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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So is that a yes or a no to the stealth option?
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Y-Yeah! Sure! I love stealth option. It's a great option! Let's-- yeah, let's do it! Goo me up! I'm ready for this, slugs, slime, slimey slugs, the whole shebang. It's happening!
[ He even takes a slug out of her hair, since she's so conveniently close and... carefully puts it in his. IT'S SO GROSS!!! ]
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But only a little. As soon as she's done it she wants to take it back. This whole camouflage deal may just be the latest Thing in their steadily escalating series of Things I Said I Can Do Competently But To Be Quite Frank I'm Actually Just Winging It And Too Scared To Tell You How Unprepared I Am For The Situation. ]
Ah, I just– [ Finding herself suddenly backing away for the third time. ] There. That's good. Let's just - find some leaves to stick on your head.
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The mud application was so fast that he didn't even have time to process her hands all over his face. Are they still taking this slow?? ]
R-Right. Leaves. Gotta have leaves! That's... of course--OH. Leaves!! Rapunzel! This reminds me, I-I had something, I was gonna show you a thing right before--! [ Right before she cut him down from the vines. He's frantically searching through his pockets-- WHY DOES HE HAVE SO MANY GOD DAMN POCKETS AND POUCHES ]
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[ Holy shit he's not helping calm her down at all. This is thrilling. A surprise!! What on earth could he possibly be carrying around with him in here that would fit in there? ]
Wait I thought– Didn't you say they took your sword? How'd you get anything else past them?
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I found this in case you couldn't remember me! It's a-- [ Yes! He finally reveals it! It's... (cue legend of zelda chest opening music) ...A PERFECTLY FLAT LEAF.
Or so it was when he found it. Now it's all scrunched and bent, slightly torn. Worthless. ]
........ah.
[ Just. Hangs his head in shame as he mutters something under his breath. ]
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it's so sad looking ]
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She exhales her amusement, puts on a soft smile - radiant but not overpowering or pitying or forced - and, wary of how past physical contact has gone between them (read: awkward as hell), gently touches his hand. ]
So. I guess this means you wanted me to remember?
...You know you're really making everyone else look bad. Being so thoughtful all the time.
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[ He sighs as he pulls his hand away, only because he's trying to wind it up and throw the leaf away. Unsurprisingly, it's a pathetic throw and the leaf flies about as far as you'd expect. In fact, it basically just floats back at his feet in the shallow water. UGH. ]
--I'm sorry, where were we?
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Not that isn't comfortable around Gothel of course!!
With a sigh, Rapunzel stoops and gingerly, as if handling something incredibly fragile, which she is, palms the discarded leaf, using a finger to smooth it down until the edges are somewhat straight. ] Look. Just because you're constantly saving my life doesn't mean I have to be nice to you. And I don't see anything wrong with this leaf except - well, now it's a little dirty, but that's okay because so am I.
...I meant what I said, Jaune. And– And it's my birthday tomorrow. I wasn't going to say thank you to spare your feelings but because... because this is the kind of gift no one but you could've given me! Isn't it?
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[ Now he's the one touching her hand, with the leaf sandwiched between their palms as he brings her hand up. Meanwhile, there's something bubbling in the water behind him. ] --I wanna say thank you! For making me feel like a hero! Rapunzel, you're so kind, and incredible-- like, I've never met anyone so... you! Like, you look so gross right now, but you're still amazing! Camouflage, makeshift weapons, I mean who does that?! And you even trusted me with that cool thing about your hair! I.. I know we haven't known each other long, but... I feel like...
[ OH HEY, SO THOSE BUBBLES? If anybody cared to notice, that same swamp monster has been rising out of the water behind Jaune as he rambles on. OOPS. ]
1/3 HA HA what restraint i dont have restraint
Okay well among conversation takeaways she's going to violently shunt that one to the very back of the list because she's never heard the word "incredible" aimed at her before and, wow, does that feel great!! Being reminded of how, caught up in the moment, she confessed something incredibly sensitive, is... less great, admittedly. Now, though, she leans forward, anticipation building like a fire. ]
Jaune, I–
2/4 just kidding
then there is a mass of horrible swamp sludge looming over his shoulder. ]
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done
[ Because in order to have half a chance at saving him this time, she's going to have to hurl that spear of hers right over his head. And, sure, she's a champion dart-thrower but she's never had that killer aim of hers tested while being assaulted!! ]
restrains u
What-- HOLY COW, I-- done! Yep!! [ It's straight up gtfo time, he's not even going to argue. ]
--wait, did you mean "move" as in run away to safety, or...?? What are we doing??
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[ Getting to one's feet is a lot harder when the ground is essentially soup but as soon as she manages, she's gonna turn tail and book it. ]
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[ He starts running for about two seconds, before he immediately turns back to the monster's direction as if he forgot something. ]
S-Sorry! [ Jaune pulls the spear out of the monster and picks up the pace to join Rapunzel. Where the hell did he get those five seconds of bravery from?? Even he doesn't know. He can freak out about it later. ]
We can get to that tree where I was hid-- doing recon from!
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Oh right. Up not ahead! ] Uh... where is it?! Does it matter which tree? [ OF COURSE NOT ]
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[ And he doesn't know how to use this spear!!! ]
...I think you made it angry.
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Hey, that is his fault for being so bad at hide-and-seek. Hold onto me!
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[ ????? ]
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.......W-What do you mean "hold on"? Hold on to you how? I-I don't...
[ Can she even lift them both?!?! ]
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I don't know, just - hold on! My waist! My shoulders! Anything just - hold on to me! We need to run at that tree over there, okay? In unison. To gain momentum. Then I'll swing us up!
[ After all, how different could this be from heaving her mother up four stories several times a day?!
Man a Semblance would be so much easier. ]
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such beautiful formatting omg
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