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C E R E A L I A ★ M O D S。 ([personal profile] reparator) wrote in [community profile] ioculus2014-12-01 09:45 pm
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//TESTDRIVE5.0.EXE

//TESTDRIVE5.0.EXE

Let it Go, Let it Fucking Go Already


Let's keep pretending it's not technically October in the game while Yuletide thoughts continue to spread through CERES. Inspired by recent tragic events, your friendly neighborhood programmer, Elias ([personal profile] serritor) has constructed a wonderful new ice world to be accessed through ViViD, the popular virtual simulator.

As expected, this is a world covered in ice all over with a chill that bores into one's bones as players wander through. In the midst of it all lies a beautiful reconstruction of a mall, complete with various stores to suit your online shopping needs. However, before you can indulge in any spending, you're tasked with a mission should you choose to accept. You will have to enter the frost-covered mall which hosts a large, elaborate labyrinth and complete all the objectives as they're given to you and your party.

It seems that some horrible foe has arisen from the great beyond to kidnap Santa Bot (no relation to the futurama one). Unable to deliver toys and goods to the poor, needy adults of Cerealia, it's up to YOU to save him from a variety of enemies which include:

a.) Nasty, foul-mouthed elves
b.) A rabid flock of reindeer
c.) An ice queen who will not stop singing
d.) And a fucking minotaur. Why? Why not?

"Ho ho ho! And seasons greetings, players! I am Julius Vincere, the CEO of CERES, and I must apologize for a few recent temperature modifications as of late. But we were able to fix that small glitch quickly. We were only hoping to cool things down by a few degrees after we received a few complaints about overheating equipment. It seems our robots went a bit overboard with our dome, which is a safety precaution we put in place in the event of an outside threat or invasion. There's no need to fear, and we hope you enjoyed warming up with one another in the meantime.

Now, that that's behind us, let's have a little fun, shall we? I think some of you are familiar with the concept back in your home worlds. I observed enough to know that it's a pretty ostentatious holiday. That's why I asked my dear programmer, Elias, to build a simulation so we can experience a little bit of Christmas together. You can say it's a dress rehearsal for the real thing.

Anyway, if you all would be so kind as to sample this world and tell me how it goes. I want to see what you all think and get you all in the festive mood. Consider this my deep apology for one mistake too many. We won't allow it to happen again."

//SCENARIOS.EXE
PHASE I
[ 00:00 ] Let the games begin! You're dropped before a giant forest with snow-covered trees, and in your path to reach the mall, there appears your first threat. They look cute and sweet -innocent little elves that smile and blush in your direction. They barely reach up to your chest and look up at you with big, glassy eyes as they promise to help you along your way. Little hands will grab yours, tugging you along. That is, until you're far enough along that you're deep in the midst of the forest where they decide to chip at a lake of frozen ice and chuck you inside.

They will then criticize your clothes, call you a piece of reindeer shit, tell you your ass is too fat then call your mother a whore. Because that's just how they roll. Here's your chance to fight back, get vengeance, and force the elves to tell you where Santa is. Those who manage to beat them into submission will be pointed in the right direction to the mall. Those who don't, have fun drowning in icy water!
PHASE II
[ 00:00 ] Once you've escaped the elves, another trial appears. This time, it's in the form of twelve savage reindeer with blood dribbling from their lips. Their eyes are all an eerie shade of red, and they're staring at you deeply as though they can see into your soul. If you hope to get into that mall, you'll have to fight them down and avoid being caught in their antlers. There will be lots of bucking. Copious buckings. Kill the reindeer and remove their antlers for a special gift! (it's a coupon for a free McCERES burger.)
PHASE III
[ 00:00 ] Once you reach the entrance of the mall, you'll be confronted with the icy labyrinth, guarded by a minotaur. He is large and in charge and will probably try to mow you down once he sees you. None of your weapons or magic will work, though. To pacify this beast, you will have to hug him. He requires a hug with feeling. He will tell you as much when you confront him. Give him a good squeeze then let him be. Love can cure many things!
PHASE IV
[ 00:00 ] Are you done running around this maze of a mall? Tired of seeing the same Vidia's Secret store a dozen times? Alas, there is one last trial. It comes in the form of obnoxious carols being crooned in your direction by a beautiful ice queen. She's beckoning you to her with a siren song in the form of merry Christmas music, luring you in little by little and making you walk towards her while she tries to enchant you. She'll lean in close and whisper the rest of the song in your ear, and once you're in her trance, you'll turn on your own friends and party members to try and kill them. To avoid being drawn into her trance, you'll have to be knocked around a few times to regain your bearings. Then, it's either destroy her or be subjected to her ice magic. However, before she dies, she'll look deep into your eyes and beg you to save her and not to forget her.

She needs you.

Once you defeat her, Santa Bot will appear to dance a merry jig in your honor and shower you with credits. Hooray!
BONUS
[ why:o'clock ] You can't escape Christmas without a random sprig of mistletoe floating around your head and following you around. For those who try to escape, the mistletoe bot will only move all the quicker. Those caught under its insistent floating will be compelled to kiss a neighbor or two or ten. Or even kiss the minotaur. What we're saying is you should probably run.
[ 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 meme. ]

//RUN.EXE
Welcome to CEREALIA's fifth Test Drive Meme. For your convenience, we have compiled a post detailing everyone's arrival experience and a FAQ that should explain everything in more detail. Please read them thoroughly before playing. Thank you!


leo | pandora hearts

[personal profile] gravement 2014-12-02 04:10 am (UTC)(link)
phase ii.

[ Midgets were not to be trusted to wherever the hell they dragged him to. Upon first seeing those elves, Leo had flashbacks of the horrifying, creepy dolls the House of Fianna hung around the orphanage when Christmas came around. Apparently, he needed to start listening to his instincts more.

Of course, Leo was not expecting any pot of gold over the dull, shitty, confusing rainbow. Approaching the reindeer with sword in hand, the Baskerville almost appears bored, expression flat. Blood was a common sight, and these reindeer were practically nothing to the Duke of Baskerville, despite how exotic they were to him. Some horrible little joke or a very twisted dream, was all.

Despite Jabberwock's inability to do anything besides give a few measly burps in attempt to spark flames. Which was infuriating, and whoever pulled this off better hope it was temporary. Otherwise, there would be hell to pay.

Ignoring that extremely thought provoking powerpoint presentation, clearly. There was no reason to believe them whatsoever, after all.
]

phase iii.

[ Sometime during the previous fight, a reindeer's hurried, paranoid scattering led to an eruption of snow, effectively blinding Leo momentarily.

Afterwards, with shaking limbs (though not from fear or excitement), Leo attempted to find his way through the miles of white. Finally, in the distance, there appeared to be something alight. Obviously not a fire, but there was a sign of some activity and others around. Eventually, now on the verge of freezing over, Leo comes face to face to the minotaur.
]

No.

[ There was no hesitation. As soon as the minotaur made its offer, Leo snapped, turning his back on the creature. That was a mistake, as the rejected minotaur began to attack. Having to haul ass away, Leo successfully manages to increase his chances of frostbite as he tripped in his getaway plan.

Now there's Leo Baskerville about to freeze his ass off, a fair distance away from the beast, with a very upset dragon at his side. How dare this place remove all that made him grand? It was an insult to everything Jabberwock stood for! He was unable to even keep his Master warm.

At least the burping wasn't so bad. In fact, as if the Chain had realized something, in an attempt to cheer him up, Jabberwock takes a mighty gulp and--

Burp.

Throwing his dragon an unsatisfied look, Jabberwock, ashamed, droops his head to the snowy landspace again. Surely their sharing of bodyheat would keep them over and the minotaur would inevitably have to go inside or sleep.
]

bonus.

[ Is that a tiny, angry Duke running past you without giving you a mere glance?

Yeah. That's a tiny, angry Duke running past you without giving you a mere glance.

It looks like some floating mistletoe is also taunting him. Jabberwock, unable to be excused, hurries along as well, thinking it as some kind of game, giving the earth a few thundering shakes despite his size being decreased dramatically.
]
eyeofthetiger: (the light of hope for all mankind)

phase iii eee, leo!

[personal profile] eyeofthetiger 2014-12-02 04:26 am (UTC)(link)
{ yeah, this really wasn't Dean's day because he's standing between the showdown between Mothra and Godzilla and he knows how this battle goes. Running a hand down his face as he stares between one monster and the next (even if Jabberwock looks more interested in digesting those reindeer from earlier than fighting the minotaur at the moment), he groans. ]

Look, I don't care what your issues are, but just let me walk past the big guy before you start getting too friendly with it and we'll call it a deal, okay?

[ a guy could wish, right? just like a guy could wish that minotaur ain't going to notice him in lieu of Leo and his friend. ]

[personal profile] gravement 2014-12-04 11:40 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Jabberwock better not elope with either the minotaur, the reindeer corpses, or Dean. After all, none of them had asked him, the father, for permission!

Sullenly dusting one of the leftover patches of snow off his slacks, Leo doesn't bother responding to Dean and gives Jabberwock free reins to do whatever it wants, as long as it didn't include burping. He's too busy sulking in the corner wondering about what the hell happened. Surely this guy, with everything else, had to be an illusion. A result for reading far too much late-night fiction.

Do whatever, Dean, and maybe you should watch his dragon is suddenly excitable and is treating the minotaur as prey, passing it about and attempting to knock it down. Hopefully the minotaur doesn't fall on you, right?
]
eyeofthetiger: (you gotta be kidding)

[personal profile] eyeofthetiger 2014-12-06 12:07 am (UTC)(link)
[ Then Leo's in luck. Dean doesn't exactly do well with commitment. Dean also doesn't do well with getting knocked about by strange creatures as that Jabberwock decides to toss him a meat stick. Throwing himself to the side, Dean does his best impression of a sledding accident as he plows into a snow drift. ]

Jesus! What the hell is that thing's problem!

[ He wades a bit closer to Leo, looking to hide behind his skirts for safety in numbers. ]

Please tell me that's a friend.

[ otherwise they're in some serious, deep shit over here. And not just because they're something like three stories tall either. ]

[personal profile] gravement 2014-12-12 02:20 am (UTC)(link)
[ Hey now, Charlotte wears the dresses, not him. Long hair doesn't mean a lady, Dean.

Amused, Leo snorts at the sight of this stranger, predicting he's harmless given he can't get past the minotaur or Jabberwock. Who, by the way, are busy fighting, as the minotaur keeps screaming for hugs.
]

Oh, the dragon is. Minotaur? Not so much. Maybe you should give him a hug, since you can actually reach him and I can't.

[ Cue in the beast screaming 'HUGS!'. ]
eyeofthetiger: (uh don't look behind ya right now)

[personal profile] eyeofthetiger 2014-12-12 04:44 am (UTC)(link)
[ Doesn't it? It's not like Leo's wearing his hair up in dreadlocks at the moment. How was he supposed to tell the difference? But he just gives Leo a sharp glance. ]

And why not? You've got two legs don't you?

[ he snorted ]

And besides, I'd rather not get between a dragon and a touchy-feely maze monster. I'd more likely end up fodder for the dragon.

[personal profile] gravement 2014-12-12 03:37 pm (UTC)(link)
You're taller.

[ Simple as that. ]

And worry not, I'd probably tell Jabberwock not to eat you.
eyeofthetiger: (behind bars)

[personal profile] eyeofthetiger 2014-12-13 05:38 am (UTC)(link)
[ .... he hates you already ]

So the thing has an actual name?

[ he raised a brow ]

I take it you've got a fetish for carol, huh? [ he shook his head ] Fine, whatever. But if that thing—either one of themmdash;tries to eat me, I'm coming back to haunt you.

[ at least Dean will be in good company... And please don't mind as Dean just marches off (more like slinks reluctantly) off to go and hug a minotaur. At least this still ain't the strangest thing he's ever done. That one involves a depressed teddy bear and he promised never to ever speak of that one again. ]
ofmisfortune: (005)

bonus.........

[personal profile] ofmisfortune 2014-12-03 02:55 am (UTC)(link)
Ma--

[ Well, typical. Adept as Leo may be at ignoring his surroundings, the boy himself is terribly difficult to miss. His bug-eyed dragon companion, even when downsized, certainly reaffirms any possible doubt about that.

Unless it's Glen steering the wheel, anyway. That's more easy to mistake.

Mouth drawing into a wry smile, Vincent's frame heaves with a sigh - then it's on to willing himself into a run after them both. ]


Young master!

i knew it.......

[personal profile] gravement 2014-12-04 11:46 pm (UTC)(link)
[ OH

OH HAI

Stopping in his tracks smelling something similar to a rat, Jabberwock quits his hunting of the mistletoe and spins, looking in every direction to find where it's coming from.

Perhaps some of his ancestors happened to be canines, as Jabberwock gets distracted by chasing his own tail for a few seconds. Once Vincent's scent hits him again, however, he quells in his actions and goes out in the snow again, this time flying instead. It took a few mighty beats, but finally the Chain lifted himself, and tracked down the servant immediately.

So--

RUN AS A HUGE DRAGON IS ABOUT TO FALL ON YOU??? At least the resulting collision will catch Leo's attention and he cautiously approaches the crime scene.
]
ofmisfortune: (005)

iyaa, master kisses

[personal profile] ofmisfortune 2014-12-11 08:26 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Seeing Jabberwock take to the air hadn't concerned Vincent too greatly (at least, it wasn't so embarrassing to watch as it chasing it tail)-- until he notice a shadow enveloping the ground around him, rapidly growing in size.

Fffffuuuuck.

When he looks up, his features distort with dread. Thus begins a mad scramble to run away, but stomping throw snow hardly makes that an easy task, nor a graceful one. He ends up slipping, and hitting the ground hard and oh god, he's going to die?! ]


Young MASTER--

[ GODDAMN IT HELP ]

ew no

[personal profile] gravement 2014-12-12 02:16 am (UTC)(link)
[ The Duke of Baskerville is 5'3, who weighs approximately a hundred pounds, and has no muscle whatsoever. What makes you think he's going to save your ass the instant he hears you, Vincent?

Jabberwock, despite being slightly less massive, remains a crushing weight. Recognizing the man keeps him from actually killing his Master's servant, however, and he even leans down to lick his face. You may smell like a wet rat and a ram, but Jabberwock will always love you.

Once Jabberwock has stopped his grooming of Vincent, Leo's standing nearby, not wanting getting too close due to his predicament.
]

Please don't kill my servant, Jabberwock.

[ Jabberwock the huffy dragon does his usual huff and gets off Vincent, opting for rolling in the snow again. Leo eyebrows raise at the sight of him. ]

Don't tell me he farted on you.
Edited 2014-12-12 02:16 (UTC)
ofmisfortune: (005)

[personal profile] ofmisfortune 2014-12-13 11:17 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Vincent sputters painfully as the weight of the chain collapses on him, but that's quickly silenced by the press of a giant tongue against his face.

When tiny master finally arrives to relieve him of this misery, he remains there, still in the snow, face and fringe damp with dragon drool. He doesn't even have it in him to respond. He is alive, but a broken man. ]
meriter: (i name songs after flowers)

phase ii! sure .....

[personal profile] meriter 2014-12-04 08:25 am (UTC)(link)
[ Yeah, Elliot wasn't bought in by the Kewpie doll impersonations either (an entire band of mawkishly-attired elves cajoling him down some offbeat thicket path with promises of genuine compassion from the get-go were inherently suspect on premise alone, notwithstanding their glazed pupils and stilted, offbeat manner of speaking). On the whole, a skeevy bunch. He ditched them some ways before the lake, trekking onwards before being (rudely) accosted by the homicidal reindeer horde.

In hindsight, he should've brought a plus-one to his party, but even abstract concepts like human remorse rendered themselves inconsequential when it came to a pack of feral animals with no intention of allowing Elliot to pass unscathed. Thus far, he managed to pin two back against one building wall, pitching his weight forward as leverage to forcibly constrain them from skewering him to death, but at this rate he'd be better off fleeing the scene. At the approach of another bystander, Elliot wastes no time in raising his voice above the cacophony of trampling hooves and composite bloodthirst. ]


Are you going to stand there and gawk like an idiot, or are you going to help me?

[personal profile] gravement 2014-12-05 12:17 am (UTC)(link)
[ Personally, his natural, hunter instincts are not fine-tuned. There was no desire, no reason to keep a close eye on his surroundings. Jabberwock, being disabled and depressed, didn't keep up his usual activity of being the eyes behind Leo's head.

As the group of reindeer he's nearing bristle in nothing that rings of fear, Leo's attention is effectively, although reasonably, snatched when that person's voice rings out from somewhere close, loud as a bell as if he was truly present. Seizing the opportunity, what seems to be the leader of the pack runs up, closing the distance between them.

Leo's body hits a tree with a loud smack, ripping following as his shirt is mercilessly shredded with the bark of the tree sticking as if barbs to his clothes. Furious at himself, as he had allowed his attention to be diverted by a mere hallucination, a trick of the mind, Leo decides to ignore the ringing pain and cold of his bare back and removes himself, blood dotting a bit of the snow below.

Urgently, fueled with his own mental humiliation, Leo rushes up to the reindeer and begins to knock them down, one by one, although most remain conscious and startle up after taking a brief rest.

Lo and behold, the beast obeys his wish of getting rid of these creatures, so Jabberwock eagerly jumps into the fight. However, neither of them go to assist Elliot, sticking to their spot of the woodland. Isn't that just peachy?
]
meriter: (hey is that)

i'm sorry, this is really late!!!!

[personal profile] meriter 2014-12-13 12:00 am (UTC)(link)
[ Extremely peachy.

In fact, if Elliot was the kind of person who brandished their pride as a defense mechanism to safeguard a crippled sense of insecurity and a veritable lifetime of being unjustly prejudiced against people on the sole basis of their dukedoms or boundless optimism (read: he is, undoubtedly, that kind of hypocrite), he'd probably thrash the supposed stranger alongside the homicidal reindeer and come away all the better for it.

But the time for tangential spiels are neither here nor there when virtual death is a possibility (no telling what a metaphysical demise would do to a body in mental atrophy), so throttling any fellow passer-by isn't high on his priority list as he ducks and narrowly misses an antler to the face as the horn lodges into the wall. And he wastes no time twisting beneath the hulking brute, taking one leaden breath as if he propelled himself thus far on momentum and adrenaline alone, and guts his attacker — a stab at the juncture of its torso that spills out faster than Elliot can jerk away in split-second recoil, still skidding beneath and out and landing on the snow in a rather lurid display of guts and wrecked Victorian sensibilities. None of the blood or his disheveled state of attire apparently matters to him, though, because he wastes no time lurching out and away as the other beast goes tromping after him in gung ho fashion, like teenage nerds made for good brunch or something.

And despite the mutilated display of carnage and mindless bloodshed, Elliot's social tact seems as unfazed as ever. ]


Oi! Did you hear me? Are you that eager to die?!
harepiece: (fear can make you compromise)

phase iii!

[personal profile] harepiece 2014-12-11 08:37 am (UTC)(link)
[Sometimes, it feels quite like Oz has been absent from his own world for an entire lifetime, even though it hasn't even been over a month in reality. Cerealian hours seem to pass by slowly in comparison to how quickly the days (and their numbers) whittled down in the place before then, and both are equally capable in their own ways of consuming thoughts, of becoming a temporary "number one priority". The danger that his homeworld is in never entirely leaves his mind, hanging like a ghost over his shoulder, but distant and intangible what-ifs that he can do nothing to fix tend to take a back seat to cutthroat murder and swift onsets of hypothermia.

So Oz is - startled, to say the least, when he goes sliding by in an attempt to find survivors in the maze and spots someone very familiar instead. Someone that he SURE DIDN'T PART ON GOOD TERMS WITH... And he's afraid for a second, just a split second, not because he's afraid of Leo (or even of Glen, in the end), but because there is simply no way he can adequately face him as things are presently.]


Leo...? [Is the first, instinctive thing he says, despite the fact that a more sensible person would have probably tried to avoid drawing attention to themselves...

He tries to bring himself to a stop then, but that's a little hard to do on the ice, so he just ends up overshooting Leo by a bit and nearly falling over. WHOOPS.]

[personal profile] gravement 2014-12-12 03:43 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Hearing his name, purely his name, makes Leo bristle. The voice is horrifyingly familiar, but with no name, meaning it could be someone dangerous. On edge, Leo calls Jabberwock away from his position, hiding him in his shadow until Oz... falls?

Snorting at his arrival, Leo remains suspicious and ready to fully summon the dragon until he's the one who approaches the other.
]

'Ello, B-Rabbit.

[ In case of an unusual or threatening response, Jabberwock leaps out of his shadow, towering above the short duo. Growling, Jabberwock withdraws, a paw lingering in front of his Master, shielding him from any direct attacks.

Leo placidly smiles, an apology on his Chain's behalf.
]

It's been awhile, hasn't it? The last time I saw you, you were bleeding on the ground because of your own servant...
harepiece: (solace)

[personal profile] harepiece 2014-12-13 03:24 am (UTC)(link)
[At the very least, it seems that Oz has no intention of attacking - never had, even though that means very little when there are incredibly rude ghosts standing around waiting to lob weapons at people he's trying to have a civil (albeit punchy) discussion with.

And it's exactly because of that that Oz is surprised - surprised? That's a pretty gentle, shallow term for something that is neither gentle or shallow. Startled, definitely, and there's a certain strangeness in his expression as Leo talks, like someone rubbing lemon over a papercut. True words, words that he can't blame Leo for speaking after everything he's been put through, but words that sting hellishly regardless.

That memory is still fresh, very fresh, but he tries not to let it trip him up as he picks himself up from the ice, disheveled and distraught.]


But you're still... [Ah, there really isn't an elegant way to put this, is there? The last time he had seen Leo... It was the same for him, technically, even though he had seen Leo's body once thereafter.]

—You?