saltburnmods: (Default)
π–˜π–†π–‘π–™π–‡π–šπ–—π–“π–™ π–’π–”π–‰π–˜. ([personal profile] saltburnmods) wrote in [community profile] draino2024-11-09 08:00 am
Entry tags:

ππ‹πˆπ’π’, ππ‹πˆπ’π’, ππ‹πˆπ’π’ β–£ NOV TDM





NOVEMBER 2024 TDM: RENAISSANCE


Welcome to SALTBURNT, a panfandom smut/thriller game based off the film Saltburn, where characters are encouraged to indulge their deepest desires. The money never runs out and the liquor never stops pouring, so you may as well indulge from the bounty. Of course, things are rarely what they seem, and the manor itself seems to have a consciousness of its own. Throw parties, trash the house, engage in youthful merriment, but remember β€” dangers come out at night, and no one, no matter how rich you are, is safe from demons lurking in the shadows.

Threads can be considered game canon, provided the players agree. Players can also start fresh upon acceptance into the game. In game characters can post to the TDM directly, using Β« NEW CHARACTER/IN GAMEΒ» in the header. There will be a spot below for new characters to link their toplevels for easy access. Alternatively, prompts on the Test Drive can be used for in game logs.







WELCOME TO SALTBURNT


It's the hangover more than the light streaming in through half drawn curtains that wakes you up, your brain rattling in your skull, your mouth dry and cottony, your stomach churning with whatever it is you drank last night. If self preservation is your strong suit, you might turn over in bed and see a few painkillers laid out for you on a silver dish, accompanied by a glass of water. If it isn’t, stay in bed and wallow β€” eventually a maid will be in to tear your curtains open, saying, "Breakfast is served," and scurrying out quietly, invisibly. Breakfast? Maybe it’s normal for you. Maybe it isn’t.

You're drawn from the room, either by the mystery, or an undefinable urge that could be supernatural in origin, or could be your hunger catching up to you. It's almost nostalgic, the walk to the dining room β€” have you been here before? Were you drawn up to this estate in a car? Haven’t you done all this already? Maybe you mosey around a library, maybe you run into your suite mate in your adjoining bathroom. Regardless, seemingly all hallways, covered in priceless artworks and ancient relics from times long past, lead to the dining room, where a comically long table houses the Balfours and their many guests, some who seem just as disgruntled and confused as you. No matter. "Breakfast will be out in a minute," they say. What's that?

EDIT SEPTEMBER 2024: For those who have attended breakfast with the Balfours before, a change in routine might come as a shock, given how rarely they stray from form. However, as of September, CARMY BERZATTO has taken over Head Chef position, alongside his cousin RICHIE JERIMOVICH and always the bridesmaid never the bride, SANJI. In place of the self-serve style breakfast, there is an elevated menu, including: a self-serve juice bar, with pitchers of various juiced fruit and vegetables, shaved ice, coconut water, green and black tea syrups, potted microherbs, sliced whole berries, and finger limes. There is also, naturally, liquor and champagne available. Guests can make their own drinks, or ask the allocated staff member to serve them one of the "specials" if they're feeling adventurous.

That said, these are world class chefs, so the gold is really in the menu:
THE EGGS

𝐓𝐇𝐄 π‰πŽππ“π˜: one runny boiled egg shelled and recoated in edible gold leaf, seated on a throne of fried bread soldiers, plated with whipped butter and italian parsley.
𝐄𝐆𝐆𝐒 ππ„ππ„πƒπˆπ‚π“: vinegar poached eggs with hollandaise foam on a bed of toasted freekah and baby spinach.
𝐄𝐆𝐆𝐒 π’π‡π€πŠπ€π’π‡πŽπ”πŠπ€: two eggs poached in a ramekin of pureed tomato, served with a crispy grilled cheese cut to dip.
𝐓𝐇𝐄 π’π˜πƒππ„π˜: french omelette with a light cheese filling, topped with crushed potato chips and chives.
πŽπ„π”π…π’ ππ‘πŽπ”πˆπ‹π‹π„π’: fluffy scrambled eggs in brown butter, served on sourdough.
π’ππ€ππˆπ’π‡ 𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓: mini-quiche made with caramelized red onions and jamon pata negra ham.
𝐄𝐆𝐆 πŒπ‚π’π€ππƒπ–πˆπ‚π‡: bacon, egg, cheese and sausage breakfast muffin that tastes weirdly like it was made at a popular chain with golden arches.

THE SWEETS

❖ momofuku's "cereal milk" ❖
❖ fette biscottate with a sour cherry jam and peanut floss ❖
❖ a warm cinnamon bun served with a shot of espresso coffee for dipping ❖
❖ a macadamia-marzipan croissant with a wattleseed and burnt-honey filling ❖
❖ poffertjes with a liquid nutella injection ❖


If you want to leave, you’ll have to tell Giles, the housekeeper, who will arrange a car for you that mysteriously, or perhaps suspiciously, never arrives. Unfortunately, confronting Giles about it is near impossible, as he’s as good at being invisible as the rest of the house staff. Of course, there’s no reason why you can’t just walk out. The front gates are easy enough to jump over, even if the walk towards them gives you a strange sense of foreboding, or just outright discomfort, as if the ground itself doesn’t want you to leave. Those more sensitive or fragile might find they can’t make the jump, no matter how physically able, or desperately wanting. Still, a strong person could continue on, over the fence and into the lush English countryside. The feeling doesn’t dissipate, though β€” this sense of wrongness, almost sickness, like a weight on your back. Walk into the evergreen, carry on, but the strongest will make it perhaps a mile or so before the weight of dread and paranoia brings you to your knees, and then to your face, flat in the middle of a dirt road. What were you thinking? Is this really better?

Wake up with a hangover, in a bed, the curtains drawn, the maid saying, "Breakfast is served," before scurrying out. The painkillers are there, just like you remember. In fact, it’s all exactly how you remember, as if you never left an imprint the first time, or any mess you made was cleared away while your back was turned. Walk to the dining room, find everyone there eating away at their breakfast.

"We dress for dinner," says Portia, with a kind, if discerning smile. "Black tie."




2 GIRLS 1 CUP

CONTENT WARNINGS: nudity, potential for nsfw.

Over the past few days, a bit of construction has taken place on the grounds of the Saltburnt estate, and while it's difficult to piece together what exactly is being built, it's clear to see: whatever it is, it's massive, taking up a huge percentage of the grounds with multiple included structures. On the outside it seems almost like a neighborhood is being sprung up β€”Β new houses for people to live in, maybe? New shops, disconnected from the manor at large? All is revealed on opening day, when upon entry all are greeted with cheery hellos from jauntily clad persons shouting, "Huzzah!" and "Hail and well met!" For the more medieval and fantasy inclined among you, it might feel like stepping somewhere familiar and homey. To the rest, you know β€” you've just walked into a Ren Faire. Costumes are expected.

Not sure what to wear? Those born between SEPTEMBER to FEBRUARY are dubbed part of the Unseelie Court, which is associated with darkness and decay, generally dressed in deep, dark colors. Those born between MARCH to AUGUST are part of the Seelie Court, which is associated with stars and sky, in lighter, brighter colors.

On either side of the split path, you're assaulted by the scents, sights, and sounds of any ordinary Ren Faire. Vendors pawn off garlicky mushrooms and full turkey legs, or flower crowns and juggling sticks in exchange for a kiss, a secret, a lock of hair, or something of equal nonsensical value. Step inside a shop and see sellers offering crude jewelry and satchels of loose leaf tea, fudge sold by the ounce and porcelain ocarinas. Essentially, if it's kitschy and thematic, you can find it here, being sold to you by people in costume who refuse to break character.

Shopping not quite your style? Fear not! If you're lucky in your wanderings, your might spot the Unseelie Queen ALICENT HIGHTOWER or her counterpart and opposed Seelie Queen LAURALAE carried on palanquins towards the very back of the faire, where the real heart of the show takes place in a small stadium for entertainment purposes β€”Β a tourney for distinguishing yourself as the best among your peers in the manor. Prior to the tourney, all characters are given a favor of some kind ( an embroidered handkerchief, ribbon, garland, or piece of jewelry ) to give to a person of their choosing, be they a competitor or not, to show their support. Strangely, this favor seems to link them through an empathetic, sensation-based bond, so they feel everything their chosen competitor experiences. Mutual favors result in a mutual bond.

The challenges are set: ARCHERY/KNIFE THROWING, SWORDFIGHTING/HAND-TO-HAND, and a BARD'S TOURNEY. In addition to the more ye olde flavor of competition, there are also challenges for COUPLE TENNIS, HORSE POLO, and CHESS. And, in true Saltburnt fashion, there is also a somewhat lewd display of voyeuristic NUDE WRESTLING, where the first person to have an orgasm loses. (You can sign up for these competitions HERE.) To every challenge there is dubbed a winner, who in the old Westerosi tradition gets to crown a chosen "maiden" with the title THE QUEEN OR KING OF LOVE AND BEAUTY and an extravagant wreath of flowers, their victory dedicated to the lucky lord or lady. These wreaths are both fashionable and functional β€” while wearing them, no one can resist following whatever queenly command your character gives. Additionally, winners will receive prizes courtesy of Saltburnt, all to be determined upon victory.

Whichever queen has the most winners at the end of the tourney is crowned HIGH QUEEN OF THE FAE. The Queen is paraded around and celebrated by all, and while tribute is not necessary, it certainly is appreciated!






RING AROUND THE ROSEY


CONTENT WARNINGS: potential for nsfw.

The Ren Faire fixture runs adjacent to the tree line of the forest, which one can enter through a booth manned by THE GREAT WIZARD ARCHIBALD, who warns you to be prepared to enter the Realm of the Fae beyond his backdrop curtain, before handing you a flower and a pair of antlers (or a head piece from your fauna choice) for your journey to the beyond. Upon entering, you are greeted by a forest that bears no resemblance to the woods you've grown to expect in your time at the manor, everything more exaggeratedly lush than it had been even a day or so prior. Plump fruits with slightly glimmering skins grow fat on the vine, every leaf on every tree vibrant and healthy despite the changing of seasons, gone orange and red with the cold. Despite that, it's surprisingly balmy in the forest, everything illuminated by glimmering fairy lights and strung up lanterns. Flowers bloom under your feet, alongside perfect little red mushrooms, everything so idealistic it almost borders on discomfort.

Despite any reservations, there is a wild compulsion to everyone who enters the forest. The flower the wizard gave you is pungent enough to dizzy your head, leading you to the instinct of frolicking β€” or if you're not the type to frolick, then wandering β€”Β through the woods, to find some counterpart to your particular flower in a very innocent (or not so innocent) game of cat and mouse. Once you find them, a simple kiss will serve as enough to claim your prize and ease the compulsion. Unless, of course, you want to give a little more. It couldn't hurt, right?

Wander further through the seemingly never ending woods, drawn on of the beauty of faerie, and find yourself at a somewhat rundown chapel surrounded by foliage, the roof and walls broken down with age, invaded by exploring plant life that crawls and vines through every crack and opening. While the stone altar of indeterminate denomination seems like it hasn't been seen for hundreds of years, let alone cleaned, there's the distinct impression you are walking on hallowed, sacred ground when you move to inspect it. Those clever among you might note different runes etched on what appears to be a wooden tabernacle on an ancient pillar at the back of the chapel. Looking into it, there's a word from an unknown language carved inside, complimented with a cheat sheet bit of yellowing paper which reads F. M. K., with further explanation: FRIENDS, MARRY, KINK.

What could it mean? Well. You and whoever you entered the chapel with, or whoever enters next, are stuck until further notice unless you complete one of the proffered options. FRIENDS, it's time you bury the hatchet, let bygones be bygones and accept our faults moving forward, together, to the future. MARRY, let's seal our bonded union with the trees as our witness, in a church of our own making. KINK, if the altar can't be used for the former, it can certainly be used for the latter. Nothing vanilla will do β€”Β kink up or shut up.

Once completed, you're free to leave and roam around the forest at your leisure. If you wander far enough you might hear a distant, organic sound whirring and clicking from the trees, but don't worry. Whatever is watching you probably doesn't bite.




DIRECTORY


semicharmed: (elemental)

[personal profile] semicharmed 2024-12-23 11:37 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Matt laughs, light and surprised; the vibration of it makes his stomach flutter under Lestat's fingers. ]

I can't tell whether you'll be disappointed.

[ A little too much truth in that, perhaps. Still, Matt is soothed by Lestat's kisses, enchanted by the sight of him as he disrobes. He starts to work on his own pants, fishing in his pockets and plucking out a small bottle of lube; a few flecks of dried lavender drift to the ground as he goes. He holds up the bottle for Lestat's inspection with an arch of his eyebrows. Then Matt's breath catches, his cheeks turning slightly pink, and the bottle lifts from his hand to nudge at Lestat's shoulder. Its buoyant sway is almost playful.

Matt shimmies pants and boxers down his hips, revealing that the snaking line of his scar only extends a little ways past his waistband. It ends just below his navel, and below that, it's clear that none of this emotional uncertainty has had any effect on his libido. Matt's cock is most of the way hard now, bobbing as he kicks off shoes and socks. Stepping forward to close the gap between them, he shoots Lestat a crooked smile. Then he tilts his head for another kiss. ]
improving: (Default)

John Hosletter | OC | New player/character

[personal profile] improving 2024-12-24 01:40 am (UTC)(link)
ARRIVAL

[ The fucking world has gone topsy turvy and he's stuck in a decadent summer residence, forced to have breakfast. It could be worse, he assumes, yet unaware of what is to come. For the time being, the whole "suddenly trapped in a strange house" feels like more of an immediate concern.

A concern he cannot properly address with an empty stomach, though. So he's going to scoot his way through the crowd already forming.
]

Excuse me, excuse me. Coming through. Someone save me some bacon, would ya? There is bacon, isn't it? Can't have a proper breakfast without bacon.

[ They are in a civilized residence, are they not? ]

RING AROUND THE ROSEY

[ Here he is, big strong guy, walking around the forest with a flore on his hand. Looking for a matching pair. Because reasons.

He would love to say it makes more sense in context...but it doesn't. Some guy in an overly stylized bathrobe convinced him to walk into, and now he's compelled by forces beyond his understanding to keep on going.

Because reasons!
]

I swear to God, if I ran into some woodland critters putting on a musical number I'll bash my head against a tree.

A CHAPEL AT THE END OF WORLD

For fucks sake!

[ The expletive might have been uttered under his breath, but the sound sure carries in this building. He's kneeling down by the altar, reading the handy dandy legend. Well, isn't it just dandy? Playing house with a twist. ]

Maybe it'll just...go away if nothing happens for long enough.

[ Unlikely, but he will let the idea float there, because he doesn't want to think about any other alternative. ]

NETWORK

un: john

A.
Look, I don't care if you get off to some sick shit. More power to you, all that good stuff.

Just don't jump me with that stuff out of the blue. A little respect for personal space, perhaps?

B.

Anyone knows where to get a gun. No reason in particular.
improves: (melli-4)

πŸ‘€πŸ‘€πŸ‘€πŸ‘€πŸ‘€ ring around the chapel

[personal profile] improves 2024-12-24 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
[ flora and fauna β€” the bloodwater of their families, or the greater families at least. house wolfanger has a garden similar to this one, melli thinks; all it lacks are the greatwolves and her mother's greatcrow belit cawing down to her to return, to find her minders and not meddle with the overgrowing poison plants her mother cultivates as a hobby.

they gave her a flower, too. a nice, lovely bloom she can't quite name; it's nothing like any she's seen back home. good news for her, though: john is here. her personal guard, her so-called protector. ever his cranky self, as always. melli squares her shoulders and calls out to him as he mutters to himself. if she's lucky, he won't just pick her up and fireman-carry her back to stone and tile.
]

For someone who enlisted and swore fealty to the Royal Defense Forces, you sure don't like the talking animals.

Look on the bright side β€” no greatwolves trying to sniff you out. No people shooting at us, either.

Is that flower for me?
redforce: ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ (091)

covers timestamp!!!

[personal profile] redforce 2024-12-24 01:53 am (UTC)(link)
( shanks senses zoro long before either of them step foot in the chapel, the strength of zoro's aura wandering in and out of shanks' perception. and perhaps it's because shanks can quite literally feel the tangle of zoro's emotions like a second skin that he enters the chapel again, despite knowing exactly the demands of this place. zoro obviously has a bone to pick with him, so let him pick it where they both have to sit and listen to one another before the chapel will let them out.

he turns from the altar when zoro approaches, opening his mouth to say something, but zoro is already on the defensive and it takes a concentrated effort not to sigh and roll his eyes in return.
)

It's not going to open, Zoro. ( helpfully, when zoro throws his shoulder against the door, to no avail. ) You're going to have to talk to me.

( but he already knows what this is about, for the most part, so he gestures vaguely at wado in zoro's grip and leans casually against the altar, not wasting any time getting right to the heart of it. )

Would you have preferred if I let you win? Just for the sake of your pride? ( shanks holding back isn't going to help zoro become strong enough to defeat mihawk and claim his title. if anything, defeating shanks is just another a stepping stone to fulfilling that dream. once zoro is able to win a duel against shanks, then he'll be ready. ) You won't become the World's Greatest Swordsman if I go easy on you. I never went easy on Hawk Eyes, either.

( which he doesn't necessarily mean as a euphemism, but β€” well, it could be. with a shrug, he adds, almost an afterthought: )

I imagine I could have robbed him of his title if I'd cared enough about such things β€” but that's your dream, not mine.
improving: (john13)

[personal profile] improving 2024-12-24 02:02 am (UTC)(link)
[ Her voice carries over like a cool summer breeze. He turns around, and there she is, adorned by light, positively glowing. He feels uprooted, thrown into a mess not of his making. But she? She looks as if she were meant to stand there for him to look at.

So of course, he scoffs at her.
]

It's all senseless chirping and barking and...whatever dragons do to me. Grunting, if you will.

[ She probably won't. ]

You hurt me. I like the greatwolves. Sometimes. After they get washed. As for the shooting... we'll see.

[ He might or might not have meant to add something else just to be curt at her, but his eyes go back to his flower. He's not a plants guy, but he's well aware this isn't something that just grows in your average garden.

He takes a step forward, twirling it between his fingers.
]

You want it?
improves: (melli-5)

[personal profile] improves 2024-12-24 02:34 am (UTC)(link)
Of course I do, it's a flower. I'll probably have a better time with it than you.

[ she holds out her hand for him to place it on her palm. she's feeling particularlyβ€” melancholy? no, not that. she feels more attuned to her inner dialogue, or is it monologue? whichever one involves thinking that john shouldn't have to look so serious all the time, even if it's part of his job.

he has to protect her now. he's done great work doing it, absolutely, but the nature of being a royal guard is it's a difficult position to retire from. difficult in that quite often, you just die.

she doesn't want him to die. he's the first friend she's had who isn't someone she's related to.
]

Do you know where we are yet? Any way we can get home?
improving: (john2)

[personal profile] improving 2024-12-24 02:50 am (UTC)(link)
[ He lifts the flower and feels something. A pull. Not just to give her the flower, which he ultimately doesn't care about. No, there's more. Yearning? He's missing something that he never had in the fist place.

The warmth of her body against his.

Holy hell, he thinks. He's usually better at keeping his mind clear around her.
]

Hmm. You feel that? They're playing games on us. I hate being messed with.

[ Still, he takes a few more steps towards her, close enough it's becoming difficult to not look at anything but her. The flower is held high enough Melli's head is perfectly covered.

The rest of the answer comes off distracted. It doesn't quite matter right now.
]

Northern country. England. Decadent little twerps, our lovely hosts. Debauchery aplenty.

[ He moves the flower away, his eyes devoid of their usual coldness. There's a hint of worry, but also interest. ]

The perimeter is...enchanted, so to speak. Go far enough and you pass out. We're trapped in never ending revels, little wolf. Best be on guard.
Edited 2024-12-24 02:51 (UTC)
improves: (melli-9)

[personal profile] improves 2024-12-24 03:00 am (UTC)(link)
I can't hear the gods here, either.

[ it worries her to be deaf and blind like this. from her ascension, the voices of their gods have always been present with her, like a warm and comforting blanket. it's her true privilege; not the money and the power afforded to her as a child of the ten houses, but the knowledge that the gods they pray to are truly and undoubtedly real. others may glance at them, and her fellow priest-witches certainly do, but none have the connection that she has.

she can't feel them now. it's empty, where the threads connecting them to her should be. melli worries her lip and wonders if they've been truly taken away, hostaged, and if soβ€” what would be the demands? the kingdom cannot yield any lands they've conquered. that would be the same as apologising, and the ten do not apologise for taking their power where they can.
]

And I've never heard of it, this England. [ he places the flowers on her head like a crown and it makes her cheeks warm, just a little. then a lot, at the mention of debauchery, and at the (somewhat literal) pet name he's given her. little wolf. she hasn't even kissed hevry, and they've been engaged since she was a baby. ] Do you have weapons, then? Aβ€” gun, or a knife? They took my ceremonial dagger, too.

[ she feels a bit naked without it, if she's being honest. ]

β€”Wait, what do you mean you pass out? How far out to the boundaries did you go?
Edited 2024-12-24 03:01 (UTC)
chokedout: (054)

[personal profile] chokedout 2024-12-24 06:55 am (UTC)(link)
[Theo savors the moment they're both bathed in afterglow, bringing up his free hand to cup Iggy's cheek while he pumps him a few more times with the other. Just to milk out the rest of his cum, slowing to a stop as he kisses him tenderly - eyes closed, smile on his lips.]

Amazing.
improving: (Default)

[personal profile] improving 2024-12-24 09:47 am (UTC)(link)
That's a bad thing? You've got that pretty head all for yourself.

[ Oh, he's gone and done it now, let some of his inner monologue leak out. Still, it's getting harder to fight whatever it is that's giving him tachycardia at the moment. Were he not particularly good at compartmentalizing, this might have ended up in disaster already. ]

Me neither. Sounds kind of shit. Getting armed is going be its own ordeal, too.

[ A kiss. The realization hits him hard, like a bucket of cold water. The fucking forest wants a kiss, if not more. Much more. Moreover, John's perfectly aware that this cursed place will make them both enjoy it, only to take that away the moment it's satisfied, leaving them with what, shock and a nasty feeling of betrayal? He just can't understand how people feel so freely, sometimes. ]

Don't move.

[ His right hand had been lingering by the side of her head, knuckles brushing her cheekbone ever so slightly. He had barely noticed it. His fingers deep into her hair, delicately first, but he gets a good hold of the back of her head, and he pushes a bit, leading her to tilt her head down. Most importantly, he's not letting her look up again. Their eyes cannot meet, not for what he's going to do next.

John leans in, and in a single movement plants a kiss on her forehead, first, and then presses her head against his chest. He's done that a few times by now, using his own body to protect hers, usually accompanied by his left hand pressing the small of her back against him too, but not right now. He wouldn't be able to a professional if he did that here. He keeps her there for a few seconds, hoping its enough for her to get over whatever emotion he has elicited on her, before letting go and sliding past her, going over to a tree to lean against, facing away from her.
]

A few kilometers. The moment you leave the property, some defense mechanism activates. Paranoia, self doubt. Only gets worse with distance.

[ Nothing happened. ]
improves: (white β†’ turn)

[personal profile] improves 2024-12-24 10:03 am (UTC)(link)
[ the few times that john had dared to reach for her has always been predicated by some tragedy or horrible accident. when he first reached for her months ago, running up onto the stage and diving for the podium to shield her personally; he'd knocked her straight to the floor, but the light bruising was easy payment when he caught the bullets meant for her head. four of them, three into his good arm and one to his side β€” and even after he'd bled profusely for her sake he still carried her to safety without a single complaint.

keep your head down, was all he'd said. you're a little wolf, you can be strong another time.

when it was all done and the culprits were taken down, she had healed him with her tears streaking through his blood where it smeared across her face.

he reaches for her now, pulls her against him, and she panics for a moment before she feels him kiss her on her brow. warmth andβ€” confusion, blooming through her. is it a signal? a gesture of some sort? they've gotten close over the months, something unavoidable when he's always present in all of her private spaces. her shadow. his charge. he goes where she goes.

she's about to ask what the kiss was for when he's on the move again, as if nothing had happened.
]

It could be a spell, [ she tries with a pitched voice, her heart beating high in her throat. a kiss. she rubs her cheek with the knuckles of one hand, mirroring what john had almost done. it doesn't settle or comfort her, but it's something to anchor her senses. ] If it's a spell, then there's a witch keeping its words alive. We could find them, try to negotiate?

We'll need to make friends too, I think. If we can't reach home by sundown, we might... [ do they have money? do they need it? ] What about the large house? We could stay there.
Edited 2024-12-24 10:07 (UTC)
improving: (john16)

[personal profile] improving 2024-12-24 10:37 am (UTC)(link)
[ Tired sigh. ]

You enter the forest, you get a flower. You find your... match, you kiss. Or more, if you're so inclined. Only then can you leave. Well, that should be enough. Don't want to further trouble you with it.

[ He's nothing but an effective meat shield. Sure, Melli's the sort of person that would even grow to like him, but the little wolf likes the stones that lead into his family garden. She's easy to like, and likes easily, and that has lead people to believe they can push her around. Not overtly, mind you, but in small ways. Insidious ways. He's put a stop to most of them, and now he's not going to become one himself. ]

Friends, weapons, influence. There's a court system here, it seems. More your speed than mine. [ He half turns, eyeing him the edge of his view cautiously. ]

We can make this work.
improves: (white β†’ concern)

[personal profile] improves 2024-12-24 11:06 am (UTC)(link)
Well, I'm not inclined. I'm engaged.

[ she's all of twenty, to be sure, but melli's aware that she sometimes has the piques of a teenaged girl. call it among the pitfalls of being raised so separately from the rest of the commons; her only familiar friends were her cousins and same-aged uncles and aunts. when it's not relatives, it's tutors and peers from the lesser families, people her parents want her to be friendly with for the sake of the kingdom. demara has its share of sycophants, just as anywhere, and melli is the only child of the most illustrious family among the ten.

so when she says she's engaged, she says it with the bluster of a girl who knows it's supposed to be upheld, but not entirely why. honor, dignity, propriety, she understands them as concepts that sit mildly on her tongue. she's never had a reason to challenge any of the things her cousins and aunts had taught her about men. wear your skirts to your knees, always tuck the hem under your thighs, and never wear your shirts tight or sheer.

hair half-up, unless you're being presented, then it's all the way up. never all the way down; you're not a common girl.
little rules that make up for a bigger picture. she doesn't help when she plants her hands on her waist in indignation. melli softens at the remark, however, and moves to fold her arms at her chest instead.
]

Do I have to give the flower back now? You already gave it to me, I'm already attached. [ she moves as if to touch it where it rests on her head, even though she can feel it perched against her hair. ] Maybe it's a test. See if we're worth letting go, or something.
improving: (krvn-icon38)

[personal profile] improving 2024-12-24 12:18 pm (UTC)(link)
That you are.

[ There's bitterness in his voice. The fact a fundamental part of her identity has been chosen for her so much in advance is appalling; in his mind, Melli should be free to eperience life just like everyone else. To fall in love and out of love, to laugh and cry. And sure, a part of him wants it to be with him.
She's trapped in a gilded cage, and not a very pretty one, if he says so himself.

Still, he manages a loopsided smirk at her question.
]

I gave you a flower, little wolf. It's my present to you. And rest unassured, nothing in this place wants anything other than have things go wild.

[ For now he'll just cling to the memory of his fingers tangled in her hair. ]

You ready to walk back? I reckon we're not as close to the entrance as it seems.
improves: (red β†’ oh okay)

[personal profile] improves 2024-12-24 01:08 pm (UTC)(link)
I can understand wild. I don't understand why.

[ she doesn't understand much, does she? sometimes her cousins would laugh about something and she wouldn't know why, even when they explain it. this is a trend, or that is an in-joke; she's never part of the crowd that laughs, almost always sitting on the outside. it's her privilege, father would say, to not have to worry about what the rest of the world is thinking.

speak it, and it shall be so, father had always taught her. the world will obey.

melli doesn't need the world to simply obey. she needs for it to listen, and to speak with her too. she wants to know what motivates the commons, what drives a great number of them to rebel their greatbeasts, against the great families.

she understands that the system is broken. with great hope, she means to change it for the better once she claims rule over the houses. but until thenβ€” until then, she's a sheltered, somewhat spoiled girl who needs a minder. someone already tried to kill her, after all.
]

I can walk. Will you hold my hand? Or let me hold on to you, at least?

[ she's not dressed for the woods, well-trimmed as the shrubbery and foliage might be. dress shoes on plain grass; her mother would shake her head at the foolishness. ]

I promise I won't trip you, this time. [ in her defense: dress skirts. they get rather long. ]
improving: (krvn-icon6)

[personal profile] improving 2024-12-24 01:32 pm (UTC)(link)
Because...

[ He fully turns around, facing her, arms crossed across his chest as he stops to think how to formulate a sentence that has the least amount of expletives needed to make it make sense. John is well aware of her innocence, so to speak, and how people also tended to take advantage of it. To make coarse remarks of her, wrapped in seemingly kind words. Another thing he has worked to put an end to, sometimes by force. ]

Because the rich and the powerful, the lords of the land...they enjoy exerting that power. Sex and the like, they're a very obvious, very direct way to do so.

[ He lets her digest his words for a moment. Innocent as she might be, Melli is smart and (he thinks) mature enough to understand. He knows that, in her own way, she wants to understand. Another thing he feels he needs to protect. ]

To trap us here, to add a layer of banality, of carnal desire underneath it all... that's someone powerful toying with us, or their idea of making us a favor. Hell, it might even be someone affecting their surroundings without meaning to. I expect to see the same theme everywhere.

[ He walks up to her and offers not his hand, but his forearm, so that she can keep her footing. It's something they have done a number of times already. Much as he would like to hold to her hand, he knows it's not befitting of his station to do so, and that ultimately, this is better to help her sort the terrain. ]

But if you do trip us, I'll throw you over my shoulder and run.
improves: (white β†’ concern)

[personal profile] improves 2024-12-24 03:25 pm (UTC)(link)
You enjoy that, don't you? Just tossing me over a shoulder like a sack of vegetables! And they don't even use sacks for vegetables these days!

[ she protests as she does, but takes his proffered arm all the same and lets him guide them out of the woods. melli does understand, in theory, what john means. there is a soft power in intimacy, and a lurid interest in the carnal; sex sells, as they say. it's why scandals among the great houses serve either as a detriment or a blessing. a pain in ayla's ass when she has to mop up someone's messy one night stand for the palatable news cycle, but a blessing when it distracts from something far more horrible.

hunger among the smaller islands. the raiding parties along the coastline. the separatists who keep attacking the city borders, demanding to be free from the grasp of the ten houses.

it's not that she doesn't sympathise. melli does, genuinely. but how can she destroy the very system that made her? without the costhens, without the tributes β€” if the gods decide to move away and take the greatbeasts with them, then they're all left defenseless and blind. she will become nothing, too.

melli tightens her hold on john's arm as they keep walking, and tries her best to avoid worrying her lip as she's used to do.
]

Why the forehead? Are foreheads... are they supposed to be attractive?
improving: (krvn-icon19)

[personal profile] improving 2024-12-24 03:41 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He can't help but chuckle, but at least they're on the move. ]

A sack of potatoes, maybe. I'm still pushing to get you proper training, but if we make good progress on the side I'll be less worried about having to move you around when danger invariably comes. Until then, I'll do my best to think of your comfort.

[ It is her other question that has him turn around, eyeing her quizzically. Sometimes even he can't help but be surprised. ]

The alternative, the one the forest wants, was a kiss on the lips.

[ His tone is careful, measured. ]

A proper lady shouldn't have her first taken in such undignified manner... at least that's what the pompous farts lording above us all would say, I assume.

And besides, you deserve...better.
dwelt: (Default)

[personal profile] dwelt 2024-12-24 04:43 pm (UTC)(link)
[he refuses to make a sound, pain choked down and smothered by the hand at his throat pressing into his windpipe. he can feel a bruise blooming around his wrist, and maybe he's shocked out of everything for those few seconds. bark digs into his skin. he thinks he's bleeding - he thinks he's looking up at something that shouldn't be in human skin.]

I've been touching you.

[sobering words, some fight flashing behind his eyes. skin to skin, his magic overlapping into Zephir's. August, finally, pushing past the weighty haze of desire. he falls for the trap, or makes it look like he does. he brings his injured arm up and wraps his hand around Zephir's wrist, bites through the pain by biting into this being's lower lip instead, enough to draw blood. revenge.]

What does your mercy look like?
viver: n (128)

more emeto, drinking it

[personal profile] viver 2024-12-24 05:01 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Zephir acts as though he's the more emotional half, yet no part of him is ever vulnerable, never weak with want. When he desires something, Life gets it, and if he can't do so in the moment, he simply waits until the victim comes to him.

Not with Sullivan, though. Sullivan, the picture of relaxed stoicism, loses his mind when Zephir offers his blood; Zephir, the picture of peaceful chaos, grows desperate when Sullivan decides to take it.

Mouth open, Zephir lowers his head until his tongue is at Sullivan's chin, drinking black nectar, sighing and moaning like he's being fed for the first time in an eternity. He drinks and drinks, closes his mouth, presses in to demand more. This was supposed to be a quick feed, and here they are; monsters who created a whole world debasing themselves.

He rubs his hips up against Sullivan's front, too distracted to pay any real mind to how hard he is. Minutes pass until he comes with sudden jerks and keeps going. In some forgotten language, Life tells Death he's nothing without him. ]
viver: (045)

[personal profile] viver 2024-12-24 05:13 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He hears it β€” doesn't hear it, rather, wildlife and the rustling of leaves as good as dead around them. Two people who aren't what they seem trapped in a bottle, where one bleeds and cries and the other wonders what will happen if he just lets her. Always looking for a big red button to push, this one.

Zephir closes his fist, bone crumbling like a handful of sand. It disintegrates, leaves a hole inside a gruesome gash, and all that's left to do is stick his fingers in the crevices around the heart. Zephir pulls the fruit from the tree, holds it in front of him as if to check what, if anything, is so special about it, whether the girl collapses in front of him or not. ]
viver: n (013)

[personal profile] viver 2024-12-24 05:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Like it's all you can think about.

[ It's… vague, unhelpful, but it also tells Iggy this is a creature with an ego, who despite having no time or patience for followers or prayers, wants the worship of those he can touch and manipulate. Zephir tilts his hips forward. ]

You know what it's like, don't you?
dead_tongue: (light shade)

network a | un: gingerailed

[personal profile] dead_tongue 2024-12-24 05:32 pm (UTC)(link)
I agree completely, sweetie, but now I'm wondering wtf happened. someone whack you in the face with a dildo? did you walk in on someone in a full latex cow suit while just trying to find the bathroom?
dead_tongue: (purdy)

[personal profile] dead_tongue 2024-12-24 05:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Do I know what it's like to touch someone who wants that? Yes.

[Honestly, it probably describes all the men he's had in his life. Men who want someone fun to make them feel good.

So Iggy leans in, kissing Zephir's neck as he begins to stroke his cock slowly and firmly. His fingers trail in such a way that makes it seem like he's loving, like he wants to know every inch.

And he does want Zephir. In spite of everything so far, he wants him.]
dead_tongue: (smile down)

[personal profile] dead_tongue 2024-12-24 05:47 pm (UTC)(link)
You're not so bad yourself.

[Murmured between kisses back. He feels good. Romanced.

Slowly, he forces himself to let go of Theo and assess the mess they've made of each other.]


I should really start carrying wet wipes.