ercookies | TDM 015: IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PARADISE

TDM 015: IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PARADISE

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.

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I. Beach Episode

Welcome to your beautiful and sunny island paradise, Erku! ...wait, it's sunny? That's right! For about two weeks, the Island will enjoy unusually warm and clear weather, just perfect for enjoying the cool waters of the beach. Don't swim out too far, however, lest you stray into hazardous choppy waters or get lost in the fog that still lingers beyond the peaceful cove. Just stay close, and you're golden! Once again, friendly robots have erected beachside food stalls for grilling fish and crabs, and encourage any enterprising Islanders to help hawk foods for credits.

If gutting and cleaning fish isn't your forte, however, never fear. The robots are recruiting for a very important task! You see, they have very thoughtfully set up swimming and snorkeling lessons for any Islanders who are doubting their skills at staying afloat, or who just want to have some fun in the waves. There is only one complication: the robots are too heavy to swim.

Enter, you! Earn credits by instructing your fellow Islanders in the marvels of the ocean. Not just swimming and snorkeling, but also fishing, clam digging, and sand castle art - among other things - are valuable skills you can sell.

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II. Sand Sport

For the more competitive sort, the robots of Erku are happy to share a bit of culture from the planet's ancient past: wet sand wrestling! Volunteers (or any innocent Islander roped off the beach by an enthusiastic 'bot) don their skimpiest swimwear and duke it out for dominance in the wet sand by trying to throw their opponent outside of a ring. Knock-outs count as an automatic lose, so be careful! Oh, and no worries if you aren't particularly strong. Before the match, competitors are offered a a special drink - simply named "The Creamy" - an ancient recipe which is said to temporarily increase your strength and vitality. One shot of this, and anyone could take on Goliath! (And not just in a fight.)

By the way… those who lose the competition are mysteriously compelled to accompany the victor for the day, waiting on them hand and foot, anticipating and fulfilling their needs before they are spoken. Did the 'bots forget to mention that?

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III. Graciously Given Gifts

While swimming in the nude is completely acceptable on the Island, the robots know that many residents still (for some reason) value their modesty. That is why they are happy to encourage beachside revelry and communion by making sure scanty swimwear is readily available to Islanders who are in need of something to cover up with - while still showing off your assets, of course. Islanders may purchase for themselves, but they are especially encouraged to gift swimwear to their fellow Islanders... in fact, any swimwear to be given as a gift is free! Not only is it a lovely gesture to let a friend or lover know you appreciate their body, but also, swimwear received as a gift is said to be very good luck in wet sand wrestling competitions.

Naturally, the robots are sensitive to the emotional needs of their organic charges, and thus they wouldn't want any new, recent, or less personable arrivals to the Island to feel left out for not receiving gifts. That's why some Islanders will find surprise swimsuits in pretty gift wrap sitting on their literal or metaphorical doorstep… addressed with love from a random Islander! With thoughtfully written messages included, of course, usually complimenting the recipient's figure in graphic and/or poetic terms.

If you have any manners, surely you'll find these mystery admirers and thank them for the lovely gift! (If you're really a person of culture, maybe you'll even show it off for them.)

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N A V I G A T I O N

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Well, it's a nameless island, so just name it whatever you want." Duo shrugs his shoulders lightly at the thought. Really, he just called it 'The Island' whenever he had to put a name on it, though more often than not he ended up just gesturing around. That was enough, wasn't it?

At any rate, Duo reaches out for Trevor's hand with a steady grip, hands nicked and roughed and worn from his years tinkering with bombs and Gundam mechanics alike. "Duo." Offered with a little smirk of a smile, and of course a deceivingly strong arm to help pull Trevor out of the sand.

"Bare feet is best, really. Or maybe I'm just a bit too into the beach, to be fair. I'm a spacer though so I think that's probably normal." Or that's just a convenient excuse, let's be honest. Duo's been enamored with the ocean since he was on the Sweeper's boat in the Mediterranean on his first take of terra. Though, with all those layers becoming more obvious, Duo's brow furrows a little before he asks :

"Is Wallachia in like.. Antarctica or something?"

Sticking his little finger into his left ear, wiggling it around to try and dislodge the water that was in there as he smirked. "Isle of Shite and Glory." There, named. After all, it looked pretty but also, why is everything so derelict?

Trevor helped by pushing with his free leg, finally managing to pull himself free with Duo's help. Stumbling a little but not quite falling over. "Duo? Thanks for that." Dusting his hands off, wiping the sand from the side of his trousers before unbuckling the straps and belts from across his chest and peeling his wet shirt off. His muscled torso was littered in scars from tooth and nail, a couple that look a little cleaner cut, perhaps from blades or swords. After a moment he was down to his underwear, a pair of plain navy blue linen shorts, threadbare and a couple of holes in them... Don't judge him, Duo, it's the only pair has okay. Tossing his wet clothes over a shoulder to carry for now, until he can find a branch or something to hang them over.

"Spacer?" He has no idea what that is. As far as he is aware, the stars are just lights in the night sky, the thought of being able to fly around between them, land on and live on them, would kind of blow his mind, to be honest. Raising a brow as that question is asked. "Romania actually. It was winter when I last looked..."