TDM 009: I'M IN LIKE WITH YOU

[erkumods]

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. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 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!) ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 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. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 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. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● N A V I G A T I O N

Comments

[newtyping]

"I don't know if this place even had a name. It's nowhere I've ever been... I'm not even sure if it's on Earth." He admits, frankly. "Apparently, people just show up like this every month. Before you ask, everything the machines said is true... Although I won't blame you if that's hard to accept."

[sally_ho]

"The machines?"

Sally holds up a hand, needing a moment to catch up. She's only just come ashore, after all. Looking up, she can't spot the telltale signs of a colony ceiling, so the look she shoots Amuro is... skeptical, to say the least.

Then she sees them, trundling along with towels and other things, thankfully involved with someone else at the moment. Reaching for her hip, she realizes her sidearm is missing, and frowns. They're too small to be piloted by anyone... and moreover what would a mobile doll be doing fetching towels?

"What's the situation, exactly?"

[newtyping]

Oh, that... complicates things, and it's probably shows on his face. He more or less assumed the new arrivals would established contact already.

"They're the ones that brought us here... Or at least, the system controlling them did." He offers the easy part of the explanation first. "You're going to see and hear a lot of things that are going to be hard to believe, so I won't blame you if you find it hard to take my word for anything. I wouldn't, without having seen it for myself."

[sally_ho]

Sally watches him twist himself in minor knots over a topic that obviously causes some trepidation. Though she can see things must be complicated, she doesn't know what to make of this stranger.

Working to soften her expression into one of careful curiosity, she asks, "are we in danger right this second?" Because she can't trust her memory over the last several minutes... and even if she may not be able to trust this man, he's her only lifeline at the moment. She's willing to take a gamble by trying to befriend him.

[newtyping]

At least that's a question he can answer without coming across as insane. It's a good one, too.

"At the moment, no. The machines aren't overtly hostile, and with the number of mobile suits we have available this place is about as well guarded as you can imagine."

[sally_ho]

The answer is something she's just going to have to trust. She doesn't know whether this man is being a helpful friend or if, maybe, he's trying to set something more nefarious up... but Sally is going to rely on the former for now and come to a solution about the latter only when she has reason to suspect.

There's worse to worry about, anyways.

What he says next takes her breath away a second time.

"How many mobile suits are we talking about?"

She'd just spent a year and some solely dedicated to dismantling and sometimes forcibly removing them from the holdouts of fools who wanted to keep those weapons to themselves, even despite the proclamations of true peace. And she had seen what happened when someone kept a secret stash somewhere.

This isn't good. Sally, still soaking and trying her best not to look tired and old and weak, stands up a little taller, gives the man a weak grin. "Where are my manners? I'm Sally. Thank you for the rescue."