« 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

[psycholawgy]

[ The change of subject is enough for her. They're both talking to strange things - whatever it was that Ryuko was talking to... well, Athena could just figure that out another time. It wasn't important. ]

Really weird.

[ She nods. ]

I thought that this could only happen in books and movies, but... here we are. They're not lying to us.

[dishonorstudent]

Not lyin'? You sound so sure. [ Ryuko gives her the UGH TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW look. It's a look. ]

[psycholawgy]

I'm positive. [ That should have been enough to provoke her, but she enjoys the idea of being able to determine when people are lying over fighting for people to believe in it. ] I know when people are lying. I can hear the discord in their voices and hearts.

[dishonorstudent]

Discord in voices and hearts? What the hell? [ She looks down at Senketsu, feeling his glance back at her. He's just as mystified by this ability. ] Okay, so you're sayin' they wanna help, right? So why are we here just testing stupid videogames?

[psycholawgy]

[ Athena responds with a somber nod. ]

Well, I don't know the answer to that... I guess they think this is how we'll be able to help. It's research, right?

[dishonorstudent]

Research?! Like we're some kinda test subjects?! Yeah, thanks a bunch, CERES! How's that gonna help? I wanna fight those bastards who destroyed our worlds!

[psycholawgy]

[ She starts poking at her earring as she thinks out loud. ]

I don't know a lot about computers and codes, but I sure don't like the idea that I'm a test subject. [ Been there, done that. ] But they have an idea of how to fight those Flamines back. Maybe the answer is somewhere in these codes.

[dishonorstudent]

There better be something out of this! If you can really spot liars as you say, then I'm just gonna have to take your word for it.

My name's Ryuko. [ She'll definitely want to keep in touch with this girl, for future inquiries. ]

[psycholawgy]

You're in luck, Ryuko. I'm Athena Cykes, and you can definitely trust me!

[ She says this so energetically, and even with a peace sign. Sorry to say, but you guys are friends now. ]

[dishonorstudent]

[ It's ok, she totally has a soft spot for friendly, weird, energetic girls. ]

Cool name. [ She brings out her Cerevice to take down her details. ] I guess I should be glad they gave us these things, at least.

[psycholawgy]

[ I won't try to hug you wherever you are, or get kidnapped or anything. Don't you worry. ]

I haven't had a chance to check it out yet, but it is pretty convenient! I don't think we'll be able to use our cellphones in this place. There wouldn't be any reception.

[ Just sort of. Peeks at Ryuko's screen now. ]

[dishonorstudent]

[ She's not exactly hiding her screen, but wonders what's so interesting about it. Ryuko's not a tech girl, that's for sure. ]

Uh... If you're tryin' to look at my screensaver or private messages, I haven't got any. I mean, I'm barely learnin' how to operate them as it is.

[ lol, she meant wallpaper. That's the extent of her tech savvy. ]

[psycholawgy]

Oh, no, I- [ Okay, she was curious, but she backs off. ] Sorry.

It's just like a smartphone, though. You've never used one before?

[dishonorstudent]

[ Even though her world was in Japan, it's amazing that she never had the need for a phone. ]

Well, it's kinda complicated, I guess! I never really kept in touch with anyone, then I was a vagabond for a while, and then I moved in with my friend's family.. s-so...

...no. [ And she hates to admit it! ] You would probably know more about them than I do.

[psycholawgy]

[ She's known other people who have had no need for phones, so she gets it. She also knows some people who have phones but barely know how to use it. Those people are called old farts. ]

A smartphone is really handy, since it's like having a cellphone and a computer at the same time.

[ She brings out her own Cerevice and takes a quick photo of Ryuko, then she flips her screen to show the picture. ]

It even works as a camera, too! There's so many things you can do with these.

icon: this was her face when the photo was taken HAH

[dishonorstudent]

Geez, when did phones become more than just phones...

[ She knew these phones had a ridiculous amount of features, but hearing it now makes her realize how long it's going to take her to learn everything. ]

Er-- should I take a photo of you, too? [ She doesn't see the point, but perhaps there's an "etiquette" to it?? ]

what a nice "smile" you have :')

[psycholawgy]

You don't have to, but if you want to, we can take a picture together. It's going to be like Ryuko and Athena's adventures, day one!

[ She laughs. She seems to be having fun, at least. ]

[dishonorstudent]

[ She's not sure if she would call their predicament an "adventure", but it doesn't hurt to humour the girl. This is something Mako would force her to do anyway. ]

Uh, sure. Let me just... [ She's trying to set the camera to selfie mode, but she's pressing random buttons in hopes of fluking it. god damn it, why is it opening the stocks app ] --hey, let's use yours! Then you can just send it to me, yeah?

[psycholawgy]

[ You'll get used to it, Ryuko... there, there. She sets up her camera accordingly. ]

Sure, we can do that.

[ And she moves closer to Ryuko and puts a hand on her shoulder. ]

Ready?

[dishonorstudent]

[ Ryuko nods and beams a natural smile. If she has to make friends with anyone, she's glad it's with someone like Athena at least. It's a familiar friendship, one she shared with Mako back home. ]

[psycholawgy]

[ Athena smiles brightly as she positions herself in the frame of the photo. ]

Alright, say cheese!

[ Aaand... click! ]

[dishonorstudent]

[ She seems to loosen up a little after the photo has been taken. It's the first time since she got here that she didn't think about what happened to her world, even if for a brief moment. ]

Well, I guess it's official now, huh? Day one.

[psycholawgy]

[ She starts to fiddle again with her Cerevice, saving the photo and moving to the gallery so she can set it up as a message. ]

Things are going to get much easier from now on. [ She trails off, focusing on the photo first. ] Anyway, turn on your bluetooth so I can send you the picture.

[ Selfies totally take priority over real life business. Ah yes, the youth of today... ]

[dishonorstudent]

Bluetooth. Got it.

[ Why does she have to do another weird tech thing? Can't she just receive the damn pic as is? Ugh, this thing is so frustrating! Okay, Ryuko, you got this. You got this. ]

...I think I got it. [ Finding it in the settings wasn't too hard, but she'd be more confident if she knew what the point of bluetooth was. ]

[psycholawgy]

[ She clicks a few things on her screen, and at least there was only one other device with its bluetooth on. Athena's able to send it quickly to Ryuko's device. ]

All done!

[ Athena's really pleased about it, but maybe it was time to stop dawdling around and get down to business. She can teach Ryuko more about the awesome technology later on. ]

Can I ask what you're going to do now? [ She wasn't exactly sure where to begin. Sure, there was the fact that she had to find a place to stay, and see what kind of jobs she has to do while in here, but life surely wasn't just going to be about playing games and trying to live each day as it goes by, right?

If she could learn about the histories of the worlds, maybe she'd be one step closer to a proper answer. Because, c'mon, we all know the guy who gave the powerpoint presentation went through some slides pretty quickly. ]