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TDM 012: SLINGING IN THE RAIN
| TDM 012: SLINGING IN THE RAIN |
00. Arrival 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. If you don’t manage to get away from them quickly enough, they may even usher you toward the Laid Bare Spa, where new arrivals will be offered free massages, a sauna, hairstyling, and their clothing may come up permanently missing. But you will be given a complimentary towel to leave with if needed! Feel free to explore the Island, though there isn’t much to see beyond what arrivals before you have helped to rebuild. 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 place to live in the now, whether a rundown apartment in the City, a tent on the beach, a bed in the barracks, or your own space at the House of Worship. Your inventory will be found a day later, wrapped up haphazardly and delivered to each person's makeshift home. I. THUNDERBOLTS AND LIGHTNING Erku's new arrivals may not be the only residents left dripping wet. Although the weather on the Island is almost always dreary, clouds begin to multiply and darken over the days before that first arrival, turning ominous shades of purple and blue which may look familiar to Islanders who have been around since Erku's beginnings. Perhaps robots will advise Islanders to fortify their shelters and get ready to accept refugees, and they hope their charges take the warnings to heart! When the rain finally falls, it is a non-stop torrent. Even though the weather is warm, the rain itself chills to the bone. Shacks and beach tents won't stand up to the downpour for long, and the shabby apartments may leak and flood. New arrivals who aren't handy enough to make quick repairs may be forced to take shelter in the homes of current Island residents, or else huddle together in the 12 rooms of the barracks for the full week that rain falls on the Island. Cats, dogs, and little dragons will also be begging Islanders for a warm place to stay! Beware of lightning strikes, too, because the skies rumble with thunder throughout the storm. Buildings and residences are frequently damaged by strikes. They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and that's very true on Erku - Islanders who are struck by the lightning might find themselves temporarily blessed with god-like super strength. Such power might not always be a good thing for those who aren't used to wielding it, so please be careful not to damage your friends or property! Islanders may choose to keep their new powers, but a bingo square can be used to wish them away. II. A TASTE OF ERKU In need of shelter and credits? Then the robots have a task for you! Erku's robot population has taken note of how much Islanders seem to love the humble potato, and they want to contribute! Ready as always to please, the robots have filled the hospital cafeteria with mountains of potatoes in every imaginable variety and color: russet, red, gold, purple, chartreuse, sweet, savory, spicy, and so many more! But wait, there's more: they have provided knives, cutting boards, and peelers too, and are eager to see Islanders work their magic in their open cafeteria kitchen! Robots will monitor every dish produced, as they are eager to improve their food replication repertoire. No worries if you aren't culinarily skilled, however. Islanders will be rewarded in credits for whatever they can contribute, whether it's a gourmet meal or simply a basket of peeled potatoes. Robot-provided potato preparations are also freely available to snack on while you work, though as always, they're liable to be spiked with something to encourage Islanders to get more "friendly" with one another. Of particular note is an invention the 'bots are quite proud of, sure to delight your organic tastebuds: the potato cocktail, which packs quite a punch and - strangely enough - tastes just like a hearty steak dinner? III. NOSTALGIA FOODS Seeking a bit of refuge and some comforting food to warm you up? Signs and flyers are out informing residents of the Straight From Home Special going on right now at the Flashbang diner! Come In For All The House Favorites! For the next few days anyone can walk in and receive a free meal (or two if you’re really nice) from the robot cooks behind the counter! And it just so happens that they know exactly what you want. You will be served a meal of your favorite foods from home just the way you like them. Did you tell them? No. How did they know? Don’t bother asking, they’ll just say that the Cook Always Knows. The robot waitresses will make sure your drinks are topped up and you have everything you need, just like any hometown diner or pub you may have heard of. Eating any of the foods will bring out such nostalgia. Feelings of fondness, sadness, longing, anything when you think about the memories of your past and even of recent events. You won’t be able to stop yourself from sharing those thoughts and feelings with those around you. You’ll want to talk about your life, your opinions on the weather, the sex you just had last night and in great detail. The waitresses are listening and so is everyone else nearby. When you leave the diner you might just have to keep on sharing your thoughts about anything that comes to mind. Walk by someone you think is attractive? You’ll have to tell them. Don’t like someone’s outfit? Definitely have to tell them. Suddenly remembering having sex on the beach? Maybe the person next to you on the trolley won’t mind hearing all about it! The effects of the nostalgia will last for half a day or until the completion of an auspicious act. N A V I G A T I O N |
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He falls quiet, chewing his lip, and twisting a strand of still wet hair around his finger. It doesn't really make sense to him but it's harder to think about deep stuff when he's freezing in a towel and there's still water pouring in through the ceiling.
"...Do people here ever have dreams within the dream?"
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"Of course, this feels real so of course you will dream," and, alas, as soon as he said that a strike of lightning did barrel down through the roof and strike him where he sat.
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And then lightning strikes.
Huaisang screams, scurrying off the bed and flinging himself into the corner of his room, dislodging and losing his towel in the process, trying to get as far away from the lightning as possible, eyes as big as saucers.
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He circled his hands in front of him, gathering his internal qi and letting it flow. At his current stage, it was quite the sight and immense! But, there was a point to this, and it wasn't just to look cool (which he definitely did!), but to mitigate some of the damage. Taking as much of it as possible, and redirecting what he couldn't elsewhere.
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If that lightning's being redirected toward anything flammable like the wood the house is made of, it only makes sense that something is about to catch fire, isn't it?
His towel lays in a crumpled heap still on floor by the bed.
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Though in the moment of being temporarily free of such lightning he reached out to grab Huaisang by whatever he could, arm, shoulder, hair if it was all he could reach.
"Fool! Running out there willy nilly will get you hit far more likely than staying where I can see you!" If he could see Huaisang he could control what potentially hit him, but if he was just somewhere out there where he couldn't see? This was so frustrating!
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The stranger's hand successfully catches his shoulder and thankfully, not the injured one, stopping him in his tracks. Huaisang's distressed cries give way to a helpless whimper as he snatches up his fallen towel and wraps it around himself again before returning to rest on the bed.
"What if it's chasing you?"
Look, it makes about as much logical sense to him as anything else that's happened thus far! Huaisang curls up in a shivering ball again. He's so cold. There has to be somewhere warmer with a sturdier roof than this somewhere!
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If there wasn't a good chance that he might get struck with lightning himself, Huaisang might ask to cuddle together for warmth, at least. He's cold enough to forego shame but less than keen on the idea of being struck down by mistake during this man's trial.
"How long has it been going? Any sign of it letting up yet?"
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Huaisang curls up into a shivering ball on the bed, trying to push wet, clinging hair out of his face that had stuck to it during his mad dash for the exit. He's not sure what to do under the circumstances besides just lie here and wait for it to pass. Under normal circumstances, he might be more of a conversationalist but it's hard to make small talk with a stranger when he's cold and practically naked.
"I don't suppose you know any stories you could tell? Or games that might help pass the time, do you?"
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As for games or stories, did he look like your parent? Grow up!
"It would depend, it's doubtful this old man has any interesting stories to tell," at least none he felt like trying to recant.