TDM 011

[goldmods]

【 Thank you for choosing the Golden Peacock, 5-star resort and casino. You are currently registered as a WILDCARD in our system.

We are thrilled to announce that the Golden Peacock will be embracing autumn with a special outing. Current and new guests are invited to join us for a refreshing outdoor experience where participants can unplug, unwind, and connect with nature. During this time, all Watches will be disabled to the most basic functions (texting, calls, checking chip account) in order to encourage guests to disconnect.

Please look forward to two weeks of finding yourself amongst the trees. We hope you enjoy your stay, and have a fan-CAMP-stic time. 】

CAMPING

GETTING OFF THE GRID

As the resort moves into what it claims is autumn, the days grow shorter. The projected sun in the Vale sets in the afternoon, after which a faint chill falls. Then there’s the most excessive transformation of all – a portion of the Vale has transformed into a campground complete with a scenic lake, seemingly overnight. Statues nearby have been dressed up with flannel jackets and suspenders. Folksy banjo fills the air without any discernible source.

A section of the campgrounds have been reserved for tents. These tents vary in size, shape, and supplies. All tents, regardless of quality, are supplied with sex toys and lube. Staff and long-standing guests all agree — pretending to live in the wilderness and 'rough it' for a while is thrilling. This is what the peasants feel like all the time!

NOT ALL TENTS ARE EQUAL

► High-rank guests are allocated spacious and luxurious tents. These elaborate mini-homes come with TVs, beds, heaters, and plenty of supplies. Provided camping gear is high quality, ranging from state of the art flashlights to designer backpacks. It can't quite be considered roughing it in these tents, but glamping is camping too!

► Mid-rank guests are allocated moderate tents that comfortably fit up to three guests. These tents come with cots or sleeping bags, as well as standard camping gear to make their time living off the land fairly comfortable. While these tents lack the bells and whistles of the high-rank accommodations, they are more than enough for a comfortable but realistic camping experience.

► Low-rank guests are allocated the shabbiest tents. These sagging accommodations can shield one guest comfortably, but that doesn't stop staff from pairing low-ranking guests together in order to save space. Their 'sleeping bags' are a single blanket and hay bale pillow. There are no other included amenities aside from sex toys and a single lantern.

► Last but certainly not least: our Wildcards! All Wildcards have been randomly assigned. Whether they end up in a glamping tent or sleeping beneath a propped up sheet is left to chance. Wildcards also may find themselves waking up beside a current guest or another new arrival.

► Guests that "go camping" will discover that the door connecting the Vale to the rest of the resort has mysteriously vanished. Uh oh! Looks like there's no going back to the comfortable life anytime soon. Don't worry, the door will return when it's time to pack up and head home.

LET'S GET CRAFTY

► New characters still wake up naked save for a robe, as is standard for the Golden Peacock. This round’s robes are flannel gingham to embrace camping and autumn aesthetic. Some of these robes are much shorter than others; watch out that the lake breeze doesn’t reveal more than you wanted.

► Unlike the standard, there are no racks of clothes waiting for new arrivals outside of their tents. You're roughing it out in the woods, remember? Instead of clothing, Wildcards will find an assortment of raw materials to make clothes.

Fabric rolls, hemp, buckets of leaves, leather, and other assorted goods are waiting to be cobbled into something new. The staff have been kind enough to leave some small hunting knives and wooden needles to make crafting a bit easier. Of course, they won't stop anyone that wants to embrace the wild side and strut around naked.

HOME ON THE RANGE

Welcome to the Peacock Campgrounds! Nicknamed the Stomping Grounds by long-standing guests. Rustic and right off a sparkling lake, guests will find everything they need to live in the wilderness. Staff have expertly set up fire pits, benches, hammocks, and a wooden shed to act as a tool depository. There's even an outhouse, which is a real novelty to many of the long-standing guests. Do they just... squat over that hole and do their business? How wild!

Unlike previous resort-sponsored excursions, guests are expected to manage without the help of staff. That pile of wood won't be replenished once used; guests will have to go chop down trees and split their own. Food won't magically appear in their tents regardless of rank. Camping is all about living off the land. Though staff make themselves scarce to make the experience feel real, they lurk in the shadows, discreetly providing necessary tools and fixing broken equipment so guests won't struggle too much. It isn't fun if it's real hardship, after all!

DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO COOK?

► On the first camp morning, guests will find barrels of ingredients and cooking utensils left beside the central fire pit. These barrels are stocked with fruits and vegetables that won't spoil quickly, many of which are seasonal to autumn. They have also been left a few protein options like eggs, jerky, and canned ham. These ingredients are communal and limited. Once they run out, guests will have to hunt and gather in the Vale to collect more.

► Guests must prepare their own meals while camping. Not even the high-ranks are given any special treatment on this! While oil and firestarter are included in the initial supply, these too are limited and won't be replenished after use.

► Staff would never let their precious guests go without a sweet treat. A generous supply of hot cocoa and all the fixings for s'mores has been left behind as well. While none of the other food will be replenished, the hot cocoa and s'mores goodies seemingly never run out. A night around a campfire without roasting marshmallows or sipping cocoa would be too cruel to subject guests to.

SUPPLIES RUNNING LOW

► Guests will have to hunt and gather once ingredients dwindle if they want to eat. The wooden shed is home to a selection of tools that can be used to hunt: bows and arrows, hatchets, axes, fishing poles and line, etc. All tools are rudimentary and can break if not taken care of.

► The Vale is lush with wild fruits and vegetables. However, much like in reality, not all vegetation in the Vale is safe to eat. While some berries and mushrooms are consumable, others are toxic or psychedelics. One must also not forget that they're in the Golden Peacock: some unusual plants that grow in the vale may trigger arousal. Watch out that you don't eat something funky by accident!

► Before 'leaving', staff will explain that guests can fish or hunt small game running throughout the Vale. One particularly enthusiastic staff member will suggest guests track down the snoggleboffs, as they're extremely delicious after roasting on an open fire.

ACTIVITIES

TWO WEEKS OF ROUGHING IT

Camping can't be all about survival. Where's the fun in that? Before 'leaving', the staff arrange activities and events for guests to enjoy. A wooden bulletin board outlines times for group hikes, camping experiences, and wilderness delights. Adirondack chairs line the edge of the lake and a few tire swings hang over the water, tied to strong tree branches. For the first week and a half the weather is pleasant and sunny. Perfect for camping.

At night, acoustic guitars and other wooden instruments come out so that guests can make music around the bonfire. Projected stars dapple the night sky, forming various constellations sourced from guest worlds. The moon enters a different phase each night, shining a gentle silver across the campgrounds. Why not pull your sweetheart in and cuddle beneath the night sky? It's so romantic.

IN CAMP

► Guests that don't want a cold shower should make their way over to the shower stalls quickly. These outdoor showers hold very little hot water and run cold after about five minutes. First-come first-serve!

► A wood-chopping competition begins around lunchtime. There are two goals: to split as much wood as possible and looking sexy while doing it. Guests that chop wood unsexily immediately fail! Alternatively, sexiness with a pathetic number of chunks is more acceptable, but still a loss. Those that achieve both goals will instantly win a large payout. Failing to sexily cut wood won’t have any penalties associated with it, and you can always try again tomorrow!

► Bear hunting is a popular activity that even the spoiled long-standing guests are getting in on! No, not hunting real bears. That would be insane. Peacock's version of bear hunting involves hunting down bear-like guests and capturing them! Any guest that fits the criteria of big, thick, and strong may potentially be assigned the role of bear. Hunters who manage to tie up, handcuff, net, or otherwise 'capture' a 'bear' will instantly receive a large payout.

THE LAKE

► This sparkling lake is rich with fish. Enjoy sitting back on the long pier with a fishing rod or take one of the wooden boats out for a row around the lake. It's also safe to swim in, for guests that would like to take a dip and rinse off the sweat of camp living! Don't mind the random swim trunks or drink umbrellas that pop up now and then. This water is definitely fresh and not recycled from the summer beach extravaganza.

► Guests that do decide to take a dip may encounter a familiar friend. Fernando the tentacle monster is camping too! This randy tentacle monster is as horny as ever, eager to embrace guests and stick slippery tentacles into any reachable orifice.

► Once the sun goes down, many of the long-standing guests strip off their shoddily crafted clothes and sprint into the water for skinny dipping by moonlight! What's a camping excursion without a lake-side orgy? The best way to drown out those erotic moans from the lake is to head to the central fire pit and join in on some campfire songs.

OUTSIDE CAMP

► Those that head out of camp for a hike or hunt can enjoy any of the Vale's usual wonders. With autumn, shiny apples dangle from the trees and pumpkins pepper beneath their protruding roots. Along with autumnal fruits and vegetables, canned beef and ham have been mysteriously left in pockets close to the campgrounds. A little act of kindness from the staff; not everyone is cut out to hunt their own game!

► For those interested in hunting down some fresh game, walking around the forest in the morning may come with a stroke of luck. Strange little creatures the size of an adult's fist are active during this time. These hairy beasts come in brown and white, and screech, "Scrun scrun screeee!" when agitated.

Yes, these are the alleged snoggleboffs! Don't feel bad about hunting them, they're an invasive species that are unfriendly and eager to steal from unsuspecting guests. Their main strength is their speed, but once caught, they don't put up much of a fight.

► Guests that explore deep into the Vale may find a dark cave mouth that leads downward into a damp chamber. The ceiling glitters with stalactites and, along the wall, they'll find a horizontal crease with what seems to be... hair? If touched, this crease will creak open, revealing a large eye that darts back and forth before focusing on whoever woke it. Black pupils and iris bleed into one endless abyss.

Those that gaze directly into the eye will freeze. Their mind will remain active while their body locks in place, not unlike sleep paralysis. This trance will break once the eye blinks, which it will do after some time... but it can also be forced into blinking by force if there's someone who hasn't made eye-contact around to help. Frozen guests will be overwhelmed with the fear of abandonment for the duration of their paralysis. This fear will fade after the connection is broken, as if it wasn't their fear at all.

Like a regular eye, dirt or debris can force a blink. If this route is taken, the eye will go bloodshot and shut, refusing to open again. Any guest that inflicts damage to the eye may find that their suite, upon return, has been trashed. As if someone or something threw a big tantrum in there while they were gone. Wonder why that happened...?

HOWLING

CALL OF THE WILD

Temperatures drop drastically at night as the camping excursion nears its end. Nights become so chilly that morning dew frosts over, crunching beneath guest feet. Every day the light and its warmth set a little bit earlier. Staff remain elusive and do not provide warmer blankets or clothes for guests, leaving them to cuddle for warmth or find other ways to sleep comfortably during nightly cold snaps.

The moon hits its apex on the final night of camping. Unlike the other nights, this full moon shines blood red. The Vale stills under this ominous sign, silent. Snowflakes begins to fall, spreading an endless clean sheet across the campgrounds. That reflected pink hue is inescapable.

THE WEATHER TURNS

► Along with chilly nights, the last few days of camping feature inclement weather conditions. Clouds overtake the sun and rain falls, alternating between light mist and heavy downpour.

► Winds pick up, with speeds threatening to whip away the less stable tents. Guests that don't hunker down and add additional support to their tents may end up chasing them into the storm. Other loose items around the campgrounds may end up blown away as well.

BLOOD MOON

► Wild instinct rises with the blood moon. As crimson moonlight beckons, some guests may begin to feel ... strange. As if they need to claw their true selves free. Those that answer the call to bathe in the light of the blood moon will undergo a transformation.

► Basking in the light of the blood moon triggers a were-transformation. While the standard were that the blood moon inspires is the classic werewolf, guests may transform into any kind of were. Along with hybrid transformation, the blood moon stirs mating and sex impulses in these new weres. Remaining humans are at risk of being eaten... in the sexy way.

► Transformation into a were is not mandatory. Other guests may step into the blood moon's light and not experience any kind of transformation or impulse. These guests are now actors in a sexy horror scene, given the task of surviving the night surrounded by monsters! At least they're sexy monsters? Giving in and fucking on the wild side may be more fun.

PACKING UP

► After the crazy weather and horny werewolves, the staff judge that it's high time to wrap this excursion up. Guests will once again openly see these diligent workers the morning after the blood moon. They come flooding into the site with clothing, snacks, and other comforts while praising everyone for surviving for so long without the resort's usual luxuries.

► A first aid tent and cleaning station are swiftly erected. All guests that volunteer to treat injuries sustained over the course of the camping experience or help clean up the site will be compensated with a large payout.

► Every guest that participated in the camping event, regardless of whether they help wrap things up, will be issued a spa voucher. Go relax, you've earned some pampering after all of that hard living!

OOC NOTES

INVITES | RESERVES | APPLICATIONS

▶ BLANKET CW: altered states; eyes (descriptions only, incl. eye injury); exhibitionism; hunting (incl. hunting fantasy creatures); orgies; public sex; survival; temperature play; tentacles; transformation; violence

▶ All characters on the TDM are WILDCARDS, which means they have not yet been assigned a card value. Suits will not manifest until characters are accepted into the game.

▶ All TDMs are game canon. This TDM acts as the game's September event. Camping will ICly begin September 15th and end October 3rd.

▶ Current characters may top level on the TDM. Any current characters posting to the TDM should note they are current in their subject header.

▶ The top level directory is for new characters only. We want to make sure new characters are prioritized and receive attention! If you would be interested in a game invitation, you can note that in your comment header.

▶ Smut threads that take place on this TDM can be used for rewards. If both parties in the smut thread join the game, you may retroactively apply the character's initial card values to your 52 bank. If one character does not join the game the thread will not be applicable toward rewards (as that character would not have a card value). The character that does join would still receive a small payout for the encounter. Hopefully it was a fun thread regardless!

▶ We ask you to kindly add content warnings to your threads as appropriate.

▶ If you do not currently have permissions and kinks listed in your character’s journal we suggest leaving a note in your top level of any limits or boundaries for other players to reference.

NAVIGATION • LOG • NETWORK • OOC • MEME

Comments

[smokedout]

I'm a mutant.

[That feels like the simplest way to answer that question - and to explain further, he disappears again briefly before reappearing. It doesn't affect the sound of his clothing or the smell of whiskey and gasoline that seems to just be part of him, but there's no way to tell where he is by sight when he's out.]

...You can't grill it with the guts still in. It'll taste like whatever it's been eating, and whatever parasites it's carrying will leech into the meat.

[Not that he knows if there are parasites here, but it feels reasonable to assume they are anywhere that wild animals are.]

But once it's gutted, sure, you can just cook it whole.

[laserguy]

[Wait, this guy is a mutant?? And his power is... invisibility?

Scott's mouth immediately parts, surprise lighting up his features because this is the first time since coming here 10 months ago that he bumped into another mutant. Talked to anyone else that describes themselves in such a way-- and is he actually from his world? Sure, Dodger isn't familiar at all to him, but that doesn't mean anything, there are plenty of mutants that he doesn't know back home.

Excitement, some anxiety, but mostly curiosity mixes in with him, and honestly, he barely pays attention or hears what he says about the fish stuff, because he's just focused on the whole mutant thing.]

You're really a mutant? [It's the first thing that the teen says, before he hastily adds on, not wanting the older man to get the wrong impression.] Because I'm one too.

[Is he not completely alone in this casino anymore?]

[smokedout]

[Similarly, Dodger's gaze sharpens when Scott answers him - although he isn't actually sure how well the kid can see that, since he got the sense watching him at the Gala that he was blind. (The fact that can fish, though, seems to disprove that.)

Another mutant. He's met a few people who he assumed were mutants - including one he had to be corrected for calling that - but no one has actually used the term other than him. Sure, he doesn't know Scott either, but the world is huge and mutations don't tend to be something people advertise for their own safety.

Scott also looks like he's the right age to go to the "alternative student" high school in his area. Which won't necessarily stop Dodger from flirting, later on, but for the moment he's focused in on the excitement of possibly meeting someone from home.]

Sure. I'm a fire-starter, but I've got some extra tricks. [He holds a hand out to shake - it's covered in tattoos, and his forearm is wrapped in cloth since he hasn't been able to get proper bandages out here.] Folks call me Dodger.

[His name, by itself, is sort of testing the waters. He doesn't know how far his reputation extends outside of Boston, and he tries to stay out of the public eye, but he does know he's had his name and likeness on the news before. Asking for tips, trying to solve one of the various crimes he slipped up and left evidence for.]

[laserguy]

[Wait, this guy has two abilities? And maybe even more?? If that's what he just implied. Shit man, some people have all the luck. Unless he like... stole them from other mutants, but Scott's not going to make that assumption, instead his hand reaching out to shake Dodger's with a grin actually spreading across the teen's face.

He's just... really glad not to feel alone anymore.]

Dodger? [Nope, no recognition from him. He just nods, before introducing himself in return.] Nice to meet you. And basically everyone calls me Scott-- Scott Summers.

[He doesn't expect him to recognize his name at all. It's not like the X-Men are known to the public just yet. They're still in training, still getting ready, but... they'll be out there someday. They have to. Helping others and hopefully repair relations between humans and mutants. That's what they all want.]

And since you told me two of your mutations-- optic blasts. [He pulls his hand back before adjusting the sunglasses on him, as if emphasizing his point.]

[smokedout]

[The name means nothing to him, but that's not surprising. Neither is a neutral reaction to his own name, that just means they're likely not from the same area. Or, equally likely, this kid hasn't spent enough time around criminals.]

Likewise, Scott.

[He relaxes a bit, visibly, when Scott talks about his powers. Optic blasts aren't something he's personally seen, but he's heard of them. And just hearing familiar terminology puts him at ease, after a few months of having to constantly explain that he's not using magic.]

That means those glasses are some sort of tech crutch, right? You look too young to have it under control.

[The fish is, honestly, completely forgotten about at this point. Dodger's voice tends toward a sort of neutral tone, but he can't entirely mask how excited he is to meet someone who knows exactly what he's talking about.]

[laserguy]

[Something a little more despondent appears across his face when he points out his glasses being a tech crutch. He's right and Scott basically just admitted to it earlier, but it sucks having it being said in that way.]

Yeah. [....] Is it really that normal for mutants to have this much trouble controlling their powers still? A lot of my other classmates can control theirs, at least on some level.

[The only other mutant that really struggles as much as him is Jean and she's like... ultra powerful. Not to mention that even she has more control than him it feels like, she certainly doesn't need 'tech' to help her. He's constantly wearing his glasses because he can't turn off his powers at all.

It's only because he's still reeling from meeting another mutant that Scott doesn't instantly devolve into his usual moody behavior, instead he just idly swings his fishing rod a little-- letting the fish flop around on the line.] I've been practicing for months and it's still like this.

[smokedout]

[He shrugs.]

It depends, I guess. I could control mine pretty well at your age. My buddy's daughter [not his daughter but that's too much to get into] is about your age too, can't control it at all. She uh... what's it called, she looks like a cat girl- "feline morphing", or some shit like that. No one even knows what she'd look like without it.

[It kind of makes him wish he had his phone, because he's pretty sure he has pictures of her somewhere. It might help to show how lucky Scott is, that at least his mutation is somewhat easy to miss.]

Anyway, there's schools for teaching kids to handle it, right? So it's gotta be pretty common for things to get out of control... I mean, you're learning to walk in a world where no one else knows how your specific legs work. I wouldn't sweat a few months' worth of fuck-ups.

[laserguy]

[It helps, a little, to know that someone else is still struggling with their mutation. Not that he wishes that on anyone, but it's nice, not feeling alone and that maybe Dodger understands. He hasn't really been condescending at all about it, quite the opposite, honestly. So, Scott just nods, taking his words for what they are.]

Uh, I'm enrolled at Xavier's Institute if that sounds familiar to you.

[He doesn't know of other schools that teach kids how to control their mutations, but guess it would make sense that there's not just one school for that. Not like every single mutant in the whole country would suddenly enroll and live in Westchester, right?] But... yeah, I guess. It's just if I fuck up, I could end up really hurting someone, you know? Don't want that shit to happen.

[Small head tilt, as he looks up at Dodger.] Wait, so did you learn how to control your powers on your own?

[smokedout]

[He searches his mind, tries to think of whether he's heard of it before, but that isn't really surprising. He didn't go to school period, and people don't tend throw around the names of alternative student schools like they do for Harvard.]

Nah. Palo's kid goes to East Boston Alternative, I'm sure you haven't heard of that either.

[He does look rather thoughtful about the rest of Scott's words. Not just thoughtful, but sympathetic. He has a long history of hurting people by accident. Most of it is things he wouldn't want to admit to a stranger, and especially not to a kid, but he definitely knows the struggle of powers going haywire in the moment.]

Sure. I'm, ah... home-schooled. I got raised by humans, but I figured it out. Learned things the hard way, most of the time. I mean, it's that or get arrested, right?

[He steps back, to make a point more safely - he holds his hands palm-up and lets out a jet of flame from each of them, careful not to aim them too close to Scott. But they reach a few feet in the air, before he pulls them back.]

People get hurt if I get too pissed off. It's less about controlling the flames, more about... keeping cool. The other powers, they don't take as much out of me. They pretty much happen when I want them to.

[Pretty much. Not entirely, but they're also tied to his very unstable emotions. It's not so much that he has control, as he's learned how to compensate for things via trial and error.]

[laserguy]

[He shakes his head, confirming that he's never heard of East Boston Alternative before. But it's not really that surprising, he's only just been introduced to the mutant world a few months ago in his timeline. Alex just brought him to Xavier's because he personally knew the headmaster... not to mention the whole X-Men thing, he just didn't know about that until later.

But listening to Dodger, Scott actually adopts a look that's slightly impressed, slightly sympathetic, before slowly acknowledging to himself that yeah, in the end, he was lucky enough for Alex to bring him to Xavier's and have people actually help him out. Sure, control is still an issue, but things would be far worse if he was on his own.]

Yeah, it's either control your shit or... yeah. [Get arrested, hurt someone. Destroy a building or two.

Scott doesn't compound on that though, instead he watches as Dodger steps back and starts letting his mutation flare out in front of him-- fire jumping in the air and his mouth lightly parts, letting his fascination be apparent. Look, it's cool. Seeing him master and control his ability like this. It's hard to think that Dodger doesn't have control of his powers, but...]

So if you get pissed off, your flames reflect that? They just start expelling from your body? [...] So you kind of always have to be in control of your emotions or hurt people.

[He kind of gets it. Even though he has sunglasses covering his eyes, sometimes it feels like he should be in control too. Maybe it's just more of being the future leader of the X-Men...]

[smokedout]

Yeah. Pretty much. I've burnt down buildings before, by accident - kid tantrums, y'know?

[Lucky for Dodger, he actually hasn't had to worry much about his temper since coming here. He's had a few dicey moments, but for the most part he gets whatever he wants on demand, and he's been getting along just fine with everyone he meets. Which is... a very sharp change of pace, and something he's still getting accustomed to.

There's a pause, as something catches up with him.]

...Say, you wouldn't happen to be related to Jazzlyn Summers, would you? Her dad's an investor, they're old money from Buchanan, New York.

[That feels like a lighter topic, further away from him possibly slipping that he was fully lying about his ability to control himself. And well, he's technically not supposed to let anyone know that he spends time around Jazzlyn, but who is Scott going to tell?]

[laserguy]

[Scott grimaces hearing that, but he nods in understanding. Controlling fire can't be easy and he had to learn all that shit on his own, without anyone really being able to help him. Shit sucks. He wonders if he was ever caught for accidentally burning down those buildings... or if there were some causalities involved with that, but he doesn't ask yet.

He can't find it in himself to really blame him. Controlling powers is hard.]

Huh? No, not that I know of at least. Never heard of her before.

[If Dodger wants to go with this easier topic, he's fine with it.] I'm originally from Ohio anyway and just moved to New York because of Xavier's Institute. Is she someone important to you? Besides being like, rich I guess.

[smokedout]

[Unfortunately, Dodger is a late zoomer, so he can't help a flash of humor in his expression at the word 'Ohio'. No, he's an adult, that's a very old meme, he can be cool.]

Yeah, probably not, then.

[He shrugs.]

She's ah... a client, I guess. I do a lot of odd jobs back home, one of them is being her bodyguard.

[He helpfully stops himself from saying babysitter, because Jazzlyn is 27, but it really does feel more like that. Especially since he isn't allowed to tell her no for anything, which means getting roped into painting his nails or wearing make-up if that's what she wants. Just because she thinks it's funny how grumpy he gets.

He also stops himself from elaborating too much on his job, because... well. Sooner or later it always becomes painfully obvious that he's just doing all sorts of crimes, and the one thing he can't afford is someone from his world knowing whose name he's doing them under.]

I've never been outside of New England. What's Ohio like?

[laserguy]

[Bodyguard, huh? Guess that's cool... a mutant being hired to help protect someone. And Scott can't help but admit that there is really just something nice about a mutant that had difficulty with control being chosen to actually guard someone and keep them safe. Sappy as fuck though, so he won't say it out loud. He wants to be cool in front of the first mutant he's met here! Because uh, he's definitely that. He should mention the X-Men to him soon...

But. A small snort. Oh, he has a lot of opinions about the place where he grew up, none of them good and he has no problems holding those sentiments back. Yeah, the place where he never felt like he fit in? He doesn't miss anything about it.]

Hell. Awful. Don't even bother visiting. [He smirks, though that derision never leaves his voice.]

Ever wondered what it'd feel like to have your soul slowly sucked of you? That's Ohio. If I have it my way, I'm never going back.

[smokedout]

[There's a little more humor creeping into his expression - some alternate-reality version of him has been to Hell, which he's vaguely aware of, but it didn't seem all that bad. It seemed like the kind of place Dodger could make a life in.]

Sure. It's how I've been feeling out here - soul-sucking nothing.

[He's a city boy through and through, and the inability to scroll the internet on his Watch is slowly killing him. At least there's a tangible time limit before they're back in the resort proper again.]

I'm from Southie originally - South Boston. I've moved all over, but I ended up straight back in Allston after a while. It's ah... loud, but I'd rather be in the city than in the middle of nowhere.

[laserguy]

Dude, Ohio is even worse than this place.

[He honestly means it! Well, other than the fact that he's been kidnapped to this casino and forced to have sex... that's pretty bad. And the suit flares, those can also go away forever. But. Other than those things, he's still managed to find a place to fit in with others-- a group of friends and. It kind of means a lot. Being able to deal with all this shit with others.

And also makes the whole 'having sex' thing easier to cope with too.]

But you're a real city guy, huh? I get it. [He'd definitely take the city over boring suburbia, that's for sure.] And okay, I live in Westchester and not in the middle of New York, but the city is really cool. We've taken trips there and there's always something to do.

[Going there with his teammates and. Fuck. He misses them, it's almost been a year since he's seen any of them. Scott's easy smile fades slightly, though he tries his hardest not to be obvious otherwise.]