PHASE I [ ?? ?? ] This time, ViViD is a deathtrap.
There is random magma everywhere, monsters will spawn at random, and at some points, the game is entirely unplayable. It’s like the dev team totally disappeared mid-constructing the level.
Oh wait, that’s exactly what happened.
Monsters may spawn on top of you, you may suddenly be standing in a poisonous bog, you may suddenly lose your powers, or your senses, or so many different things --
It’s time to get out of here, ASAP.
Thankfully, the exit is obvious. Like. Blindingly obvious. It’s got a big sign over it that says EXIT
And just like that, you’ll be out of ViViD and --
PHASE II [ 0830 ] When you wake up (and it’s strange, because you were sure that you were logging out just a second ago), it’s in a pile of bodies.
They’re cold, but not in the same sense that a dead body would be cold. While they are lifeless and look incredibly real, they don’t feel real. They feel like dolls, mannequins, empty models and nothing more. Their code doesn’t seem to be functioning right.
And what some characters may realize upon looking at this pile of bodies is that they are all of the characters who were sacrifices before. Any character that was dropped who had a high magical or spiritual affinity is there in that pile of bodies, lifeless and eyes blank and vacant. Even you might be there, staring at your own dead body -- but it isn’t real It can be touched, but it’s really nothing more than a lifeless body.
You’ll have to crawl out of that pile of bodies to get anywhere, and then you’ll realize -- you’re in the Sanctuary, a building built by the characters as a safe place from CERES. And it’s looking pretty run-down at this point. The technology in it no longer functions, there is no security on it whatsoever…
Oh, and now there’s a pile of bodies. Great.
PHASE III [ 1000 ] There’s also a robot.
It’s wandering from place to place, though it’s impossible to follow. One second it’s there, the next it’s just gone.
Also, it’s wearing this. Weird.
But even with that on its face, the robot seems focused on one thing in particular. In fact, it has a sign, and it says:
Down with CERES. Up with Robots.
That’s a happy, cheerful message. If you try to go up to it to talk to it, it will look at you before...bonking you on the head with the sign and running off. That’s incredibly rude.
Alternatively, you may be safe and sound in your home, but then the doorbell rings, and there’s the robot again. The duck mask is gone, but now instead it has a pin on his fake lapel, and then he’s shoving a pamphlet at you.
He tips his hat, and then he’s gone. Weird.
(Also, if you hold onto the pamphlet, it will lead you directly to the person whose picture is on it, and you’ll feel like you’ve known them and have loved them for years.)
PHASE IV [ 1245 ] But not all is fun and games and shenanigans. There is something...well, strange happening, and the first real realization of that will be when it starts to rain. More than just the localized rain that a few unfortunates have dealt with -- no, it’s raining completely and totally, and that’s when it might hit you.
For the first time in Cerealia, there’s weather.
It’ll rain for a few hours, and then it’ll stop and become hot and sunny. It may get humid, considering it’s a jungle planet. At night, it’ll get rather cold.
Seems like whatever was keeping Cerealia’s atmosphere stable is now gone -- which also means that characters may start to occasionally experience headaches, nausea and dizziness if they go too close to the walls. It seems safer in the center of the city, and the Residential District is still okay, but… there’s no doubt that the planet’s atmosphere is starting to encroach on the city.
BONUS [ why o'clock ] But who cares about all of that? More importantly, you are here in this… totally not shoddy city to have fun, and it’s still being advertised as a pleasure colony. Or, well, it would be if, you know, CERES was still around.
But close enough.
And as a pleasure colony, it would figure that the first robots to really get fixed are...well, the Pleasure District robots. Unfortunately, the Pleasure District is still a nice big mess, so now they’re wandering the entire colony, looking for people they can hug, massage or...try to drag into more explicit activities.
Welcome to 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. ] |
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no subject
She watches the map flop around, shaking her head and pulling her hood back off her head. Glancing up, she holds out a hand, testing the air to make sure she's not drizzling on top of the rest. So far, so good! ]
I barely remember what they tried giving me at the presentation... I sat through it twice.
[ Stated as if this is horrible. In her opinion, it was. It'd given her a headache and nausea both times. ]
Colonies could be whole countries, couldn't they? It is a big city, though. Most the time we don't have any weather that's odd all over the place. It's probably more of the city breaking down.
[ Said as if this is both a fact and also something she's not bothered by. Which isn't true, but she's done her part in keeping things liveable and stuck to what's in her realm of possibilities instead of worrying about what's beyond her. ]
There's a map for on the CereVice too, if you want me to show you. Were you trying to find somewhere in specific? ... Like a laundry?
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Sitting through the presentation twice is a horrific ordeal. Izumi knows. He went through it twice, too.
She talks about the city breaking down like it's no big deal. Izumi has to wonder if he should be worrying, but Chihiro looks okay. And if the worlds being destroyed is the cover story, then this shouldn't be so surprising, either, right?
He looks down at himself. Forget smelling, he looks like a wet dog. ]
I'll need that laundry later, but for now I need a fresh set of clothes. I don't have anything else to wear.
[ He tucks the floppy map away in favor of bringing out the CereVice. ]
This is the CereVice, right? Let's use the digital map.
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Regardless, she leans in toward the wet dog teenager and nods, gesturing toward the screen of his device. ]
Mm, the trains don't work any longer, but it still shows you the streets and how they're laid out. If you want to go clothes shopping, we'll want to head south-east from here. How much are you willing to spend?
[ She's paid attention to these details after getting spoiled that time by Kashuu. She'll do what she can not to be surprised again! Besides, she'd had to hunt around to find a raincoat her size. Cerealia is not built for kids.
... Thankfully. A pleasure colony that was would be... awkward. ]
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A part of Izumi sinks in despair at the news that the trains are inoperable. What kind of a colony is this? Does nothing work? Why is life so hard for a refugee? He doesn't like the idea of walking literal miles in his wet dog state.
At the mention of money, he pulls out the relevant card. ]
Let's see . . . I have 1000 credits. What, is that like 1000 yen? That's hardly anything.
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Mm, no, it's not like 1000 yen. It's more like... 120,000 yen?
[ Her very vague notion of what comparable costs might be with back home (in 2001). She's not right, but she's closer than thinking they've all been handed just one thousand yen. ]
I don't know exactly, but it's a lot more than you think. Still, you probably won't want to spend all your money on clothes. The less expensive places are probably a good idea.
[ Say the ten year old keeping track of what she spends and is paid in her notebook. ??? She wasn't sure what else to do in the end. ]
Unless you have fancy tastes?
[ ... she outright looks at his current sopping wet outfit. ]
... Nevermind...
no subject
120,000 yen? Now that's more like it.
[ But somehow, he feels like he's just been insulted by a 10-year-old on his fashion. It's true, though. The one with fancy tastes is Ninomiya. ]
I'll wear anything that's warm and comfortable – and dry, too. I don't see the point in wasting money on brand items.
no subject
Is that going to last? Ugh, she's not going to think about that further than making sure her backpack always has a change of clothes inside of it, like it does now. ]
I don't either, but it's important for some.
[ She might have shrugged, but instead, she smiles. It's a small, fond expression. She probably would have scoffed at the idea before, because it was too new and outside of what she knew, but things change. Little by little, she's learning more even in this weird, crumbling science fiction universe. ]
If that's all you need, then I know a good place! It's got lots of warm things you should like. Socks and pants and shirts and coats and the other stuff too.
[ Like undergarments, but hey, who needs to clarify? ]
no subject
Socks and pants and shirts and coats that are dry sound heavenly, though. He pulls the digital map back up. Laundry can come after those. ]
All right, then lead the way!
[ Dimly, he realizes that this is already becoming a recurring thing – her leading him around despite their ages. But he's the brand new tourist here, so Izumi doesn't mind deferring to Chihiro's knowledge. ]
no subject
Either way, she gives him a nod and gestures for the direction to start out in, ultimately not leading from the front so much as the side. Otherwise it'd feel too much like actually leading him around, which makes her think of the bath house, and she'd prefer not to at the moment. Helping out and good customer service are different things. She's helping him out, like so many did with her when she first arrived. Or who continue to do so even now. ]
Izumi-san, what's your favourite colour?
no subject
Color? [ He hums. ] I don't have a favorite, exactly, but black and red go pretty well together, don't they? I don't mind light colors, either.
[ Pink is great, too. They're talking about this, because of clothes, right? He's never thought too hard about what he throws on. ]
no subject
Black and red go together well. Especially with some gold, too.
[ Literally speaking what she thinks... save us all. ]
We'll find something that looks nice and will keep you warm. I kind of have an idea of how to do this by now.
[ By "do this" she means "put together an outfit for someone that's not hideous to look at." Granted, that's by her standards, and since she has Kashuu in mind, it also means a well covered and bundled Izumi if she ends up picking things out and putting him in layers. ]
We'll want to cross the street here! It's another block down on that side.
no subject
Izumi crosses the street with Chihiro at his side as bidden, pleased that chatting has made the walk go faster. The way she's talking, she seems more into the idea of clothes shopping than him (because he'd honestly just grab what's on the top if it were up to him). ]
Oh? Does that mean you're gonna find me an outfit?
Considering the humidity right now, though, being warm isn't that big of a deal.
no subject
She makes a thoughtful noise in the back of her throat before answering. ]
I'll try! Kashuu would be better suited to it, but I'm sure he's busy.
[ She's not going to ask any friend to come help if there's not an express reason. Largely it's because she presumes they're all busy with their own tasks; how accurate that is may be a matter of some debate. ]
I... yeah, you're right. [ The fact he is has different problems attached. Ones she doesn't fully understand. ] Only I don't know if that's for the better. It's a jungle we can't survive in outside the city, so the humidity makes sense if it's coming in now. You're okay with shorts?
[ Say it's not good, say it's a jungle, then jump to shorts. Hard to tell what she considers to be a priority, but she's not a clear historian without being asked. Once they hit the storefront, she trots on forward and pulls it on open. She doesn't trust the automatic door that slides open at the same time to her right. ]
no subject
Izumi is not as much a fan of shorts as he is jeans, the latter of which would make more sense to him in a jungle for a number of reasons. He's also not a fan of menial labor, and is this close to approaching the automatic door when he notices that Chihiro has ignored it completely; manual door, it is. He'll hold that door open for her.
Compared to the terrible humidity of outside, the inside of the store is downright heavenly – perhaps even a little chilly in his damp clothes. ]
Finally! I prefer jeans, but let's see what they've got.
no subject
[ More lack of context, but if one teenage boy wears jeans, there is apparently room to believe there's a jean supply in store. She nods her head to him as a quiet thank you when he holds open the door, registering it because she'd expected he may use the automatic one. It's relieving when he doesn't. Robots are coming back on line... what if the automated systems start rebelling again? ]
Guy's pants... Should beeeeeee back over that way!
[ She heads off in her beeline direction toward the part of the store that looks like it has something like jeans on display. Truth told, who knows if they're men's jeans or women's jeans or trying for unisex. It's not like the colony hadn't catered to a wide pool of clients over its existence. ]
no subject
At the very least, the jeans on display are probably not children's. Whether they're a specific gender's jeans or for unisex, Izumi is pleased enough to be one step closer to being dry (and less smelly). He hovers around one of the tables with neatly folded jeans, appraising the many colors in which they come. ]
All right, dry pants! I'm going to take a look around. Chihiro-chan, why don't you browse for yourself, too?
[ Because waiting around while somebody shops for their own stuff is boring, and there's going to be that point where he browses the other stuff. ]
no subject
By the time she's bringing back tanktops and button-ups in a variety of shades (purple striped, one seafoam green, another in red and black plaid) she also has a rain poncho in hand. It's just at that time where she feels something misting around her, spurring her into bolting to Izumi to shove what she'd picked out at him with a hurried: ]
Here!
[ Because misting rain around her has the potential to become its own downpour, and while she accepts that to degrees she's going to be raining on every parade, they're probably trying not to shove him in new wet clothes? Which leaves her trying to run off again to get a few meters between them, while likewise seeing if she can find any more open space to minimize the clothing damage...
... there aren't many places in a clothing store to fit that bill that aren't the fitting rooms. ]
no subject
[ Dropping the t-shirt in his grasp, Izumi finds himself suddenly burdened with way more clothes than he was expecting. Then Chihiro bolts, and he stands like a lost idiot wondering if he's not supposed to go after her and what he's going to do anyway with so much luggage – there's even a poncho here.
For the lack of anything better to do, he calls her name across the store. Volume control, what is that. ]
You okay?
[ Does she need to use the toilet? An emergency number two? ]
no subject
I'm okay!
[ She shouts back, getting the clerk to glare out at the both of them to no decided resolution (summoning up the energy to care is difficult when shouting is more noise pollution than wrecking the store). ]
I don't want to rain on you!
[ Which clarifies approximately nothing.
With the end growing muffled as she ends up sequestering herself away in one of the dressing rooms. Bathrooms weren't a bad idea, but usually were hidden away as "employee only," so she was pulling her raincoat hood up and standing up off the floor, the walls of the dressing room keeping her raincloud contained.
... Slowly, water pools and runs out of the one dressing room toward the others. Even more slowly, that water starts to edge out into the store proper... a sad, snaking trail sourced out of the steady sound of a tiny enclosed downpour.
... Got plenty of time to get around to those things with arms full of way more than he bargained for. ]
no subject
Those parting words about the rain do nothing for Izumi, who spends the next few minutes finding a carrier into which he can dump his baggage. Then it's time for those things, and it's right after that that he hears the faint splash before seeing the water when he steps on the growling pool.
He follows the water to the dressing room, where he leans his ear against the door. ]
Chihiro-chan? Is that you in there?
[ Leaking really badly? Because if so, there's nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone has a phase . . . ]
no subject
Izumi-san? [ Splish splash while the sound of water falling keeps on going. She opens the door just enough to peer out with one eye.
... Which is too much. As soon as she's allowing more free space, it starts raining outside the door. ] Have you found everything you need?
no subject
Yeah, but what's with all this water? It's not coming from you, is it?
no subject
That started happening in the last two weeks. Each of the code-born is tied to an element. Mine's water.
[ She pulls her hood a little further forward. ]
Sorry. You'll probably figure yours out... if it's fire, we should get you an extinguisher.
[ #helpful ]
no subject
Since you're raining water, does that mean people associated with fire are bursting into flames?
[ That sounds dangerous. Maybe Izumi should carry an extinguisher whether he's bound to fire or not, because someone else might explode. ]
Is there a way to guess before something happens? [ Wait, you know what – the bigger problem at hand right now is the flooded dressing room. ] The rain has to stop at some point, right?
no subject
[ That's a no to guessing beforehand. ] Not really. I mean, no, people don't know before unless they've been here long enough to remember being taken to the jungles. And the people with fire light things on fire nearby, but not themselves.
[ Even as she explains that, her own rain cuts out with an abruptness that makes the silence that follows stark by comparison. She holds out her hand, feeling for water droplets, then opens the door a little wider. ]
... Yeah! It comes and goes.
[ She offers a smile, relieved the most recent indoor shower is done. ]
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