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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Sorry, Felix, that doomed you to being harassed by Rose for the foreseeable future. ]
While I'd usually say 'I'd like to see you try,' I don't actually know if it'll hurt or not so I'm not taking the chance. [ They are a part of her, after all, growing from her very skin so she has to assume they might but... Hm. Either way, the vine unwinds itself from his ankle but she's also moving to stand up and follow him if he tries to leave again. ]
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I suppose I can't blame you for this place's influence. I'm Felix. Why are you following me? Do you want something?
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Yeah, it's stupid. [ Clearly, since she dramatically threw herself to the floor about it. ]
And I just, like. I dunno', man! You seem like you know more about what's going on than me. I wanted some answers.
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'Stupid' isn't quite the word he would have used, but close enough.]
All right. What do you want to know?
[He's apparently just going to...stand right here in the middle of this lawn and chat. The idea of maybe talking over coffee or a drink or something just apparently does not occur to him. If he noticed the desire that drove her to throw her tantrum in the first place, he might suggest going somewhere private, but he hasn't, so he's just. Standing here.]
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Well, uh. Okay, narrowing it down- Why is being a flower nymph making me stupidly horny? Like, I get using my powers would be tiring or, y'know, corrupt me or something but horny? It's just cruel.
[ Honestly? She doesn't mind. She also apparently doesn't mind just saying this extremely loudly in public. The fuck is shame? Rose doesn't know her. ]
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For the same reason everything else on this Goddess-forsaken island does the same thing. Didn't the automata tell you anything?
[He checks to see whether she's wearing a bracelet; after all, he himself needed to be told these things because he refused to go with the robots, though at least he had people he knew to tell him instead of total strangers. But isn't that always the way around here? Ugh.]
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Okay, real talk- I am not entirely convinced this isn't just, like, a dream. [ Or some weird purgatory state her mind has conjured up in the seconds leading up to her death. That happens, right? That totally happens sometimes.
There is a bracelet on her wrist, which she hadn't thought much of until she catches him looking for it. ]
But if it isn't, my question remains: Why?
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If it is a dream, it's not any of ours. There's no possible way I'd have dreamt up any of the nonsense that has happened since I got here.
[Though he will admit that if he were going to have a dream about losing his virginity, the way it happened probably is relatively close to what he'd dream...not on a beach, though. Ugh, let's not think about the boar right now.]
The 'why' is that the machine that runs this place kidnapped us from our worlds and brought us here to restore what it calls 'Eros energy' because apparently this world runs on sex, or something. That bracelet you're wearing should have a card on it that lists...ugh. Things you're supposed to do. With other people. And if you don't do them quickly enough for the automata, they start forcing you into it. Like whatever's going on with your vine powers.
[...only then does he realize that she is probably horny right now. Flames, why...]
no subject
Pft, 'Eros energy?' Real creative. [ God of lust, sex, and sometimes considered love as well since it takes many forms. It checks out.
The woman investigates her bracelet as he talks about it; the roses in her hair and along those vines growing from her turn a pastel shade of orange. Curiosity. Then, they fade into a yellow-orange color as she smiles. ] Wow, okay, really encouraging me to get sexy on main. I'm kind of about it?
[ Kind of. It's still a lot to take in. ]
I guess as far as places I could've ended up, it had the possibility of being way worse. [ Like, you know, h-e-double hockey sticks. ] But man, that's a catch-22 if I ever heard one. 'Hey, here's some awesome divine powers sike you gotta' bone down to sustain them.'
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I can't understand anything you're saying. Speak normally.
[He watches the roses change colors and wonders what it means. If she really is horny right now from having used her powers, she's hiding it well, he'll give her that.]
Wait, is that why you were throwing a tantrum? Because you used your powers and now you're...excited?
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This place keeps getting worse. ]
Well, when you put it like that it seems silly but- Yeah, I guess! I'm used to being turned on by my own terms not because some automata says I should be. [ Rose is resilient. Sometimes to a fault, honestly, and this is no exception. It isn't the first time she's ignored this sort of desire; it likely won't be the last.
But it is getting more difficult to set aside by the minute. ]
I'm going to guess that getting myself off isn't going to fix things either, right? [ That'd be too easy. ]
no subject
[There's no judgment to this, really, just a fact he's stating.]
But I understand. They've done it to me, as well. It's worse than infuriating.
[He sighs. He's going to end up having sex with yet another woman he doesn't know, isn't he? Sure, he could say no, but...ugh, he can't just leave her here like this. That would be cruel.]
Probably not. So let's find somewhere more private than this before you graduate from ruining lawns to destroying property.
[Is that a faint smirk on his face? Maybe.]
no subject
Is that what's happening here? The blooms on her turn orange again but also contain hints of yellow, lavender, and pink. It's an eclectic mix of emotions reflected in the flowers; however, they're all positive so that should be a good sign. ]
Look, man, I can't say I've broken anything out of lust but there's a first time for everything. [ And, well, she kind of has but not the frustration that came with it, just the passion. She keeps following him tightly but has to ask: ] You sure, dude?
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[He leads them toward a fairly modest hotel, although in the shiny new Nameless City, 'modest' is relative.]
I'm Felix. Why do the flowers in your hair keep changing colors?
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Rose. [ Which, she realizes, must be a little funny considering the rose petals on her person. ]
Do they? [ At that, they turn a vibrant orange as she looks up towards her hairline. ] Huh. Maybe like... a mood ring?
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A what? So the flowers reflect your mood? Strange. And dangerous in a fight. Although I suppose your enemies may not know what the colors mean. I don't.
[It doesn't take long to reach the hotel, and Felix gets them a room with minimal fuss. As they're going up the stairs (because Felix doesn't believe in elevators), he says,]
A warning: They tend to stock all the rooms here with...equipment. For this kind of thing. A lot of it.
no subject
In a fight, they'd probably just be black though so I might not have to worry much. [ Death. And fitting, considering the champion's title they'd given her all those years ago. A hint of blue begins to color those flowers but it's immediately over-taken by yellow and pink at the mention of 'equipment.' That's one way to lift her spirits again. ]
Oh, man, don't threaten me with a good time. That sounds amazing? Do they have dildos in all kinds of shapes and sizes? [ She is more excited than she has any right to be about the possibility. ]
no subject
[He sighs, facepalming.]
More than likely, yes. I don't see the appeal.
[The room looks relatively normal when Felix opens the door, but he just knows that one of these closets is full of weird sex things, or there's a hidden stash under the bed, or something.
Once they're inside, he's really not sure what happens next, and he stands there a little awkwardly.]
no subject
Ohh, cute! [ It's small but cozy and while she is just a little disappointed that there aren't xeno dongs on display, she thinks it'll still be fun enough. While he doesn't know what to do, this is much more familiar territory for Rose. She strides forward and leaves a trail of petals as she does. Her shoulders are now bare skin instead of dress, which- Oh. Well, she doesn't want him to see her scars just yet so she turns to plop down onto the bed and sit on the edge.
Those ever-changing petals turn a pretty shade of pink as she smiles. ]
Don't make me yank you over here with a vine, dude.
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[Felix watches her trail petals across the floor - oh. Her clothes are made of those petals. Which means with every petal she sheds, she's wearing a little less.
But it's her words that get him flushing a little.]
You can still do that in here?
[He moves toward her anyway.]
...and what does pink mean?
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She'd much rather be a lover than a fighter and especially when it gets that adorable sort of reaction. At the question, a vine winds down her arm from somewhere on her shoulderblade and reaches out to him. ] I can, looks like.
[ It'll try and grab onto him where it can, almost curious in a way. ] Pink means feminity, I think. Joy. Admiration. Sometimes, intimacy.
no subject
He watches the vine with some combination of wariness and interest. It goes for his arm rather than his ankle this time, and this time he allows it.]
I see.
[If the vine tries to pull him closer to Rose, he'll let it. If not, he'll close the distance on his own, ending up just standing in front of her for now. He's rarely been the one to initiate intimacy, especially when he's not the one unnaturally forced into lust, and besides - she seems to know what she's doing.]
no subject
[ While technically true, maybe someday she won't be as quick to cover for herself. But she doesn't want to keep thinking about her past or what if's, she wants to wrap that vine around his wrist and have it tug him in close.
More petals shed to form a nice V down her body. It crisscrosses into a diamond at her navel and hugs around her hips but leaves her legs bare as well. It's a cute, floral bodysuit that's pink with the edges of the remaining petals now turning a dark shade of red. The blond reaches up, as he's forced to bend down towards her, so that she can place her hands to either side of his face and smile. ]
Ready for a good time?
no subject
[He cuts off with a grunt of surprise when the vine reels him in, watching the pile of petals spread across the sheets. That's convenient, he thinks; they won't have to waste time taking her clothes off--
Then the vine tugs him further, down, and he puts out a hand to keep his balance; it ends up landing on her now-bare thigh, as she takes his face in her hands. His cheeks may still be warm under her palms, but now that he's decided to do this, there's no hesitation.]
I am.
[He leans forward to close what little distance is left between them to kiss her, and there's nothing shy about it. It's decisive and firm, maybe just a little bit forceful.]
no subject
going for it. Okay. While something she could ask, honestly, she just assumes that certain things aren't allowed out the gate. Kissing is one of those so it catches her off-guard briefly. That isn't to say she minds. The opposite, actually, judging from the way she kisses back enthusiastically as her smile grows. Those petals along her person are now a lovely shade of red, which- That one's meaning is probably obvious, isn't it?
That vine continues to wind up his arm by snaking under his sleeve and across his skin. She can't feel through them - although wouldn't that be nice - but she does have something else in mind. In due time, of course. She leans back onto the bed but lets him still have a little bit of (the illusion) of the lead. ]
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