uhmani | TDM #7

If the main hub and its features 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 visit the training grounds, music lounge, library, and onsen. Also, feel free to leave an offering for the resident deity of sleep (Hypnos) at his shrine! 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. Even if you do complain, The Peacekeeper will encourage others to set off and find their own place to live out in the simulation.

Granted, the housing market in the afterlife isn't exactly robust. It doesn't help that every place you find has a leaky roof or broken window. No, unfortunately that will 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.

A FOUL WIND BLOWS

For the last couple of weeks, The Peaceekeeper has been relatively quiet save for the mandatory greeting of newcomers. In fact, it doesn't even make the usual announcement that it has before to alert inhabitants of the sudden shift in weather. Blue skies and sunshine gradually begin to darken over. The wind picks up to a frightening gale that will see people likely needing to strap things down and fasten their shutters tight.

However, it's not anything physical that inhabitants will likely end up losing. The forceful rain, wind, and ensuing storm will instead strip away their inhibitions if they're unlucky enough to be caught in it.

What was holding you back, anyway? It's hard to remember or seems so suddenly trivial. It's not an issue anymore. that's for sure! Whether this is about something intimate, secrets kept, or things you know you shouldn't say for any number of reasons don't matter. Self-consciousness and doubt feel like a thing of the past and you're free to chase whatever whims you want!

Hopefully, you won't regret it when the effects wear off in a few day's time.

CLEAN-UP CREW

Although not everyone may be in the mood to buckle down and get to work after the storm blows through, the mess it leaves behind is literal as well as metaphorical. Time to get cleaning! The Peacekeeper has graciously provided a whole host of tools to assist inhabitants in clearing the debris littering the beach and floating in the ocean, including...

Inflatable Rafts

Skimmer Nets

Brushes

GET LAID

Liquid-Air Impulse Device

JUST KEEP SWIMMING

All your hard work hasn't gone unnoticed!

The mermaids that live beneath the waves of Taasunni Beach are extremely grateful that the inhabitants have taken the time and effort to clean up their home. To show their gratitude, they've decided to let everyone experience the beauty of the once-again pristine ocean for themselves!

Upon request, one of the mermaids lounging in the shallows will kiss inhabitants to fill them with magic. This gift will transform them into merfolk themselves for about 6 hours, allowing them to breathe underwater, swim swiftly, and explore or play in the depths to their hearts' content.

Those who indulge in this, especially repeatedly, may find themselves feeling unusually buoyant and free--as though a weight has lifted from their shoulders, and their troubles are simply washing away on the tide.

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 effects of all the influences 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.

★ Please thank Love Bug Infy for helping out with this TDM!

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

★ The locations page is undergoing a revamp! While originally I wanted to have it done in time for this test drive meme, that didn't quite happen. But it is coming soon, I promise!

★ Due to moderator error meaning we are over the player limit already and repeated requests, the player cap has been increased to 50. We are currently at 47/50 slots taken! Anyone wishing to claim a character must have an invite and follow the proper rules in place to be accepted into the community.

★ Also in light of that announcement and since I totally forgot the monthly meme due to being sick... Why not check out the ATP/EMP Meme now up? See who others want to try out, enable your friends! Fun all around!

NAVIGATION

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

Threaded | Flat

storm

Stupid Goddess-damned storm. Stupid thunder.

Nothing can get Caspar inside like a storm can, and inside is exactly where he intends to stay until this blows over, bundled up with Linhardt and their three cats and their DTFs. At least when he's on the bed instead of under it.

Unfortunately, that's not something he can realistically do for days in a row, between his own temperament and the fact that he and Linhardt are... not exactly stocked up to hole up for that long. He could ask Linhardt to run errands, sure - but he doesn't want to put that on him just because of his own stupid fear that he should definitely be over by now.

So, eventually, he has to take a breath, disentangle himself from the blankets and pillows he's been covering his ears with, and step outside.

For a little bit, he thinks he might manage it! He's not a fan of the rain itself, but he can deal with being uncomfortable for a while.

And then there's a telltale flash, just a moment's warning before a crack of thunder sends his heart into his throat and seizes his lungs.

Okay. Okay. He's got to finish what he's doing and get home--

Another crashing, booming sound that he could swear shakes him to his bones, and he walks a little faster, toward-- just, whatever shelter he can get to quickest. Okay. Get under cover, and head right home from there, fuck errands.

The third time the thunder roars in his ears, thankfully after he gets to cover, fear and the way the rain is throwing off his inhibitions have him dropping into a crouch and clapping his hands over his ears, as if that's going to do much of anything to block out the storm.

(( OOC: any other prompts i think of will go under this one! o/ as usual hit me up on <user name=omixgirl10 site=plurk.com or in the game discord if you wanna do something specific with the options for this tdm ))

Infirmary

[When Arthur's eyes cracked open, it just felt like he'd gone to sleep and woken up. Just as the priests and nuns he'd run into had always said it would be.

A room bathed in white, with delicate, fragrant flowers strung about. This surely must be Heaven, right? He sure did feel loftier, after all, like all the aches in his bones and the burning in his lungs had been magically washed away from him. The Consumption had run it's course, and somehow, one way or another, he'd made it to a better place.

What better place that was got called into question when the voice of the Peacekeeper explained things, of course, leaving him somehow more and less confused simultaneously. Not Heaven--- Amani--- was where he was. Not only that, but it sounded like Armageddon had come, leaving the world as he knew it ended. Arthur was the only one who'd arrived here at this time, to this portion of the afterlife. (Did that make this Purgatory? He couldn't really tell, nor make that decision for himself.) Everything was fine, and this was just how things were.

By no means whatsoever did he love that.

Apparently, he still needed to be here for a while longer, to make sure that everything was as it should be. (He didn't particularly love that, either. He was ready to see what exactly was going on out there.) He could manage that. Sit pretty, be well behaved, see what the doctors had to say, and then hurry off.

Sitting up in the bed (which gave a distinctive creak of protest as he did), he scratched at his beard, mulling everything over. While he went through a very muted and exclusively internal version of the five stages of grief, he got a look around. It was only when a new face appeared that he was pulled from his thoughts, thick eyebrows lifting with interest, and he sat up a bit further, giving a little wave to snare the attention of whoever was passing by. If this was eternity, he might as well get to know who he was stuck with, right?]

'Scuse me! You got a minute?

Storm's a Brewin'

[ Harsh winds tore past, leaving Arthur's hand clasped to the top of his gambler's hat, the tail of his duster coat flapping wildly behind him. His teeth clenched firmly as he pushed ahead, trying not to let this storm tear him off his feet and send him crashing into who-knows-what.

What in the hell was he thinking, leaving in weather like this?

Lightning cracked viciously overhead, and the thunder that came with it was almost deafening. He couldn't stay out here - lest, of course, he feel up to trying to find out if there was a such thing as an after-afterlife, and that idea wasn't exactly enticing, to put it lightly.

Fortunately, salvation stood just on the horizon. This time, in what looked to be a ramshackle bar, with a sign (that barely looked like it was holding on, in this weather) depicting a man hanging upside-down by his leg, and a sign adorning the front: "The Hanged Man."

Well, that was about as good as it was going to get!

Rushing ahead (and nearly falling and/or eating shit multiple times in his efforts), he pushed open the doors, perhaps a bit too brusquely, breaths heaving and clothes nearly drenched. Even despite the ruckus, and what was more than likely a fair bit of attention focused on his entrance, though, he trudged inside, took a seat at the bar, sat his hat aside, and flagged the closest bartender down with a small lift of his hand. ]

One whiskey, please... n' pardon the mess. It's one hell of a storm out there. Never seen anything like it in all my life.

Clean-Up

[ Arthur wasn't sure exactly how the Peacekeeper managed to convince him to be on clean-up crew, but it didn't surprise him. With his track record for getting involved in the affairs of strangers and risking his neck to help random people, it seemed pretty par for the course.

It wasn't anything too hard, of course: he hauled the large net on a pole, skimming over the water, collecting pieces of wood and plastic that the waves tossed about. It'd been a long time since he'd done much that'd fall into the territory of "menial labor", but simple work had it's own reward! He was able to roll up his sleeves, open his button-up, and not have to think to hard about anything in particular. With the warm summer breezes rolling back in after the harsh storm, and the temperature settling on something absolutely perfect, it was hard to be too fussed about it all.

All work and no play and all that, sure, but being productive came with it's own benefits, right? He was sure he could find some good time to laze around in the sand later on, anyhow. The day was young, and he was in no rush to go through it any faster than he absolutely needed to. ]

((OOC: i tried to leave these all as open-ended as possible, anyone can interact! :D i'm also down for any other ideas for this TDM (especially the mermaid one), so if anyone's looking for anything in particular, shoot me a message through discord shrimpwizard#3867!))

A - Water Clean Up

[In a fortunate bit of grace from the universe, Angeal had managed to evade being caught up in the storm, and had only really worried about the damage that could be done to the Banora White trees plus their own home. But Banora itself was no stranger to such things, and so he has some experience in preparing their little orchard alongside Gen so that it could weather through, well, the weather.]

[And it's worked out pretty well, as it turns out. Meaning he can expand his attention outwards, to more of the mess that happened everywhere else.]

[There's clearly more than a few people who are capable of cleaning up on the shore, but things getting lost out to sea - getting tangled up in the sea life, hurting the local mermaid population - is what has Angeal's concern. So he grabs one of the rafts, grabs a net, and...]

[Yeah, this man sure is just putting a whole tibetan mastiff, approximately the size of a small horse, onto that raft.]

[Listen, his DTF has to come too.]

[Anyone else staring gets a quirked brow.]

Sorry, raft only seats two.

[Angeal, can you even stay on the water with that dog on there...]

B - Massage Brush

[So, there you are. Maybe you're actively helping with the clean up efforts. Maybe you're just there to stand around and look pretty. Whatever it is you're doing, you just happen to be right near Angeal as he helps scrub down some of the sand and mud covered buildings...]

[And suddenly, there it is. A light tickle, or a teasing and pleasant pressure, there against your skin.]

[Attempting to turn around and catch the culprit just reveals Angeal and his Tibetan Mastiff DTF turned away. Both of them are holding a brush (albeit Bahamutt with it in his mouth). Suspicious...]

C - Mer Problems

[He really should have known better when the mermaids said they wanted to thank him.]

[Because now anyone pass through the newly cleaned beach - the rocky pools especially that flow out to open ocean - may find Angeal, stubbornly keeping a shirt on..... despite the fact that he's mostly in water.]

[Because most of his lower half has been transformed into that of a shark.]

[At least Angeal doesn't seem to have the problem of needing to move to breathe, which is good, because wanderers will find him with a small school of mermaids, talking. Not only with his mouth, but... is that some sort of sign language...?]

- completely unnecessary. I appreciate the thought, but maybe give people a heads up next time. You're sure this is temporary?

[ooc: Angeal has shark teeth and two dicks tucked away in that shark body of his. Just saying. I'm in the game discord, or

trilies], plus just PMing this account.]

Flowers gathered in the morning:

[He woke with the sound of her wings beating against the air still in his ears and, without opening his eyes, he knew everything was different. The power that had thrummed in the background of his very being since he'd breathed his first breath was...not gone, exactly, but quiet. The connection to his realm was broken but, unlike when he'd been captive, he could still feel the ghost of it against his mind. He was no longer it's master and...and he was okay with that. He'd left behind everything that his self would need. He'd left of his own free will.

He hadn't actually expected to wake up. Trust his sister to find a way to keep him around. He almost sent a grateful thought in her direction, but then he was up and moving around and hearing the explanation of the place he'd found himself in and... He sighed. Trust his sister to find a way to prank him even now.

Steadfastly ignoring the raven that kept hopping after him or the state of his undress, Dream forced himself to get up to face this new world with all the composure he could muster. This place wasn't his realm. He was a guest here. The least he could do was refrain from insulting his host.

Right?]

The kind you chase:

[The storm wasn't the worst he'd been in, but his lack of cloak forced his hand when it came to exploring his new home. Wandering around in rather impressive winds in nothing but a pair of jeans was probably not his best option, especially considering that he was also barefoot. Wading through water that he couldn't see through was just asking to step on something sharp and while that would have never been an issue before, he didn't want to find out if he could suddenly be injured on something like a half submerged rusty pipe.

Much better to just find an empty space that he could call his own and wait out the rain until he could explore properly. At least, that was the idea. He hadn't exactly factored in the fact that the empty space leaked about as much as a sieve. Even inside, he still managed to get sopping wet as he moved from leak to leak, finding things that could be repurposed to catch the rain. And if he was a little less unpleasant to the raven who insisted that she was there to help him, well...no one was there to see it. He certainly wasn't going to be entertaining people in a flooded building, after all.

But later? Once the sun had set and he'd finally dropped into an oversized armchair that was shoved out of the way of the worst of the leaks... Well, it was practically second nature to roam through the dreams of the people around him. And shapechanging was just as easy, right? So really, it was no wonder that he ended up in the form of a rather oversized black cat, strolling through the dreams of strangers.

Idle hands:

[If Merv Pumpkinhead could see him now, there would be no doubt that the old scarecrow would have busted his sticks laughing. Dream cut quite the figure in the bright after storm sun, all pale skin and wild black hair, lips pursed in far too much concentration as he worked at scrubbing sand and salt from siding. It was clear to anyone that he was not a man who was used to such work, though he was quick to learn and eager for something to do after the many days of being stuck inside.

Someone should probably take pity on the man, however, and tell him that using a soft finishing brush to scrub off the dried mess was going to take forever and a year.

welcome back/into the storm

[Hello again, Amani, it's been a little while! While technically Claude has only been aged about a year, he certainly feels a lot older. War and leadership will do that to you...

It wouldn't be surprising to mistake him for a new arrival, even if you know him-- he's just come out of the Hub with a new look, and Claude makes a point of looking like he knows what's going on even when he really doesn't. He's still trying to make sense of where his two sets of memories converge, and honestly? He just wants to get back to his apartment here, the storm be damned.

Maybe you catch him before he heads out of the main hub, or maybe you're also an idiot who headed out into the wind and rain for your own stubborn reasons.]

something fishy

[Well, what self-respecting too curious for his own good guy would pass up this opportunity? Claude has definitely smooched a mermaid, and spent the better part of a few hours exploring... now he's lounging in the sand near the shore, his very eye-catching golden tail shining in the light.

He's quick to give a jaunty wave and a wink if approached.] Hey there. Interested in a swim?

[ooc: if you'd like to avoid spoilers for Three Hopes/Golden Wildfire please let me know! i'll keep them to a minimum as much as possible at first]

Edited 2022-08-28 05:47 (UTC)

Hub/Storm

...right. Okay.

So this has all gotta be bullshit.

They'd been given the introduction from the apparent master of this place, of course, but after their initial spike of fear and distress skepticism set in. Aside from the myriad reasons that what the Peacekeeper claimed simply couldn't be true, the idea that...'peaceful relations' was so important to the reconstruction of the universe was completely ludicrous. Something else was at play here, but hells if they could figure out what.

G'rhyf spent a bit of time poking around the grounds, quietly judging the dilapidated state of the place, before finally settling in at the bar to wait out the storm outside. It looks nasty, and they're glad that the windows and roof seem to at least be holding up. Seated near a window and watching the rain spatter against the glass, they nurse a glass with something bright red and fruity in it while their tail swishes back and forth behind them. They seem to be deep in thought...though judging from the subtle shift of their posture, they may be getting a bit distracted.

Clean Up

Once the storm has passed, G'rhyf is more than willing to help clear the debris left behind. Combing up and down the beach for the easy bits and pieces takes a while, but there's a lot out floating in the waves still. So they take a raft, and...start...swimming it out? Wait, they didn't even grab a paddle?

They grab debris and toss it up onto the raft as they swim around, seemingly unbothered by the effort of hauling so much weight along with them. Eventually they notice something under the water, and dive down...

...

...

...they're gonna come back up, right?

(( ooc: G'rhyf is coming from the end of 6.0, so please let me know if you need to avoid spoilers!! ))

i. need a break from the weather?

Rain and storms were a part of the cycle of nature, but Keyleth had some experience in a realm like this. Well, about 30 years ago, give or take, but nevermind! Anyway she knew better than to trust something like this was natural and without some kind of unwanted effect, and while she knew she couldn't stop it entirely, she could try to calm it in places. Anyone wandering around the Grasslands would find a strange, circular area of complete calm, blue skies and soft breezes at a five mile radius, and, if they happened to investigate it enough, find a woman with slightly pointed ears peeking out from a long fall of red hair perched happily in a field, growing a tiny clutch of bright red tulips next to her. One couldn't assume she was the source of it, of course, unless they were very good at guessing where the exact center of the calm was, but there she was all the same. "Hello," she called to anyone nearby, waving cheerfully. "Would you like a flower?"

ii. clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere

Well this was a mess, huh? But it was fine, she liked helping out! Like, she wished these weird sex realms would just ask her if she wanted to hang out for a while instead of just grabbing her from Exandria, but that was the way of powerful realm owning beings. As she worked, Keyleth mostly stayed in her earth and water elemental forms, either using her strength to haul a mess on land or gather up the debris in the water, but occasionally she'd take a break and shift back to her own form of a tall, willowy half-elf. She'd beam a smile, wringing the water out of the heavy mass of her hair or brushing dust and debris off of her pants. "Hey there! Uh. Working hard or hardly working?" Why yes she was, even after all this time, a very awkward little duck.

I.Where the Music Meets the Ocean

Lazard finds himself near the beach, not long after the storms. There's still rain water in pools on the concrete and perhaps a little of that inhibition lower effects are still present. This early on there are so many larger pieces of debris and such blocking things that there's not a lot of point in cleaning up the smaller stuff just yet. And Lazard is, unlike pretty much everyone else from his world, not at all built for moving furniture or half-collapsed pieces of buildings.

So one can find him sitting on some scrap wood on the wet sand, a brand new resonator guitar in hand, picking out rolling tunes that match the still ominous sky, even if the storm has clearly blown itself out. Even the occasional person that might have caught him playing at Rosie's before he got too self-conscious and stopped would not have ever heard him sing. But the longer he sits out in the damp air, on the wet sand, eventually one might hear a particular favoriteor two from him.

II.Into the Horizon

Once there's less risk of falling debris Lazard does his fair share of helping with the clean up. When he pauses for breaks however it is done so reclining on the gleaming hood of a meticulously tended Formula 400 Firebird. There was even still a pack of cigarettes in the glovebox so you might just catch him smoking as he admires the views.

And if you're brave enough to approach him while he's getting into said vehicle... maybe he'll give you a ride.

III. Let Sky Touch Sea

Once the clean-up is largely complete Lazard is... no small bit embarrassed by the very public playing and singing and even moreso by the mermaids trying to insist they thank him properly if he just comes a little closer. Perhaps you get to witness the way he gets flustered and tries to insist that he does not need kisses as repayment. Or, even more entertaining the fact that for all the flustering he just sighs and looks terribly exasperated when he becomes a sort of mer.... snake? immediately thereafter.

Whether you witness it or not, there is sure a rather disappointed blond coiled up in the shallows, adjusting his glasses with a frown. "You'd think they could at least adjust my eyesight if they're going to all this trouble."

What if he drops them?!

☽•The Booth of Truth•☾

[It was strange for Bronwyn to find themself with their psychic abilities so clouded. At first they thought it was the stress of a new environment, as that often suppressed their power, but it soon came to their attention that it was the environment itself that put limitations on them. How ominous--- what was it that the powers that be here didn't want them to see?

Still, there were definitely people who were here longer who had not come to any serious harm. Probably best to just play the situation by ear, see what came of it.

Now to figure out what to do?

In lieu of jumping right in to seeking out "peaceful interactions", Bronwyn elected to set up a little wooden booth on the beach with some materials they'd found lying around and a little bit of magic (thank goodness they still had that!). A fortune teller and psychic therapist by trade, perhaps a bit of guidance would do their new neighbors some good and help them break the ice! And who knows? Maybe if one of them feels particularly grateful, they can earn a few stamps in the process.]

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

☽•Clean-Up Crew: Air Support•☾

[Helping was, without a doubt, one of Bronwyn's favorite activities. And with their impressive size and ability to fly, it was only natural that they'd be useful in this situation. So useful they were, jumping right in and grabbing one of the spin brushes before flying off in search of ways to assist.

Coming across someone who was already scrubbing the lower floor of a building by the shore, they walked up and offered a wave to the stranger.]

Hello there! Can I give you a hand with this?

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

☽•To Weather the Storm•☾

[Well, this was one way to start out their stay in this strange new world.

No sooner had they gotten a good distance away from the main hub to begin exploring their new environment and begin looking for a place to stay, it began absolutely pouring rain seemingly out of nowhere. And anyone who knows a little about moth wings could tell you that they're made of scales--- scales which stick together and even pull away from the skin painfully if allowed to get too wet. A little drizzle was harmless, but rain like this? Bronwyn could get really hurt out here!

Anxiously, they found whatever bit of awning or ledge that they could squeeze their huge body under, folding their wings tightly and doing their best to huddle away from leaks and drips that threatened the integrity of their wings. Hopefully someone would come along with a tarp or a shield or something and be willing to help them get to the nearest building.]

STORM

It seemed like the whole thing began almost in an instant. Byleth is no stranger to watching the weather, but this? This snuck up on him almost completely. While the wind buffeting him was already enough, the rain makes visibility nearly zero.

It seems like almost dumb luck that he finds one of the cabanas which he quickly shuffles into. Even as he shuts the door, he can hear it rattling against his back. He sighs, breathing out slowly and evenly, scraping his wet bangs from his eyes. He peers around... it doesn't seem like anyone is in this one... but just to be sure;

"Hello?"

COLECANTH

The whole. Mermaid thing had been a complete surprise, but not an unpleasant one. It comes with a strange sense of peace and levity too, which he can't really complain about. His form is so different than the others he saw. So many of them are sleek and agile, and while he is agile, he's definitely not sleek. Looking down at his fins that almost seem like the beginnings of legs, and the way his scales are mottled gray and white. It's a bit odd, but pretty in a strange way. Unique. He's content to glide along the shore, and and out of the estuaries and exploring the beauty of the reef. The latter is most fascinating.

He's only ever seen pictures like these in books, and even then, the illustrations were not quite accurate. Nowhere near as vibrant and varied as this.

When he spots someone on the shore, he lifts his arm in greeting.

"Hey! Come check out this weird rock!"

I Arrival

He's still reeling from the new information, laughing off the Peacekeeper's offer to try to "fix" whatever was going on with him and making for the door. Damn thing doesn't seem to know what to do with the Power of Kings any more than he does. Great.

Of course, he staggers out into the streets and is left looking at the disaster left by the storm and in some ways it is so similar to the destruction wrought by the Empire that he nearly hits his knees again. Exhaustion weighing heavily on him and seeing another place, another world? falling apart at the seams just makes it feel like an endless uphill battle. Especially when raw power still courses through him, red and violet glowing angrily in his veins, small fissures in the skin of his bare arm as the power eats at him.

"Vilg." A hiss of Galahdian as he steps out of the street, lowering himself gingerly down to the stoop of a random building, looking around and shaking his head. Give him a minute. He'll get up and get ~~a drink~~ started soon. "Just don't stop, does it?"

II Clean Up

Look, Nyx is good at a lot of things. Cleaning? Not on that list. Mmm nope. Not at all. He's usually the one making messes not fixing them.

Still he can at least help with the whole getting shit off roofs part of things. It might not be coming down neatly but it'll... be down? Perhaps you catch a flash of blue crackling light, the sound of shattering glass, as he disappears mid jump, flashing back into existence in another burst of light as he catches his kukri and finishes the movement... only now a good three stories up on some balcony. The blade returns to the holster at the small of his back and then he's reaching out to start untangling a fallen tree from the iron railing of the balcony itself.

"Head's up!!" Wouldn't want anyone to get hit by falling debris.

III. Swimming

"Look, it's not that I don't appreciate the offer." Nyx is saying to group of mermaids, some of them staring at him in fascination. Especially now that he's down to a tee shirt that isn't torn half to shreds or burnt away (much) instead of the tattered uniform jacket that lays discarded some way up the beach. "I don't know what to do with the powers I got from the last guy I helped out."

A vague gesture at his glowing, ashy arm. One of the mermaids nods, like that makes sense, but the others don't seem to see what that has to do with anything. "And I dunno what all of this would do in the water. Not that I don't want to go swimming, mind you. I haven't been in the ocean in... too long."

Which only encourages one of them to try to take his hand (the not sort-of-on-fire one) like she might drag him in. Nyx digs in his heels of course, on principle, but he doesn't want to hurt anyone so he casts a glance around, silvery gaze gleaming softly purple as he looks for someone that might be able to help him explain.

[prompts below!]

-JUST KEEP SWIMMING-

[There’s a new-ish version of Felix on the beach. He’s a few years younger, and has longer hair in a high ponytail. He’s also dressed for winter combat, in full teal and blue Fraldarius-noble coat with fur-trimmed cape, boots, and gloves.]

[He looks like he’s overheating in all those clothes. Yet he still wears them. He’s used to oceans-- Fraldarius territory has mostly beachfront at its edges-- but the climate was nothing like this. He's trudging awkwardly through loose sand looking for… someone? He pauses to swipe sweat from his forehead with a gloved hand, but in that moment catches sight of the slippery finned figure of a mermaid in the shallows. The being calls to him while he’s still comprehending what he’s seeing, offering a kiss that will grant him--]

--Not interested.

[He curses and scowls, turning to leave.]

-SKIMMER NETS-

[This sounds like a good workout to Felix’s training-addled brain. So he's wading in the water, shirtless and bootless, pants rolled up to his knees. He's tossing the net with excess, not even picking up much with it but he seems to be enjoying himself. Good workout for the arms, right?]

vamo' alla flamenco; refreshments

Okay, so he's never seen a part of Cosmos' realm that looked anything like this before, and it sure isn't anywhere else he's ever been, but there's gotta be an explanation that makes more sense than sorry, you're all dead. Zidane's not going to accept that without incontrovertible proof. Besides, what kind of afterlife has a bar in it?

And a bar is a great place to meet people, so he heads inside to take a look around. He orders a slice of cake and a drink - whatever the bartender recommends - and then hops nimbly up to perch on the bar near the closest of his fellow customers, whom he's never seen in his life. Said customer may be surprised to find that this little man has a monkey tail.

"Say, haven't we met somewhere before?"

you don't need a reason to help people; clean-up crew

As soon as Zidane heard there was a call for people to help clean up the beach and the water after the storm, he headed down there to lend a hand. Find him lying back on a raft in the shallows with his head pillowed on his hands, dipping bare feet and his tail in the water; scooping up debris out of the water with a net; or zooming through the air with a water-powered jetpack, laughing and whooping with glee. He doesn't have perfect control over it, though, so if he passes over you and accidentally drenches you with his water jets...whoops, sorry!

in over his head, literally; just keep swimming

Okay, so Zidane's kind of a flirt sometimes. Okay, more than kind of. Okay, all the time. So sue him, it's fun and pretty people should know they're pretty! He might have bitten off a little more than he can chew this time, though, because he's just doing a little harmless flirting with these grateful mermaids and the next thing he knows, he's got a fish tail instead of his own and the mermaids are dragging him underwater to wherever they live because apparently they really like him and they've decided to keep him.

And yes, this is very pleasant, but it's also a lot and he really doesn't want to stay down here...maybe another temporary merperson who happens to be passing by could give him a hand getting away from them? Or maybe someone on the shore happens to see them drag him off and uses one of those nets in an attempt to rescue him?

wildcard

[Hit me with whatever!

Note: Zidane's canon point is somewhere in the middle of Dissidia 012, which in turn comes after the end of FFIX, so he's at least 18 here.]

Edited 2022-09-05 23:36 (UTC)

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QUESTIONS/FEEDBACK

Caspar von Bergliez | Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Azure Moon)

Arthur Morgan | Red Dead Redemption 2 (High Honor)