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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kuroh yatogami | k project
PHASE III
PHASE IV
BONUS
iv
which is to say, kuroh lands on yata who had just arrived in this particular stage of vivid. he didn't want to be here, but here he is! and this is clearly the best way to welcome him, too. ]
— Ggk!
[ instead of helping the guy, he immediately pushes kuroh away and shoves him to the side. he hasn't even seen kuroh's scantily clad "friend"; ]
Watch where you're going you little— [ spoke too soon. ] —Ack! Shit dog! [ yata finally sees who he's talking to, but his reaction is reserve for the cardboard cutout. he'll pay attention to you later, black dog. ] Get away from that!
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... misaki yata? ah, that rude and uncouth man. he might have shunned his attempt at friendship, but kuroh intuits there's something trustworthy about him deep down. perhaps it was a clansman-to-clansman thing. he can't say he isn't relieved to see a familiar face, even if it's ... this one. )
A-again with that name? ( it slips out in an indignant huff, face reddening as he scrambles to stand. with his waifu. ) It's stuck! She's stuck! ( and he has to ask for his help. probably. )
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he immediately backs away, hands now soiled with the awful stench of garbage, as well as actual garbage sticking to them. this is awful! ]
Ah- Ah! Put it away! [ he can be more coherent and use his words better, but until kuroh gets rid of his waifu, yata will continue acting like a blubbering child. ]
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I can't move my hands. ( he can't even channel anything properly into them ... he could recklessly use his abilities, but it seems so embarrassing. to try on something that has to have a simpler method of removal.
so he puts the embarrassing onus on yata instead. ) Here. ( he turns his face, glancing away as he pushes the waifu closer to the little punk. )
Burn it.
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[ yata already considers kuroh as someone who is probably on the verge of madness. the guy's practically obsessed with a tape recorder! lunatiiiic. and now, kuroh comes up with this idea to burn a cardboard waifu. IT'S NOT A BAD IDEA, just. shocking. and yata definitely has no qualms with burning something that's stuck on one of his allies, but- it's a woman.
and then kuroh shoves waifu-chan over to him??? NOT COOL, BRO. ] What the hell are you doing!
[ kuroh may have wanted yata to burn it, but he just punched the hell out of that cardboard (and kuroh, i guess.) because why would you do this to him. ]
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he reels, taking a step back, the cardboard still attached. only now she has a grotesque hole through her face ... of which kuroh's fury can be captured through. )
You —— ...
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iv what are these prompts
And that's why Sougo is piqued enough to go over. ]
Ah, it's Long-Hair again. [ what's his name? ] I think you're impaling her with the wrong organ.
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his deep voice raises several pitches, breath hitched to a near-squeak. ) I don't know what you mean by that! ( of course he does, and it's horrible. he clears his throat, trying on a more prideful approach. one that says he's not about to be defeated by this lewd cutout waifu stuck to him, with her soulless eyes and -- )
And I certainly don't need your unhelpful remarks. ( he can't even draw his blade this way, let alone use his colorless abilities.)
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Seconds later, he procures a dog collar that probably belonged to someone's dog a long time ago. There's a tag that reads 'Taco'. That was probably that dog's name. ]
Looks like you can find all sorts of stuff in this trash-filled dump. [ His idle chatter doesn't seem to match his actions at all as he moves over to clip the collar around Kuroh's neck. He then ties the end of the chain to the cardboard girl's hand.
Perfect ..... ]
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—— clip ——
he startles, eyes wide, then fixed in an incredulous glare. )
Just what do you think it is you're doing? ( is that a chain. what the hell. he begins to back away, thinking he might need to fight. the cutout might make him look stupid, but ... there are worse things ... )
What is this? ( he asks, with cautious ... pessimism. be careful, the dog might snap ... )
and by that i mean bonus
[ Bound, yes, and back-to-back. Lucina had awoken with a start a few minutes ago, having been set carefully in a seated position, legs draped out in front of her and Falchion at an awkward angle. Every few moments, she can feel the jut of his ponytail up against the back of her head.
She grimaces, but otherwise lets no unease shake her voice. She's even sounding, and if she doesn't sound precisely gentle nor does she sound disconcertingly severe.
Sighs, but not at him, and says - ]
We need to stand up together, alright? Can you do that?
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the voice behind him is steady, at least. there isn't any panic, a fact that helps instill calmness in himself. his brow furrows as he shifts, trying not to feel his pride wounded by that last question. ) Of course. ( she doesn't know if he's injured or not. it's not that she assumes he's weak. probably. still, the need to prove himself useful is incensed. he bends his leg at its knee, then folds his other in, heel pressing on to the ground. he'll patiently wait to feel her shift, then synchronize. ) What material is this?
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[ It seems, to Lucina, a rather odd question under the circumstances, but that's all the thought she gives it. Eccentricities are not unknown to her—she even has a few herself. Perhaps he's very interested in fabric. Perhaps there was a practical purpose to his asking. It's less important, she's decided, than getting them both up and free of this peculiar bond.
She bends and then, when she's sure he's capable of following her lead, she stands. Quick and efficient, without even needing to time it out loud. Gnarly. ]
There.
[ Just, you know. They stood. It feels like something worth remarking on. Except... when she speaks next, Lucina's tone is a bit less sure. ]
I need you do something else for me, now.
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her voice rings faintly in his ears, and he stops for a second to process the statement. some segue into a request? okay. the immediate concern is getting out of this. )
Yes? ( he offers her quietly, with no trepidation or resistance in his voice. there are worse things, and she seems ...capable. this stranger. )
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My sword.
[ With them back-to-back and standing, it's no longer at a precarious slant across the floor, and Kuroh should be able to feel some sort of weight near his hip. ]
It's fixed at my waist. With it, we should be able to get ourselves free of this restraint, but -
[ BUT SHE CAN'T REACH IT OKAY :( ]
My arms are quite peculiarly bound. Can you reach it?
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phase I
He doesn't actually expect Kuroh to be having too much trouble, but he'd have to be completely oblivious not to notice his new predicament. Even in a video game, dealing with vermin like that is disgusting. If he were the type to slow clap, he would, but he'll settle for being rude. Shocking.]
You've got bigger problems then recycling right now, don't you?
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and just as he senses, he hears the formidable presence behind him. )
... Saruhiko Fushimi. ( he swallows. ) So you're here as well.
( and, because he's polite: ) Could you please turn around? Just for a moment.
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I've probably been here longer than you. This place is like that. [Just... just deal with your rat problem, man.]
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while fushimi is turned, he'll hear a zip. then a small cry. maybe see a flash of light and aura in his peripheral. then hear the scurrying of a rat, running far away in exile.
then ... another zip, and the clearing of a throat. ) I see. Not unlike the doings of a powerful Strain.
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Something like that. It's an entire company, or so they say, instead of any one powerful individual. All this... [A vague gesture at the endless garbage scenery.] It's part of their games, too.
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bonus - i hate myself
[ and delighted he is to be able to weave this tale.
currently, kuroh is bound to him, face-to-face, straddled securely unto his lap and being the sole cushion between the younger man and the trash below. which means that a king is now acting like his own placemat, seated in trash like he belongs there. how does that make you feel? fortunately, munakata doesn't seem to view it in a degrading manner - in fact, it might serve as a sort of payback for having making a complete shitshow out of kuroh in his duel with the silver clanmate a year ago.
from his position, kuroh is nearly a head taller than him, and munakata's curious cant of his head causes his glasses to catch the reflection of stray light, glaring off of them like mirrors. ]
For what seems to be hours, I was testing the parameters of this particular program - hoping I could perhaps get clued in to the 'reality' of this level. But it didn't seem to do me any particular favors - in fact, straying farther away from my initial area triggered a sort of need for me to find someone. [ and then... a creepy... smile. but a genuine one, at least? ] That was when I caught a glimpse of your hair.
iii
But she still hasn't completely lost her spirit as she looks at Kuroh with... well, suspicion. Sorry, bro.]
Do you intend to cut me down in an attempt to help?
[why the katana. can you calm down.]
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it... wasn't necessary. but he likes to be prepared. and also it makes him look more cool and noble, so ... )
...i'm sorry. Does it frighten you?
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Not particularly. [Not a lie, honestly. One of her attendants would use swords to fight, so-]
But it seems like a bit much for the current situation. Unless you can cut your way out of here?