« 016 ⇢ EVENT016.EXE »

[reparator]

Who: Everyone, you poor saps
When: OOC: 7/22 || IC: 2/08
Where: ViViD's new Heath and You: A New Way to be Healthy
What: Intro log, intro log! Come get your intro log!
Rating/Warning: PG-13; some violence and questionable situations. Let us know if it veers into other territory so we can lock the log!

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//event016.EXE

The doctor's office is hardly the funnest place in the world to be. Children crying, adults bickering in hushed, stressed tones, the receptionist looking incredibly bored... Wait. How did you get here? Weren't you watching a powerpoint a second ago (or enjoying your time in your cozy apartment in Cerealia)? Well, now you're in ViViD, and in an attempt to concentrate on healthy living, CERES has released a new level: Health and You: A New Way to be Healthy. Sure, you could log out at any time if you're a ViViD pro and used to this whole experience, but now that you're here, why not sit back and enjoy it? Indulge in some easy level grinding or something. Besides, it'll take a little while for the game to let you log out without calling you a spineless quitter, and who wants that added to their ViViD rep? So instead, take a look around the tiled hospital. Visit the receptionist and say hello (she ignores you, go back to your seat). Pick up a snack at the vending machine (except every single one only has these gross things in stock). Maybe you should just test the truth of that old idiom, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away", especially with that weird doctor over there. Is he staring at you? He might be staring at you. Seriously, go find an apple before he comes over here. Well, well, well... isn't it time for your c h e c k - u p?

//SCENARIOS.EXE

PHASE I [ 0800 ] If you're a new arrival to this fine city, you will find yourself waking up in a bed after suffering through that unfortunate powerpoint. The sun streams through the window, the bed is uncomfortable but not terrible, and everything is quiet and idyllic... wait. Where are your clothes? You'll suddenly find yourself dressed only in a medical gown (yes, complete with back open) and you seem to be... in a hospital? That's new. If you take a look at the medical chart attached to the bed, you’ll even find your chart, name on it and everything. That can’t be right, can it? You're the picture of health! You're welcome to wait around for the doctor to dispute these claims but no one's showing up anytime soon (aside from the possible roommate you might have, in the same situation as you). There’s nothing stopping you from leaving the room or looking around at least (except for the lack of clothes), but it’s all hospital as far as the eye can see. Try and be careful what rooms you poke your head into; there are some strange aliens getting their check-ups in there. They don't seem like they want to be bothered. If you’re not a newcomer, and go into ViViD searching for riches and grand prizes (or just stumble in there by happenstance), the receptionist will stop you and hand you a stethoscope, lab coat, and name tag. Congratulations, you’re a doctor now, and you have free reign over the hospital. Go nuts. Or don’t, because there are still those aliens waiting for their check-ups. Now it’s your turn to get dragged away by a frazzled nurse to administrate a tentacle massage to a patient, as she's now on break! Have fun and don't get the hospital sued. PHASE II [ 1000 ] Just don’t end up in the basement. If you end up in the basement by some weird twist of fate (or via trapdoor, which could happen because let's be honest, this is ViViD), you’ll find yourself in a long, empty, blindingly white hallway. The floors are white, the walls are white, the ceiling and the flickering lights are white, and you have the odd feeling you're being followed. If you turn to see who it is, you’ll find that it’s your younger self. They’re not solid. They’re not real. You can stick a hand through them, and it will go right through. But they are you, whether age 4 or age 14 or anywhere in between, and they’re covered in blood and holding an equally bloody knife. Quietly, as they follow you, they'll mumble, over and over and over again, “It was you, you did it, you killed them, you’re the murderer.” And they will follow you until you get out of that blindingly white hallway, and away from those blindingly white lights, and if you tried to touch them, there will be blood on your hands. The younger you won't respond to anything you say, just following behind you like the frightening apparition they are. At least nothing else is stopping you from returning to the main hospital, no matter how surreal this experience might be. Just find the stairs. PHASE III [ 1200 ] As soon as you’ve managed to escape the clutches of that frazzled nurse who still refuses to come back from break, you’ll find that the atmosphere has turned very dark indeed. There’s rain pounding against the windows, and as lightning flashes and thunder booms (it’s all ambiance, you see), there’s the tell-tale Mwahahahaha of an evil, mad doctor at work. What a sinister guy. Turning a corner will lead you right to his very, very evil doctor's office. He's repurposed one for his sinister deeds and some nurses are looking very put out about it. There's someone attached to the medical table who might need some help and of course, it could be one of your friends that he’s snagged. You might want to help them before that very evil mad doctor tries to add an extra limb or two to your poor friend. Honestly, who needs three elbows? Or maybe it’s you who’s been grabbed by him and attached to the medical table by strong, metal restraints. Hopefully someone follows the “Mad Scientist: This Way” signs all over the hospital and saves you because really, three elbows? PHASE IV [ 1400 ] Of course, while the ambiance is still dark, grim and creepy, and the rain still beats upon the glass of the windows, there is a murder...because why wouldn't there be? The director of the hospital has been found murdered, slumped in a seat in his office, hand in hand with his secretary. Oh no! You’re welcome to investigate the crime scene if you want, but it’s not a very good one; there aren’t any clues, and the director and his secretary actually seem to be alive if you prod them hard enough. They're a bit put out by your interruptions and might ask you to "go solve this somewhere else" the more you bother them. How rude of you to muck up their death scene. But there’s a new quest for you, and it says this: Pursue Justice or Pursue the Truth? If you choose to pursue Justice, you will find yourself dropped into a new ViViD level, this one a straight hospital hallway with no doors and alternate routes. Some posters line the hallway but most of the detail is lost in the dim light. Not far ahead of you, The Suspect can be seen running away. (Naturally, you can tell that they are The Suspect by their poorly scribbled out face and black silhouette.) If you should follow them all the way to the end of the hallway (and it is a long, long, long hallway), you can grab The Suspect. Of course, that's if you make it there without falling through any of the trapdoors, tripping over medical supplies or stumbling into less fortunate player characters. If you're successful, you’ll hear a jaunty tune and you’ll receive a bonus of 50,000 ViViD points. Congratulations! You may now log out and continue with your daily life. If you choose to pursue the Truth, you will find yourself dropped into another ViViD level. This level is a maze; there are filing cabinets stuffed full of papers making up the walls (though the papers are all blank) and they seem oddly impossible to move. You will need to find your way through the maze while avoiding more trapdoors, more scattered medical supplies, the occasional angry cthulhu patient and the occasional player character who has been grabbed by the occasional angry cthulhu patient. Eventually you will be able to find the end of the maze and there you will find a scrap of paper with a clue on it, signed Bellona Recreare. You may now log out and continue with your daily life. Strangely enough, you can’t seem to access that quest again once you’ve completed it once. Oh well. BONUS [ xxxx ] There are plenty of sexy nurses wandering the hospital (yes, everywhere) and they know your shots aren’t up to date. Should they manage to catch you and jab you with one of their needles, you’ll have some of the following side effects: ➟ Unstoppable urge to hug the nearest person ➟ Unstoppable urge to kiss the nearest person ➟ Unstoppable urge to dance with the nearest person ➟ Hiccups that last for 20 minutes ➟ Uncontrollable laughter that lasts for 20 minutes ➟ Hallucinations that everyone around you is dead, which also lasts for 20 minutes You may pick and choose which effects happen at which times or if there is a combination of them. Have fun! [ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with sensitive 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 July intro log! For your convenience, we have compiled the characters' arrival experience here, and should you have any questions, feel free to ask them here! You can also check the FAQ for more general inquiries. Should this event log hit Captcha, there is an all-purpose overflow here. Regarding phase IV, should your characters tackle the alternate ViViD levels and make it all the way through, please PM the mod account to let us know if they picked Justice or the Truth, as that will have an overall impact on the game! You will also receive your plot clue at that time, should your character have gone down the Truth path. Please PM the mod account by July 29th with the decision your character has made; the thread does not have to be completed, that just will allow us to tally up the choices for August's event. Thank you!

Comments

[catmagnet]

[ Phase I ]

[ Today just wasn't his day.

At least ripping up that ridiculous medical chart he found felt somewhat cathartic. Normally he wouldn't try to interfere with a doctor's work, but clearly he's not dealing with a proper doctor here. His feet are firmly planted on the ground, thank you very much!

Kongwai had half a mind to have words with that airheaded quack. However, he held down those impulses. There were more pressing matters were at hand. One, his current location, and two, his unfortunate lack of clothes. (Why did the back have to be so open?) He needed to remedy that first if he wanted to get anywhere. And to do that, he had to open the door. Easy enough, right?

...Not when there's an humongous, daunting creature parked right outside the door.

One beat of awkward silence later, Kongwai smiled, waved and gently slammed the door closed. With that done, he turned around to address anyone else who may have been in the room, calm smile still in place. ]

I don't want to alarm you...but there is a rather hefty monster outside the door. Should we barricade ourselves in for now or break through?

[sjokolade]

[To be honest, Anna wasn't even sure what she was doing. All she knew was that she was now officially a doctor and she had to help out as many people as she can! Of course, if it weren't for the fact that there were all these aliens around and that she didn't know a thing about being a doctor, this would have been perfect!

However, should Kongwai looked toward the corner of the room, he could see one doctor who wasn't paying attention and looking at the medicial chart]

Oh trust me, you'll be fine! Just be sure to eat a lot of salt and milk and you'll be fine! I've totally been there before and it's not as bad as it looks!

[Take that what you will.]

[catmagnet]

.........

[ Oh, right. How silly of him to expect people to react normally here. With a sigh, he quickly pulled a chair over to tuck it underneath the doorknob. Makeshift, but at least it should hold for one or two body slams. And since he can't exactly leave right now, he decided to refocus his efforts in talking to the other people in the room, starting with that...doctor? ...Please don't be that airheaded quack now. ]

...Excuse me, miss, but do you have any idea what's going on here?

[ Because he sure doesn't. ]

[sjokolade]

[You're asking the wrong person, Kongwai. For as much as Anna was trying her best to help the patients here, she had no idea just what she was doing!

Which was why when he made his way over to her, all she could do was just chuckle nervously at him]

You got me! To be honest though, I wouldn't worry too much! Because everything here? It's kind of like a game! [...] A really really weird game but still!

[braavado]

[Korra looks over at him incredulously.]

There's a monster outside the door and you're smiling?

[Naturally, this just means she wants a look at the thing herself. She approaches him, securing the back of her gown with tight knots as she refuses to let her embarrassment distract her. She pauses by the door.]

If it's attacking people outside, we should help them.

[catmagnet]

I'm trying not to startle anyone here too badly who might actually be in need of medical attention.

[ Which may be close to zilch, but as long as the possibility is above zero, he might as well be prepared for it. ]

And to be fair, it didn't attack when I opened the door. But...well, you can see for yourself. Just be cautious.

[braavado]

I had a look at some of their charts after I read mine. [She huffs, still slightly annoyed, though most of that's petered out now that she's had time to cool off.] The stuff written on all of them sound fake, but I guess we shouldn't risk it in case anyone's really hurt.

I'll take a look. [Korra reaches for the door knob, pulling it open as she peeks outside. She's quiet for a moment until the door's closed again.]

It's heading into one of the other rooms, I think. [It isn't attacking anyone, but she's still concerned anyway.] Think we should follow it?

[finatic]

[Fortunately (maybe), the other patient in this room is anything but alarmed. Kagami is just sitting on his own hospital bed, watching this other guy fuss around the room with mild interest. Is he going to make a scene with the doctors...? That'd be worth sticking around for.

The monster is marginally more worth sticking around for, though, and his eyes widen at the sight of it for the brief moment the door is open. Nice!!]

Ah? [He's still here, oh. Well, obviously the best idea is to break through, but,] You want me to come?

[catmagnet]

Well, first off, are you armed? We might need to fight it, and I'm not geared towards physical combat.

[ Technically, he himself was unarmed, but all his attacks involved magic, so he at least should be able to defend himself. Problem is, can he even cast magic in this accursed place? It'd be a huge pain if the hospital turned out to be the equivalent of Grigori powers for him... ]

[finatic]

[In answer to that he just lifts his arms, like that explains everything. Look at his tragically empty hands...]

They took my swords. [offensive.] Still, it's not like I can't improvise.

[Surely there must be something in this room he can hit monsters with--maybe a conveniently placed decorative vase on a table by the wall, which he slides off the bed to go consider as he speaks. If he breaks this open, then...]

If you can't fight, don't try to get in the way.

[yourfononsarewhack]

[Who knows how or when he got into the room? But there's a doctor there, tsking a Kongwai's suggestion.]

Now, now. That gentlecreature happens to be here for treatment just like yourself. [He pushes at his glasses as he bullshits. He motions towards the door.] Mr. Cecil has a very extreme case, so it's best not to disturb him. Why don't you get some rest and let me have a look at your chart?

[This is supposed to just be a ViViD game, after all. He seeks to complete whatever has to as a doctor in order to clear this quest.]

[catmagnet]

Oh no, I apologize for my rudeness. I must have been resting for so long that I've gotten antsy.

[ If this were Meta!Kongwai, he might feel wary at the sight of the Original Sinner in a lab coat. Alas, he isn't, so his levels of caution are much less than they would've been otherwise. ]

In fact, that means I should go take a walk outside now. I wish you luck with the rest of your patients, doctor.

[ Bracing himself, he opens the door again and fights the urge to grimace. ]

Pardon me.

[ Time to nope outta here faster than Coda eats an apple. ]

[yourfononsarewhack]

[Nope. Jade's grin looks ready to eat shit as he looms behind Kongwai and seems like he won't stop following him.]

Oh? I'm afraid that it's not quite time to leave. I still have much work to do.

I'd rather not lose either my patients or my patience. Do you understand?

[worldcup]

If it's just blocking our way, wouldn't it be a lot easier to destroy it?

[ She doesn't mind that at all in the slightest, though she's been using the bedsheets to cover her behind. ]

Though maybe we should make sure if it will actually attack us first before deciding to kill it.

[catmagnet]

[ People here sure are calm about monsters roaming around. Maybe he's just too paranoid after the extended amount of fighting he had to do so he could reach the Gate? After all, every single monster there immediately tried to murder him on sight. Still, he wouldn't apologize for being overly cautious. He is, however, willing to apologize to the monster on the slim chance it turned out to be friendly. But only if it's nice. ]

In the short-term, yes. But if that means someone calling for the guards, I'd rather not risk it at the moment.

[ He'd rather avoid being held responsible for needless assault and destruction of party, but if there's no other way out of there, he won't complain. What needs to be done has to be done. ]

And you're right about that. Please stay back, I'll double-check.

[ With that, he'll place his hand on the doorknob, ready to open it in a few seconds.

...What's on the other side now? ]

[worldcup]

There's nothing--

[ Well, not at first, before some sort of monsters seem to walk right on by casually without actually doing much of anything. They just walk right there, passing by rather nonchalantly. ]

They don't seem to be harmful. Maybe we can just pass by them.

[ S H R U G ]

[fatalstriker]

[yuri was done playing doctor almost the immediate moment he had a lab coat shoved at him—this isn't what he signed up for when he decided to venture into ViViD. but he hasn't been in much of a rush to get out, either. when the game gets like this, the solutions usually aren't as easy as "cut it down with a sword" and he really isn't in the mood to go investigating.

so he took to taking up a bed in the hospital, coat strewn over a chair and sword propped up against it. he's just sort of been casually waiting this out, but kongwai's statement is enough to catch his attention.]

Probably more alarming to just sit around and wait. You never know what these things will do if you let your guard down. [at least a monster outside the door sounds correct for ViViD. he guesses that's all he gets for rest time, though, sitting up and eyeing the door.]

[catmagnet]

Considering it didn't take a swipe at me the first moment it got, perhaps it'll get bored and move on. But I suppose I should follow it to figure whether or not it's actually hostile.

[ Honestly, he'd rather just leave it be, but if it turned out to be dangerous, it'd reflect rather badly on him. Plus, finding his stuff requires that he go out and look for it. Where in the world did they put his clothes and weapons anyway?

What a pain this entire situation is. ]

[fatalstriker]

Maybe it will, but I wouldn't let it fool you.

[he's just saying. regardless, he doesn't sound too bothered by it.]

You don't know when it may turn hostile. And if it does, you gotta be ready to take it out quick, because there's no way of knowing what it'll do. It's like that around here. [besides... it's more fun to fight them. at least there's a little but of a thrill to it, unlike just following it around.]

[kirkwalled]

[ hawke was lazily hanging out on one of those spare beds, looking not quite like a doctor despite the lab coat. she sits cross-legged, picking at a hole in her jeans and raises an eyebrow at kongwai's whole double take. ]

Does it look particularly threatening? Perhaps we can just... gently convince it to leave.

[ always the optimist, this girl. ]

[catmagnet]

[ No offense, but he'll be going to wary of allll the doctor-looking people around here. Who knows which of them wrote that travesty of a medical record? (May it rest in pieces.) ]

Normally I associate "big and toothy" with "wants to eat me alive". But I suppose I can give it points for not swiping at my face when I opened the door.

[ At least he had enough self-control to not immediately stab it with a magical sword. If it did turn out to be friendly, he'd have a lot of awkward explaining to do. ]

[protectthecastle]

[Veronica was in the midst of counting out pills for the patients (because that's what one of the nurses had told her to do, handing her the pills and shoving her forward without actually telling her how many they needed) when the patient still in the room starts ripping up his chart and then trying to leave.

Because she hadn't been quite expecting that, she stares, wondering what was wrong and sees the monster outside of the door (as well as the open back of his medical gown which she dismisses beyond wondering what purpose that actually served).

She sure is calm, even while holding a bottle of pills and being stuck in a room barricaded by a monster.]

I am not alarmed. May I ask why you cannot simply ask it to move?

[catmagnet]

[ Of course, she'd say that. A doctor in this place would find this absurd hospital normal. He's really not in the mood for this (hello, understatement), but he'll at least make the effort to reply. ]

If you'd like to, I certainly won't stop you, Doctor.

[ He'll just wait until the monster barges in or goes elsewhere before he leaves, whichever comes first. ]

[demonicbookworm]

<sub>[Well then perhaps among the unfortunate souls that gathered in this room you can notice a very familiar white-haired boy. In fact he's also a doctor!... Expect not a real one, because you know, he's been working as a doctor's assistant, has vast knowledge, but there's still so much he needs to learn before he becomes a full-fledged doctor.

Right now it doesn't really matter. This whole hospital doesn't make sense. This is ViViD. Why are people hospitalized in here. But then again, this is probably one of those crazy events again. Ruca is deep in his thoughts as he tries to figure out what to do now. The moment he hears the question he blinks, turns around to the speaker and gives him an uncertain smile.]</sub>

Oh, I think we don't have to worry about that... [And then after a second he adds a bit quieter.] Probably.

_{[For now at least.]}

[catmagnet]

[ Kongwai doesn't even respond at first, too focused on the realization that, yes, he recognized that voice to say something. Maybe it's a coincidence, maybe it's not...but he doubts he's mistaken. He spent more than enough time with Ruca and the others to know how they sound. But to be double sure, he has to take a look. So he slowly turns towards the source of the voice and sets his eyes on...a very familiar-looking boy. The same boy who'd fit in nicely as a doctor in a hospital (an actual hospital, not this mockery of one). There's no mistake--Ruca's right there.

...He didn't think they'd meet again so soon. Or, when he's feeling particularly cynical, ever again. Traveling to the World of Innocent Bonds required too much out of visitors for anyone to travel on a whim, and that's not taking into account the thoughts running through his head after that vexing presentation.

Still, he's honestly glad to see him again. That much he can admit. ]

Well, if you're not worried, Ruca, then I'm willing to give them a chance.

[ Unsaid question: And how do you know that? But considering how Ruca is, he'd likely explain his reasoning sooner or later. He'll just have to wait until then. ]