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.
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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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Ami
[Rei relaxed into that, just letting her old friend work and silently listening to the theories and explanations.]
No, you're right. There's not technology at all. Which, to me? Means that CERES was not likely involved. They wouldn't put people into this sort of situation, as we've seen. They're not from this planet, obviously. But that's a guess, at best. [She winces as a particularly nasty tangle comes free.] Ahh!
I honestly just hope we move on quickly. This is not a wholesome place. And I don't want to stay here too long.
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I think, perhaps, that's another thing that tells me it was not a mass extinction. Besides the lack of remains, if anyone were to sense uneasy spirits, it would be you. This isn't like the moon, there isn't a... a stillness where not even spirits remain, this feels far more recent.
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[Probably from hunting.]
And no...I don't think it was mass extinction. I don't feel spirits at all, really. It's just sort of...here? I mean, it's very much alive, a part of the jungle as far as I can tell. Definitely not haunted. Or...off, like the moon.
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I don't think they were the only population and I maintain that they aren't. Just like much of the Amazon is simply unexplored because of it's sheer size, I feel this is the same. We may be completely surrounded by civilization and just unable to reach it right now. A jungle means rich resources, there has to be a much bigger civilization existing near it, if we can get to the edges. Perhaps if we follow the rivers, at the very least it could lead us to an ocean or lake.
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In any event, I think I could probably track the trails tomorrow, if you want to try. Illidan has been teaching me some survival skills for a few weeks now, and if I find a starting point, I could probably track them through the forest. The trails may be long gone, but I'll certainly make an attempt.
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Honestly? I think the only inhuman beings I've met? Are those two, the...Keldorei [Rei stumbles a bit over the Darnassian word.] Illidan and Tyrande, and Archer. Who was a human but is no longer. Nearly everyone else here is human. And from Earth.
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But for all that, it's different Earths. History does not always align, some don't even call it Earth or have different uses of magic and science. Even expanding further, our Solar System is not the same either. Hiro-san and Tadashi-san come from a city called San Fransokyo, clearly a combination of the United States city and our own Tokyo and I suspect no one knows of Nemesis.
Could the coding only work best on Earth? If the Flamines really are attacking all these planets in multiple universes, then it would stand to reason we'd see a far greater diversity of alien life form. But what other Martian or Mercurian is there besides you and I? But we don't see it. Time and time again we see humanoid creatures from essentially Earth, if not named the same, then functioning with very similar physics and biology. And we weren't pulled from the Silver Millennium, where our bodies had not been reborn, lacking any notion of Earth DNA, we were brought well after our reincarnations.
So what if the CERES' coding, which claims to be fixing corrupted code, is either directly related to Earth and it's many forms in multiple universes, or they've specialized it to such a high degree as to only really work on Earth? Why would the Flamines attack Earth again and again and again, when it's clear that every version has varying technology. Why keep traveling to the same planet through multiple dimensions, instead of across the universe itself?
Why code humanoid creatures to such a high degree? What advantage could there be? There are clearly advantages other species across the universe can offer. But outside of Princess Leia and her loved ones, and Illidan-san I don't think I've met anyone who wasn't from Earth, or at least, some version of it. Even Wall-E and Wheatley-san come from Earth.
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[There's a pause as Rei thinks.]
As for Nemesis, Athena-chan knows about it, I told her recently. In one of our therapy sessions, though she seems to think it might be a phenomenon unique to our world. I'm not so sure about that, given that no Earth here seems to have technology capable of exploring beyond the asteroid belt save the few satellites that were launched in the 1980s and those wouldn't be capable of penetrating Nemesis's capability of masking itself.
As for the rest? I'm certain you and I are the last members of our species, much the same as Phobos and Deimos are of theirs. But the rest? Maybe they just favor Earth in particular? It's hard to say, since we do have Illidan, Tyrande, and Leia-san and the Solo family present. But that's...not entirely to say that all humanoids come from earth.
I know for certain that Leia Rolando-chan isn't from Earth, nor is Oz-kun. Their worlds are a bit more like Illidan's. More...medieval, I suppose. And Vegeta-san is a Saiyan, an alien from across the galaxy that simply looks human. And then there are a large number of sword spirits that live her. The souls of famous blades from our own history.
It's possible that their machines are limited, but I doubt it. More like CERES is just electing to bring specific people. Because nearly everyone here has at least one thing in common. They are extraordinary, in some way. Heroes, villains, antagonists and protagonists of the many stories that are told throughout the universe. And I don't mean just films like Star Wars.
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However, very slowly, she removed her fingers from Rei's hair and put a hand on Rei's shoulder. Rather than instantly attack, however...]
Rei... [She whispered.] Do you hear that?
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Yes. Yes I do.
[A scraping sound, delicate but there. Like a nail against a brick, maybe.]
Should we investigate, or stay inside?
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Rei, draw the bow but don't anchor it. I'm going to open the door a little more. If there's nothing immediately by us, we'll head out. If not, I rather have the advantage of them having to come to us through a narrow opening.
Ready?
Jax! Adi would like Ryuko to jump in for the comedy of it.
I'm ready.
[And when Ami opens the door...whatever, or whoever is out there? Will find themselves looking into a firelit room, staring at a nocked arrow.
But who could it be?]
1/2
2/2
When the view zooms out of the scary face, it's revealed to be just a sailor uniform, currently being worn by a girl with a sharp red scissor blade, pointing it at her assailants!!! ]
One move and you're dead!!
[ ...Wait a minute, she knows one of these people. ]
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Ryuko-chan, put down the sword or I'll transform and knock you silly.
[Okay, she might be embarrassed a bit...but Ryuko stop waving that thing around.]
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Only... Rei... knows the girl? She relaxed a bit more but pressed her lips together, keeping a steady eye on that blade.]
Rei, who is she? [To mention transforming so easily...]
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Tch! Ask me yourself, I'm right here!!
What's the deal, Rei?!
[ She thought they were monsters or perverts (yes, she regards them on the same threat level...) ]
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[It is stupid. Rei lowers her own bow almost instantaneously and steps clear, jerking her head to Ami in a 'step back' motion.]
We weren't sure who was out there. Or what. It's been a trying few days. Come in, get under some shelter.
[A beat.]
Ryuko-chan, this is Ami-chan. A friend from home.
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She gestured towards the fire.]
Please come in, it is very nice to meet you Ryuko-san. Have you been able to eat anything or have clean water?
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A-Ah, I mean... I'm sorry! Don't waste your food on me, though, I'm fine.
[ ...Sadly, her stomach betrays her by growling at the thought of food. ]
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Food's no issue, I've been able to hunt just fine.
[She reaches out and grabs Ryuko by the wrist and yanks her inside, shutting the door with a kick.]
And yes, a friend from home.
[She smiles at her blue-haired bestie before going to the weird deer creature she'd hunted up.]
Minako-chan is out for the moment, but there are three of us now. I'd have introduced you, but...there wasn't time before all of this.
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No... nothing so far... Then when the door was closed she turned back to her and smiled warmly.]
It's really very nice to meet you, I do apologize for my initial yelling.
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[ Oh wow! That's a lot of food options there... even fruits! ]
Is it too much to hope for at least a lemon inside this jungle?
[ Y..es... she eats them raw..... ]
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[Or something. Rei skewers meat on a cleaned stick and sets it on a spit over the fire.]
You have to rotate it though. It's your punishment.
[As for fruit? She'll leave that to Ami.]
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