The thing about Cerealia is, there really isn't any nature to be found here. Sure, you can go outside the walls of the city and explore the land beyond but who wants to risk a terrible, horrible death just to sniff the flowers? Not you, that's who! CERES understands that, CERES sympathizes, and sometimes CERES decides to take action when such problems arise. As part of the company's current "Healthier and Happier YOU" initiative, they've decided to let everyone get back in touch with nature a little.
Via ViViD.
Of course, this being CERES, the nature they've sent everyone to is more of a swamp. The place is disgusting, a real marvel of ViViD ingenuity and it smells like the dead. There's strange rustling among the leaves from creatures that may or may not want to eat you, and random pits that open up right under your feet with the goal of sending you straight into the marsh. It's not really that fun. There's no welcome sign either, no nothing except for swamplands as far as the eye can see.
Welcome to ViViD!  This is Mosley. One of our programmers forgot to include a welcome greeting for the level this time. How incompetent can you get? He's been fired now, it's fine. Instead, I will greet you today. Lucky you! You've been invited today to participate in CERES's "Healthier and Happier YOU" level where we've combined both physical exercise and relaxing meditation into the ultimate ViViD experience. Isn't that fun? You can... go camping and stuff. Or whatever. I don't... know...
Honestly, I don't even care. Have fun.
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PHASE I [ 6 00 ] Welcome to your new healthy living training ground! What does a swamp have to do with healthy living, you may ask? Absolutely nothing! To make up for it, CERES has outfitted all players with the proper equipment for their new healthy living lifestyle. They also may or may not have let you keep your shoes based on how benevolent the ViViD gods were being at the time. (Not very.)
Oh, and all newcomers will have something additional on their fancy new yoga shirt. It will be displayed loudly and proudly all over the front and back of it. And if you're one of the few not wearing a shirt, it will be on the back of your pants. As in, your butt. It will be on your butt.
What’s ViViD trying to say, anyway?
Regardless, it probably doesn’t matter as much as finding your way through the swamp. Some sort of dry land would be really nice right now, wouldn't it? You'll have to watch out for the mud that will suck you right down under the marsh, and the creatures with lots of teeth that will never surface from the mud but won't hesitate to snap up an unwary foot or two.
CERES is sure you'll be fine. Totally and completely fine.
PHASE II [ 800 ] Eventually, if you try really, really hard, you’ll make it to a house. Actually, it’s more of a shack, really. If you clamber your way out of the mud and the gunk and the marsh into said shack, you will find it to be empty aside from a table. A table hosting a huge pile of... well, health drinks. See, there's totally a health theme in this level. CERES would never make a ViViD level that wasn't thematically appropriate. Never! Health drinks of all sorts and types and sizes can be found here and there’s even a sign too; it simply says:
Take one.
Well, that seems safe.
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to leave said shack until you do take one. And drink it. The door will lock shut and cover itself in more swamp until you do. Yay. Depending on your luck, the drink may do the following to you: ➟ Cause your ViViD experience to glitch. This may involve phasing through walls, seeing everything in 8-bit, or hearing really annoying old video game music everywhere you go.
➟ Cause status effects. This can include suddenly moving incredibly slowly, being turned to stone for a period of time, suddenly being on fire, suddenly being poisoned, etc etc.
➟ Be healthier. Mmm, kale and hummus smoothie. Taste those veggies. If you try to take more than one, that’s fine too, nobody will stop you, but you probably won’t get lucky more than once.
PHASE III [ 900 ] And back you go, out into the swampy wilderness. Don’t give up! Keep going! Eventually, you’ll find the end of this level. Probably.
Eventually, though, you may stumble across something in the mud and the muck. It’s... a little doll?
In fact, it’s a little doll of one of your most important people (or, alternatively, of someone you absolutely hate). It might be someone in Cerealia currently, or someone who isn’t, but either way, the doll is there and it’s clearly them (covered in mud and all). Be careful, though. If you toss it aside, you’ll suddenly see that important person being tossed aside. If you cut the doll, you'll suddenly see that person bleeding. Even if they aren’t present in Cerealia, whatever happens to that doll, you'll see it happening to them. Is it a hallucination or are they actually there? That's a little more up in the air.
And if they are present in Cerealia, well... doing things to that doll might very well hurt them too -- for real, this time, though.
Be careful! Or don't. You do you, as CERES would say.
PHASE IV [ 1200 ] And then, eventually you reach a quiet, swampy area. Not that the rest of the swamp isn't swampy, this area is just extra swampy.
There’s very little happening here in this swampy place; even the birds are no longer squawking. And for a long moment, everything will remain quiet and peaceful, a place of reprieve... until the swamp begins to bubble. Then suddenly, a new friend will burst out of the swamp, showering mud and gunk everywhere.
Without warning, that creature is going to try to grab for the nearest person (it might be you!) and let out a mighty roar when they have them. Then, they'll hold them up to... read the nutrition facts on their shirt? What?
Of course, it will try to gobble you or whoever else it grabs if it finds, say, the salt content to be acceptable (the monster is watching their carbs). If it's not, then they'll just fling you away and move onto the next snack. For those without a handy nutrition facts label on your shirt, well, it might just take a gamble and try to eat you anyway.
Great. A health-conscious monster. That's just what this level needed.
BONUS [ xxxx ] Finally, you’re free of the game. Without warning, you’re dumped into Cerealia properly and you’re able to scrub the mud and gunk from your clothing (wait why did that come back with you and where are your normal clothes?). You're able to then make your way to your new place of residence (or old) and...
There is a tiny tree there waiting for you. Isn’t it cute? And if you take care of this tiny tree, it will eventually bear fruit! Tiny fruit. Itty bitty fruit.
Depending on which tiny tree you get, it will be one of the following: a tiny dildo tree, a tiny bacon tree, a tiny kazoo tree, a tiny carolina reaper tree, or a (dumb) tiny hats tree.
Everything will, naturally, be tiny. Enjoy your new healthy CERES gift!
[ 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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chara - still ota!
♡ phase i ♡
♡ phase iii ♡
♡ wildcard ♡
dippstick
There weren't any in the castle. [ Their serious answer. Maybe in other parts of the Underground? But not where they lived.
They nod to his question, trrrying hard not to grin. Sort of failing at it. ] And yeah, I did. Pretty cool. Like something out of a movie. Pew pew.
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Neither would surprise him at this point, honestly. ]
Aren't you a little, I don't know, worried about that?
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No. I didn't have anyone important to me there. [ Their lips thin when they say it though, eyes darting left involuntarily in an obvious tell. (They might miss a few monsters just a little.) ] I just don't want to be dead again. That's not a crime, is it?
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So it's...one of those situations. ]
No, I...guess not. [ Though an entire world still seems like a steep price to pay to not be dead anymore. ] Just maybe don't...say that to anyone else from your world if they're here.
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I hope no one else is. [ Who would even be here--Toriel? Asgore? Asriel? They really, really hope that no one else is, in that case. ] If I meet any though, I'll be sure to smile and tell them how happy I am to see they're here, working towards the revival of our beautiful world.
[ haha, they've always gotta be the asshole here. ]
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[ A pause, and then a slight smirk. ]
Though I guess it's worth noting that most of the people who show up from the same worlds here seem to know each other. So if anyone from your world is here, they'll more than likely be someone you know.
[ They can be the asshole, but he can be the brat. ]
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namazero
[ Thank goodness for that. If they were caught saying a pun, it would be the end of them. Probably. ]
Pretty much. I didn't really care for the crappy slideshow thing they had going though.
[ Who cares if the world got destroyed or whatever? Good riddance to it. They don't want it back. ...but they also don't want to be dead. It's a difficult situation. ]
wow
A literal weapon with a good heart, who automatically assumes they're upset about their world, or being yanked away from the people in it. So he offers a sympathetic smile, starting to move forward again. Might as well get out of here as soon as they can!]
We're not sure if any of that was true or not. Ceres is... not always trustworthy.
no one is safe
Sure. Let's play along. That other guy didn't seem too enthused about being told they were happy that their world got destroyed. Potentially destroyed. They'll follow him, taking careful steps (almost like stomping through snow) to avoid falling back into the muck and losing sight of the company they've decided to tag along with. ]
People usually aren't. [ A soft scoff. ] It is human nature to lie to get whatever you want, after all.
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He can't exactly argue with that, can he? He was owned by the Toyotomi clan, and then the Tokugawa clan. He's seen firsthand just how humans can be--and it would be a lie to say he isn't just a little jaded himself.
Still, Namazuo is optimistic. He's determined to face forward, to see the best in things and live in the moment. Besides, his current master is kind and honest, so he's seen the better sides of human nature, too.]
Not all humans. [He corrects, gently.] But there are many non-humans here as well, if you prefer their company!
[Not that all of them are terribly honest and kind either, but.]
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but more importantly. ]
There are? [ Monsters? ...they're probably not like the ones back in their world, but they'll take them. ] I def-- I might prefer their company, yes.
[ don't look too excited. ]
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Mmhmm! I'm a tsukumogami, for example, and many of my comrades are here too. There are other spirits from other worlds, and many other creatures I have yet to meet-- but I'm sure they're much more polite than the ones working for Ceres.
[Because those monsters are RUDE AF but Namazuo's too polite to say that out loud.]
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pacifrisk
somehow that icon makes pacifrisk seem like an insult......
But, wow. Wowie. That was rude? So rude. So very, very rude. It wasn't even the cute kind of rude, where you let it slide just because you can. Stop being so rude, Quake Creature Jr.? Or don't, because it's not like Frisk is incapable of being rude back.]
No. Just way better at not tripping than you are. [Says the kid who only now manages to get back on their feet. Kind of. Are their legs a little deeper in the mud than they were before...? Must be their imagination.] Hadn't fallen down until you came along. Not even once.
[Though, now that their face is a little cleaner... Do they know this kid? They feel really familiar. Like they've seen that face in a photograph or something weird like that, but can't quite remember where now that they're consciously thinking about it.]
well................
Says the kid who only just got back on their feet. Haha. Tripping makes you stronger, obviously. And less likely to notice if there's any extra muck or water soaking through their pants.
...wait, were they always this deep in the mud? It's not a ton, but enough to make them uncomfortably aware of the swamp sucking at their knees. ...probably nothing to worry about though. ]
Well, I'm glad I could sully that record of yours. It'd be horrible if you fell into quicksand or something the first time you would've later on. You'll be able to tell the difference now. [ Because they're certainly not in quicksand or something like it here...... nope.............................. ] You're welcome.
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Though, um. Now that they mention that whole thing about quicksand and being able to tell the difference, Frisk is kind of. Just. Going to pause. Look down at their feet. Watch as their legs suddenly seem to be yet a little deeper in the mud than they were before. Have a very terrible realization. You know. The usual.]
I think we're in quicksand. [A BEAT.] ... No. Quickmud? Don't know if it's still called quicksand if it's mud.
[They're saying this so calmly. Like getting sucked up under the marsh is no big deal. Just another life threatening situation. Must be a Tuesday. They haven't even created a SAVE yet. Oh, golly.]
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...you know, considering how many times they've fallen into the mud today, they thought they would definitely be able to tell the difference. What an ironic and surprising twist of fate this is.
And Chara hates it. A lot. You bet your tush that they, upon hearing this realization, are going to start trying their best to get out. They don't wanna die again, all right. They did their (small) time. It wouldn't even serve a purpose now!!! ]
Does it matter what it's called? It's a deathtrap!
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Moving a lot makes you sink faster... Saw it on TV, I think? 'S better if you stay calm.
[See. Dull commentary is soothing for the SOUL. Though, they're glancing around for something they can use to get out of this as they speak.]
You're taller. [BARELY.] Do you see something we can grab to pull ourselves up?
[Like... a branch or a vine or something. On the bright side, nobody is trying to impale them with a spear.]
1/2
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replies 15 minutes late with a decrepit meme
steals your decrepit meme and drinks it
r u d e, i hope you get memedigestion
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dumb as a rock lee
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Uh. ] Uh. No, this is Asriel. He's the prince of the Underground. And a goat thing. With pawpads or something like that? It's weird.
[ They'll just jerkily bounce the doll in their hand for emphasis. ]
Anyway, it's not your mentor or whatever. It's my loser best friend.
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S-so it is different...? It looks different to me... [It must be a glitch in ViViD, and he shakes his head quickly.]
But, you should handle your best friend in a gentle manner, should you not?
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[ Off-handedly, like it's just a comment about the weather. It's none of their business. ]
I'll spare you my life story, Greenie, but just take it from me. He doesn't deserve it.
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[He shakes his head.]
But it is hard for me to imagine anyone who does not deserve some mercy.
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