It's a little like that movie Pixels but with 100% less Adam Sandler

[a_pirate_meant_to_be]

THE STUCK IN A VIDEO GAME MEME



Video games. We love 'em. You love 'em. Let's get stuck in them. ...Wait.

This meme is the considerably more fantastical version of the "Playing Games" meme. Except this time, you and someone else are now STUCK in the game, and now your only hope to get out again is to finish the main story. Or get the high score, depending on what's more applicable. Note that this does not necessarily have to be an EXISTING game, if you would find it simpler to make up your own. But it CAN be, which naturally might make things a little complicated for, you know, actual video game characters.

Anyway. You probably know the rules at this point, but here's a refresher:

1.) Post with your character.
2.) When you reply to someone, roll from the options below.
3.) Congratulations! You are now stuck in that game. Feel free to pick a specific one if you want, or make up your own random-ass game.
4.) We hold no responsibility for how you and your friend(s?) completely derail the storyline.

OPTIONS:

1. Dating Sim (eg. Tokimeki Memorial, Katawa Shoujo): The question is, are you getting hit on by the main jerk, or are you the aforementioned jerk? And if so... what does that make your buddy?

2. Japanese RPG (eg. Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Tales of): Carefully crafted narratives which you're probably going to mess up the moment you step out of the king's chamber. Welp.

3. Western RPG (eg. Fallout, Baldur's Gate, Wizardry): WHY DOES EVERYBODY ASK YOU TO DO EVERYTHING FOR THEM EVER.

4. Management Sim (eg. Evil Genius, Rollercoaster Tycoon, Simcity): You will probably want to consider your road budget a bit more when the short-tempered man in charge isn't stuck behind a computer screen.

5. Beat'em'up (eg. Final Fight, River City Ransom, God Hand): But why DO all these goons look the same ANYWAY?

6. First Person Shooter (eg. Doom, Medal of Honor, Half-Life 2): Sure, you're surrounded by a bunch of horrible flesh-eating monsters, but you've got a pretty sweet gun there, so it's kind of a trade-off.

7. Adventure Game (eg. The Walking Dead, Monkey Island, King's Quest): Turns out when you're not restricted by event flags, your options on how to resolve your issues expands dramatically...

8. Platformer (eg. Super Mario Bros, Rayman, I Wanna Be the Guy): The platforms are floating in mid-air. Don't ask questions, just jump.

9. Strategy (eg. Starcraft, Civilization, Total War): Command great armies and vast kingdoms, and promptly drive them into the ground.

10. Survival Horror (eg. Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Dead Space): Alternatively, just treat this like pretty much any Dreamwidth RP ever.

11. Puzzle (eg. Puyo Puyo, Chu Chu Rocket, 2048): Fighting each other with the power of LOVE... and dropping blocks.

12. Fighting Game (eg. Street Fighter, Tekken, King of Fighters): Does this game have a support team mechanic? No? Sucks to be you two.

13. Shoot-em-up (eg. Gradius, Touhou, Tyrian): You think dodging the bullets in 2D was bad, wait until you try it in 3D.

14. Metroidvania (eg. Metroid, Symphony of the Night, La Mulana): We have to go all the way back WHERE?!

15. Classic Arcade (eg. Frogger, Pac-Man, Lunar Lander): This is pretty much the point where trying to create a logical setting starts to break down half the time. Just go with it.

16. Sports (eg. Tecmo Bowl, NBA Jam, Mario Kart): Screw you and your dang blue shells.

17. Visual Novel (eg. Fate/Stay Night, Higurashi no Koro Ni, Dangan Ronpa): Try not to skip straight to the contractually obligated porn scenes, thanks.

18. Action Adventure (eg. Zelda, Okami, Dark Souls): And if Zelda, try to figure out who gets stuck with the green tunic.

19. Block-Builder Sandbox (eg. Terraria, Minecraft, Lego Worlds): Build your dream home, and then watch it get destroyed by the enemies.

20. COMBO: Pfft. Like video games stick to one particular genre anymore. Roll TWO numbers and see what you get.

21: Wildcard/Other: For anything I might have missed.

Comments

Noiz | DRAMAtical Murder | OTA

[zunge]

10ish, closed to dramaticalblue

[zunge]

[Today was supposed to be the day of their rematch. Noiz was finally cleared for release from the hospital, and he had rehabilitated enough in physical therapy that he was about in as prime condition as he could be. One's physical and mental condition were both important to one's strength in Rhyme, if only because poor physical condition could negatively affect one's mental strength.

Today was supposed to be their rematch. But strangely enough when they met to start it up, the familiar mental swirl that preceded participants entering the virtual Rhyme field went straight to an unexpected, wholly inexplicable change in scenery. Dark, shadowy, rundown, and not too unlike some of the worse ghetto areas of the Old Resident District. No people were around. It was eerily quiet.

The strangest part is that his Allmates are here, but not in online mode. There are no online functions like logout buttons or stat checking that he can sense or locate. As far as he can tell, they're in the real world. A real world, anyway. The first thing he does after his and Aoba's initial reaction of What the Everloving Fuck is Going On is whip out his Coil and start searching for networks, GPS, and all that fun stuff.

The results aren't promising. He turns to Aoba.]

No dice. The networks around here...

[He goes on to explain concisely what kind of trouble he's having. The results are incomprehensible. Their Coils work and he and Aoba can communicate with each other, and there are networks around that exist, but gleaning information from them is difficult if not nigh impossible. It's more bizarre than the phenomenon of the Captive Princess messages Aoba had received several times. It's a combination of the networks being tough and them not having much reason to be there for function in the first place.

This sure as hell isn't Rhyme, and wherever it is, it doesn't seem to be Midorijima.]

[dramaticalblue]

[ Aoba had, in a way, been looking forward to the rematch. Mainly because he could now understand why Rhyme had been so important to Noiz, and why the younger man was had been so insistent on fighting him, so in that way it had definitely felt good to be able to give him some sort of closure.

Unfortunately... that is not what happens when they both enter the Rhyme field. Aoba may not quite understand the workings of Rhyme as well as Noiz does, but even before it's all explained to him he can tell that something is terribly off. This isn't Rhyme, he thinks, it can't be. Just like how Noiz's Allmates are there, Ren is too, but he's also not in his online mode, which just intensifies Aoba's certainty that this is not Rhyme.

He turns to Noiz, holding Ren tightly in his arms - the Allmate seeming about as confused as Aoba and Noiz are about this whole thing. ]

What should we do? If we can't get out... are we meant to just wander around here and hope for the best?

[zunge]

[Noiz closes down the monitor and such of his Coil and faces Aoba.]

I don't see a better option. If we can't gather information online, we'll have to do it in person.

[He nods toward the eerily lit buildings around them.]

There are no signs that we're in a virtual environment. [None that he can notice, anyway.] Which means we have to be somewhere in the real world. There are bound to be clues if you look hard enough.

[He hasn't the foggiest how they got to wherever here is. Things like teleportation are the stuff of sci-fi novels and manga and whatnot, and the mind control crafted by Toue and Aoba's Scrap are the only special powers he knows of. But the fact remains that they're somewhere else. They'll have to look for clues on this as they explore.]

[dramaticalblue]

[ Aoba frowns. He doesn't understand how trying to access a Rhyme field would have taken them someplace that isn't a virtual world, but a real one. ]

Has something like this ever happened before?

[ A dumb question probably, since surely Noiz would have already told him if this was a situation he had dealt with before, but he'd just like to hope that they aren't treading completely new ground.

Aoba glances around the place they're in. It doesn't look like anywhere he knows, and it's pretty creepy-looking. All dark and gloomy and dimly lit, as though they're in some sort of horror setting. Now that's an unsettling thought. With Ren held tightly in his arms he moves up closer to Noiz. ]

Right. We should start exploring then, huh?

[ Not a tempting prospect at all, really, but what other choice do they have? ]

[zunge]

[It is a dumb question, and Noiz can't help but level him a sharper look than necessary over it.]

Not that I've ever heard of. If I had, I wouldn't be this fucking confused over what's going on.

[No, really, he was finally going to get that rematch where he and Aoba could go all out and this happens? Worst timing ever. When he finds out who or what is behind this he will be pissed. More pissy than he already is.

He's also looking around now, checking out where the better lighting is, the dismal power lines, any visible street signs, those sorts of things, when he turns back to Aoba, looking him over. He nods.]

Yeah. We should. And until further notice, don't go too far from me. I'll do the same.

[They have their Coils for messages, but without maps and GPS and even knowledge of which city they are in, letting too much distance stretch between then isn't wise.]

[dramaticalblue]

[ Aoba huffs slightly and shrugs his shoulders to hide his slight embarrassment. ]

Yeah well... I just figured I'd ask, anyway.

[ He nods in return and steps up even closer to Noiz. Not like he had any thoughts about wandering off on his own, anyway. This place makes him feel uncomfortable as hell. Still, they won't be able to get out of this if they don't try to find out where they are and how the hell they ended up here. So with that thought in mind, Aoba starts to walk towards the looming, dark buildings that can be glimpsed not too far off. It seems the best place to start, no matter how unsettling it is. ]

[zunge]

[Noiz keeps to maybe an arm's length away from Aoba for now, roughly even or slightly ahead. Enough distance for comfort, but close enough that it won't take much to reach for him.

Together they head down the vacant street that heads toward the buildings in the distance. Their footsteps are loud among the not-quite-silence stretching everywhere. Once they get closer Noiz looks around carefully for writing anywhere. He narrows his eyes, trying to read signs, but it's tough in this lighting, and the ones he can parse are either faded and too generic to provide a hint.

Then all at once, he catches sight of something that comes off as looking noticeably out of place. He halts, sidestepping toward Aoba and hitting his arm with the back of his hand]

What do you make of that?

[If Aoba doesn't notice it on his own, he'll just have to point it out literally.]