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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hijikata!!
It’s almost a talent how quickly she can go from movement to being metaphorically turned to stone. Well, Hijikata isn’t too far off from being an ancient monster anyway. ] N-no, I mean--! It was so small and sweet, and I was lonely-- I just thought-- I’m sorry for disrespecting you…! [ It’s because the real you isn’t cute at all, honestly, ]
wtf im adorable
after that, he crosses his arms- Kotori might even see the Kondou-san doll that's in his grasp if she's following his movements. Hijikata now obviously doesn't look too pleased, wearing that usual expression of his: overall grumpy partnered with a frown on his face as Kotori keeps babbling.
but then he decides to relax with a sigh. ]
I'll let it off, just this once though. [ damn. this place made him kind of soft hasn't it? but it's maybe a bit more difficult than he thought living without the Shinsengumi members that are almost like his family. his real family didn't take much of a liking to him, so the Shinsengumi was all he had- so imagining almost losing and living without that for awhile. It's... Actually that kind of emptiness and loneliness he's been trying to avoid. Though, he can't let that get to him with Kotori in front of him, right? Gotta keep up his vice-commander exterior and all. ]
I was [ ...well, worried for one. but he'll say something else to mask his Actual Worried Mother self. ] looking everywhere for you, don't give me extra work I don't need. Just promise me you won't disappear again, alright?
that is a lie and untrue
But also because Hijikata had been there to pull her cheek. The fact he's there and she's not alone again... She won't say it to Hijikata now lest he get angrier, but she's truly glad he's there.
She's still bubbling a bit though. Just a little bit. ]
T... Thank you. [ She isn't expecting the mercy, but she'll take it. ] I'm sorry for wasting your time Hijikata-san, I promise I won't... [ Her voice shakes a bit. ] I won't leave again. [ She feels a bit like she's being scolded by her mother for getting lost at a festival or something. She can't say it doesn't soothe her somewhat. It was almost lonely without him around like this.
But regardless-- finally, she notices the object in Hijikata's hands and cranes her neck curiously. ] Did you get a doll too, Hijikata-san? Is it Kondou-san? Or maybe Okita-san? [ She can't really see it clearly from here, after all.
And I need ammo for pinning this illicit love affair on you both so here we go.]and this is whty she gets collared
there's only a nod to acknowledge her apologize and promise. he really doesn't have time to dwell on stuff like that especially since they're stuck in the middle of the swamp. he could always scold her when he's able to drag Kotori to his apartment? gotta set up some house rules, maybe.
but then his eyes flicker down to the Kondou-san doll. yes. this. ]
Ah, well... [ he uncrosses his arms, and lifts up the doll so she can see. ] It's kind of weird, but this place always seems to be doing weird things. A part of me didn't want to leave it in the mud though.
[ and the reason why? well... ... ... there's a longer pause obviously a bit hesitate whether to say it or not but he might as well. ]
Kind of reminds you of home, doesn't it? [ he saw Kotori playing with her doll!!! he saw everything. his watchful gaze. though, he can't blame her especially since Hijikata has been missing everyone too, especially Kondou-san... so... ]
ur such a fucker :////
... If that's the case, she almost wants to collect them all. She misses everyone, after all. ]
I felt the same about this one... Even if it's just a doll, it was sad seeing Hijikata-san lying alone like that. [ What with his abandonment issues and all. ] But I'm glad the real you is here, too. This doll is cute but it's not the same. [ Although, to be fair, a doll can't yell and/or collar her. ]
Do you think there's more? Should we look for them? [
Souji doll Souji doll.]