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[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

[niceguypose]

Er... S-sorry! I'll help you right away, Rin-san, I swear!! [It's the least he can do after that touching present!

So he ninja-jumps up towards the vine and tries cutting at it with his kunai!]

[codere]

[ Success! Congratulations on being one of the few smart enough to bring a knife to a vine fight. A shame she's a bit too tangled up in her dress to land properly, but she does turn her body to shield her head from the impact. ]

Thanks Lee.

I wasn't aware the plants here... were sentient? I think? I tried talking to it, but that didn't help matters any.

[niceguypose]

[For once, he thought to actually employ something other than punching it... He does try to leap down to the ground as quickly as possible to try to help her.]

It was the least I could do! I was not aware that there were plants like this either... are you alright, Rin-san?

[codere]

Yeah, I'm fine. I'm used to getting roughed up.

[ What an ominous thing to confess out in the middle of nowhere. She'll be reaching up along her leg to pull out her CereVice though to confirm it's not damaged in any way. ]

I came out here to get away from everyone... who would have thought Miss Natalia would employ this kind of trickery to keep people at the ball?

[niceguypose]

[That is a little ominous, although the full effect is lost on this guy, who throws himself into hopeless fights all the time.]

I- I'm glad that you're alright... Ah, but this can't be Natalia-san's doing! She's too kind!

[codere]

Yes, but if you went through all the hard work to have a party like this wouldn't you be upset if people tried to stay away from it? It's only natural that she would do something to the trees to make them react this way.

[ Sighing. ] Though I really shouldn't shift the blame onto someone else. It's my fault for being out here.

[niceguypose]

I suppose that it would be upsetting, but... she would still never do such a thing! This situation... It's neither of your faults!

But... I am glad that you did not leave yet. I wanted to- to thank you, Rin-san!

[codere]

Wha-? If it's because Archer helped out with the food, you should be thanking him instead of me. I'm not his caretaker despite whatever rumors may say.

[ She didn't even force him into it this time. ]

[niceguypose]

Not because of that, but the food was quite lovely! The real reason is...

It's because of your secret Santahood!

[codere]

Yeah? Everyone had a Secret Santa.

Weren't the gifts already all delivered? I received a bunch of junk food with a note that I should be careful or else my teeth will fall out. So rude.

[niceguypose]

That... that is right! Or so I thought...

But tonight, there was that beautiful performance! It touched my heart and my soul. And... I heard that it was you who organized it, Rin-san!

[codere]

Ehh? Who would say something like that?!

[ Someone was going to die tonight for spilling it... even though since it was over with, it wasn't as if she told people to keep it a secret. ]

I was a part of the crowd, but really! It was everyone!

[niceguypose]

Celty-san told me! [And a betting pool could probably be made by how much of the participants could also slip up.]

Please, there's no need to hide your act of kindness! Embrace the good that you've done, Rin-san!!

[codere]

Celty... told you? [ Can she even talk? Rin's not sure.

That was someone Saber messaged......................... ]

This is what I get for trying to include so many people. Once you tell a secret to more than one person, it's impossible to track where the leak is.

[niceguypose]

She did! In fact, she made her device speak for her! [He assumed it was an ability.]

Rin-san... You involved so many people, just for my sake?!

[codere]

Maybe I did it for the attention as well.

[ Must maintain poor reputation!! ]

[niceguypose]

Perhaps... but I am sure that was not your only motivation! In the end, you made me feel happy, and that is why I will treasure this friendship!

[codere]

You think the best of people no matter what they say, huh? [ There's no helping it. Rin just has to smile a bit more at this. ]

Someone like you... I wish there had been people like you in my world. Then maybe it wouldn't have ended up such a piece of shit.

[niceguypose]

I try my best to believe and have faith.

[Then he looks down for a moment as he tries to consider how bad her world must be.]

And I am sorry to hear that. I wish that you could live in a truly peaceful place, Rin-san!! But... even my own world, until recently, was filled with much suffering.

[codere]

I know. [ Not from him, of course. ]

Uzumaki told me.

I confided a little in him and in return, I found out that we're fairly similar. At our age, we should be visiting arcades and trying to ditch school... not fighting in a war. It's terrible.

[niceguypose]

Naruto-kun... [He closes his eyes softly and balls his fists.]

You are right, Rin-san. I have tried very hard to uphold my duty, but this is not the ideal way to spend one's youth! As selfish as it is... I do wish I could have experienced more by now. Such as... dances like this one! [He nudges back towards the ball.]

So I like to be thankful for every kindness I receive!

[codere]

Does that mean you're having a lot of fun here? You should have twice as much to make up for the shortcomings in your life.

[ It's not a request, it's a demand. Enjoy. ] I didn't expect this colony to be as laid back as it is admittedly. There's arcades and plenty of junk food as well as a number of sex shops.

[niceguypose]

I am!! In fact, I'm aiming to have three... no, five times as much fun, Rin-san! And I put the same challenge on you! [He points dramatically.

He does listen to the rest of what she says too, looking flustered/averting his eyes at the mention of sex shops.]

Ah, that is an interesting point, however. It makes sense if what CERES says is true, that they would want us to feel comfortable now that we are saved. But I am left feeling unsure about how we are supposed to deal with those Flam-Men!!

[codere]

[ Why? It's impossible for her to have fun in a crowd, but everyone keeps insisting on it. ]

Don't you think if they knew of a way for us to fight them, they would tell us?

... or do you suspect otherwise? It'd be odd if someone like you, who sees the good in everyone, had suspicions about CERES.

[niceguypose]

I do not suspect them, no! If they held anything back, it could also be for our own good, couldn't it? [Like... the things that his ninja superiors tend to hide...]

But, I still do believe!