estoria | « 007 ⇢ event007.exe »

Who: CERES & you
When: IC: 10/19 | OOC: 12/16
Where: ViViD
What: Intro Log
Rating/Warning: PG-13

//event007.EXE

The Haunting II: Haunt Harder

ViViD has opened up a new world that new arrivals will be pulled into while frequent players will be invited to check out. This particular setting is the new beta world that CERES is constructing in time for the Hallow's Eve celebrations and festivals. It's a world inhabited by the undead and several ghouls and monsters of typical horror lore. Inside, one will encounter werewolves, lichens, vampires, succubi, incubi, specters, mummies, and so on. They will be on the prowl and eager to attack, but players need only concern themselves with getting through and getting out.

At first, players will awaken outside of a large manor supposedly owned by a wealthy noble who is rumored to be practicing strange alchemic experiments within. Many know him simply as The Count.

New arrivals and those logging into ViViD will first find themselves being greeted by their guide at the start screen:

"F̳̰̘̝̭͚̙̝̺̅̀͋̊̑͐̎͜͝͝͝Ü͎͉̗̬͍̫̤̳̳̓̉͌͛͒́̔̎͝ͅÇ̢͎̳̰̫̝̝̮̣̈̓̽̂͒̌̾͊̊̓K̯̺͎̬̟̠̳̤̙̥̍͊͒̐͌̏̍̂̚̚!̧̛̹̲͎͕̥͓̥̻̟̿͐̔̑̈͗̕͘͠-ɯǝɥʇ ʇɐǝq oʇ ʍoɥ sı ǝɹǝɥ

¡ǝuo lɐuıɟ ǝɥʇ ʇǝǝɯ noʎ ǝɹoɟǝq sʇsoɥƃ ɹnoɟ ǝlʇʇɐq oʇ pǝǝu llıʍ noʎ

ʎɐpoʇ suoıʇɔnɹʇsuı ɹnoʎ ƃuıʌıƃ ǝq llıʍ ı

ɹouɐɯ ɐıɔoɹʇɐ oʇ ǝɯoɔlǝʍ

slɐʌıɹɹɐ ʍǝu ollǝɥ"

//SCENARIOS.EXE

PHASE I

[ xxxx ] Yes, those are all the directions you get. Welcome, indeed, to Atrocia Manor. On the outside, you'll notice a faint howling in the distance. You better start running. That howling is only going to get louder as the werewolves start approaching. They roam in packs and will approach you from all sides, leveling a menacing stare at you before-!!!

-licking your hand. They'll all suddenly surround your character and start licking and lavishing attention on you as their tails wag from side to side happily. They may even roll over and show you their bellies for belly rubs. Please give them a treat and lots of love.

PHASE II

[ xxxx ] Once you survive that grueling challenge, it's on to the next part. This is where things start to heat up. The inner atrium of the mansion is dark, only lit by faint torches. In the center are three of the four ghosts that were spoken of, slowly moving in circles around a shrouded figure. Before you can glimpse at the figure, it disappears and the ghosts turn to you and start approaching from every side. They block you in, leaving you in the center and slowly looming around you.

Their howls are prolonged and deep, piercing your ears, and they seem to want to lead you into a room. You can choose to run from their frightful faces or you can follow them. They will seat you down at the dinner table then slowly pull forth a power point presentation. This is your love and/or sex life. Yes, you have a sad one. How dare you? The ghosts will guilt you for this, and somewhere in the midst of their lecture, you notice a faint figure moving along the windows. It's only for a flicker of a second that it appears, but the impression it leaves on you remains.

PHASE III

[ xxxx ] Feeling tired already? Well, don't stop and rest now! The challenges will only get worse. As you escape the three ghosts, you will ascend the stairs to the second level. Awaiting you is a vicious vampire …panda. Does it want your blood? Nope. It wants to talk to you about how to properly file your tax forms for a successful tax return. It will then lecture you on the EVILS of tax evasion. Be prepared for a scary ride with this one. It's not letting you out of the room until you listen to everything it has to say. For those who attempt to escape, it will… do absolutely nothing. It will sit there and watch you run.

PHASE IV

[ xxxx ] You escape the horrors of both the first floor and the second floor only to arrive at the basement. The mysterious fourth ghost awaits with its back turned to you. It's covered in a shroud, and you are sure it's going to talk about diversifying your stock profile next. Oh, how wrong you are.

Because this one legitimately wants you dead, and it will wear the face of your worst enemy or your least favorite person while swiping down a scythe to reap away your life quickly. It won't be easy to kill, but once you whittle down its life halfway, it will finally reveal its true form. That's when the entire dungeon will start to glitch, and the ghost will cradle you between its hands before warning you:

sn ǝɹǝʌǝɹ sn ɹɐǝɟ sn ǝɹǝʌǝɹ sn ɹɐǝɟ
sn ǝɹǝʌǝɹ sn ɹɐǝɟ sn ǝɹǝʌǝɹ sn ɹɐǝɟ
sn ǝɹǝʌǝɹ sn ɹɐǝɟ sn ǝɹǝʌǝɹ sn ɹɐǝɟ
sn ǝɹǝʌǝɹ sn ɹɐǝɟ sn ǝɹǝʌǝɹ sn ɹɐǝɟ
sn ǝɹǝʌǝɹ sn ɹɐǝɟ sn ǝɹǝʌǝɹ sn ɹɐǝɟ
sn ǝɹǝʌǝɹ sn ɹɐǝɟ sn ǝɹǝʌǝɹ sn ɹɐǝɟ

It will then fade away, and congratulations! You won! Sort of...

BONUS

[ whyo'clock ] Congratulations on surviving Atrocia Manor! Here's your complimentary coupon for 35% off on your next Vidia's Secret purchase. Wasn't that a fun ride? But wait. There's more! The final final boss awaits you outside in the courtyard. It's the most gruesome of them all. The worst ghost you can encounter because it's one that has known great suffering and is out for vengeance.

It will follow you around and try to eat you basically. One floating dot at the time until it can reach you.

[ 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 everyone's usual arrival experience (which is not entirely applicable this round for reasons stated above^) and a FAQ that should explain everything in more detail. Please read them thoroughly before playing. Thank you!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Shinji... murder is wrong.]

Ah, no, nothing like that. It's my family's shrine. [That he's now going to be the head of!?]

I'm more like a... ferryman.

[And part time skinsuit for a cursed demon snake but it's okay. He resigned from that one not too long ago.]

[Look, he's already murdered one person, what's one more to add to that list.....

Shinjiro's curiosity quickly switches over to puzzlement because that is a weird as heck job in today's modern age . Get with the times, Soramaru. More importantly though, 'family' shrine implies a number of other family members.]

They shove boating duty on you?

[Must be nice to be around family, though. And to have one, but details.]

[All of Shinji's action brackets are sad or frickin' rude, please stop.]

It's a bit harder to explain than that.

[And then back to straightening up to stand!! So he can introduce himself like the decent young man that he is.]

I'm Kumou Soramaru, by the way.

[Okay we'll make them rude only.

Since Soramaru doesn't elaborate, Shinji doesn't ask, and elects instead to contemplate whether or not he really wants to introduce himself or opt instead to ignore said introduction and suggest they move on with their lives - namely, in the direction of the manor ahead. He doesn't get the chance to make a decision - one of the younger wolves, wanting even more attention, picks that moment to perform the most daring stunt of her short wolfy life.

She races through the pack, launches herself in the air—and nabs Shinjiro's beanie off his head before landing on the ground and running in the other direction.]

—Hey! [Automatically, Shinjiro's hands lift up to his head in search of his lost beanie.] Give that back, you mutt!

[HOW'S THAT FOR ROLE REVERSAL.]

[WELCOME TO PAYBACK HELL

Without even pausing to admire that amazing snatch and grab, Soramaru takes off after the werewolf and hobo beanie. Look, are you looking, look at this. When the werewolf is just barely in reach, Soramaru literally throws himself on her, arms wrapping around the ball of fur and holding on tight.

The fall hurts since he takes most of the impact (you're welcome, werewolf) and he gets the wind knocked out of him but like heck if he's going to let go.

So he'll just lie there in a daze, both arms clinging on to the wolf as she struggles to break free with her precious beanie prize.]

[Soramaru may have the edge in the Fast and Furious: Werewolf Edition, but that doesn't stop Shinjiro from racing right after, all the while cursing this unfortunate turn of events under his breath.

He doesn't get too far. Soramaru's Olympic-level dive has the whole thing screeching to a halt quickly enough, and Shinjiro carefully walks the last few feet before leaning down and yanking his hat free from the firm clutches of a pair of sharp canine teeth.

(The wolf, bereft of her prize, whines sadly. Shinjiro is too busy berating Soramaru to notice.)]

Tch, idiot. Could'a killed yourself doin' that.

[What if you'd split your head open, Soramaru? Then Tenka would have killed Shinjiro and then where would they be. Also notice that beautiful lack of apology. It's never gonna happen.]

[Give him a moment, he's relearning how to breathe properly. It takes a second or four and soon enough, he's back on his feet, the werewolf still firmly in his arms.

She's a troublemaker, okay. Better not to take any more chances.]

I thought I could return the kindness you showed me, [he replies, tacking on a stupid grin for good measure.]

[The answer catches him by surprise and his body stills in the middle of straightening back up. Rooted firmly in modern day Japan as he is, genuine acts of kindness for no more reason than repayment come few and far in between, especially for someone such as him. People don't usually notice him, much less approach him or come to his aid. It's a strange feeling, vulnerable almost—and uncomfortable enough that Shinjiro redoubles his effort to maintain distance.

He finishes straightening, head and body turning away from Soramaru in a dismissal.]

I don't need it. [Doesn't deserve it, much less.] Find someone else to help instead.

[But his fingers curl tight around his hat all the same.]

[He'll shounen protag you one day just wait.]

Ah, wait—!

[Where do you think you're going, ~~masked~~ stranger?? Soramaru moves so that he's blocking Shinji's path!! Don't turn away from him like you're some kind of cool guy...]

I still don't know your name.

[He don't need no shounen protags in his life!!

The interruption doesn't come as a welcome but it's hardly the most annoying thing he's been asked for in his life. Mostly, he doesn't understand why the kid's so hellbent on getting to know him.

A name probably won't hurt though. Probably.]

Aragaki. Shinjiro.

[There, are you happy now.]

[HA YOU FOOL, YOU'VE REALLY DONE IT NOW]

I'm glad to have met you, Aragaki-san! [He's 100% sincere about it too. Freaking Kumous, man. You better hope you only meet one because they'll stick to you for life after the initial meeting.

Oh, and since it looks like Shinjiro's leaving...]

Thank you again for helping me. I won't forget it.

[THIS KID IS SO STUPIDLY CHEERFUL someone punch where he stands. Shinjiro fights the urge to scowl in order to balance out the damn ray of sunshine in front of him and instead shoves his beanie back on his head before turning and really leaving.]

Yeah, yeah, whatever.

[But hey, he's not going to forget this kid either.]

« 007 ⇢ event007.exe »

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HAH I HAVE AN IC REASON TO USE THIS ICON

i can't believe u

why not it was perfect. PERFECT I SAY.

now i'm the one smh

true role reversal. also sorry we're back to sad bracket text now

draws a smile on his face

angrily erases it off!!

i worked hard on that

you'll just have to try harder next time