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
Why does he have a terrible feeling about this.
And then the suggestion is given, and Ryuuga has to stop for a moment, crossing his arms. While that might not work, it's ... honestly as good of an idea as any (no it wasn't).]
We can try? I got nothing better to suggest.
no subject
.. Although it's honestly just about the way his stomach keeps grumbling like a lion on the prowl, mostly. ]
Great!
[ At least his mood seems to have changed a little for the better? Almost as if this guy in his late twenties is a little too excited about the idea of catching monsters.. Maybe it's just making the best of a situation or something. ]
You think you could catch one of 'em?
no subject
Ryuuga notices the enthusiasm and can't help but smile a bit, though. Yeah. Shinpachi looks a little too eager for this -
aaaaaand that's why.]
Probably? They do seem to like going after me if they see me.
[He hasn't figured out what exactly attracts them to him, and even if he did find out the other half than the obvious bloodlust, he wouldn't be admitting it anytime soon. Hell, he hasn't even admitted it to himself all that much about his feelings for his partner back home.
Regardless, he would rather let himself be put in the line of fire than someone else (Knight mentality at its finest, folks), so he at least looks willing. Mostly.]
no subject
Except that Shinpachi blinks a little at that statement. It's not total confusion or anything, considering those monsters seem to go after just about anyone here.. but they like this guy more for some reason? He can't really see any reason why - maybe if the other was wounded, those monsters seem like the type to go after easy prey, but Ryuuga looks like he's doing fine enough.
Maybe the other guy is just imagining it. That seems like a much more likely explanation to Shinpachi, since he hasn't experienced an abnormal amount of monster attacks himself. ]
Hey, this isn't about attracting them! [ Well, that's a necessary first step of the process of catching one, but aside from that. ]
It's about whether you can handle 'em or not. I'm not just gonna throw some guy to the wolves, I can help out if you need it. I'm a warrior, y'know.
[ And considering he's fought crocodiles and giantass snakes before.. well, those monsters don't really scare him off. ]
no subject
Ryuuga reaches to flare non-existant coattails - old habits - but at least by turning, Shinpachi would be able to see the sword sheathed at his back.]
You're not the only one. [He manages a bit of a smirk, grabbing his sheathed sword, and after drawing it, draws a circle in midair. A trail of light follows the tip of the weapon - and a portal opens to let a full set of gold armor settle on his body in a flash of light.]
I can handle a few monsters. I'd be a sorry Knight if I didn't. [Or more likely a dead one, but semantics.]
no subject
Well, okay, yes. That is a thing. That guy just sure opened up a portal that summoned armor. The armor itself wouldn't even be too weird if it didn't come with all that fanfare.. But Shinpachi decides to not linger on how weird it is. Sure, he's seen a lot of weird things here already, but the way some people fight here.. Seriously.. ]
You knight folks sure have a weird way of preparing yourself for battle.
[ DRY.. LY.. Okay, he's an easygoing kind of guy, but he couldn't let that one fully slide. He won't really whine about it other than that remark, promise. .. Probably promise. ]
But I'm relying on you then, got it? If I spread some more of this thing's blood, I'm sure it'll attract those things.. then you better manage to grab one alive before it does that to you. [ Said a little casually, but life or death battles are just a Normal Thing when you live the kind of life Shinpachi does. ] You gotta make it in one piece, that's a promise between men, got it?
no subject
That's my last resort, thank you very much.
[Mostly because of the whole time limit restriction. One of the few downsides to the armor was that, otherwise ... y'know, the whole thing where they can potentially become corrupted by the armor itself and consumed by it.
Not fun. And Shinpachi probably wouldn't want to deal with a berserk Lost Soul on top of whatever monsters they managed to lure in.]
I get it, I get it. The second they get in sight, the armor's on. Promise.
no subject
But the promise seems to convince him enough that it'll be okay. This guy seems like he's a reasonable and decent guy! Not that.. it takes much for Shinpachi to think that, but still. ]
Great. Then I guess we should at least introduce ourselves while we wait around for one, huh? [ Not that Shinpachi is the most polite person around, per se.. But he's friendly, and this guy seems like someone he wouldn't mind knowing whatsoever. ]
Nagakura Shinpachi. Uh-- eastern order, that is. Since there sure seem to be a lot of western folks around here too.
[ It's why he doesn't offer a handshake or anything - he's too used to eastern customs compared to the newfangled (for his time) western ones.. but at least he gives a friendly grin? That's worth more in his eyes. ]
no subject
Dougai Ryuuga. Nice to meet you. [Ryuuga's flexible in that regard, considering he's from modern times, but he does at least return the grin in kind.
Though now it was more a matter of preparing to act as a lure - not a new tactic for him, thinking on it, but the setup's a bit different in this instance. That and he doesn't have his partner here as a backup. He'd just have to trust Shinpachi on this one - though as far as he can tell, he doesn't seem the type to leave him high and dry.]
no subject
In fact, he doesn't even seem that concerned about the idea of them catching a monster.. Apparently he's been dealing with even worse than these things - and that's saying something, considering how ugly as sin and dangerous these are. ]
You ready though? Those things won't show up by themselves! Or.. uh, well. Not entirely.
[ Except they will, thanks to how they're attracted to Ryuuga, apparently.. But it's not like Shinpachi has fully realised the other was right about that just yet. ]