uhmani | TDM #14

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.

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!

The Dragon Onsen

outdoor pool

dragon statue

blue tint

They suddenly look a lot more draconic than they did before.

Heart Jellies

jellyfish shaped like hearts

Wyverns

Taasunni Beach, and can range far into the Aditus Grasslands

Love Blossoms

gorgeous, pink flowers

pheromones

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

★ 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

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Main Hub

Minthara doesn't know what a computer is, but she doesn't need to understand computers to understand simulated reality. She has had entirely too much recent experience with forces that beguile the mind, trick the senses, or ensnare the soul to bear this kindly.

Not that she is known for bearing much in a manner that other races would interpret as 'kindly,' but such petty cultural differences will ever be her bugbear, now. She sees this as their problem, not hers.

"Dead? Hah! I think not." She says as she strides away from the door.

If she were truly dead, then this would be solved already. Withers would simply fetch her soul back to her body so that she could stand and fight anew by her love's side. Unless, of course... all of her world had been destroyed. But so soon? Without even having come face to face with the final battle? No. That simply could not be.

"I will get to the bottom of this. And when I find whoever is responsible..."

The smile that crosses her face is.... uh. Well, it is deeply terrifying.

Minthara Baenre does not like being manipulated or controlled.

Or, for that matter, killed.

Main Hub - Record Shop or Arcade

She proceeds through the hub methodically and with purpose--her stride confident, her head held high.

Anyone looking on will see her accompanied by a--

Followed by a--

Uh. Well. There's. A treasure chest? It was behind her. And then it's beside her. And then behind her again. No matter what angle you look at her, there is a treasure chest off to the side, like a very persistent glitch trailing in her wake. She hasn't acknowledged it at all. Does she even know?

A. Anyway.

Her presence in the record shop, at least, is thoughtful. She picks her way through stacks of vinyls with precise and delicate fingers, reading names aloud before flicking them aside. She'll need some help deciphering the mystery of operating the 'record player'... or else she'll get there through trial, error, and a bit of observation. And maybe breaking a couple and ruining some records in the process. Once that's done, she can move onto trying some of the records out. Maybe.

But her entire investigation comes to a screeching halt when she reaches the ambiguously named 'Activity Centre.'

That is where her progress stalls. She stands less than a yard inside, seemingly paralysed by the sight and sound of this horrible chamber.

She could only just make herself walk into the frightful place. One step. Then two and three. Then another step. And there she stopped. The hundreds of competing colours--all flashing, strobing, flickering lights and dizzying floor carpeting in a dark room--not to mention the violent assault of cacophanous beeps, clacks, dings, whistles, automated voices, and jaunty tunes all in one closed space with very little in the way of dampening are simply too much. She has a look on her face like a cartoon character who just had her head smashed and rung between a pair of cymbols.

C. Wildcard

[Other ideas? Just DM me! There's a bunch of stuff I'd love for her to get into, like the dragon onsen, or the sex toy shop, I just got overwhelmed and stopped at two... er, two and a half? prompts?]

Edited 2024-02-20 12:07 (UTC)

Dion oft finds himself in the heart of Makmur on the account of A. living there, and B. working at the bakery no far from the main hub. So, it's of little wonder that he spots this strange woman and her... teleporting treasure chest as he's making his way towards the bakery.

Idly he wonders if she's someone new, or if perhaps he simply hadn't ran into her before, but he finds himself increasingly more convinced of the former as he watches her explore. She's decidedly odd looking, an elf he's certain, though her purple complexion is markedly different.

Eventually her curiosity takes her to that wretched Arcade. Greagor be good...

It isn't that he's particularly against noise and lights—hell, he's the Warden of Light—but that place was entirely overwhelming all the same. So, fueled by his own experience and empathy for what she's about to endure, he tries to catch her before she goes in.

He fails in this, too much distance between them as it were, so when he steps in after her, she's already dealt with the flashbomb exposure the place has to offer. At least she isn't deep inside, Dion would hate to have to go deeper to retrieve her from her self inflicted strobe-light induced doom.

"My lady," he calls offering his gauntlet-clad hand to her as if she were a maiden needing to be lead by her rescuer. He's also speaking louder than he ordinarily would if not for all the racket of the Arcade.

"I am Dion Lesage, pray let us quit this place, so we may speak unburdened by its blinding lights and ceaseless clamor."

Edited 2024-02-20 12:39 (UTC)

Though in a daze of a sensory tsunami, Minthara nonetheless hears the voice addressing her and sees the young human male in his armour.

There's a lag as she processes what he's saying and why he's extending one gauntleted hand to her as though in invitation. Partly it's because she's trying to think over the chaos and partly it's because it's utter nonsense.

She slaps his hand away--rather more forefully than necessary, and she is quite strong.

"Folly. You presume to find me helpless? You are fortunate, little knight, that I am not so dazed as to mistake you for a foe."

Turning away does appear to have broken the trance she was in, but in truth, she is still seeing lights where there are none, and focusing her eyes is near impossible until nearly the end of her sentence. She doesn't let that stop her from turning and quickly striding away from the arcade. If one didn't know better, her pace would bespeak confidence, not retreat.

The reaction is, admittedly, not one Dion had anticipated. Let alone imagined. As she slaps his hand away, with far more force than he expected but not more than he can handle, he recoils slightly. Not in fear, but in surprise and perhaps a little bit of embarrassment.

He hadn't meant to... He wasn't implying that she...

"Forgive me, I—" He cuts off as she strides past him, and he stares after her with a complex expression filled with uncertainty. Still, he resolves himself to follow, if not to right this misunderstanding, then to properly establish himself as someone who is a source of information should she find need of him.

As he begins to walk, he jolts a moment as he takes notice of that treasure chest once more in view, which he was certain wasn't there a moment ago. What is going on with that thing? Never mind, he will ignore it and give it space as he walks past it and after her.

Once free from that oppressively overstimulating building, Dion calls out once more, "pray, there has been a misunderstanding. I did not mean to suggest you are helpless—yet you are new here, are you not? I wish only to offer you what I can to make your adjustment here far less troublesome than it must needs be."

Her nose wrinkles, and she stops. She's still dizzy, and this man is doing nothing to ameliorate the headache or the nausea. Arguably, he could be useful. If nothing else, he might be able to explain what that wretched place is for and spare her needing to tread within a second time.

Assuming he's competent enough for that, which is quite an assumption.

She turns, and the chest 'appears' off on her other side.

"You claim we have a misunderstanding, yet you continue to offer your 'help.' Does your manner suggest some station? Or have you simply hit your head?"

His eyes immediately are drawn to the chest, but then he blinks his gaze back to her as he pointedly ignores the damnedable thing. It's weird, but not important.

Her rude manner would suggest much of her own station, but he keeps that thought to himself, because he isn't trying to start a fight here. He also doesn't fully believe in that rot, at least not anymore. Years of social conditioning, however, still has its effects. Though, he is not quite as able to immediately smooth out the momentary affront that finds itself painting his expression when he hears it, still he lets out a slow breath to settle himself.

It seems to work.

"Indeed, I was a prince, but such distinction means nothing here, so it is little more than an anecdote, and the origin for my manners. Tell me, is there a reason someone offering aid is so reviling to you? I do not believe you helpless, but there is little reason to withhold information from those who lack it."

"A prince? How quaint. In that case, you are forgiven the misunderstanding. It explains everything about you."

And indeed, it does. The preference for kings over queens--and indeed, the existence of male heirs at all--is a curiosity, nothing more.

What matters here is that he is a blooded member of a ruling family. One clearly taught that his duty is to "serve." Perhaps it is only to make the appearance of such, or perhaps that really is his duty. Hopefully he understands that should change upon taking the throne. But perhaps not. It's hard to guess exactly what any particular "civilised" person outside of Menzoberranzen thinks. Annoying.

Regardless. Blood alone does not make a competent ruler, let alone an effective or worthy one. The lone benefit of 'royalty' as a concept is that its straightforwardness makes the line of succession understandable to even the most imbecilic of subjects.

As such, this prince's merit in any capacity save for his insistent willingness is questionable.

Well. She supposes there are worse places to start.

There's tension in his brow at her words, but he supposes he cannot blame her if she holds prejudice against those of royal blood, despite her claim that he is forgiven. It all feels rather...backhanded.

As much as he had been raised around the sorts to obsess over the purity of such, or at least cared about the bloodline which was tied to sovereignty and Bahamut both, he never cared much about it beyond what he needed for appearances. After all, it is not as though he ever considered adding to the bloodline himself, his attraction did not facilitate that, but more over he's a Dominant. They were not meant to have progeny, they were to be weapons.

Yet, he was the prince of Sanbreque as well, a unique combination, and ever was it expected of him to act the part. Even if parts of him might not have fully agreed with the other nobles, it was not his place to speak against them in a capacity where his opinion mattered. Nor less even his feather at times, but with him he could sometimes sway him, but rarely. Still, well he knew what was expected of him, of how the nobles thought of someone like him, even when they knew nothing of his truth. Though, especially those who did.

Having felt the burden of royal injustice, as well as having been the arbiter of it at times regardless of his own opinions, it would be churlish of him to take offense at her distaste.

It still kind of stings, though.

"...Have I caused you distress in my attempt to assuage the displeasure of arriving here? Or, do you hold contempt for those of royal standing? If you desire not for my aid, then I shall away, should that be your wish."

"Distress?" Minthara... laughs. She straight up laughs. It's a difficult laugh to read--whether it's sincere or not is deeply ambiguous, nor is it entirely clear which possibility would be more or less embarrassing for Dion.

"You could not cause me 'distress' if you tried. No, I don't care what blood runs through your veins or what the politics of your homeland resemble." Not at the moment, anyway. She can imagine scenarios in which that would become relevant, but right now? No.

"But. If you can tell me what purpose that--" here she gestures past Dion, back to the arcade. "Hideous chamber serves, I might be on my way."

Don't hold your breath.

His expression grows tighter, his mouth thinning to a small line as his eyes narrow slightly at the laugh. He does not seem to know what to make of it, nor does he seem to like it in any case. That he did not make matters worse for her is...a comfort, though a rather cold one in light of everything else about this situation.

Though, to hear she does not actually care about the typical blood-related obsession of nobility, and it holding no sway of her opinion, does smooth things over for hin, if only a little.

As she gestures to the Arcade, he follows the gesture to look back at it, before returning to her with his attention. Well, it seems that despite this awkward beginning, she is willing to accept some level of information from him.

"Right, that establishment is meant to serve as a means of entertainment for those whom reside here. Though, I struggle to see what is entertaining about it, as overwhelming and objectionable as it is. I imagine it holds a similar function to facilitate peaceful interactions, as our wardens enjoy naming it. An ever greater mystery as to how it could ever achieve that." Shaking his head with clear disapproval as he crosses his arms over his chest, hip cocking to one side. Then he pauses, staring at her discerningly. "You are aware of that expectation, are you not?"

Entertainment?

That?

Minthara struggles to imagine how any sentient being could find enjoyment in such a place. Even as a means of torture--normally a delightful way to pass the hours--it would do near as much damage to the torturemaster as their victim.

And then to have sex there?

And speaking of.

"To miss it, I would have to be blinded, deafened, and stupid besides." She's just going to go ahead and address the hook horror in the room."And even then, I take my pleasure however and whenever I so choose."

Minthara is neither prudish nor squeamish.

"And most certainly not with random inmates in a perverse mind prison. I begin to theorise that the so-called Peacekeeper is simply insane."

Well, that makes this easier.

"Some have missed the...obvious clues before, or refused to accept the reality of the situation, as such, it felt prudent to make certain it was understood." He doesn't like it, and the amount of times he's had sex here can be counted on one hand due to that distaste. Still, it's better one is aware of what's to come, than the alternatives.

"I agree, ultimately. The Peacekeeper is... rather queer, really, though its creators are far worse, and it is they who desire our lascivious pursuits. I have no love for being forced into much of anything, particularly not matters of this nature." He does look notably discomforted at the topic, but he's determined to press on regardless.

"However, this place does attempt to inspire cooperation through covert and devious avenues, so pray keep that in mind when it comes to food and drink whose origin are unspecified. Even some few of the monsters here have an aphrodisiac effect, same with a portion of the flora you may find. It's all rather demented, by my measure."

Edited 2024-02-21 13:20 (UTC)

Minthara's brow creases over her piercing red eyes as Dion explains that others have either been too weak or too stubborn to see that which is literally put in their faces. She is not such a fool, and the implication that she could be compared to them does not land well.

She does notice that he is the one discomfitted by such things, though. Not merely a prince, but a sheltered one. And yet, informative. So she puts up with it... albeit with a scowl.

A scowl, followed by a mocking smile.

"It almost reminds me of home. Concealed intoxicants in every offering, manipulation in every word, traps or tricks around every corner. Only it is not my survival at risk. Merely my dignity."

Edited 2024-02-21 13:49 (UTC)

His expression is one of horror and surprise as Minthara acts nearly nostalgic over the warning. That her homeland was so...barbaric is horrid, and he cannot keep that from his face as he watches her. idly he wonders if this is just some sort of jest? Perhaps a joke to rile him, she does increasingly seem like the type, maybe. A dark and twisted sense of humor...

But what if what she says is true? What if she truly had to live like that? He supposes it isn't as terribly far-fetched as it could be. It is not as if Valisthea was a place without deceit and strife.

He settles his expression into something more appropriate once the shock of it wears off, his brow pinching and his jaw tightening.

"...We can pray that these things never escalate to such lethal ends, though this is a scant improvement." That she just chalks it up to a loss of dignity, that she isn't more bothered at the fact that she might be preyed upon in such a manner...who the hell is this woman? If he wasn't sure of it, he would sooner name her a man with her demeanor and set of priorities.

Sure, Sanbreque had its fair share of "loose" women, for lack of a better term, it was well known for its pleasure houses, but even they did not act like this.

"Are you truly so unconcerned with this all?"

Edited 2024-02-21 14:31 (UTC)

CW EXTREMELY cavalier attitudes towards sexual assault, etc

nothingabsolute - 2024-02-21 15:23 (UTC) - Expand

In theory, Mithrun was trying to find the bakery... but, as happens literally every time he tries that without guidance from either another inhabitant or his DTF, he ended up lost. He's actually a lot closer than he usually manages to get on his own - he recalls that Rosie's is nearby, which is why he came in.

Alternately, he could have just turned around to find Annie's... but then, if he didn't see it right away, he could risk losing track of the record shop too, and then where would he be? He sure wouldn't know.

So, he's come inside to get his bearings a little better - and it's there that he encounters... another elf, actually. That's not common, around here... though, given that she's purple, he immediately has to suspect she's not actually from his world. His world's elves, of course, range in skin tone from as pale as his own to shades of brown to, in a small handful of those in the queen's line, obsidian-black. Not purple, though.

One thing is clear, in any case. "You're new."

Minthara turns. She holds in one gauntleted hand a record, free of its sleeve. Beside her, half-obscured by a rack of vinyls, the treasure chest rests.

"So I am," she replies, appraising the elf before her. A high elf. Not that the distinction between surface elves matters. One is more likely to ambush you in the woods, the other more likely to ambush you in a city. This one, as is his nature, is in a city.

She has no idea what significance her near-white hair and red eyes might have on his world. It has not yet occurred to her that he might come from another world. Elves are of Faerûn.

"Have you any other astute observations for me?"

Edited 2024-02-21 11:41 (UTC)

"Mm." His gaze flicks back to the rows of records. Either he doesn't notice he's being mocked, or he doesn't really care. "Is this the first place you've gone?"

Cagey.

Well, she can be too.

"And if it is?"

Mithrun doesn't look up again. He just shrugs.

"If it is, then you're very new. And probably know very little about this place, and likely haven't eaten anything or rested since your arrival." His ear flicks slightly. "If not, then you're being vague on purpose."

While Rosie is happy to help patrons, today's been surprisingly busy with tallying up stamps for restocks, decorating for spring, and miscellaneous other things. Seteth used to help with the more logistical side of things but since he left, Rosie's taken on the majority of the responsibilities outside of manual labor. Someone had to. Still, she's alerted to a new face in the cafe. That isn't unusual, but-

The shattering of one of her records is. It can be repaired, of course, and one look tells her it wasn't intentional. This woman just... doesn't know what she's doing but seems determined to try.

"Hey," she greets, casually. "I can show you how to play that if you wanna' hear some music." Rosie also glances at said record (that's still intact) she might have picked to get a read on her music tastes. It can speak a lot to a person, after all, and she admits she's curious.

It would be nice if the record held any clues to Minthara's tastes. But then again, maybe it's for the best that it does not. At least not in any detail.

But The Birthday Massacre must have caught Minthara's eye for some reason, right?

She stands over the record player that she very nearly broke, still holding the thin black disc in her left hand as she looks Rosie up and down.

A well put-together young woman, albeit one whose appearance gives no further details regarding who she is and what she does other than minding the shop. Which is fine with Minthara. She's not trying to pick fights, actually. And at least she'll know what she's doing.

"Why not." She hands the record over without any dramatics at all.

"Does every disc in this establishment contain music?"

If Rosie knew that Minthara thought she looked... average, in a sense of the word, she might be offended. As it is, she's none the wiser and simply smiles.

The Birthday Massacre is noted. Even if this woman knows nothing about music, it tells her that she might be drawn to the imagery on the cover or more pointedly the word 'massacre.' Considering the shattered record in a previous attempt to play it, Rosie is will to bet on either or both being true.

"They do, yeah," she says, taking the record and slotting it onto the top of the record player effortlessly. "It's kind of an old-fashioned way of playing music but some people find it has an authentic quality to the sound that can't be beat." And vintage never truly goes out of style. As she speaks, she moves the needle into place and lets the record start to spin and music play.

"There we go." The lovely, dulcet sounds of Rock music. Ah. Wonderful.

Cloud spends a lot of time traversing the main hub, mostly making deliveries or picking people up to take them places, which...is not exactly what he thought he would be doing as a mercenary, but whatever. It's grown on him.

Likewise, it's not unheard of for him to be passing through when new arrivals show up, and they're easy to spot because usually they're wandering around cluelessly or angrily demanding answers, i.e. panicking.

This woman...is not panicking. But she's clearly new. And, Cloud thinks, another elf? That's what pointy ears and white hair mean, right? Listen, he's only ever met two, and pointy ears and white hair were about all Mithrun and Astarion had in common as far as Cloud could tell.

He's not a huge fan of that menacing smile on her face - not least because it plus her hair remind him a little too much of the wrong Sephiroth - but if she's going to cause trouble, better for it to be him dealing with her than someone else.

"Harder than you'd think," he replies to the threat she was making to thin air, approaching casually. Casually, of course, except for the enormous sword at his back. "Not to find 'em, but to deal with 'em. New here, I take it?"

Edited 2024-02-21 20:43 (UTC)

What in the absent gods is happening with this man's hair?

That is the first thing that crosses through Minthara's mind upon seeing him, and realising that he's human doesn't really do anything to demystify it.

So, Cloud might find her just staring at him for a minute. Her head slightly cocked. She's a bit stanced up, but in a way that could pass for surprise instead of readiness for a fight. If that makes any difference.

Considering that she immediately zeroes in on the topic of dealing with the local gods... maybe it doesn't.

"Oh? And you would know?"

What is she staring at? Cloud folds his arms as if he's about to dig his heels in about something, despite this woman having said nothing to him yet at all. For what it's worth, Cloud stands and moves like someone who's more or less always ready for a fight and not about to back down from one if it comes to him, so she may find that familiar enough.

"Not like you're the first to want answers. They show up occasionally in person, but they control the simulation from somewhere outside it. All they gotta do to manipulate us or our environment is rewrite some code from the comfort of whatever corner of the universe they hole up in. One of 'em claims to be on our side." His tone makes clear how far he trusts that claim, which is not far at all. "But that one, we know how to find out in the real world."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

TDM #14

Minthara Baenre | BG3 | OTA ((I haven't decided on her DTF for sure yet but Mimic seemed fun....)

Arcade

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CW EXTREMELY cavalier attitudes towards sexual assault, etc

record shop

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RECORD SHOP BABE-Y

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main hub!

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