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.
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sasuke
[ Sasuke. Please. He huffs, looking away from him in what is probably supposed to be a bratty manner, but the small pink in his cheeks shows he may be a little embarrassed about the lecture. Apparently, he doesn't seem to care if it gets him killed in the long run, he wants to keep it on. ]
Just because you didn't want to keep yours doesn't mean everyone feels the same way, 'ttebasa. I told you, it's important to me. I won't just toss out something from my shishou.
no subject
A shinobi who's abandoned their village isn't someone to emulate. Besides, shouldn't you have one of your own?
[ Why would anybody who claims loyalty to their village want to learn from someone who willingly discarded theirs? Has Konoha really fallen so low that that the only shinobi worth learning from are the ones who left? ]
no subject
There's an embarrassed blush that burns on his face as he looks away from, kicking the dirt a little. ]
I don't have it anymore. [ That's sufficient. Good explanation. Boruto is the most verbose. ]
no subject
It's not a thing in Konoha to give your child the same name as someone else. Call it a courtesy thing, it's just not that common. That said, his own name is one of those few... and he's pretty sure there weren't any other Sasukes in the village. Especially not any others who were nukenin.
Only him.
So that battered and scratched headband this kid keeps clinging to is his?! ] Your shishou is--
[ This shouldn't be funny. It shouldn't be funny at all... except it's hysterical. Does Naruto know that there's a mini-ruto running around claiming that he's being taught by Sasuke of all people? He's laughing internally at this. No, wait, that sound he's making is laughter. He finds this whole thing stupidly hysterical. ] What makes you think he got lost? Maybe he woke up and realized there's nothing worth protecting in a village that hasn't changed from the way it was when he left the first time.
[ But as abruptly as that laughter started, it stops. The boy's answer is almost pathetic in its simplicity. ] A silly headband doesn't make you a shinobi, it's only a show of loyalty, like a clan emblem. [ He is so not one to talk on this, Mr. Must Put Uchiha Fan On Everything I Wear ] They don't make a good shinobi great, and they don't make a loser into anything more than a loser who can take a few more whacks to the forehead because of the metal plate.
... lmao i am the worst at tagging back lately i'm so sorry
Shishou... He loves the village. That's why he came back. He'd do anything to protect his home and his family. I want to be strong and brave, just like him, and I'll cherish any gift he gives me.
You are a-ok. :)
His voice is low, tone even, his attention focused anywhere but on Boruto. It's just easier that way. ]
I hate to break it to you, kid, but he's a criminal. He abandoned his village because he wanted revenge. He sided with the Akatsuki. He'd intended to wipe out Konoha. He crashed a Kage Summit, attacked the five Kages, and killed the acting Hokage. He tried to kill Naruto, and would've killed Sakura if someone hadn't intervened.
...He's not exactly 'nice'.
no subject
Why wouldn't he be here, too, with no memory of what was to come? If what he said was true, and if his thoughts were right, why would he ever even believe him?
He's trying to look strong, even if he can feel some kind of tears burning behind his eyes at the thought of his Sasuke attacking his father instead of standing up to him. Is that what led to the famous battle everyone referenced but never really talked about with him? ]
Even... if that's true - [ He emphasizes "if" pretty heavily, because he still isn't sure he believes ] - it doesn't matter! Tou-san trusts him and the village looks to him as a hero, so - so - something must have changed. Something happened to fix it, to - to have people forgive him! I know he's not the warmest person, but if he overcame all that then he's even stronger than I thought he was before.
[ TAKE THAT HERO WORSHIP, SASUKE. ]
no subject
[ There is a lot of disbelief in that tone, because really kiddo? You expect him to believe that? After everything he did? The Infinite Tsukiyomi is supposed to be dispelled, right? Or did everyone end up hitting their heads and getting selective amnesia? ]
He's worth more dead than alive. I don't know what the actual price is, because I've never bothered to check, but find a bingo book sometime. It'll tell you everything I just told you, because it's all public knowledge. Hell, the price probably went up after the Summit and Danzo.
no subject
[ Well that was shouted louder than he meant for it too. He huffs, crossing his arms and looking away from Sasuke with about as much of an upset child look as one can get. The desire to just be home, where things were normal and safe and boring again has become ever stronger. ]
Don't you know how to listen?
no subject
If someone showed up and told you that you become someone who destroys Konoha and rules over everything with an iron fist, would you believe them?
[ It's not that he's not listening, he just doesn't understand what happened between now and then to bring him to that point... and he's being very vocal about it ]
I know what I am, I know what I've done, I know what I planned on doing. To hear that I went from being an S-class international criminal that everybody wanted dead to suddenly being a hero doesn't exactly click. None of them gave a damn about me when I wasn't even ten years old and forced to live on my own, so why should I believe that any of them would bother to care now? It doesn't make sense.
no subject
Well I don't know, you never talk about it. I can see why you'd wanna forget about being such a jerk, I guess.
[ Surprisingly, the jerk comment isn't said to be mean, it's more the way a kid would just state a fact that should seem obvious. ]
You and Tou-san saved the village a long time ago and all the work you put into helping people must have made them trust you again. Maybe you don't hate everyone as much as you're acting like you do. [ Expose your inner teddy bear, Sasuke. ]
no subject
Sigh. Really kid? You're gonna make him have to explain himself? ]
I don't hate everyone. I don't like very many people, but I don't hate them all, and I'd have preferred they just leave me alone, but apparently that's a foreign concept.
[ Except Naruto, because even though that's his best friend, he's also that obstacle which he needs to overcome if he intends to make his goal a reality. ]