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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no subject
[ His fingers go to work and it's all rather simple for him. He's sure to go slowly for her to watch him lace her sleeve back together as it once were. It doesn't take him too long and honestly, the fact that his hands look far from gentle, his touch is well placed and not exerting any unnecessary force. ]
It's done like so—I imagine that it would be easier if you were not having to do this while wearing it.
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Thank you very much for showing me and for helping me. I suppose it would be easier, and perhaps I will remove it next time.
[Just not in front of other people because she'd gotten a lecture about this from her maids.]
Your doll...is it also modeled on someone that you know?
no subject
[ Genos will give her a bit of a nod in acknowledgement and go back to keeping his hands to his sides or well up until the point where she had pointed out his "necklace". The question immediately causes Genos to change his expression and he nearly smiles as he answers her. ]
Yes, it is made in the image of my master. This place is truly surprisingly as I would have never imagined them to make anything in his image.
no subject
[She doesn't question the baldness or the red cape. Genos seems to care about his master and so she is respectful as well.]
It is possible that they may have an ulterior motive to it. But I am happy to see that you are happy, at least. What is he like, your master?
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He is a hero and the strongest man I've known.
[ 10 words exact. ]
no subject
I see. Then he is a very strong hero? That sounds amazing.
As for the doll, I did not tell you that in order to ask you to part with it. If you wish to keep it, I merely ask that you are careful.
[Because she doesn't really want to leave her Carlo doll behind either.]
no subject
Yes, however, it is not something that many others back home realize. Many back home consider him to be a fraud due to how quickly finish off threats—often with just one punch—but fame was never something my master's intent so he allows the public to think of him however they wish. [ There's a fond look that creeps on his face. ] My master is truly a great man.
And don't worry, I will protect this doll as if it were really him. I will let nothing happen to it.
no subject
[She doesn't miss that fond look at all and can't help smiling.]
Not just the doll, but yourself as well. You are also important.
no subject
My master appears to be an ordinary man in many ways. If you were to spot him walking around he would not seem to be a man who would be capable of such feats. [ However on the subject matter of his own well being—Genos gives her a bit of a look. ]
If I am injured I can be repaired, there is no need to worry about that.
no subject
But does it not still hurt?
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The pain is never that bad.
[ The joys of having a body that was no longer flesh and blood. ]
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Even though it is "never that bad" I still feel as if it would be better if you could avoid being in pain as much as possible.
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They most certainly can; if they are willing to have an open might.
[ But ah...the pain topic. ] You are very kind. If it makes you feel more at ease, the pain that I feel is simulated. I actually am not capable of pain.
no subject
Why...are you not capable of pain? For that matter why is it simulated at all?
no subject
I am a cyborg—I do not possess the proper tissues nor the nerves to register pain as you know it. My original body has long been destroyed. What I feel now is enough to allow me to interact with the world.
no subject
I see. I am sorry that your original body was destroyed, not matter how long ago that may have been. May I ask what happened?
no subject
[ He'll pause for a moment and allow that to sink in a bit before going into it. He'll keep things brief now. ]
My family and myself were attacked by a mad cyborg and I was nearly killed. A passing doctor found me and saved me by turning me into what you see now.
no subject
But why were you attacked?
[She pauses for a moment after it, her grip tightening slightly on her Carlo doll.]
...and your family...they could not be saved?
no subject
No, there was no hope for my parents. The doctor who saved me is a brilliant man but there is still no way to bring back the dead.
no subject
...I am truly sorry for your loss. Regardless, that should not have happened to you or to them.
no subject
Thank you.
[ He'll give her a bit of a nod. ] I am also sorry for any discomfort that it may have given. I realize that it's not the most cheerful of topics.
no subject
[Compared to just hearing about it, she's certain it must have been many, many times worse to experience it.]
You have not caused me any discomfort and I only wish there were more I could do for you besides listening.
May I know your name? I am Veronica.
no subject
[ He'll give her a bit of a bow. ]
It is a pleasure to meet you, Veronica, I'm Genos.
no subject
...may I ask why it is a gift? [Was it because he got made into an android? She looks at his hands as well, trying to figure it out.]
no subject
[ Though would Genos like a redo if given the chance? That's another matter entirely in itself. ]
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