#tiniest den

[tnypaws]

hiiii

hiiii !!

[u3pxx]

MORE SWAPS, quick doodle of an idea for a portrait of swap!kim. i just wanted to draw a man so drab and miserable PFTT

[moonstruckme]

i’ve been meaning to request this for awhile because i love the idea, what if poly!marauders x animagus!reader and reader’s animal counter part is a raccoon so they call reader bandit as their nickname for the group. and maybe reader naturally has dark circles under their eyes and they prefer to be awake at night? maybe they steal little tokens from their partners like rings and shirts all the time too lol. idk if this interests you but if so i’d love to read it babes! -🌶️

Hi Pepper! This was my first attempt at writing animagus!reader and it felt a bit clumsy but I hope you like it! Thanks for requesting my love <3

poly!marauders x animagus!reader ♡ 742 words

“Where are they?” Sirius asks, stalking into the common room. 

Remus doesn’t look up from his book, not needing to wonder who Sirius is asking about. “They crashed right after class.” He glances out the window. “But it’s almost dark, they should be up soon. Missing something?”

“My rings.” Sirius holds up ten bare fingers. “Took them off to shower after class, and now they’re gone.” 

“Ew,” James says, coming in with two cups of tea. He passes one to Remus, handle first. “It’s like you’re naked.” 

Sirius harrumphs. “You wish, Prongs.” 

“Have you tried checking their stash?” Remus asks, flipping his page. 

Both James and Sirius look at him quizzically. “You know where it is?” 

Remus sighs. His bones creak and pop as he stands. “Come on,” he says. “I’ll show you.” 

Your boyfriends mostly stay out of their dorm during the day because it’s so quiet and dreary. You’ve got all the curtains drawn shut, not even the tiniest ray of sunlight allowed to permeate your den, and you’ve burrowed underneath the covers of your bed for good measure. Remus leads the boys to the top corner of your bed, pointing to what appears to be a pile of shirts you’ve stowed behind the bedpost. 

James crouches bemusedly, but at Remus’ nod, he pulls the top shirt aside. Sirius sees the glint of metal and drops to his haunches beside James, looking at the treasures you’ve nestled within the pile of shirts. He curses quietly, gathering the rings he’d been wearing that morning along with some he hadn’t seen for months. They clink together in his palm, and not a second later, he and James look up at the sound of rustling sheets. 

Your face emerges from beneath the covers, and Sirius thinks amusedly that it’s almost like you’re peering out from the mouth of a very plush cave. “What’re you doing?” you ask, words slurred together with sleep. Less so when your eyes narrow on the rings in Sirius’ hand. “Those are mine.” 

Sirius can’t help it; he laughs, and you glare at him (you’re really not as intimidating as you’d like to think, even with the darkness that rings your eyes and makes you look like a cartoon villain). “Oh, are they?” he asks you. “I seem to recall purchasing them some time ago.” 

“Since when did you purchase them?” James asks, rising from his crouch to sit next to you on the bed. He pets your hair, and you relax as if you might go back to sleep, though you’re still tracking Sirius’ hand with watchful eyes. “You told me you stole them from your mum.” 

“Well,” Sirius huffs. “Finders keepers.” 

“Exactly,” you say grouchily. “So put them back.” 

“Sorry, Bandit.” Sirius drops a conciliatory kiss on your temple as he slides a few of the rings on and stows the others in his pocket. “I found ‘em this time. Anyway, at least when I steal things, I actually use them. Keeping them stashed under your bed is criminal.” 

You grumble, but you can’t rally much resentment with James’ fingernails scratching at your scalp so pleasantly. 

“I think they do it to feel close to us,” Remus muses, giving you an appraising look. You won’t meet his eyes. “I mean, they’ve got your rings under there, Pads, and one of Prongs’ old necklaces, and some of my sweaters.” James coos as you sink further back into your burrow, and Remus smiles. “Did I get that right, sweetheart?” 

Sirius knows that tone. Remus is laying it on thick and extra sweet, trying to get you to squirm. And it’s working; you won’t look up from where you’re toying with the hem of the sheets, but your face takes on a pinkish hue. You start tearing the edge of your sheet into little strips between your fingers. 

“Oi.” James takes your hand prisoner in his. “Don’t start on that, we’ve already had to replace all the curtains.” 

“Is that true, baby?” Sirius wheedles, giving you his most saccharine smile. “Do you take our things because you love us?” 

You huff, your embarrassment revealed by the way you begin playing with James’ fingers. “Obviously I love you. You know that already. And you have nice things, so think whatever you want.” 

Remus chuckles. “Alright, we will.” 

“I can’t believe it.” Sirius looks down at you, raising an eyebrow when you glare. “Our Bandit’s a thief with a heart of gold.”

[thedovesaredying]

First Times | Omega!Nikto x Alpha!Reader | Part 1

You finally get the privledge of spending a heat with Nikto, despite how he usually hates having anyone near him during such times. Part 1 is SFW but smut will be included in the second part. Chatted with @ghouljams and we agreed that Nikto's possessive ass def gives off omega vibes lmao. Non-Traditional omegaverse since it's lowkey inspired by Ghoul's version.

Warnings: Non-Traditional Omegaverse, Unedited

Masterlist: CoD Masterlist

Part 2

Nikto has never been the sort of omega to request assistance with any of his heats. He’s stubborn and bullheaded, and determined to muscle his way through the entire thing by himself, snapping at anyone foolish enough to even offer a helping hand. You’ve never been forward enough to imply that you wouldn’t mind helping, but you’ve heard the man himself rant about people’s audacity enough to know it wouldn’t be appreciated even if you did.  

In the months you’ve been “officially” dating, you’ve learned enough about Nikto to pick up the signs of when his heat is close to hitting. It always starts the same, with the omega growing agitated over even the tiniest details, and stalking around the house, rearranging everything from the furniture to the ordering of the silverware. The urge to nest hits him hard, and he needs a perfectly clean environment in which to do so.  

Poor Krueger has been dragged over to the house more than once, forced to help with most of the heavy lifting, at least, until Nikto decides he can’t stand the scent of the alpha in his territory and kicks him back out again. Your scent is one of the few that doesn’t terribly overwhelm him by overstimulating his senses, so he doesn’t immediately chase you out the moment his heat starts, but you can tell he gets agitated by an alpha so close by.  

You’re polite enough to leave him to his own devices when he gets to the stage where he’s collecting every pillow and blanket he has access to and dumping them in his den. It’s surprising, however, when this time, before you can gather your things and head back home, Nikto grabs your arm. He’s surprisingly hesitant considering how blunt he tends to be with most things, but you wait patiently as he silently thinks something over.  

“You are going home now?” he asks, waiting for you to provide him with a slow nod, “you can bring us some more blankets, yes?” 

He’s never asked for more blankets before, but you’re more than happy to help out where you can. It makes your inner alpha practically vibrate with glee at the fact that such a reserved omega has asked you for something as important as an addition to his nest. “Of course, I think a have a few freshly washed-” 

“Net!” You almost jump at his exclamation, especially at his rather panicked tone, “not washed, no clean ones!” He’s jittery, refusing to release his hold on you until you quickly nod, offering him a quick promise to be back as soon as you can. He still hesitates, only letting you go when you pet his arm and give him a slight smile.  

To say you were quick would be an understatement. You grabbed near enough every sheet, blanket and pillow in the house. Anything that doesn’t already smell of your scent gets rubbed against your glands. You’re not sure how much he actually wants, but it’s always better to be a little overprepared for a heat than deal with the fallout of being underprepared. It takes you under an hour to be done with everything and back at your boyfriend’s house.  

The moment you get back you’re being pulled through the front door and into the house. You’re near enough dragged into the bedroom where Nikto has begun to set up his nest and the items in your arms are snatched away from you. The omega gives each item a sniff, before tucking them into a very specific position, taking his time to ensure each thing is in the perfect spot.  

You try to slowly back out of the room, not wanting to disturb him, but the moment you almost reach the door, his head snaps in your direction. He’s not wearing his mask at the moment, so you get a perfect view of the way his lips curl, exposing the tips of his canines while a loud rumble escapes his chest.  

Your whole body locks up, your alpha instincts forcing you to freeze in the hopes of not upsetting an omega in such a vulnerable state. He suddenly points at the bed, growling out a rough, “sit.” He’s pinning you in place with his icy stare, puffed up like an angry cat. You’re not entirely sure what you’ve done wrong to warrant such a reaction, but you’re all too eager to appease him and cautiously move toward the bed currently being used as a nest.  

Entering an omega’s nest, especially during their heat, is a right reserved for very few, and to be granted the honour (despite the unusual circumstances) by Nikto has you shaking with excitement. Despite the two of you dating, your partner has been very reluctant to allow you to see him in such a vulnerable state. You expected him to be a little hesitant about allowing an alpha into his nest, but it seems his brusque nature has returned, because the moment you’re in range he’s pushing you down and then onto your back.  

“Stay.” It’s far from a suggestion, so instead you just lay still while he goes back to arranging his nest. You briefly worry that you’re in the way, but Nikto has no qualms about manoeuvring your body around to better fit his pillows into place. Eventually, once he’s finally settled on a perfect setup for his nest, he vanishes from the room without a word.  

You continue to lay dead still, worried that you’ll disturb the omega’s perfect work while you listen to him digging through a drawer. You hear the electric kettle being switched on, followed by cupboard doors opening and closing. After a few minutes he reappears again armed with a hot water bottle and a selection of snacks and electrolyte drinks. He places everything save for the water bottle into a corner, before clambering into the nest.  

He’s switched into some softer clothes, though every inch of his body is still covered, save for his face which he immediately shoves into the crook of your neck. He flops down on top of you, very nearly crushing you into the mattress. You gently pet his back, trying to regain the oxygen that’s been knocked from your lungs by suddenly having a very large, muscular man collapsing on top of your chest.  

It’s an absolute delight when he begins to purr loudly, body completely lax in your hold. You know that nesting can take quite a bit out of a person and that heats can be very physically draining on someone, so you’re not surprised when Nikto’s breath evens out and gradually falls asleep.  

Everything is perfect, or at least it would be, if you didn’t desperately need to pee.  

[mossangelll]

HII HOW R U?? I was wondering if u could make a yandere caitvi x reader(like a poly relationship). Just headcannons if u like!! I really love ur postss💗💗

Yandere!Caitvi x Reader Headcanons

i’m great, tysm for requesting! sorry it’s taken me a while to get to this ^^

i was gonna add a section on how they kidnap you (figured i’d use it for a different fic) and an nsfw section but i didn’t know if anyone wanted that so i skipped it this time

HOW THEY MEET YOU

ok so vi is the one who notices you first - at first, you’re just another person who blends into the crowd at her fights

but then she begins to see you at every single fight of hers without fail, always with a huge handmade sign that says something like “step on ME, vi” or “vi, you’re the BEST!”

she thinks it’s endearing how someone like you, so unassuming and cute, is hanging around shady dens like this just to support her

you manage to catch her at the bar after one of her fights and you two strike up an unlikely friendship

she starts to fall head over heels for you - you don’t seem to care or even notice that she’s a mess

in fact, you’re hellbent on fixing her and she can’t help but have massive heart eyes at this point even though she’d normally find something like this demeaning (she doesn’t need to be saved!)

all her life, she’s chased after the people she loved and prioritised their well-being and now someone’s finally doing the same for her

you make her feel so seen at a time in her life when she feels incredibly lost and worthless

however it’s at this point vi leaves the fighting scene and reconnects with cait - you gave her the strength to do so

vi always feels guilty about this but you’re always in the back of her mind, a hopeful what if to ponder on the lonely nights after a lover’s quarrel with cait

so it’s nothing short of serendipity when cait starts to come home later and later, talking about a new recruit who has potential that needs to be nurtured and look at that - it’s you

cait knows she needs to be faithful to vi, she would never dream of going behind her back, but she’s drawn to you in a way that simultaneously confuses her and excites her

she becomes your mentor and sees parts of herself in you and that just makes her obsession infatuation that much worse

cait blurs the line between appropriate behaviour between a subordinate and their junior; she shows up at your door randomly for a “work assignment” and pries into the private details of your love life

if she finds out you’re dating someone or interested in someone other than her, your work life becomes a living nightmare

you’ll constantly be admonished for the tiniest infractions simply because she’s wants you all to herself and doesn’t know how to express her emotions in a healthy way

vi can’t even find it in herself to be jealous when she sees the lustre in cait’s blue eyes, one that’s only reserved for her, starts to come out whenever she’s around you but she does feel left out, after all, vi found you first

the two end up having a conversation and realise that they can’t live without you in their lives - all to themselves, that is

OK TIME FOR WHAT THEY’RE LIKE IN A RELATIONSHIP

honestly i think vi is the one you can wrap around your pinkie finger - she has such a soft spot for the people she loves and she’s not afraid of making it known

you want more treats? she’ll sneak them in

you want to go outside? ok, but vi is handcuffing you to her and you can only stay out for five minutes

surprisingly she respects your boundaries and tries not to be overly affectionate with you when you don’t want to be, even if it kills her inside

don’t think you can ask to talk to family and friends though, that’s completely off-limits and you will see a sadistic side to vi she doesn’t normally let out

i imagine her punishments would be something to the effect of her saying extremely cruel and upsetting things to you to remind you of your place

she would also be into physical punishments like spanking but not anything that could really hurt you - she would have a breakdown if she hurt you to the point of serious injury and would never forgive herself

cait on the other hand is essentially the “bad cop” in this scenario, it’s not that she doesn’t love you, in fact i would say she’s probably more obsessed than vi is, it’s that she doesn’t want to risk anything bad happening to you whatsoever

she went lax on punishing zaunites and it ended up with her mother dead - she’s not taking any risks when it comes to you

it harder to tell with cait but she does try to show her affection, it’s just not as obvious as the way she acts to vi

she does like to be physically affectionate with you more than vi does but this too is very subtle

she likes to make these actions seem like a necessity when really it’s for her own satisfaction

e.g. she’ll hold you hand and profess it’s because “you might fall over” even though you can see the faint blush on her cheeks - you’re both aware it’s a terrible lie but are equally too embarrassed to mention it

like in my other work, her shows of affection come from giving you books, painting lessons and expensive clothes, etc. - she wants to nurture your talents and expose you to the finer things in life that you’ve missed out on

she lowkey has a superiority complex when it comes to this lmao but i think she does it all to mask her deep insecurities

she doesn’t want to seem weak in front of her darling

her punishments are more harsh. i feel like she would put you in isolation and leave you hungry if you refuse to abide by her or vi’s rules

i hc that this stems from her childhood; her mother would withhold affection (maybe not to this extent) whenever she misbehaved and this way of thinking carried over to adulthood

this means that caitlyn and vi do tend to argue over what they think is best for you and it lowkey gives divorced parents energy - they’re constantly trying to prove themselves right

it’s a very volatile environment to be in

imo this is kinda cait and vi’s way of flirting too 😭 in the aftermath they look back on it like ‘awww she cares so much about our darling she’s willing to fight over them - so cute!’

their relationship stays mostly the same as it was before just a lil more intense

they’d both be yandere for each other, it just manifests a lot more strongly with you

like, they know they can look after themselves but you’re so weak they need to go above and beyond to ensure their most precious darling is safe

they both plan detailed daily routines for you and you’re micromanaged down to the smallest details: how long you can sleep for, the food you eat, the exercises you do, the clothes you wear, the people you can interact with

in my mind, this takes place at the end of s2 so you live with them in cait’s mansion - they’ve both experienced a LOT of trauma which contributes to them developing a codependent relationship and having to drag someone else into their mess

it’s definitely a stifling relationship and it feels like you’re never truly alone, if for some reason they can’t be there with you there’ll always be a trusted maid or enforcer keeping tabs on you

omg wait they definitely give you a diary and say it’s private but at the end of the night they’ll read through it to see if you’re planning anything they wouldn’t agree with

cait came up with the idea and vi thinks it’s a violation of your privacy but she goes along with it anyway

would never admit it but secretly it’s her favourite time of the day (if she respects your physical boundaries, she’s gotta break some other boundaries - give her a break!)

they just want to patch up the pain they feel from all the losses they’ve had to deal with and unfortunately for you, you’re their bandages

masterlist

[kneelingshadowsalome]

Hi!! I'm sososo obsessed with Satyr König oml you're a genius (also I've binge read your whole yandere könig tag it's so perfect). Okay so sorry in advance for my English, but:

I can't stop thinking about a shy (and kinda pervert lmao) nymph reader who sees him, sees how big and strong he is and how well he secretly protects all her sisters (and how irresistible his big, thick cock is) and really falls in love and is wildly attracted to him, BUT she's very shy and the idea of telling him her feelings is too mortifying, so when he's out in the woods she sneaks in his den, tidies the place up, brings him some flowers as gifts (yeah im inverting the usual roles lol), snuggles in his bed of furs (maybe touches herself fantasizing about him-) and König, well, notices the changes in his house and is VERY perplexed, so one day he returns earlier than usual and sees this cute, soft and unaware nymph moaning and whimpering in his den, her face against his furs, all wet and willing and ready to mate while she quietly moans his name, eyes closed and face red- he'd go FERAL

The idea of desperately horny satyr König with a more than willing needy nymph makes my brain melt oml

(And btw, do you think you'll ever write Satyr König again, in general?)

Satyr!König goes absolutely feral, yes.

He noticed the lingering sweet scent at the mouth of his den already, a sugary, floral scent that he knows so very well. He knows it to his core, because his nose wants to follow that scent whenever he catches it.

Only nymphs smell this sweet, like flower meadows and moonlight, like spring water and honeycombs. The distinct scent of a kore is eerie, and only gets stronger when he walks further into his lair, but what’s more is that he recognizes who this particular scent belongs to… He has memorized her in his loneliness, and every time he catches a whiff of her in the air outside, he can’t help but grow hard.

He barely even notices the absence of his usual mess, that someone has washed all his cups and put his wine pots in order. His den has seen a lot of brooming, and there are fresh flowers placed on his oaken table, thoughtful bouquets hanged from the roots of his oak. But before he gets to inspect those odd little things further – he’s used to trampling flowers out in the wild, he never even thought of using them as decoration, but they do look kind of nice, don’t they? – he hears a soft whimper from the back of the den.

From where he sleeps, and isn’t it peculiar how he can now smell something else, now, too… Something irresistibly heady, something that demands action at once, making his cock stir and swell to the point where it’s almost painful. There’s another soft moan, calling to him like an enchanted flute: his whole den has changed from a dark dungeon into a soft, scented temple, echoing with the sounds of a maiden in heat.

He finds her spread over his thick, musky furs, furs that have seen countless lonely nights, and have to be changed every turn of the moon because they’re so grimy. She doesn’t seem to have any trouble with laying down in his filth, the rough furs that smell of seed and satyr sweat, of old musk and maybe a few tears. Satyrs cannot cry, they say, but that’s only because no one ever sees them do so. He’s spilled more than his fill of salt on that makeshift bed, and not all of it was ropes of hot seed…

“P–please…”

She sees him, sees how surprised he is catching her here, in the place all nymphs always try to evade. She sees how hard he is while watching her bare and panting there, all over his furs, lips swollen from lust. Both up and down, her lips are wet and quivering; she’s completely ready to be taken, and only the tiniest sliver of respect prevents him from fucking her senseless right here and right now.

“Please, I beg of you…”

But when she begs for it like that…?

He doesn’t hesitate a moment longer. He simply cannot.

And why waste time on thinking how she got here (or more importantly, why she got here?) Why mull on the hot question of why isn’t the loveliest creature on earth trying to get away from him?

“No need to beg,” he grunts as he lays himself upon her, cock hot and already leaking as it finds her entrance.

The smell of ambrosia envelops him as he glides inside, the whimper from his nymph a song of paradise. She smiles softly at such immediate lust, or is it the sun that comes out of the clouds, somehow reaching under the branches of this oak?

She welcomes him with open arms, a tear falling down her temple and into her hair as he tries to be gentle with her. But it’s not really his size or his lust that makes her cry. Her hands trail up and down his sides, they try to desperately wrap around his wide torso. She looks into his eyes while he starts to rut her, amazed to have been granted such a blessing at all.

“I’m in love with you,” she sighs into the air between them, her eyes glimmering with worship in the dim, earthy dusk of his den.

He messes up with his thrusts, breathing out his shock while hovering over her. She’s so delicate and frail, and so desperate for a nymph who’s supposed to be frolicking in the open fields… She should be climbing in the tall trees and giggling at centaurs from there, she should be admiring the full moon and the stars, she should be playing in the freshwater with her sisters.

He always thought this one feared him the most, slinking into the shadows beneath the trees whenever she saw him. Casting her eyes down as if she didn’t want him to notice her at all, never mocking or teasing him like the others did. That’s why he left her alone: because he didn’t want to break her. She was far too pure for someone like him.

But now she’s here, with flowers and a hot, wet body, trying to grab him so hopelessly in her fragile embrace…

“You can’t say things like that, little one,” he warns, feeling something akin to fear for the first time in his life.

“Why not…? It’s true,” she chimes there beneath him, a few more tears of joy rolling down her cheeks.

His chest is burning, but the only sound that comes out of him is a low growl. A warning and a plea.

“You shouldn’t tease an old faun.”

“And you shouldn’t stop what you only just started...”

He blinks at her answer, at her soft smile.

Then, he shoots down to kiss her neck.

She moans from love when he opens his mouth, careful not to puncture her delicate flesh with his teeth: he only devours his nymph with soft hunger, licking and sucking her soft skin. Her giggles and sighs drive him to the sweetest madness as he starts to make love to her under the earth.

His home has never heard such cries of joy, felt or seen such displays of devotion… He returns her confessions thousandfold, in every way he can. These silly little creatures always fear a satyr’s love is only about lust, and therefore escape such hollow adoration, but he’s not here to just ease the pain in his sacks.

He’s now forever bound to her, whether she knows it or not…

[little-emerald-snake]

Kinktober

Sex Pollen - Sebastian Sallow x F!MC

🔥NSFW🔞MDNI

Warnings: non canon plant because I made that shit up, I wrote and edited and posted this while I was drunk oops, aphrodisiac, sex pollen, dry humping, getting freaky in the forbidden forest

1938 words

(banner made by me)

“Damn Garreth and his damned potions always making me trudge out to the damned forbidden forest for ingredients. Who does that boy even think he is?!“

Sebastian rolled his eyes, pushing a branch out of his way. “He’s a potion prodigy who’s paying you for a service. A service you said yes too. I don’t see what the big deal is.”

She whipped her head around causing him to stop in his tracks, standing to his full height and crossing his arms with a ‘try me and I’ll leave you out here alone’ look on his face.

She huffed, turning back around and continuing to climb through bushes, shuddering at a thick mass of webbing as she steps around it. “Why does there always have to be spiders…why can’t his blasted ingredients be near a niffler den or some other creature that doesn’t have eight legs.”

Sebastian chuckled, stepping out behind her into a clearing with no trees or bushes, only loose dirt. “That’s why you brought me isn’t it? To fend off all the spiders for you.”

He could hear the smile in her voice as she glanced around the clearing, looking for a specific purple flower that looked strangely identical to purple spun sugar. “Perhaps it is. But I’d still like to avoid coming across a den of acromantulas if it’s all the same to you.” She looked around again and gasped at what she saw along the edge of the clearing a few feet away. “There it is! That's what we need for Garreth!”

She lifts her skirt and trudges over to a whole patch of them, opening her bag and pulling out a glass jar. “Now we have to be careful, Garreth said picking these can leave you with some strange…side effects…but he wouldn’t give me any other details.”

She set the jar to the side and pulled out a pair of brown leather gloves, pulling them on and reaching for the first flower. Sebastian walked up and stood beside her to watch as she plucked the first flower, the tiniest bit of the strange cottony fluff fluttering off to the ground.

She took her time carefully plucking more and more till she had a whole jar full of them. She put the lid on and set it inside of her bag, reaching for another jar and beginning to fill that one too. Sebastian’s brow lifted curiously. “I thought Garreth only wanted one jar of this stuff?”

She nodded and kept at her work, diligently. “He did. But I know what he’s trying to make with it and I know in a week he’ll come asking for more. I might as well stock up on it now and be prepared the next time he asks.”

Sebastian nodded, understanding her reluctance for heading out here to pick up ingredients again so soon. As much as she loved getting into places she wasn’t supposed to be, the forbidden forest did not hold the same sentiment.

She finished filling the second jar just as her nose and throat began to tingle. Nothing drastic but just enough to notice a difference. She chose not to say anything, capping her jar and stuffing it into her bag before pulling off her gloves and sending the fluff that was stuck to them flying as she beat them against the stalk of a tree to ‘clean them’.

Sebastian wrinkled his nose and backed up as the fluff immediately began to irritate his airways. “What the hell. He tells you to be careful with this stuff and all the sudden you’re getting it all over the place!”

She rolled her eyes and stuffed her gloves into her bag, standing and turning back to Sebastian. The first thing he notices is her pupils are blown crazy wide, enough so to concern him. She speaks as if she’s completely fine though which intrigues him. “It just makes your throat and nose feel a bit funny. I doubt Garreth would send me out to collect anything dangerous without a fair warning.”

Sebastian begins to feel a bit warm and…fuzzy? “Yea, and makes your pupils bloody massive! You look like a cat who just tossed about in a huge pile of cat grass.”

She looks up into his eyes and notices the same thing about his own pupils, just as the strangest thing happens, a heady swirl of arousal settles in her lower abdomen. “So do you. Maybe this stuff has some sort of…drug-esque effect. Do you…feel anything strange?”

Heat was quickly flooding his body making him suddenly feel all too warm. “Er, yea. I suppose you could say the feeling is strange. Are…you experiencing anything strange?”

She nodded, clearing her throat and kneeling down to the soft dirt below her. She pulled out her wand, summoning her huge leather bound Herbology book from the castle. “I suppose I should have researched this stuff before coming out here but…Garreth has never led me to gather anything dangerous before.”

She quickly flipped through the pages as Sebastian stood off to the side, shifting his weight from foot to foot anxiously. He couldn’t help his gaze lingering on her thin fingers as she flipped through pages, arousal now being a clear side effect of whatever strange plant this was.

She flipped and flipped through pages, repeating the small portion of the word she remembered till finally she found the inky sketched photo of the plants she’d just picked.

Eyes zooming across the page frantically, she read about the plants and its uses, eyes finally slowing as she read the ‘harvesting’ section. “While harvesting this plant, herbologists recommend wearing gloves as well as a fabric such as a scarf over the mouth and nose to prevent inhalation of plant spores. Breathing in spores of this plant can cause irritation of the airways, tingling sensations, heightened sensitivity, intense arousal, and mild euphoria…”

Sebastian’s eyes went wide, letting out a nervous chuckle as he scratched the back of his head and looked anywhere but at her or her book. “Er, yea. That seems about right…what the fuck, Weasley.”

She snaps the book shut and sends it back with a flick of her wand, remaining hunched on the ground with a look of disbelief spread across her features. “What the fuck it’s right. Well now what do we do?”

His arousal was spiking by the moment and the urge to reach down and sooth the building desire was almost too much as he cleared his throat. “Well, I say we hustle back to the closest floo and get back to our dorms before this fully kicks in.”

She makes a barely audible sound that Sebastian swears he wouldn’t have heard if he wasn't so keyed up. “I don’t know about you and Ominis but I typically don’t fancy wanking in a room full of my classmates.”

Sebastian chuckled but it came out much huskier than he intended, the pressure between his legs making everything much harder than it needed to be. “Well obviously me and Ominis don’t talk about having a wank. We…er…well at least I just use a silencing charm and close the curtains.”

She audibly groans but it comes out as more of a moan. Sebastian sees her hands fisting on her thighs. “Merlin, please stop talking about you fucking having a wank.”

He scoffs, beginning to pace behind her in an attempt to get blood nothing anywhere but to his cock. “To be completely fair, you brought it up first, darling. I was only giving my two cents.”

She could hear him pacing behind her and even though she couldn’t actually picture him watching her she shivered at the idea that he was watching her as he paced, waiting to see if her devious hands wandered the way her mind wanted them too.

Would he say anything? Simply watch? Would he even react at all if she let this strong lusty feeling sweep over her and take control of her hands. “I-is this not affecting you?”

Sebastian lets out a breathy laugh. “You’d be wrong to assume I’m fine, darling. This plant has me hard as fucking stone.”

She shivered and something within her finally won out as she turned, watching him pace, her eyes raking down from his messy curls where he’s clearly dragged his fingers through it, over his button down shirt to the bulge tenting the front of his trousers. Sebastian smirked. “Did you really think I was lying, love? Had to check for yourself?”

She swung her head back around, blushing furiously. Why had she done that? Why had she looked? This plant was fucking with her. That was the only thing that made sense. The intense wave of desire that held her captive and had her thinking about what the taste of his skin would be like was, all due to this blasted plant.

She heard him kneel down beside her, and felt his hot breath ghost across his ear. “You know…we could solve this problem in a very simple way. We lay out here where nobody can disturb us and we let this plant work its way out of our system by giving in…” His hand caressed her side. “…use each other to seek out this pleasure and hang on for the ride. What do you say?”

Nothing had ever sounded so good in her life. She was nodding and before she even realized what was happening, he had her on her back against the soft earth, a strong leg on either side of her thighs, caging her in below him.

He bent down, his unruly brown curls tickling her face as he kissed her neck, gently at first before adding a nip here and there. If she had any sanity left she would have found the sounds she made to be rather undignified but honestly all she could think about were the surges of pleasure currently zipping like a lightning bolt straight from his teeth on her neck to her groin.

His own sounds had her arching and gasping against him, shocked that he seemed just as worked up as she was, especially when she arched and her thigh brushed his solid erection, eliciting a groan all the way from deep in his chest.

One big hand came up, groping her breast, fingers finding her hardened nipple through fabric and pinching in a way that had her crying out again. “Oh fuck, Sebastian!”

Her hair would be caked with dirt by the end but it was the furthest thing from her mind as he groped and grinded against her, hips rocking against that sweet pressure between her legs, faster and faster.

She wasn’t going to last long and they hadn't even taken off a single piece of clothing. His breaths and groans against her ear were driving her crazy, his rigid cock against her clit was even more intense. “O-oh shit Seb I’m gonna come!”

Sebastian groaned, moving faster, pinching her nipple just a bit harder. “Good…come for me, gorgeous. You feel so fucking good I’m gonna come too…”

That line within her that electricity traveled through pulled taught and she cried out into the still and misty air of the forest, clenching around nothing with Sebastian rutting away between her legs like his life depended on it till he stilled and grunted with his release.

They both laid there panting, waiting for the arousal in them to cease and their bodies to become their own again. Yet it never came, and they spent not one, not two, but three more hours tangled up together on the earthy floor of the forest.

Kinktober prompts

[bump1nthen1ght]

A Very Monstrous Kinktober (2024) Day 18 - Body Worship

Kink: Body Worship

Pairing: F!Reader x F!Gorgon

Other Kinks: Yandere, Cunnilingus

Warnings: Non-Con, Kidnapping, Slight Infantilization

Word Count: 1499 words

Kinktober Masterlist

You had come looking for your brother.

Petrina didn’t recognize the name you shouted as you boldly wandered into her cave, arms trembling under the weight of your lantern. Or maybe it was from fear, knowing you were entering the monster’s den, the monster who had most definitely killed your brother.

It was the first time Petrina felt guilty for her deeds. Not for him, of course, the boy was a foolish thing looking for glory, practically begging to be turned into stone. But seeing the big tears at the corner of your eyes, the way you desperately searched for his face in the sea of statue'd corpses, it tugged at her heartstrings.

How you were related to such a boorish man was another sign that the gods were cruel; that they’d bless your parents with yourself, shining and jewel-like, and then saddle such a treasure with an absolute idiot of a brother. You didn’t deserve such a fate, even if your caring heart convinced yourself otherwise.

Beautiful women with big hearts were stomped down in this world, by people just like your brother. They were ripped to shreds and eaten alive, tossed into monstrous pits and left to rot, names slandered across tongues and history.

Petrina was doing a favor, taking you for herself. You were in the only place in the world free from the cruelties of gods, men, and monsters alike. You could be safe, her perfect gemstone.

“Your skin is like silk.” Petra kisses at the inside of your wrist, cradling your palm against her cheek. It’s calloused from years of farm work, yet the texture feels fine against her scaly skin. “No, like honey. Sweet-” She kisses at the juncture of your elbow, “-And decadent.” She kisses your shoulder, ignores the way your breath hitches and your face jerks away. The snakes of her hair lean up to flicker their tongue on your cheek, taste the sweat their mistress tastes in her mouth. Your forehead scrunches up as they move to pepper your nose, eyes still closed despite the blindfold you wear. Good, it's better to be safe than sorry. She couldn’t lose her precious jewel right when she got her.

Petrina’s mouth dances across your collarbone, her fangs begging to sink in and gnaw on the flesh, taste if it’s as sweet as your sweat. But she can’t, mustn't defile this sweet creature. She has hurt so many for so long, but you she will treasure.

Your chiton falls so beautiful off your figure and Petrina almost regrets having to rip it off of you. But the reward of your bare body pressed against hers is worth the defiling. She has collected so many fine things over the years, she has plenty for you to wear and lavish in. For now, she licks and sucks down your breasts and stomach, nuzzles her face into the perfect flesh before her. Her snakes do the same, goosebumps trailing down as they feather their own kisses across your body. You jerk when one flicks across your nipple, senses heightened and nerves taut like a bowstring. 

“Aaah.” Petrina flicks out her tongue, so close to your center that your essence’s scent hangs in the air. Her mouth waters at the fragrance, burrowing her face into your bushy mound. Her snakes bundle and tangle together, all desperate for a taste as well.

“P-please.” Your gentle voice whispers, just as cute as the first time she heard it. 

“Please what, my dear?” Petrina uses the tiniest of force, digging her nails into your thighs to force your legs to spread. Your voice raspy, you plead some more.

“Not t-there. I’ve never…I mean-”

“Untouched, undefiled.” Petrina takes another deep whiff. “What does your virgin pussy taste like?”

Her snakes act as a guard and push out your legs, just a threat of their fangs as they mouth at your plush thighs. Petrinas long fingers slide up between your pussy lips, spreading them wide for the very first time. The sight of your fluttering hole has her cooing.

“Already you leak sweet nectar for me.” Petrina splays her fingers, watches your wetness web between her digits. Her long tongue curls round the two digits. Both her and her snakes shudder.

“Better than Olympus’ finest ambrosia.” Petrina smacks her lips, returning back to the main source. She licks up the length of your cunt, drinking in the taste and the whimpered moans that escape through your lips. Your button throbs underneath her tongue, pulsing with blood. Petrina’s lips circle and suck.

“A-ah!” Your hips beckoning into her face, pressed her deeper into the sweet scent of Elysium. She draws a circle around your clit, her snakes flexing as your thighs try to shut close, forcing them open. It’s simply your inexperience, Petrina rationalizes, you’ll realize soon that all she’s doing is showing you her love.

Her long nails, perfect for carving stone, are delicate as the prod against your fluttering hole. She doesn’t want to hurt you, knows how delicate a virginal pussy can be. But it will feel good in the end, she’ll bring you dizzying pleasure. It’s what you deserve, all the comforts life can offer.

She stays sucking on your clit, slow and methodical, making sure to not overstimulate the poor bundle of nerves. With her snakes keeping your thighs open, one hand creeping up your stomach while the other spreads open your pussy lips. So warm, so wet.

You whimper when she grapes at your breasts, nipples hardening as she rolls them under her thumb. She’d love to suck on them more, lay her head between them and hear your beating heart. For now, playing with them will have to do; her mouth has other priorities.

Her pointer and index finally venture deeper, pushing past your clenching walls and into your pussy. She moves at a snail's pace, glad to see you do not bleed at the intrusion. It’s just two fingers but if the way you clench and writhe are any indication, any fullness is wholly unfamiliar.

“Aa-ah! What are you-”

“Shh, my love. I only want to make you feel good.” She would normally relish in your melodic voice, but she knows you're struggling with the stupid lessons you were taught growing up. That the only thing that could possibly be between your legs was a man and his cock. You don’t yet know how good just some fingers could feel.

There’s a squelch as her palm hits your pussy, fingers now seated all the way to the knuckle. The moans you let out when she scissors her fingers outward are heavenly, gummy walls trembling against the foreign pressure. Her rough fingertips search for the spongy pad inside of you, lips curling into a smirk when she finds it, your whole body shaking.

“Hnng!” You bite your bottom lip, the shame of your own pleasure deep within you. Petrina will pull that out of you soon enough.

With her target found, she begins thrusting her fingers. Slow at her first, like her tongue, but quickening as your walls begin to loosen. As more and more slick covers her knuckles, her tongue soon matches its pace, drawing tight little circles on your clit and sucking hard. The hand on your breasts pinches the nipple, knowing that a little pain only heightens the sensation.

“Gods!” You finally scream, tummy clenching as the knot gets pulled taut. It’s all so overwhelming, a rapid barrage of new sensations. 

“Such an honor to bring you here, my treasure.” Petrina pants between her sucks, now pressing the flat of her tongue on to your button. “To help you reach these heights. To help you come undone.”

Your moans have become breathy, practically panting as your heartbeat pounds like a drum. Something is coming, some tidal wave you can’t help but be pulled under.

“I-m-I’m-!”

Petrina’s arm burns but she never falters, watches the slick splatter against her palm as she fingers you. They are strong and dextrous, expertly tending to the fire that is your climax.

“Let it come, jewel. Let yourself come.”

That is your undoing, the simple command snapping that taut bowstring like scissors. Your back arches as you cum against Petrinas mouth and palm, oozing juices down her jaw. Her snakes go wild, fighting for tastes of the sticky trails, flickering expectant tongues against your thighs and the bottom of your ass cheeks.

Petrina lets you ride out the high on her face, letting you collapse on the bed in a slump. It can be exhausting coming that intensely, especially for someone like her treasure.

You don’t flinch when she kisses the side of your face, when her snakes leave their own little kisses across your chest and neck. You take long, slow breaths. You seemed to have fallen asleep.

Petrina lays there, watching you for hours as you rest. The light of the moon shines on your sweaty body, a perfect picture of beauty.

“Sweet dreams, my treasure.”

[born-to-riot]

Idk if this counts as a Drabble but basically it starts as me theorizing an event in Prythian and then turns into ‘what if Azris’

WC: 3,325

(TW: A/B/O, loosely nsfw, talks of breeding, male omegas have cocklets and boypussies).

Okay but hear me out.

I want a Prythian mating run

Make it A/B/O (along with their regular magic powers) (however maybe there’s some traditional powder that participants are required to take so that it dampens their powers and awakens the alpha/beta/omega inside of them)

It’s primal, the lopers start first. Battling each other to find and make the best den and claim territory for them to bring their runner back to once they catch them.

After a while, they catch the scents of the runners filtering throughout the forest. That’s when the game truly begins.

the runners don’t make it easy (usually betas and omegas)

(What’s point of making it easy when you’re strong and want to make the alpha/beta prove they are worthy and can breed you full of strong pups)

(Any second gender is allowed to sign up in any position: runner or loper)

(For example, just last season the alpha prince of Adriata, Varian, shocked Prythian when rumors spread that he signed up to be a runner. The shock multiplied when it was rumored that he was caught by the scariest and tiniest alpha of Prythian, Amren of the Night Court. Legend has it the two came out four days after the mating run covered in blood and scratches but are now inseparable).

It’s all about scent.

Only unmated faes can participate. Think of the occasion like an annual festival to see if two halves of a whole can find one another.

Not every pair who comes together will be mates as an actual mating bond is rare to find (also sometimes the pairs aren’t even the most compatible scent-wise be it alpha athleticism, an omega caught in a trap, or just the luck of the catch) but usually by the time an loper catches an runner, both of their pheromones have their instincts roaring.

But if you are mates or just are the most compatible for one another… oh the mother will let you know. There will be some other force pushing the runner to go faster, there is something that pushes the loper to be more violent about ridding the runner’s trail of other lopers running after the same scent. The closer they get to one another the wetter the omegas cunt gets the heavier an alphas cock, even betas will adjust accordingly depending on whether they are a runner or a loper.

Azris below the cut

Now let’s say Eris enters the race this year as a runner. Years prior he’s been forced by his father to sign up as a loper despite the fact that he’s technecially an omega, which is fine (but dangerous- some fellow lopers would get distracted by his scent and try to go after him. While he always fought them off he can’t deny the inner thrill of the chase) and Some years he’s caught good scents and has even followed some of them, hunted them. Usually though, his interest would fade and he would just return to his den and hang out in his nest until the event was over.

Not this year, this year, instead of just going to the Autumn run, Eris heard a rumor that a certain Shadowsinger would finally be participating in an intercourt run. He hated himself for being weak to the temptation but ever since he felt the other’s scarred hands around his neck Eris’ inner omega can’t fight the fantasy of being knotted by the Illyrian.

Eris doesn’t tell his father that he’s signing up as a runner, of course. He just lets the man know that he is going to try his luck with a wider pool of runners to choose from- which Beron accepted.

There is a gathering before the run, this is where runners and lopers can mingle and familiarize each other with scents that intrigue them. Legend has it that it is at one of these minglings where Thesan and his lover first made contact. Eris goes to this meeting and tries to mingle. He talks to many handsome and beautiful lopers, but he doesn’t feel his cocklet twitch until he makes eye contact with Azriel, who is staring at him from across the room, over the head of the third archeron sister. Elain.

Shit. Eris can’t believe he let himself forget about the newest object of Azriel’s affections. He can’t believe he even allowed himself to hope for just a minute that the Shadowsinger might return his interest. He can’t believe he let himself think that he smelt the other’s cedar infused arousal back when he whispered in his ear at the High Lord’s meeting.

Eris quickly sidesteps so that he’s out of view of the Shadowsinger but he can’t rid himself of the memory of his hazel eyes. Maybe his father was right, he should never be a runner because omegas let their thoughts get clouded by their cunts.

Eris knows he should leave the gathering before Azriel could have the opportunity to spread the word to whatever other members of the Inner Circle that are present. But his inner omega is waging war against him. Give him your scent. We are the most worthy omega in here. Eris isn’t so sure if he agrees with that, but he’s come this far and defied his father by opening up the possibility for a son of Autumn to be caught and bred. He supposes it won’t hurt to give the alpha a reminder of the scent he should be hunting.

So Eris moves, head held high. He walks around the edges of the room, dodging wanting alphas who approach him. He stops once he’s two meters away from the present members of the Night Court Inner Circle, facing the back of Azriel’s wings that separate him from the two ladies in front of him—Mor and Elain. The two female fae are chatting with one another and Azriel is clearly focused on analyzing the room around him— at least Eris assumes so based on the slight movements of the black haired man’s head.

Shining gold twinkles at the corner of Eris’ eye and grabs his attention. He spies a tall spring court alpha adorned in gold jewelry. The male is not Tamlin but he sure is beautiful, Eris can’t help but think. He sees the golden male approaching his direction at the same time Eris recognizes a semi-familiar shadow flitting by him. He has an idea.

Eris waits as the golden alpha comes closer and closer and he makes note that the shadow that was passing by has stilled and attempted to blend in with the natural darkness of the wall nearest to him. Eris feels a smirk form on his face as he thinks about the fact that the Shadowsinger has no idea that Eris knows each and every time the male is watching him.

Finally, the golden alpha gets close enough and Eris purposefully angles himself so that the other will ‘accidentally’ knock into him. The plan goes accordingly and soon Eris is letting out a pointed gasp as the Spring Court Alpha catches him by the waist with an apology. Eris laughs then, purposefully emitting his toasted maple and almond scent as if he was truly embarrassed. Eris waves the golden alpha away, smiling as if he wasn’t disgusted by his musk of freshly cut grass, and calmly readjusts his blazer before walking towards the exit of the gathering. It’s not until after he takes two steps out of the door that he hears footsteps behind him and sees a shadow in front of him that mimics the lines of the familiar pair of wings that never seem to escape his mind.

“Why hello Azriel,” Eris says, pausing his movements, listening as the footsteps get louder as the Shadowsinger approaches him from behind. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“I think I should be saying that to you,” Eris can’t help but bite back a keen as he smells the other’s cedar aura. Azriel grabs him by the waist—his hand covering the exact same spot where the Spring Court alpha had held Eris earlier— and turns him around to face him. Eris is proud of himself for maintaining an unimpressed expression on his face as he feels his cunt clench around nothing.

Eris tries not to show how much Azriel affects him, he tries not to cry as the Shadowsinger releases him and puts his hands back in his pockets. He tries to convince himself that he isn’t desperate for this alpha to chase him tomorrow, to accept his challenge, to want him.

“Are you a runner or a loper?” Azriel asks, surprising Eris as the Autumn Court male was expecting some sort of snarky comment that is typical of a member of the Night Court when it comes to him.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Eris smirks in a manner that he knows irritates the other, hoping for Azriel to let out more of his scent.

“I’ve heard you usually spend your mating run in Autumn as a loper… that you haven’t…” Azriel trails off, his scent growing stronger as he completes the sentence internally. Eris takes a step closer to Azriel.

“That I haven’t taken anyone back to my nest? That I haven’t been bred yet?” He asks, “What is it Azriel, what have you heard?”

What do you want, alpha? Eris shushes his inner omega.

“I’ve heard you’ve chased hundreds of runners but none of them have satisfied you enough to finish the chase.”

Eris spies Azriel gulp and his wings twitch as he says so.

“What you’ve heard is true,” Eris admits and shivers as he senses Azriel’s cedar musk grow stronger. He feels his own inner omega screaming inside of him, begging him to let out his own maple and almond in response. He feels heat pooling in his stomach and he knows he needs to exit this conversation soon before his inner omega takes over completely.

“Are you running?” Azriel asks, stepping even closer to Eris. Eris glares at him, hating that Azriel’s curiosity is feeding into his inner hope that the male might be interested in him.

“Maybe, not that it should matter to you with the remaining Archeron sister in the mix,” Eris crosses his arms over his chest.

“It doesn’t matter to me, I just want to know,” Azriel insists. Eris rolls his eyes. Liar.

“Okay Shadowsinger, whatever you say,” Eris nods at the other and starts to walk off towards his tent, trying not to get his hopes up.

“Eris, wait!” Azriel calls out to him, causing Eris to pause.

“Yes?” He asks, turning around to face the other who hasn’t moved from has spot.

“I…” Eris feels more heat pool into his core at the growl of frustration that Azriel lets out.

“I fucking hate you, but I need to know,” Azriel sounds a mix of conflicted and determined. That is more than what Eris was expecting so he’ll take a win where he can.

“The only thing I will tell you is…,” Eris starts as he approaches Azriel, figuring this is his best chance to let the other know his intentions. Almost as if the Shadowsinger is in a trance he takes a couple steps forward to meet Eris, bringing the two chest to chest. Eris is taller but Azriel is wider with muscles and his wings.

“Hmm” Azriel hums, prompting him. Eris watches as Azriel removes his hands from his pockets and starts to clench and unclench them.

Tell him, his inner omega encourages. Eris knows this is his only chance to get what he wants. If he were to get caught by another loper, not mate him, and his father finds out Eris knows he will never be allowed to participate in another mating run again unless it’s in Autumn and he is loping.

“I’m tired of being empty, Azriel. I want pups, I want a partner, I’m tired of pretending I’m not interested in you,” Eris ignores how Azriel widens his eyes in surprise and continues before he loses his courage, knowing he would be executed by his father if the man ever found out Eris was so weak to his instincts.

“I know what I smelled in that High Lord’s meeting, your hands were around my throat but your alpha was in your eyes and he was daring me not to disobey. I could smell that you wanted me and I can tell that every time you’ve looked at me since you’ve been thinking about it,” Eris sniffs as he feels a tear coming to his eyes, he knows his dream is impossible but he also owes himself one last chance to see it through.

“Remember my scent, Azriel,” Eris shakily reaches out for one of Azriel’s scared hands and takes it into his own, ignoring how his inner omega screams in delight at the contact. Azriel doesn’t resist as Eris brings the shadowsinger’s wrist up to his neck and rubs it against his scent gland before releasing it. He briefly eyes how Azriel’s wings seem to spread wider around the two of them, almost like he’s trying to block Eris from the sight of anyone who may walk by. Eris refuses to get his hopes up, even as he notes how carefully Azriel brings his now-scented hand back to his side.

“Do know, Azriel, if you decide to try and catch me, I won’t make it easy for you. If you successfully catch me, I’ll try to break loose and force you to catch me again. If you give me no other options but to submit to you, I will never let you go. I don’t give second chances, I can’t afford to,” Eris’ amber eyes stay locked on Azriel’s returning hazel gaze, “I refuse to settle for anything less than what I deserve and do not think I will wait for you if some other alpha proves to be stronger.”

Azriel alpha lets out a growl at that statement. Eris ignores the surprise that blinks into Azriel’s eyes at his own reaction and he takes a step back so he can communicate his thoughts clearly—he also begs his inner omega to shut the fuck up about how badly Azriel’s alpha clearly wants them, Eris knows that hope only leads to disappointment. However, Eris also knows that he can’t afford to have any regrets here, so he must finish his piece.

“Think about what you want, Azriel. Don’t let your guilt or loyalty influence your decision. I will say this only once: I refuse to be your back-up option, if you come after me, you better want me.”

With that Eris turns around before Azriel can say anything or shift his expression in response to Eris pouring out his soul for the other to see. He quickly walks away, trying to ignore the eyes he can feel boring into his back as he does so.

That night in his tent Eris weighs the merits of following through with running. The mating run is about lopers chasing the most compatible scent. It’s a bloody affair, lopers often fight each other if they sense another alpha on the path to their runner of desire and even once the loper catches a runner any respectful runner will fight back and make them work for it.

The pre gathering is often a time for lopers and runners to first get familiarized with some scents so they can maybe find one they want to chase the next morning. If he is being honest with himself, Eris is a little embarrassed at how much weakness he showed Azriel in admitting he wants the other to consider him. But Eris also is someone who isn’t afraid to go after what he wants and he knows that realistically this is his only chance. Also he knows that Azriel’s family has probably planted doubts in Azriel’s head so Eris needed to make sure the other saw him as a possible mate.

As Eris lays down to sleep that night, he imagines how tomorrow could go if Azriel decides to choose him. The lopers would get up earlier and paint themselves in their chosen ritualistic symbols from their courts and that represent themselves. The runners would all gather behind the lopers as they line up to race into the forest, ready to compete to find and make the best den before the runners begin. Maybe if Eris is lucky, Azriel will give him a sign that he’s made his decision, that he is going to be coming after him. If that’s the case then Eris knows he won’t be able to stop his cunt from releasing juices as he bathes himself in preparation during the dedicated time while the lopers are in the forest and building dens. Eris would wait with the other runners once he was done, strategizing and planning against possible traps and obstacles that will be in his way. He knows he has an advantage as the heir of Autumn, even if the special powder they take dampen his powers, he grew up jumping from tree to tree along with all his siblings. Eris knows his inner omega will be singing and he will happily take a backseat once it’s finally time to run. He trusts his omega to guide him where to go and he trust in his own strength to keep him safe.

Eris knows he smells good, maple and almonds make a lovely mix and he knows his inner omega won’t be able to stop radiating his scent like a beacon. Eris is only interested in one alpha, and the powder doesn’t affect his wings as they are additional limbs. So he knows if Azriel comes for him, he would come from above. Eris imagines hopping from tree to tree staying under the cover of leaves. He imagines being stuck at one point, up high, the next tree too far for him to make the leap and a crowd of drooling alphas waiting for him to fall. He imagines Azriel finally swooping in and growling at them all, taking care of them viscously. Eris knows his cunt would be dripping at the sight but he also knows that he couldn’t watch he’d have to keep moving.

Eris doesn’t know how Azriel would finally catch him but Eris knows that he’d fight with every fiber of his being, he’d want Azriel to prove that he wants him, that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to claim him, that he’s strong enough to father their pups. He knows that his cunt will be throbbing once he finally submits and he hopes Azriel will take a moment to taste him before he flies them to his den.

Eris imagines that Azriel would probably set up his den in a cave on a mountain, higher than other alphas, easy to defend and probably close to a water and food source. He imagines that Azriel would be thoughtful and supply the cave with nesting materials for Eris to use once he brings him there.

Eris doesn’t even want to imagine what comes next as he knows the idea of Azriel breeding him over and over and claiming him will give him too much hope.

Eris falls asleep, oblivious to the shadows that occupy his tent, their master not planning on letting his dream omega slip away from him when he finally has a chance to make him his.

____________

OKAY so I wasn’t planning to write all of this, it’s kind of just a story I want to happen but I am too lazy to fully write myself.

But any thoughts?

Also lopers don’t have to kill rival lopers but there’s nothing against it if they do… azriel most definitely will eliminate threats.

(Also this is just an idea, if someone were to write something like this I would spread my legs for them especially if they added smut and gore WOOT)

NVM IM GONNA WRITE IT MYSELF MUAHAHHAHAAHA

[insert-random-account-name]

Crappy Character Analysis, part 10

It's so weird to almost be done with these. I feel like I'm going to start having to start analyzing other characters. BTW I struggled really hard on Hunted, so PLEASE correct anything you think I misrepresented.

part 1 (Broken) part 2 (Skeptic) part 3 (Cold)

part 4 (Paranoid) part 5 (Stubborn) part 6 (Contrarian)

part 7 (Smitten) part 8 (Opportunist) part 9 (Cheated)

part 11 (Hero)

VOICE OF THE HUNTED

Hunted is one of the voices who simply isn’t talked about. His contributions to the game are usually in short sentence fragments, and only when absolutely necessary. Unlike the other voices, he never bothers with pleasantries or pointless speculation. He is focused, and to the point. In the chapters he appears in, he serves as your fight or flight, using instinct to guide you. He’s probably best known for his efforts in the EoTN, where he guides you to victory, helping you dodge her attacks. In his own chapter 2, he is significantly less helpful, his prey instincts leading you to inevitable death at the jaws of a predator. In the Den, he makes a partial comeback, and relates to the beast form of the Princess with his own animalistic tendencies. He also does his best to help you in the Razor, but due to the structure of the chapters, his efforts are in vain. As previously stated, there isn’t a lot of content in relation to Hunted, since he doesn’t talk very much, preferring to keep moving.

Hunted is a creature of instinct. You get him by taking on the “prey” role in predator vs. prey, reacting instead of acting. For example, retrieving the blade on a gut feeling, but still falling for the Princess’ obvious trap. He represents the fight or flight ingrained in your system, the primitive nature that takes over in times of trouble. This is represented in how he refers to the blade as a “steel claw”, showing how he views it more as a part of yourself than a tool. He wants, above all else, to be safe. Hunted’s wishes are what make him reactive, since attacking a more powerful being head-on is extremely dangerous. His style of fighting is more defensive, waiting for his opponent to make the first move, as seen in the EoTN. He values your life above all else, and refuses to die if there is even the tiniest chance of you escaping alive. In the Beast, if you get eaten, he will encourage you to cut through her stomach lining rather than choosing a quick end for yourself. This is because of his sense of impermanence. There is only the here and now for Hunted. He doesn’t care whether or not you’ll come back, because you’re alive now, and he’d rather you stay that way. Although he hates staying still, he still does think out his plans, suggesting a higher level of sapience than his typical dialogue gives credit for. He doesn’t work well with too many voices, only really meshing with Stubborn, since he feels that noise is distracting. This is really all I have on him. Hunted is very hard to find depth in, since part of his design is being more surface-level.

[rosanna-writer]

shaking, pacing (i just need you)

Summary: The one where Rhys gets sex-pollen'd and hulks out into his beast form. Word Count: ~2.5k Warnings: Dubious consent

@officialfeysandweek is the gift that keeps on giving <3

You can read the fic Here on AO3 or under the cut.

Halfway through Keir's latest report, talons scraped against Feyre's mind. She ignored them. It took all of her concentration to maintain a mask of bored indifference while still keeping a mental tally as her Steward listed out the expenses and costs of running the court. She needed to focus.

"With the cost of steel rising, the Darkbringer legions' annual budget—"

More scraping. Desperate this time, claws scrabbling for a chink somewhere, anywhere in the adamant shields protecting her mind.

Feyre opened the tiniest sliver in her mental walls possible, glancing down at her nails and picking at them to cover her distraction. Is everything alright, Rhys?

The moment his shields dropped, a wave of pure need slammed into her. Biting the inside of her lip before she made any embarrassing noises, Feyre crossed her legs, hating the feel of the cold stone against her bare thighs.

Trips to the Court of Nightmares had been so much more comfortable when she could spend the whole visit in Rhys's lap.

Just the mere thought of the first time they'd come here drew out a desperate moan from Rhys, the sound of it reverberating in her mind. Insatiable, even for him.

What the hell is going on?

I'm aching for you so badly.

Feyre slammed down her shields—her horny mate could wait. Especially when he knew perfectly well that she was holding court in the Hewn City.

"The price of steel has risen, but surely not by that much?" she said.

Keir's eyes widened, though Feyre couldn't say whether in panic or merely just surprise that she'd noticed. "Milady, demand increased during the war with Hybern," he said, as if she didn't already know that.

"And then dropped back down. Are the ministers working under you using outdated estimates to set the court budget?"

"If they are, I'll see to it that their incompetence is punished swiftly."

He hadn't actually answered her question. Feyre allowed herself a cold smile. "I'm more than happy to mete out any punishments myself."

Keir stammered something in response, but before Feyre could press him any further, those damned ebony talons found the crack she kept unsealed in case of emergencies. They nearly ripped their way into her mind.

This time, she let Rhysand feel the full force of her anger down the bond; if he needed release, he could take care of himself or wait an hour. She didn't need a distraction during her first solo visit to the Court of Nightmares.

Especially when the bloated budget estimates practically screamed that some bastard was embezzling from the court treasury.

Not now, Rhysand.

Please. It hurts…

He'd practically whimpered the words, and Feyre's blood ran cold. Rhys yielded to her in ways he wouldn't for anyone else in the world, but he didn't beg. Not unless something was wrong.

In her panic, she'd lost track of what Keir was saying. "Is that so?" she said, hoping he'd repeat himself enough for her to pick up the thread of conversation.

Rhys, what happened?

An image crossed the bond—Rhys's cock, painfully hard, and his fingers wrapped around the shaft. Despite the vice-like grip, he felt no relief at all as he stroked himself.

Feyre didn't see how that answered her question. And Keir was looking at her strangely. Cauldron boil and fry her.

She sat up a bit straighter, unwilling to look rattled. On another day, she would have merely apologized for rescheduling and said something vague about a urgent matter at home. But Feyre couldn't afford to appear weak. Not here in this den of vipers, where she'd once been introduced as a plaything.

There were far more eyes on her than just Keir's. Everyone in the Hewn City wanted to know if their young, newly-crowned High Lady could command a room without her mate or her Inner Circle nearby.

And, if she was honest, Feyre needed to prove it to herself, too.

A glass of wine sat next to her, and she swirled it lazily as she leaned back in the throne. "I'm not convinced by those justifications. If we're paying too much for swords, then plenty of other merchants will be eager to bleed us dry."

"Perhaps it hasn't been explained to you, milady, but if the updated budget isn't completed by—"

"Fire your clerks, complete a more thorough review, and get back to me."

Keir gaped at her like a fish, and Feyre hardly had time to enjoy it before Rhys was tugging urgently on the bond again. Her hand tightened around the stem of her wineglass.

Feyre, please. I need you.

She fought off a shudder as Rhys shared the image of his hand spreading a bead of wetness all the way down his length. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she felt sharp teeth biting down in frustration. The wine in her goblet began to bubble.

I'll be home soon, I promise.

Sheets tangling around tattooed knees, a sweat-slicked chest, the scent of arousal filling the air.

It feels like I'll explode if I don't bury myself inside you right this minute.

Feyre pushed a wave of soothing, star-flecked power down the bond towards him. It wasn't enough—not even close—but she couldn't storm off in a huff without creating more problems down the line.

She pretended to take a sip of wine, using magic to make a cheekful of liquid vanish instead of actually drinking any. With Rhys acting so strangely, she didn't want to run the risk of getting poisoned.

"High Lady, please reconsider. There's hardly enough time for another draft of the proposal before the deadline."

Feyre loosened her grip on her power, letting darkness fill the room. She'd barely skimmed the surface of the well she could draw from, but just that much was enough to send some of the courtiers falling to their knees.

A glimmer of wicked delight cut through the haze of lust on Rhys's end of the bond.

"You should be thanking me for the opportunity to do better," Feyre said. "I still have half a mind to flay the skin from your bones for presenting me with slapdash work."

Keir bowed his head. "A thousand pardons, milady."

Feyre stood, the heels of her shoes clicking as her feet hit the floor. By some miracle, a damp spot hadn't appeared where the panels of her dress hung around her legs. The scent of her arousal would drift out to the crowd if she stayed in the throne room much longer.

"You'd do well not to waste my time again. I'll be back when you've corrected your mistakes," she said, punctuating it with a thunderclap as she winnowed home.

She materialized directly in their bedroom in the river house. Rhys's scent and the sound of his ragged breathing filled the air, and a light sheen of sweat coated his naked body. He writhed on the bed, dark wings spread painfully wide across the duvet. One hand fisted around his cock.

Feyre's throat tightened—the sight of her mate's beautiful face twisted in pain called to mind the memory of poisoned arrows, a cave, a past brush with death. "I can call a healer, if you need," she breathed.

"I need you," he snarled. His voice had gone rough. Bestial.

As Feyre took a step towards Rhys, a tendril of inky night leaked from him, the flecks of starlight glittering as it snaked towards her. It wrapped around her wrist and yanked her roughly onto the bed. She cried out in surprise as the crown tumbled from her head and clattered to the floor.

Rhys moved with inhuman speed as he rolled her onto her back, pinning her down. Something scraped up her leg—gods, when had his fingers turned to talons?—and Feyre used a flicker of magic to make her clothes vanish before he ripped them.

His mother had made that gown. Rhys wasn't in his right mind.

Scales brushed the soft skin inside her thighs as he nudged her legs apart. Feyre let him. If she fought him in this state, they'd level half of Velaris.

She arched her back, tipping her head to the side to bare her neck. Yielding to him. "You have me," she said.

A forked tongue licked a stripe up the skin she'd just exposed. He'd once told her he could smell with his tongue as a beast—perhaps her scent soothed him.

"Rhysand," she said, reaching down the bond for him even as she spoke aloud. "You don't have to stop, but tell me what's going on. Please."

His cock slid along her clit, sending a lightning bolt of pleasure racing down her spine. Feyre gasped. Rhys growled.

He was aligning himself to thrust into her, she realized. There would be no stopping it. But at the very least, she could attempt to mitigate the damage, so she hooked a leg around his hip and winnowed them both straight to the bed in the cabin in Illyria.

Rhys didn't notice the change of scenery. He'd stopped bothering with shields—stopped bothering with thinking in words, even. Animalistic satisfaction at the feel of her wetness flooded his side of the bond.

The half-second was all she needed to summon a pillow under her hips, placing her at a better angle for taking the beast's cock. He'd gone slowly last time he'd fucked her like this, and even then, she'd had trouble walking the next day.

He wasn't going to be gentle today.

The tip of his cock pressed against her entrance, and at the first stretch, Feyre gave up reasoning with him. She pushed her way into Rhys's mind and rifled through it, looking for answers.

Flowers with ominous black petals. Elain's greenhouse. A sickly-sweet smell.

He slid into her, snapping his hips and breaking Feyre's concentration. Her hands scrabbled for purchase, for something—anything—to hold onto. Spines had erupted from his back, a line of them between his wings, and her fingers closed around one, gripping as if it were the last thing tethering her to the world.

The pace he set was nothing short of punishing, each thrust all the way to the hilt. Feyre burned all over, so full she thought he might rip her in two. She tried pressing her hips up to chase the feeling of pleasure, but he was moving too damn fast for her to keep up.

With a whimper, she buried her face in the crook of his neck. There was nothing to be done but spread her legs until her thighs ached and let her mate take what he needed from her.

Feyre let the feeling of utter fullness drift down the bond to him. It blended with the pure relief that shattered through him each time his cock sank into her. Mind-to-mind, the borders between them blurred—their thoughts, their power, their souls becoming one, mixing like paint.

Somehow, even with Rhys's cock driving mercilessly into her, Feyre decided she'd put that on a canvas.

Someone roared—Rhys perhaps, but Feyre's own throat went raw. She'd lost track of she ended and he began, and she clung to him tightly as they shattered together, all starlight then nothing but sweet darkness.

Feyre's breath was still coming in soft pants when she opened her eyes. She'd hoped that would be enough to bring Rhys back to himself, but the spines at the tip of his tail were already caressing their way up her leg.

The forked tongue licked her cheek. Softer, this time. Affectionate. It drew a surprised giggle out of her, and he purred in response.

She wasn't quite sure how long this lull would last, so Feyre wasted no time reaching into his mind again. Either too tired to talk or still unable to reinforce his shields, Rhys let her. She flipped through the memories as efficiently as she could to avoid violating is privacy any further. When she found the right one, Feyre stepped into it.

"Would you mind horribly if I took a few cuttings?" Rhys had been saying. "I'd like to gift a bouquet to Feyre when she returns from her first visit to the Court of Nightmares alone."

Elain smiled up at him from under a large, floppy sunhat. "You're welcome to anything if it's for Feyre. Just give the planters in the back of the greenhouse a wide berth. It's a new variety, and we're still looking into the effects of the pollen."

Rhys had licked his thumb and wiped a smudge of dirt off Elain's cheek as he thanked her. Elain had rolled her eyes and batted his hand away with some good-natured grumbling about never wanting a brother before turning back to the rosebush she'd been pruning.

The jet-black petals had caught Rhys's eye the second he'd stepped into the greenhouse. The perfect gift for a dark queen. And something smelled alluring, drawing him in.

He hadn't noticed the other set of bright red blooms on the shelf below until they'd already released spores into the air. And then, there was nothing to be done.

"You absolute idiot," Feyre said, pulling out of Rhys's mind. His snout nuzzled her cheek, breath warm against her skin, and Feyre flicked his nose, just as she would if he'd returned to his usual form. He purred again. "I cannot believe you—" she started to add, but another delicious stretch made her gasp.

He'd shifted his hips. Rhys's cock was still inside her, growing large again.

She'd save the lecture for after the second round, then. Or the third. If he wanted to go all night, Feyre certainly didn't mind. She reached a hand up, skimming the underside of his wing with her fingertips. His cock twitched against her walls, sending sparks dancing along her skin. Rhys's answering growl went straight to her core.

"Fuck your seed back into me," she whispered, pressing harder against the silky membrane of his wing as she caressed it again.

His growl became a roar. Feyre held on tight and opened her legs wider.

It was nearly morning by the time the last of the scales faded, the talons disappeared, and Rhys's pupils were no longer vertical slits. Too exhausted to bother fixing the mess of shredded bedding around them, Feyre and Rhys lay in the middle of it, curled around each other.

"I'm sorry for interrupting earlier," Rhys whispered. Feyre had buried her face in his shoulder, and he peppered kisses all over the parts of her cheek and nose he could reach. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

"S'alright," she murmured, already drifting off. "You're not that scary."

"I am eternally grateful that you think so, my love."

Feyre hummed contentedly. She'd banded an arm across his broad chest, and she used it to pull him closer. For a moment, Rhys thought she'd finally fallen asleep; his eyes had also closed when she whispered, "Next time, I get to be the one who sniffs the pollen."

The Lord and Lady of Nightmares had never had sweeter dreams.

[tnypaws]

Cleaning time !! I have been setting up regression accounts on other sites and trying to find more spaces for me :3. Hopefully, my den will be cute and tiny, and I can show it off, too !

[chickwiththepurpleguitar]

I Did It!!!!

Thank you so much to everyone who sent me prompts to help me reach my 2024 writing goal. As of about five minutes ago, I completed it!!! I wrote an average of 500 words every day for 366 days, and you guys were SO great and helpful in me getting there. To celebrate, my final writing of the year is 5 snippets about some of our favorite blorbos celebrating New Year's Eve together. I asked five friends to pick the pairings, so I'll tag them next to their snippet. If you're still waiting on a prompt to be filled, I do plan to get to them in the New Year, but probably with way less haste. You guys are awesome, thank you so much for reading my work!

Julie & Flynn: for @joyandthephantoms

“Okay!” Julie says decisively, settling herself up against the headboard of her bed with her notebook poised in her lap. “Who wants to go first?”

Flynn, lying on her stomach down the bed from her, feet kicked in the air as she taps her pen against her own notepad, says, “You, cause I’m still working through some of mine.”

“Well, hurry up cause it’s almost midnight.” Julie holds her notebook up like a hymn book and begins to read. “First of all, my word for the year is!” Pause for dramatic effect. “Ease.”

“Ooh, love it. Very Eat, Pray, Love. Go on.”

Damien & Mark: for @starchemist

“So, uh,” Damien says, voice low and gruff in the dark of the hotel room. They’re lying tucked up against each other, Mark’s back to Damien’s chest, Damien’s arm wrapped around him. The Ball Drop, still about forty minutes away, is playing softly on the TV, but they’ve been much more focused on each other than Times Square.

“Yeah?” Mark says when he doesn’t go on, barely a whisper.

“New year usually means, like. New you, and all that bullshit. Resolutions. Airing your grievances and whatever.”

Mark turns his head to look at him. “I’m not telling anyone about us.”

“Oh, thank God.”

Willie & Alex: for @skeletaltoad

Their friends started counting down about a minute and a half ago, because Reggie gave a whole speech on December 23rd about how “it’s really not fair that the last ten seconds of the year are the only ones that get recognized, when really we’ve been counting down since midnight on last New Year’s Eve” etc etc and wouldn’t shut up until they agreed to start the vocal countdown at 90.

Willie and Alex haven’t been counting with them. They’ve been sitting on the floor of the Molinas’ living room, holding hands and staring into each other’s eyes, preparing themselves for their first New Year’s Kiss.

Nick & Carrie: for @queenofthequillandink

At 10:00, her dad goes to bed, so Carrie sets Nick up on the couch in the den with about fourteen blankets and The Holiday on streaming.

At 11:00, she paints his nails a festive shade of pink and orders a large pizza with everything for them to share.

At 11:30, they make twin hot fudge sundaes with about a million toppings each. 

At 11:45, Carrie puts the Ball Drop on and makes fun of Ryan Seacrest, as per tradition.

At midnight, they ring in the new year. A year of healing, of friendship, of peace. Still by each other’s sides.

Caleb & Adam: for @staystrange

“How’s the party?” Adam says on the screen, a red solo cup in his hand.

“Loud,” Caleb says, rubbing absently at his chest, and they both know he doesn’t just mean the volume. “I wish you were here.”

“I know, me too. We’ll ring in next year together.” Adam glances over his shoulder, and Caleb can hear someone (probably Caitlin) shouting from the next room. “I’m being summoned for the count down.”

“You’ll come back to kiss me, won’t you?”

Adam smiles at him— the tiniest smile ever, which means it’s the most real. “Of course I will. Happy New Year, babe.”

“Happy New Year.”

--

Taglist:

@pandoradeloeste

@genericgirl420

@sizzlingjudgebanditpaper

@ziggy-st4dust

@flibbertigibbety-jibber-jabber

@friendlyfishboy

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@ddaxnggirl

@trustworthytoast

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@fangirl17-07

@manualamadrugada

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@moonlit-asthers

[cowpokeomens]

Pairing: Joakim "Jolly" Karlsson x Reader

Word Count: 436

Warnings: Tooth-rotting fluff, nothing more!

something short n soft to help you sleep <3 anyways my dm's are always open to talk abt Hozier hehe goodnight friends!

You understand how the weather works, loosely. You understand enough to be able to predict that February would be even colder than December, that the chances of snow increase dramatically during the second month of the year due to- what? El Niño? God? Whoever, whatever. It gets cold. 

Which makes it all the more insulting that you had really thought setting your thermostat to sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit would be sufficient enough to keep your body warm through the night and into the morning. 

You awaken because your feet are blocks of ice, and you’re absolutely certain that if you leave them out from the covers a second longer, they’ll fall off due to frostbite. Sensing warmth nearby, your body burrows further into the mountain of covers and pillows, until your face collides with something smooth, soft, and delightfully toasty.

“Your nose is a fucking icicle.” A disembodied voice calls from above your den of warmth. 

Shimmying impossibly closer, you hum, “You’re so warm.” There’s a sigh, then your wall of heat is removed temporarily as your partner turns over to face you. Pleased with this new angle, you immediately attach yourself to his chest, feet coming up to rest between his legs.

 He jumps at the contact, skin impossibly hotter than your poor, frozen feet. “Motherfuck- Do you have a pulse? No, I’m being so serious, stop laughing, I think you’re hypothermic-”

You let out another pleased hum, wiggling your toes as you crack an eye open to look up at him. Long hair is barely tied back into a low ponytail, beard scruffy even by his standards. His chest is bare, displaying a myriad of tattoos that are so familiar they might as well be your own. Dark eyes meet yours, and the tenderness there has you melting in more ways than one. 

“Good morning, Joakim.” You rasp, giving him the tiniest smile. 

A set of lips presses against your forehead, the gentlest kiss. The movement betrays his faux-exasperated tone as he says, “Good morning, baby.” Hand coming up to pet the back of your head slowly, he pulls you further into his chest.

“We need to turn up the heater.” You mumble into him, already drifting off again. 

“Can’t. If you get out of bed, you’ll freeze and die; If I get out of bed, you’ll freeze and die.” He reasons, still rubbing at your scalp soothingly.

You barely nod an affirmative. “True, you’re so smart.”

Humming in agreement, he settles back into bed, pulling you with him, the both of you content to fight off the cold for just a few more hours.

[l-in-the-light]

Chapter 1136 & 1137 commentary (and analysis)

New chapter, let's go :D time to analyze all the tiniest and obscure details probably most fans wouldn't even spend a second on lol. Lots of conversations this time, so there will be quite a lot of focus on context reading, something I should actually suck at by definition ;)

Last choice is basically "show me the results", just made it an actual option haha. Come on, betting is fun, so what if we end up being wrong :D

Wait, is that Who's who base? Even the guys inside wear the characteristic cat ears of his crew. Will we finally learn what's up with him?? But this is just a cover story, so any answers we will discover won't really be that clear, I guess (because no actual dialogues). But it's still interesting. It's like we're Momotaro again venturing into the den of Oni haha. And we have lion-dog, a centaur lady and little ninja girl for trusty companions instead of dog, monkey and a pheasant. Also Yamato's face when they peek inside the base is priceless :D

But wait, isn't Yamato the oni? So it's actually reversed Momotaro tale, we're cheering for oni and defeating the hero?? damn, now I got myself confused LOL.

I love how Luffy says his thanks not only to Hajrudin, but Stansen as well! He cares about everyone, not just the leaders of groups. And now that he got to know Stansen a bit better and got to interact with him, he's already treating him as a friend.

It's wholesome that it's Luffy thanking Stansen while not even taking credit himself for releasing him in Sabaody (last chapter Luffy just said it's awesome Stansen managed to get away, but never said anything even close in meaning to "you're welcome". If anything, he gives the credit back to Stansen in a way, underlying the fact that it was Stansen's own initiative that allowed him to get away in the end). It's like he only accepts half the credit and who does it remind me of? Trafalgar "give half of your thanks to Strawhat-ya" Law when he released Jean Bart, heh. It's of course all implied not said directly, but I even like it better this way.

Also hi Colon (doing a Nika pose as he runs and grins), aren't you too young for those drunken feasts? XD

No offense, Jarul, but that comment is sort of ignorant? Why is he glossing over this fact? I mean, it's clear to him *why* humans can't make their way up to "true Elbaf" (he points it out by himself!). It just shows that despite knowing the reason and about the obstacles, he doesn't ultimately care whether humans will make it up here or not, or die in the realm below. He claims humans will just flee, but we saw the underworld and many humans seemed to have stayed behind, despite being terrified and ending up relying on Loki for the lack of better options. Many humans must have also died there, eaten by the beasts or because of other circumenstances. We also saw what happens when pirates make it below, Giants have no problems attacking them. I don't think Giants in general like humans all that much, it's the level of "tolerance", at best.

I think what Jarul is not saying is that sure, they *might* don't mind humans, as long as they're somehow associated with some Giants (Shanks and his fleet, Luffy and the Strawhats). Which means if Kid never attacked anyone and instead bragged about defeating Big Mom, he could have been allowed to "actual Elbaf" as well. I will leave this food for thought here if anyone's hungry ;)

So, why is Jarul downplaying the reality like that? Is he trying to appeal to Luffy this way, perhaps because everyone in Elbaf seemed to have heard already that Luffy looks like a sun god?

Look who's bragging about defeating Oars and delivering the final blow, lol. Well, to be fair, all Strawhats delivered the final blow together, so technically he's not lying, he's just not mentioning this tiny fact.

So the Giants heard about "legendary warrior" Oars, interesting. We wanted to know if there's any sort of connection between Oars and the Giants for a while already and seems there is, indeed! We just don't know exactly what it is though XD if I were gonna guess, he was probably described in the infamous ancient text of Harley as well (he was born more than 500 years ago, so it's a possibility)! Or perhaps, once upon a time, Ancient Giants were considered to be the most "pure blooded" Giants and Elbaf used to be their home. Then they went extinct and the worship sort-of-ended, but not really, because ancient giant blood survived in some of the current giants, as we can see with the example of King Harold. Maybe he was even chosen to be king *thanks* to his horns/ancient giant blood. Him ripping off his horns would bring a new meaning then: to part with the old ways and to show his dedication to treat all Giants as equals. But isn't it Hajrudin's wish as well? It could point towards them sharing the same dream and King Harold influencing his son, hm. King Harold was at the very least not opposed to having a child with non-Elbaf Giants, and that's sort of a fact. But then Harold is also a father of Loki who proudly declares himself a god of destruction. Yeah, there's certainly some odd duality going on here with the king.

I'm still wondering whether Elbaf was once a different place, unrelated to any Giants, before they took over the New World.

I need to say Jimbei is taking those comments in good faith, I'm proud of him. Comments about skin color can be triggering, even if they're not meant in bad way. It's worth noting though that his first reaction is "!" which means it did alert him. If it was only neutral realization, the visual indication (on the far right, I marked it with a red frame) would be enough to communicate it to us. And I'm going to tackle this issue seriously and I don't care if most people would just brush it off as whatever. Giving this interaction some weight honestly makes reading this scene much more interesting than just seeing it as simple smalltalk, lol.

Jimbei laughs this comment off, as we can see the typical "laughter" visual cue next to Jimbei (also marked with red frame by me). But is it an honest reaction? I would say it's likely he's probably a bit divided inside about this. This is Jimbei, after all, the very same guy who declared in Marineford that he only follows those he personally acknowledges. He loved Whitebeard, he even wanted to die alongside him in the war, but he wouldn't even travel on his ship with him, instead swim beneath it, like he didn't want to be considered part of them. I think we can safely assume Jimbei wasn't very fond of humans or at least really wary of them, and that's likely something he kinda inherited from his beloved Fisher Tiger. His opinion about humans must be kinda bad as the result (but he would never admit it outloud, he's a very "keep everything to yourself" kind of guy), which can also explain his hesitation in joining Luffy's crew (yes, responsibilities were likely only part of the reason, but an important one!). But here he can see that not only humans but Giants can be untactful as well. This could be a small eye-opening moment for him, perhaps? I don't think he had many opportunities to interact with other races than humans and fishmen before, so this could be widening his horizons. You can't know things like that unless you travel the world yourself (or someone really open-minded who did that shares the stories with you). In his flashback, he also says fishmen and other races just need to understand each other, so here he is, experiencing it first hand.

This scene reminds me of some interesting details I read about before in anthropological books. Not only we as outsiders but native people themselves are almost always curious about body differences, any outstanding physical differences can bring out some curiosity. I saw similar remarks in books about Japanese culture. In one book a woman from overases joins a closed world of geishas and trains to become one herself. The others help her with applying the characteristic white make up, but realize their usual method doesn't work because of the longer nose of the woman, which of course results in a comment about it and a joke about their physical differences. Many Japanese caricatures of foreigners often emphasize their bigger or longer noses too, it's not always done tactfully, but it is a fact that differences tend to attract attention from both sides. We can see it reflected perfectly here with fascination about fishmen coming from the Giants from one side, and Sanji's fascination with the Giant women from the other.

Does it mean One Piece is untactful here? I actually wouldn't say so. Why? Because One Piece is full of characters with many different noses and body shapes, and yes, occassionaly even skin colors (despite all the controversies about whitewashing Usopp). My point is: when both sides are curious about each other and don't use their differences in judgemental way, it's just normal human curiosity. Here are some examples as to when it's not okay to point out a physical difference: when drawing harmful conclusions (like this: all asians have pretty and cute small noses while foreigners have ugly big ones), using them in completely unrelated contexts (why bring it up if it's not related to anything that's being talked atm?) or to underline the differences to point out their "otherness" (then it becomes an indirect message of "you don't belong, because you look different than us"). But I will allow everyone to draw their own conclusions, this is just my opinion on this particular scene, not on the topic in general (which is a much more complex and sensitive issue).

But back to the scene. Of course the topic quickly turns to fantasies about mermaids lol. I wonder if Sanji might have derailed the topic there slightly on purpose? Like yes, he would use probably any occassion to talk about his fantasies, but it's worth noting that he also stayed around Jimbei. Maybe he wanted to keep an eye on what people talk about to him or around him, you know? And we know Sanji is a very considerate and caring guy for everyone in his crew (but not only limited to his crew), so I wouldn't put it past him that he sticked around Jimbei on purpose just so he can tactfully control the topic of conversation, so it doesn't become offensive. But also just because staying around Jimbei means he might inevitably be able to brag about mermaids lol. Still, he quickly changes the topic of mermaids to the topic of Giant women, which makes me believe even more in my idea of Sanji just being mindful and supportive friend here. It's maybe not really obvious, but that's even better that it's so subtle, Jimbei doesn't have to express openly his gratitude which could be awkward and make him simply feel bad, because he's trying so hard himself not to take things the bad way. I don't think Jimbei would be ready to admit his fears so openly, he's tbh a rather private type of guy who doesn't talk about his feelings or opinions much.

Lol, Brook's utter dismissal to the question. Unlike Jimbei though, he doesn't even care and can take it on, no problem. Still, I sometimes do feel for Brook in some situations. For example, in One Piece World Seeker game, where this issue is addressed in one of the side quests. I think it was one of the rare times when I realized Brook can feel really alienated just because he is a walking skeleton and doesn't expect common people to think it's not a big deal. He can be quite sensitive sometimes too, even if he often plays it off as a joke material.

But, Zoro is lowkey doing him the same favour Sanji was doing for Jimbei. He's implying with his comment "I'm surprised so many Giants have never gone out to sea" that Brook isn't so outstanding as Giants think he is (even though we know he actually is!). Of course it's also Zoro so maybe he didn't even realize he's kinda siding up with Brook. But I want to have a bit of faith here in Zoro. He might not be the best in it, but he tries to be there for his crew and has more empathy than we assume he has.

Also, same here, Nami. But considering the case of Dorry and Brogy it's becoming kinda clear that Giants have only one major Pirate Giants group at a time. They like never mention any multiple ones, you know? And now with the Hajrudin taking over the tradition it seems Giant pirates are only a chosen few. Not quite like in the viking times when it was said many men went to sea and women had to often take over the villages in their absence. Or at least that's what I remember reading about vikings.

Ahaha, Rodo and Gerd are finally in same place, so I can see more of their dynamics when they're actually together. And I kinda love them, they're so silly. Seems Rodo is apologizing because Gerd made him do that. But it's worth noticing how shocked Rodo is at her words and the strict scolding. This suggests it is NOT a common occurance between them. In fact, seems like this is the first time it ever happened! I did share my guess in previous commentaries that Gerd wasn't openly hostile to Rodo before the Strawhats incident, but now she feels the extra need to be this way to show a clear difference between herself and him (she doesn't want her lovely human friends to think of her as a freak! And yes, it's just about the fact that she doesn't want to be considered a geek or a freak. She's like this type of fan who secretly spends all her free time on her hobby, but at school or work declares she just likes it a little bit, you know, like a normal person. Pffff).

Rodo though likes Gerd so much that nothing she would say could possibly make him dislike her lol. Which is why he's ready to embrace submissiveness as his new kink, which is the extreme 180 degrees turn in his character from the "I'm a god, listen to me peasants" roleplay. He loves Gerd that much, huh. It's kinda endearing really. Besides it being just, you know, a silly gag.

And that means Rodo is already on Strawhat's side lol. That was quick 😂 not only that, he even became Nami's slave number 3 pfff. He's also very good at it. Just look at how fast he adjusted there: "My vision is awful, I wouldn't even notice any treasure missing". Omg he's so funny. And he's enjoying every second of his newly found passion of s&m play haha. I'm afraid I have already forgiven him locking down the Strawhats at the beginning of the arc. And for no other reason than him being just himself LOL.

Now all that's left is for Hajrudin to forgive him too. Honestly, one good word from any Strawhat about Rodo would be enough at this rate, to make this happen :)

Funny how Rodo is trying to shorten the distance by pointing out something that is actually true, as we learn from the next chapter. Rodo and Nami do share some things in common, like, both of them wanted to draw maps since they were kids ❤ but Nami doesn't open her heart to people easily, making Rodo her personal slave is already big enough leap of faith from her. It's a bond she accepted but on her terms, heh. No matter what, Rodo respects her boundaries (maybe because he can indeed relate to her in more ways than one) and doesn't try to overstep them anymore. Actually, he finds pleasure in simply being useful to her (probably the same way he feels happy to be useful to Hajrudin too) and speaks with the Strawhats as earnestly as he can, which is probably also not something that comes easy to him! After he is scolded here he starts to refer to himself as "sessha" which is the humble, old way of speaking Okiku used in Wano (roughtly translated as "this unworthy one"). This means that Rodo actually takes extra step back to assure Nami he won't overstep. It feels a bit silly and again very roleplay-like, but also actually surprisingly genuine.

A moment of appreciation for Zoro acting like a true, intimidating pirate, hehe. Love moments like these in my pirate manga :D

Also bonus for scaring the heck out of Rodo. He indeed realized he didn't take the threat seriously lol. And yet he must have seen their bounties before, after all he knew all of their names when he found them.

More sun god lore dropped :D seems there are different depictions of sun god. He's a god of laughter, a god of destruction, a god of liberation, and... a ruler of the world? One of these is not quite the same as the others, hm. One sounds less godly and more, you know, mortal. Okay, so it's time to bring this question to the table: were they all four different Nikas? You know what I'm thinking about, right?

Except here there are even five, not four :) one is an unexpected double, despite all of them being quintuplets. Many people have said it before and I think this is the time to say it again: this is most likely a foreshadowing of some kind. Which kind exactly? I'm not sure. Will there be a point in current timeline of events where there will be as many as 5 nikas? (we're slowly getting here, let's count it together: Sun God Rodo, Sun God Loki, Sun God Nika aka Luffy, Sun God Nika aka Bonney... hey, we're at four already! Of course I don't think this is the end game situation so to speak lol. Just the same parallel used again!) But of course this can also simply mean there were 5 Nikas already in the past, including Luffy in the present.

Maybe each time a Nika appeared in history he brought about big changes with him, just like Jarul said it, but those changes were once seen as good (liberation) and other times as bad (destruction), depending on the perspective of a winner's interest, ofc. If the winner wanted to be seen as good he would label Nika as something bad, like destruction. If the winner was the same side as Nika, then he would portray the events as liberation then, something positive that helped him win. Honestly if that's the case then no wonder the rulers always fear Nika, it's always in their interest to preserve the order the way it is, which is in their favour ofc. You never know when Nika would pop up and on which side it will end up being.

But you know what? Knowing Oda, it's all three references I mentioned used at once (remember, the rule of three, Oda likes it a lot): the playful parallel at Elbaf, the Nikas through history and foreshadowing the end game Nika situation. LOL. Can't wait.

One last observation about the previous screenshot. Giants said "We all look up to Nika! We all share the same dream!" But if you pay attention to what they said, it's actually not true. Like yes, they all aspire to be Nika, but for each of them that means a different thing! Some of them want to be rulers because they believe in the interpretation of Nika being a ruler of the world. Others believe in Nika as the liberator instead so they want to liberate people. There are also those who wants destruction of the world, like Loki himself. And finally we have those that just associate Nika with laughter so all they ever aspire to be is to make other people laugh or apply a lifestyle in which they laugh and are joyous no matter what, despite the hardships and pain they might experience. I think it might end up being important that same people can share same dream, but that dream might mean something different to them. Like Luffy and Roger having "same dream" in this context, for example!

(btw I saw the memes already that original Nika warrior was black, because the shadowy figure appears to look like it, lol. Tbh I would find it absolutely fantastic if it turned out to be true! 💖)

Speaking of different interpretations of history and Nika lore, we know it all thanks to the ancient text Harley that Giants preserved, even though no one apparently can read it correctly anymore. Oh boy, I hope this is NOT a reference to poneglyphs, because that will throw everything into pure chaos. Imagine multiple interpretations of the poneglyphs... it's probably not the case, since unlike Nika's parallel, this is the first time we hear about this. But it's worth remembering that Enel couldn't read the poneglyphs despite them using Birka's writing. Let's also not forget that poneglyphs can be heard, like in Roger's case (is it possible to hear the message engraved on them without the need to read the signs? And is it the same message as the written one?).

As for the Harley text itself in Japanese it's ハーレイ (haarei) and is classified as shintei (holy scripture, like in religious context). This might be a reference to things like Edda (the original source of Norse mythology) or Codex Regius ("Royal Book" or "King's Book" that starts with a prophecy) which in Japanese is called: monogatari uta (narrative poems, except uta can be also taken more literally as songs. Slight hint towards Binks Sake song, perhaps :D sound was also very important theme in Skypiea, arguably one of the oldest civilisations we found in OP world). We also had a prophecy about Loki in this arc. If anything, those could have been Oda's inspirations here.

This is also the first time we heard that world has been destroyed twice already! This means the current world of One Piece is actually the third world! Rule of three, here, yet again!! Yes, we're totally going to destroy the world by the end, to make it go full circle. Okay, so we can safely assume the previous time it happened it caused a Void Century, right? No confirmation of that but it's the most likely option, even if not the only possibility.

In theory, Void Century could have been "end of the world" prevention or delay measure. Why? We actually have no evidence that the world ended. Imu is still around and many different places with a history spanning over thousands of years, like Alabasta. If the world ended shouldn't Alabasta get erased as well? And also it's been mentioned before that Void Century was the history of a war between two fractions that left "scars on the world". Again, if world ended back then, there wouldn't be anything left. Also, do you remember the clever trick Vegapunk did in Egghead arc? Erasure of memories. And what is Void Century if not a bigass erasure of memories of the whole planet? (even the title of the chapter in which Vegapunk's trick is explained, the Void Fortnight, is playing with this idea). As the result, Egghead wasn't really destroyed, but instead severed into two parts, one got sent to the sky, the other ended up in hands of the Government. I admit I always like to imagine Void Century as the history of the Biggest Foil Trick in History lol. Everyone thinks Joyboy lost, but he never actually failed in what he tried to achieve :)

But putting that theory aside, let's consider that Void Century was actually a successful destruction of the world instead, because many will consider this to be the most obvious answer. That means something like a Void Century happened before already as well. And we have evidence of that! Lunarians were once on the Red Line, right? But that doesn't seem to fit the timeline of Void Century we know of, at all. It was the conflict between Joyboy, the first pirate, fighting against an alliance of 20 kingdoms instead. There was no battle against certain rulers like Lunarians occupying the Red Line mentioned anywhere. Which means that must have happened way earlier than that and it just makes more sense this way. Perhaps the Ancient Kingdom was the one who brought down Lunarians and made them go extinct eventually, and ruled the world as the result. History likes to repeat itself so Ancient Kingdom got defeated by people who then took over which place? The top of the Red Line again. And now we know them as Celestial Dragons, a mere shadows of their past selves.

There's one problem though, I still can't decide where to put the sky people in this scenario. Shandorians, Skypieans, Birkans. Were they connected to the first end of the world instead? I guess we need Urouge plotline to gather more hints, because whatever I try to guess now feels like a shot in the dark, at best. My current best shot would be Egghead's top stratum shotting up to the sky and maybe that's how original Skypieans ended up there too. That though supports my idea that Void Century wasn't destruction of the world but a scam instead. Unless Skypieans were in the sky even longer than we can imagine. We actually have no clue when did the moon people go down to earth, at all. Maybe it was at the beginning of times, lol. Like a parallel to our world's belief that UFO build the pyramids in Egypt, you know. Maybe first place Moon People visited was Alabasta and they build the pyramids there as well XD

Also, it all kinda points out to the idea that devil fruits existed even before Void Century. Which makes more sense than their sudden creation only in the span of 100 years, at least to me.

Another thing worthy to mention is the whole idea of world destruction. It can mean anything, from literally destroying a planet (remember the missing "moons" on Clover's solar system setup?), to something more symbolic like shifting of poles (equator and north/south poles changing places) which could result in current islands getting submerged in water and the reveal of the previously sunken Ancient Kingdom, together with the All Blue. It could by all means also just be a figure of speech, meaning current power systems would get destroyed and new system will arise, for example: common folk will become the rulers, kinda like Drum Island situation. Ruler will now be one of the common people, living among them, sharing their happiness and sadness of daily lives. But I don't think all of the mentioned "end of the world" or "destruction of the world" can happen at the same time in the plot, even if we have sort-of foreshadowing for all of those outcomes (maybe shifting of poles gone wrong can result in destruction of the planet?). Maybe destruction of the world is also a choice between options, and not a foreordained outcome. If you have your own ideas about this please share :D

Jarul was there when this happened, right? He admitted as much this chapter. He saw Loki killing King Harold, and he's the only person in the room who doesn't actually judge him for it. This reminds me of that situation from Little Garden, Dorry and Brogy said if you don't die then it means that's the will of the Elbaf's god. And if you die, you were in the wrong, and the winner was in the right. Jarul thinking Loki isn't wrong is not because he didn't like King Harold. It's just the old belief of Elbaf that he still has faith in: Loki didn't die despite everything so he might be in the right and it can be a proof he has "divine protection", while King Harold died so he was wrong. That's all there is to it. God of Elbaf decides outcomes of all conflicts.

But new generation of Giants seemed to have forgotten this belief already and judge Loki very harshly, unlike Jarul. And why did they forgot their old ways? Because of King Harold changing whole politics in Elbaf; from being a warrior country to centering on education and avoidance of violence and fighting. This could make Giants easy targets to eliminate, keep that in mind, Government considered Giants to be dangerous enemies for a long time, it would be extremely handy for them if Giants became weak, were easy to control (like use them for the upcoming war so they're on the side of the Government) or to erase them easily (in case they refuse, duh, to prevent them from joining the enemy's side).

In other words, King Harold indeed might have been in the wrong and Loki was right. Consider it. In which arc of One Piece the situation as we're told turns out to be correct? Dressrosa? People just live happily with the toys and toys are not slaves for fake saviours who kicked out a good king? Wano in which Orochi painted Oden as the bad guy and himself as the good ruler? Why would Elbaf be any different? The surface story we're told is ought to turn to be a lie as well, the only question that remains is: in which way exactly? There are still many possible answers to that and all are still likely.

Seems Luffy has already decided that Loki is a good guy, lol. I never doubt Luffy :D

Loki's terrible reputation is even more terrible than we thought. Not only he has been born cursed (according to the prophecy, ha, what did I tell you all, I knew it had be a prophecy :D) and fated to kill his father. Seems his birth was accompanied by bad omens (the horse dying. ain't no way a toddler killed a horse, come on. and also same year Linlin caused a death of a giant. year later a queen died... you get the drill).

He was apparently also a mischief (many people pointed it out and I also agree: that part sounds like Oden's story) and an arsonist. But if we remember Oden's case, he was still beloved despite being a menace stomping over the social rules. He also at least once took the blame for someone else (Kinemon and the mountain god incident. Only Kin and Denjiro, and Oden himself, knew the truth). Perhaps Loki also took the blames for the fires on himself or, you know, people might have blamed all calamities on Loki. "Unknown fire? Someone said they saw Loki nearby!". Yeah, sounds plausible to me. It's easy to put the blame on the guy everyone supposedly hates. Let's not forget we learned that Loki spend the time in Underworld Elbaf ever since he was a child. What was a prince of Elbaf doing there instead of sitting in the castle? yeah, I still think he was an outcast.

"Caused mischief whenever the King wasn't looking" part is curious though. the same with the insinuation that Loki could do whatever the heck he wanted as soon as the King was away (why was the King away anyway? We learned already there's only one dedicated Giants Pirates crew at a time). This is something worth keeping in mind. Perhaps Giants ought to run havoc (like in that proverb with mice partying when cats aren't around) and again, blamed it on the cursed Prince. Or maybe there's something more to all of this... seems King Harold had to leave Elbaf quite often, he did end up meeting Hajrudin's mother somewhere away from Elbaf, I guess, and brought both of them with him. Despite Harold being so loved, Hajrudin's mom wasn't even allowed inside the castle, because people of Elbaf didn't acknowledge her and even bullied her :/ all things considered, did King Harold really love his people after all of this...?

Interesting, we learn that the "land of warriors" wanted to connect with the world outside. Seeing their change in education, maybe they even attempted to join the countries united under the World Governement. But why would they do such a thing? Perhaps it was to overthrow the prophecy or to unite with others? If Elbaf is no longer a land of warriors but instead a land of peace, then no prince will kill the king. In one of his theories Joyboy even suggested that King Harold decided to shower his son with love to make sure he won't hate him. That's a nice thought, unusual, but would fit the guy's image. After all he did have a child with Giants outside Elbaf and brought that kid to Elbaf as well (Hajrudin). I guess it shows he wasn't a barbarian but instead a kind monarch who was personally against prejudice. Sadly, seems he couldn't really make the folks change their minds and they still ostracized both Hajrudin (because of impure blood) AND Loki (because he's cursed) as the result. Though who knows, maybe Elbaf at first loved the prophecy. A true warrior kills others in battle, it's a honour, right? Perhaps the view on Loki changed only after the Elbaf's big change occured and at first he had god-like status instead and was indeed seen as a true god of destruction! Which would explain why he thinks everyone should still see him this way.

But then we also have Hajrudin, who wants to unite all the Giants races and become a king. I can't help but wonder why didn't Loki become a king after killing Harold? Perhaps he never wanted to be a king himself, unlike Hajrudin? After all he could think of himself as god of destruction but not as a ruler, as those are two opposing views on Nika, their ideal. Btw, worth noticing, on the arsonist panel Loki is presented in Nika's pose (which I would personally call god of laughter, heh).

So Shanks captured Loki on the seas 6 years ago. What was Loki doing rampaging on seas? It again supports the idea that he didn't want to become the next ruler. Especially since we also learn it was 14 years since King Harold was dead. 8 years is a long time, in which Loki didn't attempt to rule Elbaf at all. And finally he ditched it all and went to sea, huh.

Zoro's reaction is worth noting. Perhaps he realized he should keep Luffy in check. We see them talking shortly after outside and Zoro immediately catches on to Luffy's plan for freeing Loki and he is against it. Which is funny, considering he usually enables Luffy's chaotic energy, even in this arc, it's not like him to pause and question, instead of following Luffy's lead no matter what. This is like 180 degrees from his fuck up in Wano, when he let Luffy cause a rebellion (would freeing Loki cause a rebellion or turn Giants against Strawhats? Seems likely from their big reactions!). Back then Law trusted Zoro to keep Luffy in check, but Zoro didn't truly even try and that led to horrible consquences (Luffy landed in Udon, Zoro was a fugititve the whole arc and basically useless to their plans, wandering on his own instead). In the raid he tried to control Luffy a little, but instead caused as much havoc himself as well. I would say Zoro learned his lesson and tries to act smarter than this. Back in Wano his pal Law trusted Zoro to be able to keep Luffy in check when needed, but Zoro failed, despite being with Luffy since the very beginning, being his first trusted crewmate and friend. My guess is he thinks Law was right in general and Zoro himself should do better.

At first, Zoro is pushing the "reputation is just a reputation" and "I never met Loki" approach, but quickly shuts up. He probably got reminded of his own past. Zoro has really good intuition (even if he doesn't always know how to act on it) and I would say this is one of those moments. He wants to keep Luffy in check, but realizes Luffy never relies on reputation about someone. And he's usually right not to do that indeed. So even though he expects Loki might be lying to Luffy, he decides to give it a small leap of faith, while keeping an eye on the situation. Good old Zoro :)

Interestingly we learn that Government sent informants to Elbaf before, but they all mysteriously vanished thanks to a giant crow. We saw that crow before, it's definitely the same one that carried Strawhats to Rodo. Which means all those CP agents? Landed in Rodo's lego diorama! LOL. Now who's a chad without even knowing it? That's right, our pal Rodo :D Those skeletons probably belong to some of the more obnoxious agents too, so you don't have to feel too bad about them, lol.

While we don't really have it confirmed that it was Cipher Pol, they're called 諜報部員達 Chōhō Buin-tachi "Intelligence agents." Very similar to how CP is called. It's not the exact same kanjis, but we have a similiar situation in Egghead with the kidnapped agents. Chōhō kikan was how CP agents were referenced to in Egghead arc. Only first kanjis are the exact match, but the meaning in both cases is overall still almost the same: (ちょうほう) means "intelligence" or "espionage," and "部員" (ぶいん) means "member." The term refers to forces specializing in gathering secret information. At this point it would be weird if it was anyone else than CP, especially after we learned that CP0 is Celestial Dragon's shield (God Knights are said to also hold the same power or even be Celestial Dragons themselves).

Funny how Loki calls Knights "noble" in same sentence he calls Celestial Dragons scum. Does it mean that at one point in history those fractions weren't the same thing or even linked in any way? Let's remember Giants have a long standing history and preservere knowledge about the world that might be lost to other nations and races already.

This also confirms God Knights is actually some sort of knight order. Not every God Knight seems to hold the "saint" title like Celestial Dragons though (we need to keep an eye on it for confirmation).

Let's examine Shamrock's behaviour a bit closer. He seems to be rather levelheaded and would want to avoid uneccessary bloodshed. If an objective or goal can be achieved without killing anyone (even a wolf), he would definitely prioritize that option. He also stops Gunko from being too hasty/hot tempered, which shows 1. he's higher than her in hierarchy (duh, we know that already, but it's really neatly reflected in this dialogue) 2. despite the fact he is letting her execute the orders without doing much himself, I don't think the order actually came from Shamrock, but instead someone higher up (like Garling?).

Seems Shamrock isn't even allowed to make his own decisions without consulting it with anyone first. And that despite being the leader of the Knights! I gotta say, so far, Shamrock actually doesn't score any bastard points yet, lol. Despite fandom expecting him to be "the evil twin" ;) as for me? I'm just observing him. and observing. lol.

I know many people think Loki is really coldblooded here, but I disagree. Here, he's not actually talking to the God Knights. What he's saying is meant for his wolf friend. He tells him to die in peace and accept his fate, while Loki will avenge him (TCB translation directs Loki's speech to third person for the wolf, like Loki is talking to God Knights about him instead of to him, but he's not. He's talking directly to the wolf, which is emphasized by the "tomo yo" - my dear friend, end of his speech). He also tells him to die like a warrior, without opposing his own fate, scowling or complaining. And the wolf is listening, it literally stops howling in pain when he hears that. This is the multitude of their bond, it's genuine. Those beasts don't follow Loki because they have to, they follow him because of the warrior code. Loki is the true leader of their horde!

His words might seem harsh, but they're mostly assertive, he wants to assure his friend that nothing can break him and things will end up in their favour in the end. It's to appease his spirit. He's not apologetic for not choosing to spare him, but he assures he will never forget about this sacrifice. This is indeed probably the best thing he could have done in this situation. To the people who blame Loki for not choosing a better option: you know what, you should direct your rage instead on the God Knights that toy with the lifes of other creatures like it's nothing. Know who your actual enemy is. Loki is a victim who is faced with an unfair choice from the very beginning. Shamrock and Gunko know it, that's why they try to play with his emotions. They somehow know Loki is more compassionate than he seems.

This is probably how Loki himself also thinks about fate. Don't oppose it, just accept it like a true warrior should. Might explain why, despite being rather kindhearted, he embraced his role as the god of destruction and prophesized cursed prince. Perhaps.

In next line he declares: Kono Ikari o Kuratte Ore wa!!! (I will receive this rage for you, or literally "this rage, I will receive!"), which is the exact same wording style as the famous line Luffy always says: Kaizoku ou ni ore wa naru! (the reversed order of words, The Pirate King, I will become!) And I didn't see it pointed out before, but for me it's a clear sign we're talking about inherited will here. Loki will take the wolf's will on himself, he will inherit it, and that will is rage. Sometimes the will can be a dream, love or care (Saul's case?), protection and many other things too, apparently, Which means the moment Luffy declared his dream as becoming king of the pirates, which he shared with Roger, he at the same time inherited his will, even if he isn't exactly aware of it. Now that's a thought!

This is a tiny little scene, with Zoro being attentive. This detail brought back warm memories. Zoro was definitely not acting like this in Zou, which were similar circumenstances! In both scenarios the crew discovers a ransacked place. In Zou, Zoro thinks the gate is simply open, not paying attention. Law corrects him, pointing out stuff, and Zoro soon catches on, trying to do the same ("something wrong with the road too!"), a bit like he wants a praise, haha. Anyway, Zoro inspecting this door to the castle (it was broken from the inside, you can tell by the damage it left, and it's something that happened recently too!) is the Zoro who is smarter after spending some time with his pal Law :) that's Law's influence on him, right there. God I miss Law.

Cute moment with Rodo being a big chicken and Nami reassuring him. Her intention here isn't dictated by kindness. She commented just a moment ago that "this is too vast to be walkable". She was nice because she wanted Rodo to carry her, so she doesn't have to walk so much. But for that to happen, she needed to convince Rodo to be brave and walk inside together with them, lol. Zoro of course joins in for the ride, because he's a lazyass like that (he did the same thing in Punk Hazard, lol. always riding on Brownbeard's tail). It's worth noting he's resting his swords, is that a small bit of trust?

It's cute how Luffy remembers Rodo's name. I guess it's because Rodo is part of the Hajrudin's crew. Seems Luffy took it to heart to remember the members of his own fleet, which is admirable for someone who has such poor memory like Luffy, lol. So he remembers Hajrudin, Stansen and Rodo now. I think Rodo is actually really appreciating it. Not only did Rodo capture Strawhats, Luffy doesn't even hold it against him. In fact, he had quite a blast in his lego town, was a bit sad to leave it so soon and regretted they had to destroy some of the stuff. In other words, Luffy actually likes Rodo. Luffy usually likes good people and doesn't believe anyone is unworthy of living, keep that in mind.

The interior of the Aurust castle is quite interesting. Some speculate the name comes from english word for owl (who knows, who knows). What are those catacombs down there (they remind me of catacombs in Alabasta that we could explore in One Piece Odyssey, they were also destroyed, and it wasn't because of Crocodile)? Why did everything overgrow like this in mere 14 years? And why was this place out of access, to the point that no one even buried the Giants that got killed in the battle? Things are really suspicious.

We also learn about ancient giant blood which often shows as the presence of horns. Ain't that interesitng?

And we finally learn how King Harold looked like. I swear he reminds me of Kratos, lol. Minus the moustache. Some people pointed out he also looks a bit like Kaido, and since we know that Kaido also had horns (as well as Yamato) and was always kinda huge (though not Giant sized), it would make sense. But I'm not sure he's another illegitimate child of Harold, I think Kaido's blood is more dilluted, that's why he's not big like a Giant himself, unlike Hajrudin!

This brings up a question though. Hajrudin doesn't seem to have horns, and we have no idea if Loki's ones are real or just a helmet (though one of his horns on his helmet was glued back on, if you look closely). Does it mean there's no guarantee to have the horns as a child of someone who has them?

Apparently King Harold ripped his horns off as the declaration of changing his ways and seeking peace, which I think makes sense, since he was known as Great Warrior, he wasn't born a pacifist. Do you think Loki, his son, did a similar thing? is it possible Loki at some point blinded himself, as a sign of his conviction? Perhaps, like Fujitora, he couldn't stand the sight of the world and all the atrocities he saw in it. Yeah, I don't think all that rampage in the palace was caused by Loki. But I could believe Loki saw it all with his own eyes and blinded himself afterwards, having enough of seeing so much cruelty. That could be why the gentle and kindhearted Loki we heard about from Lola's flashback turned into bitter destroyer of the worlds he thinks he is today. Yeah, there's still so many possible explanations and none is truly dismissed yet.

But there's one more possibility here I wanna mention. Loki might have been framed, but instead of trying to tell people the truth, he decided to push that lie and took the blame on himself. Maybe he knew people would blame him anyway, because of that stupid prophecy, and Loki doesn't really believe in opposing his fate. But that would mean Jarul knows what actually happened and lied to us (he did avert his eyes when he talked about Loki). That sword he has in his helmet seems to belong to King Harold, btw. We don't have a proper close-up of it in the portait, but the handle has the exact same, unusual shape. I think it's more likely King Harold attacked Jarul with it rather than Loki stole his sword and tried to kill his father with it. It just makes more sense, you know. Maybe Harold was manipulated (Mingo's strings?) or maybe he was never the nice ruler everyone thought he is, or maybe he went insane. My bet personally is still on Government turning against Giants. That circle in the throne room must have been there before, I wouldn't be surprised if God Knights entered through it before and caused all that massacre we saw remnants of, and blamed it all on Loki. Government always lies and discards the pieces it doesn't need anymore. After all, everyone are just insects to them.

But why would God Knights want Loki? Okay, hear me out. Not only Loki didn't deny the blame they put on him (which put him ironically in their favour, heh), he also ate his father's devil fruit. It's likely to assume most if not all God Knights wield powerful devil fruits. Maybe that's why they killed Harold, to get his fruit (it is said to be one of the most powerful fruits after all!). But before they could do it, Loki ate it and ran off or chased them away. I'm still not sure what is Jarul's role in all of this though. Why is he not telling the truth, if that's the case? Did Loki asked him not to? Or was Jarul's life spared on the condition he never shares the truth of the event, and as the result he was the one who commanded the castle to be abandoned and sealed away, so that no one knows the truth. I hope we will get more leads, this honestly feels like an investigation of a crime scene, haha.

Jarul seems to know more than he seems to. 1. Gerd and Goldberg want to report to him after they check on Rodo, because they witnessed a giant crow carrying a ship. Goldberg also mentions "they're supposed to arrest intruders" back then (chapter 1130). Compare that to what Jarul said to Luffy: "not many humans make it here and mistake Underworld for actual Elbaf". Still think he didn't downplay that comment on purpose? Let me spell it out again so it sinks in: they arrest intruders who make it all the way up to Elbaf. They're not welcoming strangers in their land in general, period. Jarul sold Luffy the "nice version" instead of the truth. 2. Someone put those guards to keep an eye on the abandoned castle. That someone was most likely Jarul as well, because he's the only one besides Loki who knows what actually happened on that fateful day. Who are those guards protecting the castle from? Possible intruders from the summoning circle? Definitely not, the guards were clearly dumbfounded by their appearance. They guard this castle so that no unauthorized folk comes inside. Just like Rodo said it - no commoners, himself included, are allowed inside. Jarul doesn't want most people to know what's exactly in the castle.

Few thoughts here. First of all, Rodo is a great exposition device AND an excellent nerd guide. He shares all those trivias and bits of history, god bless him that he's accompanying the Strawhats. Too bad other Giants do not appreciate him much.

Second thought: when he says that Hajrudin holds the grudge against Loki, he adds "sadly" (in Japanese the way he says it emphasized the "sad" part even more, suggesting Hajrudin was "the most sad out of all people" about Loki's betrayal). That sentiment there suggests Hajrudin and Loki weren't on bad terms in the past, but King Harold's death sadly changed that. That could explain why Loki was never seemingly interested in becoming a ruler himself, he probably knew Hajrudin wanted to become one (it was his dream since he was a child, as we learn thanks to the tiny flashback of Rodo) and he was gentle and kind himself so he supported his own brother in his dream. Even after whatever shit happened in the castle, Loki never changed his mind about it... if that's the case, that's some true brotherly love right there. Hajrudin on the other hand probably wants to defeat Loki now, but thinks he can't (perhaps because of that devil fruit). We met Hajrudin in Dressrosa, he was trying to win the flame flame fruit back then, probably hoping it would make him stronger to take down Loki.

Luffy realizes he's butting into a conflict between brothers, oh boy.

Third thought: I absolutely adore how Rodo points out humans also kill each other and they're not any better from Giants having infights. Though just afterwards his pride takes over and he declares other races of Giants are inferior, but seeing his answer to Nami's comment he's not ignorant, he's really self-aware of his shortcomings here. Perhaps he wished he could change himself. Not surprising, considering he is serious when he declares he wants Hajrudin to become king of the giants and unite all the giant races. He's struggling, but he does strive to become better!

Rodo in the flashback is absolutely adorable and kinda a crybaby. Didn't I speculate in one of my chapter commentaries that Rodo seemed to me like a bullied nerd since he was a child? well, bingo. He indeed was. But it wasn't Gerd who saved him but Hajrudin instead. Which is why he considers him his friend and supports his dream, despite having tainted thoughts about pure bloodlines and other prejudice. I can't really blame him, seems he was always bullied and still is, to some extent. No one really cared when Rodo was carried all tied up to the tavern, for example. And I don't think Giants are so dedicated to humans in general, like Gerd or Dorry and Brogy.

There might be a reason why Rodo is roleplaying a sun god in his lego dioramas, he's fantasizing about a world in which he won't be bullied and has some agency instead. Power fantasies yep. But like we can see, he also has a submissive side to him. All in all, I think he would just want to live in a place where he isn't bullied and everyone are accepted, even if he has hard time believing it could be possible. No wonder, if you're bullied your whole life it's hard to imagine a better world. But Hajrudin could and Hajrudin wanted to be friends with him, and that was enough for Rodo to have restored just a tiny bit of faith back in "humanity", or rather, "giantity".

Rodo also has a good heart and is shy, he doesn't want to admit to the Strawhats that Hajrudin was his saviour. Instead he focuses on how awesome Hajrudin is: "straightforward, earnest, endured a lot but doesn't give up". He has a lot of gratitude and compassion for his friend, and would rather speak about him than his own struggles. We know how good of an intuition Zoro has, he probably sensed Rodo is hiding something (just like he did before with Robin or Okiku), he just doesn't know what or why, which is why he's prying Rodo with so many questions here. It's actually a huge step forward from his judging attitude with Robin, he would rather inquire now than show full distrust. But after hearing Rodo's answer about Hajrudin Zoro recognized they're similar to each other, him and Rodo, both were saved by their respective captains and want to repay them with loyalty and support, but are too shy to admit the real reason for it. This is the moment Zoro decided Rodo is alright, actually. He got Zoro's seal of approval and perhaps a bit of disappointment (seems Zoro won't be cutting him today lol).

I find the way Zoro phrased it very funny and dishonest though: "You're an understanding guy, how boring". Yeah, he for sure doesn't think it's boring, he's just too shy to admit he's not that much different himself, pfff. Always trying to act so cool. It's even more underlined by the "nanda wataseba" comment at the beginning, suggesting Rodo's dream is a hand-over (he's trying to make someone else's dream come true and it became his own dream). Nami saw right through him there though which is why she laughed btw.

Speaking of Rodo, I dunno why so many people still can't find him likable and instead would show sympathy towards Gunko of all people. Her personality sucks! And she is a God Knight, what happened to the idea of "you're a bad person if you're truly supporting the Government"? She's the embodiment of exactly that! Doesn't apply anymore because she is pretty and flashed her panties and has a cool devil fruit? Geez. I'm just saying, it's less embarrassing to like Rodo than Gunko, he's a better person than she is. Gunko is so high and mighty, fully embracing superiority complex of a celestial dragon. I somehow get a sentiment that she was one of those recruits who always wanted "a better life" and considered becoming a God Knight as a chance to change her fate. Or perhaps she is trying to rationalize her own choice, heh.

Seems to me like Loki's threats are a bit hollow though. But I like his unyielding spirit! Though if he gave in now he would have let down his beasts friends that sacrificed themselves for him, so it's not like he had a choice, he had to act tough. I wonder if he's really so strong or is he just benefitting from the lies told about him...

And here we have him, the face and name reveal. Figarland Shamrock, son of Garling and captain of God's Knights, as well as a Celestial Dragon. Now, who is Shanks? Is he his twin? They sure are hauntingly look alike. Or perhaps is Shanks the clone? I guess we still don't have a definitive answer, but we know one thing for sure now: Shanks and Shamrock are two seperate people. I guess he's kinda handsome. I prefer more Shanks bratty attitude though. I wonder if the two ever met before... I would assume they did. Elbaf is Shanks territory and he said "he stayed a bit too long" and met Loki who called him a coward (perhaps for not releasing him or standing up to Shamrock?). Suspiciously enough we never saw the beginning of the conversation between God Knights and Loki, perhaps because Loki was already expecting them. I know people are already burying the "Shanks is the rat" theory, but I think it's a bit too soon to do that, lol. There's always a possibility the brothers are somewhat working together. Would I like it personally though? Meh, depends if there's a good reason for it.

For now I don't have any particular sympathy or antipathy towards Shamrock. I'm not opposed to the "twins" or "clones" idea here either. It all depends how it will be exected and I will keep my eye on this development. Still, I'm kinda glad it wasn't Shanks who had that secret meeting with Gorosei, just because it never truly fit Shanks to be there.

New piece of lore at the end of the chapter! In the past, Elbaf Giants dominated the whole sea of the New World, which is an interesting trivia to remember. It kinda makes sense, now after we know how strong they used to be!

A note about God Knights. They're called kishidan in Japanese which means something akin to "knights' order," suggesting a warrior group that hold values of honor and valor in high regard. Reminds me of those statues of warriors at the entry to the Red Line above, you know which one:

I wonder if there's some connection. Maybe a new incarnation of the old tradition. After all, who is the God the God Knights are named after? Imu? If so, what title does he hold? Another Sun God perhaps?

Yes, I'm insane like that, heh. But honestly, why not. Luffy is a Sun God, Bonney is a Sun God, Loki is a Sun God, Imu can be one too, lol.

More links on analysis of the last chapters:

Luffy says again he's not the hero and Nika has got nothing to do with him (standalone post of mine)

A video from Japanese translator dedicated to the Shamrock reveal, talking a lot about linguistics. We learn from it that Shamrock is probably not holding the same title his father did (Supreme Commander) but instead a lower rank captain, which checks out in my analysis of his behaviour too. There's some interesting trivia included about the ranks Dragon and Drake hold, suggesting that Drake is just a captain and there are probably higher ranked people in Sword above him :) interesting. I'm pretty certain this will turn out to be true.

Analysis of Gunko's Arrow-Arrow Fruit done by Tekking. Pretty good one. Everything besides his point about it perhaps being a logia I agree with. I probably won't pay too much attention to Gunko, because so far I'm not fond of her at all, but other people got you covered. She has a lot of fans already 😅

Elbaf's lore and investigation on King Harold and Loki done by Joyboy. He has actually two videos about that. His interpretations are kinda different from mine, so if you want to collect opinions and speculations to form your own theories, this is definitely something you shouldn't miss :)

[cokoweee]

Kendra Kung Fu Panda Training Arc/j

Okay, but honestly very cute for Yuichi to want to teach her the basics, since he's unaware if Donatello is still a threat or not, he doesn't want to throw her into the lion's den without any protection. He first hand suffered the outrage, and he probably thinks, knows, that perhaps someone like Kendra wouldn't survive if it were her. She's smaller, definitely not so much build, and way much more fragile than a mutant rabbit. So, nice!

Also, @/sha-biest cameo, so cute:')

And I don't know if the cigs also meant to be a reference, I didn't quite catch that.

Kendra was so ready to be kicked out over something like that, tho. She smoked away from Yuichi and hoped he didn't notice, she also (I think) tried to hide the package before he asked her about it. Is sad that she has this irrational fear that anything she might do will get her thrown into the streets, (it's not the first time in the comic she mentions being worried about that) because of what's happened in the past. But she has been living with people whose first choice isn't immediately ditching, but actually talk things through or just ignore it and move on.

That doesn't mean she will no longer be afraid of it, but at least she is getting constantly reminded that she's cared about, actually.

Another reasoning to teach her some things isn’t just Donnie. There’s still more out there that could be a danger and while yeah he’s been living out in the country rumors still spread among farmers about the weird things that still go one in New York.

Also her buying the lil pack is the first time. Big ass could smell that shit the second it left the store.

That fear is going to be there even if she’s secured in a home. No matter what it’ll always either be the main thing or the tiniest little voice in the back of her head.