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
[She'll go ahead and... point that out for the both of them... But she brushes herself out and shrugs, nodding and following along. If he insists? She's not really opposed, this is all just virtual anyway, and she doesn't really want to kill anyone, that'd be gross.]
But okay, sure! What's your name, mister? I'm-- [And she ducks an arrow almost like it's an afterthought (whoa there), shaking her head.] --Ruby! Ruby Rose.
no subject
Not that he dwells on it for long. This sure isn't the time and place to do so, so he mostly just focuses on getting them out of here, even if it means practically cutting a path through the fighting crowd for them whenever someone stands in the way. ]
It's Shinpachi. N-- [ Right, western order.. ] Shinpachi Nagakura.
[ He turns to look back at her for a brief moment when he isn't sure someone is about to charge at them-- ]
You think you can keep up the pace if we run? At this rate we'll never get out of here, it's like a new one pops up every time you get one of these guys out of the way.
no subject
[She'll roll with that, she can handle that name. She beams, totally confident.]
Don't worry, I can keep up! I'm sure of it. [Like. Really really sure. Going fast is what she's good at. And she supposes she should pull out her own weapon now, which is why she pulls out her totally unnecessarily large scythe.]
Ready!
no subject
Yes.
This is normal, of course.
Granted, it's more normal than it would be if he came out of his world fresh just now.. He knows this is one of those things that just Happens. There's people with all sorts of weird powers here, but it's still definitely going to make him blink when it comes from a relatively innocent-looking young girl.
Not that Shinpachi lingers on it - he doesn't have the time in this situation. Instead he shakes his head, trying to shake off the surprise, a small grin (maybe from how ridiculous the idea is that such a huge weapon belongs to a girl like this) on his face. ]
Hey, if you were hiding that all along, you could've told me from the start! [ He doesn't seem to mean it really seriously, though.. he's just teasing. Sort of. ] Let's go!
no subject
But she just laughs at that, shrugging a little sheepishly.]
You seemed like you had it under control so I didn't need it yet!
[Now that they're going to be fighting dudes, though, she does. So she nods, grinning a little, and--]
Here I go!
[The fact that she can swing this massive scythe is honestly really dumb, but there you have it. Off she goes, scythe a-swinging, and in particular making sure that she doesn't kill anyone or do more than just bat them out of the way, virtual or not.]
no subject
You're going to make me look bad at this rate!
[ Even though he's taking care of some that try to get in the way as he follows all the same. He's a Shinsengumi captain, after all - far from helpless as long as the opponent doesn't have some sort of weird supernatural advantage. ]
Wait up for me outside before you'll be long gone by the time I get there! [ Okay, at least that's a light joke - it's not like she's that far ahead of him, but Shinpachi got to at least give some credit where it's due. ]
no subject
Heheh--I won't leave you behind, I promise!
[Even though speed is kind of her thing--well, she's not going to go all stupidly supernatural yet. Instead, just some fancy scythe and sword work seems to have been enough to get them through the door, and then Ruby's going to KICK IT to open it and look cool while she does and
It doesn't budge.
Naturally.
...]
Ow.
[:(]
no subject
(He doesn't really want to think about being stuck in here of all places, really.)
Turning so he can cover her back from the NPCs that take this opportunity to move towards them, he speaks up again. ]
What, can't get it open? Need a hand?
[ You know, when he gets a second here.. ]
no subject
(Not far.)
So she just huffs at the door vaguely before reaching for the handle.]
I can get it! I can totally get it!
[She needs a hand, Shinpachi.]
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.. granted, they're on a time limit here before more people will come at them, so this isn't really time for any elegant solution. All he does it make sure that Ruby isn't in the way (or that would end up really unfortunate and embarrassing and possibly with both of them having a concussion) and then just charges straight for the door, throwing his shoulder against it.
Look, sometimes you just need some brute force. It's how these things work when you're a Manly Man. ]
no subject
That was actually really impressive, and Ruby blinks, peering out into the jungle beyond.]
Whoaaaaa... that was pretty cool actually, Shinpachi!
[Why do you sound like you weren't expecting him to be cool...]
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Instead Shinpachi shows a thumbs up to him. Damn straight, he's cool! ]
Get used to it, this is what I'm usually like! [ There's a good amount of people who'd laugh just hearing that, honestly, but Shinpachi himself seems to believe it well enough.. ] Acting cool when saving people is my speciality!