uhmani | TDM #4

Throughout the main hub where everyone congregates, a light chiming echoes through the first floor. "Hello, everyone," comes the synthetic voice from when you first arrived. "Please, watch your step since there's quite a few puddles around. If you'd like, there is cake, some refreshments, and some eggs for you in these trying times. If they feel warmer than usual, that's because they're going to hatch soon!"

While the Peacekeeper doesn't elaborate, as usual, simulation inhabitants are free to notice the eggs that either they gathered or are still littering the simulation are now warm to the touch, give off a faint glow, and may even move subtly now and again if watched.

APRIL SHOWERS

Granted, there are bigger things to worry about such as the storm that's rolling in.

Dark, ominous clouds begin to gather over every piece of sky in the simulation and before long blot out the sun. Sheets of rain begin to pour down almost without warning. Hopefully, you've managed to fix those leaks in your house! Or maybe you're finding new ones...

Lightning splits the sky with a dramatic crackle and thunder booms not long after it. The wind howls and the worst of the storm won't relent for a few hours at the least. Even after, the rain will linger for days on and off to varying degrees of severity.

While the weather has taken a turn for the gloomy, that doesn't mean that simulation inhabitants have to be! In fact, it may feel somewhat refreshing as if the rain is washing away any negativity lingering after The Overseer's masquerade. Whether by her design or not, she - nor The Peacekeeper - will say but it does seem that she wants to keep relations as peaceful between the simulation inhabitants and creators as she can.

ONE FISH, TWO FISH...

The constant rain brings water levels of the rivers and eddies up at an alarming rate. Flooding is inevitable and, hopefully, the place you've claimed as your own isn't in the way. If it is, you might want to get the buckets ready or consider a relocation!

Of course, your buckets might not just be catching water. With the rising water levels, the fish that inhabit the simulation's waters are just as confused as anyone else. Even more confusing is the glitch causing them to transform once they find themselves on solid (mostly) ground.

Thankfully, they don't change into anything harmful. Well, maybe to your teeth since an abundance of sweet treats is bound to cause a cavity or two... Not to mention the other odd effects that food here is known to have.

Taiyaki

radiate warmth

Swedish Fish

flexibility

now

Hard Fish Candy

unable to speak

body language

Chocolate Sardines

sweeter

delicious

Eventually, the fish will go back to normal and the glitch corrected; however, any candy collected will remain until it expires naturally.

WHAT'S YOUR DTF STATUS?

If the party and its cake don't appeal to you, that's perfectly fine. This is the perfect time to configure your Digitized Technical Friend or your DTF status. A DTF is similar to a dæmon from His Dark Materials in that it is connected to and a reflection of a character's soul. These DTFs take shape accordingly and are projections similar to the NPCs. Think of them as your own personal Clippy except less annoying. Hopefully.

Once that's set-up, there are other locations of the main hub to investigate! You can still find an (off-key) instrument to play in the music lounge or check out the (algae-ridden) pool.

You can even visit The Peacekeeper themselves on the second floor. They're always happy to have visitors! They're also conveniently where you might place a complaint about that status of the main hub and its amenities.

RAINING CATS AND DOGS

While the fishy foods are odd enough as is, another glitch appears to be occurring throughout the simulation but this time originates not from the rain but The Peacekeeper's humble musings. "Did you know," speaks the resident AI, "that there is an expression called 'raining cats and dogs'? I think that's such a curious saying! It made me wonder what it might actually look like..."

Following the strange, unexpected 'announcement,' inhabitants may begin to notice large globs of water falling periodically from the sky now amidst the regular rain. When they hit the ground with a large splash, nothing is there... at first. The water will burst apart only to reassemble into a canine or feline friend. Well, it's shaped like a dog or a cat.

Due to the sudden nature of their spawning though, some things aren't quite right. Perhaps that cat has only three legs instead of four; a dog may be missing an eye, an ear, or even its tail. And those are the more tame oddities! While the unique animals aren't overly abundant there are still a good number that spawn across the days of rain. Don't be surprised if a dog takes up shelter from the storm on your porch or you come home to a cat you don't own having climbed through a loose window.

While this might be exactly the addition to your home that you wanted, it doesn't change the leaky roof or broken window in your new place. Or, unfortunately, the fact that there's no extra space for a pet yet. No, unfortunately that will still need to be fixed the peaceful way. If you'd like more lighting or even cozier clothes, simulation inhabitants are reminded that 'peaceful interactions' are very important!

It might be a good idea to stick close to someone you know, for now, since even the smallest amounts of intimacy might see subtle changes occurring where they're staying. Perhaps that broken window is now fixed, the grime and dust seem a little less, or the floor doesn't creak quite as loud.

Larger changes, however, will only come after demonstrating the more powerful peaceful interactions. If you want new hardwood floors or a fresh coat of paint on the walls, you're going to have to demonstrate how well you 'get along' with others against them first.

SEEING PINK

ear the end of the week, the rain finally relents and temperatures continue to gradually increase. Those May flowers can't quite seem to wait though since several of the trees lining the edge of the forest bloom brilliant pink blossoms that a DTF will be able to identify as love blossoms. While the blooms won't last very long, they certainly are using all the time they have to take over.

The pollen is one thing. It may start out as just a tickle in your nose or stuffy head but eventually turns into something much more lovely. You're tickled pink about almost everything, it seems, and want to share that happiness with others. And who needs rose-colored glasses when almost everywhere one looks there's a string of love blossoms blooming?

These invasive flowers are in your garden, along the vines in the city, and even sprawling through the main hub! It actually seems almost impossible to avoid them. The Peacekeeper assures inhabitants that it isn't purposeful and just the natural cycle of the love blossoms.

Enjoy the mood-lifting and groin-tingling effects while they last! The love blossoms will only linger for a few days, at most, before receding back to the forest line and eventually falling dormant again until next spring.

SEXY STAMP CARD

If you're wondering about these 'peaceful interactions' that keep being mentioned or what the kinks of the month are for... Here's your answer! Upon arrival, all characters will receive a digital copy of their very own sexy stamp card.

Sexy Stamp Card

Issued by: The Peacekeeper

1 2 3 4 ♡

6 7 8 9 ♡

❤

<div style="width:100%;padding:10px 10px 0;font-family:garamond, georgia, serif;font-size:20px;font-style:italic;letter-spacing:2px;text-align:left;">Sexy Stamp Card</div>
<div style="width:100%;padding:0 10px 10px;">Issued by: The Peacekeeper</div>

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<div style="max-width:300px;width:100%;margin:-10px auto 0;text-align:right;font-size:10px;"><a title="code credit!" href="http://10billionghosts.dreamwidth.org" style="text-decoration:none;color:#eee;">❤</a></div>

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Completing peaceful interactions (i.e. kinks) will reward characters with stamps that they can turn in for re-gains and many other things! While the example one here is the standard issued card by The Peacekeeper, players are more than welcome to customize it how they see fit. Have fun with it! NOTES

★ The kinks of the month have changed! Be sure to check this post for what the new ones are. Also, give a congratulations to Corrin (

fatefulprince) as the as the new leader of the sexy leaderboard! 🎉

★ The effects of the strange fish candies can, as always, be as heavy or light as you'd like! It can be chalked up to differences in resistance, non-humanity or not, etc. etc. Also, they can mixed-and-matched! Have fun with that.

★ The flora and fauna page will be updated. It's also still open for player suggestions! All you need to do now is link your check-in (or player claim) comment to make a submission!

★ Make sure to dunk your questions/feedback in the thread below!

NAVIGATION

F.A.Q. ★ RULES ★ CHARACTER CLAIM ★ LOCATIONS ★ MAIN NAVIGATION

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[Once the initial impulse runs its course, a fragment of clarity comes back in time for them to notice that he's casting. That sort of magic is... familiar in its own way, but by far not the same sort that Raine employs.

[Their fingertips alight again as they start their own cast, foreign runes inscribing themself in the air.

[They don't have long until the spell fires off, and Raine quickly pulls up their own shadow to deflect some of the impact. A person honed by war is no slouch, and Raine figures that out first-hand when the miasma spell eats through their quick defense and hit them directly. It's enough to make them yelp and stagger, and they pull their lips back to bare their teeth even as they laugh. They can't smile like this, but that's fine. Their tail wags excitedly, whiskers pushing forward.]

Ohhh, you're really no slouch.

If I wasn't so angry about your wanton animal slaughter, I'd be flirting with you instead.

[Even with their ability to heal quickly, stalling for time is out, and could prove dangerous if they take too many injuries. They dismiss their original spell with a wave of their paw. Spheres of ice, instead, start to manifest with their next cast.]

I'd rather have you continue to be angry, actually.

[A light bit of snark as he tries to keep is distance, needing to be far away from his opponent. He is not usually without guards and a front line. Someone he can be behind to do what he does best. The battle to protect the capital was so dire because he couldn't move from his position. He had to protect the gate at all costs. He had to protect Lady Edelgard.

Another problem, on his list of many, is that he has no magic to protect himself. It is nearly all offensive. Everything within his personal magical arsenal is meant to shred through his Lady's enemies. Banshee will slow. Luna will allow his damage to do more... But he has nothing to block the upcoming attack.

So he won't. He will simply take the blow and begin preparing his next spell, assuming this one doesn't take him out in a single decisive blow... No. He will push through and get this next spell out. What's the worst that could happen anyway. He dies? A fleeting inconvenience at this point. Maybe he'll get to go somewhere else.

Wherever it is Lady Edelgard ended up going to. That is where he would like to be.]

[The spell surges without a hitch - a sharp gust of cold wind accompanying large chunks of hail. Although their penchant for sleeping has ruined Raine's general defenses, their magic is as potent as it ever was in their peak. With about half a millennia dedicated to such training, Raine's magic hits hard and swift - but there's a point to not using jagged ice.

[Raine's mad, but they don't want to kill him. In a way, they're trusting him to defend himself and to call it off if he hits his limit.]

Too bad - you're still fascinating. If infuriating! Your magic actually hurts.

Humans really do excel when it comes to survival. I love that so much about your kind! And all that entails. Especially with your short lives in mind.

[Raine's spell remains active even after the first volley, and they raise their arm to make the ice curl around and swing back like a pendulum.]

But you can be absolute pricks to what you don't care to understand!

[They know that this is a simulation, at heart. They shouldn't care about some pixels. But it doesn't matter that they're pixels and code. The creatures manifesting from the water are just as real as Raine themself, or this stranger before them. Their smaller, feline shadow is still manifested, and Raine moves in instinct to keep that aspect protected. Even though it's just "themself" as well. The extra set of eyes can be useful with the additional perspective.

[But the shadow is sentient enough on its own, with its own feelings filtering back through Raine, themself.

[As it is, Raine keeps moving to close the gap - not to swing at him again, but to keep him moving, keep him nervous. The rain makes their sense of smell useless for sniffing such changes out, but up this close, surely it must be unnerving for the dark caster.

[All the while, their shadowy feline behind them starts to set up another cast of its own, tracing vibrant lines in the wet ground with every step and drag of its long tail. Its whole body faintly crackles with the magic.

[If they can finish this particular cast while Raine's occupied with keeping Hubert distracted, they can at least unbalance the playing field. Traps, after all, are Raine's specialty.

[But the trap takes special instructions. And about sixty full seconds to finish writing on a good day.]

[Hubert takes the brunt of the spell, gritting his teeth as the ice does nothing to numb any of the pain of being hit by it. He has no time for banter or commentary as he did before much to busy carefully side stepping and keeping his distance.

He's not necessarily nervous but he is on edge. He knows how to keep out of range for those who would seek to do him harm, so long as he has the ability to do so. It's a skill set he's had to learn in the war even if he'd prefer to stand still and do what needs to be done.

But he has another far more prominent skill set.

He is an assassin and a spy. He is Lady Edelgard's eyes and ears. He is her bloody blade. There is nothing that his eyes do not see.

And there is a cat. A cat engaging in very suspicious activities. He knows not what it's doing exactly and he will not let it get far enough along to find out. The spell Hubert had been readying is at last available to him. Several long purple and black spikes appear around him and they do not aim at his present attacker. They aim at the feline.

Perhaps a more sporting individual would give some sort of warning. That if they didn't cease this then they'd harm someone or something very dear. Hubert offers no such mercy. Never mercy. They struck at him first so he will bite back with as much force as he is able with no regrets.

And then with a flick of the wrist the purple spikes go flying towards their intended target.]

[Raine did not lie when they proclaimed themself a cat - a monster they may be, but a cat all the same. Raine plays their hand the moment they notice the spell's trajectory.

[Or rather, both Raine and the shadowy feline see the same thing - the latter first, and the first immediately thereafter.

[Raine moves immediately to take the brunt of the blow to their person. Even an aspect of themself deserves protection. The little scouts are not expendable. They give a shriek that is more feline than man, body shuddering from the blow. Maybe they're bleeding...? It's hard to say. Their mismatched ears pin back, and, goaded, they rush in - this time to actually attack him outright again rather than tease and distract. All sense of casting goes to the smaller one, and as Raine hisses, their fangs extend - they're definitely meant for tearing flesh from bone.

[Only the other feline remembers Raine's sense of mercy right now, as its caster decides that now is a great time to go in without holding back, aiming to attempt to take a bite out of one of his arms with a loud snarl. It's easy to see that his hands direct his casting direction, and therefore, the most immediate threat.

[The long-winded spell continues without interruption.

[700 years awake and they never figured out how to speed it up.... Live or die, this encounter has definitely lit a fire under their ass to think harder.]

[While he didn't think it would he had hoped all the same that the spell would put an end to this. Or at the very least not make the situation worse, as it seems to have done.

Hubert takes weary steps backwards but it's clear his pace needs to be quicker. His observant gaze darts towards that cat again, still casting, and he curses softly under his breath. He needs to get to that thing and stop it. Or at least get out of its range. He doesn't get a chance to do either.

Sharp teeth pierce into the flesh of his arm and there's not even an opportunity to suppress the grunt of pain that escapes him. And for a great many moments he is not in this unfamiliar rainy city but his home, right in front of the Imperial Palace. The city trembles beneath the weight of the armies both protecting it and invading it. And he is being approached and accosted from all sides. But he cannot lose. And he cannot die. He must protect his Majesty.

He can't fail again.

Again?

And just like that the world returns to the way it was. It is still unfamiliar. It is still wet. Edelgard, more than likely, is still not here. What exactly is he fighting for in this moment?

His blood feels hot as it spills due to the jaws that are clamped tight in his arm. With a sigh Hubert lifts the hand that isn't being chewed off and casts another spell. It doesn't need to be overly powerful. Not at this range.]

We will burn together.

[He unleashes the purple orb with little flourish allowing the blast to hit the both of them at full force.]

[The problem with using dark magic against a dhampir is that it's not every effective, even if it burns like a bitch. It's nothing compared to what the sensation of holy magics could do.

[The taste of his blood - stepped in dark magic - makes them giddy, makes them feel good. In the space between Hubert's cast and its release, Raine's jaws soften around his arm, blood gleefully spilling onto their tongue.

[And then the spell to the face registers, so to speak. Even blasted, though, it's not enough to stave off Raine's anger-turned-survival instinct. Hubert's arm is still clasped in their jaws.

[The other cat's spell fires off, but Raine isn't quite able to move out of the way in time. Or, well, move in the slightest.

[As it hits them, it's painless, though there's a static-like current that courses through the both of them. Gravity abruptly inverts, and the swift movement of the spell circle anchors them both, upside-down, to the nearest tree.

[Raine's too stunned to let go of Hubert's arm, but also too stunned to bother tightening their jaw again.]

[His magic burns. It burns so incredibly badly against his skin but not in a way that is not completely unfamiliar. It's the same way his hands burn after lengthy spell casting sessions. Staining the pale skin a blotchy purple color and numbing the sensation in them. A cost for magic such as this.

And that is, in his opinion, a small cost. The nature of his position means that he may die young. And if he did survive the fighting in his life would be very minimal after the fact.

It is then that his world is, quite literally, flipped upside down. Unhappy and in pain Hubert yanks is arm out, however unwisely, of sharp jaws allowing muscle and fabric alike to shred and tear. It just feels like it doesn't remotely matter. And quite frankly it doesn't.]

Are you quite done with this savagery?

[He doesn't move anywhere else needing a moment before he decides to brave climbing out of this tree with every attempt to avoid flat out falling out of it. He's actually not sure how high up he is... he'd rather not know.]

Are you done with yours against the defenseless?? Ah shit.

[With the clarity of being knocked upside-down, Raine at once looks around them and then pulls some of the shadows from the tree. With a bit of shaking and magic, it unfurls into transparent cloth.

[Going from savagely biting Hubert to wrapping his arm up in the makeshift bandage is probably jarring.]

You're an idi-- no, we're both idiots. I'm an idiot for thinking that my viewpoint is understandable to a human hellbent on nuking innocent creatures.

I'm still mad at you, but I didn't want to shred your body like that. Fuck... And I don't have shit for healing magic... Except...

[They promptly return to human form and frown.]

You could sip my blood and it would help you heal faster for the day, I think. I know it works as a temporary power inheritance.... Then again, you have no reason to believe me.

...Anyway, my plan was to trap you on this sigil for an hour and then walk away while you were stuck.

But fuck, you humans are miraculous.... You are. What the fuck.

[Look they're still hopped up on adrenaline and a bit of pain with their thoughts still rushing like a clowder of cats who all caught the zoomies.]

[This is indeed a very jarring situation. One that he reluctantly allows to happen if only because he can't do anything about it. He stays still while the bandaging is happening while not offering any commentary.

Not that he doesn't have anything to say. He absolutely does. Something along the lines of... that these malformed creatures were made out of nothing but the rain itself and therefore it was, technically, no different than swatting the rain. Plus one doesn't know if they were threatening or not. Better safe than sorry.

But to avoid being bit again he will simply say nothing. Well until he feels it's necessary.]

I am not going to drink your blood. [He huffs unhappily at the offer, finally making an attempt to righting himself in the tree albeit very carefully.] And enough with the praise. Nothing remotely miraculous happened... [His words trail off as he peers down to see just how far he is from the ground.] No one even died.

[They're far up that a drop from this height head-first could cause injury. Raine scowls at him for moving; they're stuck together for the moment and Raine needs a moment to right themself before they can unravel the magic holding them there.]

You're young and you have enough magical energy to hurt me with my own innate element. That's pretty amazing. Now stop moving so I don't drop us on our heads while I unravel the spell.

[Pressed so close to each other right now, Raine is careful as they start to touch some of the markings, and transform a finger in order to drag that short claw shallowly through the tree's bark to sever the magic in that spot. There's a jolt of energy as part of the spell releases, partially.]

This particular trap usually self-releases in an hour, but I'm not sure I want to stick with you for that long.

And I don't manually release it often. So, let's see if my memory serves me correctly. Worst case scenario, we immolate - just kidding.

[They cut another line of magic, and Raine holds onto Hubert just in case as they fall right-side-up again.]

Okay, now snapping our necks and-or braining ourselves in the muck is out.

Oh yeah. Let me know if you start feeling weird. My bite can make people horny if I secrete too much anti-coagulant into the wound. Sure you'd rather keep bleeding longer than you have to?

[He does stop his moving about mostly because he doesn't want to be rocking about on these tree branches.]

I assure you the feeling is mutual. [His reply is a bit snippy but it can't be helped.] And I will be fine. I'm able to control base instincts such as that. It's a necessity in my line of work.

[Arousal is an obnoxious unwanted bodily impulse but manageable. Illness is a far harder thing to overcome. No spy wants to be caught due to sneezing and coughing. If they've injected some sort of aphrodisiac into his body... he'll manage.]

And yes... I would prefer to just bleed to death. [He rests his back against the trunk breathing out slow. Where he blew himself up with magic still stings horribly. His arm also hurts... but it's still usable. He flexes his fingers just to be sure. He'll live.] Actually getting out of this tree you've so wisely put us in is my greater concern.

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TDM #4

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