#wild and unchecked into the world

[guiltreservoir]

in spite of the way that it is ✧ read on ao3

⫘⫘⫘

when buck first brings it up, it's to everyone in the 118, or at least anyone who's willing to lend an ear. he saunters into the kitchen with a smile bright enough to account for the unseasonably grey weather outside, megawatt-beam elation radiating off of his body and bouncing into every corner of the station. the minute he starts blabbing about how tommy came to his place late last night, at least two ears are swiftly discounted — chim walks away with his hands firmly clapped over the sides of his head, saying, "la la la, don't want to hear it," much like a petulant kindergartener.

bobby finds himself suddenly very busy with noisily reorganizing the utensil drawer, but doesn't quite leave the area; hen immediately raises her brows and takes a pointed sip of her orange juice, knowing buck will continue unprompted. ravi, just coming up the stairs himself, has no idea what he's walking into, the poor guy.

and eddie — eddie knows better than to involve himself in this. he could easily extract himself now, fake a phone call with christopher's school, pretend like there's something imperative that he left in the locker room. instead, he remains parked at the table, piping mug of black coffee insisting that he needs mo' joe as it sits untouched in front of him. his own uncertain reflection stares back at him from the coffee's dark surface.

"i think i finally found someone who can match me," buck's declaring, cheeky grin still lighting up his face like a marquee sign. eddie can practically see the colorful bulbs flashing above his head, a giant neon arrow and the brazen announcement: this lucky guy got his brains fucked out last night!!

"bless that man," hen snorts, shaking her head a bit. ravi's brows knit together in confusion, and when he asks for details on what buck's referring to in the first place, hen's head shaking deepens. "ignorance is bliss, ravi, you probably don't want to know."

"buck got laid last night," falls out of eddie's mouth without him meaning to let it, and fuck, he hopes it sounded more casual than it felt, bubbling up his esophagus like bitter-hot bile.

ravi's, "...and?" is reassuring. eddie feigns a laugh, relieved his cover isn't blown. he glimpses at buck, whose gigantic smile hasn't faltered for even a millisecond, and ignores the mass of earthworms writhing beneath the tin lid of his breastbone.

"and it was seriously awesome!" buck pumps his fist into the air, triumphant and ridiculous, sunbeam personified, and god. buck may be the one getting railed into his mattress by his new boyfriend, but eddie is the one who's truly fucked.

⫘⫘⫘

when buck has eddie over for drinks at his place the next night and asks him if he wants to hear more about it, he convinces himself it's a fine idea. how much can really go wrong, anyway? it's just the man who cradles eddie's whole cowardly lion heart in his unknowing palms, telling him about the way that eddie's good, kind, unbearably hot friend fucked him so tenderly he cried.

it's fine. everything is fine.

buck's never been one to spare details, especially not when eddie allows him all of the space and time in the world to lay out how he got laid. the nearly-gone beer in his hand (on his lips, on his tongue, on the collar of his shirt where an errant drop landed) is fuel for his fire, rattling the confines of his inhibitions just enough to knock a few loose, get him spilling details like the belgian white down his throat.

"he was really good, eddie." the glint in buck's eye is evidence enough, but eddie wants more; he's curious, to a detrimental degree, a tabby cat scaling a tree to catch a sparrow whose wings will carry it to safety, leaving him hungry and without the knowledge of how to climb back down to level ground.

"yeah?" he presses, like he needs to.

"yeah," buck continues. the next pull he takes from his bottle is long, slow, draining it empty. eddie's eyes track the movement, the pink curl of his mouth over the bottle's rim, the wet flick of his tongue across the cusp, the bob of his adam's apple as he swallows the dredges. "it was like he could just... tell what i needed."

eddie's stomach drops. he blames the beer. his mind offers, silently, i would know what you needed, too.

he blames the beer.

"he made sure to take it slow, to start. he's— he's not a small guy, you know."

flashes of tommy's sweat-slick skin offer themselves up readily in the eye of eddie's mind. all thanks to their sparring during muay thai, he knows how it feels to be pinned beneath that man, to feel the heft of his strong arms and legs and chest against his own, to feel so utterly surrounded. he can only imagine what it's like to have tommy inside, too. he says, rougher than he means to, "i know."

buck clears his throat, ducks his head. when he meets eddie's eyes again, his cheeks are flushed. "i... i don't have to tell you about this, man. maybe it's too much. i mean, he's your close friend."

"you're my close friend," eddie says thoughtlessly.

the expression that settles on buck's features is complicated, to say the least.

"buck, i told you it's okay. you can tell me whatever you're comfortable with me knowing." eddie's can of worms burst opened wriggles and squirms, a slimy tangle mucking up his chest cavity. he catches and clings onto buck's gaze and adds, unequivocal, "i'll tell you if i want you to stop."

if buck's face wasn't already rosy, it would be now. his mouth falls open before his response catches up to him, and the spit-glint of his bottom teeth against his tongue makes eddie grit his own together, lest he say something he shouldn't.

"are you sure?" buck asks, back turning to eddie while he reaches into the fridge behind him for a third round. when he turns around again he's got two cold bottles in his hands, tilting one towards eddie, an offering that eddie accepts as automatic as breathing.

the fizzzzz-clink of buck popping the beercaps punctuates eddie's answering, "yes."

"alright." another generous swig of buck's drink bolsters his nerve. "i didn't think he was gonna fit at first, eddie. i swear to you, it doesn't seem like it should work. it's not like i haven't had anything up my ass before, i mean, tommy's even been warming me up for the real thing. but."

warming him up, jesus. buck's nonchalance is staggering, even when frankly, this isn't even the first time eddie's been confronted with such imagery. he wishes he could forget buck telling him about the times taylor had used her strap with him. not because it wasn't an appealing thought — eddie might have complex emotions around taylor, but the idea of buck getting dicked down by anyone at all has always been one that twists his guts into feverish knots. hence the desire for selective amnesia.

he fails not to wonder exactly what the thick line of tommy's dick would look like snuggled between the cleft of buck's asscheeks and swirls his beer in its bottle before knocking back a good-sized gulp, saying, "i'm guessing you made it work eventually."

because how the fuck else is he supposed to react while he's busy painting a vivid mural of his two 'close friends' fucking on the ceiling of his overenthusiastic imagination? he might as well be michelangelo with the way he's filling in the blanks with such inspiration.

the sputtering laugh that comes from buck has no right being as charming as it is. "he did indeed get his dick inside of me, yeah, great job putting those pieces together."

"thanks, it was difficult."

"i bet," buck responds. his gaze separates from eddie's and drifts down the length of his torso, catching on the steady rise and fall of the breaths expanding his chest before continuing down his past his bellybutton. he focuses just below eddie's belt before skimming back up to peer into his eyes again. "he took his time getting me ready with his fingers, and even still i felt like he was gonna split me in half. he got maybe halfway inside and i was already seeing stars. thankfully he kinda paused and gave me a second to adjust."

"come on, man." eddie's heartbeat threshes his ribcage and echoes all the way up to his eardrums, frantic and heady, bass drum kicking a chaotic rhythm. he can't help but imagine tommy's big, surprisingly gentle hands working buck open before slicking himself up with lube to nudge inside. he wonders if it made buck gasp, if he cursed and clenched at the blunt shock and slow push and steady tilt of tommy's hips. he wonders if tommy's got claw marks on him somewhere from buck scrabbling for purchase while curling his toes and communicating without words that he needed a minute.

"too much?" the way buck's half-mast eyes glitter reminds eddie of a tiger slinking low through moonlight silver-soaked grasses. all at once he can sympathize with the position of a lone antelope lurking just beyond through the open plains, vulnerable and enticing.

he perks his ears forward, tilts his head down, looking into the eyes of the beast who's about to consume him, and says, "no."

the antelope places its fragile skull straight into the tiger's hanging maw.

⫘⫘⫘

when eddie makes it through the next couple of days without jerking off about it, he considers himself victorious. he's been doing a fine job of distracting himself, hanging out with his girlfriend, his kid. he's been reading before he falls asleep to keep his mind from wandering too far. he's been working out more, burning off the extra energy that's been vibrating through his entire nervous system since buck drenched his subconscious — and his conscious mind, who is he kidding — with the most luscious, arousing descriptions of sex he's ever heard.

he's doing fine, until he's leaving the station with buck after a long shift and tommy's there to pick him up. he's standing outside of his buck's jeep, conveniently parked next to eddie's truck, eyes crinkly with delight at the sight of them. his voice carries through the atmosphere and shudders straight down into eddie's molten core, a simple and swift, "evan! eddie."

"hi, tommy," eddie says at the same time that buck says, "hey, babe!"

evan.

babe.

eddie is going to dissolve into a cloud of nebulous vapor.

he autopilots his way through the rest of their short conversation, ears buzzing with static, cottonmouth setting in. he doesn't pay attention to the small talk, mind too busy reeling with potential. the moment he'd caught sight of buck's jeep, he was a goner.

where is tommy's car? did he stay the night at buck's, hang out at his place for the day just waiting to come play chauffeur and take him back home to pound him into the mattress while kissing him deep and lazy, like his lips are laden with ambrosia?

"catch you later, eddie," he hears tommy say over the ringing in his ears. buck knocks shoulders with him and nods agreeably, lashes fluttering and lips stretching into a pretty smile.

the best eddie can manage in response is a pathetic wave and a half-hearted, "bye, guys."

his drive home is thirty-six minutes too long. he relinquishes his willpower and allows the fog of his daydreams to creep in.

"tommy called me a good boy when he finally bottomed out," buck had told him around a drawn-out exhale, hops heavy on his breath, steaming the air between their faces. somewhere between the third and fourth beer the space between them had collapsed, eddie backed against the kitchen counter and buck looming over him, cool and collected and beautiful and dangerous, striped wildcat on the hunt.

"he told me how incredible it felt inside me, how i was all warm and tight. and god, eddie, you don't understand how crazy it felt. it was so much, but in the best way. it was warm and tight for me, too."

that's when eddie had spooked and bolted, yanking free from within the loose gape of buck's tiger fangs and nicking himself on jagged ivory edges. worms clustered and crawled up from his chest and into his throat as he stumbled away, wounded and wet. he'd choked out, "i can't," and buck had backed off without hesitation, no longer a fierce big cat but a helpless cub, saying, sorry and low, "i know, i know, i should've stopped sooner."

⫘⫘⫘

when eddie finally gets his hand around his dick, it's nearly enough to make him cry. the bittersweet reprieve of it, the way he's been craving his own attention while being even better at withholding it from himself — there's practically nothing he's more practiced at, but just because it comes fairly naturally to him at this point doesn't mean it is painless.

he sinks into a different brand of masochism found in the inviting expanse of his mattress, world narrowed down to the sensation of his slippery grip around his blood-rushed cock, to the white-hot fantasies splaying themselves out in the darkest meadows of his mind, absolutely resplendent. he tries to make his hand feel warm, tight, incredible, like buck's soft aching insides; he speculates whether or not tommy would talk to him like that, if they were to hook up. would he qualify as good, in tommy's eyes?

with barely a second thought, he brings his free hand down to play between his asscheeks, knuckle ghosting across the delicate skin of his hole. tommy's fingers are bigger than his, tommy's bigger all around. a moan wrenches itself free as he swipes up some lube from where it's dripping down his balls and presses a fingertip inside.

eddie's pace picks up along with his breathing, chest heaving like he's been running for hours, days, years. maybe he has been. maybe he still is.

"fuck," he grits out, rolling his hips up into his hand. his mind is playing through scenes of buck opening up for tommy, tommy so careful and confident, scenes of buck wrapping his limbs around him to draw him as close and deep as he can get, buck so open and wanting. buck, such a fucking good boy.

eddie's orgasm shreds through him gut to throat like the sharp starving blade of a hunter, come spattering across his stomach, stickying his fist.

there are real tears streaking down his cheeks, now, damp and unrelenting, a mix of relief and guilt and something else he can't figure out a name for.

he jams the heels of his hands against his eye sockets and thinks, i know, i know, i should've stopped sooner.

[alwaysoutofpaper]

the livestock of haek (top) and haen'oi (bottom), found in and around the landmass/island of Tunib'sau

wanted to draw up some creatures because I haven't created much hae planet fauna. ramblings below the cut, but it's a lot. all you really need to know is all of these animals can be eaten :)

uli'ni are highly social, omnivorous pack hunters (or ambush predators in small numbers), used for pest control by haek. a village can have a near 1:3 ratio of uli'ni to haek, with the pack usually belonging to a single family, or being cared for communally in some cases. bright, soft coats are sought after by haek wanting a pet. there has been a trend of uli'ni being imported into the city as an exotic pet - mainland uli'ni are a lot nastier.

tade are like truffle pigs. they can sniff out root plants from under dirt and snow, so they are critical for farmers when poor weather conditions would normally make harvests miserable. they are usually eaten along with the plants they help harvest. their "wool" is used for bed, bedding, clothes, and other textile things that are otherwise difficult to create with limited fibers. most shed their coats seasonally, but a mainland variety is bred to grow them continuously like sheep.

rudon are the fastest growing, hardest to handle source of protein a haek could ask for. they burrow under the snow, and further into the ground when it isn't covered. raising them is more difficult than hunting them in the wild, but some haek still try, creating stone-lined pits they will fill with dirt to keep rudon contained. they can wreak havoc on any plantlife if left unchecked, so they are rarely raised in the same village as a root plant farm. their fatty tails are used for tallow, which can be sold at high prices or traded for goods if transportation is possible and a surplus is available.

ta'fer is essentially a much meaner lobster. they can pinch, bite, and smack someone around with their tail. they are aggressive to anything that isn't a ta'fer, and evasive when they feel threatened, which makes them difficult to handle without immense caution. the meat is worth it to most haen'oi, though, and just the act of raising them garners a whole lot of respect.

bibbits are some of the most abundant fish (calling them that cus they look like that) in the oceans, found all over the world with different variations. the bibbits found around Tunib'sau are very boney, but those bones are soft and thin, not removed unless necessary (like for baby haek, it could be a choking hazard - baby haen-oi don't have this problem). bibbits are usually smoked and eaten whole for haek, or eaten raw in the water by haen-oi. they are very flavorful, but don't keep well.

le'bul, or the "walking jewel", is a six-limbed nautilus-like critter. they have tentacle-lined arms like octopus, but lack the chromatophores of the same species. they instead rely on their shells for defense and camouflage, evolved to mimic different types of coral, depending on the region they're in. the le'bul shown above grows a shell resembling coral found almost exclusively in underwater caves. tracking them down is a difficult task, but they can be lured out with bibbits, so actually catching them is pretty simple. their shells are often used as decoration or storage depending mostly on the condition of it after the rest of the body is removed.

lastly, corin is basically just a really big tilapia. high in protein, low in fat. their meat is white and not the most flavorful, but it keeps well and their bones are good for making broth. there are much better, tastier fish out there, but these are the easiest for haen'oi to herd, hunt and trade, so it is the most popular option. they're the closest thing to a domestic fish you can get in those waters. some even let you pet them :)

[ninibeingdelulu]

Welcome to Berlin

synopsis-> Leaving your own country for his, you discover a totally different world. But at least, he’s with you.

wc-> 800

a/n-> special edition 4 my man only >.< and new design’s coming for my whole blog!!

The crisp chill of an early Berlin morning instantly prickled your exposed cheeks as soon as you stepped outside, far colder than any late autumn day back in Japan.

Hugging your thick woolen coat tighter, you tilted your face up to squint against the bright sunlight glinting off the city's sleek modern facades and windows.

"You'll get used to the temperature swings around here soon enough, liebling."

Michael's low, honeyed rasp rolled out in puffs of vapor beside your ear. His arm snaked around your waist, palm splayed possessively over the small of your back as he tucked you firmly against his side.

"These German winters are no joke."

You offered him a wordless hum and smile, simply basking in the solid, radiating warmth of his toned striker's body enveloping you like a furnace.

Little daily moments like these hazy morning strolls still felt almost dreamlike - the fact you'd truly uprooted your entire life in Japan just to follow this tempestuous blond firecracker across the world.

Not that you had a single regret. You'd choose the leap into the unknown alongside Michael a thousand times over.

As if sensing the introspective turn your thoughts had taken, he paused to swing you around until you were directly in his path.

Those piercing blue irises danced over your face with unchecked wonderment, palming your jaw to tip your features towards the brilliant sunshine haloing his hair in coronas of incandescent gold.

"Beautiful."

Michael husked in an unguarded moment of worship, caressing the arch of one cheekbone with his thumb.

You could never resist the swell of affection that tugged your heart sideways at those rare candid displays.

"Alright hotshot," you chuckled briskly to diffuse the rapidly thickening tension charging the morning air.

Using both palms flat on his firm chest to apply backwards pressure, you side-stepped smoothly away.

"Weren't you just telling me the other day about some crazy delicious new Bavarian bakery around the corner here?"

He flashed you a wolfish grin - catching your unspoken deflection easily - before slinging one long muscular arm loosely around your shoulders to resume strolling.

That tell-tale smug glint in his eye was clear even beneath the shadow of his snapback as he dipped his face closer.

"Oh, is that what the lady's craving? Should've known it'd be something sweet."

You hip-checked him playfully as the two of you navigated through the maze of residential streets enjoying each other's familiar banter.

"What can I say? All this freezing northern weather instantly makes me crave warm, gooey carbs. Lead the way to that sugary promised land, mikka"

Every now and then, Michael would pause your leisurely pace to waggle a finger sternly at some foreign street sign or landmark, coaching the proper pronunciation in his deep, throaty accent.

Committing each phrase and vocabulary word to memory with an eagerness that never failed to make his chest puff up with masculine pride whenever you repeated them back perfectly.

He took such unabashed delight in meticulously guiding you through the ins and outs of his native tongue despite your initial shyness over how thickly accented your Japanese sounded to him at first.

Impromptu German lessons on the street had quickly blossomed into an impromptu tradition whenever the two of you went exploring his hometown together.

You would have thought back to the shy, timid girl you'd been before falling for this wild tempest of a German striker nervously struggling to string together the most basic hello and thank you in Japanese for his first month in Japan.

Now, Michael delighted in witnessing just how ferociously determined and adaptable you'd become in chasing after him wholeheartedly into the unfamiliar world of Berlin.

Eventually, tantalizing scents of butter, cinnamon and mouthwatering yeasty dough grew too overpowering to resist.

Michael chivalrously kept pulling the heavy oak bakery door open wide and ushering you ahead into the tiny shop's cramped interior.

Warm, cheerful lighting spilled across tidy glass cases displaying all manner of crusty breads and delectably glistening confections.

He hovered behind as you slowly perused each tantalizing offering - chest pressed flush along your back, muscular forearms caging you in bracketed along the counter's edge.

"So," Michael rumbled lowly into the sensitive whorls of your ear, eliciting a shiver you were certain he felt ripple through your whole frame.

"What looks like it'll hit the spot for getting my best girl all warmed up and satisfied this morning?"

Heat blossomed across your cheeks, equally from both the fluster over his suggestive tone as well as the rich, sweet perfume of baking spices and buttery pastries swirling tantalizingly.

You somehow managed to swallow thickly against the sudden tightness in your throat while motioning towards one particularly plump, sugar-dusted selection - "That...um, that one looks amazing."

Michael chuckled lowly, every exhale stirring the wispy hairs along your nape, before flagging down the kind elderly baker behind the counter to place your order.

You basked in the full-bodied bliss of inhaling the piping hot pastry's rapturous aroma with your first eager bite as you wandered back outside - snuggling ever nearer into the shelter of Michael's embrace.

Whatever grand adventure still lay ahead in this brand new country, you knew you were more than ready to face it all...so long as this fierce whirlwind of a hotshot striker never stopped making you weak at the knees like this.

[the-meat-machine]

An examination of Jane's Crockercorp brainwashing

You put on your highly fashionable UNREAL HEIRESS THOUGHTWAVE TIARATOP and flip it on. It immediately hums to life as its blazing fast processes mingle with your thoughts. It is the most efficient computing technology in the world by far, as long as you don't wear it for too long. But aside from a few migraines, you can't possibly imagine any OBEY drawbacks that CEASE REPRODUCTION could come with SUBMIT merging CONSUME your thoughts with EMBRACE YOUR CULLING experimental technology CONFORM TO SOCIAL ORDER from an STAY ASLEEP extremely powerful DIE corporation, wait what?

So, here's a fact: Jane has been brainwashed with Crockercorp propaganda from childhood.

Here's another fact: Jane is the heiress to Crockercorp and is being groomed to take over the company once she comes of age.

With that in mind, I'd like to take a look at the subliminal messages Jane gets brainwashed with. I want to consider what these messages mean both on a literal level and a broader societal level, as well as what they mean to Jane, specifically, as the heiress to Crockercorp. Because when Jane takes in these messages coming from Crockercorp, they don't just apply to her. They also represent the ideology she'll one day be expected to enforce once she takes over the company.

I'll organize this into sections based on the commands, grouping a few similar commands together.

SUBMIT / OBEY

The literal meaning of these commands is straightforward: submission and obedience to a higher authority; specifically, Crockercorp.

More generally, these commands are about the importance of hierarchy. They tell the listener that there are those in this world who must be obeyed without question.

These commands teach Jane to submit her will both to the Condesce and to the advancement of the company as a whole. Being bombarded with endless messages of SUBMIT and OBEY is presumably part of what made her susceptible to having her brain hijacked by the tiaratop entirely.

However, since Jane is the heiress to Crockercorp, these messages are also subconsciously teaching her that one day, she'll be the one people submit to and obey. She's being primed to be a leader, and an autocratic one at that. After all, a corporation isn't a democracy, least of all Crockercorp. The CEO gives the orders, and everyone else has no choice but to OBEY. The only thing the leader serves is the brand itself.

CONFORM TO SOCIAL ORDER

Self-explanatory. Jane is very, very good at this one. She will bury all of her desires deep within the darkest recesses of her brain in the pursuit of conforming to social order. In fact, she's so good at conforming to social order that she has managed to convince herself, her friends, and the entire fandom that she's "the normal one." Incredible.

She also tends to urge her friends to conform to social order, for example by pedantically correcting their grammar. As the future leader of Crockercorp, she'll one day be the one enforcing social norms, and I think she's a natural at it.

One other thing to consider with this command is whether the "social order" that the Condesce wants humans to conform to is actually the social order that humans will be picturing when brainwashed with this command. The Condesce wants humans to be more like trolls. But I highly doubt many humans would hear "conform to social order" and interpret it to mean that they should organize society by blood color and leave their children to be raised by wild animals!

CONSUME

The literal meaning of this one is to buy and consume Crockercorp products. And we see throughout the story that Jane is all-in on the Betty Crocker brand, even in cases where she knows that Betty Crocker products are inferior. She even directly acknowledges it at one point, admitting that BettyBother is significantly worse than Pesterchum, but that "brand loyalty is a powerful thing". I bet it is, Jane!

But beyond that… what this command teaches more generally is that unchecked capitalism is the highest virtue. And, look, I think there's a lot of evidence that Jane buys into that philosophy wholeheartedly.

Now, I wouldn't presume to know where exactly Jane stands politically. But it's hard to deny that she is, at the very least, fiscally conservative. She has no problem with the idea of society being under the control of a powerful corporation, as long as said corporation is her company. Crockercorp has wormed its way into all aspects of life in her world, and that's just peachy as far as Jane is concerned.

In fact, Jane wants Crockercorp to seize more power! Within a few days of her introduction, we see both that she wants to privatize the post office and that she's a believer in millionaire philanthropy. Obviously these pages are both presented as jokes, but I think they speak to her mindset. Jane is a wealthy girl who has never had any reason to question the privileges her wealth gives her or the power she's set to inherit.

And this mindset is reaffirmed in the credits, where Jane decides to reestablish her beloved Betty Crocker brand in the post-scarcity paradise she and the other kids created. It seems that she believes the only problem with Crockercorp was that there was a bad person running it, and now with her in charge instead everything will be hunky-dory! She doesn't appear to consider that there could be any systemic issues in having a god-run monopolistic corporation set up shop in utopia.

STAY ASLEEP

Metaphorically: stay ignorant. Don't pay attention to what's going on around you. Don't notice what Crockercorp is doing to you and to the world.

Jane does tend to reject facts that seem outlandish or improbable to her, and specifically spends a long time rejecting the notion that there could be anything sinister going on behind the scenes at Crockercorp.

Literally, this command could be a message directed at Jane specifically: stay asleep on Prospit. Don't wake up and see the portents in the clouds of Skaia, portents that may reveal things the Condesce doesn't want her to know.

EMBRACE YOUR CULLING / DIE

Literally, these two are directed more at the human populace of Earth: humanity is done for. Don't resist when the drones come to kill you.

Applied to Jane specifically, there are two possible literal interpretations. One is that she's being encouraged not to resist the Condesce, in case one day they end up fighting and the Condesce has to kill her. The other is that she's being encouraged to embrace death so that she can go god tier, which helps Jane herself level up while also being instrumental to the Condesce's plans.

Being constantly bombarded with messages telling her that she should die probably didn't do great for Jane's self-esteem! The Maid of Life's drive to survive can't be eliminated that easily, though.

On a broader level, these commands teach Jane that Crockercorp decides who is permitted to live and who deserves to die. Corporate control over life and death as the natural endgame of the corporate state. And of course, this means that as the head of Crockercorp, Jane will one day be in a position to decide whose lives are worth living.

CEASE REPRODUCTION

This is an interesting one when you look at the literal meaning. Because no matter how you think this command affected Jane, one thing it decidedly did not do is rid her of the desire to reproduce. Deep down—as revealed both in Trickster Mode and Crockertier—Jane really, really wants to have Jake's babies.

Personally, my headcanon is that this command left Jane with a massive breeding kink. For nebulous reasons she can't explain, she feels that reproductive sex is horribly taboo, more so even than sex in general. Meanwhile, she's desperately in love with Jake, and wants both to have sex with him, and also to have a nice heterosexual nuclear family with him (conform to social order!). And she's too repressed to express any of this to anybody, so it all builds up into this big impossible taboo fantasy of BABIES BABIES BABIES.

I also happen to think that the Condesce explicitly considers Jane an exception to this command. I've argued before that the Condesce is sincere in wanting Jane to be her heiress. She even goes so far as to allow Crockertier Jane to kidnap Jake with the intention of using him to sire children. And why not? Her heiress has gotta be able to have heiresses of her own. The royal line must go on. As is implicit in a lot of these messages, those who are in charge have the privilege of being exempt from restrictions that apply to everyone else.

There's also a broader implication to the CEASE REPRODUCTION command, and it's this: there are people out there whose uncontrolled breeding is a threat to social order. In this sense, it's a blatantly fascist message.

And… look, I've been avoiding referencing anything from the post-canon in this post so far, but if you'll allow me to dip into the Epilogues for just a moment: this, perhaps more than anything, is where the Condesce's attempted brainwashing of Jane really backfired for her. Because I would assume that one of the Condesce's goals is to perpetuate the troll race. And yet she allowed her human heiress to internalize the message that there are other people whose unnatural and disgusting methods of reproduction should be banned. Filtered through Jane's human mindset… well, from her perspective, it's probably trolls who have a bizarre and repellent way of reproducing. Seems like that might not work out so well for the trolls if Jane ends up in charge! Certainly it doesn't in Candy.

Conclusion

So there's the overview of what I believe are all the commands we see Jane get brainwashed with in Homestuck. If I forgot any, feel free to let me know.

Now, a lot of these messages are things Jane would have been internalizing regardless in her upbringing as a corporate scion. Hell, some of them are things that everybody in 21st century American capitalist society is going to be marinating in to some degree or other. And for some of the commands, like CONFORM TO SOCIAL ORDER, it's hard to tell how much is the brainwashing and how much is just Jane's natural personality.

But I do think all of these subliminal messages are very revealing in what they say about Jane's mindset, ideology, and unexamined biases. Because frankly, Jane never really reckons with any of this in canon. She never questions whether there was anything wrong with her upbringing. She continues to embrace the role she was raised to fill. Even after coming out of Crockertier, she's ashamed of how she behaved but never seems to examine why she acted that way. Instead she just goes right back to repressing everything.

After all, CONFORMING TO SOCIAL ORDER is what Jane is best at.

[maybe-boys-do-love]

Don't you see that Spare Me Your Mercy was all about love from beginning to end? The only question was what kind of love.

Dr. Kan introduced a love that was wild, indigenous, communal, and, most importantly to the plot, extralegal. Here I discussed my observation about the rural-specific parallels between acceptance of death and acceptance of queerness, and now finished with the series I stand by it firmly. Tew had assimilated into an upstanding individualistic perspective as he left his rural upbringing for the metropolitan world to find acceptance for himself, the kind his mother had for him but few others amongst the male leadership in his hometown. Kan tries to offer him a perspective about connection to the world that would allow him to live in his hometown and withstand the grief and suffering of a queer life.

It struck me watching the finale, and hopefully struck many other viewers, that much of what Kan said about euthanasia's legality in his confession to Tew applies equally to the state of queer love historically: "Is the law wrong?;" "It's legal in other places," "The law never understands the inequality, the lack of resources, the suffering." Its an ethical view that puts others humanity first before society's rules.

The question looming over the series was how Tew would process his mother's death. As your local queer tragedian, I love the artistry with which the show answers the question (without killing off our gay lovers). Tew confesses his love as he drives his paramour to jail in handcuffs. That is the essence of Tew's love. His love is a prison for people to suffer in for his own pride. He's deeply selfish @respectthepetty pointed out in a conversation with @poetry-protest-pornography, and so is his style of love--or style of cathexis, as bell hooks (my rural buddhist scholar crush) might label it, adapting from psychologist M. Scott Peck. Cathexis is the investment of feelings or emotions into someone often confused with love, what's been translated in Buddhist literature as attachment. Acted upon, cathexis is obsessive, controlling, and possessive. Those tendencies might serve an emotional purpose in establishing the early stages of a relationship (puppy love is fun!), but left unchecked they can also lead to things like, you know, tapping your lovers' car and following them. Right, Tew?

That's what intrigued me about the development of the pair's relationship. It integrated the layers of paranoia inflecting Tew's character. His police investigation, his reticence about his own queer expression back in his hometown, and his egotistical approach to relationships all braided together. Kan loses the pen Tew gifted him, for example, and it ignites suspicions for Tew of murder, being outed, and Kan's fidelity all at once. Meanwhile, the doctor, whose demeanor and open flirtation mark him as out and comfortable with his sexuality, knowingly accepts Tew's double-dealings hoping while he's doing it the detective will discover the kind of love and acceptance (of queerness and euthanasia) that Dr. Kan has found.

The genre of BL that SMYM skirts made Kan's perspective seem especially possible, and I, for one, felt riveted by the real mystery of where the show would land between its bleak murder-mystery and romance genres. Personally, I think we BL fans need to become more comfortable with the breadth romance can truly cover rather than simply getting mad at tragic love and ambiguities. Shows like SMYM and Only Friends are delivering masterfully executed series, but our aversions to difficult characters, duplicitous writing, and tragic plot structures have people failing to recognize their skill or purpose, entirely. Let me tell you that having gay tragedies that aren't about people dying because of homophobia is JUST AS RADICAL as gays with happy endings.

SMYM depicts a variety of queer men's lives. They come from different backgrounds in different generations. They've faced different obstacles and led imperfect lives. They've hurt some people and helped others. And they've committed to different approaches to understanding how people are meant to help with the experience of suffering based on their queer experiences but not solely. This is the story of how their views come to a head. It's tragic and an exceptionally well-done detective series that provokes incredible questions if you're willing to let go of the idea that series are here to make you, personally, happy rather than something to engage with.

*Unrelated note to all this, but I'm also appreciating how the song used, Northern Breeze (thanks @thaisongsengsub for translating here), has a lot of relevance about the fleeting nature of love and life, but it's also the same tune as Daisy Bell (A Bicycle Built for Two) which was FAMOUSLY sung by the robot HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey when they euthanize it shut it down.

[hellinistical]

fem! reader x rafayel. royal! au. sea horror! au. heavy angst. minor and major character death. slow burn. romance. fluff. explicit smut. trauma. religious themes. gore; hinted torture, cannibalism, decapitation, self-cannibalism. violence. wc: 5375 a/n: ty for the support <3 additionally, there is now a map! its on the masterlist

masterlist | playlist | taglist | prev. | next

V: LOOSE BARREL

The northern beaches were a desolate expanse of jagged cliffs and weathered stones, where the cold wind howled and the sea churned angrily. The water, an icy shade of steel gray, lashed against the unforgiving rocks with a relentless fury, spraying salt into the air. There was no warmth here, no gentle sand to soften the harsh edges of the coastline—just sharp, uneven terrain that seemed to mirror the chaos of the storm brewing far in the distance.

The tide surged and withdrew, erasing any sign of life that might have dared to cross this isolated stretch of land. There were no footprints, no remnants of human presence. Only the sea claimed this place, its wild energy unchecked by time or tide.

Above, the sky hung low, cloaked in heavy clouds that promised no reprieve from the cold. Gulls circled high overhead, their cries swallowed by the crash of the waves below. In the distance, the faint silhouette of a ship bobbed on the horizon, but it was moving away, as if even the sailors knew better than to linger here.

The only sound was the relentless slap of the water against rock, an unending rhythm that seemed both soothing and ominous. This was a place that belonged to no one—untamed, unyielding, and as timeless as the sea itself.

Beneath the tumultuous surface of the northern waters, the world transformed into a murky graveyard. Twisted remnants of mankind's carelessness floated aimlessly, forgotten nets tangled with drifting planks, and rusted barrels spilled their secrets into the currents. Among the debris, a ship loomed in the shadows, its once-proud hull now a skeleton of rotting wood and corroded iron.

The ship's figurehead, once carved in intricate detail, was eroded beyond recognition, its haunting form half-buried in the silt below. Seaweed clung to every surface, swaying like ghostly tendrils in the cold currents. Portholes gaped like empty eyes, staring into the abyss of the deep.

Schools of fish darted through the wreckage, weaving around shattered beams and the skeletal remains of the cargo hold. Barnacles encrusted the jagged edges, and anemones pulsed with eerie life, taking refuge in the decay. The ship, forgotten by those who had once sailed it, had become part of the underwater ecosystem, a silent testament to humanity’s indifference and the ocean’s relentless claim over all that entered its domain.

Above, the faint shafts of light from the storm-darkened sky barely pierced the depths, leaving much of the wreck cloaked in shadow. But if one were to look closely, they might notice something unnatural moving among the ruins—something that didn’t belong to the sea or the remnants of mankind’s negligence.

The creature moved with an elegance that belied its brutality, each motion fluid and deliberate. A finned hand reached out lazily, snatching a fish with practiced ease. Its other hand deftly plucked the fins from the squirming prey, casting them aside to drift aimlessly into the watery void.

With sharp teeth glinting faintly in the dim light, the being bit into the fish. The snap of fragile bones and the crunch of cartilage echoed faintly, muffled by the dense water. A bloom of red blossomed from the wound, spreading like ink in the surrounding currents.

Its body moved like silk through the water, iridescent scales catching the faint light and shimmering in hues of blue and lavender. Long strands of violet hair floated around its head, framing its otherworldly visage like a halo of deep sea fog.

The creature paused mid-bite, its slit-pupil eyes narrowing as it surveyed the wreckage around it. The rhythmic motion of its tail was the only sound as it hovered silently in the darkened expanse, a predator perfectly at home in its haunting domain.

It cast aside the half eaten fish, moving along to inspect the ship more closely. 

The half-eaten fish drifted downward, its lifeless body caught in the slow pull of the ocean's depths. The creature moved on, its sleek form weaving effortlessly through the water, tail undulating with an almost hypnotic rhythm.

The rotting ship loomed before it like a forgotten monument, its decaying wooden beams splintered and overgrown with barnacles. Rusted metal fittings clung stubbornly to the remnants of the hull, and torn sails fluttered faintly in the water’s currents like ghostly shrouds.

It reached out, a webbed hand trailing along the wreck’s surface. Wood crumbled beneath its touch, breaking apart into a fine cloud of debris. The ship reeked of human folly—bottles, rusted tools, and broken chests lay scattered like remnants of a forgotten life.

The creature's gaze narrowed, sharp eyes scanning for something unknown. It paused to pry open a cracked crate, its claws making quick work of the weakened wood. Inside, a glint of metal caught its attention—useless trinkets to some, but perhaps not to it. The faint movement of a crab scuttling into the shadows drew no reaction; this was no scavenger hunt.

The ship was a tomb, but there was something here worth finding. Something it sought. It continued its exploration, movements purposeful and predatory, undeterred by the wreckage's quiet decay.

A series of sharp clicks and low chirps echoed through the water, reverberating off the broken walls of the sunken ship. The soundwaves danced through the gloom, painting a mental map in his mind—a predator’s sonar, seeking life or secrets hidden in the decaying wreck.

The clicks bounced back with muddled signals, disrupted by the ship’s rotting wooden beams and encrusted metal. But faint traces of movement flickered at the edges of his perception. Small fish, maybe, or something larger lurking in the deeper shadows of the wreck.

He moved closer, his iridescent scales shimmering faintly in the dim light filtering from the surface above. With a flick of his powerful tail, he swam around a broken mast, weaving through a tangle of seaweed that had claimed part of the hull. The chirps grew sharper, faster, as he honed in on the disturbance—a lingering curiosity gnawing at him.

The water grew colder as he neared the heart of the wreck. A shadow shifted, barely visible. Something had been here, recently. He clicked again, the sound bouncing back with clarity this time.

He paused, narrowing his piercing gaze, the eerie calm of the waters around him amplifying the tension. Whatever was here might still be watching. Or waiting.

A series of sharp clicks and low chirps echoed through the water, reverberating off the broken walls of the sunken ship. The soundwaves danced through the gloom, painting a mental map in his mind—a predator’s sonar, seeking life or secrets hidden in the decaying wreck.

The clicks bounced back with muddled signals, disrupted by the ship’s rotting wooden beams and encrusted metal. But faint traces of movement flickered at the edges of his perception. Small fish, maybe, or something larger lurking in the deeper shadows of the wreck.

He moved closer, his iridescent scales shimmering faintly in the dim light filtering from the surface above. With a flick of his powerful tail, he swam around a broken mast, weaving through a tangle of seaweed that had claimed part of the hull. The chirps grew sharper, faster, as he honed in on the disturbance—a lingering curiosity gnawing at him.

The water grew colder as he neared the heart of the wreck. A shadow shifted, barely visible. Something had been here, recently. He clicked again, the sound bouncing back with clarity this time.

He paused, narrowing his piercing gaze, the eerie calm of the waters around him amplifying the tension. Whatever was here might still be watching. Or waiting.

The sharp clicks reverberated once more, only to be met with a flash of movement. A female siren emerged from the jagged opening in the rotting wood, her sleek form twisting gracefully through the water. Her iridescent scales glimmered faintly in the muted light, but her toothy grin was anything but serene.

"Fancy seeing you here," she crooned, her voice lilting and sharp like the edges of broken glass. She twirled lazily, her fins brushing against the algae-covered hull as if mocking the ship’s demise.

He huffed, his irritation palpable, bubbles escaping his lips in a flurry. Clicking his tongue sharply, he folded his arms, his tail giving an annoyed flick that stirred up silt from the seabed.

"Do you ever have anything better to do?" he asked, his tone as cold as the deep-sea currents swirling around them.

Her grin widened, revealing rows of needle-like teeth. "Oh, but this is far more interesting than anything else. And you—you’re always so fun to watch when you’re brooding."

"Go play somewhere else," he snapped, his voice carrying the faint edge of a growl. "I don’t have time for your games."

She tilted her head, her sharp eyes narrowing slightly. "Always so serious," she mused, clicking her own tongue in a mocking imitation. "What are you even doing here, hmm? Looking for scraps, or just sulking by the wreck?"

He turned away from her, his patience already threadbare. "None of your business."

Her laughter rang out, a haunting melody that echoed through the water. "Oh, but it is my business when you’re in my waters," she teased, gliding closer. "Careful, or you might make me think you’re hiding something."

Her laughter softened, curling around her words like seaweed around driftwood. Gliding closer, she plucked the discarded fish from where it floated lazily in the water, its half-eaten form a morbid offering.

"Tell me," she began, sinking her sharp teeth into the remains, a burst of crimson clouding the water around her lips. "How has it fared, hmm? Your meals so graciously given to you by that man?"

He stilled, his broad shoulders tightening at her words. His gaze, sharp and unyielding, flicked toward her, annoyance flashing in his bioluminescent eyes. "What are you trying to say?"

She chewed slowly, her grin widening as if she savored not only the taste but his irritation. "Oh, nothing," she replied with mock innocence, flicking her fins playfully. "Just curious. You’ve been... preoccupied lately. Swimming in circles, perhaps hoping for something new to fall into your net?"

His tail lashed, and the water rippled violently around him. "You don’t know anything," he growled, voice low and dangerous.

Her chuckle was dark, almost conspiratorial. "Don’t I?" she cooed, brushing a strand of violet hair from her face with a taloned hand. "Oh, I’ve seen you. Darting around the shallows like a curious pup, chasing a shadow that doesn’t belong in the water."

"Stay out of it," he snapped, his voice cutting through the water like a blade.

Her grin only grew sharper. "Touchy, touchy," she said, tossing the fish’s hollowed carcass aside. "I wonder what would happen if that little secret of yours found its way to more... eager ears."

He moved in an instant, closing the distance between them with a speed that made her flinch, his hand gripping her wrist tightly. His face was inches from hers, his voice a venomous whisper. "You’ll keep your mouth shut if you know what’s good for you."

For the first time, her grin faltered, though she quickly masked it with a sardonic smirk. "Fine," she drawled, twisting free of his grip. "But you should know, secrets have a funny way of slipping through the cracks—just like water."

Above the sirens, vibrations rippled through the cold, murky waters—strong, deliberate, unmistakable. He froze, his sharp gaze shifting upward as the disturbances sent faint currents cascading around him.

A ship?

It wasn’t unusual for the occasional vessel to drift far from its intended path, but here? In these treacherous Northern waters of Chronosia? No human dared venture this close to the Anbusas coast, not if they valued their lives. The stories alone were enough to keep even the most intrepid sailors away—rumors of sharp rocks hidden beneath the waves, sirens with haunting songs, and ancient, cursed tides.

And yet, the vibrations were undeniable, the slow, steady rhythm of oars or an engine cutting through the water, bringing the presence of something very alive—and very human.

The female siren reemerged from the shadows, her earlier amusement replaced by curiosity. "Do you feel that?" she asked, her voice now low and wary, her playful demeanor vanishing like a ripple dissipating on the surface.

He nodded, his gaze narrowing as he tilted his head to the side, listening intently. The clicks and hums of the ocean around them were muffled by the heavier, alien sounds above—a steady thrum of wood and iron clashing against the restless sea.

"No human comes this far north," he murmured, his tone more to himself than to her. "Not willingly."

"Yet here they are," she replied, her own bioluminescent eyes gleaming in the dim light as she swam closer to him, tension vibrating in her every movement. "Brave, aren’t they?"

"Or foolish," he muttered darkly.

The vibrations intensified, and a faint shadow passed over the water above them—a long, hulking silhouette cutting through the waves like a predator stalking its prey.

"Should we?" she asked, her sharp grin returning as her fingers flexed, claws gleaming.

He hesitated, his tail swaying as he considered the possibilities. It wasn’t fear that held him back; it was calculation. A ship this far north couldn’t just be a coincidence.

"Not yet," he said finally, his voice firm. "We watch first."

With a flick of his tail, he moved toward the ship’s path, disappearing into the murky depths as the vibrations continued to rattle through the water, signaling the approach of something unknown—and potentially catastrophic.

***

Above the waves, a massive ship cut through the restless waters, its size and grandeur almost defiant against the foreboding backdrop of the Northern seas. The hull was a masterpiece of craftsmanship, each plank carved with intricate designs—swirling motifs of sea serpents, storm clouds, and gods in battle, their forms interwoven in a way that seemed alive, almost breathing with the motion of the ocean.

The ship’s grandeur was undeniable, its towering masts stretching high above the dark water, sails taut and glistening with rain. Ornate lanterns hung from the railings, their flickering flames casting ghostly reflections across the wet, polished deck. This was no ordinary vessel; it was a thing of beauty and power, a stark contrast to the hostile waters it dared to traverse.

The ship’s bow was crowned with a figurehead, a towering depiction of a siren—beautiful and terrible. Her carved expression was one of agony and wrath, her arms extended toward the sea as though in a plea or a curse. Gold and silver accents glinted in the dim light, betraying the wealth of those who had sent this ship into such dangerous waters.

The crew aboard moved with purpose, their shouts carried faintly by the wind. They weren’t simple merchants or fishermen; their uniforms, weapons, and coordinated movements suggested something more deliberate.

An air of tension hung heavy over the deck, the men glancing uneasily at the churning water below and the storm clouds gathering in the distance. One of them, a broad-shouldered man with a weathered face, stood at the helm, his hands gripping the wheel with knuckles pale against the wood.

"The ship is too damn big for this," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else, his eyes scanning the horizon.

"And yet here we are. Tell it to the captain." another man replied, his voice laced with dry humor, though his hand lingered nervously on the hilt of his sword.

The ship groaned as it pressed forward, the waves slapping against the intricately carved hull as if the sea itself were trying to push it back, to warn it away from the dangers it did not yet fully comprehend.

Marlon, a gruff man with sun-scorched skin and a permanent scowl, spat over the side of the ship, the wind catching the fleck before it disappeared into the sea. Rolling his strained shoulders, he muttered, "The captain won’t listen. Says it’s too good of a hunt waitin’ out here. Still don’t make sense why we took this boat—got imperial sigils all over it."

His tone was sharp, dripping with disdain as he jerked a thumb toward the intricately carved hull. "Like we ain’t already makin’ ourselves a big enough target just bein’ here."

The other man leaning against the railing with a hand near his sword, Ryder, chuckled humorlessly.  "A hunt, he says. As if the sea gives a damn about our quarry. Imperial sigils or not, these waters’ll swallow us whole if they’ve a mind to."

Marlon grunted, his brows furrowing deeper as he scanned the horizon. The heavy clouds above mirrored the unease in his chest. "Hunt or no hunt, I’m tellin’ ya, we should’ve stayed south. Ain’t no fish worth pissin’ off what lives under this stretch of water."

The other man didn’t reply, only tightening his grip on his weapon. The air seemed thicker here, heavier. It wasn’t just the threat of the storm—it was something deeper, something ancient. Even the ocean spray felt colder, biting through their thick coats like icy fingers.

Marlon’s voice dropped, almost a whisper. "And this boat? It’s too damn pretty. Too loud. If we’re not careful, it’s gonna bring somethin’ outta those depths we don’t wanna see."

Marlon turned at the sound of the low, gravelly voice, his eyes narrowing as Luke and Kieran approached. Their crow masks gleamed faintly in the dim light, polished beaks lending them an eerie presence.

"Gentlemen," Luke began, his tone cool and measured. "A problem?"

Kieran tilted his head slightly, the hollow sockets of his mask staring straight at Marlon, who felt a chill race up his spine despite himself. Ryder, the younger of the two men at the railing, cleared his throat nervously, but Marlon wasn’t one for being intimidated—not by masks, and not by men who thought them fancy.

He spat over the side again, the sound of it sharp against the restless waves. Straightening his back, he gestured toward the ornate ship with a rough hand. "Yeah, a problem. This whole setup’s a damn problem. I don’t like this boat, I don’t like these waters, and I sure as hell don’t like the captain’s obsession with huntin’ here. We’ve no business in these parts, imperial sigils or not."

Luke and Kieran exchanged a glance, their expressions unreadable behind the dark visors of their masks. Kieran’s voice came low and slow, deliberate in its weight. "The captain’s orders aren’t up for debate. You’ll follow them, just like everyone else on this crew."

"And what’s the captain chasin’ that’s worth endangering us all, huh?" Marlon shot back, his tone sharp. "You can’t tell me he doesn’t know what’s down there."

Luke chuckled softly, the sound unsettling as it escaped the beak-like mask. "You think too much, Marlon. It’ll get you into trouble."

"Thinkin’s all that’s kept me alive this long," Marlon snapped.

Kieran stepped closer, his broad figure casting a shadow over Marlon. "Then think about this. You’re on his ship, in his waters. If you’ve got doubts, you’re welcome to take your chances overboard. Otherwise, keep your mouth shut and do your job."

The two masked men lingered for a moment longer, their presence suffocating. Then, without another word, they turned and disappeared into the ship’s shadows.

Marlon shook his head, muttering under his breath, "Damn fools are gonna get us all killed." Ryder, still tense, exhaled shakily beside him. "They might hear you," he whispered.

"Let ‘em," Marlon grumbled, though his eyes kept flicking nervously toward the dark waves below.

But just then-

A thunderous boom reverberated through the ship, sending Marlon and Ryder stumbling backward. The entire vessel groaned as if in agony, the sound of splintering wood rising above the waves.

"What in the hells was that?!" Marlon barked, clutching the railing for balance as the ship rocked violently.

Ryder scrambled to his feet, wide-eyed, his gaze darting over the edge of the railing. "Something hit us! Something big!"

The crew erupted into chaos, men shouting orders and curses as the ship listed dangerously to one side. The ornate carvings along the hull cracked and splintered, some breaking off entirely to be swallowed by the churning sea below.

From the shadows of the deck, Luke and Kieran reappeared, their crow masks gleaming ominously. Luke’s voice cut through the clamor like a blade. "All hands on deck! Arm yourselves!"

Kieran strode to the center of the chaos, barking orders with precision. "Secure the cargo! Watch the waterline!"

Another jarring thud rocked the ship, this time sending a shower of seawater and debris over the deck. Marlon gripped the railing tighter, his knuckles white as he scanned the dark waters below.

And then he saw it.

A shadow, massive and serpentine, slithered just beneath the surface, its form too large to comprehend fully. The water churned violently in its wake, glowing faintly with an otherworldly blue-green light.

"By the gods," Marlon breathed, his voice barely above a whisper. Ryder, standing frozen beside him, followed his gaze and let out a strangled gasp.

The shadow moved again, circling the ship with an unsettling grace. Whatever it was, it wasn’t human—or anything else Marlon had ever seen before.

From the depths, a deep, resonant growl echoed, a sound that sent shivers through every man aboard. The ship groaned once more, the ancient wood seeming to protest the presence of the beast.

Kieran’s voice boomed above the chaos, his calm veneer beginning to crack. "Stand your ground! Whatever it is, it bleeds!"

But Marlon wasn’t so sure. 

The crow's nest, high above the chaos, swayed dangerously with the ship's violent rocking. Its once-proud occupant, a large black bird, was nowhere to be seen—likely seeking refuge with the captain below deck, if not having flown off entirely.

Luke’s sharp tone snapped through the din. "You there! Secure the starboard side before we lose it altogether!" His crow mask turned sharply toward the men scrambling with ropes and barrels.

Kieran, ever the strategist, stood at the opposite railing, assessing the situation with an unshakable focus. "Reinforce the hull breach!" he commanded, pointing to where seawater was beginning to seep through splintered wood. "We’re not sinking on my watch!"

Another thunderous crash rattled the ship, the force throwing several men off balance and scattering loose cargo across the deck. The sound of grinding wood and the eerie groan of the hull filled the air.

Ryder stumbled, clutching Marlon’s arm to steady himself. "This thing’s playing with us," he muttered, voice trembling. "It could’ve sunk us by now if it wanted to."

Marlon gritted his teeth, his eyes darting to the waterline. "Don’t say that out loud, boy. You’ll give it ideas."

The shadow beneath the waves appeared again, circling slower this time, almost taunting. The glowing bioluminescence trailing behind it cast an eerie light on the ship’s underside, illuminating the intricate imperial sigils etched into the wood.

Luke’s head snapped toward the bow as the shadow moved. "Keep your weapons ready!" he barked. "No hesitation!"

Kieran turned sharply to face the gathered men. "We’ll lure it out," he said, his voice low but carrying over the chaos. "Make it show itself. Harpoons ready. Aim for the head or whatever it calls a heart."

"But what if it doesn’t have one?" a voice called out, trembling with fear.

Kieran’s masked face turned toward the voice, his tone icy. "Then we make one."

The ship groaned again, the vibrations resonating through every plank and rope. Whatever circled them wasn’t just a beast. It was something far more intelligent, something testing them. And it wasn’t finished yet.

A hand, slick and glistening with seawater, reached out and tightened its grip on the wooden rail, long claws digging into the soaked wood. The faint bioluminescent glow along the webbing pulsed like the heartbeat of the sea itself. With an eerie smoothness, it pulled itself up, revealing more of the creature that followed.

A scream tore through the night, sharp and panicked, as one of the crew caught sight of the intruder. "By the gods!" he cried, stumbling backward and tripping over a coil of rope.

The figure loomed over the rail now, its upper body humanoid yet alien. Iridescent scales shimmered in hues of violet and blue, reflecting the dim lantern light. Long, sleek strands of lavender hair clung wetly to its face and shoulders, framing angular features that were both beautiful and unnerving. Its eyes, slit-pupiled and glowing faintly, scanned the deck with an unsettling intelligence.

Luke and Kieran froze for a moment before snapping into action.

"Ready the harpoons!" Luke shouted, drawing his blade.

Kieran stepped forward, his stance steady even as the deck pitched beneath him. "Stand your ground! It’s just one. We’ve faced worse."

The creature tilted its head, watching the chaos it had stirred with an almost amused expression. Water dripped from its elongated fingers, each ending in a sharp claw, as it gripped the rail tighter.

Another man screamed, clutching a makeshift weapon—a gaff hook—and stepping back in terror. The creature’s gaze snapped to him, its lips curling into a sharp, toothy grin.

Marlon spat again, though his hand trembled as he held his harpoon. "Ain’t no fish I’ve ever seen."

The creature finally spoke, its voice resonating like the deep echo of waves in a cavern. "You... should not have come here."

The words sent a chill through the crew, the weight of their mistake crashing down on them like the waves below.

“Shuveyr… Shuveyr save us,” 

The hand, slick and glistening with seawater, tightened its grip on the wooden rail, long claws digging into the soaked wood. The faint bioluminescent glow along the webbing pulsed like the heartbeat of the sea itself. With an eerie smoothness, it pulled itself up, revealing more of the creature that followed.

A scream tore through the night, sharp and panicked, as one of the crew caught sight of the intruder. "By the gods!" he cried, stumbling backward and tripping over a coil of rope.

The figure loomed over the rail now, its upper body humanoid yet alien. Iridescent scales shimmered in hues of violet and blue, reflecting the dim lantern light. Long, sleek strands of lavender hair clung wetly to its face and shoulders, framing angular features that were both beautiful and unnerving. Its eyes, slit-pupiled and glowing faintly, scanned the deck with an unsettling intelligence.

The creature tilted its head, watching the chaos it had stirred with an almost amused expression. Water dripped from its elongated fingers, each ending in a sharp claw, as it gripped the rail tighter.

Another man screamed, clutching a makeshift weapon—a gaff hook—and stepping back in terror. The creature’s gaze snapped to him, its lips curling into a sharp, toothy grin.

Marlon spat again, though his hand trembled as he held his harpoon. "Ain’t no fish I’ve ever seen."

The creature finally spoke, its voice resonating like the deep echo of waves in a cavern. "You... should not have come here."

The creature's lips curled further, the expression both amused and terrifying, revealing rows of sharp, jagged teeth that gleamed like polished bone in the dim light. Her iridescent scales shifted with an unsettling fluidity, as if her body was part of the ocean itself. Her eyes—deep, endless pools of violet and pink—locked onto the man who had invoked Shuveyr, a slight glimmer of recognition flickering within them.

"Shuveyr?" Her voice was soft yet resonated with an eerie echo, as though the very sea had spoken. "A goddess to call upon in your desperation?" She tilted her head, her hair falling like strands of dark silk, glistening with droplets of seawater. "She does not dwell here... not where I reign."

The crew was silent now, the weight of her words sinking in. The terror among them was palpable, as if they were standing on the edge of something ancient and deadly. The deck creaked ominously beneath their feet, and the winds picked up, howling with the ferocity of a storm on the horizon.

"You’ve ventured too far," the creature continued, her voice lilting as she stepped forward, her webbed feet soundless against the wood. Her gaze flicked to the ship’s stern, where the rest of the crew stood frozen, some still clutching their weapons, others too afraid to move. "There is no safe haven in these waters. No gods, no prayers can protect you from the depths of the sea."

Marlon swallowed hard, his hands shaking as he gripped his harpoon tighter. "What do you want from us?" His voice cracked, and despite his bravado, the terror was evident.

The siren's smile widened, her eyes gleaming with a predatory hunger. "Your lives are forfeit. A small price for trespassing in these waters... but perhaps," she mused, her tone shifting to something more calculating, "perhaps I could offer you a trade."

The men exchanged uncertain glances, some hesitating, others desperate to find a way out of the nightmare unfolding before them.

"What trade?" Luke dared to ask, his voice steady despite the fear twisting in his gut.

"Let me think," the siren said with a tilt of her head, her smile never wavering. "You can give me what you value most—your pride, your treasure, or perhaps... your very souls."

Her gaze swept over the crew, pausing on each man for just a heartbeat too long. "Choose wisely," she added, her voice softening into a whisper, "for I know what lies beneath your skins."

The wind howled again, drowning out the crew's responses, and the ship creaked louder, as if groaning under the weight of its impending doom.

A heavy silence settled over the ship, thick and suffocating. The men stood frozen, eyes wide, hearts racing, as the siren disappeared beneath the waves. Her haunting eyes, filled with unspoken promises, faded into the deep, leaving only the echo of her voice hanging in the air like a curse.

For a moment, there was nothing—no movement, no sound save the relentless crash of the waves against the hull. The men held their breath, waiting, uncertain of what would come next. The stillness was so profound that it felt as though time had stopped.

And then, the barrels, unsecured by the chaos, began to shift.

A low groan from the ship's timbers echoed, the sound growing louder as the barrels, laden with supplies, began to roll and tumble across the deck. The men, still in shock, moved hastily to prevent the containers from sliding off the ship, but it was too late—several rolled to the edge and crashed overboard, splashing into the water below.

From the depths, something stirred.

The water around the ship churned violently as if something large was moving just beneath the surface, circling, waiting. The men froze again, eyes darting toward the waves, but there was no sign of the siren, no sign of what was to come next.

Then, the sound of creaking wood—a deep, groaning sound—came from beneath the hull. It was as though the ship itself were buckling under some unseen force, its timbers straining against the pressure.

Luke, his face pale, looked toward the horizon, his voice barely a whisper. "We're not alone."

And before anyone could respond, the sea erupted.

Massive, dark shapes shot up from the water, enormous and terrifying, their forms shifting in the shadows beneath the surface. Tentacles, black and slick, coiled and lashed against the ship’s sides, pulling with unimaginable strength. The ship lurched violently, a deep, ominous growl vibrating through the planks.

The crew scrambled, shouting orders and fear-stricken prayers, but it was clear that whatever had risen from the depths was far beyond their control. As the ship groaned under the assault, the unmistakable sound of tearing wood filled the air, and the men knew—this was no ordinary storm. This was the wrath of something ancient, something that had waited in these waters for far too long.

The captain was here.

But  something else.

The raven had made its appearance, cawing. Heavy foot steps sounded- thud, thud, thud. 

“Grab the nets.  I want a siren.”

copyright © 2024 Hellinistical all rights reserved. no part of this story may be reposted, edited, or reproduced without the author’s permission.

[avelera]

Meta: Balancing the Ledger in Arcane S2

Whatever people might have thought of Vi and Jayce's actions in S1, Arcane Season 2 was definitely listening. The whole point of their arcs in 2.1-2.3 seems specifically aimed at them getting point by point retribution for everything they did wrong, intentionally or unintentionally, sympathetically or unsympathetically, in S1.

Vi:

Is hurt and abandoned by Cait in almost exactly the same manner that she hurt and abandoned Powder in S1. If you thought Vi got off too lightly for her treatment of Powder in S1, she has now experienced the full brunt of what it would be like to be on the other side of that fight.

Is attacked, terrorized, and made to feel helpless by the very undercity people who she led an attack against in S1 in which she overpowered, terrorized, and ultimately led to the death of a child as collateral damage. The escalating cycle of violence that she took part in came back to bite her, hard.

As for Jayce:

He was warned repeatedly that Hextech was dangerous. He is now seeing and experiencing first hand the risks of unchecked magical/technological progress, not only seeing how it damages the world he was trying to save, but personally experiencing the horrifying, reality distorting effects of the wild runes as of 2.3.

He left Viktor in order to pursue the higher calling of politics, ostensibly to support their research too, but it took him from his partner's side. He was also motivated by a woman, Mel, and his care for her in doing so. Regardless of intention, politics and Mel took him from Viktor's side at a critical moment when Viktor's life hung in the balance.

Now, Viktor has left Jayce, pursuing the shadow of a dead woman who inspires him now, pursuing a higher calling of bettering the lives of others in the Undercity, and while he doesn't have the same real world powers manipulating him as Jayce did, there are parallels between the Hexcore and the Council's ability to drag Viktor and Jayce respectively forward into dangerous territory, following the siren song of their ambitions to change the world for the better, away from the partnership that launched their innovations in the first place.

Jayce also took part in the rogue mission against the Undercity factory, and in the process, killed a child thus escalating the cycle of violence between Piltover and Zaun.

If you blamed Jayce for becoming a councilor, getting into a relationship with Mel while Viktor was dying, for abandoning Viktor and the lab for other pursuits, for killing that child in Zaun, or in general for escalating the cycle of violence between Zaun and Piltover, then S2 seems to have set out very deliberately to address each one of these.

Jayce is abandoned by Viktor in a similar way and for similar (if not the same) causes as Viktor now abandoned Jayce. Meanwhile, the mother of the child he specifically killed shows up to take her pound of flesh, escalating cycle of violence that has him and his loved ones caught up in it, having now arrived at his doorstep when once it was far away in Zaun, and Hextech has become everything that Heimerdinger (who he deposed in a coup d'etat in order to override his warnings and his power to stop Jayce) warned that it could be.

I stand in awe of how deliberately set up it all is, and offer this analysis of why the narrative took the time to so specifically address and bring retribution for Vi and Jayce for these specific sins, in an almost exactly eye for an eye manner.

Before Jayce and Vi can continue forward as our protagonists, we needed to wipe the slate clean.

These beats are so specifically addressed at their sins (real, imagined, or overblown) in S1 that it's impossible to say going forward that they haven't suffered the consequences of their actions. They have now both been intimately on the receiving end of the consequences of what they did to others.

Furthermore, in S2 we are seeing that Vi and Jayce were less outliers as far as people making mistakes but rather were simply ahead of the curve. Now they have seen both sides of the cycle of violence and deeply suffered the consequences of their actions, many of which were impulsive. Going forward, I think it's safe to say we're going to see Jayce and Vi become voices of reason as they continue to learn, grow and experience the consequences of the events that their S1 actions had a big hand in causing in the first place.

I think this is also why Jayce, humbled and wiser, is becoming a much more popular character in S2 while Vi is becoming a much more universally sympathetic one, though I loved them both in the first season as did many other people. But their actions were controversial in some cases and it's been fascinating to see how systematically S2 has addressed each one of their controversial actions from S1 before moving them forward as heroes and protagonists.

[lunchboxpoems]

TO BE BRAVE, I LOOK TO THE DAFFODIL

To be brave, I look to the daffodil. A stupid flower, I’ve always thought – too eager to enter a world not fully thawed. Shrinking  after just one cold night. I surround myself with pluck. Always one for adventure: running naked  across campus into a stranger’s car as rite of passage, jumping into the freezing bay. Hitchhiking home but afraid to speak in class. To order in my mother’s tongue, my mother’s food. I let the dark take on its own shapes, unchecked. No, I am not brave, but I like the people who are. Who never overprepare or let their anxieties  stop them. For whom things always work out.  I’m chasing the high from one novelty to another, wanting adventure but so unwilling to find it on my own. Instead, I lose myself in people who live unafraid. Bravery by osmosis. This might be the truest thing I say today and it scares me. To admit that on my own, I was never wild. All this time I thought the daffodil’s dropped  petals, the green leaves that remained, marked an ending.  But underground she is rebuilding for next spring.  For when she’ll dare, again, to push through the frostbitten earth. Year after year, it goes on like this.

SUSAN NGUYEN

[quirkwizard]

On the Matter of Quirk Counseling

So one of the hot-button issues of the fan base is the subject of Quirk Counseling. That it's this horrific practice done to "deviants" like Himiko to make them normal, and it's what turned her into the person she is today. And with the ending, people thought that Uraraka working to spread it out over the country was a terrible thing and was only going to make more problems. Naturally, this is something I disagree with. At least, to the extent the fanbase takes it.

We're told that Quirk Counseling is a program that helps the youth understand and adjust to living in modern society. However, as we see with Himiko and her flashbacks, this kind of process can end up isolating people who don't fit in with that society. A pretty grim perspective on the world. However, I don't think it's the most reliable one. This is the kind of perspective we get from Chitose, who is someone who is radically opposed to how society handles Quirks and wants to destroy it, and Toga, someone who was hurt by this same process. So I think that paints a specific picture of the practice. One that may not be entirely true.

Because in spite of being such a big part of a major villain, we know very little about what Quirk Counseling entails. We're told by Midnight that every kid goes through Quirk Counseling during elementary school. So every character in the series must have undergone this same process at some point. During Tamaki's flashback, we see something like this going on in middle school. People being taught how to use their Quirks, at least in a basic way. This is later reinforced during the Remedial Course Arc, where the whole point is the heroes helping to teach kids about their powers. All in all, it doesn't seem that terrible, and it seems to work with a lot of people in the world.

This all paints a different picture of what exactly Quirk Counseling entails. Because when we see it in action, it's mostly just teaching people how to use their Quirks and helping them understand their own powers. Which isn't a bad thing. Quirks can be very dangerous and wild, even from a young age. It's important you know how it works, whether it be how it functions or how to use it. Better yet, how not to use it. Because, as we have seen, the unchecked usage of Quirks is going to be dangerous for everyone involved. Values like this need to be put into kids at a young age to keep any kind of peace or stability in the broader world. And it seems to work.

Himiko is an odd case within the world. Someone whose Quirk had a potent effect on their interests and personality, more so than any other person we've seen. She is an outlier. A deviant. Yet she was still a little girl that needed help. Maybe, if she had gotten the right help, she wouldn't be the person she is today. And that is part of the tragedy of Himiko. That the concept of normality has been so enforced that they can't even hope to properly help Himiko. The problem wasn't the system itself. The problem came in its inefficiency to handle cases like Himiko. Outliers that couldn't handle possibly fit within the brackets of "normal." And when all that pressure comes down on someone, they will eventually break under it.

It's why I don't think that Quirk Counseling growing is the problem everyone tries to make it out to be. Uraraka's helping to expand the system that is meant to help and teach kids about their powers. We've seen how that can help troubled kids. The Remedial Course is the prime example of that, where it's something that works with the kids rather than trying to strongarm them. And with that system growing, it will help to prevent cases like Himiko. It can help the kids learn about themselves and their powers. It can show kids not how to be "normal." But what they're going through isn't something they have to be afraid of and can live with. Just as Himiko could have. Expanding this isn't disrespecting her. It's keeping other kids to suffer like she did.

[bliss-in-the-void]

Gege Akutami, You Do Not Understand Gojo Satoru, and Here is Why

I was reading this article to help me cope with the traumatic events of Chapter 236 when a certain portion didn’t sit right with me.

Long post, click to read the full analysis:

(this is probably the most important post I've made so far)

Now, we all know that Gege doesn’t like Gojo. They don’t make it a secret in the slightest. Which is fine in itself, as an author you are 100% within your right to hate a character you created, and I respect that—it gives dimension to the dynamic of a story.

What I don’t care for is the reasons Akutami lists for their dislike of Gojo.

Reason #1 as stated in the above blurb of the article: Gojo doesn’t have depth.

To me, this is a wild statement to make as an author, but especially as the one who wrote Gojo. Where does he lack depth? Genuine question.

I believe he is an incredibly complex character.

He is the first sorcerer in centuries to be born with the Six Eyes and Limitless techniques, which automatically sets up so many nuances. Coupled with the fact that Akutami has stated that he grew up spoiled, that right there should tell you some things about why he is the way he is. He has a bit of an inflated ego when it comes to his powers. And why wouldn’t he? From the time he was born, the people around him treated him like some sort of God. How else was he supposed to grow up? He’s told his whole life he possesses unparalleled power, and he’s going to believe that.

Even still, it really isn’t as unchecked as Akutami seems to believe it is. Despite his distaste for authority, Gojo still reports to the higher ups, goes on missions, exorcizes curses, and works collaboratively with his fellow sorcerers. If he was really the giant egomaniac Akutami argues that he is, he’d say ‘to hell with authority’ and run off to do whatever he wants like Yuki. I mean, COME ON, this guy is the most powerful modern sorcerer and he still attended all four years of high school. He could have easily never attended—who was going to stop him?

He has a peculiar sense of humor that can get inappropriately timed in certain moments, but it’s obvious that it’s a deflection and a coping mechanism for the horrors of a sorcerer’s reality. He doesn’t just joke about death and dying because he doesn’t care. He cares too much and he doesn’t know how to deal with it, so he suppresses and laughs it off. Moments like this are seen after Suguru dies in JJK 0 when he was clearly crying afterward, but had to put on a cheerful facade for Yuuta and the other students.

He is a very good teacher. It’s hard for a naturally gifted prodigy to effectively teach things which come automatically to them, and somehow he finds creative ways to do it. Teaching Yuuji to control cursed energy by using one of Yaga’s dolls and giving him a movie marathon? One of Yuuji’s favorite hobbies? Genius and so considerate for Yuuji. He’d just been thrown into the sorcerer world, learning all these new things, and Gojo decided to introduce a foreign concept to him through something familiar and comfortable to him. That is amazing, and the mark of a very kind, understanding teacher. He’s also really patient with his students. Yes, he gives them tough love sometimes by throwing them into missions, but it really is to make them strong. How else will they grow if they aren’t put under pressure?

His motivation for being a teacher is very selfless. He himself has stated that he isn’t suited to be a teacher, but that he has a dream to raise a generation of strong allies to prevent isolation from occurring like what had happened to Suguru. He felt guilty about growing apart from him, didn’t see the warning signs before he snapped, and regrets not being there for him more. His entire purpose now is dedicated to making sure the new wave of sorcerers have a tightly-knit network so that no one ends up alone and on a dark path like Suguru.

He constantly sticks his neck out for the helpless even when it’s far from his benefit. He paid off the Zenin clan to save Megumi, the child of the man who ruined his high school years and nearly killed him. He then raised him. He threatened the higher ups to keep Yuuta alive, and then did it again for Yuuji. He does this to preserve their youth, because his own was taken away from him. His whole life he’d been controlled by the higher ups and people around him because of who he is in the sorcerer world, so by waving his own status in front of authority to hold them back from his students, he acts as a sort of shield to take as many burdens off of their shoulders as he can so that they can remain carefree. As much as he can within his power.

With all of that being said, I really don’t understand where Akutami is coming from with lack of depth, but another argument I say to that statement is: well, you’re the author, give him the depth you think he’s missing. (Personally, I believe he’s one of the best-written characters in any anime I’ve seen).

Reason #2 is that according to Akutami, he doesn’t have a likable personality.

What about his personality is unlikable?

He is cocky, but not to the point where he stops caring about others, not to the point where he never considers how other people feel or how his actions affect other people, and not to the point where he never feels guilt and remorse about his shortcomings. Like I said, he lives his life trying to prevent his past from repeating itself, to save the fates of others.

I really don’t get it. In JJK 0, after Nitta gives her report on the shopping mall, Gojo thanks her and praises her. Would a cocky asshole do that? No. If you wanted to characterize him as unlikable, you could have made him dismiss her, or ignore her.

He makes pop culture references, he has endearing flaws like not being good at drawing, being a lightweight drinker, and overdoing it on the sweets. He’s funny, he’s kind, he’s considerate…he is a very likable character.

Honestly, the self-absorption he displays when he’s fighting is probably a result of his upbringing. Being told you have so much power you have so much power you have so much power over and over again instills this belief that yes, he’s needed by Jujutsu Society to fight curses as a weapon. As. A. Weapon. The Six Eyes & Limitless user is a formidable weapon, but what about Satoru Gojo, the person? The only time he feels useful is when he’s fighting curses. That’s where he gets his self-worth. We can see that expressed in this panel, from Chapter 236:

In the second half of Gojo’s second text bubble, he says, “でもどこかで人としてというより生き物としての線引きがあったのかな”.

This translates to: “But I wonder if somewhere there was a line drawn between being a creature rather than a person.”

Rather than having drew the line himself, being constantly treated like the strongest, being handed over the difficult missions, being relied on so heavily pushed him away from other people. It distorted the perception everyone had of him, and it distorted the perception he had of himself. He also believed he could never lose because he let his human side fade into the background. The world didn't need human Satoru Gojo, they needed sorcerer Satoru Gojo, the one who could bend rules to his will with his might, the one who could exorcise any curse and save the day no matter how bad things got. Why would he remain human when that part of him was treated as non-existent? The only person who did treat him as a person with weaknesses and flaws has been dead for eleven years. Of course that voice of reason is going to fizzle out.

How can you possibly vilify him for that? It would be a disservice to everything he has had to endure his entire life.

Reason #3 and the last point I want to touch on is when the article says, "Akutami believes that much of this adoration is based solely on his striking appearance, overshadowing his more abrasive personality traits."

Okay. Where to start?

Honestly, and I know this is probably not Akutami's intention, but that comes off as so condescending. It's so presumptuous. It's as if to say we're all going "ooh look at pretty man, pretty man do no wrong because too pretty" mindlessly with dilated pupils and drool coming out of our mouths. Uh. No.

Yes, Satoru is a good-looking character, but no, that is very far from why we like him so much as a character, and it's also very far from why he's so popular. Aside from all of the points I've made above explaining why he's so universally loved, I'll make another one that isn't superficial and tired.

He's so relatable.

This is a man so incredibly traumatized by his high school years that he is mentally and emotionally unable to move on. Suguru Geto was his very best friend, and for reasons he took too long to understand, chose to abandon their friendship for his own goals. For anyone who has grown apart from a best friend, this hits so hard.

Because of his upbringing it was hard to become close to anyone. But somehow, Suguru was able to break past his walls, and for that, he became entirely too dependent on him. This is common for anyone who finds it hard to make friends and get close to others. Once someone is allowed in, you cling so hard to them and imagine them being there for your entire life. So, when they leave, you take it entirely too personally.

Everyone has a right to live their own lives, and as we see with the divergence of Suguru and Satoru, sometimes our paths aren't leading to the same place. It's not personal. But Satoru took it personal, and that's so beautifully human. When you lose a best friend who was important to you, you think "I like being around this person, they put me at ease in a way no one else does", and you assume they feel the same way about you. So when they leave and show you that no, they didn't feel the same, it hurts. It's almost as if they're saying "I actually do think you're unlovable like everyone else, that's why no one likes you, you are too much."

Someone you thought was safe, isn't anymore.

That is such a relatable thing to watch a character go through! Especially someone as awe-inspiring and charismatic as Gojo! As an audience, we think, "he's just like me!" and we like him for it.

So, as I stated in the title, Gege Akutami, you don't understand Satoru Gojo at all. I commend you for writing such an amazing, iconic, universally loved character, but I will never understand nor respect the superficial way in which you perceive him.

[thefadecodex]

Chaotic-based spirits are rare and potentially dangerous entities within the Fade, embodying forces that challenge order, stability, and tradition. These spirits exist on the spectrum of unpredictability and transformation, representing the natural and often necessary cycles of upheaval and change. While their chaotic nature can inspire growth and adaptation, they are often feared by mortals and other spirits alike due to their inherent volatility.

Spirits: Chaos, Disorder, Disruption, Freedom (coming soon), and Mischief (coming soon).

Note: There is very little information about Chaotic-Based Spirits in the DA lore. Below are theories surmised from the lore, not necessarily confirmed as canon.

Essence: A Spirit of Chaos represents upheaval and discord. It thrives on dismantling existing structures, both physical and conceptual, and creating situations where unpredictability reigns. It often manifests in areas of the Fade where order has been imposed too rigidly, as its very existence opposes stagnation and control.

Behavior: These spirits act erratically and seem to follow no discernible plan, operating purely on instinct or impulse. Their actions can be explosive and violent, as they often lack subtlety in their disruptions.

Emotional Ties: Often linked to anger or deeply buried frustration, these spirits are driven by the urge to "reset" or overturn anything they perceive as oppressive or confining.

Potential Danger: A Spirit of Chaos, while not inherently malevolent, can cause catastrophic harm to mortals and spirits if its presence is not tempered. Mages encountering such a spirit may experience wild surges of magic, unpredictable outcomes in spells, or even mental disarray

Essence: A Spirit of Disorder embodies the absence of structure and the breakdown of systems. Unlike the overtly destructive nature of a Spirit of Chaos, a Spirit of Disorder works in more subtle ways, gradually unraveling order through neglect, miscommunication, or confusion.

Behavior: These spirits can appear almost passive at first, but their influence steadily erodes harmony and cooperation. They are drawn to places of hierarchy or strict control, where their presence weakens bonds and disrupts unity.

Emotional Ties: Frequently fueled by rebellion or dissatisfaction, they reflect a resistance to imposed structures or systems they view as unjust or overly rigid.

Potential Danger: A Spirit of Disorder’s influence can lead to societal collapse, betrayal, and division if left unchecked. While not violent, their actions can have profound, far-reaching consequences.

Essence: A Spirit of Disruption thrives on interference and actively seeks to destabilize established systems or relationships. It often operates with greater precision than a Spirit of Chaos, targeting specific elements to bring about larger instability.

Behavior: These spirits act as instigators, inserting themselves into situations where they can cause maximum interference. They might, for example, corrupt a dream or subtly alter Fade constructs to introduce chaos into mortal thoughts.

Emotional Ties: Often linked to anger, unrest, or dissatisfaction, a Spirit of Disruption’s actions stem from a desire to challenge authority or expose weaknesses.

Potential Danger: These spirits are particularly dangerous because of their ability to manipulate and influence others, sowing discord and unrest in both the Fade and the physical world. A Spirit of Disruption might amplify existing tensions between mortals or spirits, leading to catastrophic outcomes.

coming soon.

coming soon.

Role in the Fade

Chaotic-based spirits play a vital role in maintaining balance by challenging complacency and forcing change. Their disruptive presence can inspire innovation and adaptation, but their lack of regard for consequences makes them double-edged swords. In the Fade, they might:

Unravel carefully maintained dreamscapes or Fade constructs.

Destabilize regions controlled by more orderly spirits, creating environments of chaos and unpredictability.

Influence other spirits, mortals, or demons by amplifying feelings of anger, rebellion, or frustration.

Corruption and Demonic Transformation

When corrupted, chaotic-based spirits can become some of the most dangerous demons:

Chaos: Transforms into a Pride Demon, reveling in its ability to dominate and disrupt.

Disorder: Becomes a Despair Demon, its gradual erosion of order turning to hopelessness.

Disruption: Twists into a Fear Demon, using its targeted attacks to terrify and unnerve.

Mortals’ Perspective

Mortals encountering chaotic-based spirits often misunderstand their purpose, viewing them solely as destructive. However, those with insight recognize that these spirits, while volatile, serve as catalysts for transformation and growth. The Dalish might view them as necessary evils, while the Chantry would likely label them dangerous and heretical.

[grimoirey]

🔥 The Fire Journey 🔥

Visualization:

Journey to the Realm of Fire

Here’s an immersive journey for you to the elemental realm of fire. Set aside some quiet time, and if possible, light a candle to connect with the energy of flame. Find a comfortable position, close your eyes, and allow your breathing to slow and deepen.

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Preparation and Ignition

Begin by taking a few deep, centering breaths. With each inhale, imagine drawing in energy from the core of the earth, feeling its warmth stir within you. On each exhale, release anything that no longer serves, letting it dissolve. As you breathe, visualize a tiny spark in your solar plexus. With each breath, that spark grows, pulsing like a living ember, filling you with a radiant heat. This warmth spreads through your body, igniting your spirit and calling you forward.

Opening the Gateway of Flame

Allow the heat within to expand, filling every cell. As the warmth intensifies, you begin to see a shimmering portal before you, glowing with flames in hues of red, orange, and yellow. It feels ancient and powerful, radiating energy that pulses like a heartbeat. You step forward, crossing the threshold into the realm of fire.

Arrival in the Heart of the Fire Realm

You find yourself on the edge of a volcanic landscape, a fiery, molten world stretching endlessly in every direction. The sky is painted in wild shades of crimson and gold, with swirling clouds of ember. The ground beneath you rumbles, alive with heat and raw power, while rivers of molten lava snake through blackened rock, crackling and shifting. Around you, flames lick at the air, dancing and roaring with life. Each flickering flame seems almost to whisper, to tell stories of power, passion, and primal creation.

Seeking the Heart of the Flame

Guided by instinct, you move deeper into this fiery land, feeling each step resonate through your body, stoking your own inner fire. Soon, you come upon an ancient, roaring fire pit. At its center is an enormous flame, taller than a mountain, flickering and shifting in form, embodying both destructive and creative power. You sense that this is the essence of Fire itself—a spirit as old as the universe, born from the stars.

Meeting the Spirit of Fire

As you approach, the massive flame swirls, coalescing into the shape of a figure: a being of pure fire, blazing and radiant, yet somehow humanoid. The Fire Spirit stands before you, radiating a heat that does not burn but fills you with vitality. It speaks without words, the message arriving in your mind like waves of warmth, carrying an ancient, primal wisdom.

The Wisdom of Fire

The Fire Spirit’s voice echoes through you, fierce yet compassionate. “I am the first spark, the force that transformed chaos into life. Fire is destruction, yet also creation. It clears, purifies, and makes way for the new. To live with fire is to know that endings are but the doorway to beginnings.”

The spirit shifts, flames flickering and reshaping, and continues: “Passion is my gift, but remember: it must be wielded with respect. Passion without control will consume, like an unchecked blaze devouring all in its path. Nurture your passion like a well-tended hearth, and it will give you light, warmth, and power. Let it roam unchecked, and it will consume even what you love.”

You listen, feeling the truth of these words in your bones, the wisdom resonating deeply.

The spirit grows more intense, flames dancing wildly around you. “Fire reveals truth. Just as flames burn away impurity, so too does truth burn through illusion. Be prepared to face the truth within yourself—no matter how it scorches. In truth lies freedom, a liberation as powerful as any flame.”

Finally, the Fire Spirit’s voice softens, the flames dancing slower, pulsing with warmth. “Fire is life itself. It is drive, transformation, the spark of divinity within you. Honor it. Feed it with purpose. Channel it with clarity. Respect it, and it will serve you well.”

The Fire’s Gift

The spirit extends a fiery hand, and within its palm, a blazing red crystal forms. The crystal glows with an inner flame, radiating warmth and wisdom. You reach out, accepting this gift, feeling its energy seep into you. It fills you with courage, clarity, and an unshakable sense of purpose.

“Carry this flame within,” the spirit says, “and let it remind you of the fire that shapes worlds, that drives creation and change. You are part of that eternal flame.”

Returning with the Fire’s Essence

As you bow in gratitude, the Fire Spirit dissipates back into the great flame, merging with the ancient fires of creation. You feel yourself gently pulled back along the path, each step grounding you, yet leaving a trail of warmth and wisdom within. The fiery landscape begins to fade, and you find yourself returning to the familiar, carrying with you the sacred gift of fire’s wisdom.

Grounding the Energy

Feel your body, alive and filled with warmth, and bring your awareness back to your breath. Let each inhale fuel the inner fire you now carry, and with each exhale, ground that energy, anchoring it within. Wiggle your fingers and toes, feeling fully present, fully alive.

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

When you open your eyes, let the fire you carry remind you of your own potential to create, transform, and live with purpose and passion.

Other Elemental Journeys:

💫 Spirit Journey

🌬️ Air Journey

🏔️ Earth Journey

🌊 Water Journey

[mariacallous]

It’s almost that magical time of year that the Humane Society of America likens to a “natural disaster.” Kitten season.

“The level of emotions for months on end is so draining,” said Ann Dunn, director of Oakland Animal Services, a city-run shelter in the San Francisco Bay Area. “And every year we just know it’s going to get harder.”

Across the United States, summer is the height of “kitten season,” typically defined as the warm-weather months between spring and fall during which a cat becomes most fertile. For over a decade, animal shelters across the country have noted kitten season starting earlier and lasting longer. Some experts say the effects of climate change, such as milder winters and an earlier start to spring, may be to blame for the uptick in feline birth rates.

This past February, Dunn’s shelter held a clinic for spaying and neutering outdoor cats. Although kitten season in Northern California doesn’t typically kick off until May, organizers found that over half of the female cats were already pregnant. “It’s terrifying,” Dunn said. “It just keeps getting earlier and going later.”

Cats reproduce when females begin estrus, more commonly known as “going into heat,” during which hormones and behavior changes signal she’s ready to mate. Cats can go into heat several times a year, with each cycle lasting up to two weeks. But births typically go up between the months of April and October. While it’s well established that lengthening daylight triggers a cat’s estrus, the effect of rising temperatures on kitten season isn’t yet understood.

One theory is that milder winters may mean cats have the resources to begin mating sooner. “No animal is going to breed unless they can survive,” said Christopher Lepczyk, an ecologist at Auburn University and prominent researcher of free-ranging cats. Outdoor cats’ food supply may also be increasing, as some prey, such as small rodents, may have population booms in warmer weather themselves. Kittens may also be more likely to survive as winters become less harsh. “I would argue that temperature really matters,” he said.

Others, like Peter J. Wolf, a senior strategist at the Best Friends Animal Society, think the increase comes down to visibility rather than anything biological. As the weather warms, Wolf says, people may be getting out more and noticing kittens earlier in the year than before. Then they bring them into shelters, resulting in rescue groups feeling like kitten season is starting earlier.

Regardless of the exact mechanism, having a large number of feral cats around means trouble for more than just animal shelters. Cats are apex predators that can wreak havoc on local biodiversity. Research shows that outdoor cats on islands have already caused or contributed to the extinction of an estimated 33 species. Wild cats pose an outsized threat to birds, which make up half their diet. In Hawaii, known as a bird extinction capital of the world, cats are the most devastating predators of wildlife. “We know that cats are an invasive, environmental threat,” said Lepczyk, who has published papers proposing management policies for outdoor cats.

Scientists, conservationists, and cat advocates all agree that unchecked outdoor cat populations are a problem, but they remain deeply divided on solutions. While some conservationists propose the targeted killing of cats, known as culling, cat populations have been observed to bounce back quickly, and a single female cat and her offspring can produce at least 100 descendants, if not thousands, in just seven years.

Although sterilization protocols such as “trap, neuter, and release” are favored by many cat rescue organizations, Lepczyk said it’s almost impossible to do it effectively, in part because of how freely the animals roam and how quickly they procreate. Without homes or sanctuaries after sterilization, returning cats outside means they may have a low quality of life, spread disease, and continue to harm wildlife. “No matter what technique you use, if you don’t stop the flow of new cats into the landscape, it’s not gonna matter,” said Lepczyk.

Rescue shelters, already under strain from resource and veterinary shortages, are scrambling to confront their new reality. While some release materials to help the community identify when outdoor kittens need intervention, others focus on recruiting for foster volunteer programs, which become essential caring for kittens who need around-the-clock care.

“As the population continues to explode, how do we address all these little lives that need our help?” Dunn said. “We’re giving this everything we have.”

[k-dokja]

TW: Death, death, death. | Content: Lilia Vanrouge, the reader is female, a fae noble.

Author's Note: I know vaguely of the next chapter but only enough to throw some information in, not anything spoiler. Needless to say, this is not canon-compliant because I know nothing about the Diasomnia chapter. The idea came to me in a fever dream and it's a "random bullshit go" creation.

You can see death.

Not the spirits, everyone can see the spirits of death. Ghosts and wraiths roam your world, sometimes long after their time for departure and they are seen as a little more than a nuisance. Nothing is special about being able to see the dead, but you can do more than that.

You can see the time of death.

The exact moment before it sinks into a person, the final scene of their life before there is nothing left. It is a foresight if you can call it that, and it is something you have possessed since you were young.

You often thought of it as nothing but strange imagery back then. Children are easy to get spooked and their imagination runs wild when left unchecked. At least, that was what you believed until you saw your grandmother get run over by a carriage. Your mother, who had been the only one you confided in, turned to you and looked at you with pure terror.

Since then, she asked you to tell no one else about these visions. Even if people know about this power, what you see in them needs to be held inside until you, too, lie in your grave. Your mother’s wisdom has never failed you before.

Until now, it hasn’t failed you either.

The blessing of clairvoyance among the faeries is a whimsical one. Oftentimes, it overwhelms people by surprise and disorients them momentarily. You don’t have that luxury, however. You see the death of the person the moment you meet their eyes. The images replay in your head until you see nothing but their blood and bones. The warmth of their innards spills over your hands, everything feels soft and wet and—

You grow to be conscious of eye contact. It is better for you to face it to never be taken by surprise, but sometimes, you don’t see someone withering away on their bed, surrounded by loved ones. You see battles and the people who will fight in it. There is no peace, even when left to your own company. Because when you look in the mirror, you see the very same for you that you saw for everyone else.

The bitter end. The final minute. The last breath.

Yours is marred by raspberry red and the carnage breaking out in the distance. You're enveloped by warmth and there is something hot and wet on your cheeks. Salty when tasted and you knew it was tears. You don't remember much else about it, avoidance was the better alternative to going mad with worries.

All you know is that it'd happen in a fight and fights rage on everywhere now under the turmoil of war.

That’s why you stay away from the frontline, never mind your magic reserve. It is in everyone’s best interest that you don’t waste your life out there. Even though, sometimes, you believe it might have been a good outcome for the life you lived. Better to die for a purpose than to spend your time confined behind the castle walls.

At least, you believed that until you met him.

“I’ve always wondered what the Marchioness’s reclusive daughter looked like.”

You remember the day you met him. Even while strapped in his armour, his face hidden behind a menacing mask, he failed to pose an intimidating figure. Had he possessed a few inches taller maybe it would've been more effective. Not that it mattered when whatever danger he had to offer was not for you.

"And now you've seen her," you smiled genially, "I do hope I live up to whatever expectation you have in mind."

He angled away from you with the grace of a snake waiting to strike. "No, not really," he said, "you are more... beautiful than I expected, I was half-waiting for a hermit and half-hoping for nothing at all."

"Why nothing at all?" You asked.

There was a smile in his voice when he leaned forward. Even five steps away from you, he felt impossibly close. "Because that'd mean the Marchioness's lying, that'd have been interesting."

You snorted, "My apologies for disappointing, then."

"I think I prefer this," he laughed, "far better to see a beautiful woman than any alternative."

His comment put a coy smile on your face. "See, you've been doing nothing but praising my appearance since you showed up but hide yours behind a mask. I don't see how it is fair when I can't even see your face to return your compliment."

His laughter rang again. You decided it was not an unpleasant sound to hear. If anything, you like it better when it is not muffled. "My sincerest apologies for this misstep," he said as he lifted up the mask, "I'm afraid too long of a time on the battlefield had impaired my social grace. I pray you keep this error of mine to your heart and speak not of it to Her Majesty, lest she scold me again for my unintended slight."

He unequipped the mask. You saw his eyes. Everything clicked into place. Raspberry red had never been more foreboding than when it was on him. You should have known from the hair, the magenta which grew blurred in your vision. But you didn't, because you never wanted to remember, never wanted to know.

You saw it, too. The moment of his own death. Everyone was the same, he'd not be an anomaly. "Lilia Vanrouge, at your service," he smiled charmingly but all you could see was red. The red of his death, the red of your blood, the red of the battlefield.

Your throat went dry and your fist clenched on your gown.

You will love him. You will be the death of him.

That will not do.

[roznnreads]

The Beast Within

Tamlin x Beron

Tags : Smut, Sub!Beron, Dom!Tamlin, Blow Job, m!receiving, making out

Summary : Stripped of his power Beron runs into Tamlin’s Court and his arms

18+ Minors do not interact / Read at your own risk

a/n : thank you Elain-Gate for planting this crackship into my brain, I wrote 70% of this on vacation on a literal beach, Welcome to pure shit posting 

wc: 1.6k

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Following Eris’s takeover of the Autumn Court stripping Beron of his former power, He was banished from the lands, never to set foot in Autumn again. 

Beron hearing of Tamlin’s mercy of his ‘son’ his first move once escaping the forest palace was to run to the southern border, his neighbor, Spring.

He was stripped of his royal regalia, his fine clothes, his jewels he fought so hard to keep were ripped off and thrown to the side, forgotten. Like his fate would eventually be. 

For the first time since he was a young boy he felt fear, not of being killed by his own son, it was expected, but of feeling powerless it had been centuries of living with the might of Autumn running through his veins it became second nature to call forward this power. No more.

On foot Beron was running through the forests, the autumn leaves dotting the trees and forest floor, making the world look the same, he was bound to get lost, stumbling over a protruding tree root caused him to tumble to the floor, pain sprung from his hands and knees, looking down Beron could see the skin shredded and the blood beginning to pool, this was bad, more than just being injured but the beasts that lurked in the forests, that Beron himself had let run wild, unchecked, would stalk towards him at lethal speeds, eat him raw and leave only his bones to be retaken by nature. 

Getting up Beron picked a direction and ran he would not have to rest and heal himself using normal fey means, sprinting away the trickles of blood from his hands and knees that marked his movements began to fall, he had to make it to spring to beg for mercy from Tamlin, it was mortifying but the only way to regain his power and give himself a chance to survive.

~ 

Seeing the green in the distance gave him the brief sliver of hope, he was almost at the border, he could hear the footfalls of both beast and fey alike gaining ground he could see his life ahead and his death behind, when had everything gone so wrong 

Reaching the green leaves he could feel the thrum of power wash over him running through the border, the wards over the court allowing him entry looking behind him he could see Autumn soldiers and the mythical bloodthirsty animals in their tow. As they approached the border a spike of fear ran through Berons spine. If he could enter why not them. But they were not granted entry instead being bounced off Beron would have laughed if he was sure the High Lord would house him in the court. 

~ 

After walking through the court the fawna was unlike those in Autumn they were vibrant and lush the dew on the grassy ground supported his steps as he wandered through trying to find a sign of fey life. 

A rustle of the trees was all he needed to know he wasn’t alone. The voice of the High Lord rang through all sides of the forest surrounding him like he was disguised as the green around him, it was unknown how Tamlin’s shapeshifting worked and the limitations of it, it was a well kept secret of the royal family.

“Beron are you blind”

“-what” Beron said confused 

“You seem to have stumbled into the wrong court”

“I was let in, the borders” said Beron, Tamlin walked towards him his beast form was a hulking wolf like form with antlers adorning his head, 

“I hear there is a new High Lord of Autumn, I’m surprised you're still alive” Tamlin said shifting into his high fey form the bones and muscles reshaping in a gruesome display of contortion remaking themselves into form. 

Beron flinched back 

“So am I” Beron said “I hope you will not take it too soon”

“You were a faithful ally, it would be regretful to kill you where you stand”

“I would like to claim sanctuary in your court”

“I assumed so, I accept your claim, follow me”

And with that Tamlin stalked away from Beron leaving him nothing other to do than follow 

~

The day progressed and Beron was wined and dined by the Lord of Spring the ornate dining room had been destroyed when Hybern made their stay in Spring so they ate in one of Tamlin’s private rooms, one of those rooms you would dine with a confidant out of the eye and ear of the courtesans and staff. 

For two people who historically had disagreed on many subject and it was true they had different dispositions and temperament, the dinner was more than amicable but one of the first likable dinners Beron had in years, Tamlin dispute his faults provided a decent meal and his features provided a more than decent display.  

Six glasses deep into Spring wine, truly Beron should have imported more of it into his stores, fey naturally have a higher immunity to alcohol, a high lord even more so, but Beron underestimated his tolerance and was now laughing deeply at Tamlin’s stupid jokes his cheeks were blushed, if he had more sense in his brain he would have been embarrassed at his lack of propriety. Tamlin had held his wine better, with grace, yet his half lidded eyes staring into his dripped with lust, more than the wine warmed Beron’s body as his blood rushed towards his dick.

Berons thoughts were betraying him, he was across from Tamlin the low light from the candles softened Tamlin’s harsh features, his arms resting on the table were cover with sleeves but the toned arms were still clearly there, his hands

oh

his hands

What Beron would do to have those hands wrap around his throat, to squeeze and have his breath constricted, his dick twitched at the thought, Beron saw the monster lurking under the beautiful male’s skin, he knew the stories and rumors about the High King of Spring’s trists, he could only imagine what power that beast would unleash, and he craved it, after years of being the one in control, the domineering one in any relationship, he had lost his centuries long control over Autumn and it was if the dam broke, he needed it, he craved it 

“You see something you like?”, Tamlin said breaking into Berons mind, hearing Tamlin’s voice broke him from his trance the fork in his hand was bent crooked and partially melting in his hand, 

“So what if I do, what are you going to do about that?” leaning forward in challenge

“If you're that desperate why don't you come over and show me what you like so  much”

“You bastard”

Tamlin laughed a deep guttural laugh, which Beron quickly shut up by pouncing over the table, their lips connect, Beron kneeling on the table leaning onto Tamlin for support, One of Tamlin’s hands holding his waist, another palms his face. 

He moans into his mouth, the strong capable hands keeping him in place. 

Breaking apart for a moment, Tamlin breath is as ragged as his arms are tense, Tamins mind and body at war, Beron could smell him, his musk smelled of the dew in the morning and crisp wind

Next thing he knew Tamlin’s mouth was on his neck, his smoothly shaven face attacking his bristly skin. Sucking a purple mark on his pulse point, Beron let out a pathetically loud whine

Tamlin Chuckled into his neck as he pulled Beron onto his lap, straddling him, the contact of their bodies made him moan again, he needed more of him, to feel his bare skin, the thought of that made Beron roll his hips he could feel Tamlin he was hard beneath him and he let out a wanton moan.

“So Needy, Are you truly that desperate” Tamlin laughed

Beron snarled at him but his heart wasn’t behind it it sounded almost like a moan

“Aww, do you like that, the high and mighty Beron Vanserra, do you like to submit” teased Tamlin, Beron lowered his head in embarrassment

“Don’t make me beg” Beron said in a low voice, pleading

“What is it that you want then ” Tamlin said grasping Beron’s chin harshly to make him look at him “Tell me”

Beron tried to speak but his words couldn’t find him instead he palmed at Tamlin’s pants

“Use your words” He said sternly 

“Let me” He grabbed at Tamlin, trying to untie his pants in his fervor failing to do so but getting the point across 

“On your knees” He commanded, Beron quickly shuffled onto the floor in front of Tamlin, looking up at the High Lord he saw a flicker of surprise, quickly masked by a smug smile,“I would have thought you put up more of a fight, with fathering seven children I thought you would be well pleased or are you just a wanton male”

“Perhaps there is not a supply of what I want in Autumn” Beron says now successfully undoing Tamlin’s pants and pulling out his cock. It was long and girthy standing upright it almost slapped Beron in his face. Precum was leaking from the head

Beron thumbed his head smearing precum across him before licking from the base to the head, then he took him whole,  he started at a slow pace wanting to feel all of him but he soon felt Tamlin’s hand grip his now tousled hair, Beron is forced into a relentless pace and it isn’t long before the salty taste of cum in filling up Beron’s mouth, he does his best to swallow what he can but when he forces Tamlin to break his hold on his scalp, the white liquid dribbled from his mouth and onto his shirt.

Beron looks up at what he did to the Lord of Spring, his a sweaty ragged mess looking down at him, and he can’t help but smile at the thought that Tamlin wanted this as well.

[soireegurl]

Omg YANDERE HEESEUNG WHEN YOUR ALSO A YANDERE FOR HIM (YANDERE COUPLE)!!!

Thanks for requesting!! Hope you like this

In a quiet neighborhood, nestled behind blooming cherry blossom trees, you live an unassuming life. Your days are filled with meticulous routines, your nights consumed by haunting thoughts of him—Heeseung. You've never formally met, yet he's a constant presence in your mind, a beacon of warmth in your otherwise cold world.

"You always come here around this time," you whisper to yourself, peering through the cafe window where Heeseung sits, unaware of your gaze.

You admire Heeseung from afar, captivated by his charisma and hidden vulnerabilities. Your room is a shrine dedicated to him—photos meticulously arranged, his favorite snacks stockpiled, every detail of his life meticulously researched.

One fateful day, you muster the courage to approach him at the cafe. "Hi," you say softly, heart pounding as he looks up, surprised.

Heeseung notices your shy glances and nervous demeanor, but little does he know, you've orchestrated this meeting, manipulating fate to bring you together.

As you exchange pleasantries, Heeseung finds himself inexplicably drawn to you. "There's something about you," he admits, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

Your innocence and vulnerability mirror his own hidden desires, creating a dangerous allure neither of you can resist. Unbeknownst to him, your obsession has transcended admiration—it's an all-consuming love that borders on madness.

Days turn into weeks, and your relationship deepens. Heeseung finds solace in your presence, confiding in you like never before. "I feel like I can trust you," he confesses, unaware of the depths of your obsession.

But behind your gentle facade, your possessiveness grows unchecked. You monitor his every move, ensuring no one else can come between you. "I just want to protect you," you whisper to yourself, rearranging his belongings in his absence.

Your love is suffocating yet exhilarating, a rollercoaster of emotions he can't escape.

One evening, Heeseung returns home to find his belongings rearranged, his personal space invaded. Panic seizes him as he realizes the extent of your obsession. "What have you done?" he demands, fear and confusion clouding his eyes.

But instead of fear, a twisted sense of satisfaction creeps in—he finally belongs to someone, wholly and completely.

Your love affair descends into darkness as jealousy and paranoia consume you both. Heeseung struggles to maintain his sanity, torn between your suffocating affection and his own fear of losing you. Yet, deep down, he craves your possessiveness, reveling in the twisted dance of dominance and submission.

In a climactic confrontation, your love reaches its breaking point. Heeseung, desperate to break free from your grip, confronts you in a whirlwind of emotions. "This isn't love," he shouts, eyes wild with a mixture of fear and longing.

Yet, as your worlds collide, you realize you're two halves of the same fractured soul—bound by a love that defies reason and sanity.

As cherry blossoms fall around you, painting the ground with shades of pink, you and Heeseung stand at the precipice of your obsession. In each other's arms, you find solace and madness, your love eternal yet destined for destruction.

For in the depths of obsession, sanity is a small price to pay for a love so consuming, it transcends all boundaries.