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TDM #14
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The Lobby.
- 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 have died and so has 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 might be mingling on 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.
- If you're one of the unlucky few whose death required a bit more intensive re-coding to maintain stability in the simulation, you'll instead awaken on a bed in the infirmary. Everything is strikingly white save for the occasional string of vines with lavender growing in bursts to help keep people calm. Whether or not it works seems to be on a case-by-case basis.
While there is active medical staff, the voice of The Peacekeeper is also there to explain the situation in a more delicate manner to these individuals. It's already stressful enough having to have gone through such a violent death, after all!
If characters want more questions answered, they'll need to speak to The Peacekeeper directly. But first, it will encourage socialization in the main hub and hopefully, you'll find someone you recognize to make taking things in a little easier.
WHAT
The fourteenth Amani TDM!
WHEN
February 14th, 2024 (and until the next TDM!)
KINKS OF THE MONTH
★ Foodplay / Feeding
★ Kissing
★ Public Displays of Affection
★ Multiple Orgasms
★ Body Worship
★ Kissing
★ Public Displays of Affection
★ Multiple Orgasms
★ Body Worship
WHAT'S YOUR DTF STATUS?
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 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 new inhabitants 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 nearly 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 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.
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 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 new inhabitants 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 nearly 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 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.
THE SEXY COMPENDIUM
Upon arrival to Amani, new inhabitants will be notified almost immediately of the sexy compendium that's uploaded to their DTF! This compendium lists all of the flora, fauna, unique geography, and miscellaneous items in Amani that might be worth looking at.
This database will update with seasonal highlights or places and items that might follow a theme! For example, the current theme is love for Valentine's Day and dragons for The Year of The Dragon!
While established inhabitants already know about all these things, it can't hurt to be reminded of what this simulated afterlife has to offer!
This database will update with seasonal highlights or places and items that might follow a theme! For example, the current theme is love for Valentine's Day and dragons for The Year of The Dragon!
While established inhabitants already know about all these things, it can't hurt to be reminded of what this simulated afterlife has to offer!
- ★ The Dragon Onsen » At the onsen, there is an outdoor pool set a bit off from the rest of the hot springs that has a dragon statue in the middle. It doesn't look as well-kept as the rest of the place and the water has a strange blue tint to it... Once one steps into this pool and soaks for a couple of minutes, they will change. It may be gradual or instantaneous, some might completely morph or only gain features but everyone will share a similarity: They suddenly look a lot more draconic than they did before. That's right, this spring is for all us dragonfuckers to let loose. It will, as with most things, only be temporary and last no more than a couple of hours after the initial soak. Have fun while it lasts!
★ Heart Jellies » In the shallow waters of Taasunni swim a strange species of jellyfish shaped like hearts. If stung by one of these creatures, the sensation will be pleasant rather than painful. It lingers for a while afterwards and will feel like a low-level electric current running through your body that makes it all tingly and warm.
★ Wyverns » Wyverns are a feral, bipedal lesser cousin to dragonkind. Proud, stubborn, fierce, and intelligent, wyverns are known to be extremely protective--of their territory, members of their social group, and their masters. Highly social and cooperative predators, they nest in the cliffs of Taasunni Beach, and can range far into the Aditus Grasslands to hunt. While most wyverns hunt using sharp talons and fangs or strong tails, a rare few show an innate capacity for magic, capable of churning up cutting winds with their wings or breathing fire or lightning. Those courageous enough to attempt to tame one will find that they are highly perceptive and willful creatures, slow to trust and disinclined to obey any but the most confident and strong of heart. Should anyone successfully earn their respect, however, they can become intensely devoted companions and mounts.
★ Love Blossoms » During the spring, a handful of trees with gorgeous, pink flowers will blossom starting in Novum and expanding throughout a good portion of the simulation. The pollen of these particular flowers are akin to pheromones that will fill one with insatiable desire. (Sex pollen. It's sex pollen.)
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.
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
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!
★ Feel free to check out the sexy compendium and also use whatever is listed there as you like! What's mentioned on the TDM are just suggestions and not only what's available! We want interested players to be able to make their own fun with what Amani has to offer and not feel limited to just the prompts provided here.
★ We are currently at 24/40 slots taken! Anyone wishing to claim a character must have an invite from someone currently in the game and follow the proper rules in place to be accepted into the community!
NAVIGATION
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Or maybe, having heard that Gladio was here well ahead of their actual reunion, Iggy was banking on Gladio's own conclusion before he ever actually saw or talked to him. Which, in a strange way, Gladio is pleased by. Iggy's immediate welcome into any space he occupies is something he'd want any version of Ignis to assume so readily it wouldn't even occur to him to ask.
And if Iggy isn't sure he has a kitchen...well, Gladio wants to let him know he has one. A whole apartment, in fact.
As long as he doesn't toss out any of the contents of the cupboards.The question is mostly to find out whether or not Iggy already knows this."Not a lot of details," he says as he shadows Ignis. "Mostly because I didn't ask for many. The kid was pretty messed up about it, as you can imagine, and I didn't want to push him. And Noct...apparently some weirdness happened with him that blotted out his memories of what happened there, and Prom avoided filling him in for a long time because he didn't want to upset him. I set the kid straight on how he needed to be honest with Noct, let him help him through it at least, so I think that's sorted out now. From what little intel I got, I think it involved a dragon. But from my own personal experience, things like that definitely don't crop up often here, and that might have been a one-off thing. So I don't know if knowing the details of that incident are really going to prepare us for anything that might come in the future, anyway."
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He'd rather take things out ahead of time, neatly, if at all possible.
"If it were something like a dragon, that would have people talking... so I'll inquire elsewhere." If Prompto has just gotten over that discussion with Noctis, Ignis would prefer not to open up old wounds.
That can be a problem for the future. "As for the kitchen matter... It turns out that Noctis and Prompto have taken to living together. To celebrate everyone's good health, I had plans to borrow their kitchen for a short amount of time, so that it would be easier for us to enjoy the food fresh."
...And he leaves it at that, for just a second, inspecting the firmness of some garlic. Gladio's womanizing was quite well known, after all, and Ignis suspects his skill and face match rather well. So he can tell just what his boyfriend was circling around to, with that oh-so innocent inquiry onto what kitchen space he planned on using.
Ignis just won't let him have that so easily.
At least... Not how he'd expect it.
"However, after all the clean up, I suppose I will need a bed to return to."
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At the suggestion of Iggy using Noct's kitchen, Gladio scoffs a little, with a quirk of his lips. "Bold of you to assume two guys who can't and don't cook even have a kitchen," he remarks, "much less one that's both ready and sanitary to use." Actually, they do have one and it's kept clean by magic, both things Gladio knows; it just seems like sketchy logic for Iggy, of all people, to be operating on. But the way he's talking...Gladio thinks Iggy might be having him on on purpose.
So he plays along, in his own way. "Can't imagine where you'd find a bed in this town," he says casually. "Or, at least, can't imagine where you'd find an unoccupied bed in this town."
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But then again, he'd already been prepared to step into a mess, and planned that accordingly. Frankly, he's hoping that Prompt may still be overtaken by caffeine, and that such excess energy can be used to silently judge him into cooperation to put things in the trash. That'll expedite the process.
Now, expediting the process with Gladio... Different matter. Ignis keeps perfectly calm, even as he decides the garlic is good enough, and moves onto the lemons.
"No unoccupied beds, is that so?" he asks, as though this is a very normal conversation to be having. "Then it seems that I will simply have to hope my fortune holds up, and that the kindergarten lesson of sharing was a universal one. I'll have to ask for recommendations."
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He's definitely shifted to be closer to Ignis, in a way that isn't subtle and isn't trying to be. He's still keeping up the charade, though, since Iggy's doing the same.
"You've always been pretty particular in that area, haven't you?" This does open up for Gladio to get fired back on, very openly, which Gladio isn't unaware of.
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Which does bring up a concern, since that would make him a menace in a place like this, but...
Ignis drops a lemon back into place. Well, he knew that going into a relationship that Gladio had been a terrible flirt, and still was in some ways. But he'd trusted that Gladio wasn't malicious about it, and wouldn't do anything that would harm him in their relationship. Ignis reminds himself of that.
...Yet the difference between an Ignis who's been with Gladio for years and an Ignis who's just started the relationship is that he has to tell himself this a few more times in his head to really push it in. Being so serious at this age hasn't done him any favors either.
"I expect you'll have some proper recommendations."
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"I wouldn't know," he says, glancing down at Ignis sidelong. "I've been sleeping alone pretty much the whole time." Which is no small thing to say; as Gladio's old habits suggest, he's always had a pretty high sex drive.
There is the matter of Noct, but...Gladio's not quite sure how to bring that one up. But also, Noct is definitely not someone who falls in the realm of casual sex, either.
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At least that makes the next thing to say some all that more easier. "Then it appears as though you have space to spare," he says, returning a similar sort of sidelong glance.
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His arm, meanwhile, moves to slip loosely around Ignis' waist, a casual gesture of possessiveness. Just in case it wasn't obvious he's teasing Iggy back, the arm speaks loud and clear for him.
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"Is that so?" he says after, the amusement impossible to hide in his voice despite his best efforts. A lemon, and a lime to match it, are picked up together after meeting his standards. "I suppose I won't be able to match up against someone like that. Still, it is somewhat unfortunate." He leans back slightly against that grip. "I had actually been planning to invite my boyfriend over to the meal I will be making at Noct's loft. All of his favorites, so long as I could find the ingredients."
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"Lucky son of a bitch," he says, still grinning. "Well, if you can't find him...maybe I could take his place for the evening. And you could take my boyfriend's place in my apartment. Y'know, in the interim."
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"I expect the accommodations to be worth the mark on my reputation, then."
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"As for the accommodations...if they fall short of your standards, we'll just have to rearrange things until they're acceptable." Now the conversation is starting to shift into something a little more directly honest. Gladio doesn't think Iggy would find any aspect of his apartment unacceptable, aside from perhaps the ratio of Cup Noodle to cabinet storage space, but if there is anything, he's more than prepared to change it around for Ignis, and he wants Iggy to know that. They'd spent enough time in each other's spaces prior to leaving Insomnia that each of them already had tweaked their places for the sake of having a regular overnight guest with predictable tastes, though Gladio supposes this Iggy might be early enough in their relationship that he might not have experienced that (or at least not the full extent of it) yet. Then with all the cohabiting that had taken place during the roadtrip and beyond...they've never officially lived together full-time in an established home before, but from Gladio's own breadth of lived experience in their relationship, he thinks they're well enough suited to each other for it to work out just fine.
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After all, even before the day that he ever officially met the little toddler that he'd dedicate his life to when he was barely out of the same age... It had always been very clear to Ignis that just about everything he was and ever would be would be in service to the prince. While it's perhaps not really occurred to him yet, it's truly fortunate that he took to some duties quite well, such as cooking, treating it as much as an enjoyable challenging hobby as much
Because otherwise... While he's always been considered as much as any person in a civilized society, there's still very little that is for him and himself alone.
Ignis doesn't regret this, not necessarily. He loves Noct, completely and utterly, even when they've so recently struggled and clashed with one another. If he were given a wish to go live his own life while ensuring Noctis was still safe and healthy, he doubts he'd take it. This is a life he wants, being by Noctis's side.
Yet just because he wants something doesn't mean it's all his heart actually wants. Doesn't mean it's lacking empty spots which, as it turns out, can't be filled by only just one person.
Gladio had filled that spot surprisingly well - or perhaps it had only been a surprise to Ignis, at an age where he was sometimes too lost in his own head to realize the obvious fact that maybe it was a hole that only someone like Gladio could fill. Two men completely dedicated to another, with roles and expectations that they put upon themselves almost as much as (if not more than) others around them. Would anyone else be able to understand their lives as much as they do?
And with this person... He'll ease up some of his own space, in consideration of what Ignis might want.
The feeling in his chest that's come with Gladio, soft and aching but warm, is one that Ignis thinks... he would like to keep for a long while yet, if he could.
"Well... If it's you, then I imagine there will be little to complain about." He says this without knowing the full extent of the Cup Noodle problem. Still, for now until that discovery is made, Ignis squeezes his own down over Gladio's. "Show it to me when we've finished shopping." Admittedly, the shopping might take a bit. All of these new ingredients have got him a little bit excited, and he wants to get some things that won't just be for tonight but rather later experimentation.
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Gladio has to admit, he likes the sound of that.
He behaves himself for a minute or so longer, letting Ignis go back to market perusal, before he speaks up again. "Hey, Iggy?"
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By the time Gladio speaks up again, Ignis has already managed to get a decent haul going on that will no doubt at least double before they leave. "Yes, Gladio?"
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Not until he pulls him close, and their lips meet each other after what feels as though it's been far too long.
It was not too long ago when he last saw Gladio - hair shorn short, still clad in loose clothing. And yet the sheer longing in Gladio's kiss is impossible to stand against, to do anything but return. His hands brace against those sturdy arms for a moment, surprised, but they're in action soon enough. Go to find that long hair, so new to him, tangling in it and enjoying the feel of it there.
"Couldn't wait until we'd left the market, could you?" he says, breathless against Gladio's own lips when he has a moment to speak.
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He bumps their foreheads together, gazing into those beautiful eyes. Eyes that actually look back at him, see him. How long has it been since he's had that? A lot longer than a handful of months, that's for sure. Drinking in that alone...he could do it for the rest of the day.
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Not that he's necessarily complaining.
"Well. You'll have plenty of time to tell me how much you missed me." One of his hands slides out from Gladio's hair, down to lightly smacking at his shoulder. "And perhaps not so much in public."
Yes, he has gotten the idea of what kind of things are expected here.
That doesn't necessarily mean he's going to suck his boyfriend's tongue down his throat in public.
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"So what're you planning on making tonight?" he asks, to steer them into less sexy waters. (Not that Iggy really gave him a chance to get going, but he doesn't really mind. A lot easier to stop early than late.) Besides, the Six knows how much he's missed Iggy's cooking; he's interested in this subject, too. "Besides the pastries, of course."
There's no shot Iggy is going to hear that Noct has been without his cooking for months and won't whip up a new tasting of pastries. As far as Ignis' cooking goes, that's his specific thing with Noct, and Iggy is far too sensitive to Noct's desires to even wait for someone to think about telling him that Noct might have missed them. He's no doubt already inferred it and is making dinner plans accordingly.
"And are you planning on using any of these new fruits for them? They're obviously not gonna be what Noct remembers, but I wouldn't put it past you to try it just to see how they come out."
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Besides the fact that everything between them has changed, although Ignis has to admit it's surprising how it doesn't feel as though things have changed. It's something he ruminates on even as he breaks contact with those deep warm eyes, trying to get himself back on track.
Facing Gladio makes this somewhat difficult, for an Ignis who hasn't had the time to acclimate to his own boyfriend's attractiveness before he started going around shirtless.
Groceries offer the perfect distraction, lowering the difficulty level exponentially. "Yours and Noct's favorites, as long as your tastes haven't changed too much." And he's hoping that's the case. Noct had still shown a disdain for vegetables, so he can't imagine he's gone in a completely different direction... "I don't know Prompto as well yet, from my own position, but I think I still know a little bit. A large well made salad should be somewhat pleasing, if nothing else."
And, although he doesn't say it, it's easier for him to sneak hidden veggies into the rest of Noct's food if he's being distracted by an enormous red herring. Especially if Ignis tries to convince him to try some of it.
Thus are the duties of a royal retainer.
"As for the pastries, even if the fruits are not exactly what was used for the original recipe, I may still find a use for them. If they ring any bell for Noctis, then it means I've gotten one more hint for the flavor profile of the dish." Every little bit counts! Although speaking of fruits... Hold on, he needs to grab his bag first. "Although I did actually pay a visit to the bakery before coming this way, and the owner there seemed to be somewhat helpful. He offered me some of his own stores from his orchard of a fruit I've never heard before."
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Normally he'd chide Iggy a little for spoiling Noct, feeding him only the things he likes(usually meat or fish with no vegetables in sight); sure, Ignis tries to sneak a veggie in every now and then, or puts them on Noct's plate in a show of unwarranted optimism, but he hardly ever cracks the whip if the prince refuses outright. He lets Noct get away with too much, in Gladio's opinion. But, well, today...Gladio can understand the lenience. Besides, he expects that Iggy will at least start up his veggie attempts again soon enough.
"Honestly, Noct was so young when he had that pastry that I really wonder how reliable his memory on it even is." Gladio folds his arms over his prodigious chest. "You ever wonder if you're shooting for a target you can't hit because Noct doesn't really know what you're aiming for either?" This isn't really a serious objection - Gladio knows how much this pastry quest means to the both of them, and certainly isn't suggesting they give it up. He's more idly speculating as to whether there is a true right answer, or if Iggy should simply be searching for a dessert Noct loves in the current moment.
"Orchard, huh? I've seen one in town. Weirdest trees you've ever laid eyes on. I hadn't actually spotted any bearing fruit, though." He moves closer to Iggy. "Just how strange is the fruit?" Considering the flat fruit, Gladio's prepared for just about anything.
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He'll remember you saying that, buddy.
But revenge is one of those dishes best served cold, so he leaves it, returning to his own bag. "What would be the point in wondering?" he asks, nudging aside some loaves of bread. "There's no doubt he had it, after all, and he has made indications on ways it could be different. Either one day my baking will finally click his memories into place... or he will have found some variation of what I have made to be preferable to those memories."
And Ignis, in his own quiet way, wouldn't mind either option.
Finally, he pulls out what he was looking for. "As for the fruit, it is apparently by far the least unusual thing here. From what the baker said, it is likely the tree which is far more strange on its own. Here." He holds out a simple purple apple.
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Hopefully Iggy's revenge won't be actually making him a Cup Noodle, though. Gladio's missed Iggy's cooking as much as anyone else, Cup Noodle be damned.
"I guess I just don't want you striving for some unreachable goal," Gladio says, after a moment's consideration. "If all you're doing is trying to make something Noct likes the best, instead of trying to mimic some hyper-specific thing, then I feel like knowing that might take some pressure off you. Though it probably wouldn't make a lot of difference in the end. Whether his suggestions for changing up your recipe are based on memories or just how he'd like it to taste right now, you'd still be doing the exact same thing, huh?" He shrugs, relaxed; after all, he hadn't really been pushing any agenda here to begin with. "So you're probably right; there's no point in wondering. Guess I was just thinking out loud."
Gladio takes the apple from Ignis' hand, turning it from side to side. "Huh. Really does just look like a regular apple, except for the color. Did he tell you what color it is inside, or are we gonna have to wait for you to cut it up to find out? And does it taste like an apple?"
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