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
[Really, the only reasonable answer is to see if he can act as a translator, if there's anything to translate.]
Is it... what is it saying?
no subject
Always full of surprises. That's Papyrus. ]
It's saying...that it likes you very much and would like to help you in any way that it can! So, you can go ahead and do the thing!
[ He may also be coloring the bunny's words slightly in order to see what it is she was so reluctant to do. ]
no subject
[It's a breathy little thing, clearly surprised out of her. If he says that, then... surely there must be some mistake. It's that, or this is the single kindest, most valiant bunny rabbit she has ever met. (Which may not be saying much, given that she's never personally interacted with one before, but still.) She regards the small creature once again, brows drawing together.]
... I'm sorry. But I--
[Is she talking to the rabbit or to him, at this point? Probably both. Whichever it is, she seems awfully serious about it.]
I just can't. It wouldn't be right.
[She's still not so sure about giving the rabbit back, so instead, she bends to gently set it down. It wouldn't be right to keep holding it, either, after having so much as thought of such things.]
I hope you can understand.
no subject
Once they figure out this bunny business, anyway.
The bunny sits thoughtfully on the ground for a moment, sniffing the air, before hopping away.
Papyrus huffs. ] Hm! I guess he wasn't so serious about his duty after all! I must apologize, human! I should have trained him better.
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-- His duty? [There's the puzzled look again, eyes appraising. Did this guy really consider it to be a rabbit's duty to be eaten? She doesn't much like the sound of that - it hits more than a little too close to home - but the longer she listens to Papyrus, the more she thinks he really does... mean well, even if he seems to have some odd ideas about how that works. So she doesn't sound put off the way she might have before when she says,] You were training him for--?
[A pause; she stops herself suddenly as something in her mind clicks. Hm.] ... What were you training him for?
[(She catches the 'human' thing too late, too preoccupied to feel properly guilty about it, and quietly refrains from correcting him. After all, she does look like one.)]
no subject
Now they both wear puzzled looks as Papyrus stares back at her, then down at the rabbit, then back at her.
...He's starting to get the impression he might have missed something here. ]
For...! Well, I'm not really sure. Aren't bunnies very vital and useful creatures to humans in the wilderness??
[ Was he misled? Have all his efforts been for naught???
Certainly not, because if nothing else, these rabbits' cute faces cheered him up! But still. ]
no subject
Well...
[Her eyes fall toward the rabbit about the same time his do, lips pausing as she tries to frame her answer. It takes her a little bit of quiet searching through her secondhand memories for confirmation's sake, and vetting for his sake.]
... To some people, maybe. [That much she can admit. Her eyes come back up to him, something oddly apologetic in them.] But not in any way that's good for the bunnies.
[How does one put, 'You've been trying to get your friends eaten,' gently?]
no subject
...Extremely misguided, it seems like, from her response. Not any good for the bunnies? Then it certainly wasn't the moral support angle he was suspecting, or the sniffing around for carrots...neither of those could be bad for the bunnies. It couldn't be...
No one would possibly think of actually harming one of these creatures, would they?!
Needless to say, he looks completely vexed now. ]
Say it isn't so! Are there some who would - [ Give him a moment. He plucks a bunny resting near the crook of his collarbone and covers its ears. There, that's better. Still, he hushes his voice (which is now just a very loud whisper). ] There are some who would harm these bunnies for their own ends??
no subject
There are some who would harm anyone for their own ends. [She says it as sober fact, eyes falling to the rabbit whose ears he has covered. Good plan, as far as she's concerned; the poor things don't need to hear this.
Not that either of them could keep them from it because they're rabbits with giant ears, but.She lowers her own voice, and it is every bit as not loud a whisper as his is the opposite.]But-- yes, I believe so. People do awful things, sometimes, when they think they have to.