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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Nagare Hisui / K Project
[Ah... Yeah, about that whole "the protagonist needs to move" thing...
Okay, to be fair, Nagare isn't completely incapable of movement. It's just that, even if this is a game, he shouldn't use his powers carelessly, and so, he is currently confined to a wheelchair as a result. (Admittedly, it's a pretty high-tech wheelchair, but it's a wheelchair nonetheless.) Actually, he's also wearing a straitjacket. Movement in general is just not a thing that is happening for him right now.
The only thing this King rules over currently is this pile of trash nearby. But despite the fact that he is literally stuck for the moment, Nagare doesn't appear to be distressed! He looks relatively calm despite the situation. ...which is actually kind of weird. Everything about him is weird, no one will ever take pity on this weirdo.
Oh well.]
( phase ii )
[Whether someone ends up helping him or not, Nagare, too, will fall victim to the trash drones. After being appropriately tossed into the GARBAGE chute, he decides he's going to have to try his luck. What was previously a sad-looking heap on the ground after being dumped here has leveled up! Nagare stands now, his arms no longer bound by his straitjacket and his body literally covered in electricity.]
It's going to have to be a speedrun.
[While before, he could have used the help, you should probably approach him with caution now or you might get shocked. Can he really make it to the end of this stage before his powers run out, though?]
oh my god!!!!! (also phase i)
that is, until he hits a used car tire and loses his balance. now have a genius rolling down the mountain of trash and landing by your feet. ]
Dammit...
the literal trash king arrives!! (is it nagare or is it yata, though—)
If Nagare could have his way, he'd have probably liked to keep his presence a secret, at least for a while, he thinks. Just to get a handle on things, to figure out what he could do here. ...but Yata single-handedly ruined that with his own clumsiness, amazing.
Well, we can't have everything we want. He'd have to do things another way.]
Are you hurt?
obvs nagare
... shit.
he immediately picks up his skateboard and jumps away, ready to fight. this is a bad move, yata, but what can you do? ]
Why are you here?!
says the one rolling around in garbage?!
That's a strange question. Do you think my answer will be different from your own?
[Intrigued by this world though he was, he probably would've taken a pass on it, if given a choice.]
YES. BUT...
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screams internally - phase i
Still, things aren't the same here, and it's not like turning tail and running away through mountains of trash would actually accomplish anything at this point. There's nothing to do for it now, in any event.]
So even you can end up in a place like this.
are you going to throw him a party, saruhiko...!!
This place really was interesting.]
Does that surprise you?
sure just look at all this garbage, it's the perfect place for it
[CERES isn't too picky about who it brings here; alive or dead doesn't seem to matter to them. It doesn't stop him from being disgusted with their choices, though.] How I feel about it doesn't matter; it doesn't change the fact that we're in the same place.
feels just like home!
[He can tell that he feels tense, that he feels something really strong and it's nowhere near pleasant.
Of course, that's no problem for Nagare, but he's curious.]
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phase ii!!!
Are you going to climb out just like that? [how?? is he gonna electrocute everything around him? Should Okuni skedaddle the heck out of there]
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For me, it's the only way. Without this power, my movement is restricted.
[That's an understatement?! Not to mention it doesn't explain a whole lot.]
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Hm. [so he can't move otherwise, then? geez that sounds like it'd suck... well, she can't exactly ask if she can hitch a ride can she.... that looks dangerous.] So you can control it, right? You won't end up accidentally killing anyone?
[she looks more curious than concerned here tbh]
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[He answers straightforwardly, without hesitation. He doesn't seem too troubled by it, either... Terrible!!]
I can control it to an extent. If someone were to get in my way, it could be dangerous.
[Both in the "trying to stop him" and "literally getting in front of him" kind of ways. If she were to get closer, she'd definitely start to feel the electricity more.]
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ii!
"impossible", he almost mouths, but of course it's possible. what isn't for a king, and why would their presence not be preferred? his heart lurches, head racing to an abrupt and silent thanks that it's just him. there's no one in the vicinity that seems to need his protection. )
Nagare Hisui ... ( he murmurs, wondering if he should get out of dodge. sure, it might ruin his own progress, but could he risk being razed as collateral? )
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There aren't too many obstacles on the way up the chute. Because it's so long, the only people really making any progress are people like them, people with abilities that are extremely out of the ordinary, and people coming down the chute are easy enough to spot and make way for. The only real reason to avoid anyone is to avoid impeding his own progress, but, ah, this power, he knows this power. Kuroh's not the first person he recognizes, and it makes him wonder, how many of them are there?
"Fortunately" for Kuroh, Nagare slows. ...somewhat. He shouldn't waste too much time, because, as with any proper game, there is surely a boss waiting for them somewhere ahead, but he's— curious.]
I see. So you're here as well... I wonder, could the same be said of your King?
[Might as well start taking inventory—]
phase i
Aaahhh--?!
[and she's slipping down until she's at the foot of the other pile of trash that this guy is on. it takes her a second to notice that he's there and before she can even stop her mouth from running--]
Wh-What're you looking at?!
[hell, he might not have even been looking at her]
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Now, Nagare looks down from his pile of trash... Truly, the most kingly of Kings.]
I apologize. [Well, he doesn't sound particularly apologetic, but...] When I heard you scream, I couldn't help but look.
[That... really was the best he could do.]
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W-Well, hadn't anyone ever told you to mind your own business?!
[Lili, stop, you need help.]
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Would you not have done the same?
[Poor Lili, clearly in distress, while Nagare doesn't seem the least bit bothered by her attitude.]
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i
[ Is the greeting he gets when she lands silently on top of the back of his wheelchair. The woman grins down at him, way too cheerfully for a mostly nude woman covered in garbage. ]
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Are you asking why I'm alone, or why I'm in a wheelchair?
[They both seem like silly questions to him, but it doesn't hurt to be sure. After all, he's certainly not going anywhere.]
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I dunno, what do you think granny is asking?
i;
Now how did you get stuck all the way up there?
[ He's an old man. Old men have bad backs. They can't climb all the way up there. ]
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But all Nagare can do, really, is look down from his royal trash heap. He recognizes that sigh, and not just because he's been hearing it for so many years now. Even if he hadn't heard it in ages, he'd definitely still recognize it.
He wasn't worried about being stuck, of course (he did have a backup plan, after all), but he's relieved to see Iwa-san nonetheless.]
I see. We must have been separated. [This game must use random spawn points. ...his luck stat must be really low.] A minor inconvenience.
[Because, well, he's here now and that's all that matters.]
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He tests the base of the pile -- a foot in the face of a torn and split pink plush bunny and sighs again as he tucks his book neatly under an arm. ]
A minor inconvenience...for a guy as old as me, you shouldn't be making me do all the legwork! Seriously...
[ He says, but then he's climbing up the heap with astonishing agility for a man of his age. A closer look would yield the fact that there's a sort of...wispiness about his feet that he's using as footholds. Weird guy.
Daddy's coming?! ]
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