#the space lady's greatest hits

[spilladabalia]

The Space Lady - I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night

[written-in-flowers]

Her Pretty Lords: Sanhwajoong x Fem!Reader

Pairing: incubi!demonline x fem!reader

Genre: smut, angst, fluff

Word Count: 18k

Summary: A summons from a princess has the demons of Black Keep shaking in their boots. A person from the past comes back into YN's life, and she wonders if she'd truly lived in the living world.

Tags: dominate/submissive themes, polyamorous relationship, mentions of abuse/rape/domestic violence/illness, talks about misogyny and misandry, lost families, carriage sex, exhibitionism, mutual masturbation, nipple play, breast play, foursome (m/m/m/f), oral sex, rough oral sex, vaginal fingering, pussy slapping, dirty talk, pet names (bitch, slut, whore, kitten, darling, pet), light degradation, fingers in mouth, light spanking, creampie, unprotected sex, overstimulation, some squirting, facials, cumming in mouth, choking, biting,

Pretty Lady Masterlist

Previously on Pretty Lady

Next

***

“It’s a beautiful day here in His Majesty’s city. This is your host, Beezee, bringing you the greatest hits this morning! Totally wicked news just came into the Hot Spot, and it is piping hot! A few little Imps have been talking and they say a new cambion has entered our massive royal family! We here at The Hot Spot want to personally welcome lovely Lady YN, Marchioness of the Trees and a Lady of Eden! Princess Lilith must be thrilled to hav-”

“WHAT?!”

It was not her mother’s voice that stunned Andromeda into silence. It was the name. Your name. The vision of a little girl with dirt on her hands and under her fingernails came to mind. Her heart tore itself to pieces at the memories: baking cupcakes after school, snuggling on the couch during prime-time television, singing in the garden and dancing in the living room. Her pride. Her joy. The sole reason she’d stayed in the living world made her way to the burning city of Inferno. Andromeda did not know whether to be weeping from joy or sorrow. She knew this day might’ve come, but not like this. 

“Andromeda!” 

Her mother’s shrill cry cut through the garden walls. Long gone were the days she feared Lilith’s wrath. Andromeda, in her dress of pale pink muslin, left her garden patch for the pebbled paths of Lilith’s Garden. She passed several of her “sisters”, who gave her cautious glances before turning away. Andromeda knew better than to keep a child secret from her mother. She knew no matter what transpired between them, her mother would welcome any child of hers with open arms. But, she did not want this life for you. She wanted you to be free and untethered from traditions or expectations. Even when you severed yourself from her, she let you live as you wanted. It broke her heart, but at least you were free. 

Andromeda appeared in the archway to her mother’s private garden. In an enclosed circular space, her mother sat playing cards with her sisters, Gaia and Rhea. All three women wore the flowing gowns and floral headpieces typical of Ladies of Eden, but Lilith stood out. Long black hair tumbling down her back, her curved horns reached far behind her and her piercing crimson eyes set her apart from the glowing beauties she’d birthed. Daughters of Lilith did not resemble the common demons in the city and circles: a warm glow radiated around them, bringing life rather than death, and were the finest creatures in existence. Andromeda knew you’d be as beautiful as her when she had you, and she’d been right. 

“Yes, Mother?” Andromeda said, standing there looking strong and firm. 

“Do you care to explain this?” 

In her hand, Andromeda saw an official paper. Her stomach flopped over and over seeing it. She moved forward and read it herself, her suspicions proven true. Yes, you had come to Inferno. Yes, someone did discover who and what you were. Hot tears stuck in her lashes as she reread your name. Her special girl. Her honey cake. 

“Andromeda, explain yourself, now.” 

“What is there to explain, Mother?” she asked, reading your death date. “I had a child and didn’t tell you.”

She remembered that day with a heavy heart. She’d gotten the call from a nurse in the hospital, telling her you'd been admitted. Being your mother, she rushed right there with hopes of saving you, but she came too late. Never did the world feel so cold or be so dark as it did then. With her precious girl gone, Andromeda saw no reason to remain in the living world. She came back home where she made amends with her family. She hoped you never came to Inferno. She hoped you managed to turn your life around, become a good person, and be accepted into Paradise. Big dreams, she knew, but she dreamed them. 

“Tell me why,” her mother demanded coldly. “Why would you keep such a thing from your family? From me? I thought we had moved past childish secrets.”

“I kept her a secret for the same reason I left to begin with.”

Lilith scoffed, “I learned my lesson with you, Andromeda. I would have let your little cambion roam free beyond Eden. I wouldn't want to lose another daughter.” 

Her sisters told her about their mother’s anguish. They told her Her Highness cried for months after she left. Lilith received very few things when Inferno was first founded. She was Lucifer’s only true-born daughter; a sister to The Seven Princes. Her future lay in marrying one of them and producing children for the circles. But, when she took over Eden, slaying Adam and corrupting Eve, she made her own path. Lucifer let her keep her garden, where she grew her daughters from the flowers around her. Andromeda, she knew, came from a peony. Gaia, the eldest from gentle primroses, and Rhea from beautiful hydrangeas. Lilith birthed all her children through the flowers; they followed suit to have their own daughters. She liked to think of you in a bed of freesias, a flower symbolizing freedom. 

“Sister,” Gaia spoke softly. Her hair in soft yellow curls, her solemn brown eyes looked at her with concern, “You know you could have told us.”

“If you had told us, the poor child wouldn't have suffered in the circles,” said Rhea sternly, square-jawed and dark-haired. “I can’t imagine the pain she’s endured since her death. The circles are so unkind and horrific. Why would you rather she go undiscovered and suffer than be acknowledged and accepted?”

“I didn’t want this for her,” she said, still reading the letter. “I wanted her to forge her own path as our mother did once. Being a Lady of Eden, she would have been stuck here forever. She wouldn’t have space to grow or explore herself. I didn’t want her to feel as trapped as I once did.” 

“I have changed since then, Andromeda,” her mother said, standing from her seat. “I thought I would’ve proven that to you by now.”

“You have, Mother,” Andromeda saw her sad eyes and went to her. “I know you made many changes on my behalf. I know they were hard for you,” she continued, holding her mother’s hands gently. “I am forever grateful for them. The precautions I made with YN were long before our reconciliation. I’m sorry,” she said with all the honesty behind it, “I’m sorry I kept this from you; that I kept her from all of you. But, I was only doing what I believed was right at the time.”

“Enduring pain at the hands of a man-thing just to keep your daughter from demons?” her mother said sadly. “Andromeda, you might be a free spirit, but you are also a blind spirit. Your hesitancy and pride caused your only child to be thrusted into a world of pain and loneliness. I spoke with Wooyoung today-”

“-Ugh, not Wooyoung-”

“-And he told me that YN is living with Asmodeus’s heir, Seonghwa.”

Andromeda vaguely remembered her cousin. Handsome, brooding, and bookish, her mother liked to call him ‘The Brain’. Hongjoong was ‘The Beauty’ and San was ‘The Brawn’. She wondered how you ended up there. A shot of fear struck her. 

“She was their pleasure slave, wasn't she?”

Lilith paused, but eventually blurted out, “Yes.” 

No. This was all her fault. Her stubbornness led to your enslavement. The thought of her daughter in rags, chained and abused night and day made her collapse into a seat. What had those man-things done to you? A slew of lewd, obscene images crossed her mind. Hongjoong’s insatiable, broad appetite became common knowledge amongst the elite. Stories of Seonghwa’s cruelty made the strongest of demons shudder. San might be the sweetheart, but he could be deadly when crossed. More tears rushed down her cheeks thinking about it. She knew with a single retort or disobedience, those men would crush you. Andromeda could not let it go on any longer. She needed to save you. She needed to bring you home.

“I must go to her,” Andromeda said shakily, putting the letter on the table. “I must go to their keep and get my daughter. Mother, I promise I will present her to you soon, but I need to get her before they do-”

“-That will not be necessary, my sweet peony.” Her mother embraced her warmly, putting Andromeda’s head on her shoulder as she sobbed. She felt a hand soothingly rubbing her back, a gentle hum playing in her ear. “I already sent word to The Black Keep. She will be brought here this afternoon.”

“Mother, I must see her,” Andromeda emphasized through thick tears. “I have to talk to her. I have to tell her I’m sorry for all of it; I need to make this right.”

She knew you resented her. It did not take a genius to see what you thought of her, but she never stopped trying. Despite being an adult already, she could not help worrying for you. A demon might’ve found you and dragged you to your grandmother. They’d clamp their invisible chains, and you’d never be free. It appeared the inevitable finally happened, and in the worst way. 

“You will see her,” her mother assured her. “Our YN will come home. I promise.”

Regardless of who their father is, Asmodeus’s boys could not ignore a Princess’s summons. 

****

“Just focus. Keep your eyes on your target and focus.”

Seonghwa stood by the work table in Octavius’s lair, watching you from afar. On the table, he’d placed a flower pot. After filling it with soil and fertilizer, he wanted to experiment with your abilities. He deduced you could manipulate, grow and speak to plants, but he sensed you could do more. Seeing whether you could create plants from nothing was the first test. Firmly standing at the table, you pressed your hands to the ceramic pot and closed your eyes. 

“Envision the type of flower you want, and see if it comes up,” he directed. His eyes remained trained on you, and you could feel them studying you. 

A sunflower. You hadn’t seen sunflowers in ages. Picturing their pointed petals, a vivid yellow surrounding a fuzzy center, you imagined it sprouting from deep in the soil. It’d break through the dark dirt, absorbing the nutrients needed to accelerate its growth. You saw it unfurling from the thin roots extending to plant itself in the very center. A distinct tingling started in your shoulders before vibrating down your arms to your fingertips. You shuddered from the tickling shivers up your spine. You kept yourself focused on your goal. You had been at this for an hour, and you hadn’t grown anything. Maybe growth isn’t in your skill set; you might only be able to rejuvenate plants, not grow them from nothingness. Once you felt the weakness starting to come over you, you stopped.

Opening your eyes, you saw an empty pot.

“I suck at this,” you complained, kicking the wooden table leg. “What’s the point in a plant ability if I can’t grow them? I was able to do it the day I met Octavius. Why can’t I do it now?”

“Perhaps because the plants you controlled flourished in the ground,” he suggested, arms crossed. “Whereas this soil isn’t being touched by you,” you heard the realization come to him as he stared at the rich dirt.

You did it before he asked. Sliding your cold fingertips into the soft earth, you reimagined your sunflower. You kept yourself focused on the image in your head, and you gasped once something smooth touched your fingers. What felt like thin strings extended into the pot, bringing on a twinge of excitement. The feeling passed by, you opened your eyes and expected a flourishing sunflower. Instead, you stared at the bare soil again. You squeezed your eyes closed, pushing your head forehead to try capturing that feeling again. This produced nothing again. You continued this with no success. You’d done it before. Why could you not do it again?

“Damnit,” you hissed, removing your hands from the pot. “Why isn’t it working?”

“It might be too advanced for you,” Seonghwa guessed out loud. “We should’ve started with something simpler?” He searched the work table, pushing aside tools and papers before finding a seed packet. “Simple basil seeds,” he said, sprinkling some in the small pot. “Let’s see what you can do with these.”

“It’s not going to work,” you frowned.

“Yes, it will. If you can heal them, you can grow them. Go ahead and see.”

“Can’t we take a break? Go do something fun?”

“This is fun.”

“No, it’s frustrating.”

“Science isn’t always going to be a fun time-”

“-Science is dumb, and so are these experiments,” you lashed out. One of Octavius’s offspring hissed at Seonghwa, and you saw him regard the reaction.

“You’re only saying that because it’s not going your way,” he pointed out. “Just do it one more time,” he moved behind you, long arms wrapping around your waist, “Then we can do something else.”

“Promise?”

“I promise,” he said, kissing beneath your ear. “We can do whatever you want,” he said, putting stress on ‘whatever’ which made you grin.

“We can always test other abilities too,” you suggested as he guided your hands back into the pot. “I’d love to see the side effects of my kisses.”

“An interesting suggestion, Kitten,” he said. “Come on, let's do this one more time.”

Planting your feet firmly on the ground, you sink the seeds into the pot. Their smooth shells pressed against your fingertips, and you imagined them cracking open to reveal their roots. Soon, the thin veins traced over and around your fingers. You opened your eyes to see sprouts gradually lift from the bottom to the surface. The pointed leaves with their soft ridges sprung from thin stems. Blooming a bright green, they grew until they reached over the edges of the pot. You beamed, a giggle coming through as you removed your hands from the dirt. Gently touching their leaves, Seonghwa placed his hand over yours. His touch felt so different from San or Hongjoong. They worked with their hands. Seonghwa worked with his mind, leaving his hands smooth and soft. He put his other arm over yours to hold you close.

“It’s beautiful,” he said softly.

“Thanks,” you replied.

“You’ve done great work here,” he said, “Overall, I mean. Everything in here looks so healthy and lively again. I don’t think I’ve seen cognizant ones like this in a long time.”

“Because you created them, then left them to rot when they no longer served a purpose or amused you.”

“I know,” he brought your other hand to your chest, holding you tightly, “I’ll admit I’m guilty of neglect. Dennis’s-”

“-Octavius’s-”

“-Octavius’s appetite became too much for any normal demon to handle alone. I thought the slaves or the servants who came in here might satisfy them, but I was wrong. But, they’re lucky they have you now,” he kissed the curve of your neck, “To care for them. Most of the demons here would’ve passed out after being with Octavius so long, but not you. You kept going.”

“It felt good,” you said, eyeing the herb leaves. “The best sex I ever had in my life.”

“Oh really?”

“Really.”

“What about with me?” he said, pouting comically. “You cum so much with me, Kitten. I go for as long as you want,” he kissed the spot again before kissing further up. “I’ll prove it to you right now, if you want. We haven’t done it in a while.”

“A while? We had sex a few days ago when you came back home.”

“That’s too long for us,” he slid his hands from you to trail up your stomach. “Kiss me,” he whispered in your ear, “I want to know what you did to Mingi that made him fuck your cunt without permission. Sweet Jongho pumped out nothing by the time your toxins wore off. I won't even tell you what I heard from Yunho. Your kisses sound deliciously toxic.”

“You want to experience it yourself, Master Seonghwa?” you turned around to face him, hands wandering up his chest. “Is that it?”

“Yes,” he whispered, drawing closer to your lips. “I want to be consumed by you too.”

“Then come closer.”

Right before your lips could touch, an offspring hissed. You turned your head to see Yunho coming through the lair’s entryway. Any heat in your cheeks cooled down at the sight of the house manager. He stood by the arch, a silver tray with an envelope on it in his hands.

“Master, Mistress,” he inclined his head to each of you, “A letter has arrived for you, Master Seonghwa.”

“Just put it over there, Yunho,” he nodded to the other end of the long worktable. He turned his attention back to you, eyes filling with lust again, “I’ll get to it later.”

“Forgive me, sir,” Yunho intervened, “But I highly suggest you read this now.”

“I’m busy, Yunho,” he said, nuzzling your nose before pecking your lips, “Later.”

“It’s from Eden, sir.”

The both of you froze. A week has passed since your official identification card arrived in the mail, making you a real citizen of Inferno. Since they said visiting Eden is voluntary, you’d decided to put it off as long as possible. The mere possibility of seeing your mother in the flesh scared you. Late at night, whether alone or in somebody’s arms, you pictured various scenarios. In some, she wept and embraced you. In others, she smacked and insulted you. Those hurt the most because you deserved that.

Yunho brought the letter over to Seonghwa, who took it. Breaking a green wax seal, he left you by the table. He moved about the room as his brain worked the words, comprehending and considering them before speaking or taking action. The prolonged silence twisted your anxious insides. You exchanged a glance with Yunho, who appeared as concerned as you.

“Well?” you finally said. “What does it say?”

“‘Dear Lord Seonghwa,” he read out loud, venom in his voice, “It has come to my attention that one of my granddaughters is living in your house. As she is a Lady of Eden and no longer a plaything, you will present her to me as is customary for new cambions. If you do not comply, I will have no choice but to take this to your father, Prince Asmodeus-Oh give me a fucking break!”

Seonghwa balled up the letter and tossed it away. You saw him fix his waistband as he paced back and forth. “She talks about it as if we knew the whole time!” he snapped, eyes concentrated on the ground. “She acts like we kidnapped you! We didn’t know until a month ago! That bitch…”

“Seonghwa,” you walked over to him, intent on soothing him, but he raised a hand to stop you.

“It’s not as if we have you tied up in here,” he continued his tirade. “We’ve treated you well, right? We’ve fed you, clothed you, pampered and cared for you. You could ask for anything, and we’d give it to you. All you have to do is bat those pretty lashes and I crumble like a damn cracker!” He ran his hands through his hair, “Doesn’t she know the effect you have on me? Doesn’t she know that I, Park Seonghwa, a Duke of Lust, has been weakened by the most beautiful cambion to ever walk into Inferno? In all of Hell, as a matter of fact?”

“I guess not.” His words touched a sweet spot inside you. “Have I really done that?”

“Yes, obviously! If I didn’t want you, YN, I would’ve tossed you in here and forgotten you existed,” he said, stopping only to speak before ranting further.  “I would have taken you to her if you'd wanted me to. I would have no objections to you seeing your family. You simply never asked, and I wasn't going to pressu-”

“-Seonghwa?” you carefully walked over to him, sliding your arms around him from the side. Instantly, he wrapped one around your waist and took the other hand. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“Putting it off,” you said. “I know I should have gone to her sooner, but I kept procrastinating because, well…” you hated saying it out loud. If any time was good for a mind drill, it was then. “I’m scared she’s there.”

“Your mother?”

“Yes.” He turned in your arms and you rested your head on his chest. Seonghwa smelled like roses. A lovely bed of fresh roses clung to his body, not just his clothes. You buried your nose in him, wanting to get lost in his scent. “It might sound stupid to you,” you finally said, “But I…I’m scared to see her.”

“Why?”

“Because I was awful to her. I said terrible things, and pushed her away from me when she needed me.” Your throat dried up at the words. “She kept coming back to me, and I kept moving further. What if she hates me?”

“I doubt that,” he said. “If she kept trying to contact you even when you pulled away, then I don’t think she’d hate you.” 

“I’d hate me.”

“You’re you, so yes, you would.”

You smacked his arm as he laughed. “I mean it,” you said, burying your face in his shoulder, “I can’t go there.”

“That letter says you have to.”

“Can’t we pretend we never got it?”

“No,” he scoffed. “Don’t think too much about it right now. We have important things to go over.”

“Like what?”

“What you’re going to wear, for one thing. Your outfits are cute and casual, which is fine any other time, but not for this.” He sighed, hands on your biceps, “There’s not enough time for Wooyoung to make anything new, so we’ll have to find something in the closet. You need to look like a proper lady.”

“I can be a lady.”

“I’m not denying you can’t be,” he said, “But if you want to continue living here, we need to convince Lilith that you’re not being forced to stay here.” He paused, “You do know that, right?”

“I do,” you said, hugging him again. “I like it here actually. The food’s great, the greenhouse is lovely, the staff is more than helpful and you…” you smiled up as you pulled him to you by his shirt collar, “Have been so good to me.”

Seonghwa’s hands ended up on your hips, “I wouldn’t be anything else. Even with your freedom, you’re still my special Kitten. All I want to do is take care of you.” He played with the end of your hair, focused on the way it felt between his fingers, “I knew you were special when we met-”

“-Spare me the ‘I-knew-you-were-special’ pitch,” you said, giving a disarming smile, “Jongho and Yunho already used it.”

“Ugh,” he grunted, “That was going to be my line.” The two of you chuckled softly, then he said, “But they're right. I couldn’t place my finger on it at the time, but the first whiff of your scent threw me off. Not because you were a human dressed as succubus, but because humans typically didn’t have specific scents. The brothel girls often smell like a mix of every demon they’ve been humped by; they smell like flesh and blood. You didn’t. You smelled-”

“-Like honey?” you guessed, remembering what he’d told you. 

“Yes,” he admitted. “It was electrifying. I never experienced anything like that before you. It didn’t feel like a normal fuck for me. It felt intimate. It felt real. Every time feels like the first time with you. Rolling around in the sheets with you and my brothers,” he caressed your cheek with the back of his fingers, “Is encapsulating. For those few moments-”

“-It’s like nobody exists but us?” you interrupted, taking his hands in yours. 

“Exactly. I get so wrapped up in you, in them, that I don’t notice anything around me. I only think and care about you, Kitten,” he pecked your lips softly, “And how my butterflies dusted off their wings when we first kissed. They haven't flown in centuries.”

“Let’s get them some exercise then,” you grinned, arms sliding around his neck. 

Seonghwa’s arms went around you: one hand slid up your back to your neck while the other went the opposite direction. Your fingers tangled in the ends of his black hair, feeling the silky curls on your fingertips up to the roots in his scalp. For that brief moment, Seonghwa drowned every sense. He became another world to get lost inside of. Neither of you noticed loyal servant, Yunho, standing nearby still until he coughed for attention. 

“Sorry, sir,” he said, nodding curtly, “But the messenger is outside waiting for a response.”

“Tell them she’ll be there soon,” he replied, only focusing on you. “Right now, she’s mine. All mine.” 

“As you wish, sir.” 

Yunho walked away, and Seonghwa took you over to the work table again. This time, neither of you concerned yourself with the plant and instead worked on removing each other’s clothes. 

All other worries went out the window right then. 

****

‘Curtsy like Yunho showed you. Only speak when spoken to. Don’t make direct eye contact with her unless told to do so. Give the brothers glowing reviews on their treatment of you. Don’t mention anything that can possibly cast a negative light on your situation. Lie, if you must. Downplay the sex. Tell her it doesn’t happen as often, and that you’re mainly their female companion, nothing more.’

They gave you so much to remember you thought your head might pop. The ruffled ends of your dress rubbed between your nervous fingers. Off your shoulders, the pale pink chiffon dress came with embroidered pink freesias and leaves. Seonghwa thought covering you in florals might endear your grandmother to you more. You hoped that it’d work because otherwise you’d be at a disadvantage. In a white and gold carriage, the four of you sat together against the comfortable seats as it went through town. 

“Do you remember what we told you to say?” Seonghwa asked. 

The brothers wore fine tailored suits for the occasion. Seonghwa wore a black and white suit, sleek with clean silhouettes; Hongjoong added a bit more color with the crimson serpent and rose pattern shimmering faintly on the jacket. San kept himself modest and simple with a 3-buttoned blue suit, which you couldn’t get enough of. You rarely saw the three of them wearing similar outfits before. Apparently, meeting royalty canceled out personal tastes. You noticed right away your pink dress would make you stand out amongst them even more. 

“Yes,” you nodded. The serpent-rose brooch on his breast gleamed in the sunlight, and you realized San and Hongjoong wore a similar one but in gold. Sons of Asmodeus making themselves known in Eden.  

“Don’t be nervous.” San sat beside you, his fingers sliding between yours to give a comforting squeeze. “Lilith will love you. Firstly, you’re her granddaughter and also you’re a woman, so you’re immediately in her good books.”

“Yeah, it’s us she’s going to bear her fangs at,” said Hongjoong, slumped in his seat and gazing out the window. “She hates men.”

“Why?”

“She likes to say it’s because she believes the female spirit should be celebrated and how womanhood is under constant threat of the patriarchy,” he said in a bored tone, “But everyone knows it’s because of Adam.”

“Adam? Like, ‘Adam and Eve’? That Adam?”

“Yup. Word was that they were madly in love, but when she disobeyed God, God created Eve to replace her,” he said. “And Adam then fell in love with Eve. I don’t remember the full story, but apparently Lilith managed to corrupt Eve, kill Adam and then claimed Eden as her own. She brought it down here, and started planting her Garden of Daughters.”

“Garden of Daughters?”

“She created her children from plants,” explained San, “So then she could control the sex of the babies. She only wanted girls.”

“Eden is a paradise,” Hongjoong smirked to himself. “The most beautiful women in all of Hell live there. God, I would’ve given anything to have my pick of them once.”

“What changed your mind?”

“You,” he smiled over at you, giving a subtle wink that warmed your cheeks. “Here, let me fix this.”

He reached over to straighten the pink diamonds hanging from your neck. He did nothing to hide his leering. His eyes stayed directly on your bosom, gently brushing it. When he settled it properly, he traced the back of his finger down to the tiny bit of cleavage. You already saw all the dirty thoughts running through his mind, creating a sly smirk. 

“You look beautiful like this,” he pondered, finger tracing over the tops of your breasts. His light touch spread warmth that had nothing to do with the sun. “I personally prefer you naked, but this is a good substitute.” 

“Seonghwa told me walking around Eden fully nude isn’t ‘acceptable behavior’.”

“Ah, what does he know? He always pisses on everyone’s parade-”

“-You two do know I’m right here?-”

“-Come here,” Hongjoong beckoned you closer, “Give me a kiss.”

“No kisses,” Seonghwa pulled him back into his seat. “We don’t have any cold serum on us, and if she walked up to Lilith stinking of your cum, it might deflect from the picture we’re trying to paint.” 

“A little one won’t hurt,” he insisted, puckering his lips at you, but you shook your head and laughed. 

“Seonghwa’s right,” you said. “There’s plenty of time for kisses later.” 

“Promise?” he pouted like a kid being refused candy. 

“I promise.” 

“What about me?” San’s hand smoothed over your lap to grab your inner thigh, “Do I get kisses later too?”

“As many as you like,” you told him, “And maybe some special ones too?” 

“My favorite,” he smiled, leaning close but forcing himself away in a deep breath. “Gosh, I wish I wasn’t so damn weak.”

“Me too,” Seonghwa agreed. 

Your devilish giggle amused the men. Demons didn’t differ from humans at all. A little glimpse of your chest or whispered promise of a “special kiss” turned them into melted popsicles. Pride fluttered whenever you left one of them wanting more, knowing that even if they'd owned you, you held the power. Your grandmother might see this at work and decide not to hate you. 

“What do you plan to do?” Hongjoong’s question cuts across your thoughts.

“About what?”

“Your mom. She's likely there. What are you going to do if you see her?”

“I don't know,” you said, playing with the ribbon bracelet on your wrist. “I haven't seen her in such a long time.”

You really wouldn't know until you saw her yourself. You pictured the last time you’d seen your mother. It’d been after graduation when you told her you’d be moving in with your friend, Kelly. She begged you to stay; she said she’d leave your father, and you’d move in together. You didn’t believe her. Maybe if you’d agreed to that, you wouldn’t have died in a club bathroom, alone and stinking of booze and sweat. You’re awful. You’re cruel. You deserved to be in Hell, not her.

“I don't think she'd turn you away,” Seonghwa repeated his words from the greenhouse. “She loved you, and likely still does.”

“If she did, she would have known I was here.” It occurred to you that your death preceded hers. She might know you came to Inferno, and doesn't want to see you. You'd understand that, if it were true. “I wouldn't blame her if she didn't.”

“We'll be right next to you the whole time,” San assured you. “If she doesn't want you around, then you know you have us.”

The words comforted you regardless of how small. You wondered what Demon Andi looked like. She must be an imposing figure, since she is Lilith’s daughter. You wouldn't care. Seeing her would be enough. 

The Gardens of Eden laid on the far outskirts of Hell. You knew it when you spotted thirty-foot tall hedges encompassing the land. Women in gold breastplate armor and leather walked along the battlements of the gates, keeping eye for visitors. Mingi, the driver for today, pulled up right to the iron gates where two more female guards stood. You only heard bits and pieces of Mingi’s conversation with the guard. The nerves swirling your guts made it difficult to care. You knew nothing about Lilith. She might be a horrid mistress of darkness who’d punish you for what you’d done. She might be so offended she’d strip you of everything. You saw yourself not putting up a fight this time.

Mingi drove through Eden, and you saw the quaint shops and houses lining the stone streets. Everything had some kind of vegetation growing around or on it. From bus benches to official looking buildings, Eden truly looked like Heaven in Hell. The air did not feel so hot, and the sun shined even with thin clouds covering the sky. It was when you arrived at the main “palace” that you paid real attention. Reaching up into the sky, the palace sat on a high hill with three walls descending in size circling the place. Flowers you'd never seen before you poked out of the cracks and overran the gates. It looked magnificent. It reminded you of fairytale castles in picture books. Beautiful. Ethereal. 

“Mingi! Dude, what’s up?” a female guard beamed brightly at him as he pulled up. “What brings you to this side of Inferno?”

“I have a new Sister,” he answered, nodding to the carriage. “She’s come to see her grandmother.”

The guard brightened at this and peeked into the carriage. Your eyes met hers, and she smiled. “Holy shit,” she laughed, pleased to see you, “Well met, Sister. We’ve been expecting you. Drive on through, Mingi".”

“Thanks, Diana.”

Mingi drove into the palace entrance and parked near a horse stable. More people wearing white and gold went to and fro, focused on their daily tasks than the new ‘Sister’ coming into town. Anxiety doubled when Mingi opened your door. You froze in place, body getting covered in a cold-sweat. You can't do this. You shouldn't do this. 

“Don't be scared,” San said, offering you his hand to help you out. “I'm right here.”

But, you’d passed the point of no return. You’d decided you’d go through with this, and you would, no matter what happened. Stepping down from the carriage, you walked with them towards the stone steps leading into the castle.

“Relax,” San said, reassuringly. “Lilith is wonderful really. She might have a bad rep, but she’s very fond of women. She won’t hurt you.”

“She’s a demon princess who feels she’s been lied to,” you noted. “She has every reason to turn me into a frog or a flower or whatever.”

“Not with me around,” he said, kissing your hand. “As long as I’m alive, you’re safe, Darling.”

A bundle of peonies on a wall followed you with their “heads”. Mama. She loved them. 

Reaching the tall open doors, more guards stood beside security sensors. Instructed to remove any jewelry or metal items, you did it without thinking. All the castle windows had no glass. Only more plant life. You could feel them feeding off the sun and carbon dioxide in the air, returning it with their own oxygen. Tiny bumblebees floated around flowers on the wall, and butterflies flew near the ceiling. You tried finding comfort in the environment, but it only reminded you of her again. You wished she’d leave you alone, but also remain in your spirit at the same time. She might not even be here. You might be freaking out for nothing. Passing through security, Mingi’s weapons and a blade San kept hidden were turned into an armory window.

“My lords!” a female voice chimed. 

You looked up to see a young woman coming down the steps. In a gown of white muslin, she bowed and greeted the four of you. She wore a tiara of daisies atop her dark hair, and painted the same ones around her thin eyes. Unlike succubi, this woman glowed faintly. Something about her radiated warmth and gentleness. You weren't sure how, but a connection happened between you. This intensified when she locked eyes with you and smiled brightly. You felt as if you knew her, though you’d never met.

“Welcome Sister YN,” she said. “Her Highness has been eagerly waiting for you. We are so glad you've arrived at last. I'm Artemis, Daughter to Lady Rhea. We’re cousins!” she nearly leapt as she hugged you tightly, giggling with delight.

“A cousin?” you never thought about your extended family. Your mother never mentioned them. She always steered away from the conversation whenever you’d asked. “Um, wow. Nice to meet you.”

“Where is Her Highness?” Seonghwa asked, searching for her in the large hall. 

“In the citrus groves,” Artemis answered, her eyes surveying him. “She is taking tea there right now. She wishes to see you and your brothers as well.”

“Lead on, then.”

Artemis linked her arm with yours to guide you ahead of the men. “I can't believe she invited them here,” she huffed irritably. “Men in Eden. It’s not right.”

“Men don’t live here?”

“No,” she shook her head. “Before your mother left us, we weren’t allowed to leave Eden. Grandmother said that our walls and gardens are meant to protect us from those who would hurt us.” 

“They’re not like that,” you told her, recalling how the masters treated you before you gained freedom. “They might not be Prince Charming, but they’re good ones.” 

“Psh, there’s no such thing. You’ll see that with time, Sister.”

“Maybe that’s why they’re so worried about meeting her,” you said. 

“They should be,” she replied. “Princess Lilith is the Guardian of Eden, the Queen of Flowers, and Mother of Womankind. She protects all women, and celebrates their femininity. Were it not for her, many of us would be pleasure slaves in the slums or working in the circles.”

You tried hiding your face, shame coming over you. You'd made that choice: escaping one evil to end up in another. For a brief moment, you imagined a life where you knew the truth. But, this thought was interrupted by music.  

A tranquil melody came from somewhere nearby. In a courtyard of flowers, you saw three women sitting on stone benches. They all wore long thin dresses they kept belted at their waists. Hair falling down their backs, they might’ve been mistaken for angels if it weren’t for the curled horns and tails poking through their gowns. One woman sat playing a lyre lightly, while the other two harmonized in song. You recognized the language as Latin, or at least you thought so. The women must’ve felt your stare since they gazed up as you walked by. They smiled and waved, and you did the same. Comforting. This castle felt comforting and safe. 

“Good morrow, Sister,” one passing woman said to you and Artemis. 

“Um, morning?”

“Morning Sister Calypso.”

“Is everyone here related?” you asked Artemis. 

“Sister is the general term,” she explained. “Ladies of Eden see all women as sisters and Princess Lilith is our mother. She birthed most of us in her gardens, while some are granddaughters of different generations.”

“They mentioned I'm a first-generation granddaughter?”

“You're one of the first granddaughters.”

“There are others?”

“Oh yes. Princess Lilith had twelve daughters. For instance, I’m a first generation too because my mother, Rhea, is Lilith’s third daughter.” Artemis then looked at you curiously, “Did you not know that?”

You had twelve aunts? Twelve? “No. My mother never mentioned them to me.”

“Then this will truly be a grand homecoming!” she beamed, unbothered by your ignorance. “Everyone’s here! Everyone! Oh, I just know the other girls will be excited to meet you. You’re all they’ve talked about since this morning. I know I’ve been elated. It’s always wonderful when a new Sister comes to Eden.” 

Artemis then led you into a citrus grove. The fragrant smell of oranges, peaches, lemons, grapefruits and other citrus fruits wafted between the trees. You imagined they stayed ripe and growing regardless of season. Mama had a mango tree once, and she’d let you pick them when they became ripe. She’d love it here, you knew that much. 

The sound of laughter carried through the trees from up ahead. Your feet turned cold and numb in your sandals, and your sweaty hands skidded on the smooth fabric. The row of trees ended in an archway leading into a small enclosure of more flowers and fruits. At a stone table, three women sat chattering over a game of cards. Two of them wore the white flowing garb of Ladies, while a third wore a peach colored one. She had a golden circlet in her black hair, several purple orchids molded into the band. Her otherworldly appearance intimidated and fascinated you. Her long horns stretched behind her, and she'd put gold bands around her short tail. This was Lilith, your grandmother. 

“Grandmother,” Artemis brought you through the archway, “Our new Sister has arrived.”

All three women turned when you approached. Lilith gazed upon you, studying from afar. For a moment, you worried she’d transform you into a plant or bug to stomp on you, but no. Instead, the Queen of Flowers smiled fondly. All three women stood up from the table, and she walked over to you. Crimson eyes scanned over your face many times, as if examining a beautiful painting.

“Well, look at you,” she finally said, lifting your chin to turn your face side to side. “Oh,” she sighed, “Such a gorgeous flower. You really do look like Andromeda. If you’d come to me from the beginning, you would’ve flourished so well here.”

“Thank you, Your Highness?”

She laughed, a chime in the wind, “Call me ‘Grandmother’, darling. Every Sister here does.” 

Her warmth turned icy as she gazed upon Seonghwa, Hongjoong, and San behind you. “My lords,” she said coldly, hands clasped in front of her, “Welcome to Eden.”

“Thank you for inviting us, Your Highness,” Seonghwa said with a curt bow. “It's a pleasure to see you again, Auntie.”

“It'd be a merrier occasion if it weren't marred by current events. Tell me,” she stepped forward, “When did you plan on informing me of my granddaughter?” 

“As soon as her paperwork went through,” Seonghwa answered. “I swear, Your Highness, we didn't know she was a cambion. We were equally surprised when her powers began flourishing. I suspect being in a demonic environment triggered her dormant abilities. We, of course, would have told you once we had confirmation of who and what she was. YN wanted to visit right away, but we told her we should wait. This delay wasn’t her fault at all.”

“And how long had she been your pleasure slave?” This question stunned the men, so she continued, “Demons such as yourselves would not take up a beauty like YN because she's a good servant. I am more than aware of a man's appetites and inability for self-control. How long?”

“Three months or so,” he answered honestly. 

Her disapproval came out in a soft grunt. 

“We never did anything Lady YN didn't already want,” he continued. “We would never do anything to hurt YN.”

“As far as you know, boy,” she said spitefully. “YN?” her tone suddenly turned soft again as she turned to you. “Is this true?”

“Yes,” you admitted, looking into her eyes. “You might look down on that-I don't know- but I have enjoyed living with them. They treat me well there, and even more so now that I'm no longer a slave.”

She considered this. Like with Seonghwa, you felt her surveying you. “Is that so?” you saw a teasing smirk cross face, “You're a true Lady of Eden then. I only ask because men can be aggressive when they want something a woman won't give them,” she told you gently. “You were a slave for so long. Imagining what men put you through sickens me. If I knew about you earlier, you'd be living here where you're safe.” 

“She's perfectly safe with us, Auntie,” San said. “I'd never let anyone or anything harm YN. She has become very special to all of us.”

“She also has a bodyguard who watches over her day and night,” Seonghwa added. 

“With those plants of hers, she's not exactly a helpless kitten anymore,” Hongjoong said. “Her blood is poisonous and her pets are very protective of her.”

“Pets?”

“The plants in my greenhouse,” you told her. “Seonghwa's experiments. They went a long time without being taken care of, so I have been watching over them. They’re pretty attached to me, I think.”

“How intriguing,” she said, as if the plants weren't Seonghwa’s idea. She wrapped her arm around yours, “I will take YN from here. You three can wait in the parlor. I think you’ll find it satisfactory.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.” 

Seonghwa lightly kissed your cheek, “See you soon, love.”

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t,” teased Hongjoong before he kissed you, “Or anything that I would.”

“I’ll be counting the minutes until I see you again, Darling,” San said in his crooning tone that made you laugh. You laughed in his gentle kiss, shaking your head. 

“Ugh, just go,” you said, pushing gently. You watched them leave, putting them to memory before turning to your grandmother. Her confused expression worried you. “Sorry,” you said quickly, “It’s how we, uh, you know, say goodbye.” 

She nodded, wrapped her arm around yours and started walking. “How long have you been in Inferno, sweetling?” she asked, not going to touch the romantic display of affection. 

“About eight or nine years now,” you admitted, wondering if you should have kissed them in front of her. 

“Where did you end up when you arrived?”

“Circle of Lust.”

“As expected,” she snorted, leading you out of the enclosure and through the grove. “A woman as beautiful as you no doubt had plenty of lovers in her lifetime.”

“I might have had a few.”

“How did you pass?”

Shame suddenly came over you. You felt cold as you said, “I overdosed in a bathroom.”

Lilith remained silent a minute, mulling over the information. “How tragic,” she finally said, “That must’ve been terrible for you.”

“I guess. I don’t remember much of it, to be honest. I remember getting super dizzy, and throwing up in the toilet. There was this terrible pain in my chest, so I was breathing hard and choking on the vomit. I sort of, I guess, knew I was dying? I started panicking which made everything worse. When I got here, I was in this big forest for a super long time. I didn’t even know what I was looking for to be honest.”

“Nobody does. That is the purpose of the forest, but you found it eventually. Oh,” she frowned, “I can’t imagine how terrified you’d been. The circles are not gentle places. I understand why you might have chosen to be a pleasure slave.”

“I wanted to escape the circle, and that was the only way.”

Her face soured at that. No doubt hearing about her granddaughter working in a brothel upset her deeply. “How disgusting,” she said, “Those pigs in the slums peddling my daughters and granddaughters to the highest bidders. I’ve seen the conditions those women live in, and it’s despicable. I’d burn the whole damn brothel district to the ground if I could. But, as that’s Asmodeus’s territory, I have no authority there.”

“But, I bet any man who lingers around here ends up in worse shape than if he’d stayed away?”

She smirked, “It’s happened quite a lot. Those demons in the city like sneaking in here to try getting at my girls. The last time one of them did that, I had the scum broken on the wheel. Nobody touches my girls. Nobody.” You heard the bite in her voice as she brought you out of the citrus groves and through a garden path. “Every woman ever born is a giver of life. We take care of the home and hearth; we endure and persevere against the men who do us harm; we fight and stand up for ourselves and our sisters. Our plants,” she stopped by a flower wall, “Our special Eden are our children and our protectors.” She cradled one blossom in her hand, brushing the supple petals with her thumb. “Nature is strong. I’ve seen tornadoes level out entire towns in a single night. I have witnessed the oceans rise and drown thousands of people. I wanted all my daughters to be nature personified, strong and resilient against the odds.”

“That’s admirable,” you stood beside her, taking in the floral wall. “I don’t know if your ideals got through to all your daughters.”

She paused, sadness in her eyes, “Andromeda.”

“Andromeda. She let my father abuse her for years. She took every hit and insult instead of fighting back. If she was a demon, why did she let that happen?”

“Not all strength is physical,” she explained. “It takes lots of endurance and courage to remain in a relationship like that one. I imagine she put up with it for you.”

“For me?”

“If your father hadn’t beat your mother, he certainly would’ve turned on you. Andromeda would take a hundred punches for you. I know she’d jump in front of a knife or a bullet for you.” 

Deep down, you knew she spoke the truth. You couldn’t count the amount of times your mother got between you and your father. She’d find a way to redirect his anger to her, so his fists landed on her face instead of yours. 

And you abandoned her. 

“Is she here?”

“She is. Where did you think I was taking you?”

You left the flowers behind and she brought you into another part of the massive castle gardens.

‘…He’s got something that I can’t resist, but he doesn’t even know that I-I-I exist.”

You heard her before you saw her. Her soft voice moved through towards you like a lighthouse in a bay. Lilith let you go ahead of her while she hung back by the entrance. Surrounded by all varieties of flora, you gulped down the ball in your throat. In a thin dress of pale blue, Lady Andromeda looked different from Andi YLN. Cream-colored horns stuck upwards in waves, with a short matching tail. She wore a headscarf to keep her hair out of her face like at home. Tears burned your eyes looking at her. Every terrible thing you ever said filled your ears and made the feeling worse.

“Other fellas, call me up for a date, but I just sit and wait. I’d rather concentrate on Johnny Angel…"‘

Her voice sounded exactly the same. It washed over you like a cool breeze on a hot day. With her hair held back, you saw her profile. The shape of her nose matched yours, but her jawline came out sharper. Soft lips curled into a smile as she tended to the garden bed. You recognized tomato plants by the ripe fruits hanging off the vines. She’d wept when you walked out of the house, duffle bag over your shoulder and anger in your chest. She begged you to come back. She pleaded for you to stay with her; she said you’d be safer with her. You never wondered what she meant by that. You watched her withered hands work the soil gently, pulling weeds from the bottom. Her singing brought the old favorite back to you, and it came out as easily as breathing.

“And pray that someday he’ll love me, and together we will see how lovely heaven will be…”

The lyrics stamped into your memory flowed out shakily. They came through your thick tears, which flowed freely down your cheeks to your jaw. She stopped singing right away. Her hands stayed in the dirt, staring at the plants. Slowly, your mother turned her head to look at you. Regret brought forth more tears as you stepped into the sunshine. Her eyes, a similar shade to yours, stared at you in shock and disbelief.

“YN?” she whispered your name, hands curling into her dress. “Is that…”

“Hi Mama.”

Andromeda carefully stood up and faced you. She nervously walked towards you, drinking in the vision of you. You looked over her face again, remembering every smile. Any moment, you expected claws to sink into your shoulders to drag you from her. They’ll pierce your skin, whispering the hurtful things you said and claimed. You weren’t worthy of this reunion. You should never have dared show your face to her. The closer she came, the more tears she shed. She hates you.

“Little Andi…” she said, “My honey cake…Look at you,” she exhaled through her chest, “You’re so beautiful; so much more than I ever imagined.”

“I’m sorry, Mama.”

You sobbed, and there she came. She wrapped her arms around you, the scent of peonies in her skin and hair. Each sob wracked through your body, uncontrollable in every breath. The trembling went from shoulders to hands; you thought you might get weak knees from it. Every argument. Every disparaging remark. Every time you ever told yourself you hated her rushed back. She'd done so much for you, and you'd kicked her to the curb. 

“I left you alone,” you cried. “I left you alone. I’m sorry, Mama. I’m so sorry.”

“Hush now, sweet baby,” she cooed, stroking your hair and pecking your temple. “I expected it to happen, if I’m honest. Daughters of Lilith are hard to keep locked up forever.” She finally lifted your head from her shoulder and cupped your head in her hands. “The only one I couldn’t forgive was myself.”

“For what?” you asked through your tears.

“For not telling you things in the first place,” she said. “I should have. Maybe if I'd been honest, things may have turned out differently. Look,” she released you, though still holding your hands, “Let’s have some tea and we can talk about whatever you want.”

You nodded, wiping your cheeks with the back of your hand before she withdrew her handkerchief.

She wiped your cheeks for you, studying your face again. “I bet you were a maneater up there,” she smirked knowingly. “I used to laugh at any boy who ended up infatuated with you. They had no idea who they were getting into.”

“I know. I remember.”

“Lucas,” she called out into the air, “Lucas!”

“Your Highness?” a young boy materialized from the thick hedges, dressed in an outfit made of leaves like Peter Pan. Only difference was his scarlet eyes and the tiny horns sticking out of his head. An Imp. 

“We’ll take afternoon tea in the west gazebo today.”

“Right away, my lady.”

She guided you out of her plot and towards the western side of the garden. “What have you learned about yourself so far?” she asked on the way there.

“That I can regrow plants and talk to them,” you said.

“That’s all? Hm, we’ll have to fix that.”

You couldn’t take your eyes off her. You worried if you did, she’d disappear. 

“Mama,” you said, “What happened after I left?”

“Not now, YN.”

“Did he get better? Worse?”

“YN.”

“I want to know, Mama,” you told her. “I left you behind. I want to know what ended up happening. He couldn’t have been happy about it.”

She sighed, “He wasn't. He saw it as another servant walking out on him. He didn't even change after I gave him pestilence.”

“Pestilence?”

“Sickness curse. It can take any form of illness, and your father's turned into cirrhosis of the liver,” she said. “The doctors told us it was too advanced and irreversible. They could've done a transplant, but he’d be on a waiting list for a while. He ended up dying before then.” You caught a shadow of a smile on her face, “He was told to stop drinking, and you knew your dad. He always did whatever he wanted; he never listened to anyone, no matter how good the advice. I woke up one day and found him throwing up everywhere. He died at the hospital.”

“You called me,” you said guiltily, “And I ignored your call.”

“I know.”

“I shouldn’t have. I should have gone home for the funeral at least.”

“I wouldn’t have wanted you to.”

She brought you to a wooden gazebo in the middle of a circular garden. Two small children had set up a spread for tea time. At least, they looked like children. You learned a long time ago demon imps often resembled children. The sole difference between an Imp and demon offspring were the eyes: Imps had dark glowing eyes, while demon children only had crimson rings. She brought you over to the table, where they’d set up an afternoon tea setting with tea, finger sandwiches, scones and small tartlets and cakes. You had no appetite. The sadness sitting inside you took up too much space. 

“Why would you not want me to come home?” you asked her, watching her prepare a cup of tea. You almost did not want to know the answer, but asked. 

“They would have found you.”

You paused, not noticing the Imp placing a finger sandwich on your plate. “Who?”

“Demons.” She paused for a moment, eating her sandwich then said, “I didn’t want you to end up here, YN. It’s why I did not register you. It’s why I tolerated and endured your father. His wickedness kept away any demons who might’ve tried sneaking into our home. If they discovered you, they would’ve taken you away from me. I…” she let a small dandelion wrap around her finger, watching it coil like a snake until it sprouted past her fingertip, “I told myself when I left home that I’d follow my own path. I told myself that just because I was a demon did not mean I must live like them. I knew if I had any children, my mother would send demons to bring them here. I didn’t want that. I wanted you to grow up away from this, but it seems it found you anyways.”

“I don’t know, Ma,” you said, “This place is pretty awesome. Where I’m living right now is pretty bitchin’ too.”

She snorted, “Why am I not surprised? My mother will never admit that Asmodeus’s boys always come out so handsome. I just hope they didn't force themselves upon you.”

“Not at all. I like them.”

“Only like?”

“I haven't lived with them very long,” you said. 

You took her in as she ate and drank tea. She couldn't be there. This wasn't real. Any second this dream would turn dark and bleak, with its claws forcing you away again. Ever since you arrived at the Black Keep, Mama came to you more and more. You found yourself thinking of sunny days and fresh lemonade. The sight of her sitting so near felt unreal to you; another daydream brought to life to torment you. 

“Why did you leave here in the first place?” you asked her. “Seonghwa mentioned something about not being able to leave here?”

“He's right,” she nodded. “Before my return, Ladies of Eden were forbidden to leave the city. My mother claimed it was to keep us safe, but that never sat right with me. I shared the same sentiments as you: I wanted to break free. Eden might be heaven in hell, but it felt so suffocating. Instead of cherishing my darling plants, I felt restrained by their vines. There was a whole world beyond this garden city waiting to be explored. So, one night, when everyone slept, I dug a tunnel and escaped,” she shrugged. “I went to the living world and decided to make a new life there.”

“Didn't you miss it here?”

“I did. I thought about going back several times,” she admitted, eating a finger sandwich. “But then I met your father and things changed.”

“They did?” 

“Yes,” she nodded. “He wasn't the way you remember him.” She smiled softly, “He was charismatic and charming. He liked flowers, poetry and music. We used to go to dances and dance the night away, drinking and kissing. I never felt that way for anyone before. I'd never fallen for a man. I'd been taught they were violent, evil beings, but your father didn't seem that way.”

“Then he became a drunken asshole.”

“Your father went through a lot during the war, honey,” she said. “A lot of men did back then. I tried getting through to him, but nothing I said worked. Your father….A part of him died on the battlefield, I think.”

“Is he…” you felt afraid to ask, “Is he here? In Hell?”

“No,” she shook her head, “He went to Purgatory when he died.”

“Really?”

“He hadn't sinned enough to end up here but wasn't good enough for Paradise,” she said. “In Purgatory, he can repent and earn his way there. Kind of like how people here can fight in the arena to win their ticket to Purgatory.”

“Have you seen him?”

“No.”

“Would you ever want to?”

She hesitated, sipping from her tea cup. “Yes.”

“Really? Why?”

“I don't know. To slap him? To kiss him? To tell him that I hated him, loved him, missed him, wanted him dead, wanted him alive? I don't know, darling.” You watched her grow a daffodil from out of her palm. She looked at it with forlorn eyes, “We had our first kiss in this meadow outside of town. He blew on a daffodil, and when I asked him what he wished for, he said he wished for me to kiss him.” She laughed softly, “I loved him so much back then. I thought he was the love of my life.”

“You thought?”

“Yes, until I met someone else.” She looked over at you, tears in her eyes and daffodils spiraling around her fingers. “You were the most precious being I'd ever seen. I realized I hadn't known true love until you came. I held you in my arms that night in complete disbelief. I couldn't believe a creature like me created something so pure and innocent. I never loved anything as wonderful as-YN?”

And you hated her. You, her true love, hated and ignored her. She loved you beyond all reason, never giving up on you once, and there you'd been: in your designer outfits scowling as you held the phone to your ear. You couldn't imagine the heartache you'd caused. Tears stung around your sinuses, and you sniffled them away until they poured back out. Your head fell into your hands, body shaking in each hard sob. The day you died must have been the worst day of her entire life. When her gentle hands touched your arm, you knew she'd comfort you like she always did. 

“Come here,” she said, gradually pulling you to face her. With your body turned to her, your mother tenderly removed your hands from your face. 

“Why don't you hate me?” you asked her thickly. 

“I'm incapable of hating you,” she answered, tears starting to form in her eyes. “Even when you walked out of my life, I loved you. You might understand that some day, but I couldn't hate you ever.” She wiped your tears with her handkerchief again, “I do wish you'd stayed with me, but I knew you had to go. I knew you had to spread your wings and fly away from home, even if that leaving me-”

“-I was so mean to you,” you rasped. “I never called or wrote to you. I told people I either didn't have a mom or that we don't talk anymore. Mama,” you took both her hands, “I used to like telling myself I lived with no regrets. But, I've realized that isn't true. I regret cheating people out of their money. I regret getting high in the bathroom. I regret being cruel to you, Mama,” you said in a breath. “I regret drifting away and never looking back. Maybe if I had-”

“-Let's not live with ‘Maybe’,” she interrupted. “She's a bitch and says mean things.” She tucked hair from your face and said, “I don’t hold it against you, love. It must’ve seemed that way to you because you didn’t know the truth. I should have told you. There’d been so many times where I considered it, but by the time I decided, you’d already gone. The past is the past, sweetheart. The best thing the two of us can do is move forward from it.” She kissed your cheek, and you basked in the comfort of her kiss. “Eat something. You must be so hungry.”

The two of you sat there for what felt like hours. You learned everything about her then: her birth, her escape, and her life in the living world until she met your father and had you. You told her about your flashy, living fast life before your death. Lovers, enemies and friends all sprung back to you as you talked. You wondered, as you told her a story about a night at a club, if you lived a fulfilling life. It sounded so shallow out loud. You never made lasting connections, never settled down or stopped to relax. Everything was money, sex and power. Nothing meaningful remained to you. 

“Think of it like this,” she said when you told her this, “You're getting a second chance.”

“A second chance?”

“You're not a prisoner here anymore,” she said. “You're getting a second life down here; you can make those connections and have that meaningful feeling, whatever they might be.” She hesitated before saying, “You can start with those handsome men who adore you already.”

“They just like screwing me,” you scoffed. 

“It doesn’t seem that way to me.”

“You’ve only seen me with them for a few minutes, and we weren’t really talking to one another.”

She laughed at your words. “I don’t need to see it to feel it. I saw the four of you together, and I immediately sensed their protectiveness over you. How Seonghwa was quick to tell your grandmother that none of it was your fault; San holding your hand so comfortingly, telling you it would be okay-”

“-How?” 

“The flowers, Darling,” she said, the daffodil sprouted brand new as her words. “Sons of Lust do not attach to partners very easily. Most of them never marry or take up personal slaves. Yet, here are three of them being more than fond of a single person.” She let the flower swirl around her hand, “When you can see through your flowers, you’ll be able to watch them as much as they watch over you.” 

“My flowers…When can I learn how to do that?”

“With time and practice.” She then said, “I can teach you. If anyone should be showing you how to hone your talents, it should be another botanical sorceress, not a bunch of horny incubi.” 

“You’d do that?”

“Of course I would,” she smiled. “Why would I not? I would’ve been your teacher if you’d known sooner. You could also learn from your aunts, your cousins, your nieces-”

“-I have nieces?!-”

“-And your grandmother, of course, will insist on teaching you. They’re all masters in various aspects of our kind, so you wouldn’t be missing out on anything.”

“We’d love to teach you!”

You and your mother turned to see two women standing a few feet away. The blond wore a soft yellow gown while the brunette wore a lavender dress with floral borders. When they smiled at you, a special kind of warmth surged in your chest. You had never seen these women in your life, yet you felt as if you knew them. The same feeling you had with Artemis.

“YN,” your mother stood up and you copied her, “These are two of your aunts: Gaia,” the blond curtsied, “And Rhea.”

“Hello,” you smiled at them. 

“You really do look like Andromeda,” Rhea said in a low voice, marveling over you as they approached. “I always wondered what natural born daughters might look like. My own girls hardly look anything like me.”

“Neither do mine.”

“Your daughters? You mean, my cousins, right?”

“Yes,” Gaia giggled. “If a certain someone,” she shot a look to your mother, “Had told us about you in the beginning, you would’ve known all of us. Oh,” she hugged you tightly, which made you laugh, “How we’re so glad you’re here! We’re always happy to welcome a new daughter!”

“You had your turn, Sister,” Rhea told your mother, “We’re taking her to the rose gardens now.”

“No, Sisters, I think that’s too soon.”

“Too soon for a girl to meet the rest of her family?” she questioned, already taking your hand in hers. “Mother insists on it.” 

“My girls are going to love you!” Gaia beamed. 

*****

The rose gardens must've been an Eden daughter hangout. Several poofs, pillows and blankets scattered around like picnic spots with a pavilion in the center. Underneath it sat a group of girls in the flowing dressdz and floral crowns of Eden Ladies. They appeared to be chatting together with a spread of food and drinks in front of them. All of them looked like the epitome of beauty. You understood what Hongjoong meant by wishing he could stay. You would too, if you were him. 

“Ladies!” Gaia clapped her hands for attention, “Ladies!”

The girls all turned to look at her. “Your cousin is here,” Rhea said with a smile. “Lady YN, Marchioness of the Trees and a Lady of Eden. She’s your Aunt Andromeda’s daughter, so she's your first gen-”

“-Cousin!” The group cried in unison, rushing down the steps to you. 

You didn't have a moment to breathe before they were on you. Kisses, tight hugs and excited squeals surrounded you. Somehow, the group guided you over to the pillows and blankets in the pavilion without you realizing. You finally got a look at all four of them: you recognized Artemis, but you didn't know the other three. They all wore different flowers in their hair, likely signifying something about them. 

“Um, uh, hi?” you began with uncertainty. 

“YN,” Artemis began, “Allow me to introduce our first cousins: This is Kali, Aunt Rhea's daughter,” the brunette with the button nose and square jaw waved, “This is Hera, Aunt Aurora's daughter,” the freckled red haired girl smiled, “Aurora's your mother's sister; you haven't met her yet.”

“Okay, cool.”

“And I'm Hestia!” the youngest of them chimed in. She had lilies weaved into her long, coarse braid, and large almond eyes. “Sister Freya’s my mother. You haven't met her either but she's going to be thrilled when you do. We heard about you this morning, and we've gotten a bunch of stuff ready for you.”

“Like what?”

“Your garden patch for one,” said Hera. “We put all the tools you might need, if you're the kind to tend the plants by hand. I personally prefer using magic, but everyone's different.”

“There's also your room,” Kali said. “Grandmother said you can sleep in the room next to Andromeda’s, so you guys are together.”

“How was your talk with her?” asked Artemis curiously. “My mother said she'd kept you a big secret from us. You guys must have had fun catching up.”

“It was…special, for sure. I never thought I'd see her again,” you said. “I didn't know I was part demon until Seonghwa and his brothers bought me. Well,” you thought for a moment, “They technically stole me since San killed my previous owner-”

“-You were a slave?” asked Hestia, her eyes wide. “How terrible!”

“Yeah, for a while. But, it's how I found out who and what I am.”

“Wait, you mentioned Seonghwa,” said Kali. “Asmodeus’s son?”

“Yeah.” You saw their unsettled glances, “Why? What's wrong with that?”

“It's not that it's…” she exchanged a glance with Hera, who hid a giggle behind her hand. She then blurted out, “Oh my god, what are they like?!”

“Huh?”

“Are they romantic? Passionate?”

“What stuff do they like?!”

“They’re so dreamy,” Hestia swooned. “Seonghwa’s eyes are like deep pools I could stare in forever. He’s so sophisticated and smart.” 

“Hongjoong’s such a rebel,” said Hera, the tips of her ears turning pink. “He never does anything people tell him; he doesn’t act like the other men that come here. They’re all so boring.”

“And he’s so exciting!” beamed Kali. “I heard he used to go to the brothels in the city and buy the whole house for himself. One girl said he could go for hours.” 

“Ugh, gross,” said Aretmis with her arms crossed. “I can't believe you three. Daughters of Lilith fawning over useless man-things. It's shameful.”

“It's okay to look, Sister,” Hera reasoned. “We like men but we don't like them,” she explained to you. “They like seeing us women as playthings, so why shouldn't we see them the same way?” 

“I get that,” you nodded. “I used to be the same way. Men liked to use me, so I used them back. It definitely got me farther than it did for them.”

“Ooh, tell us more!”

You spent some time telling the girls about your experiences with men. From high school athletes to hot shot business guys, every man you’d slept with gained you something in return. Whether it be popularity, a higher status or money, you never hooked up with someone unless it benefitted you. The meaningful relationships you could have built really turned into stepping stones to something better. Once a guy began boring you or lost his purpose in your life, you found another. The men in clubs or bars were the morsels you devoured in between. Some treated you well, others not so much. By the time you entered enslavement, you’d learned how men think and act.

“They don’t act any differently down here,” you shrugged, picking at a grape from the spread. “It was rough at first, but once I figured out my place in the world, I adapted to it.”

“That must have been difficult still,” Artemis frowned. “Having men abuse you night after night, being demeaned and having your dignity stripped off you little by little…I’m surprised you’re not sick or pregnant from being in those places.”

“I guess I was lucky,” you shrugged. 

“Then you were bought by our uncles,” said Kali. 

“In a way. They’re saints compared to the way some men before have treated me.”

“What I can't get over is how you disrespected so many of your fellow women,” Artemis said. “Women are blood through our feminine spirit. You went around sleeping with other womens’ husbands and boyfriends to satisfy and secure your own needs. You speak about ruining people's relationships as if it doesn't matter to you. Didn't that bother you?”

“It does now, I suppose. I never thought of it like that. Breaking people up wasn't my intention.”

“Only an unexpected result,” she drawled. 

“But, they weren't the only casualties in your search for power and money,” Hera noted, sipping from a wine cup. “You were hurt as well. You might have not known it at the time, but those fleeting relationships left you empty inside. I know they must have. None of your lovers stayed, did they? They always picked their wives or girlfriends over you, didn't they?”

“Funny you mentioned that,” you said, finding the irony humorous. “I told my mother the same thing. I spent so much of my life floating around that I didn't make anything lasting. The friendships I had were shallow and self-serving. The romantic relationships I built could be torn down in minutes. I thought I was living at the time, and in a way I did, but was I really?” 

You heard the hedge nearby shift slightly, and every nerve in you stiffened. As the girls discussed their opinions on men, you took a whiff of the downwind scent. Cinnamon. Candy. Roses. Your boyfriends clearly hadn't gone to the men's quarters as directed. 

“Getting married and having children isn’t a marker of having lived well,” said Hestia. “That’s what my mother says. It can be for some people, but not everyone.”

“Being charitable, loving with your heart and building a home and community of people you care about,” said Artemis. “Scheming, cheating, lying, and ruining others' lives in pursuit of your own desires doesn’t sound meaningful to me. It sounds exhausting. It sounds lonely and sad at the end. Burning so many bridges leads to loneliness. I’m not saying you need to be best friends with everyone, but having people who love you isn’t bad.”

“My mother loved me,” you said out loud, though you hadn’t thought about it. “She loved me regardless of what I did or said. I…” you stopped eating the grapes. That sinking guilt weighed down your stomach, “I never met anyone who loved me so unconditionally.”

“As it should be.”

Their scent came to you once more. You turned your head to the bushes and called out. 

“I know you guys are there!”

“Huh?” Artemis looked in their direction, “Who's here?”

“Seonghwa, Hongjoong and San.”

“Where?” asked Hestia hopefully. 

“Behind the bushes,” you nodded toward the tall hedges lining the garden. “We know you’re there!”

“They're not allowed here,” the eldest said, crossing her arms. She stood up as she said, “Come out of the bushes, you! My grandmother is going to be livid when she finds out you're not in the men's area.”

“We come in peace, oh Divine One,” Hongjoong broke through the hedge first, hands up in surrender. “We wanted to make sure our beloved wasn't upset. She was nervous about coming, and we got worried.”

“As you can see, she's fine,” she replied. “You can leave.”

“Last time I checked,” Seonghwa and San appeared next, “You were a rank below us, so you can't tell us what to do, Marchioness.”

Artemis scowled, unable to refute this. “Let them stay, Cousin,” Kali said. “They obviously aren't here to hurt any of us.”

“Hm, yes,” she said spitefully, “They’re here to collect their plaything. YN’S a free woman now, and she doesn't need your permission or supervision to be here. So, go.”

“How was your visit, Darling?” San asked, ignoring her as he approached you. “I hope it didn't go too badly.”

“‘Darling’?” Artemis scoffed. “You even call her by demeaning nicknames?”

“It's not demeaning,” you told her. “I let them call me by their little pet names. It's cute,” you grinned back at San. “It went better than I thought. We sat and talked over tea for a while. I didn't realize exactly how much I missed her until then.”

“Grandmother will be furious if she finds out you're here.”

“But you ladies are so much more fun than that boring room,” said Seonghwa sitting between you and Hestia. “There isn't anything for me to do in there,” he told her, letting the suggestion linger to make the young woman giggle and blush. “What's your name, beautiful one?”

“Hestia,” she said shyly. 

“That's a beautiful name. You're one of Aurora's daughters, right?”

“No, Freya’s,” she shook her head. 

“Ah, yes, of course,” he said in fake realization. “You know, she's my favorite cousin.”

“Really?”

“Yes, and you're just as lovely as her.”. 

“Hi Hongjoong,” Hera said timidly, playing with her hair as he sat with her and Kali.

“Hello Hera,” he replied kindly. “Hello Kali.”

“You remember us?” Hera asked with a sweet smile. 

“How could I forget you two? The dance you both did at the Hallow’s Eve festival was…inspiring,” he smirked at their bashful faces. 

You couldn't help the stab of jealousy seeing the flirtation. San caught onto this right away, “It gets us to stay here,” he explained. “We wanted to see you. It really is boring in the men’s quarters. It's literally just a room with a table and a chair.”

“I still don't like it.”

“Flirting doesn't mean they love you less, Darling,” he said, brushing hair from your shoulder. “It's a bit of fun, that's all. You can have fun with us too,” he pecked your lips, “Lots of it.”

You chuckled softly, “Is this all I do for you? Turn you on?”

“You actually make me incredibly soft,” he admitted. “I used to think I had no weaknesses; I thought I was unstoppable, invincible. But then one night this human slave dressed as a succubus came into my life, looked at me with innocent eyes and became my everything. I only think of you. No matter where I am or what I'm doing, you're in the back of my mind. I know they feel the same way,” he nodded over to his brothers. “It's just in us to do this. We thought flirting with some of them might get us a ticket out of that stupid room. And, I don't know about you, it seems like it's working.”

“They need to go,” Artemis said once more.

“Artemis, they're not hurting anyone,” Kali said, smiling at Hongjoong. He relished in the attention from the two women, whispering to Hera who giggled. “That men's room really gets boring, and there's no food there.”

“You must be hungry, my lord,” said Hera. 

“Famished,” Hongjoong replied. They both chuckled when she fed him s strawberry.

“Me too,” said Seonghwa. “But, I think a kiss might stave off my hunger. Don't you think so, Hestia?”

“A kiss? Oh my…” she said, tucking hair behind her ear. “My grandmother would be upset if she heard I'd kissed you.”

“Which is why no kissing is happening,” snapped Artemis. “Can't you see what they're doing? You girls should be ashamed of giving into their charms so easily. Ladies of Eden don't conduct themselves like pleasure slaves. Grandmother will be furious when she finds out.”

“I can kiss more than one of you,” said Hongjoong, turning to her. “I've heard your kisses are quite sweet, Lady Artemis.”

“So did I,” Seonghwa grinned. “Kissing doesn't hurt. We can show you, if you'd like.”

“No, because I'm not that kind of woman,” she said crossly. “I'm getting Diana.”

“Come on, Artemis,” you spoke up. “They're only talking. Okay, flirting too,” you said distastefully, “But it's not like they're trying to hurt them.”

“You don't understand, YN. Men aren't allowed in Eden in the first place. Their intentions are never good, ever.”

“Hello, Lady Artemis.” Mingi’s deep voice came from behind her. Your bodyguard stood at the top step, hands in his pockets and a soft smile on his face. “It's nice to see you again.”

“Hello, Mingi,” she faced him, irritated by the men’s sudden appearance. “I was just telling your masters that they can't be here and neither can you.”

“I'm only a servant. I have no power over my masters, as you well know.” He took a step to her, “I thought we could go to your archery range? I saw you had a new bow and quiver, and I wondered if I could try it out.”

“Really?” she said, unconvinced. “So your masters can defile my sisters?”

“Defile is a harsh word. My masters never take a woman against her wishes, and you have my word on that.”

You saw him go closer to her, and by his soft eyes and smile, he worked his own incubus magic on her. San turned your head to him, and he kissed the corner of your mouth. His fingers trailed from the nape of your neck to your collarbone. You shuddered when he reached the neckline of your dress. 

“Can I see them?” he asked, kissing your neck. “I haven't seen them in so long. I need to touch them or I'll go insane.”

“Here? In the place you're not supposed to be that hates men who objectify women?” you laughed, amused by his eagerness.

“I'll risk it.”

“She broke a man on the wheel. I don’t know what that means, but it sounds awful.”

“Again,” he kissed your neckline, “I'll risk it. Besides, look at them.”

You turned to see Seonghwa giving flustered Hestia gentle kisses that slowly grew deeper. Hera and Kali took turns kissing Hongjoong, who rested against a pillar as both women felt up his chest. Mingi managed to lure Artemis away from the pavilion, leaving all of you alone. You thought your cousins might eventually snap out of it, and slap your boyfriends. However, things only became more heated, especially when Kali slipped her gown off her shoulders to show Hongjoong her breasts. He sighed when Hera did the same, groping one from each of them. 

“Would you like me to touch you?” you heard Seonghwa whisper to Hestia, “Or do you want to keep kissing a bit more?”

“Can we kiss a bit more?”

“Of course. Whatever you want to do, my lady.” 

He laid her down against the pillows, resting at her side as he continued kissing her. San’s lips distracted you once again, and you looked at him. “I suppose you can have a little peek,” you said, pushing down the top half of your dress and showing him the matching pink bra. 

You put his hands on them, inhaling when he squeezed them softly. San rested you on the cushions behind you as he started kissing down to your cleavage. He lifted your dress over your thighs, settling between them and tugging your bra under your tits. San let out a soft moan once he revealed them, then bent to kiss each of them. Your hands slid from the back of his neck into his hair, gripping the short strands to guide him over them. You could hear distant muffled moaning and soft kisses from nearby, but you became too entranced by San’s mouth on your nipples. Your brain connected each spark of pleasure to the spots his tongue hit, whimpering when he rapidly flicked one of them. A part of you knew how bad this might look. You knew you should stop, go home, and continue there. But, San’s cock brushed your naked core, and you slowly floated off. 

“You’re not wearing panties,” he whispered, kissing your lips softly. 

“They show through the dress layers,” you said. “Might be why everyone around here wears them. I think I might adopt the style.”

“Just to torture me, right?” he said, cupping your tits to suck your hard nipples. 

“No,” you shook your head, “To tease you all so much you bend me over the nearest surface and pound my pussy hard and fast.”

“You wouldn’t need to with those lips.” 

“It’s not as fun if I’m only kissing you to get dick,” you replied. You reached down to his groin where you felt his bulge. “I like getting it the old fashioned way.”

“Then I’ll give it to you the old fashioned way.” 

He’d started unbuckling his pants when a pale pink blur brushed near you. “What the hell is going on here?”

Your mother stood in the middle of the pavilion, hands on hips and outrage on her face. Her ‘scary mom’ face. Even years later in Hell, that face still struck fear in you. Quickly, you and your cousins covered yourselves up, while the men appeared annoyed at the sight of her. 

“We’re only having a bit of fun, Andromeda,” said Seonghwa, not moving from his spot with Hestia. You noticed her out of breath with swollen lips, with her hand on top of his where her breasts were. “No harm being done here.”

“Do you three have a death wish?” she hissed. “If anyone else finds you like this, they’ll have you strung up by your balls for sure.”

“Nobody would have if you hadn’t shown up,” Hongjoong said, clearly irritated at being interrupted. 

“Shut it, boy,” your mother spat. “Girls, I am very surprised and ashamed of you. If your grandmother heard about this, she’d have a fit. You know how she feels about you coupling with man-things, so imagine how she’d feel if she found out you were doing it in her gardens.”

“We’re sorry, Auntie,” said Hera, pushing hair from her face. 

“Yes, very,” added Kali. 

“Get yourselves together and go to your rooms,” she nodded towards the palace. “You’re lucky I’m not telling your mothers about this. I don’t care if you do it, just don’t do it here, got it?”

“Yes, Aunt Andromeda,” the three said together before getting up together. 

She then turned her attention to you, “YN, really? Is this the impression you want to give?”

“It sort of happened,” you said sheepishly. 

“Which is exactly what you said whenever I found your hand down a boys’ pants,” she spat. “Baby, if you didn’t want to live in the Black Keep anymore, you could say so. You don’t have to get your boyfriends tortured and killed to do it.”

“I would prefer to stay in tact, thanks,” said Seonghwa, standing up. “We only did it so we could see YN,” he told your mother. 

“Oh, please. You three just didn’t want to be stuck in the men’s quarters all day,” she accused them.

“That’s just an added bonus.” 

“Do you blame us though?” asked Hongjoong. “The men’s quarters are more like a prison cell than an actual room. Besides, we weren’t hurting anyone. We only intended to have a bit of consensual fun, that’s all.”

“You know how Lilith feels about men being in her garden and touching the ladies,” she scoffed. “You are fools for escaping. What if the guard went by and noticed you’re not there? You’d be hunted down just for that.” She took a deep breath, “You boys take YN home before the guards find you here.” She ran a hand through her hair, “I swear, you three…There’s certainly no dispute over whose children you are, that’s for sure. Only Asmodeus’s children would risk their necks for some tail.” She shook her head and took your hands, “Come here tomorrow and we can start your training. There’s so much you need to catch up on.”

“Hold on,” Seonghwa said, “YN’s being trained by myself and her head of house.”

“Not anymore,” she replied coolly. “If anyone should be teaching her, it is those who know her talents best. Besides, it gets you three out of her hair for a few hours.”

“It’s not like I do anything at home anyways,” you told him. “It’d be good for me to get out of the house and do something productive with my time. My closet is only so big.” You hugged your mother again, holding onto the memory of her a moment before letting go. “I'm….Mama….” you couldn't find the right parting words. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she repeated warmly, kissing your cheek. “Get sleep,” she peeked a glance at the men behind you, “Or as much as you can with them around.”

You laughed together before embracing again. Your inner child didn’t want to let her go. She wanted to hold onto her forever, clinging to the person she’d once loved the most. Your mother sensed this and hugged you tighter, her hand stroking your hair. When you forced yourself to release her, she kissed your cheek again. That surreal dread of a dream came back when you looked in her eyes. Apart from the scarlet ring around her irises, they matched yours. Except, yours always carried a look of disdain, while hers showed nothing but love. How could you do that to her? 

“Bye, honey cake,” she whispered, pecking your other cheek before stepping away. “Go, before Diana shows up.”

“Yeah, let’s get going,” agreed Hongjoong. 

“Go back the way you came, I’ll keep the guards away.” 

You hugged her one more time, letting her scent cleave to your nose, then left the garden. In the semi-darkness, the four of you snuck through the garden hedges and walls before coming upon a plain dirt path. In the distance, you heard people shouting to one another as they searched the grounds. You knew you’d need to be quick. Nerves began shooting up your body in each step, and the adrenaline started running down to your feet. You didn’t want to think what might happen if someone discovered you before you reached the castle again. Your first time in Eden and you’d broken a rule already. A warm hand stretched for yours, and you recognized San’s touch right away. He moved ahead of you, walking behind Seonghwa while Hongjoong remained at the rear. 

“There it is,” Seonghwa whispered when you all reached the staircase leading back up into the castle. 

“You!” a guard dressed in gold and white marched over to him, “Men are not allowed in Eden at dusk. What is your business here?”

“They’re with me,” you said before Seonghwa could speak. “I went to get them from the men’s room-place-thing and we got lost in the garden. It’s my first time here, so I don’t really know my way around yet.” 

The woman stared you up and down suspiciously. You thought she’d catch the lie, but instead she said, “I’ll escort you out, my lady. The gates close in a few minutes.”

“Yes, please. Lead the way.”

You followed the guard out to the front entrance where you’d met Artemis that afternoon. The women posted there bowed as you passed. It made you feel important for a second as you reached the carriage nearby. Mingi sat in the driver’s perch, his blond hair slightly tousled and lips a warm pink. He’d clearly found a way to distract Artemis. You all climbed into the carriage quickly, and Mingi cracked the reins. 

“I’m glad we made it out,” Hongjoong said, turning to peek into the window, “With our bones still in the right places.”

“Psh, you’re telling me…”

“Speaking of the right places,” San whispered, turning your head by the chin, “Where were we?”

A small chuckle came from your throat as your mouths came together in light kisses. Turning in your seat to face him, San immediately grabbed your breasts and his lips fell down your neck. The familiar hardness in your clit returned at the sudden stimulation. Fingers brushing over your nipples stirred the pot even more, his mouth reaching the neckline of your dress. You let your hands go through his dark hair to keep him close, occasionally feeling down the back of his neck and into his jacket before coming back up.

“Pull the top down,” Seonghwa ordered from nearby, and you turned to see him focusing on you and San. Hongjoong sat beside him, watching as intently. “We want to see them too.”

You lifted your back from the cushions to let San unclip the top part of your dress, then pull the zipper. Your arousal rose when he finally pulled the top half of your dress just beneath your breasts. They all moaned at the sight of your pink satin bra; their jaws dropped when San put them underneath to expose your breasts entirely. The brushing breeze from outside came in through the open windows, going over your nipples and making them cold. San remedied this with his hands and mouth: he scooped them in his palms and tenderly sucked one of them. He shifted around so your legs went over his lap, and immediately started caressing your thighs and legs. Fully on your back, you laid there enjoying his tender touches. Every brush against your skin sparked goosebumps up and down your arms; your soft whimpers became the only sound in the carriage. San eventually lifted up your dress, showing his brothers your bare sex. The three of them groaned. Seonghwa and Hongjoong rubbed their crotches while San squeezed your inner thighs.

“Sannie…” you whined, his thumb dangerously close to your pussy now.

“Give me a hand and touch yourself for me, hm?” he asked, licking your nipple in circles. “Open your legs a bit and let them see you get wet. You know how much we like that.”

They liked it a lot. Moving around until you sat on San’s lap, your back pressed to his chest, you let your legs fall on either side of his open knees. Your sex throbbed at the hands groping your chest, and the lips kissing up your neck and shoulder. You pointedly sucked and wet your fingers, keeping your eyes on the two men in front of you. Your middle and ring finger dragged down your tongue as a real cock might, and then went back up to the last knuckle. The outlines of their dicks started pressing into the pants as they watched your fuck your own mouth. They followed your fingers then down to your damp sex, mouths falling open when you lightly slid them up and down your opening. You went with the natural motions: stroking yourself as you sunk into your pussy little by little. Once past the outer folds, you circled your hard clit on top. Small shocks of pleasure came each time you ran over the center, pushing underneath and back to the hood. In the dimness of the carriage, both of them could see your pussy growing wetter. San tweaking your nipples at the same time added more coal to the fire. As much as you wanted to, you didn’t speed up. You kept the same gradual pace, even spreading your pussy open for them to see your hardening clitoris and empty hole.

“Let me have a little lick,” Hongjoong said, his high voice strangely low as he leaned forward. You trembled at the few swats of his tongue, keeping it open with both hands for him. “Fuck, you taste so good,” he groaned, idly moving the tip of his tongue over your clit. “I can eat this forever.”

“Move over,” scolded Seonghwa, pulling Hongjoong away. “I want a taste too.”

Using the flat of his tongue, Seonghwa shook his head to brush over your clit. Then, he took it in his mouth to suck the juices leaking from you. You whined when he withdrew, but San’s fingers fixed that soon enough. He took your clit between index and ring finger and stroked it. You grinded into his hand when you felt his middle finger dip towards your entrance each time, wanting to be filled with it. Your hands gripped the ends of his jacket behind you, trying to keep still as he rubbed your pussy side to side in light, rapid brushes. When he pulled away, his brothers each took a turn doing the same. The brief pauses in between kept you dangling on the edge. You yelped when Hongjoong started tapping and slapping your aching pussy, occasionally shoving fingers inside before pulling them out to smack it again. The twinges of pain only aroused you further. San and Seonghwa followed suit, also smacking and partially fingering you. When both Seonghwa and Hongjoong pushed a finger inside, San continued spanking your pussy.

“It’s been a while since we’ve fucked her together,” said Hongjoong, watching your reactions to his fingers curling alongside his brother’s. “That’s why she’s not wearing panties.” He pushed right to that squishy, soft spot that drove you wild, “You wanted to fuck us in that garden, didn’t you? You were hoping we’d all take a turn in your slutty cunt?”

“Yes,” you whimpered. “I love it when you all fuck me at the same time. It feels so good. I love getting treated like your fuck toy.”

“Then that’s what our little lady will get,” Seonghwa smirked, pushing his fingers faster. “Good thing I told Mingi to take the long way home.”

San rested you on the seat again, lifting one leg over his shoulder to keep you displayed for the others. Anticipation bubbled in your stomach, lowering the further you saw San move. Holding onto the end, San slowly slid the tip up and down the slit to only bring on more torture for you. Nails embedding themselves into the smooth fabric, you grinded to it in hopes of getting him inside you. 

“You're so needy,” he growled, smirking down at you before finally pushing the tip. “My pretty Darling always gets so wet,” he withdrew just to rub until a slick sound came out, “You hear that?” he asked, tapping your clit, “That's how wet you are. I love getting you like this,” he breathed finally putting the head inside again, “I love seeing my girl desperately wriggling around to get my dick.” 

“She's so cute when she does it,” said Hongjoong. “It's even cuter when she's tied up with no way to get what she wants.”

“I like it when she pretends she's a virgin,” Seonghwa said in a raspy voice. “When she gets on her back,” he started stroking faster, “And tells me she's never done it. It's so cute.”

“Corruption kink to the max,” Hongjokng chuckled. 

“Do you like it when we do this?” San asked you, languidly rocking his hips to yours. “Do you like us treating you like a little cock sleeve?”

“Yes,” you gasped, holding onto his shoulders. The slight stretch made you see stars. “Yes, I do. Just like when we did it the first time,” you said, head sinking to the pillow behind you as he rolled his rips. “When you all fucked me as long as you wanted…”

“You want us to do that again, Kitten?” asked Seonghwa. 

“Please…” A whimper came through when San shoved himself particularly deep, holding onto his forearm as he did it. 

“How's her hole today?” asked Hongjoong, eyes heavy with lust and arousal. 

“Tight,” San said, starting to go faster, “And warm. I could fuck this forever.”

“Look how easy she takes it,” Seonghwa moaned. “Even after all this time, her holes are perfect.”

“You mean ‘our holes’,” Hongjoong said. “Because this,” he knelt beside you, still stroking with one hand while shoving fingers into your mouth, “And that belongs to us. I don't care if you don't wear a collar anymore. We still own your slutty holes,” he groaned when you sucked his fingers, letting him push them further. 

“That's right,” Seonghwa said, reaching over to your swollen clit. “This pussy is ours. We get to fuck it whenever we want.”

“Not like she says no,” San said, grunting as he kept his strokes hard and deep. “She loves dick too much to not pass it up. Look at her right now,” he made a few quick pumps to hear you moan around Hongjoong’s fingers. “She pratically begged me to fuck her.”

“Because she's a whore,” said Seonghwa. He gave your clit a few sharp smacks before rubbing it again, “You can take the whore out of the brothel, but you can't take the brothel out of the whore. Isn't that right, Kitten? Are you a filthy whore?”

“Mmhmph,” you nodded. 

They all laughed, jeering at your answer. When your moans grew louder, they taunted you further. The moment you clenched around San, he moved faster straight into the knot driving you wild. 

“Oh, she's gonna cum,” he announced, “I can feel that hole getting tighter.”

“Is that true, slut?” Hongjoong asked you, removing his fingers to slather around your lips. “Are you going to cum?”

“Yes! Yes, oh my god, yes!” 

“Then go ahead,” he said.

“Go on,” gibed Seonghwa, spitting on your sex, “Cum.”

They continued goding you until you finally came. Hard hitting, all the muscles in your body stiffened. San came right after, pumping into you wildly as his orgasm took over. The feeling of his squirting inside prolonged your climax. The hands and cock keeping you going played with the sensitivity causing you to move away. 

“No, no, no,” said Seonghwa, “You're gonna take that no matter how sensitive it gets.” 

“That’s right,” said San, teasing you with his wet tip, “You stay there.”

“Rock, paper, scissors for next turn?” Hongjoong suggested to Seonghwa once San finished. 

“Sure. Best two out of three.”

You watched through heavy eyes as they played the game. San, meanwhile, continued pushing his cum back into you. You could do this forever in this carriage. 

“Yes!” Hongjoong cheered when he won the third round. “Turn her around. I'm going to fuck her like the bitch she is, he said, fixing his pants at his thighs as San and him switched positions. Seonghwa and San flipped you over, giving the eldest a space in front of you. 

“Whores always like having more than one cock at a time,” he said, forcing your head into his lap. His length went all the way to the back of your throat, and you swore you might come again even sooner. “Don’t you dare stop sucking,” he warned, slapping your ass harshly. “Don't miss a fucking beat. I want that mouth on me the entire time. You got that, bitch?”

You nodded, and your obedience amused them. He held onto your hair while Hongjoong shoved himself inside. All the pent up arousal from earlier unleashed itself in his hips. Hands grabbing your ass, Hongjoong did not take the gradual pace like San. You felt every push from entry to end just like Seonghwa did. The feeling of them both abusing you had you shaking in their grasp. No matter how much saliva and precum leaked from your mouth, you did not withdraw. Even when Hongjoong started hitting a different angle, making you shudder and moan around him, you didn't stop. Your pussy tightened when Seonghwa held your head against his groin for several seconds, laughing at your choking, before lifting you to the head where you drew a few breaths. 

“You fucking love that,” Seonghwa groaned, pushing you back down. “I'm glad because I like shoving my dick down pretty throats like yours.”

“And I love fucking their pussies right after,” Hongjoong breathed, a whimper coming right after. “Oh fuck, I'm going to fucking cum. Stay right there.”

You came right as he withdrew, bursting with nothing inside you to coat. Hot streams fell onto your lower back and ass cheeks, leaking down between them where Hongjoong rolled it again. Neither brother gave you time to breathe as Seonghwa pulled you onto his lap.

“Fuck me,” he ordered, smacking your ass, “I'm not pushing into you. You're doing the work, not me.”

You held onto the back of the seat, pulling at the decorative drapes, as you started bouncing on him. “Don't stop,” he said, watching you ride him, “If you stop, I swear…”

Even with the burning sensation in your thighs, causing you to shake and tremble, you didn't stop. Whenever he sensed you slowing down, he'd slap your ass to keep you going. But, the strain began weighing you down. You tried pushing yourself by your legs instead, though this position made that hard to do. Eventually, you made the mistake of stopping to catch your breath and ease your aching thighs. 

“Did I say you could stop?” asked Seonghwa harshly. “Huh?” a light tap to your face excites you, “Why did you stop?”

“It….It hurts.”

“Do I look like I care?” he grunted, smacking your ass even harder, sending more pleasure through your body. “Do I?”

“No, sir,” you whimpered. 

“I have to do everything around here,” he lifted you up to put you on your back again. “What's the point in a whore if she doesn't fuck the way I like?”

Raising your legs over your head, Seonghwa dove right back into you. He wasn't the gentle dominant partner you were used to. Something primal came over him as he pounded you into the seat. It delighted and aroused you. 

“Master,” you said, surprised by his roughness, “You're being so rough with me.”

“You're a whore,” he gritted, “Why should I care about being gentle?” Yet, for the briefest moment he stopped, “Am I going too hard? I'm not hurting you too much?”

“I love it,” you assured him, pushing hair from his face, “So much.”

“Of course, you do.”

He kept the same speed until he had you squirting around him. Seeing the squirt come out of you caused Seonghwa’s own orgasm. He withdrew the second he reached the edge, and began jerking himself over you. He pinched your nose to force your mouth open, and made you take the cum shooting from his tip. His load splattered your chin and mouth, droplets falling on your outstretched tongue until he finished completely. 

“How was that?” he asked, fingers pushing hair away from your face.

“So good,” you smiled, cleaning the dick with your tongue. “I can't get enough.”

“You can have more when we get home, baby,” Hongjoong insisted, wiping cum from your chin to slide into your mouth. “As much as you want.”

“Really?”

“Of course,” he said, kissing you softly. “We'll even do it in my room so we can play with all your favorite toys too.”

“I personally love watching you cum all over toys,” said San. “That way you're already nice and wet when I fuck you.”

“I just like watching you cry when I overstimulate you,” shrugged Hongjoong. 

You all laughed right as the carriage stopped right in front of the house. You knew you wouldn't be sleeping tonight and you didn't mind at all. 

***

A/N: awww see? everything worked out in the end. I'm not sure when I'll be posting another one of these, but I will be posting for this one still lol Thanks so much for reading, and please don't forget to reblog and like <3

[juicygf]

the possibilities of a new beginning

pairing; five hagreeves x fem!reader (replacing dolores btw sorry)

summary; that was a shitshow of a final season. im going to fix that and you're coming with me! many references to earlier seasons!

the feeling of boiling skin overlapping his own was haunting, making his brain toss and turn like a sleepless man.

‘it's to save the world’ the thought kept repeating in his mind, ‘we must cease to exist’. closing his eyes, five was ready to embrace death, to fix the world that had been doomed to fail the moment the marigold entered their mother's wombs.

‘this isn't fair.’

beep beep beep beep. went the digital alarm clock, screaming at the sleeping man to arise for the morning. five jolted up. frantically looking around in hopes of finding his siblings.

instead, walls of creamy white, a brown dresser, comfy bed, carpeted floors — an average bedroom... where was he...?

he stared off into space for a moment, recollecting his thoughts, before he heard the whir of an electric toothbrush. “who's there?”

“ah! sleepin' beauty woke up!” a voice called back, like an echo. a familiar yet, also unfamiliar voice coming from the other room. “you've slept in, we're going to be late if you don't start moving.”

five furrowed his brows, before he looked down at his hands. they weren't scarred like they used to be, they were... oddly normal. and his umbrella tattoo — wait, what umbrella tattoo?

footsteps approached the bedroom, a woman with a white towel wrapped around her body, and another wrapping her hair up to dry. “you okay there, five?”

the electric toothbrush whirred, a bit of toothpaste stuck to the side of the lady's mouth, as she gripped the towel to keep it from falling.

five snapped out of it once the whir glitched for a second then continued. “what day is it?”

“8th of August, 2024.” she replied, knitting her brows together in concern. “did you have a bad dream?”

a dream? was it a dream? was it reality? did we fix it? is this heaven? a domestic life with the woman, who strangely looked like a mannequin he swore he saw in a shop once?

“five?” the lady snapped her finger's, attempting to get his attention. five whipped his head up to look at the woman.

“[___]?” he said, saying her name, but almost questioning. like he forgot who she was. she laughed.

“yes, [___] hargreeves, your lawfully wedded wife and love of your life.” she teased back, smiling at five when she moved over to the dresser, pulling out clothes.

their wedding... as if memories of a whole life were coming back to him, he remembers. their wedding day, how beautiful she looked in her dress.

he remembers luther and his wife, sloane, there as well.

raymond almost spilling his wine on allison's dress, which made her laugh.

klaus and his lover, dave, keeping claire and the other kids occupied while diego and lila mingled off somewhere else — just to get a breather away from the kids.

five also remembers ben, showing off his new partner, jennifer, at the wedding like she was the greatest thing in the world. while jennifer just laughed and smiled sweetly.

“how... long have we been married now?” he asks.

“2 years.” [___] says, humming herself a time as she picked out a shirt to go with her jeans. “which jeans, black or blue... oh! speakin' of jeans. the neighbours dropped off your mail this morning, mailman got mixed up.”

jeans? neighbours? — “who?”

“the neighbours? jeanette and gene? jean and gene?” [___] said back, trying to jog his memory. “your memory isn't the best today, love.”

ah! his neighbours, of course. “tell them i said thank you.” five replied, shifting hsi legs and attempting to get out of bed.

once his bare heels hit the carpet, memories came racing back to him.

raymond and allison's wedding, claire's first birthday, luther and sloane getting together, lila and diego announcing their pregnancy, opening up a diner, where ben met jennifer — meeting [___]... in the department store, setting up the mannequins in their dresses...

what was he thinking about earlier? umbrella? did he need a new one? huh? what was he thinking again?

it was like his mind was erased in just a millisecond. a lively spark in his eyes appeared. “what are we doing today?”

“grace's birthday. remember?”

grace, grace, grace. diego and lila's little girl. it was her birthday, yeah. five nodded, “yes, i do.”

“i got that coffee you like yesterday. it's on the counter, near the spice rack, also — can you make sure to grab gracie's present from the cupboard??” [___] asked before five could leave the room.

he looked over at his wife, realising this was his life. he had a good life. a life many versions of himself many people would kill to have. a domestic, and family oriented lifestyle.

the sides of five's mouth twitched up in a smile. ”of course.” he answered her, before he put on a pair of navy blue slippers and walked down the hall, checking out the decor.

cabinets and glass doors cupboards filled with souvenirs and memories. paintings and family pictures on the walls. a retro styled house phone painted in a sunset for the aesthetics.

something crunched under his feet as he walked along. looking down, he lifted up his foot. a domino mask. a fake one, it had the dc robin logo on the back, probably from on of his nieces or nephew's, they probably left it here by accident.

something about the mask made him pause. dragging his finger across the black edgings, and white eye covers. “hm...” he mused, before placing it on a shelf in hesitation and slight dazed confusion.

that mask reminded him of something he felt wasn't even real. but the thing is, he couldn't remember? maybe an alternate version of himself knew what this was about.

he smiled at the mask, and scoffed at the idea. multiple timelines? how silly.

On the twelfth hour of the eighth day of August 2024, absolutely nothing out of the ordinary occurred. You might say, it was just a normal day.

[kallie-den]

Cobra's Kiss

Huntress is one of the greatest superheroes of all time, a divinely-blessed amazon who is all but invincible in combat. So, there’s no way one little mind-controlling kiss could immediately defeat her… right?

A commission for Xander!

If you like my writing, please consider supporting me on Patreon!  For less than the price of a cup of coffee each month, you can get immediate, early access to everything I write - 4 pieces of hypno-smut a  month, including the latest chapters of all the multi-chapter stories I write. Your support helps me keep writing and is greatly appreciated <3

---

As Huntress leaped from the next building and crashed through the already-broken window of the seemingly disused warehouse, landing with enough force to crack the bare concrete beneath her feet, a wild, vicious grin was spread across her noble features - though it dimmed slightly at the bleating protests coming through in her earpiece.

‘Huntress! Please, wait for backup! Qualia is still out of action, Flamespout and Radiance are being held up by other villains, and Axehead is still a long way out. You’re on your own here. It could be a trap. You can’t go in the-‘

Huntress plucked the tiny device from her ear and crushed it to pieces underfoot. Farsight, the group’s coordinator, was always careful - but in this case, far too careful. After all, they had finally tracked The Cobra to her secretive lair. This was their chance to finally take the supervillain down, once and for all. What was Huntress supposed to do? Just sit on her hands until someone showed up to babysit her?

No way. Not in this lifetime. Not after everything The Cobra had done. This was personal.

“Sorry, ladies,” Huntress muttered, as she advanced towards the building’s depths. “This time, the glory’s all mine.”

What did she have to be afraid of? The Cobra was a mastermind and a diabolical manipulator, certainly. There was no telling who she might have turned into a mindless, fanatically loyal double agent with that power of hers. But here, now, in the flesh, all those plans and schemes would mean nothing. In a fair fight, The Cobra was little better off than a mere civilian.

Huntress, meanwhile, was a superhero with godlike strength - literally. She’d started out as a mere vigilante, hunting petty criminals and wrongdoers, but her will and determination had soon caught the attention of Dianae, the ancient maiden goddess of the hunt. Dianae had blessed her with many gifts: strength, stature, a hunter’s instincts, and her own divine armaments. Now, as the goddess’s avatar, Huntress stood seven feet tall, with an amazon’s body, clad in an enchanted, steel blue, leather bodice and cowl, with a colossal, heaven-forged war bow strapped over her back.

Yeah. The Cobra didn’t stand a chance.

Her resolve set, Huntress moved like a stalking wolf. For years, The Cobra had been a ghost. A curse, weaving her malign influence throughout the world without once leaving herself vulnerable to just retaliation. It was only through happenstance that Huntress managed to track her here, to what seemed like nothing more than yet another abandoned warehouse hidden deep within anonymous urban sprawl. It was the perfect place for a cunning supervillain to hide.

But The Cobra was about to learn that she was no match for the cunning of a huntress who had caught her scent.

The disused building was huge, and as Huntress headed into its depths, the open storage spaces gave way to cramped rooms and narrow, labyrinthine service corridors. Huntress moved quickly, faster than any mere mortal could have, but her senses remained keen to any danger and her hunting instincts guided her along a sure route towards her prey. She expected traps, tricks, maybe even minions - but there was nothing. No impediment to her progress as she made her way toward The Cobra’s lair.

Huntress let herself grin. It was so typical of villains. When you finally hit them close to their home, they were all but defenseless.

In turn, featureless, dusty corridors soon gave way to passageways that showed signs of recent use and renovation. Huntress’s superhuman ears picked up on the hum of electricity, and the walls were covered with wires; brand new fiber-optic cables, all of which seemed to lead inexorably towards a single point. Eventually, she came to a heavy, metal door, deep within the bowels of the building. Behind it was the nerve center of everything.

This was it. This was The Cobra. It had to be

Huntress swiftly unslung her bow from her shoulder, notched an arrow, and forced the door open with a single, mighty kick.

Inside, it was dark, even to Huntress’s enhanced eyes. Light spilled out into the large room only from a huge array of monitors arranged on the opposite wall. Before the monitors was a desk, and before the desk was a woman sitting in a chair, staring up at them. She didn’t look round, not even at the sound of the huge, heavy door to her lair crashing to the ground.

But Huntress didn’t need to see her face to know that she’d found her enemy. At last.

The woman was brunette and considerably shorter than Huntress; even from behind, Huntress would have recognized her anywhere. The true giveaway was what she was wearing: a tight bodysuit, so dark it was almost black, except that when it caught the light, it was possible to see a scaled pattern etched across its surface in the deepest shade of emerald.

“Cobra!” Huntress roared, as she stepped across the threshold. “It’s over! In the name of the goddess, I’m here to bring you to justice.”

There was no reply. The Cobra didn’t even turn. Information kept flickering across the monitors: maps, dates, statistics.

“You’re finished.” Huntress advanced another step. “I’m going to make sure you spend the rest of your life behind bars - and even that’s better than you deserve. You’ve killed a lot of good heroes. You killed my friend. Come on. Come face your reckoning.”

The Cobra still didn’t acknowledge her presence. She remained completely focused on the screens in front of her, and constant flickering as they chanced and scrolled. Huntress felt her choler start to rise.

“Face me!” she yelled. Another step. “I want to see the look in your eyes when you realize you’ve lost.”

Still, nothing. Huntress’s temper flared, and anger drowned out her more cautious urges. She’d had enough of this childish game.

“Face me!” she repeated - and as she stepped forward, she loosed an arrow from her bow. Thick as a spear, it flew through the air and hit square its target: one of the monitors to The Cobra’s left. Impaled, it flickered black and shattered, showering the supervillain in sparks.

But she still didn’t move

Huntress frowned. She stepped forward, reached out to put her hand on The Cobra’s shoulder, and spun the chair.

It wasn’t her. It was some stranger, a woman Huntress had never seen before, with a passing similarity to the supervillain, dressed in her costume and sat in her chair, a telltale look of glassy-eyed, insensate pleasure on her face.

Huntress barely had time to process the sudden, sinking feeling in her gut before the trap was sprung.

The superhero wheeled and instinctively raised her bow - but without a notched arrow, it was useless. Before she could prepare one, she caught a glimpse of a slender outline, darting towards her from the shadowy corners of the room, holding some kind of large weapon that was already trained directly at the superhero. Huntress braced herself - but still, she wasn’t worried. Her divine gifts made her bulletproof. She was ready to take a blow.

What she wasn’t ready for was for the weapon to launch a set of long, segmented, metal cables at blinding speed. Huntress made to dodge - but caught off-guard, she was just barely too slow. The cables slammed into her with the force of a speeding truck. Huntress was able to hold her ground even against that, but she had no defense when the cables started to wrap around her body, flexing with their own momentum and pinning the superhero’s limbs to her sides. She dropped her bow and stumbled, and, before she knew it, Huntress was wrapped up tight from her shoulders all the way down to her knees.

“That’s better,” said The Cobra, as she dropped the heavy cable-launcher. She sighed with relief. “You’re not an easy woman to catch, you know. Even faster than I’d thought. But maybe now we can have a civilized conversation.”

Huntress just glowered furiously at her. The sight of The Cobra’s face made other faces flash through her mind. People she’d lost. People The Cobra had taken from her. At last, she was getting the confrontation she’d long craved, and Huntress wasn’t going to let anything hold her back. She started flexing and straining against the coils of metal binding her, drawing on all of her righteous anger and all of her divine strength. The cables didn’t break - but they groaned from the strain.

“This won’t hold me,” Huntress warned. “Not for long.”

The Cobra just shrugged. “Adamantite. It’ll hold for long enough.”

“We’ll see,” Huntress countered. “Backup is almost here.”

Infuriatingly, The Cobra wagged a finger and tutted. She turned her head, letting Huntress see the earpiece she was wearing. “I’m tapped into your comms. Backup is not almost here. Backup is being misdirected away, on a wild goose chase. No, it’s just the two of us.”

Huntress flashed her a nasty grin. “Bad news for you, once I break out of these.”

It was strange that The Cobra didn’t seem frightened. She hardly had the look of a larger-than-life supervillain. Compared to Huntress, she was slight and slender, with nondescript brown hair. Only her scaled bodysuit and the dark glint in her eyes hinted at her true nature. Huntress knew better than to underestimate the woman standing before her. She knew full well how many lives The Cobra had ruined.

“We’ll see.” The Cobra started walking towards Huntress, preening like a peacock, her voice soft, with just a hint of an alluring, sibilant, hiss. “Actually, I was hoping that if we spent a little time together, you might realize that we really don’t need to be enemies.”

Huntress just laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

Huntress’s hatred for the villain was so thick she almost choked on it as she spat out her words. The idea that they could be anything but mortal enemies was absurd.

“Now, now,” The Cobra chided. She was within arm’s reach, and Huntress hated that she couldn’t reach out and strike her. The hero redoubled her efforts to break the metal coils around her body. “You never know. I might just turn out to be your type.”

Humor could only stretch so far. “Listen here,” Huntress growled. “I don’t care what you say. I don’t care what you do. No matter what, I will never, ever- mph!”

For the second time in as many minutes, the superhero found herself taken off-guard - this time, as The Cobra lunged forward and pressed their lips together in a kiss.

Huntress was no stranger to kissing women, but kissing a supervillain like The Cobra filled her with nothing but disgust. Moreover, she was entirely unprepared for the sensation of something long, slick, nimble, and foreign forcing itself into her mouth from The Cobra’s, exploring her mouth, dominating the kiss, and even beginning to push its way into her throat. Disturbed, Huntress tried to pull back, but with her limbs bound, there was no escape.

She was far more disturbed when, moments later, her body started to tingle and weaken, and a kind of strange, warm pleasure began to radiate from her lips.

“My, my,” The Cobra sang, as she finally drew back. “You taste good, Huntress.”

Her vision blurring, Huntress looked at her, and saw the foot-long, forked, tongue protruding from The Cobra’s mouth.

After a moment, her mind caught up with itself and she realized what had happened. This was The Cobra’s superpower, and the reason for her moniker. She had a very long serpent’s tongue, coated with a kind of supernatural venom that weakened the minds of those it came into contact with, drowning them in euphoric bliss and fostering a twisted sense of loyalty to the supervillain. It was the source of all her power: despite her lack of physical prowess, The Cobra could enact all her villainous schemes by using her tongue to turn people into kiss-drunk minions who would do anything to please her; she’d brainwashed civilians, government figures, corporate leaders - and even, at times, superheroes.

But not Huntress. Never Huntress.

“Your tricks will never work on me,” Huntress snarled. “I’m not like your other victims. I’m stronger than you.”

The boast came easy. It wasn’t a mere bluff. Beyond her superhuman strength and unmatched hunting skills, Huntress harbored another talent: her indomitable willpower. It was what had attracted the attention of her goddess in the first place: even as a mere mortal vigilante, Huntress had refused to let anyone or anything dim her spirit or distract her from her purpose.

Huntress was sure of it. Resisting The Cobra was a matter of willpower. And in a battle of wills, what chance did a mortal have against the divine avatar of an invincible goddess?

“Oh? Are you sure it won’t work?” The Cobra flashed her a smug smile. “Are you sure it isn’t already?”

“Of course I… I…”

Huntress grasped at her hatred like a blade, hoping to let it cut her, hoping to let its sting keep her sharp and clear-headed. Her voice faltered when she found that, to her surprise, her hate was dull. It was still there, certainly. All the reasons she should and did hate The Cobra remained perfectly easy to grasp. But it didn’t burn the way it had just moments ago. It didn’t inspire the same kind of biting rage. Her hate felt somehow distant; numb, like she was under anesthetic.

Huntress’s confidence suffered a hair fracture.

And the malevolent grin on The Cobra’s face grew wider still.

“R-ridiculous,” Huntress snarled. “You’re a fool if you think I can be beaten so easily.”

“I suppose we’ll find out.” The Cobra sauntered across the room and grabbed over another swivel chair, just like the one her double was seated in. After positioning it behind Huntress, she gave the superhero a swift shove. With her limbs bound, Huntress was unable to keep her balance and collapsed into the chair. “But you don’t look as confident as you did a few moments ago.”

Huntress was glad to find she still had enough hate to glower up at the villain. “You’ll pay for this. For everything. Very, very soon.”

She could feel the metal cables wrapped around her body beginning to stretch and distend from her efforts. They had to be just minutes from snapping.

“And then the big, bad Huntress gets me?” The Cobra mocked. She perched herself down delicately in Huntress’s lap; the weight was barely perceptible, but the frustration had Huntress growling. “You should remember something, darling. Cobras are hunters too.”

Huntress laughed in her face. Just a few minutes. “Let me tell you who I am. I am a hero. I am the divine avatar of Diana. I have been blessed with powers you cannot possibly comprehend. I have defeated foes the size of skyscrapers. I have defended our world from demonic entities and alien threats. I am Huntress, and I- stop, s-stop!”

As she delivered her monologue, voice booming, conviction in her belly, Cobra let her long, forked, dripping tongue drool out of her mouth again - and then drew it up the side of Huntress’s face in a long lick.

“What are you doing?” Huntress spat. She squirmed, trying to pull away, but there was nowhere to go. “That’s disgust… ing…?”

Cobra’s tongue came away with a wet smack, leaving the side of Huntress’s face coated with her thick, venomous saliva. This time, as it seeped into the superhero’s pores, she could feel it happening: the strange, pleasurable tingle that made her spine shiver in unwanted anticipation. The creeping, inexplicable euphoria that clouded her mind and stole the edge from her rage. Even with all her will and resolve brought to bear, Huntress couldn’t keep it from affecting her.

“Disgusting…” Huntress repeated, but she couldn’t fill the word with any force. The Cobra noticed at once.

“Wow,” she teased. “The almighty Huntress, weak to a little kiss. Who would have thought?”

“I’m nnnot.” The word came out slurred; Huntress tried again, but it didn’t help. “I’m… nnnnottt…”

The Cobra giggled maliciously. “Then what are you so afraid of?”

She licked her lips, and went in for another kiss, nice and slow this time, in a parody of romance. Huntress turned her head this way and that, trying to avoid the kiss, but her movements were already turning sluggish - and besides, The Cobra was on top of her. The villain pressed her lips against the hero’s, and with them coated in her venom, even that chaste peck was another to make The Huntress flush and heave with supernatural bliss.

“You know, maybe you’re not such a good kisser after all,” The Cobra remarked, kicking her legs against Huntress. “A little… limp. But maybe that’s what I should have expected, from the chosen of the maiden goddess.”

The sudden arrogance in the supervillain’s voice was like a red rag to a bull. Huntress tried to glare up at her, to prove her defiance with the fire in her eyes, but when she looked at The Cobra, she couldn’t help softening. Her vision was becoming hazy, and through the fog, The Cobra seemed strangely, undeniably beautiful.

"You…” Huntress gasped, suddenly full of awe. “What are… you…”

“Perhaps I just need to get you warmed up,” The Cobra mused, ignoring her. “Here.”

She leaned in for another kiss. Huntress was so dazed, only at the last moment did she realize the danger she was in. She jerked her head back, but The Cobra’s kiss still landed, just beneath her mouth. The supervillain kissed Huntress again, then again, then again, over and over, trailing kisses along her skin, before finally finding her lips and once again pushing her elongated tongue into Huntress’s mouth.

Huntress couldn’t help it. She let out a soft, faint, but undeniable moan.

“There we are,” The Cobra said, her voice a twisted mockery of affection. “Isn’t that better?”

Her victim was too addled to reply. Huntress was seeing white. She struggled to grasp what had just happened to her. Faster than she had ever believed possible, her formidable will had started to give way and sink into quicksand. Each kiss made her weaker, more susceptible. Her face was burning with flustered pleasure, and it radiated out, filling her body. It was getting harder and harder to think clearly.

“My goodness,” The Cobra cooed. “I have to be honest: it’s quite the power trip, having a literal demigod quaking and shivering under my every… little… touch.”

She punctuated those three words with yet more kisses across Huntress’s cheek. The superhero moaned again. What was happening to her? She’d never felt like this before. So warm. So soft. So palpably malleable and weak.

It was wrong. She needed to fight it. Huntress just needed to keep that thought straight in her head.

“I’m… nnnot…” she slurred, despite how absurd the denial was. “I’m… gonna… get out of here… punish you!”

“You are?” The Cobra mocked. “That’s funny. But you’re not even trying to escape anymore.”

After a few moments of dumbfounded blinking, Huntress realized that the supervillain was right. Somewhere along the way, she had stopped straining against the metal cables binding her, succumbing to the warm, relaxing feeling The Cobra’s tongue offered.

Huntress blushed shamefully, and tried to start struggling again. But she found that her limbs had turned to heavy, iron bars and her muscles to sludge; try as she might, she couldn’t seem to apply much pressure to the cables. After just a few seconds, her strength failed her. The Cobra laughed as she watched Huntress slump, defeated.

“What was that you were saying?” she crowed. “You’re a hero? A divine avatar? Blessed with powers I couldn’t comprehend? To me, you look like nothing more than another one of my mewling little pets.”

Huntress thought back to The Cobra’s double, still sitting in the chair a short distance from them. She thought about the look of utter, mindless bliss that had been on the woman’s face. Was that what was going to happen to her? A fearful shiver raced down her spine.

She wanted to deny the very possibility. But hadn’t The Cobra already proven her wrong? Huntress’s sense of self-assurance was collapsing beneath her feet.

“And in a few more minutes, that’s exactly what you’ll be,” The Cobra went on. “Another brainwashed slut, addicted to me, doing anything I please just for one more kiss - even helping to bring those precious teammates of yours into the fold.”

That particular jab bit deep with Huntress - but struck iron. The superhero frowned, a fresh surge of anger lending her much-needed strength.

Defeat was one thing. Betrayal was another. Huntress had never once betrayed the principles by which she lived and fought. And she never would, not for anything. Certainly not for the hated supervillain currently perched in her lap.

Yes. Yes, she hated The Cobra. That was right, wasn’t it?

“I… will… never…” Huntress said thickly and slowly, enunciating each word clearly in turn, “do… your… will. Never. With… with all that I have… with all that I am… I’ll keep fighting. To the bitter end.”

She meant it. Every word. Even The Cobra seemed impressed. She cocked an eyebrow and whistled.

“Not bad,” she acknowledged. “But you still just don’t get it, do you? Watch.”

Huntress was braced for The Cobra to kiss her again, but she didn’t. Instead, the supervillain simply opened her mouth and let her serpent’s tongue hang lazily out of her mouth, slowly extending to its full length. That was all. The tips of her tongue’s forks twitched occasionally, tasting the air, and venom-impregnated drool formed thick, looping ropes beneath the supernatural organ.

Against all her wishes, Huntress moaned.

This time, it wasn’t her body, but her memory that betrayed her. Just the sight of The Cobra’s tongue held power over Huntress. It reminded her of everything that tongue could do, and made her throb with longing as memories of that warm, wonderful pleasure washed over her. Already, Huntress could feel her precious willpower once again starting to drain away.

“You see,” The Cobra cooed, her voice poisonously soft. “Don’t you want this?”

Huntress couldn’t help but let out a whiny, plaintive sigh as she realized that she did. That was followed immediately by a deep sense of shame. She shouldn’t want it. It was wrong. It was obscene. Huntress was a hero. She should be above such temptations.

Yet her body yearned for it. She knew, she just knew, that as soon as The Cobra’s tongue touched her skin, the sweet nectar of her venom would wipe away all of those shameful feelings.

“You do,” The Cobra pressed. “Don’t you?”

Huntress managed to shake her head, but the words wouldn’t rise to her lips. Every nerve ending in her body was screaming something else.

“I think you do,” The Cobra whispered to her. “And I think you’ll let me kiss you.”

She started to lean in for another kiss, this time moving tortuously slowly, giving Huntress all the time in the world to jerk her head out of the way. But she didn’t. Huntress couldn’t move. She was paralyzed by her conflicted desires. The superhero opened her mouth, hoping to protest, but the words still wouldn’t come, and her lips remained slightly parted and turned upwards, towards The Cobra’s approaching mouth.

Without resisting or even saying a word, Huntress let The Cobra kiss her. For just a moment, she hated how good it felt. Then, the oncoming pleasure obliterated even that.

Huntress couldn’t help it. As The Cobra forced her tongue into her mouth, she started leaning into the kiss. Embracing it. Kissing back with stupefied passion. It was impossible to do anything else when it felt so good. Every concern about her morals and principles, about the situation, about The Cobra’s schemes - all of them paled in comparison. The kind of euphoria The Cobra’s power inflicted allowed no room for doubts. As they kissed - as The Cobra started fucking Huntress’s throat with her tongue - Huntress was on cloud nine, and The Cobra herself was the object of all her newfound joy.

When The Cobra broke the kiss, Huntress whined. She wanted more.

“There we go,” the supervillain cooed. “That’s a nice dose. Isn’t that better?”

Huntress just nodded dumbly.

“Good.” The Cobra extended her tongue towards Huntress and licked her again. Huntress shivered in eager rapture. “See? Maybe we can get along after all.”

Again, Huntress nodded. That sounded good. She wanted to get along with The Cobra. Why wouldn’t she? The Cobra made her feel so good.

There was something else in her head. A different feeling that she felt towards The Cobra. Something spiky and bitter. Then, it slipped out of view.

“Excellent,” The Cobra told her, evidently pleased. “That’s my good little hunter.”

Huntress’s reward was another kiss. She accepted it eagerly. Each one felt better than the last. She looked up at The Cobra adoringly, panting for breath, a vacant, stupid smile spread across her saliva-slick face.

“Hey,” Cobra said. “Why don’t you tell me your name? Your real name, I mean.”

Alarm bells sounded in Huntress’s head. She had always kept her real name a secret. Allowing it to become public knowledge meant endangering all those who were close to her. She couldn’t.

And yet now, all those alarm bells were so far away, she could barely hear them.

“Susanna,” Huntress told the villain dreamily. “Susanna Callisto.”

“Susanna Callisto,” The Cobra echoed. “Incredible. But you know,” she added teasingly, “if we’re going to keep getting along, I’m going to need you to do some things for me.”

That gave Huntress pause. The Cobra’s phrasing was undeniably menacing. It made her cautious.

“It’s nothing you need to worry about,” The Cobra promised. Her face was twisted into an impossibly gleeful smirk. “I just want to get to know some of your friends, the same way I’m getting to know you. You can help me with that, can’t you?”

Huntress’s friends. It took her a long moment to understand what that was referring to. Superheroes. Superheroes like her. Didn’t being a superhero mean something important? She thought about what would happen if she brought them here, and let The Cobra work her tongue into their minds. It just seemed wrong, somehow, even if she couldn’t put her finger on it.

“I… can’t,” Huntress replied, more than a little apologetically.

In that moment, the reluctance was real. She longed to give The Cobra what she was asking for. But this was the final kernel of her willpower, buried so deep it had still yet to be touched by The Cobra’s venom. Even if she sacrificed all of her dignity, she couldn’t sacrifice this.

“You can’t?” The Cobra seemed surprised, even impressed, by any resistance even at this stage. “How amusing. Why don’t you let me change your mind?”

Huntress let out a groan, but there was nothing she could do as The Cobra started kissing her again. The kisses came fast and furious; passionate, almost, from the supervillain’s eagerness to overwhelm what remained of Huntress’s will. She kissed Huntress again and again, each one deeper and more dominant than the last, making the defeated superhero gag on her tongue and gasp desperately for each breath before the next kiss came.

“Are you sure?” The Cobra whispered to her, between kisses. “All you need to do is bring them to me.”

“C-can’t…” Huntress moaned, more out of instinct than true comprehension. “Can’t….”

It was getting harder and harder to refuse her captor. The more The Cobra kissed her, the more Huntress’s pleasure was starting to congeal into something else: into an instinctive, servile sense of obedience directed towards the supervillain. Disobeying was growing steadily harder and harder to conceive of.

It was simple. Pavlovian. Huntress had become a slave to her own pleasure, and the pleasure told her to listen to The Cobra.

“Bring them here,” The Cobra urged. “Whoever I ask you to. Tell them whatever lies I feed to you. Use that strength of yours to keep them nice and still for me.”

“Noo,” Huntress moaned, though she could already feel her will to resist fading. “Nooooo.”

The Cobra touched one of her fingertips to Huntress’s chin and used it to guide her, making the super stretch upward, begging with her body for yet another brainwashing kiss.

“Yes,” The Cobra said firmly. Compared to Huntress, she sounded so strong. So sure. It was impossible not to believe her. “You’re going to be my ultimate weapon, Huntress. You’ll subdue all those other heroes for me. You’ll bring them right to my bosom.”

“Nnn… mmrfff.” Huntress’s attempt to refuse collapsed into more moaning when Cobra extended her tongue along the side of her face, coating it in slick, wet, mind-warping saliva.

“Anyone who threatens me,” The Cobra insisted. “Anyone who opposes me. You’ll stop them. You’ll help me claim them. You’ll work to make them mine.”

Huntress thrashed and spasmed as pleasure tore through her. Her back arched. It was so easy to see herself doing it, and so very hard to disobey. She craved it now. Everything The Cobra was describing. She was about to break, and both of them knew it.

“Obey me,” The Cobra hissed. “Kiss me, and obey.”

As one final, desperate gambit, Huntress’s overtaxed mind seized upon the words that she’d used many times in moments of true hopelessness: a prayer, a plea, delivered up to the one who had made her what she was.

“D-Diana… s-save me!”

And, by a true miracle, the goddess did.

The Cobra was thrown out of Huntress’s lap and across the room by a sudden thunderclap. She shot to her feet, but found herself blinded by impossible, silver light. It was as if the moon itself had been made manifest inside her lair, but when the light dimmed and her eyes adjusted, she found herself looking not at a celestial body, but at a woman.

Not, not a woman. Diana, Goddess of the Hunt.

There was no mistaking her. In stature and beauty, she was even greater than Huntress, and her body still shone with a halo of moonlight. There was a great resemblance between Diana and her champion, The Cobra noted, although the goddess had the ageless quality of an immortal, and her hair was brilliant silver instead of platinum blonde. She did not have a weapon, but she clearly didn’t need one, either; her gaze spoke of immeasurable power and righteous wrath - and all of it was directed straight at The Cobra.

“Who dares defile my champion?” the goddess spoke, in a voice that made the heavens quake.

Every little hair on The Cobra’s body stood on end. She turned her head left and right, desperately looking for something, anything, that might save her. There was nothing, of course. This was a goddess. What did she have? A long tongue?

“I see,” Diana pronounced, even though The Cobra hadn’t spoken. “Your heart is black. I will deal with you in a moment. But first…”

She turned to Huntress, sitting slumped in the chair, still bound. Diana touched just one fingertip to the metal cables wrapped around the hero’s body, and they dissolved into nothing more than fading sparks.

“Be free,” Diana said to Huntress affectionately. “I have no doubt you will recover, in time. Your firm will has always been your greatest blessing.” She rounded on The Cobra. “Which is why I cannot forgive that you would tarnish it.”

The Cobra started backing away. Dread overwhelmed her. She was still thinking furiously, but she couldn’t come up with any plan or ploy that could help her. The sheer unfairness of the situation was almost comical. She was barely a supervillain, and this was a goddess in the flesh. A petty little trick like using a double wasn’t going to cut it.

There had to be something. There had to be. But what? Her venom was the only asset she had, but even that seemed like a stretch.

“Damn it,” The Cobra hissed to herself. “If I could just hold her still for a moment…”

It turned out, Huntress wasn’t the only one who could have her prayers answered.

And Huntress herself was the one who answered them. The superhero abruptly rose to her feet, seemingly shaking off whatever dim-witted pleasure-trance she’d sunk into. Diana noted her sudden recovery with nothing more than a pleased smile, and kept all her attention on The Cobra.

Until Huntress grabbed her goddess’s limbs and used all of her divine-given strength to pin them to her sides.

“What?” Diana exclaimed, confused. “My champion, what are you doing?”

But The Cobra knew. She could see it in Huntress’s eyes: the telltale, glassy glint of adoration and eagerness that marked those who had tasted too much of The Cobra’s venom.

Slowly, a grin started to creep back onto The Cobra’s face.

“Release me!” Diana bellowed. “My huntress, you must resist this witchcraft!”

The Cobra was already moving towards her by the time Diana started to struggle in earnest. It was immediately clear that Huntress couldn’t hold her for long. A demigod was no match for a goddess. But The Cobra’s commands had taken root deep in her mind, and the brainwashed superhero was every bit of her strength to keep Diana restrained for long enough for The Cobra to reach her.

The supervillain had no idea if her power would work. Her heart skipped a beat as she stretched up on tiptoes and kissed the goddess of the hunt.

The Cobra kissed her the same way she kissed all her victims: long and deep, pushing her tongue into her mouth to make her feel her presence and drink in as much of her venom as possible. She wasn’t sure what to expect from kissing Diana; fierce resistance wouldn’t have surprised her, nor, amusingly, would have prodigious skill.

What she hadn’t expected was for Diana to all but go limp immediately, after just a few clumsy, sophomoric attempts to dominate the kiss.

That gave The Cobra a little optimism. But she still didn’t dare to hope as she pulled back and inspected the formidable goddess towering above her.

Not until she saw the dull, dreamy, blissed-out look beginning to dawn on Diana’s face.

“Oh my god,” The Cobra breathed. “It… it worked.”

The goddess came over flushed, and it was clear that her struggles were weakening. Her eyes flitted back and forth in confusion.

“What…” Diana breathed. The Cobra couldn’t believe she was seeing a goddess look dizzy. “You… mortal… what did you do to me?”

The Cobra couldn’t help it. She started laughing. It came slow, building and building, until it came out as a manic howl that filled the room.

“Oh my god!” The Cobra cackled. “I can’t believe it - although maybe it’s exactly what I should have expected from the so-called maiden goddess. Not a lot of experience with kissing, huh?”

“I… don’t…” Diana bleated. She looked so lost all of a sudden, but The Cobra didn’t miss the hint of eagerness in her parted lips.

“Huntress,” The Cobra instructed, “why don’t you help our pretty little goddess take a seat?”

“Yes, Cobra.”

Huntress’s eyes shone hopefully at the mere prospect of getting to obey her new owner’s instructions. She guided Diana over to the chair she’d just been sitting in. The goddess didn’t struggle. Pathetically weak to The Cobra’s kisses, she was already beyond that.

“It’s OK that you don’t have much experience,” The Cobra hissed, as she poured herself into Diana’s lap and let her tongue drool out of her mouth once more. “I like girls that way, sometimes. And I’ll be more than happy to… educate you. Then, we can see what I can do to the world with a goddess in tow.”

She started kissing Diana again, and the supervillain’s lair filled with wet, smacking passionate sounds as she began to brainwash the goddess into nothing more than an obedient, pleasure-drunk thrall - just like her champion.

—

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[aaaaafro]

Soft Japanese Pillows - IVE - Rei x M! Reader (+18)

tw: pussy-eating, squirting

This is a crime, I'm still just halfway through my wattpad update and yet I got sidetracked by Rei but who cares? It's for my baby. Enjoy yall, part 2 maybe?

"... Here are other selections; all of these are manufactured in Japan with 100% authentic Japanese materials and I can guarantee you that you'll be getting the greatest good night sleep when using these." The young lady enthusiastically presents the products before you.

You honestly have no idea on how you've managed to get here and browse pillows. All you know is that, you just came out of work, your neck is killing you and the thought of having a good rest at home isn't really that good.

Stumbling upon a still open bedroom furniture store at this late in the hour, you just told yourself, fuck it might as well upgrade your sleep for a while you're at it.

"What makes them so great again?" You asked and the lady once more beamed with a smile due to your interest.

"Well, like we were talking about earlier, this is made from authentic Japanese materials. It's versatile, comfortable and long lasting." She smiled throughout the presentation.

"It does feel nice in hand." You complimented and that just made Rei even happier.

"These pillows also come in different sizes, so you can have them in small or large." She added before winking subtly at you.

"Alright... Rei." You called by the name displayed on her name tag after doing a bit more inspection of the pillow.

You're currently on the verge of actually purchasing it and Rei knows this but she wasn't just satisfied with verbal promotion. She suddenly took your hand and led you to a more secluded section of the store. It was surprisingly nerve-wracking as she just fixed the test bed and you stood there with the pillow in hand.

"There's actually another quality that I forgot to mention..." She paused for a bit as her eyes stared intently at yours.

"Sir, remember earlier when I said that it's long lasting? I wasn't only talking about the material. I'm talking about the feel of them." A devilish smile from Rei sends shivers down your spine as she then sits on the test bed.

"W-what d-do you mean?" You're currently a stuttering mess.

"The feel of it will remain with you forever." She smiled.

You can clearly see how her thighs got squished flat on the soft surface. Rei knows where your eyes are and she intends to keep it there, she slowly raises her one leg and places it on top of the other.

Swallowing a great amount of saliva as she gives you that adorable chuckle she had from earlier when you entered the store asking for some assistance.

"Why don't I give you a demo sir~?" said Rei ever so innocently yet the way she ended that question had a little bit of starch to it.

She patted the empty space right beside her and for some reason you're quick at your feet and took a seat right next to her. Again Rei hits you with her infectious smile as the proximity between the two of you closed.

"Right..." Rei then takes the sample product from your hand and shakes it for a bit.

"Now! To experience it first-hand..." She then placed the pillow on her lap before gently patting it as if she was pertaining to something.

"Come on sir... I don't bite." Rei's tone was so confusing adding a little hint at the end of her sentence paired with her sly smile.

You just can't help it, you surrendered yourself trusting that she means well. Laying your head on her lap with the pillow and geez! If it isn't one of the most comfortable feeling you've ever felt. Or is it?

"Mhmmm." You didn't mean to but you accidentally let out a moan as your tension was being let out.

"Does it feel good, sir?" She asked before brushing a bit of your hair away and caressing your cheek.

"Y-... yes?!" You were honestly about to stand up but it was such a calming feeling not just from the pillow but also Rei's touch.

"You can feel it, right sir? The strain on your neck is no longer there."

She wasn't wrong so you just agreed; "Right." Before closing your eyes.

"Mmmhhuwaaa." And that was something.

You jolted up like a deer hearing a gunshot, you can see the shock in Rei's face, taking a feel of your forehead with your hand, you feel a damped spot on it and once you look at your fingertips you can see a hint of red tint on it.

"W-wha–." You think about questioning what the hell is going on but you couldn't even get to the half of your thought seeing Rei's pout.

"I'm sorry sir. I was looking at your face and you seemed really relaxed and I thought I'd help you to relax even more."

Hearing the guilt in her tone, sends knife stabs to your heart. Rei has been nothing but helpful to you this whole evening yet you're here snapping on her for something so trivial.

"I'm sorry– I was... I was just shocked." You pleaded and gladly the sadness in her eyes disappears.

"I'm sorry as well sir, let me make it up to you."  Rei suddenly reaches for your hand pulling you closer.

"I'll give you another sample of a very special product and this time I'm positively sure it's 100% authentic Japanese."

Rei yanks away the quality pillow before pulling your face down towards her soft and supple thighs. Oh boy aren't you so wrong with even considering the pillow earlier as a 'good quality' product. As your face rests on top of Rei's thighs

Despite the slightest difficulty in breathing, you honestly don't mind it at all, especially when given the chance of taking in Rei's scent. It was warm and cozy, as she added the feeling of brushing her delicate fingers on your hair.

"How is it sir?" Rei asked with her soothing voice.

"iffhm gooffhmm." She chuckled at your response and the fact that you didn't even bother taking your face off of her thighs.

"But no need to be satisfied yet with that because I still have more to offer." You hear her whisper.

That ticks off something in you but with your body finally succumbing to its fatigue you have no fight left for what's about to happen. As Rei starts to move your head towards her body.

Absolutely no way in your mind you'd even think that you'll have your face buried on an gorgeous Japanese woman's pelvis on a random weekend night.

"How is it sir?"

You're honestly lost of words as you just take in the whole experience. The softness of her thighs, the heat radiating from her core that's inches, literally a hair strand away from you, the way her breathing starts to become erratic, the eagerness of her hand pushing your head in even more to her clothed core.

"Can you feel it?" You could only nod as you take all of it in.

"As I was telling you sir... the Japanese pillows come in different sizes." Rei suddenly grabs a hold of your hand that's close to her body.

And to that she suddenly guides it up towards her torso. Not even a second after your hand landed on something exquisitely tender. You gave it a good squeeze only to hear a moan right after.

Your head regretfully detached from Rei's thighs and the moment you looked up, the first thing you saw is your hand on top of her breasts, in which Rei didn't really mind.

"Didn't I told you sir? Different sizes." That proud smile on her face really gives you goosebumps.

Rei then placed her hand on top of yours before giving it a little squeeze. Biting her lip to suppress her moans. A few more squeezes in and the next thing you know, your hand just had a life of its know and is now kneeding Rei's orb.

After Rei's hand has served its purpose it was finally able to move on to its next task. That task is to push your head back onto her thighs or perhaps even deeper.

Just as then Rei got sick of the position you two are currently in and decided to finally lay down on the test bed more comfortably. You honestly couldn't give a single damn about how open the space is, or how easy it is for someone to walk up on the section you two are on, as you followed Rei's lead.

With her back flat on the cushion you followed along sitting right in front of her folded healthy legs. Now. you're not a religious guy but you're now thanking whoever higher being is responsible for providing you with this kind of opportunity.

"Sir, it seems like our promotion isn't that convincing enough for you. How about we give you a little taste test?" A devilish smile came from Rei, as she raises both of her legs up giving you a good look at her guarded but visibly aroused core.

You tried telling yourself that 'it's not magnetised' and yet you're being pulled in like a dog on a leash. With her dainty fingers slipping into the hem of her underwear, you braced yourself as to what amazing sight it will be but it's torture now as Rei takes her time.

Seeing how her thighs hugs the fabric on her underwear. You'd like to offer some help but seeing the enthusiasm in Rei's face, you just sat there and respect her little foreplay.

"Are you ready sir?" It's the innocence in her tone that sends you to another dimension tonight.

Alluring white fabric, her red moist lips both up and down. The comfort of the cushion right under you. You're salivating at the sight of the alluring Japanese woman in front of you and there nothing stopping you now from diving in.

Your mouth went straight in, no peppering needed as you try and get a taste of every crevice of her lower regions, while your head is being sandwiched in between the soft Japanese pillows, that is Rei's thighs.

"Mmhmm! Yes! R–right there, sir." Her song of siren's just motivating you to do better, with you pushing your tongue even deeper inside her.

She was squirming a lot but gladly you have a hold on her thighs preventing her from accidentally detaching herself from you and that proved to be more beneficial, when all of a sudden her hands intertwined with yours before gliding it up her tone stomach and up her healthy chest.

"F–fuck~"

It didn't even need any more motivation as you just start massaging, kneeding, molding it to your liking. All the while Rei's on an all time high as she enjoys the double sensation you're currently delivering.

Like a kid handed his first candy, your tongue explored the foreign taste of each section of Rei's snatch. From the outside to the inside there's not a spot left untasted. A playful bite on her clit. A lick in between the lips, peppery kisses on her thighs. Even a probe into her puckered hole and the next thing you know;

"Ah h-holy sh–!"

Her toned-yet-soft thighs suddenly got tensed, as she bucks her hips and you just went to town in her snatch with your mouth.

"S–sir! Ah! F–fu... Ah! Shiii~." She pulls away right on time as her juice starts spraying all over your face meanwhile Rei's just quivering right in front of you.

After a few more tremors, a minute went by and you can see the spent Japanese laying there crossed legged trying to catch her breath. To your idea, you just decide to call it a day and rest your head on her soft thighs.

"H–how were they s-sir?" still panting Rei asks.

"I'll take two of these pillows, please?" You replied.

The two of you made eye contact before smiling at each other.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Part 2 or nah?

[ghostflowerhotpotch]

So post Beyond the Spider-Verse. Miles and Gwen have things patched up, you know those two are EXHAUSTED and Peter B. is gonna turn around from whatever celebration they're having (they BETTER end this movie with a cookout if Miles' parents learn he's Spider-Man) and you've got Gwen curled into Miles passed out while Miles is snoring. Gwen's got her hood pulled up to keep the lights out of her eyes and Miles' jacket is spread across them.

I like this idea, mind if I write a bit about it with some variants?

Headcanon: Gwen when she is sleepy defaults to following people who she is close to; Miles may be closer to the top of the list that he may realize.

AO3 link

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In a liminal space, we still find ourselves reaching for each other

As much as Miles wanted to kiss his parents goodnight and hit the bed, Peter's proposition to stop by his house to recharge seemed like the best idea.

He still needed to tell his parents that he was Spiderman, and maybe would be better to do it when he is less beaten down and with some sleep. Miles isn't sure when was the last time he slept; dimension hoping made time very confusing.

As they stepped into the house in Queen's (Miles assumed it was the living room but he couldn't be too sure,) Mary Jane stepped in from another room. It was kind of weird knowing who she is without even being presented first.

"Hi, I'm-" He started, a bit slower than he would like to. Too many hits in the head for one day.

"Miles" She completed seamlessly, smiling brightly at him as she put her hands on his shoulders "I had heard so much about you," And out of nowhere, she hugged him "Thank you for bringing him back to me," she told her in a really low voice, one he wasn't sure if it was meant just for him or not.

As tired and beaten down as he felt, he couldn't help but smile fondly as he awkwardly hugged her back. It was a good reminder too, that some of the greatest things he did weren't for being Spider-man, just by being Miles.

"C'mon honey, let the kid breathe," Peter says as he walks up to them.

"And you-" Mary Janes puts a finger on his chest, she doesn't look especially pleased but not too angry "I imagined it was serious when you went back to leave Mayday with me, but what happened? All of you look like you were thrown into a blender."

"Is a loooong story," Peter said, putting his hands up as he is trying to placate her anger, "Speaking of which, I promised them they could crash here until they recharge, hope that's okay-"

"Hmph," Mary Jane crosses her arms, looking at her husband unimpressed "I prefer a little bit more of a warning when you invite people, but I guess this was an emergency. Help me out to get some stuff for our guest."

"On it ma'am," He said with a mocking salute, to which she rolled her eyes before going to what seemed to be the kitchen. Despite how tired Peter B should be, he smiled brightly at them and said "Relax guys, my house is your house."

"Don't need to tell me twice mate," Hobie said as he looked around for a place where to drop dead, which seemed to be everyone's idea. They were all beaten down.

Miles, despite being ready to sleep for an eternity, followed Peter B and Mary Jane because even half dead his upbringing was stronger than any tiredness could be, and he could hear his mom in the back of his head saying "Be polite, bring a gift, and ask if you can help with anything they may need when you are visiting someone!"

Sadly he couldn't bring anything after trying to defy fate and time itself, but at least he could still be nice.

Aparently the couple didn't realize he was following them, because when Mary Jane turned around with cups in her hands she said "Oh Miles! Do you need anything?"

The place was homey, almost in an old-timey way. Pictures everywhere, a floral wallpaper that reminded him of white old ladies, but the warmth he feel around wasn't exactly for the warm lighting.

The kitchen seemed to have the same vibe, kind of similar to the one the Aunt May of his universe had.

"Um, I was going to ask if you guys needed any help?"

"Oh you are sweetheart," She said cheerily, before softly shaking her head "But you don't need to do anything, you are our guest and you had done more for us than you can ever imagine; please go to rest."

"You hear the lady, sit this one out, we will handle it," Peter said as he patted his back, before looking behind Miles and saying "Hey Gwen, you want anything?"

Miles turned around once he saw Peter looking behind him. Gwen stood at the entrance to the kitchen, she has been so quiet Miles also didn’t hear her come.

At the sound of her name, Gwen straightened her back and blinked a bit, as if she has been falling asleep on her feet, yet somehow she has decided to follow them here for some reason.

As she looked on to the front, she seemed to have the faintest blush, before she groaned and scrubbed her eyes “No, I- sorry, I guess I need some sleep.”

“Oh you can say that for all of us,” Peter laughed gleefully, before leaning his head to the side for Miles “You guys go to the living room, we will see if we can whip something quick to eat and see what we can do about emergency sleep arrangements.”

As they went to the other room, Miles realized that everybody has somehow found an answer to that last issue.

The living room had two loveseats and one armchair, and everyone more or less had found a place. On the loveseat that closest to the entrance, Noir was sleeping with Peni and Ham in his arms, Peni’s robot was turned off in a corner, and on the arm closest to Peni’s and Noir’s head was a hologram that read “Say ‘Spider-byte’ to bring user’s attention. P.S: Don’t wake me up unless the dimensions are collapsing.”

Pavitr has decided to go on the armchair, and you would believe he has been sleeping there for a long time because his head was hanging on the side, one of his legs was on the arm of the couch and the other lying against where your back is supposed to go. If it wasn’t because he was breathing fine, Miles would have thought he lost conscience and someone drop his body from the ceiling.

Speaking of the ceiling, even with one more loveseat available, Hobie had opted to make a hammock out of webbing as close to the ceiling as possible, on a corner of the room. From his position, Miles thought Hobie was using his mask on; maybe he needed more darkness to sleep than he needed to breathe properly.

At least it meant his decision was easy.

Dragging his feet on the ground, he let himself fall onto the side of the loveseat, he would have rejoiced in glee at how soft the couch felt against his beaten body if he himself wasn’t so tired.

Yet he didn’t have time to even sigh before he felt someone else not only fall right beside him but had her head leaning towards him. Miles felt himself go still as he felt the warmth of Gwen right beside him.

Despite the loveseat being big enough to have space for both of them.

How rigid his body was must have alerted Gwen because her eyes fluttered open, and seemed to look a bit confused towards him before she almost jumped on her spot and moved away enough that their bodies weren’t touched anymore.

“Shoot,” She muttered to herself before she hit her forehead “Sorry, when I am sleepy I just- sorry.”

Perhaps is because he was tired and his mind was making stuff up, but somehow things were starting to click in his head. The sleepiness in Gwen seemed to make her follow someone, and for reasons beyond his understanding, Miles has been the person she has decided to attach herself to, even if subconsciously.

“That’s different” Gwen had said to him before in the Williamsburg Tower, saying it as if somehow what they had was different from what she had with anybody else. That conversation felt like a lifetime ago, and yet his heartbeat raced all the same.

There were still a lot of things to talk about, of the lies and the secrets that she has keep, and how he has been feeling about all of this. Even now he wasn’t sure what to say.

“Is fine, we are all tired,” He said casually, before raising the arm that was closest to her side, “Come here, we can catch some zzz together.”

And regardless of all of it, he felt himself wanting to reach out to her too, missing her warmth even if he only got to have it for a second.

In a way, that’s what had ended up happening to him, wasn’t it? She came for what should have been just a blink in his lifetime, and he still was unable to let her go.

Her eyes opened slightly, as if she was surprised he had actually said that; probably thinking all the same things that were still between them and neither of them had the brain to talk about. He saw the hesitation in her eyes, as if she herself wasn’t sure if it was okay to accept.

Maybe it was a bit of wishful thinking on his part to think that way, as he said “Is okay, you can lean on me Gwen.”

Miles has really meant that in a literal way, even if deep down, he knew he meant it all the way. As upset as he was, he couldn’t bring himself to be mad at her, not when they were like this.

That seemed to be all the encouragement that she needed, because she quickly went back to his side, in fact so quick he was a bit shocked.

“Thanks,” she whispered to him, bringing her knees up to her chest as she rested her head on his shoulder, one of her arms hugged Miles’ waist as her other hand was left between her knees.

As it was the most natural thing in the world, his arms went around her, holding onto her as he rested his head on top of hers, “No problem.”

Despite the pain, the couch and still being in his suit, it was the best sleep he had in months.

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This was supposed to be a drabble, oops?

I Will upload this to ao3, may as well. I like it more than I expected for something that I made on a whim.

Sorry for not having any analysis yet, I am kind of sick and I feel my brain is fried 80% of the time, HaShem knows how I managed work like this.

Hope you guys like it!

[pinknpoodley]

OKAY. i've seen 200% wolf again and i wrote up my thoughts. this is like soooo much fucking word vomit if you're gonna expand the post lmao

TL;DR i give the movie a 4/5. overall, it was SOLID, though i do acknowledge it had some flaws. it was a major improvement over 100% wolf, much to my relief. i realize that i'm very biased, but it's far from abysmal like some reviews are saying. for me, it was well worth the wait and the hype!

(major spoilers, obvs)

okay, first of all THAT INTRO THO. IT WAS ACTUALLY SO INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL I'M NOT EVEN EXAGGERATING. IT WAS CAPTIVATING I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. i actually thought 100% wolf's opening scene was VERY solid too, actually one of my favorite parts of the movie, but in a more emotional and heartwarming way

-WHOEVER DESIGNED THE MOON SPIRITS JUST FUCKING KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK. HOLY SHIT. they look perfect in EVERY single way, and i never thought much about how they looked before but man, this beats anything i could've ever imagined. i think about them constantly, just... WOW. and they way they dance around and create a circle when they're gathering moonfire to beam to the earth in order to bless a werewolf with warfing abilities is just...amazing 😭

-as a side note i wonder why they chose to demonstrate some random woman gaining the ability to warf and not a teenager like freddy. i have a hc that werewolves go through their first warfing around the age of puberty which is why freddy warfed on his 14th birthday. but now i'm wondering if there are exceptions to the rule and "late bloomers" so to speak cause that chick was like 30 lmao

-MOOPOO IS ACTUALLY REALLY CUTE. i saw some reviews saying he was annoying but no!! i love his fun little antics (like riding the space rover in the intro) and i'm still adoring the fact that he was modeled after fin edquist's kids. absolutely melts my heart ahh 🥰 i will agree that he is reminiscent of stitch at some points lmao

-LOVED freddy's narration and the character introduction, the way they made it look like a comic book with each character's name, title and class. THE ILLUSTRATIONS ARE SO PRETTY. AND I AM GLAD THEY DESCRIBED HOTSPUR AS AN EX-CON bc it implies he actually got a greater punishment than just picking up dog shit but still the fact that it's never referenced again in the movie bothers me. "poodles can do anything werewolves can do, but poodlier" and "hardcore awesomeness in-training" FREDDY'S SUCH A DORK I LOVE IT

-interesting how batty's sense of smell proves to be very useful on the mission and is one of her greatest strengths - how she can detect the wind changing and the blimp changing course. i sorta wonder if that's why the pack allows freddy to take her along when they go on missions, cause literally she's the main reason why she and freddy were able to save those people

-loved freddy and batty's teamwork too, how that was showcased. they were seriously so badass!! like damn these gay dogs are getting a lot more done than those big, buff, powerful wolves LMAO. maybe that just drives the primary message of the movie home even more, now that i think about it

-IDK what flasheart was thinking telling the others to act like pigeons to fool the lady but hey somehow it worked!

-"hey it worked! hit more things" BATTY NOOO i felt bad for freddy he got so abused trying to stop the blimp lmao

-THIS FELICITY HAZZARD AND HER FAKE NEWS REPORTING. i much prefer her in the series smh

-lady hightail was such a bitch wtf "we'll discuss his role in the pack later" ??? girl he is the future high howler tf you mean

-legit felt so bad for freddy during this part, it's definitely hard for him when the pack just sees him as a joke. it's terrible seeing him cry like noo bby. AND THEN THE WAY HE SLAPPED FLASHEART AWAY ?? OMG. like i know he was just frustrated and hurt but damn??? knowing what they've been through it just hurts to see that even more cause they usually have a very healthy and loving relationship ): ): and i could never see freddy seriously resenting flasheart, like not even for a second. he loves and admires him so much 😭

-"hey. i respect you...kinda" batty's dialogue in this movie omg I LOVE HERRR she was so cute trying to cheer freddy up!! not to mention the animation ahhh she's just so cute 🥺

-"cut and color? maybe get some of those curls straightened?" i'm gonna conveniently interpret this to mean that freddy goes to the groomer or maintains his look as a hot pink poodle somehow and i fucking love that lmao

-the lore about the summoning stone is interesting

-the sequence where freddy contorts like something from the exorcist kind of like in the first movie and explodes into a wolf HSDKFvb i'm obsessed

-i don't really get why people have a problem with freddy's wolf form, i think he looks just fine?? i mean, you have the fursona and shreddy jokes and w/e but some people flat out hate it. idc, i think it's very consistent with his poodle and human design. i really believe they put a lot of thought into it. not to mention how well they managed to capture his mannerisms and personality across all three of his forms, i was pretty impressed by that. it had to be pretty challenging. ALSO i figured he would've naturally been a pure white wolf if he'd warfed into one originally, just like he was originally an all white poodle, so it fits right in with my own hcs.

-HIS EXCITEMENT AT BECOMING A REAL WOLF WAS SO FUCKING CUTE OMG. I LOVED THAT PART SO MUCH. WHEN HE WAS FROLICKING LIKE A DEER AND GROWLING AT THE FLOWERS IT WAS ADORABLE HDJDFCVNMB i kept remembering the intro of the first movie where he was little and jumping around all excited to grow up and become a wolf just like flasheart shdfjkc 😭 WHOLESOME AF.

-ALSO. ALSO ALSO ALSO I ABSOLUTELY LOVED HOW HE DIDN'T ACTUALLY GAIN NEW ABILITIES. he didn't become super strong or anything like his dad. he pulls a fucking twig out of the ground and acts like he is but no lmao it's like spongebob holding up the stick with the marshmallows on both ends acting like he lifted a fuckign barbell shdjfkgv he's STILL the same freddy, goofy and clumsy, he literally just took a different form. i can't express enough how much i LOVED that seriously

-moopoo first meeting batty and freddy and the montage with him and freddy being goofy and bonding together was so cute ahh

-MOOPOO TRYING TO EAT A CROW WAS SO OUT OF POCKET LMFAO. also i love his tendency to add "-poo" to the end of everyone's names lol

-it was cute the way freddy scooped batty up and put her on his back ahhh

-i was disappointed that the pack didn't have more of a reaction to freddy becoming an actual wolf like he was hoping, i mean c'mon he was so happy and excited lmao

-"wow!! thanks uncle!!! ^.^" FREDDY. HE TRIED TO KILL YOU AND IMPRISONED YOUR DAD FOR SIX YEARS. THIS IS NOT A SITUATION WHERE WE LET BYGONES BE BYGONES. HOW DO YOU LOOK AT HIM AND NOT FEEL ENRAGED

-MAX'S BACKSTORY IS SO GOOD IDC. also i love her wolf design, it's actually rly cute. tiny wolf hehe

-the elders really suck actually. i feel like they're always looking to blame freddy for something or scold him, at least as they appear in the movies. they're not very fair imo, they clearly still judge him for being a poodle. also, lady hightail suspending him from the night patrol SMH

-well, flasheart...that was an awfully gentle way of telling freddy that moopoo's gonna die if he stays on earth. but it's super in character for him i feel. also it got really fucking dark there for a second

-the sequence where batty and freddy chase moopoo around on the roof of farfang was so cute ahh

-I CAN'T FULLY EXPRESS HOW MUCH I LOVED TWITCHY AND HAMISH IN THIS MOVIE. LIKE HOLY SHIT. they were okay in 100% wolf but they didn't really stand out imo. but like whoa, the writing for them REALLY improved in the sequel. i love them sm now especially hamish lmao

-as a side note i'm sorta confused, do twitchy, hamish and bruno still live on the street while batty lives at farfang w/ the werewolves? based on how the first movie ended i sorta thought they were all living together now??

-twitchy insisting she doesn't like babies and getting freaked out by moopoo was soooo in-character for her lmao.

-hamish and his personality switch with the shades is hilarious hsdjf

-based on some reviews i read i was think there would be more scenes featuring or referencing shit, but it was literally just one and idk why people were freaking out. it wasn't even that bad 🙄

-moopoo is 400 years old apparently, i wonder when moon spirits reach maturity

-the great kennel and adding to the dog pack lore?? kinda neat i guess even if it only appeared very briefly

-THE SCENE WITH HAMISH TALKING TO THE "ORACLE" LMFAO

-also freddy not being used to having a big heavy wolf body shdfv

-"learn how to transform with your clothes on" BUT HE LOSES THEM WHEN HE TRANSFORMS BACK. WHAT IS YOUR POINT TWITCHY. but yeah like you'd think he'd be more careful in the sunlight when he's in his canine forms by now but he's so impulsive

-it was so cute how they put moopoo in a baby stroller with twitchy and disguised bruno as his mom shjfk

-OK BUT I WILL DEFEND THIS FIT WITH MY LIFE. GENUINELY AWESOME AND ADORABLE. like he worked with what he could find and he rocked it. and holy shit the queer coding is absolutely insane IDCCC. also batty being super supportive 🥺🥺

-the montage of hamish failing at being a guide dog and twitchy eventually getting fed up and kicking his ass,, rip

-"shave the baby" shdfvj

-THE DUCK FLYING INTO THE FORCE FIELD AND DISINTEGRATING ???

-moon spirits are incredibly powerful holy fuck. the way moopoo blasted through the force field like ??

-i actually think it's cute and sad how batty is scared of bats and it's implied she got her name from other dogs teasing her hsdjv

-wholesome batty and freddy moments 🥰"i'll take care of them lupin style" and then he falls over himself SDHFGK

-HANK W/ THE TENNIS BALLS. he seems fun i want more lore on him

-the moopoo hungry scene ahhh it was so wholesome to see freddy comforting him. and the animation where he was trying to consume his inner moonlight was really cool, like woah. the whole concept of werewolves having an inner moonlight/moonfire...i just love the lore in this movie so much it's unreal

-AND THE PART WHERE MOOPOO STARTS DREAMING. HOLY SHIT?? THE COLORS AND VISUALS. the animation is SO FUCKING GOOD i'll fight anyone who says otherwise

-THE LULLABY OMGGGGG I'M OBSESSED IT WAS SO SWEET

-freddy punching gar-gar in the eye and running away w/ batty I CAN'T THEY'RE SO GOOFY

-jennifer saunders is amazing as max, i loved her from the first introduction of her character omg. she killed it! also her expressions are sooo good i love it

-love how they made the same joke as they did in 100% wolf with freddy trying to spit on the ground but failing dfgj

-more hamish and twitchy banter, i love how they tease each other and bicker sm

-the part where max mentioned a trust exercise and freddy assumed she meant a trust fall HSDJFV

-"if you'd rather be moopoo's daddy, i'm cool with that. i could be the mummy" BASED hamish

-the entire scene where freddy is pretending to kill the dogs LMAO?? then moopoo waking up and finding them "dead" SDFJGF

-"weird is different, and different is good" i really liked the scene where max and freddy were bonding. it gave max more depth and insight to her character. and freddy does tell batty he doesn't trust her but i think he did end up sympathizing with her in spite of what she'd done because he is very soft-hearted

-hotspur dumbass moments, he deserved to get caught in every one of those traps. also it was kind of really fucking weird how flasheart was laughing at him like it was endearing or something when this is the same monster that locked him away for six years and tried to kill his son. maybe he was happy bc he thought one of the spikes might impale his heart or something but that's probably wishful thinking. WTF this family. and NO I'M NEVER GONNA SHUT UP ABT THAT. IT MAKES NO SENSE HOW HE'S STILL PART OF THE PACK

-interesting how moopoo turns red and turns into a little gremlin when he takes the energy from the whoopsies lmao

-why did max diss freddy's human form tho i genuinely don't get it 😭 poor him

-gar-gar was cute when he wanted to play fetch with batty aww. the way their friendship develops is super sweet

-yeah idk the wolf runes look different to me in this movie compared to the series. it's pretty interesting. also interesting how freddy specifically said wolf runes, implying the existence of other runes, namely dog runes like in the series. i sorta doubt that was intentional but it's fun to think of it that way

-"we're looking up" is SUCH A CUTE SONG. I LOVED THAT ENTIRE MONTAGE. ALSO THE BABY GAR-GARS WERE ADORABLE. and the earth magic stuff is really fucking cool, i wonder if they might incorporate that lore into the series.

-i noticed that the magic only changes the color of freddy's eyes, but that doesn't happen with max? i wonder why that is. maybe i missed something. he looks pretty neat with the glowing red eyes tho lmao

-why did bruno, twitchy and hamish want to eat moopoo's vomit tho

-OK BUT HAMISH SCREAMING AT GAR-GAR LMAO

-also freddy becoming sorta possessed by the earth magic was interesting? i feel like they could've done a lot more with that

-why did freddy cast a rainbow spell around batty... HMMM

-i was surprised by the way max felt genuinely betrayed by freddy, and the way he said she has no friends. like basically, she's alone. and they did appear to have a heart-to-heart there while freddy was trying to talk her into casting the portal spell. she was just fooling them but still, it did seem a little genuine. i think she was just overcome with the urge to get her warfing abilities back and get revenge on the moon spirits. but honestly think max could've been rehabilitated, there was potential there. it sucks that in the end she was turned into a whoopsie and that was it

-i like how max couldn't find a word that rhymes with gravity, so she just made up a word lmao

-wait how tf did twitchy swallow hamish's shades

-yeeeah i was not a fan of the fart joke with bruno, with that being like his main contribution in the film ?? but at least it didn't drag on for too long ??

-gar-gar's return was sweet, again i love the friendship he formed with batty ahh

-the giant mutated moopoo was...completely unanticipated. but it was so sweet the way freddy sang his lullaby to calm him down

-AND THE SCENE WHERE FREDDY GAVE HIM HIS INNER LIGHT. i just...omg that was so beautiful and so in-character. like yeah, he WOULD be that self-sacrificing and it hurts so much

-it was incredibly sweet to see moopoo reunited with his mom and the other moon spirits omg. AND THEN HOW THEY ALL WORKED TOGETHER TO RETURN FREDDY'S INNER LIGHT. THAT WAS GENUINELY SO BEAUTIFUL OH MY FUCKING GOD

-THIS IS HTE MOST WHOLESOME SHIT I'VE EVER SEEN OMG LOOK AT THESE DOGS

-AND THEN HOW THE PACK BOWED TO HIM AT THE END AHHH THAT WAS ACTUALLY PERFECT

closing thoughts:

-there were a lot of reviews complaining that it was unfunny. i can agree the jokes are kinda dumb and corny at times but to me that gives it charm lmao

-it's kind of interesting how the moonstone ring doesn't appear at all, like it isn't even referenced?? i thought it would be, but it wasn't important to the story at all. the story was purely focused on the moon spirits.

-ALSO NO HARRIET, CHARIOT OR MRS. MUTTON which surprised me, but again, they weren't important to the story at all. and i was thinking we'd see hotspur and flasheart (and the other wolves for that matter) in their human forms apart from in the intro?? but again, i guess it wasn't relevant so they didn't include that

-lastly, i've gotta be honest. i think this movie was much better enjoyed by fans of the series and the first movie than by people who know absolute nothing about the franchise. not to say that it can't be enjoyed by people who know nothing about it otherwise. it's just that knowing the characters and events from the first movie makes it a little less confusing imo. we did get some background on freddy, hotspur, flasheart and batty in the intro. however, there was barely anything about twitchy, bruno and hamish and no references to how they met batty and freddy. the segments featuring wolf runes also make more sense if you've watched the series imo, they are well established in the show.

-i may have additional thoughts on the movie that i'll post about later but that's it for now. AGAIN, IT WAS SO WORTH THE WAIT. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT.

[incorrectsmashbrosquotes]

The Villains vs Pit’s Perfect Rotation

Pit: *Is spinning in circles with his blades and hitting all of the moblins and goombas*

Ganondorf who is just watching this happen: YOU GUYS!

Pit: I’m really good at rotating! I love rotating! 

Pit: I’m the greatest rotator who ever rotated! *begins spinning again*

Ganondorf: WHAT?

Pit: *Is still spinning* PERFECT ROTATION!

Ganondorf: Bro! GUYS!

Pit: *IS SPINNING RIGHT TOWARDS SEPHIROTH* PERFECT ROTATION! PERFECT ROTATION! PERFECT ROTATION-

Ganondorf: YOU GUYS AREN’T FUCKING ROTATING!

Sephiroth trying to copy Pit’s technique: I’m ROTATING man!

Pit: I LOVE ROTATING! *Hit’s Sephiroth and knocks him into space* THE VICTORY LAP OF ROTATION! LET’S FLIPPING GOOO!

Ganondorf who is just done now: Oh my god, man…

Pit: LADY PALUTENA, MY FOREARM IS IRON!

[pluckysidekick]

There’s so much new Nancy Drew content my head is going to explode! I thought I’d do a quick round up of cast/BTS news to complement the new extended trailer and Episode 3 description we were gifted with.

First up- Kennedy did an interview with a local station where she talks about the season, how much she loved the show and the fans, and what’s next:

“It feels like the greatest hits of the last couple of seasons. We’ve got an awesome season-long mystery that involves the entire town and…the origin of all of these townsfolk and different families and the Drew Crew of course…”

“Some really exciting stand-alone mysteries” and “we have my personal favorite - a lot of romance and tension and will they, won’t they, it’s all very juicy…”

Historical mystery involving the town and its people, stand-alone mysteries, and plenty of romance and tension - sounds like the ingredients for the perfect season! Yes, the “will they or won’t they” and “juicy” hint at the “other” love interests from the season description. We’re going to be served some pain alongside that pleasure - I’m still SO here for it all.

The whole interview is definitely worth watching, link HERE. My other favorite moments are when she talks about the “incredible” fan community, and how the writers are fighting to preserve the future of the entertainment industry.

Over on the bird app, we have some excellent tidbits from the cast, crew, and journalists. Riley revealed that Kennedy’s reaction to his jump scare in the new extended trailer was improv - Kennedy didn’t know (and she called him “brilliant” 🥰). Speaking of improv, Larry described the improv he and Alex did that added “Platanchors” to our lexicon (for which we are forever grateful).

Our favorite Nace-loving journalist Yana Grebenyuk saw the 401 screener and said about it that it was “soft”, “they yearn,” and it made her feel “emotional.” She also interviewed Kennedy, who she said spoke about Nace thoughtfully - we’ll have that interview right after the episode airs 😍.

In cast socials, Leah shared this fab ladies throwback pic, Maddison is enjoying a warm spell in Vancouver, Leah is KILLING IT with her Cannes fits (she’s there for Elemental), and Alex’s gf Hannah shared this gorgeous (if blurry) photo of her and Alex in the Scottish Highlands at a friend’s wedding. It may be the closest we get to Ace in a suit with all of his S4 trailer denim on denim looks.

Look for Chapter 16 of The Space Between this weekend with the (hopefully) exciting conclusion to my Season 4 speculative fic. I’m already excited by both the few tiny parallels (e.g. the historical townsfolk) and the huge differences (teeth symbols?) we’ve seen in the trailers and descriptions of S4.

[mossy123302]

This is gonna be pure Oc and Missa headcanons.

MaepleTea's design for q!Missa hit every little itch in my brain because of my oc, Soto whose related to a lot of things especially space & stars. Those little star and space designs in Q! Missa just...ooogh

What if Q! Missa, before he even considered going to Quesadilla Island was a gentle grim reaper that followed Goddess Kristen of Death. He was one of the few remaining grim reapers for her, and simply to say, it's more or less that they started to die off because of the constant exposure with dealing with lost souls that either are good and pure or corrupted and evil. Sometimes it could be in-between where the souls aren't fully ready yet and demand the reapers to attend to their unfinished business before peacefully going with them to the other side.

Missa was a different reaper to some extent. He did his duties, but was sassy and could bite back when pushed enough by the souls. He aids them and tends to their business, but never lets them ask too much of him. He tries to avoid staying long with corrupted souls, stained by greed and hatred for the living world. He wasn't a great fighter, but doesn't mean he was weak. He prefers defending himself than charging, and when he fights, he always makes sure to eye his opponent and be mindful of his other grim reaper peers. He covers their weakness and they do the damage for his.

Maybe that is why he caught Lady Kristen's attention, for being so gentle and kind to the lost souls and comforting them in their moment of hopelessness and despair at their death. He lingers and stays just a little bit with Lady Kristen in her domain, talking about his journey and the stories he hears from the people and silly jokes. He brings back gifts for her, whether that be books, a new device that the humans started to invent and vice versa.

Missa always had so much to say and Kristen had all the time to listen until duty calls for Missa once more to tend to the lost souls. Missa hears about the famous Angel of Death, or otherwise known as Lady's Death Husband... But they never really crossed paths or met.

For a while, The Angel of Death does tend to the souls, it's not in high demand for him the way it is for grim reapers... Grim Reapers were designed solely for this and Missa wasn't sure if he'd allow Lady Kristen's own spouse to fight in their stead. He hears about the tales of the Angel of Death and the Blood God from Lady Kristen...

He hears about a fierce yet caring and kind man, Tommy, was it? He wasn't sure, he is frankly, too embarrassed to ask again..

And he hears about the inventions from a young man, destined to bring more advancement to the world... Tubbo. Missa knows that name

And Technoblade, the Blood God, the greatest friend of The Angel of Death.

While Missa has never met Technoblade, only hearing great tales about him from Kristen. He was deeply saddened by his death... Such a brave and strong soul, taken away so cruelly?

....

Missa didn't consider his eventual death, his soul being slowly picked apart by the corrupted souls and having to tend to his grim reapers. He was kind and that was a flaw of his, for he gave parts of himself to his fellow peers to keep them fighting and helping Kristen to avoid tackling more chores.

It wasn't painful, Missa thought, as he lay on the ground, feeling how his energy seemed to be slipping little by little from him as days, hours, minutes and seconds go. Missa didn't like staring at the sky, it felt endless...the way there could be something out there...just waiting and watching to collapse on them.

It was silly, a very silly fear Missa had but...you couldn't blame him, for what could truly be out there? What was awaiting them in the never ending vast of space that could eat them up without a single thought or glance. The sky was so big and vast...it could crush the earth so easily...

.... Missa slowly blinked when the sky was suddenly blocked, to see another person staring back at him? Well, he wasn't sure, he couldn't see their eyes but he could see the frown on their face as they stared at him for a moment.

He wasn't sure what compelled him to speak, but with the energy he could muster. He weakly pleaded for another chance at life... He couldn't leave this world just yet, he couldn't leave all the duties to Lady Kristen...

Nor could he leave those poor souls alone.

The figure just stared at him quietly, tilting their head to indicate that they were listening and pondering. Finally, they reached out and gently tapped Missa's forehead, having a playful yet gentle grin on their face

And Missa suddenly felt so light, that he probably would actually get gobbled up by the sky itself. It was ironic how he felt fear from the sky, and yet here he was, beside someone that had attributes related to the stars he sees at night...

And Missa, too, had attributes as well like the person beside him. The stars on his face that seemed to gently climb up his face, and a newly gifted cape that felt like it was cut from space itself. He was pretty sure he had....new powers, what it was, he wasn't sure but he'd figure it out eventually. Hell, Missa was pretty sure, while he still had ties to death, had another connection to something else... something beyond even Lady Kristen's power..

Missa never got the person's name, but he felt like he would be seeing them soon again. He returned to Lady Kristen that night, ready to tell her another story but when he hears her frantically speaking to someone.... about how she couldn't sense her beloved anymore since he received a letter from an old friend to visit an island.

Missa decided to leave a letter, and a vow that he'd bring her spouse back home. If he couldn't, he'd protect him until they can reach her once more...

And the stars, no matter where Missa went, will follow him.

[vvitchscvm-deactivated0666]

didn't wanna come back here but America loves fascism so here's what we're rollin' around the blankets with

recap of my year:

>found out my irl "best friend" had been a crypto-homophobe the entire decade I knew her. she dropped the radfem act when she couldn't find a way to "beat" me in the oppression olympics because she's bihet(possibly straight), het-partnered, deeply envious of gay men(identified as transfag previous to this), repulsed by lesbians and envious that we "get" to be the "female equivalent of gay men" in her head. tried to sabotage my butch4butch relationship(characteristically of butches neither of us noticed). eventually spread gods know what rumors about my person and predictably, all our male "friends"(who don't like her and ignore her and bully her and only hang out with her boyfriend)jumped so hard down my throat her boyfriend technically assaulted me under state law(see: man screams threats in woman's face, more at 11). all she wants is to love men and have it be sPeCiAl LiKe gAy pEoPlE, because that's how you cope with catholic shame over heterosexuality. she went back to role-playing yaoi with strangers within a month and probably back to identifying as an uwu gay boy. hope her TEHM friends who helped her bully me enjoy that one. oh also she stole thousands of dollars from house funds over the years oops didn't mean to find that out. enjoy each others' company you fuckasses. once you're bored of bonding over mutual hatred of yours truly I shall watch the explosion from afar with my cool new binoculars

>lost some forty pounds in about six months, due to Not Enough Food and Suddenly Biking Eight Miles A Day. But damn I look good. Turns out I wasn't gender dysphoric just a lil fat

>still technically homeless, subletting barely???legal room from cool old trucker man I made friends with. i am now also friends with his daughter who is also a witch and dating a girl ❤ never thought I'd enjoy babysitting but her two sons are extremely cute so long as they're not taking up feminist space lol speaking of

>the Greek Gods are real and love me personally(read: nansheonearth connected us by chance on her by-region threads, woman is doin the Lady's work) because the lesbian I met on here last winter became my immediate Replacement Bestie and I could not have asked for a better one, ho-ly shit. hi au love u

>didn't get off drugs entirely but. I'm now doing what I'd daydreamed of while still hopelessly smoking like four bowls every hour trying to mitigate the profoundly buried awareness of all my male friends' red flags they wear stapled to their foreheads. i'm microdosing CBD edibles, smoking a little green when I have it, and committing to not being high at work anymore. my cognition has increased so quickly and obviously I am forced to confront the fact I was smoking myself stupid just to tolerate the male presence. Never again.

>the DID dissociation and memory loss haven't cleared up entirely but they're much MUCH less exhausting for myself/selves and others

>almost zero floating anxiety. I don't assume I'm going to get hate crime'd every time I leave the house(maybe I should)ive been to flea markets conventions festivals concerts famous cemeteries with only minimal psychic damage. i was a total shut-in previously although I am an extremely extroverted conversationalist. its easier to go out and do things when you don't have a Best Friend who is on the down low trying to enforce femininity on you and the way you carry yourself in public out of jealous bihet malice

>the ASPD has gone absolutely nowhere but at least now I can remember what shit that tends to upset people so I'm not just an amnesiac toxicity machine spewing Satan's Greatest Hits all the time

>me and aforementioned girlbestfriend are already hopping on a feminist music project ✊🎸🍷🕯🙏🔥🌹we both have acoustic guitars RN and we're thinking about splitting the cost for an electric, since cool old man got me an amp

>getting good with my ancestors, reading many more books by other Greeks about the gods and polytheistic survivals and revelling in the fact my religion is 3,500 years old and originates with the confirmed matriarchal Minoans. fucking step to me

some other yucky shit happened like a deranged former mutual I've never met irl deciding to punish me for not returning her romantic feelings she didn't tell me she had(which caused my previous deactivation) and old man briefly convincing himself I was fucking his equally eldritch girlfriend, but eh. water on feathers. drips right off.

I DID get a new leather jacket from bestie for my birthday, which fits me like a glove and severely masculinizes my silhouette now that I have Less Ass. when the paint is done i'll share pics x

re: feminist blogging:

i make a shitty activist considering my shallow emotional palette and specifically my flat-out monstrous inability to feel empathy, remorse, or shame.

but also I kind of need rights :/

intersectional analysis is essential because oppression is a vast machine of moving parts one has to keep track of in order to understand any single axis

but the people who get the most done activism wise are the ones who dramatically narrow their focus onto one specific issue and go all in for the rest of their mortal lives

i simply Do Not Have the emotionality needed to stand up for everyone who needs it in a way that is nuanced and helpful. the closest I ever got to morals was "relentlessly bully the people in the group in the wrong, even technically unrelated individuals". which I guess is....a sort of ethic. but it's not sophisticated

what I can do is

a. stay in my lane and

b. go two hundred fifty over the speed limit

so this blog will stay centered on Lesbian Separatism especially as it relates to trans issues and spirituality, two topics i trust my authority on, and i'll leave the rest to the empaths.

good lord here we go again 😩😭💀🙏🌹💔🔥

[omegaremix]

The Great Vinyl Purge.

I had a funny feeling during my last music-shopping victory spree. When I furiously dug and came across certain titles, I constantly paused on myself wondering if I already had them in my collection. Dollar records make way for hasty decisions and later regretted when you come home to see those same titles you purchased already in your library.

I audited my shelves to see doubles I didn’t realize I once had. Money well spent if only the first time. After that, you’re donating to your local record stores. That’s what’s called charity. With me buying vinyl faster than a cheetah hunting down his prey, I’m running out of space. I’m not realizing I’m spending money on records I already have, so they had to go. There were many impulse purchases made thanks to low price tags, a kick for the classics, and very little care of the artist other than the year they were made.

There were many duplicates from artists I’m familiar with. Components from my Atari and Nintendo youth in Belinda Carlisle (The Go-Go’s) and Phil Collins (Genesis), jazz-fusion artists Tom Scott and Ramsay Lewis, and an extra from Minnie Riperton. The Doors’ Greatest Hits had to go as I mistakenly bought a copy recently before the purge, and one from France Joli that I shouldn’t have had because I tried finding a song that wasn’t on there.

Not only did I take the duplicates out, but I also took records out of my collection I never listened to. Two titles from The Who and Melba Montgomery that I purchased at an Amityville veteran’s hall left the library because I literally never played them. Doobie Brothers, Nicolette Larson, and many children’s records rescued from a sidewalk dump from people who didn’t know better. They had to go. A few days later I woke up one morning and asked myself why I have almost the entire vinyl discography of Seals & Croft and The 5th Dimension?

And then these three: Al Jolson, M.C. Osso, and Justin Wilson …Meets Jean (John) Barleycorn. Those were three records my dad found ages ago from another stack tossed out for the morning pick-up. That was when I was oblivious to vinyl and record collecting. Hell, we didn’t have a turntable back then. How did I somehow keep them and why did I keep a fucking cajun comedy (?) record? I was better than this.

**********

Now that the vinyl purge was over, what did I do? I had no time creating a Discogs and wait for these records to be sold piece by piece. No record-stores would take them as the children’s records are water-damaged with dry mold. The only other option? Take the easy way out and give them to someone who appreciates them. Why? Friends and family had been charitable to me in the past. A no-longer-staffer of WUSB announced a roll-call for a huge vinyl giveaway donated to me, and later on most of those same records went to Syke. That’s the same Syke who ended up donating me some of his records he found in front of someone’s house; a customer of his who took her entire collection and threw them out in front of the curb. Not me. I give my gifts to a good home.

Once my dad found a collection of polka records and took them home. “What the fuck is this?” I asked him. There’s no way I’d be caught dead and Wee-Gee’d with polka records. Good thing this was right before WUSB’s 35th anniversary. I knew our resident polka lady Theresa was attending, so I donated my stacks to her. Problem solved. Caring is sharing and it goes both way, that is…when you’re not throwing your entire library out in the street.

So I gave them to J-Ro, host of WUSB’s Radio Free J-Ro, archivist, and vinyl fanatic. I dropped them off at the station in October and told him to come get it. He took home Carly Simon’s self-titled, Minnie Riperton’s Perfect Angel, Ramsay Lewis’ Tequila Mockingbird, Herb Alpert’s Rise, and whatever 5th Dimension records he didn’t have already. So that’s only 5% of the stack. As of now, most of it is still there. It’s now WUSB’s as far as I’m concerned. We have the space. Let ‘em deal with it.

Here’s all I parted with to make way for more records and books of my liking. Malcomb Forbes did say: “he / she who dies with the most toys wins.” Sometimes, it’s the nicer shinier ones that get you the victory.

France Joli: Now!

Tom Scott: Blow It Out

Paul Simon: Still Crazy After All These Years

Doobie Brothers, The: Minute By Minute

Phil Collins: Face Value

Carly Simon: self-titled

Minnie Riperton: Perfect Angel

Ramsay Lewis: Tequila Mockingbird

Herb Alpert: Rise

Belinda Carlisle: Belinda

Al Jolson & Oscar Levant: Songs And Comedy

M.C. Osso: Umbra Penumbra

Justin Wilson:  Justin Wilson Meets Jean (John) Barleycorn

Doors, The: Greatest Hits

Who, The: It’s Hard

Melba Montgomery: Don’t Let The Good Times Fool You.

Seals & Crofts: Unborn Child, The Longest Road, Diamond Girl, Closer, Summer Breeze, Greatest Hits, self-titled.

5th Dimension, The: Greatest Hits On Earth, Greatest Hits, Up Up And Away, Stoned Soul Picnic, The Age Of Aquarius, Portrait

[asa-do-your-thing]

Dreams - 3 - Lucie

18+ MINORS DNI Jon Snow x F!OC / Robb Stark x F!OC Word Count: 3.3k Masterlist with Fic Warnings - Contains Death, SA and Abuse.  Dividers by @cafekitsune

The ride had tangled her hair. Sitting in her tub, she energetically brushed her hair out, trying to get the soap into it. She had to be pretty for tonight’s feast - she had killed the main dish, she would be forced to talk to the Starks, accepting their praise.

Lord and Lady Stark didn’t bother her too much, she thought to herself as she submerged herself once more. They were a great Lord and his Lady - demure curtsies, bows, and compliments, that much she could do, that is exactly what mother had taught her before her… death. She re-emerged again out of the water, trying to comb her hair out once more.

Her maid stood helplessly next to her, holding up a little flask of fragrant oil. “Milady, your hair is perfectly clean, you shall look lovely. Shall I dry it and oil it for you?”

No, I do not look lovely. I must look like a mess, unacceptable… her mind told her. Lucie sighed and gave the girl a polite smile, her cheeks hurting from the false smile. “Yes, please.” She lifted her long hair, holding it up with one hand and roughly squeezing the water out with the other, before letting it hang out of the back of the tub for the maid to work on.

Trying to catch her train of thoughts again, she crossed her arms over her bare chest, trying to take in the heat of the water against the cold that seemed to permeate everything in this Castle. Ah, yes, being forced to talk to people, she remembered and shivered, looking out of the window at the flaming red foliage of the Weirwood tree, which was half-hidden in the darkness and the fog that pulled up.

She didn’t mind Rickon, Bran and Arya at all, though they rarely spoke to her at dinner, as they sat further away, still being children. They were a cute bunch - playing with them was a delight, rescuing Lucie away from the repetitive days of waking up, embroidering and watching over the Stark girls, eating lunch, being entertained to a certain degree by Jon, Theon or Robb, eating dinner (though it mostly had been feasts for Lord Stark was the greatest Lord in the north and there had always been an occasion to be celebrated), then going to the library for a bit with Jon and sleeping.

The maid gently massaged her scalp, filling the room with the wonderful scent of peonies. Yes, peonies, just like her mother had worn. She had been delighted when she found out that the Starks had planted Peonies for her in their glass gardens. Delight. She had only ever truly been delighted when Jon was around, when he gave her attention, when he cared about her. But, to her chagrin, Lady Catelyn had him moved to a lower table to make space for her at the main, head table. She shivered again. Sitting between Robb and Theon, that was a personal hell for her.

“Are you cold Milady? Are you well?,” the maid asked, seeing Lucie’s goosebumps.

Lucie shook her head gently and gave her a smile, this time a bit more genuine. “No, not at all, it feels good when you do my hair, that is all.”

With that, Lucie returned to her contemplation. Theon had been a sleaze from the very start. Bragging about being a Greyjoy, about being an Iron Man, about his prowess and whatnot. He was like an annoying fly, though it was easy to swat him away, especially since she had hit him after he had tried kissing her. She remembers how his nose had bled and the way he had winced - she was sure that he wouldn’t dare touch her again, lest she fulfilled her threat of telling Lady Catelyn that he had tried to shame her.

But Robb… something about him made her stomach twist, though most definitely not in the way it twisted when she was with Jon or the way it lurched when she was with Theon. He made her uneasy, showering her with presents and affection, when after all he had no clue who she was or if she even liked him. Though she had to stop and reflect - she didn't know him either.

Her thoughts were cut off by the maid standing up and curtsying. “Your hair is finished, my Lady. Shall I dress you now?”

Lucie blinked a few times and nodded, standing up and letting the water flow down her body. “Please do, thank you.”

The maid curtsied and brought forth a new shift and a luscious dark red dress, which was embroidered with pearls. Gently laying forth her stockings, she frowned as she looked for her garter-ribbons. “My lady, where is your second red ribbon?”

Lucie frowned and cocked her head to the side, stepping out of the tub and drying off. “I wouldn’t know, maybe I have lost it.”

Nodding, the maid walked back to her cloth-chest and pulled out two green ribbons. “Should green please my lady as well?”

Blushing, Lucie nodded. “No one is going to see them anyways.”

The maid, a girl a few years older than her, wiggled her brows. “Hm, someone will, sooner than later, my Lady.”

“Whatever do you mean?,” Lucie asked, afraid of what she had meant.

“That you have flowered long ago and almost everyone knows?,” the maid said nonchalantly, gently slipping the shift over Lucie's shoulders.

She gasped and gave the maid a confused look. “How… what do you mean?”

The maid smiled and shrugged. “I kept finding burnt pieces of rags in the fireplace, and the way you refused to bathe for some weeks. It made perfect sense so I… decided to tell Lady Stark, who has graciously allowed you to continue for a bit, probably so you may mourn your family’s passing properly. You cannot continue for much longer, though, milady, you do look like a woman already, with the hair under your arms and between your legs, not to mention your growing chest. Lady Stark’s been pestering me endlessly.”

Lucie bit her lip and slipped into her outer gown. “I do not know why her Ladyship has been so graceful, but then again, I must thank her for giving me this… period of grace and not punishing me for hiding it. Though… I am not sure if I am ready to wed lord Robb.”

The maid gave her a polite smile. “He is a kind man and not too bad looking. There are certainly worse matches.”

Huffing, Lucie slipped in her big, golden earrings and gave the maid a calculating look. “Maybe you are right. I'll reward your discretion by making you my ladies maid, is that all right? I… have certain plans.”

Falling into a deep curtsy, the maid smiled. “Thank you, thank you, milady. Does that mean… you shall accept my lord's proposal?”

“Oh, he hasn't proposed yet,” Lucie said with a calculating expression, brushing her eyebrows into shape, “that is why I shall do it in his stead.”

The maid raised her eyebrows and gulped, as if afraid of that proposition. “If… Uh… Whatever my lady wishes to do.”

Lucie nodded with a small smile and dismissed her, throwing her thick cape over her shoulders and walked out of her lodgings into the courtyard. Nestled within the heart of the Winterfell, the courtyard lay blanketed by winter’s embrace. The flagstones, once warmed by the sun’s caress, now bore the cold kiss of snow.

Gothic spires reached towards the heavy grey skies like the fingers of the old kings of the north, as icy winds howled through the arches and crevices of the ancient stone, whispering the secrets of a thousand years. Winter had sequestered all warmth from the castle grounds, but none could deny the beauty it brought.

Lucie’s breath crystalized before her as she stood alone amidst the wintry oasis, her figure a ghostly apparition against the snowy canvas. Swirls of white danced around her, a tumultuous waltz courtesy of the wind. She was clad in a mantle of black fur, the heavy garment a necessary shield against the biting chill. Her deep brown hair, a stark contrast to the pallor of the snow, escaped in unruly strands from beneath her hood and out of her braids, rebellious against attempts to tame them.

Her countenance, usually so fair and composed, was etched with the quiet turmoil brewing within her mind. Lucie's thoughts swirled much like the snowflakes that surrounded her, each one a silent question about her impending betrothal. Dark black eyes, reflecting the winter sky, gazed unseeingly at the frosted battlements. She felt small, cornered by fate and the high walls which, today, seemed not protective, but prison-like.

To marry Robb meant security and alliance. For her, it spelled prosperity and continuation. She knew the importance of such ties, woven into the fabric of her duty as Lady Templeton. But as the howling wind careened past her, it carried whispers not just of snow, but of freedom—of wild woods and adventures untold, of destinies not defined by vows or decrees. Where once her heart had fluttered with the prospect of a ball or tournament, it now felt shackled to the ground, heavy with the weight of responsibility.

Yet, Lucie understood the role she had to play, and the expectations that came with her birthright. She would stand by Robb’s side, a figure of grace and strength, as much a part of the castle as the stones that had weathered centuries. Her only ray of light was… Jon. With a sigh that turned to ice, she turned away from the courtyard, leaving only the faintest imprint in the snow—a silent testimony to her presence and her thoughts upon the cold, indifferent ground.

As soon as she stepped into the great Hall, the familiar warmth and smells rushed over her. The herald quickly stood up and cleared his throat. “Her Ladyship Lucie Templeton of Ninestars.” Capturing Lord and Lady Stark’s gazes, she dipped into a quick curtsy and walked over to the main table, giving Jon a gentle smile as she sat down.

Robb gave her a smile and pointed to the end of the table. “Your deer was so big, they still have to turn it over the spit. Might I offer you some steak and kidney pie, Lady Lucie?,” he asked, his voice strangely husky. He looked ruggedly handsome, that much Lucie had to admit.

“That is most kind of you, my lord,” she muttered and glanced down at Jon, who gave her a soft nod. She returned his nod, making her earrings jangle. “I trust you had a good afternoon, my lord,” she said to Robb, trying her hardest to smile.

Robb poured her some wine and nodded gently, his eyes sparkling. “It was exceptionally good, my Lady, especially knowing that we would be spending time with each other so soon again. Might I tell you that you look exceptionally good tonight?”

She quickly hid behind her chalice, taking a few quick gulps, not knowing what to reply to him. No, she told herself, do not give in to him. Do not let him think you can be toyed with. “Thank you, Lord Robb. I must also thank you for your heirloom. I… I must apologise for not telling you earlier but… I look forward to our future betrothal.”

His eyebrows shot up and he frantically looked towards his parents, then to Jon but everyone returned his confused look. Lucie blushed awkwardly. That was not so bad, she thought calmly to herself, though almost shrieked as Robb took her cold hands and kissed them, before standing up with a huge grin. Oh no, please, do not make a toast, for the love of all of the gods, please, her mind screamed as she tried her hardest to catch Jon’s gaze, but to her terror he looked down onto his plate, pointedly looking away.

“I am honoured to announce my betrothal to Lady Lucie Templeton! Let us drink to her health!,” he roared, pride evident on his face.

Lucie felt faint. The minor lords and ladies, along with the servants roared and cheered, downing their cups. She gave Robb a small faint look and quickly sat back down again. What just happened? Was he out of his mind? Did he misunderstand her? She said future betrothal, she was so sure that she said future betrothal!

Her heart pounded in her chest, the cheers of the crowd a deafening roar in her ears. She remembered the feeling of the snowflakes swirling around her, and how it had made her feel so small and insignificant. Now, she realised that she had never felt so small as she did in that moment.

Robb’s hand had moved to her back, and she could feel the heat of his touch through the fur of her mantle. She took slow, deep breaths, trying to calm her racing heart. It was too late to take back her words, and she knew that she would have to live with the consequences of her choice.

As the cheering died down, she looked up to see Jon staring at her with an expression of hurt and betrayal. She felt a pang of guilt in her chest, but knew that she could not change what had been done. She lifted her chin and met his gaze steadily, silently pleading with him to understand.

The feast continued on around her, but Lucie felt as though she were in a dream. She moved through the motions mechanically, barely aware of the food on her plate or the conversation around her. All she could think of was the weight of Robb’s hand on her back, and the knowledge that she had tied herself to him for life. I will be Lady Lucie Stark, wife of the future Lord Stark, mother of his children, what have I done.

2 - Robb <= Previous Chapter ¦ Next Chapter => 4 - Robb

[regurgitatedskeleton]

Breath of the Wild part 3:

- found another nut thing because I stacked some boxes, but the guy wants two

- got to the village

- bought a stealth hat yay

- spoke to an old lady

- she said come back when I wanna risk my life so I left

- but then I had nothing to do so I came back

- climbed a mountain looking for a shine

- found one but saw a bunny

- bunny vanished

- found a big cactus asking for money. I don’t trust it but whatever here goes nothing

- damn she’s big

- I guess she can enhance my stealth mask then. That’s nice of her

- oh she’ll let me enhance my pants too, that’s nice

- that robot in the shrine was kinda hard and it broke half my weapons but I guess it’s nice to know how to dodge

- Nevermind these chests just gave me better weapons lol

- heading towards the other village

- killed a couple of deer (?) with a boomerang. I caught on the second one. Also killed a fox with an arrow. I hope there’s no inventory limit on materials

- I see a giant. I hope he is friendly

- he wasn’t friendly. I jumped off a cliff

- travelled back to the duelling peaks tower and climbed a mountain for a shrine. It had a riddle so I went to the other one

- copied the pattern. Didn’t find a chest??

- went to the first one again and found the chest

- got another Korok seed because I pushed a boulder between some trees after getting the second chest

- plan was to glide into that spike shrine I found earlier and it worked well

- I liked that one, it was fun

- hey it’s Beedle. I remember him from Phantom Hourglass

- sold him a sapphire hope those aren’t useful

- the (second) greatest horse trainer challenged me and was very offended when I refused lol

- tamed a horse. I got a brown and wanted grey but it’s okay I guess

- something about Misko treasure

- tried horse combat. Didn’t like it

- who plants flowers like this. I get it’s a maze but Magda’s a bit silly imo

- turns out you can blow up chests. Good to know

- I wonder if Magda will be mad if I use my sword on her flowers

- meh she just seemed a bit upset

-found another stable. Some guy wants me to go to apparently the most dangerous place to ever danger and find a cookbook? He’s gonna be waiting a while lol

- floated around with a chicken. Just for old times sake lol

- found another temple/shrine thing

- those climbing things took a while to line up but we got there

- some rocks tried to kill me so I threw some bombs at them

- there was a big tower but too many guardians. I couldn’t climb the tower without being targeted so I give up

- imma climb a mountain

- found heaps of herbs

- found a shit tonne of apple trees so I’m cutting them down

- I hope this lightning won’t be an issue

- I picked up a rock in a tree and found another Korok seed that’s nice

- I dropped the rock on the guy oops

- almost got hit by lightning but it just set the tree on fire. Starting to think this lightning isn’t just for aesthetics

- that tree got hit a lot. I did not. Happy days

- I’m in Shae Loya shrine if that means anything

- yeah idk what to do I’m leaving

- this guy at the stables gave me 500 rupees to find a fairy. I wasn’t planning to but I found her pretty easily

- this is like the fifth person to complement my appearance lol

- found another shrine with a bunch of big trolls (?) everywhere

- got into the shrine but it’s a combat trial and I’m scared so imma just go

- gave the fairy guy the good news, he seemed happy

- went back to the leaf guy to get more bag space and now he’s gone off somewhere idk

- okay I should probably get beck to the area I should be in

- started heading towards my actual objective, which is Hateno (?) village

- found like a graveyard of guardians and one started shooting that’s rude

- I tamed a horse on the way, I’m starting to like them it’s faster

- the horse got stuck in some rocks while I was looking for somewhere to register it. RIP that I guess

- got to Hateno and got a lovely tour

- committed some arson for the lovely people and can now take pictures

- heading towards that other guy they said could help

- ran into some fish guy guess I have to go to his house now

- it was an interesting trail full of running away but the fish people seem to think I’m courageous enough. Except for the ones that hate me of course

- I never knew that Link had a love interest but here we are I guess

- gotta swim up some waterfalls next time guess

[if-i-bothered-to-write-a-fanfic]

Battered Steal

She knows the exact moment when everything changed.

She was young, a girl merely of four and ten. She remembers anxiously picking at the skin of her fingers, tentatively speaking with her father after the unseemly death of the late queen. She was saddened for her dearest friend, and yet-

“I thought you might go to him, offer him comfort.”

Her father all but ordered her to remain by the king's side. 

She wasn’t naive, foolish as many would think, she was aware of what her father was demanding of her. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to deny him. With her heart heavy, nausea threatening to send her to her feet, she dressed herself in the image of her late mother and made her way to the king's chambers. 

Over time, she sensed the shift in the king’s attention. It went from pleasant, cordial company, to something more. At least, in the king’s eyes, it was more.

Alicent only ever felt constantly ill to her stomach. 

As the days passed, her father would offer further suggestions on what she should do to garner more of the king’s favor. To dress a certain way, to bring the king gifts, to continue offering the king a shoulder to lean on. 

It only made it easier that Rhaenyra was shunning him.

The king would often narrate his woes, about how he missed his dearest daughter, how lost he felt without his late wife and son. Only, for him then to state how beautiful she was, how kind, gentle, as radiant as the sun. A beauty liken to Aemma. 

And then, he started to slowly touch her more.

It started off with a gentle brush of the fingers, leaning more into her personal space. It then grew into lingering caresses, and even the occasional gentle kiss to her head or neck. The king was becoming more bold, building up to something that only brought the greatest dread to Alicent.

Then, despite it all, even she too was blindsided by the announcement.

“I have decided to take a new wife.” The king paused, staring at those of his council. “I intend to marry the lady Alicent Hightower, before spring's end.”

What hurt worse than her inevitable fate, was the look of despair and betrayal on her dearest friend's face. 

Things only spiraled for the worse from that moment on. Rhaenyra would not even look at her, immediately turning away whenever they would cross paths. Alicent tried to speak to her, apologize and explain to her the circumstances of her position. Yet, Rhaenyra wouldn’t hear a word of what she had to say, and Alicent, she couldn’t even fault her for the vitriol. 

It hurt, she never felt more lost and alone without having anyone she could truly lean on. 

Soon her wedding day came, the entire day Alicent never spoke a word besides pleasantries to honored guests. She was not happy, she never would be happy again. She was to wed a man more than twice her age, lay with him, and bear his children. 

Alicents heart stuttered, tears unknowingly filled her eyes as the reality of her circumstances hit her. She didn’t want this, she never wanted any of this. She mourned for the days her and Rhaenyra would sit in the Royal gardens, and read fantastical stories that her dearest friend would bring. She mourned the days when she was free.

“By the light of the seven, I hereby seal these two souls, binding them as one for eternity.”

Her fate was sealed. 

The king, her husband, bed her that same night. The first of many, all of which for her own sanity she forced herself to forget. She would let the man do as he wishes, and she would lose herself in her thoughts, memories, of times spent with Rhaenyra. Despite everything, Rhaenyra would always remain her greatest source of comfort as much as she was her greatest source of pain. 

Years eventually bleed into each other, and Alicent grew more into herself as a woman. She birthed three beautiful Targaryen children, and yet, she seemed to have only learned to grow to be frigid and bitter. Instead of love, Alicent only ever seemed to feel a cloying mixture of apathy, rage, and despair.  

She would never tell him, but as much as she loved her father, Otto, under the cover of night she wished him dead all the same. 

The relationship she once cherished, treasured with Rhaenyra, had been burned in dragon fire. They had jumped at each other's throats on too many occasions, speaking venom-laced words aimed to hurt, and they did. They irrevocably damaged the once seemingly unbreakable bond. Now, they’re little more than acquaintances holding poisoned daggers at each other's backs. 

Everyday they seemed to move themselves and those around them in a practiced dance, a strategic game of chess where the one who loses will fall to the hands of death. Alicent has learned this game with Otto, has played it with the king, she more than knew the consequences of failure. With Rhaenyra, she knew she could not allow any faults. Her life and the life of her children laid in precarious balance, and the venomous words of Otto breathing down her neck did not help.

Each day she seemed to spiral further into a blackened void she could not hope to escape from, both duty and faith at war with her mind and body as she fought for herself and the station of her children. Alicent, after all these years, still didn’t know how to interact with those she brought into the world. All she knew was fear and hatred. She despised her children because their conception was never consensual, but she couldn’t help but to love them because they were still of her. She did the only thing she could do, she kept her interactions with them to a minimum. She oversaw their studies, answered the questions they may have had, but she never truly tried to get to know them. 

Well, that was until she came to understand Aemond. 

She saw herself in her second-born son. He was a boy excluded from his siblings and Rhaenyra’s children, isolated in his own right. After the incident where he lost his eye, well, she couldn’t help but to compare when she lost something too. Aemond became her favorite of the three, the only one she truly bonded with as mother and son. 

She knew it wasn’t right, that there was something undoubtedly broken in her, all Alicent could do was to survive the fight for a throne she was never born to, and fight to have her first-born son rightfully seated upon it so she too can be free. 

When Viserys himself said unto his final breath that Aegon was the prince that was promised, she couldn’t help but to hear that as a confession to reinstate a male heir to the iron throne. It seemed perfect, everything that made her who she was, was finally coming to an end. She did her duty, Viserys was dead, no one but her son would be able to command her. 

Except-

“Rhaenyra has declared herself the rightful heir to the iron throne, crowning herself queen of the seven kingdoms.”

Alicent wished she knew the price of her desired freedom, for if she knew the ferocity of a battle between dragons, she might’ve done things differently. Maybe she wouldn’t have been a coward? Maybe she would’ve found that she too was as strong willed as any dragon? That she could have fought for herself? Prevented needless bloodshed by denying a marriage to a man she never loved? 

Watching as she lost every last one of her children, even her grandchildren-

She couldn’t help but to feel regret as she took her last breath, staring at the vacant walls that made up her tomb. 

[monstersdownthepath]

Scourge Spotlight: Inkariax, the White Death

CR 26

Lawful Evil Colossal Outsider

Adventure Path: Return of the Runelords: The City Outside of Time, pg. 86-87

Surprise! Happy Holidays, everyone! I wasn’t going to wait until the end of the month to talk about this tall drink of ice water. The season of giving prompts me to give you something special, and what’s more special than a unique gift? Inkariax here is the first and, sadly, only Velstrac Demagogue to get stats, something that will likely remain true for the foreseeable future. I, for one, wish that he didn’t look like... well, just a Blue Dude with some added bits.

A 70-foot tall Blue Dude, mind, but a Blue Dude nonetheless. Yes, the ‘Colossal’ wasn’t a typo; this guy stands taller than most houses. The average human would be lucky to stand past his ankles. It’s easy for Inkariax to treat most other creatures as below him because, in a very literal sense, it’s true. It’s also true metaphorically, if you believe his origin story: it’s said than when the velstrac were first freed from Hell and migrated to the Plane of Shadow, their essence mingled with the frigid expanse of the plane to birth Inkariax, fully-formed. While other velstrac strive for perfection, he believes himself to already be perfect, and is so secure in his belief that he doesn’t even bother speaking to correct anyone else. There are few creatures in existence that can claim to have ever heard the White Death say even a single word, the titan usually communicating entirely through minor gestures or changes in his facial expression. Though he can understand any language and use telepathy if needed, he never does so except to give vague orders to his greatest minions. The most straightforward communion one can hope to get from him are the extremely rare occasions where he writes something down, which is why anyone at all knows why his desolate domain is called the Frozen Tears, and his personal frigid fortress the White Death’s Diadem.

Due to the lack of need he feels in communicating anything, his goals and desires are an utter mystery, perfectly moldable into any existing campaign a DM feels like having him show up in. However, his primary desire is easy enough to use without changing much: Inkariax desires perfection. Absolute perfection and absolute order. As a perfect being himself, the White Death is uniquely qualified to judge what is and isn’t perfect, and if there’s one thing he despises more than anything else, it’s time’s tendency to ruin perfection. He gets around time’s grinding wheel by capturing moments in amber, arranging the targets of his admiration into exact poses, then freezing them in unbreakable, glass-clear ice so he may admire their magnificence until existence itself comes to an end.

Inkariax embodies the absolute worst, most hostile form of Law there is, the dislike of even casual forms of chaos. Not moral or conceptual chaos, but physical chaos; entropy itself grates against his aesthetic, time spoiling all he deems beautiful. Were it not for his strange fondness for the Lady of Pain, Doloras, inspiring him to attempt to impress her with an ever-growing macabre gallery, Inkariax may be moved to freeze the entirety of creation in a single, exquisite moment, eradicating the possibility of imperfection altogether.

What chance does a party have of stopping him from his strange goals, whatever they may be? Let’s find out...

Well, let’s get something out of the way first: 70ft tall. This gives the mountainous Demagogue a space and reach of 30ft, and with the power to conjure Walls of Ice 3/day, there is likely little the party can do to stay out of his reach, giving him Full-Attack after Full-Attack. Perhaps fitting for such a refined being, his Bloody Icicles can be drawn from his flesh and wielded as elegant rapiers. +5 Wounding Rapiers, to be exact, sized for his massive form and thus capable of dealing 4d6+17 damage (+1 stacking bleed) up to four times each round. Worse still, his specific weapon selection means he critically hits on a 15-20, giving him a 1/4 chance to double his output for the attack... or, to put it in a worse way, it’s likely he may critically strike once a round, possibly even twice a round!

Those Bloody Icicles make for powerful ranged attacks as well, as he’s able to fling up to four a round as if they were +3 Daggers, each dealing 3d6+15 damage and critically striking on a still-high-but-more-reasonable 17-20. Unlike his servitors, who specialize in attacking from afar, Inkariax’s sheer size makes attacking from a range for him less than useful; he can pretty easily be fired on in retaliation because, unless he wants to take increasingly ridiculous penalties due to a dagger’s pitiful 10ft range increment, he has to stay relatively close anyway, and he’s a huge target. Also like the Libitinarii, he has both Point-Black Shot and Precise Shot, but PBS only works if the target is within 30ft... and if he’s within 30ft, then why not simply stab them with his significantly more dangerous rapier? It feels like his threat could be vastly ramped up if his ranged attack feats were traded out with Two-Weapon Fighting and its offshoots to let him dual-wield his icy rapiers without penalty.

While his skill with a rapier is usually enough to carry him, this is only if the White Death’s attention has been sufficiently stirred enough by the attacks of insects. His Unnerving Gaze completely stuns anyone who meets it for 1d4+1 rounds unless they succeed a DC 32 Will save, and unlike most velstrac, it has an effective range of 120ft, letting his dispassionate gaze take enemies out of the fight before he needs to bother drawing a weapon. For those who power through his gaze, his Regeneration 30 can only be shut down by a deific or Mythic source, and his DR 20 can only be penetrated by a weapon that’s Epic, Good, and silver. Rather notably, while he maintains immunity to charms, compulsions, fear, poison, and petrification, he is not immune to ability score damage, drain, energy drain, or death effects, making him one of the rare campaign final bosses that can potentially be weakened with Energy Drain or Enervation, harmed by Destruction, Finger of Death, or Slay Living, or even outright killed with Power Word Kill or even the humble Death Knell if the party has no other way to bypass his Regeneration... you know, if you can get past his 37 SR, but still. It’s interesting that such an angle of attack is left open. The party may not even realize it’s an option, given how death protection is so pervasive at high levels, especially with divine targets! It certainly takes a lot of bite away from the Demagogue.

Also interesting, Inkariax has no protection against Fire damage. Not even any Resistance! He’s got a hell of a lot of protection from Cold, though; not only is he immune to Cold damage, but he’s utterly immune to the effects of ANY spell with the [Cold] descriptor, no matter what it may be. He can move through snow and ice without difficulty, and use his Icy Logic to immediately and unavoidably end ANY ongoing effect with the [Cold] descriptor whether it be a spell, item effect, or even an alchemical item, with nothing more than a standard action. Why are you even wasting your time trying to use cold magic against him, though?! You fool!

The only master of cold here is him! Though he lacks the penetrating Hellfrost of fellow snow enthusiast Baalzebul, he often doesn’t need it, his spells damaging enough to surpass most Cold Resistance anyway. Like I mentioned before he has Cone of Cold and Wall of Ice 5/day, but he ALSO has Freezing Sphere and Ice Storm at 5/day as well, the inconvenient Chill Metal available at will, and the Dex-draining Polar Ray at 3/day. With so much AoE available to him, he’ll probably hit someone who isn’t fully protected from his cold, provided he’s not using his turn to disassemble nearby targets with his icy rapiers (which average out to considerably more damage to single targets than even Polar Ray). If you ARE immune to Cold damage, or perhaps you seem like something he may wish to add to his collection, he has Imprisonment 3/day as a terrifyingly powerful Save-Or-Suck, a single Will save standing between you and being sealed in his collection for eternity.

In a similar vein to that, though, there is one last gimmick he has: As he’s mostly a larger and more powerful Libitinarii, and they’re known to freeze targets they touch in ice to preserve them forever, you’d expect Inkariax to be able to do the same, right? Wrong! He actually freezes everything around him at once in a single go to save time. Upwards to five times a day, he can force all creatures within 30ft of him to make a DC 28 Fortitude save or take 6d6 Cold damage and 6d6 evil piercing damage... and anyone who fails must make a second, DC 29 Will save or be turned into deathless ice. Any victim who isn’t subject to Break Enchantment or similar within 1 hour per HD they have? They’re gone. Permanently. The book plainly and simply states that only the will of a deity can release someone frozen by Inkariax’s magic, making this one of the few abilities in existence that can’t be undone by Wish or Miracle, something that off the top of my head only the incarnates of Abaddon’s will have been able to do before.

Two failed saves standing between you and losing half your party to an ability from which there is no recovering, which you may have to succeed five separate times against. Between that and his Imprisonment, you may begin to WISH he’d stick to his damaging spells.

You can read more about him here.