up instead of showing her face. which is how she's running into Athena now in the apartment lobby. o...kay then. she just kind of waves... she was just trying to get to her room!]

Um... same to you?