ercookies | TDM 004: WASHED ASHORE

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TDM 004: WASHED ASHORE

Arrival

This time, you come out of the water. While the Augur reboots, the Nameless Island's own inherent energy draws people in. It's like being suspended between realities and walking through a rift in dimensions. It may make you sick, or that might be the motion of the ocean, lifting you and carrying you to shore.

Waterlogged and covered in sand, new arrivals will be greeted by robots who welcome them with towels and bracelet devices. The A5 card is already loaded up. Inventory will be found a day later, wrapped up haphazardly and delivered to each person's makeshift home.

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I. Feel the friendship!

Recent arrivals and visitors to the beach may notice a sudden influx of hundreds of bright red crustaceans crawling (and coupling) across the sand. It's crab mating season, as it turns out, it's a regular invasion! To keep the beach a pleasant place to gather for the island's inhabitants, the robots are offering credits to especially enterprising crab-catchers. Grab a bucket and get to work! Be sure to watch out for their pinch, mind you. Their little claws are tiny, but that doesn’t mean they don’t hurt.

Surprisingly, there is another effect that even the robots don't anticipate: islanders who are pinched by the crabs find themselves feeling instantly buddy-buddy with the next person they spot. Did you just become best friends?! Get pinched one too many times, however, and those feelings may sour into a crabby mood, indeed.

If you are feeling particularly vengeful (or just hungry), the little crabs do make for delicious gumbo. Once cooked, they have no side effects whatsoever.

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II. Phallus Phestival

Although the Augur is offline and supplies are scarce, the robots of Erku are still eager to make their run-down little island a welcoming place for the new arrivals. To that end, they have arranged a three day festival to boost morale and promote the generation of plenty of Eros energy to assist in the restoration of the damaged and decayed parts of the city. The robots claim that this celebration was once a cornerstone of the long-lost civilization of the island. By the dawn of the first day, every island resident will find at their doorstep (or tent flap, mobile suit, etc) the traditional costume of the ancient islanders to wear to the festival. It appears to be... a giant sheet? There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to the sometimes garish colors and patterns of the fabric, but at least the robots have uploaded instructions on how to wear it to your bracelet device.

Attendees will find food (mostly crab-flavored), confections, and household necessities in rather suggestive shapes, as well as goods you might find handy to complete your A5 squares: sex toys, pervertibles, sexy maid outfits, and the like. While islanders are welcome to set up shop on the festival grounds and sell (or charge) whatever they like, all items from the robots are offered up for free to those who wear their traditional island garb!

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III. Fireside Adventures

Each night of the festival is wrapped up in style with an enormous bonfire on the beach, where drinks, fruity cocktails, and lively music appropriate for dancing is all provided at no cost by the robots. Even if you’re not usually much of a dancer, the longer you stand by the fire and allow it to warm your limbs, the more you feel like moving! Not only that, but everyone is looking quite beautiful by the firelight, are they not?

If you’ve grown tired - or if dancing just isn’t your thing - you might prefer to sit back and swap stories on one of the many driftwood log benches the robots have prepared for seating. Or, maybe you’d prefer to rough it for the night in one of the beachside canvas tents. Better claim one quick, though, or be prepared to share… there’s only one sleeping bag!

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N A V I G A T I O N

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[Just golf swing them right into the bucket, ideal-- No, maybe they shouldn't hit crabs with sticks. Even if someone's likely going to make these into dinner later, it's better to be kind to dinner.

Okay! He claps his hands together and turns to face the crab zone (tm).]

Then I will do my damnedest not to lose any fingers! Should I faint, I trust that my dearest teammate will drag me off the beach.

[It could happen. He takes a step toward a crab... and it immediately scuttles forward to snap at his boot, so the crab catching is going great.]

[ A little hurt during the zombie attack... now that sounds like the opening of several zombie movies he's seen before, and he gives Apollo just the slightest incredulous look over it. Still, if he was going to turn into a zombie, wouldn't that have happened already? And would that really have been the worst thing, given all that he's heard already? ]

Wow. [ That's all about he can manage at this point, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously. Did people really get used to that kind of thing? ] I'm glad you're doing alright, at least.

[ Her protests fall on (largely) deaf ears, Eustace not even bothering to look up as he replies. ]

I've slept on worse.

[ Not a lie - the downside of being a favorite means he's sent to some of the least habitable conditions for the simple pursuit of information. At least he's ended up on a beach this time, and not back in the snowy tundra of North Vast. He gives the gun another polish, squinting at it briefly before finally leveling his gaze at her. ]

Few people can force me into anything anyway.

[ No shade on what she might be capable of, but he's not the type to go down without a fight. ]

Er- you know, it still could be a fever dream.

[ He's til kind of hoping that's the case, even if he's currently just the figment of someone else's imagination. If nothing else it's much easier to take in that this is really real. ]

But I've run into Apollo, and it's heard to think this is all made up after talking to him. Klavier, too.

[ Abel finds a comfortable place to put his free hand, settling his cheek on Jeremiah's shoulder at last. It's pleasant, though it leaves him a little warm to be moving around so close to the fire. ]

I learned, I just didn't like to do it.

[ He makes a sour face, though it probably can't be seen from where he's at. He'd always had to lead, always got stuck with some uptight rich girl his father had told him he needed to impress, always had to be aware that people would be watching them... ]

It wasn't the dancing itself. I don't think I'd ever found the right partner, back then.

[ she catches it, of course, and she files that away. objectively she knew chase was attractive - even before coming here, it was something she knew. but learning he and miranda had a history, the complicated feelings that she thought she saw from yaz - no, best not to contemplate it more beyond the surface acknowledgement that he was cute.

now, though, thoughts have time to wander. how much would count for a square, what his projection could do - and, even, if he still had feeling on what skin he had left, if that could do something for him.

background matter, though, to what they are discussing. ]

Anything you have or remember - please send it over to me. I can make arrangements, if nothing else.

[ he looks like he's remembering something, and she offers him a smaller smile, one that's not a flirty smirk or a serious grin. something more genuine. ]

It has been quite refreshing, even if I have been anxious about my absence. It is not as if we have the time to visit beaches... I'd be happier if the sun was out, though.

[ regardless of if he knows knows why, he's probably heard of the union campaign against russia. how they'd blacked out the skies, and then the radios, anything they could do to drive them out. ]

[ Our difficulties didn't stop when we left home, the man says, and Akechi wants to answer that with more than a pointed roll of eyes. There isn't anything about his life that hasn't been difficult, that he hasn't had to fight tooth and claw for, scraps of what others could so easily indulge in-- acknowledgement, a name, affection. But Maruki never saw him as more than a tool to granting a wish, and Akechi doesn't feel particularly inclined to share more than he has to.

Well. Nothing that isn't already out in the open, at least-- which the roasted crabs surely are. ]

I have no particular reason to let you starve to death, if it can be helped.

[ It's... not much of an olive branch, but at least murder boy isn't actively trying to kill him? Out of all his grudges, Maruki is definitely not the bigger one. ]

That kind of attitude is not going to do you any favors in a place like this, though. You might have to use your actual words.

[ Honestly, isn't Maruki supposed to be the adult here? What's with all the embarrassed act over the topic of dubiously consensual underage sexual practices? Akechi surely has done worse in his relatively short life. ]

[ She doesn't comment out loud on the name Flamek, but the way her expression flatlines says everything you need to know about how much less she now cares about anything he has to say, despite the fact that he could easily murder her at any moment with his lame Anime Whypo nerd gun. ]

You think having a firearm makes you so superior? Hah! Anyone with half a brain could shoot a couple crabs.

[ She jabs a finger at his head. ]

And they're clearly cat ears!

[ She knows the trope!! ]

[ Ok but can Klavier prove that he saw him drop them? Eh... Phoenix is starting to feel it doesn't really matter that much. Not that he's about to start acknowledging the pile at his feet. ]

Er, well, you know, when in Rome...

[ A bit literally, given the toga. If Klavier is offering to help, he doesn't feel too inclined to continue pretending these aren't thing's he's collected. ]

I've got a tent by the beach, if you don't mind.

[Yeah, he saw that...]

Mind what?

[He'll just scoop that little guy up. Carefully. And hand it over-]

I think he was yours.

[Apollo's blushing harder the longer she stares at him, to the point that he's seriously considering making up an excuse to run off. It's too bad that there's pretty much no places to hide on a stretch of beach like this.]

Er, y-yes. Yes, I have.

[She'd better not need more evidence than that, because Apollo is even more unwilling to discuss his love life. Or hook-up life, as the case may be. It doesn't help that he just seems to be drawn to the most embarrassing people, entirely on accident.]

Not only is it real, it's the reason we have hot water and enough food to eat. Filling in A5 squares is the only thing the robots seem to respond to when we ask for resources.

Ah--

[ he fumbles with it, but ultimately manages to get his hands around its claws. hah!

aaaaand just kidding, he drops the crab and it hurries off with a parting snap in amuro's direction ]

If you don't mind, I thought we might become friends?

Edited 2020-08-21 04:30 (UTC)

[Piers hadn't been present for the initial exchange is perceptive enough to notice that the man offering him a 'digi-dildo' seems to be pretty 'digi' himself. Unfortunately for Chase, that means he gets lumped in with the robots immediately and Piers mistakes him for another vendor.]

Are you shitting me? You'll offer me some kind of non-existent dildo, which I definitely don't need, but I can't get any food 'cause I'm not wearing a toga? [And he still isn't. And he won't be. But boy is he pissed.]

[ Gyaah, Klaus backpack! Unsurprisingly, his rail-thin brother is almost as light as he is when he's manifesting Ben to squabble with him (not including when he has to lift him over his head for a parlor trick). A lot warmer, though. And wetter. They both are. (!!!) ]

Why is that always the first place your mind goes? [ Ben keeps walking but contentedly drags Klaus along. Even a bratty hug is better than no hug and it's been a No Hug lifestyle for 17 years straight. He can't stop smiling. Smiling feels great. ] I haven't had anything to eat since I was sixteen!

[ At this point Jean's seen the ocean enough times for a lot of the initial wonderment to wear off. When he stares off into the direction of the shoreline, he's not staring at those magnificent waves. No, he has his eyes fixed on one very familiar form, his throat going dry and choking up when he gets a good look at the boy's face. It's only been a few years, but it almost feels like he's looking at a relic from a different time. When's the last time he's seen that face? Though he knows about the existence of photographs (images captured on paper by science), they didn't have that technology in Paradis, and so he doesn't have a single memento. He hasn't seen Marco since he had to haul his body to the pyre.

Yet here he is, alive and well and marveling at the ocean. It's not possible. Cynical person that he is, Jean's first thought is that this had to be some sort of trick. He knows there were people who could change their faces in this town. Or perhaps it was an illusion, brought upon by the mysterious forces of this stupid land? He knows they would do anything to facilitate sex and intimacy, even if it meant tearing open old wounds. That assumptions really riles Jean up, his insides boiling as he storms over to the person he used to call his best friend. ]

That's his face you're using. Who the hell gave you the right?! [ Once close enough, he grabs the boy by the front of his shirt, yanking him. ] Change back. How do you even know about him?!

[ He's told no one, holding the sorrow he has close to his heart. ]

[He quickly sidesteps out of the angry arthopod's way, almost as if he could feel the timing.]

Uh... sure?

[Well, this guy is forward enough. Probably mostly harmless, though.]

I'm Amuro. Are you alright? You haven't been out here in the sun too long, have you?

Great is a really strong word.

( it's a little too peppy and bouncy for her tastes. call her eclectic but she does have lingering fondness for classic music. and bar that, something with more guitar than autotune. the music is easy and forgiving and the sort of thing she'd expect at a 8th grade dance. made for people that thought holding each other close and swaying counted as dancing.

and, well, maybe that wouldn't be that bad. the blonde does seem uniquely charming in the firelight. and there's something tempting about the offer, in the "this is probably some influence of the city but in this instance i'll allow it" sort of way.

so, instead of a rejection, Caroline gets a shrug and an offered hand. ) Just don't step on my feet, cutie. ( less risk of that with modern dancing than with the waltz, but she remembers it keenly enough from when she was a girl she'd like to avoid it. especially considering she's barefoot in the sand. )

Ivan. I think I must have... [ he takes the lukewarm reception to heart and curses inwardly - of course he shouldn't have asked. he's probably imposing. he probably sounds weird. ] I'm sorry. I'll go. It's probably safer in the shade.

!

[ Ema skids to a stop.

She's leery of Klavier's stupid prettyboy rockstar face at the best of times, and this is very much nearing the worst of times. She eyes him suspiciously, lowering the crab she was just about to throw, but keeps both crabs raised defensively. She strafes from side to side in agitation, ready to physically dodge whatever annoying bull honky he's sure to spew her way.

Yes, she technically answers to him at work, but that's his fault for not getting her fired yet. He knows what she's like. ]

Prosecutor Gavin. I should've known you'd be involved in all this. [ A beat. ] You look awful, by the way.

[ Said as a matter of fact, not concern. ]

( yes, there is someone inside. look, she's not usually a tent sort of girl, and the fact she can teleport does mean it's easy to go to her own accommodations to crash. still, being spectacularly lazy does get in the way on occasion, and the bonfire has lulled her into a warm-and-fuzzy sense of complacency that makes dragging off to be on her own in her sad cold flat even more depressing than usual.

the tent had seemed cozy enough to give it a shot. and she's not at all regretting the decision to rough it when a beautiful girl is ushered through like a well wrapped present. well, she usually protests how ridiculously pushy the robots are, but she'll forgive them just this once. )

They're about as subtle as a clown nose, aren't they? ( Carmilla rolls her eyes, but does offer Morgana a hand to lure her toward the makeshift bed she's sitting on. ) We can share. I don't bite. ( she totally does, but to be fair, she's not planning on it. )

[ The music is great. It's not EDM! And there's no sitar! Ben is vibing with everything on offer. He's completely overwhelmed by the liveliness of the island. He's seen Klaus go on enough benders, however, that he doesn't want to get shitwrecked on booze. He makes sure all his drinks are virgin for the night, seeing as he might as well be drunk on life.

He could stand or sit by the fire until the sun comes up, silently soaking up its heat, but a suuuper pretty girl asks him to dance. He'd hate himself for eternity if tomorrow morning, he was back to his usual ghostly self, and he'd said no. What's the worst that could happen? She makes fun of him for looking dorky? He couldn't care less about that.

And that's good, 'cause he does look dorky. For the first few songs, he's stepping side to side and barely moving his arms, but he gets a little better with a couple of kind pointers. It's crazy, having someone talk to him. Makes this whole wonderful dream more real. He doesn't want the night to ever end. He goes as hard as he can, as long as he can, until he finds he has to wind down. It's been a big day and those tire normal people out.

Ben smiles apologetically at Caroline (they shouted their names at each other) as he starts to break away from the dancing crowd. He needs a drink and a sit and maybe a nap. ]

[Being the (not-so-)secretly soft one sure does suck, especially when there are, like, three or so people who see through his tsun ways. Woe is Felix, stuck in this toga for the remainder of the day! Woe is Felix, watching his friend order another dick-shaped treat and knowing, in his heart of hearts, that he's going to wind up carrying it for her. For her. Hell no he's not eating it, fight him in front of everyone in this makeshift marketplace... but as that is a bridge he has yet to cross:]

Of course he is.

[Unfortunately is unspoken, but clearly implied—though it isn't as strong a sentiment as it once was. Winning the war helped; Felix is coming to terms with... things.]

So is Annette, along with others from the Alliance—and the Empire. [A pause, then, before Felix looks back, finally deigning to fully face her so he can gauge her reaction.] Edelgard is here.

[Welcome to sex island, Ingrid. Is she dead in your timeline, too... something fun to ponder before that robot holds out its newest creation to Felix, who promptly looks Offended.]

[Thankfully the injury hadn't been a bite, or else Apollo would've had yet another thing to worry about. He can't blame Phoenix for looking incredulous, though. The whole experience of watching all the other residents take the fight to the zombies had been as though someone had decided to shove three different movies into one chaotic mess.

But Apollo takes a deep breath and straightens his stance, offering him a little smile.] Yeah, I am.

I'm a little more worried about you right now, Mr. Wright. Just let me know if you need anything, okay? I'm sure I have some extra supplies lying around.

Come on, you aren't a fan of Kesha? Who doesn't like Kesha?

[ at least she thinks it's kesha. it sounds like her, but they are on a weird sex island, maybe they've never heard of her. she would provide the perfect background music for a place like this, though.

caroline takes the hand carmilla offers her with a smile, toeing off her heels - they'd complimented the outfit pretty well, considering she'd had to rummage around the city to find them, but she's been standing in the sand in them for way too long. ]

Your toes are safe, I promise. [ waltzing was a regular part of her childhood, given that she was part of one of the founding families and mystic falls has at least five of those events a year. also, she's a cheerleader. ] C'mon, over here. There's more room.

[ you know, she'd been managing her expectations for when the war would finally end. sure, she didn't expect that things would easily go back to normal; if anything, she didn't expect that the normal they've once known would return at all. there's going to be a lot of repairing and rebuilding, a lot of decisions that need to be made, paths that need to be taken.

the one thing she didn't expect was people coming back to life. ]

Are you sure? [ her forehead creases at the news, briefly forgetting to force felix to take that candy now, don't waste food in front of her pls.

she's not entirely sure which is more concerning: dimitri on this island, or edelgard somehow alive despite all their efforts. after all, she was there when the emperor was struck down, a lifeless corpse at their feet. ] That's impossible, Felix. We all saw her dead.

Edited 2020-08-21 05:30 (UTC)

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Page 19 of 68

TDM 004: WASHED ASHORE

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[You've got crabs]

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[crab battle intensifies]

ii

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arrival

[crab battle!!]

party party party

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fireside, b!!

dancing/wildcard

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we like we like to party

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