Imagine A Predator And Prey In A World Where Preds Are Legally Allowed To Eat Prey If A Pred And Prey

Imagine a predator and prey in a world where preds are legally allowed to eat prey if a pred and prey are alone, after the prey is ingested privately it’s up to the pred if they want to show off their catch or stay in to digest. But eating prey must take place privately. Imagine that two individuals in this world, a predator and prey manage to strike up an unlikely friendship. Always in public of course, the prey knows better than to be alone with a predator even a predator they’re friends with. Usually the prey always found preds more scary than alluring, they aren’t the sort of prey that’s fascinated by the preds that show off their catches. But their pred friend is different something about them is undeniably alluring and the thought of being their prey is something they don’t dislike. But they don’t have a death wish so naturally, they do their best to not be alone with their friend. But one day they find that they are alone with them, “well” they think to themselves “I guess that’s it” it doesn’t occur to them that their friend might spare them, in this world a prey doesn’t have the luxury of assuming that and they’ve seen how their friend looks at them, they know their friend wants to eat them. At first it seems like that’s what’s going to happen that their friend really is just going to gobble them up, as scared as they are the prey is still enraptured by the thought on some level. There’s something exciting, thrilling about the prospect that they’re not leaving this room as anything more than prey, they’re almost looking forward to it when the pred pulls away!? B-but don’t they want to eat the prey!? eh!? Don’t leave the prey hanging like that! Naturally they don’t say any of that they just say “B-but why?” Their pred friend chuckles and says “I know you want me to eat you and I want to aswell. But what you seem to have missed my friend is that I’m waiting for you to ask me yourself.”

Composed and sophisticated sounding characters that hide something more primal or unhinged behind that mask. Is honestly my favourite trope. Like yes honey you’re so civilised! Only in reality you really aren’t and for all you keep up the appearances, appearances are hollow and deep down you know it!

A big part of getting Bastion’s character right is about juggling sappiness and ghoulishness. Because in addition to being a hungry man-eating monster, Bastion is a hopeless romantic. But he expresses it in the context of a being for whom love is another kind of hunger, an especially complex form of hunger which he doesn’t fully understand and finds difficult. But a form of hunger none the less. Which is why he says predatory things in the same context that others would make heartfelt declarations or flirt. But he’s also sappy so I try to inject a level of earnest polite Victorian era noble man who would make a good male lead in a period drama type vibes. It can be difficulty to write a character who at their heart is very simple, predatory and food motivated but presents themselves as proper and civilised. In a sense despite being a monster Bastion is pretty naive, he loves wholeheartedly and unreservedly because that’s also how he is with hunger and why wouldn’t this be the same? Except he knows it isn’t precisely the same, there are things he would miss about Ida if he caught her, even if he keeps her soul within him. Even if his every instinct screams that this prey in particular should be in his belly. There are things that would change that he doesn’t want to change yet. Bastion doesn’t really know how to handle that, he’s not used to even really comprehending delayed gratification outside of the context of bidding time for the next meal. So the idea that eating someone is a trade off, that he’ll be taking from himself if he takes Ida? It definitely disturbs and confuses his poor little spider heart and brain. It’s not even that he doesn’t want to eat her or wouldn’t eat her in an instant if he caught her. He absolutely would but he’s starting to think that’s part of the problem and he can’t even truly comprehend why or how to change. Luckily for Bastion, Ida doesn’t expect mercy from anyone so him being incapable of it isn’t the obstacle you’ve think it was. Bastion has an inkling this isn’t exactly a health or normal mindset for a human. But he’s also so far from being human that he’s uncertain he should be trying to Faesplain to her or if he even can in a way that makes sense.

I know I treat Bastion like a cute smol bean in some of my posts and tags. I’ll be honest, on one level he kinda genuinely is that. Like he’s very sincerely in love with Ida, even if he wouldn’t be able to resist devouring her, there’s nothing else he’d allow to get in the way of treating her well. If he makes other friends, which once I’ve gotten his and Ida’s story more solidified to the point I can branch out and work on other characters for them to interact with he just might. I can imagine he’d also make a very dependable friend as long as what you’re depending on isn’t him sparing you. But that’s the thing he’s also a predatory monster that doesn’t know how to go against his hunger because at a very fundamental level he IS his hunger. So despite having things about him that are endearing. He’s very much not a safe person to be around. Ida is alive because she’s a good survivalist, with an innate talent for understanding puzzles, excellent reflexes, instincts and a good bit of genre savvy mixed together. Most normal people who enter the Manor do NOT come out without intervention from Ida or the OCE. Ida is alive because she’s scarily good at what she does. Not because Bastion is sparing any effort in trying to claim her. I think it’s important to remember that when they talk they’re usually in “safe” parts of the Manor, the parts of the Spiderweb that aren’t “sticky” so to speak. She is conversing with his human avatar which is under geas to not harm “guests” but Bastion also IS the Manor and the dangers inside it. He’s really not safe. Despite Ida treating him so casually in the snippets I’ve shared.

I’ve been playing Cult of the Lamb religiously lately (lol), in preparation for the new sex update. I really hope the breeding feature leads to hideous crimes against nature that are still cute because of the art style.

The idea of prey hanging out in a preds belly peacefully as the pred goes about their day, in a society where that usually means death, but either through reformation or safe vore this prey is going to be fine. But the thing is other people don’t KNOW that. Other prey look on in horror or try to disassociate from the all too common and tragic sight. Preds make knowing sadistic comments or just ignore it because meh just someone enjoying their lunch. Meanwhile only the pred and prey are privy to the level of trust they actually hold for one another. Just like the prey is concealed inside the preda stomach that trust is also hidden but precious.