thevine | ✦ WEEKEND ZERO

✦ WEEKEND ZERO: PILOT EPISODE

REMAINING

Welcome! x

Good afternoon passengers, and welcome to the marvelous Scylla, heading directly for Napalm Springs... We are expected to arrive in approximately a time... Please enjoy your refreshments and entertainment while we make our way through the coral reef...

And with the startling boom of a foghorn, you awake on the deck of a boat. A superyacht, specifically! This isn't where you just were, but you should've seen this coming, right? Whether it was five minutes ago or five years ago, you signed a contract with a representative who told you they could make your dreams come true. Seems like your contract has activated! The OnlyFruits Media Group has collected each of you to shuttle off to a brand new season of The Vine, a reality show where three teams compete against each other for the chance to have their dearest dreams come true. There's always a twist (what sort of fruit would we be if there wasn't some sort of zest), but... you aren't quite sure what that twist might be just yet. Is that anxiety you're feeling, or are you just seasick? Anyway. When you wake up, you'll find that you are all dressed in dapper formal clothing. What a way to make a first impression! To both you and your... fans, potentially, since you get the sense that you're being watched, even if you're not sure how. If you have personal belongings, you won't find them for now - maybe they got sent ahead to your location already? And yes, this includes pets. Oh no. But there's nothing to be done about it. You might as well enjoy your stay on the Scylla, for now. And maybe meet your future potential teammates and rivals, while you're at it?

YO HO HO HO

In the words of Twerking With the Stars season 15 winner, Smdy Aamberg: You're on a boat! (You're on a boat!) You're on a boat! (You're on a boat!) Everybody look at you 'cause you're sailing on a boat!

It's a little packed on this ship, but for the most part? You're not too crowded. It's made to carry about forty people, so there's enough space to spread out. You can even find little places to be alone, should you so wish. Mostly. Again, you think there might be cameras, but you can't see any of them and even if you could, you wouldn't be able to break them. The main attraction of the ship is the cabin on the deck. Inside the cabin is a fully stocked bar, complete with mixers and garnishes. A fridge with pre-made meals spans across the underside of this bar, and there's enough in there for everybody on board to have at least three meals a day. How does it all fit? Just trust us, it does. If you try to take more than your fair share, you'll get electrocuted by a mysterious force, so maybe don't do that. Or do, if you're into that kind of thing.

There are tables and booths inside the cabin to hang out in, as well as a dance floor smack dab in the middle of the floorspace. There is a disco ball hanging down from the ceiling in the center of the multicolored dancefloor. From nine PM to midnight, this plays in the cabin, so enjoy your clubbing. At least it's not able to be heard outside of the cabin itself, so if you want to sleep, you can do so on the deck. There's a bunch of lounge chairs out there, go wild. Speaking of, aside from the lounge chairs, on the deck is a small pool with a hot tub extension. It's perfect for lazing about with a drink, or getting to know your fellow contestants. And why did we tell you to find a lounge chair to sleep in? Well, unfortunately all of the rooms in the sleeping quarters are locked and cannot be opened by any means, save for one. This room has one king-sized waterbed with a funhouse mirror on the ceiling directly above it, an armchair in the corner, and nothing else. The door to this room does not lock, and is weirdly warm. You can sleep here. Not sure why you'd want to, but you can. And yes, there are bathrooms. Public ones, with stalls and sinks. There is one shower. Keep that in mind. At the very back of the yacht is what appears to be the engine room, or something like it. It's locked, but the sign on the door reads:

YOUR CAPTAIN TODAY IS FLYINGWAY. PLEASE ENJOY YOUR TRIP TO THE ISLAND.

No amount of brute force or wits can break into this room. If you try to get in anyway, do let us know.

Special Delivery!

As a complimentary gift for participating on the Vine Season 69, you receive a small canvas tote bag full of goodies!

✦ A small box containing three mini key lime tarts. ✦ A cute handheld fan with a detachable stand. ✦ A pillow that definitely doesn't look like what you think it is (slightly NSFW). ✦ A book about how to deal with the stress of travel! ✦ A colorful OnlyFruits water bottle. ✦ A pack of sesame biscuits. Not cookies. These are legally and emotionally distinct from cookies. You feel this in your soul.

☰ OOC NOTES

✦ Welcome to your Weekend 0 Mingle! ✦ You currently DO NOT have your home item, any canon outfits, or your game-provided phone. Powers are off. ✦ ICly, profiles are still hidden! We will let you know when you can see them ICly. This also means your character ICly does not know what team they are! ✦ Don't forget to turn in your PCs if you start them! ✦ Have fun, and always feel free to come talk to the mods if you have any issues or comments or anything you want to share!

🔗 FULL NAVIGATION

STATUSES // IC PROFILES // LOCATIONS // MURDER PROPOSALS // CYOA SIGN-UPS // AUDIENCES // CURFEW // PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS // REPORTING // AC & EVENT SUBMISSIONS

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[he stops short. frozen in the act of shifting to sit and stick his legs in the water again.]

I don't have your vitals.

[ DON'T. TALK ABOUT HIS DOGS? LEAVE HIM ALONE? I'M PUTTING UP A MOSAIC. NO FREE FEET. he does kind of blink a little as jem seems to freeze in place, turning a little and then -

oh. ]

... Oh.

[ ~~FREEDOM!~~ no jk. um ]

Wait, for real?

For real, for real. They're nowhere.

[how to explain this? it's not a concept he's ever had to be practical about. his hand paws at the air to the left of his own face.]

There's usually--it's always at the edge. I always know.

[always, always, always. he avoids the water, switches to a kneel. not sure what caused this--what if it was the hot bubbly bath???]

It's totally gone! You could be suffocating right now and I wouldn't know!

Edited 2026-02-21 02:01 (UTC)

[ it's true, jem's never really explained how he monitors his vitals - how he knows when to call out to him, to tell him what he already knows - that his heart is beating fast or that his blood pressure is on the rise or that... yeah. he frowns a bit, turning a little to face him as he's knelt down. ]

Well I'm not. I'm alive - [ drunk. he smells like alcohol ] - breathing plenty.

[ he will not be removing his feets from the bath. it's nice in here. thanks. instead, he reaches for where jem is pawing at the air and takes his wrist if he lets him. there's a firmness to his grip, not to force him over, rather to maybe offer some kind of semblance of settling him. ]

Calm down, just... let me see something, okay?

Edited 2026-02-21 02:23 (UTC)

[jem may have vaguely noticed the lack of the usually ever-present pilot vitals earlier, but he'd assumed it was due to valiant not being here. with him. but now he clearly is on the same megayacht, and yet jem remains in the dark as to anything. can't read a heartbeat. can't tell val with any certainty when he's had too much to drink. he's feeling the loss.

but he can't succumb to asking a bunch of what-ifs. the urge is strong, but he masters it. remains as calm as he can manage as val takes his wrist.]

Okay. See something. [please.]

[ val could try and accelerate him, he could slow him, he could hurt him, but he doesn't, and that's because he can already feel it. not being able to tug at that well of power, that thread of it is innate, just another check lately that he does upon first waking up. instead he just carefully moves his hand to squeeze his, briefly, and he looks at his hand like he's actually examining it instead of having to maybe come out with it. ]

It's probably the same thing that isn't letting me cast. It's probably not going to let you come out of compression either...

[ another squeeze, awkward, but he does mean it. ]

Was probably in whatever contract we signed, I'll bet.

[jem knows how to be patient. he knows how to wait, whether it's in a closet or outside or at the edge of a hot tub. but every second leaves him a little tenser and more aware of his body as a solid, unchanging shape. it's true, he couldn't return to cycle mode or ring mode if he wanted. he nods, jerkily and unhappy, at valiant's summary of their situation.

handholding helps settle the anxiety. jem pressures his own dumb person mouth into a smile.]

Then we're still registered.

[ handholding is not his specialty. in fact, it's his anti-specialty. his biggest weakness. he nods. ]

I'd say maybe it's so they have more control when it comes to what's going on here.

[ a beat as he reaches his other hand to just pat jem's arm a little before he begins to let go, bringing his own hands back into his lap. ]

For now, what matters is... we're here. And we can tackle whatever the hell this place is gonna throw at us. Right?

[jem accepts that handholding cannot be forever, and, eventually, valiant will require the use of both of his paws. that is understandable. it was nice while it lasted. when released, jem drops his hands to his knees.]

Right.

[...]

Valiant.

[and now we switch to pc.]

✦ WEEKEND ZERO

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