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

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Sheryl Nome | Macross Frontier

[fairysong]

[1: Rage Against the Machines]

[Sheryl Nome doesn't do anything small. Her shows are big, her songs are big, her presence is big, and apparently, her temper tantrums are big, too.

You can probably hear her before you see her.]

What the hell is this garbage?!

[She shouts, directed not so much at anyone in particular as everyone in particular within earshot. And Sheryl Nome has a very potent set of lungs on her.

It doesn't seem to be the collar that's bothering her. No, that's definitely within the sensibilities of some of her stage outfits. Instead, she's holding the gold medallion between thumb and forefinger, having been able to make out the words on it:

Galaxy's #1 Slut

[She tugs at the collar. It doesn't budge.] Who's responsible for this? Someone thought this was funny. Well-- [She yanks.] --it wasn't, and when I get this off-- [another tug] --I'm going to give them a real piece of my mind!

[Yeah this isn't coming off, oops.]

[2: Off to the Races]

[Gambling! Excitement! Okay, so she's never really gambled before in her life, but it can't be that hard, right? You just choose the competitor with the best odds to maximize your reward.

And what Sheryl has found she's really lacking is money. Cold hard cash. Or cold hard credits, as the case may be. So what if she doesn't have anything of offer to wage?

At least, nothing monetary to wage.

But as she approaches someone-- it could be you, or just a gambler nearby you-- she very much bends forward, pushing her shoulders forward and together to accentuate the chest that holds so much of the galaxy's hopes and dreams in it.] Excuse me, um, would you be interested in a little bet? [She says in a coquettish sing-song.]

I don't have much money, but perhaps we could come up with something else, hmm? What do you say~?

1

[shangrilady]

Oh! Oh, lemme see!

[ All that shouting and fussing has gotten the attention of one very 80's street girl. Elle runs up all nosy, getting into Sheryl's personal space. ]

If it's that bad I gotta see.

[ She'll even let Sheryl see her BITCH medallion that she wants to rip off and melt down and then throw the molten drops at a robot. ]

[fairysong]

What in the galaxy makes you think I'd let you see?! [She shifts her hands a little bit so that she can cover the medallion even as she tugs, fruitlessly, on the collar.] Once I-- nnhn-- get this thing off, it's going straight in the garbage and that's it!

[shangrilady]

[ What's this about whole-ass galaxies? ]

Cuz you can't get it off yourself.

[ Not with your bare hands, anyways. Elle's got bruises forming on her neck from trying. ]

Us ladies should look out for each other.

[fairysong]

[Sheryl pauses. And stares.]

What do you mean you can't get it off yourself? I've worn chokers and collars tons of time on stage. It just-- it's just stuck a little, that's all.

[She's very stubborn.]

[shangrilady]

I tried pretty hard. Maybe I'm just a dumbass, but bare minimum, I think we need to find a pair of scissors or something?

[ Also she caught wind of some other stuff people were talking about that's... super sketchy. ]

[fairysong]

[Sheryl, slowly, lowers one hand. The hand that's not covering her tag.]

Hm. Fine, if that's how it has to be, then that's how it has to be.

Where'd you find scissors?

2.

[swordsense]

[Adora's absolutely never gambled either, and she doesn't exactly have a ton of money. But she's definitely interested in seeing what's going on with this. It's like horse racing! Only, with weird birds. And that's pretty cool.

She'd hoped to be able to finagle some sort of free bet, but that hadn't worked out, so she was just standing around waiting for the race to start when someone approached. Someone bending in just such a way that Adora couldn't help but get a glance at something that very much caught her interest.]

...Uh...Yes. Sure? What do you have in mind?

[fairysong]

[Aha. It's always a risk approaching other girls like that, but Sheryl's confident enough in her magnetism and charisma. And her ability to read people.

She straightens up, pursing her lips slightly.] How about a special, one-on-one performance from the Galactic Fairy, hmm?

[She's a pop star.

Not that what she said made it obvious.]

[swordsense]

[Adora, to be fair, is also kind of an easy mark. She's only twenty, not the most experienced at this kind of thing, and definitely not used to being flirted with. She's getting more confident in herself though.]

...A...one on one performance from the what now? I'm sorry, I don't know exactly what you're talking about.

[The robot booker boops and beeps a little.]

[fairysong]

[Ah.

People don't know her. Sheryl gives Adora a flat look, her flirtatiousness vanishing for a moment.] The Galactic Fairy.

Sheryl Nome? Number one pop star in all of known space? Surely that's ringing some bells.

[swordsense]

I'm...really sorry. But, no?

[Adora's smile turns down, a little glum.]

I'm sure you're really good, and you're super pretty, but Etheria has been sealed off from most of the universe for a thousand years. Till just a few weeks ago.

[fairysong]

You're kidding me. [Sheryl says, her tone straightforward.] How the hell does a planet get "sealed off from the universe"?

So what, you guys didn't know anything existed?

[Because she assumes Adora, of course, is a local.]

1

[rightfully]

[ Well, that's certainly unkind! - Or so Lucina might think, if she had any cultural context for the term slut. As it is, she's distracted by Sheryl working herself into a considerable upset and decides to step in, uninvited. ]

Are you alright, miss?

[ Obviously she's not, but it's still polite to ask. ]

[fairysong]

Do I look all right?! [Sheryl snaps at the girl who'd spoken to her.

Not her fault, obviously, but she's on edge. Still, after her initial outburst, Sheryl huffs, focusing on the stubborn collar around her neck.] I just-- need to get this thing off, that's all.

[Yank. Yank. It's not budging.] Do you have scissors? A knife?

2

[riddleofthebox]

[Riddhe would normally turn down a random bet like that, and he's about to tell this girl exactly that. Then he actually looks at her... and her hopes and dreams.

Okay, pretty girl, you have his attention.]

Something else? [All right, he'll hear her out, at least.] What did you have in mind?

[fairysong]

[She tries not to smirk as the man she's spoken to seems to flirt with the bait she's dangling in front of him. Look, she's got assets; she knows how to use them.]

Well, what would you say to a private performance from the Galactic Fairy? Most men would kill for something like that where I'm from~

[She says, as though he knows what that means and won't just assume, you know.

Something completely different.]

[riddleofthebox]

You know, I think that might be on my bingo card. [He doesn't look because, even if it isn't, a private show from a girl that hot is definitely something to look forward to.

Also, "Galactic Fairy"? A+ stripper name.]

But if you win, what would I owe you in return?

[fairysong]

[Bingo card? Isn't that just for, you know, fucking?

Whatever, maybe there's other stuff on there, she didn't look. She'll worry about it later.] Isn't it obvious? Cold, hard cash.

I'm a little short at the moment, that's all.

[riddleofthebox]

[And there go his hopes and dreams again, shot down by reality, as fucked up as that reality is.]

Then I'm afraid you're talking to the wrong guy. [Would that he could make it rain.] I only just got here a little while ago, I barely have any money myself.

2

[tzaraisen]

[ Percival on any given day is a surly fellow. Percival after being abducted against his will to an unknown land which seems to have an odd fixation with vulgarity? Oh, he is irate, to say the least. Notably, he's still wearing that god forsaken collar, which reads My Bark is Worse Than My Bite!.

The only reason he's here at the races is because he, like many of the other new arrivals, is scoping out every bit of this new land. There isn't much, which is disturbing. But there's this, apparently.

And now, there's an attractive woman bending over and putting her... ample bosom on display. While normally this would get a flustered reaction out of him, he's just about had it with the sexual overtones of this place. He barely gives her a glance. ]

I'm not interested in your services. Try the desperate-looking one in row 5.

[ He's mistaken her for... a hooker.

It's an honest mistake in a place like this?! ]

Besides, you're barking up the wrong tree if you think I have any money. [ None. Nada. Zilch. ] Or interest in this nonsense.

[fairysong]

[Immediately, Sheryl's expression falls, the flirtatiousness vanishing in an instant.

She stares at Percival as if he'd slapped her.] My... services?

[Eyes flash with indignation as she glares daggers at him.] Who the hell do you think you're speaking to? I'm a singer, not some whore!

Men would kill for a private performance from Sheryl Nome! And you-- how dare you?! [She says, jabbing a finger at his chest.]

hey i hope you app and they smash

[tzaraisen]

[ Percival's eyes narrow. What the hell else is he supposed to think when someone approaches him with their breasts on display? Rather than offer an apology, he seems to become more irritated at the idea that he would care about an idol performance right now. ]

Am I supposed to care about who you are? In case you haven't noticed, we're trapped in some sort of sex-crazed hellscape, so I've got more important matters to deal with.

[ From the looks of it, she's a new arrival too, but their goals are completely different. This is no time for dillydallying and falling into this world's distractions. ]

If you aren't going to help investigate, step aside.

hatesex is fun

[fairysong]

[Oh, the nerve of this man.

Sheryl steps forward; she's not a particularly short woman, but he's still got a good 15 cm or so on her. If it intimidates her, she doesn't show it.]

What "investigating" do you think you're doing? You're watching the race! Don't act all high and mighty when you're doing the same thing as everyone else.

[tzaraisen]

[ Why does it feel like he's talking to a brick wall?

Or worse, talking to himself?

The scowl on his face remains, and though his voice remains irate, he lowers it. He breaks her gaze and looks over her shoulder. ]

The man in a blue suit and the woman in the white dress in row 2 have been placing the highest bets thus far, mostly against each other. It can be safely assumed that someone with money to throw away on frivolous competition in such a barren wasteland of a city is likely someone worth looking into. A person with valuable knowledge or some power, at least.

[ Why is he sharing this with her? More than a desire to defend his presence here (which he definitely feels, don't get him wrong), perhaps he wants someone to listen. Sheryl is the first person to approach him, given how unfriendly and cold he comes across. ]