TDM 005: HAPPY SPOOKTEMBER

[erkumods]

TDM 005: HAPPY SPOOKTEMBER

Arrival This time, you come out of the water, the Nameless Island's own inherent energy drawing people in. It's like being suspended between realities and abruptly pushed from behind through a rift in dimensions. It may make you sick, or that might be the motion of the ocean, lifting you to the surface 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. Feel free to explore the Island, though there isn’t much to see. Most of the buildings are abandoned and in dire need of repair, and beyond the city lingers a thick fog that obscures much of the wilderness from view. Wander too far into this fog, and you will find yourself mysteriously looping back to where you began, your memories of what you were doing and how you got there erased. With that in mind, it may be wise to stake your claim on a rundown apartment, a tent on the beach, or a bed in the "comfortable" new barracks. Your inventory will be found a day later, wrapped up haphazardly and delivered to each person's makeshift home. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● I. Harvest Hunt As the daylight grows shorter and the muggy heat of the island’s summer gradually shifts to temperate days and chilly nights, Erku’s accessible wilderness explodes with a colorful collection of tempting fruits, fragrant-smelling herbs, and nuts and seeds plumped and ready for harvest. With warnings to beware of monsters, the robots of Erku encourage Islanders to take advantage of the land’s bounty by distributing basic camping supplies to those who are interested in exploring, hunting, and harvesting. They strongly encourage making the journey with a friend! Any surplus foods that Islanders bring home with them can be exchanged for credits with cafeteria robots! Just be careful out there - some of these fruits have strange effects once consumed. For extra protection out there in the wilds, the robots have fashioned crowns of flowers or foliage to wear on their adventures. The sweet and herbal smells from the crowns will discourage most Erku-native monsters from approaching, they assure - this is ancient knowledge from the planet’s long-gone civilization, so it can’t be wrong! What the robots don’t know is that the crowns have a deeper, more ritualistic purpose: after a few hours, the scent of flowers or herbs begins to awaken primal instincts within the wearer. Those who are wearing the foliage crowns feel overwhelmed by an urge to hunt, while those who wear the flower crowns delight in every opportunity to tease, outrun, and outwit the hunters. What happens when the chase ends? Well, that depends on the personalities and the chemistry between the hunters and their prey. While the robots are very insistent on placing crowns atop the heads of any Islander they see, they aren’t stuck on in any way and they are easy to remove, which can prevent or break the hunting trance. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● II. seeds and sap Of particularly high credit value, the robots explain, is an elusive flower known as the skull sunflower. It appears exactly as one might imagine: at the center of an otherwise innocuous, towering sunflower is the gruesome visage of an open-mouthed skull. Don’t worry, the flowers are harmless! Even if it’s strange how the empty-socketed eyes seem to follow your every move. And why is it that the teeth - which, on closer inspection, are actually the seeds of the flower - only seem to chatter when your back is turned? Any Islander who can withstand their heebie-jeebies long enough to collect the petals and seeds from the flowers will fetch a handsome reward in credits upon exchange with the robots. Beware the sticky, blood-red sap that seeps from the eyes of each skull, however. Those who absorb too much through their skin will begin to hallucinate, visions of frightening or emotional events from their past dancing in the shadows. One might even mistakenly imagine that another Islander is someone they recognize from their past, someone who meant something to them - no matter whether that person is alive or dead in the present. The hallucinogenic effects of the sap can last for hours, or they can be shortened by a dip in the public baths. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● III. Tarot Night comes, and in the darkness, a robot sets up a table by the beach. A solitary candle sits in the center, illuminating a deck of cards. F̶i̴n̵d̸ ̸y̶o̸u̸r̵ ̵f̵o̸r̷t̵u̶n̶e̷?̴ The robot reveals tarot cards and will do a variety of spreads to tell your fortune. Each fortune can be distilled into one central theme, which characters will find pervades their life for the next 24 hours. There is magic afoot: it can be sensed, and perhaps even dispelled, if luck is on your side. Though most robots on the island show a capacity for greater-than-average artificial intelligence, this pseudo-psychic 'bot -- M.S. Cl30 -- is less advanced. It only has six interpretations prepared: Always watch your back. - Characters will be compelled to walk, or even speak, backwards for the duration of the day. Those who mishear it as "wash your back" may spend longer in the shower than usual. Fake it til you make it. - Characters will feel compelled to act performatively. They will more readily fall into acts for serious or flirtatious roleplay, or try on costumes that reflect a particular persona they're interested in exploring. Faked orgasms will seem quite realistic. You will receive an affectionate letter from a friend. - Just as it is said, someone will be compelled to engage in correspondence - and whether it turns dirty or not, well, that's up to you! Characters may also quite literally receive an article of clothing with a red letter sewn on the top. What could it stand for? Hold on tight. - Characters who are given this life advice will start to feel rather clingy. They'll attach themselves to someone's side and refuse to leave, or they may find a "security blanket" item and won't let it go. You are a generous, giving person. - Characters will feel compelled to do something kind for someone else. Maybe they'll invite someone to the movies, come over and cook, or do that thing their partner is always asking for. Don't think. Feel. - Even if they weren't before, characters temporarily experience impulsive and hot-headed urges. They will also become very tactile. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● N A V I G A T I O N

Comments

[unvarnished]

[Oh, he doesn't mind at all. In fact, he's fine with it. His tarot card instructed him to hold on tight and he feels compelled to do that, latching on to William with his free hand]

If you say so. The most advanced tech I know how to handle is my motorcycle.

[slavophile]

I'm -- not from this year. Or, planet.

( Not that he thinks this guy is? Speaking of this guy, his gaze breaks from his matching bracelet and he sees that, hey, this guy is attractive. Forties, maybe? Late thirties?

Not a priority he's had in a long time, and not one he should have on another planet. But, between the inappropriate bingo and his sister being here for a month, he's not sure what his priorities should be.

August grabs on and William doesn't let go.

Eyes back to August's wrist now. )

I think they're all uniform. Do you know if the robots make them or retrieve them?

[unvarnished]

Hah. None of us are from this planet, I don't think.

[He doesn't really care about his bingo card. If he ticks one of those boxes, fine. But really, he just hasn't had any intimate attention in a long time. Anything of that sort is fine with him.

He stares at William, appreciating the man's features]

Huh..? Oh. I don't really know. Sorry.

[slavophile]

Not even the robots?

( Snark is an easy route to go, but in this case it works twofold - if he actually gets answers.

William's bingo card is not a priority. He doesn't know how it could be for anybody under these conditions.

He looks up again, thumb making a circle along his wrist. He should let go. But, he likes this. Should he like this? )

No, it's -- okay. Other planet. SciFi technology. Unusually frank to-do list. ( Literally. ) Fortune telling robots. It's just another wacky fan fiction Novella.

[unvarnished]

[No, he should not let go. August loves being touched, and that feeling on his wrist is very nice. He reaches out to grab on with his other hand, too. Hold on tight.]

Hm. I'm a bit more of a fantasy person. I like sci-fi, but... magic. Fairy tales. That's a bit more my style.

[slavophile]

( Just two handsome strangers - standing here, holding each other. He shifts to face him more, even step closer. )

Fairytales. Happily Ever After kind or Grimms.

[unvarnished]

A little bit of both. Not always happy, but not always grim.

[He scoots closer, trying to give William an encouraging smile]

[slavophile]

But, sometimes. Grim.

( It's not about warmth, but it's been a long time since he's been this close to someone, touched anyone like this. His life has been vigilanteism. And before that, running his company. And acquiring other companies. Keeping men at arms length emotionally. Not trusting them.

And here he is, physically close to someone he's never met.

His hand moves up August's arm now, fingernails grazing. it's a... good arm there. )

Is this weird? I mean. This is all weird. But, this. Being this close.

[unvarnished]

Sometimes.

[He's sort of losing the conversation. Getting physically close to someone he's never met is not a particularly strange thing for him, but it's been a while. Between the various curses he's endured and living in a town where he knew everybody since he was a child, August just never had the time to seek out physical attention like this]

Is it? Doesn't feel weird to me. Feels good.

[slavophile]

No. It feels good.

( He just hasn't let himself feel something like this. It's not exactly letting every guard down. But, it feels like it. )

I don't even know your name.

[unvarnished]

August W. Booth. You can call me August.

[He shifts a bit to grip on and be more comfortable at the same time. He's not even questioning why he has this need to hold on tight to a guy he just met]

[slavophile]

( William responds by bringing his hands to August's sides, still not able to let go. He doesn't just leave them there, reaching back and feeling lower back, taking one more step in. )

William Har -- ( A beat.

He's not in 2020 or 2040. He has nothing to hide from, no legacy to avoid. He has no name for himself here. No money. Clayton hasn't been a part of his name in a long time. ) Queen.

[unvarnished]

[He just wants to be touched. Anywhere. He's content to just let William's hands go wherever while August keeps clinging onto him]

Nice to meet you, William.

[slavophile]

( He stands like this, for what seems like a whole minute as he syncs his breathing with August's, something easy to do with someone he's so physically close to. He doesn't quite know what else to say which isn't like him. He's either working on something or having an opinion of something. )

Do you -- want to get something to drink. I don't usually, I just -- something about all this. Maybe we should drink something.

( Also, they could kiss.

But, really they should drink. )

[unvarnished]

Ah. Drink. Sure. That sounds good.

[But kissing also would be good. Maybe they can do a little bit of both]

[slavophile]

We're not moving.

( Not to give all the commentary, but, he has every idea of finding something to drink. Something to ... occupy his hands with. )

[unvarnished]

[Without letting go of William, August gets up and tries to move them toward the nearest bar. But since he's clinging onto William as he moves, he's basically dragging the guy along]

[slavophile]

( Here William moves with him, first up and then beside him as William shifts, his arm snaked around his back. Normally, he'd let someone walk themselves over here. Join them, not -- walk arm and arm. )

[unvarnished]

[This is a perfectly acceptable way to walk into the bar. August finds them two empty stools so they can keep being close to each other. And sitting means his hand now goes to William's thigh. He was just instructed to hold on; it never specified where he should hold]

Whatever's on tap.

[This he says to the person at the bar]

[slavophile]

( William gets settled, having never been one for bars, but he clears his throat and nods. Whatever's on tap works.

William's hand also settles atop August's, leaving his other hand free to grab when his drink is ready. )

This is a weird first day.

[unvarnished]

On my first day, I had cat ears. This isn't that weird.

[He grins, comfortable with his hand there and using the free one to drink]

[slavophile]

Cat ears. Attached to a headband.

( Like that kind of a first day? )

[unvarnished]

No. Attacked to my head. And I had a tail.

[He leans in, almost close enough to press his face to William's neck]

Do I strike you as a cat kind of guy?

[slavophile]

( He's close and William doesn't mind that. He leans in, too, lips close to his cheek. )

You strike me as a dog person.

[unvarnished]

Oh, really? Well, I do like being petted.