All you children who love stories...

In the prestigious Academy Trianon, unwanted children are trained to become specialized guards to the upper classes—the swersoldi. Swersoldi learn martial skills, courtly manners, and the use of aer, the force inside all living things.

At twenty, Rafi is nearing his final year, and expects an unremarkable future once he secures a placement in a decent noble house. But he’s facing a problem—his approaching heat. All three sexes, miná, miné, and nex, experience heats or ruts at the onset of sexual maturity, even though dual-sex nexes like Rafi aren’t capable of reproduction. If Rafi’s use of aer weren’t so strong, such a heat would be embarrassing but bearable. But since he’s not yet fully able to control his aer, he will need someone stronger than he is to control his for him. Rafi has no sweetheart, and even if he did, no one currently at the academy has that sort of strength.  

Enter Viau, the favorite swersoldi of the royal court: handsome, courteous, honorable—the ideal. As far as Rafi is concerned, Viau is unapproachable and untouchable, so he sees no problem in admitting to his worried instructors that Viau’s scent is perfect to his nex senses. Heroic, mannerly Viau will politely decline to be involved, and Rafi can hopefully figure out a less humiliating option in the meantime.  

Except Viau says yes.

Unwanted, unremarkable Rafi is suddenly the center of the ideal’s attention, a confusing, arousing place to be. Viau treats Rafi as if there is more to him than an average swersoldi with an average future, and Rafi starts to wonder if he can have a different life if he reaches for it. One where the ideal was once an unwanted child too, and even an ordinary nex can become the ideal’s hero if he loves him.

So far, the only note that comes through on the “Heart of the Mountain” fragrance is honey; my body chemistry tends to render scents into baked goods. Honey and butter; I’m trying to lean into it by trying out a UK brand of fragrance.

a neophallus can get erect with an implant (this will either be a bendable rod or a device that inflates with saline at the press of a button, usually in the testicles)

both can feel sexual pleasure and experience orgasm

most neovaginas will be able to tolerate larger insertions with enough dilating/training

the nerves in neophalluses take a while to regrow but it is incredibly rare to experience no sexual nerve growth

both can look and feel "normal" if that's what you want, just take good care of your scars and look at your surgeons' results portfolio (and don't be afraid to be picky! its your genitals, you get to decide!)

in fact it's possible for many people to stealth and for their sexual partners to never know. even for phallo, some people with natal penises have erectile implants too, ED is common. neocaginas are often indistinguishable from natal vaginas

many surgeons are starting to offer preservation options for patients who want a more mixed look/don't want to lose what they have

will: i am trying to save my fiancée from getting hanged so i'm chasing a man for his weird ass compass to make a deal with a fancy ass man. i also need to save my father from his curse

elizabeth: the fancy ass man's deal will only save jack and not my fiancé so i need to escape and dress up like a man to get to tortuga and find him

pintel and ragetti subplot: