ercookies | TDM 008: A WALK IN THE THEME PARK

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TDM 008: A WALK IN THE THEME PARK

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.

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I. SIX FLAGELLANTS

Welcome, one and all, to a thrilling new location! Robots have worked tirelessly to build, from the ground up, what can only be recognizable as an amusement park. You are just in time for the grand opening of Six Flagellants: Great Advagtures!

The Ferris Wheel routinely stops when lovebirds reach the top, waiting for a kiss - or something more daring! - before it starts up again.

Robots warn of the scary Haunted House: a dark building with wall-to-wall creeps, and hot and cold running chills. Flickering ghosts roam the halls, and you may find an eerily realistic Headless Horseman -- who bids you, "Come closer. Give me head," while pointing to yours. Hey, get your mind out of the... Nevermind.

The Carousel is a two-story affair. Nude figures with familiar faces lounge about, waiting to be ridden, and closer inspection proves that they have the faces of your fellow islanders. Hop on your favorite person and take them for a spin!

There are even Bumper Cars, which have the interesting effect of making one feel more aroused with every bump and impact. (It's randomized each time, so don't try to guess based on car color!)

What should be a similar ride, the Teacups, has the robots' madness written all over it instead. They have misunderstood the gentle spin-cycles for dangerous, dizzying loop-the-loops across a wide track. Some would swear that the ride has a supernatural invocation for fear. Others are simply man enough to admit they're afraid.

Lastly, the Tunnel of Love is not what you expect. Although flavored lube and guides to cunnilingus are on each fleshy-log-shaped boat, the motion of the ocean is quite soothing, and there's a pleasant floral scent in the air that causes a light intoxication.

Don't forget to try the food! Similar to the Street Kiosks, there's a ton of faire food: cotton candy, corn dogs, and the like.

Mascot outfits are available and those who wear them will be rewarded generously with credits.

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II. LIKE A FIREWORK

The next morning, you receive a message on your device: You are cordially invited to a celebration of skinship at the House of Worship. Please do not dress for the occasion.

If asked about it, the robots will confirm that is not a specific holiday, but a simple joyous event. If you pry, they may even say that the Old Ones often made merry and partook in the pleasures of the flesh - and so too should you.

For an hour, there will be food and drink - alcoholic and aphrodisiac. Then, at the designated time, once the sun has gone down, clothes will be shed and a revelry begun.

As fireworks explode overhead, the different colors send the naked senses reeling:

Red: You are amorous towards the people around you. Yours is a joyous celebration. The Auspicious Acts you offer are happy and lighthearted, full of kisses and sweet nothings.
Orange: You feel bold and adventurous, eager to try something - or someone - new. Your preferred Acts may be dangerous or exciting, perhaps with more than one person.
Yellow: You feel reverence when you watch the fireworks, reverence when you look at your fellow people. You feel blessed to be part of the celebration at the House of Worship, and you make the Acts you complete into Acts of worship. You are all about the spirit of generosity.
Green: You are not here to celebrate. Jealousy is your lot. Uncover a new side of yourself, full of bitterness and resentment, and try an Act that treads the fine line between light and dark.
Indigo: You are proud to celebrate! Those around you are lucky to bask in your presence. You have a newly-minted domineering attitude that makes itself known, and your Acts are likely to be something where you'll come out on top.
Violet: These fireworks make you feel unusual - the opposite of yourself. You are different in all that you want to do, preferring Auspicious Acts that you may not have thought twice about before.

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III. MISTLETOE

mistletoe

sensory deprivation

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N A V I G A T I O N

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's become a habit of Fjord's to take a walk down on the beach whenever new arrivals are reported to be washed ashore, the same way he was, and his hopes are oddly high today as he crosses the dunes. Last month he found Caleb, before that he and Molly arrived together, and now ...

Those are the dulcet ladylike roars of one Lionnett, or his sword is a wooden stick.

"Beau!"

Yelling at the sight of her attacking the nearest metal-man, he rushes down the dunes waving his arms.

"Stop, stop, stop! Don't fight them!"

"Wha?"

Beau is momentarily distracted by Fjord's presence and his voice and his statement, long enough for the metal man to clamp some kind of bracelet-like device onto Beau's wrist. Beau flinches back, hissing like she's been burned. But rather than immediately slam a fist into the thing's face, she hops back about ten feet, arms raised defensively.

"Did it just claim me or something?"

"I've got one too!"

As he skids to a halt in the sand he tries to placate the machine by getting in between it and Beau; on his left bracer is a device much like the bracelet clamped on her wrist. Wheezing with exertion, Fjord raises his voice.

"Everything's good here, no need to get pissy! She didn't mean it! Totally cool, just another newbie ... "

He flaps a hand at Beau to get her moving away, stepping backwards after her.

Beau leans to the side so as to look properly at the machine, at Fjord, back to the machine, back to Fjord. She doesn't step around her friend and put herself in the line of fire, much as she wants to, because clearly Fjord has some experience with this thing. Knows what it wants. What it might do.

Which makes absolutely no sense as Fjord was in the same room as her just seconds ago but whatever.

"Yeah, uh... newb here," she says, playing along (easy enough to do) and waving cheerfully at the thing. "Just... ignorant, is all. Sorry to cause a ruckus."

Making sure the disgruntled robot isn't following as he herds Beau away, he thumps her on the back and shakes her by the shoulders, thoroughly excited to have her around.

"How long have you been here? Did you arrive with all your stuff? What's the last thing you remember from home? Shit, it's so good to see you!"

That's a lot of questions for someone who's just dragged herself out of the ocean, so Beau blinks at Fjord like he's gone mad, which he might have, just a little.

"I just--" She waves towards the ocean. "And you were... Why are you asking me what I remember? I remember you being there to remember it with me."

Why is he acting like he hasn't seen her for an age, rather than literally five minutes ago?

"And I probably was but that was months ago for me!"

Too excited to stay still, he turns over his left forearm so the bracer reveals the device strapped underneath; when he taps it, it lights up.

"This island is like Vokodo's, time means nothing here. Look at this shit they gave me! I know this didn't come from anywhere back home."

Beau frowns, not quite following what Fjord is saying. The words make sense of course, but they string together into something hard to believe. She opens her mouth and nearly gets a question out before he's continuing.

Vokodo?

"The who now?"

His face drops like a stone.

"You're like Molly, from the past." Speaking to himself, he looks her over more closely. "You don't have any winter clothes ..."

Yellow eyes flick up.

"Beau, what do you know about Lucien?"

"Molly?" There's a slight quiver in her voice because, from the sound of it...

Well, her brain skips ahead about eighteen steps and from the sound of it, Molly might be here. Is that even possible? Is that what Fjord is trying to say?

Still, she focuses on the conversation, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully as she combs through her memory.

"Didn't someone call Molly that, once? Like they knew him?"

"Oh, shit. This is getting crazy. Okay, it's fine, it's you so it's fine, we just need to ... fill you in on some things."

Rubbing his face, he steps forward with open hands to explain.

"Long story short: this island fucks with time because it's a weird pocket dimension or something and we're all getting yanked in from different moments."

"It's me so it's fine," Beau echoes, keeping her voice neutral because she's not sure what that's supposed to mean. Probably something complimentary but she cannot puzzle it out at the moment.

She nods once and shrugs.

"Happy Fun Ball," she says. "But... I don't remember being near any island. Are you saying the island is... like its own person?"

"No, there's a god-like thing called the Augur, it robbed me of my spells and ..."

Admitting the rest to her face makes his shoulder sag and his gaze drop, roaming the ground at her feet.

"Beau, this island is messed up. I'm so relieved to see you and so sorry you got dragged in here."

God-like thing is always a great way to start a sentence. Especially when it comes to Fjord. He's got great luck with that sort of thing.

Right.

"Hey, hey." Beau coaxes him gently with her words, a hand going to his shoulder.

"Buck up, Captain. We can get through this."

With his head bowed he feels that bracing touch and it's so homely that he sucks in a breath, having to force his eyes open. His hand covers hers on his shoulder, giving a grateful squeeze.

When he looks up he says with a small smile, "Molly's here, he's alive. Exactly as we knew him."

And a lot has changed between him and Fjord who were stranded here together, alone, at first. More than he wants to admit right now; it's enough to huff a grin of relief.

"Still a cocky asshole."

Her hand stills under his -- noticeable probably only because his hand is atop of hers -- and the expression on Beau's face sort of freezes, like she's trying very hard not to let it change. Or crumble.

"He's... alive?"

It takes her a second to blink away the shock.

"That bastard."

His hand tightens on hers, briefly. Understanding that pause.

"You can kick his ass all you like."

"I will." Beau's quick to shift from shock and a strange kind of sadness -- why wasn't she there for him? how long has he been here without the whole group? why does this guilt linger? -- to a moderate sort of pleasure and determination.

"Since apparently nothing can keep him down. I'm gonna smack that pretty face of his."

"All you like."

He nods up the beach, starting to head up past the dunes. The road to the City won't take long, they can talk on the way.

"I've been here with Molly the longest, Caleb arrived last month and now, you. We have a house for everyone to stay in, if we do all get dragged in weeks apart."

Beau follows, listening to what Fjord's saying even if a part of her mind is on Molly and this strange place, all the questions she wants and needs to ask.

"You think we will?" she asks. "I mean, when you say longest, how long is that?"

She hopes it hasn't been long. At least Caleb's only been here a month, but if Fjord says something insane, she's going to feel awful.

"Two months, I think. Molly's settled into the lifestyle here but it's ... grated on me."

There it is again, the sour note in his tone. He rolls his eyes at himself, his stupid coyness, and shrugs as he gestures to the not-so distant City ahead.

"The god-like Augur gets power from erotic energy, so you can only get your powers or possessions back by having sex."

Two months isn't so bad. Beau nods her head, still wishing she had been here -- for all of them -- first, to get the lay of the land, to figure out how to get out --

"The fuck you say now?" Beau blinks, sure she must have misheard.

"What is this, sexy Uk'atoa?"

Despite everything, that makes him smile through a snort.

"Pretty much."

He doesn't know what he would have done without his friends and Aphrodite, also a friend now. Kind of a crush.

"These devices tell you what the Augur wants from you, if you complete the tasks then the bastard returns something." Huffing, he adds, "Apparently I haven't done enough, so all I've earned back is my damn sword minus any spells to go with it."

How much goddamn sex does a guy need to have! Sheesh.

"You've got to be kidding me," Beau scoffs. She can't believe this. Granted, she is no prude, but there's a difference between having sex and being forced to have sex, even if it's... okay, somewhat optional?

"Is that how we leave?" she asks. "Curry enough favor with the sex god to be allowed an escape?"

"We need to heal this land before they have to power to send us home, yes. That's the line we've been fed."

He nods to the forest eaves.

"Don't go anywhere alone outside of the City, the wildlife is dangerous and the weather can change in an afternoon. Recently we had a full-on blizzard."

00. Arrival

I. SIX FLAGELLANTS

II. LIKE A FIREWORK

III. MISTLETOE

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