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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i
like a sword being swung by what looks to be a nervous tween. well, can't blame him for being nervous, but still -- ]
You're gonna cut your own arm off at that rate! [ he calls out, barely managing to miss getting slashed in the face, holy shit ] Aim, aim! [ like he should be telling someone how to fight in the middle of this. ]
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right in the middle of this. Ah--]
I'm not going to-- How would that even happen?! [he's not going to cut off his own ARM okay maybe that's the wrong thing to focus on] Are you helping or lecturing?
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And I'll tell you a story about that if we don't both die in this mess. [ because kid, it can totally happen. ] So -- helping, helping, all right? [ he lifts his crossbow and shoots a particularly randy fellow that had launched into the air to try and tackle them. ]
Head out of the center!
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I don't want to hear a story about dismemberment!! [It's great that his panic response is screeching and not more flailing swords around, because wow - that would be ending badly for a few people by now, himself included. Especially when he sees the crossbow and assumes the worst. He yelps and throws his sword to the ground, covering his head with both arms and-- oh.
Ah.
Well, that guy deserved it... He spares only a beat staring before he turns and bolts. Annnd now he's unarmed, goddamn it. He's made it a few yards when he skids to a halt, to rectify this problem??] Wait! I need to have something!
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Varric gives a quick scan around for something that'll make the kid happy, kicking a stick up and then tossing it to him, ]
Here, use this! [ to be fair, it's more of a staff or a cane, really -- but for all the good it'll do, it might as well be a stick. much less dangerous to smack people around with. he doesn't know if this kid has any background in fighting, but if he doesn't, he might regret accidentally killing someone - even if they were trying to murder him. it happens. not to Varric, but it's not like he loves unnecessary bloodshed in general. ]
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Use-- ack! [STICK?? He fumbles it at first but catches it before it can fall and clutches it in both hands, with a look on his face that says he's definitely ready to go to bat with this and the face of anyone who comes too close to him. Whether or not he'll be successful is another story.
So now with all the righteous indignation about being here that his skinny self can muster, he will actually do as he's told and make a run for it. There's at least one yelp and sharp whack to follow as he sideswipes an NPC in the kneecaps on the way.]
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or would be if he wasn't busy shooting people in the face and slowly making his way out of the crowd. damn, these guys don't wanna give up, huh? and crossbows aren't terribly useful when you're in the middle of a crowd. so he improvises, fighting dirty by kicking ankles and throwing wine into someone's face.
he tosses the wine glass behind him once he's finally at the edge of the crowd, ]
I feel like I should'a drank this instead of tossing it. [ he's too sober for this shit right now. ]
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I feel like I should have found a table to hide under, but here we are.
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[ he shrugs his shoulders like, what're you gonna do? ]
And now they know they shouldn't mess with you too much. Seems like a win to me.