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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no subject
The smart thing to do would probably be to admit fault and hope that this stranger doesn't see the need to cut down someone who doesn't pose any threat to him. He can be awfully persuasive when he has to be, anyway. And if these were truly life-and-death stakes (instead of just really weird ones), that's exactly what he'd do.
But something that Shinpachi says catches his attention, and he just can't let it go. ]
...You've got meat?
[ He's just been taking berries and firewood (that he hasn't been able to actually start a fire with yet). The idea of actual meat makes his stomach grumble in anticipation. These are really convincing hunger pangs. ]
no subject
Shinpachi isn't too sure if that's the first thing you should say to someone pointing a sword at you, but.. then again, he can sort of understand food priorities. Why do you think he hunted so much? He was really hungry, okay, and how is a man going to survive out here without meat?
It doesn't mean he's entirely lowered his guard, but from how Keiichi looks, he doesn't really look like a threat, now does he.. So Shinpachi at least lowers his sword instead of looking like he could stab the pointy end of it into the boy any moment now. ]
Yeah.
[ He'll admit it! He's just that great and honest!
(Nevermind that he already admitted it a moment ago.) ]
Hey, kid. [ Because Keiichi at least looks young enough for him to call him that. ] Have you never heard of asking people for their stuff first?
[ It's pretty rich coming from a guy who steals food off his best friends' plates all the time.. ]
no subject
He could try to defend himself by saying that he'd only taken the absolute minimum he could, but that would just be making excuses. ]
Yeah, I guess you're right.
[ He looks down, feeling a little sheepish. ]
I guess I never stopped panicking when people started killing each other. I wasn't sure if people would just kill me as soon as they saw me or not.
no subject
(And he's just a big softy deep down. Don't tell anyone, it'll make him look less cool.) ]
I'm not gonna kill you unless you try it first, kid. [ At least that's very much genuine - Shinpachi might have killed people in the past, sure, but it's on a job basis. No need to kill innocent people left and right.
So he grows a little less tense, moving to sit down on a nearby small rock and motioning for Keiichi to get closer. He's even putting the sword down next to him so it'd take a moment for him to grab it first if he really wanted to try something funny. ]
C'mon. If you decide to learn some manners right now, I'll let you have some of my food. [ He's hunted enough, anyway. ]
no subject
Thanks. I'm not really interested in hurting anyone... that's why I've been trying to stay away from people.
[ He takes a seat on the ground not too far from Shinpachi, looking rather humbled. ]
I'm sorry I don't have anything to give you in return. The truth is, I'm not used to being on my own in situations like this.
no subject
[ It's the truth, but there's a hint of something close to teasing in his voice as he says it.. Shinpachi comes from a time where guys had to grow up more quickly, so to him all the kids here still look like kids, even when they're slowly starting to approach their twenties. Not that he really minds - he gets that worlds are different. Not all places require people to learn how to fight.. although it sure would be a useful skill in this place, huh.
Not that he really minds sharing his food either this once. Usually he is the one stealing food off other people's plates, but that's in casual situations. Not life or death ones like this. ]
I'm not gonna let a kid die out here though. [ He's too good of a person like that. ] Guess I should also say sorry that I greeted you that way just now-- hard to know who you can trust out here, y'know? Nothing is like it seems.
[ He's assumed enough times some people couldn't fight since they were girls or kids only to be.. well, proven wrong majorly. ]
no subject