PHASE I [ 8 00 ] You’ve arrived. You’ve received your powerpoint presentation, and your head is filled to the brim with the knowledge that your world is destroyed, and that everyone you once knew and loved is dead. You are ready to handle whatever is thrown your way --
Or maybe not. You end up in a giant game of Pacman, and from the yellow spandex jumpsuit you’re now stuck in (glow-in-the-dark, even, how snazzy), you’re Pacman. Everything is a maze, all towering dark walls and corridors, and everything seems just a little...well, off. First off, the balls you’d normally collect in pacman? They’re floating there, yellow and distinct, the only source of light in the maze, but if you pick them up and touch them, you’ll experience a memory.
It’ll be something warm, gentle and sweet, a memory of your home or the people you love that is something you truly treasure, a memory of a time that is so very important to you. And then the globe is gone and the world returns to its cold, stark state, and you are reminded: everyone is dead. Better go pick up another one!
And, of course, there are the ghosts. They’re a little horrifying (though they come in all sorts of fun colors!) and if they grab you, all of those positive memories turn horrible. A nice memory of a picnic? It’s now a memory of losing everyone important on that day, cut down by masked figures.
Of course, that’s only for the newcomers to ViViD. For anyone who enters ViViD as a veteran, well...you can watch. If you try to enter the game, there are some unfortunate consequences -- you’ll end up as one of the ghosts chasing down those poor innocents, unable to do a thing about it.
Be sure to admire the scoreboard hanging over the game for everyone to see, though.
PHASE II [ 1030 ] Just when you’ve gotten a handle on Pacman, now you’re stuck playing...Tetris?
Everyone (newcomer and old veteran) has been dumped in the game now, and those falling blocks don’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. You'll be in an unfortunate tag-team; the person you're tossed into the game with may be a total stranger to you, but you're stuck with them now. After a few moments of dodging giant, falling blocks, it should become clear how you win this game: the blocks follow you (or your partner) in an attempt to squash you, so with some careful wrangling, you can guide those blocks into place and erase row after row of deadly blocks. Of course, if you can't work together, you're more likely to end up squished at the top of the screen, but if you should somehow manage to clear the screen, the door at the other end will open and you'll be free to go.
Let's hope you're stuck with someone easy to work with.
PHASE III [ 1145 ] Stumbling out of Tetris will bring you onto a rickety platform, a hangman’s noose gently wrapped around one of your very most important people. You can’t approach them, you can’t touch them, and they can’t speak, but they look at you with pleading eyes even as the talking tree they are to be hanged from tells you the rules. Guess letters, guess the word, and your friend will be freed. Guess wrong, and, well… the noose will tighten bit by bit.
Time to work together to get your friends down from there. Admittedly you might see someone different up there from the person next to you, but it’s all the same in the end, isn’t it? You’ve got to save them either way.
If you fail, that person will be hanged -- only to reveal that they were just a straw doll all along. Phew, what a relief!
If they succeed at guessing the word, a trap door will open up underneath that person and the rope will be released, dropping them down to never be seen again. Bye!
PHASE IV [ 1300 ] And then you’re dumped right out of ViViD and back into Cerealia. The city is still a little water-logged, though it is looking better than it was before; either way, you may be dumped anywhere. On a roof, in the middle of the park, on top of the scrap heap… anything could happen.
And it seems that things are still a little glitchy, or maybe the glitchy ViViD experience has infected your code in some way, because for a short period of time after, there may be a few...side effects. Fingers and faces might glitch out for a moment, or your hand might phase through a wall. You may also have your In Game Title hovering over your head for all to see. That’s not weird at all.
It’ll all fade away in an hour or two anyway, without any side effects to speak of. Or so it would seem.
PENALTY [ xxxx ] You may have ended up here after getting eaten by a pacman (or ghost), or you may have ended up here after jumping down the trapdoor to save your friend in Hangman. Perhaps you were squashed by a tetris block. Perhaps you just fell down onto your sword (why would you do that). Either way, here you are.
It’s an empty area, totally silent and void, aside from this one carnival game. Once you’re seated, you can’t stand up -- you have to win the game to leave, as the friendly game host will inform you without a single smile. You’ll be playing against the others who managed to end up here, but you’d better give it your best shot, or who knows how long you’ll end up staying here.
Time to play a carnival shooter game.
At least the targets are of a few familiar faces. Maybe that’ll make it more appealing?
And if you win you’ll be able to exit stage right, plus you’ll have a cute Mosley plushie as a prize. Hooray!
[ 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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no subject
He doesn't do anything, though, just eyes the boy in front of him warily for a moment before he straightens out of his defensive position and lets the wand drop a little.]
I saw it.
[Frowns, his brow furrowing.]
But this isn't where I was expecting to be, so I suppose a lot of it went in one ear and out the other. It's all rather a shock.
no subject
[Hmmm, so he uses a wand to do magic? How different. Maybe if he can talk this guy down, William will be able to ask him about it in detail.]
I would give you the gist of it, but first: are you uninjured? Aside from the obvious emotional shock. ViViD, is a different experience, especially if you are not used to modern technology.
no subject
[Pauses, then pinches the bridge of his nose like he's trying to hole back a headache.]
Only now I've just been told that home doesn't exist anymore -- what a load of rubbish.
[Scowls as he drops his hand, propping it on his hip instead and looking at William properly now.]
You sound as though you aren't new here. I'll admit, I did wish to be brought back to more modern times, but... [Glances around at the buildings again.] This is, perhaps, a bit more modern than I'd intended. Beyond what they have in my part of the world, anyway.
[lol technology, what is that.]
no subject
[Well that is a disturbing thought. That there was more than one organization hell bent on rehoming people like this was unsettling.
At least it doesn't look like this boy is going to shoot him though, which allows William to relax a little more.]
Well, I wouldn't trust everything they say about our homes being gone, though I understand the feeling.
[He shakes his head.]
It seems daunting, but life is easy enough to adjust to here. People are very helpful, especially when they find out you do not know the ins and outs of computers.
[He blinks then.]
I take it you are from England as well then?
no subject
[And he's very grumpy about it.]
This place is...very different than where I was, though.
[He tips his head a bit, listening to what William is saying. And it's all very familiar, while at the same time not familiar at all. Easy to adjust, people are helpful, all things he once had told to him and has since told many other people. Just in a completely different world.
It really is happening all over again, isn't it?
His eyes narrow at the mention of computers. Being from the mid-90s, those are really only just starting to become more of a household item in his world -- well, the other part of his world. As such, he has no idea what you're talking about.]
Computers? Is that some sort of Muggle thing? [Wait, no, he knows better than to throw that word about and quickly waves a hand.] Non-magical thing, rather. And— [Blinks right back, before his eyes widen a little.] England. Yes! You know it? Are you from there, as well? What year??
[Probably sad that such a question doesn't even seem strange to him anymore.]
no subject
[That is a horrifying thought and for a brief second, William's mind blanks, because he has not considered being stuck here that long. He couldn't put his dreams on hold that long, he just-
And then he mentally shook his head, clearing it. No, that had only happened to this person. There was no reason to assume it would happen to William himself.
Confidence restored he thought on what he was being told.]
...hmmm, so you practice magic then?
But yes, I am from there. The year 1889. And yourself?
no subject
[His eyebrows shoot up at the year reveal.]
You're joking. That long ago? Mate, I'm from quite a bit farther along than that. It was 1995 last time I was there.
no subject
[He raised an eyebrow right back.]
1995? Well, that is not as far ahead as everyone else. But then again, matters such as when you were from become pretty irrelevant here after a while.
[And he glanced back at that alien who had been ensorcled who was still thrashing a bit.]
Are they going to recover?
no subject
...How far ahead is everyone else?
[He thinks back, trying to remember if that came up in the picture show thing they made him watch. Things here definitely seem farther ahead, but it's hard for him to judge when he doesn't venture outside of the Wizarding World that often, and even he can admit that Muggles do things...differently. Perhaps a little more...advanced.
He follows William's gaze over to the alien who still can't stand up, and oops.]
Oh— Hang on. [Waves his wand, quickly canceling the spell.] Now they will. It was just a simple jinx.
no subject
It varies as a lot, but not counting those from other universes, a lot seem to come from beyond the year 2000.
[Time is a bit relative, isn't it? Years and that are just something humans came up with on their own, a series of dates that differ depending on the culture. So talking about years becomes useless when it doesn't involve earth.]
Simple, but pretty powerful. Do you need a wand to do that?
no subject
[Wrinkles his nose a bit as he says it, looking like he finds the whole thing mostly ridiculous. As if muggles could ever be a danger to wizards...
Oh, 2000, that's not far off. But yes, that's also a fair point. Really, all he knows is that this place is much more ~futuristic~ than he's used to.
He glances down at his wand at that question, thinking how to phrase his response so that it doesn't sound as though he's completely dependent upon the thing.
Even though he is.]
It's possible to do wandless spells...though most people need a tool to help focus their magic. Wandless magic is very advanced.
no subject
[If he ever saw Mathers again, he would have to ask if there were any rules like that back home. His teacher hadn't bothered to mention much, but then again, the man was dodgy at best.]
Ah, so anyone could do it if they had a wand, or I suppose not? My teacher hadn't mentioned anything about using one when we started, so I was curious.
no subject
[...Back up, though. When you started??
Draco blinks.]
Wait, I'm sorry, you're saying you're being taught to use magic?
no subject
[He's actually pulling out his notebook and jotting down a few notes. This is an avenue he should explore in the future.]
Yes. Though I do have an ancestor who was a powerful wizard.
[For all the good it did him.]
But, I can do little things like fire spells, wind mainly. I could summon demons back home, but it's useless when they are not here.
no subject
[And then they're all but ostracized for life. The Wizarding World really isn't very nice to squibs...
His eyes widen a bit.]
Demons? Are you sure you're from England?
[He's never heard anything about demons before and come to think of it, this bloke should've been invited to Hogwarts if he had any kind of magical traits. Particularly with a powerful wizard ancestor.
Draco tips his head, eyeing him curiously.]
Fire spells... You see, the sort of magic I can do is more a way of life, honestly. From the most mundane household task to battling an opponent. We live and breathe it. I can do a fire spell, too, but it could simply be used to light a pile of wood as easily as it could to attack someone.
[To demonstrate, he lifts his arm and points his wand back into the alley, away from where anyone is so he doesn't accidentally catch some random passerby again.]
Incendio!
[It sends a jet of flames bursting from his wand, but they catch on nothing and merely dissipate in the air.]
no subject
[It figured that it would work that way like any talent out there.]
Of course I am. Granted, most people only think they're superstitions in my England.
[That incredulity better not be of the "he's mad" sort.
His eyes widen at the fire spell and well the Latin name called out. So fitting really, and different considering they used Hebrew for their magic back home. William would have preferred the Latin.]
That is incredible. And you just learn that, naturally?
no subject
People in England believe a lot to be superstitions. But most of their superstitions actually exist in the Wizarding parts. Superstitions or fantastical beings and whatnot...
[The fact that they've managed to keep DRAGONS a secret, I mean seriously.
Draco shakes his head at the question.]
We learn it as one would learn anything -- I attend school. Hogwarts. It's one of the finest magical institutions there is. [...Slight eye roll.] Supposedly. My headmaster is a bit dodgy, but regardless. I started at age eleven and was to graduate after seven years.
[Who knows if that will happen now, though. SIGH.]
no subject
[Honestly, he had been one of those people to believe that magic, demons and all of that were superstitions. The last year both here and back home had been enlightening to say the least.]
They have actual schooling then? How convenient. Though imagine it must be a lot of work on top of learning literature, math and economics and all of that.
[At least he assumes the curriculum is well rounded. Maybe he's wrong though.]
no subject
But of course, Draco just nods.]
Well, most of that is taught before Hogwarts. Literature and maths and such... We have Arithmancy, though. That deals with numbers.
[Not that it's even a required course.]
But I can't speak for that last one. What was it -- economics?
no subject
[It did seem awfully short sighed to him, but well, whatever. He was in a live and let other cultures live mood.]
Economics is the study of resources and money. How it is used, that sort of thing...
[He shook his head. Because wow they were getting off track.]
Though I suppose you have more pressing concerns right now than speaking of your world. We should try and get you sorted out.
no subject
[Draco so enjoys talking about his world, though. But yes, he should probably figure out where to go from here.
He looks around the alley, then heads back toward the busy sidewalk to peek out onto the street again and up at the tall buildings. Step one, stop hiding back in this shadowy area, right?]
They said something about getting myself a flat?
[My, it's so flashy and busy here. He glances back at the other boy.]
I haven't gotten your name yet.
no subject
But this guy was having a rough enough time as it was.]
Yes. You have a card, on you... [William pulled out his own as an example.]
It contains all your money, and will serve as the key to your house. There will be a list of them on your CereVice. The first three months of rent are free, but I would make sure to choose wisely, otherwise you might not be able to afford it.
no subject