Love is in the air in Cerealia -- or, well, it is in ViViD anyway. And nobody cares about your lives outside of ViViD, so that's all that matters. It's an artificial love construct, but for you sad, lonely, little people, it's probably good enough, right? CERES is on a mission to find you your other half, your soulmate, your one and only, and this is how they've decided to do it -- through technology and abuse of your private information! Welcome to your new love life, courtesy of ViViD.
For your convenience, CERES has automatically generated dating profiles to help match up the new arrivals swiftly and speed up the "get to know each other" process. Nothing like some not-entirely-agreed-to speed dating to break the ice and improve new relations! You're going to be here for awhile, so you may as well get to know each other.
For the older residents, well... you may very well find your soulmate here! You don't want to miss out on that. That would just be an unfixable tragedy. So here, use the handy-dandy profiles and find your new honey. After all, the information on these profiles is 100% accurate, certified and verified by Mosley himself.
Why would you ever doubt that?
 I've never actually been on a date before. Not that there haven't been offers but I'm just too busy a guy! I think to myself, "Mosley, me, guy who's talking to himself, why won't you go on a date with that nice lady who just asked you out?" And I reply, "Oh, you gorgeous bastard, I'm satisfied with my life as it is already! I don't need love." After all, what is love? Baby, don't hurt me. Don't hurt me. No more.
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PHASE I [ 6 00 ] Gooooood morning, new ViViD compatriots and gamers! You’re not going to get a lot of time to adjust and recover from your sudden retrieval from destroyed and sad code, really, because as soon as you arrive, fresh and new to Cerealia, you’ll be faced with a profile.
Oh, look, it’s your face! And… a quote attributed to you? And your favorite object? Hopefully those details are correct, because there’s no going back now.
You’ve become an otome love interest.
For those who aren’t brand new to ViViD, you’ll be presented the exact same profiles -- but you’ll have to pick one. You know how this works, pick the love interest you want to romance and sweep them off their feet. Better pick the right route too because, haha! You wouldn't want to end up naked and alone in a basement again! That would be crazy. Just pick some rando hottie instead, it's no big.
Or, well, that’s what they say. But then you’re dumped into a ballroom, dressed up to the nines in finery, and surrounded by other milling NPCs. You're given a moment to process the whole situation before a genteel-looking older man who seems to be running this party steps up to the microphone. Gently, he clears his throat, and welcomes everyone to the party ("Haven't been to a party this fine since I had all my teeth!"), and then he gestures to a pile of weapons in the middle of the room and finishes cheerfully, “Anyway, whoever survives can leave this room -- enjoy!”
It looks like the NPCs aren’t messing around; they’re immediately diving for the weapons, so you might want to get a move on.
Welcome to the Cerealia Dating Hunger Games.
PHASE II [ 1000 ] When you burst out of the ball room, possibly covered in the blood of your enemies (your poor dress/suit!), you’ll find yourself in what looks to be a sprawling jungle. In reality, it’s a circular arena, and if you travel far enough, you can reach the walls, though they’re electrified with no way out. If you try to get past them, you’re going to fry yourself before you accomplish anything else! Where's the fun in that?
The bigger problem is this: there are some unfortunate monsters on the prowl (don't they... look a little familiar?) in the jungle, and they are ready and willing to eat up anyone who crosses their paths. They’re drawn to the scent of blood -- and, even more so, the scent of people in love. So hey, if you're in love right now, it might be a good time to run. Otherwise, you're the top target and about to be hunted. Have fun out there, lovebirds!
Meanwhile, the NPCs (or even your fellow player characters?!) are out for blood themselves, so nowhere is truly safe.
Was that... was that a scream for help, or someone coming to get you?
PHASE III [ 1145 ] At some point, you’re going to need supplies. It starts to feel like you’ve been in here for days without any food or water (but that’s weird, wasn’t this ViViD session supposed to be just a few hours -- ) and you’re starting to feel the effects.
So, time to get in touch with your inner man vs wild. There are animals to hunt (deer, rabbit, etc.) and if you can fashion a spear or use a weapon you scooped up in the chaos, you can kill them for food. Alternatively, you can just try stealing some supplies from your fellow players. That's probably a saner option.
Which leaves you sneaking up onto their camp, full of sneakiness, and more sneakiness, and a little bit of stealth, you reach out and...
Suddenly, there are lights on you! Cameras! Cheering, adoring crowds! There's a narrator narrating every step you're taking (loudly) and there are fans hanging on your every move --
Oh, did that wake up the other player and/or bring monsters roaring down upon you? Whoops. The perils of spectator sports like the Cerealia Hunger Games, really.
PHASE IV [ 1400 ] You did it. Someone came at you, and you killed them. Their blood is on your hands, but it’s fine -- it’s just a program in a game.
Right?
Except when you look again, it’s someone you know. The corpse of a person who’s very important to you in so many ways is lying there on the ground, blood still warm but clearly dead. They’re solid to the touch. They’re there, and they look just like that person you care about so very much. Your heart hurts.
And you’re the one who killed them.
Then, without warning, it starts to rain because ViViD is nothing if not good at sensing the mood.
PENALTY [ why o'clock ] So.
You died.
This isn't really that surprising, considering it's the Cerealia Dating Hunger Games. People die a lot in games like these. It's the price of love.
Don't worry, though! It's just ViViD, so it's not like you really died. You'll get reconstructed, good as new, and they'll toss you right back onto the battlefield. Except, well... it seems like something's a little different.
For one thing, you've got claws instead of hands.
You can't seem to speak, either; all you can manage is garbled growls and sharp noises.
And, worst of all... you're really, very intensely hungry, and you can smell blood (or people in love, that's an even better scent).
So yeah, you're one of the monsters now. Don't worry, it only happens the first time you die in this game; if someone valiantly slays you again, you'll come back good as new, a normal person in the Games. What a weird glitch. There's no way that's on purpose or anything, right? No way!
[ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with sensitive or inappropriate material and do let a mod know if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so we can lock the log. ] |
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no subject
It doesn't say on my profile, does it.
[ Then again, fine, he'll bite for now. He brings up said 'profile', which only lists his fake age and these completely ludicrous details about him, so he's just trying to make a point here. The point being, "this is absurd".
He also doesn't say "no", so Klavier is on the right track. ]
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[ Klavier's taking this all in stride, even taking a moment to reach out and pet Bladewolf (if it'll let him). This person was clearly new to ViViD as they were scrambling as he did when he first arrived. Luckily, he's managed to keep his fancy guitar-sword from the last time he was here and he manages to pull it out of his inventory. He's no swordsman, but he can manage a few hits in.
He's better as a bard. He strums the strings on his weapon lightly and the NPCs are knocked off their feet, at least for a little bit. ]
Ja, CERES are in a nasty of habit of lying.
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This whole situation with the guitar-sword, though. Admittedly, it's not as absurd as it can be, but it still prompts one of those disbelieving chuckles that has Sam shaking his head. ]
Ah, so that's something of a constant, even in the afterlife. [ Because that's what he assumes this is, some sort of shitty VR training in purgatory. ] Comforting constants.
[ That might be bitterness, or maybe it isn't— he's too breezy for that, it seems. He steps aside to let Wolf throw a few HF knives at some impending NPCs. ]
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[ One NPC gets too close for his liking and Klavier dispatches it with another strum of his guitar. Thank goodness CERES had the sense to have different kinds of classes for people who weren't so combat inclined. ]
We're in a virtual reality game and unfortunately, you can't log out to the rela world until you complete some ridiculous quest. I thought this would be the first non lethal one considering it involved dates, but ah...
[ He's just carefully keeping his cool, resisting the urge to just stare at the level of technology both of them have. But now his attention is caught by the other horde approaching them. ]
Herr Samurai, if you would. I'm not meant to be on the offensive.
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A shrug, though, as he turns to Wolf and curls his lips up into one of those infuriatingly self-controlled smiles. ]
You know I hate telling you to 'go fetch', Wolfy. So I won't.
[ If Wolf could roll his eyes, he'd probably be doing it— instead, he turns away and starts trotting towards their nearest assailant, dispatching the NPC with a whip of a bladed tail. A kick of his hind legs, and two more NPCS go down, which is convenient for Wolf because the second of the two is holding what looks like a katana. Not Murasama, but it'll have to do. ]
Sam. [ A simple alert, and Wolf tosses the weapon to the samurai from between his teeth; it's caught in a cybernetic arm, poised near an armored hip, and quickly unsheathed from battoujutsu position to cut down three more incoming enemies in one swoop.
Just another Tuesday. ]
Ah, careful about the blood.
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What an interesting man, he thinks to himself. ]
Klavier.
[ he replies as he watches, only very slightly outwardly amazed. ]
no subject
Klavier. You see the kind of trouble you get into when you look for love?
[ A flick of his katana, and Sam shrugs with theatrical weariness. ]
Better luck next time.
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Perhaps. Without the monsters or the doggy.
[ A meaningful glance to Blade Wolf. ]
no subject
The implication is noted.
[ All these humans treating him like some sort of unintelligent object, smfh. Sam laughs about Wolf's indignance, not because he's laughing at his friend's expense, but because he can tell that this is going to remain a constant for some time. ]
What, never seen a cybernetic AI before? [ to Klavier. ]