The desert. It's hot. It's sandy. It's filled with creepy monsters and things. But mostly it's hot and sandy and there's a whole lot of nothing. You appear and wonder "why am I here? What is there to do here? Is that a cow skull? Do cows live out here in this desert? How can cows live in the desert? Maybe it's a horse?" These are all very complicated questions with equally complicated answers but there's no one to provide them no matter where you look. Instead, you're given the option of walking. Forwards, backwards, to your right, to your left, any direction is yours to take. Try not to die from dehydration or something, that would be a sad ViViD death and the cow-horse skull might start laughing at you. I mean, you'll just start over from the beginning anyway but still.
Welcome to ViViD's new line of Vacation Spotlights: Desert Edition.
Moo-Neigh.
 One wish, that's all you get.
Make it snappy, I don't have all day.
Actually, I have eternity but I just don't want to spend it with you.
|
PHASE I [ 6 00 ] So.
There's sand.
In fact, there's so much sand that there's probably already sand in your shoes and your shorts and all sorts of other places that aren't fun to have sand in. It stretches for miles and miles, in large dunes and deep dips, and above it all there are three suns that beat down upon everyone's backs. Why three? Because why not, that's why. Enjoy the sunshine and try not to get sunburnt.
You've got a long ways to travel before you find anything but sand, but thankfully you're not alone -- there are a bunch of unfortunate stragglers who are out with you, so it's time to make some friends as you travel. You've got pleeeeenty of time. No water though. Or food. Or... anything but human interaction.
Thankfully, it's only a matter of time before you stumble across your hot new ride. Thankfully, it seats two, so you and your new friend can enjoy a cramped road trip. You, this relative stranger, and the great... sandy... unknown! Good luck!
PHASE II [ 645 ] If you prefer to not take your ride, you're going to wish that you did soon enough. Every desert level has to have desert monsters, after all. You're walking through the sand, trying to make it to somewhere that isn't sand, and then suddenly, the sand worms appear.
Or.
Well.
They try.
Unfortunately, they're little more than 5 or 6 inches tall apiece, and they'll mostly try to eat your shoes and socks. How scary.
Alternatively, if you have actually taken that sweet ride of yours on an adventure through the desert, you're going to hit something at one point. It makes a rather pitiful scream and there's a small bump underneath your tire before your car comes to a stop. You just ran over a sand worm.
Anyone who is intrepid enough to kill a sand worm though will find one interesting thing about them. They're filled with water, and you are very, very thirsty. Ew.
PHASE III [ 1000 ] It sure is hot.
And unless you've devoured one of those poor, sad, screaming sand worms, there's no water to be found. It feels as though you've been wandering in circles for ages, so perhaps it's really no surprise that the heat starts to get to you. First come the headaches, and the thirst. Then the dizziness and vertigo.
And finally, the mirages.
What you see is a waterfall cascading into a crystal pool, beautiful and pristine and painfully cool. It's just begging for you to come enjoy it, and -- wait, there's one more thing. Standing in front of that pool is either someone you care about immensely or someone you hate immensely.
And either way, the things they say or do will be the same. First they reach for you, beckoning, and they they start to detail all of the things they'd like to do to you. NSFW, SFW, loving or cruel or so many things in between, all that's honestly consistent is that it's pretty shocking.
Oh, and awkwardly, it seems as though anyone with you can see and hear that hallucination too. That's embarrassing.
PHASE IV [ 1215 ] Eventually, though, you'll find your destination. Or... at least, it seems like it should be the destination. The tiny temple is at least a change from the endless sand, and in the middle of it, there's a lamp. That sure looks familiar.
If you rub the lamp, of course, you'll release the genie, and he'll glance at you, and inspect his fingernails as though you're hardly worth his time, and offer you one, single wish.
As soon as you make it, well... You'll get the opposite of what you wish for with a sudden apology note in your hand. The card will read "Sorry, this level isn't entirely finished yet - Mosley" before immediately disappearing. Your wish will only apply in ViViD, of course, but hopefully you didn't wish for anything too crazy, or you might have made the level Much Harder for everyone around you.
BONUS [ why o'clock ] One second you're walking along the desert sand, enjoying the eternally same view, and the next there's a sudden pinch on your ankle, and a scorpion monster scuttles away quickly. Whoops, looks like you've been stung.
But it's not poison, it would seem. Aside from feeling a little odd and having a mild fever, you're fine.
More importantly, you've now found yourself in possession of some... new powers (a la Spider-man), and they're...
Well, they're useless.
Maybe you can summon water now, but... only sulfur water. Perhaps you can now make pretty light shows and that's about all. You can see the future but only the next three seconds. The possibilities are endless, but what's for certain is that they're all completely and utterly useless to you.
What the fuck, ViViD.
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lie ren | RWBY
( ren sits barechested, his shirt wrapped around his head to keep the sun off. his legs are crossed, his eyes closed.
?????
at least he's not dead... maybe? someone should probably check on him. )
( he's... not a fan of the ride, to be charitable, but he makes use of it all the same. the desert is a travail leaving him desperately unhappy. already, the sun is causing his skin to burn a crisp red and peel — starting with the tip of his nose. when his hair falls away from the nape of his neck, spikes of paler skin peek through, patches left untouched by the three suns.
he could have walked for days and gotten nowhere. this cuts down this trip. he doesn't mind pink all that much, although he'd be okay without the teddy bear in the back seat.
watching him.
staring at him.
occasionally shifting.
yeuch.
the one thing no one expects while driving a barbie dream car through an alien desert though? a back-end collision. his vehicle lurches forward abruptly and the wheels screech, meeting more sand than they had anticipated. craning his neck, ren peers over his shoulder to gaze his assailant in the eyes. )
Ah.
Nora.
( nora valkyrie isn't actually here, plot twist — but ren sees her, and so does everyone else who happens by. she's bouncing around in the pool. loudly, happily, nakedly.
ren's bare from the waist up again but for a very different reason. shirt in hand, he waves it, his agitation genuine and the pin his gesticulation spins on. )
Please put this on.
( his wish hadn't been said out loud — in fact, he hadn't even intended to make one, but thoughts will act as they are wont to do. what results from his silent wondering is a cruel joke, unstringing ren's composure and causing his mouth to turn. dead autumn leaves crunch under his feet and for a square distance of about five feet across by five feet down is a cemetery on a cool day. grave markers stained with age lack names or dates. )
That's-
Pretty morbid.
ii
(He really wants to believe this is a dream. It's a very real dream, realer than he's used to, but it has to be a dream.)
He was trying to figure out if there was any kind of GPS system in the buggie. That meant looking away from where he was going, but hey, there's nobody else out here. The worst thing that can happen is he ends up driving back over the same nothing he's already driven over. At least, that's the theory.
The reality is that he just drove right into the back of someone else's fashionable purple ride, and that guy's looking right at him. Dammit.]
Hey!
[Kenta's hopping out of his car and making his way forward. He looks all right but aren't these the kinds of accidents where people don't know until later if they're injured?]
Are you OK?
no subject
I'm fine. ( with a discerning eye, he glances over the back of the car. it seems undamaged. good. ) You?
no subject
He meets the other guy where their cars have struck. There are some scrapes on the hood of his buggie but he really doesn't care.]
Huh? Oh, I'm fine. Sorry about that. It'll still run, right?
I
no subject
no subject
His head undergoes a slight, inquisitive tilt. Need any assistance, man?]
no subject
ren flicks a brief look past lee's shoulder. are we walking? )
1/2
While Ren's hair falls, Rock Lee's hair proceeds to... ... ...still be a bowlcut. Very well then. Moving on!
Ah, he can tell that gesture easily. So, Rock Lee answers with a simple nod-]
no subject
Yes!! Let us travel together!
[It was a miracle he was silent for more than one comment tbh]
iv
It's still hot in the air when the "wish" is granted and the cemetery takes form. Cemeteries never seem to be associated with the heat and summer sun. It looks even more out of place in the desert.
Even if it is next to a temple. ]
You should always be wary when dealing with magic.
[ Or at least, that's what he presumes the genie is. Some form a demon.
Something this person just willingly apparently made a deal with. ]
Too many fall prey to the temptation and don't even realise until it's too late. How are you feeling?
[ Though he may not believe whichever answer he hears now, though thankfully he isn't going to be quick to strike at someone for merely not saying anything when this thing seems to be taking initiative. ]
i!
Should Ren open his eyes, he'll find the culprit standing a couple of feet away from him, one of their hands covered in sand. Frisk doesn't even seem to feel guilty about it. Rather, they're tilting their head at him, squinting like they're trying to figure something out. Maybe they thought he was dead? It's a mystery.]