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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[Wait a minute. There is no way Will is 99. His eyes narrow as he glares at Will in suspicion. Is this some kind of prank he's pulling?] If you were 99, you're older than me, so unless you got stuck in the Lotus Casino too, you should be dead. That or you're been granted immortality and haven't told anyone. [He crosses his arms, looking very unamused. He can tell you're not immortal just by looking at you, Will; he can see your life aura and it's not one of a gods.
He's forgotten that Will no longer remembers him telling him about being stuck in the Lotus Casino or that he's not from the current century, whoops.]
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His laughter is cut off like.
Really fast though.
His head whips around and he winds up staring at Nico because yup. He sure doesn't remember any of that. At all. Like even a teensy, weensy little bit.)
....What?
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(Will doesn't really snap but his tone is steadier than usual, his eyes bright.)
What's this about 'unless you've stayed at the Lotus Casino too' business. And the whole 'you're older than me if you're 99'. I'm already older than you.
(Except that last bit sounds a lot more like a question than a sentence.)
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Oh.
Nico inwardly curses. That's right, Will doesn't remember some things, and he'd been too busy bickering with him to remember that. Why does Will always have that effect on him?
Now he looks hesitant and a bit reserved. He's still afraid of being rejected by people, but he told Will before and he didn't react negatively, so... why would now be any different, right? It's still Will; he just doesn't remember.
Nico looks down at his feet, dropping his arms down to dangle at his sides and curling the one that isn't holding a sword into a fist, mumbling a bit now.] I was born in 1932. That's why I don't know what a... Swiffer whatever thing is. [He doesn't know what a lot of things are in the modern world, even though he has learned quite a bit. He suddenly looks up at Will again, glaring at him with sharp eyes like he's just daring him to laugh again.] It's not funny.
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But if Nico had told him once before then that meant he had wanted to originally and might want to again- right? It was something to be hopeful for.
Truth be told? Will just....wanted to be closer with Nico. That's all.
So ignoring his own feelings, Will focuses when Nico starts to talk, his eyes on the boy. Thing is, when Nico explains it a little bit better, Will doesn't find anything funny at all.)
I didn't think it was funny.
(His words come out soft, gentle, but not babying by any means. They might even sound a bit apologetic. He looks away from Nico then, staring ahead.
He couldn't even begin to imagine what that must be like. Losing such a big chunk of your life like that. And to think....Nico felt like such an outcast already because of his father. It probably really didn't help that he was so out of the loop because of the Lotus Casino. Will made a mental note to try and not make fun of Nico for not knowing about modern stuff. He might like teasing Nico about plenty of things, yeah, sure, but only when it was in good fun. This felt a little more...wrong. Like he was laughing at Nico instead of trying to get Nico to laugh and loosen up.
He walks closer to Nico then and lightly bumps their arms together. The smile he sends Nico's way is genuine but also light.)
You look really good for your age.
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Let's... find somewhere to make some sort of camp, then we can talk more. There's no telling how long we'll be stuck here.
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He doesn't say much, no, but Will does reach out and briefly touch Nico's hand. It's a brief moment of contact in which he grabs Nico's hand loosely and gives it the slightest squeeze and this flourish of warmth passes from Will to Nico and it's like this soft patch of sunlight.
He drops Nico's hand a moment later and slips his hands into his pockets, casual as ever.)
Sounds good to me. Should we find your dog? Not to be pushy but seeing Cerberus would be pretty cool. Or is he the sort whose bound to find us eventually?
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Knowing him, he'll find us sooner or later, if he's here. He might not have been brought in with me though. [Nico pauses, pulling a slightly disgruntled face.] That means he's probably eating my shoes again. Great.
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So, he's just like....a giant dog? But just with three heads? And huge?
(That is completely delightful. He's somehow not at all surprise and both pleasantly surprised and it's a feeling he pretty much always has in relation to all things Nico di Angelo oriented so he's just rolling with it.
As they walk, he keeps an eye out for both monsters and good camp ground.)
So you've been here longer than me- where should we camp out?
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[He gives a little hum, scanning around for a place too.] I don't think I've seen this scenario yet. It'd be good if we could find a cave somewhere... or at least some place to set up some kind of shelter with sturdy ground. [Thank the gods they're not in that stupid swamp level again.]
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(Kind of really awesome. He was suddenly tempted to ask all about the Underworld. Unlike some other demigods and the like, Will seemed to have no real issue with the Underworld. Maybe it was Nico. Or maybe it was just the fact that as a healer, he fully accepted that death was simply apart of life. Who better to understand that than someone who had to accept the job where they might not always be able to save everyone?
Not that it ever made it any easier but....Still.)
So this is really like a video game?
(He lifts up a hand and wiggles his fingers in front of his face.)
It feels so real though.
(He drops his hand a moment later, frowning mostly to himself. His eyes begin to dart around though. Cave or sturdy ground it is. He picks up the pace a bit.)
Hey, I totally didn't thank you for back there. For getting me out of that mess. Even if you did do your shadowy-travel business, I still appreciate it.
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I'm not sure how it works, exactly. [He's still a bit confused by all the current technology that's around here.] It does feel real, and you can feel pain here, so I don't recommend doing anything dumb or reckless.
[The thanks comes as a bit of surprise. He's not used to being thanked for much of anything. His answer comes after a slight pause, quiet.] You're welcome. [He remembers finding a piece of Will's shirt on that altar. He'll do whatever it takes to keep Will in one piece all the more because of it.]
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Do I seem like the type to do something dumb or reckless?
(Will pops a hand to his chest and looks feigned hurt. He might occasionally do something reckless, sure, but it was never anything he didn't think he could handle.
Will just smiles at Nico then and lets some silence fill up. He doesn't need to constantly talk, honestly. He pays attention to their surroundings and it doesn't take long before he sees a bit of a something possibly useful.)
What about that?
(It isn't a cave exactly but rather a deep set alcove against an enormous rock.)
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Being silent couldn't hurt. If Cerberus is here, Nico might have had Will whistle and see if the dog heard it, but he also doesn't want to attract the attention of anything unsavory here.
When Will points out the alcove, Nico nods, breaking the quiet.] That'll work. [There might have been something hiding in a cave, so this will work better.]
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It's just dark enough that when they approach the cave Will has to squint a bit. He takes out his device to shine the light and make sure there's nothing really all there. It's a nice enough spot.
He turns and grins at Nico, working his brows up and down.)
Not so dumb, huh?
(He shoves his device away and gestures out.) We should get a fire going.
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[He settles down against a wall, setting his sword down within easy reach next to him, making sure he has a good view of whats around them to spot anything coming. He falls silent again for a while, mulling things over. He told himself he'd tell Will everything that he already knew before and just didn't remember, but where does he even start? His past is a jumbled mess of unpleasantness mixed with fleeting happy moments.]
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(He just kind of slumps. Smooth thinking, Will. Give Nico even more reason to think you're dumb. Nice. He doesn't say much else on the matter and instead sits himself down next to Nico. Not too close. There's like, a solid healthy foot between them. He removes his quiver from his back and sets his bow and arrows next to him as well.
Will props his knees up and rests an elbow against them so he could hold his head up with a hand. At least he's taken guard enough times to deal with the boring of staring out and being wary of monsters. Granted his attention keeps on skipping right on over to Nico but that's not a surprise.)
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So I already told you I was born in 1932, but I was born in Venice, Italy. My father met my mother in Washington, D.C. because she was the daughter of a diplomat. [A diplomat he doesn't remember anything about or if he ever even met.] I... had a sister. Not Hazel, she's my half-sister. Bianca. She was two years older than me. Same mother, same father. We moved to America when I was about 7 because World War II was beginning. It... wasn't a good time to be living in Italy, given what was coming.
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He wants to ask a dozen questions: what happened to Bianca, Nico's mother. But he kept himself quiet. He did shift forward though until his knee was just barely touching Nico. A quiet sort of comfort and encouragement.)
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Anyway. Time is different in the Hotel. Seventy years passed by on the outside, but inside, it was more like a month. Then Percy was discovered and my father had us pulled out because he wanted one of his children to be the hero of the prophecy, not Percy. Bianca and I still had no idea we were demigods. We were enrolled in this military school where a satyr, Grover, found us. We were attacked by a manticore and Percy saved us. [That was when he started having a crush on the son of Poseidon, but talking about being attracted to guys and talking about his past are two different things, and Nico has more difficulty talking about the first thing than the second thing.
Nico shakes his head a little, remembering how he used to be.] I was an idiot back then. I thought it was so cool to be a demigod. I was really into this kid's game, Mythomagic, all about mythology. Artemis showed up with her Hunters and took out the manticore, and... [His mouth curls up in slight amusement.] then I met your dad. He gave us a ride to Camp Half-Blood in the sun chariot. He turned it into a bus. A flaming bus that crash landed into the lake.
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(To put it lightly. Zeus was infamous for it and Poseidon wasn't exactly known for his loyalty to his wife either. He has to admire Hades for that. Will falls silent a moment later, stunned quiet. The severity of killing someone's mother....His own father was a god, sure, but he had never dabbled in any of the big stuff like that and it's...Gods. His eyes flick upward and he feels a moment of honest anger. He knew they could be petty but murdering a mortal like that?
He keeps listening though. Nico deserves as much. Then his brows raise up at the mention of his aunt. Sure, there were other goddesses that were technically his aunt but Apollo and Artemis were much more brother-sister than the traditional sense of gods and so she had always felt more like a real aunt than Athena or Aphrodite ever had.
Despite himself, Will couldn't help but to grin a little bit at his father before outright laughing.)
Of course that's what happened. So glad he made such a memorable impression on you. Gods, dad.
(He rolls his eyes but there's a soft sort of grin on his face. Thanks for indirectly embarrassing him, Apollo.)
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(Will imagined ten year old Nico di Angelo alone and scared in the world. Strangely enough, it shed a bit of light on why this kid thought no one wanted him at camp. Not entirely but at such an impressionable age to have the only person who was consistent in your life taken from you?
Will shifts over until he's sitting directly next to Nico and he reaches a hand up to squeeze the boy's shoulder. He almost put his arm around Nico but he didn't really want to push it with the comforting touch thing.)
Oh. That's...One of my brothers tripped on that once. It was pretty funny.
(He says it lightly enough but he's looking at Nico with that same intense look as before. This was something he couldn't heal and he didn't really like that. His hand slips from Nico's shoulder to rest on the crook of his arm, palm warm.)
I never knew. Gods, that's awful. But...you know. You're not alone anymore. Not back home and not here.
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It didn't feel that way for awhile. Ever heard of Minos? The king who sent people into the Labyrinth to be killed by the Minotaur? I summoned his ghost. He tricked me, convinced me I could bring Bianca back. I learned how to fight and use my abilities by training with the dead. I made my way to my father eventually, convinced him to help the gods fight against Kronos in the Battle of Manhattan. [He knows Will knows what happened during that because he remembers Will being there.]
After the battle, everyone was really nice to me at camp. I finally felt like I might belong there... until a week passed and people started treating me like I'd worn out my welcome. So I left again.
[And now they're getting into territory about things he didn't tell Will the first time he was here, but with the recent happenings in the dark zone...]
I found Hazel, brought her to the Camp Jupiter. My father told me about it, told me to keep it a secret that I knew. Thanatos... The god of death, he was chained by Gaia's minions so the Doors of Death were open and monsters kept on coming back. I thought I might be able to bring Bianca back but she'd... she'd chosen to be reborn and try for the Isle of the Blest. [Talking about the fact that he'd never seen his sister again still isn't easy for him, but he musters on.]
I went searching for the Doors to see if I could do something to help, maybe close them from the other side. I don't like sitting back and doing nothing when other people are off on quests. [The last time he'd done that, his sister hadn't come back.
His voice gets quieter with his next words.] I found out where the other side of the Doors were. Tartarus. Gaia's minions captured me. The only reason I got out was because they brought me back to the surface to use me as bait for the others by sticking me in a jar. If... If they hadn't come, I would have... [He trails off, throat closing up as he hands curl up into tight fists. It takes a moment for him to find his voice again.] This place... It's not as bad as Tartarus - nothing is worse than that - but it's still... not easy. I've managed, I'm used to being alone, but you, you're used to being at camp... I'm sorry you're stuck here.
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