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

[spacedisaster]

[ There's concern in Peter's face when Klaus starts to rub at his eyes but also some hope that it might not be a bad sign. It seems like realization is settling in. The robot wasn't very clear about how the water is supposed to help or how long it would take for whatever was affecting Klaus to stop. Peter continues to wash of the man's hands and then the rest, figuring that he might as well make himself useful.

Klaus has curled into himself and Peter doesn't say anything for a little bit or tries to catch his eye. He cups some water in the palm of his hands and cleans the little remains of red sap sticking to the side of Klaus's face and his hair. The Guardian tries his best not to make it awkward and he somehow ends running his fingers through Klaus's hair, massaging the scalp and scratching it lightly. His mother used to do that when he was upset and it helped to calm him down. ]

Ey. Are you okay?

[occulti]

_{[ It's comforting. Comfort that is to very foreign. He's not even certain if Grace did anything like this— if it was in her programming to do anything like this when he wasn't feeling great— but it does get him to look at Peter once more. He rubs his eyes again and shudders, a shaky exhale passing through his lips. ]}

I'm.. yeah. I just..
I knew it was too good to be true.

_{[ He feels a little sick as he recalls and pieces together what exactly just happened. ]}

You.. you don't gotta pretend to be someone else anymore.

_{[ How does he explain this? That he's been trying to conjure Dave here for awhile now? That he was hoping that was what was actually happening and he wasn't just a complete hallucination? He doesn't explain it and instead remains very still, other than cupping some water and splashing his face with it. ]}

[spacedisaster]

[ Peter can be loud, sarcastic, and boisterous but he too knows how to be gentle. It was another thing that Yondu tried really hard to change but Peter takes after his mother in that regard, and he refuses to let that part of her die too. ]

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lead you on but I didn't know what else to do.

[ Peter nods at the acknowledgment that he doesn't need to try to keep up with the charade. He's still working on untangling Klaus long hair and offering comfort, that hasn't changed. ]

We can pretend nothing happened if that will make it easier for you.

[occulti]

_{[ Klaus smiles as his eyes focus on the surface of the water and he shakes his head, almost completely sobered up from the incident. ]}

It was nice.. just to dream enough that it felt real, for a moment, so.. thanks.

_{[ He flicks his eyes back up to meet Peter's gaze. ]}

It's also not the first time I've made an idiot of myself in front of someone I just met, so..

_{[ Other people's opinion of himself never really bothered him or constricted him to being who he wanted to be, but he really hopes this first impression doesn't scare Peter away from him.
Anyway. He kind of feels awkward now, so he takes a steady step back from him and proceeds to bathe himself like a normal person. ]}

... any news on what exactly made me trip like that?
_{[ Cause he didn't really catch that part during all the hallucinations. ]}

[spacedisaster]

[ Peter gets it, how daydreaming can be much more comforting than the cruel reality but it only hurt more in the long run. Reality hits you harder and it leaves you feeling twice as empty. ]

The story of my life, trust me. I've made a fool of myself plenty often. It happens.

[ Peter's tone is light, trying to ease the tension. He doesn't think he's very successful given how Klaus moves away from him. Not like he can blame him of course, Peter would feel awkward too if their positions were reversed. ]

The robots mentioned the red sap from the skull flowers, it's toxic. They said the water should make the effects go away. [ Looking around for a moment, Peter ponders their options. Klaus looks more focused now, enough to look obviously uncomfortable. Time to give him an outlet. ] I suppose you'd like to bathe in peace, I should get going.

[occulti]

_{[ Peter is horribly mistaken. He would enjoy the company of another person— especially a handsome rescuer— but he can understand that Peter probably feels a little awkward too. Klaus crouched and sinks down into a deeper part of the water, rinsing his face once more as he tries to remember how exactly he was acting. It’s tough. ]}

You didn’t have to do this... I mean, take me here and be worried about me.

_{[ It’s still a foreign feeling when people outside of his family care about him. ]}

S.. sorry. Sorry again. For, I mean, probably everything.

[spacedisaster]

[ He would stay if Klaus asked him but if the man doesn't say anything, Peter is going to assume he would rather be alone. Miscommunication happens. ]

Don't sweat it. We're lost on an alien planet, we need to look out for each other.

[ Who knows, maybe one day he'll eat the wrong fruit or touch another toxic thing and it will be him tripping balls. Peter hopes someone is nice enough to take care of him if that happens.

He reaches out to give Klaus's shoulder one last squeeze before standing up and moving out of the pool. Time to grab his clothes and find somewhere to change, he can't exactly put them back on with his underwear all wet. But before leaving, he crouches by the pool's edge again. ]

If you need to talk to someone or you just want to listen to some more music, feel free to contact me. It's not a bother.