It is a quiet day in mostly reconstructed Cerealia. The robots are busily running into walls that were not there before, the Cybuddy bees are buzzing...and CERES has still not said a word. Attempting to contact them still gets the User Offline error. Strange...
But who cares if CERES is offline? After all, they are the cruel and tyrannical captors. A Cerealia without them must be better than a Cerealia with them. So there's nothing to worry about on this fine, peaceful day. Or, at least, that's what it seems like, when suddenly there's a voice in everyone's head. A chosen few may recognize the voice, for they will have heard it before, but to the vast majority, it is brand new.
Looks like someone has been saved, and a reward granted... and no, you don't have a single choice in the matter.
 Your heroism will be remembered, lost and stolen souls.
You have saved me, and so now, I shall save you.
All of you.
|
PHASE I [ day one ] It happens so quickly. One moment you’re in the colony, going about your daily life, and the next, you’re… floating. A moment later, every player character from the colony is transported with a wisp of fresh air to...somewhere very very different. The distance is far, but it is covered in what must have only been a scant moment, and it’s clear somehow, especially to air characters, that it was Caeli’s doing that brought everyone there.
There, naturally, being right in the middle of the jungle.
Everyone is then unceremoniously dropped. You may land on a tree, or in a patch of poison mushrooms (no really, look out for the colorful plant life, it’s probably poisonous) or in the river. There are some strange insects of all sorts and types, some of which have some uncomfortable side effects if you’re bitten, such as swelling or the uncomfortable urge to go hug the nearest person, and there are strange flowers everywhere, some of which glow only in the dark of night or the shade of trees. It is dreadfully humid, however, and a little hard to breathe--unless you’re of the air disposition.
Either way, you’ve certainly landed somewhere fantastical, so take some time to get used to your surroundings. It shouldn’t take too long to find everyone else, hopefully.
PHASE II [ day two ] Of course, this far into the jungle, and making this much noise, it was only inevitable before some company was attracted.
Some are clearly dangerous, some are peaceful as can be and some are somewhere in between; approach at your own risk.
Either way, these monsters are all drawn to larger groups of people and a lot of noise, so it may be best to keep quiet...though the ones that keep their distance may be even more concerning.
Everyone is certainly being stalked at one point or another in the jungle -- and at night, there are eyes watching from the darker parts of the trees.
PHASE III [ day three ] But perhaps if you follow some of those monsters deeper into the woods, you will stumble across an old, run down village of sorts. It looks as though time and the jungle has overtaken it. Exploring it will reveal plenty of homes that were clearly lived in however, by families and by people of all sorts.
There are empty rooms, covered in dust, and a central village fire, long gone out.
Small knick-knacks and various objects can be found… if you want to steal from the dead, you know. It’s a little rude. It appears they led a simple, peaceful life, however; most notably, there is no technology to be found.
And if The Bridge catches you doing it, she will look incredibly sad and ask you to put everything back in its proper place before she goes back to looking very irritated at Caeli. You may overhear words about how this “isn’t the right place” and Caeli’s unrepentant, “It is only a few hundred miles”. Looks like something went a little wrong in the transportation process.
Time to camp out for the night, perhaps. And your CereVices don’t get any reception out here, so no surfing the internet for you. If you try to connect to the internet, for some reason the device starts playing a song. Was that programmed…?
PHASE IV [ day four ] By the fourth day, it’s pretty clear that you’re going to be stuck here for a bit. Pestering Caeli or Maris gets nothing, while the Bridge still can’t be approached for pretty good reasons. So… you’ll just have to make the best of it while they figure out their next approach.
Time to figure out how to camp with few supplies and even fewer nice places to sleep. Maybe try to make a fire (though it’s incredibly difficult, considering how muggy it is here) or try to find some bugs to eat (ew gross).
Of course, you can try hunting, but the prey doesn’t look too friendly, so be careful not to become the prey yourself. The same goes for fishing, it seems.
Some of the trees are poisonous, some of the grasses will cause unfortunate rashes, and some vines will lash out to grab at people (especially colorful ones); basically, this is an entirely untamed alien jungle, so it may not be the fun camping trip you'd like.
Time to work together to survive out here, at least for a little longer.
It’s your time to shine. This is Person Versus Wild.
PHASE V [ day six ] On day six, the jungle goes utterly silent.
The monsters and animals disappear. The extra friends poof away hastily and suddenly. Maris and the Bridge fall silent (though Caeli admittedly continues floating there as ever). If anyone approaches them to ask, they'll just say that "she is coming".
And soon, she does appear. She moves slowly, lacking in feet; they are roots, as though that of a tree. Nonetheless, she has no troubles with moving forward, slow bit by bit. She does not speak, not at first, and behind her, trotting lightly through the woods, there is another. Both feel strongly of spiritual energy, just like Maris and Caeli. And eventually, after observing the people gathered, they can be spoken to.
BONUS [ day ??? ] After spending some time in the jungle, emotions might be running a bit amuck. And those emotions might bring some unexpected...friends. Yes, let's go with friends.
Because if a character is typically grumpy, gloomy, stoic, lineface, or anything along those lines, they may find themselves followed by a bright, happy bird. That bird feeds off of those emotions, and will just cheerfully follow around any lineface character for as long as possible. Or until they smile. The birds are otherwise harmless, chirping happily every now and then and following them around like a friendly shadow.
Happy, cheerful, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, energetic characters, on the other hand, will soon find themselves followed by... a different friend. Or maybe a handful of them. It depends on how cheerful they are. Either way, these creatures feed off of happiness and fun, but they will also chew on hair or an ear if they're allowed to get that close, making horrifying, chittering noises as they follow anyone who is in a good mood.
[ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with sensitive or inappropriate material and do let a mod know if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so we can lock the log. ] |
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ota!
[ Do you know what Hijikata is tired of? Do you know what he’s tired of! Falling out of the air!!! Luckily, this time he doesn’t make a poor passerby his cushion, at least. Instead, finds himself plummeting right into a tree- oh nope, the branch breaks now he hits the jungle floor with a loud thump. ]
Ah… Geez… [ Sitting up, he rubs his lower back with a scowl on his face. ] The hell is up with this place anyway? When I’m finally settling in it’s like something new- ridiculous happens… [ A huff. Hopefully he won’t feel this later! Though, when he tries to stand up and maybe try to figure out what the hell is going on- nope! Almost trips again when he feels a vine that’s snuggly wrapped around his ankle. Oh, great.
Well, if you’re passing by you’ll see Hijikata struggling against this vine, trying to get a good footing before he reaches for his sword… Wow, how embarrassing. ]
Phase III
Hm… What’s this place?
[ Well, it’s obviously an abandoned village considering how much of the jungle undergrowth has grown over it. ]
Looks like we’re not going to find much here.
[ Either way, he’s incredibly tired from just this entire jungle in general… Avoiding foreign creatures, and walking for far too long! He needs his rest for sure. If you were either with Hijikata from the start, appeared at the village at the same time as him, or maybe approaching a tad bit late he’ll talk to you. ]
Know how to make a fire? [ A pause and he takes a quick survey of the area… Dang, will they even be able to do that… ]
Phase IV
Hey, look at this.
[ Leaning down, his fingers touch at tracks in the ground. Hooved footprints, by the looks of it! ] Hm…
[ They’ve been out here for a while honestly, and well it seems like they’ll have to continue working getting food on their own. It’s really hard to trust anything that’s a plant anyway since he doesn’t recognize most things. ] How do you feel about killing animals?
Bonus
[ … Hijikata was hoping for maybe a nice nap or something since he’s been exhausted as of late, but no! Not at all! Thanks to this bird that won’t leave him alone!
Yeah, there’s a scowl on his face alright and it seems like the bird won’t take a hint if he tries to shoo it off or anything. ]
Just get out of here already! [ Ugh… His nap? He wants his nap. He knits his eyebrows and stops in his tracks. With a hand on Kanesada… He unsheathes his sword and swings it in an arc towards it-
…And of course the bird just simply jumps back to dodge it, still chirping cheerfully.
Hey, why. ]
What do I have to do to get rid of this thing…
Wildcard!
[ honestly just do anything tbh ]
iii.
Adolf looks to the side, then behind him, to make sure that he's the one being addressed and not someone friendlier or more approachable... but, well. He's the only one here, so he'll answer this abrupt question. ]
...I could, if we find enough tinder. [ Look at where you even are, man... it's a forest. Did this truly even need to be said?! ] You'd need to be careful not to burn this entire place down, though.
[ Spoken with a tone that's so dry, he could probably set his tone on fire. ]
no subject
Hm... Seems like our safest bet is using the fire pit over there.
[ A pause. ] Alright, let's see what we can pick up near here. I don't want to go back into that jungle, who knows what's out there at night.
Might be better to stick together, huh... ... So, who are you?
no subject
...Another one of the supposed 'refugees' who's been thrown in here without rhyme or reason.
[ That might as well be a complaint and not an explanation, though, so he appends: ] Adolf Reinhardt. [ a beat... ] I can at least fight whatever might come at us, so. There's that.
[ He makes a vague motion to something that looks like a miniature dragon with a bee stinger, buzzing around... this place sucks. ]
(no subject)
i
[Tenka honestly probably got blessed with an absurd amount of luck as usual -- or maybe he just has a hard head. Regardless, he notices the struggling man (and also the Shinsengumi blues) and goes to grab his sword for him, offering it to him once he manages to get his foot free.]
Nothing broken though?
no subject
You're telling me. [ Listen... That was kind of embarrassing. Hijikata gives Tenka a doubtful look, almost about to reject his help, but with a sigh he takes his sword out of his hand. ]
Well, whatever. It could be worse. Seriously... How often does this happen? [ The entire, you know, city likes to transport you to different places and make you fall out of the sky deal. He doesn't like it. ]
no subject
i...
WAH—!!
[Either way, they really need to stop meeting like this.]
no subject
H...Hey! What's your problem?! [ Ugh! His back! ] Get off already!
[ Free him. ]
no subject
Actually, he seems more irritated by the fall than anything. He flails one arm outward and may or may not be in danger of hitting Hijikata, but he's just trying to push himself up, really!]
Don't say it like I did this on purpose! You're not a soft landing spot at all!!
[Think of Kashuu, honestly?? His poor brittle bones, taking such a beating.]
(no subject)
iv
Though at the very least, the question is certainly warranted, because by looks alone, Kasen does sort of give off the impression of someone that may have a problem with such a thing. Despite the sword at his side, he definitely has a gentle appearance, and he gives a middling response at first that matches it. ]
Well... If it is necessary, then it is necessary...
[ He sounds reluctant, but don't believe it. He doesn't really care, but he's thinking that it's a bit inelegant. ]
Are you thinking of tracking it?
no subject
Well, obviously. It's kind of hard to find food when you don't recognize most of the plants or animals here, you know.
[ A pause. ] Although, it's a bit concerning, by the looks of it... It seems pretty large, hmm... Help would be appreciated.
no subject
Well, I do not have much experience hunting, but...
[ Kasen hums thoughtfully, then brings a hand to his chin with that sound. It can't be that hard, right? He's a sword, so he has skill at killing, which is what this ultimately amounts to.
And this is exactly how he's thinking of it, yes. ]
I'll help, yes. I'll likely need your guidance, but I learn quickly, at least.
(no subject)
bonus | looks u in the eye and orangejuice.jpg
either way, tsurumaru's watching quietly at first, before any swords are unsheathed, trying to keep his laughter to himself — when else would he see the great, fearsome demon vice captain being chased by some colorful bird? although the battery life on his cerevice is limited, maybe he should record a certain seven-second video of this—
but when the sun's rays glint off of the unsheathed, swung blade, he moves forward, putting himself between hijikata and the bird, holding his arms out to the side. it's clear that he won't allow hijikata to hurt this bird? he'll ask a single question now, eyes narrowed. ]
Hey! What do you think you're doing?
PLEASE CHILL
[ Hijikata halts, and takes a look at the person who DARES try to stop him. ] Oh. It's you- you recovered fast, huh.
[ A huff. Well, not going to really dwell on that particular topic. If Tsurumaru's okay, he's okay. Not much to talk about after that, right? ]
None of your business really. I want that thing to leave me alone, mind you. [ Meanwhile, the bird slides around Tsurumaru to return to Hijikata's side. Chirping happily it begins to rub its beak against Hijikata's cheek. Why! Why!!! ] Seriously- I had enough...
[ Annnd about to lift his sword again- ]
no subject
[ —is the first thing out of his mouth. he'll continue, though, beaming in hijikata's direction. ] Yep, it's me! I told you that we recover fast. It's a shame, though... You wouldn't be up for doing that again, would you?
[ but he senses movement behind him, and before he knows it, the bird's snuck out from behind his back and saddled up next to hijikata once more, showering him in affection. (and here tsurumaru was, thinking that no bird could love danger more than him.) ]
Stop, stop!! [ quickly, he moves between them again, but this time, he holds hijikata's arm up, so that he can't swing at the bird, even if it's only for a few seconds. where is hijikata's chill..... where is it? ]
Look, maybe the bird just wants to be your friend? If you hurt this bird...
I'll make you regret it.
(no subject)
(you voice) this bird's name is demu and its rubbing hijikata's cheek
listen demu bird is the best bird
(no subject)
(no subject)
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iv
[Naoki glances over at him from where he was walking but shuffles his feet to keep them out of the way of the tracks. He looks down at them curiously.]
I'll do it if we gotta and I'll feel bad, but less bad if it comes after me. [Yep.]
no subject
[ A sigh. ] ... What do you mean? [ That's a weird way to put something. ]
no subject
I mean I can do it if I gotta, but I've never "hunted" animals myself.
(no subject)
operation save bird
KevinIT. It's really friendly, maybe it just wants friends??? ]Have you tried asking it politely to leave?
[ Words over s-words, Hiji. ]
im gonna kill it
Politely- seriously? [ The bird continues to sing a happy tune. ]
... Don't be ridiculous, I doubt it would understand anyway.
why would you... ?!
Re: why would you... ?!
UGH I HAVE TO SAVE HIM
How dare you attack Tsurumaru Kuninaga? [ Looking at the crane.. bird .. thing.. all birds like this have to be Tsurumaru? We won't accept any other reason. ] He is my comrade so you can't get rid of him!
[ But you can get rid of that weird demon fiend that's been watching Yamato, chittering and licking their little big teeth and no lips. There's about five of them but lord.. make them go. ]
NOT ON MY WATCH
Tsurumaru Kuninaga? [ Wait isn't that... ... ... He looks at the bird, then back at Yamato in disbelief. ]
You should probably check your eyes, are you being serious? [ Hijikata then notices the fiends that are around Yamato, and that disbelieving expression on his face turns to disgust. Damn. Those things are nasty. ] Maybe you should focus on your own problem?
youdont even own a watch
Re: youdont even own a watch
bonus
Try singing to it!
no subject
[ Trying to push the bird away with his free hand... Please stop this creature... He's tired. ]
(no subject)