Updating environmental system to version 2.69...

When you blink your eyes open, it is to the glare of blinding overhead lights and the sight of a pair of glassy mechanical eyes boring into your own. The face above yours moves like liquid mercury, forming an approximation of a figure that you recognize and trust implicitly: a friend, a loved one, a caretaker. Perhaps even a god or a goddess. From its lips fall the patterns of a language that is strange and robotic, and yet familiar to you:
Everything is fine.
Welcome to the ̶͓̃N̵̼̈ă̷͙m̴̝͋e̵͕͐l̴͔̋e̷̦͘š̴͙s̵̬̚ ̵̝͌I̴͙͐s̵͖̄l̷̞̓à̴͖n̷̺̏d̵̮͠.̶̼̊< Darkness overtakes you once again. In the blackness of your dreamless sleep, you are sure you hear a strange chime. You are conscious of a choice:

Yes

Y̶o̶u̶ ̸h̵a̸v̸e̵ ̸c̷h̸o̶s̵e̵n̷ ̶w̶i̶s̵e̴l̷y̸.̷
The Augur thanks you for your loyalty.
I. Orientation
With your support, the Nameless Island will thrive and prosper -- but it may require a little more energy than usual to sustain. Step outside and you will soon see why: the skies are calm, the seas are clear and blue, and the pink sands of the beach have never looked more inviting.
Rome wasn't built in a day, but a facsimile of it certainly was. Enjoy new facades for all of the structures in the Nameless City - everything has been retooled, renewed, and restored to be sleek, shiny, and the absolute height of high tech, eco-friendly luxury, with lush greenery and futuristic architecture blending together seamlessly. You have been transported from the hospital directly to your new residence in either the Apartments or in the House of Worship, sparsely furnished with all the basics and some of your belongings. A friend, partner, or stranger may be there with you. This may be your roommate, but this place isn't hurting for space. No robot will stop them from selecting their own room if they wish.
The Augur calls everyone to the Loudinus Amphitheater, an outdoor stage nestled among the tropical foliage where 'bots put on a play about the purpose of the island, the Auspicious Acts, and the history of the past year, including the all-too-recent attack on the Augur. The robot sex scenes are numerous and explicit, and you may find yourself watching a horribly butchered version of any of your old encounters.
Pick up a free Playbook, a comprehensive list of the dramatis personae with detailed character profiles, and learn a thing or two about your fellow Islanders. No detail is too trivial!
(This play will be streamed to all devices to be viewed remotely, and a digital download of the Playbook is also available.)
II. With Great Power
As a boon for taking on guardianship of the land, characters will find themselves sublimating into the purest form of themselves, embodying a particular trait, quality, or concept to the point where they might as well be revered as its new lawful ruler. That's right: you've become as gods, right down to the development of unique magic powers OR changes to your form which reflect the very core of your being. Enjoy being able to create water, fly with your brand new wings, or even summon geese... among other things.
Of course, with semi-phenomenal, nearly-cosmic power comes semi-phenomenal, nearly-cosmic responsibility! After each expenditure of your new powers, you find yourself becoming weaker, hungrier -- but what you're craving isn't food or rest, it's eros energy. The more outrageous your power or transformation, the more your body will crave the completion of an Auspicious Act. Those who do not gather Eros Energy will be driven mad by this lust, until they begin to lose touch with their sense of self - perhaps even some of their most defining memories.
If the burden proves too great, these powers or changes may be wished away with a request to the Augur and the exchange of one Act.
No

You have chosen to exist away from the Augur's wisdom and b̷e̴n̸e̵v̵o̵l̶e̴n̵c̴e̸.
Please accept your gracious punishment. Have a p̴l̷e̷a̵s̴a̸n̷t̵ day!
III. Dis-Orientation
You awake outside of city limits, out of sight and out of mind, but with the looming sight of the bright and shiny Nameless City always on the horizon. What surrounds you is not luxury, but instead drab, run-down buildings and despair. Your orientation, an extravagant and sexually explicit play which describes the purpose and recent history of the Island, is remotely streamed to your device. Watch it if you wish. Meanwhile, there are a few 'bots to be seen among the rubble and rundown buildings that surround you -- but are they friend or foe? Ask them questions about what has happened to you, and they will be vague and evasive. You're inside a simulation, they say, and this is all very temporary while the Augur's systems update.
They do have one answer for you: if you want into the Nameless City before that time comes, it will cost you an Auspicious Act... and a visit to the Augur. The 'bots will escort you there, if you wish.
These robots are a far cry from the well-oiled machines of the Nameless City, though they're no less helpful. In a rundown shack, a robot bartender dispenses rations and bootleg moonshine. (You can even check out the bathtub it's brewed in!) The liquor is definitely real, and it can definitely strip the rust right off the robots. Whether it's fit for human consumption remains to be seen. Regardless, it's going to give you the night of your life - drinking the stuff may cause a variety of effects, from normal intoxication, to erections lasting more than four hours, to wild hallucinations.
IV. It's Morphin' Time
Later, the rogue robots bring some scavenged technology: small, pink globes with "PROJECT DAEMON" etched on the side. These globes bond to specific individuals and morph into different creatures based on the emotions that those individuals exhibit: someone feeling brave might find themselves with a bright, roaring lion, while someone scared may find themselves pocketing a small mouse. A singer may find themselves warbling alongside a siren.
They shift often and at will, and they are here to help you survive in this landscape. Need someone to help you catch fish, gather firewood, or find you a partner to complete that Auspicious Act? This little critter has your back!
These creatures can communicate with everyone in simple language, but you'll soon realize they're not just voicing their own thoughts, but the thoughts of the person they've bonded with.
These are temporary creatures who will run out of power by the end of the month, though they can be resurrected with rewards at a later date.
Continue

V. The Doctor's Back In
All of this must be a lot for Islanders to take in and process. A lot of new information, new feelings, and new surroundings to become acquainted with. But they should know they are not alone here. Dr D. Love is still as present as ever to help anyone who may need to work through accepting their new situation. He and his helpers might even be rather insistent on you having a session!
Whether you're in the city or out of it, you may suddenly awaken to find yourself sitting in a comfortable chair in the doctor’s newly remodeled office that is tastefully decorated with finely detailed, “hand” painted posters of beings in positions of pleasure. So many positions. Or you may find yourself in the Immersion Room, an equally tastefully decorated room filled with a large, comfortable bed (perfect for group therapy sessions!) and shelves full of toys and other supplies. For the duration of your session, enjoy access to anything one might need to help relieve the stress of their body and mind on their own - or with a partner, who might have been brought here just as unwittingly as you were.
The Doctor is there to help you work through your feelings and discomfort if needed, please have no fear. He knows some of you may be resistant to his help, but he’s as cheerful and devoted as ever, to the point of not letting you leave the building until you’ve admitted to whatever feelings you are holding back - not just to him, but also to your therapy buddy. What's the diagnosis? The fact is, you must not be receiving enough pleasure. You are too tense, you need to relax and allow yourself to embrace the carnal nature of this world and what it can provide you.
The more you resist, the more the Doctor shall insist. He may even choose to activate your Neural Implant, which all Islanders have been gifted with upon arrival. Said neural implant may cause immediate arousal, sexual attraction to those near you, and even turn various parts of your body into extreme erogenous zones! Once activated, the Implant's effects may kick in at the most random of times.
The Doctor knew all you needed was the right motivation.
OOC Notes: Welcome to the updated Erku! As this is a setting shift and a re-launch of sorts, this TDM is open to top-levels from both current and prospective players. Feel free to tag around with reckless abandon, and have fun!
Whether you are new or old, it is entirely up to you as to whether your character wakes up in the Nameless City or in the ruinous world of the Simulation. Even characters who acted to attack in the Augur in Event 16 may wake up in the City and vice-versa, according to player preference. This simulation is a temporary run and will last for about two weeks (in other words, the duration of the TDM), at which point all characters will wake in their new Nameless City apartments. Even if you choose "No", you may future-date prompts for the City for this time period.
For now, previously requested safe havens and residences are not currently accessible. They will be made available again in following Simulations, but 'bots are inclined to leave characters in mystery and suspense about this!
Feel free to ask questions below.
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N A V I G A T I O N
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[Noiz slides out of the chair and onto his feet, turning to shoot him an indifferent expression.]
You'd said it ranked the highest. There's something I want to test.
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[There's no more questions, though that didn't really give Akira any more specific information. He slips his shoes off and starts getting undressed.]
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Soon enough he's gloved up and pointing with sterile forceps to the chair that he lowered to let the seated person all but lie back.]
Hold your balls out of the way for me.
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...Once this heals I going to eat your ass out a lot more.
[That whole area between the anus and the balls, really. For some reason or another he keeps mostly focusing on any other area, and it's a pity not to give here more attention.
He lets out a soft smacking sound as he licks his lips in anticipation. First, a quick wipe of the area with a disinfectant wipe. Now for deciding on placement. The open loops and the end clamp around the spot just above the current piercing. There's enough room in front of or behind it, but he opts for in front this time. The existing piercing helps in measuring where to mark the dots. Dot dot. Forceps locked in place, he takes the needle and points the tip at one dot, careful to align it the best he can.]
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Yes...
[He reluctantly removes his hand from the guiche, allowing Noiz to work, and plays with a nipple instead as his cock swells. There's a muted, high-pitched whine as the forceps clamp down and Akira tries his best not to squirm too much as Noiz marks the position, forcing himself to still as the tip of the needle presses against him.]
cw: needles and piercing
One unexpected thing Akira will notice, however, is that he only has about ten seconds to enjoy the pain before it blips and shrinks down in scale considerably. As this happens, Noiz focuses on Akira's face, checking for changes in expression. This is what he wanted to test. Some newfound power he became aware of. If it works, then his own expression will contort a little in pain from feeling those strange sensations behind his balls, a phantom mirror of what he just performed.]
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S-stop.
[It comes out quietly, but laced with panic and distress, and Akira reaches down to do... something; pull Noiz's hand away, yank the needle out, he doesn't know. There's no plan, just frantic grasping for something with shaking fingers. Noiz's expression and reactions are completely ignored, as Akira's focus for the moment is entirely on himself and the significant reduction in feeling.]
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Don't touch it.
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He points to Akira's balls and perineum, focusing his gaze hard on the masochist's confused gaze.]
I'm about to put the jewelry in. Wait till it heals to touch it.
[He turns to change to a fresh pair of gloves, not interested in taking the risk after that slap. So long as Akira responds semi-favorably, Noiz will put those on and go for the barbell to insert.]
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What if I sucked you off right now, while constantly pressing here?
[Press press. He leans in close so that his lips are right in front of the pierced head and breathes warm breath onto it.]
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Yes. Fuck.
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Convince me, then. Beg for it.
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Please, I want... Fuck... I want your mouth on my cock...
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[He reaches down to give the head a few telltale licks, nothing more than a prod or swipe along the slit as he strokes the shaft below.]
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[There's a few ragged breaths, and it takes him a moment to respond, half-distracted by Noiz's tongue. Akira reaches down to grab Noiz's hair in a firm hold, and the words are out of his mouth before he can really consider consequences.]
Bite me. Hard.
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He gives it about five, ten seconds of thought before silently nodding and lowering his head to wrap lips and mouth around the pierced length. A few casual sucks, then he bites hard just around the head, certain to ensure he doesn't accidentally bite down on hard metal.]
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When it does, sharp and intense pain sparks through his cock and abdomen, quickly radiating out to every part of his body with a bone-deep throbbing. His toes curl and his thighs twitch as he tries to keep from instinctively closing his legs or squirming away. His fingers clutch and unfurl, spasming and awkwardly pulling at Noiz's hair with varying intensity he can't control. What starts as a sharp and nasally whine builds to a scream; time displaced as that almost immediate reaction feels like it's taken much longer to Akira. It doesn't hurt as much as the sounding rod being ripped out, but it's more than enough for a powerful reaction, and it's a little too late when Akira moves his hand from his navel to cover his mouth and stifle the scream he knows Noiz doesn't want to hear.]
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Some of the screams are of young, crying children. Others are of adults, almost entirely men. Color negative scenes flicker in and out of darkness. Some show the eerie reverse images of what are probably grassy, well-maintained lawns and playgrounds; others show, in the same style, what are probably dirty, dark alleys or computer-generated virtual fields. Numerous small figures fly around in the latter as fast as pinballs, letting out little yells as they execute and complete moves and taunt opponents. During those scenes, a human opponent and some small creature avatar take a severe beating from the pinball-fast figures, flying back and tumbling over and crumpling to knees in pain.
What a boring opponent. For someone with few losses he was a real pushover. Is he that weak to pain like everyone else?
Disembodied words that sound an awful lot like Noiz's put-upon sigh.
Mixed up along with all that is a sense of cringing and the scenic slurry switches back to the lawns and the image of a crying child clutching his arm to his chest. Then finally the color turns from negative to positive and shows a blurry visual of Akira bound naked to a chair and screaming.
The transmission suddenly ends. Noiz clutches at Akira's knees with fierce, bruising grips, breathing heavily around the man's cock, eyes screwed shut.]
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What the fuck happened? Those fingers digging into his knees takes most of his attention; it's not something intentional, it's a desperate clinging that Akira knows well. But his instincts aren't to comfort or reassure, not after his awkward attempt in the hotel. Instead, it's a not-quite-accusatory:]
What did... you do?
[There's no context.]
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What... do you mean?
[His mind is all foggy from the bad thoughts that got dredged up, and he sure as hell doesn't realize that anything transmitted.]
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I... saw things... while you were...
[He trails off and there's a long pause as Akira tries to make this more coherent. He fails, and in the end, he just lists things like Noiz will know what they mean.]
I heard screaming, and there was... a child... You said something about a weak opponent... but in my head... I saw myself... in your apartment...
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I didn't do anything. That...
[His arms pull up and fold across his chest, hands clutching at the elbows.]
Was on my mind. I didn't...
[Clearly upset, he turns to stare toward the entrance to the stairwell. Leaving sounds like a good idea right about now.]
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