It is a quiet day in mostly reconstructed Cerealia. The robots are busily running into walls that were not there before, the Cybuddy bees are buzzing...and CERES has still not said a word. Attempting to contact them still gets the User Offline error. Strange...
But who cares if CERES is offline? After all, they are the cruel and tyrannical captors. A Cerealia without them must be better than a Cerealia with them. So there's nothing to worry about on this fine, peaceful day. Or, at least, that's what it seems like, when suddenly there's a voice in everyone's head. A chosen few may recognize the voice, for they will have heard it before, but to the vast majority, it is brand new.
Looks like someone has been saved, and a reward granted... and no, you don't have a single choice in the matter.
 Your heroism will be remembered, lost and stolen souls.
You have saved me, and so now, I shall save you.
All of you.
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PHASE I [ day one ] It happens so quickly. One moment you’re in the colony, going about your daily life, and the next, you’re… floating. A moment later, every player character from the colony is transported with a wisp of fresh air to...somewhere very very different. The distance is far, but it is covered in what must have only been a scant moment, and it’s clear somehow, especially to air characters, that it was Caeli’s doing that brought everyone there.
There, naturally, being right in the middle of the jungle.
Everyone is then unceremoniously dropped. You may land on a tree, or in a patch of poison mushrooms (no really, look out for the colorful plant life, it’s probably poisonous) or in the river. There are some strange insects of all sorts and types, some of which have some uncomfortable side effects if you’re bitten, such as swelling or the uncomfortable urge to go hug the nearest person, and there are strange flowers everywhere, some of which glow only in the dark of night or the shade of trees. It is dreadfully humid, however, and a little hard to breathe--unless you’re of the air disposition.
Either way, you’ve certainly landed somewhere fantastical, so take some time to get used to your surroundings. It shouldn’t take too long to find everyone else, hopefully.
PHASE II [ day two ] Of course, this far into the jungle, and making this much noise, it was only inevitable before some company was attracted.
Some are clearly dangerous, some are peaceful as can be and some are somewhere in between; approach at your own risk.
Either way, these monsters are all drawn to larger groups of people and a lot of noise, so it may be best to keep quiet...though the ones that keep their distance may be even more concerning.
Everyone is certainly being stalked at one point or another in the jungle -- and at night, there are eyes watching from the darker parts of the trees.
PHASE III [ day three ] But perhaps if you follow some of those monsters deeper into the woods, you will stumble across an old, run down village of sorts. It looks as though time and the jungle has overtaken it. Exploring it will reveal plenty of homes that were clearly lived in however, by families and by people of all sorts.
There are empty rooms, covered in dust, and a central village fire, long gone out.
Small knick-knacks and various objects can be found… if you want to steal from the dead, you know. It’s a little rude. It appears they led a simple, peaceful life, however; most notably, there is no technology to be found.
And if The Bridge catches you doing it, she will look incredibly sad and ask you to put everything back in its proper place before she goes back to looking very irritated at Caeli. You may overhear words about how this “isn’t the right place” and Caeli’s unrepentant, “It is only a few hundred miles”. Looks like something went a little wrong in the transportation process.
Time to camp out for the night, perhaps. And your CereVices don’t get any reception out here, so no surfing the internet for you. If you try to connect to the internet, for some reason the device starts playing a song. Was that programmed…?
PHASE IV [ day four ] By the fourth day, it’s pretty clear that you’re going to be stuck here for a bit. Pestering Caeli or Maris gets nothing, while the Bridge still can’t be approached for pretty good reasons. So… you’ll just have to make the best of it while they figure out their next approach.
Time to figure out how to camp with few supplies and even fewer nice places to sleep. Maybe try to make a fire (though it’s incredibly difficult, considering how muggy it is here) or try to find some bugs to eat (ew gross).
Of course, you can try hunting, but the prey doesn’t look too friendly, so be careful not to become the prey yourself. The same goes for fishing, it seems.
Some of the trees are poisonous, some of the grasses will cause unfortunate rashes, and some vines will lash out to grab at people (especially colorful ones); basically, this is an entirely untamed alien jungle, so it may not be the fun camping trip you'd like.
Time to work together to survive out here, at least for a little longer.
It’s your time to shine. This is Person Versus Wild.
PHASE V [ day six ] On day six, the jungle goes utterly silent.
The monsters and animals disappear. The extra friends poof away hastily and suddenly. Maris and the Bridge fall silent (though Caeli admittedly continues floating there as ever). If anyone approaches them to ask, they'll just say that "she is coming".
And soon, she does appear. She moves slowly, lacking in feet; they are roots, as though that of a tree. Nonetheless, she has no troubles with moving forward, slow bit by bit. She does not speak, not at first, and behind her, trotting lightly through the woods, there is another. Both feel strongly of spiritual energy, just like Maris and Caeli. And eventually, after observing the people gathered, they can be spoken to.
BONUS [ day ??? ] After spending some time in the jungle, emotions might be running a bit amuck. And those emotions might bring some unexpected...friends. Yes, let's go with friends.
Because if a character is typically grumpy, gloomy, stoic, lineface, or anything along those lines, they may find themselves followed by a bright, happy bird. That bird feeds off of those emotions, and will just cheerfully follow around any lineface character for as long as possible. Or until they smile. The birds are otherwise harmless, chirping happily every now and then and following them around like a friendly shadow.
Happy, cheerful, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, energetic characters, on the other hand, will soon find themselves followed by... a different friend. Or maybe a handful of them. It depends on how cheerful they are. Either way, these creatures feed off of happiness and fun, but they will also chew on hair or an ear if they're allowed to get that close, making horrifying, chittering noises as they follow anyone who is in a good mood.
[ 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
Um-- hello yourself! [ The spirit even mimicked Kashuu's bashful greeting before emitting a happy bark. Congratulations, you now have his full attention as he comes bounding up, his fiery body lighting up. ] That's me! And you-- you came to visit, right? I remember you and your energy and--
Your things! The shiny ones! You're definitely a good people.
no subject
Yeah, yeah! That was me! Your shrine was super cute and cozy-looking so I wanted to leave you something nice. They're called stickers! You can peel 'em off the paper and put 'em on pretty much anything. [How big is this spirit, even?? Kashuu will crouch down to be closer to eye level if he's smol...]
—Hey, I wanna thank you for something else, too. Someone came to visit you and prayed for their friend to feel better. You made it happen, right?
no subject
But the matched energy just manages to make Ardeo that much more cheerful, his flamed tail rising higher. Occidi is great company and all but she is pretty quiet. ]
I can make a lot of things happen, but I guess that was me! Not just me though. That someone put a lot of energy into it. Definitely made it easier. That's how it works, right? You put in some of the work and I do too! .... or something.
-- but hey! How'd you know about that?
no subject
S'that how it goes? I've never been a shrine spirit or anything like that. People don't pray to me, y'know, but that sounds like a nice way to do things. Everyone pitches in or whatever, yeah? [WHY ARE THEY BEING SO VAGUE.]
A-ny-way! I know 'cause that guy who's sick is my old master and the one who asked is kinda like a partner, I guess.
no subject
So that's the bond between you....
I get it! I definitely get it. You're not like the others, not even like your master.
But you don't pray to each other?
no subject
Yeah, we're not really the same. [Not human, but spirits of a sort, too. As for the question:] Nope! Some of us were left as offerings for gods, but none of us are actually like, god-spirits ourselves, see? Those're usually the types people pray to, and we're just swords. Sometimes people ask some of us for good luck or stuff like that, though.
no subject
Someone would leave you?! Really? [ He seems almost angry at the thought. ] But that's not how your friendship stuff works, right? Why would they do that? [ The fox backs away a bit then, flames rising and temperature increasing. ] And then they ask you for stuffs but don't give you anything back? Why I oughta....!! [ He barks once, but this time deeper, something more ferocious. He grows in size slightly, flames climbing--
And then he seems to have a thought that brings him back to his form size, docile again. ]
Oh! But could I keep you?
no subject
I mean, yeah, but that's like-- No one's really friends with their swords, y'know? So— [Lord, this tiny yappy fox actually seems vaguely menacing for a second and he feels a little badly, getting him all riled up like that. But before he can explain any further, there's that question instead?!]
Ah. [...] Me? [Pointing to himself... His tone is more incredulous than anything. The cute spirit wants to keep him!!] You wanna keep me?
no subject
[ He actually seems to brighten up considerably at the idea, his flame tail wagging along happily. ]
Could I? Would you let me? I wouldn't leave you! I forget some things and maybe I'll give some stuff away if I broke it -- but if you wanna stay, you'll be mine forever! I take good care of mine too. Definitely.
[ Didn't he just say that some of his stuff ends up broken? ]
no subject
I mean... You'd have to share, y'know, 'cause I belong to my master already.
[Should he even be humoring this??]
no subject
I don't like that.
[ He's simplistic, at least. ]
You're already one of mine. I feel it! You burn and you gave me shinies! [ And he wanders closer again, flicking his tail once as he sits back on his haunches and looks up at Kashuu. ] But what's fair about me having only half of you? Nuh-uh. Bad deal.
no subject
But he can ask about that later. He's pretty simplistic too, honestly, so there's no mincing of words or delicately trying to step around things here. He just sits himself down too, hands on his knees.]
You're way fun and your shrine is super cute and I wanna be friends with you, y'know? I really like you! But my master gave me life, see? He's the reason I can talk to you at all, and I love him a lot so I wanna be able to stand by his side as long as he needs me.
no subject
I bet I could've given you life... He just got there first...
[ But Ardeo takes time to consider that offer a little bit more before he barks once and sets himself on his feet again, picking himself back up. He runs one little circle around Kashuu and then stops -- ]
Well! We can be friends for now and then maybe I can have you later when you change your mind.
[ That's not what he said. ]
no subject
You're pretty determined, huh? But I'll be a super good friend in the meantime, 'kay? Pro-mise! Ah, I guess you can't pinky promise, though.
[No pinkies...]
no subject
Instead Ardeo just barks once. ]
I can still promise! There's a lot I can do....!
[ Though it's nothing particularly binding, there will be a warmth in Kashuu's heart, inspiring a feeling of acceptance and camaraderie. This is the type of warmth and extension of oneself that Ardeo approves of. ]
no subject
But this is just as good, or maybe even better. It's a pleasant feeling and Kashuu raises his hand, resting it on his chest over his heart.]
That's nice! That's a nice feeling. I'll do my best then, 'kay? Since we both promised, you can count on me when you need a friend!
[Though he can't imagine a spirit-god type thing would really need much except for maybe a few extra packs of sparkly stickers when the new seasonal ones are released.]
no subject
Okay! I'm gonna hold you to that!
Then I guess.... [ He paws at the ground, as if asking the planet itself for counsel. For a moment, he appears unsure -- full of youth and naivete. ] If you need something....
I'll see what I can do! Depending...!
[ Then he pauses. ]
Is that okay? It doesn't sound as good as what you said.
no subject
[A pretty sharp juxtaposition to the brief flare of anger... But it's still endearing! And he appreciates the offer too, because "I'll see what I can do" is pretty much the best thing anyone could hope for in an uncertain situation like this.]
Oh— My name's Kashuu, by the way! Kashuu Kiyomitsu.
[MAYBE HE SHOULD ASK ABOUT RETURNING HOME?? But no, this moron is too swept up in being hype about new friends to remember that part. Good work, Kashuu.]
no subject
Kashuu Kiyomitsu. [ Ardeo inclines his head in a nod, understanding. ] I'm Ardeo!
[ His tail gestures toward the other spirit. ]
She's Occidi. Don't make her mad.
no subject
Okay! [He hopes he won't, anyway?! He'll just try to be extra respectful around her... At the very least, she doesn't seem crazy and temperamental immediately which is always nice.]
S'good to meet you both. [Dipping his head into a little bow!] And I'm way glad I finally got to say hi! Ardeo and Occidi - I'll definitely remember.
no subject
[ Ardeo barks once, pleased and playful. He wanders in close to Kashuu and he's emitting the same friendly, fond warmth. He leans up to brush his own face against Kashuu's cheek, a gesture full of familial affection. Kashuu should feel a warmth enveloping him, as though he's being embraced.]
I'll remember you too.
[ Then Ardeo disappears in a flash of flame. Bye! ]