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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penalty
but he can't help hesitating, once he gets a good look at what's been coming after him.
something about them ... feels just a little familiar. ]
... can you understand me?
[ it's said cautiously as he backs off two, three steps, hand extended in the universal gesture for 'stay back.' he won't hesitate to fight back if this person attacks first. but he's not eager to jump into combat straight away. ]
no subject
Yusuke stalks forward, one step after another, intent on cornering this guy before he could fight back or run away. There was a faint twinge of something in the back of his mind-- fear? Desperation? Perhaps it was warning him to be careful, or maybe this wasn't a good idea (of course this wasn't a good idea, YOU SORT OF KNOW THIS GUY), but... well, Yusuke was never the king of 'careful'.
He grins at Kakyoin, baring sharp teeth that definitely were not there before, before lunging right towards him, claws intent on sinking into his shoulder.]
no subject
he throws himself to the side as quickly as he can, but still feels those claws clip past him, tearing through the now-fairly-ragged fabric of his tuxedo shirt and carving a jagged cut into his arm. a hot pain immediately seeps through his nerves, but there's no time to pay attention to that.
preserving the momentum of his movements, kakyoin rolls back to his feet in an instant before lashing out with his stand. thick coils of hierophant green's length immediately dart forward to snake around yusuke, aiming to tie his legs together and pin his arms to his side.
most people, most normal humans would be completely immobilized by that, but ... that's definitely not the case here, is it. ]
no subject
Letting out an angered snarl, Yusuke falls hard to the ground as Hierophant Green binds his limbs together. Struggling against the coils, he flops against the dirt, attempting to get up onto his feet but to no avail. This would probably look pretty hilarious, if... there wasn't an expression of sheer bloodlust and rage on his face at the moment. Something about this thing felt familiar, though-- like he had seen it before-- but he shoved that thought aside, intent on escaping this by whatever means necessary.
Craning his head down, he opens his mouth and chomps down onto the Stand, tearing at it and pushing against it with all his strength to try to break it apart. If that wasn't going to work, his body was glowing with a reddish hue, looking to blow it off with a blast of his own demonic energy as a last ditch resort.
... so, uh. Yeah. You stepped onto one hell of a landmine, Kakyoin.]
no subject
hierophant's never been built for raw strength, its entire arsenal of abilities built around long-range attacks, and it struggles to hold tight even just through the first round of struggling. kakyoin can feel his joints creak as the strain transmits through his stand, and though he turns and starts running to put some distance between them, it's just a little late.
yusuke bites down hard enough to tear through the tendril's harder shell, and kakyoin flinches as a jagged cut opens across the back of his hand. and once one section of hierophant's length snaps, the rest of it buckles much more easily. with yusuke's second round of struggling, those green tendrils strain, then snap apart like frayed ropes.
corresponding injuries open up all across kakyoin's torso, seeping dots of red through the fabric of his clothes. it's enough to make him stumble, and kakyoin hisses from the pain. he keeps running for now, but the torn ribbons of hierophant's tendrils flicker, then vanish from around where yusuke is. ]
no subject
And man, he wasn't sure WHAT happened during that time he was tied up, but Kakoyin smelled INCREDIBLE. There was even MORE of an urge to gun after and devour him now, his mouth nearly drooling from the scent.
Without missing a beat, he bounds across the jungle floor, eager to chase down his prey. His jaw opens and his claws reach out, looking to latch onto the wounded teen to tear a decent bite out of him.
G-GOOD LUCK WITH THAT.]
no subject
there's no warning before he suddenly comes to a halt and turns to face yusuke.
almost immediately, yusuke bowls him over, sending the both of them tumbling to the ground. those claws and fangs probably find their mark, but it's a price he's willing to pay -- because while he's distracted in that moment, hierophant green moves to hover right above them, hands poised and glowing with light as he prepares to attack.
have fun eating a barrage of emeralds point-blank to the face. ]
no subject