Out with the old, in with the new as they say, and this ViViD level is no different. Ever progressive and ever mindful, CERES has decided in their war against the evil carbon footprint to give citizens both new and old a lesson in healthy living. To show this, they've created a level all about... recycling, or as close to recycling as a company like CERES can get. (Which isn't very close at all, honestly.)
This, of course, means that when you're dumped in to today's ViViD level, the first thing that will hit you is the stench. It's vile and rancid and the type of stench that makes a person want to give up smelling altogether, and when you finally open your eyes, you'll see why. There's trash everywhere. The buildings are decrepit and crumbling, the cars are broken down and rusted, and overall, it looks like the apocalypse rolled right on through. Which is weird because this is definitely not a post-apocalyptic game. Yet wandering around this pathetic excuse for a ViViD level will just reveal more of the same -- it's a total wasteland.
And if you look up, you will see a billboard.
RECYCLING AND YOU: HOW NOT TO BE A DIRTY WASTE OF SPACE
You'll only have a moment to be offended by the sign before, amongst the piles of trash and rubble, there's another, smaller pile of trash and rubble. The only difference is this one can talk.
 Welcome to The Dumpster Dive, my cool cats and sweet kittens. A brand new ViViD level, created and innovated to you by CERES's very creative and innovative technicians. We're all here to help you learn to Reuse, Reduce and Recycle, givin' you kids some tools to help you lessen your impact on the planet. After all, we're all here together on this great planet of Tellus. Wouldn't want to ruin it, right? Ha ha!
Happy Trash Day to Cerealians one and all!
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PHASE I [ 6 00 ] So, you're here.
You're probably sitting in a pile of trash because, well, everywhere is a pile of trash. You're in a landscape of trashiness and there's no escape. Your only option is to give in to the sweet, sweet pull of the garbage. The buildings are crumbling, the sidewalks are a mess of bottles (but no bottle caps), rubble, and empty chip bags, and you're stuck in this... trash. This garbage. This hellhole.
Wasn't recycling supposed to be clean?
It probably takes a rat skittering over your foot to get you going but like any good game, the protagonist needs to move. If you're going to find out anything in this trash heap, you'll need to explore a bit. See if you can find someone else! Or something else. Maybe someone more experienced with ViViD can help you figure out how to log out. Even if logging out doesn't seem to be working right now. You should be careful too because one wrong step might cause the pile of trash you're standing on give way and send you into the sewers below.
Which means there are rats, there are bugs, the ground is unsteady and... yep. It's starting to rain.
Good luck.
PHASE II [ 800 ] And then come the... trash drones.
They zero in on any living thing in this ViViD level -- if you’re moving, if you’re breathing, if you have some sort of a pulse, they’ll be there. And they’ll grab you and take you away. No matter how many you shoot down, more and more and more will come, never stopping until you're swarmed completely by them. They have to get you! You're garbage, you're garbage, you're garbage! You're garbage!
And so, you're snatched up.
Don’t worry, though. After a short flight (wave hello to your fellow drone-napped neighbor!), you'll arrive at three huge trash chutes with three equally huge signs above them. GARBAGE, RECYCLING, and COMPOST hang above the chutes and the drones pause just momentarily before announcing one of these options in a robotic voice. You've been sorted and without any preamble, the drone will dump you in whichever one it decides.
Hopefully you don’t end up in the compost. Gross.
Of course, once you down there, there's plenty to poke around in (or not much if you're still not into the whole trash thing). It's piles and piles and piles of trash as far as the eye can see! Again! If you're especially clever, you may be able to use the trash to build a way out of the chute. The very, very long chute. Maybe there's someone around that can help you? And better do so quick, who knows what CERES has deemed to be "recycling" this time.
PHASE III [ 1125 ] CERES's standards continue to shine on again, because after some time, those chutes will finally start working. So if you've been separated from a friend through any of this ordeal, don't worry about it. You're all gonna end up in the same place anyway.
Which is the incinerator, of course! (Wait, that’s not how recycling works.)
The ground beneath you shifts, enough to knock over whatever flimsy excuse for an escape plan you have, and suddenly all of the trash, compost or recycling will be dumped down into an underground furnace -- along with everyone stuck there, of course. Bit by bit, everything moves ever closer towards that red hot furnace and it’s clear that everything's going to be dumped straight into the fire and burned. Say your farewells. Make nice with your neighbor. Finalize your will because --
Oh. It stopped.
Looks like it jammed.
It doesn't remain jammed for long because CERES is, if anything, highly efficient. So it starts up again. But then stops again. And then starts again. And then stops again. This may be a glitch in the level, actually.
So, you're still getting ever closer to fiery death, but... slowly. Very slowly. In fact, you could probably walk away from said fiery death faster than you're going towards it. It's like they can't even program a near death experience right!
PHASE IV [ 1125 ] Maybe you avoided the incinerator. Maybe you ended up in a different part of the level altogether. Maybe you just got lost. Either way, now you’re stuck with the age-old hobby of enthusiasts and the exceptionally desperate alike.
Dumpster diving.
And CERES wouldn't send you down there without an incentive, you know. If you look, it seems like there might be something valuable, something incredibly important and just for you. A shiny item that you’ve always wanted right from home and it’s right there in your grasp, something precious that you could never get in Cerealia. How it came to be there, nestled between an empty carton of eggs and a half-eaten cheeseburger, no one knows, but you'll be filled with the inescapable, all-consuming urge to go get it. Just jump right into that dumpster and get it.
The more you resist the urge, the more it'll hurt. (As in, physically hurt actually. The feeling will be comparable to your fingernails slowly being plucked out.)
This is ViViD though and the moment you hit the trash, the spell breaks. You'll see that your most precious thing, whatever it was, was never actually there. Instead, you seem to have actually grabbed something else and whatever it is, you can't let go of it. Be it an empty bottle of bacon soda or a bicycle tire with a giant hole in it, it's attached to your hand now and no matter what you do, you can't get it off.
Hopefully whatever you grabbed wasn't too big because it looks like you're not getting rid of it. Not till you beat the level.
BONUS [ why o'clock ] The odd thing about being stuck in a trash wasteland is that you can go for ages without seeing another person. Ages. Of course, CERES doesn't like that very much since ViViD games should be co-operative! Player with player! Player against player! Players who shouldn't be playing at all. That's the type of play CERES supports.
Which means the longer you go without seeing another person, the more you might feel an itch. It gets under your skin, making you feel dizzier and dizzier, and shorter and shorter of breath until -- you pass out. Vision going dark, breathing cutting out, and down you go into the trash and whatever this ViViD level has planned next.
It won't take long. You'll wake up feeling slightly confined and there will be a moving body next to you. It seems as if you've finally, finally found someone -- and they're really, really close. In fact, maybe a little too close? When you open your eyes, you'll see that the two of you may be bound together in a way that might be familiar to some.
But instead of a shirt, it's just a garbage bag. A really, really strong garbage bag that can't be broken out of no matter how strong you happen to be. No laser eyes, no super powers, nothing will separate you from this person other than, well, getting along.
There really is only one question you have to ask yourself now. Just one.
What the hell does this have to do with recycling?
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Ninja Jesus | Naruto | OTA
[The thing about traipsing around in garbage in sandals is that there's a very strong possibility that it's going to get inside his shoes. So if he uses a little chakra to walk on top of the rubbish piles, no one's probably going to complain (though the real miracle is that they don't have to hear Naruto complain loudly). That doesn't stop the drones from coming.
At first he doesn't know what the flying things are but the moment it started to reach for him - Naruto destroyed it. One after another and by the time one of them has successfully grabbed him there is an extremely large pile of busted drones in his wake. Anyone in the nearby vicinity will be able to hear him yelling.]
Put me down, you stupid thing!
[Anyone who can see him will be able to see him flailing around trying to smack the drone so that it drops him.
Well, it does drop him. Right down the chute for garbage. Down he goes with a shout but it's followed up by a squeal of the bottom of his shows against the metal side. About halfway down the chute, Naruto has managed to stop himself by bracing himself against the sides while reinforcing it with chakra.
Unfortunately it also means that should anyone else come down, they'll end up right on top of his lap.]
Oof! Watch it, will ya?
[Naruto's the one clogging up the chute.]
bonus phase - two-headed fox
[It feels as if it's been forever since he's seen someone in this place. Every minute that passes, it seems to drain him of energy - which is hard to do. He feels like crap and it just keeps getting worse. Maybe he's been poisoned (again) somehow because all Naruto wants to do is lay down somewhere and wait until dizziness passes. Or sleep it off.
Yeah, sleeping it off sounds nice.
That's the last thought he has before falling face-first into a pile of old, gross styrofoam containers for ramen. Naruto is slow to wake back up and the sensation of there being a body so close to his is so wrong that he elbows them in the side.]
Move over, wouldja?
[Nope, he's not totally conscious yet to realize their predicament.]
II
She really doesn't like touching people. While Yuri has a moderate amount of confidence in her ability to not go seeing random memories from random people on a normal day, ViViD is always sort of a crapshoot-- she never knows if it'll decide to fuck with her and go projecting a memory in her head or vice versa.
Thankfully, this doesn't seem to be the case here, but as a rule Yuri doesn't get physical with people. Being thrown down a garbage shoot at least nets a stray thought of "at least I won't run into anyone down here" which... yeah. Not as planned, since she ends up on some guy's lap what the hell.]
Sorry. [She apologizes automatically, then furrows her brow in confusion (why is she apologizing anyhow this totally wasn't her fault--). Her eyes go to his position and wondering how he's staying like this, and then to his face as she determines that he's vaguely familiar.
(Someone's memories-- Lee's? She thinks he saw him in Lee's memories, briefly)
But first things first:] How are you staying up like this?
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Maybe Naruto really should have expected this to happen considering that there were so many drones out there. Other people were probably being picked up and carried off too only to be dumped into these things.
When Yuri does get a good look at him, she'll be able to see that his feet are braced against one side of the chute and his back is against the opposite side. Typical for someone climbing such a space but Naruto doesn't even look like he's breaking a sweat to hold his position. Not even when the full weight of someone came down on him.]
Eh? I'm using chakra. I can stick to anything using it.
[Now that the initial irritation at being landed on is over, Naruto seems pretty cheerful.]
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[Which kind of answers her questions about if he knows Lee or is from the same place-- Sure there's a chance that there's just another world that uses chakra or whatever, but she figures this is a safe enough bet. So, she has no qualms about coming right out to ask:] Are you from the same place as Lee-san?
[Wait, actually, better questions come up. Yuri looks instantly concerned and glances up where they came, then down over Naruto's side, and at his feet before settling on his face again] Are-- Are you alright? This can't be easy, we should-- Er, should I... do something? [Jump?? She has no idea her powers don't lie in chakra manipulation okay.]
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He's absolutely positive that he's never seen this girl before but then she says a familiar name. Though Lee isn't exactly an uncommon name. So he points to his own face.] Big, thick eyebrows, wears a green jumpsuit, talks about the springtime of youth, challenges himself to do ridiculous feats of strength - Lee?
[The all encompassing summary that is Rock Lee. Basically everything a person needs to know about Bushybrows (though not all of it) and can be learned within a single conversation with him.
Naruto blinks at her concern, not entirely sure why she is so worried about their "precarious" position in the first place.]
I'm fine. [Really, doesn't even look like he's breaking a sweat even with the added weight of another person.] Do something?
[A glance below him reveals that they're still a good long way from the bottom. Looking up shows that trying to see the sky is difficult with garbage raining down around them.]
We should get outta here, don't you think? [Points up to where they both fell in.] We're gonna go up so you should hold on and try not to get hit with anything hard.
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He says he's fine, but... She eyes him again and reluctantly has to admit he's probably right. He certainly seems like her weight means nothing, and Yuri's not sure if this means she's very underweight (which she probably is anyhow), or if he's as strong as Lee (also probably true), who had carried her across the city and up a building at top speed without breaking a sweat. Maybe she can just chalk it up to "weird ninja stuff" and leave it at that. Not that seeing Lee do these sorts of things makes this any less impressive.
Yuri winces as garbage tumbles over them, mumbling a quiet "ow" as a stray plastic bottle hits her head before it rolls away.] Alright. Sorry, I can't do much like this. [Silently steeling her powers from doing anything weird, she wraps her arms around his neck and holds on.]
Oh-- I'm Kozukata Yuri. I'm a friend of Lee-San. [A pause and she turns red] Um, I suppose, anyway.... [What does that even MEAN Yuri. What is friendship can you eat it.]
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[They've been training since they were kids so it's really no surprise that they can carry around an entire other person. Lee, though, Lee was so different from the rest of them. He had to rely on his physical capabilities because he couldn't mold chakra to save his life - literally. If it were the older teen rather than Naruto here - he'd be holding them both up with sheer strength alone.]
Don't worry about it, you might be able to help in other ways.
[Everyone had different capabilities. Maybe once they got out of this predicament, she could answer his questions and help find a way out of this place entirely. Surely this can't be all there is to this world.
With her hanging on, Naruto doesn't feel too worried about her falling yet his arms encircle her. Yuri might not be able to see what he's doing but he's clearly not holding on to her. Instead there's a "poof" sound along with a hint of smoke. Then suddenly there's an exact duplicate of Naruto above them also pressed into the chute.
If Yuri was to get any memory from his life, it would be one of Lee considering they've been talking about the guy and as such - he's on Naruto's mind. Lee attempting to give a piggyback ride to a long-haired male while another, older man who looks almost exactly like him, carries a full grown adult on his back. The long haired teen flat-out declines with gusto.]
Let's go. [He tells the clone and the clone starts moving. Naruto shifts his back away from the walk and crouches. It may be awkward walking up the chute in such a crouched position but it's impossible to stand up straight.]
I'm Uzumaki Naruto! Any friend of his is a friend of mine. [Just like that, they're friends. But even though it's dim in here and she might not see it, Naruto gives her a huge grin.]
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Bonus
N... Naruto-kun?
[Then his eyes snap open fully and alertly as he turns his head to see that is certainly Naruto. He doesn't pay any mind to their binding at first, tears welling up in his eyes.]
Naruto-kun!!
[He whimpers again and... then tries to punch him in the chest with an intense battle cry.]
Are you real?!
b is for beautiful
Be quiet, Bushybrows.
[Yeah, that's who's voice it is.
Since the individual next to him is someone he knows, there's no sense of danger when Lee suddenly punches him in the chest. Hope Lee is prepared to be jerked upwards because Naruto is sitting up and taking him along due to the garbage bag. His free hand moves to his chest where Lee's fist connected. Man, that's gonna be sore for a while.
But at least he's fully awake now and looking over at his friend.]
What the hell? Whaddya do that for?
[Oh right, Lee said something.]
Of course I'm real! What did you think I was?
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An- an illusion!! There are many of them here! Naruto-kun... I had to test you!
[He sniffles.]
But now it feels like you are truly and completely real! Please, come out from there so that we may spar!
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You didn't have to test me so hard!
[Don't start crying now, Lee! He seems to be trapped right next to you. There would be no escaping the tears.]
Come out?! I don't even know how we got in here in the first place! [Just gonna, pull on the garbage bag in an attempt to tear it. Yet it doesn't so much as even rip a little.]
What is this thing even made of?
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[He balls a fist. ...But there may still be some waterworks, sorry if some gets on you Naruto.]
A-ah, I do not know how I ended up in this situation either! But there has been garbage everywhere in this game!
[That's odd, though. Lee helps Naruto, but it doesn't seem to be breaking, even when he focuses and tries to punch a hole through it with a loud grunt.]
It is so strong!! It is as if it is made out of pure conviction of will in physical form!
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[Okay, the spot where Lee hit him is already starting to feel better. Thanks for that, Kurama.]
Game? What game? [How is this a game? Honestly, Naruto doesn't even know how he got here in this place. He'd gotten the whole spiel that might as well have been the most boring and confusing mission meeting. Half of the words, Naruto hadn't even known what they were. So going from a meeting to this place - yeah, he might have nodded off at some point.
If it weren't so close to their bodies, Naruto would attempt to see if the Rasengen could destroy the bag.]
Or someone's messing with us. [Leaving Lee to deal with the bag, he takes the opportunity to look around to see if he can spot whoever might be behind all of this.]
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phase ii for ultimate hilarity haha
Right on someone's lap.
On Naruto's lap to be exact.
Excuse her while she tries to do her best not to faint?]
Ah-!!
[A squeal of surprise is all the warning he gets before the two of them are suddenly crammed into the chute together.]
N-Na-Naruto-kun?! You're here too?!
This is amazing. XD
Well, it could be worse. Though part of his mind thinks it's strange that she's here because everyone had been cocooned and had yet to be freed - Hinata included.]
Yeah, I'm here too.
[Even though it seems impossible that she could be here, Naruto just accepts it. Allies are always welcome.]
You okay?
I'm so glad you posted whoever you are you are wonderful xD
Yes. I'm fine. Except- if we do move, what's down there?
[Looking down between the two of them, she tries to ignore how hot her face feels - it's definitely because they're squished inside the chute and not because she's currently sitting in her crush's lap and pretty intimately at that, ok - to see if she can catch a glimpse of the bottom.
Right on cue, another pile of garbage comes pouring down the chute on top of them. Unconsciously, Hinata presses one hand to the wall beside him and the other above their heads to block some of the mess.]
Ah-!! Sorry!
[It isn't exactly her fault they're stuck like this but she's not sure she wants to find out what's waiting for them down below. If it's more garbage that would be nice, but that begs the question - what if it was something worse? Regaining her focus, her eyes shift to the activated Byakugan state to get a better look down below. As long as more garbage didn't send them tumbling down, then it wouldn't be a problem.]
I love playing him and he's definitely my first choice to bring here
When Hinata brings up the idea of moving, Naruto looks around himself down into the abyss where the chute leads. It had been entirely on instinct that he'd stopped himself from plummeting down even more but now that he has time to think about it, he definitely does not want to go down there.]
No idea.
[That's about all he has time to say before the drones send down actual trash this time instead of another person. His own arm comes up to shield the back of Hinata's head from any debris while she does the same. The other finds purchase on the wall behind them and with a bit of chakra, prevent them from sliding down the chute even more. Luckily it seems as if there wasn't anything too hard in that pile to injure either one of them.
Even though it's semi-dark in here, he can tell that she's activated the Byakugan and is attempting to find out what's below them. Chances are that it's more piles of garbage but there could also be a pit of spikes or something equally deadly for all they know.
Or a stack of bodies from the others that have been thrown away.]What do you see?
I used to play here eons ago but with another character haha i'd love to see a naruto cast!!
An... incinerator?! Maybe? I don't- I don't know. If we drop down from here' there's just garbage but past that -
[She really doesn't want to go down there to find out if she's right. Her eyes were almost never wrong when it counted and she'd like to hope that the incinerator would stop once it realized there were people in it. Maybe some sort of mechanism would keep them from burning to death?]
I don't think we should go down there.
[Unfortunately the robots didn't seem to care as more garbage began to rain down on them again, causing her to lean into him in order to avoid the brunt of it. Most of it trickled past them and down the rest of the way to the bottom.]
S-sorry... maybe we could try to climb back up?
[She speaks breathlessly in his ear, trying to ignore that she's pressed up against him at this point and holding herself up with both hands on either side of his head and practically straddling his legs while her feet are pressed to the wall below him. They too were infused with chakra to keep herself upright. It was basic knowledge for shinobi like them but still incredibly embarrassing for her.]
A Naruto cast would be really great! I would not protest if one started here
Guess that makes sense. [An incinerator to get rid of all of the crap laying around.] If there's no one down there who needs help, then we'd be better off getting out of here the same way we came in.
[Naruto wouldn't count on the incinerator recognizing them as people - the drones sure didn't. Should they get to the surface, they could prevent other people from getting dropped in.]
Yeah, let's go up. Hang on to me, I've got an idea.
[He knows that she's just as capable of climbing the side of the chute as he is but the sooner they get out of here, the less likely they are to get hit by more people being tossed in too. Plus, maybe she'll feel less embarrassed about their closeness if they their positions.
Him too because this is the closest he's ever been to a girl.]
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oh my god naruto so smooth lmao
he's got moves like Jaeger, Hinata
legit haha
all without even trying~
Re: all without even trying~
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sorry for the late! was working on her app
don't apologize. because app! come to me, Hinata!
someone needs to keep Lee Naruto and Sasuke from breaking the place... lmao
ii; because trash should stick together
At least it wasn't compost? But somehow, the sudden impact at the 'bottom' seems to have come too quickly and things are still falling around him which means--
Wait, this chakra's familiar, and he knows that voice.]
Me? You're the one that's in the way!
wow, who are you calling trash Sasuke? wanna fight about it?
Naruto should have expected this. Really, he should have since he'd been on his way to go fight Sasuke. It's as if fate has drawn them together yet again so that they can finish what they started.
Unfortunately, the individual who landed on him doesn't not necessarily get a nice treatment. He pushes at the other in a poor attempt to get Sasuke off of him. Honestly they both know he's not really trying with the lack of any real strength behind the move.
As much as they fight (and as serious as it is most of the time) Naruto doesn't actually want the other to end up at the bottom. Maybe they can work together to get out of this mess and keep from getting dropped back down here by the drones.]
I'm the one trying to get outta here! You're the one tumbling down.
[He does not point out that he hadn't actually tried to get out yet. Just managed to stop himself before reaching the bottom. Nor does he point out the fact that Sasuke let himself get caught in the first place because... yeah, he did too.]
in a garbage chute? are you NUTS?!
You're not trying very hard then!
[ He's not commenting on the tumbling, though, because that would mean admitting out loud that he'd been caught. ]
Figures you'd end up with the garbage.
[ ...and so did he, but again, no comment. In fact, the words don't even hold much of a barb to them, just an intense irritation at the overall situation, and if not for the fact that he has to wait for his rinnegan to recharge after using it repeatedly against the drones, he'd be using it now to get them out. Can't have everything easy, now can we? ]
hey, THEY could make it work out of everyone.
It's a little difficult when jerks are falling on top of me!
[The urge to hit Sasuke is real but they'll just have to save that for later.]
What's that say about you, then, huh?
[Please allow Naruto to point it out for you, Sasuke. Though just like with the other teen, there's no real bite to it. He takes the opportunity to look below them before looking past Sasuke to where a dim light is visible at the top.]
I'd rather not go down so let's go up. [That's when he fixes his gaze on his friend.]
You got the chakra for that or do I gotta carry you?
very true, but they're more likely to end up horribly stuck that way
I'll let you know if one shows up, then.
[ The space is cramped enough as it is without the two of them shoved in, and he's not exactly twisted in any way to get a good purchase on the sides of the chute, so Naruto will have to forgive him if he doesn't make a move toward the light right away. Give him a few moments to untangle himself first. Why did he ever think that rope was a good alternative for a belt? ]
Don't even think about carrying me. I don't need another memory of you to try and forget.
[ That kiss way back when was bad enough, don't make him want to gouge his eyes out. These ones aren't even his to begin with, and it's not like he carries a spare pair for times like this.
Alright, now he's sorted himself out and is good to-- Wait... ]
You know, as much as I hate the thought, we do have rope. [ But he'd rather use chakra instead, even if his isn't at peak condition, because that rope is just slightly holding part of his clothes on. ]
accidentally denting the chute so that they have no choice but to go down or break it
There's already one here, we don't need any more.
[Though it would be just their luck if someone else did fall down on them. It would make getting out of here even more difficult because they'd be a pile of squirming limbs in a tight space while Naruto attempts to keep them from falling down. As is, he grunts as Sasuke attempts to situate himself.]
I don't know what you're talking about.
[Definitely pretending that IT NEVER HAPPENED, OKAY? Never ever. He doesn't care who remembers it or who heard about it from those who saw it. Right now they're the only two around and that means if they want to pretend that it didn't happen then it didn't happen.
A irritated huff as Sasuke finally seems to have situated himself.]
I've also got plenty of chakra left. It would be a lot easier if I just used it. [Because he knows exactly where that rope is and the idea of using it is not appealing. Who knows what will happen to Sasuke's clothes if they use it for climbing.]
I can make a bunch of clones and they can give us a boost out of here. [If Sasuke turns that down too, Naruto will just have to take things into his own hands. They're both ninjas - climbing vertical surfaces was something they learned years ago.]
and who knows what will come after them for damaging it
probably just more trouble.
then they'd probably end up in a garbage bag
probably with their dominant hands stuck inside too.
like a taste of things to come... or a filler episode
they do like their filler episodes