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
As Takeru gave a quick nod, he stared at the fire before looking back at Makoto. For a few seconds or so, he looked down at his blanket before attempting to it hand it back to the older boy. While he had Patamon to hug for body heat, Makoto didn't have anything! If Takeru was cold, then he must be really really cold! Although, he didn't want to seem rude by giving it back to him either.
Still though...]
Of course, Oniichan is the best brother ever! I don't get to see him a lot but whenever we do, we have a lot of fun! He's really good at music so we play a lot of instruments when we get the chance! [A pause] I wonder how Ran-chan, Ren-chan, and Oniichan are doing though...
no subject
He plays music too, huh? He seems like a really talented guy. I'm sure things would be a lot better for you if he was here.
[ a moment. ]
I'm sure they're looking for us, even now. From what you've told me, your brother wouldn't give up looking for you for anything. One day, I'm sure he'll come here and rescue us! That'd be really amazing of him, right?
no subject
As they looked at the fire, the blond mumbled to himself. This wasn't an unfamiliar feeling, he was use to sitting in front of the fireplace with his friends in the Digital World. Although, he didn't respond to Makoto's question at first. He kept quiet as he was deep in thought]
Yeah, it would! It wouldn't be so lonely with just Patamon and I if my brother or my friends were here. They always know what to do and do their best to help me out!
[Despite the somber thoughts, there was a smile on his face afterwards]
It would be nice if he did suddenly showed up! He would be like that superhero with that cape! Like uh....what was he called? Superman?
no subject
For a moment, he keeps his gaze cast elsewhere, palms held flat over both knees. ]
Well, while they're not here, let's keep taking care of each other in the meantime, alright?
[ That's all there is to it. There's an air of solemnity in their encounter, even when Makoto traps the worst of his misgivings in an airy swallow, somnolence embedded in his curling fingers ]
Haha, that's a nice thought, isn't it? A hero come to save the day.
[ Brows scrunched, Makoto pats the jacket, a momentary form of reprieve in the midst of the jungle. ]
C'mon, Takeru. You should try to catch some sleep. Patamon, too. I'll stay up and take first watch, so you don't have to worry about any of the bugs getting in.
no subject
In that moment, he looked straight at the older boy to see if he might say anything about it!]
Yea, we should, I think that's really all we can do for now right? And I'll have to make sure that all my friends here are safe too! [A giggle] Maybe one day, whenever that 'hero' comes, they can save all of us right?
[That and it just seemed kind of rude to be talking mostly about his friends from back home when he had so many here already! He didn't want to make them feel like they were any less important!
However, as he gave another yawn, that's when he heard Makoto's concerns]
Are you sure? I can always take the first shift if you want! [Nevermind him rubbing his eyes once more]
no subject
[ His expression is highlighted only by the exhausted fire sputtering around them, the excess of heat like an open hearth, painting diagonal strips of light when he peers deeper into the depths. By the time he casts his gaze sidelong, he notes Takeru with just the same degree of debilitating somnolence, eyes lidded and heavy.
It's not much in the way of relief, but he snags an arm around the younger boy nonetheless, soft and repentant with the uselessness of always needing someone else to be dependent on. It's only in times like these that it's horribly apparent that he can't even begin to look after someone else if he can't keep himself from backsliding into the same old coping mechanisms.
Breath dragged against his throat, he nods, priming himself for the long evening ahead of them. ]
... No, it's okay. Catch enough sleep for both of us, alright? I'm counting on you to rest well for the big trip to find everyone early tomorrow.
[ Makoto can only hope he hasn't ended up instigating any bug-related nightmares, but that's a preemptive question for another day. ]