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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ugh our shame pile
Yeah, well. There're a bunch of us here. Like, at least half of the army I'm part of, so it's not like you won't get the chance to see another one. [But what if she thinks he's trying to scoot out of this because he's not an impressive blade?? WHAT THEN. UGH... No, his reputation might be at risk?! She might spread a rumor or something! "Kashuu Kiyomitsu, a sword who talks big but can't put his money where his mouth is." He can't have that.
So after a second of hesitation, he'll reach down to his side and unsheathe the blade there. BUT NOT HOLD IT CLOSE TO HER.
Anyway, he's a pretty blade?! Well-maintained, sharp, with a deep red sheathe and a tsuba carved to look like a flower, but there's nothing particularly exciting or supernatural or incredible about him. Nothing that screams "I WAS SELECTED TO BE A TIME-TRAVELING TSUKUMOGAMI" anyway.]
the shame pile and the sin pit....
Oh. [no demented sword faces today apparently, but. she wilts in disappointment...] I see. You're not cute at all.
[HOW MEAN BUT before kashuu can stab her] More like... pretty. I guess your appearance does make more sense now.
WHERE DID THE SIN PIT COME FROM
But as long as she doesn't try to make a grab for his sword, he doesn't seem too fussed with having it out in the open. How tragic that it's not shining with sacred light or basically that Marley & Marley door knocker from A Muppet's Christmas Carol.
ANYWAY he's totally gearing up to be insulted about that--!! His expression twists up into indignant anger and everything, but then she saves herself from being shanked, and Kashuu sputters a little.]
Well— Yeah, that too. [Pretty is a nice descriptor...] ...Most of us kinda reflect what our original bodies look like, anyway, or our history. Like, Mikazuki's super elegant and beautiful, Tsurumaru looks just like a pretty crane - that kinda stuff. [Just droppin famous sword names left and right nbd...]
SDLFJLMF IT JUST REMINDED ME OF OUR KONDOU THIRST OKAY
Mikazuki? Mikazuki Munechika? [but then she actually looks surprised at those names because what the?? THOSE SWORDS ARE TSUKUMOGAMI??? She might not be a samurai or a sword maniac, but she's of course heard of those names. Oda Nobunaga owns Tsurumaru Kuninaga, right? Does he know that he has a tsukumogami... but more importantly]
Who are you then? [now she's fully expecting him to be someone equally famous...]
UGH OUR SIN PIT THIRST.... thirsting after a married man
That said, he nods once to confirm that he is indeed talking about The Mikazuki Munechika™. Ah, their famous grandpa... He totally does belong to someone famous, too! Though he doesn't say his name like he expects her to recognize it - not because he assumes she's from an earlier time period, as is the case, but because he doesn't usually like it when people recognize it. Because people who know "Kashuu Kiyomitsu, Okita Souji's sword" also know "Kashuu Kiyomitsu, the sword that broke at Ikedaya".
So!! He just defaults to his usual greeting, albeit with a little more wariness.]
I'm the child beneath the river, Kashuu Kiyomitsu.
now it's immortalized in our headers....
I've never heard of you. [she doesn't even say it to be mean in this case. just being honest!!] But I've never traveled outside of Oumi either.
[so... maybe he is famous!! maybe he's a sword talked about only among samurai tea clubs. actually, this works out pretty well! Okuni might have been appropriately awed if Kashuu had been another Great Sword, but not knowing is fun too.]
Is that where you were made? Near a river? [IN A RIVER???]
FUCK NOW WE CANT HIDE
Oumi? That's not far from Kyoto. [Shouldn't she have at least heard of the Shinsengumi?? GOSH... He'll catch on to the fact that she's Old soon enough, but for now, his nose just wrinkles a little in confusion.
As for that:] I was forged by the dry riverbed, so I'm a child of the river, see?
[Which she might recognize as a euphemism for being part of the burakumin class... He doesn't try to hide it, despite its stigma.]
how do u have time to tag me and drag me into swordhell aT THE SAME TIME
Ah. [she does. She's never met anyone of that class, but considering the reputation the Kumou twins have themselves... Things like taboo and social order and being on the dregs of society are just words that don't mean anything, just excuses to chain people down due to their circumstances. And if it's one thing Okuni hates, that's being judged for your circumstances.]
The river must be really proud then, for giving birth to a pretty sword. [matter-of-factly!! because this is a fact and it's not like Okuni is being nice right now or ANYTHING!!!] The sword smiths of Oumi don't even come close.
[which is another fact... even tho it sounds like she's trashing her hometown WHICH SHE IS but]
IM MULTITALENTED watch as i destroy u in 2 places at once
That said, he was kind of ready to FIGHT HER because she seems like the sort of punkass who'd have a lot to say about basically everything and being from that pariah of a class is definitely a huge target, so... it's actually a little surprising, hearing something so nice. Maybe Okuni's being a tsuntsun, but it is a nice thing to hear. He still remembers, you know? He still remembers when merchants would visit, how they would hold cloths over their mouths because they thought even breathing the air of their hinin village would taint them. He remembers the look on the faces of those who were interested in buying him up until they heard the name of his smith. Ah, Beggar Kiyomitsu, a talented swordsman but a man of the slums. He'd get famous for his fine craftsmanship someday, but Kashuu wouldn't be able to reap any benefits there.
He's quiet a little longer than he'd like, but ends up sheathing his blade again as he clears his throat. Being taken off-guard like that is a little embarrassing...]
My smith wasn't really known for making beautiful blades, but he said I was one of his best. [It's something that he should be crowing about, but he says it with a strange air of near-detachment instead.] So... thanks. That guy was a real weirdo, but he'd probably have been happy to hear it, too.
[Here she can smacktalk her hometown while he smacktalks his smith...]
IM REGRETTING
Praise should be given when it's deserved. [this coming from the person who likes doling out backhanded compliments more than real compliments. But she gets it... It's odd, but Kashuu seems more human to her now than he had before, even when he was screeching over imaginary rats.]
[she takes a couple of steps back, FINALLY GIVING KASHUU SOME SPACE, and looks up. it's like she's remembering they're in trash land.]
Hey, do you have any special abilities as a tsukumogami? Like... flying? Or jumping really high? [iS KASHUU SUPERMAN]
POINTS AT EYES POINTS AT U
But gosh!! This is all very kind of her, all things considered. She's being so thoughtful in the way that she's handling this that Kashuu can almost forgive her for being so pushy and unpleasant earlier! (Okay, not "almost" - he's a very forgiving sword.)
It seems like she understands him pretty well, too. One of his least favorite things is discussing those difficult aspects of being human. Emotions, thoughts, how the two tie together; he doesn't like any of that. It's often too painful, and he doesn't like inflicting pain on himself. So! If she's gonna back up and shift the topic, he'll follow along seamlessly, like they hadn't just toed into vaguely personal waters.]
Well... I mean, this body isn't real, so I can do a lot of stuff that humans can't. Not flying or jumping high enough to get to the top of the chute, though. If someone could throw my vessel super hard up to the top, I could re-manifest up there, but I still wouldn't be able to help anyone else back up unless I went to find some rope or something.
SHIELDS YOUR EYES
Hmm. [She appreciates how he follows along though. Because it's not like she did that on purpose!! figuring out a way to get out is important... Plus, those are all facts that are important to know at the moment. She's not sure what he means by re-manifesting exactly but she thinks she gets the gist of it.] I could throw you.
[but that also requires for 1.) Kashuu to trust her with his vessel and 2.) Okunit to trust Kashuu not to run off and leave her here stranded... which is something Kashuu probably wouldn't do but Okuni understands that being a punk comes with consequences here!!!]
I bet you'd say no if I suggested making a giant pile of trash to reach the top, hm?
[she's not that eager to sort out trash either...]
WHY MINE
I don't wanna climb on all that garbage.
[He answers that question RIGHT AWAY... So yes, "no" is his immediate response to the idea of first building a mountain of trash and then climbing a mountain of trash.
But the alternative is trusting Okuni with his vessel!! Which is a Big Deal, you know! So he kind of sideeyes her for a second, brow drawn downward, expression serious.]
Can you like, even throw that far?
BECAUSE THEY'RE EYES OF SIN
[She makes a tiny amused sound equivalent to a 'I KNEW IT' because of course kashuu the sword who calls himself cute wouldn't be keen on trash climbing. but then he questions her arm strength... Which actually gets her to look up at the chute entrance again because unlike some Kumous, she doesn't have inhuman monster strength capable of bringing down entire stone walls... but she's no green bean!! She looks back up at the trash heap she made earlier... back when she was being super mean... And snaps her fan in that direction.]
I'll just climb back up and throw you from there. That should make it easier. [turning to look at Kashuu expectantly... how about it compadre]
why are u so cruel to me
But she's not wrong, and Kashuu isn't going to pretend he's a cool enough bean to be okay with trash climbing. HE'S NOT. He doesn't even like trash being under his feet okay, and those are protected by shoes!! Shoes that he'll need to scrub 10 times once he leaves...]
...If you think you can do it, okay.
[HE'S TRUSTING YOU, OKUNI. WITH HIS LIFE!! Kind of literally, even!]
But if you get me lodged in garbage or something, I'm never gonna forgive you.
WHO'S CRUEL TO WHO
I won't. [she NOTICEABLY does not say the word promise... because once it's a promise then Okuni is probably like 300% tempted to break it... let's not jinx it yet.] And I'll return those words right back at you. If you leave me behind, then I'll tell everyone I come across that Kashuu Kiyomitsu is a totally not cute and super mean uchigatana who can't kill rats.
[so she's not gonna kill him or come after him.... just put him in the burn book????]
YOU'RE CRUEL TO ME, INNOCENT AKI, A PURE FLOWER
Honestly that's more effective than a death threat to a sword like Kashuu, though. His reputation is important!! He needs to defend it!]
Lucky for you, I'm not the kinda sword who abandons people who need help.
[He's a good sword! He lives up to what he was made for, even if it means he has to shank some people to do it.]
Should I climb up with you, or can you carry me without getting me dirty?
a pure flower whose roots reach ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE HELL OF TRAGIC CANONS
It's better if I carry you. I put in a lot of traps while making that hill. [and it'd be a pain to tell other people about them, apparently... why did she put in traps]
i cant believe u made me read these lies with my own two eyes
...Traps? [THE LOOK ON HIS FACE SAYS "WHY" but then he just looks tired.] No, no - any answer is just gonna give me a headache. I'll leave it to you from here, okay?
[And then in the ULTIMATE DISPLAY OF TRUST, he'll slide his vessel from his side and hold it out for Okuni to take.]
it's like the reverse emperor's clothes... only impure people can read them
Okay! [kashuu already knows how to deal with Okuni.... looking tired and not asking any questions... Okuni will graciously accept Kashuu's vessel because Kashuu decided to trust her anyway and she should be touched, but instead she's like 'oooh pretty'... But she's holding it properly with both hands instead of sticking it under her obi and forgetting about it!!]
[She looks back at Kashuu because what is he going to do now... disappear??]
what does that say about u who typed them then!!
He's tired and he'll continue to be tired but at least he knows how to handle Okuni! Kind of... Close enough for now, honestly. Anyway, after making sure that she isn't about to drop him in a pile of gunk or stuff him under her obi or chuck him like a javelin directly into the wall, he'll... disappear, yep. THAT'S IT. Without any fuss or fanfare, he's just gone, like he'd never been there at all.]
DAMMIT
I wonder, can you talk in this form too? [probably... not?? maybe, but she's just seen a perfectly normal looking dude disappear in front of her eyes and she can't really detect his presence hiding in any trash heaps so ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. she is very OPEN-MINDED RIGHT NOW.]
ugh shoves u into the impure pit GOOD BYe
That said, if Okuni has spiritual awareness, she'll be able to hear a weird disembodied Kashuu voice answering back with:]
Kiiinda. It's a lot harder for people to talk to me like this, though.
[And if she doesn't, she'll only hear silence. The woes of being a sword spirit, honestly.]
I'M WAITING FOR THE DAY YOU GET PUSHED IN TOO
[Instead, she'll reach the top in record time, dodging certain areas because that's where all her trap cards are of course.]
Alright! I'm going to throw you now. [and with that, she finds her solid footing, pulls Kashuu's vessel back, and then FLINGS IT UP!! All the way up!! At an angle too, so that Kashuu safely lands outside the chute and not precariously at the edge... hopefully he doesn't land in slimy trash...]
WOW how rude.....
Instead, he just... well, he can't really brace himself for impact since he's a dang sword, but he mentally readies himself! And then he's being flung, oh boy!! Miraculously, he manages to avoid landing in any slimy trash, though his fall is softened by a nice big pile of empty packaging from who-knows-what. Nothing smelly or gooey, anyway, and that's what's important.
And as for re-manifesting... WELL. If Okuni's looking up toward the chute, she'll see a flash of brilliant light and then a... a shower of sakura petals... There sure are a lot?! Seems this part is a lot flashier than disappearing. And then, the sound of Kashuu's voice before his head pops over the chute's edge!]
I made it! Good toss!
SHAKES FIST AT
RUNS AWAY LIKE A SUPERVILLAIN
a purehearted supervillain...
oh what a glamorous title..
AKI UR TAG CRACKED ME UP
GOOD points at eyes points at u
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