estoria | //EVENT033.EXE

//EVENT033.EXE

//event033.EXE

What new and wonderful and exciting ViViD level awaits you today? What fun time will you have in ViViD this time? Surely it will be a work of art that CERES has been working on for months and months --

Actually, wait, CERES isn't even around, are they?

Uh oh.

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzt.

Error: Files Not Found

//SCENARIOS.EXE

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. ]

//RUN.EXE

Welcome to Cerealia's September 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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

-- Oh. [ Well, there's the difference between a pervert and a kid missing his eyesight, so Otome's manner is softening considerably. ]

Hopefully it should be only temporary. Have you been like this for awhile?

[ Oh . . . oh. She's not pissed off? She's going to help? What a nice lady. ]

It started once I was logged into ViViD. That's where we are, right? I bet it's another glitch in the system.

[ Otome is plenty nice to non-perverts! ]

Ah... it wouldn't be the first time it's caused problems. If you don't mind, then, I'd be happy to try and guide you through.

[ It's an angel . . . There's an angel here. Izumi snorts mirthfully. ]

Why would I mind that? Seriously, I'd appreciate it. Please lead the way.

[ After what happened, does she want his hand or what – the tails of his trench coat? ]

Here. [ Yeah no, she'll take his hand. ]

My name is Otome Yanagiya. I can't say I'm an expert at ViViD, but I've been here for awhile, so getting out shouldn't be impossible.

[ A hand that isn't a soft as the chest, but infinitely better as a hold. Izumi lets her tug him along. ]

I'm Kohei Izumi. Nice to meet you. [ Yeah, okay, the meeting could have gone better, but he's polite enough to have manners. ] Are you from Japan, Yanagiya-san? I've noticed there's a lot of people with names like ours.

Yes, I live in Osaka-- but there are a lot of people you'll meet here who are also from completely different countries... even worlds.

All the same, it's nice to meet you too, Kohei-kun-- although I'm sorry it's not the best of welcome parties right now.

Osaka, huh?

[Definitely somewhere he recognizes. But at her next words, Izumi shrugs, his tone easygoing.]

I don't mind. It's not my first time in ViViD, and I lucked out by running into you.

By the way, what type of level is this? Just from feeling around, I can tell that it's more open than the last one.

Honestly, it's a bit of a mess. It's completely unfinished, so things completely unrelated keep appearing.

[ and she'll just lightly tug him around a pool of bubbling... fire? Quicksand? It's hard to say. ]

[ It is a mystery. "Unfinished" seems to be the trend. ]

Is that normal?

Not really... but the ones maintaining this game have disappeared, so it's been like this lately.

[ A mess. ]

You mean CERES? But what about that presentation? They're the ones managing everything, aren't they?

They were, yes. I think that presentation is likely automatic at this point... but trying to contact them right now is impossible.

You're kidding . . . If ViViD is this bad, what's happening in the colony?

... A great deal of the robots are still completely broken. Part of the transportation's shut down too. [ or derailed. ]

[ Okay, derailed transportation is necessary knowledge, but Izumi is a boy and he'll focus on what's truly of import. ]

This place has robots? The technology here is pretty advanced. [ He pauses. ] Well, ViViD was already a clear indicator of that . . .

But with the colony malfunctioning, things must be troublesome for everyone.

That's putting it lightly. But all the same, the people here are resilient. We're finding ways to manage, even if things aren't as easy as they used to be.

[ That's humanity for you. ]

That's good to hear. What can I do to contribute once we're out of here?

... Well. For starters, why don't we make sure you have your vision back before I go putting you to work?

[ He chuckles. ]

You're right. I'm sure it'll come back after logging out, though.

Then for now-- [ as she maneuvers him past an... apparently equally-blind monster that just slammed into a half-formed palm tree-- ]

Why don't you tell me a little more about yourself?

[ Thanks, based ViViD. ]

Back home, I work for Border. As an agent, I do defense duty and fend off alien soldier invasions. A lot's classified in our organization, so I can't say too much, but this body I'm in right now has some superhuman qualities.

[ Including superhuman blindness . . . ]

Other than that, I'm just a high school student.

A high school student who fends off alien soldier invasions...?

[ Why are there so many kids who have to deal with things like this?? ]

Having free time must be hard...

Ah, but it's a rewarding job. The pay's good; the fights are fun; and we keep the civilians safe. I wouldn't mind doing something like that here.

[ Except he loses half his paychecks, probably. ]

Well, there's something like a police force here, but I'm not sure they'd let you join... all the same, it's a good thing to want to protect everyone.

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