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

[ As spontaneous as all this was, Jim's not looking to rush things too much, but August is steadily driving him crazy with each bob of his head. He lets out a groan when August goes even lower, swallowing him nearly to the base, his fingers on his hair digging harder when he feels the tightness of that throat around the sensitive head of his cock. ]

Hah, shit... August...

[Sorry, can't answer, too busy sucking Jim's cock. He does let out a low groan, though. He backs off again and sucks on Jim's head, swirling his tongue around it while his hand palms Jim's balls. August bobs his head again to take in more and goes slow this time so Jim can really feel it when his cock slides down August's throat]

[ He wasn't exactly asking a question or expecting an answer anyway, he just needed to let something out, with how good August is makes him feel it's impossible to keep it all in. It's enough of an answer when August just sucks him harder, sharper groans leaving him when he teases the head with his tongue, then proceeds to swallow him whole once more.

Another curse, his hips buck slightly, fisting August's hair tightly. He's close to an orgasm and August can likely tell, when that first taste of precome spills onto his tongue. ]

[He can taste that precum and begins sucking and swallowing with more gusto. He bobs his head faster, allowing Jim's cock to slide in deep down his throat to hit the back. Just when he thinks Jim might be ready to spill his load, August backs off slightly so he won't choke on it]

[ It doesn't take much longer for him to get there, for what it's worth. Between August's eager pace and the way he welcomes each snap and thrust of his, he reaches his peak soon, crying out as he comes into August's mouth. His hand doesn't move away from August's hair but he does ease his hold considerably, allowing August to pull back or move away if he needs to. ]

[He manages to pull back just enough so he doesn't choke immediately when Jim comes in his mouth. August swallows, and then lets more of Jim slide back down his throat so he can suck down the rest, licking and swallowing until he's milked Jim completely]

[ Each suck and lick sends sparks of pleasure across his body, making him tremble and moan, muscles nearly twitching with how oversensitive he is by the time he collapses into a messy heap on the ground. Panting harsh and shallow, the sounds dissolve into breathless laughter, eyes closing and head spinning delightfully in pure bliss. ]

F-fuck... That was something.

[August lets out a shaky laugh, licking his lips clean of any cum left over]

Sure was. I had a lot of fun. Maybe we can meet up again sometime?

[ Jim runs a hand through his hair, looking down at August with a raised eyebrow at those words. ]

What, don't tell me you're just gonna take off and leave me a mess out here, are you?

[He chuckles, nudging Jim with a toe]

No, but unless you want to wash up in a lake or river out here, I was thinking to leave the woods.

Mm, washing up in a river might be fun... but I don't know if we'd find any nearby.

[ And they might end up getting a little lost in the process, so maybe it isn't the best idea. At least not at the moment. ]

Let's head back, then?

How about we make that our next goal when we explore through here? Right now, I'm more in the mood for a regular bath or shower.

[He gets himself together, offering to help Jim get to his feet as well]

Sounds like a plan to me.

[ He takes August's hand with a little smile, getting to his feet before starting to put all his clothes back on so he looks minimally decent again. ]

[Are they holding hands, or was that just to help Jim up? He's a little unsure but he doesn't really want to let go too quickly. So he'll wait until Jim gets himself together before letting go]

Come on, I think there's a public bath around here somewhere.

[ Honestly, Jim wouldn't have minded the hand holding, in fact he'd have probably enjoyed it a lot. Nevertheless, he simply smiles when August lets go, nodding before following him. ]

I know it. It's pretty neat, let's check it out.

You already know it? Have you been here a while? I really need to get out more if I missed a cute guy like you showing up.

[ Jim laughs. ] No, I've only just arrived a few days ago. But I took to exploring the place as soon as I got here, so I know already where the main spots are.

So you're the "hit the ground running" type. I like that. I did the same thing myself. Or as much as I could with those harpies around.

Harpies? [ He tilts his head. ] Haven't heard much about that. What was that about?

They showed up along with this strange fog. They could paralyze you, and the only way out of it was a kiss. But here's the really weird part: they left you alone if you had on cat ears.

[ Jim stares at August like he's saying 'what, the harpies aren't the weird part?'

— aaaand then August mentions cat ears. ]

What, like a headband?

Or actual cat ears. We all had them for a while. I don't know if that's common around here, but I wouldn't be surprised by anything.

You had actual cat ears?

[ His smile widens, somewhere between amused and endeared. ]

I can't believe I missed that. you must've looked really cute.

You're saying I don't look cute? [He nudges Jim playfully] Don't worry, I'm sure that's not the last time some weird thing is going to happen around here. Maybe I'll get cat ears again.

You do look cute! You know that's not what I meant. [ He swats a hand playfully at August, chuckling. ]

Mm, be sure to let me know if you do. I'd love to play with your fluffy cat ears.

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unvarnished - 2020-09-26 15:31 (UTC) - Expand

winscenario - 2020-09-28 20:37 (UTC) - Expand