ercookies | TDM 016 & 4th WALL EVENT: NO WALLS BETWEEN US

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!tdm

TDM 016 & 4th WALL EVENT: NO WALLS BETWEEN US

00. An Arrival and a Broken Wall?!

You should be coming 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 should be greeted by robots who welcome them with towels and bracelet devices. The A5 card already loaded up, and if you don’t manage to get away from them quickly enough, they should 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 should be given a complimentary towel to leave with if needed!

Should. That’s how things are for newbies - and maybe today, some newbies will arrive the usual way. Others might be surprised to hear that there is another "you"... already here! If and when you finally meet this other "you," there's simply no way to agree on who the so-called real version is. Your histories may be the same or they may be wildly divergent, but those little differences don't change the fact that you are who you say you are. Some islanders might even find themselves running into a much older or younger version of themselves. Duplicates and doppelgangers, you say? People who look and sound familiar but are just a little bit off? What strange anomalies have washed up from the ocean!

On the other hand, maybe you’re not new here at all, or so you think. You’ve definitely been on this Island for months already. You can't exactly remember what you were doing here before, but you have the modest home and personal effects to prove that you existed. You’ve always been someone who greets new arrivals at the shore. You know very well how things work on the island, and how many of the buildings are abandoned and in dire need of repair. You know that 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. You know all of this.

You’ve already claimed 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.

You’re a veteran at this by now.

Aren’t you?

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I. A WHOLE NEW YOU

The fog has thickened off the shores of the Island and in the areas that have still been obscured. So thick that it looks not unlike the heavy clouds of the recent storm. But late into the night and early into the morning, the fog seems to encroach on the Nameless City even more, blinding and catching Islanders traveling through in areas normally free of its effects. Anyone who gets caught in the especially heavy mist might find themselves suffering from more than just the usual amnesia.

The fog no longer only takes memories, but can also alter your memories... and you. You may forget your time on the Island. You may forget your life before. But you’ll remember something else. You’ll remember a life entirely different as if you lived it yourself: you are a merperson who has always lived here, in the waters around the Island. Those grand underwater cities look like ancient ruins to others, but to you? You still see them as beautiful and palatial as the day they were built. You are a Native whose memories are fuzzy, but you certainly remember living your entire life here in great happiness and luxury. And once you step out of the mist, you might even find yourself physically changed to match what you recall, with fins or tentacles and gills to allow you breathe beneath the waves. You might be completely transformed, or just enough to make life underwater as easy as it's ever been.

Someone else attempting to free you of these delusions will find that the more they try to force you to remember your true life, the more real and convincing your undersea life begins to feel. You must embrace this new (old?) life, embrace this new you in all ways and live it to its fullest. Completing Auspicious Acts will help bring out glimpses, hints, flashes of memory and recognition that perhaps this is not who you once were, and allow you to return to your former self. But the longer you take to embrace this, the harder it might be to let go. Some of these changes could become permanent.

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II. LET XXX BE YOUR GUIDE

Things have been strange, not just for the people of the Island, but the robots as well. The typically welcoming robots that offer their assistance in guiding new arrivals or encouraging Islanders to visit the various locations seem to be scarce. There are fewer of them running around the entertainment district and other establishments. To ensure that new arrivals continue to have a pleasant Island experience, robots will be recruiting Islanders as mentors and guides: mentor guides, if you will! Volunteers will lead other Islanders around the Island as a means of helping them become better acquainted with the locations available here for your fun and entertainment, and they will be rewarded with credits for their hard work. Guides and sightseers alike could be someone fresh and new to the Island, someone who insists they’ve been here for years, or even someone that a robot randomly dragged off the street.

Mentor guides will all receive a very form-fitting and revealing uniform - no two are the same! - and, of course, a glossy paper map of all of the available sights on the Island. The pictures are big and detailed, and cute sex toy icons point out various key sights such as the recreation center, the bath house, and the library. There are even suggestions for which Auspicious Acts are the best for each location! Strangely, none of the maps list the same suggestions, so each map encourages its own unique experience.

Mentees will also find that their mentor’s voice is very appealing. So appealing that just listening to them speak is enough to get you feeling some kind of way. The more they talk, the more of a reaction you have. Your body begins to burn or itch and it’s very hard to pay attention to their words when thoughts about all the things you could be doing to them instead keep coming to your mind. The only way to relieve these thoughts might be to make your mentor stop talking altogether, or follow through with some of those helpful map suggestions.

Maybe you need them to mentor you in more ways than one?

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III. SITCHES GET GLITCHES

You’re walking down the road, or in your own home, or visiting a friend and suddenly something happens out of the corner of your eye. There’s a soft pfzzzzzzt and the feel of static on the skin. You turn and realize that the wall is suddenly gone. Or, maybe the glass in a store window disappeared. Perhaps someone’s clothes just vanished off of them in the middle of the street, or the chair you were sitting in at the cafe suddenly poofs right from under you.

It’s as if the world around them is malfunctioning - little glitches that can last for seconds, hours, or even days before returning to normal on their own. Nothing that could seriously harm someone, but enough to be quite inconvenient. At least completing an Auspicious Act in the affected area or with the affected person seems to put it to rights immediately. Unfortunately, this doesn’t stop these glitches from happening again. You may be concerned, and the robots understand, but if asked they will insist it’s just the world adjusting as the Augur welcomes so many new people! Nothing to be worried about, obviously. It will take time for fluctuating energy levels to adjust, that’s all.

Some robots might even say it’s the perfect time to enjoy having so few barriers between you. Embrace the open nature of the Island and share yourself and your home with others. Walls are only meant for keeping out what you could be letting in!

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OOC Notes:

Enjoy a mini Fourth Wall event, Islanders! As such, this test drive meme is open for anyone to create top levels, not just prospective players. Current player characters, characters you want to play in the setting but can't app full-time, drive-by castmates, duplicates, canon AUs, characters that normally would not be allowed such as fandom AUs and genderswaps (not including characters under 15), formerly dropped characters, etc. are all encouraged to come in and play! As all other test drive memes, this one will be game canon. Characters who fourth wall but do not app will disappear after a few days to a week, along with their home (if applicable) and all of their possessions.

Please label your top levels as to whether you are test driving [TDM] or fourth walling [4W]. (Of course, you are allowed to change your mind! But our rules regarding appable characters will still apply.) Since auspicious acts are an integral part of this event, potential and current players can swap one Auspicious Act on their card for one of their choosing, if needed for any of the prompts. As usual, prospective players can use an Act and swap it onto their card if they choose to app into the game.

If you have any questions, please ask them below.

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N A V I G A T I O N

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Her brows furrowed in confusion, head shaking slowly after a brief pause. She wasn't actively casting anything, and could not imagine what he would have issue with if she was. Maybe it should have been obvious - but after six centuries (and some change) of living with magic constantly coursing through her, Lioriley had grown so used to it she did not consider that an option as to why he was asking.

"I am not. Have you a disinclination toward magic, ser?" if so, maybe she would do well to move on to avoid any potential conflict.

After a moment, Eskel shakes his head. "Not exactly. I can tell something magical is happening - " he indicates to his medallion " - and it seems to be happening around you. But that's about it. Much as I'd like to know more, if nothing nasty's goin' on, I suppose I'll just have to keep an eye out otherwise."

He gestures to her state of undress. "Your situation can take priority. I'm guessing you just got here? Have you been told anything about the island yet? My name's Eskel, by the way."

"Ah." She chuckled softly, shaking her head. "If you are able to sense magic, 'tis likely what is inside me that you have been alerted to." She raised a hand, a fingertip gently tapped against one of the glowing lines on her cheek for emphasis. "Worry not, I have no malicious intent. It is merely my biology." Hopefully that wouldn't get annoying, being around her with that sort of magic alarm.

She dropped her hand and nodded. "Lioriley. And no, I have not been given much information at all. Whisked away to be bathed after waking on the shore. Any information you can provide would be wonderful."

"Inside you - huh..." His eyes trail over the lines marking Lioriley, then his expression relaxes. "I see. Suppose that makes sense. Haven't seen anything quite like that before, but this place is always full of surprises."

"With that out of the way, I guess we get to brass tacks now." Eskel takes a deep breath. "I'll try to give you the basics, then we'll look for some clothes for you. This is called the Nameless Island. There's an intelligent machine called the Augur that runs the place. It brings all of us here from different universes. The island was completely desolate when it first started doin' that. The Augur claims it can rebuild the island using energy generated from sexual acts. So basically, the more we plough one another, the more the island is restored."

He stops himself then. As much as that only scratches the surface, it's still a lot to throw at someone. The witcher will let Lioriley digest it however she has to, and move on from there.

Maybe once she wasn't towel-clad and fresh from her arrival they could have a long discussion about magic and Lunari and the magical energies that constantly swirled inside her. Until then, she would just have to mentally malfunction when Eskel gave her the cliffnotes of her new predicament.

At first, the small elven woman didn't seem too distraught. Confused, mildly intrigued, and then - then he said 'sexual acts' and 'plough one another' and she just sort of...stared at him for a moment, like she was waiting for some sort of punchline to a really weird joke. And when one didn't come her cheeks suddenly heated, turning them a deep violet, the lines on her skin glowing a little brighter.

"And there is evidence to this claim, I suppose?" She finally asked, glancing off into the distance at what she assumed to be the city proper. "Are there punishments to not participating in such acts?"

"I wouldn't call it a punishment, exactly. From what I know, plenty of people here have taken their time engaging in...well, in each other. But in not participating, you don't get to be part of the island's restoration. I've been here since the beginning, which was over a year ago now. It's changed a lot in that time. Hell, we're getting close to being self-sufficient, without the Augur - we even have some crop fields growin'."

"Besides that evidence, there's this - " Eskel holds up one arm and shows Lioriley his Augur-assigned bracelet. He taps it, bringing up his card. "This is called the A5 card. It's a series of sexual challenges you're supposed to perform with other people on the island. You turn these in to the Augur for your rewards. If you get a whole line of 'em in a row, you can get somethin' real big. That's how we got the crops."

He turns his attention back to Lioriley. "It can be a lot for some folks. As much as the Augur is gonna encourage you - and it'll do that pretty hard - people here aren't forceful about it. If anything, all the sex and dick festivals and the like just become normal."

"Has the Augur explained what may happen should the day come when the island is well and truly self-sufficient?" She could imagine, based on the information he had given her thus far, numerous scenarios. Some more pleasant than others. But maybe she was just thinking too far ahead for something she did not know well herself yet.

She stepped closer, towel held to her chest, keeping only a few inches of space between them when she leaned in to observe the card. Reading it over only made her cheeks grow hotter, and those leylines along her skin brighten once again. A softly muttered 'sexual challenges'? said not so much to Eskel as it was her attempt to make the concept make some modicum of sense. She said nothing of some of the things she saw on that card - quickly standing straight again and clearing her throat. "I see." a glance to her own wrist and the bracelet it now bore, her desire to see what the Augur had requested of her continued to be ignored, for now.

"An understatement, no doubt." She was already overwhelmed. But this wasn't the worst scenario she had ever been in, and she was confident once she got over the initial shock she would manage. Well enough, anyway. "I appreciate you being so candid with me, Eskel."

Eskel takes a moment to consider the question, then shakes his head. "We're just supposed to give it power through ploughing. Guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

All things considered, the elf seems to be taking this well. He watches her body markings glow a little brighter, and notes that they react to her emotions. It's an observation, nothing more; a witcher needs to be observant if they want to live long.

"No problem. Wouldn't do either of us any good to lie about it," he responds. "I'm not really one to sugarcoat my words, anyway. Got any other questions?"

No real merit in panicking and potentially annoying the man currently attempting to help her. And all things considered, so far, this place wasn't terrible? Odd, with a concept she did not care much for, but not wholly unpleasant. Eskel's lack of minced words certainly helped, even if they made her blush.

"Has our captor provided lodging of any sort? Also, are there any potential dangers I should be made aware of?"

"The Augur didn't, but someone had free living spaces made somewhere along the way." Through the A5 rewards, of course. "I hear they're nothing fancy, but a roof over your head doesn't have to be."

"As for dangers, you're mostly safe so long as you stay within the city. There's wilds beyond that are home to monsters from across the various worlds. Once or twice, there's been incidents within the city, like the robots - those mechanical people - malfunctioning and turning on folks. Been a while since then, though."

"Indeed." She agreed, pleased to hear that she likely wouldn't have to find some place to camp on this odd new island. Not that she was entirely unused to such things - even if it had been a long time since she last needed to camp anywhere.

Lioriley frowned at that revelation. "I see. I wonder if the monsters are an unfortunate side effect in bringing us here." Unanticipated tag a longs, as it were. "I suppose those are the most pressing questions I have for now beyond the obvious of where I might find proper attire."

"Might be. That could be worth looking into," Eskel comments, intrigued. "But for now, we might as well get you something to wear. You'll have to make due with the towel until then, but given the nature of the place, I don't think anyone will bat an eye at a woman walking around in just a towel."

He pauses as he lets himself admire her figure again. "Well, maybe they will - but because that's a pretty woman in just a towel, not because it's unusual."

The witcher turns his eyes back to Lioriley's, then nods his head in the direction he turns to walk in. "C'mon. The free housing's this way. We can look along the way."

Lioriley opened her mouth to speak, but only a soft squeak of surprise eased past her lips when Eskel seemed to correct himself. His initial comment made sense - an island where sex was the currency and incentive to rebuild? Of course a woman walking around in just a towel would not be so odd. But being called beautiful while be blatantly looked her over made her whole body flush with a violet hue; her leylines crackling across her skin.

"O-Of course." She managed after a moment, hurriedly averting her gaze from his and moving to follow along beside him. As they walked, she occasionally looked down to the bracelet on her wrist, then to the one on Eskel's, then just around them in general while she tried to memorize which way they were going and any easily distinguishable landmarks. After a few moments she slowed her pace and squinted at a pile of debris nearby. "That...is that a bag?" Was that her bag?

Eskel's medallion jerks a little harder; she's very reactive with her emotions. Hopefully that was just her being bashful and not uncomfortable, for the most part. He glances to her over his shoulder to check her body language -

And it's then that she slows, then points something out. Eskel follows her gaze and sees the bag. "Looks like. I'll check it out."

He approaches the debris. The item in question is under a few pieces, which he shoves aside with ease. Yup, it's a bag, all right. The witcher picks it up by the strap and carries it back to Lioriley.

"This familiar to you?" Eskel hasn't gotten her scent yet, so he'll have to just ask.

Mostly bashful and just a bit confused because most people - especially humans, assuming he was one - didn't look at her and think beautiful. Usually weird or some even more unpleasant words spoken in hushed tones they thought she could not hear.

"Oh - be careful." She called, peering around a little more pointedly now to assure no one or no thing decided now would be a good time to pounce on him. Thankfully, Eskel returned unscathed and now with a very familiar bag in his hand.

"It is mine." She said, bewildered. She crouched down to open the slightly waterlogged leather bag, pulling out a few items - a now damp journal, a book with a half-naked man holding what appeared to be a swooning woman called A Knight In Lodorrim's keep, and a short white dress buried at the bottom. "I do not recall packing much of this..." especially not the book. Mostly because she had read it already and had no use for it in the castle she was in. "I suppose this solves my clothing issue for now."

"Huh. Well, that's a stroke of luck," says Eskel with a shrug of his broad shoulders. "I can start a fire to help dry it all out - "

As he speaks, he looks over what's been pulled from the bag, besides the dress. It's then that he really realizes what's on the novel's cover. He arches an eyebrow.

"'A Knight in Lodorrim's Keep'? Ain't heard of it, but if the cover's anything to go by, it'll fit in here."

She could probably dry it herself by simply manipulating the water and tossing it elsewhere, but a fire seemed a weirdly comforting thought at that moment, and it would give them an excuse to sit and talk and relax. So she nodded. "It could not hurt. Thank you."

A chuckle - perhaps the first genuinely amused sound she had made thus far. "It is a tale of romance and intrigue, where a valiant knight rescues a princess from an evil sorcerer. I have read it and countless others like it plenty of times - I wonder if the Augur thought it amusing to put it in with my things."

Oh, that's a sweet little laugh. The witcher hopes to hear more of it.

Eskel nods, then leads her a few steps off the road. They haven't gone far; the clearing he chooses to "camp" at is a stone's throw from the beach, and the rolling waves are still audible. He gathers up some wood and burnable bits as he responds.

"It likely did, as much as a machine can be amused. Could be it wants you to use the book for inspiration. Maybe even act out any intimate scenes."

"Well, I'm definitely not a knight, and I don't see any evil sorcerers around. But - "

With a makeshift fireplace setup, Eskel gestures over it. A magic sigil briefly appears, and then the firewood bursts into flames.

" - I can save your stuff from being damp, at least."

"Oh, dear..." Said as she briefly recalled a few spicy scenes from that particular novel. Nothing intense, not really, but she did remember a bit about rope and gags and wow was it hot out here suddenly? Time to blame that on the fire he was starting. Lioriley pointedly avoided his gaze again while laying out the books and clothing close enough to the flames to dry them without outright catching fire. Her eyes fixated on the spot where the sigil had briefly appeared; curious.

"A fear I am hardly a princess either. Just a scholar and a mage." She said as she sat down beside her things, the towel around her sliding up along her thighs to reveal more of those pulsing, glowing lines. "You have a talent for magic yourself, it would seem."

Eskel keeps an eye on her expressions - and based on them, that novel is a hot one. So she's definitely not a stranger to sex, at least in theory. Maybe, if all goes well, he can ask her about the book further.

But for now, he takes his seat nearby. His eyes trace the little bit of her body lines that the towel reveals.

"I can perform the standard spells of my kind - we call 'em signs. They're not as flashy as what an actual mage can pull off, but we're not about flashy. The sign I just used is called Igni. It can light fires 'n candles, or set an enemy ablaze."

"Speaking of mages, should be interesting having another one here," he continues, gesturing to Lioriley. "Seems like magic can differ between worlds. Discussing the nitty-gritty of it all's real fascinating."

"Your kind?" Was her previous assumption of him being human incorrect? He had her attention before, but hearing that and seeing the magical display, well, now he most assuredly had her interest. "And these signs - are they all elementally related? If so, are you restricted to that specific element?" He was right - discussing the details of magic from different worlds was a fascinating concept, and she seemed ready to jump right in with barely any prompting.

"Where I am from, Valsheria, a mage can only align their soul to certain schools, and once they do the element that opposes it is impossible to learn. Like your Igni would fall into the Conjuring or fire school, which is opposed to the Alchemy - water and ice - that I have learned. So I could not do such a thing on my own."

Eskel perks up as she talks more about magic and how it works in her world. Although he carries himself with a battle-readiness, he's a lot less overtly cautious of her now.

"Whole lot to tackle there. I'll start at the beginning: I'm a witcher. We're not a race, exactly. We start human, and are then strengthened through mutagens and alchemy - that is, our version of alchemy, which sounds different than yours. Enhanced senses, strength, endurance, reflexes, the ability to use signs...all for the purpose of making us the ultimate monster hunters. For hire, that is." As he speaks, Eskel indicates to his yellow, cat-like eyes, then the two swords strapped to his back.

"Speakin' of signs and alchemy, no, they aren't all related to an element like Igni is. Aard is a blast of force. Quen makes a shield. Just as some examples. As far as I know, mages in my world aren't tied to one particular magical practice, though they might specialize or excel in one. Alchemy is the craft of working with herbs, animal and monster parts, and other ingredients to make potions, medicines, and the like. Witchers have increased resistance to toxins, and we use that to our advantage in alchemy. A witcher's potion would kill a normal person."

The moment he began to speak, Lioriley's eyes slowly shifted over to the drying journal beside the fire, the urge to pick it up and start taking notes swiftly rising. Alas, doing so would be pointless with how the ink would run over the damp pages - but, thankfully, she had a very good memory and would likely recall what he told her; fascinating as it was. When she looked back to Eskel she stared into those eyes, noting the color and feline-esque nature of them.

"I have met monster hunters before." She said, shifting to prop her elbow on her knee and her chin in her palm, the game of 'how far could her towel ride up her thighs before it was absolutely pointless to even have on' coming closer to an obvious conclusion as she did so. "But none such as your Witchers. Simply humans or elves or what have you that have trained in finding such beasts. If your kind are as talented as you claim - I fear you would run the lot of them out of their guilds in shame." she chuckled, even if it wasn't really a joke.

She nodded along, listened as intently as she had pretty much everything else he had said since they met not long ago, her leylines constantly flickering with excitement and curiosity while she resisted the urge to ask a thousand questions. "Herbalism and Animism could be easily compared to the method of potion and medicine making that you have described. Different words for essentially the same concept." a beat. "Have you had to put your abilities to use much here?"

And in turn, Eskel planned to write whatever he learned from Lioriley down in his own journal.

He smirked and chuckled with her, feeling a small swell of pride in his chest. (And also in his trousers, after watching her towel rise up that little bit more. Though gentleman enough to let her know when it happens, he still intended to look.) "We got tough monsters in my world, so we had to get tougher. And with the worst of the lot, it feels more like putting us on even standing, and not an advantage." Eskel shrugged. "Made it this far, with plenty of scars to show for it."

Scars which Lioriley might end up seeing if they both end up naked.

"Some, yeah. I go out to the wilderness once or twice a week. Just feels more at home to me, I guess. I do some monster slaying in-between gathering and exploring out there. Hasn't been anything too bad, but because there's creatures from other worlds, I've had to do some quick learning on my feet."

Eskel leaned in, a new question coming to mind and tongue. "So you're a mage of water and ice, you said? What's that entail?"

If she noticed the way he looked at her, Lioriley made no outward indication of it beyond the violet hue staining her cheeks. And maybe she could have adjusted to keep the towel from riding up so high along her slender legs, but she didn't see much point in it — nor in distracting from the enthralling conversation they were having. No harm in looking regardless.

"A shame to think our worlds are similar in that regard." She had not known prior to her arrival that other worlds even existed, but now that she did she could not help but feel bad that terrible monsters and the like existed outside of Valsheria — that worlds beyond her own were full of chaos and suffering. "But it is good Witchers such as yourself exist, then, to protect others."

She tilted her head slightly and nodded once more. "I would imagine. Perhaps you would be willing to allow me to join you on such ventures in the future? Ah, when I am better equipped, I suppose. I am not unfamiliar with traveling through treacherous lands, though I do try to avoid conflict if ever possible." She could handle beasts, though. Beasts didn't beg for mercy or make her cry at the thought of harming them while they tried to rip her throat out.

"As well as a mender, but I suspect you can gather what that might entail." She said with another soft laugh. "As for alchemy, well, I am able to do a great many things. Create water, freeze it, manipulate it as I see fit." and as Eskel drew closer, Lioriley raised her hand up and splayed her fingers out, swirling them in a circle so the glowing lines coiled around them left little wisps of blue in their wake. In the center of her palm a small sphere of water formed, seemingly out of nowhere, and slowly began to ice over around the curved edges. "I am also able to breathe underwater — as well as grant such an ability to others, and I do not feel the cold. The latter proved a great boon while I lived in my homeland, deep in the cold northern mountains as we were."

00. An Arrival and a Broken Wall?!

I. A WHOLE NEW YOU

II. LET XXX BE YOUR GUIDE

III. SITCHES GET GLITCHES

OOC Notes:

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