« 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

[impheired]

[What the hell is wrong with you? He's definitely not coming any closer though. Nope. Just not even...fuck that fish. No.]

That's not something to sound so pleased about, dumbass!! [Who planned this party. What is this. Whoever was in charge of the gardens should be fired.]

[hamham]

[Okay, now he's frowning.]

Such a reaction is unnecessary as long as you leave the creature alone.

[impheired]

Trust me, I plan on it. I'm not going anywhere near something that's gonna bite my hand off for standing too close.

[He's already missing an eye, okay? There is no need to go for another missing appendage associated with pirates. He does not need a hook hand or a peg leg.]

[hamham]

[You would look so good on a pirate ship though, Kuzuryuu.]

Likely the best course of action. If you avoid aggravating these creatures any more than they clearly are, there will be no reason to worry.

[He turns back to the pond, a slight frown still in place.]

I have to wonder if they are native to smaller areas such as this, or if they weren't gathered from the bodies of water scattered about...

[Are either of them paying attention to the trees they should probably watch those. Especially with those sneaky tendrils they're using to hug everybody with.]

[impheired]

Fuck if I know. [His tone sort of implies that he doesn't really care either.] Maybe you can check that out some other...

[Hey wait a minute, he just noticed something...]

Tanaka...what are those? [He's staring right at Gundam's gloves and it's probably not hard to guess why he's commenting on them. After all, those are definitely not the gloves they picked out when they went suit shopping a few days ago.]

[That said...no, he is not even remotely paying attention to the trees. Too busy worrying about alien fish and nerdy gloves to even think about something like that.]

1/2

[hamham]

[Hm? He looks back to Kuzuryuu, then down at his gloves for a second before extending a hand in his classmate's direction so that he can admire them! And he is clearly admiring them himself as he does so. The other he uses to gesture with as he speaks.]

They're marvelous is what they are! These gloves, filled in every stitch and every seam with the power of the singularity, are a gift from Hinata! They are a sign of our unbreakable bond and his infinite servitude to me! Truly a splendid gift, fit for a dark ruler such as my--

[hamham]

Hhrk!!

[Well that was an interesting noise. But you can't really blame the guy for making it, because something has the wrist of his gesturing hand and it's only a few moments after that before another something has grabbed his ankle. Are those...part of that nearby tree?? It sure seems like it!

It's with a few tugs that Gundam frowns once again before stumbling forward a little as it tries to pull it in for one of those hugs.]

L-let go! What foul magic is this?!

[You wanna help Kuzuryuu or are you going to laugh? Because right now it seems pretty harmless enough.]

[impheired]

[Oh, a gift from Hinata. Okay, he guesses that makes it okay that he decided to wear something like that instead of the nice gloves they picked out that actually match. Though what's this "infinite servitude" thing? What the hell is--]

[Wait what. Did Gundam just get attacked mid sentence by a tree? Okay, yeah, no he's laughing a little, sorry. Just a little.]

Come on Tanaka. Show it what the Supreme Overlord of Rice is made of.

[Yeah, he heard that introduction earlier. But he wasn't anywhere near the entrance at the time, so...hence why he's just now running into you. He knew it was bound to happen eventually.]

[hamham]

[Good question! What does he mean by that? You'll have to ask later, when he's not battling these tentacle things and giving you this horrible glare. Oh what the fuck you rude little shit.]

Mock if you wish, that was no mistake of mine! I most certainly did not--let go you repulsive creature!

[He's really torn between continuing to yell at Kuzuryuu or continuing to yell at the tree for a minute, but when a third tendril is added and using both arms now to tug on him that changes.]

You cannot--I will not so easily bow to a tree!

[He's trying. He's trying to show this thing what the Overlord of Rice is made of. He's failing miserably though.]

[impheired]

[Okay this is starting to get a little less funny. Poor Gundam might actually get hurt. And since he and Kuzuryuu are sort-of friends now, he guesses he should do something to make sure that doesn't happen.]

[So he moves a little closer, reaching for something on the inside of his jacket.]

Oi, hold still for a second. [Turns out that something was his wakizashi because of course he brought something like that with him to an event like this. Of course.]

[He'll give Gundam about ten seconds to comply with the whole "don't move" thing before slicing through the tentacle around Gundam's right hand. Hopefully this doesn't piss off the tree...can alien trees even get pissed off?? Does this thing have emotion?]

[hamham]

[Thank you sort-of-friend. He nods, doing his best to tug back against the tree and hold still like he's told. He's really not even bothered by the weapon. Kuzuryuu is yakuza after all, like Gundam knows at least enough to expect a yakuza member to bring some form of weapon no matter where they go. He's honestly just grateful he did.

As to whether or not trees can be pissed off, that's a good question! They're capable of hugging, right? So maybe they're capable of getting angry!

Or, if nothing else, more stubborn. Slicing through the one on the right is an overwhelming success in the end, but at the same time as that happens the one on his left is winding its way up to his elbow to give it a firmer grasp.

Gundam is so beyond displeased at this point, yanking more insistently against the tree.]

Does nothing in this place go right?

[Like honestly first the damn amusement park and now this.]

[impheired]

[Well what if he stomps really hard on the one around Gundam's foot? Because that is so low to bend down...though he'll probably end up having to do so anyway. He doesn't weigh very much, after all. That stomp probably didn't do a whole lot... Maybe he should invest in shoes with blades in the soles. You know, like the kinds you see in moves? That would be pretty cool, he thinks. No.]

Apparently not. Here I thought we'd have nothing to worry about since this wasn't put on by CERES...

[Let him just...try and slice through that other one though given how much its wound its way up Gundam's arm, the part that's NOT touching Gundam might be a little too thick for his little blade to cut through. Crap. Okay, new plan for this one: he's just going to stab it repeatedly till it lets go.]

[hamham]

[Those would be pretty cool! Gundam would compliment him on his knife shoes. How useful! Especially in situations like this! Because no, that stomp didn't do squat except upset that branch as well.]

M-Maga-Z! Cham-P! Assist Kuzuryuu in ridding these God forsaken curs!

[Here, they'll run down there and chew on that branch while you work on the one on his arm. How does that sound? Not so bad that he brought them after all, is it?]

[impheired]

[Not so bad after all, it's true. He can't deny that. You go, little hams. You go.]

[Kuzuryuu, meanwhile, will keep hacking away at this other, more stubborn tentacle. Goddamn is it ever tenacious!! He's so focused on it, however, that he utterly fails to notice that the tree behind him seems to want to join in on the fun. It's definitely raising its own tentacles, and in a flash has wrapped one around Kuzuryuu's waist.]

Oof--!! [It must have pulled back a little while doing so, because it sounds like it may have winded the heir a little bit.] Wh-what the fuck!?

[Oh fuck no. No no no no no, bad tree stop that. Hopefully that last stab was enough to get that Gundam's tentacle to leave him alone because now it's Kuzuryuu's turn to start thrashing a little to try and free himself. It's kind of hard to stab at something that's behind you. Especially when you're right handed and also missing your right eye. Because no matter how far he turns his head and torso, he can't see the tentacle behind him. And turning to the left while trying to stab backwards with his right hand is...well it doesn't really work all that well. The angle is all wrong and he's more likely to end up stabbing HIMSELF in the back than he is to get the tentacle.]

[hamham]

[Thankfully it was indeed enough and both of his hands are free now. One of which reaches out to grab a hold of some part of the tree that's around Kuzuryuu's waist. His foot isn't quite free yet, so they're going to have to make do with Gundam just trying to keep him from going anywhere right now, even if it's not taking him anywhere just yet. He knows it's just a damn matter of time...

Once he's free though hand that knife over he'll take a few jabs at it.

In the meantime however, at least he only summoned two of his hamsters to help. San-D and Jum-P have both since noticed quite the commotion going on and are eager to help. They're just going to run down hamdad's arms and start chewing on the tentacle where he's currently grasping.

They've got you, hamfriend.]

[impheired]

[Good call there, Gundam, because that tree is definitely trying to pull Kuzuryuu back closer to it. And he's not very big so even if he's resisting as much as he can, the tree eventually would have succeeded. That said, you might want to use both hands until your foot is free.]

[Thank you hamfriends, too. He's even more thankful now than he was a second ago that Gundam didn't leave you back at his apartment. Even if your teeth are very small and not really doing a whole lot, it's the thought that counts.]

[hamham]

[See, Gundam had a feeling that would be a problem. So using both hands, got it! Don't worry, you aren't going anywhere, Kuzuryuu.

And thankfully it isn't too long before that branch around his ankle finally relents, tired of the abuse those little teeth have been giving it. As those two hams retreat back up his leg Gundam moves around behind his classmate, grabbing on to the tendril from there. Still tugging against it. He will not let you have his tiny sort-of-friend!]

Pass me the blade, Kuzuryuu, and I will free you from this monstrosity!

[Or...hopefully he will. He'll certainly give it a good college try.]

[impheired]

[It's a very real problem when it comes to Kuzuryuu. He could be knocked over by a strong breeze, probably.]

Less talking, more cutting, Tanaka!

[Yeah he wastes absolutely no time in passing the wakizashi over. CUT IT TILL IT'S DEAD, GUNDAM. Or stabbing, since you're probably going to run into the same problem he did earlier with the second tendril. This one is really thick!]

[hamham]

[Yeah, it only takes a few useless cuts for him to realize that and switch tactics. Holy shit these trees are awful. Killer fish he could deal with but this is some bullshit right here.

Maga-Z and Cham-P soon reappear, more than willing to join the other two Devas in giving the poor humans a hand with this. If this branch is as stubborn as the ones that had Gundam, they'll definitely need it.

Kuzuryuu may also hear the sound of the breeder giving a couple persistent tendrils a stomp or two of his own. Maybe feel him pressing more against the one that's currently around his waist like he's trying to inch away from others. Persistent little shits aren't they. Please let go soon tree.]

[impheired]

[These trees are the absolute worst. Who decided to set the ball up right by these trees? WHY.]

[Kuzuryuu might be weaponless now, but that doesn't mean he's just going to stand there and let Gundam do all the work. No, he's going to start pulling at the tendrils around his waist where they aren't being chewed on by hamsters. It's...not really doing much but he's trying. He'll even try digging his nails in, not that they're all that long.]

Dammit!

[At Gundam's stomping, he thinks to look down himself and, sure enough, there are more snaking tendrils everywhere. He's going to try stomping again, though given the utter failure he had last time, he's trying a new tactic: digging his heel in. Thank god he cheats a little with his dress shoes and opts for something with a slight platform.]

[Eventually though, everyone's hard work pays off and the stubborn tentacle releases Kuzuryuu. He's quick to make sure that he grabs Jum-P and San-D though, lest they fall to the ground or get stuck on the tentacle and get dragged away. Either of those things would be terrible. He pulls them in close to his chest, though they're more than welcome to scurry into his suit if they want. Given the circumstances, he'll let the fact that it's a really nice suit slide.]

[They really probably should run for it now though.]

[hamham]

[Whoever was in charge of location should be fired. And punished because this really is literally the worst thing. This is the worst ball, Gundam is beyond fed up with parties at this point, never going to another one again to be quite honest.

But alright, you do your thing Kuzuryuu. Especially taking care of those sneaky tentacles along the ground, because Gundam can't take all of those on himself. Once he's finally free though, the other two hamsters are snatched up by him, returned to his scarf as he turns on his heels. Because yeah, running. That's a damn good idea right now and if Kuzuryuu doesn't move first he's going to have a hand at his back pushing him forward. Sorry about that, but really those things are still coming and he's not getting caught again.

San-D and Jum-P gladly take refuge in his suit, both ducking into his right sleeve and making their way up to his shoulder, though they remain in the jacket once they reach it.]

[impheired]

[No but you have to come to Hinata's party, Gundam. You have to. Kuzuryuu will take you out weapons shopping after this is over or something. They'll be better prepared for the next one. Because he's thinking he needs to purchase a gun after this. Or two. He's positive that shooting the tree would have been much easier than this.]

[He doesn't even mind the slight shove to his back, because if Gundam's doing something like that, it means that he didn't get re-ensnared or something.] This way! [Making a beeline back to the dance floor, tbh. He's not really one for retreating but, you know...he would also rather not get molested by a damn tree.]

[Once they make it back, he'll all but fall into a chair at the nearest table, still a little sweaty and pale-faced from the harrowing encounter.]

What the fuck were they thinking!? Setting this up near something like that!?!

[hamham]

[Well of course. It's Hinata. They don't even have to consider that a party and, in the end, it'd probably be best if they didn't anyway. If they just think of it as...a social gathering or just hanging out, less will go wrong, right? Right. But alright, something like that sounds pretty reassuring and promising, because he didn't even have anything that could help. If he'd been there alone, well...as powerful as the Devas are, they could only do so much...and there were so many branches...

Gundam doesn't even hesitate to follow, the idea of returning to the ball proper sounding more and more appealing as they approach it. And when Kuzuryuu finds a chair to plop down in, he follows suit. Excuse him for a moment, he's just going to cross his arms on the table and rest his head against them and try to catch his breath. Still clutching that wakizashi too.]

To think they would consider this a fine area for a social gathering of this scale...

[impheired]

[Oh thank you for that. He would have been kind of upset if you'd dropped that. It's all he has weapon-wise at the moment.]

Ugh... Fucking idiots.

[As he starts to calm down a little and catch his breath, he's gonna try and coax his furry little protectors that are presumably still hiding inside his suit. Look, Gundam, he remembered the tapping trick! Or if your head's still down on the table, maybe you can just hear the light, yet firm tap of three fingers on fabric.]

[hamham]

[You're welcome. Thankfully he had a feeling you'd want that back, though he hasn't quite let go of it. It's nice having something to just kind of hold on to.]

The fish were not so bad...it is only natural for native fauna to become aggressive with those who are alien to them...but for the flora to do such a thing as well is unheard of.

[Like. Christ. Trees aren't supposed to move.

...................are they some form of alien animal too maybe...........?

His head is indeed still on the table, though when he hears that tapping he pulls it out of his arms, resting his chin on them instead. Just gonna watch as those two hams both peek their heads out of his jacket at the same time to investigate the tapping. Maybe smile juuuust a little because look at his hamsters they're pretty cute, peering up at Kuzuryuu all curiously like that. It's amazing how his Devas just make everything better.]