Dirty Talk/Three Brats/June 12th, 2021/Punishments

Okay, let's talk more about rules. You two explained pretty well what they are, but what exactly happens if we break the rules?

Riiight, this is where things get complicated…
First of all, we don't actually have any evidence of any punishment taking place. Sure, we've heard stories and rumors, but we have no first-hand experience.

…So does that mean that the punishments aren't actually true?

*giggle* Who knows～ ?
The biggest reason why we have no experience is because we've never broken any rules! We're good, good girls. Besides, I certainly wouldn't want to be the one to test the patience of gods…

Yeah, me neither… N-not that I actually believe in any of this superstitious nonsense… I just follow the rules because it makes playing this game all the more fun.

Just admit it! ♪
There's truth to these old legends and you know it!

Well, it doesn't matter to me anyway, as I intend to follow them.

I would never dare to break them either…
But, for the sake of argument, let's assume that the gods, the legends, and the punishment are one hundred percent real…

Heidi said things get a little complicated, and she wasn't kidding. You see, there are no clear rules for gods regarding how they punish us. It sounds a little counter-productive at face value because why have set rules if there aren't set punishments? The problem is that the two spirits we share this land with are egoistical beings with their own flawed personalities, weaknesses and such . . . and then there's the problem with each and every situation being different from another. Is it your first offense or your tenth? Is it a mild offense, or did you break the strictest rule possible? These are all factors to be considered, and there's not one set punishment that can be applied to all situations. However, there are some general trends regarding what they do to us if we break the rules.
Almost all punishments directed at us are laid out by Kostikki, as he does not like being teased or provoked. The most typical punishment for us is his curse, which turns whatever mark you're currently wearing into a black variant of it. Alternatively, if you're not currently wearing a mark but break the rules anyway, you will get a black version of whichever mark you last wore.

So wait…
Black star means you're a bad girl who needs to be punished. To be forced to wear one is pretty extreme… I mean, some stranger could even kidnap us, could they not?

Yeah, it is extreme. Rules indeed go flying out of the window once you're discovered with a black star. They can do whatever they want, but only for as long as the black star is visible. Once it disappears, once you've been punished, you're free to go.

But couldn't you just remove or hide it then?

It won't work. It will be like a tattoo, and you can't wash it off. No amount of soap or rubbing alcohol will help. Hide it with a bandage? It'll magically move its place elsewhere, like in the middle of your cheek or forehead.

…Yikes…
…And how long are you forced to wear one then?

Right, this is where the punishments differ.

In mild cases, they can be washed right off, which basically means that you're being warned for doing something wrong. It's Kostikki's way of telling us to "cut it out, or else". Sometimes Lauhatar will also punish or warn us in this way, and fortunately for us, it's the most she'll ever do to us. In a similar way, it's her way of saying "be careful, or you'll get in trouble".

But then, maybe you didn't heed the warnings, or you broke a more strict rule; now we're talking about the kind of star you can't simply just wash off or hide. This punishment is typically timed, which means that you might have to wear it for one day straight. Of course, if you want to get rid of it faster, you just have to get punished. This can happen even unwillingly or willingly. Find someone you can trust and tell him you've been a bad girl. It should still be effective if you're not known to be a troublemaker. If you are, well . . . tough luck.

Regarding this, the repeated and stricter violations typically just increase the length of the punishment, but there is also one significant exception: sometimes Kostikki can only be truly satisfied if the one you wronged gets his justice over you. Say, for example, you wear a pink star and some gentleman you find physically unattractive or even repulsive approaches you . . . say, you tell him something rude while refusing him, like "as if I'd ever do it with an ugly fatass like you". Not very nice, right!? That would make the punishment such that you HAVE to serve the guy you just insulted to get rid of the star immediately. Otherwise, you'd have to either carry the star for a REALLY long time or be punished by someone else for a little bit more than usual.

Lastly, there's a little case of Kostikki interpreting your actions as you "asking" to be punished. If you break the rules with the sole purpose of wanting to get into trouble, he will gladly answer. He won't be angry, but he'll punish you nonetheless because it's exactly what you want. He may even look at you more favorably if you do that. In these cases, you can just wash the star off when you want, but he'll paint it on you to save you time.

In nutshell, it all depends on the situation.

Well, I suppose it makes sense for the gods to judge us on a case-by-case basis.
How strict are the rules then? Like, how likely are we to get punished?

Like we said, we don't know. Personally, I'm not even sure if these rules are real…

They are. Trust me.

How do you know it for sure?

Weeeellll… Like I've said before… I've heard stories…

But how do you know they're "real" stories, and not just made-up ones?

L-let's just assume they are all true…

Fine…
Well, assuming they are true, they are somewhat strict. With rules where leeway is allowed, you may not be even be warned the first time around, but with clear violations, you will ALWAYS be warned at the very least! Punishments will start off mild and then ramp up, but you'll have to consider that even the mild punishments can turn brutal if you're unlucky.

…Or lucky, if you're into that shit.
*giggle* Maybe you are? Is that why you're asking? I won't judge～ !

I don't think I am into being punished, to be perfectly honest…
So far, we've only talked about the black star though. What's the deal with the black suits?

♢ First of all, with the black diamond, there's not much of a difference. The only real difference is that it'll announce that you're a pervert on top of being a bad girl who needs to be punished. A double whammy! The punishments might be a little shorter than normal as Kostikki always appreciates a pervert, but that also means that even a slight misdemeanor might get you into hot water. Still, shouldn't be a problem as long as you just follow the rules to the T.
♡ With the black heart, things get very, very complicated indeed. There are two problems here. Firstly, punishments are meant to be temporary, while the heart is all about long-term commitment. Secondly, there aren't that many rules you play under while wearing a heart anyway! Of course, it IS still theoretically possible for there to be a black heart, but how would you even interpret it? Like, does it mean you literally have to become a girlfriend of the first guy who asks you out or what? It's not something you're likely to be punished with, ever, even if you break the strictest of rules. You're more likely to be punished with a star if you break the rules while wearing a heart.
♧♤ With the club and the spades you can imagine the harshest of punishments. Like, if they mean the desire to be a slave or a pet, then with a black one, it means you can be made into a slave or a pet, even against your will. We're talking about the kind of punishments that don't just go away after a while, not even after you "learn" your lesson. If Kostikki gets an opportunity to turn your club or spade into a black one, he will revel in that opportunity as much as possible. You might pray to him asking why oh why would he be so harsh when the punishment doesn't fit the crime, and he would just reply by asking, "is that not what you wanted when you wore your spade in the first place?". This is just another reason why we'd generally advise against wearing pink clubs and spares, unless you really, REALLY want to try out something new and extreme. The consequences are equally extreme and terrifying, so be very careful indeed.

From what I hear, Kostikki can never turn a star or a heart into a spade or a club, right?

Yeah, he can't do that. You can't be punished in the literally harshest way possible unless you specifically "ask for it", as they say.

That's a huge relief. I can't even think what I would do if I was literally forced to wear a black spade tattoo I couldn't remove no matter what I did…

Also, it does indeed sound like all these punishments that are directed at the Star-Bearers are by Kostikki, but what about those who took advantage of Star-Bearers?

Those punishments are even more complicated. Kostikki does want to corrupt us, but there are still limits to what even he would want. In the end, what he wants is pleasure for all parties. If we scream, cry, and get depressed and suicidal the moment we experience some uncomfortable sex . . . well, that wouldn't make Kostikki happy! Physical violence for him is a big no-no, for example. This is why he CAN punish those who would dare to hurt us and protect us from the most extreme of harm.

That being said, most of these punishments are handed over by Lauhatar. She wants us to be free and feel sexually liberated for our sacrifice of trying to appease Kostikki, keep him happy and keep him satisfied. If someone tries to disrupt that balance, she will get mad. Like, really mad. Scarily mad. Insanely mad. I can't even think of a superlative to describe how mad she would get.
I myself said that she's nearly not as strong as Kostikki is, but to say that she's weak is a bit of a misconception. Her curses are versatile, long-lasting, and most importantly, strong, even fatal.
She has no real rules on standards on how to punish those who she deems worthy of her wrath, as she is known to be a lot more fickle than Kostikki. A lot more emotional too. She tends to use a lot of imagination with her punishments too. Maybe a man who has wronged us falls from a boat on a fishing trip and gets bitten in his dick by a lake-dwelling pike? Maybe a tree falls over them, and they break an arm? Maybe a lightning strike leaves them injured, or even a car crash? Those things can turn fatal, you know…
Of course, there are also more traditional curses. One thing she's said to love is to turn the men who wrong us permanently flaccid. You know what that means? It means they can no longer get IT up! Or maybe she'll steal their testicles, I don't know. I'm sure not even she knows! Like I said, she's fickle and very imaginative!

Well, it's a good thing you girls don't have to worry too much about facing her wrath then, huh? She sounds scarier than Kostikki in her own way.

Hell hath no fury like woman's scorn, as they say.

One thing that really puzzles me about all of this though…
What incentive is there for anyone to punish us on Kostikki's behalf then?

An excellent question, little miss Björnquist!
It's because they fear Kostikki. As explained, Kostikki punishes us if he doesn't get his way with us. However, he can't under normal circumstances punish us himself, not unless he gets mad. Displeasing him is easy, but getting him mad isn't. That's fortunately a good thing, as you DO NOT want him to get mad.

S-so, what happens if he gets mad?

As you heard from the story, he can do little sexual pranks first, possess individual villagers next, and control their minds on a large scale to do his bidding and such last. All of these are things he only resorts to if nobody else is willing to do his bidding. People don't generally want their bodies to be taken over by perverted mountain gods, don't you think? Having your brains poked and altered by him isn't something people aren't too keen on either. Don't think this can happen just to men either; Kostikki might even brainwash you into being a sex-crazed nymphomaniac!

Wouldn't have to do that to you as you're already a fucking perverted nympho.

Ermmm . . . no you!

*giggle*

Anyway, as you know from the story I told you, this is essentially what happened back in the days, which is the reason why Lauhatar suggested having young sacrifices for him in the first place. This is still a scenario that we all want to avoid as a community, but it's not actually the worst-case scenario. The worst case is that his influence starts to grow and that he can just gain hold of an even larger population beyond just this tiny village and its immediate surroundings. He's easy to contain here, but imagine him having influence over a city the size of Stockholm, or even the entire Scandinavia? What if he demands just more and more in his anger and eventually even condones rape? What happens when the hordes of brainwashed zombies rape women and children in masses?

He couldn't seriously do something like that though?

Yeah, probably not, but he is still a force to be feared.
The point is, nobody wants to provoke his anger, not the people who rely on our "services", not even the people who claim to serve him. That's why, when he marks someone as a subject for punishment, people tend to listen and obey.

Hmmmm… Okay… I'm starting to understand why it really, REALLY is important to follow the rules then.

…Although admittedly, all this still sounds unbelievable. If it is true, then yeah, rules MUST be followed. If not, well . . . the rules are sensible, so they should be followed anyway.

All of this kind of makes me wonder how long one must do this then.
Like, you're both Star-Bearers. Can you just quit being one if you don't like it anymore?

Yep! Wear a star today? Great! Don't wanna do it tomorrow? Also great! Take a break for a year? No problem! You can even quit altogether! No rule says you must stay a Star-Bearer forever if you try it once. It can be a one-time thing or a year-long commitment.

Only situation where you must be one is if Lauhatar herself chooses you as one, but even then, it should be viewed as an honor, not a burden.
Like I said earlier, my granny was chosen as one when she was young. Nobody has been chosen ever since because there hasn't been a need for it, and there's unlikely to be a need for it either, considering how many of us wearing the stars already are. Heidi and I may be the only locals doing it right now - as far as we know anyway - but there are others out there, and there have been others before us as well.

You also mentioned Kostikki's influence. The term "area of influence" was also thrown around in the rules. What does it mean, and does it factor into punishments?

Oh, right! I totally ignored that important fact!
Since Kostikki is tied to the little mountain the village is next to, he can only influence the surrounding area. I'm not sure how big his area of influence exactly is; twenty or thirty kilometers in circumference, maybe? Obviously, you cannot be cursed by him if you break the rules outside this area. He will know if you ever return here though, so don't go breaking the rules in a neighboring village or a big city just because you think you're safe!
Escaping his curse is also possible. You can't remove the star here, but you can wash it off if you decide to leave the village. He will be very pissed by this and curse you again if you return, probably with even a longer curse than last time around.

Okay, makes sense. I think that's enough information about rules then.

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• 1) Learn the longer version of the story.
• 2) Learn about the different markings and colors, as well as the rules.
• 3) Learn about punishments, the importance of rules and why they must be followed.
• 4) Learn about the dangers young girls face while playing this "game".
• "One last question before we leave on the tour."