« 009 ⇢ event009.exe »

[reparator]

Who: CERES & you
When: ooc: 01/15-01/22; ic: 11/03-11/06
Where: Cerealia's Research & Technology District and Beyond!!!
What: Intro and Event 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)

//event009.EXE Always Believe in the Heart of the Cards Except When They Tell You to Kill People Welcome to CERES Research Tower’s latest event! For all you new folk queuing outside of the conference room where you were just made to sit through a lovely power point presentation, you will be asked to stay a bit longer and test out some games in their Game Testing Center. It’s a giant space located in the basement level filled to the brim with cubicles for everyone to sit in and enjoy their newest array of pop-up games. The games themselves will be in holo(gm) form and will feature suggestions from CEO’s post, including a simplified, 8-bit version of Tetris, Baseball, Soda Smash, etc. Characters can control the game through moving their fingers and tapping them against the holo(gm) screens. Surrounding the cubicles will be tables of food and more food for characters to partake in. It’s all safe this time. No mind-altering candy corn or gut-exploding Knight Burgers. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the party. For those who have been in Cerealia for a while, they should have received an invitation to the event and an offer of 1,000 credits just for participating. So come on down and bring a friend or ten! Meanwhile, CEO has a small welcome for everyone- “Good Morning and thank you all for coming! We have been expecting you. We hope you will enjoy what we’ve put together today. Ever since we got your feedback on << RAINBOW NARWHAL MELEE >>, we’ve been developing new games for all of you to enjoy. We’ve also tried to draw in some things from your worlds. We hope to hear more feedback from you in the future. In the meantime, feel free to sample our food, generously provided to us by TGICERES, a moderately-priced family restaurant located in the Shopping District."

//SCENARIOS.EXE PHASE I [ xxxx ] Music lightly wafts from the speakers as the showroom opens. Julius Vincere, CERES’ CEO, delivers the opening announcement before leaving the room. He’ll be watching through all the video cameras placed around the room, so be on your best behavior! You will be guided to one of the many cubicles where you will sit and wait for a screen to pop up with a game. Once that game is defeated, another will pop up and another and another until your character gets hungry/has to pee/is so done with this shit. PHASE II [ xxxx ] Among the game rotations is a simple 8-bit fortune telling game starring Aria, the fortune teller. Come be enchanted by her mysterious wiles as she reads your future. She will do some 8-bit arm motions before summoning a ring of cards that will float around her. Characters will be encouraged to pick a card -any card. Once one has been selected, it will turn around slowly and unveil a card from the major arcana. Aria will then give your character their fortune, and that will be that. End of game. Onto the next! PHASE III [ xxxx ] You’ve left the testing center, and the evening has passed. As you wake up to perform your normal daily tasks, a niggling urge emerges at the back of your mind. It’s faint at first, just a whisper of a suggestion that pokes at your brain like a mosquito bite. However, that bite starts to grow bigger and become infectious. As the day wears on, you find that one little suggestion escalating. The next day is even worse. It starts to dominate your every thought, making you carry out actions you never thought yourself capable of. Who is this person in the mirror? Who have you become? PHASE IV [ xxxx ] By day three, the impulse is now a full-blown addiction. It’s set into your psyche completely. You’ve become something else entirely –the embodiment of the card. You will be acting out everything without anymore resistance, and it won’t stop until the clock strikes midnight. That’s when you’ll reel back to your senses, and when it’ll all have felt like the worst dream ever. Or a nightmare really. BONUS [ whyo'clock ] Among all the games present, there is also an 8-bit version of CERESLearn. Yes, you remember the magical game that won your hearts over not too long ago. It will come complete with the same rules. You choose a subject, you choose an 8-bit teacher among the three (Astor), (Hilda), or (UN-Zippy), and you watch them as they try to erotically teach you what you want to learn. Is that an 8-bit boob or her arm? Who knows? But beware… as you may remember, these teachers house a very terrible secret. They will transform into an 8-bit giant bug that will chase around your protag as you guide them to run away with your finger, but you can also flick the bug on the holo(gm) screen to send them away for good. Those who figure out that little cheat code will immediately receive a special real-time shoulder rub as a reward from a robot that looks eerily like a carbon copy of their teacher of choice. [ 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 event and 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. If this post goes into overflow, we will make a new one to deal with the ever-hated captcha! Worry not!

Comments

[journaler]

Phase II.

[Leia didn't quite stay long enough at her first party to meet Aria, so she isn't quite as horrified as she should be when this odd fortune-telling game pops up. She's already been sucked in... she can't even tell how long she's played, and she vaguely remembers that she has preparations to do for her job starting soon, but all that seems far away now.

Aria shows her a card depicting the Sun arcana, which isn't nearly as horrible as she might have thought (what if she got Death or something?!)... and then there's her fortune.]

"You learn from your mistakes... You will learn a lot today."

[.....]

Ha! Well, like they say... fall five times, get up ten, right?

[No, Leia.]

* * *
Phase III.

[Waking up, Leia is filled with thoughts about how fun the party had been... which is odd, because that's certainly not what she thought the previous night. She vaguely remembers how sore she felt, after sitting in the cubicle for so long, but today, she sings and dances to a completely different tune.

She can be found almost anywhere in the shopping district, near the electronics (her apartment is in dire need of decorations), the food stop, and the marketplace.

She is literally humming a tune, swaying to it the way she used to with Rowen. She misses him, but that's about the only negative emotion she can feel. All the embarrassment and awkwardness and confusion... seems to melt away.

Bumping into someone doesn't seem to deter her much, either. But even if she doesn't, she'll likely give you a compliment out of nowhere anyway if you so much as catch her eye.]

Oh-- [She stops humming. She's about to apologize, but instead--] Wow, you look absolutely stunning! No wonder I was so distracted.

phase iii

[flaredo]

[ The person she just spoke to was in the middle of plucking at the hem of her shirt and frowning thoughtfully. Yang didn't mind clothes-- liked them quite a bit, actually. But everything feels so restrictive lately, and she's not sure why.

She's temporarily distracted, blinking up at Leia-- before she grins. ]

Thanks! I've been keeping myself fit-- it works wonders!

[journaler]

[ Leia beams in return, standing by her comment, though her gaze does fall down to the girl's shirt where she'd been plucking. She tilts her head innocently, scooting a bit closer to get a better look. ]

It sure does!

[ With curiosity: ]

What's wrong? Is the shirt too big?

[ Or... too small? No, nonsense. It's perfect! ]

Phase III

[niceguypose]

Why thank you! [The bushy browed teen beams at her, flashing her a smile that sparkles. He's wearing his usual green jumpsuit and flak jacket, except that now he suddenly wants to show off his muscles more. So the sleeves are rolled up, as are part of his pant-legs.]

I know, it is easy to be distracted by me! [He takes a step back and goes through some flexing poses.] Isn't it mesmerizing? I apologize wholeheartedly for distracting you!

[journaler]

[Leia giggles. For the first few moments, she's content to watch him show off, but even her new sunny disposition can't outshine her competitive side. She puts her hands on her hips.]

That's okay. I can be pretty mesmerizing, too, y'know!

[From there, she imitates him. Her arms raise suddenly into the air and she flexes muscles of her own!]

Ha ha! See?

iii

[sewayaku]

[ on the other hand, Zara is also in the electronics section, but is in the market for something entirely different - he has what looks like an electric dog collar or something similar in one hand. Are there even any real dogs in this city? Whatever its purpose is, he's looking quite content, his long ears tipped back relaxedly.

Even getting bumped into by Leia doesn't seem to jostle his mood too badly; he briefly looks surprised, then chuckles at her comment, shaking his head. ]

Hardly. I'm afraid flattery will get you nowhere with me, miss... But it's all right. I wasn't paying attention, myself.

[journaler]

[ There has been a distinct lack of dogs and cats overall; though the dog collar doesn't seem too out of place. Leia doesn't pay it much attention just yet, focusing instead on him.

She laughs. ]

Oh, but I meant it! [ Her eyes flicker from his eyes to the top of his head... ] And your bunny ears are sooo cute...

iii

[poised]

[Wow.

Natalia is stopped by the compliment and well... something in her is compelled to act out more than she normally would. Whereas there would normally be an elegant smile and a thank you in return, she instead steps forward now to cup Leia's cheek and give her a smile.]

You...

You're so kind. I'm so glad that there are people like you in the world.

daNAAA ♥

[journaler]

[As bubbly as Leia feels, she hadn't been expecting that. She blushes a little at the warmth of Natalia's hand and the sudden closeness; though she otherwise doesn't seem bothered.]

Me, too! Thanks...

[......]

I really meant it. I swear.

phase ii

[dishonorstudent]

[ Ryuko isn't one to easily start friendly conversation with random strangers, but the girl's misguided optimism sounds strangely familiar. It's comforting, almost. ]

Jesus, I think your math is a little off, but I get what you mean.

[journaler]

[ She turns around and tilts her head, at first confused... but then she kind of laughs a bit, embarassed. ]

Oh yeah. I guess it'd really be 6 times... but 10 is a way better number.

III

[lifelong]

[ He was only minding his own business and possibly dozing off while standing up, but not deep into sleep enough to not be woken up by someone bumping into him.

There's some silence as he looks at her. ]

I think you got the wrong person.

[journaler]

Mmm... [ Her enthusiasm is swayed for only a moment. It's entirely possible... except, oh yeah. She was looking directly at him! ] Nope! You're definitely the one I bumped into.

I love your headphones... and your hair looks so soft, too. I'm almost jealous.

[ Okay, maybe not jealous. But there's no harm in exaggerating a little! ]

phase ii;

[foodcritic]

[yeah, elle absolutely doesn't get what that's supposed to mean at all. come on, leia. don't say things that will confuse the eight year old. especially because she's going to question this in the most incredulous way possible.]

How are you supposed to get up ten times if you only fall five times? Shouldn't you just get up five times?

[journaler]

[if anything can get her to stop playing the game, it's this. leia freezes, and for a moment it feels like her heart's stopped; but she turns around and melts quickly enough. she wipes at her eyes; maybe they're playing a trick on her.

but here she is, safe and sound.]

Elle! Elle, it's really you! You're okay...

[she pulls her lightly into a hug. feeling her warmth. she's so relieved, yet at the same time, she always knew she'd be alright.

leia laughs sheepishly.]

Sorry. My math was a little off.

iii

[yooknowit]

Huh?

[ All right, that compliment is actually welcome... But it did caught him off-guard, so he couldn't appreciate it right off the bat. He reddens maybe just a little, but he's quick to regain his senses so he waves the girl off a few times. ]

I... Thanks, I know that I'm a pretty boy. But you need to watch your step.

[ Leia, too cute for this world. Let us just all hope that Leia can pardon Yoon's stupid ego. ]

[journaler]

[ Leia has a pretty big ego of her own! Sadly in Yoon's case, she won't be helping; but she laughs sheepishly at his warning. ]

Will do. Promise.

[ She gives him a thumb's up, as if to seal the deal. ]

You really are pretty, though! Should I be jealous?

iii

[lovemguns]

...thanks, kiddo.

[ He didn't really know what to say besides that, honestly. He's a bit put off guard. ]

[journaler]

[ That's okay, she's been getting that a lot. Under normal circumstances, she might've taken offense at being called a kid, but... well. She's 16. If it walks, talks, acts like a duck, etc-- ]

Only reporting the truth!

[ She hums a cheerful reply to stave off the awkwardness she can feel oncoming--though it might very well make it worse. ]

So what's your name?

phase iii

[unathletic]

[ .....

Well.

This sure is one of the weirder things that happened to him today. Don't mind Heung Soo just.. blinking blankly at Leia for this.. what's even going on. What is this. Is this a real situation? Is a girl complimenting him?

If there's anything Heung Soo 100% does not know how to deal with, it's exactly that. So for a few moments he actually looks shocked for once (congratulations for accomplishing that) before he slowly manages to find his frown and words once again. ]

What. [ IS THAT REALLY ALL YOU CAN SAY IN RETURN, HEUNG SOO.. being polite is not his strongest suit. ]

[journaler]

[ Leia watches his reaction with a smile. For the most part, she expects a lot of rainbows and puppies and kittens and maybe some thank-yous as she throws out these compliments; but she's okay with not getting them.

She just... has to say them. The world needs to know...! Somehow. ]

What? [ She repeats the same word, tone less flat and more innocent. ] Is something wrong?

[ No lies detected tbh ]

iii

[topscores]

[Nice is getting kind of tired of being bumped into at this point, but at least nothing was dropped and broken this time.

There's that, right...

But when he hears what she says, his annoyed expression turns into a more pleasant one almost instantly. He tugs on his vest as if he was proud of it, and grins.]

Of course I do! I'm glad someone finally recognizes my fashion genius!

[Nice.]

[journaler]

[Hell yeah, hell yeah, now that's the kind of attitude she's talking about...! It doesn't even matter what she actually thinks of his fashion. Who cares, as long as they feel as great as they do?

Maybe this place wouldn't be so bad... She'll make sure of it, in any case.]

You could create your own fashion trend. I could even write about it in an article!

[Shirts that don't fit quite right and the vests that go over them: Check out what's hot and get your essentials today!]

phase iii.

[likearhino]

[Beat hadn't been paying attention to where he was going. While there was a lot to take in about this place, the CereVice was what captured his attention at the moment. It didn't seem like something that was too hard to work with but it certainly wasn't like any phone he'd seen back in Shibuya.

He had been fiddling with the functions when he bumped into something. Or in that case, someone. Just as he was about to tell them off and to watch where they were going, the sudden compliment throws him off.]

Bwuh? I ain't— [Is that a blush forming on his face? Why yes, it is. No one's ever called him "stunning" before.] Where the hell did that come from?

[journaler]

... [Is that a trick question, Beat.] From me!

[She chuckles a bit as she gets a good look at him. A bit backwards, since you should get a good look first before throwing out these compliments... but Leia's never been stickler for rules.]

Didn't mean to interrupt, though...

[She eyes the CereVice in his hand with a curious tilt of her head.]