You know what everyone needs after rampant robotic attacks and another iteration of clone wars? A vacation! That’s right everyone, you deserve this. CERES understands what you need. CERES is here for you all the time, so never doubt that this is a pleasure colony, and they are here to look after all of your needs. Kick your feet up, relax, and let CERES Recreation and Activity Necessity Keepers (Team RANK, that is) set you up with your ideal getaway.
It’s as if you can sense the incoming relaxation and luxury before you even completely finish loading. There’s the warmth encompassing your entire body as your code gets transferred into this particular ViViD Level. A cool, refreshing breeze hits you. The sounds of waves gently lapping against the coast fill you with relaxation. The sun, the sand, the surfs, it’s all there – welcome to the beach, baby!
An echoing greeting message from the ocean comes next, if you can translate it.
 OOOOOOOOOOOOHMAHH GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHD.
YOOOOOOOOOOOORRRALL SOOOOOOOOOOOOO KYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT.
KYOOOOOOOOOOOT EEEENAAAAUUUUUUUF TOOOOOOOOOOOOO EEEEEEEEEEEEEEET.
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PHASE I [ 08 00 ] That said, isn’t that breeze a little… too strong? It feels like it’s brushing up against all of you, if you know what I mean. When you open your eyes and look down, it becomes rather clear why. It seems that you’ve found yourself in some pretty interesting attire. Everyone. No exceptions. You appear to have two options – be overcome and scream like the Victorian maiden your heart says you are, or strut like a model in this stuff. Turn some heads! Work that up do!
But don’t worry, we’re also conscious about safety here at CERES! Therefore everyone’s also been provided a pair of super high-tech safety-tested appendage protection floatation devices (STAPFD for short.)
At least everyone around you is caught in the same sort of attire – and everyone around you also appears to be stuck inside a giant sand castle. It’s entirely malleable to what you want it to be! Want to see a fancy sand bidet? Feel like adding a sand statue in your honor? Think that wall should now be a door? Well, with enough perseverance, you can make it happen!
Just uh, be careful about getting sand in your… everywhere.
PHASE II [ 1000 ] Someone broke it. Not pointing any fingers, even though you sure do seem like a prime suspect, but someone broke it.
It almost starts like an earthquake with how the castle starts to rumble, the sand shaking right beneath your feet. And then the walls right next to you start to cave in followed promptly by the ceiling right… above your head. Oh dear. The sand starts to run and fall, losing its structure and shape. The hallway behind you starts to cave in, ceiling first and then the walls follow suit. Now the sand really is getting everywhere – but not just uncomfortable places. It’s in your hair, your eyes, your nose…. this sure doesn’t seem like a pleasant way to go!
Best to start running – there’s a trusty drawbridge to get over the moat (because what’s a sandcastle without a moat?) but who knows how long until that, too, is going to give way? Best to cross over it before it starts to shake and disappear too. Or if you don’t make it, hopefully you can land some pretty impressive airtime to make it to the other side!
If not, well...there'll be the sensation of sand crushing down upon you, filling your mouth and eyes, and you won't be able to breathe at all – and then you're alive again on the beach (but possibly in yet another new, uncomfortable, skimpy swimsuit). Honestly, be more careful, would you?
PHASE III [ 1200 ] However, once you do make it to the other side, it’s all smooth sailing from there! Or is it? Hah, as they say, life sure can be a beach.
Which is what this is.
Welcome to your Beach Episode, folks. Now that you’ve made it out of the collapsing sand castle, you’ve made it to the luxurious, picturesque golden coastline. Sure, you’re coughing up fine, luxurious, sand dust right now and you’ve definitely gotten sand in all of your crevices thanks to your swimsuit, but that’s okay! Go take a soak in the ocean or something or cool off with a smoothie. There’s a smoothie shack off into the distance, complete with a long chalkboard with… well, probably a few familiar names? And some unfamiliar ingredients. Sounds appetizing right?
That said, once you do ingest some of the smoothie with the name of a newcomer, you might suddenly find yourself feeling a bit… different. You’ll be taking on some of their traits, one of the most intense parts of their personality – or you might need to take a second to sit down because you’re suddenly seeing one of their memories. Whoa. What do they actually put in this stuff?
PHASE IV [ 1500 ] For the brave souls that venture out into the water, you have even more adventures waiting for you. Anyone who’s swimming around, wading in the water—hell, even looking at the water is getting scooped up and deposited in one of these giant orbs. But don’t take up too much room, because someone else is getting shoved right in there with you. Time to get cozy with your new friend, because it's only going to get worse as the waves begin to carry you out into this big, blue, virtual ocean. Hopefully the choppy waves don’t bounce you around too much or – well, you could always get really friendly with a stranger! Why not?
At least until it’s made very clear that fresh air does not make it back into these balls. That seems like a bit of a design flaw. Now what? Fight the other person who’s inhaling all your air? Suffer through it for swimsuit-clad fun? Or if you break it…. well, you sure are stranded out in the ocean. Or are you?
After enough flailing, you’ll be met by a giant, dumb-looking creature who will then eat you whole.
Everything goes dark. This is surely the end --
And then you're in Cerealia proper; it seems that was the exit to the level (but why there?) and you'll find yourself either in one of the fountains or the pond in the park. Either way, you'll be very, very well. And this time, that's not virtual. But hey, at least you'll have all of your stuff with you.
BONUS [ xxxx ] Do you hear that?
Anyone idle on the beach will hear a distant melody coming from further out into the ocean. It’s a beautiful, elegant song that automatically makes the listener stop what they’re doing and immediately wander toward the noise. It takes you a moment to recall – it takes a moment to think about anything now, really – but you remember hearing the smoothie shack owner say something about mermaids populating the beach. Could this be their song calling out to you? Whether you would normally abide by this kind of call or not, you find your feet walking further and further out into the water, the shallows lapping up to your ankles and up and up as you are drawn in by the song.
A rather classic song, though the usual instances of French are also replaced with the very enticing, enchanting nonsense promise of omelette du fromage........and then they try to drown you.
[ 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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veronica
[ veronica, you're gonna make marianne cry... ]
You as well, Veronica.
[ He smiles at her. Allen's not even near royalty, but he's handy with his manners too. And there's just something about polite people that brings it out of him ten-fold.
But she just asked a question right now, didn't she. ]
Oh, Crown Clown is the name of my Innocence. It's a weapon, but it's not meant to hurt humans.
[ He'd spread his cape to show her, but since certain circumstances are preventing him so, he'll just let her see (and touch, if she's really tempted. it probably feels surprisingly hard like body armor). ]
no subject
Whom does it hurt, then?
[She tilts her head and since he hasn't moved away yet or anything, she reaches out to run her hand over the cape just as carefully as she had when she was touching his hands. It's much stupider than she expected and it's clear she doesn't really know what to make of it. Weren't weapons usually things like guns and bladed things? Or bar that: blunt, heavy objects. How would you use a cape as a weapon? Perhaps it had something to do with the way it had been able to stretch?]
no subject
At least Allen expects this question, even if he startles a little when she actually goes ahead to touch it. But his cursed eye isn't reacting, so he's sure Crown Clown won't activate automatically and try to murder her to death. Instead, he'll promptly answer her question. ]
It's a weapon for Akuma.
[ Though, he doesn't really like thinking of it in terms of hurting and destroying bc someone has to care about the sad bb Akuma. ]
Akuma are machines made out of dark matter, which is a supernatural material. Innocence is as well, so it can be used to destroy dark matter. Ah, Akuma are... They're machines, but they're powered by the souls of deceased humans.
[ it's all very depressing stuff. ]
[ ooc: also AHHH I'm sorry for the late tag! I'm fine with handwaving and starting something new, or backtagging forever! Both's perfectly fine with me! ]
no subject
It's a bad habit Veronica hasn't been able to shake: her just going ahead and touching everything and everyone without first asking for leave to do so. Not unlike a small child still exploring the world, actually. That and her propensity to just stare at people sometimes which she does right now with a small frown as she wonders why anyone would want to power a machine with a human soul.]
But why would you wish to power a machine with a soul? What happens when the machine is destroyed?
(ooc: Also no worries! If you had something new you wanted to start, we can totally do that! Or backtag too? I'm fine with either haha...maybe we can finish this and then start something new if you'd like?)
no subject
ahhh she's staring at him.... Allen Stares back, because he's still vainly trying to avoid looking at what she's wearing. ]
That's... [ those are really good questions, ones that Allen is happy to answer! He doesn't seem to mind Veronica's curiosity about the subject, really. It's all part of the job when you're an Exorcist. Informing people of the danger is sometimes the best way to save them from it. ]
I can't say I know the exact reason why souls were chosen specifically, but the person who created them -- the Millennium Earl -- his goal is to destroy humanity. He doesn't summon the souls himself. He approaches people who've had loved ones die and offers... to bring them back.
[ It's terrible, but the calm, sober way Allen uses to speak about it probably shows how used to it he is by now. ]
All he asks in exchange is for them to call out the names of their loved ones, and that summons the soul long enough for him to trap. Then, once the souls are in the machines, they're ordered to kill the person who called out to them and in that way, finally become Akuma.
[ He finally pauses here, aware of the Infodump he's been carrying on. ]
The souls are trapped in the machines, so they're freed once the Akuma are destroyed.
[ ooc: yes I'd love to start something new!! we can keep on going with this thread until things start winding down!! I could hit up Veronica's inbox with Allen after too. ]
no subject
But why? To do such a repulsive thing...to take advantage of a weakness...that is a terrible thing. How could he?
[And the way Allen speaks about it as if he were used to it happening already is only the icing on the cake, her hands closing tightly at her sides.]
You are trying...to free them, then?
no subject
I don’t know. I’ve met the Millennium Earl face-to-face a number of times, and I can’t say I’m closer to understanding him than I was before.
[ He knows the day he does understand the Earl is the day he’ll have to give up everything to the Fourteenth inside of him. But now that’s a subject Allen will avoid mentioning. ]
Yes. Saving every Akuma is my purpose in life.
[ He says, very seriously. Then, he smiles. Despite the nature of their conversation, despite the heavy implication of “purpose in life” there. ]
As long as I keep on fighting, then a peaceful future for both humans and Akuma can definitely be achieved.
no subject
I...see. [That he had apparently not understood it either. She's sure if he did that he would tell her.
It really did seem nonsensical to her, the urge to destroy and to hurt. But then again, she was someone who took the time and carefully lifted earthworms back into the grass after rain to ensure they were not trampled, who had trouble playing violent games because she couldn't understand casually killing anyone.
However, she's not entirely certain she likes the sound of it being a purpose. That almost made it sound like a task that would never end.]
I hope that you can achieve it. [And more importantly:] That you will be able to enjoy such a future.