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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phase III
I don't need anything. Why are you handing out rabbits?
[Because that was almost as strange as having living electricity try to hit on him. Not that he didn't appreciate the attempt, it just wasn't something he needed.]
I doubt many people know how to cook one.
no subject
That's quite obvious! You see, I'm handing them out because - !
[ You know, he's actually not sure. He's not a human! These peculiarities are lost on him. Certainly not too cook one, though. How could you even think about eating something so cute? Perish the thought! ]
Because...it's cuteness will improve your outlook in these bleak circumstances!!
[ Certainly that's enough. ]
no subject
[And there is a much put out kind of sigh as Jinga looked skyward and twisted his neck, the loud crack of bones settling into place following the action. While he would admit that he wasn't exactly happy with this particular level of stupidity that the ViViD decided to foster on him, he wasn't considering this landscape bleak. It barely hit the note of 'annoyance' in his particular level of experiences, and was more along the lines of being 'so utterly boring'.]
The only outlook I have on this level is just how much of a nuisance it is. I had only logged on to clear my last saved level, not to be chased around by murderous dating sims and ridiculously piecemeal creatures that they are calling monsters.
no subject
That's...a good thing? ]
I see! You find this "level", as you call it, to be quite trivial! You must be quite good at these games, then!
[ He gives Jingu an appraising look. Hopefully the levels are not always so...murder-y, if he excels at them. ]
If it's the monsters that are giving you trouble, then all you need to do is stop and have a nice chat with them!
no subject
[It had little to do with the level itself; Jinga had been a Knight that patrolled the edges of civilizations. They took care of the isolated hamlets and pockets of people and while most people would claim that Horrors were worst the closer one was to a city of people, they never really faced the demons that grew without the hope that a group of humanity could generate.]
The monsters are not a problem. [Look, he is a demon hunter that eats demons. Those monsters may be trying hard to actually get him to do more than just sigh and smack them around.]
I am just tired of this system pulling this stunt every time I want to do something less annoying.
no subject
Stunts, is it! Tell me more about these stunts! Do they require feats of strength? Do they involve any puzzles?
[ The latter is particularly important. ]
no subject
It varies. Though, there is a maze now just outside the safe areas that can be explored, if you feel that you can fight the monsters there.
no subject
A maze! Splendid! It must be full of riddles and hidden traps, as well! [ As all the best mazes should have. It's not even a question. ] As for the monsters...I think I'll have a pleasant conversation with them as well!
[ What is it with everyone around here wanting to fight monsters?? He's trying not to take it personally since no one has tried to kill him since the ballroom, but still. ]
no subject
[Unless it was to yell at a person about them being murderers. Jinga had to laugh at that, not that he didn't laugh at a number of things in the maze.]
The ones made from machines are certainly les then eager to speak and more prone to try to rip off one's limbs.
no subject
[ Surprisingly deep wisdom with Papyrus. Or maybe he's just assuming he'll be better at communicating with monsters because he is one. That, and he's just genuinely great at everything, so. ]
They might just need the right hobby...or some other way to put their skills to practical use. I'll think on what they might do instead of rip off one's limbs!
no subject
[He is not really trying very hard to pretend that he was straight human. In fact, he was not trying to pretend to be anything than what he was - a demonic creature that just so happened to have once been a part of an Order created to keep such demons from destroying humanity.]
They only hunger and they only wish to kill. There is not much more sense to them then that.