« intro ⇢ winterball.exe »

[poised]

Who: everyone, literally everyone
When: ooc: 04/25-04/26; ic: 12/26
Where: the Gardens
What: intro log + winter ball!
Rating/Warning: PG-13 | possibly nsfw (please let me know if you need this rating changed, or you are welcome to continue any naughty shenanigans in a private log)

//winterball.EXE Pimp My Party -- Royalty Style A few weeks prior to December 26th, an invitation went out to all whom already reside in Cerealia. In delicate, curling script, it read: You are cordially invited by Natalia L.K. Lanvaldear to a Winter Ball to be held on the Eve of December 26th in the Gardens. Dress in your best attire and enjoy a magical evening of dance and fine cuisine. What do you mean we should fuss about worlds being destroyed? Get into the holiday spirit, you scrooge! And in regards to the new-comers: whether you have been wandering Cerealia over the course of the past few days and managed to receive one of the later waves of invitations or have simply suddenly appeared in the gardens with nothing but the (hopefully…. appropriate….) clothes on your back, welcome. The gardens have been transformed through the work of slave labor condoned by royalty incredibly talented volunteers. A buffet line possibly a mile long, a sprawling dance floor with temporary wood placement to cover the grass, a lovely orchestra with scheduled interruptions of magic shows on the stage, and the entire thing lit gently with lights stretch the span of the main area of the garden. Not too far off, there are ponds and pathways that take you elsewhere into the foliage, but why would you go that way? The party’s right here! "Good evening, everyone!! Whether you are new to Tellus or old, I hope to find you in good spirits. Mind you, I do not intend to ignore the blunders of CERES nor the grave situation that new-comers have found themselves faced with. However I assure you that at this time, surrounded by these people, you are in good company. Please, dine and be merry - I believe some worlds celebrated a holiday yesterday! Get to know one another so we may strengthen our ties and stand firm against whatever this world may throw against us! Also try the salmon, it's absolutely divine. . . . How do I turn this off...? Should I just walk away?"

//SCENARIOS.EXE PHASE I [ xxxx ] Like any respectable ball, your entrance is announced as you walk right into the party! What do you mean you wanted to slip in unnoticed? That simply won’t do. Natalia managed to rope in someone – is that a Tellus native? – to do the honor of acknowledging your character as they make their debut to the ball. This guy is under strict orders to not miss a single soul. If your character doesn’t give him a name and title ahead of time, then he’ll just make something up. Think along the lines of Broseidon McSnootyname, Duke of Erectile Dysfunction-- What do you mean that’s not your name? PHASE II [ xxxx ] Absolutely no expense was spared when it came to making sure that the food here was the best that money could buy (or threats could extort). Guests can select from a menagerie of main dishes from all sorts of cultures, adorable desserts that look like woodland creatures alongside towering cakes, and even those fruity drinks with the little umbrellas on them. Pig out, you animals – but there’s also a wide selection of fine wine if your tastes and curiosities wander off in that direction…. What even is the drinking age in Tellus? Remember, folks, drink (ir)responsibly. PHASE III [ xxxx ] Well, it is a ball. If you’re interested in proper, classical styles of dance, there’s certainly an orchestra that’s dominating most of the night. One of their songs may or may not sound familiar. Spin around in your flurry of skirts and do the fairy tale thing if that’s what you came here for. Romance, or whatever. Waltz your heart out and don’t forget to point your toes! … that said, there’s also a separate sound system not too far, prepared in case the orchestra might want a break. It’s also not being watched too closely. Maybe put on something to liven up the dance floor? Or did someone ruin your fantasy by putting on something unbearably inappropriate? PHASE IV [ xxxx ] The gardens really are beautiful. Spread throughout the area and more toward the outskirts of the party, there are plenty of beautiful fountains with glittering, crystal clear water. In fact, it’s so clear that you can spot the occasional alien life form flitting through it amidst the lily pads and gently sweeping foliage. It’s so graceful, what beauty! Look at how it rises to the water and gently opens its mouth into a yawn and—tries to chomp anything within range right off with razor sharp teeth what the fuck, whatthefuck. It would appear that's not all, though. Whether you're ready to fight the creature or run screaming, you feel something slowly slide and curl around your arm or your ankle. Look on in horror as you turn your head and realize that it seems that the nearby tree has grown rather fond of you very quickly, to the extent that it will reach out and lovingly wrap its hentai tentacles around you.... Brings a whole 'nother meaning to 'tree hugger', doesn't it? BONUS [ whyo'clock ] Are you lost? Did you try to catch your breath away from the party and start to wander off despite all the cautioning not to? Or maybe you were trying to leave and took a wrong turn? Either way, you seem to have only found yourself deeper in the gardens now. Try not to breathe too deeply or… at all. If you can’t manage that though, it appears that you’ve stumbled upon the hallucinogenic plants of the garden. You start to see things that aren’t there – though whether you suddenly find yourself in a den of cougars lions or think that the person standing next to you is the biggest, cuddliest pile of adorable puppies in the world depends on the person. Hope you have a good trip, bruh. [ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with trigger-y or inappropriate material and do let me know (through FAQ comment or PM preferably!) if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so I can lock the log. ]

//RUN.EXE Welcome to CEREALIA's latest intro post! This one is player-run and all the basics have been laid out for you here. Absolutely feel free to come up with your own prompts, I just attempted to set the scenery! For your convenience, I whole-heartedly welcome questions and inquiries being directed to my attention here and I'll answer them to the best of my ability! Have a ball! Enjoy!! OVERFLOW IS HERE Move over at your captcha-free leisure!

Comments

[emotive]

But I am too. That much I understand so I'm at fault as well.

[tachyonme]

[Ah yes, that's the real question here, isn't it?

A really complicated question. Because it's not like he's in the habit of trusting anyone blindly, and certainly not a bunch of very suspicious humans...but. With the fate of Barian (or some form of it) at stake, can he really afford to dismiss them outright?]

I don't know. I don't trust them. [Of course, he doesn't trust most people.] But there's no way to verify whether it is or isn't, and I'm not going to risk the safety of Barian on the assumption that they're lying.

[Protecting Barian comes first no matter what.]

Do you? [he's going to guess "no", but who knows...]

[faestra]

[And she heeds his warning just in time to dodge another tentacle shooting out from the tree toward her wrist. Her bracelet even clinks as it barely grazes it.]

Whoa!

[The vine that missed retreats back up the tree, but at the same time, it starts to pull IV with it as well.]

All right, that's enough! [Yuzu's glaring at the tree as though it can understand her, though she really only means the situation. She's pulling out her duel disk - god knows where she had it tucked in all those ruffles. But she's not going to duel the tree, she's just taking a hint from Sora that the hard beam of light it generates can be used in a bladelike fashion. He's been looking out for her tonight, so she has to return the favor.]

This should work.... try to be still, I'll cut it off you!

[dragonseyes]

[Ao is attracting a lot of attention tonight, it seems. Not that Shin-Ah can blame them, he noticed that actual animals are rather rare, having been replaced by CyBuddies in general.

So he nods at her question, reaching up to cup a hand around Ao. The squirrel doesn't even twitch when she's lifted from Shin-Ah's shoulder and carefully held out to Shiho.

Knowing Ao, she would have enjoyed the attention, had she been awake.]

[ohspearme]

[See, Sano knows he can count on Saitou to be stability in these hard times. In more ways than one, apparently, but at least he doesn't try to jostle the other guy too much because he does actually have some manners.

The way Saitou responds, however, is pretty disappointing. Since Tellus is his second world away from home, Sano is pretty used to the whole jamjar bullshit, but it doesn't mean he likes trying to explain the general concept to other people, especially friends. Especially friends who have already been here before and should know this already.

It sucks.

Sighing, he lets Saitou go and rubs at the back of his neck, trying to think of the best course of action. Which is ultimately going to be honesty because coming up with some believable excuse on the spot is not Sano's strong suit.]

Aah, Saitou, you always gotta ask the hard questions first, don't you?

[Not that that's going to deter him. He knows Saitou better than that. He takes a sip of his wine and then lets his free hand rest on his hip.]

Let me guess. No one's really explained anything to you yet, right?

[newtimes]

( Oh, and there goes Hotarumaru, flittering away into the night... Was it something he said? Well, Hotarumaru is a strong sword, he can take care of himself. Oh, and here he is again with a plate full of delicious food. Given the sweetness of the chocolate, Mutsu's a little unsure about some of these but # Y O L O )

Now ya're talking!

( Can swords get stomach aches? We're going to find out because Mutsu's going to go ahead and start with... the potato chips. Okay, real talk, potato chips are actually okay with chocolate though. HE'LL TRY THE CHICKEN NEXT THOUGH...

Someone get these two an adult. Please. Someone. )

[dragonseyes]

[...

Are those their full names? Does Gundam always refer to them as Mirage Golden Hawk Jum-P? Or Crimson Steel Elephant (What is an Elephant in the first place?) Mega-Z? Because that sounds like a mouthful and it's a surprise Gundam's tongue hasn't twisted into knots just yet.

The Dragon comment also makes Shin-Ah pause. Another dragon? ...Well, no, it's just a nickname. If Cham-P was a dragon like Ki-Ja, Jae-Ha, Zeno and Shin-Ah himself, he would be able to sense it. Just a title then.

Momentarily, Shin-Ah is distracted by how cute the hamsters munching away at the sunflower seeds is. Their cheeks are even chubbier than Ao's and they're holding the seeds so carefully...]

Yes.

[Sorry, Gundam, Shin-Ah isn't much of a talker. And hopefully, you won't mind Ao making herself comfortable on your wrist either because that's where she's perched now.]

[newtimes]

( It's a terrible idea. )

No way! There's no way I'm letting ya use ya'rself as bait! ( Just! No! ) if the tree's retreating that just means ya and me make a great team. The tree's so scared it's gonna go right back into the ground and become a chestnut all over again!

[swordboning]

Whatever explanation you have for that, I'm not entirely interested. I'm sorry.

[candlecutterpikachu]

[ Mitsutada didn't earn his status as the tachi with the third-best stats in-game for nothing, and he intends to prove that in this duel. And this certainly is one very wild vegetable - it needs taming, and he's capable of far more than just slicing melons candlesticks. ]

I'll do this magnificently!

[ He twirls his blade in one hand, sidestepping a particularly violent vine trying to whip his back. The vine is bisected in a single strike, and he uses the momentum to shred several more coming his way. With a final burst of speed he jumps - there is a flash of steel, an all too audible snap, and the tree comes crashing down.

The tachi doesn't relax, however - single golden gaze trained on its corpse in case it gets back up again. Foliage is scattered everywhere, but none of the leaves and branches move - not as much as even a slight twitch. ]

[emotive]

For an adult, you sure like to plug your ears when it's convenient!

[swordboning]

Because your apology is going to be stupid and a waste of my time. I'm not going to accept anything that is useless.

[unionjackoff]

[what does science have to do with anything? hm...]

If it's the ball that's throwing you off, things like this don't usually happen. [attempting a joke, maybe?] Most of the days, people here just work or go to school. Or play video games. Mundane things. [there's nothing mundane about Cerealia]

[unionjackoff]

Have you? It's more difficult than you expected, isn't it?

yes good

[candlecutterpikachu]

If you'd like to change it, we can do that now.

[ At least, this is what he thinks he should be saying. He tilts his head, trying to pick up the beat (somehow, it isn't too hard for him), while taking Vietnam's hand. ]

On three, okay? One, two, three.

[ He isn't too bad at this, actually - dancing involves movement and physical awareness, two traits which he has in spades. One of the perks to having vision impairment is also a much better sense of where your limbs are - which means he isn't going to step on her toes unless she's the one doing it to him. ]

[emotive]

[And that... That's the last straw. She feels herself shake and releases her hands from him trying to regain her train of thought that's suddenly heated up. For her, this is a new emotion. It's bubbling up inside of her and she feels like it'll boil over if she doesn't control herself. But those words just hit her like a wave, bringing along with it, the words of other people that before she accepted humbly and passively.

"You're born with so much, but the rest is useless."

"You could be better. Being concerned over such things is a waste of time."

"The other girls have better control, but aren't half as powerful as you..."

"Why can't you be more like...?? She never... She did... She would... She could"

She tries to recall other words, from the one who gave her the smallest spark of hope, hope that she wasn't defective even if she was well made in all other aspects...

Then I pray that your kindness endures even if..."

The fact of the matter is, is that she's already let impulse take over and the words of anger and frustration spill over before she can even think carefully.]

Then clearly, anything I do and everything I am are all of those things.

[Her blue eyes have lost their usual gentleness and they threaten to burn with tears of anger. Ai whips around, marching to a nearby exit.]

Good night!

[This is a good a time as any to go out to the gardens and cool down. ]

[newtimes]

( Mutsu agrees but like heck he's going to mention that... )

C'mon, at least it won't go bothering anyone else now. ( Be positive, Kashuu. Even if now the guests have to step around a bunch of firewood, sigh. Maybe they can have a bonfire at the party and roast marshmallows who knows. )

iv

[arcanaofdeath]

[Welcome to Cerealia, Haru, where safety is made up and the security bots don't matter! Or at least don't take their job very seriously.

And unfortunately for Haru, the person trudging along the path is an even smaller kid.

Pharos blinks at the sight presented to him, raising a hand to his mouth in an attempt to half smother his smile.

This place never fails to entertain him.]

Do you need a hand?

[candlecutterpikachu]

[ His grip is firm but not forceful, and he tilts his head for a few seconds while trying to catch the beat. She's a little on the small side, given how tall he is, but he can work with that. ]

On three, okay? One, two, three.

[ And off they go. He settles one hand lightly on her waist, like how he has seen others do. It's good for them that it's a slow song, since there is plenty of time (relatively) for Minako to follow. ]

i'm so sorry i finally got this right

[kaihentai]

[Sakamoto hits the ground with a thud. Bloodshot blue eyes burst open upon impact. He’s awakened not by pain, but by the call of duty.

Something stirs deep within him. How unexpected for bumbling imbecile, a man who had been so useless just a few seconds ago. His own life is just a small, shining star in an endless galaxy, and he’ll do everything to can to ensure that the universe is the brightest it can be.

As for Katherine, he can barely see her. Instead, his gaze is focused at the vine that’s fast approaching. There’s no time to grab his gun, so he settles for a menacing gesture.

Instead of shooting, he sends a fist pummeling straight through the plant’s bark. How bizarre! On the outside, it feels just like wood should, of a rough texture. The inside however… Something oozes from the orifice that Sakamoto has just created. It’s like flesh.

He withdraws his hand, as the creature is quiet for a moment.]

Ah! That’s what you get! For touchin' the wrong thing.

Geez! What a handsy little fella.

[He tilts his head in Katherine’s direction.]

Yo! How are ya?

[For a man who almost stopped breathing, he looks and sounds pretty damn chipper.]

[unionjackoff]

[if England did not like Oz, he probably would be irritated by the constant sunniness. as of now, Oz has not triggered his ire]

I can understand that... Although, what have you been doing aside from this? Are you bored?

[newtimes]

I doubt it! ( Seriously. ) There're a bunch of people already here and even more coming!

But if ya're really worried, ya should get some food! The more ya eat, the less there is to get rid of, right?

tears icon

[hoasen]

[She shakes her head, since it is fine to go along with the music, and his whims, really. He has such great enthusiasm, really! He already is dressed for the part.

She settles down, hand in his and the other on his shoulder--] Ready... [and counts with him quietly. On three! As soon as he starts, she follows. Thankfully, she's had a little practice tonight because of good friends and new ones.

He's actually rather good at this.]

You dance nicely. Have you danced a lot before?

[shoutai]

[...

???

Even though it's been years, Takasugi knew Katsura pretty well. He was used to his antics, and even then, Zura's reaction to his own botched catchphrase leaves him feeling mildly baffled for a moment.

What the fuck, Zura. What the fuck.

Anyway.]

Thanks for the warning. If I'd been thinking of letting you out, I would definitely be reconsidering right now.

[Except... well, he hadn't been thinking of letting him out. But that's beside the point. If only he hadn't sabotaged them...]

[psycholawgy]

[ Archer being able to dance was unexpected, but at the same time, Athena thinks "hey, he's good at a lot of things after all". It only energises her even more.

EPIC DANCING GO. ]