« 014 ⇢ EVENT014.EXE »

[reparator]

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.

Comments

[fortheprincess]

Well, you're talking to someone who's never even heard of robots until this place.

[ He's not really familiar with the whole concept of robots. Just that people say they aren't human, and they can't feel. He can admit that he was wrong because it wasn't something he was sure about to begin with. ]

Can you tell if they're lying?

[psycholawgy]

Most of the time, yes.

[ There's the case of people hiding their emotions, which results to them not showing any fluctuation in their psychological make-up. Thankfully (or luckily?), the robots in Cerealia aren't like that. Their emotions are very direct, so if they're hiding something, it's easy for her to tell. ]

[fortheprincess]

Ah.

[ What an interesting power she has. It'll definitely come in handy once they get deeper into figuring things out. He can usually get to the source of weird phenomena pretty quickly, but this place? Not really. There are too many things going on for him to really piece things together. ]

You'd better stay safe, then. We're going to need you around.

[ And not just for her power, dare he say it: she's pretty cool to be around. It would be a shame if she left. ]

[psycholawgy]

[ THAT'S ONE OF THE NICEST THINGS EVER— Wait. ]

That's one of the nicest things someone has ever said to me!

[ And she starts sobbing. Since her emotions are 99% out in the open, they're usually out of control. In a span of a second, she can start tearing up, and the next, she'll be beaming brightly as if nothing bad ever happened. Her tears are of joy, though. THAT WAS REALLY SWEET, HAK. And it really makes her feel a lot better, considering she's been feeling rather useless lately. ]

[fortheprincess]

[ WHOA WHOA WHAT WHY IS SHE CRYING WHAT oh goodness the only girl he knows how to deal with when crying is Yona but. There's some paparazzi again asking Hak what he did to make Athena cry, but he ignores them and just. What do???

He puts her hands on her shoulders with the same stunned expression on his face. ]

O-Oi! What's--What's gotten into you?

[ It. Hasn't hit him yet that she's crying because she's happy??? And that Hak did a good thing??? What ]

[psycholawgy]

[ She looks at Hak with tears falling down her face. It looks like she's absolutely mortified with how much of a mess her face is, but she's actually very, very happy! In fact, her necklace is lit up and you can see it's smiling brightly! Look at that ◠◡◠ face. ]

I'm just really happy! [ SNIFF. ] I'm sorry, I couldn't control myself.

[fortheprincess]

[ She does look mortified! And it's not until he notices her necklace is making that face, and when she talks, that he realizes that she may just be that happy after all.

He scoffs a little to himself. Girls are strange, he thinks, but it's alright. At least he didn't offend her. ]


Happy...?

[ He's not sure what else to say, maybe...let her catch her breath?? ]

[psycholawgy]

[ It's tough when you're on your own emotional rollercoaster, Hak. It's rull tough. Athena does wipe the tears off her face, and pulls out a handkerchief from her pocket to blow her nose. What a mess... ]

It just feels nice to be told you're useful, you know?!

[fortheprincess]

[ He opens his mouth to say something, until a bunch of photographers start swarming around them again. They look eager to talk to Athena, ask her why she's crying and what's been going on in her backstory, but Hak simply scowls and pulls out his spear. STAY BACK, PEOPLE. ]

Let's find somewhere else to talk about this.

[psycholawgy]

[ HAK WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO SCARY, THOUGH ]

Huh? Where should we go?

[ She may as well just stay quiet and follow Hak, before the paparazzi decide to make a big commotion out of it. ]

[fortheprincess]

...Not sure.

[ This is getting ridiculous. Even as he points his spear at the paparazzi, they don't stop taking photos and asking questions. They back off, certainly, but they don't seem to plan on leaving them alone anytime soon.

It's why Hak picks up Athena and slings her over his shoulder when he sees an opening to make a run for it??? And he pretty much takes off, spear in his other hand, looking for a way to lose track of them. ]

[psycholawgy]

Woah!

[ !?!??!?!

Athena wishes she knew what was going on, but instead, she becomes more confused by the second. The people around them start cheering and yelling, taking more pictures as Hak starts moving. Only some try to follow them. At least that's better than having an entire crowd stalk them. ]

[fortheprincess]

[ Nope nope nope he's gonna outrun you guys!!! At least he hopes so. There's still a few following him, even as he turns corners--but then there's an alleyway to his immediate left and he swerves. He can hear the footsteps of the photographers nearby, but he backs into a corner where they can't see him. Instinctively, he places his hand over Athena's mouth to make sure she stays quiet.

Sure enough, they stop at the hallway and send some of them down it, past the two of them.

When it's safe, he finally puts her down and looks around nonchalantly. ]

Looks like we've finally lost them.

[psycholawgy]

[ There's a million things she could say right now. She's relieved that nobody seems to be following them anymore, and she's thankful that Hak is quick on his feet. If she had to deal with those photographers herself, they would all be unconscious by now. He saw how she swung that lamp around. She'd hit those guys (and girls???) with her full strength just to keep them away if they continued annoying her.

And she'd probably go to jail for assault. Good thing that didn't happen.

She takes a look around to see if anybody is nearby before addressing Hak. ]

Yes, I think they're all gone.

I could have ran on my own, though! I'm a pretty fast runner!

[fortheprincess]

[ He takes a seat and leans his back against the wall, though he doesn't move away from the corner, fearing that they'll be spotted the moment they move a hair out into the open. He sighs in relief as he leans his spear up against the wall beside him. ]

It was easier to move as one unit. I didn't have to worry about keeping track of where you were going.

[ Maybe he doubted her running abilities a bit, but.. ] Plus, it was funny to see your reaction.

[psycholawgy]

[ HAK YOU ARE SO WEIRD??? ]

Wha- What?! Don't make fun of me!

[ He's never seen Athena get all huffy before. Well, BEHOLD. This is the bratty side of her. ]

[fortheprincess]

You're making it worse, you know.

[ Still enjoying her reaction ngl. Though he decides to stop with the teasing to ask her about what they were talking about earlier. ]

What made you start crying over my comment earlier?

[psycholawgy]

[ To have to explain why she cries (she's a crybaby, that's all there is to it)... can this be any more embarrassing? ]

I just. . . get really emotional? [ She says each word rather slowly, nervous to see what Hak's reaction might be. ]

You kind of just live each day trying to find your purpose. I know what mine is, but at the same time, it's nice to get validation from people.

[fortheprincess]

[ He can see that she's very emotional, but what she says next is a bit profound. It sounds like Yona, how she used to be. Though her purpose is now very clear, she was lost.

He can sympathize, somewhat. ]

Ah. I didn't think I'd elicit that kind of a reaction from you.

[psycholawgy]

[ She laughs amiably and scratches her cheek with a finger. It really felt good to hear she was needed, so she somehow feels in debt to Hak now. ]

I guess I should be saying thank you for saying something like that. You might have just said it for the sake of saying it, but thank you, nonetheless.

[fortheprincess]

Nah. That's not my style.

[ He really meant it! Really. He's not going to outright admit it, but he did mean it. ]

You don't need to thank me, either. I'm simply stating the truth.

[psycholawgy]

[ She just grins at him. ]

Heh heh, it's too late now!

Were you worried, though?

[fortheprincess]

Worried? Why would I be worried.

[ MAYBE JUST A LITTLE....... ]

[psycholawgy]

[ Innocently looks away. ♪ ]

I don't know. You tell me!

[fortheprincess]

[ ughhhh you suck B( ]

What else was I supposed to do with a crying girl in front of me?