TDM 008: A WALK IN THE THEME PARK

[erkumods]

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. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 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. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 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. A group shower will be provided after the festivities wind down. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● III. MISTLETOE Many cherub dragons can be found gathering together in the Greenhouse, working together to finish the cultivation of a new plant. They spend an exhaustive night decorating the island with the new greenery, which can soon be identified as mistletoe. You may think it's sweet of them, but don't get caught underneath one of these sprigs! Standing under the dragon's mistletoe will cause sensory deprivation - and of course, the only way to regain what was lost is to indulge in an Auspicious Act. (You may choose whichever sense you like, or even choose to be figurative, such as "the sense of reason" or "a sense of purpose.") ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● N A V I G A T I O N

Comments

the Iron Bull | Dragon Age | OTA

[aban_aqun]

0. Arrival

This isn't even the first time the Iron Bull has found himself washed up on a beach. He generally makes it a point to avoid shipwrecks or anything else that might force him to swim for his life, and he doesn't remember actually going into the water this time. Just a rift.

With a grunt he shoves himself up. He takes a moment to gather himself. Nothing about the beach is immediately familiar. Not great.

Eventually, he gets to his feet, unfurling to his full seven and a half feet. He eyes the mechanical thing coming toward him warily, but the worst it does is thrust a towel at him.

"Think a horse blanket would work better." He tosses the towel over his shoulder. He'll keep it, but it's probably just easier to air dry.


II. Like a Firework

This place doesn't waste any time.

The Bull makes his way to the House of Worship. Makes him think briefly of Chantry houses, but he has a feeling nothing this interesting ever happened in any of those outside of ribald books. The kind Rocky has performed or recited group with more than once.

Despite invitations to eat and drink, Bull doesn't do much of either. He's more keen to watch other people as they indulge. He does end up with a cup of wine and, after a while, takes a taste.

When the fireworks start, Bull's gaze drifts upward as yellow lights up the sky.

[Will interact with any of the other colors with Bull! But yellow for him.]


III. Mistletoe

Cherub dragons. That's cute. Bull catches sight of a few of them decorating, and he recognizes the mistletoe when he sees it. While he is aware of several traditions that go along with hanging the plant, he isn't anticipating what actually happens when he ends up beneath one of the sprigs.

It comes on somewhat slowly, enough that Bull realizes it's happening before his vision is gone completely.

"Really? You want someone like me running around blind?"

He doesn't expect the little dragons - or anyone that might know what's going on - to answer him. That does leave him with relatively limited options, though, and staying still seems like the best one for the time being. Maybe if he's lucky, all it will take is a kiss.

Whenever he does regain his senses, Bull becomes a little more keen to help other people if he finds them experiencing some mistletoe-induced side effects.

"Hey, you okay?"


Wildcard & notes

[Will match format! I usually take Bull from the end of the game, but can work to avoid any spoilers for anyone that would prefer that. He is 7'6" with a wide set of horns. PM if you have any questions!]

iii.

[halforc]

[ Little bastard dragons. They are nowhere as sweet to him as they are to Aphrodite.

Fjord swears as his visions goes as black as if he's been Blinded by Caduceus, arms immediately reaching out to keep himself from walking into anyone on the street. He only makes it a few metres before he hears someone addressing him (he thinks?) and halts his hesitant, awkward walking. Sounds like a guy but no one he knows. ]

The white plants, they blinded me. Are there more nearby? I'm trying to avoid them in case their effect strengthens.

[aban_aqun]

[Bull hadn't even considered they could have exponential effects. He puts a hand out to catch the other man's shoulder, just to keep him still for a moment as he takes a quick look around.

The little dragons have been busy. It's like navigating a field of caltrops.]

Not any immediately close. Probably gonna have to pass a few to get wherever you're trying to go.

[halforc]

Shit. Okay.

[ He reaches up to pat the hand on his shoulder, wondering if it's just because his vision is gone that it feels so large. He must be disorientated. ]

Could you, ah ... Would you mind helping me to the end of the street before I try to fix this? There will be no point otherwise. They'll just do it again. I can pay you in pocket meat, if you're hungry.

[ Digging out a handkerchief of roasted day-old goose from a pocket, he holds it up to his mysterious companion. ]

HELLO this is iii.

[blumenthal]

Maybe the average person--someone who isn't from a world where people are as varied in species, appearance, and size, for example--might find the Bull too intimidating to approach, Caleb is not one of them. A moment of consideration is all it takes as he quickly recognizes what is likely happening.

"Was it the plant? That is troublesome." He speaks deliberately, like the language he's talking in is well known to him, but not his first. His soft accent is further evidence, though it's not one Bull will recognize. But his footfalls are easily identifiable, as is the sound of him removing his spellbook from the leather book holster at his hip. "I could try to dispel it? Some of the effects here are strange, so it may not take. Worth a shot, though."

[aban_aqun]

"No."

It comes out as soon as he hears the word dispel, which gives context to the rustling of leather and pages. He's spent far too much time around mages to not recognize that. The fact that the mage talking to him isn't sure what will work does not help to change his mind.

"Yes, it was the plant. No, you are not dispelling or casting anything." After a moment, Bull decides there is no need to actually be rude, regardless of how he feels about magic. He's been a little on edge since getting here and losing what's left of his vision has not put him in a better mood.

"Uh, thanks anyway."

[blumenthal]

"Oh." It's obvious that he's surprised by the immediacy and strength of that refusal. "Ah, sure." The argument is right on the tip of his tongue: even if it fails, you won't be harmed. But he tactfully chooses to keeps that to himself, taking the hint.

His spellbook is quickly closed and returned to his side, and Caleb is left wondering what he can do to remedy this situation. Magic is his go-to, of course, but he is also a fine problem-solver even beyond arcane matters.

"Let's at least get somewhere out of the way while we figure this out, then," he suggests, glancing around them. He'd been en route to the library, one of his typical haunts. There are plenty of places there, both outside and indoors, to sit down. "My name is Caleb Widogast. You are new here, ja?"

Arrival

[ragingnature]

It's only been a month since Persephone's arrival but she knows that it's routine for people to wash up on the beach. So when she catches wind of new arrivals she heads down with Cerberus by her side to see if she catches sight of anyone familiar.

Unfortunately, she's not so lucky. However, she is standing nearby when the robot offers Bull a towel. She lets out a soft amused snort as she turns to take him in, eyes going wide as she finds herself having to crane her head back to look up at him.

"Wow... You're big." An understatement. Then again, Persephone is quite small in comparison.

[aban_aqun]

Bull looks down at the very vividly colored woman and lifts his eyebrow.

"Yeah, I get that a lot," he says easily. Bull takes a moment to use the towel to dry beneath his eye patch. Last thing he needs is for that to stay damp.

It's about then that the Bull realizes he has seaweed hanging off one of his horns. He pulls it off and tosses it back into the water.

"These things always come down here when people wash up?" he asks with a nod at the robot.

[ragingnature]

Persephone's cheeks instantly darken when he says he gets that a lot. Of course, he does. It was silly to say, but she was so surprised by it she didn't even think before speaking.

"Oh, um..." Her gaze turns in the direction of the robots before nodding. "Yeah, they try to be helpful. I guess. They're all over the place."

She still finds them to be a strange sight.

"It should have given you a device as well. Like this one." She holds up her wrist to show the bracelet.

How about some ii to round out all the tags

[vegalthon]

[Oran's a big fan of fireworks, so despite the fact that these are being held in a location he's not altogether delighted by, the tiefling is here for the show.

He's brought a bottle of fortified wine, along with his old travel pack stuffed absolutely full with a blanket and some mugs, along with some warmer clothes. The robots might want everyone to strip down, but Oran has absolutely no plans to: he's used to the Augur taking advantage of them all and so he's taking extra precautions.

At the moment, he's looking around for a spot to smooth his blanket out when he stops dead a few yards away from the much larger man across the way. Is he a tiefling, or something else?

He's had good luck with the former recently, so he pulls himself together and closes the distance, then hoists his bottle up.]

Do you need a refill?

[He's not a big man, himself; maybe 5'8 with his horns included, Oran is not much to look on... but he's offering an earnest grin, and he's doing his best to look, ah, warm without looking too warm. He's never seen this person before and he knows how unnerving it must be when people just show up on the island.]

[aban_aqun]

[Bull, on the other hand, is a lot to look at. Uncovered to the waist, his grey skin is cut through with scars and one shoulder is painted with intricate patterns in black. It might pass for a tattoo if parts of it hadn't flaked off.

He watches the young man approaching, immediately taking in the horns and the skin tone, but he seems too small to be an adult Qunari. And Bull has never seen another Qunari with a tail.

He considers what's in his cup before he nods at the bottle.]

I'm not going to get a surprise if I say yes, am I?

[Given what he's seen since arriving, Bull thinks it's a fair question.]

[vegalthon]

Trust me, this is some of the least surprising stuff I could find. I'd rather enjoy a light show without worrying about it becoming a different kind of show.

[That's not entirely true... but Oran would far rather control what kind of shows he watches or is seen in. Anyways, he digs for his mug and pours himself a little of the fortified red, sipping directly from it before offering the bottle directly. Glancing upward, he notes the rainbow of lights... but nothing has caught him quite yet. Give it time.]

I'm sorry if it's a forthright question. Are you a tiefling, or something like it? We... [And he taps the tough looking plates along one of his top horns] we're few and far between, here. Humans are... prevalent.

like a firework

[wanderstars]

Looking at Starfire, one would think that she's been here a while now, already acclimated to the place. With a drink in hand, and a light and short sheer tunic that doesn't even make a pretense at modesty, she seems to be very settled in and at ease with the overall theme of this place, and this party more specifically. Which she is, to be fair, but she's actually as recent an arrival as Bull is.

She notices him because— well, it's difficult not to, and as with everything and everyone who's exceptionally unique, he gets her attention, and she makes her way over to him, practically floating with each step. She's rather tall compared to a human, standing at 6'3", and yet this man clearly is even taller than her, which is an unusual and very welcome change.

"You're so beautiful," she offers in manner of greeting, because that's obviously just something people say out of the blue, right? "Are you enjoying yourself?"

[aban_aqun]

Bull has been called a lot of things, but beautiful is not usually on the list. Still, his expression warms and he gives a polite dip of his head.

"Beautiful, huh. Don't get that a lot."

He pushes away from the wall he's been leaning against to stand up straight. She's tall, but still more than a foot shorter. Still, it's a nice change of pace.

"Yeah, not a bad night. Kind of nice just being around people celebrating."

He has no idea what the celebration is for, but it doesn't really matter, does it? They're all here and it's nice to feel like he's part of a group again. He hasn't had that in a long time.

[wanderstars]

Kori finds most people beautiful in one way or another. He's unique too, which in her eyes only adds to it, even if she's well aware most people wouldn't think of 'beautiful' by simply looking at him.

"That's a shame. But I'm glad to compensate for that lack."

She offers him a smile, looking up. She could render the height difference meaningless by simply levitating off the ground, but this doesn't bother her at all.

"It is. From what I was told, there are a lot of celebrations here. But this is my first, I've only just arrived."

firework

[socialjusticeknight]

Knowing what he knows about the island, going to a huge celebration didn’t sound like a good idea to Ashe. But he was walking by when a robot started pushing him along toward the crowd, and before he could object he was in the throng.

Now, he’s here, not sure what to do with himself. The fireworks pull his attention up, though, just in time for a flash of orange.

When he lowers his gaze, the first thing he sees is the Iron Bull - hard not to, the way he towers over the crowd. Ashe has to tilt his head back to look him in the face, being almost two feet shorter.

“What are you?” he says, then blushes when he realizes that was out loud. “Wait, I’m sorry, that was rude. I’ve just never seen someone like you.”

[aban_aqun]

Bull lolls his head to look at the person talking to him. The blush is cute.

"Been getting that a lot, don't worry about it," he rumbles warmly. "I'm Qunari. What are you?"

Hey, he knows better than to assume everyone he's looking at is human by now. Seems like it's just polite to ask. Besides, when he does, humans get oddly flustered and it fun to watch.

[socialjusticeknight]

He does get a bit flustered, but he reminds himself that maybe humans don’t exist where this person is from in the same way “qunari” don’t exist in Fódlan.

“I’m a human.” He chuckles, a little self-conscious. “Maybe it was presumptuous of me to think you’d know that. Where I come from, everyone is human.”

As far as he knows, anyway.

0

[devilstongue]

[ Oh, hello horns! An hello beefcake! Molly is immediately drawn to Bull, sliding up to him in all his purple, devilish glory. It got his ass kicked by Hawke for looking like a desire demon.

Like his friends, he makes sure to patrol the beach during this time of the month to see if anyone else of the Nein have arrived, and sometimes it came with the bonus of running into interesting people. ]

Hello, there. New arrival, I assume?

[aban_aqun]

What gave it away, the seaweed or the bewilderment?

[Speaking of, Bull pulls a strand of slick weeds off of one of his horns and hucks it back into the water. To his credit, he doesn't look that confused, but he is now watching the purple, horned, tailed person closely. Demon, he thinks first.

But most of the ones he's met have tried to kill him by now.

The horns and the claws make him think, briefly, of his own people, but he's never seen Qunari or Tal-Vashoth with tails.

Something is off here.]

[devilstongue]

[ Molly is studying Bull in return, but openly and excitedly, without any threat. He's an absolute mess of color, tattoos and jewelry, just enjoying some eye candy and being helpful. (That last part is questionable.) ]

A little bit of both. The annoying automaton is a good sign as well.

[ Holding out his hand for a shake, Molly gives a theatrical bow. ]

Mollymauk Tealeaf, at your service in this weird world!

0!!

[telahnem]

[ then just a few meters away is a cough, and a voice that might or might not be familiar (even if the owner of it isn't): ] Fuck this fucking beach. [ the little figure picking himself up off the sand is dark-skinned and white-haired and an elf, scarred in places, clearly dalish, and also equally clearly.. the inquisitor? that mark in his hand sure is the anchor, at least.

he yanks the offered towel out of the robot's hands, struggling to get his scowl under control as he pushes long hair off his sticky skin and then glancing up. immediately, something like relief crosses his expression before being shuttered away beneath cool indifference. ]

Bull. [ a pause, glance flicking from bull to the robots, then to the beach, then back to bull. ] Two silvers this has something to do with a rift and a greedy human. [ most of hadis's problems can be traced back to at least one greedy human somewhere, so it feels like a safe bet. ]

[aban_aqun]

[That is a familiar voice.]

Boss?

[Bull pulls a mess of seaweed off of one of his horns and throws it back into the water.]

Not even taking that bet, [he answers.] Don't have two silvers to lose.

[He eyes the robots, but they aren't really... doing anything. He resists the urge to see if he can knock one over. Instead, he focuses on Hadis, who looks mostly in one piece, if not soaked.]

You alright?

[telahnem]

Last I checked, [ hadis quips, and uses the snatched towel to begin to dry off and get rid of the sand, brusque and faintly irritated. the question makes him pause, though, glancing back up at bull again and arching both brows. ]

Wet. Sticky, not in a fun way. Not hurt enough to matter. [ he's bruised up from their last fight, but he's always bruised and scraped, he doesn't care about shit like that. ] You?

[ he twists his long braids into a loose knot to keep them out of the way as he turns from bull to take in the beach, frowning. ] You see anyone else? [ in particular: anyone else he needs to be polite for? ] Where in the Wolf's cursed name did that rift take us?