It seems to me that the north has had hostilities with the west and potentially east then. With the arboreal not really being a sapient entity, they despite all the changes are probably the least mentally unhinged out of the lot. That eleven despite being a deer woman is working for the eastern orthodoxy is a sign of this- or Eddie himself- being a plant clone but choosing to rebel against his father. Hans seems to understand that while the east and west are at war, his northern upbringing has allowed him to have a more moralistic view of things- his childhood as being sickly and of the downtrodden also helps in this I suspect. Additionally, you make a point that Hans wasn't fond of taking Aaron as such could have backfired, and with it having done so and the demon outbreaks things are about to go south very quickly. The Wolfman are not prepared for what's happening in the east. The dangers of the primal beast going too far are also present. The north I assume due to the harsh nature of things climate wise is very collective in nature. However, it also seems that tensions between the north and west are rising, despite the presence of beasstfolk there, and there likely will be a shcism. In fact, based on what you've mentioned of Hans and some of the westerners leaving wolfheim and going north- that schism has to some extent already happened- it's likely only going to grow. It seems that at the end of this, the north might wind up the last refuge amidst all of this. I can't see the fates of the east or west being all that good. War is a certainty at this point. And with the doom hanging on Collin and Eddie both...it's not looking good. I'm curious as to how Marky and Hans will feature in other narratives. Marky being forced to confront his the issues of his people is interesting. It seems Hans already did that to some extent, but it's likely something will really make him think about it. The major failing with the east and west is that in trying to avoid one form of repression, they sprinted to another form of excess- and the worst part is in some cases you cannot blame them, but what they Are doing isnt right either- individual cases may make it the right thing to do, but certainly not collectively. The north seems to have also had to make a sacrifice to prevent destruction to come their way, but seem to have their heads on more than most. I suspect they will be amongst the survivors amidst this great game between the three nations.

Such a great story

Another great chapter. Hot one for sure.

It's fascinating watching you slowly develop this, it's clear that you've put a lot of thought into this world as well as the characters. It's interesting seeing Ray dealing with his situation, how he's perceived by others as well as how he perceives himself. Even before the inanimate tf there's a lot going on here, like it was interesting seeing him being 'why aren't people talking to me when I'm A Jock now???' and finding it dissonant that Bryce was living in a dorm with Jocks. It's clear that his identity is something that he puts a lot of thought into and he has a fair bit tied up with the perception of being a Jock (as others do to be fair, based on how I'm interpreting the surprise at him being an engineering major). Ray is very lost in general and uni is a time of change even for those of us who weren't Daedalus students. Looking forward to seeing how he changes in all senses of the word and how things progress in general!

Really loved this, particularly the use of time jumps

One of my favorite stories ever on the site.:green_heart:

I love the original and I love this addition. Excited to see where it goes!

Hopefully, someone will continue this, because this is very well written, and there is a lot that could be done to expand on the loose threads.

This story really speaks to the part of me that still judges me for this kink, it's interesting because it's been a long-time since a story in this site managed to both make me horny and sad lol There are many Chekhov's guns planted in this story that depending on how they play out, will massively affect the way this story ends; like I'm surprised Rob hasn't flat out ordered Alex to obey only him, which means... Someone else might, ergo Chekhov's gun. I'm curious to see how it plays out, and I'm fascinated by how audiences have responded to Rob with such a punishing gaze and desire for comeuppance seeing as he is way less cruel than a lot of main characters on this site!

Keep up the intensity.