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!
|
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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lop underbrush | oc | ota!
[ 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!
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. ]
no subject
-- it's -- ! [ 'it's not moving that fast.' ] -- it's not ... ?
[ he echoes those words in a breathless whisper, gaze flickering frantically from haru's face, to the distant glow of the incinerator, to the ground, then back to haru. his chest is still moving with each shallow breath, but in the next moment or two things seem to click in his head and he slowly releases haru's wrist. ]
It's not ... moving fast. [ his hand drops bonelessly to his side, limp as he processes his ebbing panic and the realization that he's not, in fact, rapidly headed towards a very painful death. ] You're ... right. It's not.
[ one last rasping exhale before he swallows nervously, then manages to meet haru's gaze. he's still clearly scared, the fine fur of his ears standing on end, but at least he doesn't look utterly overwhelmed. even if the rest of his face is pale, a shamed blush tinges his cheeks and the bridge of his nose as he worriedly shrinks back a half-step. ]
Ah, I'm -- terribly sorry! I wasn't thinking straight, I shouldn't have run into you like that ...
no subject
It's okay. [ he makes his voice as soothing as he can manage, pale eyes warming faintly. ] You were scared. I would've probably been scared, too. [ if he'd been new, if he didn't know this is vivid, if he'd had a rabbit's nature to contend with. because.. that's what this stranger is, right? he might look mostly human, but he's got rabbit traits, too.
he hesitates, then offers a quick bow, polite even under the circumstances. ] I'm Haru. Kure Haru. .. Let's see if we can find our way out of here, okay? [ for those that know haru, they'd know he has that particular look in his eyes that says he's about to adopt someone else into his big, strange family. ]
no subject
Ah ... um. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Kure. [ introductions, he can do. the familiarity of exchanging names helps ground him a bit, and he awkwardly bows back. ] I'm Lop Underbrush. Once again, I'm very sorry for any injury I might have caused you.
[ deep inhale, deep exhale, hard swallow. he's steadily working himself calm, fighting back the fluctuating waves of panic, and lop takes the chance to look haru over. he seems ... normal. not the person in charge of this place, at least. then -- ] May I ask if ... you know where this is? You seem very calm about -- well. All of this.
iv
Not that it's physically notable as his expression seems to stay rather indifferent (grumpy, but indifferent). ]
It's no bother to me. Are you ready? [ And simply as he replies, he'll place his hands on either side of the guitar and begin to pull on it. Hopefully it does not rip any clothing as he pulls it away? ]
no subject
Ah, right. Thank you. Um -- yes. I think I'm ready.
[ his words taper off into a nervous mumble right before he squeezes his eyes shut and braces himself as best as he can.
but whether it's because the guitar's actually stuck to his hand, or if vivid's making him feel too much pain if he so much as loosens his grip on it, his hand remains firmly wrapped around that piece of junk. and given how flimsy and light he is, if genos yanks too hard, he might just pull lop right off his feet. ]
no subject
Genos will try his utmost best not to do anything to harm Lop and only use the appropriate amount of strength required be believes to be required to be able to pull the guitar off. ViViD or no, Genos doesn't make it a point to harm people who have done nothing wrong and especially those who have asked him for help.
But he still is a cyborg build and designed with only maximizing his strength so he still might pull a bit too hard. At least the guitar will be pulled off if Lop falls on him? ]
no subject
six feet of gangly rabbit goes stumbling forth, smacking right into genos. and even if lop gives a panicked squeak, immediately trying to stumble back, with the guitar still in genos' grip and his own hand magically glued to its handle, there's only so far that lop can back away. ]
Ah, I'm sorry! I lost my footing -- [ a low huff as he tries in vain to pull his hand away from that awful guitar -- it's bound to barely even register to genos, given his feeble strength. a slightly frustrated mumble as he continues straining, looking increasingly embarrassed. ] -- why isn't it coming off ... !
no subject
[ Was this really the worst of both worlds? Well, okay, maybe it was a pretty sour situation but honestly between the two of them nearly crashing into one another—it's probably Lop who will end up in more pain than Genos will be. It's not as if he has a very soft or supple body like he used to.
Still, Genos will be holding his ground as well as the guitar himself. There was no way that he was going to be beaten by a simple guitar or some adhesive. What kind of adhesive were they using in a place like this, or rather, didn't Lop notice it before he touched it? ]
I'm not too sure, but it's much more stubborn than I would have imagined it being. [ Eyeing the guitar.... What devilry is holding it to him. When he scans it, nothing about it seems to be different however— ] Perhaps it is a function within the game that we are playing here.
I
Unfortunately, seeing another person shakes her out of the (helpful!) numbness. Her grip tightens around the kitchen tool she's been carrying, but it's not an apprehensive move. She starts to walk up to him in slow, measured steps.
Only the implications of what she's looking at - or rather, not looking at - hit her just then and her heart begins an unsteady race. ]
Are... you a monster? I-I know how to deal with monsters, if you are! Just. Just as a warning.
no subject
Ah ... [ right. talk. have to answer. have to do something. can't just sit here forever. what was the question again? 'are you a monster?' how strange. the answer's obvious. ] I'm not a monster.
[ answering something that simple helps organize his thoughts a little, and lop blinks nervously before ducking his head, turning slightly away so rapunzel sees less of his bad side. his ears shift uneasily back, listening to his surroundings as he stumbles through a more proper answer. ]
Um. I mean -- . I'm a Rabbit. I'm ... sorry if my appearance startled you, but I promise I won't hurt anyone.
no subject
[ Rapunzel raises her head, eyes drifting almost reluctantly away from the figure before her. In the distance is a burnt out building much taller than her home. She swallows down a surge of nausea and toys with a strand of hair. ]
Rabbit. Um. Okay! That's a great start. I, uh... I'm - Rapunzel. Why do you have– [ He's probably going to think she's terribly rude now, but she can only finish by gesturing wordlessly to his ears and face. ]
no subject
... I'm -- sick. And these are some of the symptoms. [ a small duck of the head. ] I'm sorry you had to see something so unsightly.
[ there's the rustle of debris as lop pulls himself onto his feet, still avoiding looking at rapunzel. ]
Um, as much as I'd like to be of some help, I -- I'm rather lost. So I'm afraid I might not be of much use to you, unless there was something else I could help with?
iii
[Getting turned into rotisserie chicken was not on Minatsuki's itinerary for today. Because, seriously? They were plunked into this literal shithole like a bunch of turds, for whatever fucked-up reason, only to just as literally be shat out? Yeah. No.
Needless to say, the earrings are yanked, and out comes whip wing, as Minatsuki frantically struggles to scramble upward enough to get better trajectory toward one of the light fixtures up above to grapple onto; the panic and slight fear is visible in her eyes---
---When something crashes into her at top speed, eliciting a shriek and a cry of:]
What the fuck---! [And whip wing starts to wildly lash out, slashing through debris and junk as she struggles and flails about for a bit before she feels Lop's grip on her arm; at which point she snaps her head toward him, whip wing reasserting itself and curling up in angry, bloody wisps extending from her hair, echoing the equally disgruntled snarl her lips have twisted into.]
Oi, shithead--- [Thankfully, his words register in time; she frowns, and it also dawns upon her that the incinerator belt has indeed slowed down. She grunts irritably.]
You know, if you're gonna play Big Damn Hero, a couple tips: one, watch where the fuck you're going, and two, have better dramatic timing.
[She cricks her neck, looking up toward the fixtures above. Well...she can't just leave this guy to get shat, either. She doesn't want to be held responsible for anything.]
Not afraid of heights or some horseshit like that, are you?
no subject
he can't quite make out what it is, but there's something stringy and red extending from her hair, wavering in the air like a ribbon underwater, and lop flinches sharply the moment it drifts even the slightest bit closer to him. ]
... you -- what is ... [ 'what is that,' is what the terrified part of him desperately wants to ask. but at the same time, he's snapped out of one type of panic into another, and realized how badly he could have hurt this girl by running into her. lop hesitates for a moment longer before swallowing nervously; his eyes are still following the whip wing's movements, his posture ready to bolt at a moment's notice, but at least he manages a coherent sentence this time: ] -- I'm sorry. I should have watched where I was going.
[ okay. he's apologized. that's one thing out of the way. he needs to stay calm and think straight, and keep handling matters one at a time. he can't panic. he forces a slow inhale and exhale, and fights back a twitch the next time the whip wing wavers in his direction. ]
... heights? [ one ear flicks back in confusion. ] Are -- you planning on doing something?