FAQ

FAQ

OOC FAQ

Okay, I've read the premise and I'd like to know more! How does the game work?

Characters consensually sign up for a reality dating show and are offered free round trip transportation to Mistletoe Manor, the headquarters of Holidate. Participants are split equally, regardless of gender, into two teams: Gold and Silver. Each alternating Saturday, one team's will choose another participant that they think is their match - no matter who they are. Based on the choices, the game's Overseer will reveal how many matches have been correctly chosen - but not which choices they were. It's up to the participants to logic out which pairs are correct and which are not a match.

To help them on this endeavor, every week will present at least one opportunity to send a couple to the Naughty or Nice Booth, where everyone will find out if they are a Perfect Match to not. Naughty or Nice candidates are selected through weekly holiday-themed challenges and the top participants in these games are given extra dating opportunities with their current partner.

If characters find all of their matches by the end of the game and vote correctly in the final ceremony, everyone will receive a holiday miracle: the chance to grant a wish of their choice. But if they develop feelings for someone who isn't their perfect match, will they be able to put their feelings aside so they don't ruin anyone else's Christmas...?

What is Are You the One, actually?

Are You the One? is a reality dating show where participants are locked in a mcmansion together and try to find their perfect match among the other contestants. If all matches are found by the end of the game, the contestants win the $1 million prize pot and hopefully the heart of their match.

Tensions often run high, especially when matches are involved.

What about the holiday movie component to the game?

In short, this is a Christmas-themed version of that game show. Challenges and date scenarios (and perhaps some extra secret happenings?) will draw inspiration from the vast, albeit cookie cutter, genre of holiday romantic comedies. For example, a weekly challenge might be an eggnog taste test, or a weekly date may be a trip to a skiing lodge where characters may or may not find themselves snowed in for the night with no power.

How long will this game run?

HOLIDATE is planned to run for 7 weeks, from Halloween to December 17th. To accommodate any players who might be observing or traveling during the American Thanksgiving holiday, there won't be any mandatory events that week, but characters will still have plenty of things to do and time to mingle!

If the end date ends up not working, runtime can be pared down by a week, and this is a conversation I'm happy to have collaboratively with everyone!

Invites will go out starting the 28th of September and probably come in waves up until the planned interest check on 10/1, but more invites might go out the week of 10/3 depending on various factors, mostly me swallowing the task of sending them. Reserves for invited players will open at 3pm Eastern on the 15th of October, and apps will open on 3pm on the 22nd and close at 11:59pm on the 28th. The planned game open is Halloween morning! Just like grocery stores, we will be taken over by holiday spirit immediately after spooky season closes.

What's a typical weekly schedule?

With the exception of the week of November 20th, each week will look a little something like this:

Monday - A new weekly mingle goes up
Tuesday - The weekly challenge is posted
Thursday - The weekly date and voting for the Naughty or Nice Booth
Friday - Naughty or Nice Booth results
Saturday - Match voting discussion, with votes due at 10pm Eastern.
Sunday - Match voting results

While the goal is for there to always be some kind of activity for characters to participate in throughout the week, there are no dates or posts that you have to be around for. For example, the voting discussion on Saturday lasts all day, but you can come and go as you please as long as you submit your match votes OOCly by the end. Unlike more rigorous short-term games, consider this a leisurely CR building setup.

Will the game have a Discord server?

Yes; in fact, most of the game conversation will take place there! Having a single Discord channel will make coordinating challenges and discussions easier for everyone to be a part of and provide a place for everyone to share their toplevels with the whole group. Invites will go out at game start.

Will there be Private Conversations?

Due to the dozens of stationary video cameras as well as the herd of cameramen on site at all times, virtually every action that characters take will be recorded. Therefore, private conversations/PCs won't be a part of the game! There are two options for locked threads: One, characters who find their Perfect Match will have access to the honeymoon suite, a locked post of their own where they can get to know each other privately away from the house - though they're able to return at will to visit any time (so, yes, they can be matched up and come back to cause problems on purpose). Two, characters can join one or more other participants in the Reindeer Games Room and have a locked thread created for them. Both types of posts will be unlocked at the end of the game.

Reindeer Games Room...?

It is exactly what you think it is.

AKA the Boom Boom Room, this is the only fully private suite in the house, and it is fully stocked for bone zone time. In short, it's the sex suit, and if your character wants to bang, this is where they need to go with their partner(s) of choice. Physical intimacy between the characters must be initiated within 10 minutes of entering; otherwise they will be exiled to "Mt. Krumpet," a timeout room, for the rest of the night.

In the immortal words of Kia, USE THE GODDAMN BOOM BOOM ROOM.

Who can I app?

Please observe the following maturity clause when choosing a character: Don't be a fucking creep. Characters of all genders and orientations are welcome. While they do not need to act like mature adults with their lives together, they should be mature enough to consent to and be an equal participant in a mature relationship. You'll have an opportunity to list your squicks and limits in the application.

HOLIDATE is an elective experience. Characters must consent to participating in both the show and the dating experience. Characters must also be able to admit that they are bad at relationships in some way. This may mean unlucky in love, too committed to work to find a relationship, haunted by an event from their past, or anything else. They just need to be able to fess up to 1) sucking at dating, and 2) wanting to participate in the opportunity to find their perfect match. If a character wouldn't agree, even tangentially, to participate in this competition, or if they might not (however deep down) long for love, they might not be the best fit for this experience.

As far as specific character types, OCs and canon characters are allowed. This includes customizable protagonists with a distinct, definable personality like the Inquisitor from Dragon Age or the Persona player characters in general and player characters created for the sake of the game like tabletop OCs or MMO player characters. Unfortunately, I won't be taking CRAUs for this game. Human and non-human characters are welcome, though they should be generally humanoid in shape or able to take one.

Characters do not need to be Christmas-themed or from holiday-themed media.

Is there a cast cap or game cap?

Not this time! This is our fuck around and find out session, so go wild. I'm aiming to have between 20 and 24 participants and to have an even number of characters if at all possible, but the exact number is subject to fluctuate as RSVPs come in.

Will powers be on?

Yes! Characters will retain their canon powers. There will just be some limitations on game-breakers. No using time manipulation to skip to the end of the game. No using telepathy to call off the mountain. No ending the world. No one can die and bouncers will step in if fights get too spicy.

My character doesn't come from a world with Earth winter holidays! Can they participate?

That's totally fine! Characters who do have equivalent winter holiday customs from their own worlds are welcome to share them with others, and they may find some artifacts of their own celebrations in Mistletoe Manor. On their journey to the house, unfamiliar characters will also get a magical crash course on Earth winter holidays, including the cuisine, rampant consumerism and gift-giving, and Santa Claus himself.

How does the matchmaking work?

In the application, you'll be asked to tell me a bit more about what your character wants, needs, and feels. They'll also have the first week in the house getting to know other characters in real-time. Using a hyper-scientific method I like to call "reading the content available to me and making my best educated guess," I'll create a secret list of Perfect Matches.

Are we allowed to ship or date outside of our perfect matches?

I would be disappointed if you didn't. Please make this as dramatic, romantic, and messy as you possibly can.

Can my character date the Overseer?

The Overseer is not calculated in any Perfect Matches at the beginning of the game. I have never said no to drama, however, and characters are welcome to feel whatever they want for the game's Overseer.

Is there an Activity Check?

HOLIDATE is a small, private game that I'm running to give my friends a fun Christmas present in the form of a shipping experience. As such, there's no AC or minimum comment count. That said, if it's your week to choose during the matchup ceremony, please make sure that you submit your choices that week. This is the participation I need to make the pairings for the week's round of matchups and determine OOCly how the characters are doing.

Is there any content that might happen in this game that needs a warning?

There's alcohol in this house, and there are lots of occasions to drink it. Characters my get physical while under the influence of alcohol.

Sexual content is possible; however, any horny threads will be locked to the Boom Boom Room for current participants or the Honeymoon Suite for characters who have located their match. You don't have to write any sexual content and your characters do not have to bone, but the option is available.

My expertise is in Christmas romcoms; as a result, while many of the activities can be repurposed for the general winter season or any winter adjacent holiday, Christmas is going to be very prevalent.

IC FAQ

Can I bring my pet or companion?

You're allowed to bring two standard suitcases...or whatever your equivalent is. Unfortunately, we can't have any living creatures along. They'll be safe and taken care of at pet/companion/emotional support creature boarding until the game concludes!

Can I contact anyone outside of the mansion?

Unfortunately, service is really bad up here on the mountain. That, and it's important to cultivate your relationships with your fellow players! Phone lines and internet aren't available, and unfortunately telepathic connections won't make it off the summit either. If you urgently need to contact the outside world or have other needs, we can accommodate an emergency situation or send mail.

I'd like these cameras to stop following me around, please.

While it can be daunting to be under constant recording, consenting to being filmed for the duration of the gameshow is part of the contract.

Don't worry about the cameramen. They're more afraid of you than you are of them.

Am I in any danger here?

You are perfectly safe. Barring any comical injuries for the sake of nursing you back to health or an accident during one of our more physical challenges, there aren't even that many opportunities to find yourself in danger. We do recommend wearing the proper protective gear when participating in winter sports, however.

What happens when I find my perfect match?

You, my dear friend, will be allowed to move into the Winter Wonderland honeymoon suite with your match! Here, the cameras will leave you alone so you can get to know one another even better and explore the potential of your future together.

What if I don't love - or even like - my perfect match?

Though our matchmakers have perfected their art, it isn't a science. There are no guarantees in love, and sometimes a setback can be trying to teach us something else about ourselves. You'll still go to the honeymoon suite, but you aren't required to be romantically involved if there aren't any sparks.

What happens if we don't find any matches?

If no new matches are found for the week, this will cause a blackout. The consequence for blacking out is the removal of one holiday miracle from the prize pool. If everyone doesn't find their perfect match by the end of the show, all holiday miracles will be forfeit.

If I don't think someone is my match, can we still go to the Reindeer Games Room?

We can't stop you. The heart wants what the heart wants - and so do other things. Anyone may visit the Reindeer Games room at any time

Can I date the Overseer?

...

Are you a degenerate?

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