
Lightning flashes. Thunder booms and rain patters on the roof. It’s all about ambience here in ViViD, of course. You gotta set the mood!
Welcome to the Pleasurable Super Youthful Caring Hospital Stage, PSYCHward for short. It works, shut up. It’s a stage created for your well-being, health and happiness. Be careful, though. The first step you take in the dilapidated asylum carries you right into a puddle.
Look down, and the puddle is red.
Ah.
Of course it’s blood.
It’s only going to get even more fun from here.
 Good Day. I Am The New Introducer For ViViD Levels. Mosley? Who's That?
Anyway, Please Have Fun And Remember To Be Safe. Safety Is Our First Priority At CERES.
Thank you. Enjoy.
|
PHASE I [ 4 00 ] The first room any people familiar with the ViViD song and dance routine will find is one that is...wonderfully full of body bags. Body bags everywhere -- on the floor, on the shelves, uncomfortably tossed over the back of a chair...and each body bag has a helpful tag.
Handy.
Of course, within each bag is a newcomer; they won’t be able to escape the body bags until someone else unzips them. They’re dressed in little more than hospital gowns, toe tags still attached to bare feet.
Welcome to ViViD! Enjoy your stay.
Of course, there has to be an element of surprise to it. Some body bags contain living, breathing newcomers, yes. But the others?
These contain corpses. The toe tag on them indicates a loved one or someone important to you -- or someone you hate beyond all else. You open the bag, and there is their face, achingly familiar and frozen in death...but blink and suddenly they’re the corpse of a nondescript stranger.
PHASE II [ 6 00 ] Step out of that room and now it’s the asylum proper. Lights flicker. It’s dark, but it’s still more than clear to anyone with ears -- something’s stalking everyone in this place.
The shadow flickers on the wall, the lights go out -- you turn a corner and there it is, jumping out at you with an unearthly cackle --
A puppet.
It hangs there limply, utterly harmless.
All around the facility, these harmless puppets lurk. In lockers, behind doors, in dark halls…
But they’re all literally inanimate and harmless. Whose dumb idea was that?
PHASE III [ 10 00 ] But slowly, the atmosphere changes. Go in deeper, and the sounds around deaden until there’s nothing left but the dark all around and the sound of your own breathing. And yet, irrevocably you know, whether as an aspect of the level or something else entirely --
Something is actually hunting you now.
It makes no noise. It can’t be seen. But it’s stalking, and it’s on the hunt.
To make matters worse, now the asylum seems to have become a proper maze, with dead ends everywhere, and practically no light to see them by.
And the only other souls you’ll see are the other people stuck in the maze -- but there’s something not quite right about them either. You can see...bits of their code, lurking under the surface of their skin, and as you watch, it’s being corrupted, bit by bit, the longer they’re in the dark.
If you look down, it’s happening to you too. Better hurry.
There’s only one way out.
PHASE IV [ 14 00 ] And then you step through a doorway into light.
You escaped the maze, but this is an asylum, and you’re about to see why. There are rows upon rows of cages of aliens. They cry out and reach out through the bars with webbed or clawed hands or tentacles, begging for release.
Let them out, or don’t -- the exit to Cerealia proper is right there at the end of this room, inviting and safe.
But if you do elect to let them out, the entire room suddenly goes silent.
And there, in that cage you opened, there is no longer an alien, but instead a doll. And it’s watching you. Stay any longer, and the doll with start to move, reaching -- and if it touched you, suddenly you’re the one locked away behind bars.
On the plus side, when you take the exit to Cerealia, it’ll deposit you in the Pleasure District, where massagebots will reach for you to try to drag you in for a sensual massage.
Welcome!
PENALTY [ ?? ?? ] You were caught in the maze.
It’s hard to say even now what it was that caught you, but now you’re strapped down to an operating table, and there’s a flat-faced doctor standing above you.
The restraints can’t be broken.
There’s a prick of a needle, and you fall unconscious -- and that’s probably a mercy. When you wake up, you’ll be back in the asylum somewhere, but missing a sense -- the one from your character’s application will be gone. A character who is sight will have been blinded, for instance, and a character who is touch will feel nothing. This will last until they log out of ViViD and get into Cerealia.
[ 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. ] |
Welcome to Cerealia's July intro log! For your convenience, we have compiled the characters' arrival experience here, and should you have any questions, feel free to ask them here! You can also check the FAQ for more general inquiries. Should this event log hit Captcha, there is an all-purpose overflow here. Thank you! |
Naoto Shirogane | Persona 4 | OTA
[She is not scared. She is not scared. There is no such thing as ghosts. There is no such thing as ghosts, especially not in a video game.
An... extremely realistic, nigh-indistinguishable-from-reality video game.
It's a little embarrassing that her heart is pounding in her chest as she carefully enters the room, one hand on the handle of the holstered revolver she keeps strapped to her side underneath her coat. They're just body bags. For crying out loud, she's a detective. She's seen dead bodies before. She's caught a serial murderer before! They're just body bags.
She fights the urge to open them. That would be what a character in some sort of work of fiction would do, and that just wouldn't end well, right? But she can't shake the feeling that there could be clues in them that might help her escape this place.
One tag in particular catches her eye. K. Tatsumi.
...no way. This is a game, she tells herself. It's fiction. If they'd truly been monitoring her, of course they'd know about her compatriots. They'd know how tall Kanji was, and so adjust the body bag accordingly. It's just trying to scare her.
Still, if you run into her, she'll be reaching out towards the zipper on the body bag, unable to quite stop herself...]
[2]
Ghosts are not real. There has never been any evidence of their existence. Most claims have been thoroughly debunked. [She says softly, underneath her breath, as she moves into the next room. But is she trying to convince you? Or herself?] There is no such thing as ghosts. There never has been. The supernatural is merely a-an attempt for humans to explain what they can't attribute to science, and--
[The puppet leaps out of the shadows with a nefarious cackle, and Naoto shouts in surprise, whirling around and pulling her revolver out of its holster in one smooth motion, pointing it at the new threat, pulling back the hammer and...
...and feeling pretty silly.] I-- why would they do that?! [She mutters, her face burning as she fumbles to put her gun back in its holster.]
[III]
[At first, she'd thought it was her imagination. But no, the longer she's in the dark, the more visible the code under her skin becomes. (It's an unnerving thought. She feels like herself. She feels alive. But she's clearly data.) She wonders if it, like the rest of these things, is just a mean-spirited trick. She's slightly curious what will happen if someone becomes fully corrupted.
She doesn't want to wait to find out what happens if it's her.
Naoto, at this time, is walking with her gun out, ready for anything. She keeps it safely pointed at the floor, though. (Good trigger discipline is important.) In the dim light, she sees a figure, and part of her wonders if it's another trick. Still, she'll call out to them.] Excuse me! Can you hear me?
We need to find our way out. Are you all right? [It goes without saying that they need to get out of here, and she's not one to waste time, but she can't exactly open fire without first discerning friend from foe.
She wishes she had a flashlight.]
2!
puppet.
The first he's encountered too, so of course he was quick to react, to shift into the defensive.
But it's a puppet, so why the hell should he keep the tension? Neji clicks his tongue in annoyance, straightens, glances at the girl and the weapon what is that thing and
PSA time:] Things here don't make sense.
[Which explains everything, really. She's welcome.]
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Are they really... only doing this to toy with us? Is this a game to them? [Boy, does she sound irritated.]
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II
When the question came, though, Rei did answer. Stepping smoothly up beside the younger woman, making her presence known beyond just a quiet stranger who'd happened to be going the same direction. She was dressed in a miko's hakama with the accompanying starched white haori overcoat, cutting quite the anachronistic figure. Her hands remained at her sides, visible and open so that she wouldn't frighten the gun-toting detective, though her tone was rather wry.]
You did that because you're frightened. And they did it to unsettle you.
[How matter of fact.]
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If the young woman wanted to say something, Naoto figured she would have. So she hadn't said anything in response.
It's a little embarrassing to realize that she'd heard the things that Naoto had been muttering under her breath, though. Her tone is somewhat defensive.] I am not frightened. Given the circumstances, I think a little wariness is completely warranted, don't you?
Today was murder, sorry :(
it's just fine! no worries <3
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ii!
his chuckle is small, but audible as he approaches. ]
There may not be any "ghosts" in this simulation, but you may not find that to be the same situation once you find the exit. Though as for that...
[ beldum levitates up to the puppet, poking it with its body to make it swing harmlessly in the air. steven watches it with his eyes, arms crossed. ]
I'm not sure what their intentions are with it. Petty spite, I assume.
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...what is that?
[A Persona?]
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III
[can anything not hear him]
Ah! And, if you can hear me, I am currently feeling very well! Are you alright?!
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You're just loud.
The echo isn't helping Naoto pinpoint him, though. She returns a call out into the darkness.] Yes, I'm fine, for the time being. I can hear you perfectly fine.
Can you keep talking? If you stay where you are, I'll find you by following your voice.
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1
They'd been at home when she picked up the signal of their friend about the same time that Yu's app also chimed and the three of them logged into ViViD together. Somehow though they had all become separated shortly after. It's for that reason that Rise is alone when she sees Naoto--
--and okay, her friend is a very good detective and she's hardly afraid of anything, but this is totally not happening. She hasn't even seen the tag on the bag yet but Naoto don't touch the bodies!]
Naoto-kun! [It's shouted from her left as Rise runs as fast as she can to pull Naoto's hands away. It's also a good way to drape herself over her friend's back for a hug but shh.]
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...and hugged.
Even in the dim lighting, Naoto instantly realizes that she recognizes this person. Her brain catches up slightly too slowly to prevent her reflexive shout of surprise.] --gah!
R-Rise-san?!
[Talk about a face she wasn't expecting to see.]
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iii.
Hey. [ casual greeting. ] I'm fine. [ naoto may find it odd that athena's necklace is glowing, though. it's hardly visible because of the lack of light, but it's usually just a blue orb-like thing with a white smiley face in the middle. when it's dark though, it serves as a nightlight of sorts. but it definitely isn't enough to illuminate the place. ]
Shouldn't you be more worried for yourself? I've never seen you around before.
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Phase 2
Although, the moment that she saw somebody pointing said gun to a fluffy teddy bear, Mabel just had to gasp and stop right in her tracks!]
Now that isn't very nice! What did that cute little teddy bear ever do to you?
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i
He notices Naoto when he tears his eyes away from the tag, telling himself that it wouldn't really be Kay in that bag. There's a jolt inside him as he sees the familiar face of the young detective; familiar from his time in Death City. But odds are, she wouldn't recognize him. She wouldn't remember that, so Edgeworth takes a deep breath and addresses her.]
We probably shouldn't open any of those.
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ii. hi tiny detective
scream. and oh, a gun? oh my.
-- a low whistle, pretty amused by the reaction. ]
well, you know how the saying goes 'nothing to fear but fear itself'. [ though he supposes a healthy amount of it wouldn't hurt anyone. it kept people on their toes. ] there are more things to fear than the supernatural.
[ so while naoto tried to put herself back together, he simply opts to march right on over and .. pick up the puppet. now he has two, one on both hands. ]
that's a pretty nice model, by the way. [ shouldn't he be more concerned that a high schooler(???) has one of those???? no, apparently not. ] and as far as your question goes.. .... a prank?
[ since, you know, there are worse things than being jumped by a harmless puppet. which he's now using to speak at her. ]
are you scared? [ and he moves its hands, pressing both the tiny little stubs for arms against its cheeks. ] but i'm so cute!
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iii;
it's better to keep focused and try to keep his attention on helping the people around him, because getting out of this game isn't nearly as traumatizing as some of the other things he's experienced around here. he'll turn at the sound of a voice—naoto may notice that he's mumbling something that's somewhat inaudible before he makes a bit of a cautious approach. it's not so much cautious of her as it is of the dim lighting, but as he approaches, the grip on his sword tightens a bit anyway.]
I'm okay—I haven't gotten hurt or anything. [fortunately.] What about you, are you all right?
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2
Yeah, the dead thing kind of sucks.
But Rise had gotten the ping so it was all hands on deck. All hands currently at different places, unfortunately, but he wasn't going to give up. If there's anyone who will be able to track down CERES' bullshit, it's Naoto. And boy do they need her right about now.
Of course, wandering around the PYSCHward has proved fruitless thus far. Maybe this room?
That's why after the puppet scare, there's a slow, ominous creak of the door to her left... ]
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2
[He startles some at the doll himself—it really is a shitty stupid prank, and he's embarrassed to have reacted to it at all—but he startles even more at the shadowy figure whipping out their gun. Even if it's got nothing to do with him, it's still a bit . . . arresting. (Ha ha.) At least it gives him a good cover for why he's so panicky and stumbling back over his own feet, even though that wasn't entirely this person's fault, truth be told.
Not that they could talk, anyway. Leon gets his footing and lifts his hands defensively, just in case he startles them into pointing that thing at him instead.]
You just carry that thing around?
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2
They only do it to unsettle us... or laugh at us.
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Phase II!
The shout is nothing unexpected and he walks in front of Naoto only when she's done putting the revolver back in its holster- wouldn't want any accidents now.]
To scare us, of course. [Except he seems pretty blase about the puppet, making this seem questionable.] You alright?
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phase iii
[ Of course, she's been using her cell phone to navigate this whole entire time, considering that most of the CERES-related devices have been... well, unreliable. ]
Don't worry, I'm mostly harmless. [ Or at least, she would like to present herself as such. ]
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twooo
[Wait, that person looks like someone from home, and sounds a bit like them, too. (Okay, maybe it was a crush from home. Shush.)]
[Sulla approaches, scratching her forearms awkwardly.] I dunno. Maybe it's a psychological thing? But there are ghosts here. I mean, not-- Here, here. But there are ghosts in the colony, there were ones that were, like, bonded to us a few weeks ago. There's got to be a scientific explanation; things don't just happen for no reason.
[Again - is Sulla trying to convince Naoto, or herself? Who knows.]
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II
[Nico steps out of the shadows, his three-headed Rottweiler Cerberus at his side, raising an eyebrow at the dangling puppet.] It probably wouldn't hurt to shoot it. It might try to strangle you once you turn your back. [He says this with a completely straight face. Since Naoto is already putting her gun away, Nico uses his black sword to neatly slice the puppet's strings and stab it once it's on the floor.]
Are you new here?
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i - late, pardon me!!
It's probably rather sudden and rude indeed when she gets her hand slapped away from that body bag. If she looks to the offender, Lili will just be giving her a stern glare.]
Are you a moron?
[lili what the fuck]
it's okay! I'm so happy to see a Lili, she's my favorite *_*
I HAD TO TAG YOU!!!
I just read Akayona for the first time a few months ago... it gives me feels... i'm glad you did
ugh good akayona's A++ and i love naoto... this is gonna be good
it's so good and I'm so glad someone plays lili.... i shipped her and yona so hard lmfao
THAT'S SO REAL
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2
It's not that Togami wasn't also startled by the puppet suddenly appearing. He'd been tense and on his guard wandering through this place, too, even if he wasn't afraid of ghosts specifically. The feeling of being stalked is enough reason to be on the alert.
But the sound of someone else that's clearly a "victim" in this situation is kind of relieving. He's much quicker to recover, and it no longer shows on his face, allowing him to mock others freely. Isn't that nice!! ]
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