You know what everyone needs after rampant robotic attacks and another iteration of clone wars? A vacation! That’s right everyone, you deserve this. CERES understands what you need. CERES is here for you all the time, so never doubt that this is a pleasure colony, and they are here to look after all of your needs. Kick your feet up, relax, and let CERES Recreation and Activity Necessity Keepers (Team RANK, that is) set you up with your ideal getaway.
It’s as if you can sense the incoming relaxation and luxury before you even completely finish loading. There’s the warmth encompassing your entire body as your code gets transferred into this particular ViViD Level. A cool, refreshing breeze hits you. The sounds of waves gently lapping against the coast fill you with relaxation. The sun, the sand, the surfs, it’s all there – welcome to the beach, baby!
An echoing greeting message from the ocean comes next, if you can translate it.
 OOOOOOOOOOOOHMAHH GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHD.
YOOOOOOOOOOOORRRALL SOOOOOOOOOOOOO KYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT.
KYOOOOOOOOOOOT EEEENAAAAUUUUUUUF TOOOOOOOOOOOOO EEEEEEEEEEEEEEET.
|
PHASE I [ 08 00 ] That said, isn’t that breeze a little… too strong? It feels like it’s brushing up against all of you, if you know what I mean. When you open your eyes and look down, it becomes rather clear why. It seems that you’ve found yourself in some pretty interesting attire. Everyone. No exceptions. You appear to have two options – be overcome and scream like the Victorian maiden your heart says you are, or strut like a model in this stuff. Turn some heads! Work that up do!
But don’t worry, we’re also conscious about safety here at CERES! Therefore everyone’s also been provided a pair of super high-tech safety-tested appendage protection floatation devices (STAPFD for short.)
At least everyone around you is caught in the same sort of attire – and everyone around you also appears to be stuck inside a giant sand castle. It’s entirely malleable to what you want it to be! Want to see a fancy sand bidet? Feel like adding a sand statue in your honor? Think that wall should now be a door? Well, with enough perseverance, you can make it happen!
Just uh, be careful about getting sand in your… everywhere.
PHASE II [ 1000 ] Someone broke it. Not pointing any fingers, even though you sure do seem like a prime suspect, but someone broke it.
It almost starts like an earthquake with how the castle starts to rumble, the sand shaking right beneath your feet. And then the walls right next to you start to cave in followed promptly by the ceiling right… above your head. Oh dear. The sand starts to run and fall, losing its structure and shape. The hallway behind you starts to cave in, ceiling first and then the walls follow suit. Now the sand really is getting everywhere – but not just uncomfortable places. It’s in your hair, your eyes, your nose…. this sure doesn’t seem like a pleasant way to go!
Best to start running – there’s a trusty drawbridge to get over the moat (because what’s a sandcastle without a moat?) but who knows how long until that, too, is going to give way? Best to cross over it before it starts to shake and disappear too. Or if you don’t make it, hopefully you can land some pretty impressive airtime to make it to the other side!
If not, well...there'll be the sensation of sand crushing down upon you, filling your mouth and eyes, and you won't be able to breathe at all – and then you're alive again on the beach (but possibly in yet another new, uncomfortable, skimpy swimsuit). Honestly, be more careful, would you?
PHASE III [ 1200 ] However, once you do make it to the other side, it’s all smooth sailing from there! Or is it? Hah, as they say, life sure can be a beach.
Which is what this is.
Welcome to your Beach Episode, folks. Now that you’ve made it out of the collapsing sand castle, you’ve made it to the luxurious, picturesque golden coastline. Sure, you’re coughing up fine, luxurious, sand dust right now and you’ve definitely gotten sand in all of your crevices thanks to your swimsuit, but that’s okay! Go take a soak in the ocean or something or cool off with a smoothie. There’s a smoothie shack off into the distance, complete with a long chalkboard with… well, probably a few familiar names? And some unfamiliar ingredients. Sounds appetizing right?
That said, once you do ingest some of the smoothie with the name of a newcomer, you might suddenly find yourself feeling a bit… different. You’ll be taking on some of their traits, one of the most intense parts of their personality – or you might need to take a second to sit down because you’re suddenly seeing one of their memories. Whoa. What do they actually put in this stuff?
PHASE IV [ 1500 ] For the brave souls that venture out into the water, you have even more adventures waiting for you. Anyone who’s swimming around, wading in the water—hell, even looking at the water is getting scooped up and deposited in one of these giant orbs. But don’t take up too much room, because someone else is getting shoved right in there with you. Time to get cozy with your new friend, because it's only going to get worse as the waves begin to carry you out into this big, blue, virtual ocean. Hopefully the choppy waves don’t bounce you around too much or – well, you could always get really friendly with a stranger! Why not?
At least until it’s made very clear that fresh air does not make it back into these balls. That seems like a bit of a design flaw. Now what? Fight the other person who’s inhaling all your air? Suffer through it for swimsuit-clad fun? Or if you break it…. well, you sure are stranded out in the ocean. Or are you?
After enough flailing, you’ll be met by a giant, dumb-looking creature who will then eat you whole.
Everything goes dark. This is surely the end --
And then you're in Cerealia proper; it seems that was the exit to the level (but why there?) and you'll find yourself either in one of the fountains or the pond in the park. Either way, you'll be very, very well. And this time, that's not virtual. But hey, at least you'll have all of your stuff with you.
BONUS [ xxxx ] Do you hear that?
Anyone idle on the beach will hear a distant melody coming from further out into the ocean. It’s a beautiful, elegant song that automatically makes the listener stop what they’re doing and immediately wander toward the noise. It takes you a moment to recall – it takes a moment to think about anything now, really – but you remember hearing the smoothie shack owner say something about mermaids populating the beach. Could this be their song calling out to you? Whether you would normally abide by this kind of call or not, you find your feet walking further and further out into the water, the shallows lapping up to your ankles and up and up as you are drawn in by the song.
A rather classic song, though the usual instances of French are also replaced with the very enticing, enchanting nonsense promise of omelette du fromage........and then they try to drown you.
[ 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. ] |
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
no subject
Oh! Felicia! Hold on!!
[The staff extends out into the water, something solid for the maid to grab hold of.]
no subject
Thanks, Yuna...
Oh, how embarrassing~
no subject
It's only water. It'll dry, don't worry. Especially if you move around.
no subject
I know, but it's still embarrassing because we only just met the other day. I was hoping that this change would help me be a little less clumsy.
...Or, at least, start over with a clean record.
no subject
[Really, it's fine.]
You helped me in that machina of yours. Even if it wasn't very fast, it was better than walking in the heat. Don't worry so much.
no subject
Thanks, Yuna. It's still embarrassing, but I'll try not to worry about it.
[It was hard not to feel better when faced with that warm smile.]
no subject
[Really, she will!]
no subject
It sounds like we've got the same problem, [she chimed in, smiling shyly.] I don't know where to stay either-- one of my friends that is here doesn't seem to remember me, and the others are probably going to want to make their own arrangements. Without my Master or the others who served in the castle, I'm not entirely sure where to go.
no subject
[Felicia is nice, and she's a woman, so it won't be awkward. Moreover, she's Yuna's age, which helps...and roommates lower rent!]
What do you think?
no subject
They both didn't need to worry about the schools in this city-- it wouldn't be a problem.]
I'm open to it if you are, [she said.] But I warn you, I'm sort of clumsy and not a very good cook.
no subject
[Yuna just smiles.]
and that's okay. I can cook and clean a bit. If we just keep it simple.
no subject
[It seemed like a prudent warning.]
Yuna....you said you have 'guardians?' Until they get here, I can help protect you if you want. I may not look it, but the head guard at the castle made sure all of the staff was properly trained in self defense. It'll be better than nothing, anyway.
no subject
Oh. Um. Guardians are more...the people I'm traveling with in Spira. They're helping me on my pilgrimage. But, I can defend myself too. A...little.
[She nods to the staff.]
I'm a Summoner, and a Mage. So please, let me protect you too.
no subject
I can fight with my knives, but I can also heal people. The two of us together should make a very good team!
no subject
[She twirls her staff cheerily.]
I suppose this means we need to go...find the residential district that was mentioned.
no subject
[Standing up to join Yuna, Felicia tried to squeeze as much water out of her skirts and hair as was possible.]
We also need to figure out how to use those strange cards they gave us. It's hard to believe that those things can be used like money around here.
no subject
This? I think I know how it works. It's like a machine. and when you put it in a machine it pulls money from one bank to another bank. Someone explained that to me already.
no subject
[Invisible money, invisible transactions...what else was invisible that she needed to know about?]
no subject
[Which is kind of heretical.]
I don't know how it works.
no subject
no subject
no subject
...There's automated puppets, but they're not anything close to being the same as what we see here.
no subject
no subject
[Brows furrowed at this as she tried to think over the larger ramifications of what Yuna was saying.]
I don't know about that. The magicians back home have developed a lot of really impressive things, like Staves that can bring someone far away right next to you. It's all above my head, really, but don't you think it's possible that the scholars in our worlds just saw things a little differently?
no subject
[As if to demonstrate, she waves her staff and casts Blink, poofing a few feet to the right.]
Magic isn't the same. But like...in my world there are machina that can fly, and things that can move thousands of people over the land faster than a chocobo.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)