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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phase iv!
he smiles thinly, some meek, watered-down facsimile of his usual grin, trying to dissuade her against the option of seeking out her own death. if worst comes down to worse, he'll tag along, but he obviously won't be able to afford her much help besides serving as a meat shield.
on second though, he really should have asked scheduled a sparring session in advance. ]
You're alright with doing all of that, Vietnam-san? We aren't going to be here for too long, right?
[ appealing to her higher reason, he gestures tepidly at the surrounding greenery. ]
Maybe we could just eat plants for now.
no subject
She can't account for taste, however. Finding plant life is also essential for them as well, considering they that need a balanced diet in order to conserve and replenish their stamina to be be able to trek through such wild lands.
Now, seeing as Makoto is with her, she knows that she can't be reckless. Perhaps a trap where she can kill the creature with ease may help, though she's unsure how smart they are. In any case, Makoto is not going to be a meat shield. He's going to stay safe. Maybe at her makeshift kitchen once she prepares it.]
Mm, we won't be here for too long, I believe. We need to keep moving. But we need to eat too, and I hope that this will be able to help us. [They'll need to cook everything at once, meat in this heat will go bad faster than if they just carried cooked meat around with them. And Makoto is big and active with a thick muscular frame: he'd need all the protein he can get.]
I think I have a chance, if it is something smaller. We need something substantial while we can. I am unsure if food will be easy to find once we keep going.
no subject
Maybe we could find a river and fish? You're right, though. With this humidity, it'll be hard to make anything last longer than a day or two.
[ not that he's all too excited with the prospects of eating anything that lived in this ecosystem, but beggars couldn't be choosers; at the very least, poisonous mushrooms probably wouldn't be a part of its daily diet. besides that, he was completely blindsided by the act of killing as a whole; he couldn't even wrap his mind around setting up a trap, much less skinning and disemboweling another living creature.
he's way too soft for this, which is nothing less than contradictory in an athlete of his stature and general physicality, but it's not like he can help being a growing guy. relying on vietnam is, again, something he shouldn't have ever had to resort to in the first place. keeping her safe is a priority, too. ]
Okay. What do you suggest we go after? I'll help with whatever you need me to, so ... I'm in your care.
[ essentially, please don't make him fight an enraged alien rhinoceros bare-handed?!?! ]
no subject
That being said, they really could fish. She's not entirely sure what the fish are like underwater, but it's worth a shot? After all, it's also one of the things everyone does if stuck in a place and they need to survive. Fishing or spearing for fish is a lot easier than taking a beast down.
And with Makoto here, she's more than likely to choose this option. She wouldn't have to make sure he's a fair distance away from her, while rushing to find him after she succeeds in hunting. He might also be a swimmer and an athlete, but she won't let him swim in the waters without knowing what's in it either.]
Let's do it. [DO WHAT?] Let us fish. It's smaller and easier to portion. We just need tools to make it a reality. And to find suitable location.
We won't have to worry about food for today this way, no? [And once again, now she can keep him with her so she can watch his every move, making sure that no monster comes out to attack.]
no subject
but fishing is easier. more mechanical, less precise, no bleak wash of red slippery and cooling in his fingers, just limpid fins and wide, wide pupils and shimmery, trembling bodies and makoto —
makoto averts his gaze, scrubbing at the nape of his neck as he trains his gaze on the diminishing line of trees. the presence of water from the wobbling, palpitating rush of water resounds through the bent branches and shivery foliage unabated. ]
Sounds like a plan to me. We'll need nets, though. Maybe bait and a way to prepare them afterwards, too?
[ he isn't wringing his hands. there isn't any recursive motion to his stance at all, stock-still and staring out at the unfurling jungle, the primeval wildness that counteracted the gleaming chrome and latticed sky bridges of the colony. ]
Should we stick together, or do you think it'd be better to split up?
no subject