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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i - b.
he's in the middle of a clearing, intent on - finally! - getting the hang of the boots, when something slumps gently onto him from behind. he'd been so focused on himself that he'd forgotten to pay attention to his surroundings.
a dangerous oversight, considering that they're surrounded by beasts who'd happily swallow a morsel of flesh whole. he's so startled by the sudden limp weight that he forgets that he'd been about to shoot into the air.
there they go, yu and rin both, shooting up at an angle steep enough that yu manages to stay propped up on rin's back.
they end up in a tree. rin leaps for the other boy once he's realized that it is a boy and not something scale and/or bearing too many claws, dragging him back up onto the branch before he can fall. ]
You scared the crap out of me.
[ rin's already checking him over for injuries. nothing visible, at least. ]
You alright?
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It's only once they're on the branch and Rin is seizing him to ensure he doesn't go tumbling off that he kind of wakes up a little more. (That's what wakes him...?) He's still drowsy in that drunken, chemical way that comes from artificial sources, here a rather nasty bug bite, but he puts a massive effort into focusing and gives his head a rough shake. ]
You...
[ Gives his head another shake. Wake up! ]
Did we just go flying?
[ The look he gives Rin is the look of the deeply confused. He'll drop his head after a beat, into his palm, and groan. ]
Sorry. My head...
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rin's already slipping off his gloves, shoving them haphazardly into his bag. he remembers to click on the safety for both, at least. ]
Shit. Did you hit it on something?
[ rin's a flurry of motion, ignoring the understood boundaries of personal space to feel across the stranger's head, searching for a gash or a bump, anything to give an origin point to the disorientation.
he finds nothing, but he keeps a hand braced against yu's shoulder, holding him against the trunk of the tree. just in case. they can both climb down once rin's certain that he's not going to fall and actually crack his skull into bloodied oblivion.
he answers his own question with a dismissive click of his tongue - tch - finally disengaging. his efforts have left that sleek bowlcut in complete disarray. ]
Can't find a bump. You been eating the mushrooms?
[ he slows down enough to look at yu properly, squinting as if that will provide more clarity to the situation.
unsurprisingly, it doesn't.
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No. The bugs... pretty sure. They do strange things... [ He gestures in a weirdly flighty way with one hand. For most of the examination his eyes are barely open, but he takes a deep breath and manages to look at Rin clearly from underneath his now very disheveled hair. Thanks for that, friend. Still, his grey eyes are still unfocused, pupils blown a little larger than they should be in such a bright environment. But he's not breathing heavily or otherwise showing signs of distress. He's just very, you know ..... sleepy. He'll be fine. Probably. As long as he doesn't fall out of this tree. ]
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alright, that's a new one, but it wouldn't surprise him. this jungle is full of new and horrible surprises.
still, leaving this guy alone when he's half-conscious is probably going to end in injury and/or death; he's rin's business now. nothing more to it. maybe --
well, the river isn't far. ]
Okay. I'm Rin. [ he reaches up to pat at yu's cheek when his eyelids droop. ] C'mon, stay with me. What's your name?
[ he's just trying to keep him talking as he turns and scoots backwards, tugging yu's arms about his shoulders. thankfully, they're not too far from the ground, so a quick shot of propulsion from the boots is all he needs to get them down. ]
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Y-Yu. Yu Narukami.
[ He lets Rin manhandle him, not quite cottoning onto what's happening until it's already starting to happen. But this time he actually will at least make a noise of surprise when they take off into the air again. That's good, right? At least now they're not in danger of falling anymore. But he'll need Rin's support to stay standing. He presses his free hand to his head, then glances sidelong at Rin like he's not really entirely sure what to make of him. ]
... thanks for getting us down from there. I owe you one.
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he starts out in the direction of the river - thankfully not more than a trek of a few minutes, given that yu looks like he's about to topple over any moment - keeping up a steady stream of conversation. he bears yu's weight against him with no complaint, intent on avoiding any of the (copious) overhanging branches. ]
Pay me back by not falling on your ass.
[ and he steers them around a jutting root. ]
How long you been around here? In Cerealia, I mean. Haven't seen you around before this.
[ and he'd have remembered, given that yu's haircut and coloring is similar to a friend of rin's from back home.
he should've stopped to take off his rocket boots. walking in them is decidedly annoying. ]
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He's still waking up by degrees, strung out and sleepy but less on the verge of passing out than he was a few minutes ago. ]
About ... [ The answer takes longer for him to find than he'd like, his head dipping just once as his mind muddies briefly. ] Ten days? Really just got here. Then we end up in a jungle... after a bunch of video games... I keep hearing things aren't always this weird. Not sure if I believe it, though.
[ He's not usually this chatty. ]
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[ rin laughs, a short burst of bright sound that cuts off into a grunt when he steers them into a patch of uneven ground. carrying half a guy's weight is a lot more difficult than it seems, especially when rin's not exactly at tip-top shape. a few days of roughing it in the jungle isn't the same when one doesn't spend days beforehand planning every detail.
he manages to steady them after a few stumbling steps, cursing under his breath. at least the riverside is in sight. ]
What are you, a senior in high school? Any clubs?
[ a few more steps, and rin will nudge yu into a seated position, ducking down for a moment to rummage through his back for something he can use as a basin.
...his rocket boots?
okay, maybe the water's going to smell a bit like feet, but that's the worst of its issues considering what's swimming around in there. ]
no subject