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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[ a crowbar (likely useless against this thing). he waves them around a little bit to make a point. ah, but a shield with a huge spike of spear in the middle could be of use. ... which means getting close to it. well. he would prefer that to be literally anyone else's job. ]
If you can disable it— [ but how good is his shooting aim ] —I'l finish it off, I'd say!
[ how brave sounding... he doesn't feel brave at all. CAN THEY EVEN TEAMWORK THO? ]
no subject
[he doesn't trust you alright.
But he's doing as he's told, opens fire and whatnot, screaming as he does so]
no subject
[ just being honest, all right. the lack of trust goes both way here. marco can't believe what he's about to do— run toward some crazy monster and stab it with a shield. absolutely nuts. and look at that crazy fire. he watches as one, two... of the creatures legs are blitzed off by bullets. he isn't sure if kaneda has amazing aim or this is a fortunate stroke of luck. and then there's another bullet, disorienting it.
this might be it. ]
When you cut the fire, I'll take my chance—!
no subject
[Kaneda probably can't stop firing even if he wanted to, which he doesn't, thanks. Teeth grit and chattering in his face as they are, he'll fire until the chamber is empty, until he can duck out of the way.]
FUCK THAT THING UP, MAN!
[if they live through this they might have a leg to stand on]
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fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck ]
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[ but despite the anxious internal monologue, marco takes the cue. his legs tense and his knee tense and he begins his charge, shield and its attached spear aimed forward. just pretend like he's charging some chum on the football field, right, something he's done hundreds of times before. except this is a grotesque bug monster with flailing limbs and spines and teeth. he ducks behind the shield. imminent collision at his highest momentum in 3, 2, 1...
the monster opens it mouth and emits a gutteral screech; with a crunch of exoskeleton, the spear pierces through the roof of its mouth and out of the base of its skull, or whatever the equivalent for it is. ]
[ there are certainly a lot of flailing limbs dancing around and cries coming from it. ]
no subject
success ?!?!?! ]
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Gradually, gradually, gradually he climbs to his feet and makes his way over to Marco (never taking his eyes off the monster)]
You still in there, man? We gotta get outta here in case it survives that.
no subject
Yeah. ... Let's go. [ get out of dodge of that thing, find somewhere relatively safe(r).
so long, shield. perhaps someone else might have use for you when the time comes; he's not retrieving that. and he's not sure if they're to stick together, but he'll start at a decent pace. ]
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but theres also some kind of honor in battle or something. maybe. even for punks
he'll stick with Marco in the meantime, at least until its not useful anymore.]
Off we go, human shield.
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[ glances back warily... no, he's just saying your flesh would do. cue a sigh. ]
You could at least lend me one of your knives, I'd say.
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he squints at Marco just as warily]
You know how to use it? You were pretty good with that shield but its different.
no subject
[ ... alternatively, stabbing something doesn't sound too difficult to him, but he's unsure if he'd like to get that up close and personal again. ]
It's different from throwing a football, yeah. So, while I don't mean to be immodest, I don't think I'd be too terrible at it. [ such immodesty ]
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[you must be terrible........]
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[ bluh! he doesn't want to let annoyance slip into his tone, but damn, he blames the situation— the day's just begun and it already feels like it's been long. ]
I'm not tackling something alone with that many legs and teeth.
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[he's giving you the benefit of the doubt.....really, that's what that is]
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[ ???
it's the polite thing to say ]
So anyway, about that knife...
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Here, cause it'll be sad to just watch you flail around.