TDM 006: SPECTRAL SPECTACLE

[erkumods]

TDM 006: SPECTRAL SPECTACLE

00. 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. The Dragon's Matchmaking Welcome to the Island, cherub dragons! The auspicious actions of your fellow Islanders have foreseen the reintroduction of dragons to the world. Unlike the hulking, possessive creatures of ancient lore (and recent hot springs), these well-meaning little critters love to help. Their small size and roly-poly frames make them unsuited to laborious tasks, but they will be the perfect companion to any residents who endeavor to pick up a small item, wish for their lunch to be delivered to an absolute stranger, or need a fire started from a tiny, flaming sneeze in their drafty homes. If a cherub dragon sees an Islander they perceive in need of their assistance, they will zip right in and refuse to scram until they’ve done the job! No visible struggles? No problem! The little dragons also love to play matchmaker. Persistent dragons will gleefully nudge together Islanders they believe will have chemistry, and sometimes they aren’t wrong! Of course, even if sparks fail to fly, the dragons’ trilling songs are known to kindle romantic feelings between strangers and long-time lovers alike. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● II. Ruins While the Islanders have been enjoying their autumn relaxation, the ‘bots of Erku have been hard at work clearing the surrounding forests of dangers for their guests’ safe habitation. If you are of deft hand with monster slaying, forestry, or even just hauling debris and weed picking, the robots will gladly exchange credits for help with reconstructing the recently unearthed mountain temple grounds from the rubble that remains there. Just follow the path of gently glowing mushrooms to the site of the temple ruins. Beware of lurking creatures, grabby plants, and falling rocks! The temple ruins are tall and breathtaking, despite the eerie chill of the fog that lingers just beyond. Or is it the fog that sends a shiver up your spine? After all, this place was very spiritually important to the original inhabitants of the Island, the robots say to anyone curious enough to ask. Although their own programming does not include religious worship, the Augur believes the restoration of this place to be vital to the continued augmentation of Eros energy. When questioned about the strange shadows that seem to slip from tree to tree, or the unsettling feeling of ghostly hands that seem to nudge volunteers deeper into the grounds, the robots respond with nothing but bafflement. Their sensors detect no unknown organic presence afoot. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● III. Ritual Islanders who chase those mysterious shadows may find themselves particularly drawn to a structure that lay deeper within the ruins, beyond where the robots have made the most progress. Three sets of crumbling, moss-covered stairs join to form a central platform, which - despite the overcast skies - seems to emit a soft glow. Those who step onto the platform may begin to hear a quiet, compelling voice, which urges them to be free of their inhibitions and to offer their energy to the spirits to be multiplied hundredfold. Visions of naked bodies in the throes of carnal worship dance before the eyes. Those who are especially spiritually sensitive - or perhaps, just lucky - may feel as if possessed by a consciousness that is not their own, and that consciousness is filled with a burning sexual desire. Leaving the platform is an option if alone, but the intense and overwhelming urge to seek companionship will persist until an Auspicious Act is completed. Those who are fortunate to be joined by company within the temple will feel compelled to worship right then and there, no matter the risk of being seen. Within the walls of the temple, Eros energy is enhanced such that any erotic act - big or small - will be enough to break the spell. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● N A V I G A T I O N

Comments

hypnos | hades

[chthonicfatigue]

I. dragon tales

[Or: the free delivery of one (1) sleep god Hypnos to you, lucky winner, courtesy of a pair of cherub dragons. It's definitely a ridiculous sight: Hypnos in his big comfy cape blanket, floating(!) along like he's just lounging there, while two cherub dragons have the corners of his cape by the teeth and are pulling him along looking for someone to match with.

He was asleep when this mysterious dragon ride began, see. It probably made more sense to these little guys to haul him around like a floating mail-order dingus when he was still asleep, but he is awake now! Enough to wave at anyone who might look at this display long enough, particularly if you happen to be who the dragons drop him off in front of. He's still hovering in the air, though, don't worry about that.

Hello. This is happening. The dragons might even do a little loop around whoever they find, for flair. Hypnos sees absolutely nothing wrong with this.]

Oh, hey! You're new! [he is also new, but details] So funny story, maybe you can help me with this, I woke up just now, you know, not too sure where I am, and these guys were pulling me around back there, isn't that weird? And I thought, maybe this is a prank someone's trying to pull on me, but I couldn't figure out why anyone would send me all the way out here to do that, which, by the way, is this place bright, or what? Anyway—

[It is at this point that the dragons finally stop doing loops and deposit him in front of you, lucky stranger. He's just been talking. Anyway!!!]

Are these little guys yours? Thanks! Where are we?

II. spirit zone

[Hypnos stands out in this dreary ruin, if nothing else, being as very bright red as his entire getup is. Consider him a beacon for the lost and weary and specifically spirit-y, because that's what he's doing, even though, well... Well, he really does not have to do this here, anymore.

Old habits, and so on. The point is: he's floating just up the path, quill in hand, very clearly magic scroll floating in front of him, gesturing meaningfully every time he catches a glimpse of one of those shadows or feels the nudge of a spirit hand for said spirit to come here, please, thank you.]

Are you guys getting in line yet? Nobody goes further than this until I make sure everybody's accounted for!

[And oh look, an alive person!!!]

Oh! Hey! You can get in line, too, I might as well process everybody! I mean, technically no one's asking me to do this, you know, make sure everyone's information is recorded? But I'm supposed to be working on my working, haha! So let's get your details down so you can go up there and see that real eerie ruin, huh?

[what is your social security number]

III. an advice prompt for the modern era

[Or: It's another spirit one, but instead of making lists this time, Hypnos is just chilling out here looking at some ruins. He doesn't really get what the big deal is... like, wow, some people died? Probably? And??

Regardless, he is just out here having a boring time, maybe just close enough to dozing off before someone (it's you) gets spirit-pushed into this little area where he's loitering. That makes him startle awake, sputtering something and looking around hastily— oh!!]

Wow, did you just get tossed in here? You look like you've got somewhere else you'd rather be! Have you tried, like, not wandering around in mysterious ruins?

IV. etc

[u know....that wild life]

2!

[marmoron]

[ Look, man. It's bad enough that there are spirits around being creepy, Keith doesn't need this kind of questioning in his life, too. ]

The hell do you need that information for? Place is messed up enough as it is, it doesn't need you to be the IRS.

[chthonicfatigue]

[This response gets, like... a silent look out of him, expression unchanged, like he needs to buffer for a second to process that.]

Okay, well, let's see, I don't know what an I-R-S is, so you don't need to worry about that, I guess! I'm just trying to keep everybody accounted for, for their sake, sooo... Maybe, try cooperating?

[He wiggles the quill a little. Yes? Perhaps? Sometimes this works.]

You're, like, mortal, aren't you? Are you all going to be like this, because I can make my questionnaire shorter, if I have to.

[marmoron]

[ Keith is just going to stay quiet for a moment, expression growing increasingly incredulous. He should have anticipated more weirdness, all things considered, but there's a lot to umpack here. ]

Yeah, I'm mortal.

[ Implying this guy isn't?? ]

Okay, dude. What are you, the patron saint of bureaucrats?

[chthonicfatigue]

[Another pause, while he fiddles with the quill some more. Okay, so he doesn't really get out much, that's fair... How does Thanatos deal with talking to mortals, he wonders.]

Well, I'm Hypnos! [A beat.] Sleep, actually, and I was never mortal, so just sleep.

[Is that enough? Must mortals ask questions??]

I keep track of the shades when they, you know, arrive. Wow, this is a lot harder to explain to a living mortal than I thought it'd be! Are you just... not going to tell me about yourself?

[marmoron]

[ The look on Keit's face can only be described as Maximum Doubt. Not that he has a reason to believe the guy is lying or anything, but it's just odd and leaves so much to be unpacked. The multiverse is truly weird today. ]

.... Seems like bad luck to tell someone trying to account for the souls of the dead my information when I'm not actually dead.

[ Not superstitious really, but he's also going to put that out there first. ]

iii

[emancipating]

[ it's along the same thing that zagreus has gathered after exploring the place? like, some people died here. cool. he's lost count of how many times he's died now, so you know, not a big deal. anyway, he gets spirit-pushed right into hypnos and listen, after a day of being stuck on this weird island, he's actually really glad to see him. ]

And run the risk of missing you? Unthinkable.

[ hey, buddy. ain't u a sight for sore eyes. ]

[chthonicfatigue]

[Ohhh bud, you can practically see the dopey flower special effects come out of his head in real time. Hey!! What's up!!!]

Aww, if I knew you were going to come all the way out here to see me, too, I would have brought you something! Oh! Wait, hang on, I think I do have something...

[Something brought to him earlier by a butterball dragon, for sure, but give him a second to root around in... in his cape? Do not question where he keeps stuff, before he holds out—

A palm tree air freshener. Take it. Appreciate him.]

[emancipating]

[ the dopey flower effects are in full force, they're practically bouncing off zagreus. this is fine, more than fine, actually, it's like being greeted whenever he pulls himself out of the styx again. ]

Oh, Hypnos, you shouldn't have. [ how nice! he has no idea what the heck it is but you bet he loves it. ] Actually, I also found something that you might like.

[ it's a... pen. a ball point pen shaped like a penis, but you know, nevermind that part. it makes clicky sounds?? it's cool. ]

[chthonicfatigue]

[This boring ruin is definitely the most appropriate place for this Best Friends Gift Exchange, no doubt about it. Is it the most appropriate place to present him with a penis pen...

Is there such a place... does Than know about this pen, buddy... Well, anyway,]

Haha, oh, what, for me? Thanks! [it's a dick pen but you know what, he will take it as a treasured friendship token, and he will immediately click it a whole bunch of times before he actually comprehends that it's a Writing Implement. oh!!!] Well, I'm glad I ran into you, not that I'm not usually glad, but it's good to see you when you haven't just died!

[click click click click--] I'll bet you my brother's going to hate this thing, hah.

[Watch in awe as he draws a single line with this... dick. Amazing.]

[emancipating]

You know, I was just thinking that. This is really a nice change of pace for once, not that I've had any qualms dying just for the express purpose of seeing you again.

[ like that one time he got you that autograph... fun times. anyway, zagreus is grinning while hypnos goes to town on this dick pen, mostly because he knows than's gonna hate it so much. ]

I can already imagine his brow twitching with every click. But more importantly, I thought it may help with your lists here. You never know when you might need an extra... phallus-shaped quill or two.

[chthonicfatigue]

Yeah, I guess, who knows what kind of lists I'm going to need to make here, since it isn't like I can keep working on the usual list, you know? It's weird how many questions mortals ask about, like, everything!

[He can't keep a list of everyone's three sizes... well, maybe, but people will talk to him about it and that's so much. He'll click this pen until he's left alone with his lists, that's the plan.

But first: Zagreus time (tm).]

So, hey, since we're both here, and I guess here is some part of the surface, and your dad isn't here to get on your case, or to tell me to go back to my post and be quiet, I mean, maybe you could try... hanging out with me?

[Buddy!!! Now is the time!!]

[emancipating]

Perhaps it is no longer a question of what lists you need to make, Hypnos, but rather, what lists you want to make.

[ go, be free, make those three sizes lists. or a list of how many cats you've pet in one day, how many geese you've roasted, how many times zag accidentally set something on fire with his feet. look, the possibilities are endless.

but anyway, bff time. ]

I was really hoping you'd ask. [ buddy!! of course! ] I would love to hang out with you, Hypnos. Cerberus is here, too, and I know he would be very happy to see you.

dragon tales... the theme is now stuck in my head

[expiry]

[Thanatos is not a fan of these annoying dragons. They're almost as annoying as, say, a certain brother of his—and so he shouldn't be surprised to spy these dragons hauling said brother about this city? Shouldn't be surprised by these dragons tugging his brother in slow, lazy circles around him as he just floats there, still and silent. If he's here, then he supposes it makes sense for others he knows to be here, as well. Sure. Maybe Mother Nyx will pop up next, or Charon, or Lord Hades himself; maybe the Underworld is, like, falling to pieces right now, as Hypnos bobs to a stop before him while babbling on about... everything...

...Ooh, boy. He's counting to ten, internally. He is doing his best to focus on what's important here, mainly that Hypnos seems in as good a mood as ever. Of course he cares for his twin, but as he is who he is—]

They're not mine, Hypnos. You shouldn't... encourage them. [Not that he had a choice, probably, but anyway. Brotherly acknowledgment and brotherly fussing: done. Time to cross his arms.] The surface is troublesome enough.

[That's right, bro. Welcome to... The Surface, aka hell if Than knows where, precisely, they are. Just two bros, floating in the middle of an unknown street in some unknown city...]

good, you're welcome

[chthonicfatigue]

[Look, these fat little lizard babies are almost, uh, ugly cute enough to be Thanatos' brand... we need to talk about Mort, brother...

Anyway, he's not encouraging them at all, but when one of them lets go of his cape and bobs up to plop in the vast expanse that is all that hair he has, he does not move to dislodge it at all. It has delivered its charge and now it deserves a nap; he totally gets it.]

Wooow, this is really it? [only half of that sentence sounds impressed,] I mean, I'm glad we get to hang out together more, Thanatos! But isn't this place kind of missing, I don't know, a whole bunch of mortals for you to, like, do your job on?

[On? With? Whatever, he's seen like, barely a handful of people roaming around, what is UP with the surface!! Also it's bright and he's squinting, more than he has to, because of course he is.]

[expiry]

[Talk shit about Mort and suffer the consequences. 🔫🐝 But refusing to discourage them is basically encouraging them, in Thanatos' opinion. He's a stickler like that? It's why he eyes that lazy dragonling with obvious distaste, already annoyed with life (ba-dum-tss) and everything in it. The sky is cloudy, sure, but it's still far too bright for both of them...

And Hypnos still has a knack for saying the sorts of things that aren't wrong, per se, but are still, like, super grating. Damn. Take this Look.]

The surface is vast, Hypnos. Mortals are scattered across it.

[...And yet? And yet. He doesn't want to, like, worry Hypnos—and how does he explain his job, anyway? The feeling of a thousand pinpricks pulling him in a thousand different directions, each one a soul calling out for its Fates-ordained release. Shit's complicated, bruh.]

But something is wrong. Nothing is... calling out to me, here. [HmmMMM—] There's no work to do.

[Say it isn't so.]

[chthonicfatigue]

[Just saying, lil dude is kinda, hmm, you know. Questionable in the face. It's fine, Hypnos loves and respects all Than-related things, but whomst is he if he doesn't make Comments and Have Opinions about this stuff... Please understand.

And like, please understand this next thing, too, because the way he squints a little bit more seriously is the most Thinking anyone's getting out of him vis-a-vis how seriously he should be taking this situation they are now in. Something is wrong, Than says, there's no work to do...

Well!]

Soooo, wait, if I'm hearing this right, and I think I am, you mean you've got some free time now? Did you change your mind abut my idea for dealing with a whole bunch of mortals at once and not tell me?

[Like, he sees this work-addiction anxiety, and yet he hears More Brother Time, sorry! Priorities!]

I mean, wow, I didn't think you'd really listen to my ideas!

[Go ahead, brother, ruin his day.]

[expiry]

[Someone's just jealous Mother Nyx never gave them a Chthonic Companion™ of their very own. Sucks to suck, Hypnos! But gods, yes, this work-addiction anxiety is very real, hence the sharp response that is:]

I don't.

[Bam. So now we can cross brotherly rudeness off the list, too.]

This isn't as simple as having more free time. [The thought alone prompts a full-body shudder—or, well. It almost does.] We're cut off from the Underworld, here. You should be concerned.

[The line, Hypnos! The line leading to Lord Hades is definitely fucked.]

[chthonicfatigue]

[This is why mom doesn't fucking love you.mp4]

Oh, hah, I guess not. [brother :(] Anyway, I didn't say I'm not worried about it, because I thought about it and it is a pretty big deal! Uh, but, I'm just saying, if nothing is supposed to escape, how did we get here? I wasn't trying to get to the surface...

[The Line... is a concern, that's true, but consider: he can just make a new line here? Will Master not accept this new, slightly different line? Not at all, but don't crush all of his dreams at once.

Or: hmm, he was kind of banking on Than and Zag to have the ideas here, considering he is List Boy and y'all actually go outside sometimes. They are in so much trouble, please handle it, he'll watch.]

Have you tried walking back into the water?

smashes into 2

[philanthropy]

[ Maruki's curiosity brought him here, but the cajoling of unseen hands pulled him deeper in. And now the bold red direction of some pale kid keeps him here, herded toward the back of a line with a bunch of ghosts, apparently. Erm... there is a line, right? Are they actually getting in line for him? It's hard to tell, since they're not exactly easy to spot at all.

But somebody has given Maruki an instruction and that's basically all that's needed to get him to comply. ]

O-Oh... I see. Well, what questions did you have for me? I'll certainly try my best to answer.

[ Because he, like. Works here? ...Right? ]

henlo

[chthonicfatigue]

[Oh, there's totally a line, believe him. Every time a spirit hand tries to push him another foot down the path he tells the empty space to go get in line, and he is choosing to believe it's working.

But come on down, Totally Living Guy, Hypnos will take all kinds in his new list (tm), which he looks down at presently to reference, Ahem.]

Wow, really? You're the first one! Okay! So, let's see, first things first, I'm going to need your name, height, approximate weight, what job you had before— orrrr... right now?

[He looks up from his list, squinting. Yes, totally living people still have jobs, that's probably true. Mortals, man!]

Well, we can start there!

sticks legy out

[philanthropy]

[ Okay, so there's definitely a line and it's real. Got it. It's a bit surprising to hear that he's the first person to actually answer the clearly very legit and official questionnaire being given here, but to be fair he does happen to be the only other corporeal being in the vicinity. ]

Oh, oh, um... Takuto Maruki, 180 centimeters annnnd... I guess about 65 kilograms? Maybe? Something like that, anyway. I... used to be a counselor.

[ But... ]

But more recently -- or really always, you could say -- I was a researcher.

[chthonicfatigue]

Okay, hang on, I asked for height and weight, not whatever you just told me! Maybe try... answering the right question?

[What is a centimeter! Hello! Don't make stuff up, that's not productive at all. He wiggles his quill, like, slightly irritably...? It's a wonder that he can hit Slightly Irritable at all, but one does not simply mess with his list.

He sighs. A fool who doesn't know his numbers, shame...]

I don't know how you can research anything if you make that kind of mistake, but okay, what kind of research?

[philanthropy]

Oh, sorry, do you not use metric? In that case, ummm, so I think that's about... five-foot-eleven? And... gosh, it's hard to do the math in your head!

[ Why don't we move on for now. ]

Anyway, I...

[ There's no reason to hide anything here, is there? And even then, doesn't being straightforward feel a little like atonement?

Couldn't it? At some point, at least? ]

We called it cognitive psience. I wanted to prove that it was possible to change the world for the better through the power of human consciousness alone.

[ He talks about it with mixed emotion: a little wistful, a little sorry, a little hopeful, a little sad. ]

But that probably sounds pretty far-fetched.

[chthonicfatigue]

[Eleven what, sir?? Hypnos squints at him for a moment before he simply... gives up, he has given up, sighing shortly and indeed jotting down """five foot eleven""" with precisely that many quotation marks, because it is a fake measurement.]

You wanted to think really hard until the world changed, is that what you mean? [Mortals be crazy...] Have you tried, I don't know, actually doing something?

[NO... OFFENSE......]