« 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!

---

//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

OTA!

[reprizesal]

► PHASE II: A Blast from the Past_
[It didn't take him very long to sense that someone is following him. Sayo's hand was on his sheathed sword when he turned around to see who's the potential enemy behind him.

Only to pause at the sight of himself, dressed like a peasant in stark contrast to his more decorated attire. The other Sayo's hair is down and his face was unmarked, unlike the scar and bandaid on his own. But the most striking thing about him was how he was covered in blood.

Sayo looks at his past self, as the younger Sayo continues to mutter words while clutching a knife--his vessel?--tightly. Familiar words from his subconscious, ones he never try to think about outside of his nightmarish nights.]

It was you. You did it. You killed them.

[If anyone expects him to get unnerved by it, they might be surprised by his lack of denial. He tilts his head.]

...Which one do you mean?

[He was used to kill people before. Was it when he was with the bandit? Or... the time he was used for revenge?]

► BONUS: Hugging the Dead_
[Okay, creepy encounter with his past self aside, Sayo back on... the ground floor. Anywhere but the basement. But then, a nurse got to him and managed to gave him his shots despite his loud complaints.

But after he was put back down onto the floor, the shots started to show their effects on his mind and his activity. He ran up to the nearest person (maybe even you!) and give them a hug. But the other person might see that his expression look anything but happy.

It looks like Sayo saw something... shocking and somewhat distressed?]

Why...?

[As far as Sayo knows, the person he's hugging? Is a dead corpse, no thanks to the hallucinations he received from the shots. So why is he hugging a dead person? The small tantou is confused, worried and... scared?]

bonus!!!

[hoasen]

Sayo...?

[She was surprised, because she wasn't looking when he hugged her. Seeing that she had endured this just recently though, it wasn't like she was going to blame him for it.

Until she saw his face.]

What's wrong?

Re: bonus!!!

[reprizesal]

[He looks surprised when she talked, as he gaze up and stares at her face with widen eyes.]

You're... talking.

[Vietnam's dead body is here why is she talking is this a trick or]

[hoasen]

[She blinks back at him (though she doesn't know she's looking like that).]

Why wouldn't I be talking...?

bonus

[advance]

[ in any other space or time hanbei may have reacted a little more graciously to a– child? giving him a hug, despite the unlikely circumstances of such a thing. he’s been far too busy trying to get his bearings about this place that he almost doesn’t see sayo until he’s already encased in his arms. ] —What?

[ he looks down, hand hovering about sayo’s form before he notices how familiarly sayo is dressed– it’s welcome, to say the least, in the stark whiteness of this new world he’s found himself in. ] Excuse me? [ what hanbei sees is a distressed child, but his sympathy is unfortunately just a bit too tired for the moment. ]

Re: bonus

[reprizesal]

[Sayo is hugging a stranger's dead body and he can't let go. The fact that he can't let go troubles him a lot, because this is far too close for his comfort. If he can step away, stop touching the dead like this, he could think better.]

...Ah? [And the dead talks, making him look up with widen eyes.] ...You're talking.

[The dead can't speak, unless they're the undead or it's a trick...]

[advance]

[ hanbei raises an eyebrow, both perplexed and feeling his patience slowly but surely diminish when sayo still doesn’t let go. ] Yes... that’s right.

[ perhaps he’s just as relieved to see someone like him? well, either way– ] Sorry, do you mind letting go of me? We can speak after, if you like. [ his tone holds something of a kind firmness. ]

bonus!

[adornmental]

[With the nurses making their rounds, Kashuu's kind of gotten used to the sudden hugs at this point. That's not what stands out to him here... It's the expression on Sayo's face, which is very unlike what he's used to seeing. SAYO... TINY REVENGE TANTOU, DON'T BE SCARED.

He reaches down, patting the top of his head in a vaguely reassuring gesture.]

Hey, what's wrong? Not feeling good?

Re: bonus!

[reprizesal]

[While Sayo have seen a lot of weirdness in his life since he was summoned by Haru, hugging the dead is too much for him. Or he would if he can let go. He flinches when Kashuu pat his head, seeing what looks like the other sword's broken form moving and bleeding.]

Kashuu-san, you're... alive?

[adornmental]

Huh?

[Definitely not what he had been expecting to hear... There's clear puzzlement in his expression, but he pulls his hand back, at least. Clearly Sayo's struggling with some weird shit right now, and he doesn't want to make it worse.]

Of course. You think I was dead or something?

Bonus

[birthmarkless]

[ Okay, Ookurikara always knew that Sayo could be weird sometimes, but definitely not this kind of weird.

He would be a little crept out if this was any other person, to be fair though. He doesn't give any major reaction sans for a headtilt. ]

Why, indeed. [ He's strangely calm about this. ] Something's wrong?

Re: Bonus

[reprizesal]

[Sayo looks up at Ookurikara, warily and on edge. He's still hugging a, what it seems to be in his eyes, Ookurikara's dead body.]

You're... dead, but you're talking.

[He sounds so confused and unsure about this.]

[birthmarkless]

[ He would've think of Sayo as an adorable mofo, really.

That, if he was not Ookurikara. ]

Now you're being paranoid. [ A small pause, before: ] If I was dead, I would be somewhere where you guys wouldn't be able to see.

[ Modus operandi, son. Modus operandi. ]

phase II

[protectthecastle]

[Veronica was oddly calm, even with her own younger self standing in front of her and muttering. It was more strange than unnerving to see herself, still a child, covered head to toe in blood and carrying a knife. She'd almost thought the child was lost and hurt, crouching down and reaching out only to pass through the apparition entirely and end up with her hand covered in blood, no answer besides repeated muttering of how she'd killed someone.]

But who? Why?

[Of course, there's no answer. That's when she hears Sayo's voice and turns to see him talking to another apparition.]

Sayo?

Re: phase II

[reprizesal]

[Sayo looks away from his younger self and see Veronica.]

Veronica-san? [A moment later, he notice the blood on her hand and find himself feeling... worried? Concerned? Wary?] What happened? Your hand... there's blood on it.

You killed them. You killed them all, your murderer.

[The other Sayo continues to mutter, paying no attention to Veronica.]

Bonus

[littlestbaskerville]

[Once again Lily was thrown into situations that left her more than upset. Even now she is is standing there recovering from her earlier experience. It's not until she felt the hug that she nearly jumps. Looking at the kid hugging her she can't help but to be confused. He looked about the same age as her...maybe? Unsure of what's happening she sees his face and moves to grab his shoulders.]

Hey, what's wrong?

Re: Bonus

[reprizesal]

[Probably. Sayo generally looks pretty young. And right now, he doesn't know how to handle this, especially when it seems like the voice is coming from this stranger's dead body.]

You're talking...? Are you alive?

[This girl look positively dead to him.]

bonus!

[havocking]

[Midare's been trying really hard to not get injected with any of the needles - he's pretty sure his own personal code of ethics is against him getting administered medication by creepy-ass medical personnel, after all.

What he's not trying to avoid is his fellow swords, so Sayo manages to hug him tightly before he realizes what's happening.]

...Sayo? What's wrong?

Re: bonus!

[reprizesal]

[He doesn't know if it's better or worse that he's hugging Midare. As fellow tantou, they're roughly the same size. Close enough that it's easy for both of them to look eye to eye with each other.

So it would be easy for him to see Midare's dead, broken looking face, illusion or not.]

Everyone here is dead and... you too, Midare. Are you... alive? [There's a brief pause, before Sayo continues.] And I can't let go...

[Which is troubles him more. It's not like being wielded, since at least he can see his master using him. But this? He doesn't see anyone controlling his movements. It's the simplest thing he can think of to explain this strange, uncontrollable urge to hug.]

ii

[prehensible]

[ oh sayo. souza himself has been ignoring his own doppelganger (taller, the brand raw and new, visible beneath the edge of his collar), but he hadn't expected to find his brother here. for a few moments, he simply stares in dull anger. the things this place does to them.. and it aches more that sayo doesn't even bother to deny it. none of them can, considering what they are.

he strides forward, then simply bends to scoop the boy up into his arms, lifting him against his hip as if he really is a child. ]

Let's not talk to them.

Re: ii

[reprizesal]

[He can't deny it because it's the truth. Sayo have long since accepted that his past was bloodied, so the apparition's words did little to unsettle him. Unless it's during those nights when his more vulnerable mind was struck by nightmares again.

Sensing someone's approach, Sayo looked over and saw Souza before he found himself being lifted.]

Niisan? [His brother is here as well? Which is worrying. He gives a small nod.] Okay... Are you alright, Niisan?

[No one hurt you here?]

[sagemodes]

[ This place is creeping him out, but either ways he's just exploring when he found a kid around this place. If anything this scenario is bugging him out what's with how creepy it is. But well, at least this kid is one he's seen before and...

Technically there are two kids he's seen before. One is the one (was he ever that bloody as a kid...) that was following him blaming him for deaths. (Whoever it is, he knows it's not his fault but it's still unnerving at times. At least, that's what he believed. ).

The younger kid following Sayo, is a bit more unrecognizable, but either ways he's going to just... approach Sayo. ]

Uh, yo. You lost?

[reprizesal]

[Sayo blinks and looks over to see Naruto. Oh, he... kind of remember him? From the ramen place Mutsu's at. He briefly glance at the younger boy following Naruto (a younger self like the other Sayo with him?), before turning his gaze back at him.]

...A little. I don't know where I am.

[Did he take a wrong turn somewhere? He doesn't know this place or scenario.]

phase 2 let's do this

[heiwana]

[ Kousetsu' own apparition is not too far behind him either. Blood splattered and silent tears running down his face. But Kousetsu pays it no mind as he hurries over to Sayo to bend down and look at him closely. ]

...Sayo. It is a trick by Ceres, do not listen to it. [ He's been doing well to not pay attention to his own ghostly visage standing behind him. It makes him a little angry to see that they would dare do the same thing to Sayo, whose past was terrible and horrible as is. But to have it thrown out in public like this was unforgivable. ]

aw yis

[reprizesal]

[Sayo looks from his apparition to Kousetsu, before he nods. He already knows and accepted his past, but it seems like talking to it is pointless.]

Okay, Niisan. But... [He looks around Kousetsu and, as he thought, sees the bloodied figure of his brother. Are those tears as well?] ...are you okay?

[He's used to kill before. But his brother's kind and pacifistic, this would be more harder on him, he thinks.]