« 006 ⇢ event006.exe »

[reparator]

Who: CERES & you
When: OOC - 11/25-12/02 ; IC - 10/09-10/12
Where: Cerealia & Pleasure District
What: Event log
Rating/Warning: PG-13 | possibly nsfw (please let us know if you need this rating changed)

//event006.EXE I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa-bot underneath the Mistletoe It's the morning of October 9th when you feel it. At first, it's a gentle rumble. Then, the ground begins to quake harder as a transparent shield erupts from the perimeter of the colony. Those fortunate enough to be standing outdoors will get a glimpse of it as it slowly closes around the colony, forming a glass dome that keeps everything enclosed inside. It may spark your curiosity. It may even cause a bit of fear and anxiety, but other than that, the day remains the same. Plain. Neutral. A little too quiet. That's when the cold sneaks up on you, little by little. You may notice yourself shivering and in need of a warm blanket. It's just a little breeze, right? You might close the windows in your apartment or throw on a sweater. But the cold doesn't stop there. The temperature begins to plummet gradually by the hour, and you notice frost appearing on all visible surfaces. Machines start to malfunction and grow stiff all over. The wind knocks over a few post boxes and signs. Your skin goes numb in places. Shrinkage happens for those who have things that shrink. All in all, it's an unpleasant experience, and the trains are shut down, leaving most of the colony's citizens with limited transportation. However, a figure appears in a dimly corner of the station to brighten your day. He has a blanket laid out with snow globes placed on top, some plain, some rose-tinted. They're all for sale for a meager 25 credits. Since he can't speak, he lets his boom box do the talking for him, letting out a familiar song. "♬~ Oh the weather outside is frightful But the fire is so delightful And since we've no place to go Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! It doesn't show signs of stopping And I've bought some corn for popping The lights are turned way down low Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!~♬"

//SCENARIOS.EXE PHASE I [ xxxx ] The cold is starting to set into your bones, a sharp pain emanating from the way it seems to burrow under your flesh. No amount of jackets, parkas, and sweaters offer relief as the temperature plummets by the hour. The streets are paved with ice everywhere, and snow is rapidly falling from the ceiling of the dome. Will you play in it? Will you settle by the fire with a warm beverage? Will you and your ill-prepared body be subjected to the slow madness promised by hypothermia? It might seem bearable at first, but nothing is ever that simple or easy in Cerealia. Of course, for those who wish to brave the weather, come see the snow globe salesman in Cerealia's train station. He'll show you a few wonders that linger behind the glass. PHASE II [ xxxx ] Just as the cold starts to reach its most unbearable temperatures, a single haven lies in the Pleasure District at Cerealia's famous virtual Fantasy Hub. Whispers will pass from lips to lips, moving quickly across the colony about the warmest place to be. Your character is welcome to investigate for themselves and set aside their embarrassment for a little bit of reprieve. The robot staff will be more than welcoming, offering you compliments, cookies, and hot chocolate. The three great C's! They will let everyone linger about the lounge and encourage them to pair up and try out a bit of the technology. They might even find a little something to smile about after. The robots will be promising customers a lovely boost of warmth just for subjecting themselves to a world of their own desires. PHASE III [ xxxx ] For those brave enough to venture into their virtual fantasies, you'll be lead into a private booth where no one else will be able to bother you. A headset will be available for you and any companions of choice. Feel free to put it on and check it out. You'll be prompted to type in or verbally explain your fantasy before watching the world being built before your eyes until you're completely immersed in your ideal world. You are welcome to roam around and enjoy for as long as you wish but do remember you're on the clock and that there are other customers waiting. Oh and do try and clean up the booth after use! PHASE IV [ xxxx ] It's day four. The cold has reached its lowest, most unbearable point. Those who took a trip into their own fantasies or the fantasy of others are now free to revel in the warmth (and in their own embarrassment and shame). Congratulations! For those who avoided it, prepare to feel numb in places and to possibly lose a finger or two. The CERES medical facility will do their best to stick you back together or keep you from death. The suffering will continue until the very last second when Julius Vincere, CERES' CEO, will appear on all screens and billboards to announce that the climate problems have been fixed at last. Just like that, the dome will open once more, and the temperature will return to normal. With that comes another set of apologies same as before. How much are you willing to put up with his bullshit? BONUS [ whyo'clock ] They're cute. They're cuddly. They're also being sold at a CYbuddy shop near you, provided that snow hasn't blocked the door from opening. They're seemingly harmless and innocent until you take your eyes off of them. That's when they'll scuttle to your underwear drawer and slowly and surreptitiously start stealing pairs of it to hide in a super secret stash so it can sell your unmentionables in an elaborate robot underwear smuggling ring. Prepare to brave the cold without underwear. [ 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 event post. For your convenience, we have compiled a post detailing what's going on right here and feel free to consult the FAQ if needed. Please leave any lingering questions in the OOC post, and we'll answer them as soon as we can.

Comments

[sunshrouded]

[Tenka raises a brow at that, clearly confused.]

Who? Sousei? [he waves a hand at that] He'll be fine.

He can't complain about picking up people who need help since Dad did the exact same thing to him.

[onbehalf]

[...these Kumous, these Kumous...

It's so weird, she thinks, how easily they can do things like that—just picking people up that they don't even know. Yet, at the same time, even though it's weird, there's something about it that makes her feel kind of... hm. She's not really sure.]

...your family is strange.

[sunshrouded]

I'm gonna take that as a compliment.

[So decisive. Even though it might've not been a compliment, but regardless he's just going to laugh and shake his head.]

It's just in our nature to be welcoming. I have no reason to believe that you'll do us wrong... so you just play nice with us and we'll take care of you, alright?

[onbehalf]

I don't understand how you can be that way, even toward someone like me. [He had no reason to believe she would do them wrong, but he had no reason to think that, either, did he? Maybe it's because she's just not used to it, but she can't really... understand it, how someone could think that so easily.] It's dangerous to think like that.

[She had no intention of hurting or betraying him—she really had no reason to, but... how could he know that?]

[sunshrouded]

[Dangerous to think that she wouldn't cause them harm? Tilting his head slightly at that, he glances over at her hair again. It's half-white and half-black so he doesn't quite understand how that can happen.... but at the same time, if it's the Fuuma half that she's concerned about, at least it's nothing he's ever worried about before.]

If you mean 'someone like you' meaning your heritage... well, I don't have a lot of issues with Fuuma. [No, it technically wasn't the Fuuma that caused him this much hardship. It was strictly Kinjou Shirasu. He's not about to blame an entire clan for one man's actions even now.] Unless you give me reason to think that you'll hurt me...

How can somebody make friends if they're wary of everyone they meet? Isn't that lonely?

[onbehalf]

...I couldn't say. It's all I know—I was taught to be wary of everyone, and making friends has never been my concern.

[Maybe that wasn't entirely true, because she did lead a quiet, lonely life. But as long as she had something to work toward, then it was fine—she didn't need to worry about being lonely because in the end, it didn't really matter.

...that's how it used to be, anyway. She didn't have that anymore, so she was honestly a little lost. It would be harder not to think about things like that when she didn't have anything else to occupy herself with.]

[sunshrouded]

[Man, that's familiar. He's rather sure that Shirasu said much of the same - he was always the most paranoid one at the shrine too, though Tenka hasn't quite made the connection that Shirasu was so wary of others because the Kumous never had a care in the world. So he just shakes his head at that.]

Well, you can loosen up, alright? I'll make sure that no one ever gives you any trouble so you can focus on making friends. You're still young, you should spend more time laughing.

[onbehalf]

[...Soramaru had said the same thing, hadn't he?

There was no doubt about it—they were definitely brothers.]

...that's unnecessary. I don't need any of that.

[She didn't need friends, and she didn't need to laugh. She didn't see how any of those things could solve her problems. She doesn't mean to be difficult on purpose, she just... doesn't understand.]

[sunshrouded]

Sure you do!

[There's really no arguing with this one. He's still laughing along, shaking his head.]

Everyone needs friends - even if they might not know it yet. You'll come around.

[onbehalf]

We weren't trained to make friends, nor were we trained to have to rely on others. [JUST... SAYING... She's not sure if he doesn't understand that or just doesn't care. After a brief pause, however, she adds:] ...but thank you for your kindness. No one has ever thought about me in such a way before.

[She doesn't know how to handle this at all— but even if it's only temporary, she can't go without letting him know it means something to her.]

[sunshrouded]

[Ah, it really is like a case of deja vu.... Still though, he doesn't hesitate, shaking his head firmly at that before giving her a bright smile.]

Well then I'm going to train you in one thing and one thing alone, Nishiki-chan! Do you wanna know what it is?

[onbehalf]

[Could this weird guy really have something to teach her... She doesn't have the first clue about what to expect but she asks him anyway.]

What?

[sunshrouded]

[This weird guy has something to teach everyone!!]

I'm an expert on laughter!! So I promise, I'm gonna make sure that your training is going to go so well that you'll be so happy - and you'll be smiling all the time.

[onbehalf]

[She's not sure she's ever heard anything quite as weird (or impossible!) before in her life!!]

Is that really something you can teach someone?

[She sounds skeptical. How can you just— teach someone to be happy?]

[sunshrouded]

We'll find out, won't we? Just trust me to be your teacher in this one, Nishiki-chan.

[at least someone's sure of themselves here]