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

Right, it's about the destination they have set up for us, not our journey to it.

But I'm surprised they're not shooting at least some some B-roll, you know?

It's a little weird. [ More than a little weird. ] Could've set up cameras to watch us while they're offshore, but I haven't found anything yet.

Exactly.

Even if they didn't plan on broadcasting it, it still must be valuable footage.

Yeah, you have to think about the promos, the director's cut... why would they waste the opportunity?

[ Better question. How long is this thing running? ]

Wonder if they've already got footage from before we even got here.

Exactly.

[God he seems so relieved that someone else seems to fucking understand how this industry goddamn works. And he looks thoughtful at that.]

It probably wouldn't have been that hard to acquire and they might be able to argue the footage is all public in the first place... Underhanded but not necessarily illegal.

I'm guessing there's a lot of fine print most of us didn't get a chance to really read through either. [ Which. Annoying. That part's actually super annoying. ] I know we all agreed to be here. But don't tell me I'm the only one who thinks they're already pushing their limits before we even get started.

My manager was supposed to review the fine print.

[LE SIGH.]

You're not. But I expected them to push limits in the opposite way, you know, cameras in our faces, invasive interviews, things like that. Being completely absent is pushing it in an entirely new way.

Your manager? [ Okay, now you lost him. But that aside... ]

I'm willing to bet most of us have never been on TV before. Maybe they're easing us into it before it's all cameras all the time. Boat's not that big either, they might not've been able to fit all of us and all of the crew, too. Most reality shows don't have a cast this big, do they?

Well, it really depends on what the show is going for. Some have smaller casts and some have larger casts where certain people are cast to fill background space and others will be featured more prominently.

[WAIT... why is he explaining this...]

...You've really never been on TV before?

Edited 2026-02-21 14:55 (UTC)

[ No, I think Nice should keep explaining this because Junpei's interested in how he ticks. He shakes his head though. ]

Never had a reason to, no. But there's a first time for everything.

That's true. There's a reason shows like this cast people who don't have any experience.

It can seem intimidating but I find if you don't let yourself think about the lights or cameras, it can be a pretty valuable and fun experience.

That's a pretty optimistic way of looking at it. Just how long have you been on TV then?

Well, I've been doing filmed performances since I was pretty young. But only stuff like this over the past five years or so since TV appearances are a common part of idol and hero contracts.

Idol and hero contracts. [ He's repeating that and he's giving Nice a curious once-over because that makes a little more sense until it stops making some sense. ]

Idol I get, that's all performances. But a hero... ?

[ Why is there a contract for being a hero? ]

Well, we're represented by the hero agencies who help boost our image and manage our relationship with the public. But most importantly, working with an agency allows us to legally operate under the Hero Commission.

[...]

People really haven't heard of it here, have they?

Sorry man, can't say I have. [ And yet he doesn't seem to think this is weird for some reason. ] Sounds a lot like being an actor. You have managers to book your appearances and negotiate your rates and keep your image clean, and in exchange an actor gets to book jobs.

Can anybody decide to work under the Hero Commission?

[Well, if it phases him, he'll just go back to smiling.] It's not dissimilar. And probably born from the same principles and ideas. I started as an idol before being scouted to be a Hero, after all.

[He cocks his head.]

While they can't monitor what everyone does in the public eye, technically, no. If you don't work as part of an agency then you're out of their scope which defeats the purpose of the commission. So usually, that sort of thing isn't allowed.

Being scouted sounds impressive. How'd you manage that one? Like... what does it mean for you, specifically, to be counted as a hero?

[ It's maybe more personal of a question but he has to admit it's a big claim that has his curiosity. ]

Registered heroes get the jobs and the laurels, and vigilantes aren't discouraged but aren't totally recognized either. Kind of goes against hero law though, so everything's better left to heroes in an agency. Something like that?

I was working as an idol for the same company. Having some Trust from those fans helped give me the start I needed to start being a Hero. Having the support of TREEMAN in the role means getting noticed quickly in a professional capacity.

[He nods a little.]

That's how it ultimately tends to end up. If someone goes viral, hero agencies are quick to try and recruit them and start building their profile and capitalize on their skills. You don't need one by law but it's difficult to know how to manage yourself so you don't lose the public's faith or attention. Even if the commission doesn't stop you from claiming yourself to be a hero, you'll probably just end up falling by the wayside.

A career that you kinda step sideways and take your fanbase with you. [ It makes sense, like those musicians who transcend into acting and so people go see their movies just because they like their work. Doesn't matter if they're good at it at first, the base is there. ] Is TREEMAN the agency, or is that a person?

It's all a PR game in that case. Somebody to boost your skills but do damage control while you're out there doing a hero's work... whatever that actually means. Saving people, I'm guessing? Hero's a loose word.

✦ WEEKEND ZERO

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