The thing about Cerealia is, there really isn't any nature to be found here. Sure, you can go outside the walls of the city and explore the land beyond but who wants to risk a terrible, horrible death just to sniff the flowers? Not you, that's who! CERES understands that, CERES sympathizes, and sometimes CERES decides to take action when such problems arise. As part of the company's current "Healthier and Happier YOU" initiative, they've decided to let everyone get back in touch with nature a little.
Via ViViD.
Of course, this being CERES, the nature they've sent everyone to is more of a swamp. The place is disgusting, a real marvel of ViViD ingenuity and it smells like the dead. There's strange rustling among the leaves from creatures that may or may not want to eat you, and random pits that open up right under your feet with the goal of sending you straight into the marsh. It's not really that fun. There's no welcome sign either, no nothing except for swamplands as far as the eye can see.
Welcome to ViViD!  This is Mosley. One of our programmers forgot to include a welcome greeting for the level this time. How incompetent can you get? He's been fired now, it's fine. Instead, I will greet you today. Lucky you! You've been invited today to participate in CERES's "Healthier and Happier YOU" level where we've combined both physical exercise and relaxing meditation into the ultimate ViViD experience. Isn't that fun? You can... go camping and stuff. Or whatever. I don't... know...
Honestly, I don't even care. Have fun.
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PHASE I [ 6 00 ] Welcome to your new healthy living training ground! What does a swamp have to do with healthy living, you may ask? Absolutely nothing! To make up for it, CERES has outfitted all players with the proper equipment for their new healthy living lifestyle. They also may or may not have let you keep your shoes based on how benevolent the ViViD gods were being at the time. (Not very.)
Oh, and all newcomers will have something additional on their fancy new yoga shirt. It will be displayed loudly and proudly all over the front and back of it. And if you're one of the few not wearing a shirt, it will be on the back of your pants. As in, your butt. It will be on your butt.
What’s ViViD trying to say, anyway?
Regardless, it probably doesn’t matter as much as finding your way through the swamp. Some sort of dry land would be really nice right now, wouldn't it? You'll have to watch out for the mud that will suck you right down under the marsh, and the creatures with lots of teeth that will never surface from the mud but won't hesitate to snap up an unwary foot or two.
CERES is sure you'll be fine. Totally and completely fine.
PHASE II [ 800 ] Eventually, if you try really, really hard, you’ll make it to a house. Actually, it’s more of a shack, really. If you clamber your way out of the mud and the gunk and the marsh into said shack, you will find it to be empty aside from a table. A table hosting a huge pile of... well, health drinks. See, there's totally a health theme in this level. CERES would never make a ViViD level that wasn't thematically appropriate. Never! Health drinks of all sorts and types and sizes can be found here and there’s even a sign too; it simply says:
Take one.
Well, that seems safe.
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to leave said shack until you do take one. And drink it. The door will lock shut and cover itself in more swamp until you do. Yay. Depending on your luck, the drink may do the following to you: ➟ Cause your ViViD experience to glitch. This may involve phasing through walls, seeing everything in 8-bit, or hearing really annoying old video game music everywhere you go.
➟ Cause status effects. This can include suddenly moving incredibly slowly, being turned to stone for a period of time, suddenly being on fire, suddenly being poisoned, etc etc.
➟ Be healthier. Mmm, kale and hummus smoothie. Taste those veggies. If you try to take more than one, that’s fine too, nobody will stop you, but you probably won’t get lucky more than once.
PHASE III [ 900 ] And back you go, out into the swampy wilderness. Don’t give up! Keep going! Eventually, you’ll find the end of this level. Probably.
Eventually, though, you may stumble across something in the mud and the muck. It’s... a little doll?
In fact, it’s a little doll of one of your most important people (or, alternatively, of someone you absolutely hate). It might be someone in Cerealia currently, or someone who isn’t, but either way, the doll is there and it’s clearly them (covered in mud and all). Be careful, though. If you toss it aside, you’ll suddenly see that important person being tossed aside. If you cut the doll, you'll suddenly see that person bleeding. Even if they aren’t present in Cerealia, whatever happens to that doll, you'll see it happening to them. Is it a hallucination or are they actually there? That's a little more up in the air.
And if they are present in Cerealia, well... doing things to that doll might very well hurt them too -- for real, this time, though.
Be careful! Or don't. You do you, as CERES would say.
PHASE IV [ 1200 ] And then, eventually you reach a quiet, swampy area. Not that the rest of the swamp isn't swampy, this area is just extra swampy.
There’s very little happening here in this swampy place; even the birds are no longer squawking. And for a long moment, everything will remain quiet and peaceful, a place of reprieve... until the swamp begins to bubble. Then suddenly, a new friend will burst out of the swamp, showering mud and gunk everywhere.
Without warning, that creature is going to try to grab for the nearest person (it might be you!) and let out a mighty roar when they have them. Then, they'll hold them up to... read the nutrition facts on their shirt? What?
Of course, it will try to gobble you or whoever else it grabs if it finds, say, the salt content to be acceptable (the monster is watching their carbs). If it's not, then they'll just fling you away and move onto the next snack. For those without a handy nutrition facts label on your shirt, well, it might just take a gamble and try to eat you anyway.
Great. A health-conscious monster. That's just what this level needed.
BONUS [ xxxx ] Finally, you’re free of the game. Without warning, you’re dumped into Cerealia properly and you’re able to scrub the mud and gunk from your clothing (wait why did that come back with you and where are your normal clothes?). You're able to then make your way to your new place of residence (or old) and...
There is a tiny tree there waiting for you. Isn’t it cute? And if you take care of this tiny tree, it will eventually bear fruit! Tiny fruit. Itty bitty fruit.
Depending on which tiny tree you get, it will be one of the following: a tiny dildo tree, a tiny bacon tree, a tiny kazoo tree, a tiny carolina reaper tree, or a (dumb) tiny hats tree.
Everything will, naturally, be tiny. Enjoy your new healthy CERES gift!
[ 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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[Please tell her there is a plan, Ami. Because she has nothing. And is, in fact, still worrying about everyone else and where her brooch is. The only reason she isn't near half as panicked is because Ami is there and staying pretty well calm considering.]
It's not my fault I like ice cream. And chocolate, and -- wait, are these labels for those things in the mud?!
[Are these creatures going to eat her?! She's not some packet of chips in the grocery store!]
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I do have a better idea, but only because I've dealt with it longer. Don't worry, Usagi-chan, we'll explain everything.
And it's possible. ViViD doesn't do things for nothing, so there's no telling if the labels will come into play later or how, exactly. [But she had a very good idea.]
Don't worry, if push comes to shove, we'll transform and face whatever we must.
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[That much is a relief. Usagi wasn't sure if she were to try that it would work with all of this. But she trusts Ami, believes her if she says it's fine.]
I don't want to be eaten!
[And, well. With the mention of transforming....]
Ah, but my brooch....? This isn't my uniform, so.....
[So she's not sure if it is elsewhere on her person or something. If she still has it. And her brooch also has the Legendary Silver Crystal.]
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The crystal is a part of you, Usagi-chan, you can still transform even if we're in these clothes. They didn't take away the ginzuishou. But for now, let's keep that information between us. [She didn't want anyone knowing about the most powerful crystal in the entire universe and it's wielder just yet.] We'll use that in a time of emergency.
But come on, let's get through this gross muck.
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[It had appeared from one of her tears, so perhaps that isn't quite incorrect a statement or assumption. But at the same time, Ami is right. She shouldn't let herself get so distracted, they can explain and answer any of her questions once they get out of this place.
So she gives a nod.]
R-right! Which way from here then?
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Usagi-chan, may I ask what went on back home before you got here? [She had an idea but best to get confirmation. She grabbed Usagi's hand and led her through the swamp, trying to figure out how they were going to get through each level safely.]
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[That much should probably tell Ami what she needs to know in figuring what yet hasn't happened for Usagi. The blonde follows along easily enough, only almost tripping a couple of times as she lets Ami lead the way.]
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Ah, then Usagi-chan is younger than me for once. [September baby that she was.] I'm 18 here. Rei and Minako are too.
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[Usagi that really isn't the most important part about what Ami just said. At all. And definitely does not mean she needs to make and eat through that many cakes.
That probably won't stop her from trying though. For her friends, they deserve all that and then some for all their support and encouragement. Their loyalty to her.]
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And you don't need to get me anything, you being here is my gift. [She smiled as she squeezed the younger girl's hand.] Ah, but how sad to think you haven't even met Chibiusa. [She wouldn't tell Usagi that Chibiusa was her daughter, that was a bit too much shock, all things considered. She would, however, let her know of the little girl Usagi came to love as both mother and sister.]
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[Ami isn't wrong. The added height would help them get a better idea on this place, their surroundings. Usagi just hopes she won't fall down, but she will try!]
But that's not much of a gift. Who's Chibiusa?
[Well, she gets the idea it must be someone younger, if Ami refers to them as 'chibi'. But evidently, she has yet to be threatened at gunpoint by her daughter as far as she recalls.]
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Take that same way up and meet me at this branch, we'll keep moving up slowly.
And it's a very big gift to me. As for Chibiusa? She's someone who came to live with you for a few years because of an enemy. [Which was very true.] She was another little rabbit and you came to love her very much, the way you always do.
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I still feel like I should do something. I've missed three birthdays, Ami-chan! That's a lot! Another rabbit? Don't tell me I get a rabbit Luna. Luna nags me enough as it is!
[Little does Usagi know.....]
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It's May here. And no, not a rabbit Luna, though Diana is Chibiusa's pet cat. A cute little grey kitten.
[Ami would never find a cat anything but cute. She smiled as she helped pull Usagi up onto the branch with her and paused, holding onto her to make sure she was steady.]
Just a little bit higher.
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[It feels like she just turned fifteen or so, or was coming up to it and now suddenly it's her birthday again, apparently. Does that make her sixteen and she just misses a year or something? She has no clue how this works.]
Diana? Another cat....but kittens are kind of cute. [For all Luna's nagging about Usagi's schoolwork and senshi responsibilities, she has gotten more fond of cats since she found her.]
I think we're almost there. Or, high enough that we should have a good view! I'll follow behind you.
[Or should that be below her? Either way, Usagi gives a nod and raises her gaze up to the higher branches, trying not to think about getting back down.]
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Only kind of? Luna would be insulted you would call her daughter only kind of.
[She began the climb up onto another tree branch, making sure it was sturdy enough for both of them.]
One last branch and then we can begin.
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