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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ota.
Wait that's the picture you pick?! [ His face isn't much different at the moment, but he's kind of offended by this. Still, he's reading the rest of it: ] ...hahaha, wrapping paper? Really? [ Of all things. The rest of his profile is so completely off it's just funny, but he doesn't think he's used wrapping paper in years. More than the profile, though, the tuxedo is what he's stuck on. It's weird. Sure, it fits, but there's still something constricting about a bowtie, okay. Turning his head over his shoulder to see if he has tails on this jacket (yes) is about all he has time for before - ] What?!
[ If you survive? What the hell kinda party is this?! (He's been asked if he wants to die a couple times in his life, but not for real. Probably.) In the end, he's definitely not cut out for hunger games, dating or otherwise, so the pile of weapons is getting ignored for the door, which, yes, he's pushing his way between people to get. ] 'scuse me-- [ Did he just knock you over? Sorry. ]
» phase ii.
[ Where he'd picked up the - spear? it's long and there's a pointy bit at the end, anyway, and that's all he needs to know - is anyone's guess. Well, besides his, but the answer is 'tripped over it after some guy dropped it in his, what, search to scale the electrified walls, or whatever, he's not sure, but it's his now'. Not that it's doing him a lot of good, besides something to hold onto - he's settled down enough he's not jumping at shadows, but this shit is at best creepy.
And right now he's not at his best, if the deer-in-headlights expression that lights up behind his glasses when there's a gurgling sort of growl some distance away is any indication. ] Oh, shit...
[ Not loud, because that's asking to be messily murdered, and then he's trying to sneak away. 'Trying' being the operative word, because there's enough blood on the back of his pants from an unfortunate earlier trip-and-fall over a body that his complete lack of understanding of the concept of 'downwind' has just screwed him over. Big time. If you weren't on your guard before, there's now a teenage boy with a giant pointy weapon crashing between trees, and from the sounds behind him, he's not by himself. ] Unless you're planning on being dinner, I'd move!
» wilcard
[ Hit me with anything! He'll mostly be resisting the urge to scream like a little girl and trying not to get killed. ]
ii!!!
But the silence was soon replaced with a rumble, and someone with a spear comes barreling out between the trees.]
Ah? [She didn't really know what he was talking about yet until she sees what wanted dinner.
And then she starts to run with him. Wait a minute he has a spear with him--] Am I allowed to I borrow that?
viet... an angel
Are you allowed?! Take it! [ And it's getting shoved into her hands. If she knows what she's doing with it then it's better than him running around two seconds from stabbing someone. ]
she's swooped down from the heavens to save him...indiana jones style (i wish)
She grabs the spear with ease, and then spins on her heel to look back.]
Thank you very much! Please wait here! [Vietnam would actually prefer he kept running, but seeing as he managed to get himself chased, she doesn't know how disastrous that would be. If he stays, she can protect him!
Either way. She runs towards the beast, spear pointed!]
(next time)
(it's totally gonna happen next time)
(i'm holding you to this)
(you can beat me up if i fail!!!)
(i will fight you in a hug-off)
(...oh i like this kind of fight /blush)
the best kind of fight
so soft, this fight!!
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phase i.
which is why this girl in the dress is pulling miyuki by the back of his collar before he leaves. ]
Excuse me?!
[ she looks like she's ready to kill, too. the hunger games hasn't even begun at this phase in time. ]
Re: phase i.
Okay, okay, I give! Sorry, I wasn't looking.
[ he's... not really helping his case, even though he is feeling a little remorse, but what's he supposed to do, grovel? ]
no subject
I get it that newbies panic, but you really should watch where you're going.
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ii; 1.2
When Miyuki comes barreling through the trees with a spear in his hand and exclaiming warning, Katsura holds his posture firm. ]
Nonsense! I have been running away my entire life, and the things that I oppose here only challenge me to fight. Be courageous in your actions and use your resources— improvise, if you must, to achieve your goal.
I will protect you with the weapon I have also drawn for myself!
[ Katsura raises his weapon above his head which happens to be...
a ricecooker. ]
2.2
WAIT FOR ME...!!
[ He'll run with you! It's what he does best anyway, tucking the ricecooker under his arm. ]
1/3
Re: 2.2
3/3
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Phase II
He'll mouth something, no words passing his lips as he "speaks". If Kazuya is still paying attention the words he mouths are: Are you okay? ]
Re: Phase II
His eyes turn to his rescuer as he turns around, and after a second to interpret the movement of his mouth, he nods, still shaken. ] Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, uh, thanks--haha, I was like thirty seconds from mincemeat...
[ That's not something to laugh about, you know... It seems like he knows that perfectly well from the strained quality of his voice. ]
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ii
Apologies if I blocked your way. If you wish, I can offer you some protection.
[Ishikirimaru's weapon of choice is of course, an oodachi. If it helps, its just about as long as a person.]
Re: ii
Uh, that'd be really helpful, if you're sure--holy crap, that thing is huge--
[ Don't make an overcompensating joke, don't make an overcompensating joke... Don't mind him, he's just
coweringstaying a safe distance away from both monsters and giant swords. He's never seen an oodachi in action before... just behind a glass case in a museum. ](no subject)
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ii
Oh, hey.]
Dinner? [...] Ohh. Got a monster on your heels?
Re: ii
[ The things he'd do for a convenient hiding space that isn't the ballroom of death... by now he's at least learned how to not skewered, and he pulls to a stop behind a tree. He tries not to pick one near the voice from overhead, he's not actually trying to lead a monster to somebody else.
The polearm is heavy, but it's long, and that's helpful in the thirty second's pause before the grunting and crashing tree noises start getting to 'imminent' instead of just 'close'. ]
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sorry this took so long!!
phase ii;
he's definitely guarded at the sound of a voice, especially when it's clear there's something a lot more dangerous looming behind it. his eyes narrow in the direction of the sound, and he grounds his feet and tightens his grip on his sword.]
Get behind me, keep going! [either/or, really. stahn isn't picky, but he's not going to throw an attack out there until it's safe enough to... it may be apparent he's going to try something big and bold here.]
Re: phase ii;
[ it's not his first time at this particular rodeo, obviously. the 'cower behind someone better at this instead of getting killed' one. he pulls to a stop behind his rescuer, turning to watch. by now he's at least comfortable enough with the polearm he can hold it up kind of menacingly. how much help he's going to be is questionable (the answer is not much) but it's the thought that counts, right? ]
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PHASE II
Equal parts impressed, amused, and horrified, Rapunzel immediately lifts the tattered end of her stupid fucking bird dress with one hand and uses the other to fumble with her own spear, which appears to have been fashioned out of an old stop sign. ]
You know. I’m never planning on it! It just - seems to keep happening to me! [ Which is why instead of running after Kazuya she’s standing her ground and shouting after him instead. ]
Are you supposed to be the appetiser?
Re: PHASE II
[ When she doesn't seem to move, he actually stops to whirl around and look at her. Leaving someone to get eaten would probably weigh on his conscience.
Also, her dress is hilarious, and he can't resist. ]
Did you pick that dress, or are you just unlucky?
[ He hefts the polearm he's clumsily started getting the hang of, and settles his weight like he's prepping to swing a bat.
If all else fails he can chuck it and run, right? (Thanks, years of training-honed throwing muscles.) ]
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phase i
Excuse me.
[ Which is why he is going to elbow Miyuki's side when he manages to catch up to him on the other side of the door. Taste the wrath of Nobunaga. ]
sorry this is so late omg
He rubs at it, turning toward his (likely justifiably revenge-filled) assailant with a momentary grimace. ]
Sorry, wasn't looking-- [ but. ] Did you have to elbow me?
or here at my overflow post!
phase i! slides over
Until it turns into 'til death do you part, literally.
So having someone trying to push their way to the doors doesn't surprise him, but the two of them are of a height, and that results in something a little like two bumper cars knocking into one another. But instead of getting annoyed, he just grabs Miyuki by the upper arm to stop him (and to also steady them both, Jesus). ]
You're not going to want to open that door unarmed - trust me, the first level in a ViViD game is usually the easiest.
sits down
Athena, and he cuts off a surprised noise, turning instinctively to at least throw an apology out there, or something--instead, he pulls a face. ]What, and go wading through that?
[ With a look toward the, er, life of the party, so to speak. ]
Besides, maybe I'm giving them a handicap!
[ Or something?! ]
or here at my overflow!
phase ii
Tch. Figures...well, I suppose I'll lend you a hand if you make me dinner.
[ Shijima, this is hardly the time or place for that sort of thing...that said, she really isn't moving, instead flexing her hands almost casually and flipping her hair over one shoulder. ]
sorry about the wait!!
Then again, he's seen weirder today. He's suspicious of these terms, but-- ] If you can do it, then, yeah, fine, you've got a deal!
[ Better to cook a meal than be one, right? ]
or
Then again, he's seen weirder today. He's suspicious of these terms, but--</small> ] If you can do it, then, yeah, fine, you've got a deal!
[ <small>Better to cook a meal than be one, right?</small> ]
<small>or <a href="<small><a href="http://estoria.dreamwidth.org/169007.html?thread=60378671#cmt60378671">from here</a>.</small>
[ <small>His immediate reaction is surprise. A little kid?
Then again, he's seen weirder today. He's suspicious of these terms, but--</small> ] If you can do it, then, yeah, fine, you've got a deal!
[ <small>Better to cook a meal than be one, right?</small> ]">here</a> at my overflow post!</small>