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

[golden_slinky]

He listens, his expression unchanging even as his knuckles whiten around the cup. Some of it is true, of course, but it's more the fact Xichen knows that has him tense, his eyes never leaving the other man.

"I was not complicit in Jin Zixuan's death. He was not like our father and while I did step into the role he left behind, it was never my intention for him to die. As for Wei Wuxian, he was torn apart by his own workings as far as we know. Lan Wangji fought and injured the elders of your own sect to try and protect him at the last, but he died in the burial mounds. As for the last, I assume it hasn't happened yet." Although the fact his crimes will come out is something he's not exactly happy over.

"...Da Ge was a thorn in my father's side and I was....there were factors there that made it necessary for his removal." He doesn't even try to defend the murder of his father though, that was something Jin Guangshan had more than earned.

[equivocations]

For a moment, it seems like he might almost feel something, like there's a faint stirring of something like hope - but he can't quite bring himself to feel anything, even when Jin Guangyao clarifies that he was not responsible for some of the crimes that the one from his one world was.

He nods at the confirmation that Nie Mingjue's death - and the method Jin Guangyao chose - is the same in both their worlds. He could be lying in what he admits to, of course, but then surely - surely he would deny his involvement in Nie Mingjue's death, would insist that he had not turned what Lan Xichen had taught him into a death sentence.

There were factors that made it necessary for his removal, and Lan Xichen wants to scream, to ask how Jin Guangyao had gotten to that point, how he could look at someone Lan Xichen thought they both cared for and see him as an obstacle for removal -

But he has no energy left for shouting, no fire in him for anger. He's had enough time for guilt to twist its way down and take its place.

"It seems our worlds are still somewhat alike, in how much I did not see, and how badly I failed you both."

[golden_slinky]

"You didn't fail anyone, Er Ge. What happened between Da Ge and myself had no bearing on anything you did at all. The fact of the matter is, he would never have forgiven me for my choices and I could never live up to his demands. Xue Yang was a disciple my father considered necessary and I had to make a choice. I chose the path that kept me in my father's good graces.

Even if he had lived, though, our relationship would never have been what my Er Ge would have wanted. Da Ge was too unbending and unwilling to see any viewpoint beyond his own at that point. It may have been different in your experience, though, I don't know all the circumstances, after all."

[equivocations]

He's quiet for a long moment at that explanation. Still, still there is a part of him that wants to say that Da Ge just needs time, just needs to get to know A-Yao again, just needs to have them play more, perhaps his mind will clear and his spirit will settle - but they'll never know, will they? If things could have been different if Mingjue had lived, if truly playing for him would have helped?

"I asked too much of you both." It was selfish, thinking he could have them both, wanting them to put aside their differences and see each other the way he saw them. Perhaps - perhaps they saw each other more clearly than Lan Xichen ever did.

He shakes his head. "I did not mean A-Yao and Da Ge. I meant A-Yao and you, that both versions of me must have failed you both." He turns the teacup around in his hands, an odd warmth sparking in his chest that he can't quite place. "I wanted you to come back to Cloud Recesses with me, but I never asked. This is what he's always wanted, I told myself, what right do you have? It was so easy, to tell that to myself - this is between him and his father, this is the business of another Sect, stay out of it, you have no right. I thought... if I could just be there, if I could promise my friendship and support, perhaps - but what did I ever do to prove it? What did I ever do but close my eyes, while you did what you felt you had to for your own security, your safety?"