//TESTDRIVE12.EXE

[reparator]

//testdrive12.EXE

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!

//SCENARIOS.EXE

PHASE I [ 600 ] 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? [ 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. ]

//RUN.EXE

Welcome to CEREALIA's twelfth Test Drive Meme. For your convenience, we have compiled a post detailing everyone's arrival experience and a FAQ that should explain everything in more detail. Please read them thoroughly before playing. Thank you!

Comments

ota!

[coastal]

[ PHASE I : the thirst is real. ]

[It burns.

The thing is that she's not really talking about the smell of the trash, that doesn't really register just yet. Lili's waking up and she's confused and she's discombobulated, absolutely, but the very first thing that's on her mind is that her throat burns. It hurts to breathe.

But a few, miraculous seconds later, she feels something cool fall on her face and that snaps her back into reality. One drop. Two. She looks up and it's raining and she's immediately scrambling to her feet as if that'll do anything to bring her closer to the source of the rain.

Here's this girl, standing in the middle of the trash, cupping her hands together and raising them to the sky and then bringing whatever collected whatever there is to her lips as if it's her only hopes for survival.

Probably because it is. Help a girl out if you've got your hands on a cup or something?

Alternatively later, when she regains enough strength to move around again without nearly falling over, she's rushing over to the nearest person with tears stinging at her eyes. There's water but at the same time it's tauntingly not enough. When she speaks, her voice is scratchy and weak, barely above a whisper.]

Please... something clean to....

[And she tries to explain what she? Wants? She points up at the sky to where the rain is falling? Her eyes get a little wide with her concern for her own state of being. HELP. SHE'S LITERALLY SO THIRSTY, THIS IS NOT A DRILL.]

[ PHASE III : embarrassment level over 9000. ]

[When she's feeling more like herself -- she's less and less willing to be passive about all this nonsense. She's screaming as the chute falls beneath her feet and she's emptied into a furnace. Alone. By herself. For a second, she's paralyzed with fear--

And then she's grabbing onto the nearest person.]

You! Are you interested in just dying here?! If not, help me--

[And then the incinerator stalls. The firey glow disappears.

Lili lets go. She turns away.

.... She's just going to pretend like she never even acknowledged this other person now. Don't mind her face being red as she's working on digging herself out of trash. She'll just walk away from this entire thing on her own if you'll let her. WE NEARLY DIED TOGETHER BUT IT'S OK NOW, BYE.]

[ BONUS : we're not friends. ]

[On the list of things that Lili wanted: NOT THIS.

She's stiffening immediately when she wakes up and there is someone unbearably close to her and listen, she doesn't get touched much. Ever. So this is something entirely knew and her first response is to use both of her hands to SHOVE VIOLENTLY AND BLINDLY.

She's a little on edge.]

Get away from me, brute! Cretin!

[Okay, but were the insults really necessary?]

BONUS!

[dawnsprincess]

[Yona's first feeling upon waking up is intense relief. Finally, another person! She had been wandering for so long on her own ...

Her second feeling was hands on her breasts. The fact that they were pushing her away didn't immediately register.]


AAAAAAAAAH!

[She flailed, trying to get the hands off of her, back away, get some space, but that just ended up choking her. Why is she inside a bag?!?!?]

Rise Kujikawa | Persona 4

[pseudonyms]

Phase I

[Ew. Ew, ew, ew. After the shock that came from being dropped straight into a pile of trash (and the lovely introduction from the talking pile of trash?) Rise’s just about had it. This isn’t where she wanted to end up and it looks like the only way out is to wade through the wasteland and find a way out of here.

Gagging softly and gingerly stomping her way out of the trash, she flings a stray banana peel out of her hair as she begins to make her way down the sidewalks, sidestepping more piles of trash. She’s not so much afraid of the bugs or the rats, but she’s growing more annoyed by the minute. However, she takes one more step and the trash heap starts to give way. Acting more on instinct, she suddenly jumps and grabs onto the nearest person…

…and sends both of them falling down into the sewer. Whoops.]

I’m so sorry. [A pause.] Hey. The smell’s not as bad down here, is it?

[Let’s just hope the two of you can come up with a plan to get out of here.]

Phase IV

[Luckily she’s managed to make her way out of the sewers and avoided the trash drones. Not-so-luckily, she still doesn’t have a clue how to log out of the game. And maybe she would have avoided the dumpster, too, if it hadn’t been for the fact that she spotted a pair of familiar, pink cat-eye glasses sticking out of what looks like a paper cup still half-full of cola. How they ended up there, she’s unsure, but she knows she has to rescue them before anybody else can grab them.

It’s with a huge amount of regret that she climbs and she jumps right into the dumpster, slipping on a banana peel (and hey, wasn’t that the one that was in her hair earlier?) and landing flat on her butt in a pile of half-eaten pizza and old newspapers with a loud, upset wail. This was not going according to plan. She crawls closer to the paper cup, eagerly dumping it out before realizing…there’s nothing in it. There’s nothing in it and now there’s sticky cola all over her hand and the cup itself seems to have stuck to her, too. She waves her hand around to try and pull the thing off, growing more frustrated by the minute.]

Ooh…c’mon! Let go! [And in all of her shaking of her hand, she winds up losing balance and slipping to fall. Again. Please help her out of here…]

Bonus

[Her head was spinning as she continued to walk, hoping to come across somebody she could get some answers from. There were spots dancing in her vision, and for a brief moment she thinks of trying to summon Kanzeon to enact Healing Wave but she doesn’t get that far before she finds herself falling into the next level.

When she comes to, the first thing she notices is the fact that she’s stuck. Belatedly then she realizes she’s stuck with another person and she wiggles to try and break free before frowning at the realization it’s too strong. Maybe she should just make the best of it, and she turns toward her trash-mate.]

Sooo…how should we take this off? [There has to be a way to do it, right? Right.]

IV

[covenantal]

[ That voice.... there's no way. It couldn't be, could it?

This is one of the more miserable levels ViViD has come up with a while, and Yu has been sorely regretting his choice to log in for this one. At least, until he hears that voice cry out from a nearby dumpster. He's picking up into a jog before he even realizes it, skidding to a stop and grabbing onto the edge with both hands as he peers inside.

Is he... holding onto a broken golf club? Pay that no mind. He stares at Rise in open shock, and then starts to smile. ]

I thought I recognized your voice.

[ He'll hold out a hand to her, to help her climb out. ]

Yagami Hikari ☼ Digimon Adventure

[givesalittlewhistle]

PHASE I

[Hikari had been forced to sleep on some uncomfortable surfaces recently--the pile of dirt down in the sewers immediately came to mind--but this? This was the worst yet.]

[Wincing as something dull but pointed poked at her back, the eight-year-old slowly sat up. And glanced around. Tailmon was still unconscious at her feet. Otherwise, she saw nothing but...garbage. Piles upon piles of wood and concrete and rotting food and bits and scraps of metal and plastic. That, in and of itself, didn't bother her quite so much as the slow realization that...she couldn't remember how she'd gotten here.]

[Rising to her feet, she tried vainly to brush some of the grime from her shirt. Tailmon stirred, and she knelt down in hopes of waking the poor little digimon. When that didn't work, Hikari picked her up and held her close to her chest. Subconsciously, Tailmon burrowed that much further into her chest, seeking the warmth from her lithe frame. It was no wonder she was so tired. The last thing Hikari remembered...they had defeated Piemon. A harrowing battle, during which time--at one point--it had been down to just herself and Takeru. The two youngest, and only a single digimon between them. A seemingly hopeless situation...or, at least, it would have been, if it hadn't been the Bearer of Hope himself protecting her.]

[Only now, it seemed, even Takeru wasn't here.]

[No one was. She took a few steps, head darting around in search of a familiar face. In search of Taichi. Sora. Koushiro. Jou. Yamato. Mimi. Anyone.]

Hello? Is anyone there?

[The only response was for the clouds above to open up and...unleash a cold downpour of rain. She was soaked within a matter of seconds.]



Phase IV

[The drones had been pretty scary. The incinerator, more so.]

[Then came the realization that, somehow, along the way, she'd lost her whistle. It had been hanging around her neck the last time she checked, hanging right beside her Crest of Light. Now it was gone. Hikari sharply inhaled once, her heart beating just a little bit faster at the awful thought of having lost it. Her eyes stung with the threat of tears. She always had that whistle with her. Always. Ever since she was a little girl, tweeting at her big brother when she didn't always feel like talking.]

Where could it have gone, Tailmon? I--ah!

[Relief washed over her when she caught sight of it. There, at the bottom of a dumpster. How it gotten there, she couldn't guess, but she was more than willing to jump inside in order to...to...]

[She thought she had it. That silver whistle. Only, when she finally picked it up, she realized it was...just an old piece of tinfoil.]

[Worse than that, it was now stuck to her hand. And it wasn't coming off]



BONUS!

[She wasn't coughing this time, at least. And she didn't feel warm; she made sure to check. Several times.]

[And yet...the longer they walked, Tailmon faithfully at her side...the longer they went without encountering another soul...the dizzier Hikari started to feel. Light-heated. The world spinning around her. It was different than the last time. Only not really. But she couldn't have been sick--maybe she was just getting a little tired--and so, without a word, she pushed on. Not wanting to stop for fear of missing out on finally running into--]

[Eventually, the dizziness grew too much for her to bear. The last thing she heard before collapsing was the sound of her ever faithful companion calling out her name:]

Hikari!

Bonus, I sure am spamming your inbox aren't I?

[cresthopes]

[Takeru really wasn't sure what was going on but he knew that this time? The ViViD was sure making a mess out of this place! As he continued to venture on into this trash wasteland, he knew he had to keep marching on. If there was someone out there who was just as lost as he was? Then he couldn't stand around and do nothing!

On top of that, they could be just as sick as he was! (Not that he was going to mention it but the other person came first!)

However, by the time he felt like he was ready to pass out? That's when he heard a familiar voice. Wait, it couldn't be...could it?]

...Tailmon? Is that you? [Takeru shouted before Patamon started to fly around in search for their familiar friend] Hey, where are you...?

Merlin | BBC Merlin

[sortileges]

( 1: 6:00 aka what's recycling tbh?? )

[ Every footstep feels like slush under his feet, dirty to the point where it's hard to even breathe. He's woken up after being knocked out with his face in horse poop before but this is just taking the cake. It's hard to even come around, the stench so disgusting it would probably be easy enough to just pass out.

But. Something isn't right. Merlin presses his hands against his face, tries to think of where he was last and how this could even be possible. He can't even imagine where he is though, anything further than that seems impossible right now. The information at the start hadn't done much to help... the technology here is way more than he can fathom in one go and he already has way too much to worry about without all of this. ]

No... something, something isn't right here. [ His hands fly up into his hair and he half turns on the spot, squinting past more and more piles of trash. A rat scuttles over his foot now, but he doesn't seem bothered about it at all. That's when he spots you. ] You wouldn't happen to have any idea where this is, would you?

( 2: 8:00 aka when did trash get this sophisticated?? )

[ Right. What a load of fun this is. One thing he knows he's trying to save a kingdom from Morgause and Morgana, protect Arthur and now he's knees deep in... trash. Or was, before he gets pulled up by one of the drones. It's a little unnerving when dragon is pretty much your only way to fly where he's from.

For a moment it's almost comical as his legs kick out and he tries to pull at his shirt. ] A-alright, you've had your fun, come on... [ Only this isn't a joke, is it? A hesitant glance to his left is where he finds you, another person hauled up by one of these things. ] So... uh. [ He swallows, glances up at the metal latched onto him, quickly looks back before you're lost again amongst all the dirt of this place. ] Not a friend of yours either, then?

[ Well, duh. ]

( 3: 11:25 aka how many times before merlin stops getting into trouble tbh )

[ The question here isn't "what is your escape plan? and is sadly more twisted towards "how long does it take for someone passed out and in danger to wake up when they're about to die?". A long few seconds, is the answer. When the ground shifts Merlin's eyes slowly open, somehow having been knocked out on the way down. He sniffs at first, scrunching his brow at everything comes rushing back to him--mostly the smell.

He scrambles up within seconds, eyes darting around to work out what was going on. The incinerator isn't difficult to miss, nor is the person next to him.

Quick thinking. Quick thinking. He can't risk using his magic whilst in this kind of close proximity but--

That's when the ground stops. Merlin's shoulders slacken, relief floods his face. ]

So maybe one thing is worki- [ Spoke too soon. ]

( 4: wildcard! aka choose another phase, the bonus or re-do 1, 2 or 3! )

1

[2cool4guardian]

[Merlin's hands aren't the only thing flying up in the air, there's also a white-haired boy floating upside down and seriously thinking about a good answer to that question, finger tapping his cheek and everything. If Merlin feels worried... he has the right to be.]

I'd say you've gotten into the weird side of ViViD, but that probably applies to the whole thing. So... welcome to the weirder side of ViViD?

[Nailed it.]

kondou isami | wasurenagusa

[konpeidou]

( phase i. )
[ whatever you were doing in trash hell, you're about to be rudely interrupted. in a trash mountain nearby, there's the sound of junk shifting and falling, then a warning yelp from a figure that.. appears to be surfing down the heap on a car door, followed by an avalanche of trash. ]

Get out of the way!

[ whether you react quickly or not, the figure leaps off the door at the last second and shoots past, urging you on with a quick gesture. ] Hurry! [ you know, unless you want to be buried under the impending landslide. ]


( phase iii. )
[ honestly, kondou has spent most of the day confused and a little alarmed, but now it's all just getting ridiculous. he'd been in the process of digging himself out of the latest heap, searching for people a little too near that enormous furnace, when everything just.. stopped.

.. what..?

for a moment, he's silent, staring at the no longer quite so imposing flames, before planting a hand on a hip, the other lifting to pick what looks like a piece of paper out of his hair. ]

Honestly. [ he crosses to the closest sign of life, then offers a hand down with a friendly, still slightly puzzled smile. ] Shall we leave before it decides to eat us, after all?


( wildcard. )
[ idk man hit me with any other trashy options u got. ]

opens doors hello dad im here, also phase i!

[hijiwanwan]

[ oh god. Hijikata is getting way too old for this. he's tired? when will he be free from this weirdo ViViD stuff. honestly, this is so disgusting? here is Hijikata, trying to pull whatever trash he can that somehow got stuck in his hair (because the hair is important here ok. it's a charm point?).

at first he wasn't in too much of a hurry because Hijikata has slowly been getting use to the awfully weird things that happens in this place but then he hears a voice telling him to get out of the way-!?

oh. oh no.

Hijikata listens to the voice almost like it's a natural instinct, he dives out of the way (ew more trash) then begins to follow as he's urged to hurry. Hijikata is almost in a daze since everything is happening rather fast and stares at the figure for awhile, blinking his eyes... Ah- he should say something, huh. ]

Kondou-san? Geez... This is almost too good to be true. [ oh my god? kondou-san!?!? ]

Usagi Tsukino l Sailor Moon

[tiarae]

Phase 1:

[The first thing that hits her is the smell. It's awful, making Usagi scrunch up her nose and attempt to cover it and breathe through her mouth as she all but gags. Ugh.....

This place was such a dump. Wait. Dump? What was she doing here and how did she even get here in the first place? Where was everyone? Ami and the others, Mamoru....? It doesn't seem like they are around, at least not within her field of vision. Nothing for it but to pick herself up and attempt to find some way out. Grumbling all the while, of course.]

This is so disgusting! And where is everyone anyway? Ami-chan? Rei-chan? Mako-chan? Minako-chan? M-Mamo-chan.....? Even Luna?

[And then the rain starts. Well. This is just perfect. She sulks, half wanting to cry and half hugging herself, sniffing as she just glares up at the sky and the clouds. Really?]

Phase IV

[Still hopelessly lost, Usagi tries to keep going. To keep telling herself she'll find some way out and get back home somehow. To Mamoru, to her friends, to her family.

It's only then that she realizes something is missing. Her brooch. That realization sends her to a slight panic. She can't transform without that. Plus, it has the Silver Crystal with it. She needs that!

Out the corner of her eye, she spots it, dashing rapidly over, tripping once or twice but ignoring that, any subsequent scrapes and pain from it as she gets back up and reaches for the brooch.

Only to find it is just some junk. An old soda can. That she cannot seem to get rid of or let go of. Meaning she's stuck.

Stuck and being rather loudly, vocally irritated by this fact.]

Get...off...stupid soda!

phase 1

[givesalittlewhistle]

[Hikari didn't recognize the voice. And was confused by that fact.]

[Until that moment, she'd figured they were in another part of the Digital World. A really, really gross part. Worse than the sewer systems they'd had to wander through back in Mugendramon's city. Except...this girl was human. And there shouldn't have been any other humans aside from the eight Chosen children.]

Are you lost too?

[She approached with a soft voice and fairly neutral expression. And a sleeping, white kitten with...strange paws and markings...clutched protectively to her chest.]

Elle Mel Marta | Tales of Xillia 2 | ota!

[timesout]

PHASE II-A

[ There's not just one drone in the air, but TWO, one for Elle and one for a lazy, fat cat by the name of Rollo. That's right, these two come in a package deal. ]

H-Hey! Let go of me, you scary freaks! I'm not garbage, I'm a person! Isn't that right, Rollo?!

[ Meanwhile, as the 8 year old girl flails around in the air, she looks over to the cat who... doesn't seem all that distressed about their situation. ]

...Rollo said yes! [ Whatever, she can speak for him!!! Although, someone should really save this duo before they end up being dropped in one of the chutes. ]


PHASE II-B

[ Let's be real, even if someone managed to save Elle earlier, she has the luck of a Kresnik to find herself captured by a drone anyway, eventually finding herself and Rollo at the bottom of the recycling chute.

It's a good thing she's determined, even for a helpless child. Elle doesn't waste any time as she hatches a plan to get help from the outside... by attempting to throw a really fat cat up the chute. GET SOME HELP, ROLLO!! Unfortunately, her lack of strength and balance shows, and Elle just ends up falling back into a pile of plastic bottles with Rollo on top of her. ]

T-This isn't gonna work...


BONUS

[ THANKS for finally organizing somebody to supervise this child, CERES. Good job! The downside? Unless you're the same size as Elle, which is unlikely, she'll just be hanging off your back or side like a bratty little koala.

At least Rollo is free to move. ]

Hey you, put me down already! [ Have a weak little girl flailing around as she tries to give you the most intimidating mean glare. She is pretty mean, though. ]

You smell! [ See? Then again, she's not any better off herself by now. ]

phase ii-b!!

[walkingby]

[Allen was about to shimmy up that chute with his convenient Shounen Protag powers, but the sound of Elle and Rollo falling into a pile of plastic bottles gets him to turn around. ah... it's a young girl!! and her... cat... even more people who don't belong in this eternal trash heap. He quickly approaches, one hand reaching up to tug down his hood so she can get a better look at him. he's pretty young, but he also looks weird as heck with his white hair and red scar. Regardless, he smiles down at her.]

Are you alright, miss? [he doesn't wait to hear her answer, he'll just start picking up scattered plastic bottles off her and Rollo.]

Katsuki Bakugou | My Hero Academia

[blazeit]

PHASE II

[ He's so fucking pissed, some stupid little robot drone like this would be a total joke to him usually, but he's never played a game like this and he had no idea to expect and anyway, the point is that according to this level he is garbage and he is being dumped in the garbage by one of those drones with a loud, emphatic: ]

FUCK!!

[ And then he makes impact with a garbage heap.

... And he just kind of stays in the garbage heap for a few, long moments before there's an actual explosion and trash goes flying everywhere. And out of this garbage supernova emerges: this guy. ]

THIS IS THE SHITTIEST JOKE I'VE EVER BEEN INFLICTED WITH IN MY ENTIRE LIFE.

PHASE III

[ .... To be fair, he doesn't even really mind fire much. It helps him get his quirk going, but like seriously?

Seriously.

He feels genuinely disrespected by a video game, of all things. For a few moments, he just stops and puts his head in his hands and looks like he might have a damn breakdown. ]

I changed my mind.

This is the shittiest joke I've ever been inflicted with in my whole life.

[ .... the ground is still moving beneath him

....... well, to be fair, it'll probably take like fifteen minutes for him to reach his fiery death at this rate, but still, he should probably move... ]

w h y

[ There really is only one thing he has to ask about this. ]

What the hell does this have to do with recycling.

phase ii!

[swirlied]

[ Yuuri has just kind of resigned to his fate for the time being, looking up at chute and the long, long way he'll have to go if he wants to go out. But before he can actually think about starting to maybe form a plan, there's an explosion from not too far away.

And a familiar voice. Yuuri immediately runs over. ]

Bakugou!

okuni kumou | rengoku ni warau

[osuni]

phase I

[Don't look now but there sure is one battery-driven toy car racing down a pile of trash and about to collide with your ankles!! Where did this come from?? The culprit seems to be one Okuni Kumou, sitting down and absorbed with the tiny joystick she's manipulating with one hand. Maybe she didn't mean it? Then she looks up, all innocence, even as she jerks the joystick to the side to try and send the car spinning wildly over your foot. whoops... ]

phase II

[Because Okuni's nothing if not adaptable, right? RIGHT.]

[Okuni sits on top of an impressively large trash pile, almost as if she was in the middle of building one to climb out of the chute. But considering the fact that she's just sitting there... maybe she got tired?? maybe she just wanted a relatively non-slimy place to sit and peer down at her fellow drone-wrapped comrades. because that's all she sure is doing... sitting and watching.]

[until she tilts her head and presses a hand to her mouth, letting out a clear titter of laughter... at who??? you??? well, she sure is looking at you. why is she laughing though who invited the mean girls squad here]

You look terrible. [she's no fresh spring daisy herself, but she's clearly not letting that stop her from criticizing your appearance!!]

bonus

[it's probably feeling kind of cramped strung up in this garbage bag, sorry. Okuni's got a lot of hair.]

Could you pick that knife up and hand it to me? [she points with her unencumbered arm at the kitchen knife near her partner's feet. ......why does she want it....]

bo.....nus.......

[retorter]

[ TO CUT HER HAIR RIGHT.... Souji looks on, looking remarkably neutral for someone who's just been garbage bag bonded with a complete stranger. His gaze flicks down to the knife in question, brow arching. ]

It's useless. The blade looks dull even from where I'm standing.

[ too dull to stab him with it or to cut this bag at least ]

lop underbrush | oc | ota!

[carcinoma]

phase i.

[ this isn't home. this isn't near his town. in fact, it's not anywhere even remotely recognizable. all he can see is trash and trash and more trash, and the stench is strong enough to give him a headache, and he can hear the sounds of too much machinery whirring away in the distance, and ... it's raining.

how does he even begin to process this.

one might find lop sitting right in the midst of a scattered garbage heap, water slowly dribbling down his hair. it's obvious he hasn't moved an inch since he was dumped down here, and he seems to be staring into the distance in some sort of shell-shocked trance.

though if anyone steps too close, he'll turn to face them in an instant, eyes wide and breaths coming shallow. your stereotypical deer -- or rabbit? -- in the headlights. ]

phase iii.

[ to most people, it would be obvious that the conveyor belt headed towards the raging inferno is barely moving at a crawl. but the adrenaline rush of sheer panic does a lot to dull one's thinking, and in his state of absolute terror, lop feels like he's being carried towards the incinerator at a mile a minute.

anyone located a bit further down the line's just going to hear the tap-tap-tap of rapidfire footsteps before lop comes barreling into them at an almost inhuman speed; he's failed to watch where he was going, whoops. but almost as soon as both people have toppled over, lop's back on his feet, tugging at his unfortunate victim's arm. ]

Quick -- we have to run --

[ might be a good idea to alert him to the slow pace of the incinerator belt, unless you like getting dragged behind a panicked rabbit. ]

phase iv.

Um ... excuse me?

[ if someone looks over at the sound of that meek call, they'll find lop standing there looking incredibly troubled. his left arm's missing, the sleeve of his shirt tied into a knot to keep the fabric from flapping around, and in his right hand, he's holding ... half of an acoustic guitar.

sure, it's relatively light and not too much trouble to drag around. but when you've only got one hand in the first place, having it occupied is a little troublesome.

lop manages a watery smile, sounding as fretful and nervous as he looks. ]

I'm sorry to bother you, but. I, ah ... I think I accidentally grabbed something with glue on it. Could I ask for your help in pulling it off? I'm afraid I couldn't find anywhere I could wedge it in to to pull it off myself ...

wildcard.

[ anything else ... ?! ]

iii!

[swordsitter]

[ ugh why is CERES so terrible. why do these things happen to haru. why is his life so ridiculous!! all of these things are running through his head as he picks his way out of a pile of trash.

and then someone runs into him.

now haru's stronger than he looks, but that's not saying much. he's not even five feet tall and built roughly like a wisp, after all. so.. maybe unsurprisingly, he goes down like a sack of clumsy potatoes, yelping as he does so. he has just enough time to think that this day really can't get any worse before there's a hand on his wrist trying to either yank him upright or yank his arm right out of the socket. he gasps, feet sliding on the trash as he tries to get them under himself and rise. when he finally manages it, he looks surprisingly out-of-sorts and kind of annoyed for a tiny kid with no apparent capability to form expressions. ]

I-- What--? [ he's tugged along a few paces, stumbling, before he actually digs his heels in to try to stop them. ] Wait. It's not-- It's not moving that fast? [ a quick glance over his shoulder follows, though, just to make sure he hasn't missed anything. .. nope. it's still creeping along and then stopping.

and then he glances up and really gets a good look at this tall, lanky stranger. his first response is alarm, perhaps understandably, before pale green eyes soften. ] Are you okay? [ maybe someone else would find the ears as startling as, well, everything else, but haru's a kid who's lived with spirits and monsters all his life. a rabbit-person is more normal to him than humans are. ]

luke skywalker | still searching for power converters | ota

[antecede]

(phase i)

Oh, not again!

[he sounds much more irritated than alarmed, casting a look around him with a harried sigh. he's not even sure what's going on yet, but it's already promising to make it up there with the stories of "almost getting killed by imperial trash compactors" and "getting taken prisoner by ewoks." at least he doesn't seem to be in any immediate danger of getting drowned by another dianoga or crushed by another garbage smasher, but he frowns and starts moving before either of those possibilities rear their heads (possibly literally, in one case). even the rain doesn't make him feel better; all that warm water just makes him feel even more like he's been thrown in the garbage. which, of course, he has.

not exactly exciting holothriller material for the last of the jedi.

if he runs into anyone, he'll try to catch their eye or wave them down, still frowning.]

Look, can you at least tell me what system this planet's supposed to be in?

(phase iii)

[luke's really had enough of this. he keeps his lightsaber in hand, ignited so that everything's lit up with an eerie green glow, including his impressive scowl. look, he's grateful not to die via fiery garbage doom and all, but this is just ridiculous. as the incinerator stutters, he tries to cut some of this trash out of his way and see if anyone else is stuck in here too. he's not just going to leave anyone in a situation like this.]

Hey, is anyone else in here?

phase i...........

[swordsitter]

[ the kid he stops is a tiny teenager with no apparent capacity for expressions. still, despite that, he's surprisingly expressive--probably something in the eyes--and practically radiates weary annoyance, exasperation, and concern. haru hasn't seen any of his swords here yet, after all, and while this version of vivid seems less immediately dangerous than most of the games he's been in, it's still.. pretty awful.

he gives the stranger a glance that's briefly wary, but it softens a moment later as he pushes the sleeves of his oversized cardigan up. ]

The planet's called Tellus, but I don't know anything about the system it's in. [ he hesitates, then points to the ground. ] This isn't even the planet. You're in a.. program right now.

rhys | original character

[echoistic]

PHASE I-a:

[... You know, coming from a fairly desolate world anyway, Rhys thinks this place isn't too bad. Sure, that sign is too much reading for his nigh illiterate mind, but hey, he can ignore it. At least he made an attempt to read it, before figuring that whatever it's saying, it's not important.

He's not bothered by the rat, instead piercing a dagger through its body the moment it's off his foot as he looks down with it, snapping his fingers.]

... Too bad you're probably infected with some kinda disease, or I could've used you for dinner...

[He has absolutely no idea what's going on, but food is always a good priority, okay.]

PHASE I-b:

[You know what's also a good priority? Surviving. And in a new, unfamiliar place, Rhys is, for all of his carefreeness, feeling a little jumpy.

And so, the moment he detects a presence getting relatively close to him from the back, he whirls around and whips the glass bottle he'd been inspecting in the direction of the noise with perhaps startling accuracy.

That is, it'll hit roughly around the feet of whoever it was that approached, directly in front of them—far enough to not hurt them via the shattering glass, but close enough to indicate that he likely wasn't throwing it at random. He pauses for a moment, before tilting his head to the side.]

Sorry 'bout that! You scared me. Or would you believe me that that's how we greet people where I come from?

... Unless you're here to stab me or something, in which case I'm not sorry at all and that was totally a warning. Fear me.

PHASE III:

[Honestly, Rhys was content to stay down here for a while, which is why he has yet to bother with an escape attempt, because there's! So! Much! Junk! And he's actually pretty fascinated by it.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Once the trash starts moving towards the incinerator (and once Rhys realizes that's what's happening), he doesn't waste any time in ensuring that that's not his fate. To the naked eye, it looks as if Rhys held his gloved hand up to the air, and after a whizzing noise for anyone listening carefully, he suddenly shoots up as if being pulled by something before stopping, leaving him to hang in the air.

For a while, he stares down at the halting trash below, clicking his tongue before he calls out:]

Yo, anyone down there?

[Because really, he can't tell.]

PHASE IV:

[All right, so he has some kind of ragged, torn plush toy stuck to his hand and he's not sure why, but you know what? With his free hand, he's grabbing that half-eaten burger, inspecting it, and then... yeah. He takes a bite out of it, looking thoughtful as he chews.

This is perfectly normal, isn't it??]

I-B

[onerous]

[Yuri stops short, hands up slightly in front of her in the universal sign of 'coming in peace' as she stares at him wide-eyed.

WELL. OKAY. That was probably her bad, she probably should've made some more noise or something.]

...Is that how you greet people where you're from? [Yuri looks skeptical about this, but honestly she doesn't really know. In France they kiss someone on the cheek in greeting, right? So maybe this guy actually does come from a place where that reaction is normal.

Though when he continues talking her doubt on that grows. Oh well.] I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I'm... definitely not here to stab you.

yuuri shibuya | kyou kara maou! | ota

[swirlied]

phase i;

[ Of course there's trash everywhere in some weird level about recycling in a weird world. Of course. ]

What does this even have to do with recycling... [ Because of course there's trash, but what is having trash everywhere suppose to teach them? Are they supposed to clean it up? This is all he can think about as he walks through the trash infested streets, trying to find some way out of this.

That is, until it starts raining. Yuuri lets out a groan. ]

Now it smells even worse out here.

phase ii

[ Have you also been designated as garbage and dumped down a chute? Because if so, you may or may not have just been landed on by Yuuri as he falls into the garbage pit.

He really isn't having good luck today. Or he just barely missed you, as he lands right next to you. ]

...That was close.

bonus;

[ Why is this happening. What does this even have to do with recycling? Before doing anything else, Yuuri tries to rip the garbage bag open, so that he and the unfortunate soul with him can get out.

But it doesn't budge. Why would it? ]

...There has to be a way to get out of this. Right?

wildcard;

[ Insert whatever prompt you want! ]

(also just a quick note—Yuuri is a CRAU from trustfell!)

i'm horrible let's bonus

[dereban]

[ Even more unfortunate is the soul that he's with, seeing that it's a teenage girl. She seems to be knitting her brows and just frowning in general because fuck this noise, she is seriously annoyed... but she's going to put on a rather awkward, yet strained smile. ]

CERES isn't the type of group to just let us stay stuck like this permanently. In any case, I'm thinking that we might have to work together and clear the level like this to get out.

natasha romanoff | mcu | ota

[doveriye]

phase i;

[there are a number of reactions you'd expect from someone who's just been thrown into a pile of literal garbage. disgust. beyond disgust. desperate, scrambling attempts to fling off rotting banana peels or to find a way out of this mess.

vague amusement would about be the last of them.

yet in between the logical grimaces and grievances, natasha wears a small, thin smirk on her mouth as she takes in her surroundings. it's irony, she thinks with a twinge of dark humor, to dump someone like her in the trash, a fitting metaphor for her own worth; she can get behind the creativity of whoever's running this. there's water filled with god knows what starting to seep into her boots, starting to wrinkle the skin on her toes, but the smirk never falters.

even when rain starts to fall and make everything worse.

at some point in the middle of all this, she mutters to no one in particular - ]

What an incredible smell you've discovered. [- with an air that suggests she's been waiting about half her life to tell that joke. (spoilers: she might have been.)]


wildcard;

[the trash is the limit, make all your trash dreams come true, etc]

Phase I

[bewrightback]

[Another voice answers her, as he climbs his way out of some garbage nearby, flatly but with a weak laugh.]

No fair. I wanted to use that one!

chrollo lucilfer | hunter x hunter

[specialization]

[phase I.]

[of all the places to end up while still trying to adjust to facts that barely felt like facts, but yet couldn't be denied anyway...a literal junkyard wasn't exactly the worst. sure it smelled bad, and sure, it was unfamiliar, but he remembers how to hop from place to place, judging integrity with his eyes and keeping his arms out for balance. and the rain coming down helps with the scent, pressing down some of the worst parts under the water.

of course, there's the disconcerting fact that this entire environment isn't real, and the nature of reality is up for debate now, so that could be entirely wrong, actually. maybe real was more a state of belief, and his past experience with things others would consider unbelievable was why this slid into place so easily...

the philosophy could wait, though. instead, when he sees someone else, Chrollo doesn't hesitate to raise his hand in a wave, carefully maneuvering to be close enough that shouting would be unnecessary.]

Excuse me, but did you happen to catch what our goal here is supposed to be?

[because he sure didn't.]

[bonus.]

[okay, so dealing with this strange confinement...there are a few questions. why a garbage bag, why is he unable to tear this even to the slightest degree, and who, exactly is next to him?

all answers that can be found in time, Chrollo tells himself, as he shifts in the garbage bag so that both of them can sit back to back instead of the awkward side to side. despite the place, the circumstances, all of it, he sounds...pleasant? as if this sort of bizarre happening was something to be taken in stride.]

So, this is the next phase of the game...I wonder.

[really, it's nothing to be content with, but there are greater things in his mind to be concerned with that override being put in a garbage bag, and those...well, those are things to be pleased about.]

[wildcard.]

[other situations for when you want to do what you want.]

phase i

[condoner]

[ akane, like all other people, wasn't exactly prepared to get sucked into vivid. she likes playing video games to pass the time, but to suddenly have to play a game while unprepared is totally different. and while she was sucked into vivid, it also sucked the life out of her, because it doesn't seem like she's having fun at all.

chrollo spots her as she's walking through the dump, a hand covering both her mouth and nose. but for the sake of being polite in a conversation, she removes her hand from her face and bows. ]

Hello. It's just ViViD testing out something new. [ that's what she guesses, anyway. ] I'm not sure what the goal is, especially when we can't even log out. . . I'm sorry.

genos | one punch man

[incendire]

I.;

[ Perhaps if there’s anything to be anything to be especially thankful about his new body and how it functions, is the way that he can voluntarily turn off certain aspects of himself if they are needed. Normally, there would not be a need to turn off his sensors but given how he was not just surrounded by mounds of garbage, but nearly submerge in the filth, it was deemed beneficial.

Though…where was he supposed to go from here?

This was supposed to be a lesson in how to reuse, reduce, and recycle, was it not? A noble message however Genos isn’t too certain about the method of all of this. ]

BONUS;

[ What the hell does this have to do with recycling indeed? Honestly all of the events prior and leading up to this moment have been one huge question and a trial for him. However, even though he’s now attached to the closest other person to him by something that was not entirely in his control—Genos tries to remain calm about the whole situation.

Perhaps it might be a bit sobering to be considered like garbage like this, but it could have been a mistake made by the robots that were designed to sort the trash to get him mixed up. He was all too familiar with what he looked like and perhaps they might have gotten it all mixed up. However, given the current situation, it doesn’t appear to be the case at all.

This is why he’ll turn to his new partner with a very serious expression and ask them something that has been bothering him for a while— ]

Do you know anything about how this place and how they handle their garbage? I do not believe they are getting the message that they wish to get across correctly.

WILDCARD;

[ HIT ME WITH WHATEVER! ]

Phase I

[niceguypose]

[Rock Lee stumbles out of some nearby garbage and assumes a fighting position.]

Sir! Please tell me... Are we supposed to be opponents?!

Kaoru Okita | Kidou Shinsengumi Moeyo Ken

[stillinbloom]

[Phase I: A]

Gross...! [This is... probably not the worst day of her life, honestly. She heaves a deep sigh and picks her way out of the trash pile, using her sheathed sword to push some of the trash about but-- This is getting nowhere.]

Argh! My word is law; come forth immediately and make it so! I'm counting on you, my summoned gods!

[Four tiny children burst forth from the pile and begin enthusiastically moving trash aside. When Kaoru's hand pops out of the pile, two of the kids (??) grab it and help pull her out.

The girl that emerges looks like she's definitely seen better days and... is that a Shinsengumi haori she's wearing?? ?? Weird.] Thanks, godlings! [She's just happy to be out of that hellhole and plants her hands on her hips, looking around.]

Now, where is this...? That powerpoint thingy wasn't true, was it? [She frowns, brow furrowing in concern as the little kid-gods fly around her, keeping a look-out.]

[Phase I: B]

[After successfully extracting herself from the garbage and maybe figuring out, somewhat, what's going on, Kaoru takes to the streets. She's dismissed the godlings now, and is striking out on her own!

She's got this. She just has to find the other two Shinsengumi members.

After a minute of trying to search on her own, she gives up the pretense of being stealthy and cups her hands over her mouth to shout as loud as she can:]

Kondou-san! Hijikata-san! Come on you guys, where are you!?

Hey--! [Uh-oh, you've been spotted! Kaoru hurries over, plastering a friendly smile on.] Have you seen Kondou-san or Hijikata-san? Oh, um-- They're wearing haori like mine! And Kondou-san's... probably got a broken sword, and Hijikata-san usually has a gun?

...Actually, if Kondou-san's sword broke again I might not find her for a while if she's hiding... [Kaoru trails off, then perks up again] Uh! Anyway! Does any of that sound familiar?

[Phase III]

My papers! [Forget this fire nonsense, Kaoru's too busy patting herself down frantically.] My godlings! Where did they-- Hey! Don't move!

[She immediately turns her attention on whoever else is in the room, practically pouncing on them.] Look around! Do you see any shikigami summoning papers!? They must have fallen out-- I need them!

[She's about 5 seconds away from shaking the daylights out of you if you don't start looking stat.]

phase II

[retorter]

[ WOAH THERE please slow your roll Kaoru... Souji immediately turns around once he hears that shout, but now he's wondering if he should have because too many things are happening and he doesn't understand??? He looks at Kaoru, who's still talking, then at Kaoru's haori, then back up only to hear the words 'I might not find her' followed by that question. ]

[ what.... what??? Look, he only turned around because he heard the words Kondou-san and Hijikata-san! He wouldn't have been too surprised if he had seen some totally unfamiliar dude in a Shinsengumi haori running around calling those names, but this one's just a... girl... Wearing. The haori. Which is something Souji knows his Hijikata would never allow, even Chizuru hadn't worn one. This is too confusing. And when things are confusing, it makes Souji incredibly hostile. ]

Who the hell are you? [ He's not wearing his Shinsengumi haori (he doesn't wear it outside in public anymore), but his swords are at his waist as always. He probably just looks like some angry samurai. ]

Neji Hyuga | Naruto

[hiyaku]

Phase IV: The Dumpster of Abandoned Youth

[ Whoever is responsible for this needs to be horribly punished. This is an affront to all of the senses and then some (moreso than the landscape itself), and he doesn't care if he has to sever his own arm, he is not carrying this thing around.

It was supposed to be-- actually, he really doesn't remember what it was supposed to be anymore. Some memento of his late father's? Something that belonged to Neji himself? Something of Hinata's? Who knows... but the moment he had it, whatever genjutsu that was cast dissipated and he was left standing there, knee deep in trash, with a green thing clinging to his arm like something out of a nightmare. No amount of pulling or cutting at it with kunai will release it, and if he was anyone but himself, he'd be screaming and frantically struggling to remove it. Instead, after realizing that he can't rid himself of it through normal means, he's just holding his arm out in front of him as if trying to keep the jumpsuit as far from his person as he can.

Someone had sense enough to throw it away... and of course, it was just his luck to find it. It's not something he wants to be seen carrying, though, so his first course of action is to scan the immediate vicinity for any signs of life with the Byakugan.

And that's when he stiffens up slightly, carefully drawing his arm back and wrapping the offending garment around his hand before tucking it away. So what if he looks ridiculous? He's not getting caught with that if he can help it. ]

Can I help you?

[ Best to be quasi-friendly for now, even if the words are somewhat clipped and his tone says 'oh this is so not happening to me'.]



BONUS: Together Forever and Never to Part

[ Forget the jumpsuit, he's discovered something even worse. This is gross.

Waking is something that happens slowly, leaving him shaking his head to clear the fog and blinking away the haze of sleep. It's taken forever, but he's either finally gotten used to the acrid stench or his sense of smell has finally burned out and abandoned him -either way, it's only when it's overwhelmingly strong that it bothers him now, and as his vision clears, he's wrinkling his nose in disgust at what's hanging in front of him, tangled in his hair. Never mind that his clothes are stained, he's got who knows what smeared on his skin, and he probably reeks like a compost pile in the summer heat, but now he has someone's gum stuck in his hair and it's directly in his line of vision, the long strands a tangled mess coated in pink goo that falls right at the bridge of his nose.

No, this is beyond gross, and that's going to need cut out of his hair.

...except now that he's a little more awake than before but not quite enough to be rational, the feeling of being restrained begins to register, and a slight tilt of his head to get his hair out of his peripheral vision (but not enough to get that gooey mess tangled any further than it is, he doesn't want to cut off any more than he absolutely has to) reveals that not only is he bound by something that clearly isn't made from chakra because he can't use his own to get rid of it... but he's also not alone. Now if only he could move his head enough to see who it was without making things incredibly awkward, he'd be set. Well, this is peachy. His mood has already dropped considerably since finding himself in this place -excuse you, the Hyuga clan is not trash!- and waking up to find that he somehow managed to get gum in his hair, so that second person is in for a field day.

Maybe later when he's calm and able to think clearly, he'll apologize for any attitude, but that's later and this is now. ]

IV

[onerous]

[The thing stuck to her hand--a film packet she'd mistaken for one of the specialized films for her camera--is at least manageable; she doesn't even particularly mind holding onto it even if it's a bit annoying.

But that doesn't matter right now because there's something distractedly familiar about this guy, which is why she approaches in the first place. She stops short, waiting until he addresses her once it's clear he's noticed her there.

The clipped tone doesn't bother her. She simply clasps her hands behind her back and tilts her head, eyeing him carefully. What had his name been? She'd picked up impressions and feelings Lee'd had, emotions that brushed against her subconsciously and gave her a vague feeling of wanting to challenge him to something ridiculous, but she very carefully untangled the mental threads connecting Lee's memories to her and moved on.

Now how to start this conversation--]

Do you know Rock Lee-san? [Nailed it...]

Ninja Jesus | Naruto | OTA

[findpeace]

phase ii - down the garbage chute

[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

[onerous]

[And just when Yuri thought this day couldn't get any worse...

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?

Ririchiyo Shirakiin | Youko x Boku SS | OTA

[youkaihime]

phase i

Disgusting. [Gross, gross, gross. Her hand ended up in a pile of something wet and sticky and an ugly shade of brown. It's enough to ensure that Ririchiyo absolutely does not want to know what it is. As if the hand has offended her, she holds it out from her body as she gets to her feet and checks to make sure that there are no unsightly spots on her clothing. Despite her situation, she's glad to not find any.

Since there's absolutely no way she's going to wipe her hand off on her clothes, Ririchiyo has to settle for finding something relatively clean in the nearby pile. Turns out that there was a rag that was mostly dried with something red and she vows to take the longest, hottest shower before following it up with an extremely long and hot bath.

Something runs over the top of her foot and she looks down just in time to see a rat tail disappearing into the next pile of trash. With a jump and a hop to minimize her time spent in the larger piles, Ririchiyo finds some relatively flat ground in the sidewalk. She's moving slowly so as to avoid any holes in the cement or making sure that she doesn't end up covered in the waste someone's thrown away.

Upon spotting someone, she stops completely.]

You there! Where am I and how do I get out of here?

[Her words come out clipped and maybe even a little ungrateful.]

phase iii

[Or course she'd ended up landing on her ass after being tossed down the chute and of course it still hurt but Ririchiyo was hardly going to let that stop her from finding a way out of this disgusting place. If the smell outside had been horrible, than inside was revolting. She lifts an arm so that she can press the sleeve of her shirt to her face to act as a filter - though it hardly smells freshly laundered anymore.

Just when she's on the verge of transforming in order to escape, the ground beneath her feet moves and nearly tosses her to the dirty floor. Flames spout up some distance away inside of a large furnace and Ririchiyo immediately knows what's happening.]

As sure as I am that I'm going to have to burn these clothes, I don't intend to do so until after I've cleaned up and located something to wear that doesn't smell like a sewer.

[It may sound strange that this girl who's not even five feet tall intends to do something about this situation. But then suddenly she transforms. A set of horns sits upon her head, her clothing has changed, a youkai mask hangs at her hip and a weapon taller than her is held gracefully in her hands.]

Stand back.

[Is the curt warning she gives to her unfortunate partner. Then she'll approach the furnace despite the start and stop of the conveyor belt. Maybe someone should stop her.]

phase iii

[snowyoni]

[Ririchiyo goes to approach the fire and Yukina hangs a step or so back, puzzled. She has to ask though.]

What do you intend to do to the flames with your weapon?

[Because one can't exactly cut through fire, right?]

frisk / undertale / ota!

[trueend]

PHASE I:

[Ah. The trash. The garbage. The refuse. It resonates with their soul. Reaches deep, deep inside them and warms the cockles of their heart. It fills them with determination.

... Or, something like that. Probably. Maybe. Actually, not really? It just kind of stinks a lot and makes their eyes water up because, wow. This is not like the garbage dump in the underground at all. This is a special kind of rancid. It's infinite layers of garbage and infinite layers of gross, and there is no escape from it. If this is supposed to be a lesson on recycling, shouldn't this place be less nasty?????

Taking a nap in the garbage pile doesn't seem to be a good idea, though, so they just kind of force themselves to move. Get on their feet. Explore a bit. Start poking through the garbage in case there's something useful hidden there. Start digging through it (literally) when they don't find anything on the topmost layers, covering themselves in all sorts of unidentified fluids and sending bits and pieces of trash flying everywhere. Probably right in the direction of your character's face, too. Oops.

Someone stop this child. This is unsanitary. Parental figures would be appalled.]

PHASE II:

[The robots are new. The getting dumped in the trash bit, not so much.

Still. It could be worse. They weren't tossed in the compost, so that's... good. They think it's good? Yeah — it's probably good. What isn't good, though, is that they can't spot any obvious exits down here. Maybe if they treat this like a puzzle, they could perhaps find a way out of this chute...? Hm.

They consider this for a second, tilting their head as they try to see how long the chute is. A second later, and they turn to whoever is trapped here with them, reaching for their sleeve to try and get their attention. Come on, stranger. It's best to skedaddle before they become one with the trash on a mental and physical level.]

BONUS:

[THIS IS........... SOMETHING. They're not sure what this feeling is, but it's definitely something. Maybe — they could describe it as awkward. Awkward, and super uncomfortable. Something along those lines seems to be right.

Regardless... Congratulations, stranger! You are now sharing a Garbage Bag^TM with a very small child. If you happen to be around their height, then good for you! But if you don't? Well, uh. Here's to hoping you don't mind lifting them up. Or leaning down to their level. Or, maybe you're kind of weird and think it's funny to have a kid dangling from their neck when you stand up, their arms flailing because wow no this is super rude.

But, whatever.]

WILDCARD:

[Choose another phase, rewrite one of the scenarios already picked, or come up with your own! Go wild, man.]

Phase I

[striketwice]

[ do u mind

by which we mean Laxus has to bat away a stray piece of garbage before it smacks him in the face ]

Watch it, would ya?

kaneki ken || tokyo ghoul

[anthropophagite]

[ PHASE I ]

[ Why is this happening?

Kaneki opens his eyes and all he can see is trash. Sure, some would ask what this has to do with recycling, but Kaneki's questions border the "why this, why these things" rather than thinking about recycling. The smell reminds him of human food, and he doesn't want to think about it too much, because it also crosses his mind that he might vomit just from that.

Why is life so hard, people ask? He would like to know, too.

And so he gets up, trying to see anything or anyone beyond the endless piles of trash and even that rat causes him to flinch. How pathehtic, Ken. Don't be scared over such a small mammal that can't harm you in any way.he is about to take a step, when suddenly the plastic bag under his feet causes him to just... fall flat on his face. Against the garbage.

He quickly rises his head, coughing because why and suddenly there is rain too.

kaneki would like to leave and end this now, please. ]

[ PHASE IV ]

[ This whole trip has been awful. Kaneki is soaking wet from the rain, he has been kidnapped by drones who tried to send him to the Garbage chute (they actually managed it) and he had to climb piles of trash, make trash leaders to try gettin to the top again. But he never reached the top and instead they tried to send him to the incenerator??? This is the worst of adventures, who decided on this?

he is pretty sure he is lost, too. In truth, kaneki isn't even sure where he is supposed to go. But he is dumpster-diving indeed and suddenly he spots something....? Is that... his mask? He doesn't particularly need it, but something tells him that he sure does and he has to go get it or he shall face the consequences, which aren't good. Pain never us.

His hand is quick to reach for it, but once he realizes it's nothing but an old leather jacket (it's not even real leather) he tries to throw it to the side... only to find out he can't.


??????

Again he shakes his hand, but it's glue, oh god, what did he do to deserve this? Whoever is passing by or listening in, might notice a guy trying to shake off the thorn jacket in his hand, while he groans with frustration ]

[ BONUS ]

[ When will it end?! Kaneki passed out, he remembers that much, but waking up besides a total stranger, being this close to them?! He gasps, something that sounds like a Mickey Mouse squeak, and quickly he tries to push himself away but he can't ]

W-what- I'm sorry, I don't-!

[ careful there, he might make you fall because he is definitively losing his balance ]

phase I.

[rightfully]

[ It had taken Lucina nearly five minutes to extricate herself from the pile of trash she had found herself in - and then, more importantly, another ten to locate Falchion and its sheath. Somehow, it had become unclipped from her sword belt. It hadn't taken the skitter of a rat or even a cockroach to nudge her upward—like anyone who spent their formative years in a zombie apocalypse, she had been almost disturbingly alert.

Admittedly, she is quite unaware of the bits of giant wad of pink gum that had become lodged in her hair.

Seeing movement from a nearby middens pile, Lucina is moving as - as fast as reasonably possible. It's difficult to gain footing on this uneven, precarious terrain. More than once, she has to reach down and hold some garbage to steady herself. Quickly enough, she's at Kaneki's side, half-kneeling. One eye on him, one eye on their surroundings. ]

Are you alright, sir?

[ She holds out a hand for him to take. Get up, man. ]

Sol Badguy | Guilty Gear

[tyrantrave]

phase i.
[What is this bullshit.

No, seriously, what the hell is up with all this. Sol's eyes snap open as he immediately sits up and recoils from the smell, growling and grumbling all the while. He regards the talking pile of garbage with a glare fit enough to drop a Behemoth-class Gear while it delivers its little flavortext-spiel. Bad enough he's sitting in literal garbage, he doesn't need a lecture -

Wait a minute.]

Level ...?!

[Granted, it's been a very long time (nearly a hundred years, give or take a couple decades) since he's heard that specific context. Considering that magic had overtaken technology for the most part (mostly out of fear for something or another making things worse, it's complicated and he really doesn't feel like getting into details. Lazy assholes ftw.]

You've got to be fucking kidding me.

[His brows furrow before he starts reaching around, rummaging through the trash piles around him before -

Aha!

Before he pulls out what probably looks to most people to be an oversized Zippo with a cutting edge. He gets to his feet, rolling his eyes as the talking pile of garbage seems to continue on -

And slams the weapoin into ... what he could only assume was actual solid ground beneath his feet, causing a stream of fire to erupt and setting the talking pile of trash to burn.

Clearly he's more of a fan of immolation.

Sol then starts off, glancing up as the first few drops of rain start hitting his face. The rain would offset the fire a bit, but it would also make the stench of the garbage worse. Not exactly what he was hoping would happen.]

phase ii-a.
[After a bit of wandering, the sound of something that was flying through the sky-]

Shit.

[Yeah, he's familiar with what a drone is, so this doesn't come as a complete shock, but still. Sol grits his teeth and starts to set up what can only be assumed to be countermeasures, though that mostly consists of blasting drones out of the sky with more streams of fire or the occasional flaming uppercut.

(what a scrub - can't even cancel them into each other properly)

Eventually, however, one manages to sneak past the barrage of fire and explosions (well, more like grab him in mid-air during a Volcanic Viper), though it does have trouble of holding on at first, and gets punched several times for its troubles.

Just when it seems that he's about to break free, though - another swoops in for the assist.]

Piece of shit robots - get off!

[This might take a while.]

phase ii-b.
[Y'know, at least there's some small victories that can be taken away from all this. Sure, Sol had eventually been grabbed by a drone, but judging from the pile of scrap metal that had accumulated on the ground and an overpowering small of burnt circuits and wires, at least he didn't go down without a fight?

It's then that the drone lets go -

Right into the Recycling chute. He's not sure what to make of that.

There's an unceremonious thud as he sticks his weapon into the chute on the way down, followed by a loud screech as metal scrapes against metal, using the thing as a brake.

And now he's stuck about midway down the chute.]

Fucking fantastic.

[Granted, that it's not garbage or compost, at least, but it's still a colossal pain in the ass and if someone else ended up going down this particular chute ...

That might not end well.]

bonus.
[Sol's never been much of a social creature, and honestly he was usually okay with not being around people. didn't help that most that he was around were loud, obnoxious, and annoying.

And those were the ones he liked (not that he'd admit it).

So this dizzying, itching feeling, this yearning for someone else's company through this wasteland was nothing short of baffling.

In true Sol style, when things start to get dark, he's cursing under his breath before falling face-first into the nearest pile of garbage.

Classy.

When he wakes up, though - he can hardly move. Apologies to the poor soul stuck with him - you're attached to a 6' long-haired asshole who's built like a brick shithouse - though at least he's naturally warm because fire magic affinity?

Now noticing that he's not exactly alone in this predicament, he glares over his shoulder at them before he speaks:]

Hey - what the hell is going on here?

[This whole "getting along" thing might take a while.]

wildcard.
[figured something else out you want to do? feel free to drop it in!]

ii-a

[striketwice]

[ Laxus is not entirely sure what the robots are, but he's seen magic that can do something like this, so he's not going to think too hard about it. What he does know is that they're annoying as hell, and he wants them gone.

So the wizard calls down the lightning, quite literally, bolt after bolt after bolt to fry any drone that gets too close. This also has the advantage of taking out some of the ones bothering Sol.

ur welcome ]

Yukina Suzumori | Demons' Bond

[snowyoni]

PHASE III
[Yukina had put up an admirably fight when it came to being sorted. Her hawk companion Gin-o had managed to avoid capture himself in the end but Yukina hadn't had the same sort of luck. She struggled against it's grasp, attempting to pour all the strength she had into wrenching herself loose. It may have worked, even if it meant another metal creature would pick up where it's companion left off, if the thing hadn't seemed to be eager to be rid of her. It was pretty speedy in pronouncing her as "GARBAGE" though and sending her on her way.

The landing was once again in a mound of trash. That barely mattered though because moments later the ground rumbled and began to move once more. The scent of trash was becoming mingled with something... hotter.

Yukina went wide-eyed with the realization. She acted quickly, reaching for whomever was closest with the voice of firm, heavy insistence.]

We can't be pulled in.

[Her conviction was as firm as her grip wherever it may have landed. For a woman of her size she was surprisingly strong, it seemed. Thankfully she only got so far with pulling whoever she had reached for along with her because the ground below suddenly comes to an abrupt halt, leading to her abrupt halt as well.

And then it started again.

And then it stopped again.

And in the end Yukina looked back toward the fire, confused. Was it going to drag them in or...? Her shoulders sag a moment, expression bewildered.]

I... was expecting something else.

PHASE IV
Excuse me.

[Her voice is sheepish to say the least. Once someone does turn, she'll pull her left hand from under her cloak. Stuck to her palm like velcro is a brilliantly neon-colored squirt gun. Given how large it is, it's a deluxe sort of squirt gun at that.

Her cheeks color a little more.]

How does one... undo this?

[She's not quite sure what she means by 'this' other than, well, having something stuck fast to her. She hasn't a clue honestly what the object itself is. It clearly seems to be making her uncomfortable either way.]

WILDCARD
[Hit me up with anything I've missed.]

iv

[4th]

H'oh?

[ He's never one turn down a plead for help, but it does surprise him to see a lady in such parts of... well, existence. Like two fishes out of water, the two of them, but now is hardly the time to muse about those kinds of things... ]

Interesting. I have never seen an object so securely fastened to one's skin. Perhaps it had been doused in some sort of adhesive... May I?

[ He extends his hand, not about to take hold of her without definitive permission. ]

Izumo Kamiki | Blue Exorcist

[lackoftrust]

PHASE I

I SAID GET OFF OF ME.

[With a squeal, a rat is launched into the air. And in the next second a woman bursts out of a nearby trash pile. There's random bits of whatever in her long pigtails and the school uniform she wears appears to be smudged with dirt and probably various other fluids that are leaking from the trash itself.

It's a wonder the flames of her anger haven't scorched her surroundings. If only they were real instead of metaphorical. In it's place she heaves in a breath, then makes a gagging sound before she starts shaking off her hands in a futile attempt to shake off some of the filth.]

Why is everything here trash?! Ugh, when I get out of this I--

[Her sentence cuts off when her step forward leads to a squishing sound. And then her whole body just starts sinking right on down to the next layer of trash.]

No way!

[She claws at the ground once she's waist deep, struggling to pull herself from the mucky slop around her legs.]

PHASE II

WHY DON'T YOU THINGS UNDERSTAND?!

[First it's rats, now it's these robot things. Their numbers keep growing and her main tactic seems to be employing two white foxes to swirl groups of them into something like a twister, tossing them off into the trash heaps. Of course to those who can't see demons, it's more or less like the robots are just getting sucked up and blown off by themselves.

It doesn't really last long though. The sheer number overwhelm her after a bit and eventually one holds her over it's head almost triumphantly. She wiggles and squirms until--]

GARBAGE.

[... She looks down now, struggling momentarily ceased.]

... What did you just say?

GARBAGE!

[HnnnNNNNGH. Izumo starts beating the heel of her foot down furiously atop what she thinks must be the robot's head. At this point she doesn't care what it is, of course. As long as she's hitting some part of it.]

YOU LOUSY HUNK OF METAL. DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME GARBAGE!

BONUS

[The problem here isn't that there's another person in the bag with her. ... Well, it is the problem but the biggest problem is the person in the bag with her is just enough over Izumo's 5'4" frame to mean her head doesn't quite reach the neck hole when they both stand up.

Instead here she is, muffled down within the bag. And that muffled voice sounds annoyed.]

At least bend down and let me get my head through the hole too!

WILDCARD
[If I missed an option you want to try, hit me up.]

Phase I

[niceguypose]

[Rock Lee has been following the sounds of loud noises in search of people to help, while slowly being covered in trash himself. And now he's found another person just as she sinks into the trash.]

Please do not worry!! I will help you, Miss!

[He quickly leans down and tries to grab her hands, to give her a mighty pull.]