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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Not weird at all.
[ there's his earnest reply, because he agrees. he doesn't say as much, but the rush of freedom gave him a comfort that a stuffy, limited not-chat-noir lifestyle took away from him; there's hints of that underneath his statement, but nothing else.
with that out of the way chat chuckles again, continues in a tone that's still friendly, but not quite as serious. ]
As for France... Who knows? This place doesn't look familiar.
[ bless his luck tbh. and yes, he's a little worried about that fact, but he's trying to take it one step at a time. ]
We have a lot less "woah, endless wastelands" so I'm going to guess no, but again, I can't really be sure. [ a pause, then lightly, as a joke: ] Were we fighting?
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[ Is she being genuine or sarcastic? - the world may never know; her delivery is straddling the razor's edge between the two like a daredevil. ]
If France isn't anywhere nearby, and if you are equally against spending time surrounded by barren ruins and our potential kidnappers... [ softly ] How'd you end up here?
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[ his reminder of that oh-so-true (not) tidbit, which is very obviously just a simple tease at this point given the way he says it and what he says it to.
chat'll just take his almost-not-really-death-possibility (which seemed less and less likely the more he talks to her, honestly) in stride. speaking of strides, his are quickening into a run; it seems that request of hers is being taken seriously. given how she'd mentioned this was kind of fun, there was no harm in showing off a bit, was there?
gotta go fast.
( not to mention it helps him not think too hard about the fact he has no clue what to do after they find that cover they're looking for. ) ]
I don't usually like to say I'm clueless... [ here's where chat'll give her his first minor hint of hesitation. he shakes his head, as if shaking off that tone. ] You get to hear me admit it twice, since I've got no idea about that, eith— hold on!
[ his warning as he makes a leap over a minor trash hill. he could move around it, but nah. ]
—Anyway, if you're talking potential kidnappers, you're probably in the same spot, huh? That might be helping our teamwork.
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[ She'd been a spectacular sport up until that last-minute manoeuvre of his, which, while equally smooth and effective, raises her hackles just the slightest bit. Those arms wound around his neck will be getting tighter! ] So from here on out I can count on you to be absolutely in control of things all the time, huh? Mm. That's good to know. No wonder you're so carefree with these nine lives of yours.
[ But that brings her attention to something largely irrelevant to survival and tragedy etc. etc. (Plus, she's adjusting to the change in speed now, and the trip is back to being fun.) ]
What's this you're wearing? I've never seen this material before! Like leather, only different.
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it's a plagg, magical floating kitty companion thing. plagg leather? plaggther? he considers the question. ]
—You have an eye for quality, Goldilocks. And, uh, a good grip.
[ ahem. ]
The reason you've never seen it is because it's one of only two things that use it. The suit, I mean. [ and because saying "i have no clue what it's made of" is lame, he continues: ] It's... like pleather. Special pleather.
[ plagg leather, pleather, close enough. ]
One-of-a-kind, like it's one-of-a-kind pawsitively in control owner. [ ... ] Or, well, two-of-a-kind. My partner's suit's the same.
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She shifts a little to get a better look at his ears and tail. ] And does efurryone in Super Chat's France have these? [ Lord, the punning has spread. ]
1/2
... he almost trips. help. ]
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look, he's not used to girls actually playing along with him. he's used to the sassy ones bopping him on the nose and telling him to get serious with undertones of what he hopes is endearment, though he can't really be sure—
—regardless, he lets all that punning settle, the unexpectedness of it all spreading into something like amusement. and he clears his throat. chuckles.
help. ]
Ambushed is a purr-ty strong word.
[ CONSIDERING SHE WAS THE ONE WITH THE SAW ]
Now, I can tail you dish out questions almost as much as you dish out nicknames and cat puns. Trying to furgure out all my secrets?
[ he'll retain his pun king crown. ]
½ 2: electric boogaloo
But was it really so obvious? It's not her fault his presence coaxes the stupid jokes out of her! ]
Meowby. You've already got two of mine: questions and cat puns. [ chuckles.
help. ] Besides, you can't blame me. I know this is a forced alliance, but we're doing a pretty pawesome job and I don't know if I want catpetitio- OH NO! Noir, watch out!
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good thing rapunzel is the more competent of the two right now, as her quick thinking wrangles that roadblock to the side enough for chat to easily manoeuvre around their impending doom (he's used to working around the openings Girls That Are Probably Better Than Him offer). sparkly teamwork, forced alliances don't even matter.
chat blinks once (that was an almost His Partner kind of thing). a smirk, and what the words he offers rapunzel next sound impressed. ]
Nice throw, Rapawnzel!
[ new nickname?? not that the that drone is giving any time for it to settle, as it seems to take interest in them now; it drops that billboard fragment (plus the hair nestled around it in the process), turns to the two of them. chat straightens a tad in response. ]
Buuut, looks like it's not a fan. Or maybe it just finds us more interesting than a smelly billboard, not that I disagree—
[ this is the time. he's at least motioning for rapunzel to get onto the ground as he lets out his light observations. you know, in case they need to do the following: ]
—Should we get it out of the way?
[ bad influences. h e l p. ]
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Other things going up the wall include Rapunzel's heart rate as she hits the ground and crouches low. It's exhilarating, sure, to have her entire field of vision rendered suddenly sharp and, not to put too fine a point on it but, yes, vivid. But having her life in immediate danger for the third time in a single hour is pushing it.
Not that it makes any difference. Chat's suggestion turns her grin wicked. ] I bet that thing is combustible. If we drop a few pounds of that hard, shiny stuff onto it... [ Now she's seeing explosions in her imagination. Just like the chemistry book. And wasn't the author of that French too? ]
Hiss-tory.
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hiss-tory, she said. he huffs out a half-laugh, twirling the staff into a ready position. ]
Remind me not to get on your bad sidwoah—!
[ a tease that's not quite serious but maybe it is, through the glimpses he's gotten of her with the saw, her with her hair-lasso, and now her with her plan.
he's cut off mid-sentence by the drone's quick race forward towards him; he swivels away from it's attempted grab as he speaks again, wielding the staff like a sword and hitting the drone further away. ]
—Er, get on your bad side again. [ since that happened. apparently. ambushed and all, though he could very well argue the circumstances of that situation. chat steals another glance at her. ] Since it's just one tincan, how about we test out that teamwork of ours? Tell me where to swing my claws, I'll swing 'em there, something like... I'll be the brawns, you be the brains?
[ this is the time.
there just seems to be something fun about that, and he doesn't quite see the risk in this, so excuse him— ]
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For example: ] Y-Yeah! I mean - yes. [ beaming ] Brilliant idea. If we survive this? You're gonna have to tell me where I can get one of these cat suits made of special, one-of-a-kind meowterial. [ To think she was once appalled at his ability to do verbal dance steps under pressure and now she's the one doing it. Is now the time for ballroom banter!??
It most certainly is not.
The drone, having recovered from Chat's clever swordplay, is soaring down for another strike. ]
LEFT! Jump and swing to your left!
[ plain speak at last ]
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just one tincan, after all. he trust himself, and certainly he's finding he can trust her, so he doesn't move until prompted. just as he'd said. and, even as he does, his response to her ballroom banter comes as easily as it... usually does.
on top of the sound of metal on metal, there's his voice. just a tad bit smug. a bit mock offended. ]
If! [ unbelievable. chat lands neatly on his feet, the drone struck, awaiting the next instructions. ] You know, Rapawnzel, it takes a certain cattitude to rock a suit like this.
[ no it doesn— well, okay, maybe that's true.
he's trying to be reassuring, really. really, he is. ]
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Try to get it under that bridge! [ As she shouts, her hands are working through her hair, forming a strap she can use for pulling and manipulating at a distance. ] Weave in and out of the pillars. The flying thing have to follow you. Hopefully it'll also run itself into the foundation and that'll bring the whole thing down!
[ Rapunzel, of course, will try weakening the overpass herself in time for the grand finale by adding pressuring to the cracks with her hair. But she leaves that bit out, hoping at once that he'll figure it out for himself and that he won't think too hard about it. He'll need to be very fast in order not to get crushed when the drone goes down. ]
[ If her plan works. ]
Break a whisker, I guess!