ercookies | TDM 005: HAPPY SPOOKTEMBER

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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N A V I G A T I O N

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Yuri is dressed in his school uniform, to Seteth it may be considered his 'old' school uniform but to Yuri it's simply the one he wears every day.]

I... don't remember any spell at all, only being under the water suddenly and washed up on the beach.

And these golems... [He motions vaguely toward the robot fortune teller.] I've never heard of anything like them.

[Yuri is going to break his heart once he realizes what kind of Shenanigans are afoot, isn't he? Wearing a nostalgic old uniform is one thing, but.....]

Nor do I. But I suppose that just means there's much to learn here, isn't there? I wonder if these cards could have predicted something like this.

[He may not believe in fortune telling, but considering Yuri's bold claims of what they're meant to do..... Well, who knows?]

[Yuri can't help but chuckle and shake his head.]

I don't think so. They're usually a little more vague. You know, so that it's widely open to interpretation. Makes them less likely to be wrong. Something like 'you're in for a long journey with many trials and tribulations'. That'd pretty much fit this situation to a T. So, you've been told nothing, and everything.

Understand, friend?

I understand well enough.

[Just as he'd always thought, then. Utterly useless guesswork. Even if there was some power in such a thing, if it couldn't give you concrete answers, what use even was it?]

Leaving that aside, how long have you been here? I thought I had seen you with the Professor just this morning.

Not gonna give it a try then?

[Yuri seems to find some amusement in this even if he didn't really put much stock in it either.]

Not very long. A little over a day. My belt still hasn't dried out completely. Sounds like we've both just arrived.

[His gaze slips to the bracelet on Seteth's wrist. He's wearing an identical one. This makes Yuri wonder how Seteth is taking the idea of the A5 card. He'd always struck Yuri as almost comedically straight-laced. But how to phrase his question?] So, what do you think about the reasons the golems are giving to us being here?

It hardly seems necessary at this point. Will you, instead?

[The corner of his mouth quirks up as he makes an inviting gesture. What need does he have of vague, open-ended predictions that could fit nearly any situation? He already knows how his life, his destiny is meant to unfold. He follows that path like clockwork.

And yet, you don't live as long as he has without veering a little off the straight and narrow every now and then. He isn't scandalized by the thought of the requests being made of him, but--well, they're not exactly topics fit for polite conversation, are they?]

The missions everyone has been assigned, you mean? As difficult as it is to believe such things actually help in any way, I do sympathize with the dire straits they find themselves in. That said..... I would prefer to find some other way to assist them.

[Yuri shrugs noncommittally, easy smile all but unreadable.]

You never know, you could learn something valuable. [He glances at the robot doing the readings.] I might. But not right.

['Missions'. Yuri can't help chuckle softly. That's certainly one word for them.] I've heard they're legitimate. I'm not sure who we're helping though. There's no one here but us and the golems and they don't seem to need much.

Just because something isn't necessary doesn't mean it's not desirable. This place is their home, is it not? If our activities are legitimately beneficial, then we are aiding them just as surely as we are the land itself.

[Missions. Activities. Pretty words for such invasive requests, aren't they? If Yuri is right about it actually helping, then he can't deny the fact that participating in such acts is..... noble, at least in theory. The teachings of the Goddess urge all who are able to accept the responsibility of helping those in need. And yet--surely that's not the only way to do so, is it?]

Desirable for magically animated metal golems? [Yuri doesn't look convinced but if it was the only way to obtain the basics they needed to live here comfortably, then so be it.] I guess you're not... wrong.

Either way, I don't really have any issues with it. I'm still a little surprised you're not more scandalized. You'd encourage participating in casual, unmarried sex if it results in helping someone? [He crosses his arms, smirking softly.] Is that an official stance of the church or just your own, friend?

Are you really asking for a sermon on the nuances of interpreting scripture?

[Seteth lets out a soft huff as he shakes his head, an exasperated laugh that doesn't quite get voiced. It's not often he speaks of his personal beliefs, after all; usually, he's far too busy enforcing the rules of the monastery to indulge in something so frivolous. Still, in spite of his amusement, he's taking the little jab quite literally. A good teacher takes every opportunity to guide their pupils, don't they?]

Please bear in mind that I am not, in fact, a clergyman. I've taken no binding vows that force me to live in any particular way--I simply seek to take the Goddess' wisdom to heart as best I can. If I was ordained, perhaps I would feel differently.

That said--it may surprise you to hear something like this from me, of all people..... but I believe the teachings of the Goddess are not rigid or absolute. Her wisdom is a living, breathing thing, and we have a sacred duty to uphold the spirit of Her will, even if that means we must violate the letter of it.

The choices that duty forces us to make may not always be easy or pleasant. They may not always be choices that you're personally comfortable with, or ones that those around you will agree with. But such is the nature of faith. Everyone must come to their own understanding of what the Goddess' teachings mean to them, and weigh those values accordingly to find what path She is guiding them to walk.

I would prefer not to share my body with others in such a manner, but I will not judge others for doing so. If anything, weighing the stakes we are faced with, carnal acts could be considered virtuous so long as we're here. Would you consider the vitality of this blighted land worth the price of your personal purity?

TDM 005: HAPPY SPOOKTEMBER

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/apologizes for dragonjesus bullshit