Out with the old, in with the new as they say, and this ViViD level is no different. Ever progressive and ever mindful, CERES has decided in their war against the evil carbon footprint to give citizens both new and old a lesson in healthy living. To show this, they've created a level all about... recycling, or as close to recycling as a company like CERES can get. (Which isn't very close at all, honestly.)
This, of course, means that when you're dumped in to today's ViViD level, the first thing that will hit you is the stench. It's vile and rancid and the type of stench that makes a person want to give up smelling altogether, and when you finally open your eyes, you'll see why. There's trash everywhere. The buildings are decrepit and crumbling, the cars are broken down and rusted, and overall, it looks like the apocalypse rolled right on through. Which is weird because this is definitely not a post-apocalyptic game. Yet wandering around this pathetic excuse for a ViViD level will just reveal more of the same -- it's a total wasteland.
And if you look up, you will see a billboard.
RECYCLING AND YOU: HOW NOT TO BE A DIRTY WASTE OF SPACE
You'll only have a moment to be offended by the sign before, amongst the piles of trash and rubble, there's another, smaller pile of trash and rubble. The only difference is this one can talk.
 Welcome to The Dumpster Dive, my cool cats and sweet kittens. A brand new ViViD level, created and innovated to you by CERES's very creative and innovative technicians. We're all here to help you learn to Reuse, Reduce and Recycle, givin' you kids some tools to help you lessen your impact on the planet. After all, we're all here together on this great planet of Tellus. Wouldn't want to ruin it, right? Ha ha!
Happy Trash Day to Cerealians one and all!
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PHASE I [ 6 00 ] So, you're here.
You're probably sitting in a pile of trash because, well, everywhere is a pile of trash. You're in a landscape of trashiness and there's no escape. Your only option is to give in to the sweet, sweet pull of the garbage. The buildings are crumbling, the sidewalks are a mess of bottles (but no bottle caps), rubble, and empty chip bags, and you're stuck in this... trash. This garbage. This hellhole.
Wasn't recycling supposed to be clean?
It probably takes a rat skittering over your foot to get you going but like any good game, the protagonist needs to move. If you're going to find out anything in this trash heap, you'll need to explore a bit. See if you can find someone else! Or something else. Maybe someone more experienced with ViViD can help you figure out how to log out. Even if logging out doesn't seem to be working right now. You should be careful too because one wrong step might cause the pile of trash you're standing on give way and send you into the sewers below.
Which means there are rats, there are bugs, the ground is unsteady and... yep. It's starting to rain.
Good luck.
PHASE II [ 800 ] And then come the... trash drones.
They zero in on any living thing in this ViViD level -- if you’re moving, if you’re breathing, if you have some sort of a pulse, they’ll be there. And they’ll grab you and take you away. No matter how many you shoot down, more and more and more will come, never stopping until you're swarmed completely by them. They have to get you! You're garbage, you're garbage, you're garbage! You're garbage!
And so, you're snatched up.
Don’t worry, though. After a short flight (wave hello to your fellow drone-napped neighbor!), you'll arrive at three huge trash chutes with three equally huge signs above them. GARBAGE, RECYCLING, and COMPOST hang above the chutes and the drones pause just momentarily before announcing one of these options in a robotic voice. You've been sorted and without any preamble, the drone will dump you in whichever one it decides.
Hopefully you don’t end up in the compost. Gross.
Of course, once you down there, there's plenty to poke around in (or not much if you're still not into the whole trash thing). It's piles and piles and piles of trash as far as the eye can see! Again! If you're especially clever, you may be able to use the trash to build a way out of the chute. The very, very long chute. Maybe there's someone around that can help you? And better do so quick, who knows what CERES has deemed to be "recycling" this time.
PHASE III [ 1125 ] CERES's standards continue to shine on again, because after some time, those chutes will finally start working. So if you've been separated from a friend through any of this ordeal, don't worry about it. You're all gonna end up in the same place anyway.
Which is the incinerator, of course! (Wait, that’s not how recycling works.)
The ground beneath you shifts, enough to knock over whatever flimsy excuse for an escape plan you have, and suddenly all of the trash, compost or recycling will be dumped down into an underground furnace -- along with everyone stuck there, of course. Bit by bit, everything moves ever closer towards that red hot furnace and it’s clear that everything's going to be dumped straight into the fire and burned. Say your farewells. Make nice with your neighbor. Finalize your will because --
Oh. It stopped.
Looks like it jammed.
It doesn't remain jammed for long because CERES is, if anything, highly efficient. So it starts up again. But then stops again. And then starts again. And then stops again. This may be a glitch in the level, actually.
So, you're still getting ever closer to fiery death, but... slowly. Very slowly. In fact, you could probably walk away from said fiery death faster than you're going towards it. It's like they can't even program a near death experience right!
PHASE IV [ 1125 ] Maybe you avoided the incinerator. Maybe you ended up in a different part of the level altogether. Maybe you just got lost. Either way, now you’re stuck with the age-old hobby of enthusiasts and the exceptionally desperate alike.
Dumpster diving.
And CERES wouldn't send you down there without an incentive, you know. If you look, it seems like there might be something valuable, something incredibly important and just for you. A shiny item that you’ve always wanted right from home and it’s right there in your grasp, something precious that you could never get in Cerealia. How it came to be there, nestled between an empty carton of eggs and a half-eaten cheeseburger, no one knows, but you'll be filled with the inescapable, all-consuming urge to go get it. Just jump right into that dumpster and get it.
The more you resist the urge, the more it'll hurt. (As in, physically hurt actually. The feeling will be comparable to your fingernails slowly being plucked out.)
This is ViViD though and the moment you hit the trash, the spell breaks. You'll see that your most precious thing, whatever it was, was never actually there. Instead, you seem to have actually grabbed something else and whatever it is, you can't let go of it. Be it an empty bottle of bacon soda or a bicycle tire with a giant hole in it, it's attached to your hand now and no matter what you do, you can't get it off.
Hopefully whatever you grabbed wasn't too big because it looks like you're not getting rid of it. Not till you beat the level.
BONUS [ why o'clock ] The odd thing about being stuck in a trash wasteland is that you can go for ages without seeing another person. Ages. Of course, CERES doesn't like that very much since ViViD games should be co-operative! Player with player! Player against player! Players who shouldn't be playing at all. That's the type of play CERES supports.
Which means the longer you go without seeing another person, the more you might feel an itch. It gets under your skin, making you feel dizzier and dizzier, and shorter and shorter of breath until -- you pass out. Vision going dark, breathing cutting out, and down you go into the trash and whatever this ViViD level has planned next.
It won't take long. You'll wake up feeling slightly confined and there will be a moving body next to you. It seems as if you've finally, finally found someone -- and they're really, really close. In fact, maybe a little too close? When you open your eyes, you'll see that the two of you may be bound together in a way that might be familiar to some.
But instead of a shirt, it's just a garbage bag. A really, really strong garbage bag that can't be broken out of no matter how strong you happen to be. No laser eyes, no super powers, nothing will separate you from this person other than, well, getting along.
There really is only one question you have to ask yourself now. Just one.
What the hell does this have to do with recycling?
[ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with sensitive or inappropriate material and do let a mod know if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so we can lock the log. ] |
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augh round 2 of runts
[DUH? Listen she's not familiar with all these shenanigans yet, if she's trapped in some odd black bag with another person then it's gotta be the other person's fault. It's why her retort sounds a lot like a duh.]
Augh, I don't have time for this! Who are you, what are you doing -- what's the is this?!
they sure do climb the mountain fast...
[The tone he says that with somehow manages to imply "AT LEAST I'M THE ONE DOING SOMETHING USEFUL", even though he's... he's technically not. Because he doesn't have enough room to try. The intent is still there though, and clearly that's what matters!?]
Just stop flailing around for a second, okay?! I don't have any more answers than you do but you're making this super hard!
[WHAT IF THEY GO ROLLING DOWN INTO ANOTHER PILE OF GARBAGE. He'll never forgive her!!]
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she'll shove them off a cliff herself]
Augh -- as if you're making this easier?! [but she is done flailing around apparently.... she's just going to press up against her side of the garbage back as much as possible, trying to kEEP FROM TOUCHING HIM, GUH] Who are you anyway? Did you think up this stupid plan? [without waiting for an answer-] What kind of idiot would think this is any type of good idea?!
[girl, please chill]
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[Says the person who is also, in fact, yelling. BUT HEY... He's just the sort of moron who raises his voice when other people raise theirs.
Anyway, he seems content to keep pressed to his side of the bag too, even though there's no real way to completely avoid touching her. He doesn't want to end up shanked though, so he's trying his best to bust out of here asap and iT'S JUST... NOT WORKING... No matter how hard he presses at the sides of the bag, it just stretches without actually ripping. He'll get around to answering her other important questions later, because first things first:]
What the hell kind of garbage bag is this—?!
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What is a garbage bag....
[???????
But she's just going to keep shoving at her side too, but not only does it stretch, it recoils back against her -- and weak from dehydration as her body still is, it actually sends her careening back against him with a surprised squeal?!]
Aaahh--?!
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—Don't press so hard if it's just gonna springboard you over onto my side!
[But he won't try pushing her back to her side, at least?! Mostly because he's focused on his futile efforts to try breaking through the plastic, but after a couple more pushes, he's realizing it's Not Gonna Work (and that he's probably elbowing Lili in his attempts to escape, so.)]
Ugh... I can't break through at all. [And then, way belatedly:] A garbage bag is something you put trash in, but the plastic's usually really easy to tear. Not like this stuff.
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[IN RESPONSE TO THE ELBOWING.... she's a delicate thing, Kashuu, she probably bruises easily. also suffering from dehydration also isn't the greatest feeling in the world, so she's just having all sorts of problems here in this garbage bag.]
Ugh, this is the absolute worst. I refuse to die in here!
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[He says it a little distractedly, but he'll mind his elbows from now on... SORRY, DELICATE PEACH LILI. They'll just have to suffer with less movement now so they don't end up gouging eyes out or something...
Doubletaking at that, though. That's so dire?!]
There's no way we're gonna die! Even if we couldn't get this stupid thing off, it's not like it'd stick around once we log out.
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But she doesn't say that out loud. Instead she shakes her head, even if it just causes more rustling in the garbage bag and for her hair to flip around a bit. don't get whacked, Kashuu.]
I don't understand what you're saying -- I don't have time for this!
[NO CHILL.]
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NOT THAT SHE'S MUCH BETTER. He's never met a person with less chill in all his 500 years!! (That's a lie, but he'll still think it anyway...)]
I'm saying it isn't gonna last forever! This entire thing is just a simulation - a game. It's not real! The log-out thing is broken, but we'll be able to get back to the real city eventually and this stupid bag will probably disappear on its own. Get it?
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.... no. [For a couple of reasons. But most importantly:] If something is broken, doesn't it have to be fixed before we amend our situation?
[maybe she was being dramatic before about dying buT NOW IT SOUNDS LIKE A MORE REAL POSSIBILITY]
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Usually, yeah, and that's what's gonna happen here. The only problem is that CERES fixes things whenever they feel like it, so every time stuff breaks like this, we gotta wait until they decide to make it better.
[Which he's clearly VERY IRRITATED BY, but it's also a sort of old, resigned irritation. This isn't the worst CERES does, after all. He prefers to save his true agitation for when shit starts hitting the fan hardcore.]
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So we're.... waiting? [Which she still doesn't sound comfortable with, if her shifting is anything to go by. This is too much. At least when she was locked up back in her room at home, there would be windows but right now it's just... a garbage bag and some faceless company.]
What kind of people are they? How useless of them...!
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[He says with a HUFF that's truly appropriate for a drama queen like himself, and then he extends his hand once more to futilely punch the bag one last time. Just for solid measure, you know.
And then, really belatedly:]
Eh... I'm Kashuu. Kashuu Kiyomitsu. Sorry you have to deal with a weird intro like this, but this isn't the worst CERES has thrown at us either. [A metaphoric "THERE THERE"...]
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Weakly, she offers back:]
Lili An. [ . . . . ] I think.... that I just came from worse. [which is said in a vaguely surprised tone, because normally her life really is rather pampered. At least right now there's no impending death or madness - people have given her water so even if she's weak and light-headed, at least her throat isn't killing her.
Yet she can't help but make a request, something that reveals that she's a little more fragile despite her attempts to keep it together:]
.... You know this place better than I do. Promise me that we'll make it out of here okay.
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But Kashuu, while pragmatic in some respects, is (sometimes unfortunately) not the sort to give that sort of response to a statement like that. What kind of sword would he be if he couldn't promise protection?]
Of course we will. It's my job to make sure people are safe, y'know? [A beat, and then:] Besides! If you came from worse and you made it outta that, you'll make it out of this mess, too.
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She'd very much like to stop being caught in trouble. Eventually she raises her head and finds it in herself to give an affirmative answer.]
.... I will. There are still things I must do. [She does have an indomitable spirit, when it comes down to it -- but the tiredness remains.
. . . which brings her to another question.]
You wouldn't have any means of procuring water.... would you?
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Still, what he's found over the years is that the ones who can still say I will or I can even when they're tired are the ones who actually get those things accomplished. He makes a little affirmative sound in response to that, and seems to be gearing up to say something else when she poses her next question.]
Water? [HM...] I didn't see anything, but there might be a water fountain or something like that around here. We'll have to look together if you wanna look at all, though.
[Considering they're currently STUCK...]
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.... Is this truly the farthest that you can get from me?
[Touching is so difficult.]
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What do you think I'm made of, rubber? I can't just stretch away when something's keeping me in place. [And then, more of a grumble:] It's not like this is a great time for me either, y'know.
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[Lili, stop thinking so highly of yourself.]
It's just -- uncomfortable, that's all I'm saying.
[Someone didn't get hugged enough as a child. Or like. Ever.]
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[Gosh, Lili!! There's no pleasing this girl, is there... That said, even if he's a very touchy-feely person in general, he doesn't ever aim to make people uncomfortable. So he'll... he'll just try to start shifting around so she has more room. The results are questionable but HE SURE IS TRYING. Trying until he gives up because they're stuck in a garbage bag, this shit is impossible.]
...Sorry. That's like, the best I can do.
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It's.... better.
[There's probably a "thank you" in there somewhere.]
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Sooo, that's great for staying in one place and all, but like I said. If you wanna find some water, we're gonna have to move.
[Is she so thirsty that she'll accept her fate as half of a siamese pair??]
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.... then let's go. Staying in one place won't do us any good anyway.
[She's always hated standing still.]
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