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

Ann Takamaki || Persona 5: Royal

[pussy_whip]

I. Crab Rave

[ This is already shaping up to be a hell of a day, y'know? Washing up on some strange beach in your school uniform and having robots greet you and give you porn bracelets and towels is... well, it's probably not the weirdest thing that's ever happened to her but it ranks pretty high up there.

Now she's mincing her way across the beach, snatching up crabs and dropping them into a bucket without letting them pinch her in the process. She's had fair to middling success, fingers slightly reddened from her efforts. She feels a little bad about it--just let the crabs do their business in peace, all right? But she's hungry and she needs money, and crabs are the answer to both of those problems. ]

Ow! Hey, cut it out! Sheesh!

[ Well, that little guy was feeling especially vicious. Ann drops him in the bucket and shakes her hand before sticking her smarting fingertip in her mouth. If she spots you watching her, she'll take the opportunity to grouse. ]

This is almost more trouble than it's worth.


II. Same Day, Different Dicks

[ Ann will not--cannot--make eye contact with anyone here.

She'd been excited at the prospect of getting to attend a festival after all the weirdness of the morning, but... this is not what she signed up for, okay? Just because she wears a red leather bodysuit and carries a whip in the metaverse doesn't mean she's into this. In fact, if the ground opened up and swallowed her whole it would probably be an improvement.

Dressed up in her robot-issued toga, Ann is studiously avoiding looking at... everything, which isn't great for navigating, as it happens. When she bumps into someone because of it, she's all apologies, her face bright red with embarrassment. ]

Ahh! Sorry, sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going.


III. Bonfire Beach Party

[ This part, though? This isn't so bad. She's parked on one of the provided logs facing the water, there's a nice breeze coming in off the ocean, and the firelight makes her hair look like spun gold. Too bad they don't have watermelons here, as far as she can tell. The fresh juices are tasty and refreshing, at least, even if she can't quite place the flavor. If you snag a spot beside her, she'll smile at you in the waning daylight. ]

This place is super weird, but it's kind of pretty too, don't you think?


Wildcard

[ Hit me up if you'd like some prompt I haven't mentioned up above. You can reach me on plurk at mochihearts ]

II

[tricksterious]

[ Not making eye contact with anyone explains exactly how she nearly mows down Ren.

Luckily, he's not as awkward as all that...mostly. Sometimes. He's got reflexes these days thanks to those stats, so he manages to catch himself, automatically reaching out for Ann's arm to make sure she's steady just as much as he reaches out to confirm she's actually there. ]

Not a problem, you can run me down any day.

[ That's friendship, isn't it... ]

[pussy_whip]

[ Wait.

What? ]

Ren?

[ Dicks momentarily forgotten, Ann focuses on her friend's face and, unprompted, throws her arms around him with a shout of surprised relief. ]

I can't believe you're here!

[tricksterious]

[ He's quick to hug back, since he's more or less used to exuberant friends and anyway he's fond of contact like this. ]

I've been for a while, actually. Yusuke was here for a bit, too, but he's not any longer...ah, but Kasumi is.

[pussy_whip]

[ She releases him after a brief moment, her mood significantly improved. Even so, she stays close, as if Ren's presence will somehow keep the dicks at bay. Look, it doesn't have to make sense, okay?

Her brows arch at the mention of Yusuke, and of Kasumi as well. ]

She's here, too? That's so strange. I mean, it's strange that any of us are here. Is she doing all right? Are you?

[tricksterious]

[ That's fine, he will be her dick shield...he won't tease her about it since he Gets It even if he has little to no shame in his body. ]

Well, I'm okay. [ He supposes! ] Mostly wishing for a decent kitchen, honestly...

[ He needs...bigger goals. ]

[pussy_whip]

A kitchen, huh? Why am I not surprised? Would they even have the ingredients to make curry here? This... isn't Earth, so... probably no turmeric or rice, or anything like that, right?

[ Though that obviously doesn't stop there being a plethora of phallic goodies at every turn. Food for humans is clearly available, though it might not be standard fare. ]

[tricksterious]

Well, you can get pretty much anything here...if you're willing to trade sexual favors for it.

[ So the question is how much does he want that cooking range...

(A LOT) ]

[pussy_whip]

W-what? What kind of system is that?!

[ She obviously didn't read the FAQ upon arrival, but she believes it. ]

[tricksterious]

Well...the one we use, I guess. Basically, you get a bingo card and if you check off squares you can ask for things. All the squares are, well. Sexual.

[ HAHA. ]

[pussy_whip]

Wait, is that what the thing on the bracelet was?

[ She pauses to fiddle with the bracelet the robots gave her until she pulls up the card she'd been issued. Her face was already red, or she'd certainly be changing colors now. It's a lot for her to take in. ]

Huh. Have you asked for many things...?

[tricksterious]

Well, not yet.

[ He doesn't mind racking up the points but he's yet to spend many... ]

I've spent a lot of time cleaning the building I set up shop in, though.

[pussy_whip]

Are you planning on opening a cafe here, then? Do you think we'll be stuck here for good?

[ She seems to deflate slightly, shoulders drooping. ]

My parents are going to be so worried. But... wait, I saw you just yesterday at school, but you said you've been here for months now. How does that work out?

[tricksterious]

I'm not sure...from what I understand, being here doesn't change us being at home. At least, that's the impression I've gotten?

[ From people with differing canon points. ]

[pussy_whip]

So are we actually here at all or is it some kind of dream? It feels real to me.

[ A sigh. ]

Do you have to find your own place to stay or will the robots give you shelter?

[tricksterious]

I've found it's more the former than the latter, but you may have better luck. Or you're welcome to stay in "my" building.

[ It's not like he minds playing housemaid for friends. ]

[pussy_whip]

Can I really? You're a lifesaver, Ren! As long as it isn't an imposition, of course. I could help you spruce the place up more, too, if you'd like.

[tricksterious]

I'm sure your sense of style is better than mine for decorating anyway. We may as well consider it the new Phantom Thieves' base...

[ You know, because it's nice to have a secret base. And a place to coordinate with everyone else from. ]

II

[blossomingviolet]

[ It was more than a little embarrassing with all the... questionably phallic stuff everywhere right now, even for her. She'd been here for a month or two and it still wasn't getting any easier for her to deal with. Honestly Kasumi had just been passing through when someone bumped into her and upon seeing who it was? She couldn't help but smile a little. ]

Oh! Takamaki-senpai!

[ How else did you address someone older than you? She hadn't gotten to spend a LOT of time around her and the rest of Ren's friends before the new year but it didn't diminish the fact that she was still a familiar face right now amidst all this mess. ]

It's alright! [ An almost sheepish laugh follows that. ] It's kind of hard to get around here and not look at... everything. You're not hurt, are you?

! a good girl arrives

[pussy_whip]

[ It's not a hard bump, admittedly, and Ann is immediately more concerned about the smaller girl, holding out a hand to steady her before she realizes who it is. ]

Yoshizawa-chan! [ It's true that she barely knows Kasumi at all, but Ann is nonetheless incredibly happy to see a familiar face. ] I'm not hurt at all. Are you okay?

[ It's dumb, but Ann feels the sudden need to cover her junior's eyes and, y'know, defend her innocence or something, but Kasumi seems pretty composed. ]

Ryuji's here too, and I saw Ren and Doctor Maruki, too. That makes five of us from Shujin. Isn't that weird?

<3

[blossomingviolet]

[ Relief is quick to flash across her face once Ann assured her she was alright and immediately asked about her right after. It was honestly really nice to see the other girl here from home, since for the longest time it'd just been her and Ren. ]

I'm doing alright, I promise! There's no need to worry about me.

[ Even though she'd been here for a couple of months and was a tiny bit more desensitized to some of the things that went on here but not all of it. Especially since she wasn't wanting to look too much at the display of... well, everything too much. Her slightly pink cheeks told a story of that much at least so maybe it was a sign she'd still kept her innocence for the most part.

Not that she's going to want to talk about the things she's done here, however. ]

It is!

[ She frowned a bit out of concern before shaking her head and smiling once more. ]

I didn't know the others were here besides me and Senpai, though. You're the first one i've seen show up here, actually!

[pussy_whip]

I guess we should probably all stick together, since we're classmates and everything. That way we can look out for each other.

[ In a non-sexy way, she means. ]

I met Ryuji on the beach, catching crabs. [ That sounds real bad when you say it like that. ] And I saw Doctor Maruki here at the festival just a little while ago.

Are you sure you're okay, though? You know you can count on me if you ever need anything, right?

[blossomingviolet]

That's a great idea! We're all from the same school so it would make sense if we all stuck together.

[ At least she doesn't get why Ann's wording is bad in any way, a soft laugh escaping her before she can stop herself otherwise. ]

It sounds like they're doing okay, at least. I'm glad.

[ For a second, something in her smile faltered but it was for such a brief moment it'd be hard to miss. Nothing too bad or anything, but more of something she couldn't put a finger on at the moment. ]

Thank you so much, Takamaki-san. I really appreciate the support. [ A pause. There's that falter again. She can't keep it up fully, can she? ] I admit it has been a little hard to adjust to the way things are here. Especially being so far from home.

[pussy_whip]

[ Oh no she's sad. That little wobble in her smile says a lot more than even her words do. ]

Just call me Ann, okay?

[ Ann is unsure how to respond--Yoshizawa was always closer to Ren than to the rest of the group. Even so, she rests her hand on the younger girl's shoulder and gives a squeeze. ]

It's hard when you're away from the people you love, but that's all the more reason to stick close to your friends, right?

[blossomingviolet]

[ Of all things she had been expecting, the last had been this. Mostly since she was just so used to honorifics and formalities. ]

O-Oh! Alright! Then... if you're sure, you can call me Kasumi, okay?

[ Had they still been at home she may have persisted in calling her -san or even -senpai as she was older than her. Perhaps it was just due to her time here that she was not as against it. ]

You do have a point. I'm glad I have you guys all here with me, then.

[ Her smile was fully back and without any sadness to it whatsoever, genuinely happy she did have them here. ]