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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I'm... all right. [ Evidently not yet. She smiles, but it's faint. ] They told me... things. About why I'm here and where I'll go after this. How are you? I mean, you weren't going to go in there [ gesturing to the hut ] were you?
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I am glad to hear that!
[Then, he spares a less certain glance towards the shack.]
Ah... Yes! I was planning to investigate it. [He blinks in confusion as he looks towards Rapunzel.] Is... is there a problem with that?
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We're going in together. And– You should probably have a weapon. Right? I mean, technically you're the one who's most... familiar? With this? Not me. Weapons are good to have, aren't they?
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[Rock Lee nods and smiles. He doesn't even think of his own weapons, which aren't on him right now due to ViViD's shiftiness. But that does not effect his confidence at all.]
Rapunzel-san, sometimes the best weapon one can have is their own fighting ability. Please do not worry! I am fully prepared for any ordeal we may find inside, and I am honored to work with you again in this endeavor! [He starts to advance towards the door.]
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Ah... What is it, Rapunzel-san?
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[ And just like that the tiny voice in her head screaming out for them to run is silenced. Smiling hesitantly, Rapunzel offers the crook of her arm. ] Um. Shall we?
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Of course, Rapunzel-san. [He heads to her side and puts his arm through her crook, with just a bit of bashfulness.] Let us be off! [Now he moves again to open the door...]
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Look out! It's...
[ a table? ]
Wow. They're - pretty!
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They are very pretty! [But... he does remember to be cautious. He's actually had a lot of experience, some very recent, of drinking unknown substances in ViViD.]
B-but... We should be careful!
1/2
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I'm... Sorry, Rock, I– I know you're just trying to help. That was unnecessary. [ oh god he's going to hate her ] Um. Let's... look around.
1/2
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Th-thank you, Rapunzel-san. It is alright! You should be free to express yourself.
[He nods as he starts to examine their surroundings, but he still speaks to her as he moves.]
And, I do not wish to contradict you, but.... personally, I believe that the world is beautiful! And that is is full of kind people, but there are still dangers to be wary of!
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More than improbable, though, Rock's goodness strikes her as... realistic. Truthful. She's never been encouraged to believe in anything before. Not herself or the world or the twinkling whisper of the brook beneath her window. And as before, in the incinerator, hearing it now makes her equal parts warmed and... sad. Sad for herself but also Gothel, oddly. ]
Heh. I... wish you could tell that to my Mother. [ She wanders sightlessly past the table, not really looking at anything but simply exploring for the sake of it. Because she can. ] I wish she were here. Or that– ...mm.
I don't know what I wish. It's beautiful, yes, but... it's hard. And I've only been here one day.
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Rapunzel seems like such a kind girl, so it does worry him that it seems that she has much to fear in the world. He wants to do what he can to help her.
And, his sympathies only grow as he listens to her talk about her mother. Lee most likely does not remember his own, but he knows the pain of being separated from someone you love like a parent. It has been so long since he has seen Gai-Sensei for real.
He pauses in his own investigation. Rather than noticing the unusually muddy floor, he turns towards Rapunzel to spare her a sot look.]
I- I hope with all of my heart to meet your mother one day! [Clearly that's a good idea.] I would do my best. I promise! And I am sure that the day would come. [He says with a humble bow.]
I understand that it is difficult. Life... ah, life is full of endeavors! But, I will do my best to help you. And, did you know that with everything that you survive, you are becoming a stronger person?
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It's only ever a moment with her.
Lifting her head finally, Rapunzel offers a rue smile. ] I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier. But... I'm glad you believe that. Because, Rock, you - you don't deserve anything but the best in this world. Did you know that?
I hope I can pay you back someday for your kindness. [ And his patience! She's practically snivelling all over him (in her mind, which places a limit on how much sadness she's allowed to show or feel on any given day, this is a downpour) and here he is taking it like a champ. ] Is... there something I can help you with? I'm... not the best at fighting or anything but I can paint! And I like numbers.
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He nods in understanding at first, but then he quickly becomes flustered and blushes lightly as she tells him what he deserves.]
A-ah... That is very kind of you to say, Rapunzel-san. Thank you very much with those thoughts!
B-but you do not need to repay me at all! I feel glad just to know someone as pleasant as you. [He only appreciates that she can express herself.] Your paintings must be sensational. I would be glad to see one someday! But, at this moment, I am not sure yet what assistance is required!
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The mud on her goes flying everywhere of course. ] I'm not sure what they're supposed to be exactly, but I have done chemistry experiments in the kitchen before! [ Read: she once tried to make fish muffins, which is about as horrible an idea as it sounds, before Pascal talked her out of it. ] This could be what we're supposed to finish before we can leave the level, right?
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Ah... You may be right, Rapunzel-san! The key to our escape could lie in these bottles.
[He approaches the table and starts to look over the bottles.]
So, you have some skill in this area? I will listen to whatever ideas you may have!
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Well. Obviously they want us to drink these, but... [ science moooode ] Hm. Is there a specific one we need to drink? Rock, how does Ceres usually frame their puzzles? Each colour might correspond to something else.
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I... I am sorry. I have been in this world for six whole months, and- and I do not really any specific puzzles. I am of no use! I do not know what any of the colors could refer to. ...Unless it is towards the different elements?!
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No, it's all right. That was honestly just a shot in the dark anyway. You've definitely been useful! [ a sigh ] We're probably just going to have to go at these things randomly... Eugh.
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Thank you, Rapunzel-san. We will have to leave up to chance indeed! [He grabs one bottle at random, preparing to drink it.]
Leave it to me!
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Rapunzel is not that wiser friend. The potion in the bottle she reaches for is the same colour as her lavender birthday dress. ]
On three? One... two...
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