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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[ He fiddles with the end of his cut sleeve. It sounds stupid that he doesn't know anything but it's not like his mother ever told him about any of this, and he's certainly not talking to her now. Pryce's solutions have been the only ones he's had and yes he doesn't want to be upir but maybe it isn't such a curse? Maybe he can hack it in this place, with Will, until he gets home to resume treatments. He's as afraid of himself as he is the monsters that were chasing them earlier but he stopped and he didn't bite and maybe if he doesn't get hungry too often it'll be okay.
It's the most hopeful he's felt in awhile. ]
It's really beautiful. Your singing.
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(For some reason, the idea of fighting what you are? It kind of sounds...Sad. Really, really sad. Roman, in some small way, reminds him of Nico. It makes him a little bit angry with the world for ever making people like Roman, like Nico, feel bad about being who they are.)
What you are is fine, Roman. I don't know you but you could have killed me if you wanted to. You didn't need to say thank you. You listen when I talk. You're good. That's you. I think you'd be that way whether you were a human, an upir, demigod, or whatever else there is. Whatever you are? That's just something you can't help. It's neutral. I don't believe anyone is good or evil because of the creature they are or where their blood comes from.
(Will doesn't think it sounds stupid at all. There was a time in his life that he had no idea what he was either. He thought he was stupid because he couldn't read, couldn't focus on anything at all. Thought he was a little crazy because he thought that the next door neighbor had a giant eye smack dab in the middle of her forehead and liked to chew on bones when everyone else just saw a friendly old lady.
He gets it. He really does get it.)
Maybe you just gotta learn to be in control of it. That's okay. There's nothing wrong with that either.
(Will shrugs and no, maybe it isn't as simple as it sounds but he'd be willing to help out if he could.
Then Roman compliments his singing and Will blinks at him, looking a bit surprised. Sure his siblings sing to the camp all of the time during camp fires and stuff but he can't remember anyone ever directly complimenting him.)
Really?
(He's a little red in the ears and clears his throat, feeling strangely elated.)
Thank you.
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Still, maybe it's true that what you are is neutral and you can swing either way, to good or evil. Maybe evil's not in his nature just because he's his mother's son. Just because he's not human. Humans can be evil, after all, he knows that. He just never applied it to himself. It's hard to when you've got bloodlust. ]
I've never been great at self control. I'm trying now, I have to.
[ Because he wants to be good. He wants what Will's saying to be true, though he doesn't think saying thank you and not ripping someone's throat out makes you a good person. ]
Really.
When did you learn to do all of this? Use your powers, I mean. Sing to your father... all of that.
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After what had just went down between the two of them though, Will thinks there's some hope for Roman after all.)
Trying is a whole lot better than giving up and not bothering at all.
(Hey you'd be surprised, buddy. He's just got a good feeling about Roman being a good person. He's going to listen to that.
He smiles wider when Roman insists and he'll remember that. He really will. Then he's asked a question and Will pauses. His eyes roll up in thought and he hums in consideration.)
Couple years ago. See, there's this camp for demigods that kids like me go to during the summer- or year round depending- and we learn how to fight monsters, go on quests, and use our abilities. There's this centaur, Chiron, and he's great at helping teach us about all kinds of stuff. And some kids have been around for way longer than others so they help too. It's- it's really nice.
(And he knows he's going to miss it. It was practically his home. But he was here now and that was that. This might not be an official quest but he might as well treat it like one. Nico needed him and from the looks of it, Roman could do with a friend as well.)