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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[He's come to expect some really, really weird shit from being here. Expecting the unexpected and all that, but hitching a truly unwanted ride to a jungle certainly qualifies for a high reading on the what-the-hell scale. Kagari has never even been outside of a city, and the endless variety of flora and fauna is nothing but confusing.
Or, it will be, once he finishes trying to find a lost shoe that seems to be lost somewhere in a patch of flowers dimly glowing in the shade of a giant tree. He brushes some hair that's already gone droopy in the humidity despite hair pins holding some of it up out of his face.]
Sure, you know, it's always great to start your newest horrifying adventure by losing stuff right away. Makes perfect sense.
[phase III]
[There's nothing to give off uncomfortable vibes like an entire derelict village. Kagari wanders in and out of houses, touching things, picking them up and looking at them, but putting them back. Even without being bothered about it, he has no interest in dead people's belongings.
He already knows that his CereVice can't pick up any signals out here, but he pulls it out anyway, since he is periodically checking to see if there is somewhere that may be able to connect. He sits down by the abandoned central fire pit, looking puzzled at the music playing. If he sees you, he'll wave the CereVice over his head and shrug.]
Hey, is this kind of music supposed to the add to the "lost in the damn jungle" ambiance, or what?
[wildcard]
[Have another idea? Come at me!]
phase i
(( Senketsu: Help! Helppp!!! You have to come with me right now!!! ))
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Alright, that's cool, he's sure that it's entirely possible aliens or robots or whatever might look like clothes. No reason to lose his mind over a stray outfit, right? Still, he decides not to try approaching it and actually takes another few steps backwards.]
Hey, I think you're... uh, missing your hanger? Or your person, or I have a really bad concussion right now.
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[ Senketsu jumps around Kagari a few more times before hopping towards the deeper part of the jungle. He turns around, beckoning the boy to follow him... it's frustrating trying to relay the sense of urgency of this situation without being able to speak directly. ]
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Yeah, yeah, I get it, hang on.
[He does take the time to fish his shoe out of the flowers, hopping into it before he gives the outfit a once over and gesturing ahead of himself.]
After you, I guess.
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Hnngh...
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1/2
2/2
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when she manages to find the abandoned village and spots kagari, she immediately runs up to him. ]
I don't think so, [ and she peers at what's behind him, then looks back at the late enforcer. ] Did you find anything useful?
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Perhaps thankfully, he hasn't had enough time in the colony to grow used to playing ViViD so much that it overlaps his reality. Instead, he's irritated that they've gone and sent them on a trip without much to their names. Like basic supplies. His knowledge of plants has helped him a little but not as much as he would've liked, considering this is an alien planet.
So all in all, he's got a veritable storm cloud over his head by the time he finds the run down village. It barely lifts as he spots Kagari and Akane, though he makes an effort not to be too outwardly grouchy—neither of them look like they've been having an excellent time here. ]
Nothing adds to the ambiance, aside from the lack of a predatory type creature stalking our every move.
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Since the song had been annoying anyway, he's turning his CereVice back off and tucking it into a pocket, not bothering to sweep any dirt off of his pants from where he was sitting.]
"Useful" is kind of an optimistic word right now. I'm pretty sure this whole village is like a museum of the dead, so it's not exactly the kind of place you want to set up shop.
[He nods in acknowledgment of Gino's statement; a few days ago it might have been an odd thing to say, but now, it's just one more part of dealing with life here.]
And it sounds like you've been having a great time on this field trip too, Gino.
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Here I was thinking we could stay here, [ if it seemed safe enough. but gino's right to mention that they're constantly being watched. it does feel that way doesn't it?
this is a new adventure for akane tsunemori, and she's absolutely determined to make the most out of this exeprience until they get back to the colony. of course, what "most" might be is still up in the air. but she's sure she'll be able to survive. she's learned a bit of martial arts, she has a gun, all she needs is a knife or a spear and she'll be set to hunt and get some food. yeah, she'll do that. whether or not gino and kagari were thinking about doing it, she'll join them even if they say no. ]
Have any of you seen Kogami?
[ and of course, she'd ask about him. for all she knew, the man had turned back to code again. ]
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[ The dark part of a doorway to an abandoned house illuminates as Kogami lights himself a cigarette. He seems calm and collected as usual, but considering this is Day 3 of their adventure it's kind of expected, isn't it? If anything, this stray wolf feels right at home in a place like this - he was more or less prepared for this sort of life when he decided to become a fugitive. ]
Whatever used to be here, hasn't been here in a very long time. Nothing looks as if it's been raided. We can stay here for the night before we move on.
[ They'll need the rest, especially Mr. 4-Hour Sleep over here. ]
kogami why are you so rude
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I'M SORRY EVERYONE......
iii
Someone has a sense of humor, probably. Not that it's really funny to the rest of us, though.
[He's just really tired of all of this already, because that's probably pretty obvious by his tone of voice.]
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Yeah, none of this really puts me in a laughing kind of mood. Mostly I'd like to make sure I'm not gonna die out here before I start thinking about what a great big joke all this is.
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We're not going to die unless someone does something stupid. It's not that dangerous.
[So...far. Don't jinx it, Nice.]
Just creepy.
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Freaked out people in a high-stress situation is exactly when someone does something stupid.
[Not that he's counting himself as being freaked out, of course. He's the one resting in an abandoned village.]
Though yeah, I could do with a slightly lower creepy factor, actually.
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i.
[Ruby seems effectively unbothered by their jungle surroundings, but it helps that this is about par for the course for her school experience. It could also be that she's unafraid due to the giant scythe she is carrying. It tends to make monsters less scary.]
Are you okay? Do you just really like flowers?
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[He says it without looking up from his diligent hunt through the flowers for his shoe, but pauses that so that he can look up to answer. My, what a big scythe you have, Ruby. He actually starts laughing quietly, looking slightly incredulous.]
Holy shit, that's huge. Guess you weren't kidding about the whole heroics thing. I mean, damn. But I'm fine, it's just-- [He holds up one foot, where a sock that was originally a garish shade of orange is now partly dark brown with dirt from the jungle floor. He wiggles his toes in her direction.]
The flowers stole my shoe, and I'm not gonna let them keep it.
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Eheh, thanks! Crescent Rose is pretty cool, right?
[But oh.
A shoe hunt.... yeah okay she'll freely admit that's pretty important. So even as she folds up her scythe into a more manageable, travel-size package, she steps over to join him, peering into the shadows of the tree.]
...Hmmmm... you don't mean the flowers... literally stole your shoe, do you?
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Man, and all I've got is one broken Dominator back in my apartment. We can't all get badass weapons out here, I guess. [That at least he mutters to himself, eyeing up the flower bed and crouching down in front of it and feeling around.]
You know, I didn't actually think of that, but this is my first encounter with flowers out in the wild. Anything's possible, but I'm hoping that I just lost it when I fell. I'd hate to lose a hand or something just because I lost my shoe first.
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Phase I
It's honestly Kagari's hair that draws her over, mistaking the bright color for something more interesting (like a giant flower or weird creature), and she's a little disappointed to find it's just a human.]
Can think of it like game. Hide and seek, or, eh... the one where you hunt for things. ['Scavenger hunt' is what she's looking for. She watches him curiously a moment] What are you looking for?
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He smiles at the comparison of the situation to a game; he does that a lot himself, so it's always nice when someone else thinks that way too.]
Yeah, that sounds about right.
[He waves at the flowers, and then at his mismatched feet; one with a scuffed shoe and the other only covered in one orange sock.] I'm looking for my other shoe, which I seem to have donated to the jungle sometime during my dramatic and probably hilarious fall into this flowerbed. Figured I might as well get it back, you know?
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Ah, I see! And the flowers are not wanting to return it? [She approaches closer then, pulling her hair up to tie it out of the way]
Need help? Suppose do not have anything better to do. ["I'm bored so why not," is what is essentially boils down to, though she gives the flowers a mildly suspicious glance] And the flowers are safe to touch?
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No indeed, the flowers are not wanting to return it.
[He's already crouched and reaching for the flowers as she speaks. He pauses with his hand above the petals of some of the taller flowers and considers.] Well, I'm not going to say no to help, of course.
[He brushes his hand across several flowers and holds it up to her; there's faintly glowing pollen on his fingers, but nothing else seems amiss.] I sure hope they're safe or else I'm in trouble.
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iii, whoops
anyway, he's in no hurry to touch any of this shit, as it's all covered in dust or worse, so after a quick perusal of one empty structure he's out by the fire pit, and—oh look, he's not alone. he stops when he sees Kagari, pausing briefly to listen to whatever the hell his CereVice is playing, and then waves a dismissive hand. ]
I'm the wrong person to ask. Even on good days I can't figure that goddamn thing out.
[ yeah yeah, grandpa, we know... ]
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