Out with the old, in with the new as they say, and this ViViD level is no different. Ever progressive and ever mindful, CERES has decided in their war against the evil carbon footprint to give citizens both new and old a lesson in healthy living. To show this, they've created a level all about... recycling, or as close to recycling as a company like CERES can get. (Which isn't very close at all, honestly.)
This, of course, means that when you're dumped in to today's ViViD level, the first thing that will hit you is the stench. It's vile and rancid and the type of stench that makes a person want to give up smelling altogether, and when you finally open your eyes, you'll see why. There's trash everywhere. The buildings are decrepit and crumbling, the cars are broken down and rusted, and overall, it looks like the apocalypse rolled right on through. Which is weird because this is definitely not a post-apocalyptic game. Yet wandering around this pathetic excuse for a ViViD level will just reveal more of the same -- it's a total wasteland.
And if you look up, you will see a billboard.
RECYCLING AND YOU: HOW NOT TO BE A DIRTY WASTE OF SPACE
You'll only have a moment to be offended by the sign before, amongst the piles of trash and rubble, there's another, smaller pile of trash and rubble. The only difference is this one can talk.
 Welcome to The Dumpster Dive, my cool cats and sweet kittens. A brand new ViViD level, created and innovated to you by CERES's very creative and innovative technicians. We're all here to help you learn to Reuse, Reduce and Recycle, givin' you kids some tools to help you lessen your impact on the planet. After all, we're all here together on this great planet of Tellus. Wouldn't want to ruin it, right? Ha ha!
Happy Trash Day to Cerealians one and all!
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PHASE I [ 6 00 ] So, you're here.
You're probably sitting in a pile of trash because, well, everywhere is a pile of trash. You're in a landscape of trashiness and there's no escape. Your only option is to give in to the sweet, sweet pull of the garbage. The buildings are crumbling, the sidewalks are a mess of bottles (but no bottle caps), rubble, and empty chip bags, and you're stuck in this... trash. This garbage. This hellhole.
Wasn't recycling supposed to be clean?
It probably takes a rat skittering over your foot to get you going but like any good game, the protagonist needs to move. If you're going to find out anything in this trash heap, you'll need to explore a bit. See if you can find someone else! Or something else. Maybe someone more experienced with ViViD can help you figure out how to log out. Even if logging out doesn't seem to be working right now. You should be careful too because one wrong step might cause the pile of trash you're standing on give way and send you into the sewers below.
Which means there are rats, there are bugs, the ground is unsteady and... yep. It's starting to rain.
Good luck.
PHASE II [ 800 ] And then come the... trash drones.
They zero in on any living thing in this ViViD level -- if you’re moving, if you’re breathing, if you have some sort of a pulse, they’ll be there. And they’ll grab you and take you away. No matter how many you shoot down, more and more and more will come, never stopping until you're swarmed completely by them. They have to get you! You're garbage, you're garbage, you're garbage! You're garbage!
And so, you're snatched up.
Don’t worry, though. After a short flight (wave hello to your fellow drone-napped neighbor!), you'll arrive at three huge trash chutes with three equally huge signs above them. GARBAGE, RECYCLING, and COMPOST hang above the chutes and the drones pause just momentarily before announcing one of these options in a robotic voice. You've been sorted and without any preamble, the drone will dump you in whichever one it decides.
Hopefully you don’t end up in the compost. Gross.
Of course, once you down there, there's plenty to poke around in (or not much if you're still not into the whole trash thing). It's piles and piles and piles of trash as far as the eye can see! Again! If you're especially clever, you may be able to use the trash to build a way out of the chute. The very, very long chute. Maybe there's someone around that can help you? And better do so quick, who knows what CERES has deemed to be "recycling" this time.
PHASE III [ 1125 ] CERES's standards continue to shine on again, because after some time, those chutes will finally start working. So if you've been separated from a friend through any of this ordeal, don't worry about it. You're all gonna end up in the same place anyway.
Which is the incinerator, of course! (Wait, that’s not how recycling works.)
The ground beneath you shifts, enough to knock over whatever flimsy excuse for an escape plan you have, and suddenly all of the trash, compost or recycling will be dumped down into an underground furnace -- along with everyone stuck there, of course. Bit by bit, everything moves ever closer towards that red hot furnace and it’s clear that everything's going to be dumped straight into the fire and burned. Say your farewells. Make nice with your neighbor. Finalize your will because --
Oh. It stopped.
Looks like it jammed.
It doesn't remain jammed for long because CERES is, if anything, highly efficient. So it starts up again. But then stops again. And then starts again. And then stops again. This may be a glitch in the level, actually.
So, you're still getting ever closer to fiery death, but... slowly. Very slowly. In fact, you could probably walk away from said fiery death faster than you're going towards it. It's like they can't even program a near death experience right!
PHASE IV [ 1125 ] Maybe you avoided the incinerator. Maybe you ended up in a different part of the level altogether. Maybe you just got lost. Either way, now you’re stuck with the age-old hobby of enthusiasts and the exceptionally desperate alike.
Dumpster diving.
And CERES wouldn't send you down there without an incentive, you know. If you look, it seems like there might be something valuable, something incredibly important and just for you. A shiny item that you’ve always wanted right from home and it’s right there in your grasp, something precious that you could never get in Cerealia. How it came to be there, nestled between an empty carton of eggs and a half-eaten cheeseburger, no one knows, but you'll be filled with the inescapable, all-consuming urge to go get it. Just jump right into that dumpster and get it.
The more you resist the urge, the more it'll hurt. (As in, physically hurt actually. The feeling will be comparable to your fingernails slowly being plucked out.)
This is ViViD though and the moment you hit the trash, the spell breaks. You'll see that your most precious thing, whatever it was, was never actually there. Instead, you seem to have actually grabbed something else and whatever it is, you can't let go of it. Be it an empty bottle of bacon soda or a bicycle tire with a giant hole in it, it's attached to your hand now and no matter what you do, you can't get it off.
Hopefully whatever you grabbed wasn't too big because it looks like you're not getting rid of it. Not till you beat the level.
BONUS [ why o'clock ] The odd thing about being stuck in a trash wasteland is that you can go for ages without seeing another person. Ages. Of course, CERES doesn't like that very much since ViViD games should be co-operative! Player with player! Player against player! Players who shouldn't be playing at all. That's the type of play CERES supports.
Which means the longer you go without seeing another person, the more you might feel an itch. It gets under your skin, making you feel dizzier and dizzier, and shorter and shorter of breath until -- you pass out. Vision going dark, breathing cutting out, and down you go into the trash and whatever this ViViD level has planned next.
It won't take long. You'll wake up feeling slightly confined and there will be a moving body next to you. It seems as if you've finally, finally found someone -- and they're really, really close. In fact, maybe a little too close? When you open your eyes, you'll see that the two of you may be bound together in a way that might be familiar to some.
But instead of a shirt, it's just a garbage bag. A really, really strong garbage bag that can't be broken out of no matter how strong you happen to be. No laser eyes, no super powers, nothing will separate you from this person other than, well, getting along.
There really is only one question you have to ask yourself now. Just one.
What the hell does this have to do with recycling?
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I used to play here eons ago but with another character haha i'd love to see a naruto cast!!
An... incinerator?! Maybe? I don't- I don't know. If we drop down from here' there's just garbage but past that -
[She really doesn't want to go down there to find out if she's right. Her eyes were almost never wrong when it counted and she'd like to hope that the incinerator would stop once it realized there were people in it. Maybe some sort of mechanism would keep them from burning to death?]
I don't think we should go down there.
[Unfortunately the robots didn't seem to care as more garbage began to rain down on them again, causing her to lean into him in order to avoid the brunt of it. Most of it trickled past them and down the rest of the way to the bottom.]
S-sorry... maybe we could try to climb back up?
[She speaks breathlessly in his ear, trying to ignore that she's pressed up against him at this point and holding herself up with both hands on either side of his head and practically straddling his legs while her feet are pressed to the wall below him. They too were infused with chakra to keep herself upright. It was basic knowledge for shinobi like them but still incredibly embarrassing for her.]
A Naruto cast would be really great! I would not protest if one started here
Guess that makes sense. [An incinerator to get rid of all of the crap laying around.] If there's no one down there who needs help, then we'd be better off getting out of here the same way we came in.
[Naruto wouldn't count on the incinerator recognizing them as people - the drones sure didn't. Should they get to the surface, they could prevent other people from getting dropped in.]
Yeah, let's go up. Hang on to me, I've got an idea.
[He knows that she's just as capable of climbing the side of the chute as he is but the sooner they get out of here, the less likely they are to get hit by more people being tossed in too. Plus, maybe she'll feel less embarrassed about their closeness if they their positions.
Him too because this is the closest he's ever been to a girl.]
no subject
[Incinerated. She won't say that. She doesn't really want to picture it either. They've already seen enough death in the war as it was.]
Oh. O-okay.
[Were this any other situation where their survival wasn't potentially on the line, she would definitely be more hesitant. She was embarrassed by how badly she probably smelled, but she always trusted Naruto's plans. Carefully, she places one hand on his shoulder and then the other, before wrapping her arms around his neck Her feet remained against the wall, holding her weight up with chakra that steadily flowed to her feet. Before her eyes slipped back to their normal opaque color, sans the veins beside them, she could see the steady flow of chakra in his veins and that was enough to steady her for the moment. It was hard to be afraid when he was with her. Letting her feet drop from the wall, she rests against him and waits for his plan. Even so, she did still feel bad that he was clearly going to be carrying her up.]
no subject
[Save the people who are still alive. Both of them are still hurting over the deaths that have already happened and if they dwelt on who might not have escaped, it would be difficult to focus on the now.
Behind her back, Naruto performs hand signs and several clones appear both above and below them. Then he reaches up to the closest one and grabs hold while the clone grips his wrist in return. Naruto wraps his free hand around Hinata's waist to make sure that she stays close because it's a tight fit in here to start with.]
Let's go! [Pushing off with his feet while the clone tugs, they propel upwards at a great speed (a lot faster than they would walking up the chute). Once they're moving the clone who pulled them up disperses and he keeps them going by putting a foot against the side of the chute until he can grab the next clone's hand. Again and again he uses his own strength plus that of his clones to send them skyrocketing up the chute while the clones at the very top use Rasengan to disintegrate any garbage being dumped in.
Within moments they're shooting through the opening and landing next to the chute which just so happens to be another pile of discarded items. Naruto almost slips on something slick but manages to keep them upright after a moment of unbalance.
Then he looks down at Hinata, forgetting that he's still holding on to her and her to him.]
You good?
oh my god naruto so smooth lmao
[Hinata's mouth sets into a grim line of determination, brows furrowed as she closes her eyes and feels Naruto begin to weave hand signs. Clinging onto him, she can already tell that he's made clones without looking - Naruto's best strategies often revolved around them, after all. Before she can even do more than gasp in surprise as they begin propelling up the chute, Hinata and Naruto have made it up to the surface. She does make a rather ungraceful 'eek' sound when he almost falls over, however.
The fact that they've moved so quickly has her in such a daze that it takes her a moment to realize he's still holding her.]
I-I'm fine, thank you for helping me back up.
[It was amazing she hadn't fallen back into the old stand by of fainting yet. He was welcome to put her down any time he liked, of course, before that happened.]
he's got moves like Jaeger, Hinata
Naruto grimaces at the sound as it's practically right by his ear and because he realized that if he had fallen, he would have taken her right along with him. Granted that he probably would have gone backwards and she would have landed on top of him again.
It's only when she speaks that he realizes that he's still got an arm around her. Once he's sure that Hinata is steady on her own feet does he let her go, the same hand to go ruffle the back of his hair.]
R-right. [Looking away because he can feel his cheeks burning a little now.] Now we just gotta avoid those flying things and find a way out of here.
legit haha
Where is here. This isn't... it's not the battlefield or Konoha either.
[Wide eyed and curious, she takes in their surroundings, before looking back to him.]
Are you alright? You were worried about me before so I wasn't able to be of much help.
[Had he been hurt when he had been forced down the chute? He did heal faster than anyone, but that still didn't stop her concern.]
all without even trying~
There was this thing that said we'd been brought here or something. I wasn't paying close attention.
[Obviously he should have been because then he might know what's actually going on around here. Though chances are that Naruto wouldn't have understood the game mechanics anyway.]
It's definitely not the battlefield or Konoha. [That much he's aware of.]
Yeah, I'm fine. Managed to smash up some of those things before they grabbed me. [He still has the tattered clothing that he'd been wearing during the battle against Obito, Madara and Kaguya. Yet Naruto doesn't look exhausted or injured at all.]
Re: all without even trying~
Hm.. well, we should still be careful in case they try to throw us down there again.
[As she says so, she's already looking for more enemies, staying close to him so that they don't become separated somehow.]
Maybe we can find an exit?
[This 'game' or whatever had to have a way out, right?]
no subject
Let's avoid them if we can.
[He scans the surrounding area and points to the tallest building he can see.]
We can get a better view from up there. C'mon.
[Then Naruto starts moving towards it, making sure to keep his footing in the piles of moving items beneath him.]
sorry for the late! was working on her app
She nods, moving closely behind him and letting him take the lead. A creaking sound is enough to startle her out of silence and makes her practically jump, bumping into him inadvertently.]
Ah- sorry!! I must have stepped on something and it just-
[Older bits of scrap metal, perhaps? Either way embarrassment caused her to fall silent. She was on edge as it was, being separated from their comrades.]
Let's keep moving.
[Before she embarrassed herself more.]
don't apologize. because app! come to me, Hinata!
The sound is heard and he looks around to find it but is ultimately distracted when she collides with his back gently.]
It's okay. [A small, hesitant and slightly embarrassed pause before Naruto holds out a hand.]
Yeah, c'mon. [This way she's walking beside him and feels more secure by the fact that they won't lose each other in the mess. And maybe... she needs it as much as he did on the battlefield after Neji's death.]
someone needs to keep Lee Naruto and Sasuke from breaking the place... lmao
Gently, she gives his fingers a light reassuring squeeze. She wanted to say more but what more could be said? They were both focused on the task at hand and the closer they got to their destination, the more focused she wanted to be. Let them prepare for anything - the worst or the best.]
I hope the others are alright...
[Their friends and comrades in arms weren't here. She hoped none of them had wound up in the fiery depths below the garbage chute.]