TDM 002

[erkumods]

TDM 002: IF FOUND PLEASE RETURN TO

( 1 ) Around mid-morning, a message from the Augur appears on bracelets all across the city. "New organisms discovered. Domestication in progress." The wark of a chocobo rises up from the outskirts of the city. Several more join in, forming a charming chorus. And, strangely, this is when new arrivals begin to show up. Beamed in one at a time, scanned en masse, they are processed just as the first wave was. There's one major difference: whereas the old guard was given their bracelets and ushered into the City, the new folks are also given... collars. Buckled, snapped, or otherwise fastened around their necks, a variety of colorful collars with some rather unusual novelty pet tags. (These are just a few suggestions. The typical “If found, please return to ____” is also very much acceptable.) "You are new organisms. Domestication in progress. Compatible Eros energy will complete domestication." No matter how hard they try, characters cannot take the collars off by themselves. They need a partner's help - but not just anyone will do. It very well might be the first person they find, or it might take several tries. The robots grow bolder as the day grows on, targeting characters who aren't new, as well. "Y̶o̶u̴ ̸a̷r̸e̷ ̵o̵r̵g̶a̴n̷i̷s̶m̸s̶.̶ ̶D̷o̶m̴e̴s̶t̶i̶c̵a̸t̶i̸o̴n̸ ̷i̵n̸ ̴p̸r̶o̵g̷r̵e̷s̵s̷." Their antics die down by nightfall, but for the next day or two, the occasional malfunctioning 'bot may accost someone in the street, so stay on your toes! ( 2 ) An abandoned racetrack lights up the night. That's right: place your bets, folks, because these birds are about to run around a track while robots sell synthetic, overpriced aphro-popcorn. ...Did you say priced? That’s right! If you participated in the orgy earlier this month, you'll find you have a stash of credits accessible in your app. You've fucked money back into the world, so why not waste it? (Opportunities to earn credits will come up periodically and won't always be sexual in nature, so don't worry if your character wouldn't have any yet.) And if you don't have credits to bet with, why not get creative? ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● N A V I G A T I O N

Comments

1

[samerica]

Sam's been carefully avoiding robots ever since she discovered that they're putting collars on folks. It's not her kink, and it's not on her goddamn card, and she sure as hell doesn't need to see what witty thing shows up on her nametag. But that doesn't mean she's averse to helping out newcomers who've found themselves in a sticky situation.

She doesn't bat an eyelash at the scarring as she comes closer. "Got nothing but time here," she admits wryly. Sliding fingers under the tag, she tilts it so she can get a better view. "Why we can't have nice things, huh?" Sam snorts. "I can see why you might want that off."

But the leather refuses to slide through the buckle when she tries to do things the easy way, which somehow doesn't surprise her at all.

[doesntpaint]

It's too late now, but Tony really wishes he'd been smart enough to try and steer clear of the robots. Okay, so a collar isn't the worst thing in the world, but the fact that he can't get it off is more than a little annoying. And hey, points to the stranger for not pointing and laughing or staring or anything else people do when someone looks a little roughed up.

"Great, just what I wanted to hear." No, really. If Sam's got nothing but time on her hands, that bodes well for Tony's chances of getting this thing the hell off his neck. "Also, that's great, because I really didn't want to explain the whys of it all." Specifically why he's not keen on going around with this permanently.

But when it doesn't budge when Sam gives it a try, Tony just lets out a resigned sigh. "Figured it wouldn't be that easy. You don't have a collar on; does that mean you had one at one point and you got it off?" Or maybe she never had one at all. He's just hoping for the first option.

[samerica]

"Yeah, well, I think you're a pretty good example of why you can't have nice things." She brushes the scars gently with her fingertips, but doesn't seem repulsed by them. "You look like you've been through the wringer." And Sam knows what that's like, even if she doesn't have the physical evidence to prove it.

"Didn't have one in the first place," she confirms. "The robots seem to be on the fritz with those giant birds around. Hold on a sec-" and she wraps both hands around the leather. Though she makes sure she doesn't choke him when she pulls on it, it's still obvious that her strength is carefully controlled, and that she's stronger than she looks.

"Right, so, this is the weird point of the 'welcome to fuck island' talk." And it seems strange to be giving this talk, having only been here a month, but - hell, nobody's been here any longer. "Actually, there is no non-weird part," she amends quickly. "The robots and the Augur, whatever that is, seem to think that we're here to revitalize this place by humping. The cards are some kinda incentive - although why they have all of that on them, I have no goddamn idea. Point is, if the robots put the collar on you, there's a solid chance it won't come off unless you do the do, if you catch my drift."

[doesntpaint]

"Yeah, well, what can I say? Being good is all well and good, but I gotta say, it does get boring after awhile." He doesn't move when her fingers brush against his scarred skin, figuring he could pull away, but if the name of the game is doing the do with another person, being awkward and stiff would only hurt his chances. Plus, even if he won't go as far as to say it, focusing too much on one's personal space is just counterproductive. "And yeah, I have been, but so have a lot of people." The scars aren't what makes him unique; beating Thanos and helping save the world kind of does, but he's keeping that on the down-low for right now.

Tony notes the strength behind her grip, and he can't help but comment on it. "What do you do in your spare time? Grab rocks?" It's mostly a tease, but some people do swear by it as a training method.

But the conversation turns back towards the collars and how to get them off, and what needs to happen in order for that to also happen. "Huh. Fuck island and sex bingo cards." At least, that's what he's starting to think of them as. "Well, I don't want to go around with this collar on forever, so guess I'd better find someone who wants to dance."

[samerica]

"Trust me, if you'd been through half of what I have, you'd welcome that peace and quiet." Sam's been through the wringer, too, but she rarely scars, thanks to the serum. There are a few hidden by her clothes - she hasn't always been able to avoid major injuries - but by and large, she looks unmarked, the only indication of what she's been through a certain look in her eyes.

"Punch Nazis, mostly," she remarks dryly. "Or anyone else who happens to be deserving." She's also lifted a car or two in her time, but not on the regular. "Although I guess that's more like my day job." So to speak, although it's a job that really never ends. (Though she has more spare time now than she did when she was traveling between worlds, but she's not going to mention that just yet.)

"You know, I've been told I should try bingo as a hobby, but I don't think that's what they meant." Considering that it's clearly meant to be a joke about her age - although she'd still be older than most of the grannies at a bingo hall. "Never let it be said that I'm not a good Samaritan, though. It's not on my card, but..." Sam lets her sentence trail off, leaving the question unspoken.

[doesntpaint]

"Yeah? That so? Maybe we should compare notes, then, because I've got more than a few stories to tell." He can kind of recognize that look in her eyes, but he's not really about to go reading too much into it. He'd rather hear her story from her, and while there's certain things he can't help but pick up on, there's nothing quite like hearing things straight from the horse's mouth.

"Nazis? Really?" That's an interesting comment to make. "See, that's what I'm talking about. Sounds like you've got some interesting stories yourself." He finds himself being that much more curious about her and what her story really is.

"Pff, bingo? You?" He knows it's a joke, because bingo halls definitely attract a certain crowd. "I'd ask your age, but everyone knows you don't ask a lady that." And he's not about to get off on the wrong foot here. "You interested in joining me for a dance?" And he doesn't mean the cha-cha.