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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lucky 7/7
[ sigh. ] It's been pretty crazy lately, so I'm glad you're here.
[ not even going to backpedal that last one. ]
LMFAO OH MY GOD bless ur soul 1/3
that's for sure marinette and not some twenty two year old vivid clone, at least. not that he was concerned about that. honestly his emotions are kind of complicated about this whole thing; it's good that she's okay, and he's glad to see her (she's one of those he's missed, of course, she's his friend. endearing fumbling and all), but yknow. murder.
he puts a hand on her shoulder after that rollercoaster ride of emotions wears off. yeah, the murder isn't helping her nerves, he supposes. she's shy in the first place, and now all this... adrien doesn't blame her at all for stuttering.
that's totally why she's stuttering. ]
I know. I'm... really glad you're here too. Not here, I mean, just here in g...eneral. It's been a while since I've seen anyone from home.
[ just ladybug a while back... look he can be awkward too. smmmmile, which is just a tad hint wry but ultimately hopefully reassuring and honestly if he wasn't so sure it'd explode her nerves he'd hug her too-- ]
no subject
... You look nice, by the way.
[ ........ no, he's pretty sure that's not right what the hell.
it's true but??? ]
3/3
... er, we should try to find a way out of here. Battle Royale isn't the best place to catch up, probably.
[ ok operation keep marinette safe as vanilla nerd commencing. fighting is definitely not an option, so sneaky exit where... or sneaky safe place to hide marinette so he can go chat noir and protect her that way where... if a place like that even exists here. ]
no subject
ohmygodohmygodohmygod wait, NO what if he has the wrong idea?! ]
R-Right! Obviously not here here. Here is bad because danger.
[ CHOO CHOO marinette is the engineer driving this train straight off a cliff. save her from herself or brace for the wreck.
huh, hold up. where has she heard this before— ] A while? Have you been here long, too?
[ but then he has to hit her with that one wow note to self: never take this dress off okok. ]
Yeah, but not as nice as you, of course. That is, how you look in your suit. I mean, you're also nice, as in, your personality and stuff. You're just nice all around!
[ she sure did just blurt that without even realizing it. ]
Oh, y-yeah. Yes. Good idea.
[ focus marinette: murder. adrien. two things that should never ever be used in close proximity. the gravity of their situation settling down on her takes her off of adrien cloud 9, and she grows determined as she peeks around for a viable exit. if only she were ladybug right now. but her love for the boy by her side far outweighs any self-doubt, at least temporarily, as she gets her game face on. ]
If we can make it to the stage, there should be a back exit. We might be able to leave that way.
[ at the very least, a place to keep him safe and sound while she bugs out, she hopes. great minds think alike. ]
no subject
he blinks a little, a hint of curiosity in his expression (besides the reassurance), due to the fact she's both curiously flustered and she'd, of course, met people already. ]
I've been here for... around a month [ FAMILIAR?? nah ], but... too? Did you meet someone else who— [ wait, not the time to dwell on that. he cuts himself off with a shake of the head as he takes her suggestion, finding the sense in it. more sense in it then standing here in the corner waiting for someone to notice and hurt them. ]
Actually, sorry, don't answer that. Look at me, getting distracted. [ when he was the one who suggested they move on. gosh. deep breaths, child. ] Back on track. That talk, after. Right now— [ yes. he considers the stage for the shortest of seconds with a nod. ] —The stage plan definitely works. We'll make it.
[ no if.
now sorry, but he's taking her hand so that they can stick together while they go through MURDER.
adrien offers her another careful smile. ]
Ready to run?
no subject
her reaction mirrors the one she had after hearing it from chat noir (DEFINITELY not familiar, nope), although she seems to recover more quickly with the buffer of the initial shock and subsequent events having desensitized her to more of the same oddities. or, more accurately, the realization that she might accidentally give her secret identity away if she is not more careful. ]
Oh, no, it's just, I, uh—
[ how to explain? lying to adrien always feels bad, but she really must not let anyone know. and, perhaps it is because he is adrien that she is even more adamant about not letting it slip. what would he think of her if he knew? no, that was something she refused to even consider.
luckily, he buys her some time to think of a believable response, and marinette lets out a barely audible sigh of relief. although she has her doubts about their intentions, she feels at ease with his endorsement, lips forming into a soft, confident smile that is definitely not reminiscent of ladybug at all wink wink. ]
Of course we will. I've got your back.
[ hold up— ]
H-Huh?! [ whoa, WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT. her face flushes a deep red and she grows a bit stiff at his touch, staring at her hand in his like it is on fire before daring to look up and meet his eyes. ] Um, sure?
[ by which she means no, but too late now. ]
no subject
captcha makes me blue,
overflow's over here,
what about you? ;)))