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
It's a little amazing, actually. Atsushi looks mildly starstruck, even, before he shakes his head and tries to pull himself back together. ]
Ah... it's fine. Don't worry about it.
[ A small smile, for Giorno's efforts. ]
If you're new here— maybe there's something I can do to help. There's usually a logout point somewhere in the stage, so... we can look for one?
no subject
Though— ]
Stages? [ That sort of contradicted what he was told previously by someone else who had insisted that he needed to "play along" in order to leave. Perhaps different areas had different rules? Information here seemed so scattered. ]
Ah, excuse that, I mean to say yes; I am new here and I would appreciate the help.
[ Pretty polite from someone who tried to rob. ]
no subject
And he apparently has no idea how to hold a grudge, either, because the matter of him almost being robbed is quickly set aside in favor of the alternative, which is to help.
That's all the incentive he needs. ]
Oh— yeah, I know how difficult it can be, when you're new. They don't explain much of anything, do they...?
[ He remembers fumbling through trash on his first day here, so he sympathizes. ]
Please feel free to ask me anything. But we should also keep moving, too. I think the monsters are still after us...
no subject
Or I guess not. Since Giorno is honestly no better... ]
They seemed to explain a lot but I'm not sure how much of it was actually helpful. [ Or to be trusted, really. Given the nature of the ViViDs that he had been stuck in the past two times—having things within the game trying to kill you straight off the bat doesn't inspire the greatest amounts of faith. ]
Have you been here very long?
no subject
[ Because, to answer Giorno's question: ] I've only been here for about 2 months, I think...?
[ So he's not exactly an expert. Lame. ]
There are... opportunities for us to find out more, though. At least, that's what it seems like recently.
no subject
Is that intentional or not? He wonders. But thanks for being helpful except not except sort of, Atsushi. Giorno won't ask too many questions if he doesn't know much. He'll be determined to see how much he can find out on his own too which brings him to his next question. ]
People who have been here longer, I take? Do they have names? And do these "opportunities" involve partaking in more of these— [ He'll use a hand to gesture towards everything around them.] —ViViDs?
no subject
But I think some people have compiled a list of things we should know about this place. You'll get it all on your phone, later!
[ Translation: 'I am a loser weenie who doesn't really have too many friends, please rely on people who are more resourceful than I am, because that will happen soon." Atsushi is tragic. ]
As for more opportunities... about once ever three weeks or so, something big happens here. The city collapses, or... someone from CERES makes a mistake. That's usually when we find out more about the people running the city.
no subject
No, but Giorno is going to definitely be fascinated and satisfied by the prospect of getting the information that wasn't being shared with him soon on his phone. Well, eventually. Probably after he got out of this place.
Though when Atsushi explains the "formula" of how things happen here it's a little... ]
That seems a bit too predictable. [ And really weird. He'd ask if that's really what happens but Atsushi did just tell him that he had only been here for about two months. ]
It's almost as if they're making mistakes on purpose.
no subject
But also, Atsushi didn't consider the possibility that a lot of these weird disaster scenarios could be staged, straightforward thinker that he is. It's a revelation that's a bit staggering to him... thanks for turning his world upside down, Giorno. ]
Eh...? Do you think so...?
[ Giorno's been here for 10 minutes and he's already schooling this nerd, tragic. ]
But... why do you think they would do something like that?
no subject