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« 014 ⇢ EVENT014.EXE »

Who: Cerealia natives & you
When: ooc: 05/21-05/23; ic: 01/08
Where: A local photography studio
What: Intro log
Rating/Warning: PG-13 | possibly nsfw (please let us know if you need this rating changed, or you are welcome to continue any naughty shenanigans in a private log)

//event013.EXE

WE'RE YOUR BIGGEST FANS WE'LL FOLLOW YOU UNTIL YOU LOVE US

(L̻̣̖̯̰ͣ̒̓̆̃̈́̈͜͞O̱̞̞̝̤͋̆ͭV̵̨̖̘͉͖̤͇̞̺ͫ̾̇̚͝Ę͐̇̓ͪͨ̇͠͏̰̼͍͍̪̙̰͍̪ ̸̫̆ͨͨ̕͝Ȕ̘̼ͬ͋ͮ̂͋Ś̑̒͗҉̧̤͚ ̪̯̰̮̘̔ͬ͂ͫͫ́͝L̠͍͔̯͔͈͆̄̉ͤ͢͝ͅO̳̰͔͙̱̹̦͌̓V͍̗͖̙̬̰ͫ̆̆ͤ́E̡̤̤̟̩̟̅̃͢ͅ ̦̙̲̮͖͙͓̄ͩͥ̇̎̈ͫ́̀͢U̶͚͔ͯ͌͘S̡̛͈̺̹̯͎̓̐̄̿͝ ̷̌̑ͮ̒̂̓҉̰̦͕͓̝L̤͍͍̝̯̙̈̓ͮͬͧ͡͠Ô̢̲̗̻̱̜͔̺̗̦ͩ̒͊̄̌̒͊V͎̬̺͇͖̮̻̚͜Ĕ̱̺͓̩̯̫ͅ ̖̫͙̞̜͇͖̹͗̿ͨͧ̄͑̕͝U͎͔̼̒̂́̽͑͆ͨͯ͟ͅS̢͔̳ͣ̊̃̇ͣ̐̀͞ͅ ̲̣̳̾ͩ͑ͦ̈́ͩ̉͗̕͞L̗̩̰͈̜͔͍͈̓͢O̫͈̝̭̠͈͕̻̎̏ͣ̚͘͠V̸͔̲̻͚̭͂͆̎̈ͨ̐̏̑́͢È̪̖̟̞̗͎̰̻̱̈́ͩ͂ͩ̓ͩ ̵͎̘̺̋̐̉ͦ͂ͧ̐ͬU͇̫̪̬ͣ͢S̰͓͂̿͂͗̐̓ ̶͌̇̂͗ͧ̓҉̤͎̫͈L̺̦͓̏̏͌͢O̷̗̥̭ͣ̐ͯ̚͢Vͮ͌ͦ͏͇̖̗̟͈E̱͉̥̋ͥ̏ͣ͘ ̧͙ͧ̃̒̓͘͠U̘̺͎͌̊͡S̸̛͇̠̭̹̞̘ͨ̓ͧ̌͋̍̊ ̬̭͋͐͗̈͒̅L̡̢̗̙͈̲͉̼̳̆͛O̶̵̗̼̺͓ͮ̓̉̕V̢͒ͫ̌͛ͣͣ̀̕҉̟̖̹̤̞ͅE̵̘͈͋ͣ̈̋ ̧̛̙͛́͂ͣ̀̍ͫỤ̧̩̞͉̰̠̉͒̓̓̓̊͟͟S̵̠͕͍̼̠̺͔ͣ͛͂̒͛͌ L̡͑̀͟͏̪͎̲͖͉̖̣ͅỌ̸͙̅̂̔ͥͭ͌̾͟͟V̝ͫ̽̂̐ͬͥͭ͒̌Ẻ̷̇ͨ̇͛̒́̿҉͓̤ ̹̺̫͇̠̰̐ͤ͋̃̉͝Ȕ̻̪̪̰̰͙͆̈̐S̷̫̻̗̜͔̜̲͆͒̓͛ͬ)

CERES itself has been notably quiet lately as they run their usual code recovery protocols, but the colony locals, who totally ripped off the company's name to put on CERESCON, are more than willing to step up their game. They've got something great planned for old friends, newbies who attended the convention, and even newer arrivals who only experienced the usual arrival: a massive group photoshoot with the intention of creating photobooks, calendars, and various other merchandise that can be sold. After all, regardless of what the you all think of CERES and vice versa, the locals love you guys! ...maybe a little too much.

The newest arrivals will be ushered onto a bus shortly after emerging from their powerpoint presentation and driven around the city so that they can see the sights and be joined by those who have been in the colony for longer (and those who just arrived but are retaining test drive memories). The bus will make stops at various residences and places of employment in the effort to round up as many people as possible, and they will use any means necessary to get you to join in on the fun, from bribery (did they mention that you'll get a free lunch before the shoot, a free dinner after the shoot, and royalties from the sale of merchandise your face appears on?!) to outright kidnapping for the more stubborn. If you really don't want to take part, escape is possible, but expect to be tailed by amateur photographers trying to snap candid photos of you for the rest of the day.

Upon arriving, everyone taking part will be treated to a delicious buffet-style lunch! Nothing too heavy, because they don't want anyone getting sick during the shoot, but they'll certainly make sure you're comfortable. This is a good chance to mingle with the new arrivals and meet people who have been in the colony that you haven't yet crossed paths with yet, so why not take a day off from work and have some fun? After all... CERES has nothing to do with this... right? What's the worst that could happen?

"LOOK THIS WAY, MY PRETTY!
AH YES, THAT'S YOUR GOOD SIDE...
AGAIN, AGAIN! HOLD THAT POSE... GOTCHA!
YOU'RE REALLY MAKING MY BLOOD RUSH NOW, NYA!
NOW LOOK RIIIIGHT INTO MY CAMERA...
JUST A LIIIIITLE MORE...
Ȧ͊͗̿Ṋ̪͍̲ͮͤ̔̎D̜̻͕̼ ̍͂͂͋̊̚N̴̙̯̦͆̏̐͊ͯ́̓O̸̗̫̎W̗̲̰ͮ̇̏͛ͮ͑́ ̯̩̜̰̯̿́̅̂͌ͤ̉ͅY̶͍̜̤̎ͮO̫̺̫̬͍̹͘U͏̮̦̘̩̻̠̻'̬̹́͒R̬̩̙̻̙͚̳͟Ě̞̬̬ͩͧͯ̂̈́̚ ̫̞̺͆ͥM̛̌͑I̩̺̲̗̤̍̚ṈͭͅE͚̣͎
THIS IS A GREAT SHOT!
YOU'RE SENDING SHIVERS DOWN MY SPINE!
I'LL NEVER LET THIS PICTURE GO..."

//SCENARIOS.EXE

PHASE I

[ xxxx ] So you've all just been dropped off at the venue and now it's time to get some food in you. After all, as any of Cerealia's professional models will be able to tell you, standing under the lights and looking pretty is a whole lot harder than it looks! You're definitely going to want to keep your strength up. But don't worry about paying, because this meal is on the house. Eat as much as you like. It's buffet-style, and anything that runs low will be refilled by friendly robots in a timely fashion.
Also on the house is treatment from the colony's various appearance professionals. Makeup artists and hairdressers will have their time to shine as they primp and polish 'til you glow with pride, and representatives from various boutiques and clothing stores, as well as professional fashion designers, will be on hand to ensure that you look your best!
Don't be surprised if, while you're waiting to get started, a dark-clad figure in a hood sidles up to you and dumps a letter or two in your lap! These are letters from your adoring public (yes, even the new arrivals have quite a devoted fanbase), and they range from cute to creepy. ...how did that messenger even get in, anyway? Maybe the way they seem to melt into the crowd and disappear when you blink has something to do with it.

PHASE II

[ xxxx ] Now it's time to get down to business! Business, of course, being getting your picture taken by these overly-enthusiastic photographers. ...do some of them look like cats? That's got to be your imagination. Blink and they'll look normal, promise.
The photographers are interested in catching as many shots of the various visitors to the colony as they can possibly get, so don't be surprised if they pair you up with people you don't even know just because they think you look cute together. The poses they'll put you in will range from normal to outright risqué, so here's hoping you and your new buddy don't feel awkward together!
Midway through the shoot, one of the volunteers will run into the room very excitedly, wheeling a cart full of animal carriers behind him. Some of the things he's brought along are harmless CYBuddies, because what photoshoot isn't made cuter by including adorable animals, but some of the others are... let's just say CERES probably won't be too happy once they hear that someone's brought alien life forms into the colony. In all fairness, some of them are actually quite cute, like the aquatic creature that manages to float itself around in a sphere of water and the multi-tailed fox with glowing purple eyes, as well as the... Well, no one's really sure what this thing is, not even the person who brought it, but it's cute enough. Others, on the other hand, are just entirely bizarre, but to each their own.
Feel free to chat up the others while you're waiting for your turn, to play with the animals, or to try and escape. Those who try and duck out the back will eventually be tracked down by a volunteer or a robot that will try to either bribe or kidnap them into continuing with the shoot, though! Maybe you and a friend can team up to figure out a way past them? Or you could just be on good behavior and let them take your picture.
...a word of caution, however. No matter how often the photographers urge you to do so, do not look directly into the camera. Characters who do will be rendered unconscious (those with spiritual sensitivity will actually be able to tell that they've been rendered soulless, though characters that already lack souls to begin with will still be rendered unconscious) for five minutes in the first instance and five minutes plus one minute for every instance thereafter (six minutes for a second time, seven for a third, and so on). Should they reach the point where they would be knocked out for a period of ten minutes, the photographer will try to leave the building. You will want to stop them. If you don't, your character will remain unconscious until the dawn of the next day and will be transported to the CERES medical center. If other characters manage to keep the photographer from leaving, your character will wake up after ten minutes as normal. Feel free to NPC these encounters yourselves if it comes to it; the mods will not be doing so. It's up to you whether the photographer escapes or not.

PHASE III

[ xxxx ] Uuuuuuh-oh. Whoever thought it was a great idea to bring in all those alien creatures is probably going to get fired, because one thing has led to another and now they're on the loose. What's more, those of them that can do so have taken on decidedly more threatening appearances, and more than a few of them seem to be out for blood.
In the chaos brought on by their outbreak, a second wave of photographers will make their way into the building. They're more aggressive in their attempts to have the characters look right at them when they take their pictures, and will absolutely try and gang up on them to hold them down and turn their heads to force them into having their pictures taken over and over again. These shots will have the same effect as being directly photographed during the photoshoot, but fighting back against them is okay - in fact, the volunteers and photographers who organized the shoot will actually do their best to help you fight the paparazzi off. This sort of aggression is not condoned by the locals who love you, after all. Should your character be rendered unconscious for ten minutes, anyone who attempts to stop the paparazzi from absconding with their soul will be assisted by the official volunteers for the photoshoot.
...of course, if your character is managing to hold their own, they'll just hang back and photograph the fight. Why waste a good opportunity for candid shots? After all, you're the people who are going to be restoring your own worlds and subsequently protecting theirs from the Flamines! Why wouldn't they want to document it every step of the way?

PHASE IV

[ xxxx ] The paparazzi has been successfully expelled, the photoshoot has been finished up, and as if by magic (okay, no, it's just technology), they've actually managed to produce the prototypes for the various merchandise that will be sold around the colony. Isn't that exciting? You've all done a great thing here today, the volunteers will tell you. Now just sit back, relax, and let them make up for all the trouble.
Admire the calendars, books, and prints you're all appearing in! Or, you know, you can also wonder why ghostly images of people who aren't even there are showing up in some of the pictures you've taken. If you took a picture with just one other person, you might see a third person there, posed perfectly to go along with you! It's almost like the photographers were able to see them all along, but that's not possible, right? They won't always be there, either. You can see it and someone else can see it, but if you look away for too long and then look back, the picture will look just the way it should have based on how you took it. Huh. Weird.
Anyway, enjoy the lavish banquet the volunteers have prepared to thank you for all your hard work! You've done a fantastic job and they really want to express their gratitude. If there's any particular food you like, chances are it will be there. (Don't ask how they knew what you like.) While you're eating, another black-clad messenger might appear and give you even more fanmail than you might have received before the shoot - apparently people have been watching, and this has really boosted your popularity! You're developing quite the fanbase. The dinner crowd's fanmail definitely ranges more along the "creepy" side of things, though some of the notes actually will be cute and innocent expressions of admiration.
The security has been stepped up considerably for the meal, so the paparazzi won't be able to get in (though you can certainly hear them trying). At the end of the night, the volunteers will offer to escort you home, and should you take them up on their offer you'll make it home safely and be unbothered by the paparazzi at your place of residence. Try and go home alone, though, and the paparazzi will stalk you until sunrise, even going so far as to try to break into your room.

BONUS

[ whyo'clock ] It seems like your devoted fanbase has gotten a little out of hand! At any point during the log - even during the chaos surrounding the animal outbreak and paparazzi attack - you might just be approached by a robot. A robot that loves you so much, it's going to take you away from all of this. This robot will wax poetic about its undying love for you and how it's going to make sure that the two of you can be together forever and no one will ever be able to take you away from them.
It will then proceed to do its best to kidnap you. Maybe there's some kind of a glitch in its program, because it's not gentle about it at all! And if you try and escape, it'll definitely get violent. Try to run away and it might just have to break your legs so you can never leave it behind. Try and fight it off, and it'll do its best to incapacitate you so it can drag you off, put you on display, and take super good care of you.
These robots are incredibly sturdy, but the more technologically-inclined may be able to reprogram them into being less creepy and more helpful if they can get to the control panel on its back. Fight hard enough, or avoid it for long enough, and eventually its battery will wear down and you'll be safe. If you can't fight or run, you'd better hope someone who can will come along and help you...!

[ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with trigger-y 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 latest intro post For your convenience, we have compiled a post detailing everyone's usual arrival experience and feel free to consult the FAQ if needed. Please leave any lingering questions right here, and we'll answer them as soon as we can.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ He moves so he can cover her backside; she's been holding up okay, but with more and more aliens coming at them, she might not be able to keep it up for long by herself. She really shouldn't be throwing too many things though because, as she said, she'll run out. He's got alien goo on himself too but he's too busy trying to fight them off to really pay attention to it.

A quick turn to his left, and he spots a lamp nearby that she could grab onto. ]

Grab that lamp over there! Use it like a sword and swing it around!

[ He shifts a little so he can clear a path for her. That's two aliens down; the way's clear for now, so there's her chance! ]

Right!

[ Athena is quick to move, and dashes for that lamp. Luckily, she's had some training sessions with Archer, and she's learned how to fight with a lance. Swinging the lamp around isn't such a big deal for her, nor is the weight of it difficult for her to lift. ]

I can't believe—[ There goes another alien flying through the air as she bats it away. ]—this is happening again! [ And another. ] We're only just recovering from what happened during Christmas!

[ Atta girl. Hak continues to cut through them almost effortlessly, and it's not the aliens that are giving him a hard time, rather the sheer number of them that are coming at them. When will it end? ]

It's expected of this place. They'll throw anything at us when they get the chance.

[ That event was pretty hard on everyone; it irritates him, how little of a break they get in between mishaps. ]

[ Expected of this place, huh? Athena surely wasn't expecting it, but maybe she was just being complacent? She was easily trusting, that was one thing she was aware of. Maybe she should be more like Hak. ]

You're actually right! [ Ugh, that was so painful to admit... Athena hated not being right. And she swats another fish... alien thing away. The coast seems to be clear for now, though. Or at the very least, there's just some creepy crawlies there on the floor, but that can easily be taken care of. (Hak, do it. Athena doesn't want to dirty her shoes. She looks too fancy for this right now.) ]

I hope nothing bad happened to you then.

[ He'd tell her that, not to get complacent. But she might have already realized it. Hak can be keen sometimes, and, well, he's noticed that there are a lot of things that are wrong with this place. Cerealia isn't entirely here to keep them safe.

That much he can be sure of. ]

A few friends and I went around rescuing others. I ended up in the campsite after getting separated from them. [ A pause. ] We're all okay.

[ He somehow manages to say this while stepping on those squishy things--girls don't like bugs, do they...--and he turns to look at her while there's still a chance. ] Where'd you learn to fight from?

[ Girls don't like bugs... this particular girl doesn't like killing bugs, or anyone. Or anything.

When she thinks it's over—and it is, as the photographers and other organisers are now trying to tidy up the mess—she puts the lamp back down and dusts herself off. This is all so gross now. A bath would be nice. Maybe once she's gotten the photos she took. ]

I learned self-defense while I was in Europe. Archer's been teaching me how to fight with a lance so I can get better at ViViD. [ Her priorities... ]

Something bad happened to me a few weeks back. I was in that campsite, too. I wish I could have helped fight then. [ Ha! They barely know each other, so Athena finds it easy to open up to him. ] But I couldn't. I probably would have been a huge inconvenience if I tried to help in fighting.

[ Thank goodness it's over. Leave the rest of the clean up to those guys, he thinks, before he starts to wipe goo off of himself. A bath does sound pretty nice, but he's gone for long periods of time without one.

He's never heard of Europe before, but it's probably somewhere in the 'modern' world, as he likes to call it. He can admire that she's working hard on fighting; he thinks she's still very much a rookie, but at least she can defend herself. ] Those lessons will come in handy. You never know what this place is going to do next.

Were you injured? [ Hak can be a good listener when he wants to be! And Athena hasn't rubbed him the wrong way, so he'll lend an ear this time. ]

[ Some photographers run to where they are to catch the triumphant moment of both Athena and Hak - legendary heroes! Athena shyly waves at the camera, not really in the mood to strike a pose or anything. There's something more important than taking pictures, after all. It's conversation. ]

I got hit by a car. [ She laughs amiably at that. It's not that she finds it funny, but rather, it feels like an embarrassing thing to admit out loud. ] But I'm fine now, sort of. If nobody had found me then, I think I would have died.

[ Hit by a car? Hak actually knows what a car is and...that's... ]

Luckily someone found you. [ He'd live through it--he thinks so--but that's because he's pretty much superhuman. Her on the other hand, well, a part of him is glad that she's okay. ]

There were a lot of those that day. Made it a lot harder to find people who needed help.

[ Hak knows what a car is, but not Europe. Smh...

She nods and places a fist on her chest, remembering the incident. ] I really was lucky. [ The people who helped her were people whom she's never even met before, with the exception of one person. They're really good people for helping a stranger out. ]

And I'm glad that's over now.

[ And hey! On the bright side, this doesn't seem so dark and gloomy. They're just... tiny (tinier, anyway) monsters who want to kill you! ]

[ BET ATHENA DOESN'T KNOW WHAT KOUKA IS.....

Hak makes an annoyed face but it's towards the photographers who keep on following them. He doesn't mind talking to her, but they're seriously getting in the way. If it gets out of hand, he'll get both of them out of here. ]

Is this the only method of self-defense you're working on? You don't have any powers, do you?

[ Most of his group's got them, but Hak's living proof that even humans can be on par with supernaturals. ]

[ Ah, there's that question again. Delita asked her that, and she felt useless while talking to him. She doesn't stand much of a chance against creatures similar to the elves, and she's fully aware of it. She wants to bring her world back, but she's so powerless against the Flamines. ]

No, I don't. [ She shakes her head, and her tone is disappointed. ] Not the kind of powers you mean, anyway.

[ Or at least, she thinks he's thinking of abilities like making fire appear out of nowhere, or being able to teleport. That kind of stuff. ]

My hearing is special, though. I guess you could consider it a power. [ Deep breath!! ] I can hear people's emotions, and I know when there's a discord in someone's heart.

[ It's helpful in court and all, but she isn't 100% sure how good it is in this kind of situation. She looks at Hak expectantly. Maybe he'll be pleased, and she wouldn't have to feel so useless?!?!?!? ]

[ Well, that's one kind of superpower. It might not be something to use in combat, but it's something. ]

You don't look too happy about it.

[ He still has his same default expression on, but there is a bit of curiosity in his voice. Hak didn't mean to make her feel bad or anything; he wanted to know because, well, he's a swordsman himself. If she ever needed help and she asked him, he wouldn't refuse her. ]

It's not a bad power to have. It'll be especially useful for investigating this place.

[ He's definitely not disappointed, that's for sure!!! ]

[ !!! No reaction is better than a reaction in this situation. And Athena's genuinely surprised that Hak's saying it's not a bad power to have. That reassures her that everything will be okay, and she couldn't be happier. ]

I'm happy, I'm happy! [ She smiles weakly at that, but she is proud of her ability! ] I— The last time I talked about it, somebody just told me that it wasn't so helpful in fighting, that's all.

[ Then there was also somebody who called her worthless, and she might be talking a lot about herself right now, but that's one thing she'll never tell anybody. ]

I actually need to get inside CERES and do some investigating, but I'm not sure where to begin.

...Is it?

[ WOW way to have tact Hak. He doesn't see how it is tbh but it doesn't mean it's useless. Maybe it could come in handy for someone else? She could sense when an enemy's vulnerable enough for an attack or something. He's not sure. ]

Either way, it's a pretty unique power to have. Might be able to help you tell when someone's lying or something like that.

[ As for the investigating, he's not entirely sure where to begin, either. But he's gotten some leads from someone--what was that guy's name with the glasses and the weird yellow thing? ]

There are a lot of things that are really off about this place. Some of the buildings are kind of strange, for instance.

[ Is it? Definitely not. But she doesn't find offense in Hak's statement when he mentions that it could help with liars. ]

That's what I do all the time. [ She puts a hand to her ear, cupping it. ] Since I'm a lawyer, it's my job to search for the truth. My hearing helps with it.

... What do you mean about the buildings, though? [ She doesn't think they're strange. Or maybe she just hasn't seen enough. ]

[ Ah, right. He actually had to look up what a lawyer was after getting her card. Makes sense though. At least her powers come in handy for that. ]

It would be good for interrogating. Problem is that apparently, robots don't have emotions. [ Assuming that most of the people running this place are robots, anyway. ]

I ran into this strange guy a while back. He was looking at the buildings and said that he wasn't able to get readings on some of them. It was as if they didn't actually exist.

[ Hak, she will fight you. ]

Robots have emotions! Some of them, at least!

[ Robots with emotions is a bit of a touchy subject for her since her mom worked on those, and she has mommy issues, but she grew up with these robots and treats them like family. For somebody to disregard their existence in that way is just downright mean. ]

[ Whoa, what was that reaction... ]

You don't have to raise your voice at me...

[ Hak's honestly never encountered a robot before until he got here. But he's heard before that they don't feel anything, don't live like humans do. ]

Alright, so which ones have emotions?

[ ... well, now that she has to show evidence, she feels slightly threatened. ]

If you look for a woman named Aura Blackquill, she'll tell you. [ ... ] But if you do, don't tell her that I told you about her!

[ Aura already hates her enough... Athena doesn't want to give her more reason to dislike her. ]

[ Well that's not. Shady at all. ]

She's someone you know from back home?

[ Hm. If such a person exists here, he might want to bend his ears for that. It could come in handy. Really, anything that they can get on CERES will be a big help. ]

Ha ha... [ Just talking about Aura makes her nervous!! ] Yes, she's someone I know from back home. Sort of.

[ It's so awkward, she may as well tell Hak!! ] She was my mother's co-worker, but we aren't close.

[ Or on friendly terms. ]

[ Yeah, she doesn't seem to comfortable talking about it. He raises an eyebrow at her, but he's not interested in prying too much. ]

Then I have a question for you. Have you been able to read the emotions of any of the robots here?

[ Changing the subject a little, but maybe she'll be thankful for it? ]

I've only talked to some of the ones here...

[ She thinks about this, poking at her earring with a finger. ]

The ones who work with the police are always angry. And the old lady who gives me bread when I go jogging in the morning has a wide range of emotions.

... I think she's a robot, anyway.

[ He looks at her contemplatively. The robots here have emotions? How does that work? ]

They've been... [ oh what's the word-- ] programmed to have emotions.

Unless they're actually human themselves.

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