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
[ He hums his words, rolls his syllables while idly trying to place Grell's accent— it gives him something to think about aside from the scream of monsters and NPCs in the distance.
Posture relaxed, he pulls his arms up into a world-weary shrug, the gesture exaggerated only for theatrics' sake. ]
But you don't mean to tell me that you're new to this sort of thing, do you?
[ A lovely lady like Grell??? Preposterous. ]
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[one of them she at least knew how to handle with grace, ease, and style. the other...unbeknownst to her, that's exactly why the monsters are so persistent even when she's striking them down. even if she did know, it wouldn't be like she could turn it off at will. they would just be an obstacle until the end.]
no subject
[ Is his simple reply, which may or may not be some form of casual teasing— who knows. It's a compliment, at any rate, offered as easily as breathing.
The mechanisms of this place are still unknown to him, but he can tell that some other people are being targeted a lot more aggressively than he is; he's not sure whether to be flattered or offended. ]
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Depends on the day as to whether I'm the one pursuing or being pursued. I imagine you've dealt with your fair share of it all.
[compliments for compliments, Sam. it's only fair.]
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[ A light laugh, arms pulled up into a shrug and hair swinging jauntily behind his head. His joke is nearly interrupted by another monster who means to see who the lovelorn, bloodied person is up there on the tree, but Sam dispatches it with a quick roundhouse kick and a foot to the head.
Don't these enemies know that it's impolite to interrupt?? ]
Planning on staying up there forever?
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Just until the ground was clear was my original intention, and seeing that such has come to pass...
[an ordinary person would get down by climbing. Grell by contrast just pushes herself off the branch to leap down, landing lightly on the ground below and smoothing her dress as she straightens up.]
Then it feels like the proper moment to descend.
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How interesting, that he can't avoid these things even in death. She's welcome company over Armstrong and the like, though, so he won't complain. ]
Ah. And you had me all geared up to catch you.
[ Arms out, he demonstrates what could have been. It's an exaggeration and a joke, of course, so he falls right back into his original position, arms folded and feet braced on grass. ]
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[is she serious? absolutely, but she doesn't change tone so it feels like just another part of the scene. at least in comparison to the others there's nothing robotic about her, one hundred percent flesh and blood.
there's a sound from the jungle, but it's far enough off that it's only an echo. not close enough to be concerned about.]
Do I get a name, or do I get to try and guess?
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But even despite those things, it's easy enough to maintain conversation with someone who remains so levelheaded amidst this chaos. No panic, no urgency. Two people trading names. ]
How about you guess. Let's keep it interesting.
[ She's welcome to give him hers if she wants, though. ]
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[she folds her arms and tries to consider. no, it can't be something as atrocious as Rumplestilkskin, she's sure of it.]
You look like you're suited to something...strong. Not dull, though, definitely not. Something more traditional. And I don't think you're the sort to lie about what your name is.
[easier to play this sort of game than to think about the impossible lies that CERES wants her to believe. because it couldn't, it isn't true. not with what she knows. not when there is at least one person out there who knows what she means when she calls them liars.]
no subject
I told you to guess my name, not to do good things to my ego.
[ He motions for Grell to follow him in a direction where the screams seem fainter and the scent of blood seems less potent; moving is a good option, he's never been a fan of being a sitting duck. ]
But you'd be right on that last point: no warrior worth his salt lies about the name he's been given by kin.
[ A point of pride, a samurai's honor. He'd killed the man who killed his father, and in turn, he'll always choose 'Sam' over 'Minuano'. ]
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but she's not here to drag him down, and she does follow him, thinking again on the idea of the name.]
Not unless they have a reason to hide it. Such as his name being too risky to reveal, it jeopardizing the ones he loves if he lets it come out. Is he less of a warrior if he hides it until the danger's passed or been taken away?
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He has two responses: the one that's serious, and the one that carefully sidesteps the issues that are important. There's a reason why even AIs say that he's a difficult person to get a read on— he makes it hard on purpose.
With a glance over his shoulder, all Sam does is Smile. ]
In that case, he'd need to come up with a good nickname. [ He opts for joking, naturally. ]
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[even the modern world ended up with names for those who made a mark.]
Your name...does it start with the letter "L"?
[she is Trying okay]
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This guess, though. She's Trying, and it's kind of hilarious. ]
"L"? No. Can't think of a name that starts with "L" that I'd want for mine, either.
[ sorry to all the guys whose name starts with "L"... ]
Try "S".
no subject
[her brow furrows in concentration, and most certainly it would not be Seòras or anything like that, not for someone like him. finally after about a minute of intense contemplation, she has her first real attempt.]
...Samson. Perhaps.
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[ Okay, to be fair? That's close, half his name's already in there. But 'Samson' sounds like such a stuffy choice for him that he can't help but laugh, a brow hiked up and his canines peeking from between his lips. ]
You've got half of it.
[ Which half, we all wonder. Thankfully Wolf is here to ruin everything, because he bounds towards the both of them from the forest, clearing underbrush with his tail.
He provides Grell with a very useful hint, which is: ] Sam. [ No spoilers, Wolf. ] After scouting ahead, I have found something that seems to be a checkpoint. We can, perhaps, log out from there.
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...You talk.
[Grell, that's rude, and would be ruder were you not accustomed to lower tech. the expression she has is torn between amazement and suspicion - why is the metal being talking? what did it mean it was scouting? why did it look primed to kill everything?
at least she didn't draw her sword on it.]
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So, much like his more human counterpart, he elects to be sassy about it. Samuel is a bad influence on AIs, apparently. ]
Yes. I also understand that statements pointing out the obvious are to express doubt or confusion, and not to provide a more useful observation of the matter at hand.
[ This is why Mistral bullied you, Wolf. Sam clucks in admonishment, but he looks far too amused to really be sincere about his patronization. ]
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...In some cases it's meant to express both at once.
[this metal beast creature. even off guard she knows when she's being sassed at.]
In this one that the tongue you speak is one I understand.
no subject