prismatica | UN: G.Akechi | Early afternoon

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UN: G.Akechi | Early afternoon

I'm never leaving my apartment during full Cordis again.

If you encountered me while I had multiple tails, please forget about it. And, I'm sorry to anyone I might have been too forward with, particularly if your moon was also in phase.

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There's not really a perfect method unless you resort to horribly invasive spells that defeat the whole purpose of respecting someone's boundaries.

If there's one thing I learned from Terowyn, it's that you shouldn't bother with people who have a more direct relationship working with you, but I was young and foolish and by the time I'd learned the gravity of how inappropriate that was, the two of us were rather seriously entangled.

But that doesn't apply as much, here.

I didn't exactly have the privilege of waiting for them to make the first move, either. I've been told I have a rather intimidating demeanor even when I'm not exactly trying.

I haven't noticed that, but I used to associate regularly with a woman who made her living on being able to intimidate criminal suspects into compliance, so I might be somewhat biased.

Not approaching someone you have direct authority over, or vice versa, seems pretty obvious to me. But I prefer people I can interact with as equals anyway, so I don't think I'd be likely to take interest in someone if there's that obvious a power imbalance.

What I'm more afraid of is that someone I'm attracted to might have grown up learning that men will pressure her even if she says no, and that there's nothing she can do to stop it. Some countries, like the one I'm from, have enough of a power imbalance between men and women that I wouldn't even need any obvious physical or social advantage to seem potentially threatening.

Most people have some sign of discomfort even if they agree to the terms you lay out, if it's not what they would have wanted.

Or they have their own means of saying "no", even if that's not what they outwardly tell you. It takes a bit of finesse, but if someone is responding to you with outright enthusiasm, I can tell you they're not going to mind.

I've entertained the company of a man who could have had his head ripped from his shoulders and his corpse fed to spiders if he refused the wrong person; I like to think I at least somewhat understand the risks at play.

That's quite a terrifying response to someone not getting what they want. And I say this as someone who's used to politicians throwing their weight around to punish people who don't go along with them.

He was a mage who had sought asylum from a theocratic city-state not far from my kingdom. I granted it to him because honestly, the priestesses could be quite demanding and no one deserves that.

A theocracy makes it make a bit more sense, depending on the religion. My own isn't particularly demanding, but I know of some that can be incredibly harsh.

Try defying the priestesses who rule the city when they also can invoke the wrath of their goddess upon you.

I bring him up because while not all followers of their particular sect are this stringent, some, like the city of his birth, are rather brutal in their treatment of men. It's always a male slave sacrificed to their goddess, always a man's role to follow orders and work for the betterment of his sisters or mother or consort, and so on.

It took him a world of adjustment when I welcomed him into my court.

So you understand why I'd be worried about other Moonblessed not being used to the idea that they can expect to have their boundaries respected here.

My advice still stands. Consent given with enthusiasm is almost always consent freely given, and if you happen to step on anyone's toes, the only thing you owe is an apology and a hasty retreat.

And what about the harm that would have been done by stepping on someone's toes? That doesn't go away just because I didn't mean to.

Oh, they owe you nothing.

But the fact that you're giving this even a little consideration puts you miles above the sort of person you fear you'd become. My very existence offends some people, I'm sure, but it's useless to slather yourself in self-loathing just because I've made my own mistakes. The most you can do is acknowledge the fact that you've bungled things up and resolve to do better.

So, even if I do make a mistake and confuse resigned acceptance for something like shyness or nerves, the real important part is just whether or not I take responsibility if I find out I misjudged the situation?

I've learned from far too much experience that the mark of a true piece of shit is that he always shirks the price he must pay for his actions.

So, yes.

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UN: G.Akechi | Early afternoon

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