estoria | //EVENT031.EXE

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//EVENT031.EXE

//event031.EXE

Lightning flashes. Thunder booms and rain patters on the roof. It’s all about ambience here in ViViD, of course. You gotta set the mood!

Welcome to the Pleasurable Super Youthful Caring Hospital Stage, PSYCHward for short. It works, shut up. It’s a stage created for your well-being, health and happiness. Be careful, though. The first step you take in the dilapidated asylum carries you right into a puddle.

Look down, and the puddle is red.

Ah.

Of course it’s blood.

It’s only going to get even more fun from here.

Good Day. I Am The New Introducer For ViViD Levels. Mosley? Who's That?

Anyway, Please Have Fun And Remember To Be Safe. Safety Is Our First Priority At CERES.

Thank you. Enjoy.

//SCENARIOS.EXE

PHASE I

[ 400 ] The first room any people familiar with the ViViD song and dance routine will find is one that is...wonderfully full of body bags. Body bags everywhere -- on the floor, on the shelves, uncomfortably tossed over the back of a chair...and each body bag has a helpful tag.

Handy.

Of course, within each bag is a newcomer; they won’t be able to escape the body bags until someone else unzips them. They’re dressed in little more than hospital gowns, toe tags still attached to bare feet.

Welcome to ViViD! Enjoy your stay.

Of course, there has to be an element of surprise to it. Some body bags contain living, breathing newcomers, yes. But the others?

These contain corpses. The toe tag on them indicates a loved one or someone important to you -- or someone you hate beyond all else. You open the bag, and there is their face, achingly familiar and frozen in death...but blink and suddenly they’re the corpse of a nondescript stranger.

PHASE II

[ 600 ] Step out of that room and now it’s the asylum proper. Lights flicker. It’s dark, but it’s still more than clear to anyone with ears -- something’s stalking everyone in this place.

The shadow flickers on the wall, the lights go out -- you turn a corner and there it is, jumping out at you with an unearthly cackle --

A puppet.

It hangs there limply, utterly harmless.

All around the facility, these harmless puppets lurk. In lockers, behind doors, in dark halls…

But they’re all literally inanimate and harmless. Whose dumb idea was that?

PHASE III

[ 1000 ] But slowly, the atmosphere changes. Go in deeper, and the sounds around deaden until there’s nothing left but the dark all around and the sound of your own breathing. And yet, irrevocably you know, whether as an aspect of the level or something else entirely --

Something is actually hunting you now.

It makes no noise. It can’t be seen. But it’s stalking, and it’s on the hunt.

To make matters worse, now the asylum seems to have become a proper maze, with dead ends everywhere, and practically no light to see them by.

And the only other souls you’ll see are the other people stuck in the maze -- but there’s something not quite right about them either. You can see...bits of their code, lurking under the surface of their skin, and as you watch, it’s being corrupted, bit by bit, the longer they’re in the dark.

If you look down, it’s happening to you too.
Better hurry.

There’s only one way out.

PHASE IV

[ 1400 ] And then you step through a doorway into light.

You escaped the maze, but this is an asylum, and you’re about to see why. There are rows upon rows of cages of aliens. They cry out and reach out through the bars with webbed or clawed hands or tentacles, begging for release.

Let them out, or don’t -- the exit to Cerealia proper is right there at the end of this room, inviting and safe.

But if you do elect to let them out, the entire room suddenly goes silent.

And there, in that cage you opened, there is no longer an alien, but instead a doll. And it’s watching you. Stay any longer, and the doll with start to move, reaching -- and if it touched you, suddenly you’re the one locked away behind bars.

On the plus side, when you take the exit to Cerealia, it’ll deposit you in the Pleasure District, where massagebots will reach for you to try to drag you in for a sensual massage.

Welcome!

PENALTY

[ ???? ] You were caught in the maze.

It’s hard to say even now what it was that caught you, but now you’re strapped down to an operating table, and there’s a flat-faced doctor standing above you.

The restraints can’t be broken.

There’s a prick of a needle, and you fall unconscious -- and that’s probably a mercy. When you wake up, you’ll be back in the asylum somewhere, but missing a sense -- the one from your character’s application will be gone. A character who is sight will have been blinded, for instance, and a character who is touch will feel nothing. This will last until they log out of ViViD and get into Cerealia.

[ 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. Thank you!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Rei had been standing just behind the stranger, listening to her attempts to quell her own fears. She didn't feel quite right about breaking it to the newcomer in a place like this, but she felt compelled to follow along, making sure that she didn't end up in trouble due to denial. In time, she'd say something, but for now she was far, far more interested in just letting Naoto speak her mind.

When the question came, though, Rei did answer. Stepping smoothly up beside the younger woman, making her presence known beyond just a quiet stranger who'd happened to be going the same direction. She was dressed in a miko's hakama with the accompanying starched white haori overcoat, cutting quite the anachronistic figure. Her hands remained at her sides, visible and open so that she wouldn't frighten the gun-toting detective, though her tone was rather wry.]

You did that because you're frightened. And they did it to unsettle you.

[How matter of fact.]

[She'd heard the footsteps, of course. Naoto hadn't trained herself to be a private detective without drilling herself rigorously on how to tell when she was being followed... if, of course, it ever happened. She'd had a very active imagination when she was younger.

If the young woman wanted to say something, Naoto figured she would have. So she hadn't said anything in response.

It's a little embarrassing to realize that she'd heard the things that Naoto had been muttering under her breath, though. Her tone is somewhat defensive.] I am not frightened. Given the circumstances, I think a little wariness is completely warranted, don't you?

[Rei responds in a light tone, devoid of anything resembling teasing. The last thing she wants to do is make the other girl even more defensive, and she knows full well that most people would be if pressed in that situation. And she's not wrong.]

Wariness is warranted, yes. With ViViD, there's so much that can go wrong in the span of a mere moment. [Then, the same could be said of real life, too.

Something about this girl stood out to Rei, though, a kind of feeling she couldn't quite place. Familiar, but not at the same time. Maybe it was her serious demeanor? That could be it. Correcting her came next, at least in Rei's mind. She stepped closer, keeping herself in full view and focusing further down the hallway, at the mass of puppets.]

You're wrong though. About ghosts. They're quite real.

[Right, ViViD... the name of this program. Naoto makes sure the safety bar is behind the hammer on her revolver as she holsters the weapon, trying to calm down and get her beating heart under control.

What the other girl says next doesn't help, and Naoto's shoulders immediately go stiff.] T-That is simply not true. Investigators have uncovered no evidence that the paranormal is anything b-but myth.

[Rei shakes her head and lets out a gentle laugh, before rolling up her sleeves so that Naoto can see there's nothing hiding in them. And then she snaps her fingers...and several motes of fire spring to life in front of them, illuminating the dark corridor and revealing more of those creepy ghosts.]

The paranormal is very, very real. Investigators choose to ignore things because they are unsettled by them, but speaking from personal experience? Magic, spirits, and the kami are all very real. And here, in Cerealia? They're a dangerous fact of life.

[The flame motes dart off, taking up a position in a ring around the two of them, dancing in arcane patterns, shapes twisting into various characters of protection.]

The sooner you accept that, the better off you'll be here.

[She takes a slight step back, reaching up to literally hold on to her cap, as the lights flicker down the hallway. Is this... magic?

She's not a skeptic about all things. Her experiences in the Midnight Channel were proof enough that there was more to the world than most people knew. Magic, illusion-- they're not new to her.] Magic and spirits are one thing. Those, I've seen evidence for.

...but ghosts are different. There's never been any evidence of an afterlife. [She insists. She seems to not be budging on this!] --it's pointless to stay around talking. We should move.

You'll see soon enough, then. [Ghosts were a certainty, here. She knew that better than most, and anyone living in Cerealia for any length of time wasn't likely to forget the invasions. But...she's clearly not going to convince the girl without that and does it matter? Not yet.]

We should. [Closing her eyes, Rei concentrates on the area, trying to feel for a way out. It proves elusive, but there's a hint of which direction to continue on, so she starts walking.]

My name is Rei Hino. May I ask yours?

I'm Naoto Shirogane. I'd say it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, but I think pleasantries will have to wait.

[The light is dim, but even then she can see Rei close her eyes before she walks. Focusing? Trying to remember something...?] Do you know the way out?

[Shaking her head, Rei stops, eyes opening as she registers that name. Of course. Why wouldn't it be...

It wouldn't take a detective to tell that the name is familiar. One of Yosuke's friends.]

I thought you'd be taller. [She huffs.] Yosuke-kun told me about you. He and several people from your world are here.

[There are two things in that sentence that Naoto needs to parse. The first is, of course, more important:] Yosuke-senpai?! You know him? --who else is here besides him?

[But the second.]

--what on earth would have led you to believe I'd be taller? I doubt senpai is in the habit of discussing my height. [No she doesn't sound defensive because she's short.]

[That was the reaction she'd half expected, and wanted, to be honest. A burst of emotion.] Yu-kun and Rise-chan are both here as well. Satonaka-san has been in Cerealia in the past and departed.

[And to answer the other question? She answers truthfully, in part. That'd also been a bit of a joke.]

And you came across as a larger than life figure when he talked about you. A teenage detective is a fairly rare thing.

[Sorry, a haunted (not haunted!!) hospital-asylum isn't the best place for jokes to go over right now.] While it is rare, that has nothing to do with my height--

[No. Distracted.] Then there are three others I know here? What happened to Chie-senpai?

[Rei shakes her head, leaving it at that. She's gained a rather ghoulish sense of humor over the years, and a place like this doesn't bother her as badly as it might some.]

She vanished. Returned into the Nexus Code from where we all were pulled. CERES claims it's because their code had a glitch and needed repair. [Though Rei's tone betrays more than a small amount of skepticism.]

[Even just that description makes Naoto feel faintly ill.] So you're saying that whoever our 'benefactors' are, they can make us disappear without warning at any time? [She says, her tone clearly skeptical. Chie-senpai...

...no, she'll have to have faith in Chie's strength. Her teammate is capable, after all.] Do you have any idea which way we should be heading?

[She looks backwards and forwards, but there's no real indication she can spot on either path heading out as to which might be a better choice.]

I am, though it doesn't happen constantly. [Her lips purse as she focuses her senses outwardly again, feeling for any of the signs of an exit. It took a moment, but her mind caught on something, a definite feeling in the air of 'release' and she started forward. ViViD so often reminded her of what had happened with Tiger's Eye, and she was grateful that finding her way had started coming easier.]

I have an idea. Just a feeling, but it's better than standing still.

At the moment, there's nothing to suggest a better idea either way or the other. Then let's go that way. [She says, stepping forward in front of Rei, once more grabbing her gun and holding the grip in two hands. Even if they're just jump scares...] Please, stay behind me. [The other girl-- Rei-- has some magic, but Naoto's determined to at least take point here. Rei reminds her of Yukiko, and her friend was never all that good at taking hits.

Besides, she's trying to regain composure after her initial embarrassment.] So may I presume that ViViD rarely utilizes the same setting twice?

[Rei's eyebrow arches a little bit at that request, because she honestly can't recall the last time anyone felt that she needed protection. It was usually the other way around, and it was actually kind of cute. She didn't argue simply because it was so striking, instead stepping back and nodding down the corridor so they can continue.]

That depends. For new arrivals? No, it doesn't use the same setting. I've been through a dozen or so arrival cycles and it's different each time. You can, however, choose to use whatever setting you like when you use it personally.

[If you're a mage, Naoto sort of assumes you're squishy. No offense.] I see. How long is an 'arrival cycle'?

Or, given that we're in space, what sort of time system do we use? Days, weeks, months, and years would be different for people who didn't grow up on Earth, I imagine.

[They reach a door at the end of the hallway, heavy and metal, and Naoto reaches forward to test the handle. It's unlocked.] Are you ready?

A cycle happens every few weeks, and lasts for the duration of a single game. After this ends, you'll be in Cerealia proper, the actual colony. [Sorry she can't be more specific than that.] We've tended to go with an Earth calendar and time system since the vast majority of people among the colonists are from Earth. Some of the locals may have other methods, but I'm afraid I don't know much about them.

[Basically, there's a date on the CEREVice they all assume is right.

When they reach the doorway, Rei nods.] Yes. I am.

Hm. All right. [That's fair. She's curious about other people not from earth and the 'locals' (though really, getting used to the existence of aliens on top of everything else is its own beast) but that can wait.] I'll open it. Be on your guard.

[Naoto pulls down the lever, holding her handgun in her free hand and putting her body flat against the door, pushing it open and stepping into the next room. She immediately raises the gun, sweeping it carefully around the room...] It seems empty.

I will.

[She's focused, her fingers clenched into claw-like hooks, ready to release her will.

And then there's nothing. Anticlimatic, but a relief. Sighing, she steps closer, sweeping her gaze around the room.]

So it does. And there's little reason for there to be traps or anything in what's presumably a medical facility.

You said it yourself. They're doing it to unsettle us. [She lowers her gun, pointing it at the floor again and taking her finger away from the trigger. Always practice good gun safety, folks.] There's little reason for anything in here to be like this, to be frank.

Those fires you created earlier. Can you do that again? It would help to have some light in here we can use to look around by.

[It's important to, yes! Safety first.] I can, yes.

[That's like asking her to breathe, Naoto. And breathe she does, taking two short inhalations and holding out her palms to send several orbs of light floating into the room. They grow, illuminating the whole of it, revealing what looks like an office. At least, what was once one. It's something of a trainwreck, covered in spiderwebs, broken furniture, and strangely...four rusted hulks that were once bicycles, a few deflated basketballs, and a mattress.]

How...strange.

Bizarre. [Naoto mutters to herself, as she slides her gun back into its holster inside her coat, flipping on the safety.] Some kind of office? Now it's a storage room... storing things with no easily identifiable relation to one another. [Bikes, basketballs, and a mattress... if not for the last one it could be some kind of gymnasium, she thinks?]

Let's see if there's anything in the desk. [Naoto says, moving around the desk to the front side, and tugging on the drawer...] It's locked.

Do you have a hair pin I could borrow?

Well it's an abandonment. It could be things left in storage and forgotten about. The mattress may have been from a squatter. [All possibilities, she figures.

As soon as the question is asked, Rei's already reaching into her pockets and pulling out a swiss army knife. There's all sorts of tools on it, one of those 52 object jobs.] I don't but you can probably get it open with this.

II

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Today was murder, sorry :(

it's just fine! no worries <3

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There's a place like this at an abandoned asylum near me.

i would freak out lmao

Meh, it's not so bad in daytime. At night though...