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

[wanderstars]

[ She is rather smaller than a Human, but then Kori only needs a quick glance to see that she's not Human. That's precisely what interests her so, particularly when she realizes that, in all her years, and all the worlds she's visited before, she's never seen anyone quite like her. ]

It's a pleasure to meet you, Sandy, [ She beams a smile at her, taking that hand with both her own, giving it more of a squeeze than a shake. ] My name is Koriand'r, but you can call me Kori. You have such lovely ears!

[changlies]

[Her skin might be a bit more tan and her hair... well... surely it had been a bit darker earlier? Or maybe it was just the lighting. Or maybe they hadn't even realized they were shifting their colors just a touch to mimic the woman they'd been admiring.

The name, and immediate offer of a nickname, has her blinking wide dark eyes up at the other woman.]

Oh! That's so pretty! Some... form of elvish is it? Or maybe gnomish?

[It's certainly not a language they recognize which is pretty impressive, really. And it's far more comfortable talking about Kori's pretty name than their ears.]

[wanderstars]

[ Kori's hair tends to change shades at times as well, particularly as she uses her abilities. From orange to dark red to bright yellow, mimicking the colors of a fire almost, so while she notices, she doesn't point out how the color of their hair changes only a hint. ]

Oh! No, it's Tamaranean. That's what I am, from the planet Tamaran.

[ Which she's going to guess they haven't heard of. No one seems to have, so far; well, aside from Kara, of course, who is from the same universe as herself. Unlike Earth, Tamaran doesn't seem to be common to various existing universes out there, or at least not known of. ]

You're not human either. Can I ask what you are?

[changlies]

Oh even the name of the place is so nice! [She seems to be positively enchanted by the very idea of this Tamaran, mouthing the name under her breath to get a feel for the word.]

Goodness, no, not human- [She's all smiles outwardly but internally Cas' heart hammers in their chest with a spike of panic. Who just outright asks what someone is?! And more importantly they've never had to actually lie outright to someone, Devra didn't count. It was always so much easier when others simply made their assumptions and they never had to do anything about it. It's just one more lie, what does it matter?

They don't like lying, though. Just because it is necessary, just because Father made sure they were good at it, doesn't mean they like it.]

I'm a halfling! Do you... not have halflings on Tamaran? [The idea that everyone from Tamaran would be the same race is absolutely mind boggling to them.]

[wanderstars]

Thank you, [ She offers with a small smile. She's not unused to compliments, but whenever it regards Tamaran, she always likes people being this nice, even when they don't know it at all, or the horrible things the entire planet and her people were put through. Sometimes she wonders if Tamaran is healing well, recovering, or if it's doomed to crumble or fall into the hands of the next tyrant species to show up.

There's no point in worrying about it at the moment, though. Least of all when she's here. At least she could be there to help Tamaran the last few times, and she hopes she'll be there to help it again, should the need arise. ]

No. I've never heard of halflings before, even on other planets. I'm sorry, [ She offers with a small, apologetic smile. ] Are halflings common on many planets, where you come from?

[changlies]

Mmm they're pretty common in the realms where common folk are, at least. The Abyss and the Astral Sea and stuff, obviously not, but on the material plane and scattered around the feywild and... well probably the shadowfell but we don't have to claim them, exactly.

[Halflings are terribly common, indeed. Certainly more common than changelings and they certainly don't want to have to answer too many questions about the feywild so they could only hope the little jab at the shadowfell would be a suitable distraction.]

Are your people common too?

[wanderstars]

I've never heard of such places, and I've traveled much of the galaxy. I think maybe we're just from different galaxies, or even different realities altogether.

[ Not such an unusual concept to her, and something she can easily accept and believe. ]

That depends on which planet we're talking about. Tamaraneans are a spacefaring race, mostly we can fly to the planets nearest to ours, so we are a common sight on those planets, and of course Tamaran. But on Earth, for instance, we're not common at all. I was the only one of my species to visit or live on the planet.

[changlies]

Oh goodness, that must have been quite lonely.

[The idea of being the only one of your kind on the whole planet was both horrible and... well... honestly they can't help thinking it would be awfully nice. No prejudices to fight, no concerns about what others of your kind might have done to people.

No family to clean up after.]

But also quite an adventure, I suppose.

[wanderstars]

Not really. I made many friends there, it was fun, and yes, much like a new adventure. But I had to leave eventually, which is a shame. I plan on going back at least to visit them, though.

[ Kori tilted her head, looking down pointedly. And shamelessly. ]

Were you not removing the last of your clothes?

[ You know, just. Wondering. Casually. ]