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

[erkumods]

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? ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 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. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 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? ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 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! ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 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. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● N A V I G A T I O N

Comments

[invigorates]

"'Tis difficult to see ones own beauty as others might. But I can assure you I have no reason to tell untruths." She said, like a hypocrite because it wasn't like she was particularly good at taking compliments either without getting overly flustered. She could fully understand not being used to being seen, though, at least in such a positive light. People back home were not so generous with their compliments toward non-humans.

Without quite realizing she was doing it, Lioriley's thumb gently rubbed along the back of Caduceus's knuckles as they walked, her gaze shifting up to him every so often to try and gauge his response to all the obvious signs of her own embarrassment. He seemed... was oblivious a cruel word for it? Not indifferent, certainly, but maybe he was simply so calm by nature he did not think the oddity of the situation so odd at all. Maybe she should take a page from his book, even though being so passive was difficult when she could feel the heat and slickness between her thighs now.

"Oh. It is lovely." She said, tearing her gaze away from Caduceus to stare at the treehouse. "A stark contrast to much of the city, as well. Do you live here alone?"

[eyesofthegrave]

"Never thought you were telling a lie, Miss Lioriley, not for one moment." He smiled kindly with closed eyes. It must have been hard for her? Having people be rude or unkind to her because she wasn't human. Caduceus was lucky to have never really experienced that. Then again, he'd not really experienced much of anything, honestly.

Feeling her thumb smooth against the back of his hand, the Cleric smiled again, copying the small act and stroking his own thumb against the back of her hand. Maybe it was something people did back where she was from? After a moment though, he pulled his hand from hers and pushed open the large ornate door in the middle of the trunk, ushering her inside.

"I live here alone, yes. However, all my friends live in those three houses at the top of the garden. So, I guess I'm never truly alone am I?" That wide, kind smile of his only stretched longer across his friendly pale face. "Please, make yourself at home." Raising an arm and pointing to the humble kitchen and seating area before her. A pot of tea was slowly stewing and something bubbled in a pan over the wood-burning fire.

[invigorates]

For those few moments of silence she, again, felt the heat in her belly begin to ebb into something far easier to manage. That, combined with the gentle stroke of his thumb along her knuckles would have been enough to ease her entirely if they had remained like that for a while longer. Alas, all good things come to an end, apparently, and she retracted her own hand to gently rest over her chest as she followed him through the threshold.

"Ah. It is nice to have familiar faces so close, I am sure." She said, ignoring the swell of desire once more in favor of peering curiously around the small space. It was... cozy; reminding her of some of the Sylvan homes she had seen in the more remote areas of the forest. "Were you expecting company?" a brow raised, head tilted quizzically toward the brewing kettle and bubbling pot. It wasn't as if he could have known he would run into her today — unless he planned to run into newcomers frequently? She took a seat with a soft sigh, immediately crossing her legs in hopes the faint pressure would help quell those troublesome, unanticipated desires she was usually so good at ignoring. Or, rather, not feeling much at all.

[eyesofthegrave]

Maybe if she were to explain how his touch and a lack of words eased her, he may have simply sat by her side until she settled fully? Unfortunately, the Firbolg assumed it was some kind of magic the Island had used on its newer batch of arrivals, he mused that it was something she would just have to ride out before it would end.

"It's pretty neat, sure." Not so neat having to watch or listen to them all having an abundance of sex, however, that's one of the reasons the Treehaus was right at the bottom of the joint gardens, further enough away that he could enjoy his friends without living on top of them. It was much nicer this way.

As for her question about company, Caduceus simply smiled, shook his head, and went over to the pan, wrapping a towel around the handle and lifting it from the heat to settle on a stone slab at the side of the stove. "Nope. But It's always good to have a little bit of something on the go, just in case. Tea?" He said, as he already went to fetch her a small china cup from his own collection that he'd brought with him to the Island. "If this doesn't settle you, I dunno what will."

[invigorates]

The last thing she wanted to do was make him feel obligated to comfort her in such an awkward situation. Caduceus seemed sweet — and for the short amount of time she had known him, she could tell that he would likely oblige her in any silly request she made; like sitting in silence and holding hands while she waited out the odd feeling of arousal that triggered only when he spoke. She could have also just left, but that would have been rude, too. So she would suffer it, wait it out herself without dragging him into it unnecessarily

"Ah. A wise move indeed, to always be prepared for company." She chuckled softly and smiled over at him, nodding even if the answer was obvious and unnecessary, seeing as he was already gathering the cups. "Yes, please. And I certainly hope so. Do you need assistance with anything?"

[eyesofthegrave]

Oh, no, Caduceus never felt obligated to comfort anyone! It was something that naturally came to him, like breathing or smiling, he just did it automatically. Let him help you, he wants to. No, there was no need for her to suffer, he would help her, regardless of how silly or possibly awkward her requests might be. They might not have known each other all that long, but they were friends now.

"It's how I was raised really." Smiling down at her as he strolled over, slow and easy, a cup cradled in his hand ready to hand over to her. "I need nothing, not really. Just company now and then." Not realizing she was talking about him needing a hand with making the tea. Passing her a cup and taking a seat beside her, turning to look her over, hoping she was feeling a little calmer and more herself?

[invigorates]

In that they were kindred spirits. Unfortunately, Lioriley was also a hypocrite and would not allow herself to request such comforts from her new friend, even if she might offer the same should ever he require it.

The few moments it took for him to make the tea, pour it, and walk over to her had eased the ache in her body just a little. But yet again, as soon as he spoke, she felt like her veins were on fire as heat tore through her, pooling in her belly and - more distinctly - between her thighs. Lioriley squirmed — hoping the motion looked as if she was simply getting comfortable as he settled beside her, and took a hold of the cup, smiling a little lopsidedly up at him, cheeks still flushed.

"Oh I —" She almost corrected herself, then just decided against it, taking a sip of the tea after cooling the liquid with a faint touch of her hand against the ceramic. "I understand the sentiment. Beautiful a place as it is, I do not think I could stand to be alone for long." Her expression dropped slightly as realization dawned. "Though I suppose I may have to, once I find a place of my own here."

[eyesofthegrave]

Just two people, imposing on themselves as they're far too polite to impose on each other huh?

Caduceus sipped his tea slowly. Enjoying the aroma the steam carried up to his face as he held it close to his chest. Smiling with his eyes almost closed as for a long moment, he could have forgotten he had company at all! She was just so peaceful to be around, the Cleric felt far too at home. However, he had noticed a few things about her already and was currently noticing that fluster. She seemed uncomfortable. It was unsettling for the Firbolg, normally his voice eased people so then, why wasn't it working this time?

"You sure it's not just that you're ill or something, Miss Lioriley? It's just that, your face is awfully flushed right now." Taking on hand from the cup and gently pressing the back of it to her forehead before setting his cup down altogether and cupping her face with both palms now, as he turned to be closer to her on the seat, brushing her legs with his own as he did so.

As he examined her, he smiled and shook his head. "You've no need to worry about such things, my home is your home, for as long as you should need it. There's a spare bed and more than enough room. I insist."

[invigorates]

"I should hope I am not." She replied, eyes wide when his hand pressed to her forehead, and wider still when they shifted to her cheeks. Her face was warm, but now it wasn't simply the influence of whatever had made his voice so alluring. Embarrassment only added to the dark purple hue pooling under Caduceus' palms, and despite all her efforts to contain it, Lioriley whimpered when their bodies briefly connected elsewhere.

All she could think of, as she looked up into those beautiful eyes, was how his long fingers might feel running over her skin. How his lips might taste. How good it would feel to be enveloped by him, tangled in him, held close and soothed by that calming voice; intoxicating as it was. "I... Thank you, Caduceus. You are far too kind." She managed to say, pressing her thighs together and shifting again. "I am truly sorry, though. I do not know what is wrong with me - but perhaps it would be wise for me to venture elsewhere for a time. Clear my head." And resist the urge to jump him.