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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[A nice, broad leaf rears up in front of him now.]
Almost there! I believe in you. Rah rah sis boom bah.
[Aaaaaand it wraps itself tightly around his face.]
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[None of this feels like the moves of a monster in its death throes. None! Not even the thing that suspiciously feels like a plant wrapping around his face, which he claws at in an effort to pull away. Superhuman strength should count for something here, right?
Maybe he should just shoot his face off, so he can respawn somewhere safer. It's not like breathing matters in this body.
In a muffled voice:] Get off!
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[........the answer here is clearly 'yes' and also firmly establishes his conversation partner as the type of person who makes fun of blind people]
And ummmmmmm... no. Definitely not.
[Whether it's due to his strength or due to his accusation, the plant falls limp and drops to the ground.]
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Haven't you had enough fun yet? I'd really like to leave this place, so I can see again. I wouldn't mind fooling around after that.
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[Viridi sighs slightly.]
If I'm going to invest time into teasing you, there should be proper dividends for my efforts.
Whatever. Exit's over there.
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[Anyway, he's better company when he can see.]
"There" doesn't tell me anything. Come on – if you want me to compensate you next time, you're gonna have to do better than that.
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[i.e. the bare minimum for qualifying as a non-horrible person.]
But I guess if you're really stuck... you can just follow the melodious sound of my voice.
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[He stands there, scowling, before he takes a tentative step in the direction of Viridi's voice.]
There?
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OK, well. After you're finished squishing around in monster guts, you can follow it to the actual exit.
Don't make me have to hold your hand.
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Just keep talking, and I'll trudge through as many monster guts as I have to.
[Maybe they can play 20 questions or something to keep the conversation going. Whatever it takes to keep her yapping.]
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Huh.
That might be the first time anyone's asked me to talk more. Unbelievable, right? I'd almost call this a point in your favor if it didn't come out of necessity.
[For now, she dutifully stays a few steps in front of him as they progress.]
Wanna hear all my opinions about important things?
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But he owes her now, technically speaking, so he'll listen in earnest.]
Sure. Go all out.
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[Like many things involving Viridi, Izumi may soon regret this.]
Let's talk about humans and how awful and gross they are. I mean, the ones here are OKish, but that's mostly because they don't have anything to get their grubby little hands on. All the humans back home are basically walking disasters who consume everything they touch.
[A pause for breath.]
OK, now say 'absolutely Viridi you're so right'.
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Wow. Sounds rough.
So if they're human, what're you?
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[The voice sounds miffed.]
Can't you tell from my divine visa -- Oh.
[...]
OK, I guess you're off the hook on this one. I'm Viridi. The goddess of nature. All living things are under my domain to govern. That includes the gross humans I was just talking about.
It's so sad how far they've strayed from my good example.
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Still, he can't help but to "ooh and ahh" a bit.]
What, seriously? Then you're really important, aren't you? To think this place could grab people from that high up . . . That's pretty amazing.
[ . . . ]
You're not lying, right? I won't go easy on you if you are, even if you sound young!
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[Except when she does. Like she did about 10 seconds ago.]
And don't say that like I just rolled over and let them abduct me! Obviously, this is all part of my divine plan.
[.........]
It's a very complicated plan, so don't ask me to explain it.
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[Because she's obviously a liar.]
But a goddess, huh? How strong does that make you?
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[This is all Viridi ever really cares about at any particular moment in time as she calls out in a sing-song tone.]
Stronger than pretty much everyone here, I bet. I am the goddess of nature. I'm the origin of life. By my hands, all living things took form.
[her world must be a sad and pitiful one]
Oh, those were the good days. Back when I actually had influence and important duties and you know, an actual planet. Good times.
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Well, I'm just a regular human being. I figured you'd be stronger.
[Even though he's a prodigy in battle, he's still ordinary.]
You sound like a parent with kids who hit their rebellious phase, you know that?
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[This seems like an apt description.]
Except this so-called 'phase' has lasted about 2000 years now, so you know. I'm pretty sure it's just what humans have settled on - and the problems are only going to get worse.
So nowadays, Mother Nature gets her vengeance by making you guys feel bad about yourselves. Is it working?
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I donno about that, but I'm pretty sure I'm not one of your kids. I've never heard of someone like you where I'm from.
[Because it's pointless to make foreign humans feel bad, isn't it?]
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[Viridi huffs.]
See how kind I am? My world is too far gone so I'm bringing my message to all of you instead. That's called altruism.
[...]
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Isn't that just a threat? What's considered destructive to you, anyway?
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Deforestation! Desertification! Strip mining, clear-cutting, the acidification of the ocean, the melting ice caps, rising global temperatures, atrocious farming practices, mass poaching, mass hunting, mass extinction, the unsustainable consumption of all natural resources, and war. Like, ten wars at the same time constantly.
You are literally destroying everything.
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