uhmani | TDM #1

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!tdm

TDM #1

Welcome! Everything is fine.

Uploading. . . Complete!

When you open your eyes, there is quite a lot of beige to take in. The unassuming walls of the room you've found yourself in are barren save for a single motivational poster directly in your line of sight. An illuminated sign above an open door on the far wall reads 'lobby exit.'

"Welcome," chimes a polite, synthesized voice. "I'm happy you're here." A moment later comes the clarity of the situation: you died and so did the world you came from. "This is Amani, your new reality," continues The Peacekeeper. "Everything will be fine."

At least you aren't the only one here, you'll soon find out, as others who are just as confused and concerned as you are mingling in the main hub's first floor. Hopefully, you find a familiar face among the crowd. If not, that's all right. You'll get to know quite a few people very well soon enough.

WHAT

The first Amani TDM!

WHEN

January 21st, 2022

KINKS OF THE MONTH

★ Phone Sex
★ Sex in public / semi-public places
★ Submission
★ Mutual Masturbation
★ Restraints

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Throughout the main hub where everyone congregates, a light chiming to the tune of Happy Birthday can be heard. "Hello, everyone," comes the synthetic voice from when you first arrived. "This is so exciting! It's my birthday. I'm today years old!" There's the sound of a single party blower that echoes through the halls and sad, small spattering of confetti fall from holes in the ceiling.

"Based on the database I was given, birthdays usually involve cake!"

At the bar on the first floor, a colorful birthday motif materializes. There are balloons, party hats, an unfortunately deflated bouncy house, and - of course - plates of cake!

There are four different flavors to choose from!

Spice Cake

spicier

take risks

care less

not

Lemon Cake

cheer you right up

increase in luck

Chocolate Cake

darker fantasies

red raspberries

blood

Vanilla Cake

softer

amazing

affection

If you're feeling especially 'peaceful' after a piece of cake or two and worried about privacy, don't be! The bar's lounge has several secluded spots to hide away in. There are also rooms with beds among the first floor. So long as you don't mind the natural elements taking up some space along the sheets, they're free to use however you'd like. Though you might want to make sure to lock the door since it's doubtful you're the only one looking to get away for a little bit.

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 order a (terrible) drink at the bar, 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.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

Once the celebration has concluded, characters are encouraged to head out of the main hub to either explore the city or take a ride on the railway. It's time to truly begin your new reality! Whatever they choose, The Peacekeeper will explain to them that they are free to take up any housing they so wish. Most dwellings are at least habitable but it's likely that characters will want for more before long.

That's why 'peaceful interactions' are so 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.

ALL FLUFFED UP

Whether in the city or out in the wilds, the first night will see an abundance of living dandelions. While they appear to be nothing but regular dandelion tufts, get too close and a pair of bright yellow eyes opens to stare at you.

The creature will let out the tiniest of shrieks, break apart into smaller pieces, and scatter. It sets off a chain reaction of other living dandelions startling awake. It's a symphony of tiny screams. Before long, there's nothing but miniscule white puffs skittering all about wherever you look.

"Oops," sounds The Peacekeeper throughout the simulation. "My calculations for the population of living dandelions was... a little off. Not to worry, everyone! I'll have it fixed by tomorrow."

What The Peacekeeper fails to mention is that living dandelions give off a soothing pheromone as a defense mechanism once they break apart. No matter how wound up your character might be after the day's events, being surrounded by living dandelion tufts will relax them before long.

Why not enjoy the sunset, look at the stars, and have a good night's sleep? Tomorrow is another day.

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!

NAVIGATION

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Byleth's previous circumstances are... concerning. The fact that a similar extradimensional kidnapping has already happened once before is worrisome enough, but it's even more so for what was done to him. Dedue is not so naïve that he doesn't realize what something regrettable means in this context.]

Understood. [He will be cautious. Thankfully, he had little desire to sample any of the strange food served at the party, and has experienced no ill effects.]

I did not remain long enough at the gathering to do a thorough search. As you and I are here, it would be prudent to determine if anyone else has arrived as well.

[They should be warned about the possibility of adulterated food and drink. Dedue wouldn't want anything... regrettable to happen because they didn't find someone quickly enough.]

As for before I arrived, you had recently taken over leadership of the Church, and had crowned His Majesty.

Ah... so then we are from the same timeline. More or less. It was a year for me, since then. Not counting the island of course.

[ He pushes himself up now, grumbling at the effort. ]

Shall we walk then? It's a ways back from here. We can go see if anyone else arrived.

[ And if he continues to sit there any longer he may just fall asleep. ]

[Dedue reaches down to help the Professor up, since he seems reluctant to move himself from his resting place. He had looked quite comfortable in the grass, and it is a bit of a shame to make him rise.]

I could return on my own, if you would prefer to remain here.

[Byleth seems haggard enough as it is; Dedue doesn't want to push him and drain what little strength he has on something as trivial as a walkaround. He could easily head back to the gathering, search for any of their compatriots, and then report back to Byleth with his findings. It'd be basically like going on a mission again, as they did during the war, except that no one would ever send Dedue out for reconnaissance.]

No! [ Well that gets a visceral reaction, and Byleth can feel the clenching in his stomach that he's come to be used to. He settles himself though, realizing that's... that's not a proportionate reaction. ]

Ahh no. I don't want us getting separated. Let's go together. Besides. I've missed you, we have some catching up to do.

[ By catching up he means walking in comfortable silence with each other but that's really ideal to be honest. ]

[Byleth's reaction to the prospect of separating is... intense. This is especially startling due to the Professor's usual impassive nature; to see him react with such vehemence is worrisome, and even more so because of such a benign suggestion.]

Of course, Professor. We shall go together.

[This sure will be several long minutes of two grown-ass men walking next to each other without talking, huh.]

[ There is visible relief on his face as he falls into step with Dedue. Beautifully quiet, but in the less lonely way now. He watches Dedue out of the corner of his eye, as if he's afraid the man might vanish. Honestly given his experiences, he just might. ]

Is this what it's like in Duscur?

[ He says something after a good stretch of comfortable silence, nodding his head towards the flowers specking the grass. ]

You know. How you said it looks in the spring.

[The silence is companionable, and Dedue has always been content with avoiding smalltalk, if possible. Byleth breaks it with a reminder of something that Dedue had once said to him, before the war had been won. He feels a little foolish about it now-- he had asked it with intentions, but then the war had ended and Byleth became the archbishop and Dimitri was crowned king. There seemed to be little room in either of their lives for... unimportant things.]

[Dedue looks out across the grasslands, dotted with flowers. He shakes his head.]

It is not a good comparison. In Duscur, the fields would be awash in color, rampant with flowers.

[These are fine, but the sight pales in comparison to Duscur at the height of spring, before the Tragedy.]

I had promised to take you to see Duscur in bloom. I am sorry that I will have to break that promise.

Edited (html, my greatest weakness) 2022-01-28 00:39 (UTC)

I'd loved to have seen it.

[ It's bittersweet, and he doesn't want Dedue to feel bad for it. ]

It's not your fault we're stuck here. Maybe some day we'll get back somehow. Then you can show me. We'll go together.

[ It feels almost like a lie, being hopeful after staying on that island, miserable, but Dedue is here, so can this really be hell? It's the Dedue that he remembers so well. ]

I'd rather have done that than be archbishop. I guess it doesn't hurt to say that now. I never wanted to take over the church, but I didn't have much of a choice. Not one that would have been... morally responsible anyways.

Now though, I'd give anything to see those flowers.

[If Byleth had never had to take on the mantle of archbishop, if the weight of the church had never fallen on his shoulders... perhaps he would have gone to Duscur with Dedue. And perhaps, while he was there, he might have found it beautiful. Found something there worth pursuing, worth staying for. Maybe--]

[Maybe Dedue shouldn't waste time with daydreams of might-have-beens.]

Should we ever return, and you have the time for it, I would be glad to take you there.

[He doubts that it will ever be the case. Even if they are someday returned to their homes and the destruction that Dedue had witnessed is either untrue or undone, Byleth is the archbishop. Like it or not, he has his duties. If they had both world enough and time...]

It is my hope that it would bring you some measure of peace.

[Tangible proof that Byleth's actions have wrought some good in the world. That if nothing else, he would know that Duscur blooms again, and it only had the opportunity to do so because of all his efforts.]

Edited (html) 2022-01-29 07:33 (UTC)

I hope we do. I want to go with you.

[ He closes his eyes, trying to imagine it. It sounds amazing, and to be there with someone else. With Dedue. It makes his throat tighten. A peace he desperately craves now. But it's not really the view that he needs. It's the company, and he has that here. There's a swell of gratefulness. It overpowers the fear of losing it too, for once. He still reaches out, taking Dedue's hand in his. Just in case. He doesn't want to turn around and find him gone. ]

You already do. More than you know.

[Byleth's hand slips into his, gently. It's a strange sensation; Dedue hasn't held anyone's hand in years. Unfamiliar doesn't necessarily mean unwelcome, however, and Dedue allows his fingers to curl loosely around Byleth's in return. He might not have in other situations, but there is no one here to cast aspersions on the Professor for the crime of being too close to a man of Duscur. And even if there were, Dedue isn't certain that he'd have the heart to reject contact that Byleth initiated himself, unprompted, when he seems in such a... peculiar mood.]

[It is a strange gesture, however. Byleth had never been so openly affectionate with him before.]

I. [He is grateful that his complexion hides his self-conscious embarrassment. Dedue isn't a child; the simple act of a hand clasped in his own shouldn't fluster him.] I am glad that I can be of help to you.

So much. I never properly thanked you. So I will do my best to show you how grateful I am now.

[ It's nice to feel that larger hand close around his just a little. Peaceful. He can feel the warmth there, knowing that Dedue is okay. That he's alive and solid and here. Byleth can feel a wash of relief and exhaustion all at once. He's so tired, but Dedue is here. ]

For now, you will be the flowers of Duscur. As long as you're around, I can see them any time.

[Dedue is about to tell Byleth that he doesn't need to thank him for anything-- that there's no need to repay him at all, because the Professor's friendship is more than enough-- when he's cut off by the rest of it.]

[For now, you will be the flowers of Duscur.]

[He had never taken Byleth for a particularly romantic man; he had always seemed eminently practical. Stoic both in mien and temperament. Flights of romanticism had always been more Dimitri's purview.]

[Dedue stops after the words are out of Byleth's mouth, bringing both of them to a halt, still holding his hand. The flowers of his homeland are beautiful, and the Valley of Flowers in particular is a holy place. To compare Dedue to them, to state that Byleth would look at him with a fraction of the wonder and joy--]

[How could he bear it, if Byleth looked at him that way?]

[He steps closer, and puts a hand on Byleth's jaw to keep his head steady as he leans in and presses their foreheads together.]

Whatever comfort I have given to you, you have provided to me in equal measure. Thank you, Byleth, for your kindness.

[ He worries for a moment when Dedue stops, but he isn't expecting... this. If he had a heart, it would be stopped. He could just lean in and kiss him like this, but honestly it only crosses his mind so briefly. As much as he wants that-

Right now. It's still far out of reach. He's still stuck in a weird way, thinking he's broken somehow. No... right now it's the touch, and the closeness he aches for. Just. Affection. Affection without pretense. Honest. Because someone wants to touch him. To be near him. He didn't really think about how badly the place before had warped him. So badly that this is what makes him want to crumble and melt.

So much so that he moves in, sliding his arms around the man again, a brief chaste little kiss on the cheek before he settles into a comfortable hug. He doesn't even care if his ears are turning red for it. Dedue has always been so kind and gentle to him. It's so wonderful to have him back. ]

Well. If you're here... things might be okay.

[Affection without pretense is what he offers-- without expectation, without anything more than the desire to give comfort. Though, really, who among them wouldn't do this for Byleth? Who among them would deny their beloved professor succor when he is in need of it?]

[That succor now simply comes in the form of Byleth's arms wrapped around his shoulders, Dedue's coming to rest around him. He is reminded in these moments of how small Byleth feels in comparison to him; in battle, the Professor had always seemed like a beacon of strength and leadership. Now, he is a man who barely reaches Dedue's collarbone, for whom he has to bend so that Byleth can reach his cheek. Whatever he had endured while on that island, he is safe from it now-- he is among friends who care for him and will protect him, for as long as he needs it.]

They will be.

[Dedue will ensure it, even if it means standing vigil outside Byleth's door at night so that he feels safe. Whatever it takes.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

TDM #1

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