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. ] |
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i never realized how many similarities these two have omg
Okay, so Jude's speech about his world's spirits gets Sorey really fired up and excited. Everything he says is just how Sorey feels about the Seraphim, really — it might not be the same situation, but humans do need to learn to live together with Seraphim and Sorey wants to help create that kind of world. ]
You feel that way, too?! [ MEETING ANOTHER HUMAN THAT FEELS THIS WAY IS ALWAYS A GOOD TIME ... ] I guess my world's not all that different from yours. [ They have some differences, but the general feeling is still the same here. ]
Normally, humans can't really perceive the Seraphim, but they're living beings, too, and they live all around us! I grew up with them, actually. [ He's a ... special case. ] Humans and Seraphim can work together to live peacefully, but the people in my world haven't done that for a long time. So ... I'm trying to make it so we can live together again!
[ And he'll do whatever it takes to achieve that dream. ]
me either omg... the start of the nerdiest friendship...
Jude is caught up in his wistful thoughts of Milla and the work waiting for him back home but Sorey's voice breaks him out of it. He blinks, a little confused by his words. "That way too"...?
He doesn't get it until Sorey explains Seraphims to him. Then he looks pretty surprised.] Wow, that really does sound similar. These Seraphim seem a lot like spirits. [Or basically... are spirits? Or Sorey's world's equivalent, at least. They cast artes, they aren't seen by people...
Jude looks a little excited himself.] That's really interesting. I never thought there would be another world that's so similar... or meet someone with a similar goal as mine. [Kindred spirits! ... No pun intended.]
But... you said you grew up with them? [That's a little different...]
th-the cutest nerdiest friendship ...
I didn't think so, either! This is really lucky. [ To think that he'd meet someone like this in the jungle out of chance ...! ]
And yeah, I've been with them since I was a baby. I've been able to perceive them for as long as I can remember, so most of my friends are Seraphim. [ Smiling. ] Lailah's been here with me, too, but I haven't seen her since we were taken here. I hope she's alright ...
[ He is not yet aware that she has gone home. But it is really weird that she's not with him right now ... Something must've happened ... ]
yesss... the game is waiting for me when i get home so at last i can play it too
He looks sympathetic. He thinks it's possible she went home too. Well, it's his first thought, anyway... but he doesn't want to say that.] She might be around. This jungle is pretty huge. [D-Don't lose hope...!]
But that sounds pretty unusual to be friends with Seraphim. The way you described them made them sound more ethereal.
I HOPE YOU ARE ENJOYING IT ;W;
He smiles at that. ] Yeah, she's probably just lost somewhere in it! [ He trusts her to take care of herself here, at least.
But hmmm. ] Huh, you think so? They just feel like normal people to me. [ People no one else can see, yes. ] But I guess since humans can't see them and they can do a lot of things humans can't ... then they're kind of like that. But other than that, they're just like anyone else!
[ He ... really wants to introduce Jude to them sometime now. ]
I AM it is delightful and all the characters are so cute
... It's weird. The more he talks about Seraphim the more Jude just sees them as spirits. Most spirits aren't seen by humans either, after all. Only great spirits in physical forms can actually be seen.
He would really like to meet one for himself too if only to see if they really are anything like the spirits from Rieze Maxia.]
They're normally invisible? Then being able to just see them sounds like a feat. [Would he even be able to see them...?] I'd love to meet one someday if it's possible. They must know all kinds of things that humans don't.
I'M GLAD ;W; i'm so happy to see people enjoying it ...
Yeah, but for some reason people can see them here like it's normal. So you could meet one, easy! [ He sounds really excited saying that. Because he is. ] I wish I could meet one of your spirits, too! Aaah, that'd be so cool ...
[ Sorey likes learning, okay. ]
very much so!!! except the camera. not enjoying that part lmfao
Well, that's good news then. [Maybe one will show up someday so he can have a conversation with them...
At the mention of meeting a spirit he looks a little wistful but smiles.] I'd like for you to meet the two I've traveled with. They're about as high on the spirit hierarchy you can get.
th-the camera ... i got so used to it on my jp run i don't even notice it anymore ahaha ...
You traveled with them, too? [ Man, he really must be similar to Sorey. Someone else who traveled with their world's spirit creatures! He was amazed to learn others were like that even in his world, what with Rose and Dezel (even if her situation was different), but in other worlds, too?? And that last part is especially intriguing. Are they similar to his world's Five Great Lords ...? Either way, he makes a sound of amusement. ]
Whoooa, really? You must know really amazing spirits, then! If they ever come here, you have to introduce me!