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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[prompts below!]

This is hardly Felix's first encounter with the mermaids, but at least the first time they only gave him the ability to breathe underwater, not the whole half-fish transformation that now goes with it. He's already seen pretty much everything he needs to that's in the ocean here, so he just wants to go home. Too bad that's impossible because he can't get out of the water.

That's not even the worst part of all this, though.

No, the worst part is that some irresponsible fool left one of those huge nets lying around, and they're designed to be nigh-invisible underwater so fish won't see them coming, should anyone want to fish with one. Well, Felix isn't a fish, but he might as well be when a strong current brings him into contact with the net and before he can disentangle himself, an underwater wave sends him and the net both tumbling toward the shore. By the time the wave is finished with him, he's too completely entangled to effectively swim.

It's not long before he's washing up onto the beach, still trapped in the net and without his sword, which is with his clothes and other belongings further up the beach. He's left to mostly just struggle uselessly until someone comes along, at which point he aims a furious glare at them ~~to hide how freaked out he is~~ and calls out:

"Hey! Don't just stand there, untangle this thing!"

Fortunately, Felix isn't left waiting long. Sänger's taken a habit of trying to clean up the beach a bit, but he quickly drops his net aside in order to assist the struggling lad. Thankfully, concern outweighs the urge to marvel at how handsome he is.

"Okay, just-- give me a moment..."

Figures a net that huge could scoop up a person - but Sänger can't lift the net with Felix in it. With a slight click of his tongue over how troublesome this situation is, he starts the meticulous task of untangling Felix from the mess of netting. Gloved hands work skillfully but carefully, fingers often slipping between the net's strands to make sure that if anything pulls where he's trying to loosen it, it pulls on his own hand first. Hopefully. He also does his best to avoid touching Felix more than necessary for his safety - a loud (distressed?) person like this might not want anything like that.

"Are you injured, sir?"

Pink eyes flick back up briefly to meet Felix's own when he asks the question, but then returns his gaze to what he's working on. Like this, the sunlight glinting off the waves can sometimes make the patch of iridescent scales on his cheek more noticeable.

Corrin, the thoughtful little sprout he is, has been working as hard as he can to clear the beach of debris. On this day for cleanup duty, he brought Yato along with him just in case anything needed cutting down for easier removal. Like, you know. Ye Olde mindset. I'm going to help tidy up so my sword might be useful! And lo and behold, it seems as though he can use it to help out after all.

He gasps when he hears a cry for help, and spots a merman wriggling helplessly while bound in a net. "Oh!" Corrin doesn't think twice before he is already sprinting over to offer his assistance. "Don't worry! I'll help you!" He crouches down in the sand to survey the damage and - wow, he really is muddled up there.

"Hold still." It's a firm command, but he must ensure that he doesn't take one of Felix's limbs off by mistake. Corrin reaches behind himself and unsheathes Yato from the scabbard on his back, while a swirl of pink fire engulfs the blade. With a flaming toothed sword against rope, there is only one winner here. Gripping a fistful of net, Yato's teeth cut and singe seamlessly through it in one fell sweep. Corrin thrusts his weapon down in the sand, before he drags the net off Felix's body and frees him. Now there's a familiar face!

"Oh, hi, Felix. That was quite a pickle you were in, wasn't it? You're free now, you can go back to enjoying being a merman!"

Felix is no stranger to dismal weather. Faerghus experiences almost nothing but dismal weather. Too much sunshine annoys him. So when the skies turn dark and threaten a storm, he doesn't think much of it as he heads out the door.

He's halfway to Annette's place when the clouds decide it's time to start raining on him. He doesn't even really mind, just pulling up his hood and continuing his trip. He's pretty soaked by the time he gets there, but honestly it's kind of a nice reprieve from the persistent hot weather lately.

So he sounds perfectly at ease when he knocks on the door and says, "Annette? It's me."

Annette wasn't expecting company today. How could she, in weather like this? Until much to her surprise, there's a knock at the door, and a voice she would recognise anywhere on the other side of it.

"Felix!" She calls, immediately startled upon the realisation that he is out there in the pouring rain. Without wasting a moment, she throws the door open to her cottage and drags him inside by the arm. Before he can receive a proper greeting from her, she is dashing around her house to grab towels, dry clothes and cleaning essentials.

"I should hope this is an emergency! You should know better than to go patrolling out in a storm like this one," The firmness in her voice is wrapped with care, she promises. "Honestly! It's terrible outside. Just look at you! You're ..." Annette stops moving and- oh, my. Please excuse the pause and bright blush creeping on her cheeks while she just ... takes him in a moment. "... Soaked." Well, she's certainly blushing now. Her blue eyes ogle his exposed strong arms and the way his wet sleeveless hoodie clings to his figure. Mmmm ... his strong, gorgeous figure, and-- No! Get it together, Annie! You aren't here to ogle him. You must find out what he wants first!

"So," She awkwardly brings a fist to her mouth and coughs. Try as she might, her cheeks are still tickled pink. "What can I ... do for you? Asides from removing your clothes." To get dry again, Felix! Don't let your mind go south! "I can't have you catching a cold on me, can I?"

The realization isn't new - realizing that he's actually...happy, here. More or less. He's still Felix, so he's bound to be irritable sometimes and generally sharp with everyone, but on the whole?

Things are good.

That thought has led to others. Like...is Sylvain happy, too? Sure, he seems it, and Felix knows the difference between his fake cheer and real smiles, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's truly happy with his life. Or afterlife, or whatever. It doesn't mean he's content, or has learned to see himself the way Felix sees him. Could Felix be doing more to make him happier? That's not exactly Felix's wheelhouse. His role in any relationship is usually one of constructive opposition or blunt encouragement, trying to help his friends and lovers succeed and improve themselves and their situations. He doesn't know how to make someone happy.

So what's he supposed to do when that's what he wants?

Then came that day in the caves with Dimitri, when the lake decided to dredge up his greatest secret desire, which he hadn't even consciously considered until that moment. And ever since then, he hasn't been able to get it out of his mind. But...there's no way Sylvain of all people would agree to that. He's spent his whole life hating and resenting the idea. Felix is frankly terrified to bring it up - he's spent his whole life expecting anything good to fall apart abruptly and disastrously at any moment if he doesn't protect it with everything he has, and he doesn't want to speed up the process by spooking Sylvain like a skittish horse. Besides, it's not necessary, right? What difference would it make? Not like their noble houses matter here, or their legal status, or anything like that. There are no societal expectations - hell, there isn't even any society to have any, even if either of them gave a shit, which they don't and never have.

So why is this still on his mind? Why is this what his heart apparently, deep down, wants?

He could probably engage in some soul searching and come up with an answer eventually, but he hates soul searching and is terrible at it, besides. So he doesn't bother, and he doesn't mention anything to Sylvain, and it's fine. He should just forget about it.

But he gets caught in the rain on the way home from the training grounds one day, and he finds his thoughts circling the idea again. And this time, he has a hard time coming up with any reasons not to just do it already. Since when has he been the hesitant sort? He loathes hesitation. Whatever worries he's had are merely excuses, in the end. He knows it's what he truly desires, so what the hell is he waiting for?

And once he's asked himself the question, he doesn't want to wait another minute. Not another second. He wants to do it right now, before he loses this burst of confidence and motivation. Which is why he arrives at their home sopping wet and out of breath, having run all the way here. His hair is a mess plastered to his head and face, and he drips puddles of rainwater all over the place when he shoves open the door and strides inside like a man on a mission.

"Sylvain!" he calls into the house, not wanting to track water and mud everywhere - mostly because he knows Sylvain will complain if he does. "Come here, hurry up."

Felix has been gone awhile, but that's not so unusual. The guy would train sun up to to sunset everyday if Sylvain didn't make him relax sometimes, even in a dead world. While ridiculous, it's so very Felix that he can never really be bothered. He'd never want Felix to change who he is. He's loved him his whole life, and there's good reason for that.

So he doesn't start worrying until the skies open up. He'd been out in the yard with his horse when the storm had started rolling over. And the sudden downpour had caught him a bit by surprise. Thankfully, a war horse is a well trained beast, and she'd followed Sylvain back to her small barn without fuss. Still, he's managed to get soaked upon coming in. Yet his mind goes to Felix, and frets like a hen over her chicks. Is he alright? He'll catch a cold out there. The training grounds are only partially covered, after all, and it certainly wouldn't halt Felix. Can he even get sick here? Is it dangerous? Felix- where's Felix- and that's when he realizes he's damn near frantic... over rain...

"The hell is wrong with me?" he muses to himself aloud as he's toweling his hair off. Felix is a grown man, he'll be fine- but what if he isn't- no, stop it. Stop worrying.

It's just that, well, everything really seems to focus down to the fact Felix isn't right next to him. And that feels wrong. So wrong, that he thinks he might go fetch him.

Except, right on cue, the door flings open, and Felix's voice reaches him.

"Hang on, I'm coming," he calls back, towel over his shoulders as he rushes to the front of the house. "Felix, you- oh damn, you're soaked." Something inside him settles just seeing him now. But why is he so out of breath? And what is that almost manic look in his eyes?

"You okay, Fe?" Sylvain asks, even as he draws close to hand the other his towel.

"What?" Felix is so hyperfocused on his goal that for a moment he can't even fathom why Sylvain's saying these things. He takes the towel and looks at it like he can't comprehend what it is for a moment, and then shakes his head impatiently and slings the towel over his shoulders without drying a single thing. "Forget about that. Here. Take this."

He reaches down to detach a leather sheath from his belt, containing a stone hunting dagger made of blue chalcedony, and holds it out to Sylvain.

He's gonna get the whole foyer wet- but then a dagger is held out to him, and now its Sylvain's turn to be dumbstruck.

Weapons like these, beautiful and dangerous, have always been treasured gifts in Faerghus since the time of Loog and his knights. Maybe even further back. Perhaps between friends and family they're the deepest gift of admiration and love one can show. But he and Felix are more than friends, which makes a dagger like this-

"Felix I-" Sylvain swallows hard, the realization hitting him like a brick to the head by the sheer way it rattles his brain. What the hell else could this mean? He doesn't even realize how brightly he's smiling when he takes the stone blade in hand, and clutches it tightly. "You... you're proposing?"

Felix watches understanding dawn on Sylvain's face, and for the first time since the rain started to fall, he feels his insides twist up with apprehension. It's one thing to cast aside his inhibitions and decide he's going to take the plunge. It's another entirely to barrel straight past the point of no return and then wait. Waiting is one of Felix's least favorite things to begin with; at a time like this, it's nearly unbearable, even if it's only a few seconds. Too late to take it back if Sylvain hates the idea. And what if he does? What if--

But then Sylvain takes the dagger, and he smiles.

Felix has seen every kind of smile Sylvain has. False ones, meaningless ones, warm ones, soft ones, the wicked grins and the outright laughter. But it's so rare, especially ever since the academy, to see a smile like this, radiant and simple and full of pure happiness, and it might be the most beautiful thing Felix has ever seen in his life. Even he can't find a way to convince himself this is any kind of negative reaction, and he's suddenly full of a strange, buzzing energy that translates to a kind of intense focus, as he meets Sylvain's gaze and tries to hold the eye contact for once.

"I am." He opens his mouth again to say more, but pauses when he realizes he has no idea whatsoever what else to say. "...I...um..." His gaze starts to waver as he becomes more uncertain, but--

--no, wait, he's got it. He reaches out to grab Sylvain's free hand. "Sylvain, I want to make you another promise. One that goes beyond our deaths. I don't...I don't ever want to find out what being without you would do to me, even in the afterlife or with the Goddess or whatever. And I'll never abandon you. I swear it. So yes. Marry me. Please."

"Felix..." Sylvain breathes his name almost reverently, watching a wide swath of emotions cross Felix in split-second intervals. And then he's making Sylvain a promise that the redhead himself has quietly wished for all his life whether he's realized it or not. That death isn't the only thing they'd weather together. That life could be theirs too.

"Fe..." Again, said softly, like a prayer. He squeezes Felix's hand tight, and suddenly yanks him close in a crushing hug. His whole body comes over Felix's, as if he can shield Felix from the whole world, could only be his for that small moment where everything in his life comes to a singular point. It's always had Felix in it. Always.

"Yes," he breathes out shakily, "yes. Of course I will."

The way Sylvain says his name brings a bit of warmth to Felix's cheeks, a faint brush of pink. The buzzing in his veins makes him itch to shake the redhead by the shoulders until an answer falls out, but he just waits instead.

Despite himself, when the answer finally comes, it feels like plunging into an ocean of relief, a plunge so powerful that he's glad Sylvain's holding him so tightly so he doesn't sway on his feet. He's glad for plenty of other reasons, too, and for once, he has absolutely no complaints about so much blatant affection. He wraps his arms around Sylvain in return with a fierce certainty. He would gladly give up the world if it meant keeping Sylvain by his side forever.

And Sylvain says of course. Of course he will. As if this has just been waiting to happen since they were children, a foregone conclusion that Felix honestly feels a little stupid for having worried so much about. In retrospect, what else could ever have felt right? And maybe, subconsciously, there's a bit more desperation to cling to Sylvain and never let go than there was even back during the war, knowing that there's a version of himself who killed this man with his own hands and then failed to follow him into death.

Felix will never, never let anything like that happen to them. He'll fight the whole world and the Goddess herself if he has to, to make sure of it.

It takes him a moment to find his voice again, and when he does, it's thick with emotion. "...good. I love you, Sylvain. More than anything."

Claude doesn't exactly mean to be out in the rain, but it doesn't bother him. It's just rain, right? He should really know better than that by now, considering how consistent the weather usually is. Still, he doesn't feel suddenly horny so it's probably fine! Probably.

He's been alternating where he stays recently, either at his own house or at the house where Byleth and everyone tend to be. The latter is where he was before he got all rained on, so he decides to head back there. He's not really expecting to run into anyone, but there's always the possibility, right?

He encounters Felix just outside the door, also rained on.

"Looks like we both got an impromptu bath today, huh?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

TDM #7

Felix Fraldarius (Azure Moon) | Fire Emblem: Three Houses | OTA & closed

just keep swimming - OTA

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stormy weather - closed to Annette

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rainy revelations - closed to Sylvain

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this is the stupidest setup, forgive me