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

[zutsuki]

[He knows that, too-- knows now, that sometimes you land somewhere new after landing somewhere else first, and the people you met in the first new place aren't always in the next. That in mind, and being the hopeful, heart-on-his-sleeve boy that he is, there's a tenuous light in his eyes as he looks up at Milly, willing his chest to not ache regardless of how she answers him when he asks;]

Does that mean you remember Lunatia, then? [He tries to keep his tone casual, but she knows him better than that.]

[shesgotguts]

[there's a moment, just a brief one, where milly considers teasing him. she could make him work for her answer, give him the runaround, but his expression is so earnest, and she still missed him so. it would be cruel to keep him guessing for much longer...]

Do I remember? Crystal clear. [she smiles and puts her hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently.] It's so good to see you, Tanjiro. I had wondered where you wandered off to! [don't cry don't cry don't cry]

[zutsuki]

[Sincerest of hopes that she wasn't directing that mental don't cry at Tanjiro, because he absolutely failed step one. The moment she reaches out for his shoulder, the words crystal clear leaving her lips, his whole body seizes up and he just about tackles her. He stands on his toes to avoid putting his face directly in her tits (been there, done that, we do not need a repeat of their first meeting), and while he's quiet about it, his voice is a disaster belying the tears currently soaking into the lapel-space of whatever shirt Milly is wearing.] I missed you, Milly-san.

[shesgotguts]

[the basket gets discarded immediately, and she wraps both of her arms around him, holding him close, sighing as she feels his body against hers. it's comfortable, familiar, exactly what she needs in a strange new land, and the relief that washes over her makes her a bit misty-eyed. still, she holds it together as best as she can-- after all, she's overjoyed to see him. no tears! not yet.]

Missed me? I'm sure I missed you more. Though, it really hasn't been that long, has it? [for her, it's been maybe a few days since she's seen him, but who knows the whims of these worlds... it could have been years for him. what has she missed in his life now?]

[zutsuki]

[He doesn't stay pressed to her terribly long-- he never does, does he? --instead opting to take a step backward and laugh into the heel of his hand as he smudges it over his face, shaking his head.]

I don't-- it's been a couple months, not quite half a year yet...

[shesgotguts]

[ah, not as bad as she thought it was going to be, but it's still longer than she would've liked. she wonders if he thinks she abandoned him, if he knew she didn't mean to stay behind. but things can get mixed up so easily with these powers that be-- he probably realises that too.

but for however long they've been apart, milly still wants to make up for lost time, keeping her hand on his upper arm.] That's quite some time! You must've made a lot of friends here, huh? [because who could resist tanjiro?]

[zutsuki]

[He's more than aware, and thinking she'd let them be separated on purpose couldn't be farther from his mind. He hitches for a moment, working in dialing himself back to a reasonable level of emotion, and smiles tiredly at her.]

A few, yeah.

[shesgotguts]

[that's good! more people adore him, which is exactly as it should be, but there's another question worth asking, one that's a bit more important.]

And... how about old friends? [particularly one blt demon boy, but she won't mention him by name.]

[zutsuki]

[His eyes glass right back over, but he smiles through it, closing them and letting his eyelashes claim the moisture instead of getting weepy a second time.]

Mmn, you're the first person from Lunatia, at least. [Which doesn't specifically answer the question, but possibly answers for the absence of the BLT demon.]

[shesgotguts]

[oh, she can see it in his expression what that answer really means, and she sighs, wrapping her arms around him loosely.] I'm sorry... We'll just have to keep a lookout for people from Lunatia, then. The ocean might spit them out any day now.

[she pulls away, giving him a warm smile, reaching with a hand to hold his cheek.] How have you been? Tell me, what have you been doing since I saw you last~?

[zutsuki]

[He waves his good hand dismissively, shaking his head.] Don't be! Gods, I'd rather not have anyone have followed me to a place like this, it's... [His ears tinge pink and his shoulders bunch up near them, and he absolutely can't look at her when she questions what he's been doing.]

Probably an important question to ask first is how much you... know about the island.

[shesgotguts]

[she's curious now, wondering why he didn't want anyone to follow him. isn't there safety in numbers? the more people from lunatia, the better, right? she peers at him carefully, cocking her head to the side.]

I know bits and pieces. [she knows much more than that, but maybe tanjiro will give her more to work with.] Why? Is there something I should know?

[zutsuki]

[Still absolutely not looking at her.]

Be more specific about these bits and pieces you know?

[shesgotguts]

Well... I know that I washed up here, and there's no real way out. I know that there's the Augur, and it needs our help rebuilding the island. I know it gave me one of these bracelets and no matter how far you throw it, it always makes its way back to you. [someone tried to let the ocean take it away already. just for fun!]

Buuuut... that's mostly it. [she shrugs, holding back a smirk, but is only partially successful.]

[zutsuki]

[He narrows his eyes at her Knife Cat style, frowning to where his scar creases oddly on his forehead.]

Are you going to make me ask you what you know of how the Augur wants us to help rebuild the island, Milly-san. Are you really.

[shesgotguts]

Maaaaybe. Have you been helping rebuild the island?

[now the smirk is really out. she wants to laugh, but she must show some restraint! just a little.]

[zutsuki]

[He slides backward away from her hand on his cheek in favor of covering his entire (now very red) face with his good hand.]

Let's just say I've made a friend, and now there's a vegetable garden in the yard of the house I live in. [He hates this, why did you make him say this.]

[shesgotguts]

[oh, that blush is so cute! she laughs loudly, shaking her head, but it's not meant to mock him. actually, she's quite proud of him.]

Well, I'm glad you've found someone to rely on here, no matter what that reliability looks like. [she says this earnestly, no judgement!] Maybe you can introduce me to them!

[zutsuki]

[HE HATES THIS SO MUCH...]

[And proceeds to heave the biggest teenage boy sigh on the face of the planet, dragging his hand down his face.] I feel like if you two met I would just spontaneously burst into flames from how much teasing happened.

[shesgotguts]

We won't know unless we try! [and she will try.] Come on, you can handle me, can't you? I know you're handling the other person just fine.

So, tell me about your new friend that I definitely can't meet! Are they cute? Do they need more friends~? [wink wink]

[zutsuki]

That's what worries me, [He says it honestly, but also with a very tired look on his face. Milly you exhaust him.]

[A beat, and he scrunches his face, shrugging his shoulders.] Everything here's... sort of super casual, which was really weird at first, but he makes it a lot easier, I guess. [Please note that his ears suddenly turn very pink.] ...and yeah, he's. Real cute, he's very cute. [You have now put the idea of you two banging in his head, Milly, and he isn't sure if you did that on purpose or not but he smashes his hand into his face like he's considering trying to eat it.] Not sure about the needing more friends thing, I'll have to ask.