« 011 ⇢ event011.exe »

[reparator]

Who: CERES & you
When: ooc: 03/22-03/25; ic: 12/09-12/10
Where: Cerealia's Entertainment District
What: Intro 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)

//event011.EXE The Gifts that Keeps on Giving ((You)) Nightmares It's been a whole month without any new arrivals. Who knows why? If you ask CERES, they won't bother with any in-depth explanations. They will simply claim that none of the code out there has been responding to their recovery methods, so they had to rework a lot of their technology. However, after several weeks of grueling work, they have finally experienced success! A fresh new batch of faces is coming in, and to celebrate their arrival and the real upcoming holidays, CEO Julius Vincere has arranged for a Christmas-themed carnival for all to enjoy. Those who arrive will wake up in Cerealia and be given a long, boring explanation and powerpoint as per usual before being ushered onto a bus (there is no escape. The robots will force you onto the bus one way or another). You will be unwillingly carted to the theme park where you will be immediately assaulted by a giant array of lights followed by several rides that you can enjoy. After you disembark from the bus, one of the snowman robots will be waiting to give you tickets to the rides and show you around as part of the Grand Opening. The amusement park will remain open for the rest of the month of December so anyone can visit as they please. The first couple tickets will also be on the house for new arrivals, but the rest will have to be bought with credits, so choose wisely! (Or try and sneak into the rides -- then face the wrath of the snowman robots and their snowman firearms :D) "☃ WELCOME NEW ARRIVALS ❅ YOU HAVE ARRIVED AT THE SANTASTICAL FOREST OF CHRISTMAS WONDERS ❅ PLEASE ENJOY ALL THE RIDES CEO JULIUS VINCERE HAS HAND-PICKED FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT ❅ WE WISH TO BRING YOU MERRY FEELINGS FOR THE HOLIDAY ❅ COME GIVE SNOWTRON 5000 A HUG ❅ WHAT? YOU DON'T WANT ONE ❅ BUT I WAS PROGRAMMED TO CONVEY HUGGING AS LOVE THROUGH AFFECTION ❅ PLEASE DON'T RUN ❅ COME BAAAAACK, VISITOR ❅"

//SCENARIOS.EXE PHASE I [ xxxx ] Do you like ferris wheels? This is an enchanting one where you get to ride around in a giant snowflake at a very limited speed. The wheel will turn excruciatingly slow before stopping abruptly, leaving you trapped at the very top. We hope you're not afraid of heights because you're going to be in there for a while! The windows on the snowflake will rapidly darken leaving you and your fellow riders trapped in the darkness. At that moment, you will feel something warm breathing down your neck and along the back of your ear. As you reach over, you'll feel like the chair underneath you is made of snakeskin, and a hissing sound will intensify as the "chair" squirms and as the breathing gets louder and hotter. Scrabble at the doors, fight your way out! Will you escape or not? Probably not, but the experience will last only a good five minutes before the lights come back on and before the ferris wheel starts moving again. The chair will appear as normal, and there will be no one else inside except any fellow riders who came with you. PHASE II [ xxxx ] If the ferris wheel didn't "do it" for you, then perhaps a fun house will? If you're a fan, that is! This Christmas-themed funhouse features a wonderful walk through a snowy forest convered in singing reindeer. The more you walk through, the more you will notice things like within the distorted mirrors, there will briefly appear strange specters. You will also hear a bunch of howling in the background, and while you may think that you're safe since they're trapped behind a mirror, you are very wrong. The lights will go out once more, and you will hear the mirrors shatter all around and feel yourself being grabbed and hurled to the ground. Whatever is coming for you is something you can't see, but it's advancing fast with impressive strength to hurl you back once more. You will feel pain erupt through your body before an engineer will appear to get the lights back on. Once they're back on, the reindeer will be happily singing, and all the mirrors will appear as they were before -unbroken. PHASE III [ xxxx ] After those interesting adventures, another option would be to simply visit the rocking santacoaster, a large, sprawling roller coaster that reaches 150 mph. You will be strapped into a sled and be shot through the tracks where you can scream and cry all you want except once you reach the tunnel, everything will come to a sudden stop (whiplash pending). You and the other riders will be in there for a few minutes, surrounded by a dozen santas as they start to fly out from the tunnel walls, carrying swords and swooping down to take a swipe at you. You better duck or be prepared to be cut up by their blades. The rollercoaster will abruptly resume, and when you reach the end, you might notice some bleeding, a little bit of hair missing, or some clothes shred up. If you ask the snowman robots about it, they will just shrug and claim they don't know what you're talking about. Please go enjoy a snowcone on the house! PHASE IV [ xxxx ] The Christmas whirl will be your last stop for the evening! This is a ride that goes round and round and round while tilting. Everyone will be strapped into it while standing up and forced to hold on as it spins, and somewhere in the midst of the spinning, the ride will suddenly malfunction. Yes, big surprise there! But it won't stop spinning. It will just be a rockier ride, and you will seemingly enter a new space where you will be among the stars and seeing planets all around you. Your own home planet will be amongst them before it breaks open like an egg and out crawls a friendly visitor. If you get bit by it, you will spend the rest of the day and night experiencing an array of possible symptoms, including: a voracious appetite, a fear of light, the urge to 'mate' with anyone who smells especially good, heightened senses, the ability to climb on all kinds of surfaces, irritability and crankiness... (( you don't have to experience them all. you can pick and choose which one you like. )) BONUS [ whyo'clock ] What's that jingling you hear in the background? Why, it's Santa Clause! Coming here all the way from the North Pole. The park will stop, and all the snowman robots will gather in the square, ushering along as many people as possible. Santa-Bot X-3 will be seated on his chair to welcome all visitors to sit on his metaphorical lap and tell him what they want for Christmas. He will then give them a nicely wrapped present and tell them that it's exactly what they asked for, but they can't open it until they get home. For those who can't wait and choose to open it quickly, they will get some nice treats from Mundus Caelestis. But beware! Those who do take this gift home will experience a weird after-effect as the lovely red and white toy will come to life on its own and hop out of the box that evening to try and violently electrocute the owner. The other one is completely harmless. [ 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 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. OVERFLOW IS HERE!!!

Comments

open

[scaryintuition]

[To say that this whole situation is overwhelming would be an understatement. Hide is having trouble wrapping his head around his world being destroyed and what all that means. He goes willingly enough as they are all shuffled off the bus, but stops in his tracks when he gets a look at where they are. He's not sure what he'd been expecting, but this isn't it.]

Phase II
[Hide has always been a fan of fun houses since he was a kid. He enjoys the illusions of the mirrors. Although, he could do without the singing reindeer. As he walks through the forest he makes funny faces at the mirrors while he passes them by.

Then he catches sight of the most disgusting creature he's ever seen. He double takes, blinks, shakes his head. 'Must be imagining things.' But he sees it again, and again, in quick glimpses. A howling picks up, mistaken as the wind at first, until it's not. The hair on his arms rise as he walks up to a nearby person.]

Have you...seen anything strange in the mirrors? [Just as the words leave his lips the lights go out and the sound of shattering glass envelops the surrounding area. Hide moves blindly, trying to find his way to the exit when something large hurtles him to the ground. He lands hard on his side and tries roll away, but he's not fast enough. He's slammed to the ground once again, and the sheer pain of the impact has him crying out hoarsely.]

...Hel..p...

Phase IV
[Hide comes off the ride scratching at a red mark on his hand. People who come close enough to investigate might recognize it as a spider's bite. As soon as he's away from the ride he'll be paying a visit to every food vendor he comes across, stocking up on hot dogs, popcorn, chips, and anything else he can get his hands on.

Anyone who bumps into him (accidentally or otherwise) is likely to cause him to drop something. Should this happen that person will end up on the receiving end of some choice words before Hide is demanding them to replace what they made him drop.

Later in the day, someone may also spot Hide climbing things with surprising nimbleness and flexibility: trees, buildings, particularly tall people blocking his sight.]

Phase IV

[littlestbaskerville]

[Having not yet experienced the ride, Lily was already at the vendor stands. Grabbing food herself, especially cotton candy. The woven pure sugar was enough to make her happy about this entire event! As she eats it she absently bumps into someone. Unable to stop it she watches her candy hit the ground in horror.]

E-Eh?

[scaryintuition]

[Hide watches as his hot dog joins the girl's cotton candy on the ground. He hadn't even gotten to take a bite out of it. His teeth clench as his stomach sends another rumble through him. He needs to eat. Now. Slowly, he looks up at the girl with a pinched expression, brows furrowed in irritation.]

You need to watch where you're going! Look, it's all dirty now. How am I supposed to eat it now? [Another one. If he can just get another one then he can eat.]

You should replace it.

[littlestbaskerville]

[Oh, this man looks angry. She hasn't encountered a lot of angry people yet. So this was new, so so since she wasted her food too.]

Y-you bummed into me too! My candy is on the ground too!

[A pause.]

Huh?

[scaryintuition]

[He huffs in frustration. Didn't she get it? He needs to eat now.]

Then get yourself another cotton candy too.

[littlestbaskerville]

D-Don't bully me!

[She is not handling the commands well...and yet she is getting another hotdog.]

II

[dimidiampura]

[ Nothing about this place was right. From the abrupt arrival, the whole 'your home is gone' thing to this place with it's bright lights, rides and things he had absolutely no patience for whatsoever.

He's not even sure how he got here other than needing an out from the bright lights somewhat and it's that which distracts him from paying too much attention to the monstrous spectres that appeared in the mirrors here and there, continuing along on his way and keeping to himself as per the usual as there's a lot on his mind and he doesn't want to talk to anyone. His mind is reeling and it gets him to the point where he doesn't even hear that familiar voice nearby, though it at least gets him to snap out of his thoughts just in time for their lights to go out completely and followed by the distinctive sound of shattering glass.

Instinct would have taken over but the first time he's pushed down it comes as an unexpected surprise and pain lances through him briefly. Not enough to affect him but that's about when his kagune materialize and he aims to harm or at least distract whatever it is that'd pinned him down, giving him just long enough to get to his feet with the intention to leave before he's hit again by that unseen being. However, it's the sound of someone calling out for help that stops Kaneki entirely and his feet are moving before he's even thinking, kagune snapping out again at the air above where he'd heard that voice as he moves himself to hover protectively over the fallen person on the ground.

Placing a hand on the person's shoulder to ensure they were at least still alive, Kaneki won't be moving at all until the lights come on while being unaware that he looks probably very threatening with four of his kagune out, stemming from the small of his back and his kakugan changing his eye into a vivid red and black hue. ]

[scaryintuition]

[Hide curls into a ball, preparing to be hit again. He can't see anything in the dark except for some vague shapes that seem to be moving. Whether or not they're the shapes of people or something else, he can't say. There's glass strewn across the ground. Hide can feel pieces of it under his hands and chest. He tries not to move anymore than necessary for fear of cutting himself.

He's afraid, but that doesn't stop his mind from formulating thoughts. If the thing comes for him again he can grab the biggest piece of glass he can find and use it to defend himself. It's not much, and it might not help at all since he'd be aiming in the dark. But it was better than nothing. When he hears the sounds of approach he reaches out to clutch a shard of glass. A presence loomed above him but makes no move to hurt him. Squinting, he tries to make out any details despite the darkness, in vain.

When the hand touches his shoulder, he flinches, but quickly relaxes. It couldn't be one of those things. Someone has come for him. To help him. He tries to steady his breathing as they wait for what's coming next. When the lights finally come on Hide needs to shade his eyes for a moment until they adjust and he can finally get a look at his savior.

All the air leaves his lungs as he looks up and sees his best friend. Despite everything he's learned over the past few months, this is the first time he's ever seen his friend looking less than human. His kagune and kakugan are out on full display and Hide can't tear his eyes away. To think that this confident and dangerous ghoul could be his shy and reserved best friend.]

Kan...eki...

[dimidiampura]

[ As the lights came on, the first priority happened to be trying to see just what had been attacking everyone so naturally he didn't pay attention to the fallen person he was protecting or that he probably looked quite dangerous and very much inhuman as he was now.

Kaneki's expression melted into a frown upon not finding a damn thing nearby but just the ridiculous singing reindeer and everything as pristine as it was without a remote sign of danger whatsoever. He drew his hand back just in time to hear a voice speaking his name, and while such a thing would not warrant his attention, it was who spoke his name which stopped all of Kaneki's thoughts short completely because after his arrival here he especially never thought he'd hear from this particular person ever again.

He still vaguely remembered the smile; the look on the blond's face when he'd spoken to him in that dark sewer with his head spinning rampantly, pretty sure he was just imagining him there, just like he wanted this to be a dream.

An awful, very realistic dream that left a feeling like ice-water being dumped over him when he turned his gaze downward and saw Hide looking at him with that look on his face. His best friend watching him with his inhuman kagune and kakugan on full display; seeing him as a ghoul for the first real time and to Kaneki it was truly and honestly terrifying. At this realization he backed off from his defensive position as if he'd been burned, his kakugan and kagune dissipating but the damage was done. ]

...Hide... I...

[ Please don't hate me. Don't call me a monster. ]

I was... I can explain...

[scaryintuition]

[Hide watched as Kaneki moved away from him, feeling a mixture of sadness and relief. He had thought that perhaps he had been the only one to make it to Cerealia so far. That he would be on his own until CERES was able to use their code to bring his friends back. Seeing Kaneki here and whole was almost enough for him to shake off his earlier fear and panic. But it also came with the reminder that there was so much left unsaid between them.

Like the fact that despite Kaneki's best attempts to keep it from him, Hide knew that he was a half-ghoul. The surprise on his face had little to do with what his friend was and everything to do with how unexpected it had been to see his friend that way. He wasn't afraid, of course not, because it was Kaneki.

He pushed himself up slowly, becoming very aware of the soreness of his muscles, particularly in places where he'd landed. If they were going to have this conversation now he wanted to be on equal footing with his friend and not curled up on the ground. But he also didn't want to spook Kaneki. So, after pulling himself to his feet, he restrained himself from closing the distance between them. Hopefully Kaneki wouldn't read too much into that.]

I know, man. You don't have to explain anything because...I already know.

[His smile is bright and genuine, with a touch of sadness. He knew that Kaneki hadn't wanted him to know. And he definitely hadn't wanted Hide to find out like this. Honestly, this hadn't been how Hide had imagined this conversation going either. He'd always hoped that Kaneki would come forward on his own. Not...like this.]

[dimidiampura]

[ At any second, Kaneki honestly expected his best friend to then frown at him or outright reject him for what he was. Someone who would dislike the idea of how he'd not told him or hid away from his friend to avoid him finding out the truth.

It was never done out of spite or anything negative, but out of that fear and worry he'd damage the one relationship he valued over anyone else. Hide was so close to him, he was like family and he refused to lose him over something like this, but he couldn't reverse time and take back what he had become in such plain sight. Instinct had taken over when he heard someone call out for help before and he had ran forwards, acting for someone else's safety without any shame or hesitation, and perhaps it was his close tie with Hide that his instincts knew who it was before even he did. Someone so precious to him still existed now in this realm and it made him happy even beneath the underlying fear and stunned silence of what this situation had become.

His legs were frozen in place despite the rising urge to just run away from this situation, trying to think of something else to say to Hide but the words wouldn't come even as he watched the blond push himself up off the ground and to his feet. As Hide kept his distance he began to think his fears were true, though the words that came after just made him blink numbly in muted surprise. ]

You... knew? I don't understand...

[ Kaneki expected harsh words and his friend to turn his back on him like he was afraid of for so long, but when kind words and that equally bright, genuine smile was there instead, it was more than unexpected. Once again, his friend was too good to him, even if he didn't understand why - or how - he knew about this. About him. ]

ii

[sagemodes]

O-oi! Ya alright?

[ Naruto managed to escape through that mess somehow, but the fact that one of the person he went with is injured meant that this isn't exactly over. Looking around to see where the monster went, Naruto immediately approaches Hide as he just checked up on him. ]

[scaryintuition]

[Slowly, Hide tries to pull himself up into a sitting position. He's sore but he doesn't think that anything is broken, thankfully. Now that the lights are back on he can see shards of glass and other people littering the ground. Finally, he turns his attention to the guy who spoke.]

Yeah, nothing broken I think. I'll probably live. [He tries to laugh it off to find exactly how shaken up he is.]

GAH I'M SO SORRY FOR BEING LATE.

[sagemodes]

That's good! This place tends to get really dangerous when there's new people in the mix because well, you never know what to expect with these kind of games, to be honest.

[ Naruto, then, does the same. Because laughing off things makes it better right? But no he can tell the kid is still a bit wary of things, which... makes sense tbh. ]

it's okay!

[scaryintuition]

It's like this every time new people are brought in? Seems like a strange way to welcome them.

[Actually it's a horrible way to welcome them. Hide slowly pushes himself to his feet, ignoring the aches of his body. He doesn't really want to stick around here and see if the monsters will come back.]

I think we should get out of here before whatever that was happens again.

[sagemodes]

Well, considering the circumstances of this place, maybe it's also a test to see if ya can fight or somethin'. Or maybe it's just their own weird way of greeting us like ya just said.

[ Naruto's going to just wait a bit patiently as Hide gets up, no need to rush a wounded person to be honest. ]

Yeah, that's a great idea. I don't really like haunted mirror houses to be honest.

phase iv;

[ukakus]

[FOR ONCE IN HER STAY IN CEREALIA, she's lucky. Which basically means that she doesn't (literally) bump into Hide in the mess of food vendors and colorful decorations. But she does, however, spot him as she gets a water bottle from one of the vendors here. It's a little confusing, because he looks different from what she remembers, but once she she gets a good look at his face... Huh.

She's a little lonely after being the only one from home here, so she'll risk it.]

Hey! Nagachika-san?

[Hopefully, he won't drop anything. That's a lot of food, yo.]

[scaryintuition]

[Hide is carefully adding another chocolate bar to the stack of food and treats in his arms. Once it is perfectly balanced on top he continues on his way to the rows of tables set out conveniently across from the food vendors. He makes three steps progress when the sound of his name grabs his attention, pulling him to a halt right in the middle of a bunch of people trying to get around him. So you can imagine what happens next...

Food flies everywhere as people bustling by knock into Hide from multiple sides, causing him to lose his grip. He watches in mounting horror as all that lovely food splatters on the ground before him. His stomach sinks even as that incessant hunger continues to pull at him. With the people who bumped into him long gone all he can do is look up at the person who had caused his distraction.]

Touka-chan...[His surprise and delight to see her is deafened by the sudden onslaught of irritation. What the hell had she been thinking calling to him like that? Couldn't she tell that he needed to eat?]

You're treating me!

[ukakus]

[Y...eah. Even if she thinks he set himself up for that by carrying that huge amount of food, she can't help but to wince as the whole stack goes splat on the floor. How many credits would all of that have cost? A good bit, she supposes. Yikes.

She's still surprised at his irritation, though, and just. Uh. Blinks. And stares at him like she's not sure she heard him right.]

...I'm doing what, now? [It's not her fault.........???? Please.]

[scaryintuition]

[Hide moves with surprising speed, and in seconds has closed the distance between them to stand before her. He reaches out to grab her shoulders in a firm grip. Looking her right in the eye he says with deliberate slowness...]

I'm hungry, Touka-chan. And the vendors said they would stop serving me if I bought anymore. So I need you to treat me. [His voice takes on a whiny, pleading tone. Won't you be a dear and help him out?]

[ukakus]

( continued over here! )

phase iv

[arcanaofdeath]

[There really are upsides and downsides to being this short. The upside is that not a lot of people take notice of Pharos.. The downside is that not a lot of people take notice of him. Pharos has had to quietly step out of the way of more people than he has had to before in his entire existence and it's unfortunate that he doesn't manage to dodge Hide in time entirely.

Whatever Hide dropped goes splat and Pharos eyes it for a second before glancing up at Hide.]

My apologies.

[scaryintuition]

[To be fair, Hide probably would have noticed him if he hadn't been carting around a pile of food so tall he could barely see over the top of it. He's trying to walk over to the food court tables when he feels someone run right into him. Boxes of pizza, wrapped hot dogs, and various candies scatter across the ground before Hide can attempt to catch anything.

His stomach gives off a loud, furious noise as he turns to face the cause of all this.

Face pinched, he eyes the boy up and down. Clearly he can't force a kid to repay him for all this food. He's not that heartless. But that doesn't mean he's off the hook.]

You really need to be careful of where you're walking! Look at this mess. [He sighs.] I think it's only fair you buy me a hot dog to compensate.

[Look he's being fairly reasonable here.]

[arcanaofdeath]

[That's a fairly straightforward demand. Though Pharos has to wonder if Hide was planning on eating all of this by himself. He knows humans need to eat and he has been present when his friend shoveled food into his mouth but even this would have been too much.

Bending down, Pharos picks up a piece of candy, this one thankfully still wrapped in bright, cheerful paper. He holds it out to Hide like a peace offering though he doesn't seem particularly bothered by Hide's tone of voice.

And he was given currency when first arriving in this place. Pharos is unlikely to use it for himself, might as well buy this person food to make up for it. Though Pharos does have a question.]

Certainly. If you tell me what a hot dog is.

[scaryintuition]

[His irritation dissipates slightly as the kid offers him the salvaged candy. He snatches it and immediately tears the wrapping off before stuffing it into his mouth. It's not enough, but it will hold him over for a little longer.

The kid's question brings him up short. He'd been expecting anything from refusal to even, possibly, crying. But he hadn't expected him to know what a hot dog is.

What planet did this kid come from?]

It's meat that you wrap in a bun. People eat it with ketchup and mustard usually. [Would he ever know what those are?]

Um...it's that. [He points down at the mess on the ground. Particularly at the hot dog that's slipped halfway out of its wrappings.]