#love thine enemy

[kacievvbbbb]

Mihawk and Shanks arguing about Shanks sacrificing his arm for a child. And Mihawk just fundamentally does not understand WHY? And shanks in a moment of pure frustration goes

“What if it were me? What if I was dying? Would you risk it all to save me?”

And Mihawk goes quiet not because he wouldn’t but because he realizes that he would despite everything that he believes, everything that has been taught to him, he knows that he would, without hesitation he would risk it all if for Shanks just for Shanks.

And then where does that leave him? The foundation on which he’s built decades of selves on gone, in an instant.

All because he knows that if this man right infront of him should die he might well take Mihawk with him. ,

[ahightower]

ALICENT HIGHTOWER vs. the horrifying ordeal of having men willing to kill for her HOUSE OF THE DRAGON 1x06 | 1x09

[hauntingofhouses]

BRB thinking thoughts about Taigen's character, the TaiMizu ship, and a big chunk of fandom's perceptions regarding both those things.

(Inspired by @farintonorth's post related to this topic that just got my brain going brrrrr)

OK so let me just... start off by saying that I think that reducing stories to their tropes is seriously detrimental to the way some people are interacting with fiction, and while that honestly warrants its own post about the subject, I wanna talk specifically about how this affects the way some people in the fandom talk about Taigen and TaiMizu.

Because yeah, tropes are useful shorthand to refer to certain dynamics or archetypes etc, and they are indeed the building blocks to any story. But in a well-written story, characters and their relationships, actions, and motivations, are much more complex than just tropes. Because in a story that has characters who are more than just cardboard cutouts, their behaviours, backgrounds, motivations and all of that, are inseparable from the context of the overall story they exist in.

So like, sure, you can say Mizu and Taigen have an enemies-to-lovers or rivals-to-lovers dynamic. I also use those terms because it's easier. But I also think this is where things start to get a bit twisted, especially from an intertextual sense. Because "enemies-to-lovers" is also commonly used to refer to other ships in other media, whereby it tends to be rooted in an imbalanced power dynamic, such as oppressor-oppressed and bully-victim.

And while that's a whole can of worms that I won't be getting into because it can quickly derail into a whole separate sort of fandom discourse, I'd just like to make it clear that Mizu and Taigen, in particular, do not have an imbalanced power dynamic. They are not bully-victim or oppressor-oppressed. The only understandable reason why someone might actually think their relationship is imbalanced is if

A) they only watched the first episode, or

B) they cannot grasp the slightest bit of nuance in a character, or

C) they're being obtuse on purpose simply because the Mizu/Taigen relationship, or Taigen's character in general, just doesn't suit their tastes.

While yes, Taigen, along with his whole gang, had bullied Mizu when they were children, that dynamic does not exist between them whatsoever in adulthood. Whatever imbalanced bully-victim power dynamic that had once existed between them was decisively ripped apart the moment Mizu beat him in that duel in the dojo, and then completely obliterated by the end of the season.

Mizu is not a defenseless victim at Taigen's mercy. Mizu can beat Taigen's ass any time she wants (and she DOES, repeatedly in fact), and could even kill him if she felt like it. She taunts him openly and without fear ("I like your hair"; "I can beat you with any weapon you choose") and all he does is bark back, because that's pretty much all Taigen ever does. Time and time again, he yaps about how much he wants to kill her, but time and time again, his actions prove that all of it is just an empty threat. Because though his words say "I hate you", his actions demonstrate the complete opposite. He's shown how protective he is of Mizu, how unhesitatingly he sacrifices himself up for her, how loyal he is in enduring days-long torture to not give up information about her, how even when near-death and in pain, he's still willing to keep standing back up so he can fight by her side and help her win against her enemies.

And Mizu is not an idiot! She sees that too. She does not see him as a threat, an enemy, or even a bully. Especially not by the end of Episode 3, and definitely not by the end of the season. When she finds him in the dungeon in Episode 6, she smiles from relief, and doesn't think twice to take him with her. Mizu finds him, at best, an annoyance, or at worst, an infuriating hindrance on her quest for vengeance. Which is why, when Taigen is about to say, "It's a shame our duel's set for tomorrow; I have to kill you before you get your revenge," Mizu whacks him on the head without a second thought before he can even finish his sentence, and leaves him lying unconscious, face-down, in the snow.

And this further emphasises how he does not hold any power over her. There is no abusive power dynamic between them. She is more powerful than him, he knows this, and all he's ever done after they've met up again in adulthood is get his ass whooped by her, get mad about it and pester her and follow her around, get his ass whooped by her some more, and put his life on the line to protect her.

"OOoooOOoooH b-but he called her a demon at the end of Episode 7 and threatened to kill her again!!!" Oh my god. He called her that because he's calling her out on her selfishness to stay silent about her knowledge of Fowler's plans to attack Edo. Because to him, loyalty and honour as a samurai is more important than anything. So in his own brash-and-immature Taigen way, he felt betrayed that Mizu did not hold the same principles. That's why he got angry. He wasn't even that mad about letting Akemi get dragged off by the Tokunobu guards. It was about saving the Shogun and the Shogunate as a whole. That's why the first thing he does in Edo is not find Akemi, but try to warn the Shogun about Fowler's attack.

Look, I'm not defending his stupid ass, of course. Because calling her a demon especially after their cute little wrestling time was obviously rude and inappropriate, especially since words like "demon", "monster" and "Onryo" have had such a deep effect on Mizu throughout her life, and continue to contribute to her self-hatred. But like? That's the fun of realistic and flawed characters, and realistic and flawed relationships. They're not perfect, and it's why we as an audience root for them, wanting to see them work through their shit and find a way to prevail despite it all.

Also, him saying that was in the heat of the moment. He was angry, he felt like his initial belief of who Mizu was—a strong and loyal samurai, just like him—was shattered, and so he lashed out. Was it rude? Definitely. Was it immature of him? Yes, incredibly. But it's also very much in line with his character, because even though he's grown a lot over the course of the season, the show isn't over yet, so obviously his character arc is just beginning, as that is also the case for the other three main characters: Mizu is beginning to accept herself, Akemi is beginning to grow into her position of power, Ringo beginning to train under Master Eiji, while Taigen is beginning to simply be a better person.

On that note, when speaking of Taigen's immaturity, I think that's also one of the main things that people tend to gloss over when it comes to his character. Because when you boil everything down to its bare essentials, Taigen is, essentially, a boy. I've talked about this before, but to reiterate, Taigen very much behaves like an unhealed child. Even as an adult, he is insecure, prone to throwing tantrums, and is desperate to latch onto some material goal in hopes that it will make him feel better—initially he was chasing status/glory/greatness, and then when Mizu tells him that "Nothing comes from being a samurai but death," he immediately decides he wants to run away with Akemi in hopes that he will be happy.

And it's a big step, acknowledging that he doesn't truly want greatness, but had always just assumed it was his only path to a good life. But it's clear he still hasn't really figured it out. Because if he did run off with Akemi to get married and live in the countryside, he still wouldn't be happy. Because he still doesn't know who he really is, or what it is he really wants. Marriage at this moment is the last thing he needs, and as he is now, he would be a pretty awful husband. A simple life would be good for him, but would he be good at a simple life, when he still has so much he needs to work through?

So anyway, what I'm getting at here, is that he's trying and he is learning and growing. So yeah, he is flawed, but honestly? So is Mizu. And the funny thing is that they're flawed in very similar ways.

Because Mizu is also an unhealed child. That's why she's so angry all the time. That's why she pushes people away. That's why she, just like Taigen, is so happy when given the chance to playfully wrestle in the forge, laughing and rolling around like children without shame or pretense.

Again, this shows there is no imbalance between them. They had grown up together as peers from the same town. And while Taigen had had the upper hand back then, because he'd had a gang of other kids with him, that is definitely not the case anymore. Today, they are equally flawed, equally strong, equally skilled swordsmen, and equally bull-headed.

However, yes, Mizu is definitely leagues more mature than Taigen. But she still holds a lot of childhood wounds that mirror Taigen's own. And we see this especially in relation to her mother. Similar to Taigen who had an abusive and alcoholic father, Mizu's Mama was an opium addict and had hit her, berated her, had shaved her head without her consent as a child, and as an adult, had constantly emotionally manipulated and guilt-tripped her. Mizu's love for her Mama was what had driven her to a path of vengeance in the very beginning. And when she'd found out Mama was still alive, she had wanted nothing more than her Mama's love, and it was this alone that pushed her to agree to the marriage with Mikio in the first place. And now, knowing from Fowler that her birth mother is someone else entirely, is what makes her agree to keep him alive and haul his ass to London to seek answers.

Thus, integral to Mizu's self-hatred is also Mizu's intense longing for love and family. Just like Taigen, whose pompousness comes from his insecurity about being the son of a poor fisherman, Mizu's goals are also shaped by who her parents are. Remember, her vengeance is not against just anyone who's corrupt or evil, but specifically against the men who she believes had assaulted her mother, the men she believes had made her a monster, the men she believes had abandoned her to die and continue to try to kill her. Her vengeance is against a father, on behalf of a mother. In The Tale of the Ronin and the Bride, Mizu is not merely the Ronin, the Bride, or the Onryo, but also the Child.

This is also why Ringo is so good, not only for Mizu, but for Taigen as well. Ringo is wise and caring and considerate, but above all, he is in tune with his inner child in ways that Mizu and Taigen are not. He is always earnest and positive, he sees the world with childlike wonder, but is not naive or blind to its ugliness. His whole life has been a battle. Ringo brings out the best in Mizu, consistently acting as her moral compass and conscience, and Mizu's choice to save Akemi in the final episode is only because she promised Ringo that she would. Because it's the right thing to do. Ringo inspires her to be a better person, and to think outside of her narrow-minded goal of revenge. At the same time, Ringo also brings out the best in Taigen. While at first Taigen had looked down on both Mizu and Ringo ("Half-limb to a half-wit"), by the end of the season, he's proud to have Ringo as a friend and ally, he listens to Ringo's advice ("What would Master do?"), and asserts to the fucking Shogun that Ringo is a worthy warrior to have by his side.

Okay, I've gone on a bit of a tangent here, but my main point is that Mizu and Taigen are incredibly similar. They are equals. They are both flawed, unhealed children who are chasing some impossible outlandish goal in hopes that it will fill the void in their hearts. They also both have a long way to go in terms of character development if they were to ever build a healthy romantic relationship (either with each other, or even with anyone else). So while I believe things will be rocky (because duh, it's a story, we all live for the drama, etc), I think with Ringo's help, they'll get there eventually.

[blessedarethebinarybreakers]

Hey I don’t mean to further flood your inbox and I know I sent an ask a week or so ago. But in church this morning the sermon was on the 1 John passage about how if you hate your brother or sister you don’t love God, and I just. I bet you can guess which political figure immediately comes to mind. I know we’re supposed to love and pray for and forgive our enemies, and it’s not supposed to be a thing where you only do it if you know you’ll get an apology/changed behavior/etc. But the most positive thing I can say where he’s concerned is if he showed up on my doorstep bleeding and starving I would work past my anger to bind his wounds and feed him cuz that’s what you’re supposed to do for fellow human beings. Other than that I have no love for him (or people like him, really). Just anger and immense disdain. Maybe even hate. What do I do with that??

Hey there, I feel you on this. I can also think of maaany political figures I feel this about lol.

I have an old post delving into what it means to love one's enemy and what forgiveness is (and isn't) that I recommend to you.

I'll start with a TL;DR from that post, and then add some other stuff about working through feelings like anger and hate, and close with some reading recs <3

When we find it desperately difficult to love, or to forgive, we can ask God to feel and be what we find ourselves unable to feel and be.

We can remember Christ's words on the cross about the soldiers crucifying him: he does not say "I forgive them," but asks, "Father, you forgive them, for they know not what they do."

He cannot himself forgive them in that moment — not while they are in the act of torturing and killing him, not while they hold all power over him, not even when his compassion allows him to understand that they do what they do out of ignorance — so he asks God to be that forgiveness for them.

When I struggle to feel love for someone who is doing great harm and seems completely unrepentant of that, I turn to God the way Jesus did: "God, I'm struggling to see the spark of You in them. Please love them the way I can't in this moment."

Next point:

Throughout the Bible, the concepts of love and hate are much more about action than sentiment.

If you feel love for someone, yet don't come to their aid when they need it most, what use was that love to them? Meanwhile, if you fear or disdain someone, yet help them in their direst need, you have acted with love.

Furthermore, when it comes to difficult emotions, the good news is that we are indeed invited to bring all our feelings — anger, disdain, even hate — to God. We can be real about what we're feeling.

Scripture shows us this over and over: There are so many psalms, and passages from the prophets, where someone has been hounded and terrorized enough to wish pain or even death upon the ones who oppress them. In one of the most infamous, Psalm 137, the psalmist even goes so far as to wish that their oppressors' children might be "dashed upon a rock" — that everything Babylon has made them suffer might be enacted on Babylon.

These are not pretty feelings, yet they are preserved in holy poetry, because they are part of the human experience. (And tantamount to understanding them is realizing that those praying such things will happen almost never have the power to enact them. The psalmist who wishes Babylon's soldiers experience what they've put the psalmist's people doesn't have the army, the weapons, the power to actually make that happen. They're just honest about wishing it in a moment of collective trauma and grief.)

In all this, I'm not saying God "wants" us to feel loathing or hate — any thought or feeling that puts us at risk of denying another person's humanity is one we do need to work on; but we do that work by being honest about feeling it, rather than being too ashamed to face it or to share it with God.

No pressure to read any of these of course, but here are texts I'd recommend on these topics:

James Baldwin's The Fire Next Time, a brief but rich text in which (among other things) Baldwin grapples with the need to love his oppressor (namely white people) — to affirm their humanity in a way they have denied him. Only in recognizing one another's humanity can we have any hope of something like justice and peace for the generations to come. Baldwin believes this vehemently, but he still acknowledges that it's still not easy, in fact it's one of the hardest things, to love one's oppressors in such a way. .

Cole Arthur Riley's This Here Flesh, another short book rich in meaning. I especially recommend the chapters on lament, rage, justice, and repair for this topic. One thing she discusses is that love is not "niceness," that rage can be righteous, that sometimes the most loving thing we can do is to let a harmful person witness our rage, to call them out. .

The same link from the beginning to that post about what forgiveness is and what it is not

[thatfunkylittlejesterdude]

I just think he's neat.

(REBLOGS > LIKES)

(Alt ver. Under the cut)

Was fuckin' around with art style since I notoriously cannot draw furries no matter what I do, so I instead took a different approach and ended up with this. Like... idk... y2k inspired style? Panty and Stocking type vibes, with the head at least? No fuckin' clue, just thought it was neat.

Also wanted to fuck around with colors so. Yeah.

Wanted to have a more eye-bleedy feel to it, but I just. I couldn't figure out the colors necessary. I didn't like this background as much, but I think putting the office back there helped it a lot.

Here we got 2 no effects versions

Here's a transparent PNG.

Here's him at fucking McDonald's. The alternative aftermath of fnaf 3 where instead of surviving the fire and going for revenge, he says "fuck this shit" and just gets a job instead. I thought it was funny.

[scripture-pictures]

[bookstattoosandtea]

Release Blitz, Exclusive Excerpt & Giveaway: How to Love Thine Enemy by Eli Easton

Release Blitz, Exclusive Excerpt & Giveaway: How to Love Thine Enemy By Eli Easton Can a forbidden love heal the rift between two enemy tribes? Legend says that, centuries ago, the sled dogs and the Inuit were so deeply bonded that the dogs rose up on two legs and became men. The Qimmig and the People lived together happily until one of the Inuit betrayed the dog-men. The Qimmig fled, vowing…

[saintobio]

KNOW THY ENEMY.

dramatis personae; sylus, reader, xavier. heavy angst. period piece. medieval au.

— “in a realm where light and dark doth vie, ‘tis not thine eyes, but thy heart, that must discern who be the true enemy.”

♱ forbidden love

an illicit romance: crown prince xavier, your childhood friend and devoted lover, stands on the precipice of duty as the sole heir to philos. as he is bound by the chains of his obligation to the throne, his heart aches for the one lady he cannot claim.

♱ marriage of convenience

wed to a tyrant: emperor sylus, an oppressive ruler from a neighboring empire, secured your hand through a ruthless bargain he struck to claim you as his wife. your marriage is not one of love, but a cold transaction sealed by power and ambition, leaving your heart trapped in a gilded cage.

♱ the damsel in distress

the bastard daughter of a grand duke: born of noble blood but marred by your mother’s lowly station, you walk a fine line between privilege and disgrace, ultimately forced to marry a man for your own survival. yet, your fate was sealed by a vow to xavier—a promise to break free from sylus’s grasp when the crown of philos finally rests upon your lover’s head.

COMING SOON !

[schoenpepper]

A R-eel-y Very Happy Birthday!

Who needs a —-tober when I can do a birthday countdown for Jade???

IT’S JADETOBER FOLKS!!! (His birthday is past October I just don’t care :D)

I know it’s typically a seven day countdown or something, but this one is 9 days because I want to write 18 pieces in total for his once-every-year 18th birthday. And yes, it will all be Jade-centric. No, I will not be taking requests. This is an event for ME AND MY UNTREATED JADE LEECH OBSESSION. Cheesy tropes and AUs and whatever and all of the above!

Will be short. Will be rushed. Forgive me, I only had this idea on 26…yeah…

October 28

- There’s only one bed?!

- Twinning!

October 29

- Back for the holidays, I guess

- Oh thine saboteur

October 30

- Don’t let ‘em cook

- Let’s get physical (physical)

October 31

- He was (gasp) a prince!

- Brain damage

November 1

- Yer’ the chosen one, Jade

- Stupid with super definitely absolutely not love

November 2

- Enemies to…not enemies?

- We can bake the sushi, or just sashimi

November 3

- A stupid person, a stupid merman

- Something about jackets

November 4

- Sorry, this is self indulgent

- Is it like, a pyramid scheme?

November 5

- Florals are out of season

- Midnight pumpkins and mirrors

Extras for pumpkins and mirrors (400 follower celebration):

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Oh look, a sequel for pumpkins and mirrors.

[rahuratna]

Love Thine Enemy

The JJK sorcerers find themselves faced with a slippery customer - a cursed spirit with the worst pick-up lines imaginable ...

CW: Suggestive and explicit language.

Characters: Ijichi, Nanami, Ino, Kusakabe, Gojo, Yuuta, Miwa, Rika.

Genres: Crack, humour.

It was Ijichi who encountered the cursed spirit first. He was, in fact, probably present for the series of events that had birthed the unfortunate being into existence.

The exorcism he was assisting on was currently taking place in a well-known photography studio, known for its high production value photo shoots of models, actors and sports stars. Somehow, this place had become a breeding ground of negative energy. Ijichi could feel it, soaking into the very fabric of the building, saturating it until it came flooding out in a sickly, sour-edged aura.

The exorcism had gone successfully enough, with Ijichi producing his well-practiced veil, covering the area in a dense, impenetrable curtain. It was when everything was seemingly over, when the grade two sorcerer, Kiryu, had spoken in crackly fashion into his ear piece, that Ijichi felt it.

That sly, barely perceptible winging of cursed energy just within his radar. Spinning on his heel, Ijichi scanned the area where he stood, just outside the building. Something was here. He had no doubt. He'd felt it, and he trusted his instincts.

Warily entering the small alleyway where he'd felt the presence, Ijichi knew that Gojo would have his head on a platter if he knew the risk that he was taking, but he couldn't very well leave without investigating fully. What if there had been something the sorcerers had missed?

That something was eerily evident when he felt it coalesce in the alley behind him. Before Ijichi had any chance to react, something brimming and fetid with cursed energy brushed his ear, and a voice whispered to him.

"Hey, cutie. Want me to fog up those glasses of yours?"

Ijichi, who had been preparing for a quick getaway, froze in place.

"Wha - "

"You heard me. Hmmmmm. I like that little pocket organizer. Got something else in your pocket for me?"

"Are ... are you - "

"You're stuttering right now, but did I? Don't think so. What're you packing, hot stuff? I like my men skinny, timid and begging for a spanking - "

There comes a moment, in everyone's life, when their most primal survival instincts kick in. There is a shutdown of unnecessary bodily functions as a fight-or-flight response asserts itself, lending unnatural speed or strength.

This was one of those times for Ijichi. The discarded newspapers in the alley fluttered gently in the aftermath of his very speedy exit.

Ijichi did report it, of course, being the stickler for proper mission protocol that he was. Thus it was that the next unfortunate encounter with the dastardly 'flirting curse' occurred with none other than Kusakabe.

The curse had moved on from the photography studio, to some hotel in an upmarket area nearby. Not good for business, obviously. Atsuya thought it would be excellent practice for the students, however, and so had brought Miwa along. While Ijichi's experience told him that the spirit hadn't been particularly dangerous, evolution was a possibility, and so he intended to stick close by.

Prowling through the airy, marble floored corridors, Atsuya unwrapped a lollipop and stuck it between his teeth. This hunt was taking a little longer than expected. The spirit was good at remaining concealed. Yawning a little, he linked his fingers and stretched his arms overhead, hearing a satisfying crack.

"Sensei!"

Miwa's warning shout was entirely unnecessary, as Atsuya's sword was already unsheathed, glinting menacingly as he faced off against the dark cloud that descended from the ceiling, adopting a vaguely feminine shape. The voice that spoke was indeed an evolution, sultrier, with a husky cast.

"My my. I do love a man in a suit. I bet that lollipop takes the shape of your tongue, just like my pu- "

"Cut the crap," Atsuya growled. "Miwa, stay alert."

"Easy, tiger. You're a little rough around the edges. Are you rough between the sheets too, big boy?"

Miwa let out a surprisingly martial yell, springing forward and slashing at the fog-like miasma. Her attack was true, but the spirit was obviously talented at evading.

"Stop harassing sensei, you cow!"

A hushed giggle reached their ears.

"The kitten has teeth. Wonder if you bite too, my Trenchcoat Tomcat. Wanna get to the nice, creamy centre of my lollipop?"

Despite Miwa's impressive efforts, Atsuya was growing increasingly annoyed with this spirit. Couldn't it just shut up? Discreetly, he let a near-invisible slash from his sword reach the end of the room. Part of the wall crumbled; gilt wallpaper sliced to shreds. The spirit was now on the other end of the hallway, that irritating cackle now echoing, elusive.

"Oh goodness. What a hairy temper. Wonder if you're hairy everywhere, huh? I like a bit of manhandling from a big, hunky - "

"Ewwwwww!"

Miwa's horrified scream was a tad juvenile, but Atsuya couldn't really blame her. The curse evaded them this time, escaping through a nearby window, leaving him with the strong desire to scrub himself clean. He almost didn't unwrap another lollipop.

Inexcusable.

And that was how Nanami and Ino ended up dealing with the flirting curse next. At this point, it had become a running bet in the grade one sorcerer group chat as to who would run into it in their upcoming mission.

Gojo would win some cash. Not that he needed it.

Ino was the first to come across it. They'd found themselves in a country club of sorts, the kind only present in this kind of affluent area. Out near the pool and suana, Ino had tugged off his shirt, diving into the water and performing a rapid check for traces on the pool floor. Finding nothing, he'd re-emerged and climbed out, water dripping down his bare chest, when he heard it.

"Damn, sugar. You got me so thirsty on a hot day like this."

There was a woman seated on one of the poolside chairs, shaded by a parasol. She hadn't been there just a few minutes ago. Ino tensed, fists bunching at his sides. Unperturbed, she pulled down her sunglasses, her dark, dark eyes tracking the droplets of water as they made their slow pathway down the young man's abs. She licked her lips.

"Want me to dry you off, honey? Or make you ... more wet? I bet I can show you a thing or two."

Ino opened his mouth to retort, but at that moment, the woman's eyes widened, and she vanished in a wisp of smoke as a powerful slash of electric blue energy bisected her chair and destroyed the wall behind her. Nanami strode out of the wide glass doors, rolling up his sleeves, blonde hair gleaming in the sunlight. If Ino didn't know any better, he'd say the stoic sorcerer looked annoyed.

Nanami straightened his glasses and inspected the ghostly movement of the spirit with predatory menace.

"I'll thank you to leave my colleague out of this. Now why don't you take a more corporeal form so we can see how ... appealing you are."

A soft shriek of laughter reached their ears.

"And what do we have here? A real daddy, looks like. Coming to protect your cub? I'll let you fill me up so much. I bet I can give you ten more cubs like him."

"Unfortunately for you, unprotected sex with cursed spirits is not one of my preferences. Now stay still, please."

Nanami was undoing his tie, and Ino saw this as his cue to make a hasty retreat to the entrance, because things were bound to get dangerous. The spirit hadn't received the same signal, because it was still speaking.

"I can be a human for you. Heck, I can be anything you want me to be. Why don't you tie up my wrists and make me feel how hard you can - "

"How hard? Here, let me show you."

The sheer power of the blast sent bricks and mortar rocketing across the paved driveway beyond the wall of the pool area. Ino gave silent thanks that they'd evacuated the building first. Nanami wasn't usually this reckless with his strength, but something about this spirit was obviously pushing his buttons.

In the chaos that followed the settling of dust and rubble, the spirit had made a hasty escape once again. Sighing, Nanami re-did his tie, making his way over to Ino. The younger sorcerer eyed him curiously.

"You good?"

"Yes."

Nanami's angry mumbling wasn't fooling anyone however. Ino caught the tail end of his complaint.

" ... as if I didn't have to deal with harassment at my other job. And here we are, having to listen to this drivel. Didn't even have the decency to introduce itself ... "

Lips pursing tightly, Ino hid his amusement as he followed Nanami back into the country club, snatching up his shirt as he did so.

Gojo was not a good match-up for the spirit, when he inevitably did encounter it. Unlike the other sorcerers, he couldn't be bothered to take it seriously. The spirit registered as a bothersome house fly in his periphery as he stalked bigger prey through a deserted shopping mall, one that had been evacuated due to Jujutsu Tech's influence.

Gojo was hunting a rogue curse user, one that had plagued the market district at night, consuming his victims in alleyways he had dragged them into. A real piece of work.

When he eventually found the curse user, holed up in a frozen meat section, sharpening his tools, Gojo did take note of another brief, flitting presence that wove in and out of his perception. Another curse. But one unrelated to his current mission.

With his usual power, flair and panache, Gojo dispatched the curse user, dodging and weaving gracefully around the other's lightning fast strikes and dealing a concussive blow to his opponent's head. Someone in the background was cheering for him.

"Oh, God damn, aren't you just in a different league? That hair, that face, that body. Mmmmm hmmmm. Whip his ass, boss man. Show him who's in charge. Make him crawl. Make him beg."

Gojo turned slightly towards the direction of the voice, smile simultaneously pleasant and flippant.

"And who are you, pretty gal?"

The curse, for the first time ever, faltered.

"Uh ... I'm ... well, I'm me. Your number one admirer. Ahem. Yes. You sexy beast. So tall. I'll bet you're really long everywhere."

At this, Gojo's lips curved into a cocky smile and he flicked his wrist, sending the curse user careening into a nearby wall, smashing into the bricks with force, head lolling as the pain of consciousness was given up for blissful darkness. The crystalline flame of Gojo's gaze danced with flickering intensity in the shadow of the dimly lit storefronts.

"Hell yeah. Didn't know you were kinky like that, babes. I got a pretty sizeable monster, right here, behind this zipper. Wanna come see?"

The spirit laughed, but something about it sounded nervous, uncertain.

"And what's in it for me, big boy?"

Gojo spread out his arms, grin growing more feral by the second.

"But sweetcheeks, I thought we had an understanding. I was gonna try out my new technique, that's all. The one where I turn my cum into tiny bullets and fire them right into your mouth so you explode."

There was a brief silence.

"E - explode?"

"From pleasure, of course!" Gojo let out an unconvincing giggle, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah. Can't believe I forgot that part."

Needless to say, Gojo didn't hear anything more from the curse. Its presence had disappeared from his perception fairly quickly. Tapping his chin, Gojo reflected on the fact that Nanami was right. This was one slippery customer.

The young man hadn't seemed like much from afar. Just another sorcerer on its trail. It had escaped all the others, including that powerful one in the deserted mall, so the curse now had a healthy dose of confidence in its ability to exit the stage.

Of course, even astute cursed spirits, like the Flirting Menace, faced their Waterloo at some point. Sometimes fate favours spirits, enabling a series of evolutions that render them more powerful. Sometimes, they pick the wrong victim entirely.

Slipping out of the laboratory at the medical centre it had been recently inhabiting, the curse took on the voluptuous form of a technician, her sizeable cleavage all but spilling from the low cut shirt she wore beneath a lab coat. The young man turned slowly, shadowed eyes taking in the shape of his opponent. The spirit spoke.

"Now you look like a treat, little lamb. Wanna come sit in my lap? I bet I can show you all kinds of things with my probe and pipette."

The response was certainly not one the spirit had been expecting. There was something in the sorcerer's eyes that was kind, pitying almost.

"Oh, there you are. How about you give up now and come quietly. It'll probably make things easier."

The spirit dissolved in a fit of giggles.

"Me? Come quietly? Baby boy, I have a much better idea. How about I discipline you with a paddle on your naughty, naughty, tight little ass until you obey your mistress? Even good boys need some discipline from time to time."

The look on the sorcerer's face had shifted to something like pained expectancy. He sighed and grimaced.

"If you stop doing that, she might not get so agitated, you know."

"She? Oh my. Don't tell me you're already taken. I mean, she's probably nothing compared to me - "

The spirit's words cut off abruptly as something large, vast and powerful, moving with ferocious speed, shot from inside the boy (how was that possible?) and coalesced in the middle of the foyer. Spiny white and purple flesh, an eyeless mask of menace, a presence that filled the building with sheer dread, the lesser cursed spirit could recognize an apex predator when it beheld one.

A moment of deep, existential fear gripped the flirting spirit as the young man addressed the spectre that had come from inside him.

"Rika?"

"Yuuttaaaaaa. I'll kill, kill, killkillkillkill. Don't look at Yuta. Don't talk to Yuta. Don't exist near Yuta!"

The nightmarish voice lashed through the foyer like a whip, buffeting the smaller curse with such malice that it was blown back.

Oh boy. Now this was ... unexpected. Time to beat a hasty retreat ...

As it had done countless times before, the cursed spirit slipped through a handy crack in the nearby elevator doors, seeking out the grate above through which it could ...

A sudden, white-hot pain lanced through its form, rendering it immobile. Panicking, the spirit glanced back, perceiving the hideous talon that had shot with unnatural speed across the space, through the doors, and speared its 'body' in place. In this incorporeal form, nothing should have been able to hold it down, besides ...

The elevator doors suddenly buckled under extreme force and the spirit found itself tugged back across the glossy tiles, towards the sorcerer and his ... companion. Slowly, surely, the spirit was dragged towards the jagged teeth of that gaping white maw, horror and finality warring as its brief existence flashed through its own memory.

The sorcerer was smiling now, the corners of his eyes crinkling in charming helplessness, such that the spirit could discern (too late) the terrifying and implacable steel behind those sweetly curving lips.

"I'm awfully sorry. You're kind of cute, for a spirit but ... Rika? Take care of this, would you?"

And so, the brief, but bright career of the Flirting Menace faded slowly from the memory of the sorcerers it had tormented. It had been unique, after all.

Even with their packed schedules and the increasing tension now permeating Jujutsu society, there were still occasions when Kusakabe would glance at the creamy centre of his lollipop with distaste, when Nanami would remember with fondness what it was like to destroy a millionaire's poolside aesthetic, when Gojo would wonder how much money he could have won if he'd just bet on Yuuta in the first place.

As terrible as those pick-up lines surely were, they had found a rightful place in posterity.

And in the mysterious depths of Rika's stomach, of course. 

[felassan]

Notes and thoughts on the companion Abilities we learned today -

just for reference a quick note again of what they are:

Harding - Seismic Shot; Heavy Draw; Shred; Adrenaline Rush; Soothing Potion Davrin - Battle Cry; Death from Above; Heroic Strike; Assan Strike; In War, Victory Bellara - Fade Bolts; Enfeebling Shot; Replenish; Time Slow; Galvanized Tear Taash - Fire Breath; Dragon's Roar; Dragonfire Strike; Spitfire; Fortune's Favor Lucanis - Eviscerate; Abominate; Soothing Potion; Debilitate; Adrenaline Rush Emmrich - Final Rites; Replenish; Entangling Spirits; The Bell Tolls; Time Slow Neve - Icebreaker; Blizzard; Glacial Pace; Time Slow; Replenish

Some Abilities are shared between companions. For example, both Lucanis and Harding have Adrenaline Rush and Soothing Potion, and Emmrich and Neve and Bellara all have Time Slow and Replenish. I think this is to do with the "core kits" that were mentioned before. like "Time Slow" for example as a part of the core kit for mage characters.

some of these Abilities we've seen demonstrated in gameplay videos so far or had shown/described in screenshots/articles before, like Death From Above. :>

Seismic Shot: since "seismic" can relate to earthquakes and other vibrations in the earth and its crust, this is a really cool name for one of Harding's moves (dwarf, Deep Roads, the Stone, Titans, her new earthbending skills etc) and I'm curious about both its gameplay effects and if it's tied to her new magical powers

Shred: arrowfire that shreds armor presumably

Soothing Potion and Replenish: both sound like heals

Heavy Draw: a heavy attack of Harding's? (Rook at least has access to both light attacks and heavy attacks)

Battle Cry: similar in name to previous abilities like War Cry and Battle Roar. Applies Taunted to enemies in the area

On Death From Above and Assan Strike. Death From Above deals high Stagger and can be used to deal damage from afar, presumably Assan Strike can also be used to deal damage from distance

In War, Victory: the Grey Warden motto will never not slap and evoke a great sense of heavy emotion.. 🥺 it was this part of the Grey Warden motto that was featured as a dialogue line in the release date reveal trailer. A+ name for a Grey Warden's move, no notes

Galvanized Tear: this ability is like a gravity well, it pulls enemies together. you can use it to draw enemies into one place

Adrenaline Rush: a buff that grants enhanced damage/enhances Rook's damage stats

Heroic Strike: applies the overwhelmed debuff. This causes the target to take additional Stagger ("deals high Stagger")

Eviscerate: At half health of less, this deals bonus damage, increasing in effectiveness the closer the target is to death. can be used to detonate a combo and strike a whole group of enemies

Abominate: Deals high Barrier damage and applies Knocked down to enemies in the area. can be used to knock enemies down. also, implications

Final Rites: it's giving finishing move vibes. I love the allusion to cultural practises like Last rights. very appropriate for a thoughtful, caring necromancer whose character is about exploring death and necromancy in a thoughtful nuanced way

The Bell Tolls: For Whom The Bell Tolls (two) reference? :) it's giving a 'your time alive is ending' or a 'your time as a spirit inhabiting this dead body is ending', clock strikes midnight, Cinderella-kinda vibe. bells toll in some places of worship when someone has died (funeral bells), or during other important life rites. also very appropriate for a necromancer

^ No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were: any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee.

Fortune's Favor: Lords of Fortune allusion, 'fortune favors the bold' :)

Taash has three abilities involving her fire-breathing and two with "dragon" in the name. 👀 they are really emphasizing the dragon connection/dragon symbolism and she is really living up to the "Ataashi" ('dragon, glorious one, great thing') in her name. in Trespasser Dragon's Breath was a Qunari conspiracy to kill most of the leadership of southern Thedas, involving explosives. I'm really curious about the specific mechanism or origin of her fire-breathing; like is she doing it the way fire-breathing performers do it irl (sounds kind of DA Artificer-y), or has she literally gained or developed some kind of literal innate fire-breathing draconic ability?

throwback to this post:

Maybe it was Taash who wrote this Codex, and the title is alliterative, “Taash Talks”? The writer comes across like a dragon enthusiast and it references being near the shore/sea. Iron Bull once said “So, when you face a dragon, does it get your heart pumping? Do you breathe a little faster, feel the blood racing?” (in the DA:TV trailer, Varric says that they will need someone “with fire in their blood” to face dragons).

Varric was being literal in that line huh. :D

the Qunari are known to hold dragons sacred. they have a physical similarity and some believe that the Tamassrans cultivate dragon blood within the Qunari, allowing some to tap into combat abilities similar to Reavers. is that practise the source of Taash's fire-breathing power? Kieran comments that Adaar's blood doesn't belong to their people. Cory also has weird comments about qunari blood. or maybe she just drank dragonblood? Reavers unlock powerful abilities by drinking it and a dragon-hunter would have access to dragonblood in abundance. Cassandra has dialogue where she tells the Inquisitor that her family used to be known for their Reavers. she says that too much dragonblood caused them to grow deformed, they grew scales and became more draconic than human. if there are legends of Reavers growing scales and draconic appearances after overindulging, why couldn't someone also breathe fire dragon-style? :D "igniting everything with draconic fury" makes me think of Reavery stuff too. Taash is out here living my Inquisitor's (who was a Reaver) dreams.

[rpstartersinc]

* 𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐎𝐍 𝐒𝟑: 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝟐.

feel free to change pronouns / wording! potential spoilers!

" it is said that surprise is one part secrecy and one part speed. "

" we are engaged. "

" what is your sour expression for? "

" for how long has this been going on? "

" until he knows the real you, he cannot possibly love you. "

" is that lady whistledown? "

" it is anything but common to be a lady who speaks her mind. "

" what the city lacks in natural beauty, it certainly makes up for in entertainment. "

" who needs fresh air when there is fresh gossip? "

" i hope you are thinking pure thoughts. "

" i think of you as the family pet. "

" that was not meant for your ears. "

" no one has ever stood up for me like that. "

" i will always stand up for you. "

" because [ pet name ] is watching. "

" would you be nauseated by the idea of marriage for yourself? "

" there is no better feeling than the truth. "

" do i look a mess? "

" the decorations are somewhat more drab than i remember, are they not? "

" it seems you host a hell of a party. "

" perhaps she would love to be unmasked, the power, the infamy, freedom to do whatever she wants. "

" i could not keep that secret for more than an hour. "

" there is nowhere else i would rather be. "

" i am always pleased when people take my advice. "

" know thine enemy. "

" ladies do not have dreams. "

" i have loved you since the moment we met. "

" i will spend a lifetime begging your forgiveness for not seeing you sooner. "

" were you ever punished as a child? "

" if you wish to repent, you must go inside the church. "

" you are clearly just envious that i have made something of myself. "

" of all bitches, dead or alive, a scribbling woman is the most canine. "

" i do not wish to ruin things for you. "

" not every attachment must be dramatic and hard-fought. "

" i do not spend much time in society. "

" i cannot imagine what anyone would judge you for. "

" well, this is one of the more amusing parties i have been to. "

" i want to be worthy of you. "

" if you thought revealing my true identity would stifle me, guess again. "

" gossip as i might, i always tell the truth, and i cannot tolerate a lie. "

" you do not sound like yourself. "

" i hope you know that my care for you is not contingent on your aid. "

" patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet. "

" i am not uninterested in exploration. "

" in this world, it is every person for themselves. "

" in my defence, your mother does not like me. "

" if i am to be bold... i shall need some time to think about it. "

" there's no such thing as true love, without first embracing your true self. "

" you are putting yourself in danger being out here tonight. "

" the smell of fermented fruit emanating from your person would indicate otherwise. "

" it is not your footman's fault - i slipped in. "

" i suppose you got all the good joints in the family. "

" i love weddings. "

" would you like to say how you really feel now? "

" why do you look so vacant? "

" making peace is a relief. "

" simply tears at losing another friend to marriage. "

" love is not finite. "

" please do not make me love you more. "

" i have not had time to meddle. "

" i have spent so long clinging to walls like this i do not wish to do that any longer. "

" i do not think i have it in me to greet any more guests. "

" do you know what it is like, to have no where in the world you can truly be yourself? "

" whatever you think you know, you are incorrect. "

" clearly, my word is not one you choose to follow. "

" i cannot wait for the quiet. "

" i no longer trust anyone but myself. "

" that must feel terribly lonely. "

" perhaps we might aim a little higher with our positive thinking? "

" i am not so petty. "

" it is certainly not my place to give or withhold a blessing on the matter. "

" how do you stand society events? "

" i have not come on happy business. "

" some have told me they do find release from deception a comforting feeling. "

" what you and i have done is not different. "

" what you have done is a crime! "

" it is a great regret of mine, that i have overlooked you for so long. "

" we have done the best we can with the opportunities that society has afforded us. "

" perhaps we are more alike than i care to admit. "

" one day, you too will have a heart. "

" just being you is enough. "

" i do not need you to save me, i just need you to stand by me. "

" you would truly allow me to succumb to such a fate? "

" i am beginning to care for you, [ name ], as more than friends. "

" it felt good, for once, to want to commit to someone. "

" does your silence betray that you know something that i do not? "

" the more i learn, the more i realise how little i know. "

" i know it is no laughing matter, what i have done. "

" gossip is information. "

" what is life without a little gossip? "

" i have been envious of you. "

" how lucky i am to stand by your side and soak up even a little bit of your light. "

" i shall join you in your hiding place, then. "

" it has been quite a journey we have taken together. "

" are you old enough to read that? "

" i have my moments. "

[heretherebedork]

Ranking the QL announcements from GMMTV 2024 pt 2

Alright, let's go down the list...

Last place goes to Ossan's Love Thailand. If I watch this show, I am dreading it. I am dreading this show. Will I watch it? That's a maybe. This is the first GMMTV BL that I am truly contemplating just... not watching. That slapstick was painful and not in a good way. It was just... it was not good.

The last time Jittirain did a dentist was one of the most emotionally abusive and manipulative relationship of all time that I still use as a barometer for other shows. I do not trust this. I hate that because Mark! MARK! But nope. I will watch it because keep thine enemies close but I will fear it the entire time.

Look, I am just often not a big fan of the very bittersweet and sad shows like these vibes. I get it, it could be good and I might love it but I am not anticipatory.

THIS IS THREE SHOWS!? THREE?!?!!? THREE SHOWS BY JITTIRAIN!?!?! I could cry. I might cry. At least they're engineers? Maybe the manipulation will be less? Maybe at least one will be okay? I will be not holding my breath. Especially with the line from one of them about 'guys don't want soft romance' which instantly set my teeth on edge.

I love romances with celebrities, no denials, no hesitation, hand it over and give me this entire gift of a show. Looks enjoyable and fun and I like the idea and all the boys are just adorable.

Honestly? I love this concept. I can't wait. It feels like fanfic about KristSingto being made into a show and yet they're both prepared to own it. Big fan.

Just give me all the vampires, please. Pretty please? VAMPIRES.

I would commit murder for this show. Be gay, do crimes.

[silverskye13]

(about the latest drabble): I'm sorry, Welsknight's code of honor says what

Gotta love Chivalry!

Welsknight in RnS is trying is ready best to be a good knight, but he has no church to swear fealty to [unless he builds one himself] and no Knightly Order to train and be ordained with [unless he builds one himself] so unlike Helsknight, who sought out a church in hels and got knighted the Ye Olde Fashioned Way, Welsknight follows the rules of Poetic Chivalry. The more he and Helsknight have fought it out, the more Helsknight's tenets have been incorporated into Welsknight's idea of Chivalry [and Helsknight's tenets themselves are based on Chivalric Laws anyway] but still, their personal creeds are a little to the left of each other.

With that little rant out of the way, the Chivalric Laws I'm using for Welsknight are augmented from Léon Gautier's Ten Commandments of Chivalry:

Thou shalt believe all that the Church teaches and thou shalt observe all its directions.

Thou shalt defend the Church.

Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them.

Thou shalt love the country in which thou wast born.

Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy.

Thou shalt make war against the infidel without cessation and without mercy.

Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy feudal duties, if they be not contrary to the laws of God.

Thou shalt never lie, and shalt remain faithful to thy pledged word.

Thou shalt be generous, and give largesse to everyone.

Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil.

For the sake of RnS, which has vague gods and saints in hels, but only the gods and saints players make everywhere else, for Welsknight, all tenets about God and Church are Hermitcraft the Server and what it represents. The laws and teachings of Hermitcraft are its pledges to creativity and fairness and prosperity. He will defend it to his dying breath, because it's his home, and the living, breathing part of the universe that he and his friends create in. And any enemy of Hermitcraft is his personal enemy as well.

[I like to imagine the reason Welsknight didn't get involved in the HC x Empires crossover was because he was busy making sure the Empires crew wouldn't start a war he personally had to finish lol]

He really is trying his best.

The problem with Chivalry though, is it is inherently about crusades. Chivalric poems, while filled with a good bit of manner and courtly love, are also filled with the ideas of self sacrifice for a ruthless Good, a Good that roots out evil, with tragic grace. A Good that, ultimately, crusaded against whole countries, because Good wouldn't abide by Evil. Chivalry needs something to fight for. Otherwise it's just a basket of nice, convenient morals, a horse and a suit of armor. So you can imagine, in his own subtle, misguided way, Welsknight is actually quite happy hels exists. What good is a knight without something to fight for? Or better yet, to fight against, because it is very convenient to define yourself by everything your enemy isn't.

And his enemy isn't kind to him. His enemy must be a liar, because what he says about his worthiness as a knight can't be true. And his enemy must be cruel, because he seeks him out to hurt him. And his enemy must be relentless, because he hasn't given up yet. And his enemy is Helsknight, and everything Helsknight stands for, and apparently, Helsknight stands for quite a lot, including other people, and other people can be fought.

(He and Helsknight, despite every kick and scream to the contrary, really are a lot alike.)

[words-of-wrath]

Conquered

Once upon a time there was a knight and a princess 😈

Enjoy 🖤

The city burned outside, as did the furnace. It blazed like the glory that was ignited in Lady Maven's heart when the siege began. She could not yet shake the exciting imagery of the battle, still raging outside though she was not part of it anymore. The trebuchet's flinging large boulders, the swords clanging and clashing. Lady Maven remembered dashing through the mud and dirt, scuffed and scorched. She remembered screeching as she drove her freshly sharpened blade into it's first heart. And soon it was dripping with the blood of the enemy, flecking droplets over the grass. And the bodies lay strewn around her, eyes hanging eternally open. Lady Maven rose a hammer up and brought it down upon the petite golden crown in front of her. She was a knight of the realm. Respectable, full of valor, loved by many. But now, oh now, she would let a more deviant side of herself out. 

She remembered what he had said to her. "I have a special job for you, Lady Maven. Oh, Maven, bravest and best of all knights!" Her commanding officer had said. She had smirked at that then and she was smirking now. Another strike on the crown, and it buckled under her force. Soon it would mold to her will, her specific desires. "Once the siege starts you are tasked with... taking care of the princess." Lady Maven struck the crown again and it nearly flattened. She dislodged the jewels from their homes and started to reshape the attire in the heat of the flaming furnace. While doing so, her eyes wandered over to the post just next to her. There she was, bound by the torso, arms behind her back, and gagged. "Do with her what you will," she remembered him saying.

The princess. The fair lady. What would they think of her if they saw her now? Lady Maven grinned deviously. Her auburn hair was spilling over her shoulders chaotically, her deep brown eyes filled to the brim with fear, wide as they could go. She watched Maven hammer away, twisting and contorting in her pretty pink dress. She was like to ruin it fussing like that. Maven cared not, however, she was nearly done. It would still be hot, but a snot-nose noble brat like this one deserved a good branding. Maven fastened the jewels back into place on the newly shaped collar. She smiled wickedly, turning in the Princess' direction. 

It was hot, but her knightly gauntlets protected her from most of the head. Princess shook her head from side to side quickly, mumbling against the pair of panties gagging her as Maven squatted down and opened up the scalding hot golden collar. Maven gripped a fistful of Princess' wavy auburn hair. She began to scream even before it was fastened around her neck. When the heated metal finally touched her bare neck, her eyes rolled to the back of her head as her skin singed. The collar cooled around her throat while tears streamed down her cheeks and drool dripped from her gagged mouth. 

"Come now, Princess," Lady Maven cooed sinisterly as she hooked a leash to her neck and started to unfasten her bonds. "Darling, a little pain never hurt anyone," she reassured as she tugged Princess toward her feet. The gag was taken off and her screams were freed from her mouth, spilling over the dirt ground. On her hands and knees, Princess could barely look up at Maven. The pain was still too much to bear. "Beg," Maven said plainly. "Beg for my mercy, Princess..."

A single sob caught in her throat as she gripped Maven's ankle with weak fingers, clutching and slightly digging her fingernails into the flesh. "Puh-puh-p-please, Lady Knight... I wish not for thine wrath... please..." she gurgled out, saliva dripping down from the corner of her mouth to the ground. "I've done n-nothing to deserve this..." Maven took a deep breath, and then a swift kick to the Princess' perfect ribs sent her careening across the ground in a heap. She tugged Princess back up, unfastening her belt and letting her trousers fall to her ankles. 

Princess watched, half awestruck, half in horror as Lady Maven's cock beat to life in the freshly heated air. Her lips pursed together and she shook her head as Maven grabbed another fistful of her hair and drew her close. Princess' nostrils were suddenly filled with Maven's scent as she nuzzled the base of her erect member. Lady Maven dragged her lips up and down her own shaft. Princess was forced to kiss up and down, coating her with a thin film of lip gloss. Finally, when she got to the tip, the knight shoved her halfway down her length. Princess hummed at the sudden filling of her cheeks, forced again to slide down to the base. She gagged. 

Tears welled up in her eyes once more as Lady Maven bucked her hips, gripping her face on both sides with her gauntlets and sliding her cock in and out. Down her throat it bored, hitting the back harshly. Maven rolled her eyes to the back of her head and let out a grunt as she continued to violate Princess' mouth. "You're no longer royalty, dear. Not when you're with me," Maven hissed through a moan. "Now, you're just a harlot. A dumb whore for my use." Princess looked up at her desperately, innocently taking Maven's cock between her lips. Finally, Lady Knight shoved her down to the base as she spilled down Princess' throat. 

Mouth dripping with seed, Princess was tugged off of Maven's half deflated cock. She was tugged up to her feet as their lips were drawn together. Lady Maven tasted herself from Princess' lips as her tongue snaked into the throat she had just gotten done violating. Princess was pushed up to the lip of the furnace. Palms extended, heat blasting over her, she winced as the leash was tugged from behind. Her back was forced to arch, and a gauntlet ripped at the skirt of her pretty pink dress. Maven's metal fingers massaged her slit. She was completely exposed underneath as Maven had ripped the panties off earlier to gag her. 

Princess had begun to sweat, the flames ever so close to her. Lady Maven squatted down, drawing her hips near with a firm grip and shoving her face into her cunt, dripping with anticipation. Princess shivered as her tongue snaked along the clit, flicking and spelling her name. M A V E N, each letter carefully drawn out with the tip of her tongue until Princess was a shivering and moaning wreck of a human being. Her tongue mercilessly invading her body, assaulting her pussy as Princess gripped the lip of the furnace, dripping with sweat. 

Maven stood soon after it was clear she couldn't take it anymore. Princess felt the tip of Maven's cock teasing her slit. She braced, back arching once more as the leash was tugged. One hand on her hip, the other gripping the leash, Lady Maven thrust into her. "Your body will be conquered like your kingdom," Maven said as she started to thrust in and out of her. "Sown like the farmlands we take, bred like the animals we raise." 

"A-ah!" was all Princess could muster as Lady Maven took her then and there, sheltered by the rickety stable. Heat spilled over her as her tits spilled from her pretty pink dress, bouncing up and down as Maven fucked her mercilessly. She was tensing, aching, body begging for more but too prideful a Princess to admit it openly. In that moment she was owned. And she may very well be for the rest of her life as Maven pumped in and out of her like a wild stallion. Maven reached around to grope her tits, tugging on the collar with one hand as she pounded Princess from behind. Her cheeks slammed against the knight's hips and jiggled as the rest of her body tensed. 

"G-good girl," Maven said with one final push, pumping loads of warm seed up into her womb. Maven could no longer hold it back, and she let out a deep cry of pleasure. A slap was planted on her ass and Maven tugged out. "You're not a noble now. You are nothing!" she said as she tossed Princess to the ground. Her pretty pink dress torn, her hair mussed, and her body aching, Princess fell to the ground. "A noble knight's toy. A slut!" Maven turned her onto her back with her boot and planted it into her chest. "Tell me you're mine," she said, cocking her head to the side and staring at Princess expectantly. The kingdom burned outside, the people screaming as they fell one by one by the sword. Princess turned her gaze onto Lady Maven and gulped. 

"I-I'm yours," she said.  

[thedawner]

More Hopper clothing update. He found in someone's storage container a military surplus stash(mostly bags and old jackets) which he happily pilfered from. Also, he liked Dot's transparent backpack thus got one of his own and filled it with the essentials.

Know thine enemy, love thy foe.