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
"Fine, if you say so." He was hoping she wasn't bluffing, that's for damn sure. In all of this, if things went South for the two of them, it wasn't going to go well, and he wouldn't be able to guarantee her safety. Which he hated to come to terms with, but that was how it was. Besides, he tries to tell himself, it wasn't as though she was one of his fellow pilots, or anything - whether he'd told her he'd get her to a hiding place or not. Maybe he just had a soft spot for people - he was still trying to figure this shit out, post war.
Duo cuts through the crowd as precisely as possible, trying to pick the clearest routes, but -
Sometimes, he has to neutralize an NPC or two, though he does tend to stray from killing blows. People don't need legs and knee caps, do they?
no subject
But her words were no bluff, and while she did struggle at times to keep up with some of his more impulsive movements, she was never too far out of eyesight. And she watched him. Taking not of the fact that, despite his very lethal weaponry, he seemed more adverse to striking that fatal blow, or going in for the kill shot, than she had initially feared. Granted, he may not have had to smash in that poor person's shins quite so hard....
Most importantly was that, save for the occasional small whimper of surprise as she ran into someone unintentionally, she was quiet. No questions. No cries. Her tears were kept at bay, and she managed to keep her heart in check by reminding herself over and over that this was only supposed to be a game and that any and all damage that would occur wasn't supposed to be happening.
She didn't cry, no, but she certainly didn't look happy when she finally caught up with him not too long after. Eyes still darting about in hopes of a familiar--or at least friendly--face.
no subject
Shins are replaceable, aren't they? Still, Duo is in his element in the middle of a battle, though it was a different kind than he was used to. it was a little hard to play escort in the midst of such a din, and he makes a point to occasionally stop, not only to case for his next move, but to make sure that she hadn't gotten lost in the midst of all of this or that he was within striking range at the very least. Heero might've been a little more accomplished in terms of missions about 'saving the girl' or 'escorting the princess' or whatever the hell he'd gotten up to when Relena was nearby - but Duo? Nah.
Hilde mostly fended for herself, after all.
"It's quieter, over here.." Duo marks is almost suspiciously, eyes darting at each and every person that passes them by. Making this place a slaughter pen wasn't his intention, but if that's what it came down to? That may be what happened.
"Don't know if that's a good sign or not, though... " Could mean that they were walking in to a trap, after all...
no subject
"I'd like to believe it means I'm not the only one who doesn't want to fight."
Sure enough, none of the players seemed all that interested in attacking her--
Unlike a large creature that let out a sudden roar in the distance. One that caught a certain scent on her and was drawn to it like a moth to a flame.
no subject
"What the fuck is that thing?!" Well.. at least Duo is blunt. He's maybe had enough of things and people chasing him at the moment, much less a large monster that's roaring. He may just nope out of this whole thing, if this keeps up, because really -
Oh hell, who is he kidding? He's dumb enough to stick around and try to make things right.
no subject
"I...I don't know..." She glanced around in hopes of finding something...anything. An answer. A hiding place.
A sword."But I...don't think it's friendly. We need to run, now!"no subject
no subject
It headed straight for her.
Fortunately, it's haste and clumsy movements allowed her time to dive out of the way at the last moment, giving her the freedom to break into a run of her own while the creature skidded across, rolling over twice before managing to make it to its feet.