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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[Neji had only begun to feel familiar with himself for the first time since he'd woken from his death and now, suddenly, he's being toyed with again.
Dressed in a tailored white suit and pants and contrasting black shirt, Neji has to wonder bitterly why it is he hadn't been allowed to keep his weapon's cache for the second time. He's crossed his arms and made himself at home in the far back of the ballroom. Neji might be staring at you with those white eyes, wishing he could see past you, or he might he looking up and around like the very disinterested adolescent that he is.
Or -get this- he's staring very intently at one particular spot amid the sea of bodies, where something's shining lazily so far away from him. The old man begins to make his way on stage and Neji's standing stock-still in an instant. He whips around to his nearest companion- the words echoing around them "--party this fine since-"] Are you armed? [Urgent. Quick. Clear. "--teeth! Anyway, whoever surv--"] Come with me if you need a weapon. [What good is a jonin if they aren't beating the crowds.] If you don't, I can get us out of this room.
Phase II
[If he can travel by hopping from tree to tree like the ninja he is, then you best bet he will. The goal is to reach The End. He moves almost completely silent, stopping from time to time to look down at anyone he's come across though careful to keep hidden as best he can. Of course these trees aren't anything like the giants in the Land of Fire, so nothing's guaranteed.
If there's a monster rushing a person, he'll jump down and put himself between it and them. That confident fighting stance says he knows what he's pitting himself against. The way his back is tense will also say he knows exactly how stupid it is.
If there's a person rushing a person... well, he'll stop and watch from where he'll be perched on a tree. He won't interfere until it's obvious the match is unfair to one.]
Phase III
[The boy isn't in the trees anymore. He'd been in no great shape to begin with, but the sluggishness that threatened to overtake him was surreal. It felt alien to him and that irritated him more than the fact that he'd just stumbled over a fuckin' rock. He was feeling more tired than tired and thirsty. Gods, he knew to find a river first. What he knew about survival went well above the basics.
He just, you know, hadn't been able to find a river. He didn't trust the plants. Didn't want to follow animals that might be faster than he was feeling. And while he had gotten a kunai knife out of the weapon's pile (or out of a dead person's body, you'll never know), he hadn't stayed long enough to get a backpack with food and water. So when he sneaks near enough to see this unsuspecting stranger did have a pack, Neji thinks the next step is logical. That is, to use a body-flicker jutsu to put himself a breath's away from the bag and--
cheering. lights. cameras. "Oh my God he can just TAKE IT RIGHT NOW".
busted.]
I have an offer to make you.
[Because screw those lights, those cameras, that cheering crowd. Neji's standing tall and looking like it'd been his purpose to throw his cover to hell. He quirks a brow at the other. Well...?]
Phase IV
[The rain's falling and the kid's soaked. And the body of someone- a young lady- with equally pale eyes and familiar, familial features is impaled very neatly on one tree's odd-jutted branch.
Judging by the way Neji's head hangs so low, one would think the weight of his wet hair's just about enough to snap his neck.
But he refuses to drop to his knees even for this. He's fighting it, though he's hardly moving and wishing he could stop breathing for a minute to gather his thoughts. His hands are weaving intricate, well-practiced hand signs. After a series of the same, every time, he curses out the same word.] Release.
III
Then talk.
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If you have water to spare and if you'll give some to me, I will fight battles for you. I will win them. With this game being dragged out for so long now, we'll all need to rest at one point or another. May as well do so with someone promising to spend their energy for us. [And oh, he's so ready to spring back. He's only trying not to show it.]
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I don't need it, or any such protection. So...just take it.
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Why...? Why the shift in demeanor, why the charity? Was it because of the lights, the cheers and cooing she had coaxed out of the crowd?
Confused, yes, but not suicidal. Neji bows his head ever so slightly, eyes never leaving her.] What is your name? [The one who would never have a need for something as basic as rest, or some one to watch their back.]
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Phase I OF COURSE
Why were there weapons--]
I can use a sword. [Which... may or may not be surprising. She never mentioned what kind of weapon she could use before, when she'd mentioned 'if I had a weapon, sure...' She hasn't gotten to actually use one in an actual battle, but she knows how, which is as good as it gets right now. Her hands are empty right now though, and her eyes go back to the weapon pile.] This is going to get messy... [SIGH. Why can't anything with ViViD or CERES ever just be easy.]
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Stay near me.
[But don't get in the way. The old man's finished giving his instructions, and Neji's left with his mission: escort Yuri to the room's center pile. Get her there and out alive. And with a sword in hand. A scream bounces off the ballroom's walls. The bloodbath begins. Neji takes a step forward.] Let's go. [Not 'follow me'. He had to keep his eyes on her, too.]
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It's phantom memories-- a knife in her mouth, a rope around her neck, bones broken shoved into a box-- we all return to water. The smell of blood is dizzying and it bothers Yuri more that she's not so bothered by it.
An uneasy feeling of coldness settles in her gut as she wordlessly makes a beeline for the weapon pile. Soon, she knows, she'll have to join that bloodbath. Kill or be killed.
'Could you kill someone"' Souji had asked her once, and Yuri had shrugged. 'If I think of them as bugs, maybe... Maybe it's better not to think of them as human,' had been about her response. Monsters were one thing. Defeating the spirits that attacked her was another. This? Was something else entirely.
'I suppose I'll see when it comes to it,' she'd tried to say, and Souji had warned her that that way of thinking would get her killed. She wondered if she cared about dying. 'It's just a game,' and yet...
The second her fingers curl around the handle of a sword that's not too unlike the sword she'd been practicing with, everything seems to snap into place and the anxiety grows. Her brow furrows--I don't know if I can do this, she thinks--and glances to Neji--But I have to--and she hurries to avoid a collision with an NPC.]
Are you grabbing something too? [Her voice sounds distant to her own ears, and she watches the NPCs like a hawk-- other players like Neji and herself seem more intent on fleeing immediately, while the NPCs seem more intent on actually trying to kill each other and them.]
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Not so many dead ones. They passed a few, but most bodies were just being thrown around. Running or tripping or simply staring.
It was terrible. Having to be one of the bodies without much of a mind of its own. Having to fight down the urge to turn and look behind him at what might be coming towards his back and neck every two steps. But his focus was supposed to be on Yuri-- and his hand's drawn back as she manages to move out of an NPC's way. Not his to slay, in the end. Eyes around her rather than on her, he shakes his head once. What a dumb question to waste their time on.] I don't need one.
[Move, he means. Don't stop. Because if you stop moving-- and what was so different about her now, anyway? About the way she held herself-- nervous? Now?
anyway. They're in the midst of it. One fist comes ridiculously close to Neji's right shoulder as an NPC launches themselves at him. At them. One fluid movement back and Neji's striking the man's back, center-left. With a cough, the NPC drops.
First kill, then.
Yuri--] Same way we came in. I'll cover you. [Hell, at least now she had a sword.]
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II
...and then that form lands between them. That same unmistakable person again, and Lee freezes in his tracks as once more he feels the chilling uncertainty, as well as the warmth of hope, that comes from seeing this person.]
N...
...Neji?
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[The lilt is supposed to be a tease, but it falls flat. Neji can't waste time on stupid little quips (too late), he's entirely too focused on determining the monster's speed. It's a different one from before, and whatever the case-- he can't let it get closer. Not to Lee.
Neji pushes himself forward with a grunt (he's tired, too), right hand extended. He feels the tongue of the slug-thing grab and pull him close-- which works well because he needed the contact. His palm audibly hits the thing's slimy stomach and it bulges on the opposite side as chakra makes its skin swell.
Then it bursts.
Leaving that one up to the imagination. So much for clean clothing, though, so far as Neji's concerned. But anyway-] Why was that one chasing you? Don't you know how to keep hidden, Lee?
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I... I do! But the best way to take on any opponent, is head-on!
[He doesn't approach Neji yet though, almost seeming to regard him with suspicion.]
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And he feels at odds with himself over what to do now that he's being confronted with that look. It wasn't one Lee wore around him.] It hasn't been long since I last saw you. We were battling another one of these creatures, and you showed me how to exit the simulation. [Or had... that not been how the typical log-out experience goes?] I was put into another ViViD game, then taken to a briefing.
[Suspicion, meet suspicion. He hated this. All of this.] Or was that not you before?
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iv
She's barely able to defend herself here and even though she's not seeing the same illusions that the world has cast upon Neji, she's still afraid. There's a sword in her hand that she carefully holds just in case there's still something else going to jump out at her. When her walking brings her to a young man, she bristles immediately and conjures up every authoritative bone in her body to regain her regal air to try to utter out a command.]
Who goes--
[And instead there is a young man, whose head is bowed and whose movements are sluggish and is obviously bothered. It could be another trick of this world but Lili's always suffered from a bleeding heart. Her defensiveness turns to concern rather quickly.]
... You there. Are you alright?
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But Neji learned he couldn't let himself have that comfort, not with years of training and good instinct behind him. Resigned (he'd done all he knew to dispelled an illusion and the lifeless body was still there), he straightens. Looks past the corpse. Lili isn't the only one who put stock on first impressions-- he won't turn to her until he knows his features betray nothing. Nothing personal, anyway. Fetching the kunai knife from his back pocket, Neji's still certain he's looking the fair part of 'wary'. So sue him.
But exhausted? Ashamed? He can pretend well enough that he isn't. (What a disgraceful thing.)] I am. [Not a lie. He's unharmed. His body is steady. As a fighter, he is fine] What concern is it of yours? [Not malicious. But he still does note the way she holds that sword. He would win a battle.]
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But given the state of things, she can't blame him. There are plenty of people here looking to kill and that rests uneasily in the back of her mind. In truth, it would be smarter for her to run, to leave and not bother with this person who doesn't seem to need assistance - not really. Except... even clumsy as she is with her kindness, she's not really sure how to.
Carefully, she takes a step back and removes one hand from her sword to raise it in an act of peace.]
I... [Of course this would be when her words fail her.] ... You seem distraught.
That's not... safe - right now.
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Distraught. Him.
And she couldn't see why? Couldn't see that body of his cousin held stupidly upright as it grew colder? His voice is even throughout. That isn't distress, that's control.] I have to appreciate your concern but there's only one of us who's in danger by being idle.
Make no mistake, you'll be safe if you decide to stay. [After all, she hadn't startled him, not like--] I refuse to fight senselessly, especially at the orders of that one old man. [Kill, though-- no. Wait on the girl. Focus on the one living thing. The openly frightened one.] ...the rain may ward off the animals in the meanwhile.
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III
She nearly jumped out of her skin when all those lights and cameras suddenly appeared and she spun around to find this white-eyed boy staring down at her]
Uwah, you scared me!
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blunt
he really can't see this as being the life-and-death situation that it was at the moment.] I apologize. That wasn't my intention. [Because really, his intention had been to not let her know he was there (and then gone) at all. Pulling his hand back from where it was still stretched out to grab the bag, Neji hopes she doesn't... what...? What could she possibly do...?] I was hoping the lights wouldn't show up again. [His life is a joke, though, and his stomach is killing him. And this girl was so... non.threatening.]
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Again? So did this all happen before?
[She waves her hand around at the cameras and such, ignoring the stage whispers telling her to just pretend they're not there]
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why was she waving at those people? Neji turns back to glance at the crowd and face their snickering. He'd tried to hit them, once. Apparently, they weren't actually present in this reality and were only somehow being projected into their favorite show slash sporting event.
Anyway, Neji nods. Slowly. Focuses again on the girl because there's still the possibility all of this is a trick. Or maybe he's simply obscenely paranoid.] Aa. [Okay. Damn. Now what? Admit he was about to steal-- she should already know, right?] They've been making this difficult for me.
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phase iii;
...but the sudden bright lights, narrator, and audience are a curse. Though, not for him, so much as for the poor idiot who'd attempted to-- Oh. An offer, huh? The least he can do is hear him out, but if those lights bring monsters down on them, he's going to be pissed. ]
...Well? [ Good luck, Neji! He's a tough sell. ]
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he really did need that water. The hurt in his stomach and throat and mouth went beyond just wanting to stop it.
So maybe this was infuriatingly humiliating after all. Straight-backed, Neji considers. He can't offer his strength to this one-- those exams so many years back. Suddenly, he remembered those. Can't offer much for speed, not now, and what in heaven's sake could this one possibly want in turn--]
To put it simply, I'll leave you alone.
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If he were to attack, even with the abilities he's acquired up til now, Neji's eyes would be able to shut him down. Even with something off about the guy, he's still hesitant to try it.
Cocking his head slightly, mismatched eyes watching every move the Hyuga makes, he waits to hear what this 'offer' is before deciding on a course of action. And dammit, the more that crowd snickers, the more he wishes there were a way to totally disappoint them. But then there it is... and there it is. It's perfect and would leave them devoid of any entertainment, but what's the catch? ]
In exchange for...?
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Neji hated gambling and was aware enough to know his luck had never been the best-- or rather, that quitting while he was ahead was still a relatively new skill for him. Sometimes one he forgot to recall. It was gnawing at him now, though. May be the scrutiny and the knowledge he can't even keep an eye on the other the same way. Whatever-- it was time for another risk. If luck wouldn't be on his side, the least Neji could do was to not draw attention to the fact.
He quirks a brow at the Uchiha's question. Really? An international criminal couldn't put two and two together? He'd scoff-- but it'd be too much from him.] Whatever you have to drink in that bag of yours. [Keep it simple, keep his guesses true.]
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