TDM 007: ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED? (Sorry, No Refunds)

[erkumods]

TDM 007: ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?

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. Entertainment District Old and new arrivals alike have likely been enjoying(?) the Island’s one day of sunshine per week - and so have the robots! The energy they are able to harness from the sun has increased their productivity exponentially, and a colorful multi-level entertainment district has sprung up to surround a few of the city’s familiar locations. Here you will find the forge, the clothing shop, the Full Moon(ty) Theater, as well as a freshly upgraded Ticket to Ride: an all-purpose arcade where tickets won from skeeball and Whack-a-Woody can be exchanged for sexy, colorful prizes! Admission is free, and the robots especially encourage islanders to check out the following arcade additions: Lurid Laser Tag: Slip into a full-body laser tag suit and arm yourself with a robot-provided laser gun before you go into this spooky and maze-like laser tag arena, which has been designed in the fashion of an abandoned, post-apocalyptic city overrun with creeping, squirming, and sometimes grabbing plants (which may look and feel very familiar to the earliest residents of the Nameless Island). Avoid these obstacles and try to spot the enemy before they spot you! The laser guns issued by the ‘bots have three graduated settings, chosen by the shooter, to alert you when you are hit: 1. vibration, 2. sweet caress, and 3. deep massage. Any part of your laser tag suit may activate, depending on where you are hit. Islanders may choose to play 1-on-1 with a friend, or can be randomly assigned to an opponent or team. VR Rooms: Pull on a shiny new headset and enjoy an immersive virtual reality experience like none other available on the Island thus far! The technology is still somewhat limited, however, in that the rooms can only replicate settings and environments from the current users’ memories. Whether you’re looking to train your battle skills on your old stomping grounds or simply want to share the experience of your favorite hometown noodle shop with a friend, these new VR rooms will literally open up new worlds of entertainment to you. VR Rooms can be enjoyed alone or in pairs, and they are fully private. GundamPods: A scaled-down version of the newly installed mobile suit simulation cockpits which can be accessed in the hangar at the outskirts of the city, these side-by-side pods allow users to recreate the experience of piloting any mobile suit that has been brought onto the island, in PVP format. Scant and form-fitting clothing is recommended for the most seamlessly realistic piloting experience, as this allows the technology to interface with your sensory system. Wear a bikini and you’ll feel it right down to the G’s! ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● II. Sexscape Room Looking for the latest opportunity to earn credits? Look no further! The robots are researching the problem-solving capabilities of organic lifeforms, and they are seeking the Islanders’ help. The offered reward is very generous, and the ‘bots say the time commitment is no more than two hours. No manual labor required! Participants will only be given a puzzle to solve within that time limit. Those who agree will be led to a spacious, if dark, room... but not alone. When the lights turn on, two volunteers find themselves trapped together in an escape room! Written clues lead participants through a series of steps to find the trick that will unlock the doors that hold them captive. However, what kind of room they find themselves in is entirely luck of the draw. Some rooms are perfectly normal, with almost absurdly easy puzzles to solve - a tip of a bookcase or a key hidden beneath a pillow might just be the ticket out. Others may be outrageously difficult, with clues taking the form of cryptic riddles and assigned tasks requiring partnership and teamwork to complete. What kind of tasks, you may ask? Well, for some rooms it’s fairly obvious what volunteers are expected to do in order to earn their escape. That riding crop says it all, does it not? Those who fail to solve the escape room within two hours will be released without incident, the promised credits loaded to their devices. Islanders who successfully escape the room will be additionally rewarded with a goody bag of cute and colorful BDSM gear! ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● III. Speed Dating at the Limp Noodle So many renovations have occurred thanks to the efforts of those on the Island and the robots have decided a grand opening of the new Limp Noodle Shop! This robot-run shop has three small tables and a long counter for serving customers. It caters to various noodle foods and soups from any world and their menu changes regularly, but Wednesday is All You Can Eat Ramen Day. Try the Special Spicy Fishcakes to get a free drink, but they might make your noodle anything but limp and you'll need some help to calm it down. Effects can last up to three hours. But that’s not all. To promote the grand opening of the Limp Noodle the robots have added more seating and opened up the week for Swap Meet Speed Dating. That’s right, speed dating. Anyone who takes part in the 10 minute rounds of looking for your next Auspicious Act partner will receive all-you-can-eat snacks. Couples who hit it off will receive a free meal at a small two-seat table in a more secluded area. Questions are provided on note cards with a fine print reminder: “Eye contact supports sexual intrigue, please maintain at all times.” ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● N A V I G A T I O N

Comments

[4thchairman]

[ Why's he gotta be so damn cool at everything he does, huh? The shot lands, though the touch Kiryu feels from it is far from unpleasant. Ah. So that's what they meant by these...

It's not enough to distract Kiryu from his advance, but rather than shoot Han Joon-gi on sight, he straightens up and aims his laser gun at his foe. That is, until he realizes who he's aiming at. ]

Han Joon-gi?

[ Is this really him? Hadn't he seen him get shot, back in Hiroshima? ]

You're alive?

[jingweon]

Not for long perhaps.

[ he laughs, pointing to the telltale red dot that marks where Kiryu would shoot him. Maybe he should be a little more serious about it, after what happened in Hiroshima, but he’s not really ready to unpack all of that...

Looks like Kiryu is, though. Han Joon-gi takes his finger off the trigger and spins the gun so it’s pointing away, holding up his hands in surrender, the gun hanging only loosely by his trigger finger. ]

A truce for a moment, perhaps? And then back to battle. I will not go easy on you because we share the same home.

[ he knows, of course, after all the fighting they’d done. but it seems important to reiterate it. ]

[4thchairman]

[ Kiryu releases his finger from the trigger, lowering it so that it's aimed at the floor. He isn't sure that Han Joon-gi won't try anything, but it's not as though either of them could die from getting shot in a laser tag, so the entire situation is a bit off. A truce seems like the least they can do. ]

Yeah. We can talk later.

[ Kiryu nods. So they're going to keep playing, huh? Well, it's definitely not a conversation to be had while they're wearing bodysuits, he supposes. And they have several more minutes in here until their time runs out, so they may as well. ]

The same goes for me. You're going down.

[ Maybe it's because it's just a game but... Kiryu plays to win. ]

[jingweon]

I would not be so certain.

[ But, god, he loves that he gets the chance to fight him again. Maybe not with his fists, but a fight is a fight, and he too plays to win. ]

Any more questions you want to get over with now? Or should we get back at it?

[4thchairman]

It can wait.

[ It might just be a stupid game, but Kiryu can't say he's completely against the idea of a little competition. He can worry about how the former leader of the Jingweon is still alive after they finish up here. ]

You'll answer my questions when this is over.

[ Kiryu raises his gun again, aiming high. ]

I'll give you ten seconds to get back in position.

[jingweon]

Thank you.

[ It's all he needs -- he's out of sight quickly, ducking down past the barrel and then away into the shadows, popping up a bit later from behind kiryu and aiming for him once more. Too quick, though, he misses in his attempt to duck back down again, the sound almost certainly giving away his position -- time to find a new one. ]

[4thchairman]

[ This is definitely a minigame and you know how Kiryu gets about those. He's a man of his word, always, and he's at least relieved to find that that hasn't changed on Joon-gi's side, either. Ten seconds. A truce. Kiryu finds himself a defensible spot and ducks away counting down in his head.

The shot from behind catches him by surprise, but it's a miss that gives Kiryu the chance to turn and fire where he thinks Han Joon-gi will move next. It's all about predicting your foe's moves...

Though he needs to move now too, before he gets caught by surprise again. ]