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

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[Well, Kuja certainly has the kind of way with words that of course Genesis would admire. Still something of a surprise that it would get directed towards him, considering it's a bit of a difference from their first encounter.]

[It's taken a couple of months, but... Perhaps things with him and Genesis really did get talked out.]

[...Angeal has no idea it took Kuja being in mortal danger and Genesis going absolutely snakeshit over the whole matter for feelings to be properly displayed, on account of dealing with his own issues, like being called out by a blond twink after getting his leg mauled. He saw the magic! But he didn't see the eye of the storm for that magic.]

[Angeal's eyes follow the flutter and curve of that long tail, skillfully flexible in a way that would feel awkward to do in his own changed body. He has to admit, it makes for quite a sight.]

Does it count as ulterior motive when I mainly want to get along with you? [For reasons he had hoped were obvious, all the way during that party.] If I really wanted an ulterior motive, I'd have had my camera on me.

Or at least more of the photo albums. I never got a chance to show you the scenery photographs, and I'm not going to ruin them in salt water.

I suppose any motive at all beyond simply feeling the sentiment and wishing to express it aloud would technically qualify as 'ulterior'. And such motives needn't be sinister, certainly. Although... [He chuckles.] I do believe that secrecy is key to an ulterior motive. So I suppose by your declaring it, you've made it something else. A goal, perhaps?

[He continues to absently fan himself with his tail. Is it accomplishing anything like the purpose of a fan underwater, or is it purely for aesthetic effect? Only Kuja knows.]

I'd like to get along with you, as well, if we're being honest. Partly, of course, for Genesis' sake...and, of course, on his recommendation as well. With all the similarities he and I share, if he sees so much in you, then that carries certain inescapable implications for myself. Though I have reasons of my own to take an interest in you.

[He sighs.] I suppose an apology for my posturing at the party is...overdue. I was far too self-satisfied in my relationship with Genesis, and imagined my position supreme. I won't pretend that if I were Genesis' soulmate, and you gave yourself such airs before me, I'd have been far less charitable about putting you in your place. I wonder if I could have reined myself in, even for his sake. But you were...restrained. One might even call it kind. Even if you were merely humoring him, and my own benefit was a mere afterthought...it made an unpleasant situation a bit more bearable, and I thank you.

For that, and other reasons...I'd also like to know you better. [He looks faintly amused.] Though I wonder what you'd want your camera for, in regards to your own motives.

[You know, maybe it just says something about the kind of life that he'd lived before - well, before a lot of things, not the least of them dying, and going rogue before that, but it's a surprise to hear someone actually apologize to him just... because. Nothing behind it. Just an acknowledgment of a mess up.]

[Although the details kind of have him shaking his head, which causes him to reach up and push his hair away. Stupid water, making things float...]

Hearing someone else call me his soulmate so plainly is kind of strange, if I'm allowed to be perfectly upfront about it.

But there were a few things leading to that consideration you're attributing to me, a couple which I suppose you nailed. Try not to think too much on it, or I'll start to get bashful.

[Said in the manner of someone who has not been bashful for at least a solid decade, if not more.]

Lets just say, I think you're probably my type on some level, even if that's a surprise to me as much as anything else. [He blames Genesis for that.] As for my camera, I like taking photographs.

I brought it up originally because it would seem like the sort of thing you'd like. [He rolls his shoulders in a shrug, still drifting a bit through the water. Floating doesn't seem like a thing he should just content himself with; this body is better for active swimming.] Unlike Genesis, I'm not particularly artistic or anything... So that's the closest thing I can think of that'd interest you.

[Kuja laughs, half covering his mouth with the back of one hand.] Just as Genesis' finding you so appealing carries implications for me...indeed, the reverse is likely true as well. If you have been so utterly captivated by him as it would seem...I would not seek to compete with my phoenix, especially in an arena where I could only lose, but for the sake of my pride, I would certainly hope you find those commonalities we share similarly attractive.

[He tilts his head, that amused smile still on his lips. Then, with an adroit flick of his tail, he begins swimming through the water again, lazily circling Angeal. He's far too delicate for this gesture to seem predatory, but there's an intent there nonetheless - a tease, perhaps, or a wordless invitation.] Though I'm flattered you'd seek to indulge my tastes, I wonder if you have truly considered the depth of these implications we speak of. You're not particularly artistic, you say, and so you try to engage me through what creative pursuits you enjoy...but I suspect you never needed such things to appeal to Genesis so. So I wonder... [While Kuja's body isn't all that close to Angeal, those gauzy fins of his are voluminous enough that one brushes against Angeal as he circles. It's genuinely difficult to say if it was intentional - it's a lot of fins to deal with, and how well Kuja can control them after just a few hours is arguable - but Kuja doesn't flinch back from the contact in either case.] Why would you imagine it would be a requirement with me? There is such a phenomenon as the attraction of opposites.

[Having completed a languid circuit of Angeal, Kuja drifts to a stop in front of him again. A hand pushes that mass of long, floating hair casually away from ending up in his face. His hair is a dramatic mane even in the open air, but somehow it manages to looks even thicker and heavier in the water, despite not being affected by gravity much at all at the moment. Then he folds his arms over his chest - not so much defiant or closed off, so much as the casual imperiousness of a (dramatic) man making a point.] In what ways do you wish to appeal to me, Angeal? If it is a matter of finding common ground, then if you and Genesis have little, I doubt you and I will find much more. Indeed, having lived on different worlds and not sharing a childhood, we'll no doubt have far less. But we share far more meaningful common ground than mere artistic pursuits, in Genesis himself - and our love for him. If all you wish is for good feeling and understanding between us, then that is clearly already well provided for.

[He smirks a bit.] But if you wish to appeal to me in other ways than that...perhaps no extra effort is required to excite my aesthetic sense. [His gaze flickers briefly over Angeal's body.]

[No, not predatory exactly, but definitely with intent. Angeal knows that sort of thing pretty well, and he can't help the amused quirk to his lips as he lets Kuja get the circuit out. Besides, he supposes he can't really complain. Movement definitely brings out the beset qualities in those long fluttering fins of his.]

Well, while I'm sure that Genesis would absolutely adore it if we did nothing but talk about him all the time... I try to make sure he has a balanced diet.

Too many sweet things, and he'll get bloated.... in the head if nothing else.

[But he's really just teasing here, gaze a little warm even as he says it.]

Besides... I don't want to get to know you just as someone else that Genesis loves. [This time, it's Angeal's turn to swim forward a bit, although he doesn't quite circle Kuja as much as the reverse had happened.] I'd prefer to get to know you.... which I'd normally do through food.

[But Kuja doesn't seem to have an interest - yet - and so Angeal tries to go halfway the other way he knows how.]

[Although... the look over doesn't escape him, and Angeal smirks a bit right back.]

Although it's good to know that I fit your aesthetic sense. I have a feeling that can be a tricky thing to do.

Is food truly that important to getting to know someone? [Kuja arches an eyebrow, gesturing idly with one of those delicate hands while the other rests on...well, either it's still his hip, or it's whatever the equivalent on a merman is. There's smooth scales under his hand, in any case, resting right below where they transition back into the skin of his upper body.] Or is it simply your way of getting to know someone? Regardless of the answer, what is it that you glean through food, beyond someone's quite literal tastes?

[He smirks when Angeal suggests - not incorrectly - that Kuja's sense of aesthetics might be hard to please.] Well, I won't pretend otherwise. But as I said...opposites attract. In some cases I desire someone as refined as myself, and in that I expect is where Genesis and I appeal to each other...but, as he clearly does, I too find myself sometimes drawn to those with a...rougher edge. Though men such as Genesis and I might prize elegance, it isn't everything.

Mm, I have been told I'm a man's man.

[At least, from what the PR department told him, that was a part of his appeal in contrast to Genesis and Sephiroth. Sephiroth - to people who did not know him at all in any way whatsoever - came off as a cool and distant sort, and some liked that. Then there was Genesis, pretty and handsome like someone who belonged on the stage, all confidence.]

[In contrast to those two, someone needed to round it out by being a little more down to earth and rugged. Apparently his hobbies worked out to a nice contrast too, not that Angeal ever knew or cared.]

[Gardening and cooking... Those were things he always liked, and they were what helped keep him stable upon first moving to Midgar.]

[Although speaking of cooking- Angeal raises up one finger with a chuckle.]

You've definitely got me on how it's mostly my way of getting to know someone... But you'd be surprised how what shows about someone when they're at a meal table, or in a kitchen.

For example, you can get an idea of where they're from, depending on the food. What flavors are they used to and that they prefer? What was around the town they grew up in? What's their comfort food, and how do they approach it?

For example.... Banora, my hometown, was a very tropical place. It was hot all year round. [Angeal scoffs a little bit, gills flaring for a moment.] So moving to colder places... I hated it. So whenever it's cold, I always end up making even spicier things than normal.

Warms me up. Clears my sinuses too. [It's not spicy until it burns out all your nose hair.]

An interesting form of study...though you may find me quite troublesome to pin down, in that case. I never 'grew up' at all, in the sense that you mean, and I never had a hometown either. [Kuja looks somewhat thoughtful.] I traveled frequently, and ate rarely...usually only out of curiosity, or as a courtesy when associating with business partners. Many of the parameters you observe in others would either be nonexistent with me, or would certainly mean something far different than you might imagine about me.

I suppose the only useful information I can give you is that most foods I've tried have been those enjoyed by nobility and royalty. Though even that isn't a preference, so much as an observation of the scope of my experiences.

[At the mention of Angeal's being a man's man, Kuja smirks and rakes his eyes over him again.] Well, I suppose popular opinion isn't always wrong.

[Well, you know what, he'll take that once over. Angeal chuckles.]

Well, there's a reason when things become popular, right...?

Anyway, eating rarely save for the occasional rich man's nonsense just means that there's a whole new world that's available for you to dive into, whenever you like. [Angeal smiles.] I mean, you can do and try whatever you like, right? Even if just for fun.

Oh man, that reminds me - [A finger gets raised.] I should have you try a crawdad boil.

[Well, Kuja can't deny that Angeal's suggestion doesn't sound like any food he's ever tried before. Possibly because it sounds like the least elegant thing he's ever heard of. His expression goes dubiously flat.]

A what?

[Oh, what a beautiful expression that is. Angeal's grin gets just a little devious.]

Crawdad. Crawfish. Crayfish. Mud bug. There's lots of names.

They're like tiny little lobsters - like, can fit in your palm tiny. So you're gonna want around thirty pounds of those suckers, at the very least. The fresher the better, although that means cleanin' them out.

[but that's a problem for the cook, of course]

Then, you get a giant ol' stockpot, fill it up a thirds with water, and dump in everything else - your corn, your bay leaves, garlic, seasonings, all that good stuff. Get it to a boil, then shimmer it down for a while, which is around when you toss in the potatoes and your sausages.

After that, you toss in aaaaaaall those crawdads, cook 'em for a while.... and then dump the whole pot down on a big ol' table covered in newspapers.

Grab a crawdad, snap and twist the head off - [he won't say anything about sucking head juices, that seems like it'd be just a little too much] - peel away the shell, and then you just suck it down.

Best taste in the world. Bar none.

[Kuja crosses his arms, expression somewhere between disgusted and doubtful.] You're making that up. [Surely no one would ever eat anything called a mud bug.

Whether Kuja means Angeal just made up the name, or whether he thinks the entire creature is fictitious, is hard to say in context.

The look on his face only gets more and more incredulous as Angeal goes on.] And after this charming display, I suppose you're hosed down and returned to your enclosures?

Edited 2023-05-31 14:16 (UTC)

[Oh, this is beautiful, honestly. Seeing that look on Kuja's face just has Angeal drift even closer with a shark-like grin on him.]

The shell cracking is important to our enrichment, you know.

[He's just fucking around now.]

But you should really try it. It may sound messy, but I can promise you this, it's one of the most delicious things in the world. And maybe you could benefit from a little mess, if I can be so bold.

Bold indeed. [But there's a mischievous glint in Kuja's eye, so it would seem that boldness is paying off.] And just what sort of mess do you imagine I could benefit from, may I ask? Are you strictly referring to food, or are there other things you hunger for?

Well, there's all sorts of messes that you could indulge in. Something that lets you cut loose without a care in the world. Maybe a little cooking, maybe a little eating...

[Angeal circles around him, long fins brushing up against Kuja's scales.]

Maybe a little wrestling.

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TDM #7

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