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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And, of course, it's funny to imagine Kunihiro in a less-than-spectacular situation, especially because compared to his own, Kanesada's probably got the better end of the deal.
He can't help but smile a little bit.]
No, I bet you still managed to look cool, somehow.
[Because it's Hijikata, of course! As for his name, well. He shrugs, trying to appear unaffected, but really he's so happy that any Hijikta would acknowledge him at all. Even if it is still weird to think the rules don't apply here.]
You can call me whatever you want. I was your sword, after all.
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Still, he was a good kid once they got to know each other more. ]
I hope so. It'd be embarrassing to look uncool in front of my own sword, right?
[ Slight sarcasm!
But boy! That's out of the way, he's kind of glad Izumi stopped acting so awkward around him. It was almost kind of weird to an extent!? Though, it's understandable if he's new and confused, basically.
But a gesture to his hip. Look his own Izuminokami and Horikawa is right there! ]
Still am, at least for a little while I hope. I'm not dead yet. [ He's not even aware he's going to die at Hakodate in a couple of years, but you know. He's Hijikata, he's a samurai, so he already is aware he's going to die sometime in the future. ]
Ah but... Horikawa did talk a lot about you, he clearly loved you a lot. So, it's really nice to finally meet the real thing. I still wish they gave us a better place for us to meet, but once again. This place likes to dick around with the new people that come around every so often, so... Well, the city is a bit better I think for what you get.
no subject
Whatever! Toshi-san is still cool enough.
[And one of those lines comes up when Hijikata jokes about not being dead in 3...2...1...
Yikes, to be honest. But Kanesada does his best not to react to that little detail. He straightens up and focuses instead on the Kunihiro subject.
he clearly loved you a lot
...Ah. The wakizashi's absence is weighing more and more heavily over him the longer he sticks around this place. It's so strange to not have that shadow or hear his voice. It's kind of...wrong. Incomplete.]
Mn. Kunihiro is pretty helpful to have around.
[Except when it comes to chores. How that guy manages to push all the work onto Kanesada is a mystery and a terrifying one at that.]
I'm getting the idea that this city is just...bad news all around, though. Maybe it was more comfortable once, but it's definitley not like that anymore.
no subject
[ That's... A nostalgic way to be referred to. He was almost caught off guard, but he likes it! He kind of misses Kondou-san when he thinks about him.
... He misses him a lot. He honestly wonders how all his comrades are fairing, you know. Things to think about. He had Souji and Heisuke pass by at least once, but they came and then went. It only offered some reassurance for a few weeks at the most. ]
He works hard, I couldn't agree more.
[ Even Horikawa did Hijikata's laundry and helped him make food sometimes. There were even a lot of nights where he made Hijikata go to bed on time... Because he was worrying about his health! Well... He's still really bad at self-care but sshh.. ]
. . . Yeah, it was better before but it's started to become a mess. A lot of us are still managing to live just fine, but I suggest being careful. I think... Kiyomitsu out of everyone can tell you more, I'm aware he's been here the longest out of your comrades.
But if you run into any troubles, I don't mind lending a hand, if you need it.