ercookies | TDM 001

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!tdm

TDM 001

TDM 001: TFLU

( 1 ) After leaving the teleportation chamber, you are gently coaxed out of the hospital and encouraged to find a place to stay. Maybe you've had time to check out your A5 app. Maybe you're just settling in. It's cloudy, overcast, cold -- you'll want to seek out someplace warm.

Also, your device is beeping. A lot. The tech on the island works, it just doesn't work right. You can't seem to send a message to the correct person.

It's time for...

Texts From Last Universe

( 2 ) What's this? Your bingo card has just been beamed to a stranger's inbox...?!
( sample A5 cards -- NSFW, may contain triggering content, please feel free to use/ignore as you see fit)

( 3 ) And now you're receiving messages from other users that they don't remember sending:

Nice shirt. It would look better on my floor.

10/10 would ride it into the sunset.

This user thinks you're attractive.

u up?

🍆

( 4 ) Once you figure out that the robots have been hacking your devices, it's no easy feat to track one down and demand they stop. "So The Augur wills!" they wail in a monotone. "So it is done!"

Any attempt to actually contact The Augur and get back into the hospital will be met with beefy robot bodyguards, who suggest taking a gentler approach to fix your devices.

If you know what they mean.

Wink.

(This is your overt kink prompt. Please label any threads accordingly.)

Note: All prompts are optional. The theme for this TDM is "malfunctioning devices." They can be fixed by indulging in the squares on your cards. For the sake of the TDM, you can use one of the pre-generated examples or a wildcard from the kink list. This can be used as a free bingo square completion once you have been accepted into the game. Players are welcome to wildcard their own TDM prompts; we only ask that you try to stick to the theme.

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N A V I G A T I O N

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I know what they are!

[He's not that innocent; Huaisang himself had accomplished more on that front than anyone else. (Who would have thought that studying in Cloud Recesses could indirectly teach a person of such things, as well?) But knowing the dry meaning of the words doesn't mean that Jiang Cheng understands.]

Who cares what mine says?! [He actually hopes he doesn't have a card? As long as he doesn't see it, it doesn't exist!!

All right, he doesn't actually believe that. But that still doesn't mean that he's going to, what, be a pervert on demand? He's not some prostitute!]

This is what they want us to do, to bring life back to the planet? Shameless!

[Huaisang's not exactly thrilled about any of this either. He has important unfinished business back home and he's not a whore. For all of Huaisang's carefree ways in his youth, he's different now. Older, wiser, and more mature than he'd once been - and far more mistrustful and suspicious of others. Huaisang hasn't let his guard down in a decade. It's been a good five years, at least, since he'd last enjoyed physical intimacy with anyone, trips to inns and pleasure houses to gather information aside.

After a moment, he speaks in an unusually serious tone for him, expression thoughtful as he regards the bingo card.]

What other options do we have besides cooperating, Jiang-xiong? We don't know where we are or how to get home. It's not ideal but going along with what they want might be the only way back to where we belong.

[Huaisang points at holographic display.]

Try one of these out with me, Jiang-xiong. There's plenty of easy ones to choose from.

Are you joking?

[It's a rhetorical question, really. Huaisang's serious tone is not lost on Jiang Cheng, but... he just doesn't understand. He doesn't understand how this is supposed to make sense; he doesn't understand how anybody can so easily go along with demands like this as Huaisang apparently can. That's not entirely a negative judgment, either: in a way, it's impressive, to bend along with any wind like that, yet somehow never lose one's footing. Jiang Cheng has certainly never managed to be that way.

He really doesn't see why he should be that way. But Huaisang is Huaisang, after all, and Jiang Cheng doesn't see any purpose in making things harder on him, regardless of his own willingness to cooperate (or lack thereof). Besides, with Huaisang putting it like that -... Some of them really are easy, aren't they? So it's no big deal.]

Fine! [Never has that single syllable been uttered so like a curse.] Then let's kiss.

[... Yeah, what he's planning definitely isn't going to satisfy the card's requirements. But at least he's not saying no?]

[If it had been anyone other than Jiang Cheng, Huaisang might've been offended but his old school friend has always been like an angry, wet cat to some degree.]

Very well. A kiss it is, then.

[All pretenses of helplessness aside, Nie Huaisang is, first and foremost, the leader of a major sect and one known for its violence and power. Much like his brother, Huaisang's a man who takes charge of a situation as needed and given Jiang Cheng's resistance to all of this, a firmer touch might be necessary to guide him onto the path.

So Huaisang takes initiative, stepping in close to the other man and reaching up to slide a hand around the back of Jiang Cheng's neck to try and angle his head downward. He rises onto his tiptoes; he is the shorter one of the two by several inches.]

Just try and relax. It'll be over soon.

[His tone's light, almost affectionate.]

[Wet in all the wrong ways... As expected of a Lotus Pier native.

Jiang Cheng tries to relax and let himself be pulled down, but honestly, it's not easy for him, even if he's not unwilling. The more he tries to relax everything else, the harder his brow furrows, his eyes widening a bit in spite of that because... Huaisang is actually doing this. Forget it being impressive "in a way"; Jiang Cheng is genuinely impressed, here!

Given that, he really can't fall behind. Even if he has only the slightest clue what he's doing, he at least knows what a kiss is like! He's got this. Forcing himself to give up his instinctive semi-resistance altogether, he finally leans down properly to press his lips against Huaisang's.

The "relaxing" part, he definitely doesn't manage. But, look, he's not exactly used to these things! And, to give him credit, he doesn't immediately pull back after that "kiss", either. There is hope for him yet!

... Eventually.]

[It's probably good thing that Huaisang's patient. The kiss is just about as awkward as he'd expected it to be coming from Jiang Cheng. Even if it doesn't leave him breathless with desire, it wasn't bad for a first attempt. A quick glance at the holograph confirms what he'd suspected, that this alone isn't enough to meet the requirements.

So what's missing, exactly? More intimacy? More feeling? Neither of those things are so easy to conjure up on demand but at least, Jiang Cheng is someone he knows and a good looking man at that. So Huaisang takes control of the kiss from there, sliding his arms around the other man's neck and pressing his body lightly against his. He parts his lips a little, the tip of his tongue carefully brushing Jiang Cheng's lower lip. Not too much pressure or contact - the intent's to ease him into things a bit.

Huaisang keeps the kiss slow and gentle for now. But will it be enough to satisfy the Augur? They'll just have to find out.]

[Honestly? Jiang Cheng is a bit offended that Huaisang manages to do this so easily, so casually, even if it's also impressive. The Augur and its demands aside - Jiang Cheng isn't sure yet in how far he wants to play those games - he doesn't especially want to prove himself a failure in front of Huaisang of all people. Whether Huaisang is truly the weakling he's acted as for so long or not, he is still a fellow sect leader, in addition to an old friend. Jiang Cheng really can't fall short, here.

Not that the back of his neck isn't itching with the need to cut this short, but he is the one who picked kissing, and so that's what he has to do.

As Huaisang wraps his arms around his neck, Jiang Cheng puts his hands in Huaisang's waist, his grip tightening the closer Huaisang leans in. He doesn't mean to hurt Huaisang at all, but he needs to keep control here, to have the final say, and this is how he attempts to convince himself he's got that: by holding Huaisang as close as he can, yet always with the option to shove him away.

Jiang Cheng exhales sharply as he feels Huaisang's tongue against his lip, but the objection or curse that such a breath might normally have carried, is missing. If it was just himself, he would have already told the Augur where to stick its pervertibles and all that other nonsense, but something about Huaisang's willingness makes Jiang Cheng want to play along - for now - too. The need to not perform more poorly than Huaisang is part of it, for sure, but there's also an odd desire to not have Huaisang be the only one debasing himself like this - and, even stranger, something rather appealing about the fact that someone of Huaisang's position would do this kind of thing so readily.

What that feeling says about Jiang Cheng is something he'll have to figure out later. For now, his only thought is that has to trump Huaisang's move somehow, no matter how much his lack of experience hinders him. With his lips already slightly parted, it only makes sense to try to copy-yet-outdo Huaisang yet again, Jiang Cheng sticking out his tongue in the general direction of Huaisang's mouth as he tries to fit their lips together once more. It is, without a doubt, not the best kiss in the world by any definition, but he's trying (or something like that), give him a break!!]

[Jiang Cheng is trying and Huaisang softly hums his approval, settling in a little more comfortably against the other sect leader. He smoothes his fingers over the other man's hair, wondering briefly what he might look like with it down but refrains from undoing it right now. It's not the most skillful kiss Huaisang has ever received, though most of his have come from courtesans well practiced in the act. Honestly, the inexperience alone comes with its own kind of charm.

Huaisang parts his lips more, inviting further contact, his tongue brushing lightly again Jiang Cheng's. He deepens it a bit more, allowing himself to relax a little in the moment, not protesting the grip on his waist in the least or really caring who sees them. Huaisang had learned to discard his pride shortly after picking up his sect's saber and realizing just ill-suited for cultivation he truly was compared to his peers.

Of course, playing the fool in public for the past decade had simply given him a lot more practice at discarding the dignity inherent in his position whenever it becomes an inconvenient barrier to things that need doing. Besides, kissing an attractive man, even one with difficult disposition at times, is far less unpleasant than other tasks he's performed in order to reach a goal.

Huaisang's in no real hurry to end the kiss yet so he just doesn't, content to linger until the box registers as marked - if that's how this works or Jiang Cheng loses his nerve, whichever comes first. But no matter how good Huaisang might be at breathing through his nose during a liplock, he'll eventually need to break it an come up for air?

Maybe.]

[Who has time for courtesans, really? Certainly not Jiang Cheng - and so much the better for any courtesan in his vicinity, let's face it. He may be just another healthy adult male, his body and its desires not so different from anyone else's, but he also has priorities, and sex isn't one of them. At some point he'll have to produce an heir, probably, but even when it comes to that, he's in no hurry. As long as his cultivation and his fighting skills stay top-notch, he's not going to die anyway, is he? He'd much rather focus his attention on Jin Ling's future. That, too, is a family obligation to take care of - and one that keeps him from looking at himself too hard.

Jiang Cheng kisses back the best he can, half going by what he's seen of people kissing (in the flesh and illustrated, thank you Huaisang), and half going by what he feels and trying to do what feels better (or at least less weird). But he doesn't share Huaisang's experience, and there's no doubt that part of him is overthinking everything in spite of his intention to just dive right in; it's not too long before his breathing doesn't manage to keep up with his desire for oxygen, and he breaks the kiss with a gasp.

Well, he sure did just kiss another sect leader. He sure kissed Huaisang.]

... Sect Leader Nie, you're a man of unexpected talents.

[Rather than a compliment, it's half an accusation, and half a question. In spite of the porn collection Huaisang had in his teens, Jiang Cheng wouldn't have expected him to have much experience, even now. He's more surprised than judging as such, but judging is how he tries to make it sound all the same, as if he reserves the right to judge and judge harshly, like a weapon to wield if and when it comes to that.

In spite of that, he's still holding Huaisang close, but clearly that is only a minor detail in the face of his theoretical judge-y wrath.]

[Much experience? Not at all but what Huaisang does have is a quick mind and willingness to adapt to new situations. Sure, he's kissed a few courtesans and even slept with one or two over the years but it's not an area of his life he's put much focus on. Honoring his brother and his sect by bringing Jin Guangyao to justice has been his priority for the past decade.

As for the perceived judgment, that's a little harder for Huaisang to take in this context, at least. His self-confidence has improved since taking over leadership of the Qinghe Nie Sect, contrary to what the rest of the cultivational world believes, but he still feels self-conscious and shy sometimes.

Huaisang bows his head a little, averting his eyes, a faint blush rising in his cheeks. He swallows hard before stammering out a response.]

Ah... Thank you, Sect Leader Jiang. I think.

[He doesn't make any motion to pull away but he does glance down at his bracelet witha frown.]

...It didn't work. I thought for sure that would do it that time. Maybe... Maybe it's broken.

[But he and Jiang Cheng sure did kiss. Does it count if it didn't... well. count?]

[Somehow it's not very satisfying to watch Huaisang shrink in on himself like that, even if Jiang Cheng really couldn't have expected a different reaction. It's... strange. He shouldn't care how people react to him, and if anything, he'd rather they react in fear than any other way. That's different with Huaisang, he finds. Maybe because Huaisang is too easy a target..? But no, Jiang Cheng knows better than that by now.

He looks away with a short huff of a breath, finally releasing Huaisang - but gently.]

A good thing that all we tried was kissing.

[Imagine if they'd tried, like, the sex toys! If they'd done that for nothing, Jiang Cheng would have killed someone. Possibly several someones. (But not Huaisang.)]

Y-Yes. That could've been awkward and embarrassing.

[It's an understatement, honestly. Not that there's anything embarrassing about Jiang Cheng but Huaisang remains a timid man at heart. At least, a kiss is easy enough to laugh off, put out of mind, or get over.

He glances down at the card again.]

Some of them could've been fun, though. I like fur and silk and leaving marks. And there's an art to making use of all the senses in bed. At least, I think there could be. In theory.

[Just conversational TMI with an old friend about a few of Huaisang's kinks, no big deal.]

["In theory," indeed... Well, Jiang Cheng should have known that Huaisang had such hobbies, whether in practice or only in theory. And that's fine. There are worse hobbies to have, and as long as Huaisang isn't bad enough to get a reputation like Jin Guangshan once did, it's really not so bad.]

Leaving marks, is it? There's a surprise.

[It doesn't seem quite like Huaisang's MO, that - but then, what does Jiang Cheng know? And, considering what Huaisang accomplished, there is probably a lot more that Jiang Cheng can't guess about him.

Still makes it pretty hard to imagine. Leaving marks is something Jiang Cheng would sooner expect to become his own habit than Huaisang's: he can well imagine the satisfaction. But then, maybe that's why the idea of Huaisang being into it kind of intrigues him.]

[Huaisang is nothing like Jin Guangshan and never will be. For one, if he ever had a child with a courtesan, he would do the right thing and buy her freedom. He'd openly accept the child as his own without shame and permit him and his mother to live with him in the Unclean Realm. For all the things Huaisang loathes Jin Guangyao for, being the son of a prositute is not one of them. By Huaisang's reckoning, an heir is an heir, given his lack of a wife.

At Jiang Cheng's comment, he tilts his head curiously.]

What's surprising about it? I don't seem like the biting type? Because I'd enjoy it very much. Sinking my teeth into someone special and being able to see my mark there afterward is a very appealing idea.

[Then he shakes his head a little smiling.]

But I think I'd like a little struggle before being pinned down and bitten, too.

[Huaisang plays with his fan idly.]

Do you have ideas on things you might enjoy like that, Jiang-xiong?

Kind will creep where it may not go, indeed.

[Jiang Cheng's tone makes it sound half like an insult, but really, he appreciates it if anything. It's good to know that Huaisang has some backbone - not that it comes as a surprise anymore, but even so.

He glances at Huaisang a little more seriously then, considering his own preferences regarding biting. There aren't many people he'd enjoy leaving a mark on him, even if he might enjoy the process of being bitten, but somehow, with someone like Huaisang, he wouldn't mind being marked so much. It just feels more equal, perhaps, with someone who doesn't look like much of a threat, even if he is one.

But why is Jiang Cheng even thinking about this?! He's still a little aroused from the kiss, actually, and that bothers him.]

... I'm not interested.

[It's an obvious lie, but only half of one. He's never had time to waste on these things.]

Oh. I see.

[A lie it may be, but perhaps Huaisang's distracted or his inner lie detector is just malfunctioning today because he takes Jiang Cheng's words as face value. He tries to hide his disappointment. Jiang Cheng is a very attractive man, after all, and while the kiss had been a little rough around the edges, it hadn't been bad.]

Well, if you change your mind and need help filling out your card, I'll be around, Jiang-xiong.

[He says it in such a casually friendly tone, similar to the one he'd use when lending out his contraband at the Cloud Recesses.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

TDM 001

Texts From Last Universe

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