TDM 004: WASHED ASHORE

[erkumods]

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. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 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. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 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! ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 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! ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● N A V I G A T I O N

Comments

[automatized]

I'd be more surprised if you don't have any questions at all, really.

Go on and ask. I'll do my best to answer them as much as I can.

[ he reaches into his pocket and brings out .... chocolate bonbon, wrapped in pink foil. ]

Would you like some?

[mettle]

[ ...why is this person just carrying around pieces of candy.

How old is this man?? He's almost insulted, but Barnaby knows he needs to make good appearances and be friendly if he wants to get on anyone's good side as a newcomer, so he simply takes the little foil-wrapped treat. ]

Thank you very much.

[ Now he has to hold onto two things. Ugh. ]

Please lead the way, I'll follow. May I have your name to begin with? I'm Barnaby. I come from the city of Sternbild. Does this sound familiar to you at all?

[automatized]

[ wow??? don't turn down goodwill just because you're emotionally inept ]

Vidar.

And I have never heard of a city called Sternbild, I'm sorry. Is it in Earth, at least?

[ some people come from different places entirely that aren't earth. ]

[mettle]

[ pot meet kettle, you man child. and honestly i have no clue if Tiger & Bunny happens on Earth but YOU KNOW WHAT for now it's Earth ]

It is, yes.

[ Strange, that he would know the planet but not the city... ]

This location here, is it also on Earth?

[automatized]

The stars are different. And navigation systems don't quite work in these parts. I'm willing to wager it isn't, but I also don't have much proof of it either.

Did you arrive by yourself? Or do you have friends around?

[ somewhere in the distance are a row of rather rundown apartments that are close together. this is where he's going to take him, and it's clear that while some of the residents have made their homes here, for the most part a lot of them look rather abandoned, decrepit. ]

[mettle]

[ Strange. Absolutely strange, to be brought to an entirely new reality, a whole other world he's never seen before, and in such terrible shape. It's like walking through the remains of Sternbild after the attack from those NEXTs on Justice Day, but the city was never rebuilt, and everything was left to crumble and age. It's unsettling, mostly because he's now becoming aware that people live here.

At the question Barnaby raises a hand where a colored wristband remains. He presses the call button, but nothing happens. ]

I was alone when I appeared on the beach. I can't seem to contact my partner, and I haven't seen him.

[ He decides to strap the other wristband given to him by the robot onto his other wrist, in the meantime fiddling with it, seeing if he can figure out how to get it to work and perhaps use it. If Kotetsu is here, he needs to speak to him, and if not... well, nothing to do in regards to that then.

(Little does he know Kotetsu is on the island, very safe, enjoying a drink on the beach like the slacker he is.) ]

Is it safe, here? In general.

[automatized]

For the most part, yes. It is. People in general understand that it's a terrible situation to be in and are .... helpful, if one needs something. [ a tilt of the head, as he adds -- ] Whether that help is something simple or requires the use of the card in exchange for favours.

If anything else, whatever dangers we've experienced is usually related to the Augur and the robots being impatient at things.

[mettle]

[ Barnaby doesn't want to divide his attention between the new wristband and his companion, so he simply takes a cursory glance of the initial screen on the device. It seems to act like a smartphone, as he finds icons that depict what must be options for voice calls and texting. But there is one labeled quite oddly. "A5" on the icon. ]

I'd like to request clarification on a few details you've just mentioned. What is this card you're referencing, and what is the augur?

[ Without the usual introduction to the Augur in person, he's missing a lot background information here. ]

[automatized]

Hmm. Well, it's a lot to explain to someone new.

[ vidar pauses. he takes his bracelet, and starts tapping on it to bring up his A5 card. ]

This is the card. If you want resources in this island, and no-one else is able to provide what you'd like or need to have, or if you want to restore or make into reality something in this island, you'll have to ask the Augur by trading in one of the squares.

The Augur is what brought you here. The Augur grants wishes. [ rather in an amused tone; ] Except, apparently, taking someone home. I've yet to hear a successful case.