#EroticMusings 2026.10.06 —Week 71 (October 4-10) Characters: Have you ever created characters with desire that persisted beyond death?
Yes. Not big-D Desire as the hashtag might prefer, but little-d immortal desire fitting with the eerie nature of this month's first prompt. The MC is a woman shaman in an SF lost-generation-ship setting. The man was the MC's best friend's bodyguard and man-servant, with a deeper relationship implied. After saving his employer's life, he comes back as the shaman's second guardian whom only the shaman can see—a black leopard being her first. He wants to help the shaman protect her best friend and convincingly talks to his former employer through the shaman as an intermediary, though there are infuriating limitations and things he won't do or say. To the shaman, her guardians exist as if in the room with her—she can see, hear, and physically feel them, but they're ethereal and disappear when they couldn't co-exist or become intransigent.
The reader may grow to question if shaman's guardians are real or whether the woman is delusional but manages her mental illness extremely well. The story touches upon on the psychology of charisma and success as well as the difference between greatness and insanity.
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
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