#hope i didn't make a fool of myself in front of the whole community

[mewling-central]

Introduction to Collective Seraphic

Now that Seraphic's at a stable place, I think I'm gonna take some time to delve into the basics of how it operates. For this post I'll only be going into the language itself and not the writing system, as that's going to need a post of its own to elaborate on. I'll try to keep this as concise as possible, but I may make separate posts expanding on topics discussed in this one. So, without further ado, onto the infodump!

Background

Collective Seraphic (which I'll be referring to as "Seraphic") is an artlang that I've created for a comic that as of this post I have not began yet, but am still developing. The majority of the comic will take place on the Seraph Homeworld, an alien planet some 3,000 lightyears from Earth populated by the seraph species (pictured below):

Within the story, Seraphic acts as the lingua franca of the Seraph Homeworld and the many colonized planets under Seraph control. It's used in the government, and among speakers of differing languages. As such, this language was the first one that I knew I would need to make as it will play a vital role in both the storytelling and narrative structure.

Syntax

Seraphic is largely a fusional language, employing affixes to modify the semantic role and meaning of morphemes. Seraphic does not, in the traditional sense, have verbs, so the sentence structure is strictly subject-object (will expand upon later). Nouns decline for number and tense, and are grouped into seven noun classes. Adjectives agree with nouns in number, except if derived from nouns themselves, in which case they'll also agree in class. Seraphic is very head-initial; with demonstratives, numerals, possesives, adjectives, genitives, and relative clauses following the noun the modify; and prepositions preceeding the nouns they modify. Auxiliaries preceed procedurals (again, will expand upon later).

Phonology

Here is the phonological chart for Seraphic:

It has a syllable structure of (CC)V(CC). Plosives cannot exist word finally, clusters of consonants of the same manner are illegal, and vowel clusters are also not permitted. Syllabic consonants are grouped with vowels and behave much like them, carrying tone and stress, so they together are grouped and referred to as vocalics. Seraphic is a tonal language, employing the use of four tones: rising (á), falling (à), high (ā), and low (a). Low tones remained unmarked in both the Seraphic script and in romanization. Stress is syllable-independant. It will take either the ultimate, penultimate, or rarely the antepenultimate. Stress always falls on the syllable with a voiceless initial obstruent nearest to the end of the word. If none are available, it will fall on the syllable with an initial sonorant within the same parameters. Stress will never fall on a voiced obstruent. For clarity, I'll provide a key describing the pronunciation of the romanization.

Sounds that are similarly pronounced as they're read in American English:

m, n, p, b, t, d, k, g, f, v, s, z, y, w, l

Sounds that have special pronunciations:

ŋ, like the ng in English "sing"

p', like the ጴ in Amharic "ጴጥሮስ"

t', like the t' in Navajo "yá'át'ééh"

k', like the კ in Georgian "კაბა"

', like the the space within English "uh-oh"

c, like the sh in English "sharp"

j, like the s in English "measure"

x, like the gh in English "ugh"

ğ, like the γ in Greek "γάλα"

pf, like the pf in German "Pfirsiche"

ts, like the z in Italian "grazia"

tc, like the ch in English "chain"

kx, like the kh in Lakota "lakhóta"

r, like the rr in Spanish "perro", although occasionally like the r in Spanish "amarillo"

i, like the ee in English "meet"

į, like the ы in Russian "ты"

u, like the oo in English "boot"

e, like the é in French "beauté"

œ, like the a in English "Tina"

o, like the o in Classical Latin "sol"

a, like the a in English "bra" although this can change to be more forward or more backward.

Another letter that might trip people up is ł, which is meant to represent the high tone syllabic 'l'. Otherwise, syllabics are written the same as their pulmonic counterparts, with tone markers written when applicable.

Nouns

Nouns make up the bulk of the Seraphic lexicon. Every noun is grouped into one of seven classes:

Solar class: nouns related to seraphim or seraph-like beings, and seraph body parts. Prefix appears as zā-, zō-, zē-, s-, or ts-.

sēr = "person"

Astral class: nouns related to non-seraph animate lifeforms (their equivalent to "animals"). Prefix appears as ğr-, x, or kx-.

xuc = "cherub"

Vital class: nouns related to inanimate lifeforms (their equivalent to "plants"). Prefix appears as wā-, wō, w-, ū-, wē-, or wī-.

wējlux = "tree"

Terranean class: nouns related to landscapes, locations, and natural phenomena. Prefix appears as va-, vo-, vu-, f-, and pf-.

voxāl = "sun"

Metallic class: nouns related to inanimate objects, both natural and artificial. Prefix appears as ja-, jo-, c-, or tc-.

jağrú = "rock"

Lunar class: nouns related to abstract concepts, and terms related to time. Prefix appears as la-, lo-, le-, li-, y-, or l/ł-.

levren = "job"

Oceanic class: nouns related to general words, tangible concepts, numbers, all adjectives, and non-incorporated loanwords. Prefix appears as a/ā-, o/ō-, or aw-.

awuf = "group"

Adjectives do not agree in class, due to the fact that nouns originally are derived from adjectives, and noun classes acted as a way to differentiate between nouns and adjectives.

fa = "warm, hot"

jafa = "fire" (lit. "a hot thing")

When adjectives are used as predicatives, they decline into the oceanic class in order to take the procedurals (once more, will expand upon later).

Nouns also decline for four numbers: singular (one thing, usually unmarked), dual (two things, both things; suffixes as -ac, -oc, -œc, or -c), plural (things, many thing; suffixes as -n, -an, or -in), and collective (every thing, all things; suffixes as -āf/ōf, -áf/-óf, or -'ōf).

Seraphic doesn't use pronouns. Everything and everyone is referred to by name, including yourself. From our perspective, the Seraphic language constantly speaks in the third person. However, it can be repetitive to use the same name over and over again in a sentence, and sometimes you don't know the name of things, so they'll apply what I've called pro-forms. They consist of the demonstrative adjectives fl "this", sl "that", and xl "yon" declined into the Solar class and taking the place of the first, second, and third person respectively. For ease of reference, I'll provide the forms and their declensions below.

zāfl (I/me), zāflc (both of us), zāvlin (we/us), zāfláf (all of us)

zāsl (you), zāslc (both of you), zāzlin (you guys), zāsláf (all of you)

zōxl (they), zōxlc (both of them), zōğlin (many of them), zōxláf (all of them)

Seraphic makes no distinction in the gender of the speaker, in this regard. Although these resemble pronouns, they're not meant to be used as often as regular pronouns, and whenever possible it's much preferred that you refer to someone or something by name.

Adjectives and Prepositions

Adjectives are fairly straightforward. Adjectives follow the noun they modify (e.g. sēr tan "big person"), and agree with them in number (e.g. sēr tan "big person" vs sērn t'aŋon "big people"). Adjectives agree in the singular form with singular and collective nouns, and they agree in the plural form with dual and plural nouns.

There are three main types of adjectives: native adjectives (e.g. cna "good"), borrowed adjectives (e.g. anzn "nice"), and noun-derived adjectives (e.g. arfi/ofi "new"). Native and borrowed adjectives don't agree with noun classes, but noun-derived adjectives do. It originated from the animacy-based adjective agreement system in Proto-Seraphic, which has been lost in all other adjective instances. When you want to make a noun into an adjective you'll affix one of two prefixes to it: ar- (if agreeing with Solar, Astral, and Vital nouns) and o- (if agreeing with Terranean, Metallic, Lunar, and Oceanic nouns). There are specific rules on the forms each prefix takes based on the noun they're attached to:

"ār-" when preceeding high or falling vocalic syllables (e.g. sēr ārzājna "popular person")

"ar-" when preceeding low or rising vocalic syllables (e.g. wēn arfe "local fruit")

"ó-" when preceeding high or falling vocalic syllables (e.g. lalel ówē "grassy flavor")

"o-" when preceeding low or falling vocalic syllables (e.g. lesar olvulvren "economic problem")

"ōw-" when preceeding words that start with a vocalic (e.g. lnin ōwāsāvbas "momentary event")

Prepositions occur before the nouns they modify, and don't change form in any circumstance. There are currently 19 prepositions in the modern language, and they are usually connected to nouns via a hyphen (e.g. e-fe "at (the) place"):

cu = of; indicates possession

pr̄ = indicates the indirect object, equivalent to "to" in the phrase "The man sends the letter to me."

in/īn = as or like; indicates similarity or resemblance. Will either be low or high tone depending on the tone of the following syllable.

e/ē = at or on; indicates location.

tsa = near or for; indicates relative distance from a location or an action performed for the sake of the referent.

cni = without; indicates a lack of possession or company.

wa = in or inside of; indicates interior position.

tn = on top of, above, or before; indicates superior position or a prior instance in time.

pux = under, beneath, or after; indicates inferior position or a following instance in time.

pi = with, together with; indicates being in company of or making use of the referent.

fān = from or away from; indicates the motion of leaving the referent.

ku = out of; indicates motion from within the referent towards the exterior.

tun = into or through; indicates motion from outside the referent towards the interior.

xel = to or towards; indicates the motion of approaching the referent.

kxun = across; indicates motion from one location to another

pn̄ = around; indicates location surrounding the referrent.

cāza = between; indicates location in the middle of the referrent.

tē = after, behind; indicates posterior position.

fr = during; indicates a moment in time

Prepositions aren't combined in Collective Seraphic, but may be in certain instances in colloquial speech.

Procedurals

Okay, this is probably the most complicated part of Seraphic, so I'm going to need to get into things individually. First, I'll start with defining a procedural itself. Procedurals are the term I use for the prefixes used to describe the relationship or process of and between the agent noun and the patient noun. These are what act as the equivalent to "verbs" in earth languages. There are three in use:

Existential: used to denote a state of being or equivalence between agent and patient, or to the patient and itself. Equivalent to English "to be" (e.g. A is B, there is B). Usually prefixes as some variant of n-, m-, or ŋ-.

Actional: used to denote an action or process between the agent and patient, or with the patient and itself. Equivalent to English "to do" or "to act upon" (e.g. A acts upon B). Carries a connotation of agency and intent. Usually prefixes as some variant of re-, ra-, or r-.

Resultative: used to denote an occurence or change in state between agent and patient, or patient and itself. Equivalent to English "to become", "to happen", or "to change into" (e.g. A becomes B, B happens to A). Carries a connotation of passiveness or motion. Usually prefixes as some varient of ed- or ez-.

The procedural will change its form slightly depending on the class and declension pattern of the noun it modifies. It always affixes to the patient noun, demonstrating a relationship of an action and what is being acted upon. In this way, the patient can be clearly identified. In transitive or causative clauses, the word order is always S(P)O, with the agent acting as the subject and the patient as the object. In intransitive and passive clauses, the word order is always (P)S, with the patient acting as the subject and the agent demoted to the indirect object or omitted entirely.

Although seemingly limiting, using these three procedural, as well as prepositions, nouns, and adjectives, altogether can be used to make all sorts of verb equivalents that are called "procedural phrases". I'll demonstrate how to build a sentence now. First thing we need to know is the subject and object:

Sāx ... jafa (The child ... the fire)

Next, I'll add the actional procedural in the present tense to this.

Sāx rejafa (The child acts upon the fire)

By itself this is technically grammatically correct, but it doesn't really mean anything. It's too broad. So we add a prepositional phrase to specify exactly what action the child is taking towards the fire.

Sāx pi-sīman rejafa (The childs acts upon the fire with (their) eyes)

Now we know that the child is performing an action involving the use of their eyes. Now of course this could mean many different things in English, but in Seraphic the first thing that comes to mind would be fairly obvious: to see! Thus, "Sāx pi-sīman rejafa" would be the same as saying "The child sees the fire" in English! There are a lot of set phrases that equate to verbs, and remain consistent in their arrangement. Often differing phrases are a useful way to ascertain where someone is from or what their first language is.

Tense and Aspect

Seraphic has six main tenses: two pasts, two presents, and two futures. The two pasts consist of the recent past (happening recently) and the remote past (happening a long time ago), and they prefix and/or combine with the procedural.

Sāx pi-sīman ğrejafa (The child just saw the fire)

Sāx pi-sīman eğrejafa (The child saw the fire a while ago)

Similarly, the future tenses consist of the near future (will happen soon) and the distant future (will happen eventually).

Sāx pi-sīman drejafa (The child will soon see the fire)

Sāx pi-sīman izrejafa (The child will eventually see the fire)

The present tenses consist of a general present tense (happens) and the infinitive (to happen) which is used with auxiliaries and copulae and carries no presence in time.

Sāx pi-sīman rejafa (The child sees the fire)

Pi-sīman ezrejafa (To see a fire)

Whether someone considers an event to be nearer or farther in time from them is completely up to their discretion. There's no set timeframe for when to use the recent vs. remote past, it's all fairly subjective. However, whether you decide to use the recent or remote can really indicate whether you believe something to be in the distant past or future, or just a few moments ago or soon.

Seraphic also makes use of two copulae, the perfective -r and the imperfective -l, helping clitics that expand on the aspect of the procedural, i.e. how the procedural happens over time instead of when in time. The copulae are separate from the procedural, being placed directly before it and conjugating on their own similarly to the lexical procedural. When the copulae are in use, they are conjugated instead of the lexical procedural, while the lexical will be put into the infinitive. The exception to this is if the point in time is considered necessary to be stated for the sake of clarity or emphasis, in which case the lexical verb will also conjugate (though this isn't considered to be the default). The two copulae each conjugate to six tenses, and give 12 individual aspects in total. They are as follows, starting with the perfective:

āgxōnr - Pluperfect: indicates that the action happened at a point before some time in the past either specified or implied (e.g. āgxōnr nidsl "that has happened")

xōnr - Preterite: indicates that the action happened in the past with no reference to if it was completed recently or remotely. A general past (e.g. xōnr nidsl "that happened")

nar - Relative: indicates relative clauses, i.e. clauses that act to modify a noun similarly to an adjective. Equivalent to "that", "who", or "which" (e.g. lsl nar nidsl "the thing that happens")

ednr - Gnomic: indicates general truths, common knowledge, and aphorisms (e.g. ednr nezłsl "things happen")

t'enr - Future Simple: indicates the action will happen in the future with no regard to how near or far it is from the present (e.g. t'enr nidsl "that will happen")

āt'ēnr - Future Perfect: indicates that the action will happen before a time or event in the future (e.g. āt'ēnr nidsl "that will have happened")

And the imperfective:

ŋ̄xōzl - Discontinuous: indicates that an action was happening in the past, but is no longer happening in the present (e.g. ŋ̄xōzl nidsl "that used to happen")

xōzl - Habitual: indicates that an action is done often or out of habit (e.g. xōzl nidsl "that always happens")

īzl - Progressive: indicates that an action is happening at the very moment of conversation (e.g. īzl nidsl "that is happening")

nizl - Prospective: indicates that an action will be starting to, or is in the process of happening (e.g. nizl nidsl "that is about to happen")

t'ezl - Iterative: indicates that an action happens again, repeatedly, or more than one time based on context (e.g. t'ezl nidsl "that happens again" or "that happens again and again")

nt'ezl - Continuative: indicates that an action happens continuously and without end (e.g. nt'ezl nidsl "that still happens")

With both tense and aspects, this largely expands the capability of Seraphic in referring to time.

Moods

Seraphic makes use of seven modal particles to denote seven moods. They are always placed at the beginning of clauses, and no two modal particles can exist in the same clause. They are grouped into four categories: the declaritive (indicative and negative), the inferential (evidential and interrogative), the deontic (volitive and imperative), and the epistemic (subjunctive and conditional). They add extra clarity in the speakers mood or opinion concerning the clause they modify, and are as follows:

Indicative: base form of a clause. Indicates that the speaker is stating a fact or what exists, and is unmarked (e.g. idsl "that happens")

tu - Negative: indicates that the speaker is stating a fact that is untrue or what doesn't exist. Usually only appears in formal, official texts, as the first syllable of the procedural will chage tone to contrast as well and leaves the particle unneccesary in colloquial speech (e.g. tu īdsl "that doesn't happen")

cuc - Evidential: indicates that the speaker is stating a fact that they believe or understand to be true, regardless of having experienced it or not. (e.g. cuc idsl "apparently that happens") Direct evidentiality is denoted using a different method.

an/ān - Interrogative: indicates that the speaker is confirming whether a statement is or isn't true. Forms questions (e.g. an idsl? "does that happen?")

tcān - Volitive: indicates that the speaker desires for the statement to be true (e.g. tcān idsl "that wants to happen" or "that needs to happen" or "that should happen")

má - Imperative: indicates that the speaker is giving a command or suggestion, to themselves and/or to other referents. Functions additionally as a cohortative and a jussive (e.g. má idsl! "let that happen!")

tir - Subjunctive: indicates that the speaker believes the statement to be possible or likely (e.g. tir idsl "that could/would/might happen")

nun - Conditional: indicates that speaker believes the statement to be possible under specific circumstances or conditions (nun idsl "if/when that happens..."

Miscellaneous

That's about the basics of the Seraphic language outline. I'd like to eventually get into things like comparison, evidentiality, declension forms and the like, but those are all topics that definitely need their own individual posts. Real quick, I want to provide one more additional fact about Seraphic.

Seraphic uses base-16, meaning it groups numbers in sets of 16 instead of sets of 10 like we do. 1-16 would be written 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, F, 10. 10 would be read as 16, and equally 20 would be 32. They're still counting the same amount of things, they're just dividing it up differently!

Anyways that's about it, I hope to share more about Seraphic soon, and when the comic gets released I hope you'll all be able to read it and pick out the many many lines of Seraphic I've poured into it!

ŋKowīci cu-stux 'ōf tsa-levp'ā cu-zāsláf pi-lizt'n ğōdjasa! (Thank you all so much for reading!)

#conlang #constructed language #artlang #grammar #phonology #syntax #linguistics #seraphic #collective seraphic #info post #hope i didn't make a fool of myself in front of the whole community #accidentally showed the world i dont know shit abt linguistics gotdamn #im sure itll be fine #writing system tutorial forthcoming

[ginkgomoon]

Lucien's Iridescent- Analysis

Finally, some more Lucien-based content! I'm so sorry for the wait, Lucien stans! If you’re out there please let me know so I can say hello to you individually and ask questions about your fav!! I want to interact with the community more so I can expand my knowledge and perception on the different characters and aspects of the game. I’d honestly love to have a chat about MLQC anytime! I didn’t expect to be posting this today because this is one is a freshie! (Started working on it today, and posted up today, unlike the other hundred that I have drafted...) Lots of spoilers for the character of Lucien and for future content. Please do not read if you don’t want spoilers! Thank you! Hope you enjoy!! 🌈 💜

Iridescent definition-

“Showing luminous colours that seem to change when seen from different angles.”

Origins

The pen is originally brought over from England, where Lucien was studying when he was younger. It actually belonged to a Granny before Lucien, and she told him, "give this luck to the special someone when you meet her."

Lucien didn't really care for the pen that much other than that, though.

"Although I had always felt that he was not gentle with me, this time I knew he did care for me. My joy didn't last for more than ten seconds, when my owner took me back and gave me a faint glance, and then gave his full attention the girl."

Also, it's tiny bit ironic about how Lucien can't see colour and names the pen "Iridescent".

"A rainbow! It's my favourite scene- that's where my name came from. But my owner can't see the rainbow. he doesn't know how to appreciate these colours." -Rainbow Luck Rumours and Secrets

Iridescent and MC

“This is for you."

A silvery- white steel pen glinted in the sunlight with an "X" etched prominently into its surface. (The "X" refers to his Chinese name, "Xu mo")

MC: "Isn't this the pen you left in the set the first time you were on the show?"

"Yes, at the time I rushed back to the set. Everyone had left but one girl was still foolishly sitting there, just to give me this pen. For the first time I thought, compared to my own actions of running back there, she didn't seem that foolish at all."

His lips curved up in a smile, and his eyes softened.

"It wasn't foolish. I was slower than you, but afterwards, I saw."

I didn't understand what he meant. I tilted my head and looked at Lucien. His eyes were streaked with shadow and light by the sunshine.

MC: "Why are you giving me the pen?"

"The pen has a name. It's called Iridescent. It's a lucky charm that's been with me for many years. Now, this luck belongs to you."

Lucien opened my hand and placed the pen in it, then closed my hand back over it with an assertive force.

"It's just a pen. Take it."

Lucien turned his head and looked at me, the sunlight glistening on his lips, clear and warm. -Chapter 13-10

Lucien gave a lot of thought into giving MC the pen.

"He had been staring at me for so long his gaze almost penetrated me! My owner had always been very decisive and unwavering, but this time, I could feel his hesitation. What was it for?"

But why?

"At the moment I was a little dizzy, and thought, am I now a "love token"?" -Rainbow Luck Rumours and Secrets

I would argue multiple reasons actually. Firstly, as Iridescent itself stated, it was used as a "love exchange"- a silent confession that he loves her. He uses this pen for his work, and since this "work" was focused on the QUEEN and BLACK SWAN, it was almost like a declaration that what Lucien had owned- what Ares will soon gain, that no matter what, both personas would be by her side.

He knows that she's always in danger, from others and from himself, so he silently hopes that this pen in becoming that "lucky charm" would also help her so that she wouldn't really get caught and tied up in BLACK SWAN business.

It serves as a reminder for himself too, that a part of him will always be kept close to her. And like how its name is Iridescent, that aspect of him that can see colour is being surrendered back to her, because only with MC, can Lucien finally witness colours of the rainbow.

But of course, like all rainbows, they don't last forever, and MC uses this pen- in the name of colour- his weaknesses and the symbolism and connection of their relationship- against him.

MC: “Why?”

“I warned you before. You still had time to run too bad, you had no awareness of danger. Or one could say, you trusted me too much.”

He spoke in a tone that was provocative and mocking.

With ease, he ripped open a scar that hadn’t fully healed, and my tears came pouring out.

I don’t know why, but in that instant, I seemed to see a flash of sorrow in his eyes. But in less than half a second, he had resumed his composure. Then he pursed his lips and made a faint smile.

Thick blackness surrounded him. Even the brightest of setting suns couldn’t reach him.

But I still hoped that the hint of sorrow I caught was real. I hoped that he was still the way he used to pretend to be. But then why did his eyes seem so sincere?

Even now, I wasn’t willing to completely believe. My heart told me that it wasn’t lies.

Helping me save my final show was real. Rescuing me from danger was real. Every bit of encouragement and help was all real.

If all of that was real, how could the person in front of me now be fake?

I strained to find in his eyes any sign of pain, struggle, even a moment’s hesitation. But there was none.

There was nothing at all. We were like two strangers.

“Ares, what are you waiting for?”

I don’t know where my strength came from, but in an instant, I held something sharp to my neck. I tremblingly held the pen, sensing the bitter taste in my throat.

Seeing my action, everyone froze.

How ironic! He clearly gave it to me as a gift, and now it was carrying out its mission like this.

“You won’t do it.”

My neck was in terrible pain, and half my body was going numb.

I didn’t even realise that a trickle of blood was streaming down my neck. We stood there, neither of us was moving.

“Don’t do anything foolish.”

You’re right, I am too foolish. When I was at my lowest, he held out a hand of friendship to me and I took it in with full trust.

And now here he was again, saying that same voice I was so familiar with, that was all a trap.

He stood there, aloof and cold, with all those emotions swirling in his eyes that I never understood before. Now I final understand. It was the thrill of laying a trap and the joy of watching your prey take the bait.

MC: “Let me go.”

“You think you can negotiate with me?”

MC: “You still owe me a thank you gift.”

A tear rolled down my face silently. (This line killed me.)

He smiled mockingly.

“I can let you go, but next time, you won’t get such an opportunity. Don’t let me catch you next time.” (In other words he means, "pen you did well, now she can escape.")

MC: “Next time I won’t trust you, Ares. I will never trust you again. Because you aren’t Lucien. He would never harm me. They have nothing to do with each other!”

He turned but said nothing. That was the last time I saw a gentle look in his eye. Then he looked up at the sky as his whole body emerged into the shadows, and he continued onwards.

The pen fell from my hand onto the ground. The “X” etched onto it gleaming, seemingly telling me a story. -Chapter 13-19

"I saw the pain in my owners eyes and felt the trembling of the girl's right hand passing through me... grasping me as she left, she could not control her shaking body. She seemed to be holding onto me with all her strength, as if I was her only support.

I was accidentally dropped to the ground and rolling into the dust. but the girl didn't seem to notice, as she was in a trance looking up at the kites in the sky. But the girl crouched down to pick me up and gently wiped the dust off of me. Everyday at nightfall, I knew how much pain she endured and how much she cried in her sleep. I thought she would abandon me, but she did not... -Rainbow Luck Rumours and Secrets

n a way, it's also a silent promise, or a reason for him to keep returning to her. The tie that she always clutches secretly in her pocket that she, too, still cares for him and still thinks of him. MC still evens put the effort in the take care of Iridescent, making sure it doesn't get lost or broken. This is similar to how the ginkgo bracelet is a form of support from Gavin to MC.

As I put away my camera, I again reflexively felt around inside-

MC: “Oh no!”

A ball of sweat fell from my forehead. Where was that pen!?

A single possibility suddenly presented itself to me- but another thought immediately supplanted it-

MC: “It’s his anyway. The staff will give it back to him…”

Having confidently convinced myself with that reasoning, I left.

See how they're back to how they were from the beginning- where she was starting to get to know “Lucien”, but now she’s starting to view him as “Ares”. The two personas correlating to this one pen.

I banged my head on the table. I clutched my head in pain, and the metal pen rolled away, stopping before a pair of black shoes. Then I saw a slender hand daintily pick it up.

“You came back to find this?”

He looked at me with a playful look on his face. He raised his eyebrows and held the pen in front.

“Don’t lose it again.”

I reached out for it, but that sunny late spring day suddenly flashed before my eyes, and I started to regain my posture. Maybe I shouldn’t have come back for it.

MC: “Never mind, I’m always losing things. And it doesn’t belong to me anyway. At this point, it should go back to its original owner.”

He slowly and deliberately put the pen away, then gave as light nod. -Chapter 16-11

"With determination, the girl gave me back to my owner. The moment he took me, the last thread linking them together seemed to have broken. My owner withdraw his gaze from her and after a long time he said softly, "my little fool". The words sounded unfinished, with untold tenderness hidden behind them. But in my opinion, should the fool refer to my intelligent owner himself?

I couldn't help but think, did my owner lose his colours? Or will he find them again, someday? Because, those who have seen the rich colours of the rainbow, would not be reconciled with grey again." -Rainbow Luck Rumours and Secrets

But in the end, the pen was returned back to MC.

Lucien carefully took out the pen from his pocket and placed it in the girl's hand. The he leaned over and whispered into her ear-

"Next time, don't rush into danger by yourself. Especially on my account." -Chapter 16-22

Like how Lucien would always come back to her- Ares or not, because those are his true colours- that Lucien, like how he’s also “iridescent”, would show all sides of him to her, and that he would love MC no matter which side he's on.

#I CAN EAT DINNER NOW #literally typed out the whole of chapter 13 #proud of myself #恋与制作人 #love and producer #mlqc #mr love queens choice #mlqc translation #mlqc analysis #mlqc cn #mlqc en #mlqc Lucien #mlqc xumo #xu mo #Lucien #mlqc spoilers

[captains-price]

I’ve been on AO3, reading the same 3-4 bottom Karl fics that are there! (It’s really SO sad how little there is)

Let’s play some more on Ethan dragging Karl off to a shadowed part of the village to pull that cockring off. If he’s willing to do that in a public space then what else is he willing to do?

Anything, of course. He would love the thrill of being tucked away somewhere with Karl that anyone could come across. Behind a house, tucked in the back of a barn, in the confessional of their church. He would be eager to drag Karl away at a moments notice and get his hands and mouth on him; turning it into a game of sorts. How much can he do and get away with before Karl can’t hold his noises back anymore?

Pinning Karl against a wall behind a villagers house and fingering him until his legs give out; having Karl fall to his knees in the church confessional and suck his cock while a sermon is going on; pulling Karl out of the factory and to the center of the village in the middle of the night to spread him out and fuck him at the base of the fountain. Hell, he would even push him to his hands and knees in the graveyard if he was in the mood. Anywhere where they risk someone walking by. Ethan knows no one would call them out on it if they did see them (The leader of the village and one of his Lords? They wouldn't dare) but he loves how red Karl gets every time and how hard he tries at keeping himself quiet.

Chris though? Chris likes to play hunter and prey. He loves the thrill of hunting Karl down wherever he is and getting the drop on him. Sometimes there is a fight, which only gets the blood pumping, but in the end Chris would pin his prize down and get to have his way with him.

His favorite is when Karl isn't even in the village, but checking up on the lycans in the surrounding forest. That is when he gets to have the most fun. Karl knows the instant Chris has set his sights on him, feeling that thrilling tingle run down his back, prey knowing instinctively that a predator is eyeing them from the shadows. That is when he runs. Darting through the trees as quickly as he can, heart hammering like a jackrabbit when he hears Chris' deep baritone laughing as he gives chase.

The only light the two men have is the moon, but it's more than enough for them and Chris never loses sight of Karl even once. Sometimes he draws it out, letting the smaller man think that he's gotten away or that he's tripped Chris up, but it always ends the same way: Karl tackled down to the forest floor with Chris holding his hands down with one hand, the other tugging hard on his hair to yank his head back and bare his neck in submission.

And Chris can wait. He rides out the kicks and the snapping teeth and the punches to his chest and shoulders; he is a boulder, unmoving and resolute as Karl wears himself out before going limp with a defeated whimper and spreading his legs so Chris can claim his prize.

After those nights Karl would go home the next morning covered in bites, bruises and dirt but feeling oh-so satisfied.

And more on Karl switching up who he sleeps with! I can see in the beginning that he doesn't even tell the two men what he's doing. Ethan is tender when he wants to be, but it's not like they're dating or have confessed anything to one another (but god does Karl want to, he just doesn't want to ruin things between them in case Ethan doesn't feel the same.) (He is a fool, of course Ethan feels the same) so he's free to sleep with whoever he wants. He would think that he's keeping it from the both of them, but Ethan and Chris would figure it out real fast. It's not like it's a big village and Karl turning up in their beds with marks they didn't give him would be major hints.

At first they both think that Karl found someone unknown to sleep with and they're jealous. Who else would he go to for what they can give him themselves? It would take one night of drinking for them to realize that they're both talking about Karl. After that it's easy to agree to share and confront Karl about it. That would be the first time that they all sleep together. (Later on Ethan takes Karl back to his home and confesses his feelings for him. Karl almost cries when he's told that he's loved and wanted and happily tells Ethan that he loves him as well)

The first time they manage double penetration is a few weeks after they started sharing Karl in bed. Ethan had been training him for it by having him take bigger and bigger dildos, often keeping them inside of Karl all night long to help his body get used to the stretch and burn. Chris' method was slipping in a finger or two alongside his cock whenever he fucked Karl; something that always sent the smaller man over the edge and had him begging for more.

The night they actually attempted it Ethan had bought two new bottles of lube and started the night off with one of his favorite pastimes by opening Karl up with his tongue and fingers, making sure he was easily taking four before having him lay on Chris back to front and have Chris slide into him and hold Karl close while Ethan gently worked his fingers in alongside Chris' cock. It took time and patience, but in the end Ethan had four fingers in and Karl was struggling not to come all over himself, begging and sobbing for more.

The hardest part was Ethan sliding in alongside Chris. Not because of pain, but because Karl just couldn't stay still. In the end Ethan had to gather his wrists and pin them to Karl's chest while Chris held Karl under his thighs and kept him spread and still while Ethan fucked into him.

This was the best way to wake up lmao thank you and I’m sorry I just now managed to get around to replying!

And I know! It’s literally insane to me how little content there is, at this point I’m about ready to write it myself but this does give me serotonin for now

Dude I love thinking about the different ways Karl would get fucked and how slutty he would become and Ethan dragging him to multiple places out in the open and making him shake in pleasure has got me WEAK

I like to think that because Karl is so inexperienced with sex as a whole before Ethan that it didn’t even occur to him that sex in public would be something so exciting until they were having dinner out in the village one time(do you think there are communal places to eat there? Idk, there are now) and Ethan started groping him under the table, making karl choke and start spitting up his water he happened to be sipping on. He was immediately turning red and looking around to make sure no one saw but Ethan is sitting next to him with not a care in the world and looking so smug, and then he continues to feel him up.

Karl would normally never care about making a scene in public but since the death of Miranda he’s sorta been trying to redeem his reputation as one of the four lords in the village, so he doesn’t want his new villagers to know that Ethan is driving him wild with his a hand rubbing his inner thigh and grazing his dick. And the place is not even that crowded, but Karl still bites his lower lip hard enough to draw blood so the server and possibly even chef won’t know what’s going on.

He can’t help but let out a few sounds here and there, anytime rubs his dick a little longer and harder than usual, which Ethan would eat up. He’s so smug about how well he has Karl under his thumb and it’s radiating off him. At one point, Ethan leans in close to tell Karl what a good boy he’s being and bites his ear, and Karl really can’t help but let out a whimper at that point and nearly comes right there but he manages to stamp it down, still too embarrassed at the thought of coming in public. He does hear Ethan talk to somebody, maybe someone asking if Karl is okay, if they’re done with their food(he hopes so much that they are so the torture will end), or some other kind of lame thing he doesn’t care about, either way, he can’t make out their words, too blissed out to pay any mind to.

After what feels like an eternity, Ethan leans back close to his ear, once again singing his praises(did I mention i feel like Karl has a praise kink, cause I think he would), saying that he’s being so good and keeping his sounds down so no one but Ethan gets to hear his moans. But then Ethan changes it up by trying to let his sounds out, now rubbing harder and faster, because wouldn’t he like to put on a show for the villagers? Let them know how pretty he sounds and exactly who it is that he lets fuck him? Maybe even let one of them join in because Karl is such a cockslut after all

And then Karl comes, letting out the barest hint of a moan, not enough to be suspicious but louder than he would have liked. Ethan turns his head to kiss him deep for a minute or two, and then he pulls away, he licks up the blood on Karl’s lower lip and Karl feels like he could come again just from that, but settles for whimpering again instead. So now, sex in public is a thing they do and Ethan loves it, so does Karl but he has a harder time admitting it lol

I love the thought of Chris playing hunter and prey with him though!

I like to think that that was how they started sleeping together lol Chris just showing up at his factory and Karl actually thought that he came to try and arrest or kill him again but Chris didn’t even know why he ended up at his factory until they broke out in a fight and Chris managed to pin him down with his wrists above his head and in between his legs, he saw how heavily Karl was breathing and how flushed he became(most likely because of their fight but it’s hard to focus either way) and the next thing they knew, Chris was kissing him senseless and grinding his hips against his. They have fast and hard sex and Karl has a hard time hiding his limp and explaining this marks to Ethan when he sees him again.

And then it just continues like that, Ethan getting him on most nights for either slow, long, and maddening rounds of sex or the kinkiest shit imaginable that has Karl feeling it in his lower back for days after. And then the nights scattered throughout the week where he’s in his factory or in town or the woods alone working on one of his many projects and he’ll suddenly get a feeling of being watched and he knows Chris is around.

Karl likes to think he gives as good as he gets and doesn’t make it easy for Chris to catch him, giving a good chase until they’re both breathing heavily with lungs on fire. Karl loves that especially, shows that Chris is not quite the super soldier he makes himself out to be and even though Chris still thrusts into him like he’s trying to fuck him through the earth, karl feels like he’s the one who wins in the end.

Some nights, Chris catches him quicker, almost immediately and he’ll tease Karl about, going a bit slower since he still has all his stamina but just as hard as always. He’ll say things like if Karl really wanted to, he could just use his metal to get Chris off him and then get away. But he never does. Not once in their chases does he use his metal, only his own physical abilities, and that’s how Chris knows he wants to get caught, that he’s secretly hoping to get pushed down, used like a sex doll, and powerless for once. It’s not like he isn’t strong, but he didn’t want the powers in the first place and so for a while he can just pretend Chris really can tie him down and fuck him good. Chris’s words always go straight to his dick and he comes quicker and more often on those nights.

And then the double penetration comes and Karl realizes just what a size queen he is. They don’t do it every night since Karl needs some time to recover the following day, it’s almost becomes a thing they save for special occasions and Karl begs for it every time.

The thing is, Ethan has Chris beaten in length but Chris has such a thick girth that it made them all a bit weary to try double penetration at first. But when Karl started taking bigger and bigger dildos and still begging for more, they knew he could handle it.

It ends up being easiest to have Chris enter him first after Ethan takes his time to open him up, that way, they get the biggest thing out of the way first and can just work in some fingers alongside Chris’s cock. When Ethan enters too, Karl is letting out choked sobs and moans at the feeling of being so full but he’s also pretty sure he’s in heaven.

They used a pretty generous amount of lube in the prep work and added even more when they start moving, which helps pretty well with the pace they set, which just so happens to be, different

While Chris fucks him, he does it as fast and hard as always but makes sure every thrust hits his prostate exactly which drives him insane, but Ethan is more measured with his thrusts, going as deep as he can and then rolling his hips to grind against Karl’s ass. The twin sensations of being fucked at such different paces has Karl’s chest heaving and screaming and begging for release. Which they do grant him but after like, an hour. It’s the hardest Karl comes in recent memory.

Karl pretty much loses his voice afterward so Ethan and Chris shush him and kiss him sweetly when he tries to say something and work out what he needs in a different way. And of course, because I am a sucker for proper aftercare, Chris carries him to the bath(quite a large bath and built into the floor, big enough to fit all three of them comfortably, nothing but the best for one of the lords) and they both take their time to wash the come and sweat off him and then carry him back to bed after, Karl in between them, and they take their much needed rest.

#this is more than I’ve written for anything in like 2 months so I thank you for getting my creative juices flowing again #mine #resident evil #tw nswf

[bitchfromthecrypt]

This Book Belongs To: Melody

Synopsis:

Sometimes, life doesn't go quite the way you’d expect.

Death however, never goes the way you’d expect.

Melody Adler; daughter, mother, widow.

She was a woman of many words, and even more talents, a kind soul who strives for the very best at every turn.

She longed to one day move her mother and daughter out of her rundown apartment, far away the hustle and bustle of the city.

Unfortunately, none of that matters because she's dead.

Melody woke up in the middle of an empty field, left with nothing but her new diary, her memories, a whole lot of questions and no one to ask them to.

At first she couldn’t tell if she was in hell or heaven.

Then she met Her.

And it all went down hill from there.

———————————————————————

Criticsm is always welcome and greatly appreciated!!!! I’m a new writer and I’m making up 99% of this as I go lol

Hope you enjoy!!!

Double chapter cause the first ones incredibly short

Entry Two

I'm going to go for a walk.

I can't sit here twiddling my thumbs for all eternity.

I'm not sure I could stand it.

Although it's not like exercising would do me any good.

Not much affects me nowadays.

Not physically.

I miss it, the groundedness of a body.

I can still see myself, I can see my hands, my thick black hair, my dark skin.

And yet, nothing is quite solid.

I'm weightless.

Thinking back, when I first arrived here, I panicked, as any sane person would.

All I could think about was how difficult it was to take a deep breath.

It hasn't changed.

I can't feel air in my lungs anymore.

When I touch something, I go through it.

Everything intertwines, it’s almost like locking hands with someone.

No, it's more like running your hands through water.

It's near impossible to describe, all I can truthfully say is how unsettling it is to never feel the ground underneath you.

I should leave soon.

“Last night" lasted a very long while.

I may have time to wait for light, but I do not have the patience.

I will not lie here and wait for nothing.

Idle hands and all that.

Entry Three

I wasn't trying to get lost, obviously.

I don't enjoy not knowing where I am.

Then again, that's more of a constant these days.

I didn't want to return.

I couldn't. Not yet.

It's too much.

Waking up everyday to the same empty sky and knowing for a fact that there's no one.

No one and nothing other than you and your memories that seem like they took place so long ago.

I just wanted to breathe.

Besides, it's not like I wouldn't wake up right back where I started.

It's happened the last twenty times.

I just wanted to see something different.

Unfortunately, there was only the forest.

I couldn't tell you how long I walked, only that if I was alive I would've passed out miles before I'd stopped.

I was pleased to see that the trees seem to get bigger the deeper you go, anything different is a breath of fresh air.

I was however, unsettled to see the path follows you, no matter where you step.

If I took my eyes off it, even for a second, even just to blink, it would be miles ahead of wherever I had planned to walk.

Little things like that remind me of where I am now.Of what I am now.

It truly takes what little charm this place could ever have and rips it to shreds.

It got dark.

I thought I'd stay longer, no point in being afraid of the dark when nothing is there to kill you.

Not that anything could to begin with.

I walked until I couldn't tell if it was still night or if it was day, as the trees were so dense, so packed together, their branches deeply intertwined, almost tangled.

I couldn't see my own hand in front of my face.

They arched over me.

To keep me trapped. Or to shield me.

I don't think I’m meant to know which.

I walked further still.

I lied down right where I stood and slept on the ground.

I was reminded of my own bed.

I got the frame on sale for 7 dollars, a great deal, but at the time it was a big purchase.

The mattress, I got from my mother's oldest church friend henrietta.

Her son went away to college and his mattress had been used for so long she didn't think it would sell well.

Plus she'd do anything to help out poor little Loretta and her starving daughter.

That's one thing I don't miss.

We were a tight knit community, which meant everyone knew everyone's business, and they damn sure had something to say about it.

Every single time we went to church or school, someone had to bring it up.

My mother worked her behind off cleaning their houses and cleaning up after their kids, just to make sure we had everything we needed, only to be told to her face and behind her back that it would never be enough.

Pity and prayers don't pay bills.

And in most cases I wouldn't call what they felt for us pity.

Anyway, the bed was horrid.

Sleeping on the ground felt only slightly worse. And it smelled a lot better.

Perhaps the tangent made me restless but I could not sleep.

Something felt wrong.

Not bad necessarily, just off. I felt like I was being watched.

And I knew it was silly of me, I hadn't seen so much as a tick in this entire forest.

Still, I felt eyes on me.

After a while I couldn't take it anymore.

I spoke.

Nothing much, I only asked if anyone was there.

I knew in my head it was ridiculous, I wasn’t that much of a fool.

I just felt this need. A need be around another human, another animal even.

I just couldn’t help but think that maybe, somewhere out in this forest there was some little creature sitting all alone in this dark, watching me sleep.

Maybe it just needed to be around someone too.

Most likely not, but common sense isn't a strong suit of mine right now.

I haven't had much need to practice.

Of course nothing responded.

But I wasn’t ready to give up on my fantasy yet.

I stood and called out to it again.

Silence.

The air fell still as I waited for something, anything.

I didn’t breathe for fear that I’d miss it.

And still, complete silence.

I sighed to myself and lied back down, form in my previous belief that there was, indeed no on there.

That I was alone.

That all I could do was sit down, shut up, and go to sleep.

The unchanging realm would be waiting for me in the “morning”, and it was pointless to think differently.

I fell into a depressing silence, I closed my eyes, and I let myself drift into unconsciousness.

Hoping that maybe this time, I at least wouldn’t wake up to face the same blank sky again.

Then the sound.

A snap.

It was so faint I almost missed it.

But I heard it, I know I did.

A twig snapped.

It was so close, I could've reached it in five paces.

I had never yearned for a flashlight so desperately, I would've killed for a bit of moonlight in that moment.

I guessed where the sound had come from, and darted after it.

I was never even sure if it was really there, I almost gave up, until I heard it.

The footsteps.

Quick, quiet little footsteps.

I was elated, something, some person, some animal, some creature was there.

I could've cried, I would've cried!

Until I tripped.

I hadn't payed attention to where I was running, and I tripped.

Over my own feet.

I hit my head.

I know that because I woke up in the very same field I do every day.

It was devastating being so close only to suddenly wake up and be faced with the fact that I will most likely never see whatever was there again.

I couldn’t have been dreaming.

I don't know what I’ll do if I imagined it all, I don't think I could take it.

My solace though! My delight! My proof!

I have a scar on my knee.

It's small, nearly imperceptible, but it's there, it's a scar!

For a moment, long enough for me to injure myself, I went somewhere.

Somewhere I could get hurt.

Somewhere other than here.

I need to go again.

I'm going on another walk. Right now.

I’ll run into whatever was watching me eventually, I just have to keep walking.

#mine #me #black writer #book #lesbian #gay #black lesbian #black fiction #black writers #blackauthors #support black writers #black characters #vampires #goddesses #slow burn #new writer #wlw writing #wlwoc #wlw