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venus-haze · 9 months

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You're My Best Friend (Homelander x Reader)

Summary: Homelander was a test tube baby, raised in isolation in a cold, clinical lab. But that doesn’t inspire America, does it? Vought tasks you with creating the idyllic backstory for its hero, and what starts as a limited comic run spirals out of control when Homelander himself demands your help in making the story a reality.

Note: Gender neutral reader, but no other descriptors are used. Based on a request by @crash-and-cure as well as a bastardization of one of the sweetest love songs ever written (sorry, John Deacon!) This got kinda meta? Do not interact if you’re under 18 or post thinspo/ED content.

Word count: 2k

Warnings: Emotional manipulation, I guess some gaslighting on Homelander’s part? Do not interact if you’re under 18.

When Vought hired you to create their long-awaited Homelander origin comic series, you were thrilled—until they gave you so little information about his childhood to work with, you weren’t even sure you could come up with one comic, let alone the ten they requested. The details about his childhood were minimal, not even a full printed page—a loving mom and dad, played baseball, did well in school, strong sense of justice from a young age, his friends called him “Johnny.” Your requests to meet with Homelander so you could get some stories from the man himself were constantly denied.

You almost considered dropping the project, until you decided to throw caution to the wind and pull from your own childhood and set it in good ol’ generic suburbia. Some of the storylines were based on your own experiences or things that had happened to people you’d grown up with, though you changed enough names and details to not link it to anyone in particular. Except yourself, of course. Using a pseudonym professionally meant you felt no need to change your own name in the comics. Sure, making your cooler fictionalized self Homelander’s childhood best friend was a bit self-indulgent, but no one would know, really.

To your relief, the editors at Vought loved your ideas, making minor changes before bringing the storylines to their comic artists to bring it to life. The result was Finding Homelander: A Boy’s Journey To Be a Hero. The issues flew off shelves when they were first released, ironically praised for their relatability and authenticity. Vought extended your contract, asking you to produce the cartoon adaptation and another ten issues.

Still, in all of that, you’d never met Homelander. A representative from Vought emailed you to let you know to tune in to his interview on a talk show one day, saying that he’d be talking more about the cartoon project on it. You recognized the host, Tracey, always chipper and having some extravagant giveaway for her audience members. Daytime TV was never your thing, though.

“I think what resonates with so many people is how relatable your childhood is,” Tracey said, holding up a copy of Finding Homelander issue #3, where he saved ‘you’ from getting hit in the face with a baseball at one of his games, catching it with ease. It’d been the happy ending to a short storyline of him struggling to find his place on the team and you encouraging him to not give up. “You and Y/N were pretty close, do you still keep in touch?”

“You know, Tracey, not as much as I’d like, unfortunately. Adulthood can be so busy, you need to cherish those childhood memories,” Homelander said. “I did give them a call when the comics first came out, and wow, the laughs we had over those old antics of ours. Talk about a walk down memory lane!”

You guessed the bullshitting was all part of the promotional circuit for Homelander. Knowing this childhood of his was your own fabrication, you couldn’t help but wonder what else about him was fake. Maybe he wanted to maintain his privacy, you could certainly understand that. You couldn’t shake the voice in the back of your mind that said it wasn’t so simple, that the narrative Vought pushed was a cover to hide something in Homelander’s past.

“Now, I’ve heard rumors of a cartoon show based on the comics in the making, is this true?”

“It is! I’m excited for this project, getting back to my ‘roots’ so to speak. I’ll be voicing myself, of course, but it’s funny you’d bring up Y/N, because they’ve agreed to voice themself, too.”

“How fun!” Tracey exclaimed over the roar of the talk show crowd’s applause and cheers. “I guess this is the hopeless romantic in me, but I hope this reconnection leads to something a little more. I’m just a sucker for childhood sweethearts!”

Homelander laughed along with the host’s giggles, “Well, you never know.”

You balked at the television, mouth agape. Surely he couldn’t be talking about you. ‘Y/N’ could be anyone with your same features. Vought had probably hired a professional voice actor for the role and were pushing the authenticity angle. The whole situation felt odd.

When you checked your work email again on your phone, you nearly dropped it on the floor.

SUBJECT: Meeting with Homelander This Week

The email contained a list of days and times throughout the week wherein Homelander would be free, apparently wanting to meet you to thank you for the success of the comic series and discuss upcoming work. Yeah. That last part you sure as hell wanted to discuss too. You responded with the soonest time available, in a meeting room in Vought Tower the following evening. As soon as you hit ‘send’, you wondered what exactly you were getting yourself into.

Anticipation filled your gut as you went about your day leading up to meeting the supe himself. What would he be like, really be like? Was there even a version of Homelander that wasn’t hopelessly manufactured for the masses? You knew then that his upbringing was a lie, and thus stood the probability that so much else was, too.

When you stepped into that meeting room, you hadn’t been expecting his face to light up at the sight of you.

“Homelander, hi, it’s great to—“

“No need to be so formal, Y/N! You can call me Johnny, just like old times,” he said cheerfully, in on a joke you clearly hadn’t been aware of.

“Sorry, Johnny,” you said, playing along. “It’s great to see you again.”

He pulled you in for an unexpected hug that you returned. “Figured we should catch up before things really start getting crazy, don’t you think?”

You nodded, your nose brushing against him as you did so. Just as your lips parted to offer an apology, he smiled, shooing away the assistant who’d accompanied him out of the room.

He sat down, motioning for you to do the same.

“Gotta say, I’m a fan of your work,” he said.

“Thank you,” you said. “I’m not sure I understand exactly what’s going on, though.”

“What’s there to understand? I’m not allowed to know more about my best friend, our lives together growing up?”

“How did you know it was me?”

“Wasn’t hard for me to put two and two together, but considering everyone else around here has their head up their asses, they have no idea,” he said, before lowering his voice conspiratorially and giving you a charming smile. “I haven’t told anyone. What’s a secret between friends?”

You nodded, overwhelmed by the intensity of his attention on you. “What do you want to know?”

He sighed, resting his head on his hand. “Everything.”

So you told him. Not quite everything, of course, but enough to abate his curiosity. At least for the time being. His interviews were sharper, more specific with details rather than rattling off whatever had been in the comics. You watched in shock as convincing photos of his Little League days were posted to his social media accounts, anecdotes provided by his increasingly frequent conversations–or more like interrogation sessions–with you, but in his style, of course. It was almost scary what the graphic design team at Vought could accomplish, not that you’d ever know how, exactly, as they were all under the same strict NDA that you were.

He started spending more time with you, too, and after a while, it did seem like you were old friends. Part of you flinched whenever you called him Johnny, because Johnny wasn’t even real, but with your complacency, this fabrication was slowly morphing into a strikingly tangible memory. With each conversation, he drew you deeper into the world you’d been paid to create for him until you found yourself slipping up.

You’d been showing him a goofy stuffed monkey on your desk, a cute little thing with big sparkling eyes. A prize for getting two out of three at the ring toss. Probably spent more money winning it than it was actually worth, but it was about the effort, the memories made.

“You remember, don’t you? You won it for me at the county fair,” you said without thinking.

He laughed in agreement, as if he actually had. Except he hadn’t. Your high school boyfriend won it for you a week before graduation. Sensing the mood shift, he set down your prize and looked at you with the same intensity he had when you first met.

“It’s been a while since we were there, huh?” he said. “Why don’t we go back?”

You furrowed your eyebrows. “Go where?”

“Home.”

With a strong arm around your waist, he took off for your hometown. You could hardly tell which way was up or down, he was flying so high, but he didn’t seem to mind the way you clung to him at all. When he finally landed, you recognized the community baseball field where all of his fictional games were set.

“Geez, it’s like nothing’s changed,” he said cheerfully.

You looked at him in disbelief. How long was he going to expect you to go along with it? Or maybe the question you should have been asking was, how long were you going to enable him? The end wasn’t anywhere in sight as he took your hand, and you walked him through your childhood, further enmeshing him in it until you arrived at the house you grew up in.

The middle of the day, no one was home, and so you let yourselves in like you owned the place. Suddenly, the house seemed too small for a man like Homelander to occupy, but he was engrossed in the details of it. He scanned the kitchen, no doubt inspecting the contents of the fridge and cabinets with his x-ray vision. Moving onto the living room, he stared at photos on the wall, the magazines and DVDs that were strewn on the coffee table, giving away your parents’ taste in entertainment.

“Which one was your room again?” he asked.

You swore you could feel his breath on the back of your neck as you wordlessly led him to your room. Each step down the hall felt dangerous, as if you were about to walk into a trap. Face-to-face with the closed door, you opened it, standing aside while Homelander looked around, from what you had hanging on the walls to the knick-knacks you’d left behind.

An uncomfortable tension settled over the room when Homelander closed the door of your childhood bedroom. An odd blend of hurt and amusement spread across his face as he observed the way you were eyeing him, body ready to fruitlessly run from him the way a rabbit would a hawk.

“C’mon, after how long we’ve been friends, I would never hurt you,” he said, as if reading your mind. “We’ve been through so much together. I mean, we were each other’s first kiss.”

You froze. Issue #9. That was something Vought’s editors had added, claiming a romance angle would make the series appeal to the younger female demographic. You hadn’t thought much of it at the time.

He slyly backed you into the wall, leaning over you as you slinked down the slightest bit.

“Show me how we did it,” he whispered, his hand caressing your cheek. “So clumsy and nervous, I can even feel you…quivering.”

“Homelander, I don’t know what you’re—“

He tsked. “Y/N.”

You let out a shaky breath, “Johnny—“

He hummed in satisfaction. “It’s alright. I know it’s been a while.”

You let him kiss you, sweetly in a way that put your actual first kiss to shame. His lips were soft against yours, his tender movements intentional as he cradled your face, pulling you the slightest bit closer to him when you kissed him back.

A sense of familiarity settled over you, warm and comforting like pulling a blanket out of the dryer on a chilly evening. Every time it seemed like you were beginning to overthink the situation with Homelander, he drew you back in with the kiss, a more than effective distraction until you pulled away with a dazed smile on your face.

#homelander x reader #homelander x you #the boys x reader #the boys x you #the boys tv #the boys amazon #homelander #homelander the boys #the boys

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kirimoochi · 9 months

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mito.

₊˚ ᗢ synopsis; after the disbandment of your k-pop group OZEAN, you establish STR alongside your friends with the help of former musician ACER. with him as your producer, your curiosity about him leads to a change in your work-relationship.

⤷genres/warnings; smau, band/idol au, slow burn, secret identities, pining, fluff, angst, somewhat dirty humor (from childe), social media drama, scandals, harrassment, sfw, fem!reader.

⤷masterlist; next.

₊˚ ᗢ headcanons:

lumine and (name) share an apartment, while kokomi and ayaka have their own place to stay. they were originally going to live together but kokomi insisted on living near a convenience store.

lumine takes turns with (name) to feed tomie, but because they don't talk to each other about it, they end up feeding her more than usual. she ends up being a lot more spoiled.

their stage names for OZEAN is different from their STR names. (name) was juni. lumine was phai. kokomi was neptune. and ayaka was venus. they've long abandoned these names.

when ACER was on tour, he still didn't show his face. he wore a mask the entire time despite sweating heavily. he was committed to keeping his identity a secret from the public. this didn't stop (name) from having a celebrity crush on him.

⤷taglist (19/25); @https-furina @soleillunne @whipped-for-fictionals @maehemthemisfit @blue-b3rries @rook-kisser @k1an4a @yuminako @mommymilkers-main @ixromzi @meigalaxy @lovely028 @deannaistired @kazeniya @mechanicalbeat1 @luvik4zuhaxx @dazaisboner @scarletttcroww @d4y-dr3am3r

#₊˚ ᗢ STRDOM #₊˚ ᗢ kirimoochi #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #genshin impact #genshin #kazuha x reader #kazuha kaedehara x reader #kazuha #kazuha kaedehara #kazuha smau #kaedehara kazuha x reader #kaedehara kazuha #kaedehara kazuha smau #kazuha kaedehara smau #genshin smau #genshin impact smau #genshin modern au

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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 2 years

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I'm so excited for the new event omg i can't wait to see the story! Speaking about the new event, i saw a lot of twitter threads with users already criticizing Rollo because he's based from Frollo since he's 'pure evil' even though twst is based from villains, so i was wondering what's your opinion about this? aaa sorry if this seems too sudden or anything Raven, but i'm just really curious and confused because of the immediate dislike after the abema stream

***CONTENT WARNING: I will be going into detail about the Hunchback of Notre Dame (both the original novel and the Disney animated adaptation of it). In order to have this discussion, I will be touching on sensitive subject matter such as religion, rape, genocide, war, ableism, abduction, murder, lust, and racism (more specifically, stereotypes of the Roma/Romani culture).

Please note that although I have done my best to educate myself on topics brought up in this post, I am not a historian or Roma/Romani myself. I am speaking from the perspective of a layman.

My intention in making this response is not to cause controversy, but rather to explain what is going on and, hopefully, educate others on the origins of Hunchback. ***

The original Hunchback of Notre Dame is a French Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831. Hugo lived during a period of great change, and he had written Hunchback of Notre Dame with the intent to bring awareness to the importance of Gothic architecture. During his time, many Gothic structures were being torn down and replaced or neglected rather than preserved. And, indeed, this is reflected in the writing. There are several expansive and lengthy passages that describe the setting and its buildings. Hugo’s novel turned the Notre-Dame de Paris into a national icon and renewed interest in the restoration of Gothic art, making Hunchback an iconic piece of French historical fiction.

The original Hunchback of Notre Dame is a French Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831. Hugo lived during a period of great change, and he had written Hunchback of Notre Dame with the intent to bring awareness to the importance of Gothic architecture. During his time, many Gothic structures were being torn down and replaced or neglected rather than preserved. And, indeed, this is reflected in the writing. There are several expansive and lengthy passages that describe the setting and its buildings. Hugo’s novel turned the Notre-Dame de Paris became a national icon and renewed interest in the restoration of Gothic art, making Hunchback an iconic piece of historical fiction.

Claude Frollo, the Archdeacon of Notre Dame, serves as the story’s main antagonist. He is first introduced to us as a pious and kind man, who raised his own younger brother, Jehan, after they were both orphaned. Frollo would also save the abandoned baby Quasimodo out of genuine mercy. Throughout the story, Frollo slowly becomes disillusioned and engages in several vices in pursuit of his own goals (intense lust, attempted rape, attempted abduction, attempted murder, etc.). Frollo becomes obsessed with a French Romani woman, Esmeralda, and when she rejects his advances, Frollo orders Quasimodo to kidnap her. Frollo also later attempts to rape Esmeralda and frames her for stabbing another character, promising to help her escape from the gallows if she reciprocates his feelings. Hugo’s Frollo is a villain with nuance, depicted as a caring and holy man that spiraled downward into madness due to his own lust and disappointment in his brother (who succumbed to sin).

Disney produced its own interpretation of Hugo’s novel in the 1996 animated film of the same name. The Disney version still contains many of the dark themes explored in Hunchback, albeit toned down from the original and with a lot of alterations. Frollo maintains his status as the main antagonist and still engages in many of the same behaviors as his novel counterpart. However, Disney took the liberty of eliminating many of the minor characters from the book and instead giving their traits and actions to Frollo. This can, quite understandably, alter public perception of the character.

Disney’s Frollo is a public official (a judge) who manipulates Quasimodo and insults him for his disabilities, convincing the hunchback that he is totally unworthy of love. In fact, this Frollo was initially disgusted with baby Quasimodo and tried to kill him, only changing his mind when reminded of the many statues and/or higher beings watching him and judging his sins. Animated Frollo also displays overtly racist views regarding the Romani people, referring to them as being beneath him, implying he thinks of them of ants/insects, claiming that they aren’t capable of “real love”, accusing them of witchcraft and sorcery, and expressing a desire to eliminate them.

Note that, in the book, prejudice towards the Romani people is indeed a part of the setting, though not exclusively, nor explicitly, the sentiments of Frollo. The writing itself indirectly perpetuates Roma stereotypes; for example, Esmeralda in the novel is not Romani at all but a white baby kidnapped by Romani people. Many characters in the world of Hunchback also hold racist beliefs. Sister Gudule believes that the Romanj cannibalized her child. and it is another judge (NOT Frollo) that accuses Esmeralda of witchcraft. Interestingly, the novel version of Frollo was also accused of sorcery by the locals.

Something else to be cognizant of is that Disney’s Hunchback came out during the company’s Renaissance period. During this time, many of their villains were NOT made to be sympathetic (as modern Disney villains are); they’re usually very clearly defined as evil regardless of the source material for their movies.

And then we come to 2022, in which Disney’s hit mobile gacha game, Twisted Wonderland, has recently introduced a character, Rollo Flamm, inspired by Frollo (of the Disney movie).

***NOTE: To avoid confusion, when I speak of “Frollo” moving forward, I mean the Disney version, NOT the original Frollo from the novel (unless explicitly stated).***

The Controversy

While it is true that Hunchback is a work of historical fiction, the ideas it contains are reflective of those in the real world. Racism is still very much a thing, and prejudice such as the sentiments that the characters (in the novel) and Frollo (in the Disney movie) express (thinking the Romani are untrustworthy thieves, blaming them for his own desires, saying that they tempt people to sin, etc) persists to this day. For this reason, some people may be uncomfortable with and alarmed by Twisted Wonderland “glamorizing” Frollo and his views by making him appear more palatable as a cute anime boy, Rollo.

I believe (as my asker has said) that the controversy originated on Twitter via threads made by Romani TWST fans worried that others are now “simping” for Rollo. Again, he is a character twisted from Disney’s Frollo, a man who is very clearly racist, self-serving, and a villain--and with the nature of Twisted Wonderland being to deconstruct our understanding of villains, it comes with the fear that Rollo’s characterization may garner him, and thus Frollo, sympathy.

Some acknowledge that they know that Rollo is not a 1:1 or a copy paste of Frollo, but are still concerned about how Rollo will be portrayed due to his inspiration’s racist origins. After all, Disney, one of the big names attached to Twisted Wonderland, does NOT have the best track record when it comes to accurately representing minorities (especially for their older films).

This last point is just speculation on my part, but I think that part of the issue is that, unlike the Great Seven, Frollo being venerated in Twisted Wonderland’s revisionist history feels uncomfortably “real”. The Great Seven are all villains too, but they also all have some kind of fantastical quality or magic to them (like Scar being a talking lion or Ursula being an octopus mermaid). This puts a degree of fantasy and separation between THOSE villains and us in reality. Meanwhile, there is nothing magical about Frollo. He’s visceral and grounded and represents hatred that is out there in the real world, as well as how some racists are seen as public figures of great importance.

The latest on this is a Kotaku article that dropped with (as per usual) the very clickbaity title “The Disney Villains Game Is Having A Horny Racism Controversy” to get attention with the topic is still hot on Twitter. (EDIT: You’ll need to Google the article yourself to find it; Kotaku has locked the link so that if I try to share it, it will redirect you to an entirely different article.) This has only further fanned the flames, as fans on one side cry out against Kotaku and fans on the other side feel validated by the article.

The “Verdict”?

Firstly, it’s important that we listen to the people crying out about this situation, especially if they are Romani themselves. They are the ones who are hurt when media misrepresents them, just as it would be the case for the Chinese if TWST dropped a twisted Mulan, for Native Americans if TWST dropped a twisted Pocahontas, etc. If Romani people are saying they are not comfortable with Rollo, the feeling is warranted and they have a right to speak out about it.

At the same time, I think that we don’t have enough information about Rollo himself to come to a definitive conclusion about HIS character and personal beliefs. It’s still way too early into the masquerade event for anyone to have a read on him, and a lot of the current speculation is based on information about Frollo, not a ton about Rollo. I have yet to play the event myself, but the only thing I’ve seen which may hint at Rollo being iffy is him grimacing and using a handkerchief to cover his mouth and nose around Malleus. People have pointed out that Rollo may be insinuating that he thinks Malleus smells bad (implying that he is racist towards fae), or that this act mimics Frollo creepily sniffing the handkerchief of a Romani woman, Esmeralda, in the movie (whom he would later witch hunt). Even so, this action hasn’t been fully explained yet. I’ve also seen that Rollo covers his mouth and nose in many different scenarios, not strictly about Malleus. For example, when Rollo remarks that NRC as a whole is a boisterous bunch, when he remarks on his classmates not listening to him, etc. Rollo also does not cover his nose and mouth during every single instance when he interacts with or speaks to Malleus; the handkerchief thing may very well just be something Rollo does to express or to hide distress. So far, Rollo hasn’t done anything too overtly egregious to condemn him for.

In short, it’s unclear how much of Rollo borrows from his inspiration, Frollo. Not even our main boys at NRC are entirely the same as their inspirations, otherwise you’d have Leona (who has a backstory closest to his Disney counterpart) committing fratricide. It would be premature to pass judgment on Rollo now when we know so little about him and instead judge him based on only what we know of Frollo, but I’d understand it if people still had wary skepticism at this point (because I certainly do).

On Literary Devices & Personal Thoughts

I’m honestly shocked that TWST made a twisted Frollo at all considering how dark the original material and character is. But personally? I’m less concerned that the character exists at all and more concerned about how the character will be handled. I think that Rollo poses a lot of questions for the event’s story, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it plays out--but I’m also a little on edge, because while TWST has been pretty good at not completely redeeming the characters and forcing them to grow into their own person(s), but that doesn’t mean they won’t mess up moving forward. There’s also the possibility that fan content may overstep boundaries, because fans can mess up too.

On that note, I actually think it would be an interesting conflict if Rollo really did discriminate against fae. Leaving this trait out, even if it is a negative one, would sanitize his character and could make it come off like TWST is straight up ignoring the racist roots from which his inspiration comes or intentionally trying to sweep it under the rug to make Rollo more likable. But carrying over the unsavory traits to Rollo would make him a mirror to Sebek, a character notorious for discriminating against non-fae. It would give Twisted Wonderland a chance to address the issue of racism, which wouldn’t seem that out of place given that the main story has covered other dark subjects, and that we have been given hints of a human-fairy war in Twisted Wonderland’s history. It would be a case of art imitating life, but using its advantage of being fiction to safely discuss, explore, and send a message that racism is BAD and the issue is complicated. (Then again, TWST events are never that serious, which is why I’m concerned about how the event story will treat Rollo’s character.) That said, I’m going to reserve my final judgment until the full event is out.

As I’ve said in my Sebek analysis, I typically don’t take issue with “problematic” things like racism being used as literary devices, as their inclusion doesn’t automatically equate to support of it. Plenty of other works do this, such as Animal Farm utilizing animals as an allegory for overthrowing a dictator while simultaneously commentating on and condemning totalitarianism (a staple in the dystopia genre). One could argue that Lord Farquaad in Shrek is also hateful towards others (fairy tale creatures)—and the discriminatory Farquaad is clearly painted as despicable. On the flip side, I understand that problematic content can also be manipulated to send negative messages. This is true of wartime propaganda which aims to alienate the masses from other races. This is not the fault of the content itself for existing, but of the ones controlling how the content is used.

It’s not the presence of problematic content that is the issue, it’s how that content is presented in works. We can recognize that X is racist while also realizing that a work can exist to criticize, comment on, and critique racism in the real world. For example, Sebek is racist to humans, but his racism is never treated like a positive thing by his peers. Others tell him off or order him to apologize for being rude, or even make fun of him for his beliefs and racist behavior. For an even broader example, look at us. We are literally a fandom that enjoys characters based on bad guys, but we can still love them while not approving of the terrible things they do and say. Rather than assume something is bad from the get-go, it would be wiser to judge works on a case-by-case basis and to examine the “problematic” content in the context in which it is presented before deciding for yourself what you believe in.

The whole basis of TWST is that its world is one where villains are revered in-universe, but we as the players are cognizant that the Great Seven (and Frollo by extension) are BAD PEOPLE. This parsing and differentiation is crucial. Very few of us go into TWST thinking “these people are good and they are in the right”, we go in knowing that we aren’t meant to idolize them, and the twisted characters are entirely new characters from the ones we saw in Disney movies. They are not one and the same as the Disney villains, so if someone chooses to treat them as separate from their inspiration, that’s their prerogative—just remember to respect those that do take offense to the character as well.

What’s Next?

The devs have made a conscious decision to include a specifically Frollo inspired character into this event, so I hope that he MUST play some kind of role that no one else can replace and not just because “oh, well it fits the aesthetic” (which would be a BIG yikes). I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Rollo’s inclusion will actually be for something meaningful…! But I guess we’ll have to see what comes out of Glorious Masquerade and pray that, whatever does come our way, it doesn’t perpetuate stereotypes and hatred of the Romani people. TWST’s events have never taken themselves too seriously (just take a look at the dramatic buildup but campy ending of Endless Halloween Night), but I feel like this is an instance in which they really should 💦

My final words would be to please treat this situation and the new character with sensitivity and an awareness of the history behind his inspiration. Thank you, and do remember to be kind to one another!

#Rollo Flamme #twst #twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #notes from the writing raven #question #tw // racism #tw // religion #tw // genocide #tw // abduction #tw // murder #tw // war #tw // obsessive lust #hunchback of notre dame #tw // rape #tw // ableism #Rollo Flamm

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therhythmafterthesummer · 2 years

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Safe Haven ~Bang Chan | Day 4.

Pairing: SpaceRebel!Chan x WitchQueen!F.Reader Themes: Fantasy AU | Sci-Fi AU | Royalty AU | Soulmate AU | Slow Burn | Mutual Pining | Angst | Smut | Fluff. Series Warnings: Third person POV · Very loose and liberal usage of Star Wars concepts (mostly to refer to weapons and tech). you don’t need to know anything about SW to read this, trust me · Physical descriptions of the main female character such as: can visibly blush, having long hair, and being short · Violence · Swearing · Mature themes and language · Original characters · Graphic smut (later chapters) · Mentions of the members of other groups (later chapters) · No one is straight, beware · Each chapter will include its own individual warnings. Chapters marked as M (Mature) either include highly detailed violence, or smut.

Chapter Warnings: food consumption · mentions of death & near death experiences. Word Count: ~6k | AO3

Due to all the abovementioned warnings, this story is intended for an adult audience only. Minors please do not interact. ✰This chapter has been reworked as of 16/08/2023

Previous Chapter: Day 3. | Series Masterlist. | Next Chapter: Day 5.

Author’s note: just a heads up! i feel like it’s important for me to point out that the character of Hoseok in this story has nothing to do with BTS’s Hobi. He’s just an OC named Hoseok :D

Disclaimer: the story presented in this work does not represent Stray Kids in any way; anything described in this story and all actions performed by the characters are purely fictional, this was created just for good fun.

It was the first time since their crash-landing that Chan had actually slept in.

The past couple of days, he’d wake up as soon as the first rays of sunshine peeked past the drapes in his chambers. The gentle light immediately kick-started his body into action, and a cold shower fully woke him up and prepared him for a day of unexpected activities–baths were reserved only for the evenings, when his body needed it the most. All as he waited for Wang Eun to knock on his door with his breakfast.

Today was different. The cool bed sheets held onto him like climbing vines on a wall and lulled him into a deep, restful sleep.

Dreams of vast seas and peaceful meadows played over and over in his head during his slumber. The unexpected knocking sounds were odd in this setting, yet there was nothing that would raise suspicions in Chan’s mind–they were just another part of the scenery.

The images changed constantly. From the familiar waterfields on his home planet, to the Liralean forest just outside his windows, to the two rocks hitting against each other producing that knocking sound that seemed to have ingrained itself into the backdrop. The flashes of nature genuinely soothed him from head to toe.

The sight of a particular spring in a planet he couldn’t quite distinguish caught his eye. The person inside it fed the flutter in his stomach as he approached. Before he could make out the features of their face, he tripped, and fell face first into the spring.

Chan yelped at the feel of a hand on his shoulder. His body tensed, immediately sending him into fight or flight as he opened his eyes. He swiftly held the person’s wrist in his hand, exerting just enough pressure to stiff their movements.

“Wow, wait! It’s me!” Wang Eun’s voice vaguely registered in his ears, with a bit of delay.

“Wh–what”, Chan’s mind was still hazy while sleep leeched onto every fibre of his body.

“You wouldn’t answer the door, and I got slightly worried”, Wang Eun explained.

“Ah…” Slowly, but surely, Chan’s consciousness returned to him fully. The shapes and features of his chambers became clearer, just as the amused expression on Wang Eun’s face did. “I might’ve overslept”.

Chan finally released his vice grip on Wang Eun’s wrist, and the man snorted.

“I can tell. Is your face always like this when you wake up?”

Chan chuckled, leisurely sitting up on the bed. The bed sheets pooled on his lap with the movement while he rubbed sleep from his eyes. “Yeah. Can’t have a pretty face all the time, can I?”

“Is this why you’re always awake by the time I come in? So I don’t see your bad angles?” Wang Eun teased him a bit, with the hint of a smirk in his voice. “Although, I must say, the body certainly more than makes up for it”.

Ah, yes. Chan suddenly remembered one of the other reasons he liked to be up early before Wang Eun arrived. Old habits die hard, and clothes plus sleep didn’t add up in his book.

Chan just laughed at Wang Eun’s comment, his mind was now almost fully awake, enough for him to notice Wang Eun was out of his usual attire. In contrast to the uniform he typically wore, he was wearing loose fitting clothes, almost as if he was getting ready for a jog.

“Is that your new uniform?” Chan asked, partially trying to tease him, but he was also genuinely curious.

“For today, at least”, Wang Eun smirked, with a jolly–almost dangerous–look in his eyes. “Her Majesty has asked me to train you”.

If Chan had not been fully awake at this point, the mention of the Queen would’ve been the last bucket of water on his head to wake him up.

“Ah, really? You know how to fight?” The incredulousness in Chan’s tone was completely unintentional, but it was something that Wang Eun immediately picked up on, and snorted at.

“Probably better than you”, Wang Eun said it so matter-of-factly, Chan couldn’t help but believe him. “I’ll give you some time to eat and get ready, yeah? Then we can make our way to the training grounds”.

“First of all, we need to do something about those hypermobile joints of yours”, Wang Eun was clearly in a good mood today. He spoke enthusiastically, just as he was rummaging in a bag he’d brought with him.

Chan was beyond surprised at his statement. “How’d you know about my hypermobile joints?”

Wang Eun blankly blinked at him for a few seconds before he answered him.

“Her Majesty told me. She gave me a very detailed list of things to check on, and to help you with based on your sparring yesterday”.

“Oh… Okay…” The Queen kept notes on him. Very detailed notes apparently. An emotion was quickly bubbling inside of Chan… What that emotion was exactly, was something he decided to ignore. He much preferred to shove it deep inside him to dissect later–or maybe never.

“Aha!” Wang Eun seemed to have found what he was looking for in his bag. He pulled out a plum-coloured wad from the bag, and carefully started to unravel it, standing in front of Chan. “This is something we tend to use for cases like yours. It’s enchanted. Doesn’t really affect your strength or anything, just provides support. It should also feel fairly comfortable. May I?”

Chan just nodded in agreement. Wang Eun stepped into his space, carefully holding Chan’s arm as he wrapped the thick ribbon around each of his fingers. As soon as the ribbon was securely in place, he wrapped it around his wrist, and started to move upwards with his motions. He intertwined the fabric around his forearm, secured it around his elbow, until he eventually reached his shoulder, where Wang Eun crossed it over Chan’s chest and shoulder blades, only to carry it over to the other arm to start repeating the motions.

The ribbon was noticeable, but Wang Eun wasn’t lying. It was very comfortable against his skin. Chan flexed his fingers, as well as every muscle in his arms. The ribbon’s presence was barely noticeable, but he could still feel the support.

“This should help stabilise your upper moves, we can try the lower moves later down the line”, Wang Eun said, seemingly satisfied with his work. “Let me know if it becomes uncomfortable in any way”.

Chan hummed. “Seems fine for now”.

“Great! Now, time for some stretching, then I’ll show you some of my talents”, Wang Eun emphasised the last part with a wink, which made Chan chuckle.

When Wang Eun had told Chan earlier that he’d be training him, Chan genuinely hadn’t expected it to be like this.

Wang Eun was, quite honestly, brutal. The first few stretches were innocuous enough, just standard protocol for anyone that was warming up to exercise. Eventually, though, they picked up on difficulty. He had pushed Chan’s body in ways Chan had never even thought were possible, and by the time they had finished the warm-ups and started with the actual fighting techniques, his lungs were ready to give out.

“Holy shit”, Chan threw himself on the floor, breathless, landing with a thud. “No wonder Her Majesty kicked my ass”.

Wang Eun chuckled, looking down at Chan, and giving him an almost apologetic look. “The worst part is that Her Majesty isn’t even particularly strong. You’re just weak”.

“Ouch”, Chan faked offence by bringing his hand to his heaving chest. “You could’ve just said weaker. Butter me up a bit, will you?”

Wang Eun laughed at his comment. “I’m just being honest”.

“I know”, Chan chuckled, looking up at him. “I appreciate it”.

And he truly did.

With slow steps, Chan made his way inside the castle after training with Wang Eun. The man had truly given him the full Liralean experience–or, at least, the closest experience he could give to someone not native to the land.

His muscles were sore, his joints, although still held in place by the enchanted ribbon, were slightly achy, borderline popping with every step he took. And yet, he felt great. His body was tired, sure. But the exertion had helped ease most of his pent up frustration, for which he was grateful.

The corridors of the castle were ample, sunlight seeped through the windows during the day, and moonlight during the night. The ever-present coming and going of people around the structure gave it a lived-in, almost cosy aura, which was something that still shocked him, but that he found incredibly pleasant.

Turning around a corridor, he stopped in his tracks when he saw the Queen and Skallarg–the old man who almost chopped his hands off the day they crash-landed here. Skallarg looked angry, although his expression paled in comparison to the furious look on Her Majesty’s face.

“I really don’t care about what you think. I don’t even know why we’re having this conversation”, her tone was harsh, and Chan realised then that during his time here, he’d only ever heard her speak in such an unpleasant way when she spoke with this man.

“Your Majesty, you need to understand–!” Skallarg was clearly agitated, but she was having none of it.

“You need to understand. I make my own decisions, and I do what I want. I genuinely don’t care about what you have to say”.

Skallarg was about to retort, until he noticed Chan’s presence. The moment he looked Chan in the eyes, his eye twitched, and his face grew redder.

“Your Majest–” Chan couldn’t see her face well from this angle anymore, but the look the Queen gave Skallarg was clearly serious enough to shut him up instantly. He kept his mouth shut, bowing curtly before he turned around and left.

Chan could immediately see the Queen’s form relax when the man left. A sigh left her mouth, and she turned around to look through the window. Chan figured he should’ve turned around and left, too, but, almost as if they had a mind of their own, his feet moved, and, before he knew it, he was walking closer to her.

“You alright?” Chan asked as he stood next to her by the window.

The Queen just sighed in response, staying silent for a few moments before she answered him. “I’m just sick and tired of that man. I don’t know why he keeps him around…”

“You… wanna talk about it?” Chan was trying his best to provide some sort of comfort. Even if he felt he was failing miserably, he still tried.

She turned to look at him, and surprise was evident on her face.

A few moments of silence passed, during which both of them just looked at each other, until Her Majesty chuckled. “Not right now, no. But thank you”.

They stood there, next to each other, just looking through the window while a comfortable silence enveloped them. The castle town in the distance was the only distinguishable scenery past the castle’s windows. Questions involuntarily bubbled inside of him while he stood next to her, and it was hard for him to keep them in.

“I’m curious about something”, Chan’s voice broke through the silence. “Uh, Your Majesty. If I may ask”.

The Queen smiled at him, with an amused glint in her eyes. “You can always ask. Whether you get an answer or not is a different story. Go ahead”.

“The day we crash-landed… What were you and Dev doing? I remember you guys came in looking… Well, quite shaken”.

The Queen thought for a moment. She tapped the window’s frame, the motion produced a tinkling sound whenever her rings hit it. “We had a… mission”.

She stayed quiet for a few moments. Chan could practically see the gears turning in her brain as she decided what and how she would answer him.

“From Dall”, she cleared her throat, and then continued. “We needed to retrieve something from deep within the Liralean Great Forest. That’s all I can tell you right now”.

Chan hummed in response. His curiosity was satisfied for now, and, somehow, the fact that the Queen seemed to be actively working with the Alliance further reassured him of accepting her help.

Suddenly, Chan became aware that he had started to feel it again, the humming inside his head, that strange pull… For a moment, he wondered if it had something to do with the Queen’s magic, considering she was standing so close. Although, if he were honest, he’d never been magic sensitive, not one second in his life–Felix’s talents even shocked him the first time he properly showed them to Chan–but right now, he could definitely feel something.

The Queen’s voice broke the silence, speaking quietly. “Are you… Are you okay?”

Chan blinked a few times. The words registered in his brain with a bit of delay. “What do you mean?”

“Just… In general”, she looked him in the eyes then. One of her hands came close to the other so she could start playing with the rings on her fingers. “A lot of things have happened to you in a very short period of time. I can’t help but think about it sometimes”.

Chan just looked back at her, mulling over her words. Was he okay? He was alive, and his friends were alive…. That was enough, wasn’t it?

“Well–”

Chan’s response was interrupted by a loud, ripping noise coming from behind the Queen. He saw the flash of panic cross her eyes before she quickly turned around towards the sound. A rift of dark mist had opened mid air, and a continuous rumbling could be heard coming from inside it.

Suddenly, a wolf–a creature even bigger than Freyja–broke through the rift, and landed harshly on the castle’s floor. It was panting, seemingly alive, but clearly injured.

“Freyr!” The panic in the Queen’s voice was impossible to miss. She ran towards the wolf, and crouched beside it.

Almost immediately after, a man came through the rift. He was tall, and very muscular. His limbs were covered in tattoos similar to the ones adorning the Queen’s arms, but the design seemed to be slightly different from hers. He was carrying someone in his arms, another man, who was very evidently injured.

“We need a healer, now!” The man’s words rushed out of his mouth as he ran past the Queen.

“Hoseok!” The Queen yelled, and she started running after the man.

Chan was slightly shaken up by the sudden intrusion of the two men and the wolf into the castle. But even then, against his better judgement, his legs moved on their own, and he followed Her Majesty closely as she caught up with the man.

“Hoseok! What the fuck happened?!” The panic lacing her voice seemed to be growing the longer the man spent without saying a word.

“I can’t explain right now, Your Majesty!” Hoseok answered finally, making a turn to the infirmary. “We must focus on His Majesty first!”

Like a well oiled machine, the moment they broke through the infirmary’s doors the healers–although slightly in shock–got to work. The injured man–the famous High King, based on the title granted by Hoseok–was placed on one of the available beds, and Hoseok quickly ripped off the already torn garment covering His Majesty’s torso.

The High King’s chest was adorned in tattoos much like Hoseok’s. Most noticeable, however, was the huge gash going across the length of his torso, especially with the mix of blood and a dark, almost black liquid that was oozing out of it.

It was bad.

Really bad.

Chan had seen this type of injury before in battle, inflicted by the Charmer’s mutated creatures. Their claws secreted a deadly venom that would infect the person once attacked. People would typically either die, or become one of the creatures themselves. His Majesty had surely been slashed by one of those, there was simply no other explanation.

The healers were trying their best to attend to his injuries, golden light emanated from their hands when they hovered above him, but it seemed to be doing very little to stop the mix of blood and black matter from oozing out of the wound.

“That’s not enough”, Chan heard the Queen’s voice break through the chaos.

Her eyes were focused on the High King. She sounded almost… detached. Like she was barely registering anything other than the sight in front of her.

“Everyone, step back! And protect yourselves however you can”, she rushed towards His Majesty, and brought her hands to hover above him as she started to cast a spell. The tattoos on her chest and arms–to Chan’s utter shock–started to slowly recede towards her hands as soon as she started her chant.

Everyone in the room moved away from both of them immediately. Chan wasn’t really sure what he was supposed to do. He was completely out of his element here.

Hoseok moved quickly, standing close to him. He gave Chan a once over before asking, “who the hell are you?”

Chan was taken back to reality by the man’s acknowledgement of his presence. “I’m… a friend of the Queen’s”.

It wasn’t entirely a lie… Although, right now, Chan and the Queen were acquaintances at best. Hoseok didn’t look too convinced, yet he said nothing to discredit what Chan had just told him.

“You don’t have magic”, he stated simply. There was no ill intent in his voice, the man was just stating a very obvious fact.

Chan shook his head, confirming Hoseok’s statement.

“Well… You can’t leave right now, she’s already started. Stay behind me, just in case. If needed, hold on to me”, he moved a bit closer to stand right in front of Chan. Even though he was very tall, and wide, he wasn’t really blocking Chan’s view, Hoseok seemed to be just trying to put some distance between Chan and the two monarchs.

All of a sudden, thick dark clouds emerged from the Queen’s hands, and the air around them turned heavy. A shockwave extended across the room, sending small items flying against the walls.

At that moment, Chan understood the reason behind Hoseok’s offer, so he immediately held onto Hoseok’s arm, trying not to be blown away by the strong mass of energy coming from where Their Majesties were.

The dark clouds pooled around the Queen and the High King, her hair started to slightly float when she placed her hands on the man’s wound. Another shockwave bursted out of them, sending the healers flying towards the walls. Black covered the Queen’s eyes, extending from her pupils to the sclera, and her voice increased in tone while she kept casting her spell.

With one last chant, another shockwave extended through the room, only for the energy to suddenly drop.

The air turned back to normal, the thick dark clouds around the Queen started dissipating into nothing. Several instruments dropped to the floor with a loud clatter, Chan had honestly not even realised they had been floating around the Queen and the High King in the first place.

The black ooze coming out of the man’s wound had stopped, and he seemed to have stopped bleeding, too. The Queen turned to look at Chan with an unreadable expression on her face, just as the last few remnants of the black in her eyes dissolved back into her pupils.

All of a sudden, she fell to her knees, barely conscious.

“Your Majesty!” Hoseok ran to the Queen, and crouched in front of her to hold her by the shoulders.

The healers soon got to work on both the Queen and the High King, and a sense of chaos quickly dominated the room. A healer rushed to Chan, ‘You must leave! Now!’ were the last words he heard before he was pushed out of the room and the doors were closed in front of his face, loudly.

An obnoxious ringing broke free in his eardrums as soon as he was out in the quiet corridor. That quietness was the perfect contrast to the chaos that had just ensued in the infirmary. Chan brought a hand to his chest to attempt to calm his racing heart. What the fuck did just happen was a phrase that repeated over and over in his mind.

Even as tone deaf as he was in the ways of magic, he was aware he had just witnessed a complicated, high level spell. Unexpectedly–and unpleasantly–the Queen’s display of power brought back a memory Chan had stuffed deep within his mind.

His father stood with stretched arms in front of Chan, who was encompassed in his mother’s protective embrace. A young man, with a wicked smile on his face, stood tall in front of his father, tendrils of dark mist emanated from his fingertips and laced themselves around his father’s throat. His mother obscured his view, yet, among the chaos around them, Chan still heard the sickening snap.

Chan shook his head in an attempt to bring himself back from his stupor, back to the present, to staring at the closed doors of the infirmary.

Worry pooled in his stomach, while an infinite amount of questions flew wildly inside his head. With slightly shaky steps, he turned away from the area, and followed the already familiar path to his chambers.

The mood in the castle had changed drastically, to the point where it was impossible not to notice. The usually rowdy corridors were suddenly void of their lively atmosphere as more and more people found out about the High King’s state. It was quite unsettling how people whispered to one another, and how worried expressions settled on everyone’s faces as they went about their day throughout the castle.

Even though this fuelled Chan’s already growing worry in itself, the most unnerving part was how the mood of the crew inside the Big Bad Wolf shifted. Everyone was carrying out their tasks as usual, just like the hardworking people they were. Yet, the rooms were silent, much like the corridors inside the castle were. The usual animated chatter among the crew wasn’t there, the whirring and hammering of tools were the only sounds in the background.

Chan had mentioned it to Talboot–who seemed to be uncharacteristically quiet the entire time he had been on the ship. He found out from the old man that the people didn’t know in detail what had happened, but they all knew the High King was injured, and that the Queen had inexplicably not attended her usual appointments of the day.

Chan knew exactly what had happened, of course, but he didn’t give Talboot any details. After all, he felt as if he shouldn’t have been in the infirmary to witness such a bizarre encounter in the first place.

Repairs ceased earlier that day, since everyone’s minds were too distracted to effectively carry out any more meaningful labour within the ship. Chan returned to his chambers early as well, trying his best to not cross anyone’s path on his way back.

Wang Eun had brought him dinner as usual, but Chan could quite visibly see how tense the man was. His usual enthusiastic speech pattern was cut short to monosyllables while he set down the plates on the table.

Chan hated it. He hated the uneasy feeling in his stomach. He’d grown too used to the feeling of safety the people around him here provided, which was something that both warmed him up and unsettled him. How was it possible for him to feel this way in such a short amount of time? Now, concern would leech onto his bones, he’d worry not only for his friends’ safety, but the people from this castle as well…

So, he did the only thing he could do, and wrote out his measly feelings, filling pages upon pages with his concerns. He’d been told before by his friend–and crewmate–Minho, that his writing made no sense, that it was all over the place and lacked any discernible structure. Chan was actually glad for this piece of feedback, for it let him freely vent out his thoughts on paper, uncaring of who might read it, since they wouldn’t understand it anyway.

His empty plate had been pushed to the side before he started writing, now forgotten on one side of the dinner table with the matching cutlery resting on top of it, patiently waiting for Wang Eun to come back to take it away on his last round for the night.

A knock on the door brought Chan back from his head, his pencil stilled all movement against his journal’s pages. A soft ‘Come in’ left his mouth almost on instinct, since he already expected Wang Eun to poke his head through the door at some point. However, it wasn’t Wang Eun who stepped into his chambers upon his invitation. It was the Queen.

“Your Majesty!” Chan stood up from his chair quickly–too quickly–ungracefully pushing his chair back, producing an unpleasant screeching sound. He couldn’t help but wince at his own actions, at his own awkwardness.

There was an amused look on her face as she looked at him, and she spoke softly, almost quietly. “Good evening, Chan”.

The Queen was wearing what could only be described as a sleeping gown. The silky material hugged her frame perfectly–very flattering, if he might add–the thin straps kept it securely in place, it left her shoulders and arms exposed, as well as her chest and legs. Her intricate tattoos were back on her skin, no longer pooled in her hands like they were while she casted her spell earlier.

Her Majesty seemed to be poised and collected, her royal aura was very much present. But, Chan could tell something wasn’t quite right. Her lips lacked their usual colour, there were bags under her eyes, and her hands were slightly shaky.

It was almost imperceptible, but he noticed.

The Queen closed the door behind her, and walked over towards the dining table. “I hope I’m not intruding. I just need to talk”.

Direct. Straight to the point. Chan was honestly glad she spoke in this manner.

“Of course”, Chan gestured for her to take a seat. He pulled his chair back from the awkward position it had ended up in and sat down.

Her Majesty pulled the chair that faced him and sat down as well. She was looking in his overall direction, but her eyes changed focus constantly, seemingly looking everywhere but his face.

He noticed then, the nervous movements of her hand. Her fingers were bare of her usual rings, so she settled to twist her fingers, and the joints released a satisfying pop every time she cracked a knuckle.

“I need to talk to you about today. About what you saw”.

Chan just nodded, encouraging her to continue.

“Don’t speak about this”, to Chan, it didn’t sound like an order, there was an underlying tone of something he couldn’t quite pinpoint. He figured it was more of a… plea. His suspicions were proven correct when the Queen added, “please”.

“I wasn’t planning to”, and he truly wasn’t. “The High King’s injury looked quite serious. Everyone’s been worried around the castle, I don’t want to unnecessarily fuel that worry”.

The Queen paused for a second, and she finally looked at his face. Her eyes darted all around his features, intently, before her gaze turned back to look at the window behind him.

“Yes… The High King’s injuries are a concern…” She trailed off. She seemed… unsure of what she was saying, which seemed very uncharacteristic. Wasn’t that it? Chan had figured she might’ve wanted to keep His Majesty’s state as private as possible… “But, I’m talking about me. Don’t tell anyone about me. About what I did. No one outside the people in that room must know”.

Chan was slightly taken aback by the request. Everyone knew the Queen had magic, right? Why would people finding out about her powers be a problem?

“I… I mean, sure. I can keep quiet if that’s what you want. But I need you to tell me why. Doesn’t everyone know you have magic anyway?”

Her Majesty looked at him for a second, she really, really looked. Suddenly–and to Chan’s utter bewilderment–she busted out laughing. Admittedly, her laugh was laced with nervousness. Chan’s mind couldn’t help but wander. Was she laughing at him? Was it out of line for him to ask for an explanation? He was, to put it simply, confused.

“Oh, Gods… I’m so sorry for that”, she wiped away stray tears that seemed to have collected on her lower lashline. “I feel so silly! Since I woke up, I’ve been worried about this whole conversation, about this confrontation, and you don’t even know what I’m talking about!”

She was chuckling softly still, and her tone had changed slightly. Was that… relief?

“I’m sure it’s not silly”, Chan reassured her. “But, and I mean this in the most respectful manner, I’m so confused by everything you’re saying right now”.

The Queen took a deep breath, clearly bracing herself for her explanation. “The magic I used today… I wouldn’t say it’s quite forbidden as not many people can use it. But we’re typically not supposed to harbour such a level of dark magic, it can become a problem very quickly if we’re not careful”.

She was silent for a moment, her gaze shifted focus, from his face to her fingers that were now tapping the surface of the dinner table before she kept talking.

“Magic… can be as protective as it can be destructive. My magic particularly–” She cut her words short, shaking her head a bit from side to side as she seemed to decide to dismiss the thought altogether. “I don’t want to get into details, to be honest. I just want to emphasise that no one must know about what I did in the infirmary”.

Somehow, everything started to click in Chan’s mind. His intrusive memory from earlier in the day hit him full force then. Flashes of the dark magic used by the Charmer and his minions, the way they used it to straight up murder people, came to his mind. Recognition fell on his face, and the Queen could clearly tell.

“I see you understand now”, an almost sad smile formed on her lips when she said it. It wasn’t exactly… pleasant to see.

“How do you… I mean, why…” Chan wasn’t really sure of what to ask first. He knew deep down that there was no way Her Majesty would be involved with the Charmer. If anything, she’d been doing the opposite by joining the Rebel Alliance. However, he was still curious about this apparent connection.

“Let’s just say… I was born this way. And it’s been… quite the challenge to deal with it”, there was nothing but honesty in her words, Chan could tell very easily that she wasn’t trying to deceive him in any way.

For a moment, he wondered if the Queen was telling him all this due to her weakened state. Her words certainly felt… oddly personal.

“Magic truly works in mysterious ways. I’m sure you’ve even noticed it in Felix. Even someone as ignorant as you in the ways of magic should be able to tell”, there was no ill intent in her voice, much like Hoseok had done earlier in the infirmary, she was just stating a simple fact.

Her Majesty was right. Felix did have this air around him… Ever since the first day Chan saw him while taking a stroll on their home planet with his mother, there was just something clearly different about Felix. He could still remember quite vividly how it was back then.

Felix had been a friendly kid for the longest time, with a solid group of friends that would get together to wreak havoc in their community with their silly, childish pranks. However, just as children would when left unsupervised for too long, he and his friends had gotten themselves into a dangerous situation.

They had entered a restricted area, more specifically, a graveyard of decayed spaceships. They liked to jump around and on top of them as if it were their personal playground. While standing on top of a ship, one of the children slipped from high up, and, had it not been for Felix desperately screaming for him, unknowingly casting a spell, the kid would’ve become nothing more than mush when he hit the floor.

Chan could still remember–with a lot of distaste, if he might add–the blatant discrimination that ensued after the fact.

One particular night he’d witnessed Felix’s former group of friends picking on him quite harshly–driven by their own parents’ ignorant beliefs ingrained in their little minds. Chan had stepped in then, threatening to throw them off the tallest wrecked ship in the graveyard to see who would save them then.

That was how Chan and Felix’s friendship had truly started. They went from strangers who knew each other in passing, to really, really close friends. Even with their age gap, Chan found Felix to be quite enjoyable to talk to, and later on, Felix became his biggest source of support once they fled their home planet together in search of a better future.

Chan couldn’t help but smile at the memory, then he immediately shook his head, and disbelief painted his features once the Queen’s words registered in his mind. “Ouch, why’s everyone throwing jabs at me today? First Wang Eun, now you. Who else is in line for this slander?”

The Queen blinked at him, then chuckled. “I don’t know what he said, but I’m sure we’re not throwing jabs, just speaking honestly”.

Chan could hear it in her voice, that slightly teasing tone, and, boy, if he wanted to retaliate…

A playful look flashed in her eyes when she continued. “Should you wish to learn more, I can give you some recommendations”.

With a flick of her hand, two books came floating from the library behind him, and landed with a minute thud on the table next to Chan’s journal.

Chan picked up the first book, reading the title out loud.

“Tiny Warlocks, Magic Concepts for Children”, Chan looked at the other book, incredulous. Magic Essentials for Dummies, was the title on the cover. He shot a look of disbelief at the Queen. She had a cheeky smile on her lips, and was clearly trying her best not to laugh.

Chan huffed in response. “Her Majesty’s funny, isn’t she?”

His voice was packed with fake annoyance, but he was sure the smile on his lips broke the façade.

The Queen chuckled. “Hey! I just worry about filling knowledge gaps in the Alliance, you know? If you plan to win, you must know who, or what, you’re fighting against”.

Chan just crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back in his chair. “Huh… I’ll consider it”.

The Queen also leaned back against her chair, and her expression turned to a more relaxed one. “Once you’re finished with that, let me know. I might have more documentation available. Medium Warlocks, Magic Concepts for Teenagers is an excellent read”.

Chan huffed once more, and a cheeky smile of his own spread on his face. “Maybe you should tutor me instead, Your Majesty. That way you get the pleasure of mocking me in real time”.

“Oh, please”, she leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table, with that damned teasing look in her eyes that Chan simply couldn’t ignore. “I don’t think you can handle it”.

There was an edge of something in her voice, something alluring that he tried his best to mimic in his response.

Chan leaned forward as well, resting his crossed arms on the table. “I can take a lot of things, Your Majesty. Try me”.

There was a shift in the air around them, he could tell. The words were innocuous on their own. But Chan knew exactly what he was doing, what he was trying to accomplish with what he was saying. He could feel it once again, that strange pull as he looked at her, the hum that seemed to intensify in his ears.

He could see it in her eyes, too, just how much her curiosity had been piqued, and he held his breath in anticipation of her next move.

The Queen opened her mouth to say something, but was immediately silenced by the sudden knock on the door. Looks of surprise crossed both of their faces at the disturbance, her eyes opened wide when the atmosphere went back to normal, when the exchange went back to just a normal conversation between acquaintances.

The Queen shook her head slightly and cleared her throat, glancing at the door and then back at Chan. “Promise me you won’t say anything about the infirmary situation. Not even to Felix and Changbin. Or Wang Eun”.

Chan looked at her now serious face, he knew immediately what he was going to say, but he thought about it for a few seconds before replying, “I promise”.

The Queen’s shoulders relaxed, and a minute exhale escaped her lips. “Thank you”.

They looked at each other for a moment. She looked like she was going to say something, but whatever it was, died on her tongue as another knock broke through the silence.

Her Majesty stood up quickly, wiping her hands on her gown. “Well, I’ll be taking my leave. Good night, Chan. Sleep well”.

With slightly hurried steps she walked to the door–she was barefoot, Chan realised, slightly puzzled.

The Queen flung the door open to find a confused looking Wang Eun standing there, with his fist in mid air, probably because he was about to knock again. “Good evening, Wang Eun, dear”.

The man was clearly going to say something to her, but before he could, she quickly walked past him and darted out into the corridor. Wang Eun blinked, looking increasingly confused.

With a shake of his head, he directed his attention to Chan. “Have you finished your meal?”

Chan nodded, taking the plates in his hands and handing them over to Wang Eun.

Much like Wang Eun seemed to be, Chan couldn’t help but also feel confused.

Previous Chapter: Day 3. | Series Masterlist. | Next Chapter: Day 5.

#stray kids fantasy au #stray kids fanfiction #bang chan fanfiction #bang chan fic #skz fanfic #skz fanfiction #stray kids fanfic

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p4xman · 1 year

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Hey, do you think there’s one reality?

Because people think there’s one reality, But there’s loads of them all snaking off like roots. And what we do on one path effects what happens on other paths. Time is a construct. People think you can’t go back and change things but you can. That’s what flashbacks are. They’re invitations to go back and make different choices. When you make a decision you think it’s you doing it but it’s not. It’s the spirit out there that’s connected to our world that decides what we do. And we just have to go along for the ride. Mirrors let you move through time. The government monitors people. They pay people to pretend to be your relatives and they put drugs in your food and they film you. There’s messages in every game. Like Pacman. Do you know what pac stands for? PAC. Program and control. He’s program and control man. The whole thing’s a metaphor. He think’s he’s got free will but really, he’s trapped in a maze. In a system. All he can do is consume. He’s pursued by demons… that are probably just in his own head. And even if he does manage to escape by slipping out one side of the maze, what happens? He comes right back in the other side. People think it’s a happy game. It’s not a happy game it’s a fucking nightmare world and the worst thing is it’s real and we’re living in it.

hey are you bandersnatch because Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is a 2018 interactive film in the science fiction anthology series Black Mirror. It was written by series creator Charlie Brooker and directed by David Slade. The film premiered on Netflix on 28 December 2018, its release date only officially announced the day before. Netflix did not confirm the interactive nature of Bandersnatch until its release, though there was much media speculation. In Bandersnatch, viewers make decisions for the main character, the young programmer Stefan Butler (Fionn Whitehead), who is adapting a fantasy gamebook into a video game in 1984. Other characters include Mohan Thakur (Asim Chaudhry) and Colin Ritman (Will Poulter), who work at a video game company; Stefan's father, Peter (Craig Parkinson); and Stefan's therapist, Dr. Haynes (Alice Lowe). A postmodernist work with free will as a central theme, the film was named after a real video game planned for release by Imagine Software in 1984, the game in turn named after the bandersnatch, a creature of Lewis Carroll's creation. Brooker and executive producer Annabel Jones were approached by Netflix about making an interactive film in May 2017, during which time Netflix had several such projects for children underway. Difficulty in writing the highly non-linear script led to Netflix's creation of a bespoke program called Branch Manager; the unique nature of the content required adaptations in the platform's use of cache memory. Bandersnatch was originally to be part of Black Mirror's fifth series, but its lengthy production led to its release as a standalone film, delaying the fifth series to June 2019. Critical reception was mixed, with a positive response to the technical design of the film but criticism of the story's characterisation. There was mixed commentary about the narrative and the extent to which viewer choices affected the story. The film received average rankings in critics' lists of Black Mirror instalments by quality, but garnered numerous awards and nominations, winning two Primetime Emmy Awards. A lawsuit filed by Chooseco over the film's use of the term "choose-your-own-adventure" was filed in January 2019 and settled in November 2020.

#;ask

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cruelsister-moved2 · 2 years

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i mean i get the thesis and in a literal sense sure but in terms of like literary criticism its bonkers to use a works copyright status as the arbiter..like a disney live action remake is licensed bc they own both properties but its probably doing even less w the source material than a fanfic writer would 😭 there are also like zillions of licensed books and films being filmed because someone changed the name of harry potter to larry baker or whatever and now its transformative. also copyright literally didnt EXIST in shakespeare’s time (and older stuff goes out of copyright) so youre also setting the bar that anything with an older source material is automatically an original work... the point really is that like in theory, transformative use of a source is free from copyright liability so in theory a work that has a copyright license would indeed signal that its non-derivative, but there are sooo many things that are, contentwise very much just fanfiction, that are able to escape the critical liability of being such beacuse..they have a license? because there was money behind their production? and if u go with that definition then you kind of give ppl who think fanfiction about star wars is equivalent in value to the works of shakespeare free reign to say youre just being elitist because its like well yeah your criteria is basically based around commerce. and if my criticism of fanfiction isnt anything to do with its legal status but about the fact its derivative and simplistic then there are also plenty of licensed properties that should get the same criticism even if they are free of that label like if you took a midsummer night’s dream and renamed the characters after members of the band one direction it would still be a worthy and transformative piece of fiction and also if someone publishes their south park fanfic but changes the names of the characters it doesnt. become good. i think theres a lot of correlation vs causation moment ie. copyright doesnt mean something isnt (EFFECTIVELY) fanfiction just bc its correlated with something being an original work, and also stuff borrowing from copyrighted properties doesnt inherently mean its bad and shallow its just that people who watch supernatural and then go on ao3 and write stories about some of the characters fucking generally dont produce literary masterpieces. but there is a hypothetical case where a work using elements of a copyrighted property does have literary value and its not the copyright status that is a defining factor come onnn. ok i explained this so badly i hope this doesnt look like im not a fanfiction hater its just that i think this attempt at criticism is misguided and kind of stupid and well a kpop hyphen url posted it so

#and i dont even wanna talk abt copyright & folk material #cuz ill get all annoying about it lol #there is also fanfiction about copywritten things like thats very much a thing lol #*NON copywritten oops #also Greek Mythology is my fav religious text. i love tha tbook #also idc if you read fanfiction or w/e its just that like its not equivalent to um like real . literature

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jim-fetter-illustrations · 5 months

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Are you living the timeline your were originally supposed to???

Speaking of things that might keep ya up at night, and I'm not talking about all the Wars in the world, Global Warming, Climate Change, Aliens from outer space or our political arena's chaos,..... Nope, I'm talking about something much more mind boggling and perplexing to the human senses than any of that forementioned.....

......It's Time Travel Possibilities!

Yeah, and some pretty smart people in the world think it's possible and may have already been done a few times, and if that don't scare the crap out of your cognitive processes then nothing will, because if time travel is a possibility even in the extreme,..... and knowing how our governments work on this planet,.......... we could all be seriously fucked!

The possibilities are endless, and just as dangerous to humanity.

Did you also know some scientists who work for the government are exploring ideas that could theoretically allow time travel,.... Right fuckin now they are researching that possiility, have been for decades without YOU knowing about it!

Just the fact that governing authorities are contemplating that concept is Bizzar to think WHAT ARE THEY THINKING???

One concept involves wormholes, or hypothetical Quantum Mechanics tunnels in space that could create shortcuts for journeys across universel time as we know it.

Imagine that,......... Time Travel is actually being studied and researched by government and civilian scientists.

So then why is it that any claims of government involvement in time travel are typically based on conspiracy theories or fictional narratives?

And why pay scientists top dollar to look into the theory of Time Travel?

And why is the answer to that question always... "There is no credible evidence or official acknowledgment of the United States research into The Time Travel Theory?

Why would there even be the question???

Because millions of tax dollars have been spent trying to find out!

Did ya also know in 1939 Physicists Leo Szilard and Albert Einstein concerned by Nazi Germany's research into nuclear weapons sent a letter to the American president, Franklin D. Roosevelt warning him about the Nazi nuclear program and urged him to create an American program to counter the threat from Germany.

Then in 1942 Einstein found out Adolf Hitler was going beyond nuclear fusion research, and attempting the manipulation of quantum time and space itself. And,... Albert Einstein was concerned that Hitler's scientists were becoming successful in doing this phenomenon!

(NOTE: All this information is in our own governments documents archives for anyone to read under the information freedom act)

Ya see,..... Albert Einstein considered Time Travel a bigger threat to humanity then the Atomic bomb we used on japan in the second world war,..... and as stated in his letters to president Roosevelt.

That's "Albert Fuckin Einstein", the man who changed our world literally with the knowledge of Quantum Mechanics and things like string theory and the phenomenon of "spooky action at a distance" suggesting quantum particles contained hidden variables, and instructions that predetermined their states, like a programmable drone can be!!

After hearing about Hitler's time travel program President Roosevelt met with Einstein in a secret meeting at the white house.

Soon after their meeting president Roosevelt started a research initiative named "The Indiana Project"..... the project's main objective was to produce a machine capable of traveling through and altering time?!?!?!?

Yeah, that was the Gist of it, and all of it real history most of us knew nothing about,........

I'm not suggesting time travel is a reality,........ but it is fascinating to be horrified by its complications that might have already changed the world without anyone knowing.

Lets face it,..... it's all a great big bag of shit if half this government secrecy crap is true, so ignore it all and just live your life for YOU,...and not anyone else, not even for the government, but don't tell them, and fuck who's running for president, because the powers that be can probably change it if the person who wins wasn't the one they wanted, and can go back in time and change the reality to something else,........ and no one the wiser!

Now that's scary to think about,..... especially since I think I won that billion dollar lottery last year, but someone went back in time to change something so my timeline changed to not winning the lottery,.......... which pisses me off to no end, because I will never know if my timeline has been changed for the worse........ Lol

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#Time travel #Albert Einstein #Franklin D. Roosevelt #Quantum time travel possibilities

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mybookplacenet · 2 years

Text

Author Interview: Christopher Link

Tell us about yourself.: My name is Christopher Link, I am a 48 (9/25/73) year old male. I am originally from Kokomo, Indiana. Currently living in Jacksonville, Florida. By trade I am a Hardwood Floor Technician, in the flooring industry for over 2 decades now. Sanding and finishing/installing hardwood floors. I am a newly published author and my first book is available now. Coming Out of the Illusion: Realizing the real you. I have a passion for creative/spiritual writing. Other interests include further education and training to become a Spiritual Life Coach and Musicianship as a drummer/learning and playing music with others. Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?: I grew up on a produce farm in between the small towns of Onward and Walton, Indiana. High school was in Walton and college was in Vincennes, Indiana. My writing is heavily influenced by my life in general. The whole act of maturing from a little boy to adult man, personal experiences and using the trials and tribulations of life for wisdom teachings. Do you have any unusual writing habits? My writing process would be considered old school by some. I like to write everything down on paper in full rough draft form and then type it up on the computer. What authors have influenced you? I grew up on a produce farm in between the small towns of Onward and Walton, Indiana. High school was in Walton and college was in Vincennes, Indiana. My writing is heavily influenced by my life in general. The whole act of maturing from a little boy to adult man, personal experiences and using the trials and tribulations of life for wisdom teachings. Do you have any advice for new authors? My advice for new authors is for them to understand that they are not aspiring authors/writers. You are already talented and gifted value creators who are going after your true passions in life, no matter what it is.You cannot go wrong following your dreams to be a best selling author! What is the best advice you have ever been given? Best advice, welcome the trillion to 1 odds. If you cannot find a way or a way is considered impossible then make your own new way and forge ahead. What are you reading now? The Science of the Spoken Word. - Mark L. Prophet and Elizabeth Clare Prophet What's your biggest weakness? My biggest weakness has to do with time management. The push and pull of trying to find work/life balance and not getting distracted from the chief aim, which is to be a full-time successful writer/author. What is your favorite book of all time? My favorite book is called Super Puzzle by Mark Hamilton When you're not writing, how do you like to spend your time? If I am not writing, I like to read alot. Watch movies, get out for fun shows and dining. Love music and practicing the drums when possible. Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you? The first memorable story that I read was my favorite book, Super Puzzle. It is a fictional story but based on a potentially new reality in real life, where 12 kids grow up to be super-achivers and change the world. The book has a wealth of knowledge for/about becoming your best self. What has inspired you and your writing style? I like to call my unique/original and creative writing style, Visionary Spirituality. I took on a new life path and wanted to use my talent for creative writing to be in service to others after a personal experience in Spiritual Awakening. Now I wish to inspire others to be their best self. What are you working on now? I have my own blog site called - My Golden Nuggets of Wisdom. I write articles on there that go along with the book material and I am working on book 2. What is your favorite method for promoting your work? I like sites like mybook place.net that help authors with advertising their work. I also think Twitter is a great resource for getting the word out/ other social media. What's next for you as a writer? I plan on writing 3 books as part of a trilogy and then maybe an autobiography. I would like to integrate my book information into my Spiritual Life Coach business when ready. How well do you work under pressure? I am actually extremely good under pressure but on the same token, I do not like to be rushed for anything. How do you decide what tone to use with a particular piece of writing? For my book and with the material, I always use three sections. First section has beginning chapters, second section has the middle/meat of the book and third for ending/climax chapters. I incorporate a lot of creative change-ups to set the tone. This way everything isn't so deep and serious but fun and easy to read. If you could share one thing with your fans, what would that be? I would share the upmost integrity and the teaching of it. The importance of doing something to the best of your ability and never giving up on yourself or dreams even if it means going at things alone. Christopher Link's Author Websites and Profiles Website Christopher Link's Social Media Links Facebook Page Twitter Instagram LinkedIn Read the full article

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uesp · 3 years

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Theory: Todd is the sleeping Godhead that we all talk about. Also he achieved absolute CHIM

You're definitely free to come up with whatever theory on that you like, but if you're genuinely curious, I would say you're a bit off from the intended takeaway.

Trying to figure out who the Godhead is a bit of a self-defeating exercise. In fact, to get a bit ahead of the point I'm going to make, it's often easier to describe the One by what he is not. If you're looking at the rare in-series mentions of the Godhead (most of the uses of "godhead" are actually referring to more generic godhood, which is also a more modern form of "godhead"), you come up with two mentions of the Godhead, and only one of them describes the Godhead at all.

The eyes, once bleached by falling stars of utmost revelation, will forever see the faint insight drawn by the overwhelming question, as only the True Enquiry shapes the edge of thought. The rest is vulgar fiction, attempts to impose order on the consensus mantlings of an uncaring godhead.

From Waking Dreams of A Starless Sky

The Godhead is uncaring. And that is basically the depth of actual text on the Godhead. If you go with sources that did not appear in the game, you'll do a bit better, but not really to any satisfying degree. So how do we get a satisfying answer? We escape the confines of the rare and deliberately esoteric mentions of this part of the lore and look at its real-world inspiration. Speaking for myself, the best summary of this part of the lore I ever read is:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnosticism

Sincerely, after reading that and its associated articles, I went from "wow this is all a bit complex" to "alright, this is surprisingly straightforward". To tangent slightly, while there are numerous fan writings that try to explore these concepts, and I do enjoy a lot of them, I find that some of them often have trouble expressing what it all actually means because they often restrict themselves to the trappings of TES. We're going to remove those trappings, and see if it helps.

If you want more help, here is how I mentally tie some TES lore topics to its real world counterpart.

The Godhead is the Godhead (Monad)

CHIM is Gnosis

CHIM has been described as the secret syllable of royalty. It is best understood as a state of being which allows for escape from all known laws and limitations. It is the process of reaching some sort of epiphany about the nature of the universe and one's place in it, leading to a simultaneous comprehension of the full scope of existence as well as one's own individuality.

Gnosis is the common Greek noun for knowledge. It is best known from Gnosticism, where it signifies a spiritual knowledge or insight into humanity's real nature as divine, leading to the deliverance of the divine spark within humanity from the constraints of earthly existence.

Amaranth is Emanationism

The Tower touches all the mantles of Heaven, brother-noviates, and by its apex one can be as he will. More: be as he was and yet changed for all else on that path for those that walk after. This is the third key of Nu-mantia and the secret of how mortals become makers, and makers back to mortals.

Emanationism is an idea in the cosmology or cosmogony of certain religious or philosophical systems. Emanation, from the Latin emanare meaning "to flow from" or "to pour forth or out of", is the mode by which all things are derived from the first reality, or principle. All things are derived from the first reality or perfect God by steps of degradation to lesser degrees of the first reality or God, and at every step the emanating beings are less pure, less perfect, less divine. Emanationism is a transcendent principle from which everything is derived, and is opposed to both creationism (wherein the universe is created by a sentient God who is separate from creation) and materialism (which posits no underlying subjective and/or ontological nature behind phenomena being immanent).

Anu and Padomay and their derivatives are Aeons

Lorkhan is the Demiurge

Lorkhan, the Missing God, is the Creator-Trickster-Tester deity present in every Tamrielic mythic tradition. He is known as the Spirit of Nirn, the god of all mortals. Names for versions or aspects of Lorkhan include Lorkhaj (the Moon Beast) in Elsweyr, Lorkh, the Spirit of Man, the Mortal Spirit, or the Sower of Flesh to the Reachmen, Sep in Hammerfell, Sheor in High Rock, Shor in Skyrim, and Shezarr in Cyrodiil. He convinced or contrived the Original Spirits (et'Ada) to bring about the creation of the Mundus, upsetting the status quo—much like his (figurative) father Padomay is usually credited for introducing instability, and hence possibility for creation, into the undivided universe (or the Beginning Place).

In the Platonic, Neopythagorean, Middle Platonic, and Neoplatonic schools of philosophy, the demiurge is an artisan-like figure responsible for fashioning and maintaining the physical universe. The Gnostics adopted the term demiurge. Although a fashioner, the demiurge is not necessarily the same as the creator figure in the monotheistic sense, because the demiurge itself and the material from which the demiurge fashions the universe are both considered consequences of something else. Depending on the system, they may be considered either uncreated and eternal or the product of some other entity.

The word demiurge is an English word derived from demiurgus, a Latinised form of the Greek δημιουργός or dēmiurgós. It was originally a common noun meaning "craftsman" or "artisan", but gradually came to mean "producer", and eventually "creator". The philosophical usage and the proper noun derive from Plato's Timaeus, written c. 360 BC, where the demiurge is presented as the creator of the universe. The demiurge is also described as a creator in the Platonic (c. 310–90 BC) and Middle Platonic (c. 90 BC – AD 300) philosophical traditions. In the various branches of the Neoplatonic school (third century onwards), the demiurge is the fashioner of the real, perceptible world after the model of the Ideas, but (in most Neoplatonic systems) is still not itself "the One". In the arch-dualist ideology of the various Gnostic systems, the material universe is evil, while the non-material world is good. According to some strains of Gnosticism, the demiurge is malevolent, as it is linked to the material world. In others, including the teaching of Valentinus, the demiurge is simply ignorant or misguided.

I think that by seeing these concepts side by side it will help make sense of it all. You can definitely research this further, and argue that specific parts of the lore are more directly related to other concepts, but from my limited understanding of theology/philosophy, this is a framework for understanding what the lore was based on, and the ideas that might otherwise go unconnected. If you can do better than me here, by all means, be better than me.

But this takes us to the secret question within all of this: How does this effect the setting? The answer to that is that it really doesn't. Knowing that the setting of The Elder Scrolls is the material world created by the Demiurge, separating its inhabitants from the Godhead, doesn't really change anything. After all, you can literally say the exact same thing about our world. The presence of these concepts in The Elder Scrolls setting should change how you appreciate it in roughly the same way that this school of thought existing in our own world changes your view on our setting.

If you thought this was interesting, I certainly agree with you. If you think this is all a bit too much, and don't want to think about it anymore, you won't be missing out on much by ignoring it going forward. If you want to explore different theories on this, you’re definitely free too, I hope you enjoy exploring your own thoughts on this subject.

#UESP #The Elder Scrolls #Lore #Real Life Lore

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7goodangel · 3 years

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FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) / Guidelines

~ 2021 Edition ~

Last Updated: 03/20/2021

(Note - This is also on dA - but the format on that version is not correct due to site changes)

-----

Any updated portion will be indicated by double asterisks (**) leading and ending section.

[TL;DR - Please at least read the answers to questions 6, 7, 9, 11 and 12]

This post is split to three separate sections:

Guidelines - Questions for permissions on character(s) and limits on said permissions.

General FAQ - Questions centered on 7goodangel.

Character Specific FAQ - Questions on individual characters.

-----

GUIDELINES

1.Q: Can I draw your character(s)?

A: Yes. Please credit myself in the description when you post it (and/or tag me if you post it to a platform I'm also on). Also refer to question 6.

2.Q: Can I write fan-fiction with your character(s)?

A: Yes. Please credit myself in the notes/description when you post it (and/or tag me if you post it to a platform I'm also on). Also refer to question 6.

3.Q: Can I have your permission to make an alternate version of your character?

A: Yes. Please take the time to read the full FAQ / Guidelines prior to creating your variation. And have fun!

4.Q: Can I voice act as [character] for comics / stories / etc?

A: Yes. Please refer to questions 5, 6 and 8 prior to publishing works.

5.Q: Can I be the official voice for [character]?

A: There will not be any official voices for characters I have made.

6.Q: Can I write / draw NSFW (Not Safe For Work) of character(s)?

A: No. Please do not post any variation of sexual NSFW including character(s) online. Do not show in detail on any acts that would require a 'fade to black' treatment. This includes but not limited to in$est, v0re, and r@pe. General violence - i.e. battles / fights - is allowed, however, please contact me for any additional questions regarding to this topic.

7.Q: I found NSFW art / story on [website / app] with your character(s) - what should I do?

A: If the website does not allow NSFW in any aspect, report the piece using the correct filter. If the website does allow, then please ignore the item. Do not report art / stories on my or any artist's behalf (i.e. saying you represent the original artist).

8.Q: Can we include a character(s) of yours in a project?

A: Yes, as long as there is no monetization. (Refer to question 9)

9.Q: Can I sell products / commissions / etc. with [character(s)] in it?

A: Depends - Please look at the list below for clarification. 1) One Time Products / Commissions: If a product is only created one time - i.e. a digital/traditional art commission or a one time custom plush - and is not sold in mass production, that is okay. There cannot be a dedicated page for a product with a character of mine - even if the item is labeled "Made to Order" or "Custom Plush [Character Name]" or similar variations. Refer to question 6 as well. 2) Mass Produced / Factory Made Products: No. Do not sell anything with any characters I've created that is massed produced. This includes but not limited to: TShirts produced on websites like RedBubble, Amazon, etc; Mass producing plushies either via factory or by hand (having many created prior to selling); Charms / Buttons / Stickers created in a factory to be sold. 3) Monetization of Videos / Patreon Support for Project / Kickstarter of Project: No. Do not include my character(s) in a project that is monetized. This includes but not limited to: dubbing comics / images / stories that I have created; dubbing comics / images / stories that include character(s) that are not fully distinguished from originals; creating a Patreon specifically around the project including character(s).

10.Q: Can I use [character(s)] as my icon?

A: Yes. Credit appropriately within your header / description (i.e. character by 7goodangel, art by [artist]).

11.Q: Can I repost your artwork to [website / app]?

A: No. Do not repost my artwork to other websites or apps.

12.Q: Can I do the lineart / color for a picture you've done traditionally / digitally sketched?

A: Please send me an ask on Tumblr or message me on dA if you plan to do this.

13.Q: Can I translate asks / facts about character(s) / etc to [language]?

A: Yes. Please give proper credit and links to original question.

14.Q: Can I create an ask/RP account for [character(s)]?

A: No. The only exception to this is if the version is a variation / alternate you've created or had permission for.

15.Q: Can I RP as [character(s)] in other ways?

A: You can RP as [character(s)] within private servers / chat rooms with prior noting that variation will not line up with original.

16.Q: Can we RP with [character(s)] in NSFW situations?

A: Refer to question 6.

GENERAL FAQ

17.Q: Where are you from?

A: Earth.

18.Q: Can we become friends?

A: There are no guarantees.

19.Q: How long have you been drawing?

A: Most of my life - but started to focus into current style in 2006.

20.Q: What programs / tools do you use for your drawings?

A: In the past, programs I used were Photoshop CS5 and Illustrator CS5. Currently, I use Clip Studio Paint. Traditional is mostly typical printer paper and mechanical pencils.

21.Q: Can you draw [character(s)]?

A: Not likely. If opened to suggestions - I may draw them if there is time. Please do not expect all suggestions to be fulfilled.

22.Q: What about pairings / ships?

A: I'm pretty neutral with most ships, except for dynamics like in$est, abusive or [adult x minor] (whether actual ages or coded like that). (Note: Exceptions can/is more than listed.). Though I typically ship in more of a friendship way verses romantic.

23.Q: Are you okay with the ship FreshPaper / PaperFresh / Fresh x Paper Jam?

A: I am fine with others shipping this. I have my own interpretations for this ship that are different from most. Refer to question 22.

CHARACTER SPECIFIC FAQ

24.Q: Is Paper Jam / Blue Screen a Sans?

A: No.

25.Q: Is there a biography for Paper Jam?

A: Yes. You can find here: https://www.deviantart.com/7goodangel/art/Paper-Jam-Bio-779347877

26.Q: Can we still use old design of Paper Jam?

A: Yes.

Note: Additional items can be added to this post, as well as edits.

#7faq #new-ish FAQ for the Tumblr!#now I can link to this one on my pinned post!#thank you dA for messing up your formatting... it's still over there -this is just formatted better XD #long post #(just in case someone doesn't want to see a long post)

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remembersaturday · 3 years

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Series Review- Æon Flux (1991-1995) Summary: Æon Flux is a mysterious and amoral secret agent from the country of Monica. Her motives or background are left unexplained, as are those of her antagonist/love, Trevor Goodchild. On her missions, she deals swift, bloody "justice" to all that oppose her. The second season episodes of this series were unique in that Aeon died at the end of every single episode. Genre: Adventure, Avant-garde, Science Fiction Created by: Peter Chung Composer: Drew Neumann Country of origin: United States No. of seasons: 3 No. of episodes: 21 (list of episodes) Executive producers: Japhet Asher, Abby Terkuhle Producer: Catherine Winder Production companies: Colossal Pictures, MTV Animation Distributor: MTV Networks Original network: MTV Picture format: NTSC Audio format: Stereo Original Release: November 30, 1991 – October 10, 1995 Voice cast: (list of cast members) Æon Flux ; at this point, for me, just exists as a piece of nostalgia. It's a piece of art that I didn't know I wanted until I had it and couldn't really appreciate until it was out of the MTV line-up. At the time when it first aired, it was unlike anything I had ever seen but because I was only about 9 or 10, I wasn't allowed to watch it. The episodes I was able to sneak and watch left me wanting more. I didn't really understand the show, it wasn't for my age group. The writing and the themes were too "grown up" and each episode seemed like it's own universe unto itself; but there was something special about it, something intriguing. The art style was weird and the characters had exaggerated features. It doesn't seem to be one continuous story but a bunch of stories centered around the main character; Æon Flux , and her arch-enemy/lover...Trevor Goodchild. They remain pretty much the same between episodes but the supporting cast and the overall scenario changes. I think that's why today it still sticks out in my memory. It was ahead of it's time. Nobody was really doing anything similar and even today there really aren't many shows I could even compare it to. Our first introduction to Æon Flux was part of the Liquid Television program on MTV. It was an animation showcase where you might have seen another classic...Bevis & Butthead. The first few episodes were extremely short and contained little or no dialogue during it's run time. Peter Chung was able to convey all the emotion, character motivation and information the viewers needed to stay on the channel with a silent protagonist, which impressive. The way the show is setup, it would have you believe that because Æon is the focal point of the show and Trevor Goodchild is presented as her counter-balance that she is the hero, she's the "good guy" and that he's the "bad guy", but it's not always that cut and dry in every scenario. Some times you will fight with what you're actually rooting for, you'll wonder if you've had their alignments backwards the whole time. They have kind of a Batman/Joker dynamic. They need each other. His totalitarian empire needs terrorism to justify his methods and she needs that empire to rebel against for her own selfish needs. The setting of this show is a dystopian society and some scenes are hard to watch even as an adult. Peter Chung seemingly didn't just want to you to see a dystopia and take you on a tour of a world unlike your own, he wanted you to feel it. He perfectly captures the pain and brutality of of such an environment which is often translated through ever changing supporting cast. For example; in episode 3, a woman named Sybil and her lover, Onan seek to cross the border from Bregna into Monica. Sybil makes an attempt but she is shot in the back by a turret completely destroying one of her vertebrae. She can now only stand up right by way of Goodchild's technology. Sybil discovers how Æon has been crossing the border but Goodchild warns her that Æon has been allowed to do this. Sybil doesn't listen and she makes a second attempt, she dodges the turrets but has her legs amputated by robots she helped manufacture. It's a heartbreaking view of what life is like for some people under Trevor’s tyranny. THE GOOD

The aesthetic of the show is maybe it’s most intriguing asset. I had never seen anything like it, I had never felt anything like this show. There was an ambiance too it. It wasn’t just an atypical art style, there was a whole atmosphere built around these stories. I didn’t just watch Æon Flux , I experienced it. It’s almost hard to put into words what watching this show is like.

The unorthodox approach storytelling is a hard sell, especially in an animated series and in the 90′s at that but in the general sense, it’s a breath of fresh air. It’s not linear, I don’t know where every episode is going. The writer doesn’t hold my hand or insult my intelligence. He doesn’t explain everything and he doesn’t need to. That’s part of what makes this show great, breaking it down and processing what i’m seeing for myself and drawing my own conclusions as to what everything means.

Because of the narrative structure of the show, characters have to be more expressive and more information has to be provided through facial expressions and subtle details. Some of the shorts don’t have any dialogue so the fact that people were so interested in those shorts that it became an actual series, says a lot about what Peter Chung is capable of.

THE BAD

The approach to storytelling isn’t for everyone. They don’t really build this ongoing story about Æon. It’s kind of hard to follow. You have to see every episode too because if you miss one then you missed a scenario completely, they won’t revisit it in another episode.

I give Æon Flux an 8.9 out of 10 CULT CLASSIC

#Æon Flux #Aeon Flux #Trevor Goodchild #Weird #MTV #Liquid TV #Liquid Television #MTV Animation #Animation #Animated Series #Cult Classic #Dystopia #Series Review #Peter Chung #Avant-Garde #Cyberpunk #Gnostism

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itsauthorvikram · 3 years

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15 Free self-publishing companies you can choose

There are so many self-publishing services and choices today for new authors.

However, you need to be aware that there are not many truly free book publishing companies.

There are a lot of vanity press publishers that charge a lot of money to publish your book.

You need to beware of offers that seem to be too good to be true.

On top of that, there are also self-publishing services that charge a fee to help you publish your book.

These can sometimes become very expensive, especially if you have to pay a monthly subscription.

For new authors, the best advice is to use reliable and reputable publishing companies that offer free self-publishing with no strings attached.

In my list below, you will find the best choices for publishing ebooks as well as paperback books.

The best choices for ebooks

The following companies offer free self-publishing for ebooks.

Add your book to Whizbuzz Books

For new authors, it is the easiest way to publish a new book.

With these services, you are not charged to publish your ebook, and you will be paid royalties for every copy you sell.

1. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)

Without a doubt, Amazon KDP is the first choice for most new authors.

KDP offers totally free self-publishing for ebooks, and it is very easy to use.

All you need to do is upload your manuscript file in Word and your ebook cover.

When your ebook goes on sale, you will earn 70% royalties for ebooks priced over $2.99. But for books under that price, you will only earn 35%.

Because Amazon has the largest market share for book sales, it will almost always be your first choice.

2. Apple Books

Coming in at number two is Apple Books.

It used to be called iBooks, but the name change has made no difference.

Apple still ranks second for ebook market share.

Again, it’s easy to publish your ebook. If you are a Mac user, you can upload directly from Apple Pages.

Apple offers a few advantages over Amazon KDP.

Firstly, you will earn 70% royalties on all your ebooks regardless of the price.

You can also offer your ebook for free. This is not possible on Amazon.

Another benefit is for ebooks with lots of images. Unlike KDP, Apple does not charge a file download delivery fee.

3. Barnes & Noble Press

Barnes & Noble Press is the new name for Nook Press.

It offers similar free ebook publishing conditions to Apple. You will earn 70% on your ebook sales.

If you used Nook Press in the past, you will notice a lot of improvements in the new platform.

It’s now much easier to use.

4. Kobo Writing Life

You have probably heard of Kobo Books. It is a popular ebook retailer, especially in markets outside the US and UK.

The big advantage of publishing with Kobo is that it says it distributes its ebook catalog to online retailers in 190 countries.

Kobo Writing Life is the self-publishing arm of Kobo Books.

It is free to self-publish your ebook, and the conditions are very similar to Apple and Barnes & Noble.

However, like Amazon, you will get reduced royalties for ebooks priced under $2.99.

5. StreetLib

StreetLib uses a slightly different pricing model.

You can self-publish your ebook for free, but StreetLib will charge 10% of the cover price for each sale.

But you will need to do your own calculations to see if this is viable for you.

6. Xinxii

It might sound Asian, but Xinxii is a German self-publishing service.

Its royalty tiers are 70% for ebooks over $2.95 and 40% for lower prices.

One big advantage for some authors is that you don’t need a tax ID number to get paid.

You can also publish under various pen names and in different languages.

7. PublishDrive

I have to mention PublishDrive, even though it offers mostly paid publishing packages.

But it does offer a free service called Abacus. With it, you can publish your first ebook for free.

Any additional titles will cost you $2.99 per month.

Ebook aggregators

If you want to avoid all the hassles of publishing on different retailer platforms, an ebook aggregator is the best solution.

You only need to publish once, and you can make your ebook available on many ebook retailers and also libraries.

Generally, you will receive a slightly lower royalty rate of around 60% for the convenience of one-stop publishing.

8. Draft2Digital

If you want an easy way to self-publish your ebook, Draft2Digital will be for you.

You can read my full review to find out why. You can distribute your ebook to a long list of online ebook retailers.

One feature I love is that you can use templates to style your ebooks beautifully.

9. Smashwords

As one of the pioneers of ebooks, Smashwords is a favorite of many self-publishing authors.

One advantage is that it has its own online bookstore that is popular with many readers.

But with its premium catalog, you can distribute your ebook to a long list of both ebook retailers and libraries.

Free paperback self-publishing

I have to start by saying that there can be some costs because a paperback book is a physical product.

But with the following self-publishing companies, it’s free to publish, but you will have to pay for physical proof copies.

You can refer to the FAQs for each service to find the cost of producing and shipping proof copies.

But you will have to either pay or be charged the production costs each time you sell a book.

10. Amazon KDP

For many years, Createspace was the service to use for free paperback self-publishing.

However, Amazon closed it down and now offers print-on-demand paperback self-publishing from its KDP platform.

But the big advantage is that if you want to avoid any costs, you can view an online proof of your book.

You can then approve it for sale without incurring costs for physical proof copies.

11. Blurb

You can create both paperback and hardcover versions of your book with Blurb.

Once your book is ready, you can then make it available on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

While it’s free to create your book, you will have to pay for the copies that you want to sell.

12. IngramSpark

Ingram is one of the biggest book distributors in the world.

IngramSpark is part of this group, so it makes sense to consider using it to self-publish your book.

There are lots of choices for book sizes, quality, and styles.

13. BookBaby

BookBaby has been around for a long while.

Whatever type of book you want to publish, it’s a great service.

You can publish children’s books, cookbooks, fiction, and nonfiction.

14. Lulu

Lulu is one of the original print-on-demand services.

It offers similar services to Bookbaby, but you might want to compare.

15. Barnes & Noble Press

Following the change from Nook Press, Barnes & Noble Press now offer print-on-demand self-publishing.

If you have a US readership, it might be a good choice.

Conclusion

If you only want to publish an ebook, you have plenty of choices of companies offering self-publishing for free.

For paperbacks and hardcover books, you can certainly publish for free, but you will always have production costs per copy.

With so many choices, you are sure to find a solution that works for you.

But for most new authors, you will certainly choose Amazon KDP to publish your ebook.

You can make it available on the Kindle Store, and perhaps on Kindle Unlimited by enrolling in KDP Select.

If you would like your ebook to be available on other retailers such as Apple Books, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble, it’s easier to use an aggregator.

For paperback books, Amazon is probably the best free option if you choose to accept an online proof of your book before publishing.

But if you want to go wider and have your book available in as many stores as possible, IngramSpark is the best solution.

One final word of advice for new authors.

Be very careful if you get an unsolicited offer from a publisher you don’t know.

There are a lot of publishing scams and sharks out there today.

You have no shortage of choice for free self-publishing, and you can trust the reputable publishers I have listed above.

#author #writers #writing #publishing #self publishing #traditional publishing #books & libraries #book publishing

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otonymous · 4 years

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Kissed By The Baddest CEO (MLQC Victor x KBTBB - NSFW)

Description: Old flames and prospective lovers threaten to derail your budding romance with Victor before it even begins. How will you extricate yourselves from a web of misunderstandings?

Warnings:

NSFW/18+: Explicit/graphic language — reader discretion is advised. Potential Trigger Warnings: profanity, jealousy, angst, exes, mentions of alcohol, bone fetishes, rough sex, 69 sex position (oral sex), mirror sex, vaginal intercourse, swallowing, size kink

Mild spoilers for Victor’s family history (MLQC); slight bending of MLQC & KBTBB canon universes via creation of original side character

Word Count: ~10K words (please set aside a good chunk of time for some fluff, angst and smut 🤣)

Author’s Notes:

First of all, a GIANT thank you to the super gracious @lin-ful for commissioning this Victor piece from me. You are an absolute joy to work with and I really appreciate the fact that you gave me carte blanche to basically do whatever I wanted 🤣 I really hope you enjoy the read! (P.S. I would never be so sadistic as to ever make you choose between Victor and Eisuke, so please rest easy 😆)

This story is especially significant to me as a writer because it represents the culmination of a number of milestones: the first time I’ve created an original character, my first attempt at writing a crossover story, the first time I’ve written in both first- and second-person perspectives. It is also the longest single piece I’ve ever written. That being said, please note the warnings listed above and happy reading! 😊

Nb. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Chapter 1: Hello Diana

“Really Vic, I thought you were beyond name calling by now.”

Her voice is sultry and low, smooth in your ears like the whiskey in her tumbler. Completely at ease in a couture Givenchy pantsuit that likely cost more than one of your production budgets, she sat with her legs elegantly crossed in a leather armchair, tipping her glass to vermillion lips. And as the flames danced in the imposing marble fireplace of one of Shanghai’s oldest and most exclusive supper clubs, they reflected off an enormous ruby ring gracing her middle finger.

Victor scoffs, taking a sip of his own whisky and glancing at you as you follow suit with the virgin cocktail he ordered on your behalf while you were in the restroom.

He was so infuriating at times, but at least it wasn’t warmed milk.

“First of all, you weren’t meant to hear that. Secondly, I hardly consider ‘dummy’ name calling. Far worse exists when it comes to options, as I'm sure you can attest to, Diana. You’ve used quite a few in your day.”

Amusement spreads across her fine features as she throws her head back in laughter, the sound enticing even as it disrupts the low chatter in the room. However, none of the men looking her way seemed to mind. She was brimming with so much joie de vivre that even you weren’t immune to her charms, smiling despite the anxiety that sat heavy in your chest from the very moment Victor introduced you to Diana Shum that evening.

You didn’t quite know why you felt ill at ease, especially towards someone who was doing you a favour by brokering a major deal on behalf of your company. Well, more like doing Victor a favour, since he was the one who made the request. Perhaps this was how all men felt in the presence of such a woman: elegantly confident and unapologetically vivacious, drawing attention everywhere she went.

“Are you still dredging up stories from our Oxford days, Victor? Not very gentlemanly of you. How do you put up with him?” Diana turns to wink at you and the spotlight of her attention makes you feel like the only other person in the room. “Let me assure you those boys deserved every insult in the book; one-track minds and transparent to boot. They should consider themselves lucky I even acknowledged their sad existence.”

“Di, you made the Prime Minister’s son cry. You should’ve seen those puffy eyes the next morning at the swim meet against Cambridge."

Victor raises his brows, subtle amusement colouring his expression. And simple though it was, the sight of his handsome face so transformed by the faint smile on his lips made your heart race.

No, there’s no way. It’s probably just the fatigue catching up to you. The flight to Shanghai from Loveland City must’ve been more taxing than you initially thought, even though Victor had graciously offered to let you hitch a ride on his private jet. You place a hand on your chest, trying to calm the frenzied rhythm of your heart. The gesture goes unnoticed by Diana but Victor throws a worried glance in your direction. You smile to ease his concerns. He furrows his brows.

“Oh please, I should’ve ripped him a new one with the way he tried to get frisky on our date. He’s lucky I didn’t call Soryu to deal with him and his wandering hands.”

A sudden change seeps into Victor’s eyes, dark irises softening as if focused on something miles away. “Soryu. How is your cousin doing, by the way?”

Diana leans back, taking another sip of her drink. “You’ll see for yourself soon enough. I take it you are accompanying this lovely producer to Tokyo to meet with Eisuke and wherever the Ichinomiya heir is, Soryu isn’t far behind. In all honesty though, Vic, surely you would know better than I. Weren’t the three of you thick as thieves during prep school?”

You perk up at the topic of Victor’s childhood. It was a rare chance to learn about the formative years of this stone-faced man before he became the slave driver of Loveland Financial Group.

“I was only there for a year and a half with Soryu and Eisuke before…before my mother passed. My father sent for me shortly afterwards. I haven't seen them since.”

Deep voice trailing off, Victor’s gaze shifts to the fireplace where it remains, as if hypnotized by the flicker of orange flames. And as the silence stretches on, you become disconcerted to see him so uncharacteristically lost in his thoughts. You reach out to touch him but Diana beats you to it, laying a delicate hand on top of his much larger one as it rests on the leather armrest.

The gesture is ridiculously small for how much it blindsides you — the sight of her hand on Victor’s dazzling like the light reflecting off her ruby ring.

He blinks at the touch, long lashes fluttering in the split-second it takes for him to compose himself and suddenly, the unflappable CEO is back again.

“I’m sorry, it’s been a long day and we should probably call it a night. But you have my thanks, Diana, for setting up this meeting with the Ichinomiya Group.”

It was Diana’s turn to scoff. “Can we please dispense with the formalities, Victor? Soryu mentioned Eisuke was having difficulty finding the right people to make this documentary on the anniversary of his Tres Spades Tokyo hotel, so it was serendipity that we bumped into each while on business in London. It’s a win-win situation. Meant to be.”

Meant to be.

There is a spark of something in Diana’s eyes when she makes that last statement. It stays with you long after you part ways with Victor for the night, lying awake in your hotel room as you wondered whether the LFG CEO was already asleep in his.

Chapter 2: SOS

“You’re awfully quiet. Should I take this to mean that you already know everything about Eisuke Ichinomiya and his chain of luxury hotels?"

Victor speaks without raising his head, leafing through the documents on his lap and stopping periodically to leave his signature with the same gold pen that marked up your reports. Its barrel glowed warm, reflecting the soft lights of the cabin of his private jet, en route to Tokyo from Shanghai.

Letting out a shaky breath, you try to steel yourself despite the rising heat in your cheeks. Because after a night spent tossing and turning in your hotel room, you arrived at a conclusion so absurd it could only be true:

You were in love with Victor Li.

Against all odds, the bane of your life had become your biggest ally and mentor. All the pieces of the square puzzle that was the LFG CEO had fallen into place to form one coherent and beautiful picture:

His exacting demands transformed into standards of excellence, his workaholism a paragon of commitment and dedication.

And though you were loathe to admit it, each soft utterance of “dummy” leaving his lips made the corners of yours turn up in the goofiest of grins.

Oh god, how did it ever come to this?! Where and when along the rocky path of your working relationship with the slave driver did you fall in love with him? But that wasn’t even the worst of it. If your intuition about the previous night’s events served you well, the beautiful Diana Shum was also enamoured of him.

You turn to Victor, meaning to inform him with utmost confidence that you had already conducted extensive research on the Ichinomiya Group’s charismatic CEO and his chain of casino hotels. You even thought to throw in a snarky reminder that he himself had been marginally impressed with the presentation you gave on the topic back in Loveland City.

“Are you close to Diana Shum?”

Was NOT what had you meant to ask. Especially in a voice that cracked like a 12 year old pubescent boy’s. And if there was a way by which you could’ve drowned in a bottle of water, you would’ve gladly done so. Instead, you settle for gulping it down, trying to keep your stupid mouth from spewing more nonsense in front of the man who was your de facto boss.

“Ahem.” Victor clears his throat, long legs uncrossing as he shifts in his seat. Out of the corner of your eye, you catch the muscles of that chiseled jaw settling firm.

“I-I’m so sorry. It’s none of my business. You don’t have to answer-"

“I’ve known her for a while, if that’s what you’re asking. She’s a classmate from university and also a cousin of a friend of mine from prep school, as you’ve probably gathered from yesterday’s conversation. Since graduation, she’s taken over her father’s role as CEO of Shum Property Developments and we’ve partnered periodically on various business ventures…”

He continues and you nod at the appropriate times, half listening as a million thoughts filtered through your head: your surprise at how unusually verbose Victor was being, the relief you felt to see that he was as determined to avoid your gaze as you were his. Because the truth was that the longer he went on about Diana — so beautiful, polished and charming that you couldn’t find it in yourself to hate her even if you tried — the harder it was to keep the clouds from darkening your face. And when Victor says,

“Not like it has any bearing on anything now, but we also dated for a short period of time…”

…It hurts to breathe.

Finally turning in your direction, Victor fixes you with a scrutinizing gaze. “Why do you ask?”

“Oh, um, I just…wanted to know a bit more about the person who helped me and my company. So I can better thank her later.”

You speak without meeting his eyes, hoping to placate him with a quick smile as you pretend to rummage through your purse. Thankfully, he drops the topic, returning to his documents. And though the rest of the plane ride is spent in near silence, the thoughts in your head have never been so loud.

Chapter 3: Sexy Bones [Victor]

She wore that dress today. The same one she had on when she impudently stormed my office to insist that I give her company a final chance before pulling funding:

Fitted to conform to every curve, yet formal enough to be professional. Beautifully sensual in her usual understated way. My favourite shade of red.

“It’s my go-to outfit when I need a confidence boost,” she told me once in between bites of pudding at Souvenir.�� “It makes me feel like a queen, like I can do no wrong. Perfect for business meetings I just have to nail, you know?”

“Dummy,” I had said then, feigning dismissiveness so she wouldn’t pick up on the way my eyes kept drifting towards her lips, so soft and plush I couldn’t help but wonder if her kisses would carry a hint of caramel sweetness.

It was true that the girl could be incredibly dense at times, playing at being queen when she already ruled my heart. Or how oblivious she was to the fact that the British doctor was completely smitten with her during today’s meeting at the Tres Spades Tokyo hotel.

Dr. Luke Foster.

Completely absorbed in reading through what looked to be like a stack of medical journals, Dr. Foster had largely ignored us while Eisuke and Soryu made quick work of introducing the eclectic mix of other associates in the room:

Ota Kisaki, the so-called “Angelic Artist” whose work I was well-acquainted with, having previously spent a small fortune on his painting, Koro of My Kokoro.

Baba Mitsunari, a charming man whose handsome features were made all the more striking by the black fedora and red suit he wore. The girl pointed out that he bore an uncanny resemblance to the cashier we saw at a convenience store earlier that day and I had to agree.

They glossed over a man named Mamoru Kishi, apparently sound asleep in one corner of the room with his face covered by a newspaper and a full ashtray by his side.

Finally, they came to Luke Foster, a blond-haired man with the air of an English gentleman. Eisuke explained that Dr. Foster was the hotel’s on-site physician as well as a fellow alumnus of our prep school, apparently having left for reasons no one wanted to articulate the year before I transferred in.

And when the doctor finally looked up at us from his readings, his eyes took on an almost maniacal quality to see the girl standing by my side.

“Those proportions, those angles….perfect…absolutely perfect!” He exclaimed as if in a daze, standing up suddenly and causing the reading materials to spill from his lap in the process.

He looked completely unhinged, almost like a zombie as he reached out a pale hand towards her collarbones of all places. I stepped in front of her on reflex, only to have the doctor fix me with a piercing gaze as if he had just become aware of my existence and found it thoroughly offensive.

“Annnnd there he goes again,” Ota’s tone was one of exasperation, but there was no mistaking the amusement in the smirk that spread wide across his face.

“Ooh, Lu’s got a new victim! Maybe now he can finally stop staring at the Boss’s girl every time she comes in to clean the penthouse!” Baba chimes in, fingers stroking at his chin as if hatching some mischievous plan.

“Will the lot of ya shaddup!? I’m tryin’ to sleep over here…zzz…” The man with the papers over his head gave a muffled shout before promptly rolling over onto his side.

Soryu just sighed, running a hand over his face. And just when I began to worry that the girl was scared out of her wits, having wandered into this strange den of wolves, she surprised me by chuckling under her breath.

Did the dummy find this funny?

“Tch, ignore them, Victor. Let’s just get on with the presentation,” Eisuke said as he took his seat at the head of a long table. The girl straightened up and immediately got to work, transforming into the consummate professional she always was when it came down to business. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride as I watched her nail her pitch.

Taking a surreptitious glance around at her rapt audience, I stopped at Luke. The intensity of the doctor's stare made me uneasy, the way those blue-grey eyes hovered above the scooped neckline of her red dress, tracing along her collarbones as if he were caressing them with his gaze alone. I mentally berated myself for not putting my suit jacket over her shoulders before she got up there.

And though it was spoken under his breath, Dr. Foster’s murmur of “sexy bones” rang loud and clear in my ears.

Chapter 4: In A (Traffic) Jam [Victor]

“Victor, you won’t believe my luck! Not only did we cinch the Ichinomiya account, I also found the perfect candidate to appear on our Mystery Finder show!”

The girl was practically breathless on the other end of the line, words jumbling together as they came a mile a minute. And though her enthusiasm is as infectious as it is adorable, I remind myself to play it cool. “Really. And who might that be?”

“Dr. Foster!”

HONK!

I swerve back into my lane on reflex, narrowly avoiding an accident as the driver next to me flips me the bird before speeding away. My heart raced, beating fiercely against the cage of my chest, but it had little to do with my near brush with death.

At this moment, I was more concerned with a man who looked like Death himself.

“Oh my god, Victor, what was that? Are you okay?” The concern in her voice is palpable and it makes me think of how kind and tenderhearted she is, of how easily someone could exploit that to their advantage. “This is a bad time, isn’t it? I’m so sorry, I’ll call you ba-”

“Don’t worry about it, just some idiot not paying attention on the road. And what's this about, ahem, Dr. Foster?" The name itself was unsavoury, sticking in my throat until I spat it out. I hoped the vitriol escaped her notice.

“Okay Victor, get this: it’s like the man has X-ray vision!”

She whispers for dramatic effect, and my grip tightens on the steering wheel as I picture those slate grey eyes sweeping over the curves of her body, a lewd expression falling over the doctor’s features. He was a handsome enough man, that much was true; intelligent and a first-rate surgeon according to Eisuke and Soryu. Goldman confirmed as much when I had him dig up all available information on Luke Foster. On that basis alone, many women would find him to be an extremely attractive suitor and ludicrous though it is, I can’t help but think the worst. Luke had been quite open in his admiration of her, especially her collarbones. What if she returned the sentiment?

In retrospect, it was a horrible idea to leave her to her work (and that wolf) in Tokyo while I returned to mine in Loveland City. While she had the company of her coworkers, clearly none of them sensed the danger in Luke Foster that I did. I no longer had the right to call her a dummy when I was obviously the idiot here.

“I’m telling you Victor, he can just look at somebody and tell you everything about their bone structure. It’s too accurate to just be guesswork! Apparently, he can remember anyone he's ever laid eyes on based on their bones. It’s incredible. I’d love for Professor Lucien to meet him. If only he had the time to fly out to Tokyo…”

The girl continues and I catch sight of my furrowed brows in the rear-view mirror, deepening the longer she goes on and on about men who weren’t me.

“…He’s already agreed to be a guest on the show! But…he did make a rather strange request."

For a moment, I can barely breathe. The skin over my knuckles blanches as it stretches tight, my grip on the wheel growing harder as I brace for unwelcome news. God knows what she would’ve agreed to in my absence. Filled with a sense of dread, I had to know all the same. “Which was?…”

She pauses, the hitch in her breath subtle but speaking volumes nonetheless.

“Just say it, dummy.” I soften my tone in encouragement though my mind was already racing, thinking of all the ways my legal team could dissolve a contract should the girl have already signed papers.

“Well, he…he asked if he could examine my body in lieu of payment for appearing on the show. You should’ve seen him! He was so desperate he was practically begging and I…I just couldn't say no."

MOTHERFUCK!

Chapter 5: Role Model

“STUPID VICTOR LI!”

You had meant to throw the rolled-up magazine in dramatic rock star fashion, sending it flying across your suite at the Tres Spades Tokyo hotel to give at least a resounding smack as it hits the wall. Instead, it flutters to the carpeted floor, barely a few feet from where you lay sprawled out on a bed much too large for a single person.

And from the surface of that glossy cover, Victor’s handsome face — all sharp eyes and chiseled jaw - staring up at you from beneath a headline that read: "Man On Top: How Victor Li Conquered The Business World.”

Man on top. What a tease if there ever was one — especially since you’ve developed the recent habit of falling asleep to the fantasy of having the broad expanse of Victor’s muscular chest hovering over you.

“The only thing he should be on top of is ME!”

Your voice echoes in the room, empty save for you. Even still, your cheeks burned from embarrassment over the absurdity of your current situation. Victor Li didn’t belong to you. Not when he had someone like Diana in his life.

Victor and Diana. Diana and Victor. A perfect match regardless of how the pieces fit. And for an instant, your anger flares to remember the nonchalance in Victor’s voice when he told you that their past history as lovers had no bearing on the present, as if they didn’t look like they belonged together when you saw them just now in the lobby of the hotel, moments after you purchased the magazine with Victor’s face gracing the cover from one of the shops.

Practically ecstatic in your surprise to see him there at the Tres Spades, you were just about to call out to him when his name died in your throat, choked by the sight of the woman at his side. Victor was escorting Diana to a limo waiting just beyond the revolving doors. And the last thing you saw before the chauffeur pulled away was the two of them slipping into the vehicle together.

He hadn’t even told you he was coming to Tokyo.

It was only after you became aware of the fact that you were blocking the entrance to the shop that you recovered from the shock, murmuring apologies as you pulled yourself together just enough to make your way back to the safety of your hotel room.

Rising up off the bed, your feet sink into the lush carpeting as you pad over to where the magazine lay. You pick it up and smooth out the crinkles, fingers tracing the outline of Victor’s profile as you do — gentle, as if you were touching the man himself. And when your nose begins to tingle, you know it won’t be long before you feel the familiar sting of tears behind your eyes.

“Think you could stop being so nice to me, Victor? You’ll give a girl the wrong impression.”

Heaving a sigh, you slip the magazine beneath a pillow on the bed. A quick glance at the clock on the bedside table told you it was almost time for your dinner date with Dr. Foster. Sitting around moping wasn’t an option, at least not tonight. Lightly slapping your cheeks, you push the image of Victor and Diana out of your head and get ready to step into the shower.

Chapter 6: Hard To Swallow [Victor]

“I’m glad you remembered that you owe me a dinner, Victor Li. And though I practically had to drag you to this restaurant, I guess the means don’t really matter if the end result is the same. But still, what a lucky coincidence that we bumped into each other again at the Tres Spades of all places. Now that’s something to drink to.”

Diana holds up her glass, Cabernet Sauvignon swirling as it meets mine with a delicate clink. Under the table, the tip of her stiletto pushes against my oxfords before sliding past my ankle, inching its way up my leg. I pull away, watching those red lips spread into a smile as I do.

“You might be the first man who’s ever been able to resist me. Has anyone ever told you you’re one stubborn asshole?”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

She laughs at that, taking another sip of her wine before setting it down. “So, tell me about her.”

“Her?” I focus on cutting into my Kobe beef, already aware that Diana will see through my bluff. She always did.

“Surely there must be another woman if you keep turning me down over and over again, Victor. A girl has her pride too, you know.”

“We are not getting back together, Diana.”

“Tsk, you’re no fun, Vic. All work and no play, all the time. I’ll have to remind myself of that the next time I start entertaining thoughts of calling you up again.”

She pouts, but it isn’t long before her eyes take on that familiar spark of mischief as she continues.

“But seriously, tell me about your cute little producer. That is the girl you keep rejecting me for, I presume. I need to know about the woman who’s finally managed to infiltrate the entirety of Victor Li’s notoriously impenetrable heart. She must be quite the lover if she’s got you wrapped around her little finger like that, pulling strings with all your friends left, right and centre.”

It annoys me to no end that the mere mention of the girl is enough to reduce me to a swooning idiot. I fight to keep the smile off my face.

“You’ve got the wrong idea. She’s not my lover.”

Diana begins to protest, but her words are lost on me because I’ve stopped listening. In fact, the only thing I can hear is the blood rushing in my ears, propelled by the adrenaline racing through my veins to see him enter the restaurant.

Dr. Luke Foster.

WITH MY DUMMY, NO LESS.

And my dummy looks…absolutely gorgeous. Her hair is done up, leaving her graceful neck and collarbones exposed in a little black dress I’ve never seen her wear before, I realize with not an insignificant amount of jealousy.

But wait…collarbones?!

Sure enough, that surgeon is staring at her clavicle like some kind of pervert. The sight alone incites the beginnings of a dull throbbing in my temples, no doubt exacerbated by the vice-like clench of my jaws.

I follow them with my gaze as they are led to a table for two; fixate on Luke’s face even as the sommelier arrives to make his recommendations to the pair. The doctor stares at my girl like he couldn’t care less about the meal, as if the only thing he hungered for was precisely what I myself had desired for so long: the woman. And she—

Just looked my way.

Surprise etches itself onto her beautiful features — the brows I had dreamt of one day lightly running a fingertip over while she sleeps lifting into a delicate arch. And why shouldn’t she be surprised? I had given her no indication that I had rushed over to Tokyo from Loveland City as soon as I heard what Luke had requested of her.

But there is no nod of acknowledgement, no smile in greeting. Just her, looking away as if she hadn’t seen me at all, her smile apologetic when she retrains her attention on the doctor. And while it was only for a fraction of a second, I could have sworn her eyes carried a hint of sorrow.

Or perhaps I’m projecting.

Because her obvious avoidance feels like a rebuff, a sucker punch to the gut. She’s never blatantly ignored me like that, no matter how wound up she was even during those times when I verbally tore her sub-par proposals to shreds. The feeling of rejection sits heavy on my chest, the tie around my neck much too tight.

“Victor, are you all right?”

Diana’s voice cuts through my thoughts. She is looking at me curiously. I reach for my glass of wine, suddenly feeling like I was on the verge of choking. “Of course, what could possibly be wrong?”

“ ‘What’s wrong’ is the fact that you haven’t listened to a single word I’ve said for the past ten minutes. Even if there’s no chance we’ll ever get back together again as you so adamantly insist, the least you could do is pay attention to the person you’re sharing a meal with.”

I take a deep breath, more than a little disconcerted by the girl’s ability to affect me. “Of course. My apologies, you’re absolutely right. Please, continue.”

Across the candlelit table, I look Diana in the eye, resolved to keep up at least the pretence of being interested in what she had to say when all I wanted to do was storm the table where Luke sat with my girl. With each sideways glance in their direction, my grip tightened on my utensils to see them chatting, seemingly engrossed in the world’s most interesting conversation.

And when she hands over a manila envelope to the doctor, my heart skips a beat.

Could it be…marriage documents?!

One tiny corner of my brain berates me for how ridiculous I am being but when it comes to her, I simply can’t help it, and the fantasy in which I casually stroll over, flip the table onto Luke Foster and steal my girl away in a bridal carry becomes so vivid in my mind’s eye, it almost seems like a good idea.

Diana excuses herself to use the restroom and I pounce on the opportunity to send the dummy a text:

“MEET ME AT THE BAR IN THE TRES SPADES HOTEL IN AN HOUR. DON’T BE LATE.”

Chapter 7: Choked Up

“Is there something wrong, Dr. Foster? You haven’t touched your meal.”

You do your best to school your expression into one of polite neutrality as you take in the strange sight of the pale, blond-haired man shaking out an alarming number of pills onto the palm of his hand, tapping loudly on a bottle seemingly produced out of nowhere. He pops them all into his mouth at once and you pray you won’t have to perform the Heimlich maneuver as he chases them down with a few gulps of water.

A smile spreads across the doctor’s lips as his eyes fall upon your collarbones once more. You were used to feeling like a third wheel by now, even when alone with Luke Foster, given his penchant for carrying on conversations while staring intently at your bones. But you took no offence at his behaviour, especially after Baba’s attempts to give you insight into Luke’s peculiar mannerisms:

“Try not to take it personal, Miss. Lu will look at anyone who’s got beautiful collarbones. It’s a well-known fact that he’s obsessed with the boss’s - he's even framed the X-ray films of Eisuke’s bones. He likely just wants yours to add to his collection.”

Strange though it was, the request that Luke be allowed to have X-rays films of your collarbones in exchange for appearing on Miracle Finder was innocent enough. Certainly nothing that warranted the stony silence you received on the other end of the line when you called Victor the other day to tell him that Dr. Foster wanted to examine you. After a brusque “I have to go,” he had hung up. No goodbyes, not even a mutter of “dummy.”

But Luke Foster had been nothing short of a perfect gentleman, never once laying a hand on you. Moreover, he even insisted on paying for tonight’s meal despite the fact that you had invited him as thanks for appearing on the show.

“Please, just call me Luke. Vitamins and water are all I need to survive. I only ordered because Eisuke said it might be awkward if you seemed to be the only one dining.”

“I-I see.” You smile, taking another bite of wagyu. And for a moment, you are too wrapped up in the blissful way it seemed to melt on your tongue to be disconcerted by the strange events of the evening.

You weren’t, however, too distracted to continue throwing surreptitious glances in Victor’s direction, fighting to keep composed each time Diana’s laughter carried over to your table. What were the chances that you’d find yourselves at the same restaurant in all of Tokyo? You know that he knows you are here; even Chik couldn’t put on a performance convincing enough for the LFG CEO to believe for a second that you didn’t see him.

With your dismal acting skills, you definitely didn’t stand a chance.

“You’re in love with him.”

COUGH, COUGH!

You clear the steak lodged in the back of your throat with a few hacking coughs, half of your face hidden behind your napkin as you tried to be as discreet as possible, the words “Death by Wagyu” flashing through your mind. After soothing your throat with a sip of wine, you ask:

“I beg your pardon?”

“You’re in love with that man sitting just over there with the woman dressed in red. That Victor fellow who accompanied you to that first meeting with Eisuke.”

For someone who seemed to pay very little attention to matters that didn’t concern bones, Luke Foster was surprisingly perceptive. Or maybe you weren’t as discrete as you thought you were and it was obvious to all but yourself that you were staring at the golden couple.

“I…how did you...what makes you—”

“Please pass this message on to him for me. If he doesn’t treat your collarbones with the respect they deserve, he can’t blame me for swooping in to take his place.”

Then, for the very first time that night, Luke Foster looks you in the eye, the intensity in blue-grey irises making your breath hitch when he says: “Until then, I hope you find happiness with him, Sexy Bones — especially since he also seems to be exceedingly fond of you. Quite the annoyance, really.”

And for the very first time that night, you smile freely, naturally, at Luke, blushing hard as you contemplate his words. Suddenly bashful, you drop your gaze only to catch sight of the manila envelope you brought with you. You pass it across the table to him.

“Here. Your payment for agreeing to appear on Miracle Finder.”

The expression on Luke’s face can best be described as euphoric when he takes the films from you, momentarily excusing himself from the table as he murmurs something about requiring brighter lighting to examine them.

That is when you hear the buzz of your phone from inside your purse. And when you finally fish it out, you see a single text from Victor, commanding as always:

“MEET ME AT THE BAR IN THE TRES SPADES HOTEL IN AN HOUR. DON’T BE LATE.”

Chapter 8: Green-Eyed Monsters [Victor]

“Another whiskey on the rocks for you, Sir?”

I nod to the bartender, watching as he chips away at a block of ice to produce a perfect crystalline sphere — still spinning in the glass when he pours the amber spirit over it like a libation. It almost takes my mind off the fact that the girl is late. By exactly ten minutes, according to my watch. And for a moment, I’m gripped by a sense of panic when I consider the possibility that she might not come.

She never did answer my text though I knew she saw it — having witnessed her reaching into her purse to pull out her phone seconds after I sent the message. And while the logical part of my brain is telling me I’m being an absolute idiot, worst-case scenarios are already running through my head: the girl is side-swiped by a car while crossing the street, or somehow managed to fall into an open manhole and is currently standing knee-deep in sewage.

Or maybe she is pinned to the wall in a dark corner somewhere, hemmed in on either side by the gifted hands of a world-class surgeon by the name of Luke Foster.

I lift the glass to my lips, too impatient to even savour the smooth burn of the drink as I reach for my phone to send her another text. That is when I see her:

Cheeks flushed and chest gently heaving as if she had rushed to get here. An errant lock of hair falling from her up-do, framing that beautiful face like I had dreamt so many times of doing with the palm of my hand.

She makes her way towards me in that dimly lit bar, and though I’m aware of the faint ticking of the second hand of my watch, time may as well have stood still. Because I could have lived in that moment forever, gazing upon the light in her eyes as if they held every last star in the sky, as if those heavenly bodies had fallen just for her in precisely the same way I had: deeply, irrevocably.

And I know there is no turning back.

“Victor, sorry I’m late! What are you doing here in Tok—”

“Why did you ignore me?” My voice comes out stern, even to my ears, and I curse myself for losing my cool around her yet again. The girl furrows her brows, eyes dropping from my face to the half-empty glass of whiskey sitting on the counter. And when she looks up again, something in her countenance has changed — soft surprise giving way to a hardened expression.

“If it’s the text you’re referring to, I’m here now, aren’t I?”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.”

She looks away, refusing to meet my gaze as she perches on the stool beside me. “Surely you wouldn’t have wanted me to interrupt your dinner date, especially when you and Ms. Shum seemed so intimate.”

Intimate?

The bartender approaches, interrupting our conversation before I get the chance to formulate a reply. “What can I get for you, Miss?”

“She’ll have a glass of warmed milk—”

“Whiskey. On the rocks, please.”

She speaks over me, turning slightly in my direction as she does. I ignore the murmur of “Ladies’ choice” from the bartender as well as the smirk on his face as he begins preparing her drink. The thinly veiled challenge in the girl’s expression — elbow propped up on the counter with her chin resting atop a loose fist — only serves to highlight how incredibly alluring it is when she pushes back.

“Hmm. Bold. Since when did you start drinking whiskey? I don’t think you need me to remind you of your non-existent alcohol tolerance. Besides, didn’t you already have enough to drink at dinner?”

“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me, Victor Li,” she says, reaching for the glass the bartender sets down before her. She takes a moment, staring at the rich, golden hues before finally taking a sip. I fight to keep the smile off my face when hers pulls into a grimace from the sting of the alcohol she clearly wasn’t familiar with. Dummy.

“I’m surprised you even noticed me at all, not with the lovely Diana there. But I guess old wounds really do have difficulty closing, no matter how much we say they’ve healed.”

“You’d have to ask for the expert opinion of your overly friendly doctor about that.”

“Excuse me?” She sets her drink down a bit harder than likely intended, sending the liquid sloshing about the glass to kiss the pink of her lipstick imprinted on its edge.

I don’t like where this conversation is going, the ill-disguised barbs only serving to increase the tension between us. It was foolish to have what should’ve been a very private discussion in a public space but, as always, the thought of her and Luke together is enough to make me forget my place and position, throwing caution to the wind and behaving with reckless abandon.

And still, the heat beneath my collar goads me on.

“Luke Foster. The one you’re so enthralled with that your manners seem to have been completely swept from memory. I presume that’s the reason why you didn’t acknowledge my existence when you saw me in the restaurant.”

Her eyes widen in disbelief as she leans in close, voice dripping with sarcasm: “Just like how you didn’t remember to tell me you were coming to Tokyo? Or maybe you weren’t planning on telling me at all, since it clearly looked like you weren’t here on business. But then again, I guess your business is none of mine.”

I don’t know whether I want to push back or kiss her senseless.

Instead, I settle for a deep breath, trying to keep my frustration in check. Having a heated argument with her was not how I had intended my evening to go. In fact, my entire day had not proceeded as planned, and if I hadn’t been accosted by Diana as soon as I stepped foot in the Tres Spades hotel, I would have been having dinner with the woman who occupied all my thoughts, all the time. At the very least, I could’ve saved her from the clutches of a pervert doctor.

I glance in her direction, study the beautiful melancholy of her silent profile as she watches the ball of ice slowly melt into her drink. Then I take another sip of mine, steeling myself for reparations I desperately needed to make.

“I am only going to say this once, so listen closely. Diana Shum and I dated shortly after graduation for all of two months before we decided to part ways on amicable terms. We make for much better business partners than we ever did romantically, and while she has expressed occasional interest in rekindling our relationship, I have never been of the same mind. I can assure you this will never change.

“The reason I came to Tokyo is not because of her — professional or otherwise — but because I was in a rush to prevent a certain dummy from doing anything she’d regret later on. But…”

I knock back the rest of my whiskey, emptying the glass.

“…I’m afraid I’m too late.”

She looks at me now, eyes wide as if she were still processing the words. Her next question comes on a whisper: “Why would you be too late?”

And it is my turn to look away.

“Well, you seemed to be pretty intimate yourself with Dr. Foster during your dinner date. I can only presume that…”

The girl moves closer and I can’t help the way my eyes are drawn to her mouth — the tremble of her lower lip, full and pink and lush. Without thought, I allow my gaze to trace along the graceful column of her neck, settling at the delicate notch between her collarbones and in that instant, I come to a visceral understanding of the extent of Luke Foster’s obsession, for mine was magnified a million times over:

I yearned for the entirety of this woman before me — needed her for myself, now and forever.

“Presume what?” Her voice is low, shaking.

“I can only presume that you’ve already allowed him to…examine your body.”

There is a moment of silence — each torturous second seeming to stretch into eternity to smother the last embers of hope.

“I have…”

Oh god.

“…given him X-ray films of my collarbones as he requested. That is all. He’s never touched me, not even once. I took him out to dinner tonight so I could give them to him as thanks for appearing on the show.”

Petty. Sheepish. I felt all these things, but none so powerful as the staggering sense of relief that washes over me to hear her say these words. Closing my eyes, I let the revelation sink in, finally feeling like I can breathe for the very first time that night.

Chapter 9: The Big Bang

You don’t quite know what made you do it.

The ambience of the bar, perhaps: sultry jazz and flickering candles purposefully placed to create just enough shadows for a veil of privacy.

Or maybe it was the crestfallen uncertainty that painted the handsome features of Victor Li’s face, his sudden display of vulnerability both novel and endearing.

Most likely however, it was the way in which his downcast expression morphed into one of ecstatic relief when you told him that Luke Foster had not laid a single finger on you.

Because when Victor tilts his head back, eyes closed and sighing deeply as if some unfathomable burden had been lifted, you cannot help but bring your lips to the Adam’s apple bobbing along the length of that strong, thick neck.

Cedar wood and pine.

The notes of his cologne are so familiar you didn’t realize how much you missed his scent until you literally came face to face with it. Victor is warm, so very warm beneath the skin of your lips. And under your touch, you become vaguely aware of the fact that the rise and fall of his chest has stilled.

At any other time, you would’ve questioned your sanity for how boldly you were behaving, especially towards someone who was your boss. You had never been one to put yourself out there when it came to matters of the heart. Something about the moment however, about Victor, made you feel like the one thing you could not do was let this chance pass you by.

So when you hear that shuddering breath, feel the faint scratch of his five o’clock shadow when he nuzzles against you in return, you know you’ve made the right gamble. Being with Victor Li feels right. And the surreal sense of belonging you find within the embrace of his muscular arms gives you the courage to say, “You must really believe I’m a dummy if you think I’d let any man other than you touch me.”

He slides a finger beneath your chin, gently lifting until all you can see are those jet black eyes, swimming with heat and emotion. The sudden silence of your surroundings sinks in: no more music, no idle chatter. Not even the rustle of limbs moving about in the dimly lit bar. And there, in the strange privacy of suspended time…

...Victor kisses you.

* * *

“Are you sure…this is…what you want?”

The deep timbre of Victor’s voice sends a thrill vibrating along the surface of your skin as he questions you between kisses — laid on your mouth, the line of your jaw, the pulse of your neck. His firm body presses you into a corner of the elevator, empty save for the two of you writhing in unison against a mirrored wall.

Each movement of his soft lips against yours is purposeful, imbued with meaning: longing in the gentle teeth that nibbled on your lower lip before drawing it into his mouth, in the sensual slide of the tongue that sought yours. Affection obvious in the hands that rose to cup your face, thumbs tracing circles on the apples of reddened cheeks to tell you in no uncertain terms that Victor Li belonged to you as much as you yearned to belong to him.

So you had no qualms about answering in the affirmative, nodding your head because the press of Victor’s muscular thigh between your legs already left you breathless and wondering whether he could feel your wet heat seeping through your panties.

And all he really did was kiss you.

Ding.

The elevator stops at your floor and even before the doors slide open, Victor has hoisted you up, wrapping your legs tightly about his tapered waist and whispering into your ear, “Which room?”

You knew Victor was fit, had seen him move fast and effortlessly through the waters of his Olympic-sized swimming pool that one time he had you deliver a report to his mansion on a Sunday. And yet, you could not help but admire the sheer perfection of his physique — the bulk of his biceps, flexed beneath strained layers of clothing; the ease with which he carries you all the way to your suite.

And when he sits you down upon the king-sized bed, you wonder if it is, in fact, too small for all the things you cared to do with him.

The LFG CEO shrugs off his suit jacket, loosening his tie just enough to pull it over his head before dropping to kneel at your feet. You watch him reach for you, shiver when he caresses the sensitive skin behind your knee with a light graze of gentle fingertips. Large hands trail down your calf — touch barely there and teasing — until his palm finally cups the heel of your stiletto to slide it off your foot.

He looks up at you then, the intensity in ebony irises rendering you still and mute as you patiently await his next move despite the frenzied pounding in your chest. There is a stroke of something almost feral in the dark depths of the gaze that falls heavy upon you — searching your eyes, lingering on your lips…tracing the neckline of your dress.

“I’ve never seen you wear this dress before.” Victor says, taking the same amount of care to remove the shoe from your other foot.

And if you were able to think straight under the influence of his touch — the hands that pushed back the hem of your dress as they roamed higher and higher up your thighs towards your heat — you might have found it strange that Victor was choosing now, of all times, to comment on your wardrobe choices. As it was, you answered without second thought: “It’s new. I bought it especially for tonight’s dinner.”

Victor stills and when he speaks again, there is a faint tremble in that voice, as if fighting to contain some unfathomable emotion.

“The doctor couldn’t stop staring at you. I know because I was the same way. I couldn’t look away from the moment you stepped foot in that restaurant.”

The revelation leaves you silent, waiting with bated breath for Victor to continue.

“Forgive me…”

Fingers entwine with fabric, gripping tight.

“…but I can’t stand the thought of you looking so beautiful for anyone else.”

RRRIIIIPPPP!

You fall back, wincing at the sound even as you feel your body respond to the sudden shock of having your dress torn right down the middle. Victor’s display of brute strength was so at odds with the façade of composure he was synonymous with and yet, there was no denying that you were incredibly aroused by this show of power — by the fact that he was now straddling you on all fours like some wild beast, tearing away the rest of your undergarments to leave you completely bare.

You’ve never been so desperate to feel him inside you, deep and rough and untamed. The thought throws you into a frenzy of lust.

Digging your fingers into the front of his dress shirt, you yank it open to send buttons flying in haphazard directions, but the only thing that concerned you was the sight of that broad chest and muscular torso, so impressive it actually elicits a moan from your lips and a smile from his in return.

Propping yourself up onto your knees, you press against him, flesh to flesh — one hand running over the burning surface of his skin even as the other tugs at the buckle of his leather belt, impatiently moving to palm him when his dress pants fall and gasping to finally see and feel the full extent of the LFG CEO:

Victor Li is rock hard and intimidatingly large.

And the sight makes your mouth water.

Sinking onto your heels, you trail your lips along Victor’s chiseled body, tongue teasing at his nipples as you do and relishing the catch of his breath in his throat.

But just as you begin to lay kisses along the deep V of his abdomen with the intent of tracing lower and lower, Victor stops you, puling you up for a kiss before laying back on the bed and positioning you above him…

…with his face between your legs.

“This way,” he says, voice muffled, and you might have commented on his inability to relinquish control even in the bedroom were it not for the sensation of his flattened tongue sweeping hot and wet along the seam of your already dripping pussy, teasing from end to end.

The sensation is so intense it’s almost unbearable. You throw your head back, mouth dropping in a silent scream as you sink onto Victor’s face, fighting the instinct to grinder lower onto that talented tongue despite the encouraging grip of Victor’s hands, strong on your hips and thighs.

“I’ve wanted to taste you…for so long,” he murmurs, sucking the swell of your clit into his mouth and humming in approval against moist flesh to hear you moan above him. “Your flavour is absolutely exquisite.”

Gathering your wits, you fold forward — intent on giving just as much pleasure as you were receiving. Victor twitches once within your grip, not quite contained by the circumference of your palm and fingers, running up and down the sizeable length of his cock, hot in your hand like his breath on your slit. And after placing a few wet kisses on the smooth, hard head, you open your mouth to taste him.

The tepid salt of his arousal. The groans originating from deep within Victor’s chest each time your lip brushed past the tender underside of his cock. The subtle rhythm of his pelvis, lifting in time to your mouth swallowing more of that solid shaft, quickly becoming slick with your saliva.

And then you catch sight of your reflection in the mirrored closet. See the bulge of Victor’s bicep as he grips your hip, the flex in the muscles of his neck when he lifts to bury his face deeper into your folds. See yourself: hair disheveled and eyes half-lidded, drunk on sex. Observe the messy smear of your lipstick as your mouth stretches to accommodate more and more of your boss’s cock. And when the tip of Victor’s tongue begins its relentless tease of your clit, you watch as a most debauched expression falls over your features, the tension in your body breaking as you find release on his lips.

You are still shaking when he enters you, sensitized by an orgasm that left tiny sparks of electricity running along every nerve, priming you for second helpings. A true paragon of patience, Victor Li takes his time, deliberately slow as he pushes — savouring the sensation of drenched, swollen flesh parting just for him.

It was almost unfathomable that you could experience such extreme pleasure, each powerful swing of Victor’s hips driving him deeper into your body — hitting just the right angles until your very senses were extracted along with your second release of the night, running slick between your legs to ease the slippery slide of your bodies.

It draws out Victor’s own, your lover moving to pull out moments before you surprise him by taking him once more into your mouth — gaze locked onto those dark eyes from below as you taste him on your tongue, euphoric to see him bite his lips when your lick yours to swallow every last drop.

Chapter 10: Pillow Talk

Beep Beep Beep Beep.

You roll over, eyes still closed as you reach out to hit the snooze button on the alarm clock.

Except your palm comes down on warm flesh with a resounding smack, echoing throughout your hotel room and accompanied by a deep voice that says, “Are you finally awake, Dummy?”

Your eyes shoot open to see Victor lying naked in bed next to you, a splotch of red blooming on his chest where he had been attacked. He sets his phone down to hand you a glass of water from the bedside table, and even though memories of the previous night come rushing back to burn your cheeks, you cannot help but notice how glorious he looks bathed in morning light. You hope he doesn’t see the way your hand shakes when you accept the glass from him with a meek “Thanks.”

Victor clears his throat, waiting for you to finish drinking before he says, “That was the fourth time you slept through the alarm. I’ve already informed your colleagues you’ll be taking the day off. We didn’t get much sleep last night and I think you’ll need some time to…recover.”

You bite your lip, turning sideways to feign a sudden interest in the curtains so he wouldn’t see the giant smile spreading onto your face. It was almost surreal that Victor Li was your lover, and if it weren’t for the exquisite soreness you felt between your legs, you would’ve been hard pressed to believe it for yourself.

The sheets rustle and before you know it, Victor has his chest pressed up against your bare back, laying a soft kiss on your shoulder before he rests his chin on it.

“How are you feeling?” He asks.

“Okay. Pretty good, actually.” It was too early in the game to tell him you were already doing cartwheels in your mind.

“Good. I’m glad to hear that because I found this under your pillow…”

He places something in your hands. Your eyes widen when you recognize the magazine with his face on the cover.

“…And this ‘man on top’ wants to know what it feels like to have this woman on top of him for the rest of the day.”

You’ve made it to the end! 🤩 Thank you so much for reading! Check out more of my work here! 📚

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