estoria | //EVENT033.EXE

//EVENT033.EXE

//event033.EXE

What new and wonderful and exciting ViViD level awaits you today? What fun time will you have in ViViD this time? Surely it will be a work of art that CERES has been working on for months and months --

Actually, wait, CERES isn't even around, are they?

Uh oh.

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzt.

Error: Files Not Found

//SCENARIOS.EXE

PHASE I

[ ???? ] This time, ViViD is a deathtrap.

There is random magma everywhere, monsters will spawn at random, and at some points, the game is entirely unplayable. It’s like the dev team totally disappeared mid-constructing the level.

Oh wait, that’s exactly what happened.

Monsters may spawn on top of you, you may suddenly be standing in a poisonous bog, you may suddenly lose your powers, or your senses, or so many different things --

It’s time to get out of here, ASAP.

Thankfully, the exit is obvious. Like. Blindingly obvious. It’s got a big sign over it that says EXIT

And just like that, you’ll be out of ViViD and --

PHASE II

[ 0830 ] When you wake up (and it’s strange, because you were sure that you were logging out just a second ago), it’s in a pile of bodies.

They’re cold, but not in the same sense that a dead body would be cold. While they are lifeless and look incredibly real, they don’t feel real. They feel like dolls, mannequins, empty models and nothing more. Their code doesn’t seem to be functioning right.

And what some characters may realize upon looking at this pile of bodies is that they are all of the characters who were sacrifices before. Any character that was dropped who had a high magical or spiritual affinity is there in that pile of bodies, lifeless and eyes blank and vacant. Even you might be there, staring at your own dead body -- but it isn’t real It can be touched, but it’s really nothing more than a lifeless body.

You’ll have to crawl out of that pile of bodies to get anywhere, and then you’ll realize -- you’re in the Sanctuary, a building built by the characters as a safe place from CERES. And it’s looking pretty run-down at this point. The technology in it no longer functions, there is no security on it whatsoever…

Oh, and now there’s a pile of bodies. Great.

PHASE III

[ 1000 ] There’s also a robot.

It’s wandering from place to place, though it’s impossible to follow. One second it’s there, the next it’s just gone.

Also, it’s wearing this. Weird.

But even with that on its face, the robot seems focused on one thing in particular. In fact, it has a sign, and it says:

Down with CERES. Up with Robots.

That’s a happy, cheerful message. If you try to go up to it to talk to it, it will look at you before...bonking you on the head with the sign and running off. That’s incredibly rude.

Alternatively, you may be safe and sound in your home, but then the doorbell rings, and there’s the robot again. The duck mask is gone, but now instead it has a pin on his fake lapel, and then he’s shoving a pamphlet at you.

He tips his hat, and then he’s gone. Weird.

(Also, if you hold onto the pamphlet, it will lead you directly to the person whose picture is on it, and you’ll feel like you’ve known them and have loved them for years.)

PHASE IV

[ 1245 ] But not all is fun and games and shenanigans. There is something...well, strange happening, and the first real realization of that will be when it starts to rain. More than just the localized rain that a few unfortunates have dealt with -- no, it’s raining completely and totally, and that’s when it might hit you.

For the first time in Cerealia, there’s weather.

It’ll rain for a few hours, and then it’ll stop and become hot and sunny. It may get humid, considering it’s a jungle planet. At night, it’ll get rather cold.

Seems like whatever was keeping Cerealia’s atmosphere stable is now gone -- which also means that characters may start to occasionally experience headaches, nausea and dizziness if they go too close to the walls. It seems safer in the center of the city, and the Residential District is still okay, but… there’s no doubt that the planet’s atmosphere is starting to encroach on the city.

BONUS

[ why o'clock ] But who cares about all of that? More importantly, you are here in this… totally not shoddy city to have fun, and it’s still being advertised as a pleasure colony. Or, well, it would be if, you know, CERES was still around.

But close enough.

And as a pleasure colony, it would figure that the first robots to really get fixed are...well, the Pleasure District robots. Unfortunately, the Pleasure District is still a nice big mess, so now they’re wandering the entire colony, looking for people they can hug, massage or...try to drag into more explicit activities.

Welcome to 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 September 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

[ calling him his friend... it made keigo feel warm. a comforting sensation, one he wanted to cultivate and keep close to him for as long as possible. it'd been a long time since he felt that sort of connection to anyone... ]

Good. I'm glad you're feeling better.

[ at least if he could focus on ichigo's situation, it would help in alleviating his own worries for the time being. as ichigo began to stand, keigo followed suit, keeping close just in case he needed to hang onto him for support. ]

You can grab onto me if you need to, Ichigo-san.

[ keigo noticed the unsteadiness in his posture, so he offered up his arm, but he didn't move to grasp onto him directly. comfort level was important! ]

[Ichigo is a very loyal person so Keigo will be stuck with him for a long time!

~~These two are really kind of hopeless in their own adorable way!~~ Oh, Keigo noticed his unsteadiness. That made Ichigo feel a liitle sheepish and his cheeks turned a light pink. Now that he was feeling better, he felt the need to be graceful and perfect again, in his gestures, speech and movement. That was expected of a sword prince after all. But maybe it was alright to rely on Keigo a bit... It felt like it would be alright. So he took Keigo on his offer and laid a hand rather delicately on the offered arm, still feeling quite embarrassed.]

Thank you, Asano-dono. [He laughed lightly.] I guess I'm getting on in years.

[ good thing keigo is extremely loyal, as well!

he couldn't help but smile a bit brighter when he saw ichigo's face turn pink. at least he wasn't the only one who had been flustered! as ichigo took his arm, keigo straightened up and squared his shoulders, like a real gentleman... or something. he certainly looked the part of an escort, with his broad shoulders and height! ]

Don't mention it! I wouldn't want you to fall over.

[ he flashed ichigo a grin, his expression brightening considerably. ]

[Then they'll get along just fine!

Well, he's only a bit taller than Ichigo though? This prince is around 5’9” but of slender build. Ichigo couldn't help a soft chuckle at the way Keigo straightened up and appeared more confident. If something as simple as letting the other escort him could bring about such a positive change, he didn't mind leaning on him a bit more.

He smiled back brightly, a light blush still upon his cheeks.] Then I entrust my safety to you, Asano-dono. Please lead the way then to the apartments.

[ ~~those extra centimeters mean a lot to him ok...~~ keigo's confidence appeared to be relative to the situation he was in. if someone else was flustered, that gave him ample opportunity to forget his own misgivings!! in this case, pretending he wasn't as embarrassed as he was beforehand and helping ichigo around was a perfect way to keep up a strong appearance!

though who knew how long it would last? ichigo already proved to be able to fluster keigo rather easily, after all. ]

You can count on me!

[ with that, he started off! ]

[~~And now you sound like another of his brothers! The one who's so proud that he's taller than his other tantou brothers!~~ It'll all last until Keigo does something that gives Ichigo another excuse to touch him somewhere on the head or face, it seems.

Ichigo lets Keigo lead him. It was actually a good thing he had someone to hold onto as he did feel quite exhausted from everything that had happened so far. Then he remembered something Keigo said about being alone here, so he looked over at him.

Asano-dono? What about you? Do you have a place to stay?

[ as they walked, keigo felt himself relax. it was definitely easier with a companion! even if they only knew each other for a short time, keigo felt a great start of a connection between them.

he blinked at the question posed to him and gave a little nod. it was only natural that he ask, he supposed. ]

Yeah, I've got an apartment... I'll be living alone, though.

I see. [He didn't really like the thought of Keigo having to fend for himself in this place alone. So he ventured to ask...]

Asano-dono. If you don't mind, perhaps you could stay with us. I'm sure we have plenty of room for one more person and I don't think the others will mind. We're all used to living together in a large group. It’d be safer too as we’d be able to look out for one another.

[ keigo blinked at the offer. come to think of it, this was reminiscent of a conversation he had with someone else, the last time he'd been there. he wasn't sure of it at the time, but after talking to ichigo, he was drawing parallels. keigo was going to take a stab in the dark... ]

Ah, th-this reminds me... do you happen to know anyone named ah... Mutsunokami?

[ he must have. because mutsu had just so happened to offer up the same thing to keigo before... staying in a group residence... and mutsu had given keigo similar vibes to ichigo, as far as spiritual intuition went. there was no way it was a coincidence, right? ]

[Ichigo was a bit surprised at his response, then he nodded.] I do. Mutsunokami-dono is a sword from the same time period as Kashuu-dono. Why? Have you met him before?

[The sword spirits are everywhere, Keigo! You're surrounded by them!]

Edited 2016-09-25 03:03 (UTC)

[ this was definitely a sign of some sort. maybe. keigo was superstitious as it was, but now? the idea of denying ichigo's offer seemed like a recipe for bad luck... with a small laugh, keigo nodded. ]

Y-yeah. I met both of them the last time I was here. Mutsunokami-san wanted me to come stay with him and ... ah...

[ ...what was his name... it was a strange one, that was for sure... ]

...Haruji. Is what he called him.

[ that conversation... was still embarrassing and slightly unnerving as keigo recalled it. at the time, it sounded so... inappropriate. ]

[And it would have made Ichigo most disappointed if he’d refused...]

The last time you were here...? [That piqued his curiousity.

Ah, and that nickname some of the swords were fond of using. A portmanteau of their master's name ‘Haru’ and master ‘aruji’. Ichigo himself quite disliked it as he found it disrespectful. But their master did not object to it so it wasn't his place to stop the others from using it. But he did frown lightly in disapproval at it. To think that the others have been telling people that that was their master's name.]

His name is Haru and he is own master. He is the saniwa sage who has given us these human bodies we now possess. ‘Haruji’ is just a silly nickname some of the others have given him.

[ keigo wasn't blind; he saw the way ichigo frowned, but putting two and two together was difficult if one only had half of the equation. as far as he knew, ichigo could have disliked mutsu or something. either way, he listened to his explanation and... well, that made some sense now. ]

I see... I thought it was an odd name...

[ and keigo offered a little laugh to go with that statement. but, anyway! ]

But, ah, yeah I... I've been here before. I don't know what happened, but I got returned home and now I'm back again. They must really want me to stick around, I guess...

It is. And most disrespectful. We shouldn't be giving our master nicknames.

[Ichigo looked over at him sympathetically, with a hint of sadness. No wonder Keigo thought he was unlucky. He reached out to touch the top of his head for a moment.]

It'll be alright this time. I'll protect you.

Edited 2016-09-25 11:35 (UTC)

[ keigo couldn't say much about the whole "master" bit; it made sense, considering they were the spirits of tools, essentially, but... hearing that out of a human vessel's mouth was a little hard to get past.

but what was even more difficult to get past was the way ichigo so confidently offered up his services of protection. keigo found himself flustered all over again. damnit! ]

...Y-you'll protect me? Are you sure?

[Ichigo smiled and nodded.] Of course. You are an important person to me. [By that he meant saviour and friend.]

[ regardless of the reason, it was still humbling to hear. keigo looked away, reaching up to skim his palm along the back of his neck nervously. ]

...W-well. Thank you.

[ ichigo needed to stop embarrassing him, gosh!! ]

[He's just being honest!

He smiles.] It's the least I can do for you. Now, are we near the apartments yet?

[ ah! right... the whole reason they'd been walking in the first place! keigo laughed softly, looking around at their surroundings. ]

It shouldn't be too far now... I'm trying to remember where everything is, but I'm pretty sure I'm on the right path!

[ all he had to do was follow reiatsu signatures, right? ]

[Ichigo laughs as well. You are adorable, Keigo!]

I see. That's good. I can't wait to get there. I could really use a nice long bath!

[He knows nothing about reiatsu signatures but he trusts Keigo knows what he's doing!]

[ he is not adorable he is manly and tough!! or something... still, it's nice to see ichigo smiling and not upset! ]

Ah, that sounds nice... After all that nonsense, I could use one, too...

[ he couldn't help but feel a little gross from all those... bodies... ]

We could both have one together then!

[And he says this most innocently! Sorry, he's too used to bathing with his brothers.]

[ oh... well. that was certainly a Thing he just said. keigo blinked, hesitation clear on his face. it wasn't entirely strange, he supposed, but it wasn't like it was a public bath they were headed to, either!! this time around, at least he wasn't flustered to the point of blushing... ]

Are you uh, sure about that?

[Ichigo nodded. Not seeing anything wrong with what he’d just suggested.]

Of course. I bathe with my brothers all the time back home.

[And he kind of sees Keigo as a younger brother!]

Edited 2016-09-26 09:07 (UTC)

Ah.

[ well, naturally... that made sense. though keigo didn't have any brothers... ]

M-maybe. I can't actually remember the last time I bathed with anyone.

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