TDM 010: PARTNER UP, PARTNER

[erkumods]

TDM 010: PARTNER UP, PARTNER

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” barracks. Your inventory will be found a day later, wrapped up haphazardly and delivered to each person's makeshift home. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● I. Laid Bare Basics There is a new addition to the scenery at the beach, and everyone is welcome! Especially new arrivals, who will be ushered to the recently-established Laid Bare Spa, where (provided they don't slip away from the bots' helpful grasp) their uncomfortably wet, sandy clothing will be stripped away and they will be lovingly pampered by the cold metal hands of the resident robots. Long-time Islanders and newbies alike are welcome to enjoy such amenities as hot and cold baths, sauna rooms, scrub-downs, thorough whippings with birch brooms, skin treatments, massage and energy work, and more! All rooms are thoughtfully decorated with tasteful murals of naked and disrobing bodies. Maybe you'll see someone you recognize?! (Maybe you'll see... you?) Islanders who happen to find their clothing mysteriously missing are welcome to borrow a Laid Bare branded towel to cover up with on their way home. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● II. Tattoo to You, Too The Augur understands that sometimes, it's difficult to find a partner to indulge you in those favorite Auspicious Acts - especially for new arrivals, but surely even long-time residents could benefit from a little assistance now and then. That is why ever-benevolent entity has gifted Her precious Islanders with tattoos which feature their most secret, urgent, and/or shameful of desires! (Even if that desire is to simply complete a Bingo.) The tattoo may be a picture or a word, and it can appear anywhere on the body. At first it is pleasantly warm to the touch, like a soft glow of light on your skin. It soon becomes apparent - through either robot advice or a notification on your communication device - that your task is to find a match for your tattoo and complete the depicted act with that person. The longer one goes without completing the act, the more the tattoo seems to heat up, until it feels like it is burning into your skin. Take too long, and the tattoo may become permanent. Otherwise, the tattoo will fade within hours of completing the Auspicious Act. [ For TDMers: feel free to select any favorite kink for this prompt! If you complete a kink that doesn't appear on your card, you may switch one square for the completed kink. For current players: by participating on (tagging into) this TDM, you may switch one kink into your card (it must be the kink in the toplevel prompt you responded to). ] ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● III. Creepy Crawly Caterpillar Crawl Are you on the hunt for credits? Then have the robots got a task for you! The 'bots of the Nameless Island are recruiting Islanders to go bug collecting in the caves, crevices, and hollowed-out logs of the wilderness. The quarry? The (shudder - literally, the robots will shudder) doom-summoning harbinger bug. They describe these creepy creatures as fat, fuzzy, and rainbow-colored, with long, fluffy antennae that look like rabbit's ears. The robots describe these critters as so dangerous that Islanders should only hunt them in pairs. Should your team return successful, you both will be rewarded very handsomely for every caterpillar caught! The bugs are typically very docile and seem to enjoy soft pets, judging by the cooing and squeaking noises they make (especially to scritches behind their "ears"). Poke or disturb them however, and they may bite! Body parts bitten by angry caterpillars will swell up cartoonishly, and can only be treated by having someone else suck the venom out. Good thing you're traveling with a partner! The 'bots strongly recommend against keeping these little buggies as pets, but they're not your dad. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● N A V I G A T I O N

Comments

[zechs_isonfire]

Zechs showed him his own bracelet. "Each of us have been given one of those - here. I'll run you through its essential functions. You'll first notice, if you remove it, it's been functioning as a translator for you -"

Knowing that Quatre had been the one to build Wing ZERO from the scientists' plans - at least, according to what Howard had told him - he knew he didn't need to go into much detail. He gave him an overview of all of the functions, except from the Augur's requests.

Though, that was a central feature of the bracelet - bringing up the card, showing others what you still needed to complete. Zechs hesitated. "Have they told you their reasons for abducting us, yet?"

[pacifismaggressive]

Quatre does take in the information and follow along what Zechs is describing. The pause is noticeable. Quatre's brow furrows for a moment because it all made sense so far, but...

"Not as of yet, they were more insistent that I come here and--" Just as he was finishing his statement, the robots open the door to the locker room yet again. Obviously, Quatre had taken far too long in divesting himself of his clothing that they decided to check on him. And wouldn't you know, he's still wearing all of his clothes.

"Very insistent."

[zechs_isonfire]

Zechs, wearing nothing but a towel to slightly preserve his modesty on all six feet of his scarred self, winced at the mention of insistence. It's a subtle expression, but Quatre might pick up on his trepidation through other means.

"I'd recommend you disrobe," Zechs told him mildly, "since this place has a way of forcing us to comply to its whims and act against our own interests. Given a choice, I'd rather stand here in this towel due to my own actions, rather than be forced."

[pacifismaggressive]

Quatre would really rather not take off his clothes to please mechanical kidnappers, but they are in an unusual situation. With a sigh, he does begin to strip his clothing. He snags the single towel the robots had given him--one would have thought it would be a safe size considering he's not nearly as tall as and yet it managed to be rather small even for him--and wraps it around himself as best he can.

Quickly one of the robots scurries in, taking his clothes. His eyes go wide. "Wait--" The robot is already rushing out of the room.

"I hope they are just taking them for a wash..."

[zechs_isonfire]

"With any luck," Zechs said, sounding skeptical, eyes narrowing. He sighed. "If they've taken them indefinitely, I'll help you track them down, or find replacements. The random nudity, at least, is something one gets used to."

Zechs wasn't certain how to say this politely, as he grasped the towel around himself in turn. And perhaps there was no polite way to say this. "The robots, and the thing that commands them - the Augur - has a singular goal. You'll see hints of it in the tasteless decor around us."

[pacifismaggressive]

"I've seen some of the...art depicted in this place when I was directed directed here," he says. He had spent a lot of time around a large group of men bathing near each other happens. He's not shy about his nudity. He's not shy about the depictions of nudity and sex on the walls of the spa either.

"But I would rather it be by my own choice. If we have to do things to survive here, I want to know I'm making that decision."