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//TESTDRIVE.EXE
//TESTDRIVE.EXE
 The lights flicker overhead, music blaring from the speakers as you step inside, every sound drowned out except for that hypnotic tune. The walls are painted in an array of hypnotic colors, saturated to the point where your attention doesn't know where to land, and all kinds of screens hang from each corner, showing flashing images of ads, gadget after gadget appearing in a second to show you the best of what Ceres has to offer. Dancing bodies flank each side of the large ballroom, bodies with eyes that look hollow and their faces too symmetrical. They'll occasionally glance at you and smile, maybe even engage and offer to take you to one of the private rooms in the back. However, their words are interrupted when the lights suddenly turn brighter and focus on the center where a raised platform sits. A man appears in the center, one hand raised to silence the music while the other holds a microphone. He pauses to reach out for a glass, snatching it from one of the wait staff passing by before raising it to the crowd. "We've finally obtained our first victory here on Cerealia. The colony is ours completely and will be fully functional from this day forward. Please enjoy all the luxurious amenities we have put together, and join me in journeying towards a new and better future. Together, we will expand our territory here and reach even further horizons. And by all means, don't be shy with the staff. They're also here for your entertainment."He gestures around the room, smiling before taking a sip of his champagne. Applause echoes from the crowd while Julius steps off the stage, handing the mic to one of the staff before pausing for pictures and interviews from reporters. You stand in the crowd as the lights dim once more, lost in a sea of people and wondering where to go next. |
//SCENARIOS.EXE
PHASE I [ 18 PHASE II [ ?? PHASE III [ 21 PHASE IV [ 02 BONUS [ why[ The party will be long, so take your time enjoying each scenario... and dreading it. At the end of it all, things will be calmed down and you're free to enjoy the night as you please. Remember to keep things PG (the FAQ below elaborates!), and absolutely no forcing any R-rated things with anyone below 15-16 (so be sure to ask their age, right?) or the droids will have a little fun chasing you around! Do enjoy the pretty views of the gorgeous digital city though. Which seems strangely quiet, but at this late hour, why not, right? ] |
01 ]
The screens lining the walls inside even extend into the bathrooms and the back rooms, playing commercial after commercial, all CERES themed, as you mingle with the other guests, but occasionally, the image transforms into a flash of something else. It appears for a split-second. There's the face of a woman, lips parted in a soundless cry. She looks to be in pain, fingers pressed to the screen. It's so quick that most don't register it, barely even notice it's there unless they focus. The party continues without incident, otherwise. Because it's a pretty damn good party, isn't it? There's plenty of food, strong drinks - hey, no one under seventeen is allowed to drink - and many decorative people. Just ignore that feeling of being watched! You're just so good looking, after all.
//RUN.EXE
Welcome to CEREALIA's first test drive! Please forgive our appearance as we are going through the final stages game completion. While most pages are under development and/or hidden from the public eye, please don't feel discouraged, since knowing everything doesn't always make the experience. Your characters will know as little as you. For your convenience, we have compiled a mini-FAQ - please read it thoroughly before playing. Thank you! FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS HOW DID MY CHARACTER GET HERE? You may have been just been doing their day-to-day activities - be it swimming or fighting demons - but the next moment, a crack and blinding light - now you're here, in your best attire, celebrating. The memories of your at-home activities fade away like a fleeting dream, and it's replaced with the feeling of happiness. ( You haven't forgotten your past, just that anything you were doing seems far too distant to be important. ) Must be something in the air. You can't remember clearly fighting for CERES, and whatever this Julius Vincere is telling you might be complete bullshit for all you know, but something influences you to play along anyway - if you think about it long enough, perhaps you had fought for CERES after all...?WHO/WHAT IS CERES? WHAT IS CEREALIA? You mean... you don't remember? After all the help you gave it?WHAT FORMAT CAN WE USE FOR THIS TESTDRIVE? Action (brackets/prose), video/voice, and texting are all available via your CEREVICE at this moment. Most functions are currently undergoing a system update, but as long as it is still connected to the Auralia Network, it will be available for communicative uses.WHAT IS ViVID? An amazing VR game! The demo version of ViViD will be here to play, aren't you excited? It's played with headsets that immediately allow you to experience full-body simulation, without having to move out of your seat! You can enjoy the demo world, design your own, play alone, play with a team, but remember, the boss must be beaten! Please check the phase ii thread for details and interactions!SO... PHASE III? Sexy things can happen, you're getting hot and heavy on the dance floor, and there are rooms in the back that can be decorated to your mood, after all. REMEMBER, the age of consent is 15-16, please use your own discretion and don't upset people. For the test drive, any situation that goes above PG (beyond kissing/grinding/light making out... We're lenient) must go into threads in your own journals. Any creeper behavior or unwanted advances will get an IC boot into the Frozen Locker with "Let it Go" on repeat.POWER LIMITATIONS? Actually, no, the characters don't have any of their abilities locked or otherwise suppressed. More info will be i the official FAQ, but so long as you don't destroy the entire game ( and we trust you can use your powers responsibly— as does CERES! ), limitations are nonexistent.OKAY, WHAT ABOUT PREVIOUS GAME MEMORIES? It's completely acceptable to bring a character that has been in a previous game to Cerealia!THE NAME LOOKS FAMILIAR. . . Yes, a loosely related setting concept with a place called CEREALIA was pitched for an ExitVoid phase before the moderators decided to close the game for good. A few of us got together with the original pitchers of the idea since we thought it really awesome and with a lot of potential and decided to try our own thing with it!ARE THE GAMES RELATED? Nope. Not at all, it's been rehashed from the ground up and built to stand on its own as an original place and game.We'll keep coming back to this, so don't worry. |
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Well, that part ain't so strange to me.. [ After Zelien, he'll hardly call seeing modern things weird anymore. Nothing is going to beat the lady in the skintight suit who kept laughing and was actually some kind of.. octopus.. thing... he still isn't even sure. Compared to that, Peggy looks like the most normal thing in the world, even if it's not quite like any woman from his own world. ]
But it's true that I don't really remember anything either. I thought I just hit my head or something like that, but seems it's a little more widespread, huh..
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I doubt it's that simple. Perhaps someone gassed and kidnapped us for some reason? I've heard tales of that wiping out the memories of whole camps before at the least. [ Although that hypothesis also assumed anyone was left alive at the end. Chemical warfare was such a dirty, dirty business. ]
And why wouldn't that be strange?
[ she raised an eyebrow ]
Are you used to living a little bit out of your time? [ she almost said it teasingly because she remembered her grandmother lamenting the modern fashion of Peggy's generation. ]
no subject
[ With a sigh. All this stuff he's found about modern times in Zelien just confused him, really.. only the movies were sort of cool, even though they threw him for a loop when he thought they were real and started attacking the screen during a horror movie with monsters.
... Cool aside from that, though. ]
I was in this one place before.. but it ain't half so bad here. [ Nothing trying to kill him yet, anyway, and the details of that place putting him up against the people he cares about is pushed enough to the background by Cerealia's influence for now that he can't think of that as quickly. ]
Even if I'm not sure what the hell's going on just yet. But the free food's pretty good, yeah?
[ He's actually serious instead of just being a dumbass - it's just that he prefers to view this a little more optimistically instead of freaking out. Keeping your head cool is important in these situations, so he might as well stay relaxed for a few more moments unless all hell breaks loose. ]
no subject
The free food is practically a given in situations like this. Either we have something they need or they're hoping we'll ignore whatever plot they're hatching elsewhere while we eat.
[ she smiled brightly at Shinpachi ]
Perhaps you'd have an idea of which option it might be, Mister... [ she raised an eyebrow and after a minor pause denoting the distinct lack of name with which to call him, she moved on. ] Of course, that's assuming that other place you speak of has anything to do with this one.
[ should she be less subtle? She's more then willing to oblige. ]
no subject
Ahem. Right. Back to the topic. At least he manages to not look too shocked at her talking so casually about food - he might have done the same, if he hadn't experienced food shortages in Zelien. Instead he focuses on how she implies they haven't introduced themselves yet, and after a glance to confirm she looks western enough-- ]
Shinpachi Nagakura. Captain of the second division of the Shinsengumi. [ Might as well add that since it'll give him some credibility to not seem like that much of a loser.. besides, it's never given him too much of a problem in these kind of places, unlike the hell it might cause to break loose back home in some parts. ]
Anyway, I doubt it's the first option. These places have a hell of a lotta different ways to convince us if they want to make us do something. [ Not that he's going to sum them up in front of a woman though.. delicate sensibilities and all that. He's a little more aware of it when he's being serious and actually tries. ]
If anything, they're tryin' to distract us. But if anything's gonna go down, then I wanna make sure I'm strengthened anyway.
[ He can't fight on canned corn, okay. You can't make him! Not even Hijikata can..!! ]
no subject
I'm rather of the same opinion. Distractions are easy to come buy when free company [ and she says that quite distastefully considering she's already been propositioned once this evening thanks to Vinceres casual implication of the "staff" ] and drink are to be had.
Mr. Nagakura, what do you say we see just how easily we can leave this party, shall we?
[ she held back a smirk but only just barely ]
You can even take your plate with you.
[ she held her smile before her lips finally cracked up into a grin. ] I'm Agent Carter, by the way, but please call me Peggy. [ and lo and behold, unsurprisingly, Shinpachi outranks her, but that was, unfortunately, the lot of a woman in the US Army. There were only so many rungs on the ladder that she could climb. ]
no subject
[ Since it almost sounds like a mission.. or, well, it would be if this wasn't a party. Getting out of a party shouldn't be too hard, right? (Unless the doors have some sort of electronic way of getting outside, then he'll be lost on this one..)
He stands up and does leave his plate standing there - but he doesn't walk off with her before sticking another piece of the meat he was eating into his mouth. Farewell, sweet steak, may they meet again in another life..
But as they're making their way around to look for an exit, he can't help but glance at her for a moment. ]
So.. uh.. you're with the army? [ Considering she has a rank and all.. and he did see a lot of women back in Zelien who fought in that sort of capacity too, as strange as it is for him to wrap his mind around. ]
no subject
Are you certain? You look like you were particularly famished when you reached for my tart a moment ago. I wouldn't dare risk you fainting on me in a time of need.
[ but she moves along and doesn't press the issue more then necessary, weaving her way around the perimeter of the party where things are a little bit, well... calmer ]
I was although I suppose it doesn't matter too much here when we're so far away from home. There was a war; I answered the call. That's really all there was too it.
[ y e p, there was nothing special at all about Peggy Carter joining the army or anything. It's not at all as though she paved a new road for other women just like her to follow in the future. Nope, not a single thing to see here at all! ]
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It's a little bit of a depressing thought though, so he tries to not linger on it too much. Might as well just take this for what it is. Besides, if she did willingly join the army for a good cause - then that's just admirable, as far as he's concerned. Even if she's a woman.
Shinpachi reaches up to rub the back of his neck briefly. ]
Nah, if it's a title you earned, then stick to it. You gotta be proud of that kinda stuff, y'know? There's plenty of people out there [ and by people, he means "cowardly men", really ] who don't dare to fight even if it's needed, so at least be proud.
no subject
Be that as it may, I'm afraid there was little choice back home. After most of the men went off to war, it was left to us women to fill in the blanks. I'm simply honored that I managed to make a career out of it.
[ and she was damn good at her job too. there was a reason she took pride in her work. She had to because no one else was if she didn't. ]
no subject
Can't fault ya for that one. I can't exactly imagine doin' anything else than this for a living either. [ Swordfighting is pretty much everything to him, after all - to a point where he'd keep on fighting even if there wouldn't be anyone to pay him for it. He'll find food somewhere, somehow, fulfilling his passion is more important than money.
After saying that though, he can't glance at the part of the party they're walking through now.. ]
.. Y'know, it doesn't seem like this place has any easily accessible exists, huh? [ That's.. pretty strange. ]
no subject
You're right, of course. At least I've seen nothing that suggests it may be an exit. Perhaps we should start looking into some of the other rooms.
[ although who knows what kind of debauchery they'll end up seeing if they do. Why, that ball pit alone could be a devil's playground! ]
no subject
Ya mean the back rooms?
[ Because why Shinpachi might be eternally oblivious to romance, it's not like he's naive. He knows what kind of stuff goes on over there - that much can't be different between Japanese and western standards at least, he's pretty sure of that. And the idea of someone as proper-looking as Peggy, a woman, going to look at that...
That just doesn't sit right with Shinpachi, okay. ]
I dunno if that's such a good idea. Maybe you should let me look.
no subject
If we can find the kitchen, we might well be able to discover the service entrance. They have to bring in the food somehow, don't they?
[ and it's not as if Peggy hasn't turned a blind eye to a few late night assignations in the last few years. When men knew they could die at any moment, they took what they could get where they could.
That lifestyle, however, had never been hers by choice. But, since he asked, he'll let her "new friend" take the lead in this. She was still keeping an eye out for that strange woman on the screen from earlier in the evening. There was something distinctly unsettling about this party the longer she stayed here. ]