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.
|
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. ] |
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
no subject
It is the most absurd thing. I don't even remember when it happened...
[And the bird was just staring at them like this was the most amazing spectacle it had ever seen. How awkward.]
no subject
Alas, healing is not my forte. [Even though he helped Crosby once, his specialty is conveying knowledge and torturing people for their own good.] And the local flora is unrecognizable, but I found this...
[He picks up a handkerchief from his pocket and unwraps it. Inside, there is a small lump of wet clay. Kevin would rather not mention that he gathered it during his adventures with Kaz and Hiro, because, honestly, young master doesn't need to know that.]
no subject
He reaches out and touches the ball of clay. It feels cool, at least in comparison to the dank atmosphere surrounding them.]
While you were out doing your own exploring, huh? Did you see anything interesting.
no subject
He has barely begun his task when young master asks one of those many questions he would rather not answer.]
Ah...Huh, I met some people, sir. You probably don't know them.
[How guilty does he look, he wonders...]
no subject
...friends of yours?
[He looks very guilty. So guilty.]
Gambling friends? Or something else?
no subject
[For once, Kevin was not gambling. But then again, Kevin doesn't have any friends either, so how does he explain the Messiah and the Apostate? ]
Haha, Mister Kazuya and Mister Hiro are acquaintances who were in a spot of trouble...Since Mister Kazuya is er...somewhat special, I felt obliged to land them a hand.
[Which involved setting a clearing on fire, but you know.]
no subject
[Why is he being so dodgy about this? Really?]
What kind of special? Dangerous special or... the other kind of special?
[Other kind of special could be anything really. It could be a gambling friend. Hell, it could be boyfriend special. William was willing to accept anything in this brave new world they found themselves in.]
no subject
Ah...perhaps a tad dangerous special? Mister Kazuya is...er...the Messiah. [He adds hurriedly:] Not the proper one, mind you! And Mister Hiro is, well, a shameless apostate, honestly. Pay him no mind, sir. He is quite beneath your dignity.
[He gently wraps his handkerchief around William's clay smeared hand, securing it with a cute little bow.]
no subject
...The Messiah? And what does that mean if he's not the real one?
[Explain for the poor, confused non-believer. And speaking of...]
Is one apostate really such a big deal in the grand scheme of things? Especially considering who we know back home?
[He experimentally flexes his bound hand. It's all squishy and weird feeling, but better than before at least.]
no subject
I- I am not quite certain, sir. However, Mister Kazuya seems to have the heart in the right place even if Mister Hiro lured him towards pornography...because Mister Hiro is that sort of apostate, you see. [He adds after a second thought:] The Messiah renounced that most immoral venture, though.
[Well, that might have had something to do with he offering Kaz free food, but hey, the boy legitimaly hates demons. Kevin is not looking that gift horse in the mouth! At least not for the time being.]
no subject
[He's not nearly as inclined towards that sort of thing as most boys his age, but well, William still knows how the teenage mind works. Lying to Kevin about such a thing was pretty plausible.]
So does this man being the Messiah mean you have a particular duty to him or...
[William isn't sure how this works and is worried that he might have reason to be concerned. About what he doesn't know.]
no subject
[Even in the pleasure district, who would guess! But William's question triggers a sense of doubt in his fluttery angelical heart. What if Mister Kazuya just abandoned his pornographic carrier for the cake?]
Ahhh, Messiahs are more Gabriel's cup of tea, though I should probably watch over him to be on the safe side. Nothing compared to the duties I have towards Master William, of course.
[Is young master jealous?]
no subject