#post transition delta

[eros-ghoulette]

Different

It's a rainy day and Delta and Omega spend it at the lake.

Characters: Delta, Omega Word count: 1139

It was raining. Big droplets were rousing up the lake surface, making it rough, making it uneven; destroying the peace that once had been there. The sun, warm and bright, hadn’t been seen in hours. The world was cold, cold and grey. But it wasn’t ugly; it wasn’t bad. Just because it was different now, it wasn’t bad. It was as pretty as it used to be, as beautiful as it always was; just different.

On the small weathered pier stood a single ghoul. His arms were crossed, his gaze focused on the endless distances of the world. Delta liked the rain. It reminded him of past times and soothed his soul in a way nothing else could. His hair stuck to his forehead, his clothes were soaked, and the occasional wind stung his skin, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

“I knew I’d find you here,” a deep voice said calmly, and the rain wasn’t pattering down on him anymore, now shattering on an umbrella.

Delta had heard Omega coming and also felt every step the other took on the wood. He didn’t bother to turn his head to look at the quint, but he nodded and Omega understood him.

“You’ve been gone for two hours now,” Omega mentioned. “Alpha got worried, but don’t ask him. He wouldn’t admit it.” The taller chuckled a bit.

The new quint finally turned his head to look at his pack mate, and Omega stopped chuckling; a soft smile grazing his lips that slowly faded.

“Should I go back inside?” he asked, unsure of what to do. But he earned a head shake.

“Not if you don’t want to,” Delta told him and gave a slight smile.

“I want to stay here,” he answered. Both their voices were just loud enough so the other could hear. “I want to stay with you.”

Delta felt his heartbeat quicken and turned back to face the lake, fingers tracing scars through the fabric of his shirt; his gills used to be there. Omega saw it, but didn’t ask. He hadn’t seen the other without clothes since his transition and wasn’t going to pry. But the tall quint also remembered how Delta used to be when it rained. He would float around the lake like an oversized otter and let the droplets hit his skin. And Omega lowered the umbrella, closing it.

“What are you doing?” Delta asked, confused, watching the other with a tilted head.

“I’ll have some fun.”

The guitarist dropped the umbrella, pulling his shirt over his head in the same motion. It was unnecessary as it would get wet nonetheless, but he hated the texture of wet clothes against his chest. Omega also kicked his shoes off and proceeded to take his socks off too.

“Megs-”

But it was too late. With an - admittedly rather graceless - jump, he got into the lake, making the water splash around. It was warmer than the air around, and Omega gave Delta a toothy grin as he emerged, arms resting on the pier, chin on them.

“You wanna join me, otter man?” he asked, and Delta could swear the taller bewitched him with those eyes.

He looked down and then back up. He wanted to join him, he wanted it so bad! But he was marked with the past and cursed by the future. His upper body wasn’t what it used to be and it made him feel insecure, incredibly insecure. What if Omega wouldn’t want him anymore? What if the others wouldn’t want him anymore? He looked like a failed experiment and while he didn’t feel like one, he still felt different.

“I…” Delta stopped his sentence, not knowing what to say.

“It’s alright,” Omega said, noticing the inner distress. “You can leave the shirt on, if you want.”

Delta nodded, but the unsure expression stayed on his face. He wanted to feel the water on his skin, he wanted it to be at least a tiny bit like it used to be. And he knew he could trust Omega, he knew his fears were needless, but he couldn’t help it and the anxiety was eating him up.

“Can you… turn around?” It was a stupid question. Because once he was in the water, the other would see him. But water meant something familiar and maybe it would make him feel more comfortable.

“Sure.” The quint let himself fall back, making small waves as he swam further out, his back turned to the pier.

Delta slowly took off his shirt and looked down at himself. And what he saw didn’t bother him. He liked his looks, he liked himself, but he simply was afraid of what others would think of it.

Unlike the other, he slowly slid into the water, also just wearing his trousers. And oh… it felt so right. As if he’d never been absent, as if he’d always been there like that. His gills were gone, yes, but water was still water and Delta was still Delta.

“Can I turn around?” Omega asked after a quiet minute, and the smaller nodded nervously, only to realize how dumb that was.

“...yeah.”

The guitarist turned, but stayed where he was, arms moving a bit as he held himself over the surface. It was a silent conversation between them and when Delta nodded again, Omega came closer. A soft smile forming on his lips. He wasn’t able to make out much because the rain made the surface barely see-through. What he saw wasn’t new though; he had been with Delta during his transition, it just looked more healed and natural now.

“Can I touch you, otter man?”

The newer quint smiled lightly at the nickname, a stone falling off his chest. Omega didn’t think of him as ugly, didn’t hate him. He saw the purple spots on his blue skin and didn’t think of them as abnormal.

“You can,” he told him, and breathed in at the soft touch on his sides. Omega’s large hand carefully caressed the skin there and accidentally grazed one of the scars. He pulled away.

“I’m sor-”

“No, it’s alright, Megs,” he reassured and blinked a few times. Delta could swear he saw the other’s ears turn darker.

“You’re pretty, otter man,” he finally pointed out. “Really pretty.”

And without saying another word, Delta kissed Omega, hoping the other would be able to hold himself up over the water.

They nearly spent an hour like this, floating around the lake, their tails intertwined so they wouldn’t lose each other. The rain pattering down on the body parts that weren’t in the water. -------------

first time writing Delta and i kinda like it :)

gonna tag you here @sovaghoul

Reblogs are really appreciated

[sentientgolfball]

Swiss has a secret he will take to the grave. Also check out @mac-and-thefox post about the same concept :3

When he clawed through the summoning circle meant for Rain and Rain alone he wasn’t sure where he’d end up. He wasn’t sure if he’d be thrown back. But thankfully Copia held his hand and promised him they would find a role him. He would never see the Pit again unless he chose otherwise.

He just didn’t expect his role to come at the cost of Dewdrop. When Copia took him before the Clergy and explained what happened they made Swiss a deal. He would become their lead guitarist if Dew dies. He has enough fire in him to get the job done. At that point it seemed like a no brainer. He didn’t know Dew so who cares? He gets to stay.

But then he started to get to know him. Then he learned about the elemental transition happening in a week. He learned about Delta. The Clergy expected Dew to fail. They expected him to never be the same. They expected him to die. And Swiss was their backup plan. He was only there because Dew was about to be turned into ash.

He never said a word. He couldn’t. Dew seemed so happy he was finally getting what he wanted. He couldn’t bring himself to taint it with what he knew.

Swiss would visit his infirmary bed nightly after the ritual. He begged Dew to wake up. He didn’t want to be him. He couldn’t be him. When his condition got worse Ifrit took Swiss to the practice room to teach him guitar. Picking it up only made him weigh heavy with guilt.

Even as Dew got better he still was made to go to rehearsals. Delta was in perfect condition before the void swallowed what remained of him. Swiss would watch him like a hawk. He would be there in a flash if Dew so much as coughed. He was met with lots of fang and claw but he didn’t care. As long as the fire didn’t take more than just his water.

Even now that Dew is fully healed and they’ve completed multiple tours together, Swiss doesn’t say a word. Dew can’t know everyone expected him to die. Dew can’t know one of the ghouls he trusts the most was meant to replace him.

[madschiavelique]

omg okay y’all absolutely LOVED this post right here about young halsin x you turning to the shadow druids and meeting decades later so let me elaborate a bit about it (ps i’m in pain physically as i write this so it’s not proofread at all and very quick but i need to let some thought out)

imagine halsin and you, in his quarters, ready for interrogation. it’s night, some fireflies are coming in and out of his windows, but you’re not watching them. your eyes are planted in halsin’s.

so many questions swirl in his mind like individual drops of rain falling all at once together on calm water.

you were gone, at least that’s what he had thought for so many years. maybe you had perished after the flames, maybe you had changed of continents, maybe you had fought another battle that led you to the sour arms of death.

he never thought he was to see you again, not even in afterlife. but here you are, all tied up in front of him.

more beautiful than ever.

and you, you’re watching him in silence, hooked on his lips in expectation of whatever he might say.

he has the strength to form a sentence, trying his very best to keep it all under the “protecting the grove” argument.

“why are you here ?” he asks.

his voice changed so much. it’s much deeper, like thunder coated in honey. his voice was already the sweetest back in the days, but the new one…

“trying to prevent your grove from getting in trouble.” you answer, leaning your head back against the wood of the wall, not leaving his eyes.

he frowns, the duties of archdruid have changed him. he matured, you think, he made a man out of the snarky boy you once knew.

“from…” he says, searching his words, “troubles like you ?”

troublemaker, that was the nickname he used to give you. you’d always tried by every mean to make him look less perfect than how he used to be back in the days, and you still wondered if he had managed to remain effortlessly errorless.

you smiled, full of nostalgia at the single word, “i was your favourite kind of trouble. the one coming for you, though…”

“quit your games,” he stopped, “what are you truly here for ?”

“i told you, your grove’s about to be in danger.”

“how’s that ?” he scoffed, “you, the great deserter, coming to such a haven in search for something else to destroy ?”

halsin still had some bitterness. you had not just left him, you had been dishonest with him, betrayed your home, your friends, your circle, him.

“i did not mean to destroy the temple.” you said between clenched teeth.

“but you did it anyway.” he spat.

“because it was either see this stupid rubble go into flames or watching you die!” you snapped.

halsin’s eyes went wide, anger and surprise and confusion passing on his face and heart without transition as he looked at you with new eyes.

now, imagine that the reason why the shadow druids took you in in the first place was because of leverage, and this leverage was halsin.

imagine the poisoned words they made you drink, how they certified to you that by coming to their order you could finally top him on something and not be an eternal second of his.

that notion of being second had for a while been less and less present to the front of your mind, this simply because you were no longer in a competition with him, at least not in your mind.

but what if they had made you believe that halsin charming you until you fell for him was his own strategy to get first ? what if they had made you bitter enough about him that you had fallen for their lies ?

what if they had threatened to kill him if you were to not join them ?

should i give more loves 👁️👁️

small tags for the people that wanted to hear more about this !!

@halsinningiswinning @radioactivepidgeon @daughter-lilith @fruitymoonbeams-blog @sparrowbard @oooof-ifellforyou @girlwithadragonheart @altered-delta

[scarecrow-collective]

For the virgin Ghoul thoughts…

Omega being like that one older cousin that you can go to about anything and helps the new summons not feel so awkward about their first times and tell them everything they need/want to know.

Also he was the one to take Dew and Aether’s virginities (not at the same time, they each got their own night where Omega absolutely worshipped them and made them the only thing that mattered).

Oh for sure, personally I see it as like a ritual thing for the new ghouls. Their mentors are who take their virginity, lemme explain a bit more. Minors please don't interact with this post!! Thank you!!

Omega takes Aether and Phantom's virginity, he passes slow doses of quint into them as he slowly takes them apart. For Phantom's Aether joins in so he gets double the worship and double the quint.

It's the same for Alpha, Ifrit and Dew(post transition) whenever Alpha and Ifrit fucked Dew for the first time post transition they were so gentle with him, praising his new found body and making him so loved.

River,Lake and Chain takes the water ghouls virginity. River takes Mist apart and fucks into her so gently before he knots her so full, Lake is riding Delta so slowly and makes sure to tell him how good he feels. Chain and Rain are different,Chain takes Rain apart on his fingers so many times before he eats them out.

Earth takes Pebble, Ivy and Mountain so gently. Earth will help guide Ivy as he fucks into the smaller ghoul while also fucking into Mountain, praising them all so sweetly.

Air and Zephyr both take Cumulus and Cirrus, Air fucks into Cumulus and kisses her body all over and whispering praises about her body into her skin. Zephyr let's Cirrus fuck them as long and hard as she needs, praising her for the desperation she has.

Swiss and Sunshine take turns fucking into Aurora as the small Ghoulette experiences a pleasure like none other, they'll have her fucked out and blissed by the time they're done with her.

[skele-bunny]

Thinking about Dewey

CW: Self-image issues (but this is a fluff post!)

Before his elemental transition, Dew had really dark hair that seemed to be blue. White freckles across his cheeks and shoulders bioluminescence that went down his stomach and curved to dips and down his legs. Dew's eyes always had this shimmer that mimicked bubbles, always glossy and a pastel turquoise on blueish-gray skin.

His tail was thick and his scent was so lovely and calming. Dew smelled like sea salt with coconut, with gentle vetiver. His voice was so luring, gentle with the softest echo. He was just so, so beautiful. Constantly turning heads and center of his pack. His little fangs always poking out over his lip when he smiled.

After his transition, he felt dead. Heterochromia with now a blood red eye, his bubbles now gone in the blue, eye bags so dark and heavy. His hair was this burnt, bleached blonde but right at the root you could see the smallest hint of his black hair. His freckles no longer white and now a strange ginger. Even his skin had lightened to a pale grey. His tail was thinned out, his delta tail now forked in spikes, but still desperately trying to stay in its original form. Even his ears have lost its flare.

He felt ugly. He felt disgusting. Covered in burns, his gills even cauterized on his ribs.

Dew hated himself, hated mirrors, hated anything that held his reflection.

Aether and Mountain were his rocks through all of it, just clinging to them as he's sandwiched, sobbing uncontrollably and clawing at himself. He hates what's been done to him. Hates that it hurts to even try to sing. They desperately want to show how beautiful he still is, that no matter what he looks like, they still love him.

Aether just starts leaving little sticky notes around the empty den, especially on mirrors and reflective counter tops.

"I like your smile :)" / "Good morning, cutie!" / "You look adorable. Date night?" / "I love who you are." / "Every time I look at you, I fall in love again." / "Don't let your thoughts take over. Come see me if you feel it winning."

Mountain starts his own, too, leaving flowers at Dew's door and when he needs help with self-care, Mountain carefully combing through his hair and braiding it - settling flowers in each overlap. Kissing over his scars and redoing every bandage with such a gentle touch.

He's not a very vocal person like Aether, but still has his own way to reassure. Holding Dew when he needs cuddles, just simply admiring everything about him. Thumb going over his freckles with just pure admiration.

"You look like the sun... So beautiful..."

Staring into his eyes and kissing at his nose, going over the ridges on Dew's ear and now pointed tail. "You remind me of roses. These are your thorns... And you're the beautiful bud."

It takes Dewdrop a LONG while to get used to his appearance, even still having some rough days and needing to cover himself completely -- but Aether and Mountain make it just a bit better. And that's all that matters to them, just as long as Dew knows how loved and beautiful he is. As long as it helps their firefly be able to glance at himself better than before 🩷

[mengjue]

What's Happening in China? The November 2022 Protests

Hello! I know that there's so much going on in the world right now, so not everyone may be aware of what is happening in China right now. I thought that I would try to write a brief explainer, because the current wave of protests is truly unprecedented in the past 30+ years, and there is a lot of fear over what may happen next. For context, I'm doing this as someone who has a PhD in Asian Studies specialising in contemporary Chinese politics, so I don't know everything but I have researched China for many years.

I'll post some decent links at the end along with some China specialists & journalists I follow on Twitter (yeah I know, but it's still the place for the stuff at the moment). Here are the bullet points for those who just want a brief update:

Xi Jinping's government is still enacting a strict Zero Covid policy enforced by state surveillance and strict lockdowns.

On 24 November a fire in an apartment in Urumqi, Xinjiang province, killed 10. Many blamed strict quarantine policies on preventing evacuation.

Protests followed and have since spread nationwide.

Protesters are taking steps not seen since Tiananmen in 1989, including public chants for Xi and the CCP to step down.

Everyone is currently unsure how the government will respond.

More in-depth discussion and links under the cut:

First a caveat: this is my own analysis/explanation as a Chinese politics specialist. I will include links to read further from other experts and journalists. Also, this will be quite long, so sorry about that!

China's (aka Xi Jinping's) Covid Policy:

The first and most important context: Xi has committed to a strict Zero Covid policy in China, and has refused to change course. Now, other countries have had similar approaches and they undoubtedly saved lives - I was fortunate to live in New Zealand until this year, and Prime Minister Ardern's Zero Covid approach in 2020-2021 helped protect many. The difference is in the style/scope of enforcement, the use of vaccines, and the variant at play. China has stepped up its control on public life over the past 10 years, and has used this to enforce strict quarantine measures without full regard to the impact on people's lives - stories of people not getting food were common. Quarantine has also become a feared situation, as China moves people to facilities often little better than prisons and allegedly without much protection from catching Covid within. A personal friend in Zhengzhou went through national, then provincial, then local quarantines when moving back from NZ, and she has since done her best to avoid going back for her own mental and physical health. Xi has also committed China to its two home-grown vaccines, Sinovac and Sinopharm, both of which have low/dubious efficacy and are considered ineffective against new variants. Finally, with delta and then omicron most of the Zero-Covid countries have modified their approach due to the inability to maintain zero cases. China remains the only country still enacting whole-city eradication lockdowns, and they have become more frequent to the point that several are happening at any given time. The result is a population that is incredibly frustrated and losing hope amidst endless lockdowns and perceived ineffectiveness to address the pandemic.

Other Issues at Play:

Beyond the Covid situation, China is also wrestling with the continued slowdown in its economic growth. While its economic rise and annual GDP growth was nigh meteoric from the 80s to the 00s, it has been slowing over the past ten years, and the government is attempting to manage the transition away from an export-oriented economy to a more fully developed one. However, things are still uncertain, and Covid has taken its toll as it has elsewhere the past couple of years. Youth unemployment in particular is reaching new highs at around 20%, and Xi largely ignored this in his speech at the Party Congress in October (where he entered an unprecedented third term). As a result of the perceived uselessness of China's harsh work culture and its failure to result in a better life, many young Chinese have been promoting 躺平 tǎng píng or "lying flat", aka doing the bare minimum just to get by (similar to the English "quiet quitting"). The combination of economic issues and a botched Covid approach is important, as these directly affect the lives of ordinary middle-class Chinese, and historical it has only been when this occurred that mass movements really took off. The most famous, Tiananmen in 1989, followed China's opening up economic reforms and the dismantling of many economic safety nets allowing for growing inequality. While movements in China often grow to include other topics, having a foundation in something negatively impacting the average Han Chinese person's livelihood is important.

The Spark - 24 Nov 2022 Urumqi Apartment Fire:

The current protests were sparked by a recent fire that broke out in a flat in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang province. (This is the same Xinjiang that is home to the Uighur people, against whom China has enacted a campaign of genocide and cultural destruction.) The fire occurred in the evening and resulted in 10 deaths, which many online blamed on the strict lockdown measures imposed by officials, who prevented people from leaving their homes. It even resulted in a rare public apology by city officials. However, with anger being so high nationwide, in addition to many smaller protests that have occurred over the past two years, this incident has ignited a nationwide movement.

The Protests and Their Significance:

The protests that have broken out over the past couple of days representing the largest and most significant challenge to the leadership since the 1989 Tiananmen movement. Similar to that movement, these protests have occurred at universities and cities across the country, with many students taking part openly. This scale is almost unseen in China, particularly for an anti-government protest. Other than Tiananmen in 1989, the most widespread movements that have occurred have been incidents such as the protest of the 1999 Belgrade bombings or the 2005 and then 2012 anti-Japanese protests, all of which were about anger toward a foreign country.

Beyond the scale the protests are hugely significant in their message as well. Protesters are publicly shouting the phrases "习近平下台 Xí Jìnpíng xiàtái!" and "共产党 下台 Gòngchǎndǎng xiàtái!", which mean "Xi Jinping, step down/resign!" and "CCP, step down/resign!" respectively. To shout a direct slogan for the government to resign is unheard of in China, particularly as Xi has tightened control of civil society. And people are doing this across the country in the thousands, openly and in front of police. This is a major challenge for a leader and party who have prioritised regime stability as a core interest for the majority of their history.

Looking Ahead:

Right now, as of 15:00 Australian Eastern time on Monday, 28 November 2022, the protests are only in their first couple of days and we are unsure as to how the government will respond. Police have already been seen beating protesters and journalists and dragging them away in vehicles. However, in many cases the protests have largely been monitored by police but still permitted to occur. There seems to be uncertainty as to how they want to respond just yet, and as such no unified approach.

Many potential outcomes exist, and I would warn everyone to be careful in overplaying what can be achieved. Most experts I have read are not really expecting this to result in Xi's resignation or regime change - these things are possible, surely, but it is a major task to achieve and the unity & scale of the protest movement remains to be fully seen. The government may retaliate with a hard crackdown as it has done with Tiananmen and other protests throughout the years. It may also quietly revamp some policies without publicly admitting a change in order to both pacify protesters and save face. The CCP often uses mixed tactics, both coopting and suppressing protest movements over the years depending on the situation. Changing from Zero Covid may prove more challenging though, given how much Xi has staked his political reputation on enforcing it.

What is important for everyone online, especially those of us abroad, is to watch out for the misinformation campaign the government will launch to counter these protests. Already twitter is reportedly seeing hundreds of Chinese bot accounts mass post escort advertisements using various city names in order to drown out protest results in the site's search engine. Chinese officials will also likely invoke the standard narrative of Western influence and CIA tactics as the reason behind the protests, as they did during the Hong Kong protests.

Finally, there will be a new surge of misinformation and bad takes from tankies, or leftists who uncritically support authoritarian regimes so long as they are anti-US. An infamous one, the Qiao Collective, has already worked to shift the narrative away from the protests and onto debating the merits of Zero Covid. This is largely similar to pro-Putin leftists attempting the justify his invasion of Ukraine. Always remember that the same values that you use to criticise Western countries should be used to criticise authoritarian regimes as well - opposing US militarism and racism, for example, is not incompatible with opposing China's acts of genocide and state suppression. If you want further info (and some good sardonic humour) on the absurd takes and misinfo from pro-China tankies, I would recommend checking out Brian Hioe in the links below.

Finally, keep in mind that this is a grass-roots protest made by people in China, who are putting their own lives at risk to demonstrate openly like this. There have already been so many acts of bravery by those who just want a better future for themselves and their country, and it is belittling and disingenuous to wave away everything they are doing as being just a "Western front" or a few "fringe extremists".

Links:

BBC live coverage page with links to analysis and articles

ABC (Australia) analysis

South China Morning Post analysis

Experts & Journalists to Check Out:

Brian Hioe - Journalist & China writer, New Bloom Magazine

Bonnie Glaser - China scholar, German Marshall Fund

Vicky Xu - Journalist & researcher, Australian Strategic Policy Institute

Stephen McDonnell - Journalist, BBC

M Taylor Fravel - China scholar, MIT

New Zealand Contemporary China Research Centre - NZ's hub of China scholarship (I was fortunate to attend their conferences during my PhD there, they do great work!)

If you've reached the end I hope this helps with understanding what's going on right now! A lot of us who know friends and whanau in China are worried for their safety, so please spread the word and let's hope that there is something of a positive outcome ahead.

[voidarchivefiles]

Lucid dreaming for the void state

So this post is inspired by this success story which mentioned using lucid dream binaural beats to induce a lucid dream and then enter the void through there. Shout out to @gorgeouslypink for introducing lucid dreaming as a method to enter the void and popularising it with her Lucid dreaming void post and FILD Challenge! I went through some success stories and tagged the ones that entered via lucid dreams and there's currently 9 with 2 more in the queue.

Anyway, that success story never linked what they used so I was curious and searched on youtube and found this, a 1.5hr lucid dreaming induction track, released 11 years ago and has 3.6m views. If you read the comments, there's many people who successfully had lucid dreams from it! Basically you wear headphones and listen to the track as you fall asleep and it will hopefully trigger a lucid dream while you're sleeping.

From the video description:

Listen to this audio AS YOU FALL ASLEEP, and after you have developed the habit of performing constant 'reality checks'. Remember, this is a tool, and not a magic formula. ;) Headphones required for binaural beats to work This lucid dreaming induction is a variation of the original i-dreamer. Improvements: a more gradual descending-step-sequence (alpha to delta) to induce sleep. Quieter and more frequent affirmations. Refined gamma peaks (40hz). The first 65 minutes will entrain you to a deep delta sleep using a descending binaural frequency + various water sfx. The remainder consists of a low-theta wave to help transit your mind into REM sleep. During this segment I have recorded various affirmations to help trigger a lucid state: "You are dreaming" "Do a reality check" "This is a dream" "You are taking control of your dream" Within the theta-wave are various 4-5 second long peaks peak at 40 Hz. ("...an EEG machine recorded frequencies in the 40 Hz range in lucid dreamers enjoying a bit of conscious REM...")

The channel has a playlist of lucid dream induction audios but the one I linked above is the most popular one. They seem to be different though so it's good to have options if you want to experiment a bit.

Of course there's numerous ways to induce lucid dreaming and this is just one possible way. I recommend checking out @charmedreincarnation and @themanifestingbrat's lucid dreaming guide if you want to learn more, there are a few successful anons who used her guide!

Just sharing this in case it helps someone!

[omegaverse-anthropologist]

ok this is the post i actually wanted to write for no reason in particular. i just didn’t feel good abt writing about forced transition without talking about normal transition for normal people first, since transition is a good and beautiful thing. i wanted to draw a clear distinction between transition and bitching. transition is a life-saving process. bitching, in this omegaverse, is abuse.

obligatory note that i am nonbinary

content warnings for sexual assault, abuse of both adults and minors. the dove is dead, and if you open this up and look at it, that’s your choice lol

bitching

in my last post, i talked about how delta-omega transition is the process by which a trans omega re-balances their natural hormone production to align with their dynamic sex. d-omega transition does not require sexual contact, but pack- and medical support.

forced transition (historically called bitching), is the violent weaponization of d-omega transition. it is the process by which someone (in 84% of cases, an alpha) forces another alpha to a more omega hormone balance.

forced transition is a complex form of abuse that typically involves social isolation, drugging, and sexual assault. most frequently, the perpetrator relies on herbal/traditional medicines to induce the destabilized hormonal state required to re-balance their target’s hormones, since illicit prescriptions are difficult and expensive to procure. social isolation and other forms of abuse (e.g. intimidation, physical assault, neglect) make it easier for the perpetrator to drug their target and induce destabilization.

once destabilization is induced, the perpetrator forces frequent contact onto their target. again, social isolation facilitates this frequent contact. in over 90% of FT cases, the perpetrator sexually assaults their target at least once.

as with d-omega transition, frequent contact with alpha pheromones in this destabilized state causes a sharp increase in omega hormones, a sharp decrease in alpha hormones, and an appropriate shift in beta balancing hormones. unlike d-omega transition, wherein the d-omega has the support of their pack and/or community to help them regulate both chemically and emotionally, an FT target typically relies solely on the perpetrator for any sense of balance. this sometimes leads to a near-feral state of desperation, furthering their dependence on the perpetrator and causing the target to be more vulnerable to their influence. high levels of stress hormones cause the target to be less susceptible to permanent hormone shifting, meaning that at least in adults, if the process is interrupted it is possible for the natural hormonal balance to be restored.

41% of forced transitions are detected in progress, and the FT process is interrupted 58% more frequently in adults than in children. tragically, this means that almost 75% of child targets are undetected, at least until the process is ‘complete.’ in addition, the earlier the abuse begins, the more difficult it is for the target to return to (or reach for the first time) their natural alpha hormonal balance.

in cases of childhood FT where the abuse began during the soft-cycle period, whether the transition process was complete or not, the survivor may need lifelong treatment to achieve and maintain an alpha hormonal balance.

while interrupted FT typically has positive outcomes for adults, in children, there are often lasting difficulties. enlarged houghton (slick) glands are irreversible regardless of age, and childhood abuse may lead to painful mixed reproductive cycles. these mixed cycles contain a mix of alpha and omega symptoms such as fever, headache, abdominal cramps, prolonged/painful erection, overproduction of lubricant, and aggression. the sexual trauma associated with FT may cause a host of other difficulties associated with reproductive cycles.

in addition, survivors may have mixed instincts. surviving alphas may perform instinctually omegan vocalisations such as stuttered or painful purring, may respond in a more omegan fashion to a trusted alpha’s Voice, and prefer the company of other omegas during their reproductive cycles.

the complex and lasting condition caused by FT is called FT-Derived Disrupted Alpha Presentation Disorder in those for whom the abuse began any time before or within a year after their first full cycle, and is a type of disrupted presentation disorder. in adults, the condition is called FT-Derived Mixed Endocrine Disorder, Subtype A. colloquially, both conditions are referred to as FT-Survivor Syndrome, or Bitched Alpha Syndrome. The latter was used historically, when “Bitching” was the medical term for forced alpha-omega transition. Today, BAS is antiquated and extremely offensive, as is using the phrase ‘bitched alpha’ to describe a survivor of forced a-o transition.

[wrathofrats]

@divine-misfortune finally made a post about the Quints and our beloved delta, so I thought I’d make a longer post detailing the lore we’ve been discussing. (Pls go support his art I am shaking it violently)

There’s something wrong with the water element, as a whole. There’s been so many water ghouls, and the only two ghouls to ever transition elements have been water ghouls.

There’s something about the element that is fundamentally more unstable, more prone to making the ghouls go feral and eventually being locked away to die alone or be killed before they can harm anyone or themselves.

Its a pattern that delta can’t shake.

He’s been told by omega what happened to those before him, and it terrified him. Stories of a terrible fate he can never overcome. Every weird thought and craving for blood is suddenly a sign he must be losing himself.

Delta obsesses over it.

He quickly starts looking over the old quintessence books in the library, wondering if there’s anything that could possibly save him. Spells and old tales of forcing different elements into a ghoul quickly catch his eye, he didn’t know it was an option to simply change his element.

He sneaks off with a couple books on quintessence. He spends weeks studying and coming up with a way to force the quintessence into his body in a way that will rid himself of his water element. It’s painful and tedious, ripping himself apart to force something unnatural inside of him. It works, just for a bit. Able to cast small spells and wield his magic as if he was a young quintessence ghoul.

The euphoria doesn’t last for long.

After the transition there’s no light left in his eyes, It's the first sign something is wrong

Alpha and mist are genuinely surprised to see him alive after he transitions. Checks him over thoroughly to see if there's anything amiss, when the only tell is his eyes are darker, they chalk it up to a miracle, that everything must have gone right and there's no reason to worry.

But delta feels wrong. He knows something else is going on. But he doesn't know how to communicate it, and he trusts alpha. So he ignores it, claiming Quints don't have glowing eyes, it's normal and expected

The quintessence hurts, feels wrong, like he swallowed a foreign object and can’t quite rid himself of the feeling of a heavy painful weight in his stomach and heart. The magic is powerful and not supposed to be there.

It rejects him.

his body decays and eats away at him.

Mentally and physically

The threads of the universe slowly ripping at his body and making him lose his mind. A much more painful and terrifying fate than if he had just accepted his water ghoul nature.

Deltas body slowly turns to little wispy shadow bits, showing his bone and muscle underneath.

He keeps trying to use the quintessence to heal himself, pull the skin over the "wounds", but it never fits quite right, the skin is too taught, it's not the right texture, it's wrong and he doesn't know how to fix it and he can't do it fast enough. Can't remember the spells day to day to save himself

[trulybetty]

october | 21 x acorns

pairing: frankie x f!reader word count: warnings: none, as always un-beta'd. summary: Despite knowing what getting into a relationship with Frankie would entail, the reality is not always so easy. ao3: linked

{ x. series masterlist }

author note: prompts are not in chronological order, the story is told throughout the life span of the relationship. once all are posted, I'll post a list of the prompts in chronological order.

12 x Acorns.

The longest stretch Frankie was stationed at a base before serving with Delta, was almost two years in Virginia. It was also the first time you’d lived outside of military housing. It had been a big deal, Frankie giving you the reigns to pick somewhere after moving states in quick succession before this assignment. So with enthusiasm, you’d spent your nights alone while Frankie was deployed, searching rental listings before settling on a house ten minutes from the base.

He’d leant over squinting at your phone, “It's close to base?”

“Ten minutes. You could probably shave it down to eight,” you replied with a small smile.

Frankie had timed it to the second. Ensuring that he could reach the base as quickly as possible. In the backyard stood a large and towering oak tree. It was large and imposing, its branches reaching over the house, almost like it was cradling the house.

The rental agent had mentioned something about acorns being a symbol of fresh starts. Considering Frankie’s new posting and you’d taken it as a sign, already in love with the house, instantly imagining lazy summer afternoons in its shade and watching the colours transition to fall.

Frankie had been skeptical at first, you could picture him vividly, dressed in oil-stained overalls tied at the waist, eyeing the branches warily. “Gonna be a bitch to rake all those leaves come fall,” he’d muttered, but you’d caught the hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

You never thought to question Frankie's sudden desire to move out of base housing. Just happy that you were in a place where he had promised roots for you both. You’d joked that the tree in the yard was symbolic in more ways than one.

What you hadn’t expected, almost a year to the day you’d moved in, as autumn painted the leaves in hues of gold and crimson, Frankie home early from base, with the news of a new assignment and the reality of what had brought you to Virginia in the first place.

“I've been assigned to a new training program,” he began carefully. “Delta. It's in North Carolina. Fort Bragg.”

You stared at him, the weight of his words sinking in. “When?”

“I leave next week.”

You hadn’t missed the emphasis on the fact that only he would be leaving next week.

“Next week?” The shock rendering you momentarily speechless. “Frankie, that's��”

“I know it's sudden,” he interrupted, his eyes pleading for understanding, “but…” he trailed off

You eyed him suspiciously, “But what Frankie?”

Then that was when it all came out. Why Virginia, and why he was so resolute about living off base, knowing what was ahead for him already. He had put himself forward for Delta Force training and subsequently had passed, only a handful making it through the vigorous rounds. They’d kept him there in Virginia, playing a large role with their E Squadron, focused on aviation. Not long after, with several other successful recruits, they’d selected them for reconnaissance. Frankie, a ranked major, was assigned as assistant team leader.

Frankie’s voice had softened as he had explained. His eyes locked on yours, searching for understanding. “I wanted you to have something stable, something away from the chaos, the secrecy. I wanted to put distance between that and home. I wanted…” he trailed off, running a hand through his hair.

You could see the conflict etched in the lines of his face, the weight of his choices heavy on him. You held back tears as the realization sunk in.

“You knew,” you’d whispered, more a statement than a question.

Frankie had been silent in response.

Despite saying his move was a week away, Frankie was moved overnight to North Carolina—headquarters in what was now known as Fort Liberty. The process so quick that neither of you had the time to discuss anything more than the fact you would remain behind and follow him out at a later date.

Frankie left for North Carolina amidst a flurry of hurried goodbyes and unspoken apologies. You were left to pack up the house, coordinate with movers, and notifying your job of yet another relocation. Then on top of it all, with Frankie consumed with even more training, deployments and more, meant it was on you to handle the arrangements of a new home in Carolina.

On your last night in Virginia, the house empty having sent off its contents that afternoon in a moving truck. You’d stepped outside to the yard, stood underneath the impressive oak tree, in the dark its branches losing their comfort now only seemed to mock you with their permanence. Bending down, you picked up a handful of acorns scattered across the grass. Rolling them in your palm you let out a soft bitter-tinged laugh remembering the realtor's statement about putting down roots. You felt foolish for really believing that you were going to be settled there, would see out the rest of Frankie’s service.

The next morning, you caught an early flight to North Carolina, exhaustion pulling at every fibre of your being. As you shifted your bag on your shoulder as you descended the escalator from baggage claim, you spotted Frankie waiting near the exit. He gave you a small wave, uncertainty painting his features.

“Hey,” he greeted softly, pulling you into a tight embrace.

“Hi,” you replied, forcing a smile.

He reached for your suitcase. “How was the flight?”

“Fine,” you simply replied.

The drive to the new house was thick with unspoken tension. Frankie cleared his throat. “I set up the bedroom. There's an air mattress until the movers arrive.”

“Great,” you responded, staring out the window, watching the scenery pass by.

Pulling up to the new house, you took in the sight of it—a standard military rental, identical to the others lining the street. No character, no history, just another temporary shelter.

He glanced at you, worry creasing his brow. “I know this isn't easy.”

You sighed, finally turning to face him. “Frankie, we've moved three times in the past three years. Packed up our lives each time, started over in new places. I knew what a relationship with you entailed, but it's... it's just hard.”

“I never wanted it to be this way,” he said quietly.

You smiled sadly, “I know.”

Later, lying on the air mattress in the sparsely furnished bedroom, you stared at the ceiling. Frankie slept beside you, his breathing steady. You reached over, your fingers brushing his hair from his forehead. You knew what being with Frankie entailed, you weren’t naive and he had given you plenty of warnings. You’d thought you’d prepared yourself for all of it—but reality was different, much more challenging than either one of you could have imagined.

[transesyourgranddukes]

Delicious in Deltarune AU ramble !! Long post !!!!

(Ft Chimaera Hippogriff Dess doodles done in whiteboard)

Noelle, Kris and Susie end up retreating after getting to a lower level of the dark dungeon and encountering a darkner creature too difficult for them. They get separated from Dess, whom to their knowledge was severely injured before they got teleported by Noelle to the surface. After they recuperate and go on their way down again, they encounter Ralsei and Lancer, who join their party and help them along their journey.

Instead of monsters in the dungeon, it's darkners. Characters aren't specifically placed into dunmeshi character roles, but more so put into the world of dunmeshi. Deltarune's world and rules get adapted/intertwined with dunmeshi's. More info under the cut!

Kris - the leader. human knight with significant knowledge on darkners, can't use magic very well. Came from a family of royals. Their brother Asriel is a renowned knight.

Noelle - deer mage, specializing in healing + ice magic, beginning to get the hand of offensive magic. Comes from a rich family and went to magic school with Kris and Dess.

Susie - the party's tank, and 2nd magic user; a well known reptilian fighter among adventurers. Came from a poor family that she has since left behind.

Dess - the party's former leader, a deer mage with expertise in fire/light magic, but she can't use healing magic very well.

Ralsei - a royal mage with healing magic, main cook for the party. He's secretive about his past

Lancer - a runaway prince; he scouts out the environment/landscape for the party

Other characters/misc

Sans and Papyrus are searching for their missing sorcerer relative, who went mysteriously missing along with his party of 4

Berdly reluctantly joins mage Catti and fighter Jockington's party of two after realizing he can't venture through the dungeon alone. They don't want to admit that he's slowing them down however. When Kris' party find them, they’re facing off Queen and her minions.

I'm thinking some of the 'monsters' Kris' party could encounter would be different darkner bosses (I really wanna make them face off beast Spamton)

The layout/floors of the dungeon could be based on different dark worlds ??

Still figuring that out along with the dungeon's legend/prophecy (rn I'm thinking it involves a bit of the monster and human in the opening of undertale and a bit of the delta rune prophecy)

Here's the Dess doodles and also sorcerer Gaster. The caption above him was added by a friend lol

ID: Sketchy drawing of Dess as a hippogriff chimera. She has big antlers and long wavy dark hair. Below her neck, it transitions into a huge feathery body, with chicken-like front legs and taloned feet, and her hind legs and body resembling a deer's. She has huge feathered wings and a spotted tail. There is purple glint in her eyes. End ID

ID: Chimera Dess from a side profile view. She has her jaw unhinged, and reaches out with a clawed hand. The purple glint in her eye has grown. Surrounding her are other drawings other people have made on the whiteboard. End ID

ID: Chimera Dess from a partial front view, looking ominously below at something. End ID

ID: Gaster wearing a button up, dark colored vest and pants, a purple cloak with a determination star clasp, and iron boots and gauntlets with the determination star engraved on. He is looking to his left with tired eyes; his arms are at his sides, with his hands balled into fists. He has fangs, and short wavy hair made out of fire. Above him is all caps text that reads “I have always believed it to be morally sound to hit people with hammers“. End ID

[roseaesynstylae]

Star Wars: Republic Commando: Triple Zero, Chapters 3 & 4

Chapter 3

"So she did what she had been drilled to do without thinking since she was four years old. She fought."

It can be hard, sometimes, to differentiate what is what in this series. For example, Jedi-bashing or just general stupidity (either on the character or the author's part)? It's hard to tell. But, given these books' track record, I'm going to err on the side of cautiousness and give this a point.

Jedi-Bashing: 5

Because the phrase "without thinking" makes me think of brainwashing and certain anti-Jedi arguments. Am I jumping to conclusions? Maybe. Has this series given me any reason not to? No.

"It was another reason why Ordo adored his sergeant: he was the archetypal Mando'ad. A Mandalorian man's ideal was to be the firm but loving father, the respectful son learning from every hard experience, the warrior loyal to constant personal principles rather than ever-changing governments and flags.

He also knew when to apologize."

That adoration is screwing you, Ordo.

Also, if Kal Skirata is the ideal of a traditional Mandalorian, then Satine's reforms were both entirely justified and did not go far enough.

Chapter 4

"'--but you'll probably have help sooner, because Delta Squad are in transit.'

'Oh, we'll never hear the last of this...'

'You haven't met them yet, son.'

'Heard enough.'

'Rough, rude boys,' Fi said. 'And rather full of themselves.'"

Out of all the characters in this series, Delta Squad have the most right to be full of themselves.

Deltas, Move Out: 1

"The image that shimmered before he showed one man in a familiar suit of Katarn armor, squatting with a DC-17 across his thighs. The blue light distorted natural color, but the dark patches on his armor suggested red or orange identity markings.

'RC-one-one-three-eight, General, receiving.'

It was time for names. 'You're Boss.'"

THEY'RE HERE!!!!!

Deltas, Move Out: 2

"'Boss receiving. Sorry, we had to stop and ask for directions.' He had a voice very like Atin's but with a stronger accent. 'My boys are now going to show you how to do an extraction properly, so take notes because you might blink and miss it. There's a Sep ship with missiles up the sprout about three minutes behind us.'

'Can we bring some friends?'

'The more the merrier. We're going to align with your cockpit, slap an isolation seal on the viewport, and Scorch will cut through. Then you shift it fast, and we RV with Fearless for caf, cakes, and hero worship. Got it?"

You are magnificent.

Deltas, Move Out: 3

"Fi eased off his helmet and inhaled fresh air. Except for Scorch, they had all taken off their helmets. Delta was one of fewer than a dozen squads that had survived intact since decanting, a true pod as the Kaminoans called it, and they seemed to think that made them an elite within an elite. They had been raised and trained together, and they had never fought with anyone but their brothers. It was a luxury few enjoyed."

They are an elite within an elite. And they improve this book drastically with their mere existence.

Deltas, Move Out: 4

Jedi-Bashing: 5

Mando-Shilling: 1

It's a Man's World: 1

Shut the Fuck Up, Kal: 1

Deltas, Move Out: 4

Mird, My Beloved: 0

Is This The Bad Batch?: 2

Main Post

I'm going to go back to obsessing over the High Republic now.

[the-moon-in-the-gutter]

In a dutiful part 2 to this post, here are more of Sunshine's nicknames for her fellow ghouls:

Dew- No Chase, a shortened version of the phrase "straight no chase" meaning someone who is very blunt and doesn't beat around the bush or sugar coat things.

Ivy- Blossom, as each spring the earth ghoul sprouts wisteria blooms that hang from his horns while the ivy still lies dormant waiting for summer to return.

Pebble- Sugar Beet, his incredibly sweet, docile nature doesn't match that of typical hellspawns. Much like sugar beets, who are used for sugar production rather than for eating like a traditional beet.

Aurora- Moonglow, named for the big band classic. One of the first non-Ghost songs Aurora took a major liking to, both in music and lyrically.

Rain- Pearl, a gemstone formed by an irritant becoming coated in calcium carbonate. Fitting for the water ghoul who has had to learn to adapt and to learn to shift focus away from irritants.

Delta- Delphi, like the Oracle of Delphi. The first time Sunshine had met Delta, she was hanging on every word and mannerism of the first ghoul to transition to quintessence. Delta was also the ghoul who taught Sunny how to throw bones.

[bibiana112]

HIIII ive seen you mention your ztd aftermath fic a few times in tags and id rly like to know more... feel free to yap about it im curious

Hiii hellooo SO!!! Something that always sticks out to me with fics that touch a little on the immediate post ztd reactions is that things just kind of sort themselves out and everyone chills out for a little bit which I cannot see happening like no wayyy it's okay for the purposes of other people's fics but personally I'm a staunch believer in effort going into the smallest things in life especially when it involves a group of people and especially when you're fucked up as they'd be after that and it's something I love exploring in my writings like expanding in gross detail on the more mundane ups and downs between all the high stakes stuff like I don't think they'd walk out of there working in harmony at allll there'd be so many factors going into how everyone would be thinking and how they'd interact with each other and how the lives they've lead would inform the new trauma after that and how each of them would react to their immediate circumstances like on a physical level

I mean. Diana is completely new to any of this stuff and she's supposed to just transition seamlessly into a sudden new commited relationship and a daughter her own age? Phi has not gotten a single break since she experienced the events of vlr and has a whole complex about where she comes from and she's supposed to feel uncomplicated joy at finding out these are her parents and that the motherfucker that made the virus that's been making her life hell for a week is related to her? It's just been one week for her and that's so long but so little too she'd still have a connection to most of her old life? That shit isn't true about Sigma what's he supposed to do since Akane lied to his face about not knowing what happened at the test site for decades? It's not even something she remembers doing to him but he remembers spending a lifetime with her I love the ztd booklet scene of them interacting during d-com he asks Akane not to let her future self lie to past him point blank and she just says what he wants to hear and Phi stands in silence like she can't wrap her head around why he thinks for even a second that she'd be honest about being honest but stil extending enough goodwill to silently wait and see if she will. the man would be having a whole crisis of faith

Where do they leave Sean? Should he just stay with Q-team wouldn't he need maintenance and therefore stay in contact at least with Sigma? Eric doesn't remember much so he'd shockingly be one of the most calm people there, he'd have to deal with some revelations but Sean informed them of it in a good enough way that he seemed to take it well enough and even if that's not true he's the most high masking mf of the entire cast he wouldn't let himself step on other people's toes, if anything he'd only be set off by how everyone would have something to hold against Mira now, she kills everyone once except Carlos and Akane and she doesn't remember but they do, in fact there being a serial killer in their midst memo never gets to c-team delta never tells the whole snail story to every team. Would Mira just turn herself in without any resistance? Wouldn't someone have to talk her into it or at least make sure that's what she's really going to do since the stakes are so high? It's her fucking fault rad-6 got out too the characters have no reason to trust she's just gonna beeline to a police station. Carlos would probably be fine for the most part but he wouldn't be around long to keep everyone else sane especially Junpei and Akane because he'd probably go check on Maria as soon as possible especially since we're led to believe avoiding the apocalypse helps her recover

Akane herself would be all sorts of fucked up about it, there'd be so much pressure on her by everyone there and she'd try to be forward thinking and work on the extremist stuff immediately without processing anything and overcompensate the new recent failure to foresee dange and her revictimization by being even more controlling and inconsiderate to the others which is an energy Junpei would match I think especially going off his enneagram they'd be immediatly set in like an unhealthy loop of behaviors that push each other's trauma buttons on accident until they're hurting cause they're both trying to rush things and put each other in idealized boxes they imagined and having things their way Junpei is gonna come off much worse probably cause he's not a pov character and he's canonically an underhanded asshole when he has reson to be and he would not trust akane or her brother wouldn't be trying to pull another fast one on him so soon especially if we assume he has restored memories of the c-team ending too he'd like get keyed up and paranoid of being away from her for even a second

There are so many logistics involved in transporting and keeping in contact with people while simultaneously making sure no one leaks any sensitive information and that's probably important for Crash Keys and would fall mostly on Aoi to keep track of but he would in my opinion not be doing very okay either be it out of separation anxiety a level of psychically feeling like shit because of what akane goes through or just stress from preparing for an apocalypse more likely all of the above lol And he'd be working with half the info everyone else has cause if Akane doesn't pace herself in passing the new info to him he's gonna snap

Like I don't think these issues would be a slow burn to boil over, I think everything would feel like it's all going wrong from the get go and that kind of stress can be palpable in a group setting even if they're not under direct threath of death anymore I mean that's what ptsd is it's when you get fight or flight or freeze levels of fear in an entirely safe environment due to perceived instability and then they'd eat and rest and deal with it better for the next day, be more functional and levelheaded about everything going forward and even perhaps apologize and help each other out, and they'd be like that for a good while until underlying issues start to surface again in individual relationships cough mostly the junepei cough

[sovaghoul]

@the-moon-in-the-gutter and I spent a lot of time today talking about Ghoul hcs and this was too good not to post.

Me: Delta's another Ghoul I need to put some focus on. I have thoughts about his transition that run counter to every other hc I've seen.

Mine have to do with my own spiritual understanding of Water. Magickally, Water is placed in the West. Other associations for West are emotion, crossing boundaries (like rivers), sunset, endings, autumn, and death. It's the place of crossing over from one life to another (like Elves in Middle-Earth going into the West when they "die").

So the West and Water is also close to the Afterlife, where Spirit (or Quintessence) resides. So to my mind, the transition would be easy and natural, more like an evolution, or advancement. There would be no pain, but instead a sense of release and serenity.

Oh sure, Delta comes out of it different, because if you go to the land of the dead (as my parents have explained), you come back either dead-dead, or crazy, but usually a little of both (incidentally, that mix of dead and crazy is where you get shamans).

Jas: I love how your perspective is based on your spiritual understanding of Water. But I can definitely see that Delta would come back a little "wrong" so to speak from his transition, even if it is viewed by him as something wanted and an advancement of his magic and abilities.

But also the name Delta, even though it is a natural water formation, Delta Orionis is the westernmost star in Orion's belt. And from what I know of Greek Mythology, Orion was the mighty hunter who is depicted in the night sky alongside his dogs. Maybe I'm like reaching very hard, but it would make sense for Delta to become more shamanistic or more like an Oracle. Consulting the stars and water for untold knowledge and occasionally sounds a bit nuts in his predictions until someone gets their hands on a copy of that year's Farmer's Almanac

[skele-bunny]

No one asked for it but I'm gonna share it anyways bc I want to. Queued post don't kill me.

World Building!

(Specifically during Era 3 bc I can do what I want.)

CW - Privacy Violations, inhumane punishment

Despite Terzo trying so, so hard for his ghouls — to make changes to the regulations, to give them a chance to simply live, Terzo wasn't able to do much. He was so restricted. Again for example, have you seen those uniforms?? Terrible :(

Ghouls were monitored heavily, and still only really acknowledged as weapons/servants. They had duties and they had to perform, and if they were unable, they were retired or simply sent back. A cruel thing to many, but no one able to protest.

To even simply want to buy personal items, a form had to be filled out and could STILL be rejected despite it coming out of the ghoul's wallet. They made so little as is, but the rejection was truly a punch in the face sometimes. It was little stuff, too!! A band shirt, or one of those cheap necklaces, toys, anything ranging to even personal shoes! It could be denied. All those days of waiting and saving for nothing.

When Dew wanted to merge his and Aether's room, they had a GIANT packet to fill out. They had to list all of their items, why they wanted to merge rooms, why it would be beneficial, why it should be approved, and signed. The waiting process took longer than anything else, so much so that it was only after Dew's transition that their form got approved.

Very fuckin strict curfews, too!! Every morning and night, a Sibling would come in the den and do a roll call. If a ghoul wasn't in the den and claimed to be at work, it had to be double checked. If the ghoul was labeled as missing, they'd get SERIOUSLY reprimands like weeks of detention, or stuck with the weeds in the garden back to back, or lose a privilege like their cellphone. If it was super bad, then solitude. Stuck in a cell-like room with only a toilet, sink, and a bed.

If a ghoul was caught sneaking out? Immediate confinement for MONTHS until they learned, practically weeping at whoever's feet, that they'd never do it again.

Speaking of cellphones, they were confiscated a lot. Some of them figured out how to jailbreak their system and be able to consume media or go on websites not allowed at the time. A looot of privacy violations happened as pictures and texts would be gone through as well. When Pebble first experienced it, he literally cried in a Cardinal's office as his nudes were gone through.

Masks were strictly enforced if not inside the den, but even still had to be on for roll call or visits from humans. Even on tour, they weren't allowed to show their face to any of the stagehands/techs; glamoured or not.

Era 3 had the highest turnover rate simply because of sickness and torment inflicted by the clergy. Zephyr, Alpha, and Ivy all having their own severe illnesses that forced them to retire but still able to work; so somewhat useful... Delta who was literally mangled in the mind from being the first surviving elemental transition, left as only half of who they were — retired. Omega who's essence just simply burned out and he couldn't continue, try as he might (and he did try!) — Retired. Aether who eventually succumbed to his own fate like Omega in later years; but could still work. Aër who was stuck in solitude for years and years until he passed simply because he no longer wished to be a pawn.

There was a LOT of violence during the first 3 eras, mainly 2&3 from how exhausted and cooped up the ghouls were. Barely given days off, but always could rely on the holiday festivals (unless you were one of the unlucky ones still forced to work.) They needed enrichment and they simply couldn't get that properly until Copia became Papa, just as limited while Cardinal.

Needless to say, the Ghouls weren't always happy go-lucky and prosperous. There was a lot of favoritism and neglect going on, and it took multiple times and working protests for certain things to be done; such as accessibility and better living standards.