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Entry tags:
TDM #13
Welcome! Everything is fine.
Uploading. . . Complete!
The Lobby.
- When you open your eyes, there is quite a lot of beige to take in. The unassuming walls of the room you've found yourself in are barren save for a single motivational poster directly in your line of sight. An illuminated sign above an open door on the far wall reads 'lobby exit.'
"Welcome," chimes a polite, synthesized voice. "I'm happy you're here." A moment later comes the clarity of the situation: you have died and so has the world you came from. "This is Amani, your new reality," continues The Peacekeeper. "Everything will be fine."
At least you aren't the only one here, you'll soon find out, as others who are just as confused and concerned as you are might be mingling on the main hub's first floor. Hopefully, you find a familiar face among the crowd. If not, that's all right. You'll get to know quite a few people very well soon enough.
- If you're one of the unlucky few whose death required a bit more intensive re-coding to maintain stability in the simulation, you'll instead awaken on a bed in the infirmary. Everything is strikingly white save for the occasional string of vines with lavender growing in bursts to help keep people calm. Whether or not it works seems to be on a case-by-case basis.
While there is active medical staff, the voice of The Peacekeeper is also there to explain the situation in a more delicate manner to these individuals. It's already stressful enough having to have gone through such a violent death, after all!
If characters want more questions answered, they'll need to speak to The Peacekeeper directly. But first, it will encourage socialization in the main hub and hopefully, you'll find someone you recognize to make taking things in a little easier.
WHAT
The thirteenth Amani TDM!
WHEN
September 20th, 2023 (and until the next TDM!)
KINKS OF THE MONTH
★ Tantric Sex
★ Body Worship
★ Cuddle Fucking
★ Electrostimulation
★ Quirofilia
★ Body Worship
★ Cuddle Fucking
★ Electrostimulation
★ Quirofilia
WHAT'S YOUR DTF STATUS?
If the main hub and its features don't appeal to you, that's perfectly fine. This is the perfect time to configure your Digitized Technical Friend or your DTF status. A DTF is similar to a dæmon from His Dark Materials in that it is connected to and a reflection of a character's soul. These DTFs take shape accordingly and are projections similar to the NPCs. Think of them as your own personal Clippy except less annoying. Hopefully.
Once that's set-up, there are other locations of the main hub to investigate! You can visit the training grounds, music lounge, library, and onsen. Also, feel free to leave an offering for the resident deity of sleep (Hypnos) at his shrine! You can even visit The Peacekeeper themselves on the second floor. They're always happy to have visitors! They're also conveniently where you might place a complaint about that status of the main hub and its amenities. Even if you do complain, The Peacekeeper will encourage others to set off and find their own place to live out in the simulation.
Granted, the housing market in the afterlife isn't exactly robust. It doesn't help that every place you find has a leaky roof or broken window. No, unfortunately, that will need to be fixed the peaceful way. If you'd like more lighting or even cozier clothes, simulation inhabitants are reminded that 'peaceful interactions' are very important!
It might be a good idea to stick close to someone you know, for now, since even the smallest amounts of intimacy might see subtle changes occurring where they're staying. Perhaps that broken window is now fixed, the grime and dust seem a little less, or the floor doesn't creak quite as loud.
Larger changes, however, will only come after demonstrating more powerful peaceful interactions. If you want new hardwood floors or a fresh coat of paint on the walls, you're going to have to demonstrate how well you 'get along' with others against them first.
BASKETS OF PEACE
"Hello, inhabitants," speaks The Peaceekeper, "have you had a check-up recently? While we don't have to worry about disease here in Amani, your sexual health is still important in so many other ways!" It was recently suggested that perhaps they haven't been the most mindful in terms of encouraging inhabitants to have healthier sexual habits. No time like the present to work on correcting that oversight though.
How? With a gift basket, of course!
Each inhabitant - either new or established - will receive a gift basket full of fun things to try. Each one includes (but is not limited to):
How? With a gift basket, of course!
Each inhabitant - either new or established - will receive a gift basket full of fun things to try. Each one includes (but is not limited to):
- ★ Male and female condoms (flavored and unflavored)
★ Edible lubricant
★ Erotic dice + erotic card game
★ Bottle of wine
★ Heart-shaped bath bombs (aphrodisiac-laced)
★ Bondage lace eye mask + wrist/ankle bindings
TRIPPING OVER TROPES
Due to the influence of Dirk Strider and Rose Lalonde both, The Peacekeeper has learned about an interesting phenomenon known as 'fanfiction.' It has studied the topic intensely for the last couple of days to try and learn more about its literary significance amongst the multiverse. It is an interesting insight in some of the inhabitants' cultures and what 'tropes' appear to be more common depending on the circumstances.
Unfortunately, such an influx of information sees the AI running Amani a bit more distracted than usual. The simulation - at least for a few days - is a bit more prone to glitches as a result. Only these aren't the usual ones like a hole in reality someone falls through and ends up somewhere unexpected.
No, these ones are as if the NPCs and inhabitants both residing in the simulation are having their pathways forcibly rewritten. It isn't very obvious, at first. Perhaps you're feeling a bit clumsier than usual and need to chase after a rogue piece of paper carrying on the wind that leads you running right into your current crush. Or maybe something gets unexpectedly spilled on you and the person you like is suddenly offering the shirt off their back (and leaving them shirtless, of course) even if it's out of character.
Finally, inhabitants might really start to catch on when whatever dwelling they enter there is only one bed. Have roommates? Too bad, looks like you might have to share for a bit! Oh, no, how unfortunate... However do you think this scenario will end? The Peacekeeper knows since, well, it's the one unwittingly writing inhabitants into these romance trope scenarios.
Thankfully, it will snap back to 'reality' within a few day's time having learned that, as with most good things, fanfiction should be taken in with moderation in mind.
Unfortunately, such an influx of information sees the AI running Amani a bit more distracted than usual. The simulation - at least for a few days - is a bit more prone to glitches as a result. Only these aren't the usual ones like a hole in reality someone falls through and ends up somewhere unexpected.
No, these ones are as if the NPCs and inhabitants both residing in the simulation are having their pathways forcibly rewritten. It isn't very obvious, at first. Perhaps you're feeling a bit clumsier than usual and need to chase after a rogue piece of paper carrying on the wind that leads you running right into your current crush. Or maybe something gets unexpectedly spilled on you and the person you like is suddenly offering the shirt off their back (and leaving them shirtless, of course) even if it's out of character.
Finally, inhabitants might really start to catch on when whatever dwelling they enter there is only one bed. Have roommates? Too bad, looks like you might have to share for a bit! Oh, no, how unfortunate... However do you think this scenario will end? The Peacekeeper knows since, well, it's the one unwittingly writing inhabitants into these romance trope scenarios.
Thankfully, it will snap back to 'reality' within a few day's time having learned that, as with most good things, fanfiction should be taken in with moderation in mind.
FRUITS OF FALL
Last year, there was an emphasis on apples but there are plenty of other common fruits to be found growing throughout Amani. Due to The Peacekeeper learning about tropes though, some of them will have a temporary effect in that vein on any inhabitant who eats them.
And what are those effects, exactly? Well...
And what are those effects, exactly? Well...
- ★ Pomegrante » Usually a fruit associated with femininity, eating this will actually see your concept of gender be a little more malleable. Characters will suddenly see new sliding scales in their DTF's menu that allows them to decide how feminine, masculine, or in-between they'd like their physical forms to be!*
★ Blackberries » Eating a handful of these berries will see someone's personality flip on its head. Those usually happy-go-lucky and bubbly will now be morose or upset about every little thing. Thankfully, it doesn't last long... even if the damage to your relationships from your unexpected shift in mood might. Oops.
★ Peaches » Often used in modern text language as a sensual symbol, this fruit will see someone swap kinks with another individual in the simulation. Get ready for some really confused boners, everybody!
★ Grapes » These fruits are meant to be a shared experience since just one person can't be expected to eat a whole bunch of them; however, eating a grape at the same time as someone else will see you sharing more than just a meal. Now, you're sharing experiences in one the most intimate ways of all - by swapping bodies and all that means.
SEXY STAMP CARD
If you're wondering about these 'peaceful interactions' that keep being mentioned or what the kinks of the month are for... Here's your answer! Upon arrival, all characters will receive a digital copy of their very own sexy stamp card.
Completing peaceful interactions (i.e. kinks) will reward characters with stamps that they can turn in for re-gains and many other things! While the example one here is the standard issued card by The Peacekeeper, players are more than welcome to customize it how they see fit. Have fun with it!NOTES
Completing peaceful interactions (i.e. kinks) will reward characters with stamps that they can turn in for re-gains and many other things! While the example one here is the standard issued card by The Peacekeeper, players are more than welcome to customize it how they see fit. Have fun with it!
★ *While this effect of the gender sliding scale will be opt-in entirely and only temporary, it is a feature that inhabitants can purchase in the future with stamps if they'd like!
★ We are currently at 30/40 slots taken! Anyone wishing to claim a character must have an invite from someone currently in the game and follow the proper rules in place to be accepted into the community!
NAVIGATION
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...but that doesn't matter, because the very moment she sees him do anything, she knows it isn't Ardyn. If it weren't for the real concern in those glowing amber eyes, or the true rage burning in his throaty growl, Rose would be charmed by the impression. As things stand... well, as much as Rose enjoys a good argument, she's well-versed in the art of de-escalation. She'd do well to take this seriously, and not just for her own sake.
"...it's okay, Noctis." Rose does back off a bit, more for Noctis' comfort than her own concern. "I'm sorry I didn't recognize you at first. Are you all right?"
The lights overhead flicker, as if threatening to return to life and bathe the ballroom in light. Rose has no doubt they'll do so when the time is right for Noctis.
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How the hell does she know it's him? Okay, so sure, maybe his attempt at sounding like Ardyn wasn't exactly spot on, but to jump immediately to Noctis?
"What do you mean, at first? How did you recognize me at all?" ...whoops, gave away the game. Doesn't matter now, she's got him pegged anyway. (...figuratively speaking.)
"I'm--" Obviously not 'fine.' "...it's...a long story. Short version, no, not really."
It's then that the power comes back on, clearly revealing the damage he's done to the mirror and the full extent of his daemonic appearance. There's blood on his knuckles, but the cuts have already healed completely and he'd barely noticed any pain. Compared to the Scourge, it was nothing. ...no wonder Ardyn can take a sword through the chest and stay upright.
"But I meant what I said. You should get out of here. I don't want...to hurt you."
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"I'm a Seer, if you recall," she explains, as the lights come back to life, a suitable backdrop if Noctis is looking up at her. In that light she looks more like a beauty than ever. "I sensed that someone needed assistance. I didn't realize the grapes had snared you."
She looks down at Noctis, at his hunted-animal hunch. "I'm confident I can flee if you attack me," she lies. "We can just talk, if you want. Why are you afraid you might hurt me?"
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He does look up at her, and the light frames her body like a halo. Floating there, with her beautiful eyes and serene demeanor, it's easy to believe she really is an Oracle. All the more reason she should stay away from him.
"I don't need assistance. I need to be left alone." The last two words come out from between clenched teeth, because that's the last thing he wants - the last thing he ever wants. But it's for the best right now.
He arches a brow, which is an even more dramatic expression on Ardyn's face. "Confident? You shouldn't be. Flying won't save you." He has half a mind to demonstrate why for her right now. His hand is already extended and he's halfway to summoning a weapon to it - blue-white shards of light swirl briefly in the air, shadowed eerily by a dark miasma that just looks wrong - before he realizes where that impulse is coming from. With a growl, he stops and clenches that hand back into a fist, bringing it close to his chest.
"That's why," he grumbles, not that he's actually answered the question at all. He scowls and runs that hand through his hair - through Ardyn's hair - in frustration. "You're a Seer, can't you just...See it?"
No, he has no idea how it works or if that's possible. He just doesn't want to have to explain it.
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Rose does consider Noctis' argument that he should be left alone. If Rose were advising anyone else, she would tell them to listen to the loose cannon dripping with darkness. But she knows the direction this encounter can go, should go, as long as she doesn't fuck it up. Noctis needs to be reminded of his humanity, and isolation is the deadliest poison in that regard. Rose knows quite well.
The brilliant near-summoning of some magical power is fascinating, as is the darkness accompanying it. This situation is complicated, and unfortunately for Noctis, Rose's powers aren't helpful for diagnosing or curing his tenebrous corruption. Fortunately for Noctis, Rose doesn't need to know the specifics because she understands what matters most. Memories come to mind, glimpses of Noctis and Ardyn interacting in the Hall of Rhetoric.
"It's okay," Rose says with the even tone one might use with a frightened animal. "I've been in a similar situation before, but I didn't have anyone around who understood. But you're close with Ardyn, aren't you? How does he keep the darkness in check? Do you just leave him alone?"
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He scowls and looks away, though, because she's right - isn't he the one always insisting that Ardyn not be left alone? He folds his arms and begins to pace, despite never having been one for pacing in his life. All this energy has to go somewhere.
"...no, obviously I don't. But he's used to this. It's...it's like all my worst urges are blown way out of proportion, and I can't...calm down. The Scourge, the darkness, it turns most people into mindless monsters - daemons. But Ardyn's different. He's its vessel, he's the one who spreads it. Not by choice," he adds emphatically, even if that may have only been true in the beginning. "He controls it, as much as it can be controlled. I...I don't think I can. Not for long."
He pauses in his pacing to turn toward her. "What do you mean, you've been in a similar situation before?"
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Rose descends to sit on one of the tables, legs crossed--if Noctis can reach her wherever she goes, then hovering overhead won't help anyway. She actually looks a bit healthier than when Noctis first met her, though hardly a pinnacle of strength. She sets her purse down on the table next to her.
"When I was younger and desperate for power, I called upon a circle of dark and alien entities. Let's call them the outer gods. They lent me the strength I demanded, but its influence was corrupting, unhealthy. My divine sight was inverted, and my presence became a blight of obscurity. Ultimately, my friends paid a high price for my hubris."
Rose doesn't speak with a tone of regret. Her rebellion against fate was, too, a part of her fate. She also doesn't mention the price she paid--it was the first time she died, but it was far from the last. She feels worse for the friend who had to see her die.
"You too have the power to become a blight on Amani, Noctis, so it's important that we take control of this here and now, by any means necessary." Her tone briefly softens. "And we can manage this, Noctis. Please trust me." With that entreaty done, her tone becomes more matter-of-fact. "Has Ardyn really told you nothing about how he manages this Scourge? Does it have any weaknesses we can exploit, or ways to sap its power?"
Noctis' sarcasm may be cute, but they need to stay solution-focused.
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By any means necessary, she says, and that gets him narrowing his eyes. "If you're suggesting putting me down, it's not gonna work. The only way Ardyn can die is if I kill him." He clenches a fist.
But he does trust Rose, so despite a low growl of frustration, he nods grudgingly.
Her businesslike tone makes him sigh in irritation. "Of course he's told me. And sure, it has a weakness...or had one. Sunlight kills daemons and hurts Ardyn, but I paid the Peacekeeper to get rid of that curse. As a gift." He shakes his head. "Mostly, Ardyn just tries to...appease it. Give it outlets so it doesn't get all pent up and try to take over. But those outlets suck."
He looks down at his hand again. "Anything that lets it express itself through him works, which means...violence, sex, turning people into daemons. Using daemonic powers to...destroy things, or bring people to heel. Some of our potions can calm it down for a while, but it only comes back worse later." He snorts. "My ring has holy magic that's anathema to it, but the ring was on my finger. And if I tried to put it on in Ardyn's body, who knows what the Lucii might do?"
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Rose isn't surprised that Noctis interpreted her dramatic statement the way he did. For him, today is a moral crisis, but for her it's a high-stakes logic problem. Even if she'd been willing to kill Noctis to protect Amani, she'd already checked the option in her mind's eye and ruled it out as ineffective. Just as well, because she knows other options can work.
It's a relief when Noctis starts thinking, revealing weaknesses, processing options. The weakness to light is noteworthy, as is the fact that appeasement works, at least in the short term. Rose remembers seeing the ring in their first meeting, and agrees that it's just as well that it isn't here right now. When Noctis mentions turning people into daemons, Rose can't help raising her eyebrows. It's an intriguing option, and might allow them to achieve their destiny through an ironic role-reversal... but she judges the odds of a happy ending low with that route. A shame.
Rose nods when Noctis finishes his explanation. It seems like the Scourge encourages a sort of knee-jerk resistance to suggestions, so Rose takes a different tack. "Okay. I see two routes to avert the worst, each with some chance of success."
She reaches for her purse, only to realize it's wandered off--ah, there it is, returning with an oblong case. It must have liberated the instrument from a store-room or some other corner of the ballroom. "I see three routes to avert the worst," Rose amends. She sets the case to her right and lifts the purse into her lap.
First she pulls out a pair of wands, light sizzling at their needle-sharp tips. Noctis can tell from how she handles them--carefully avoiding pointing them directly at Noctis as she sets them down to her left--that they're weapons first and foremost. They seem to sizzle the air as they move, creating an eerie song.
"If sunlight weakened the Scourge, perhaps a sear of light will force it into submission..." Or force a situation where Rose will need to submit. Both options are effective. "High risk, high reward."
She places her right hand back on the violin case so thoughtfully-provided by her newest familiar. "To soothe the savage beast," Rose says. It's a kinder option than she was considering, but Noctis is a kind person. Perhaps it's a good option. "Low risk, low reward."
Finally, she looks down at the purse in her lap, and it helpfully fishes out a bottle of lube, a strapless dildo, a string of anal beads, and a masturbation sleeve. Rose looks up from the toys to meet Noctis' gaze. "The middle path. 'By any means necessary,' you see.
"So what'll it be, Noctis? Harm, harmony, or harlotry?"
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The third option is absolutely unsurprising, of course, but it makes him frown.
"Does that music thing actually work?" He shakes his head. "Even if it did, it'd only work for as long as you played. The other two paths...could both easily lead to killing you. When Ardyn has a moment of...uh, release, whether it's during sex or getting so injured in battle that he'd lose consciousness, that's when the Scourge can fully emerge. It's not good."
He levels her with a firm look. "How do you intend to stop me if that happens?"
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"I'm aware of the risks," Rose says, though she hadn't known the specific wrinkle of orgasm only intensifying the Scourge's influence. "And no, in case you were wondering, I don't want to end up seriously injured or dead any more than you do."
Her voices grows a little more severe. "But no choice is a choice, Noctis. If I leave you alone, you work yourself into a frenzy, and who knows how many people get injured? I know that we can make this work.
"And if you get out of control I'll fight. You said the Scourge wants to force others to submit? Well I invite you to try." She raises her chin a few inches challengingly, looking down her nose at him through blonde lashes. Her nostrils flare with excitement.
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In truth, it's not really what Rose is suggesting that's driving him to fury. It's the implication that she could survive when Luna didn't. That she could escape the fate Lunafreya walked into with her eyes open and head held high. The Scourge takes that thought and begins to twist it into a resentment so fierce that Noctis finds himself wondering whether it wouldn't be appropriate to kill Rose, after all. If Luna had to die, why should Rose get to live?
But she's not finished escalating this. She challenges him, goads him. She is breathtaking in her defiance and infuriating in her stubbornness, and when he growls and takes a step toward her, he doesn't know whether he wants to tear her throat out or fuck it raw. "Fine," he spits. "If that's the way you want it--"
He lunges at her, blurring into shadows instinctively and reaching to wrap one large hand around her throat when he comes out of it right in front of her.
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Each word from Ardyn's borrowed mouth is a domino falling, a recitation of the tragedies that brought Noctis here, now. Rose's muscles tense with each syllable. Nowhere left for either of them to run.
And Rose thinks, if only I were really special. And Rose thinks, damned right I'm special. And Rose thinks, this is the way I want it.
Her hands are rising defensively even as Ardyn's arm emerges from the shadowy blur, but not fast enough and certainly not strong enough. That meaty hand plows through her resistance and closes on her throat, even as her right hand clutches fiercely at Ardyn's iron wrist. Instinctively Rose tries to pull away, her back arching, her purse and toys tumbling from her lap. She attempts a gasping breath, then snaps her teeth shut when no air comes. Her expression is fierce, eyes blazing, as her heels scrape against the ballroom floor in a fruitless search for purchase.
Maybe she could reach for her wands--her struggles haven't knocked them from the table yet--but she doesn't. Instead her left hand reaches for Noctis, for Ardyn's face, then for his collar. She grips it like a lifeline, pulling at him with her limited and waning strength.
She can't get the words out, but Noctis can see the words on her lips, marked with black lipstick and spittle: come on, come on, come on, come on, come on.
cw: dubcon-ish
Noctis can't stand the way things always need to go.
Instead, he finds satisfaction in this: the way her back arches under strain, the way she fights to breathe. All the rage he's ever swallowed down, put aside, hidden because he couldn't afford to be angry on his own behalf and no one else would be angry for him...the Scourge scours his mind for all of it and scrapes it out, laying it bare that he might visit it upon Rose.
Her taunting gets a guttural snarl in return. He slams her down onto the floor by her neck and leans in close. "Thought you didn't want to die. But that's all an Oracle is for, isn't it?" Each word tears itself free from his throat, dripping with acid derision. "Every brilliant light made to shine and show us our destinies, snuffed out by that very same fate. Snuffed out for our sake!"
He finally releases her neck only to shove one knee between her legs, pressing up hard against her groin. He grabs both her wrists, one in each hand, and forces them flat against the floor by her sides, holding them there so she can't wriggle away from the pressure. Black ooze trickles from his lips as he bends down to plunder hers for a rough, forcible kiss, taking ownership of her mouth with his tongue.
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(Later, she'll be glad that someone at least gets it: her role really never was very fair, and it never will be. Is it worse to exist for another's sake, or to have someone exist for your own sake? Rose will have to admit that she hadn't considered the other side of that equation. Maybe they'll both spend their lives wishing they could switch places. But even bodyswaps can't change destiny.)
Even once Ardyn's hand releases her neck, Rose can't breathe, but the shove of a knee against her crotch forces her to take a gasping breath. "Oh, you fucker," she wheezes. She's blinking, getting her bearings, as she notices Noctis has pinned her wrists. No amount of struggling will break her free, but that doesn't stop her from trying. She puts her whole body into it, biting her lower lip, bucking her hips, and all she accomplishes is straining her shoulders and dragging her groin over Ardyn's thigh.
Ardyn isn't her type even at the best of times, and the sickness dripping from his mouth is repulsive. Nonetheless, Rose doesn't turn away. She glares wide-eyed as he claims her mouth, and her attempted growl comes out more like a squeal as her lips betray her, welcoming in the invading tongue. Her grinding against his thigh becomes more purposeful, causing her skirt to ride up and reveal what lies beneath.
For the first time in quite a while, Rose isn't thinking. It's a relief.
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Once he's thoroughly claimed every part of her mouth, leaving traces of that odious black fluid behind, he pulls back just enough to loom over her.
"That's it," he hisses, a menacing encouragement. "You're not going anywhere until you get yourself off like this. Make yourself mine. No one is ever going to take the Oracle away from me again. Never again!"
As he snarls the words, Ardyn's body and countenance continue to change to match Noctis' rage. He's only barely aware himself of growing slightly larger and more hulking, and of several pairs of thick, sturdy horns protruding from his head and shoulders. His voice distorts, still recognizably Ardyn's but with disturbing and dissonant overtones.
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Rose stopped wondering what was wrong with her years ago.
A part of her recognizes the sheer, desperate tragedy in what Noctis is saying. A part of her recognizes that Noctis' beastly transformation is a sign that her plan, such as it is, is working. And a part of her knows the strategies by which she might appease a possessive, controlling man. All she needs to do is play nice.
" 'Make yourself mine'? Pathetic." Rose keeps up her thrusting, sure, but her eyes are locked to Noctis' a challenge. She strains her neck to get closer to Ardyn's lips, spitting her words at Noctis: "You expect me to get off like this? No wonder you lost your Oracle if you were too weak to take her."
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--what? Did she just call him pathetic? As she strains forward, he tightens his grip on her wrists. He might have responded, but her next words hit him like a slap in the face - he physically recoils, though his hold on her doesn't slacken - in fact, he shoves his knee into her groin even harder and pulls her down to turn that pressure into pain. His voice is deadly quiet, at first.
"What did you say?" Oh, but he knows damn well exactly what she said, and doesn't bother to give her a chance to respond. With a guttural roar, he lets go of one wrist only to wind up and punch her in the face.
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This is how it's supposed to be, isn't it? The age-old struggle between the sexes, the clenched thighs vs. the forceful hand. Whoever thought Beauty and the Beast was a sweet story never thought about it very hard, but Rose has. It's a tale of entrapment and domination, of loneliness and manipulation--a beast makes a deal with a girl's father to keep her in his castle, and then what? He sweetly propositions her for marriage over and over, then wastes away when she abandons him?
No. The Beast hates himself, and he hates her because he needs her. The Beauty fears him, and fears her own desire for him. The dance that matters isn't a ballroom affair but a bedroom affair, a war of passion that makes them each question what they believed about themselves. But the fact that it's an age-old dance doesn't mean it's rehearsed. It's all genuine. That's the only way it works.
When Noctis rears back, he sees the first glimpse of real fear in Rose's eyes. "Wait--" she says, but there's no time. The fist descends upon her, turning her world white with pain. Blood from a split lip paints her mouth and cheek, dribbling down onto the floor. Her now-free hand waves vaguely, searching for purchase or some object to fight back with...
...and settles on a wand. The feeling of power in her hand sharpens her mind, reminds Rose why she's here. The beast needs to be tamed, for his own sake.
"I'm sorry," she murmurs, and closes her eyes tightly as the wand flares to life, blindingly bright even through her eyelids. Noctis will recover quickly, she's sure, but she only needs a few moments of freedom to turn the tables.
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--the world erupts into white-hot pain and a terrible screaming inside his head, in his veins, the Scourge convulsing in agony under his skin, boiling the very air he breathes--
--he howls under the onslaught, blinded completely and flinching back, barely even realizing he's let go of Rose entirely. Distorted, wild undertones shadow his voice with every tortured cry. On his knees, eyes squeezed shut and arms up in a futile attempt to shield himself from ephemeral, intangible light that nonetheless feels like it pierces his skull, he looks every inch the true beast as he snarls and lashes out blindly with what are now literal claws extending from his fingers.
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It takes only a moment for her to recall the last-glimpsed location of all the important objects in this scene. Trusting her memory, she skirts the table and snags her second wand, then turns to face the beast. She takes just a moment to catch her breath and ready herself, then dissipates the blinding light.
Before Noctis can adjust to the low light, Rose wields both wands in concert to knit searing threads of brilliance around his upheld wrists. He has strength, but she has leverage, practice, and a bit of luck. It's enough to bind the beast's claws behind his head, and to pull his legs out from under him, rendering him prone.
As Rose ties her binding on Noctis' legs, she leans close and speaks intensely into his ear, "Easy, Noctis. I know it hurts, but it's for your own good. It's a good pain, Noctis, remember. I'm going to take care of you. We're going to get you off." She can only hope the reminder's enough; Ardyn's strength is far from Noctis' only weapon.
And, not waiting for his response, she puts one of her wands to his back. With a white-hot point of heat she sears a line down his clothes. And if it burns him as it exposes his back and ass, well, she already said it was for his own good.
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Which means he can't see her moving around or fetching the second wand, nor can he see what her intentions are until she's already carrying them out. He hisses at the searing pain from the threads that capture his wrists and force him to the floor, and this is no momentary flash that he can expect to fade. This persists. He growls and, despite only making the light burn worse in doing so, he struggles wildly.
It's not until she's speaking directly into his ear that he pauses, breathing hard and trying to parse what shes' saying through the haze of both agony and...pleasure. Yeah, somehow this scalding pain feels good on some level, though only later will he recognize that pleasure as the Scourge's hunger for suffering manifesting as masochistic arousal. He tries to turn his head to look at Rose, but his eyes are still wide and mostly sightless, and his arms are kind of in the way, besides.
"F...for my own...fuck," he spits out, an involuntary interruption as her wand touches his back and sends a spike of piercing heat shooting down his spine. It only makes him struggle more in a futile, instinctive attempt to get away from the source - but not all of his thrashing is born from that instinct. Some of it is simple squirming as the heat that burns ignites an answering heat within. Putting him facedown like this means that Rose has inflicted another sort of torture, as well: his demanding erection is pressed against the floor under Ardyn's weight, and every little shift brings more friction, more pressure. Noctis has to imagine that Ardyn's absurd physical resilience and how accustomed he is to constant pain are the only reasons Noctis hasn't already reached a tipping point of sensory overload. He tries to push himself back up onto his knees to alleviate it, but thanks to the way Rose has restrained him, he can't do it.
Rose slices through his - Ardyn's - clothes with that same burning light, and he cries out, ragged and bordering on feral, and yet she may recognize the moan that sneaks into it. He tries to roll away from the precision blade that is her wand; it's an awkward attempt, easily stopped should Rose have a mind.
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But that moan banishes any doubt. Split lip still bleeding, she smiles with satisfaction. Oh yes, she's doing precisely the right thing. And that means it's okay that this all feels right. She has no hesitation now, dropping a wand and taking a handful of Noctis' red hair and lifting his head up--arching his back and exacerbating his unwilling grind against the unyielding floor.
"Patience," she scolds him in a low voice, her smile just visible in the corner of his recovering vision, a few moments before she cuts through the waist of his pants. Her gaze goes back toward his--Ardyn's? whatever--ass. Time for something she's always wanted to try doing to a man.
She looks back toward her partner's face and gently commands him, "Ass up, Noctis."
She sets her other wand aside and picks up her strapless dildo from where it fell. She lets him see it, too, and if he does as he's told she'll let him watch her put it in herself.
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He pants for breath, cock twitching under him, and his vision has cleared enough by now that he does see her smile. Ohhh, she's enjoying this, and he's not sure whether it's him or the Scourge that likes that fact enough to try to look her in the eye and strain hard against the light, muscles flexing, snarling at the renewed bite of scorching heat at his wrists - an impulsive attempt to goad her, so that she might enjoy herself even more.
He will, too, in his own way, though there is also a part of him that thinks he deserves this, after what he did to Rose.
Telling Noctis - or Ardyn's body, for that matter - to have patience is an iffy prospect at the best of times, and right now he doesn't even try. And besides, Noctis has never taken well to being told what to do by anyone.
Which is why he shoots her a mutinous look (as best he can) and says, "Piss off."
CW: gendered slur
Rose's expression is hard to read as she observes Noctis' escape attempt--curiosity, amusement, lust...? Perhaps she's simply waiting for him to accept his fate, but that changes when he sasses her. Her lips twitch into a cruel smile and she clucks her tongue in mock-disappointment. She knows how to play this game, knows Noctis expects to lose.
"Naughty beast," she says, paradoxically sounding pleased.
Hand firmly grasping Noctis' hair, Rose lifts his head up higher... and higher. Not with muscle, but with her physics-defying gift of flight, she pulls him upright until his toes just drag on the floor. Then she turns and shoves him down face-first onto the table he recently pulled her off of. The violin case gets knocked onto the floor, but Rose doesn't care. She's focused only on a) holding Noctis down, b) sliding her panties aside, and c) inserting the bulb of the strapless dildo into herself one-handed.
The insertion takes a few moments of careful maneuvering--she winces, too, feeling the echo of Noctis' rough treatment of her--but she's skilled enough and wet enough that it soon slides into place, familiar. Comfortable. She always feels a little more herself when she's got the strapless in.
"I like how you moan, bitch," she says, tearing Noctis' ruined pants out of the way with her free hand. She snags the bottle of lube from the table and carelessly dumps half of it between Noctis' exposed ass-cheeks. "Moan for me again."
She places her silicone cock against Noctis' entrance, and pushes.
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