PHASE I [ 10 00 ] The “cleansing" doesn't begin too strangely. No, instead it starts with some minor inconveniences. After Mosley's broadcast, anything running on electricity seems to be… mildly on the fritz. Characters will find their home appliances suddenly rebelling just enough to be troublesome. Anything that uses electricity within the bounds of the colony will start suffering from some small malfunctions. (Do we have any cyborgs in the crowd tonight?) Toasters burning your breakfast and shooting the crispy things at you. Televisions suddenly exploding in a haze of smoke before working perfectly fine a moment later. Hair dryers suddenly running a little too hot and whoops, your hair's on fire… Well, this is all still just a small issue. Probably. Here's hoping the fire extinguisher doesn't run on electricity too?
PHASE II [ 1200 ] It's only glitches for a day or so, but by noon the next day, things get a little weird. We interrupt your regularly scheduled routine to bring you this important message: Welcome to ViViD. … Wait, what? Yeah, sorry about that. Whether you wanted to or not, you've found yourself in the virtual simulator… except it doesn't seem very… virtual anymore, no. The monsters look a bit meaner, and they seem to be after you in particular. You might suddenly be glitched into a dead end, or a level that actually doesn't seem to be beatable at all, with people you've never seen before as your party members. Endless mazes! Boss battles with a wooden sword! Dungeons with no walkthroughs! When you finally make it to the end, you might even find a giant wall blocking your way, or a moat where there was once a path. Now that's troublesome.
And make sure you don't get hurt by any of those monsters. Not like it matters, it's just HP, right? Wrong. Rather, it'll actually hurt quite a bit, just as if you were injured in real life.
If you're lucky, you'll find yourself glitched back out maybe half an hour later -- your wounds still fresh from the experience and still bleeding. Just don't die. You don't want to see what will happen if you die.
PHASE III [ 1800 ] It's the day after, and you've survived your unfortunate ViViD runs (though there's no promise that you won't end up there yet again). But for now, you've finished your work day without too many electrical object malfunctions, and you're on your way home. Normally the transit system is so very reliable. From district to district, the metro is your only way of travel and today? Today it's stopping with an ugly screech. Hopefully you don't need to be anywhere because it's safe to say that you're not getting off this ride any time soon. The lights aren't only flickering anymore, they're completely out. The darkness settles in uncomfortably as you're only left with the other people who were making the same trip. A second later, things start to get weird. Cold breath down your neck. The scratch of something sharp and angry against the outside of the cabin. Seconds pass in silence, the presence of something outside growing more and more frightening. If you hold your breath and stay very still, you might make it out just fine. That is until a forceful SLAM sounds behind you and there's something against your window. At least you know what's been making all that noise.
Of course, should you pry open the doors, there's nobody there, but… you couldn't have been imagining that, right?
Looks like the entire city's blacked out… and without the hum of technology and warmth of the advanced lighting system, some ghosts have come out to play. But they can only be seen from the corner of your eye, a glimpse, a breath, a nondescript whisper on the air and then they're gone. Who knows what they want from you…? Either way, they're not saying, staying just out of reach and mostly out of sight… but always there, watching and waiting.
PHASE IV [ 0000 ] Here you are, finally: day 4. You made your way through the dark, avoided the things that go bump in the night and found your apartment. Your pants are gone, your door is locked, and you've managed to stumble right into your bed/nest/cocoon/what-have-you. Your unbearably long day is finally, finally about to come to a close but then something glitches, worse than before. Suddenly you're not all cozy in your bed, but rather suspended in an unidentifiable space. In this darkness, there is screaming and only screaming. You try to move your limbs, use your voice -- and there is nothing. Rather, you can only look on as the space shifts and you see two figures appearing in the darkness, glowing in the same digital blue that lights up the rest of the colony. As you get closer, the screaming grows louder -- a woman's screams, you can hear now. It sounds garbled, like broken pieces of sound bytes. She's being strangled, you can see now. The other figure strangling her is a robot, metallic and ruthless. He turns to see you and his eyes glow with the same blue shine. As the woman -- LILITH, for those who have seen her or heard her voice may recognize -- finally begins to lose her strength to scream, the robot's mouth slowly spreads into a smile as he maintains eye contact, cold and yet somehow pleased.
In the next second, you have been returned to your body, echoes of screaming your only lullaby. Sleep doesn't seem as likely anymore, does it?
BONUS [ whyo'clock ] If at all possible, the darkness just got darker. How, you might ask? Well, it seems like someone just put a bag over your head! That's a little inconvenient, but it looks like you're suffering from an old school kidnapping at some point through these couple of days, complete with your assailants pushing you around asking, “Where the hell is the money?!" As they shove you into their shady kidnapper van, you can hear a certain song playing which is… a bit too on the nose for this situation. As the wheels of the vehicle stop and you're pushed out, the bag comes off and you're facing down your friendly neighborhood debt collector. He's slow to get his words out but they are very menacing indeed, something about threatening your family and sleeping with the alien fishes in the park. When you protest, insisting that you don't owe them any money, they pull out a CereVice and show your bank account, which does indeed seem to be approximately 50 million credits in debt.
They'll do this even if you're not in debt at all, and, in fact, it is impossible for you to be in debt, as CERES doesn't loan money to you people. Looks like the glitching did a number on your bank account though, and the numbers don't lie.
Looks like you're out of luck, friend. Why not have a friendly chat with the other half a dozen people who have been bagged and kidnapped as well? There's even a small table with snacks as you wait. Wait for what, they haven't exactly said yet. Maybe you should just leave through the window.
PENALTY [ xxxx ] Should you be unlucky enough to die in ViViD while it is glitching and injuries are being sustained, you will find yourself in a penalty game. Even more than usual penalty games, this one is increasingly unnerving. There is nothing but a dark room, a single light hovering over two masks on a table. One might recognize them as the masks of comedy and tragedy. In front of the player, red words slowly illuminate the room. Pick one. Well, that's an easy penalty game, isn't it?
Yet as you reach for one, the masks will suddenly turn into the faces of the two most important people to you. Their voices whisper, growing distressed as time goes on, “Pick me, pick me, pick me." The red words turn into a countdown if you take too long -- your hand forcibly moved to pick one mask or the other if the timer runs out. Yet once you put on the mask, you will see the person who was not picked, suddenly and brutally murdered right before your eyes by a shadowy figure, wearing the mask you chose.
With that, you will return to the colony, good as new. Though on occasion, you may see the person whose mask was not picked in the corner of your eye, dressed in black and wearing the very same mask of tragedy.
[ 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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no subject
[Ugh, this guy... He's too nice and trusting for his own good. It could be annoying, if it didn't seem to keep working in Cynbel's favor. And in the end, Shinpachi's a much stronger person than he is, physically. His self-preservation instinct is too strong for him to ignore this chance of helping himself.]
But, as you say, then.
[He shrugs, glancing back to see if Shinpachi's following behind him as he starts moving and picking up the pace once he's sure. It shouldn't be any trouble for Shinpachi to keep up with this pace.]
no subject
But he's mostly just glad Cynbel is listening and moving along. He really didn't want to abandon some kid to danger, so otherwise they would've been in for a pretty much unbeatable fight - not exactly Shinpachi's idea of a fun day.
It's only when they're running like that that he speaks up again. ]
What, are you saying I shouldn't trust you? [ His voice indicates that he does very much trust Cynbel.. and that he doesn't get why he should distrust the other. It's true, in some ways Shinpachi is just too honest and good for this world. ]
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[He can tell Shinpachi's just too straightforward for questioning people's motives that deeply, which is convenient and nice for Cynbel, but it's not a trait that keeps people alive very long where he comes from.]
But what do you know of me that makes you believe you should trust me so much, Captain? For all you know, I could be quite despicable.
[He doesn't quite get how, but the trust in Shinpachi's voice makes Cynbel feel a little warm and fuzzy inside. Too bad now is really not the time to indulge in that feeling. They've got to keep running, even if he's smiling a little now.]
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You don't seem like a bad kid to me.
[ That much is true, so he's apparently just decided with that that Cynbel is deserving of his trust. ]
So if you have anything to confess to me after all, maybe now's the time. [ WHILE BEING CHASED BY DEADLY MONSTERS. Yes, Shinpoodles, great idea. Amazing. Don't get caught up in the pace!! ]
no subject
I fear that if I told you now, you may be surprised enough to fall flat on your face!
[Which would be pretty funny actually, but they've got too many creepy things on their tail for him to risk it when he doesn't have to. If Shinpachi pushed, Cynbel wouldn't want to lie directly. Since this gives Cynbel a little wiggle room to start with, though, he just laughs.]
That would be rather inconvenient for the both of us, don't you think?
no subject
On one hand, Cynbel is a kid. What could he be hiding, and what kids consider serious is way different from what older people consider serious, so there's a big chance it's nothing big to begin with. But on the other hand.. well, these sort of places are unpredictable. You never know what you'll run into.
But he opts to not press it. Not while they're still trying to get to safety first. ]
I think you're underestimating me. [ No, actually, he's spot on, Shinpachi.. ] But if you're so worried, then it's alright. I'll get you somewhere safe first, 'kay?
[ He can be a responsible adult, alright. ]
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[The smile Cynbel shows as he looks to Shinpachi probably doesn't help to figure out how serious he is, either. He isn't trying to joke, but smiling 90% of the time is just a habit. It's harder to turn off in serious situations like this, besides.
He quickly faces forward again, making sure to watch where he's going. After predicting Shinpachi falling over, it would look pretty bad if he did the same thing himself.]
Then, when we get there... If you still wish to know, I will tell you all about it.
[Which will hopefully be soon, because Cynbel doesn't know how much longer he can keep going at this pace. He's too short to move at this speed comfortably for long, and he's going to start feeling it pretty soon. He's already panting a bit over his words.]
no subject
Especially since it's hard to miss the way Cynbel is starting to get a little more tired.. Shinpachi's used to doing this much running around and is a muscle mountain to begin with, so it's not nearly as much effort to him. He frowns as he glances over to the other. ]
You gonna be okay? [ Running-wise, at least, he sure as hell doesn't know about the bigger picture's final outcome here yet either. ] I can carry you if you need it.
[ Seriously. It's like zero effort to him when Cynbel is that small - he's carried bigger people. ]
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As noble as your offer may be, taking you up on it might be a little much to ask, Captain. You can't keep this pace while carrying me, can you?
[Taking advantage might be his normal tack, he feels weirdly bad about doing it right now. Maybe it'll help his case later with Shinpachi finding out how much of a liar he is if he doesn't do something obviously in his own favor, maybe it won't, but he thinks he'd rather suffer this once.
That's not going to stop him from panting, mind you. It's just going to make him try harder to not fall, despite the panting.]
Perhaps we should try to lose them indoors, somewhere?
no subject
[ But just before he can finish that sentence, there's the howling of the monsters behind him, and he instead ends it with a 'tsk'. This is just annoying. This whole situation is annoying in every single possible way. He didn't train for years and years to be unable to do anything when it matters the most.
But Cynbel's suggestion is reasonable, and when he spots a building up to their left, he gestures in that direction. ]
Let's just go there! [ Letting him go first, of course - no way he's going to let him fall behind. ]
no subject
Now that they don't have to keep as even of a pace to make sure their stamina lasted, he can move a but quicker, and he bolts to the door once he spots it. (The howling is just extra incentive, at this point.)
Unfortunately, when Cynbel tugs, to door seems stuck. He won't be able to get it open alone.]
Well, I won't question your strength, if you can open this door in the next few seconds!
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Yeah, leave it to me-- move aside for a sec. [ You know, since they sort of have to hurry with stuff on their tail.. but the moment Cynbel does move aside, Shinpachi is already at it, charging at the door like a bull. When he's close enough he throws his shoulder against it, and the door gives way with a sickening creak.
And by "give way" I mean it practically falls out of its hinges. Whoops. But at least they've accomplished what they wanted? ]
C'mon!
[ He'll let Cynbel go first, since he's still a kid to Shinpachi and all. He can probably find some place for them to hide it out for a moment better than he can, either way. ]
no subject
Cynbel ducks inside when he gets the chance, waving Shinpachi in so he can try closing the door as best he can.]
Well, then! Now, what do we do?
[Looks like they found their way into some kind of store, with shelves high up that can be reached with ladders. Maybe that's worth a shot? He points upwards.]
Should we try for higher ground?
no subject
[ Although there's some slight hesitance about the way he says it, since when he looks up at those shelves, it's like they never end - he can't even spot a ceiling, it's like they just keep continuing on up and up into infinity. It's just pitch blackness up there.
And climbing is not his strongest suit compared to strength or even just running.. but whatever. They have to make do with what they've got.
He picks up Cynbel - fairly easily, really - to give him a headstart, already putting him on top of one of the shelves he can reach. ]
Just gimme a sec to come after you. I doubt I'm as fast. [ Kid are supposed to be good at climbing, right? And Cynbel has seemed pretty nimble so far. ]