ercookies | TDM 009: I'M IN LIKE WITH YOU

TDM 009: I'M IN LIKE WITH YOU

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. STARGAZER

On the first night that new arrivals wash ashore, the moon rises. It's full and beautiful and surrounded by stars.

The robots quickly bring old, dusty telescopes out of storage and line them up on the beach to help people get a truly spectacular view.

"Look to the heavens! Behold, the chicken, the cat, the owl, the donkey!"

It's... the cock, the pussy, the hooters, and the ass. For the rest of the night, characters will become fixated on the specific asset associated with the constellation they've gotten an eyeful of.

Whether this leads to some body worship or just casual appreciation is up to you.

You can learn about the stars and constellations later this month in some of the rare, non-pornographic books in the library. (More info will go up soon, so please be patient!)

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II. STIMULATING CONVERSATION

An ancient courting ritual has been announced! It involves the give-and-take of candy hearts with slogans printed on them. Of course, since these hearts are being manufactured by robots, their sense of taste is a little... off? Or perhaps off-putting?

"You'll do."
"5/10."
"Acceptable."
"Sloppy Seconds."

Receiving a negative heart makes one feel insecure, jealous, and submissive.

"Be mine."
"Nicest ass."
"Swell bulge."
"They're good lays, Bront."

Receiving a positive heart will make one feel confident, boastful, and dominant.

Your friendly neighborhood 'bots will give them out to anyone who asks - and maybe even those who don't.
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III. Eat Or Dare

The robots have set up a stall by the beach with a banner that reads: Eat Or Dare. They have procured bigger candy hearts than ever before -- fist-sized and larger -- with actions written on them instead of derogatory slogans.

"Take a dive."
"Lick me."
"Get handsy."

The name of the game is to follow the instructions or forfeit the challenge by making the evidence disappear into your mouth. Delicious!

Those who eat the candy hearts will feel themselves getting giddy and unreasonably invested in the love affairs of others. They will feel compelled to play matchmaker to spread the cheer.

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N A V I G A T I O N

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Truthfully, when he saw a giant lump of something wash on the beach, his first instincts had been that it was a manatee of some sort. Or maybe an orca. Really, it was hard to tell until Lucio had floated on closer to discover that it was in fact one of the Captain's wayward crew members -another Dragon Knight, if he recalls correctly.

Perhaps, it's to Vane's great fortune that Lucio finds him first, though Siegfried might have been a better choice, come to think of it. Regardless, he does wave at the knight good-naturedly in some vague assurance that no, Vane is not entirely alone here and that this place really isn't all that bad... depending on how amenable one is to completing certain required activities. ]

I am afraid I have not yet come across anyone you mentioned. Though Siegfried remains on the island with his trusted canine companion... and the Great Enkindler Percival had also been here briefly.

[ He looks Vane over and summons a handy towel for him. Where it came from originally... ~~probably from Siegfried's bathroom~~ one can only guess. ]

Shall I create a fire to offer you further warmth?

[ Oh! A familiar face! It's the ... one guy. The crew is big, he is vaguely aware of everyone, and he knows this guy was... an actor? If he remembers right.

Doesn't matter, he thinks, he's crew! Crew is family! Crew means he's not all by his lonesome! He's already tearing up, especially when he hears the name of a certain heroic knight. ]

Ha? Siegfried? Siegfried is here? Really? Is it just him? And did Percy leave, then? Really really?

[ This tells him 1. he's even less alone than he thought and 2. one CAN leave! The tears are threatening to flow here.

He pulls his towel around him. ]

Thank you! Thank you so much! Ah... I-I can probably manage to build a fire. I didn't even think about it. I wanted to see if the Captain or anyone was here! Where is 'here'? Did the ship go down? What happened?

[ This is not the welcome he was expecting, and it's touching in a way. He's never had anyone from the crew look that excited to reunite with him. Most of them usually just view him with some measure of curiosity, suspicion, disdain, or all three. ]

The ship did not arrive here with us. Perhaps, the vessel is too large to cross the border between dimensions or there are too many crew members within. The Augur appears to be somewhat limited in its capabilities.

[ Or likely, it requires some form of payment upfront to accomplish that feat. Either way, Lucio can't imagine such a place would sit well with a great many of their crew members, given what's being asked of them. This is probably for the best. ]

I should start at the beginning. A "super computer" of unknown origin has brought us here for an unknown reason to complete acts of great intimacy in order to provide the land with fertile grounds and improve the general quality of life on this island.

[ Which is about the best summary he can give at the moment. It's strange not having all the answers for once. ]