« intro ⇢ winterball.exe »

[poised]

Who: everyone, literally everyone
When: ooc: 04/25-04/26; ic: 12/26
Where: the Gardens
What: intro log + winter ball!
Rating/Warning: PG-13 | possibly nsfw (please let me know if you need this rating changed, or you are welcome to continue any naughty shenanigans in a private log)

//winterball.EXE Pimp My Party -- Royalty Style A few weeks prior to December 26th, an invitation went out to all whom already reside in Cerealia. In delicate, curling script, it read: You are cordially invited by Natalia L.K. Lanvaldear to a Winter Ball to be held on the Eve of December 26th in the Gardens. Dress in your best attire and enjoy a magical evening of dance and fine cuisine. What do you mean we should fuss about worlds being destroyed? Get into the holiday spirit, you scrooge! And in regards to the new-comers: whether you have been wandering Cerealia over the course of the past few days and managed to receive one of the later waves of invitations or have simply suddenly appeared in the gardens with nothing but the (hopefully…. appropriate….) clothes on your back, welcome. The gardens have been transformed through the work of slave labor condoned by royalty incredibly talented volunteers. A buffet line possibly a mile long, a sprawling dance floor with temporary wood placement to cover the grass, a lovely orchestra with scheduled interruptions of magic shows on the stage, and the entire thing lit gently with lights stretch the span of the main area of the garden. Not too far off, there are ponds and pathways that take you elsewhere into the foliage, but why would you go that way? The party’s right here! "Good evening, everyone!! Whether you are new to Tellus or old, I hope to find you in good spirits. Mind you, I do not intend to ignore the blunders of CERES nor the grave situation that new-comers have found themselves faced with. However I assure you that at this time, surrounded by these people, you are in good company. Please, dine and be merry - I believe some worlds celebrated a holiday yesterday! Get to know one another so we may strengthen our ties and stand firm against whatever this world may throw against us! Also try the salmon, it's absolutely divine. . . . How do I turn this off...? Should I just walk away?"

//SCENARIOS.EXE PHASE I [ xxxx ] Like any respectable ball, your entrance is announced as you walk right into the party! What do you mean you wanted to slip in unnoticed? That simply won’t do. Natalia managed to rope in someone – is that a Tellus native? – to do the honor of acknowledging your character as they make their debut to the ball. This guy is under strict orders to not miss a single soul. If your character doesn’t give him a name and title ahead of time, then he’ll just make something up. Think along the lines of Broseidon McSnootyname, Duke of Erectile Dysfunction-- What do you mean that’s not your name? PHASE II [ xxxx ] Absolutely no expense was spared when it came to making sure that the food here was the best that money could buy (or threats could extort). Guests can select from a menagerie of main dishes from all sorts of cultures, adorable desserts that look like woodland creatures alongside towering cakes, and even those fruity drinks with the little umbrellas on them. Pig out, you animals – but there’s also a wide selection of fine wine if your tastes and curiosities wander off in that direction…. What even is the drinking age in Tellus? Remember, folks, drink (ir)responsibly. PHASE III [ xxxx ] Well, it is a ball. If you’re interested in proper, classical styles of dance, there’s certainly an orchestra that’s dominating most of the night. One of their songs may or may not sound familiar. Spin around in your flurry of skirts and do the fairy tale thing if that’s what you came here for. Romance, or whatever. Waltz your heart out and don’t forget to point your toes! … that said, there’s also a separate sound system not too far, prepared in case the orchestra might want a break. It’s also not being watched too closely. Maybe put on something to liven up the dance floor? Or did someone ruin your fantasy by putting on something unbearably inappropriate? PHASE IV [ xxxx ] The gardens really are beautiful. Spread throughout the area and more toward the outskirts of the party, there are plenty of beautiful fountains with glittering, crystal clear water. In fact, it’s so clear that you can spot the occasional alien life form flitting through it amidst the lily pads and gently sweeping foliage. It’s so graceful, what beauty! Look at how it rises to the water and gently opens its mouth into a yawn and—tries to chomp anything within range right off with razor sharp teeth what the fuck, whatthefuck. It would appear that's not all, though. Whether you're ready to fight the creature or run screaming, you feel something slowly slide and curl around your arm or your ankle. Look on in horror as you turn your head and realize that it seems that the nearby tree has grown rather fond of you very quickly, to the extent that it will reach out and lovingly wrap its hentai tentacles around you.... Brings a whole 'nother meaning to 'tree hugger', doesn't it? BONUS [ whyo'clock ] Are you lost? Did you try to catch your breath away from the party and start to wander off despite all the cautioning not to? Or maybe you were trying to leave and took a wrong turn? Either way, you seem to have only found yourself deeper in the gardens now. Try not to breathe too deeply or… at all. If you can’t manage that though, it appears that you’ve stumbled upon the hallucinogenic plants of the garden. You start to see things that aren’t there – though whether you suddenly find yourself in a den of cougars lions or think that the person standing next to you is the biggest, cuddliest pile of adorable puppies in the world depends on the person. Hope you have a good trip, bruh. [ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with trigger-y or inappropriate material and do let me know (through FAQ comment or PM preferably!) if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so I can lock the log. ]

//RUN.EXE Welcome to CEREALIA's latest intro post! This one is player-run and all the basics have been laid out for you here. Absolutely feel free to come up with your own prompts, I just attempted to set the scenery! For your convenience, I whole-heartedly welcome questions and inquiries being directed to my attention here and I'll answer them to the best of my ability! Have a ball! Enjoy!! OVERFLOW IS HERE Move over at your captcha-free leisure!

Comments

OTA!

[candlecutterpikachu]

phase i;

[ Mitsutada manages to make it to the ball in one piece, especially after dragging his best friend along and making sure they both stay in one piece. His buddy might have already darted away to someplace when he enters through the front door (but he trusts Ookurikara to come back, eventually), so it is rather unfortunate for the other tachi not to catch the title that the announcer very kindly graces him with. ]

Presenting, Shokudaikiri 'Melonslasher' Mitsutada! [ After that proclamation comes a reflexive, more annoyed: ] It's candlestickslasher, got it?

[ Please, don't ask. Just don't ask, and let the snappily-dressed man melt away into the crowd... ]


phase iii;

[ ... a certain uchigatana is going to get possibly suplexed later on, but that's something best saved for later. Mitsutada's natural confidence and flamboyance is out full-force in the ball - he's even studied how to dance properly. That's what humans do at parties, right?

If you're a lady (or look like a lady, since he was told that men are supposed to dance with women) with no accompaniment, you might find an one-eyed gentleman coming up to you. He's trying his best not to be intimidating (thanks, natural blindness in one eye). ]

Would you care for a dance?

[ He has a voice like honey, which may or may not be to your preference. ]


phase iv;

[ Honestly, he didn't expeect killer trees would be that much of a problem. He's fought demons before, surely they can't be that threatening... but the thing with killer trees is that they actually have pseudo-hands, and one of those vines certainly is trying to steal his sword from the scabbard belted to his waist.

Except his sword is actually him, so that is immediately met with a - ] Hey! Unhand me at once!

[ The tree certainly doesn't seem inclined to let go. The most obvious course of action here would be to simply slice the offending vine in half - but he can't quite do that, since his sword is the thing being man(tree?)handled at the moment. And the somewhat nauseating feeling of being poked around inside his chest is back again, which is not only annoying but... actually slightly distracting.

Okay, maybe it's very distracting. The tree seems to have the upper hand right now - which is quite a big problem.

Help? ]

iii goes to die

[hoasen]

[Though with accompaniment (well, two, it certainly was an entrance), she's current alone now as she went to find a drink, now finished. Here she was just looking for familiar people, occasionally smoothing down the front of her dress as she is not quite so used to it.

She thought she had spotted Mitsutada in the corner of her eye, and was about to greet him, since why not, they're going to work together soon! And while requests for dance is the norm in such parties, what she didn't expect was how his voice dropped?! She nearly jumps and her back touches the wall.]

H-hello? [That's embarrassing.] Mitsutada, h-how kind of you!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

[candlecutterpikachu]

[ He does give her dress a quick once-over to judge its style, nodding slightly to himself after assessing her choice of clothes. It's good, and compliments her hair, he thinks. And this is a colleague he's meeting at this ball, so his smile only brightens - because friendship is always awesome, and he thinks Vietnam is quite cool.

Her reaction surprises him in turn, though, and he tilts his head. ]

Good evening, Miss Vietnam. Did something startle you?

[ HE REALLY HAS NO IDEA... ]

I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE THIS

[hoasen]

[Ah, she got approval, Yoon will be so proud of his choice. Although it is the least of her worries right now, because now she feels like an idiot to be taken off guard by a colleague just because he happened to be surprisingly smooth? Couple that with how handsome he looks today. He's adjusting fast.

Now to save herself though.]

A-ah, good evening. [Clears her throat as she tries to straighten up, stepping away from the wall.] Nothing startled me, I was just a little surprised. Nothing for you to worry about.

[THIS SWORD.]

BELIEVE IT

[candlecutterpikachu]

[ He blinks a little, but doesn't comment on it. It wouldn't be cool to press the topic either, and this is a day to be enjoyed, not spent on picking over some trivial detail that was probably a human-specific trait.

So he just nods, ever so casually nudging his sword form a little backwards so it wouldn't invade too much of her personal space. ]

Sure. [ His gaze darts off to one side, while he pays close attention to the music for a moment. ] Is this song okay for you, or shall we wait for another one?

KASJLKJAS fine i am a believer now...

[hoasen]

[Thankfully, he has moved on, which she is fine with. It gives her more of a chance to take a deep breath before she can relax and worry about how she's not exactly the best dancer.

What an excellent way to get to know him, possibly stepping on his feet. (She won't.) She listens carefully as well. Actually, the slower the better, so--]

This is fine, if you do not mind it as well. I will try my best! Even though I am not used to dancing.

yes good

[candlecutterpikachu]

If you'd like to change it, we can do that now.

[ At least, this is what he thinks he should be saying. He tilts his head, trying to pick up the beat (somehow, it isn't too hard for him), while taking Vietnam's hand. ]

On three, okay? One, two, three.

[ He isn't too bad at this, actually - dancing involves movement and physical awareness, two traits which he has in spades. One of the perks to having vision impairment is also a much better sense of where your limbs are - which means he isn't going to step on her toes unless she's the one doing it to him. ]

i

[muscats]

[ They've only been here for a few days and Mitsutada has already made a new name for himself? How impressive! Allow Hotarumaru to applaud him for his amazing efforts of... melon cutting.

Hey, he won't judge, but he certainly has to ask where the name came from. ]

It sounds like you've received a new name. Will I have to call you Melon Cutter now?

[ Instead of CCP it will now be MCP?? ]

[candlecutterpikachu]

No! I mean - [ God, where did Hotarumaru come from? ] - it's just some idea of Mutsu's, okay? My name's still the same!

[ Cue war flashbacks to that one time he split a melon in the supermarket... a new height of embarrassment for him, especially since he hasn't fucked up so magnificently in quite a few centuries. Never mind that he was dead for a good part of three, that isn't relevant right now. ]

Just call me what you've called me before, don't bring that up.

[muscats]

[ You only have one eye, CCP, and you see over his head sometimes. Maybe that's how you missed him. ]

Melon cutter sounds pretty cute though.

[ And they are harder than candles. That would make it a more impressive name. Oh well, that's too bad. ]

Candle cutter rolls off the tongue better at least.

[candlecutterpikachu]

[ That is actually, embarrassingly, probably true. Having impaired vision is terrible at times. ]

Exactly why you shouldn't use it! [ God, him being called cute? What a terrible travesty. He's cool, not some sort of strawberry cream puff or whatever cute thing that humans like. There is a difference.

He sighs, flicking a loose strand of hair away from his singular eye. ]

Are you still going to call me that?

iv

[sheathwife]

[ Hearing the troubled voice and seeing the situation causes Horikawa to dash. It's too bad this isn't Ookurikara... Mitsutada will have to deal with Horikawa as his hero for now.

With familiar, quick movements—the wakizashi's whirling steps launch into a spiral. He uses the swift gesture to propel himself high. Without wasted movement, he skillfully cuts down the offending vine that insists to grope handle his friend's body. As a result, it's freed in air. Rather than allow the tachi to drop however, he reaches out to catch it.

After landing, he carefully offers it back to his comrade. ]

Finish it off for us, Mitsutada-san.

[ Revenge! Revenge! Revenge! That tree sure isn't done with them, especially not after being angered with a lost vine. ]

[candlecutterpikachu]

[ Honestly, at this point he'll be grateful for anyone. Having your true form possibly ripped far enough away from you to cause you to dematerialize is a lot more uncool than having Horikawa come to the rescue... especially since they are kind of good friends, being kitchen buddies at all.

Mitsutada exhales through his teeth once Horikawa catches the sword, taking his sword body from the other with a firm nod. This is some sort of serious travesty, and they'll be doing everyone else a favour taking out this thieving tree. ]

I will!

[ Even with one eye, he is very sharp - perhaps even sharper due to lacking his parallax vision, since he needs to use his other senses to compensate. He rushes at the tree, swiftly sidestepping another vine whip, and aims for a wide, horizontal slice.

Quite a few vines fall twitching to the floor, and a deep gash is left across the surface of the bark. He doesn't fall back immediately, but his nerves are on hair-trigger in preparation for another assault. ]

[sheathwife]

[ Amazing as always. Even though Horikawa is used to the sight, he still admires it each time. Mitsutada's elegant fighting skills... Even though it's forward and forceful, many of his moves are well-thought; such of a sword with sharp defensive talents.

As his kitchen companion finishes off the large plant, he keeps away his own sword as the job will be over in likely that next slash. For some reason, he flashbacks to a time they were cutting up vegetables together. The situation is different, but the vibe seems to be pretty familiar. ]

You can do it!

[ Since at this point, all Horikawa can contribute further is a cheer. ]

[candlecutterpikachu]

[ Mitsutada didn't earn his status as the tachi with the third-best stats in-game for nothing, and he intends to prove that in this duel. And this certainly is one very wild vegetable - it needs taming, and he's capable of far more than just slicing melons candlesticks. ]

I'll do this magnificently!

[ He twirls his blade in one hand, sidestepping a particularly violent vine trying to whip his back. The vine is bisected in a single strike, and he uses the momentum to shred several more coming his way. With a final burst of speed he jumps - there is a flash of steel, an all too audible snap, and the tree comes crashing down.

The tachi doesn't relax, however - single golden gaze trained on its corpse in case it gets back up again. Foliage is scattered everywhere, but none of the leaves and branches move - not as much as even a slight twitch. ]

[sheathwife]

[ Sasuga, Mitsutada-san. Horikawa continues to cheer with a bright smile, raising a hand up high in honor for a friend. Now with a nuisance taken care of, there's less danger in these gardens. ]

I'm glad that you're not hurt. That was close...

[ Getting their vessels stolen like that is certainly not a joke. He's just glad to have made it in time. ]

We should probably move. We might attract attention of the other plants.

[candlecutterpikachu]

[ that icon is so cute... ]

iii

[awaken]

[ Well, she is a lady in cute cocktail dress, and while she's just lowkey jamming along to the music (kinda makes her miss her headphones and player, but they'd probably be too rude), the one-eyed man offering his hand surprises her (not quite). ]

Hmm. [ > I'm not a very a good dancer.
> Sure, they're playing my jam! (nope)

.... ]

Well, I don't recognize the music well enough to follow. Is that alright? [ Sounds neutral enough. ]

[candlecutterpikachu]

[ At least Minako doesn't brush him off, which is kind of a good confidence booster for him - not that he'll ever let it show, but this is his first time mingling with humans en masse, and there are still a few things he isn't quite sure about.

But dancing isn't one of them - or at least he believes - so he just nods and offers her a smile. ]

If you'll permit me to lead, of course.

[ He's trying to be smooth, okay? ]

[awaken]

[ Oooh, a charming fellow. Why the heck not. She takes the offered hand. ]

Then, the lady would love a dance.

[ She probably doesn't have two left feet? Minako's quick to follow. ]

[candlecutterpikachu]

[ His grip is firm but not forceful, and he tilts his head for a few seconds while trying to catch the beat. She's a little on the small side, given how tall he is, but he can work with that. ]

On three, okay? One, two, three.

[ And off they go. He settles one hand lightly on her waist, like how he has seen others do. It's good for them that it's a slow song, since there is plenty of time (relatively) for Minako to follow. ]

[awaken]

[ On three, it is. And she follows, first looking at both their feet, but picks up the pace rather quickly. ]

I think I'm getting the hang of this.

[candlecutterpikachu]

[ captchaaaaa ]

i... or idk because fuck the rules

[birthmarkless]

[ Maybe some time later after... they have been separated for a while and they have been comfortable with the ball enough (or at least for Mitsutada because we can only vaguely tell it with Ookurikara), the younger tachi is going to be somewhere around the dining table, being a wallflower like usual while shooting a glance at his friend.

Pretty slow, but he's going to hold his glass at Mitsutada's direction. He have seen some people did this before, apparently it's some kind of a friendly gesture, from his guess. ]

Hey.







[ Guess what, Mitsutada. GUESS WHAT. The drink is

a

melon

juice.

BRB being smug as hell as here. ]

wow

[candlecutterpikachu]

[ gentle screaming about captcha in the distance ]