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 i
And there should be even less of a chance for him to spot the other in the middle of the scuffle.. yet he does. Maybe it's something about the familiarity of that fighting style, seeing a spear swinging from the corner of his eye and instantly realising it can only be one person, despite the possibility of more people knowing how to swing a spear here. When it's happening just like that, with that arc.. it has to be Sano.
So once he's acquired a sword of his own for the time being, he quickly moves his way through the crowd (shoving NPCs out of the way left and right, he doesn't have time to bother with those guys attacking him before he loses sight of the other) until he's near Sano.
Rather than bothering with greetings, he just bumps his back into the other's while Sano has to deal with getting one of the NPCs out of his way. Greetings and reunions can come later (have they really been apart though? It hardly feels like it to Shinpachi), especially since they know what to do in this sort of situation. No time to waste when this is such an easy and familiar pattern to fall back into. He and Sano, back to back - that's how he knows he doesn't have to worry about anything, even in the middle of a murderous crowd.
Might as well be a regular Thursday to them at this point, after all. ]
Yo, Sano, you growin' old? Leaving your back wide open like that!
[ Honestly, he was annoyed with this place already within the first five or so minutes of being here again, but he feels a grin growing on his face all the same when those words slip out of his mouth. He can't help it. ]
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As one such unlucky person tries that, he easily swings his spear in an arc around him, taking out not just the attacker, but another person unlucky enough to be in the vicinity.]
Bad idea.
[The blood rushes through his veins, waking him up more and more as the fight rages, but he never loses himself to the sensation. There's always a part of Sano that remains vigilant, and when a weight presses itself to his back, he tenses for a moment, but only just.
That weight is familiar and non-threatening. And the warmth he can feel transferring to his back is one he's missed, but never forgotten.
Sano grins, even before Shinpachi throws a verbal barb at him.]
You're the one who's late. What, are you too stiff to even move fast anymore?
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None of that matters in this moment. What matters is that they've always worked great as a unit, and that sure is needed to get out of this situation here. ]
You're starting to sound like a nagging wife.. Guess you really are getting old.
[ There's nothing genuine in the insult, though - just their usual banter. It's even more obvious from the way Shinpachi keeps fending off some of the NPCs lurging at them with various weapons, the sound of his blade hitting steel and wood ringing out.
For now the situation is reasonably under control.. But it's not like they can keep this up forever and he knows it. Not to mention that there's always an extra catch to it in this place, it turns into something they can't beat (that stupid fat man in the red suit comes to mind), so he knows they can't just linger here like this. ]
Wanna make a run for it?
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Excuse you, I'm the best damn wife you'll ever be able to get.
[Glancing over, he notices a woman leveling a rifle in their direction. And while Sano could easily go head-on against her - his track record against firearms is about 50-50 - he can't bear fighting a woman.
Instead he throws his weight against Shinpachi's side, knocking him off-balance just as the bullet whistles past them - and far too close for comfort. They've ended up in an undignified heap, but at least Sano isn't bleeding on his first day back, so this is an improvement, right...]
Let's get the hell out of here.
no subject
Sano throwing his entire weight against him all of a sudden? That not so much. It catches him by surprise and it means that despite Shinpachi's general muscle mass, he goes down towards the floor, Sano following right after.. which means they just end up as a miserable pile of limbs. At least he heard that gunshot, so he's not going to question why Sano did this, but it's still not exactly the most ideal position to be in when there are people out for blood.
That's his main concern here, really. The fact that Sano is just lying on top of him? Who cares about that, he's never been particularly ashamed of physical contact with his best friend, not even in public. They've drunkenly fallen asleep as a similar pile plenty of times, it's just that this isn't half as comfortable of a situation as that. ]
Get your ass up then! [ It's not even really said angrily, just.. you know, intensely enough to let Sano know (even though Shinpachi knows the other already knows) this has to happen quick.
Being skewered with something while his best friend is lying on top of him might not be the worst way to go, but it's still kind of embarrassing. ]
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(He's gotten himself hurt in enough scrapes.)]
I know!
[Which is why he's already gritting his teeth and rolling himself off of Shinpachi, raising the spear in a defensive swing just in case anyone tries to take advantage of their situation. And, judging by how the blade slices through someone else, it had been a good idea to do so or else this wouldn't have ended so well.
'Well'.
The body drops in the space between him and Shinpachi and Sano quickly rights himself, eyes searching for anyone else brave or stupid enough to try and take the two of them on.]
We've overstayed our welcome, you know.
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Who knows how long it'll last though, and Shinpachi isn't eager to stick around and fight out. He can have normal proper sword battles to ignite his blood after he's settled into this place again, not while he's still slightly disoriented from his return. ]
You go ahead first then. [ Not that it means he won't follow right behind, but since Sano usually acts as the rear guard, it's worth saying so the other won't be waiting for him forever. Shinpachi figures that clearing out a path in this mob will be a hell of a lot easier with something that has a wider range like a spear than his sword. ]
I'll cover your ass, no worries.
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Got it.
[He seeks out the nearest doorway and rushes for it, spear held in front of him, hopefully acting as a deterrent for any other enemies. Of course, there are those who try to ambush him anyway, but Sano doesn't hesitate this time in fighting back, even though there are some women.
Which sucks, but he's not about to die here on his first day back, even if ViViD isn't real.]
Almost there, keep up!
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What, you think I'm slowing down already? [ And throwing remarks at each other with grins on their faces - that's definitely a part of it too.
This is the way it should be. Not either of them bleeding out because of an unfair fight - usually Sano. (Sometimes Shinpachi's fault.) The passion in the other that he hasn't seen in any battle outside a spar for a good while now makes Shinpachi feel more energized than anything else ever could, cutting down people who come close enough to be a threat with relative ease. ]
Just be prepared for what's waiting for us out there! I don't wanna have to scrape your ass off the floor.
[ Despite that just being a teasing joke-- he really, really don't want to. ]
no subject