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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Yeah! One in each of the four major districts. Water's in the Pleasure District. That's Maris-sama. He's grumpy. Caeli-sama is wind, and they're in the Entertainment District. Occidi-sama is earth over in the Residential district. Since we're heading to another part of the Shopping district, we're where Ardeo-sama's shrine can be found. He's fire. And a fox.
[ Which makes perfect sense to her, all things considered. Kitsune fire and fox fire. Why not? ]
The research district is in the middle. Um... I think that's where the Bridge was held for a while.
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The Bridge? What, like to the spirit world or something?
[ A literal bridge? ]
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I guess she is? From what I understand, she's the Bridge between the different Gods. So she kind of bridges the people here to their spirit world, only their spirits are part of this world, like ours might have been in really ancient Japan.
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Oh, the Bridge is a person! So she's really important, huh. If she was being held "for a while," does that mean she's not around anymore?
[ Did everyone just pack up and leave? That's not very nice. ]
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No, CERES is who went into hiding. The Bridge was um... she's not nice. She was sacrificing people like us for power. I'm not sure why. I thought she was powerful on her own, but she wants more. Like CERES wants more.
[ The world's most haphazard tutorial continues onward, guided by a ten year old with a biased perspective on events she wasn't even around for. ]
I don't know what happened after she was freed from the Research Tower. I think she was held there at least? Kashuu might know. He's been her a long time.
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Kashuu . . . Ah, that's right. You mentioned his name before. What kind of a person is he?
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Do you know what a tsukomogami is?
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It sounds familiar . . . Isn't it an object that's come alive after fulfilling certain conditions?
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Chihiro nods, turning herself sideways as she walks to grin at Izumi. ]
Yep! Usually 'cause they've existed for a hundred years or so. Kashuu is a sword spirit, and he and his companions were given human-like bodies by a kind of spiritual medium. I'm forgetting the right word. [ she waves her hand; she knows who it is, at least, for all Haru has been ... gone? for a while ] They've been aware for a while, centuries... not always awake, I don't think, but something like that. Kashuu cuts to the point, and he's swift on his feet, and he dresses nicely and paints his nails bright. He's very fashionable.
[ How is that what she says... but she smiles, clearly fond, expression sobering some as she turns to face forward, navigating off memory as she considers what kind of person Kashuu is. ]
He cares. He's not human, and you can't forget that. It'd be frustrating if you did, because he doesn't get things that we understand, because we are human. He's still a person, just like we are. He's got different experiences and a... a very bloody background. It's not all he is.
[ She tips her head to the side, considering this with a solemn look on her face. ]
He sews. He makes beautiful things. He can fight with speed and grace, and it's scary, and it's kind of breathtaking too. He laughs and he teases and he smiles and he frowns and he likes hugs. He cares for his friends. They're his family. He cares for his master. I'm not sure how it gets complicated, when you've had more than one master in your life. Those are people who cared for and used you. For a sword, that's pretty literal. This is the first time they've been in control of what it is they do, or fight for, or how they're guided. Is that kind of freedom sometimes overwhelming?
[ She looks back to Izumi, actually asking him that question. She's not sure... it's such a lot to think about. ]
Kashuu is a good person. He's kind when he doesn't need to be. And he talks to me without pretending that things can't get as bad as they've gotten here before.
no subject
Probably. Too much freedom isn't always a good thing.
[ It's not a particularly wise observation on Izumi's end. He's aware that if children were allowed to roam free without proper supervision, for instance – with the exception of Chihiro, who's clearly been doing that sort of thing for a while – that freedom would be either abused or overwhelming. That's just the way it is, in his opinion. ]
But based on what you've said, it sounds like he's doing fine. [ He pauses. ] No, he sounds pretty incredible!
[ Izumi's eyes wander as he digests everything Chihiro has told him. He can't help but chortle a little at the thought of a sword spirit painting nails – not because it's demeaning, but because it's so ordinary. Who's he to judge when he's never met a being like that before? Cerealia really is amazing! ]
I wouldn't have guessed a sword to be so fashionable. Although, his being what he is must be why he can talk to you without any sugarcoating.
no subject
Mm. Most adults don't want kids to be scared. But it's not smart. Not around here, and not around most places. We need to know what's happening as much as anyone else.
[ But that's enough about that. It's part of why she appreciates the swords. They are protective, yes, but it's a physical protectiveness. They haven't learned to be emotionally protective against things there is no true defense against, and they don't lie and say things will all be fine. It doesn't make it comfortable or fun, but it does make it easier to trust that when they say, some of us will make it through, things won't be a total wash.
Besides, harsh realities delivered unflinchingly by spirits? She's been there before. She's grown because she had to grow. She'll keep moving forward because giving up isn't an option she can live with. ]
Mm, they're all pretty incredible! I'm glad to have met them.
[ She doesn't see what he'd said about freedom being problematic when it comes so large and suddenly. There's a sort of organisation that remains for the swords, but it's different. Being human like enough to start feeling and sympathizing, if not empathizing, with humanity... it's got to be hard.
She finds it hard, and she's human through and through. ]
We're almost there! Down this block and around the corner there.
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I guess you've got a point.
[ He perks up at the directions, his eyes trained on the aforementioned corner. The thought of watermelon makes him feel that much more refreshed in this humid weather. ]
Great! That didn't take long at all.
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Nope! It's nice, huh? Keeping company makes the walking go much faster.
[ She's done this often enough her perspective of the time passing is skewed to make this statement true. She turns back around after walking backward a few steps, arms back out to her side. The open faces of the warehouses exist set back from the sidewalk, fenced in with chain link with a sign stating "elc me" where the other letters have since fizzled out. A second sign reads "open" in the window by the warehouse door Chihiro heads toward, pulling it open and nodding her head toward the inside as an invitation for Izumi to head into the air conditioned interior. ]
The watermelons are back on the right!
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Izumi ducks inside with Chihiro's invitation, relishing the cool air of the air conditioned warehouse. While he goes straight toward the back to the right, his pace is a little sluggish as he takes that opportunity to look around. ]
Wow, so cool. I wouldn't mind staying in here all day!
[ Seriously, just let him take a nap here. ]
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[ She says, apparently unconcerned as she heads to a different section of the store. She's looking at the dried goods, picking up a five pound bag of rice and reading the label. Looking for the right grain when they're not in see through packaging... ]
Let me know when you find a good one!
[ The watermelons are neatly stacked, though there's only about ten or so of them compared to weeks before, when they came into season. Buddha's hands rest in a neat stack to their right, labelled helpfully just as "fruit." ]
no subject
With the watermelon now held at chest level, Izumi turns around to go to Chihiro's side. ]
I think I got it. What about you?
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Mm! This should be what I need.
[ She stands, holding the rice in her arms as she makes her way to the register. The line's not so long today, but enough so that they'll be waiting for five minutes before they make it to the counter. ]
Do you have anything to cut that with?
[ Does she or does she not mention she has kunai now. Er... ]
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No, I don't.
[ Wow, he feels like an idiot. ]
Do you?
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Would kunai work?
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Don't tell me you have one of those.
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[ So not one... though clean cuts would definitely not be possible! Or probable. Still, it'd be one way to hack open the watermelon? ]
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Well . . . It won't hurt to try. We can always come back if that doesn't work, anyway.
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She shoots him a smile and a nod, paying for her purchase as she reaches the front of the line. Tucking everything neatly away in her backpack, Chihiro keeps the kunai out and in the pockets of her raincoat. ]
Okay! Hm, we'll probably want a bench or something...
[ Now where is one nearby and is it raining outside again? She knows she's not raining, thankfully, but the unpredictable weather outdoors might be something else altogether... ]
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Izumi pays for the watermelon after Chihiro's transaction, joining her once she's pocketed the kunai and he's finished his business. They step outside – while it isn't raining, there are telltale drops of water on the ground from the faint drizzle. He tuts. ]
Ah, dang it. I hope it doesn't start raining again. Maybe I should have bought an umbrella, too . . .
[ In fact, maybe he should turn around and do that right now. He just got new clothes. Ugh, that'd be adding to the load he has to carry, though. ]
Think we can make it to somewhere dry before rain happens?
no subject
Chihiro shades her eyes as she glances upward, peering into the mess of clouds visible in the haze of the sky overhead. Hints of what might be rainbows can be seen every so often, indicative of the rain and the moisture contained in the air overhead. She breathes in, smiling to herself.
For all this isn't the best of days, it's still pretty okay, all things considered. ]
If we're fast! I rain too, though, so you're not really safe as long as we're together.
[ She turns her face his way, offering a small, apologetic smile. This would be a tease too if she knew him better, but right now? It's all apology. ]
We should have gotten you a poncho... mm, but there's a old cafe not so far away! Right next to where one of my friends used to work.
[ As in right next to the maid cafe. Chihiro bounces up onto the balls of her feet, hand pressed down firm over her pocketed kunai. She's awaiting his yay or nay on the situation. ]
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