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!
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iv!
Okay not really, but he will suddenly feel a hand at his elbow, steering him away from wherever he'd currently been meandering and over toward a little side alley. SKETCHY. Except the person doing the steering is the Shinsengumi's #1 stand-in babysitter while all of the actual babysitters are gone! And he's here to rescue Kanesada('s hair.) He's leading the way over toward a building with a colorful awning extending from the front, though he talks while he walks.]
Geez, d'you even know where you're going? Walking around out here like this isn't gonna do you any favors.
[He's mostly just griping to gripe, don't mind him... He has a little bag slung over his shoulder though, and he looks a little more grim than he normally does.]
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Kiyomitsu. A familiar face. Not Kunihiro, but he'll take it.
Still, because he's suddenly not alone (and because the awning they eventually reach is also helping), he stands up straighter and crosses his arms over his soggy chest. He hasn't been sulking or anything, don't get any ideas!]
The way I see it, there's no favors out here to be had anyway.
[He's been here for like two hours tops and has already decided THIS PLACE BLOWS.]
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[Because it's Kanesada, so of course he is!! Or maybe Kashuu's just giving him a hard time because it's his way of expressing that he missed the group baby.
Either way, once they're under the awning, he'll let go of Kanesada's arm and press his back to the wall so he can wring his hair dry. The rain's not doing him any favors, either...]
You have a real knack for showing up at the worst times too, y'know?
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But he'll join Kashuu in trying to get the water out of his hair because that's definitely a good idea. It's just going to take him a lot longer.
Also he scoffs at that accusation??]
I show up at the perfect time every time. It's just that you're not very appreciative of it.
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[BLUNTLY. He's also done wringing his hair out in like less than a minute. Good luck Kanesan-san...]
But I'm serious, y'know? If you showed up even a month ago, this place would've been in better shape and you wouldn't have to deal with as much while you're adjusting to things. But nooo, you had to wait until now when everything's falling apart.
[He knows it isn't Kanesada's fault, but he's going to bully Kanesada about it anyway.]
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And then he goes back to it, slowly working his way down, sob sob, why must looks be so important...
And why must Kashuu be so mean to him.
He's gonna take that wet tail of his hair and just...casually thwack it at Kashuu's midsection sorry not sorry.]
Believe me, I wouldn't show up here by choice if I knew about any of it. This is crap.
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RUDE, THOUGH. He's successfully thwacked, immediately making a distressed noise and moving away from Kanesada.]
Hey—! Don't do that, I'm already wet enough. [This is what they get for growing accustomed to controlled weather and not having any umbrellas!!]
...It's probably better that you're here, though. Even if it sucks.
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Then it's not gonna hurt anything, now is it?
[And so he continues the wringing, inwardly cringing at how awful his hair is looking now. It needs brushed. It needs brushed so badly.
Kunihiro come home]...If there's anyone here I can fight without holding back, then we'll call it even.
[At least give him something to look forward to.]
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Don't make it worse. [Or he'll be less inclined to be a Kunihiro stand-in and offer to brush Kanesada's hair out!! Which he'd only do because he, too, understands the importance of being pretty...]
Anyway, we don't have time to focus on stuff like that right now. You'll have your fight eventually, but we gotta find it first, get it?
[Probably not, because that makes no sense, Kashuu?! And yet, his punk ass doesn't immediately explain.]
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You're obviously fine.
[Kanesada tunes in when Kashuu mentions a fight for him. But that's when he kind of stops making sense, though Kanesada still tries to follow.]
Wait. So. There's stuff out here. Just not right here.
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BUT, more importantly! That attempt at keeping up isn't actually too far off from what he'd really meant, so he nods.]
Basically, yeah. CERES is gone for now but we dunno if they'll come back or not, and the Flamines are a definite threat... Uh, has anyone filled you in on that stuff?
[He's just assuming this Kanesada doesn't remember being here, considering Kashuu figures he'd be a little (or a lot) more somber otherwise.]
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Kanesada huffs and falls heavily against the wall as he listens to Kashuu try to explain more.]
There was that presentation they showed us. What you're saying sounds kind of familiar.
[Look, you can't expect him to remember all the details of that PowerPoint after he's been through quite a rude welcoming ceremony today.]
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Kashuu crosses his arms over his chest though, considering that.]
Yeah, the presentation's kinda accurate. Mostly not though, 'cause CERES totally tries to paint itself as the heroes who saved us from our worlds after they were destroyed, and they're actually the ones responsible for everything.
[How does he manage to sound even more bitter than usual?? It's a mystery.]
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But wait. If CERES is responsible, then...]
Did they really destroy all our worlds or are they giving that excuse to keep everyone here?
[If they did, then, wow, rude af.]
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Nope, they really did. They hired contract assassins to wipe out our planets. That's what the Flamines really are, not some-- ...Well, I guess they are evil world-destroying aliens, but not the way CERES makes 'em out to be.
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We can never go home again...
[Why is this. He's been here for less than a day and he already knows this will never be eve half as comfortable as the Citadel.]
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Don't be stupid! If there was no chance of us going home ever again, no one would be fighting.
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It does perk him up, though, so there's that, at least.]
But it's already happened, hasn't it? We can't go back and change it.
[Don't forget the plot of your own canon, Kashuu!]
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God though not this shit again. LOOK. He's had time to think this over since talking to Ichigo, he's ready for this question now!]
We don't have to change it, okay? We just have to fix it. There're ways to restore us, so there's gotta be ways to restore entire planets, right?
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It's not his fault. So nyeh.]
Isn't fixing something changing it in a way, though?
[But Kanesada goes quiet, because it does make a certain amount of sense. It's still weird and he's still uncertain and it'd be nice if Aruji showed up to reassure him on this matter, but for now...]
...Maybe you're right.
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It's not the same, so don't worry about it. [A pause; he thinks about considering his words carefully, but just ends up being blunt...] We won't corrupt if we try to fix this mess, okay?
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...Just don't take them out, okay.]
We better not.
[A pause...then some reluctance.]
Is...Kunihiro here?
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We won't.
[SOUNDING SO CERTAIN about something he knows shit-all about, just another day in the life.
Also looking a little hesitant, which is probably an answer in itself.]
...He was. He isn't anymore.
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But...ah. There's an ache in Kanesada's chest, some sort of emptiness. No Kunihiro, huh.]
Ah...I kinda figured. He doesn't take this long to come find me ever.
[There's no shadow for him, no one to cheerfully call out "Kane-san!" or put on a smile.
...It's kind of lonely, really.]
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He won't say what he's thinking, though - that it is pretty weird, especially when Horikawa had shown up with Kanesada the last time he was here and then again on his own after that, but Kanesada has never shown up without Horikawa.]
...Mm, well. We'll just have to get him back, too.
[From THE VOID or wherever the heck it is that spirits go, since it sure isn't the code.]
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