[ORP] Speed Dating - Seeking Mr. Right or Lady Love! [CLOSED]

[cursedwanderer]

Happy Endings flit his way through the crowd back to the bar.  He could use another drink and he was at least confident that he'd secured one new companion for the night (although more certainly wouldn't hurt). 

"So," he purred towards the handsome bartender, "how do you think it went?"  The flutter flashed a grin at Fruit Punch before turning to lean his back against the bar.  "I think I did rather well at managing not to piss too many people off if I do say so myself, though maybe that's just a reflection on my lack of an attempt at being genuine." 

He swung his legs back and forth from his perch.  "I could definitely use a few more drinks though before I go back out there.  I'm beginning to think none of these guys know how to dance or party."

@HopelesslyPretty

[cursedwanderer]

Heavenly Body looked up from her lap and brushed away the hair that was shielding her eyes to gaze upon the stallion before her.  Huh, was he talking to her?  The mare couldn't help but glance to her sides to check that she wasn't mistaken.

"O-oh, of course!"  The carousel wiggled further into the booth to make room.  "My name is Heavenly Body, mortician extraordinaire," she murmured as she extended a hoof.

"You're the one who cared about the environment right?  I rather liked your answer as to what your greatest adventure was.  I'm afraid we can likely commiserate in that respect.  I, uh, I don't tend to get out of the morgue often.  I do like to dream about going on adventures though they don't tend to suit me."

@Syrcaid

[Nym]

Kiwi Kiss didn't feel dissuaded easily, but sometimes... well, she couldn't help it. She had been to many a speed-dating function, usually hosted by Blind Love, and Kiwi had yet to really find that spark. It wasn't anything against the pretty pegasus, either -- Kiwi Kiss was just one of those weird sorts that not everyone connected with, and she was fine with it! Err, usually. Sometimes it got to her, although she hated to admit it. She had slowly fell off the high of the meetings, having enjoyed almost every single one of them to their full extent. Now, however, as she wound down from the adrenaline and good merriment, Kiwi wondered if anyone had connected with her, as she felt she had with several of them. The slender flutter had, for a rare moment in her life, begun to feel insecure, especially compared to the other candidates.

What did she have to offer that would catch an eye?

'Oh, we aren't doing this,' she internally lectured, fluttering to the bar to grab a second drink. 'You've had an amazing and blessed life so far -- no reason to pout because love is difficult. Isn't that the point of it, anyway?' Kiwi settled neatly at the bar, sipping her drink and eying the others mingling. Oh, but she did feel a little shy, which was so unlike her! Kiwi Kiss normally would sweep up beside a phony and announce her interest, but something about the current crowd just... made her nervous. Maybe she could just take a moment to sip away at her drink -- recuperate and go from there?

(( Kiwi Kiss is open to any interaction! ))

[cursedwanderer]

Paws Button was skipping and twirling her way through the crowd, completely content to goof off or chat.  There were several phony here that she thought would be a blast to hang out and maybe play some video games with.  The tiny mare popped out of the throng of phony to see whom she could spot first before laying her eyes on... THE CHICKEN GUY.  Paws cracked a grin that slowly turned into a curious frown, he had seemed like a lot of fun when she'd talked to him, but he seemed to be looking a little bit down now.   Well that just was plan old unacceptable!  This was supposed to be a fun event!

"EXCUSE ME!"  She yelled, bouncing up and down to try and be seen over some of the taller phony.  "CHICKEN GUY!"  She waved a hoof rapidly.  "Did someone hurt you?  SHOULD I FIGHT THEM?!"  She'd do it, she'd probably lose too, but she would be ok with that.

@Gl!tch~

[Nym]

The event was certainly inspiring, leading to new ideas and considerations for her own speed-dating events. Blind Love also felt warmth in her face, a feeling she hadn't expected in quite some time. It was a mood booster for sure to remind herself that there were phonies who found her endearing or -- dare she say it -- cute. Before everything had become tangled and confusing she had confidence once before. Perhaps a bit watered down and fragile, but it had been there.

So, it felt nice to be reminded of what she could possibly have.

But, also, Blind Love was absolutely out of practice, nervous and unsure where to place her feet or how to answer with the right tone that expressed interest. There was a time once where she thought she wouldn't need those skills, and now Blind Love just felt.... out of place? The sore spot in the party? She could tell despite her smiles and demeanor that others had been thrown off and possibly even turned off by the lingering sadness at the edge of her voice, and she hated herself for it. Had she ruined anyone's mood terribly? Should she even have come?

Oh, now this was getting dreadfully depressing, wasn't it?

Blind Love sequestered off into the corner, settling in a table with a new glass of something sparkly and alcoholic. She didn't want to be the first to leave, and a part of her felt so silly for failing at something she hosted on the regular. Maybe she'd nurse a few drinks and then figure her plan.

(( Blind love is open for any interaction! ))

[HopelesslyPretty]

@Nym


Lemon Lime was having a tough time weighing her options... she thought that she had made pretty decent headway with getting the interest of a few ladies around the room, but it tough to decide who's be first on her "hit list" for tonight. Noticing Kiwi Kiss get up and head on over to the bar to order another drink way just the little cue for this striped filly to make her first move for the evening. She sauntered over to join the mare at the bar. "Her drink's on my tab, Punch." The blonde looked rather satisfied when her son agreed as suggested, getting Kiwi's drink poured as requested.

"Kiwi Kiss, you are too fine of a lady to be drinking over here by yourself." She offered a rather dashing smile as she made herself comfortable on her bar stool (it was funny, but she'd actually been taught 'the smolder' by Fruit Punch). "I wanted to come by and make sure that I had left a lasting impression on you, the same way that you did for me." Although her tone was playful, her eyes conveyed her seriousness. She thought the emerald colored filly truly was a stunner in this crowd.

[cursedwanderer]

Fatal Attraction stared out across the crowd, flabbergasted.  She hadn't been kicked out?  No one had called security on her?  The unicorn was utterly confused and excited.  Sure, there had been a few looks of disgust here and there but ultimately she'd mostly gained acceptance. 

Her jewel-like eyes darted from phony to phony, lingering longer on those who'd responded to her favorably.

"Hmph," she huffed, noticing one of the cute stallion's was already caught up in a conversation with an Alicorn mare.  At least he didn't look like he was enjoying the conversation, Fatal thought, eyes glittering with interest. The unicorn resumed her scan of the room, pouting that the stallion who also liked to dig through the trash was also already in a conversation with a sparkly blue mare and the bartender, the green flutter, and white and yellow mare were similarly occupied.

That left the cute mare with the crown and the pretty pastel pink pegasus.  She wondered if either girl was the final girl type as she watched the two like a shark.  The pink one seemed sad, while the brown one seemed shy, and they both seemed vulnerable (something that sparked a deep interest in her).  Could one of them be her one true love?   

((Fatal be creepin))

[Nym]

Oh! She remembered Lemon Lime! Kiwi beamed as LL swept her drink under their tab, wings fluttering a soft 'thank you!' Lemon Lime was a fun phony -- someone she had enjoyed her meeting with! The flutter wasn't unobservant, however, having noted LL mention their partner several times. Was she here for friends? No -- Kiwi wasn't that naïve, there was a certain tone (and look!) LL offered. Was that their thing as a couple? Oh, neat! It wasn't for her if she had a serious partner, but she understood and respected it.

And Kiwi didn't have a serious partner, yet, so-

Honestly, this was all terribly exciting, regardless of the end result. LL would make a good friend, too, and Kiwi Kiss genuinely liked her spirit. She took a sip of her drink, raising it gently once she was done.

"Thank you~!" She chirped to... just about everything LL said and done. She felt flattered and noticed -- that was nice!

"I found you awfully interesting, Lemon Lime! I really enjoyed our sit together, totally! You're so pretty, by the way -- is that rude? I hope not!" Lemon Lime also looked.... familiar. Like someone else she knew and held dear. "I feel like I've seen you somewhere, or someone who looks like you? Do you know Banana Creme?"

@HopelesslyPretty

[HopelesslyPretty]

@cursedwanderer

Fruit Punch smiles, appreciative of the fact that Happy Endings had decided to come chat with him again. He did want to hog the male flutter to himself after opening up the dance floor but he was actually enjoying their conversation. He couldn't help it if his job kept him in a state of extroversion while he was on the clock. "I think I see some mingling singles, which was the bare minimum of what I wanted to see tonight." He was partially joking, partially serious. "But I've been happy to help give phonies an opportunity to get together. Aside from me being here to fill glasses, that's what Cloud Nine was built for."

The redhead nodded as he listened to Happy describing his own opinion of his 'performance for the evening. "How about we make a deal, Happy? I'll give you a shot, my treat, but you have to save your last dance before you go home for me? That way, I can really see you working your magic. I'll give you a thorough critique after." He thought that would be more fun than anything, getting to see more interactions for his own entertainment viewing pleasure.

[Yasha]

Expired scoffed as the gamer girl alicorn played coy with the chat. He waited patiently for the bullshit walls to drop again.

For a moment he felt something. The same feeling he got when she muted the mic earlier. She was honestly a different phony. A real one. She was so good at turning this persona on and off again that, honestly, it was a little terrifying. Hush Money spilled her guts then the walls went right back up. She was so trapped in this world they couldn't have a five minute conversation, argument or whatever this was about to be in private. He may of just let this one go. It was in the wrong. He did judge her. But, she just had to go there.

' B r e a d b o y '

The words searing hot in his mind. When was the last time he heard that?

"Oh...you really are a gamer girl, cause you are here to play games. Well let's play princess..." Exp said clapping his 'hooves' together in front of him. He wasn't a little kid anymore and he was not about to hide or apologize.

"Here is the thing, I don't care." He hissed.

"You can play pretend with your internet neckbeards all you want, but it was completely inappropriate for you to bring that here. Not a single phony here deserved to be put on blast for being single or lonely. We didn't sign away consent to be victims to your little game. I'd be real f*ckin' curious to know what the layer, here tonight, would have to say about this. How many of us were called ugly, freak or loser in your little stream tonight? I'd honestly love to know..." Expired huffed as blind rage just ate at him. He couldn't remember the last time he was this worked up. Singsong had work so hard to help him put away all of these emotions, but without her, the worst of him was coming out tonight. "Most of the phonies here, this evening, came looking for a real connection. Vulnerable. Heart on their sleeves. You abused that for what ever the hell this is..." Expired motioned between her and the camera. "And for what... For views? subscribers? To 'find someone you can feel safe to be yourself around'?? Please..." Expired rolled his eyes, using her earlier words against her now.

"I judged you? Poor thing. Poor beautiful, helpless, stupid girl. That could have chosen to be anything life. But, no, you chose to be a fake."

"Hey chat." He said in his best fake breathy voice. "I'm here to embarrass some phonies today and make myself feel better about being alone. But it's okay. I am a good person because I read your stalker emails and send the biggest losers money. Again, to make myself feel better. Hehe.~" Expired played it up, by pretending to brush long lushes lock of hair from his face. He certainly took it too far, but he was pissed. If he got kicked out of the club, for causing a scene, he would consider it a blessing.

"And what do you get by coming back over to me? To prove something? No? You want to stream some drama? Want to show off the poor bitter phony with the bread leg off to your chat again? Grow up." Expired said sternly.

[HopelesslyPretty]

@Byagane319



Shimmering Sea clapped her hooves with applause once Fruit Punch made his announcement, really enjoying things tonight. She couldn't even imagine how much hard word would have to go into keeping a place this nice up and running normally, but then to give it a special treatment for this event was genuinely amazing. She had a newfound respect for the family that owned this place. She looked around the room thoughtfully, taking a moment to watch the other phonies, see what was happening on the dance floor, and examine the menu for vegan friendly options.

She giggled, happy to see that there was a [Vegan 🌱] note listed alongside certain items and there was an appetizer that certainly piqued her interest: "Air-Fried Pickles". Now wasn't that something? She'd never tasted those before but was suddenly reminded of someone she'd met tonight! She placed an order and waited for it to arrive before she took her plate in hoof, making her way over to Country Kitchen's table. He was currently sitting alone at his own table and she thought he could use a bit company. "Hi, is this seat taken? I thought these vegan air-fried pickles looked tasty, but I wanted to share some with you." She waited for his response, hoping she wasn't being too rude by just showing up with her own appetizer.

[HopelesslyPretty]

@Nym

"You're welcome, Darlin'." Lemon Lime watched the flutter, eager to gauge whether or not she really might stand a chance. Everything seemed to be going swimmingly, up until her daughter was mentioned. There was something in the way that she had said 'Banana Creme' that sent alarm bells off in the unicorn's mind. It almost sounded like she was crushing. "Banana Creme..?" It took her all not to visibly gulp in front of the smaller mare. Oh shit, was this girl interested in BC? It wasn't that Lemon Lime found her daughter unattractive, but she was pretty sure there might be something going on with the Patissier and Punk'achu if her eyes hadn't been mistaken... and when it came to the happenings of her offspring who was currently occupying her house's basement, she rarely missed a thing. She blinked slowly, knowing as a mother, she should do the right thing and potentially stop a potential conflict-of-interest before it even happened...

But she was only one-half of Phonyland's #1 Moms! She'd come here tonight to fulfill her mission for both herself and Candy Cane, dammit! Didn't this count as a case of necessary evil?? If Banana Creme hadn't noticed this total fucking babe right before her eyes, her daughter would be sure to learn a thing or two about the filly once the tennis player played her cards right. She had come here to score and didn't want to lose even if that meant engaging in romantic warfare against her own kid. "She gets her good looks from me, Darlin'. I'm her Mama." She coughed slightly after admitted the truth, but she wasn't going to back down. "Creme's a bit shy and well... She hasn't gotten herself all figured out the way that I have. When I see somephony I want, I make it a point to tell her so. You are a real gem, Kiwi." Lemon Lime made absolutely sure that she didn't sound upset, but internally she was fighting back the beginnings of a tantrum. "I want to treat you like the special phony that I know you are. But whether you're interested in coming back home with me tonight or not is entirely up to you."

[cursedwanderer]

It was ON!  Hush felt the same adrenaline rush hit her that she got every time a troll or asshole entered the chat.  She wasn't afraid of self-righteous trolls, she took their assholery and put it out on display for everyone to see so that they could feel shame.  It was the absence of shame, she found, that led to such brazen douchery from people who didn't even know her, people who came into her chat just to say things like 'you sound like a stallion' or 'bitch, I wanna see you suck my-', people who got banned.  Oh no no, she was not gonna mute this.

"I hear an awful lot of words for someone who doesn't care," she smirked, glaring at him with the heat of a thousand suns.

"And, might I add, instead of listening to what I had to say all you've done is get defensive and continue to make assumptions, both about me and my community.  What?  You think I don't have moderators?  You think I can't control my chat?  An unmoderated chat is how you get banned."  Freaking pleb.  "You and King Cock over there should swap bodies because it's clear from what i'm hearing that you're a giant dick!"  the Alicorn nearly screamed.  She was going to crush the attitude out of this stallion if it took all night. " And guess what sourdough it's perfectly legal to film people in places where there is no reasonable expectation of privacy.  This isn't a bathroom, this is a restaurant."  She slammed her hooves down, mane wild, suddenly finding herself wishing she hadn't finished her drink expressly for the purpose of dumping it on him.  Did he think she was some sort of small streamer who didn't know about the legality revolving streaming?  She was some sort of n00b?  She had money, she paid people to help her run her stream and to make sure she was up to code.  To do otherwise at her size would be sheer folly.

She shook her head, snout crinkling with derision as he continued his onslaught.  For a moment she felt bad for her chat, to have someone slander them that way.  She genuinely cared about them, she'd put in a lot of work to make sure she had a good community, but that caring had long since grown to be a burden.

"You're really a pig, you know that?  What kind of people do you think watch live streams?  It's lonely people, just like the people you see here.  You think they couldn't use some encouragement to do things like leave their homes and talk to other people?  Instead you call them stalkers, losers, and neckbeards.  You take my sad little community and you insult them because you hate yourself so much you have to take it out on other people.  What?  Someone insulted you once and you thought 'hey!  I know what to do!  I'll continue the cycle and be a bully myself!'"  She growled.  "You've done nothing but be rude to me since you sat down at my table and you want to stand here and act like you're the good guy in all this?!  Hilarious."  She raised her hooves up in the air, gesturing at the crowd around them.  "I wanted to take a little break and show my community that most people were good people and do a little networking while I was at it.  What a terrible sin I've committed!  I see why you're here.  You spend so much time convincing yourself everyone thinks you're a hideous freak that you treat everyone around you like shit, creating your own self-inflicted isolation, you self-conscious little colt.  It's really a pity because you're actually really attractive but your personality sucks!"

@Yasha

[Yasha]

"Go ahead. Cut me down with more insults, gamer girl. I've heard it all." He sneered bearing his teeth.

Expired continued to seethe. The hair on his body standing on end. How dare she saunter over here like she had anything useful to say. Brag some more. Brag about your teams of people who bend over backwards for you. Brag about how loved and respected you are. Brag about every lock of your hair falls perfectly around your face. Okay... she didn't say that, but whatever. He was usually the hateful type, but normally it was just simmer below the surface. Now he wanted to buck a hole into the wall or maybe take Shrill X up on some therapeutic screaming.

"I'm defensive??" He couldn't help but let out a hardy laugh in her face. "Who goes around saying things like bread boy and sourdough? Is that how low you are willing to go? To take someone's physical appearance and use it against them? That sounds a lot like bullying to me. I haven't had anyone use my mutations against me, like that, since I was in grade school so excuse me while I dredge through old shitty memories while trying to process this." He expertly skirted around all her valid points to focus on what made her look bad. It had always been a good strategy but he had never had an opponent quite like this one.

"Yeah, I came in hot, but you are the one who came back for more... Well, welcome back." The male unicorn said, extending his arms. "Was I was the first one, this evening, to burst your big wizard of oz bubble? It must really hurt when someone called you out on your bullshit. Let's continue to say how we really feel... But either way, one of us goes home alone and the other gets to wallow in the comfort of their cult."

He was so wound up that it was getting harder and harder to focus. Most of Hush's sentences just started to blur together. Now only certain words were standing out in his mind. Pig. Bully. Sin. But the thing is... She wasn't wrong. He did hate himself. He did take that out on other people. With each back and forth it seemed like no one was going to come out of this unscathed. He was being a judgmental bastard and using his words as daggers to try to bring her down with him. She wasn't a saint, but who was he to judge? He could have just given her quick answers and moved on with his life. He was going to need another couple of drinks. One to calm him down and one to tip him over the edge so he could cry out this frustration. 

"Glad to know I am not the only one here with ugly insides" The words tasted like ash on his tongue. He hated that he couldn't just be the bigger phony and walk away. He no longer cared what he thought he felt when the mics were down. Her insides were just as disgusting as his. No mod team here to mute him so we going to continue to twist the dagger in both of their sides.

@cursedwanderer

[cursedwanderer]

The adrenaline high was crashing and Hush was running out of steam.  Was this guy really going to keep going?  She huffed, not standing quite so tall as she was moments before.

"Oh, ok.  So you can just say shit about how I'm trying to steal your identity and how I disgust you right when you first met me but I'm not allowed to say anything back?  Peak hypocrisy."  She rolled her eyes and began chewing on a strand of her hair. 

Ughhh, the arguing wasn't fun anymore.  It was just... Stressful.  Which is how it always turned out, trolls or not.  Victorious or not.  She always felt bad afterward.   The alicorn let out a groan.  Don't feed the troll!  That was the rule and here she had gone forgetting it.  The mare felt herself shrinking inward like she was going to be turned inside out and suddenly those drinks weren't sitting in her stomach quite so well.

"You think everyone's just nice to me all the time, but you're just trapped living in your pity party fantasy where everyone else is the bad guy and you're some perfect hero standing up for the weirdoes of the world.  Everyone gets treated like shit sometimes, even me and not just by you," she sniffed.  She would not cry on stream.  She would not cry on stream.  Take a deep breath, hold it together...

"If you go home alone tonight that's on you.  I'm not responsible for how you treat other people."  That was something she found herself in need of constant reminding of when things got tough.

The alicorn took a desperate gulp of air and did her best to keep her lip from quivering.  Had she become rotten like he'd said?  No, she was sure of it.  Right?  She had only done things to try and protect herself...

"Fine then, goodbye."

Maybe she was rotten and maybe it was ok.

Shoulders slumped and wings dragging on the floor, the mare made her way to the bar to grab a drink then slunk over to an empty table to nurse her bruised ego.  She put her head against the cold lacquered wood and whispered, "sorry chat, I'm going to end stream early tonight" and clicked the camera off.


@Yasha