Prompt: Of Man, Lamia, and Goddesses (P11-12)
Added 2023-06-04 16:22:40 +0000 UTCSummary: In a parallel universe much like our own, a series of divine mishaps creature a world where lamia replace human females as the eternal partners for men. What follows is a series of vignettes of how this world evolved over time. Commissioned by downhillrabbit6.1 for the months of April and May 2023.
---
Part 11 (Apr '23)
Parallel Evolution: A brief history on aquatic lamia
Though much has been written about the lineage of terrestrial lamia, there is comparatively less study with regards to their aquatic counterparts. Part of this concerns a lack of primary sources to draw historical accounts from; records and logs are often lost to the seas when settlements experience collapse.
During the mass persecution of lamia that coincided with the collapse of the Roman Empire, lamia retreated to the relative safety afforded by coastal settlements. Under the thread of annihilation at the hands of hostile forces, the lamia were forced to adapt to new lifestyles, unable to slither in the public eye.
One of the earliest strategies that lamia took advantage of was their capacity to hold air, storing pockets of air through their stomaches and within their tail. This meant they would be able to elude aggressors on the surface through diving, reemerging periodically for air. Many aquatic species of lamia are amphibious in nature, able to drift between life at sea and on land.
Their capacity to trap pockets of air in their bodies contributed to their ability to seek out underwater caverns capable of acting as shelter; however, more enterprising lamia were able to carve out their own settlements, using cavernous areas to contain pockets of air that they would repeatedly deliver from the surface. It was in pockets like these that many lamia would survive the initial waves of persecution.
Despite the dire circumstances, lamia still possessed needs for intimacy, and as lamia were increasingly emboldened by their relative security, they would use their ability to trap air bubbles within themselves, and apply it to human males; by devouring them, holding them within their tales, travelling under seas towards their chamber, and expelling them, they would entrap human males for their pleasure, with no hope of rescue given the technology at the time.
One may assume that lamia, free of the threats that existed on land, would flourish under seas unopposed, particularly in the Pacific waters. However, in many ways, the creatures underwater evolved in more brutal directions to better survive in the challenging environment and, in many ways, lamia had not sufficiently evolved to combat these challenges.
The lamia were in competition with merfolk in particular. Merfolk were known for their particular ferocity in raiding boats at sea to kidnap, rape, and enslave men; a bloated lamia ferrying a couple men was easy prey for any merfolk hunting party. Lamia were also limited by their ability to combat monsterfolk that dwarfed them in size, such as pachyfolk, and the ocean possessed the largest monster girls on the planet, and several of the most dangerous; giant squid girls, killer whale merfolk, and sharkgirls represented other considerable threats, and the stinging nettles and piercing fangs were well-capable of piercing the iron hide scales of lamia.
The rivalry between lamia and scylla perhaps defined the power dynamics under the sea like few others. Scyllas are broadly considered the most influential undersea monsterfolk within the ocean, due to their strength, flexibility, and intelligence, along with myriad other adaptations for the deep. Curiously, they did not run into much conflict with the lamia, largely due to their fruitless encounters; a lamia would frequently be unable to inflict permanent damage on a Scylla due to their potent regenerative factor (their tentacles, when lopped off, would grow back, often within a week), but lamia could outpace Scylla underwater to avoid their suckered grips.
What began as a begrudging acceptance of one another's existence would blossom into a partnership, as Scylla took notice of the lamia's ability to deliver men to the deepest parts of the ocean in pristine condition. As the merfolk often commanded the shallows and the sunnier parts of the ocean (and would frequently fight back the Scylla, lopping off tentacles for food and sport), the Scylla dwelled in the deep, and desired companionship. Thus, it was agreed upon that lamia would procure human males from the surface, and deliver them to deeper parts of the ocean, wherein Scylla lay.
This partnership enabled the lamia to establish permanent settlements; as they adapted to ocean life, they would experience a rapid sequence of evolution to better acclimate to life in the ocean. Lamia would develop cloacal respiration to better draw oxygen into their bodies, and to ensure men trapped in their forms would not suffocate. They would become quicker and more agile underwater, developing fins. Some species developed other countermeasures, such as an electrical charge.
One of the lasting legacies of the aquatic lamia that exists today was the increased ingenuity of underwater establishments. Driven by a need to capture and house men for the purpose of sexual fulfillment, they would construct elaborate underwater palaces, capable of housing air-breathing mammals while remaining convenient for sea-faring and aquatic monsterfolk.
The men, entrapped within underwater walls with no hope of rescue, were often subject to the whims of throngs of writhing tentacles and snake tails. Still, the reputation of these lavish palaces, and the invitation of being attended to by scantily-dressed monster girls was enough to entice some men to offer themselves up for capture on purpose. Lamia and Scylla would grow wealthier accepting the material gifts of such lonely men, arranging mutually beneficial arrangements to bed with males and ensure every need was taken care of.
In modern times, many of these elaborate complexes continue to exist today as underwater hotels, love hotels, and brothels, though nowadays it is more typical to arrive to such places via submarine or underwater elevator than within the belly of a lamia (though such escort services still exist, they typically come at a considerable premium). Due to the general costs associated with maintaining and supplying these facilities, they are typically reserved for the most luxury-minded clients, often with deep pockets and deeper carnal urges. Other aquatic monsterfolk also participate in many underwater establishments; jellyfish girls in particular are well-regarded for the aphrodisiacal qualities of their venomous stinging barbs, when diluted and processed appropriately.
In modern times, there are few other monster girls who have succeeded in establishing a niche parallel to monster girls; though lamia have largely overrun the mainland, many aquatic monsterfolk have established niches and partnerships with lamia, and continue to thrive, while making their presence known within enterprising love hotels.
Part 12 (May '23)
Year 750, common era
Before the introduction of lamian cultures, Southeast Asia was occupied by various city states, often settled along major rivers, such as the Irawaddy and Chindwin Rivers. It was a challenging period of time, with the local wildlife posing a particular danger. The temperate climate served as an accommodating habitat for monsters of all sorts. The most versatile were the slime colonies that dotted the jungles, but alraunes, tigresses, and arachne did their best hunting under the canopies.
The city states adjacent to the major rivers would be among the first settlements to encounter migrating lamia fleeing from the Mongol Herd. Though the wetlands offered a natural barrier for lamia from their natural enemies, it would be some time until they would stake their claim upon the remaining land. Lamians, well-suited to interactions with the human driven societies, were able to establish early ties with local leaders, and put themselves to work in controlling, subjugating, and otherwise removing the local hostile wildlife; initially, many were pleased with the introduction of lamia, as it seemed that their colonizing would "pacify" the region and bring about a greater peace, with fewer predatory monsters threatening villages on the frontiers.
Unsurprisingly, history would repeat itself; as the lamians had dominated the continent of Europe, so too would they rise to prominence in Southeast Asia as well. This had political ramifications; as political courts, power-centers and aristocrats would vie for power, the only thing they seemed to agree upon was the positive influence of the lamia, and their desirability within their spheres. Disparate city states would unify at an accelerated rate, as political divides and disputes would seem less significant with a sensuous lamian in the picture.
Southeast Asia itself was a wealthy region that eluded the worst incursions of the Mongol Herd, but its relative prosperity made it an easy new home for encroaching lamia. In the pursuit of resettling the land, lamia would rapidly evolve, adopting some of the tricks of the local monstrous flora and fauna. Alraune and slimes were adapted to attract and seduce men through the use of pheromones and perfumes, and lamia, in a matter of generations, quickly evolved to emulate and fine-tune these evolutionary boons to their advantage.
It was the adaptation of lamia to this region that, in part, effectively facilitated their settlement and subsuming of the local power structures. Much as before, lamia were regarded as sexual paragons, both as status symbols and as objects of worship. Their ability to seduce men of all stripes had evolved substantially, and many writers of the time recounted their "bewitching" abilities.
One writer recounted the process of being entranced by a performing lamia: from their pores, the lamia would emit a gentle wafting mist reminiscent of lavender, a relaxant that would disarm the mental faculties. Exposed long enough, the mind would be whisked to a suggestible, dreamlike state, able to act on command as if in a trance. Lamia had even taken to "training" their male cohorts, rewarding them for submitting to their pheromones all the more quickly. Some accounts even suggest the earliest applications of psychosomatic training, coercing some men to act on command, and to "prepare for coupling" upon a single sultry word.
As lamians exerted their influence over the men of the region, the lines between who was in control and who was being control blurred rapidly; though lamia were nominally servants of nobility, it was often the nobles who lay at the feet of lamia. Lavish brothels, paid for by merchants and treasuries alike, were built from the ground up. Curiously, the rapid urbanization of the region led to the domestication of other monsterfolk as well, who would often prostrate themselves before men and lamia for a chance at a better life. These monster girls, made to dress in silken robes and attend to men, made pittances appealing to the needs of nobles and lamia alike. Considering the alternative was being devoured whole by lamia, the choice was rather straightforward. Alraunes would develop particular party tricks, producing over-ripened fruit from their bosom to intoxicate male patrons, and slimes would often perform dramatic performances by nature of their shapeshifting ability.
As brothels became increasingly commonplace as hangouts and accommodations, lamia quickly evolved other methods to gain attention; a curious evolutionary adaptation, seemingly borne from the immense competition for the hearts of men, emerged in the brothels of Southeast Asia, as lamia would soon develop the capacity to hypnotize their male targets. Through the use of hypnotic patterns conducted through their eyes, a lamia could effectively hijack the brain of a male through a similar entrancing method as through pheromones alone. Some scientists reason that, because lamias were increasingly breeding with humans, their brains were beginning to align physiologically, and the capacity to "reprogram" a human's brain was rapidly developing. Hypnotic lamia were especially popular, able to command men through the power of hypnotic suggestion, and grant them glimpses of heaven and pleasure beyond pleasure. Men would wax poetic about the enchanting realms and sensations they would experience under a hypnotic trance, flying through the clouds, dining on the most exquisite meals... all as the lamia leered over them, ensnaring them in their scales and harvesting as much semen as they could before the men would pass out entirely from exhaustion.
Scholars have debated about the revival of lamian society in the jungles and rivers of Southeast Asia, and the parallels with their European counterparts who had, by and large, been hunted and subjugated to near-irrelevance. The lack of natural predators, along with the subjugation of the key species of the region had a part to play in it. Lamia had developed numerous evolutionary adaptations in such a short span of time, perhaps driven by the threat posed by the races that pushed them to the brink of destruction. There is some debate regarding this line of thought, as some scholars question the evolutionary basis of certain evolutions; Darwin posited the hypnotic jump as "an act of God", but the jury remains out.
Nevertheless, as society rapidly advanced and unified, and as lamians and the monsters around them were forced to change, the predation of men did not change. If anything, men were commoditized more and more, prized among hungry lamia for sexual gratification as the existing powers quickly served as endowed thralls to their new serpentine masters.
