//TESTDRIVE2.0.EXE

[reparator]

//TESTDRIVE2.0.EXE Welcome to the Castle-town of Valoria The prototype of ViViD's newest level has been complete. However, right now, only a single castle-town is open and available to be accessed with a mini-mission for all registered players. This castle-town is currently undergoing a terrible plague that causes those who drink the water to become strongly infected by the venom laced within. The venom creates a form of volatile madness known as The Maenas, and it is said to originate by a single flower growing in the center of the castle-town's lake. In order to purify it, everyone will have to work together to rescue the Priestess who is being held hostage in one of the castle-town's main towers, which is currently being guarded by a large dragon. Who that dragon is working for is currently unknown, but right now, it's preventing the priestess from helping the villagers. At the log in screen, players will be greeted by Vidia, giving them a friendly announcement and providing them with the mission details: "You're here at last! There's no time to delay, Player. The priestess mourns the more you hesitate. Come on, get equipped, and follow me! Are you ready? You simply have to follow my instructions. ✩ Get to the tower and defeat the dragon. ✩ Do not kill the townsfolk. They don't know any better! Knock them out, but do not let them die, or the imps will eat their corpses! ✩ Kill the imps, they're aggravating the madness! Each imp will release a soul orb on death. Grab it! It'll protect you from the madness, too. Each soul orb is worth ten credits! ✩ You have six hours. Please rescue the Priestess in that time, and she will be able to let you out. ✩ If you encounter people already from Tellus, you'll get a bonus orb for each soul orb you collect for all players. ✩ If you don't fight, you'll end up affected by the flower's curse... please, band together with someone and travel with them to slow the effects. ✩ The dragon will continue to re-spawn if it's fought alone. Please fight as a pair or group to bring it down if you can! ✩ Remember, you only have six hours... hurry, please!"

//SCENARIOS.EXE PHASE I [ xxxx ] You're standing right in the center of the entertainment district inside the main ViViD hub. The machines sit before you, beckoning to being worn so you can test out the newest level in ViViD. There are others around you, in similar positions. Researchers are on stand-by to document your every move and make sure there are no glitches at all. As you settle into your chair, you slowly put on the helmet and find yourself being immersed in a world that's so real, you can hardly tell whether or not you're in the game or still in reality. (Please don't attack the researchers, they're only doing their job and they won't hurt anyone!) PHASE II [ xxxx ] You're fully immersed in the game now, wandering around with the list of objectives Vidia gave you. It's your choice where you want to start first. You can talk to the NPCs, engage in a grueling battle, level up, or head straight to fight the boss in a daring suicide run. However, as you walk through the castle-town, you catch glimpses of shifting faces. The NPCs look familiar for a moment, maybe reminiscent of someone back home. The effect lasts too short for it to be noteworthy until it continues to occur. Feel free to explore, but remember, you have six hours, a holographic timer to the side of your screen will appear when you wish for it. PHASE III [ xxxx ] Another glitch appears. This one is more debilitating than the rest, leaving you hanging mid-attack. The game seems to freeze completely for a solid two minutes. In that time-span, the world shifts to your own. You're standing right in the middle of the one you remember, staring up into a sky painted red with fire while a blood-curling scream erupts from the back of your mind. You glance down around, and one by one, the people start to fall to the ground, shattering like glass. In the distance, the dragon looms, staring straight at you and roaring, though its voice seems equally agonized. Then the game resumes normally as though nothing happened. Your complete your attack and continue as normal. Then something else appears within the darkness for a moment, lost in a single blink. That one second passes so swiftly it's barely noticeable. It might throw you off, it might leave you facing a pair of imps or crazed hordes. Whoever is with you had better started fighting... And you'd better run if you're alone! PHASE IV [ xxxx ] You've reached the end. Victory is yours. The townspeople are cheering, and the Priestess is rewarding you with a kind smile and several credits to your name. The dragon lies on the ground defeated, though its eyes are open still, hollow and black. In the reflection, you can still see the traces of a world left behind. In that moment, you can also swear you see it blinking when it should be dead, but there's no time to dwell. You're being logged out and the researchers are shoving surveys in your face or asking you questions about your experience. BONUS [ whyo'clock ] Welcome to the Dressing Room. This is where you can dress up your character in ViViD in all kinds of costumes. Completing missions will open up new outfits that will be delivered in the real world to character's flats. As a prize for completing the above mission, characters will be rewarded with some special outfits (both are unisex). Characters will immediately be launched into the Dressing Room upon completion so they can see themselves modeling their brand new outfits to one another. [ You can choose to set your threads in the game or before/after if you'd like. Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with trigger-y or inappropriate material and do let a mod know if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so we can lock the log. ]

//RUN.EXE Welcome to CEREALIA's second Test Drive Meme. Please forgive our appearance as we are still going through the final stages of game completion… mostly fighting with table codes. While most pages are under development and/or hidden from the public eye, please don't feel discouraged, since knowing everything doesn't always make the experience. Your characters will know as little as you. For your convenience, we have compiled a post detailing everyone's arrival experience and a FAQ that should explain everything in more detail. Please read them thoroughly before playing. Thank you!

Comments

[unjustify]

[This is it, Naoi's big contribution to Cerealian society. The introduction of boxing boxers to fairies...]

They probably do, and they'll be a lot cooler than these things. [He indignantly plucks at the soft cuff of his dingus suit at that to punctuate his sentence.

As for that, normally his answer would be "PROBABLY, OH WELL", but he remembers that dying is probably a legitimate concern out here.]

...Just make sure that they're low bar traps or something, then. If they get seriously injured in something that that, it's just a sign that they should have spent more time leveling up before pestering you.

[changeably]

[His name will be recorded in history as a great teacher of fashion and dealing with neighbors in awful ways.]

Anything would be better than these, honestly. They're too much in every way!

[He doesn't understand half of Naoi's slang, but he gets the general idea and agrees. That doesn't stop him from letting him smile definitely shift into a full-on smirk now and giggling, though.]

That sounds like it could be very useful, and so long as they come as respectable hours, there's no reason for them to stumble over them at all! It's better if they wait and see that I'm out and about before they become bothersome, anyway.

But you sound rather experienced about all of this, yourself... Are you some sort of trapper?

[unjustify]

[AS IT SHOULD BE.

He also nods in agreement with that, because as comfortable as these things are, they are too doofy to be of any practical use. Everyone can just run around in boxers instead, clearly.]

I've definitely seen better prizes. [SERIOUSLY. He hopes that future missions will have something that can actually be used...

Before he can complain more, though, he's taken a bit off guard by that question.]

What? No. Not at all! Nothing even close! I just need that sort of skill, dealing with all the morons that I have to deal with. It's exactly like you said; if they would just stay out of business that isn't theirs, they wouldn't have any reason to worry, right? But some people are just dumb and you have to spell things out for them.

[Or set traps, apparently??]

[changeably]

[Forget armor or weapons, next boss fight item drop should be stylish boxer shorts. Best idea, y/y?]

Truly? You sound as experienced as any trapper, to know your prey so well!

[But he's just teasing, and hopefully the giggle he lets out makes that obvious. Naoi seems pretty serious to Cynbel, so making jokes might not be a great idea.]

If you do that before they have the chance to bother you, that explains why no one comes into your home while you're not dressed, doesn't it?

[Naoi, you're a terrible neighbor yourself, aren't you.... It's starting to look that way.]

[unjustify]

[WELL IF THEY'RE JUST GONNA GET WEIRD CLOTHING ANYWAY...

At that, though, he just gives Cynbel a level look.]

It's a necessary evil. [But is he actually joking... MOVING ON:]

You would think that it's enough to keep morons at bay, but it isn't! It's probably mostly luck that keeps me safe while I'm cooking.

[ie yes. Yes, Naoi is a bad neighbor by virtue of not actually having many neighbors before. It's not that he's overly-loud or up at 3 in the morning practicing drum solos, but he sure does have no tolerance for people expecting him to give up some of his time...]

[changeably]

[IT COULD BE WORSE, AT LEAST IT'S NOT FURSUITS...

Cynbel looks back, as innocent as he can manage with a grin threatening to slip out. Whether Naoi's joking or not, Cynbel can't manage to stop doing it himself.]

Is that so? What in the world are they doing that could be more irritating than interrupting you while cooking?

[That sounds fascinating, in a horrible, "please give me the details" sort of way. Bad neighbor stories are great gossip, so don't keep it to yourself!!]

[unjustify]

[NOW THEY'VE PROBABLY BEEN CURSED.

But Naoi is very ready and willing to shittalk his dumb, dumb neighbors. This is just one of those things that people who know him have to deal with...]

That depends entirely on where your tolerance lies! I've been interrupted doing everything from napping to making important deadlines on projects.

[changeably]

[I APOLOGIZE FOR ANY SPARKLEDOG COSTUMES IN YOUR FUTURE...

Cynbel nods along in sympathy as Naoi speaks, clucking his tongue in annoyance when he's done.]

That is horribly rude, isn't it? They must find you interesting, to go so far, but that's no excuse for failing to you be when you're horribly busy!

[Someone sympathizing with Naoi... Can this end in anything but hilarious tragedy??]

[unjustify]

[he'll come for you first, Cynbel.

If he's very surprised to be sympathized with, it doesn't show, because he thinks this is totally worthy of sympathy. Everyone else who didn't sympathize is wrong, clearly!]

You would think so, right? And I was busy all the time! But it's not like it was impossible to catch me during some free time.