You've seen the flyer. Or maybe you haven't. Whatever your reasons may be, you've decided to log onto ViViD today at around 6 PM. At first, all seems normal as the game loads, and you prepare to start on what should be an average adventure. Maybe you'll do a little fighting, or some exploring, or even a little platforming. Either way, there shouldn't be anything unusual about this.
Right?
You couldn't have been more wrong. The moment you log in, something goes strange. The game glitches around you, whatever world that started to load seizing up and freezing with static, warping with strange colors. And then a different setting loads smoothly like nothing ever happened. The first thing you notice is that it's sprawling and beautiful, if not a little ostentatious. Should your curiosity draw you from the courtyard you've arrived in through the great double doors, you'll arrive in...
... a ballroom. Welcome to prom. |
PHASE I [ 6 00 ] There are tables scattered around the periphery of the room, and a DJ, somewhat out of place in this beautiful setting, is stationed at the back, spinning out tunes to help you get settled into the start of the night. On the scattered tables are... punch bowls? They look tantalizing, and they come in quite a rainbow of colors. Should you be brave enough to take a sip, you'll find interesting things will happen. Drink the red punch, and you'll end up in rococo fashion. Drink the pale champagne-colored punch, and you'll find yourself sporting elegant regency attire. How about that cool blue punch? You'll step right into the roaring 20's. What about that dayglo orange punch over there? How about some far out 80's, man? That futuristic purple punch will suit you up in Tron style. And then there's one last punch bowl on a lonely table in the corner. No one can quite identify that color. Is that ... brown? Brave this punch bowl and you'll be, uh ... richly rewarded with modern-day fashions. Will you step up and test these refreshments, for science? Or will you be the first onto the dance floor, or to make an insane request of the DJ?
Last but not least, certain Cerealians who glitch into the level may find they have a specific corsage attached that they cannot remove! If they stick around long enough, they'll find one other lucky soul with a matching corsage. This is your ViViD assigned date! No one is going to force you two to dance... but you might find that the longer you put off dancing, the tighter that corsage gets around your wrist, or the more it begins to prick your chest, depending on its location. Might want to rethink your position...
Dates: - Shijima Kurookano & Himeko Inaba
- Trucy Wright & Enomoto "Ene" Takane
- Adelina & Rock Lee
- Byakuya Togami & Lailah
- Archer & Touka Kirishima
- Sakuya Le Bel Shirogane & Maya Fey
- Leon Kuwata & Alisha Diphda
PHASE II [ 730 ] So you're here. Whether out of curiosity or you've resigned yourself to the strange festivities, you're in. Maybe you've been wallflowering it up for a while, even with the cool kickin music playing. Whatever the case may be, the DJ announces themselves (DJ Slim Shaydee, not to be confused with that knock off from Earth). You're welcomed in an enthusiastic manner. Also hey, if you're near a table, see those cute placards? Yeah the ones in the center pieces mixed in with the bowl of candy and flowers. You'll notice they have a neatly typed out list— DJ Slim Shaydee says whoever fulfills the criteria on the list will be crowned Prom Royalty. Who doesn't want that???
- Successfully complete a slow dance
- Do the cha cha slide OR do the electric slide without messing up the turn
- Make out in the rose garden out back
- Have a dramatic fight with a close friend and storm out (you may come back after)
- Comfort a crying friend in the bathroom
- If you're a minor, accidentally get drunk
- Successfully spike every punch bowl within a 20 minute time limit
- Confess romantic feelings to the object of your affections
To truly kick it off or maybe give those ambitious types a head start, DJ Slim is gonna play you (yes all of you) a group dance! Hope you know the moves to the Cha Cha Slide. If not, don't worry, the song will tell you every step.
Oh and one more thing — anyone who fulfills an item on the list will get a confetti surprise. What does this mean? It means a golden, multi-faceted little ball will spontaneously appear over your head out of nowhere soon after you fulfill a condition, hovering for a moment before it explodes into a shower of confetti. Enjoy!
PHASE III [ 900 ] Whew. All these fast paced songs sure have you tired out, right? Maybe take a sip from the many punch bowls around the room if you haven't tested them out yet. Or try your hand at fulfilling another portion of that list from earlier—by spiking the punch. Better work fast though, the bowls themselves refresh fairly quickly once they sense contamination. See how many you can get in one go! Or if you're not a dirty prankster, see how many people you can catch spiking those dang bowls.
While you're doing that, the DJ seems to want to wind down the energy in the room. That means, you guessed it: time for that coveted slow dance. As the first chords of the song play, the doors to the garden veranda and hedge maze open. How romantic.
PHASE IV [ 1000 ] It's the end of the night, and maybe you've been trying your best to satisfy all those win conditions. Or maybe you haven't! Either way, it's clear from the mood in the air that the time is drawing near for the announcement of the Prom Royalty. The DJ brings the lights low, and spotlights hit his stand. He brings a mic to his mouth, and announces grimly that there will be no Prom Royalty. Apparently, no one satisfied enough of the win conditions! How can that be? Surely someone tried! Well, whatever happened, the DJ isn't happy, and the lights in the room will come back up. The DJ will mess with some of the equipment at his station, and all across the room, small panels will open up near the ceiling. Pouring out will come ... balloons? And not just any balloons - they're water balloons, and not only are they somehow floating, they're coming straight for you. How are they flying? We just don't know. If they come in contact with you, they'll frizz your perfect prom hair. Worse, if you apply even the mildest force to them, they'll immediately pop and drench you in freezing cold water, leaving you drenched.
The ballroom quickly fills with these angry little balloons, threatening to flood the room completely if too many of them pop. Will you flee and save yourself? Try to save your friends? Try to reason with the DJ and stop the balloon menace? No matter what you do, you'd better work fast. The floor is already getting dangerously wet...
BONUS [ hour ??? ] Remember that garden maze? From a certain point of the evening on, prom guests have been free to wander through as they please. They're beautiful, a rose maze by day that looks even more breathtaking at night with fairy lights glittering and winking in between all the flowers and leaves. Maybe you wandered out there to get away from the craziness in the party. Perhaps you want to be a true wallflower. But should you explore this maze with another at your side, you'll find it a pleasant enough trip, and if you manage to make it all the way to the center of the maze, you'll discover a secluded little gazebo that seems like it was placed there just for you.
Go in alone, though, and the maze seems like a completely different place. The fairy lights will be dimmer, less pleasant. You'll hear a rustling too loud to just be the wind. What was that sound? Turn around, and nothing is there. Too late you'll realize that the maze itself is alive, and has been watching you this entire time. It doesn't like lone wanderers. Better run fast or find a way to get out of the plant's clutches before you really become veggie.
However, if you get caught, you'll be trapped by the sentient vines that shoot out from the walls and bound to the side of the maze until another lone explorer finds you. At this point the vines will reach out and snap up that unlucky soul, too, wrapping you both up in a not-so-tender embrace. You'll both be stuck there until you can do whatever it is the maze wants that will convince it to set you free. What is that? Well, it does seem to be fond of lovers... and public displays of affection.
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estoria2016-01-04 07:52 pm
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and he'll probably be avoiding going out much, either. this night has just reminded him even more of his own issues, which kind of sucks. he hasn't been running away from them, in fact, it bothers him more than it should. but the thing about it is that there's no way of resolving anything. it's not like he can go back in time and undo everything.
tadashi nods when hiro says they're ready and promptly logs out. he does wait for hiro in the white room before leaving the gaming center. and hey! an alert that 500 credits has been transferred to their account. what luck!
he doesn't say much as he walks, but once they reach the residential district, he begins to remove his bandages. they've covered most of tadashi's scars and burn marks, but now they're being illuminated by the street lights that they pass, as well as the moon. it's something tadashi's always been wanting to hide, but maybe tonight's one of those nights when he should try and get comfortable even while they're unconcealed.
with small talk aside, he continues from where he left off; ]
There's a reason why getting attached to people while in this place isn't much good. At least, for me, anyway.
[ his tone is completely sombre, and he isn't even looking at hiro as he walks. and as much as he wants to keep this from hiro of all people, it's about time they actually had a serious talk about things. he doesn't mean to ruin hiro's night—far from it—but he's at his limit where he can't keep his thoughts to himself anymore.
he isn't used to situations like these, either. but that's mostly because aunt cass was always there to comfort him when he needed it. and growing up, it was him who did the comforting. nobody's there to comfort the dead. when people go to funerals, it's not to visit the dead, but to visit the living whom the dead left behind. ]
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He doesn't say anything when Tadashi begins removing his bandages but he's most certainly watching. He knew they were there. They never talked about it though. There were a lot of things that they both knew were there that they never talked about and while it still hurts to see the physical signs he's not letting on what he's thinking. This is important.
He won't claim he understands what's going through Tadashi's head, but he knows that he's been silent for a really long time. And while he understands what Tadashi's saying, he can't help but speak his next thought.]
…is it really good for any of us? There's nothing guaranteeing that we're going to see these people or remember them whenever we get off of the planet and fix everything. [Not "go back home" because that implies leaving Tadashi behind. "Fix everything." He's basically on autopilot to walk back to their apartment which is good since his brain's chosen that moment to go fairly blank. His night's far from ruined, but he's definitely worried about screwing this up. It's…big, knowing that Tadashi's at least trying to trust him with this. It's stupid; they trust each other a lot but even as childish as Hiro can be in regards to the elder Hamada, he knows there are definitely secrets between them whether they mean them or not.]
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hiro does have a point, though, and it's something tadashi had already considered. the only thing different is that hiro still has a life ahead of him, and there's a place for him after all of this. tadashi on the other hand has nothing left. all he really wants is for people around him to be happy, and he'll do whatever it takes for it to happen, even it means breaking his own heart. ]
Even if you remember it or not, the bond will still remain. [ /disney
no, really. tadashi isn't aware that ruby likes hiro back, or if anything else happened after that pancake incident, but what he does know is that after all of this, hiro wouldn't be the same. he might forget about ruby or cerealia, but his heart will have changed.
but it's different with him. once everything is over and people get to go back home, tadashi would probably just return to ash, never to revive again. the bond gets severed. and it's not just something that applies romantically, but it also applies to the friendships he's made in the colony.
it's been nice when people tell him that how they view him won't change despite the fact that he's dead, and he knows he's found true friends in them after hearing it. he knows it won't last, though. that's why he can't let anybody care for him as much as he does for them. it's fine if he keeps on giving, but to receive anything in return is just something that would be wasted. he's dead; things won't last; niceties directed at him will just end up in the grave.
tadashi stays quiet for a few moments as he tries to think of what to say next. his thoughts are all jumbled from thinking too much now, and he doesn't want to directly say that he doesn't deserve anything because he's dead. to ami, fine, she's someone he can open up to easily, for some reason. but to hiro, it's different. he always had to be strong for the younger hamada, and to not have answers to their issues is not an experience he's accustomed to.
he laughs, and puts his palm to his face to cover it. this is embarrassing, even if he is talking to his brother about it. ]
And while we're talking about bonds— [ a beat. and it's when the voice in his head speaks to him about his own death. he's been too focused on himself that he forgot about hiro. he should have said this to him the first day they were reunited. ] I'm sorry for not listening to you.
[ at this point, he's fully prepared for hiro to lash out on him for not listening. today's just been A Day, and it's not like it could get any worse than this. they may have been talking about ami earlier, but let's face it. tadashi's sullen mood revolved around the idea of passing, in the first place. ]
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Why wouldn't it be the same for you then? Your brain and your heart still work here, Tadashi. Everything here isn't going to magically go away just because…["They stop working back home."
He's starting to realize there's definitely a disconnect here in how Tadashi views his second chance at life. Maybe he doesn't view it as a second chance. Tadashi's always been the caretaker and the provider and to receive it in return…he kinda gets it, why he's pushing things away. Even if the idea pisses him off. He doesn't get the chance to say anything else though before Tadashi drops that bomb and it's enough that Hiro stops walking. He's stunned, truthfully, not because Tadashi's saying he's sorry but because of what it means. The blank expression shifts a little and he's suddenly not sure how to proceed. Is he still upset for Tadashi leaving him? Of course. It hurts. It hurts still back home and even here it hurts, it hurts to think about what it means if he fails to bring Tadashi back, it hurts to wake up from the constant nightmares, it hurts to think that he doesn't know what Tadashi's thinking anymore, but…this is just another scenario of Tadashi trying to be the support Hiro needs and while he's grateful he feels weirdly selfish about it right at this moment.]
I really…really wish you did. It wasn't fair. [His voice cracks slightly, but he clears his throat not long after. It's also clear that he doesn't mean it wasn't fair to Hiro. He's strictly meaning that it wasn't fair to Tadashi, and it might come as a surprise to the older Hamada but he's adamant about that.] This still isn't fair.
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it might be the effects of the bad night talking, or if it's just him trying to be truthful, but he says— ]
I'm sorry... I wish I could make it up to you.
[ it might be a stupid thing to say, but he'd do anything to make things better. ]
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So. He balls a hand into a fist and punches Tadashi in the arm, trying to get the taller guy to look at him.]
This isn't something you can fix! [Which is scary in and of itself.] Don't you get it? I'm not talking about what's fair to me, I'm talking about the fact that you shouldn't have been killed!
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he isn't going to defend himself because hiro already seems to be beyond reason. and apologising would only make things worse. if hiro wants to say something more, then he's free to do so because tadashi doesn't seem to have anything to say right now that could possibly make things better.
someone had to help, though. someone had to. ]
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Tadashi doesn't have to look at him, but he's still looking at him.]
Tadashi, Hiro. It is not safe to stand in the middle of the street. [Thank you, Baymax. He knows that his robot's right but he can't bring himself to move yet.]
...this isn't something you can fix, but I can.
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fix what? tadashi doesn't want to know, but he knows that this is a bad idea. but he can't say it. ]
Hiro. [ he's calling your attention, bro. his tone is stern, similar to how it is when tadashi calls hiro out for his shit. he doesn't continue, but his next word would be don't.
tadashi definitely heard baymax, but who would even be out at this time of the night? not a lot of people, thankfully. ]
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[Baymax is growing increasingly concerned due to Hiro's mounting distress and Tadashi's own mood isn't much better. Now that it's out there, Hiro's not sure what else to say but Tadashi has to trust him. Doesn't he see that he can make everything better? He can protect him and help him this time. He just has to figure out how to make it all work.] I'll think of something.
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he closes his eyes and breathes in and out a couple of times. he's not particularly angry, but he wants to calm himself down and be the actual older brother here before he says anything else that's stupider than the last. calm down, tadashi. you can do this. your brother's gone through a lot, and you're supposed to be there as his pillar of support. at least, be there here in cerealia, anyway. ]
Come on. [ he says as he opens his eyes. he taps hiro on the shoulder with his hand before he continues walking. ] We're almost home.
[ tadashi refuses to acknowledge hiro fixing things, or fixing him. it's not something that he wants because it would totally break science, of all things. he doesn't know how long it's been since he had died, but if people are moving on, then that's a good thing. he doesn't need to rattle their lives any further by barging out of the coffin all of a sudden.
but telling hiro that would break the kid's heart. tadashi can't say it, so he'll just let hiro do his thing. ]
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He doesn't immediately follow because he's not calm. He's not happy; he has a lot of conflicting feelings here now that he's seen a peek of what's really going on in Tadashi's head and he watches Tadashi walk away for a few moments. In the end, it takes Baymax nudging him forward to get him to follow the older boy and he remains silent.
The rest of the walk to their apartment is met with silence and when they arrive he drops his helmet on his desk, glancing up at Baymax. He's debating, it seems, before he directs the bot to drop his armor, too, and mumbles "I'm satisfied with my care." Dismissing Baymax is hard in moments like these, but he knows this is something he has to do on his own. The nursebot seems uncertain (or as much as a robot can be) before he listens to his programming and waddles back into his carrier, shutting down for the night to recharge. Hiro remains standing, carefully watching Tadashi now.]
...you believe me, don't you?
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they can talk about the whole prom incident another time. once hiro's calmed down.
upon arriving to their apartment, tadashi takes his gauntlets off and sets them down on his work table. he pulls out the staff from its holster on his back, too, and sets it down before taking a seat on the couch.
he glances at baymax as he shuts down for the night, and looks at hiro, signalling for him to take a seat as well. ]
When have I not? [ as much as tadashi is against the idea, he can't ever lie to hiro. hiro would likely find a way, and maybe that's something he should be looking forward to. maybe it's time he stopped living in the darkness, and maybe he should find some positivity in his life. maybe this is it. ] I'm never giving up on you.
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He listens to the wordless command, sitting on the couch right next to him. It's nice to know that Tadashi still won't give up on him no matter what insane ideas he has. On the other hand, it's still one of those things that really makes him nervous knowing that he might fail.
But he has to try for Tadashi. He'd do anything for him.] I'm going to find a way to fix things. Changing things back home isn't enough. [It's hard to say if he's really paying attention or if he's talking to himself.] I'm not going to let you down this time.
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he smiles, though. it's not a big one or anything, but it's beaming off warmth and love. he'd better do some damage control on the situation and prevent hiro from being distressed any further. ]
You'll even let me join you and the guys in your hero duties?
[ it's a joke. hopefully hiro would cheer up because of it. ]
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I...it's really dangerous, dude. The others weren't even supposed to get involved but Baymax had contacted them and then I couldn't get them to back down. [A pause.] We're a good team, but that doesn't mean I'm not worried about something happening to them all the time, too.
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but it's good that hiro cares for people that aren't himself, now. tadashi's definitely noticed this already, but hearing hiro say he's worried for his friends is means a lot to him. he can't be any more grateful for his friends for helping hiro out and making him grow as a person. ]
Guess not.
[ he laughs softly and sinks into the couch, not even bothering with his posture. ]
But I'd be so worried when you're out and doing stuff.
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I know. [A beat.] But I don't know if you'd feel the same if you knew why this started. We weren't supposed to be superheroes but we decided to continue because San Fransokyo's always going to need someone to help. [Look at that, Tadashi. Little bro's following your footsteps again.]
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and he'd say something about still worrying - he can't emphasise that enough. but with his—their—friends there with him, it should be okay. wasabi's very responsible, go go has a no nonsense attitude, honey lemon is the friendliest, and fred knows when to get serious. it should be okay. they should be okay. hiro should be okay. ]
Do you still have time for homework with all that crime fighting?
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Yeah. You know how it is...go to school by day, fight crime by night, do homework in between all of that. [He snorts under his breath.] Don't worry, bonehead, I'm keeping up just fine. [A beat.] I'm still getting caught up since I started classes kinda late, but I'm keeping up. I'm taking some pretty cool classes this semester.
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tadashi rests his palm on hiro's face. oops, didn't see you there, tiny thing. at the same time, he looks up at the ceiling. ]
I know you won't fail 'em, so there's no point wishing you luck, huh?
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Probably not. They're all pretty easy. ...they named a building after you, too. [He's testing him to see where this conversation's going. He's calming down at least which is good. There's still a lot he needs to tell Tadashi, but his brother's already having a horrible night. Maybe...putting it off a little longer is okay.]
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A building? [ he doesn't doubt hiro or anything, but he can't help but give him a sceptic look, taking off his hand from hiro's face at the same time. ] Why?
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Did they name something after Professor Callaghan?
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