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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iii!
Hmmm... I dunno if I'm really feeling all that generous!
[...Though honestly, he doesn't actually seem all that miffed. If anything, he's saltier about the fact that this guy apparently has more adoring fans. So many that they'd even ruin his attempt to ransack a pile of supplies!
Kashuu - (who does indeed have a sword out, like he's ready to get stabby, but isn't pointing it anywhere but the ground just yet) - gives him a once-over.]
But you could try to pitch your idea anyway, I guess.
no subject
Well, what would interest you, other than murder for attempted thievery? Because that seems a little harsh. Gold? A favor? Poetry about how great you are? [ he's only half kidding on that last one ] We could fight, but I'd rather avoid it. Been doing that all day.
no subject
No point in ruining a good suit if you don't have to, right? And if you're lying and trying to pull the wool over my eyes, I'll just have to neatly cut you down! [Says this small guy who definitely looks more suited to a ballroom than a battlefield...]
The poetry's suuuper tempted, but I'll settle for a favor! Take what you want. [Gesturing toward the encampment! The stockpile here is like, 90% food... Kashuu's apparently a pretty efficient hunter, even if he's not as good as some of his comrades. There's plenty of freshly-killed wildlife to pick from! Delicious. A few pots of water have also presumably been boiled and set to cool, but if he's looking for weapons or tools, it appears that the only one Kashuu has is the one in his hand.]
no subject
I won't. Bianca's had enough for today. [ his poor, precious crossbow. he reaches back to give her a light pat before scanning the area. besides, a deal is a deal. he's always been one to keep good on his deals.
anyway... seems like... a lot of food for one person? blood and gore kind of kills his appetite, but he wouldn't mind using some of that water to scrub down. and bianca's a little worse for wear - she always looks great, of course, but you can only shoot through so many abominations before getting splattered with their intestines. ]
One favor it is, then. [ this is probably going to bite him in the ass later... future varric will have to deal with that one. desperate times. ] You have anything like a rag? [ one that's preferably sort of clean. ] That and some water works for me. [ he's greedy but not like... super greedy. ]
no subject
Sure, yeah. You sure that's all you want? I don't actually need any of this- [He gestures toward the stockpile of food.] -so I've been saving it up for people who do. [Though he'll turn soon after to go get... well. His jacket, which is about the only cloth-like object he has. He's not wearing it because it's torn beyond repair (unsightly), but he's washed it free of blood, so it's pretty clean if nothing else.]
Here! You can take however much water you need. That's a lot easier to collect than meat.
no subject
[ fair trade, huh? though he's sure gonna take his time lingering around here if he's not getting kicked out. he examines the jacket for a moment -- too bad, these were probably some nice threads once upon a time -- before dropping to the ground by some of the water. he's not even really interested in drinking it; he rinses his hands and face, brushes off his clothes (hey, he doesn't like to look gross any more than the next guy). the fabric he doesn't use on himself - pulling his crossbow in front of him, he begins to wipe her down, taking care to make sure everything's how it should be. he'd been taking a lot of shots out there. ]
How long you been here without running into monsters? [ hey, he likes to talk, so casual conversation with someone he tried to steal from just moments before is totally legit ]
no subject
[At least this potential robbery victim seems entirely chill with just shooting the breeze with his potential robber. He finds a rock to perch himself on, watching Varric as he works. He's never actually seen anyone who used a bow as their main weapon before, but the amount of care he's putting into the cleaning is definitely familiar, at least.
As for the question--]
Mmm... Well, this area's pretty sparse and tucked away, so I don't get too many. The smell of all the animals definitely attracts some, though. But it's been a couple hours since the last one poked around, so you should be okay to rest a little if you want.
[Though if he were to travel into the thick jungle around the encampment, he'd definitely find quite a few deadass monsters just hanging out. Kashuu takes base defense very seriously.]
no subject
Don't mind if I do, then. [ beats climbing a tree to get some shuteye, anyway. he's short. falling while climbing trees sucks more when you're short. not to mention the fact that he is most definitely a city boy. trees. likes those more when they're paper. ]
As much fun as playing monster hunter as been, it gets old after twelve hours. Thirteen. However long it's been. Feels like thirteen.
[ And it's way less fun when you don't have a constant companion for witty banter ]
no subject
Even one hour is too long in this place, but this is definitely the longest it's lasted so far.
[Which is a little worrying, but at the same time, ViViD does whatever it wants to do... Predicting things is pretty pointless, so Kashuu's found it much better to adopt a "WELL, IT'S NOT SURPRISING" attitude about things.]
No exit portals, either - none that I've seen. That's pretty annoying. If they're waiting for us to do something- [He waves vaguely skyward, indicating their invisible audience.] -they could have at least given us a hint.
no subject
Huh. Maybe they're trying out something new - waiting for us all to go nuts.
[ ... more nuts. ]
Can't we all just have a drink and talk? That sounds like a better time to me. Stories, rumors, gossip. Don't see how much fun watching people try to kill each other for hours is. [ while he does love watching Hawke beat people up, even that doesn't last so long. ] Maybe they should learn how to play cards. That's actually fun.
no subject
Don't even joke! They're probably listening, and I bet some of 'em would hear an idea like that and be like "hey, that's perfect for the next round!"
[Even if he's actually pretty sure CERES doesn't care enough to listen that closely, all it takes is one punk intern hearing the wrong comment... He kicks his legs out after that, making a little huffy sound.]
I don't even like cards and I'd rather do that. This stuff is pointless and messy. [He looks like he's going to complain EVEN MORE-- But he actually pauses for a second instead, thoughtful.] Eh... But I guess it's a good way to get people used to the weird stuff that happens here.
no subject
Weird stuff? Weirder than this?
[ he sounds a little skeptical, but can you blame him? the hunger games is a terrible franchise to be living out. pointless and messy? talk about it.
(also, who doesn't like to play cards??)
he wrings his makeshift rag out and lets it hang loose so it can dry, though he's not too sure of the point since it's pretty sad looking by now. at least Bianca looks back to her usual clean and gorgeous self! ]
What's happened before?
no subject
I don't even know where to start. Like, there was a holiday where some big fat guy in a red suit tried to kill everyone with a chainsaw, and I heard earlier some clowns showed up and made people try to fight to the death, and then there was the library and if you read a book you went totally nuts! Like, love confessions from the top of a building kinda nuts! Or "hey, you've been my friend for like three hundred years but suddenly I'm really paranoid that you're gonna kill me" nuts! That's just the tip of the iceberg, too.
[It's a story... It's a long and convoluted story, it is not a good campfire story. But hey! It's still better than hunger games.]
There's this document thing that we can hand out to new guys like you and it's baaasically a summary of all the crazy stuff that's happened since the very first person showed up here. I'll link it to you once we leave, 'kay?
no subject
A document, huh? Thanks. Can't hurt to give it a look.
[ because if that's the kind of shit that goes down.... yeahhh. gotta be prepared for whatever else might happen. he doesn't like to be caught off guard. ]
Sounds like you've been through the wringer.
no subject
[A little, frustrated sigh! He's tired... HE'S OLD AND TIRED. Not as old or as tired as some people, but it's still harrowing to be stuck in a place like this for over six months when you've only had a human body for about twice that long.]
Buuut, as long as you read up on things and don't let your guard down or do anything super stupid, you can be a little more prepared. There's no way to entirely predict what's gonna happen, but if you can see the signs coming, you can at least be like, "well, things are totally about to go downhill fast".