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
[ but looks mostly neutral now. ]
[ Souji rolls his shoulders back and sidesteps another strike, gaze falling away from Yamato and back to the people trying to stab him. ]
There isn't actually a reason. [ this should be his cue to introduce himself, but... something stays his tongue. Instead, he shrugs. ] You can take it as advice from someone who's been through all of this before.
[ He knows why he's not saying his name. Maybe it's because he's annoyed that Yamato's forgotten (it's his first time, Souji muses, meeting someone who's lost their memories of CERES), but it's probably because of his desire to keep things as uncomplicated for as long as possible. ]
[ then again, not introducing himself doesn't do anything to back up his truly goodhearted advice either. why is life hard. Maybe he should call the other Okita.... Except there are no other Okitas?? ugh ]
Your master -- Kure-kun, right? I saw him around here. He might have already left by now.
[ There, mentioning Yamato's actual master should be just as effective!!! except no, it might be making him look more sketchy ]
no subject
Though, if Yamato were to really get down to it, there would be no way for Souji to not look suspicious without someone vouching for him. But at least he's stabbing the people Yamato is stabbing and not Yamato himself, so that counts for something, at least.]
Kure-kun... you know him? [What would he be doing here? And what would this odd person know of him - or, really, of any of the other saniwas, or swords, or him, for that matter?
This might have been as uncomplicated as possible for Souji, but it was anything else for his hapless sword.]
What is all this?
[But the saniwa wasn't here, and this odd guy was, and said he'd been through it before, so. No one better to ask... right?
Wrong... but there was no one else to ask.]
no subject
[ Is this how Kashuu felt when he had to explain Cerealia to him? ]
[ It doesn't seem as if Yamato's too keen on following Souji anytime soon, so Souji plants his feet on the floor and kills yet another NPC, all while thinking about his answers. ]
You saw that point thing before this, didn't you? [ powerpoint, Souji ] It's not exactly helpful, but it explains some things. Like the place we're in.
[ He's trying here, at least. ]
I know Kure-kun because I met him here, that's all.
no subject
Supposedly.
He'll probably feel like the biggest idiot when he finds out the truth, but that's a problem for later, not NPC-murder-fest.]
I did. [He... saw it. And kind of watched it, vaguely, but didn't understand much of it at all, and believed even less of it, so... well, at least it wasn't actually that helpful, if Souji is to be believed.]
I see...
[Nope, still fishy, Souji.]
Who else have you met, here? [WHO CAN VOUCH FOR YOU?]
no subject
[ If only Souji had a way to make himself come across as trustworthy, but he's never particularly found something like that useful while killing people. So now here he is, in a NPC murder-fest and being suspected by Yamato for looking sketchy. At least he's sharp enough to understand the intent of that question though. ]
A lot of people. [ helpful, but he continues ] Some of them are your comrades -- like Kashuu Kiyomitsu and Doutanuki-san.
[ and also a bunch of other tsukumogami whose names Souji knows but doesn't bother to say since he doesn't really know them very well. He hardly knows Kashuu or Doutanuki, but those names are still the ones he'd pick. He's talked to them a little bit more than he's had to the others, so they're basically familiar. ]
It's fine if you don't believe me. [ He shrugs, effortlessly cutting down another NPC and continuing to speak in the sort of casual tone one would have if they were out shopping or picking flowers ] But if you're going to decide that I'm your enemy, then we should hurry and fight each other soon. Killing these guys is getting boring.
[ that is the opposite of helpful souji ]