[EVENT] On the first day of Christmas...

[vrdr_mods]

Winter has been drawing in for quite a while, and even here, Christmas is inescapable. What's going on?

The day before

Snow is falling... all around. It's a freezing cold evening, and the air is still—except for the blizzard outside. Will you stay home in the warmth, watching the snow fall and the frost form on the windows? Or will you head out into the whirling night? Visibility is next to nothing, but you'll probably be fine... as long as you don't go too far.

The next day

Snow has fallen! It lies everywhere you look, inches-deep, from Tokyo to Mikage-cho. The air is still, and the sky is a clear, wintry blue. Doesn't look like it's going to warm up any time soon. But that means a snow day. You'll be fine, as long as you wrap up warm. Do you want to make a snowman sledge, skate or ski? Waterways are frozen solid, and if you can get to the right store, you'll find the equipment you need. Or maybe you want to keep it closer to home, with snowmen tea-tray sleds and snow angels? Just try not to kill any rivals or near-rivals with a snowball.

Snow also drifts gently from the ceiling of the Velvet Room, fading before touching the floor. Festive, unseen sleigh bells clash unnervingly with the usual elegiac piano melody. Igor watches on with his trademark knowing smile—the festivities are just beginning....

In Iwatodai Mall, Inaba Shopping District, and Station Square, there are Jack Frosts around the place, along with chilly-looking Pixies, Onmoraki, and many other assorted demons. They have large sacks, or toolboxes, or planks of wood; they work merrily in hard hats, and whisper and giggle amongst themselves, and watch you as you pass. What could they be up to?

Christmas trees now stand in all the open spaces, hung about with baubles and lights. Illuminations are up, too, on every building, across every street, between streetlamps, you name it. More urban areas, like Tokyo or Sumaru, are as dazzling as you'd expect. But it isn't just the real world—all cognitive zones are suddenly hung with countless tiny lights as well. Probably not a good sign.... then again, the inhabitants seem strangely reluctant to fight you.

Comments

[cybermask]

"It's a form of multiplayer. There's co-op, competitive, and the best way to describe it is side by side. co-op is where we work for the same goal, competitive is pretty straight forward, and side by side is things you can do together but you don't have to rely on each other."

[midnightmaiden]

"Wow. And I bet that's barely scratching the surface..." She's seen other types of games. Those dancing ones seem pretty fun, at least. "Well, I'll just have to trust your judgment! You know better than me."

[cybermask]

She grinned, "yeah! Co-op seems the best, do you like simulators?" she asked, "there's a few, like farming, fishing, cooking, there's even some cleaning ones."

[midnightmaiden]

"They make video games about cleaning?" That's... oddly specific, and kind of strange. "I'm surprised. It's kind of mundane, isn't it? And I know a lot of the really popular games are more colorful, like Super Marco Universe..." She at least knows some games, even if she's not super experienced.

[cybermask]

"It's meant to be relaxing, you go at your own pace and are able to see the satifaction of it being done without needing the mental and physical energy to actually do it. It doesn't mean it's lacking in color though! Super Marco Universe has a lot of color and is high paced, it's meant to grab and hold your attention, which is why if you listen to the music it's made to help you focus." That was probably a lot for Kasumi but it was easy for Futaba to get lost talking about it.

[midnightmaiden]

"Wow. I knew music was important to games, but I didn't realize it was so in-depth..." Don't mind the wide-eyed interest here. Futaba's clearly talking about things she's passionate about, which is good! "You really are an expert, Futaba-chan!"

[cybermask]

Oh she kind of went on an on about that, whoops. "I just been playing them for as long as I can remember. I get really into things that I like and research a lot about the game and it's development so I have some passing knowledge."

[midnightmaiden]

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with being passionate! It's a great way to show your knowledge and skill." She smiles big and bright, hopefully trying to add a little extra reassurance.

[cybermask]

She had a nice smile. It was sweet being with her. "Thanks! I'm sure you've got things you are passionate about too, I'd like to hear about them once we get your mind to rest for a little while! That's got to be priority number one."