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

hello topaz!! only after i wrote everything out i realized he's utterly pathetic outdoors...

[dayseraphim]

[ It seems someone else shares his disdain of their wretched surroundings. It could be worse. It could always be worse. But as far as he's concerned, anything can always be better, and the first task of immediately shifting the needle is not needing to sleep surrounded by used goods. ]

"Much appreciated, Miss..."

[ And only from a memory that's neurotic enough to remember fifty-two people's traits, who knew how many more, amalgamated into a messy whole: a name persists.

He's only seen her in the reception of what feels like a distant, other life - surrounded by yet two other troublemakers. One wonders if the gambler and the professor were also present, somewhere. But it doesn't matter now, does it? He's left that life, started another, but old habits ever persist. ]

"A mystery planet, and the IPC wants a survey on it, regardless? Should I be surprised, Stoneheart?"

[softstoneheart]

[ she's used to being distrusted, and she gets where it's coming from, so she can't blame him for his thinly veiled accusation. The IPC has a reputation, after all, especially on Penacony, with all its Boss Stone anti-propaganda.

While she's understanding, her impatience bubbles up. For more than a year, she's enjoyed some level of personhood beyond just an IPC employee. The reality feels a little like a slap in the face. She dismisses his words with a light snort and a roll of her eyes, but the irreverence stops there. ]

This isn't an IPC expedition. Whether you believe me or not, I'm stuck here just like everyone else.

I have been for over a year.

[dayseraphim]

"And it would be a living miracle to be free from the clutches of Qlipoth in any stretch of the mind."

[ But, he can't hide the surprise in his voice. ]

"A year?"

[ Much as he's held the organization that she hails from in a habitual disdain, he's no longer part of that game now. But regardless of his views, you would be hard pressed to meet such few individuals with such material and sway. The fact she hasn't escaped, or found a reason to leave strikes him strange. ]

"You mean you've been..." [ The silence fills itself. He's a new arrival - the idea of seeing all of these... effects on the floor, and the way he's awoken to strangers, hasn't been a comfortable one. ] "For what, exactly?"

[ Unless, she actually wants to be here?

His imagination simply doesn't stretch that far. ]

[softstoneheart]

Like I said, I didn't choose this. Most people here didn't. It exists outside of time and space, and sometimes even multiple versions of the same person have cycled through without any memory of the one before them.

Research into what makes this place work and how to leave aside from playing their game and winning haven't really resulted in anything. I'd go into detail, but maybe we should get you washed up first.

[dayseraphim]

Multiple versions of the same person...? It beggars belief, really. "Like a dream bubble...?" To exist in one and many places at once. A few inhabitants have spoken to him about the nature of this place, and he can only let out a small sigh. "Sometimes, it feels like I've left Penacony, and yet not at all."

"And where, exactly?" He eyes the closest thing that resembles an open-air shower (the mortification of being exposed to everyone, notwithstanding) and its apparent air of use is clear. Too clear, judging from the slightly dented iron, and even more fluids draping the stone tiling.

It's recent occupant(s) had clearly went for more than a single round in there.

Oh, Aeons. He's not trying to be picky. But surely, the amount of cleanliness in here is SO suspect.

[softstoneheart]

[ From what she researched about Penacony, she can see the comparison: a hedonistic land where the powerful play and the poor suffer. He's not wrong, in a way. But as an Ace, she gets some of those privileges. In this case, it's only right to share. ]

My campsite came with a portable shower bag, so you don't have to wash up there.

It's refillable, but I'd rather not take a cold shower tonight, so if you can keep it kinda short, I don't mind sharing.

[ Already assuming he'll agree, she motions for him to follow. ]

[dayseraphim]

She really was resourceful, as the rumors did say. He tries not to think about it, how familiar all of this was. It should be some kind of unwritten miracle that Penacony hadn't fallen into utter depravity like this camp site, but he knows better: behind closed doors, quiet nooks, in the Golden Hour. At least they had more than palatable facilities than... This.

"... It would be most appreciated." Beggars couldn't be choosers, really. Against his better nature, he does trail behind her, a kind of wariness that is obvious in his steps. He's trying to get past his habits, really. Something about overthinking - he can't shake off his lifelong distrust of the IPC, but he can at least start with his prejudices.

"Was it hard for you, to acclimate here?" He asks, words quiet. He's gotten the low-down from what is basally expected of him, and he can't wrap his mind around it. It just seems uncouth, to have to... Sleep with other people at ease, isn't it? "There is apparently a bigger hotel, instead of this place?"

[softstoneheart]

[ With his consent, she nods, and leads him towards her campsite. Since the Vale is of her favorite spots, she navigates through the forest with ease. Birds begin following along, likely ones that equate her with treats, hoping to get fed. ]

You catch on quick. The Vale— where we're at— is just one section of this mega-resort.

[ Her observation is mostly a compliment. She values being informed and seeking out information. While she has no hang ups about modesty, and doesn't care about chastity, sex isn't something she actively seeks out. The question pulls a sigh out of her. ]

Sex wasn't on my mind back home, so having that be the primary means of income was kinda hard to wrap my head around. But I wasn't saving myself for marriage, and I don't agree with conventions that fixate on so-called "purity," so it wasn't as hard as it could've been.

It's been fun? I don't hate it, and I'll take it over going crazy or turning to stone. And even if I don't have a choice per se, I can still choose the terms of how I maintain myself.

[ They enter a clearing with a luxury glamping dome mounted on a wooden platform. One of the advantages of being a high rank. ]

guy is about to side eye every gargoyle statue hes ever seen soon

[dayseraphim]

She seems largely familiar with the place, as the birds do tell him. Kind, generous. The small birds that hop on branches, settling, singing her praises. It puts him a little more at ease, even if the clearing is rather ostentatious. He can't help but breathe a sigh of relief, either way. It is much preferable to being surrounded by... Other things. The wood flooring is stable, his mind a little less so as he fails to hide his disdain for the matter.

He was told this place was humongous. Perhaps, he'd have to extend his imagination, if this massive Vale was only part of it.

"Currency... I don't have such open views, I fear." It's nothing to do with the purity of it, more than the sacrament of your own skin. The thought of sharing another person so intimately, skin-on-skin, makes his own crawl uncomfortably. He wasn't made for such close encounters, never has, without the assumption of a proffered blade at the throat. "I can't imagine being quite so comfortable with everyone I meet."

He settles on a nearby hammock. Posture perfect, terribly stiff.

"... Going crazy? Turning to stone?" What is she exactly going on about? "What kind of cost is that?"

[softstoneheart]

[ Animals are food-motivated, and the plate of seeds and berries foraged from the forest she sets out for her avian friends is met with a raucous chorus of delight, followed by clamoring to get their share.

The space is tidy, free of any evidence of intercourse, with the background music of birds and a shallow creek running by. It's near that side of a deck where a large sack is suspended from the branch of a tree. The camping shower she spoke of is a cleaner alternative to the communal ones, but comes at the cost of being out in the open. There aren't any other campsites in view, so that's a plus. ]

I know someone who was experimenting with watching and if that counted. I can't guarantee it's an alternative, but you can try looking into that.

[ her tone is casual and matter of fact, like an off-hand stock recommendation. ]

But you will have to find something. [ There's warning in her voice and pity in her eyes, as she continues: ] I'll be blunt: All of us are marked when we come here. Putting off sex will trigger a phenomenon known here as a "suit flare." It alters the mind and sometimes the body, and the symptoms won't go away unless sex happens. People who keep ignoring it turn to stone. When you go around the actual hotel, you'll see them: suuuuuuper duper lifelike statues. Those are people. Sometimes the effects can be reversed and those people come back, but no one can explain why. In fact, most of the staff will avoid discussing them altogether.

[dayseraphim]

Watching? And doing what, exactly? Of course, the imagination fills itself, and he closes his eyes, as if he would be able to banish such sordid thoughts. At least, the joyful chattering of the little birds is on a better foot than he is. The place is tidier than anything he's been in, even with his awakening with a stranger.

"As expected of a Stoneheart. Even your body is a bargaining piece?" That tone reminds him of another blonde man that he knows, her colleague. He wonders if he would happen upon him here. But he understands how it is. Penacony had been full of these 'deals', himself included. It takes one to know one, how shred she is. He flexes his wrist, staring at the inactive watch.

"Statues...? This is starting to sound more like an elaborate nightmare." In fact, that's just downright shifty, something made out of Aha's idea of a horrible joke. Sate your basal desires, or face the consequences.

He frowns, like it could a curse of compulsion. And amidst all of that: wantonly stubbornness.

"... It wouldn't be the first time I was caged against my will."

Thinks, still, that he could be above it all.

[softstoneheart]

That sounds like— [ and she stops immediately, "Aventurine" teetering right on the tip of her tongue before she swallows that down. Her expression sours at the implication that her body is a bargaining chip; Aventurine's mindset that everything is a bargaining chip; at the horrifying thought that anyone would start to think that's the only way to survive. Her eyes narrow, and for the birds' sake, she pushes down the urge to yell. Maybe a little for Sunday's sake. From their interaction so far, it's clear he's uncomfortable. Like everyone else, it's not his fault he's here. ]

Don't think that way. Please. I'm saying you should find agency in the choices you're able to make. Have fun with it, if think you can. [ Does the Head of the Oak family do fun? The mission on Penacony hasn't started for her, so all she knows is based on her research. It isn't surprising if he thinks he can endure the consequences, and overcome a suit flare. She's not one to take that chance, but if he wants to learn the hard way, she did her best to warn him. She relaxes, a sigh of resignation slipping out. ]

I said my piece. And I prolly shouldn't keep you from your shower.

[dayseraphim]

Did he strike a nerve? Her emotions drag for a moment, and his eyes, perhaps, widen a little too much. She is still his benefactor, in this moment, and decides not to press the matter. "Your colleague." The only one he's met, and hopefully the last, if he's being a little honest.

She's surprisingly well-intentioned, though, more than he's admittedly given her credit for. His gaze falls from her face to her feet, mulling it over. Could one even have that kind of 'fun' without an emotional bond of some kind? Sure, he could tap into it by force, but that, once again, goes beyond what sits comfortably for him.

"I do appreciate it, Miss..." He's doomed to try without, though his words fail him, then the flutter of an embarrassed flap of wings. "... Pardon my manners, especially since you are so kindly extending yours." He's floundering for a name, something else to default to than her thorny title. At the very least, he can do that.

[softstoneheart]

Yeah, him. [ In seeing his reaction, she feels she's been too harsh. The tension in her pops with a sigh. ]

Don't get me wrong— he's not a bad person, or anything— but as a colleague and friend, it hurts to see him think of himself as an object. And I don't want you to think of yourself that way, either.

[ She doesn't care for manners simply for the sake of manners, but Sunday is sincere and doing his best. She tries to wave off the formality with a gentle flap of her hand. ]

Just calling me Topaz is fine, but if you're not comfy with it, you can make a nickname out of it. I won't be offended.