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dreamescapeswriting · 3 years

Text

The View ~ LMH [M] [Request]

WORD COUNT:3.5K

PAIRING: Minho x Fem!Reader

GENRE: SMUT, fluffy with smut, blow job in a car, teasing, against the window fuck, creampie, begging to cum, unprotected sex, loving Minho, spanking,

A/N: Since you wanted this to be smut I went with a Charity Gala setting 🥰💕 Hope that you enjoy this sweetie

Giant crystal chandeliers dangling from the ceilings of the huge property you were walking through. A live pianist playing in the corner of the room that you were standing in. The whole thing gave you "Mafia Ball" vibes as you stood with your boyfriend. Tonight was supposed to be a huge charity benefit where people would auction off items for charity. Everything felt and looked as though it was expensive, as though you could never afford anything happening inside of the room.

"You look breathtaking tonight." Chan, one of the leading benefactors said as he took your hand in his and placed a soft kiss on the top. Minho's grasp on your arm tightening just a little as he felt someone else next to you. He wasn't exactly the jealous type but tonight you looked exceptionally good and he would be dammed if anyone but himself told you that.

"Minho," Chan smirked knowing just what he was doing, getting under Minho's skin like a splinter made of Iron.

"Easy," You whispered when you felt Minho's hands on your arm tight ever so slightly.

"I'm all yours, remember." You smirked placing a soft kiss on Minho's cheek, leaving a faint mark of your lipstick across his skin. Minho did not want to be here under any circumstances. The moment he had seen you he wanted to stay home and never go anywhere else with you.

It was the dress you were wearing, something he hadn't seen until tonight. A long black gown with a slit up the left leg. The velvet fabric clung to your body perfect and helped show each and every part Minho loved most about you.

Including the lace bodice that seemed to be driving Minho wild at the sight of it. You knew he wouldn't be able to resist you in it but it wasn't for him. Tonight you were being auctioned off, only to dance with of course.

Most of the females at the benefit were doing it in order to help raise money. It was a dance or they would be doing a carwash. You figured dancing would be far more beneficial to everyone and time savingly.

"Can we go yet?" Minho's voice was muffled as he put his head in your neck. Arms wrapping around your waist as he clung onto you, wanting nothing more than to go home and take the dress off you. It wasn't completely one-sided of course. The suit he was wearing was making your heart flutter and your legs shake just a little.

All black suit with a waistcoat and tie, it was something simple and yet on Minho, it looked gorgeous. Though to you Minho always looked gorgeous but tonight was something different. There was always something about a man wearing a suit that drove your mind wild.

"We can't go yet, you know I have to be bid on soon." You laughed, running your hand through his brown hair and ruffling it just a little. A low growl escaped his lips at the mention of the auction, it wasn't as though it was something he was best pleased about. The mere thought of you dancing with somebody else was going to drive him into a jealously spin and he didn't know if he would control himself.

"You promised to be good," You smirked as he pulled you tighter, holding you from behind as he looked around at everyone in the room. There were so many other men in the room that would be willing to dance with you, barely taking their eyes off you from the moment you joined.

"I am. I will." He muttered looking at you and sighing a little. It wasn't as though he was possessive just protective over you.

"Ladies if you would like to come up onto the stage," A voice called out through a microphone. You smiled trying to leave Minho's arms but he locked them tightly around you.

"Don't." He whined before you finally freed yourself. Kissing his cheek before heading up to the stage to join the rest of the girls up there. All of them dressed to impress.

"Finally we have Miss Y/l/n, shall we start the bidding at

₩160000?" The female running the auction asked as she looked out at the crowd. A hand began raising toward the front and you smiled seeing Chan standing there. A lift was somehow lifted from you knowing that someone other than Minho would be willing to bid on you.

"Do I hear, 170?" The woman answered, laughing as Minho's hand at the back shot right into the air. A smirk plastered across Chan's face as he winked up at you, raising the offer higher and higher each time the woman asked. Always trying to outbid Minho. Until finally,

"1,000,000 going once...Twice...Congratulations Minho you won a dance with your own girlfriend," The announcer chuckled as you headed down from the stage, smirking at Chan as you passed him.

"Well played Christopher," You whispered as he kissed your hand softly.

"Anything for the charity, tell Minho we'll take it in cash or cheque," Shaking your head at him you began to walk toward Minho who looked jealous. It was clear to you what Chan had been doing from the start, just a little game in order to raise enough money but not to Minho.

To Minho it was a sign of Chan making a move for you, trying to take the person that Minho cared most about in this world.

"We can't leave, you have to dance first." You whispered to Minho, taking your arm in your hand and squeezing just a little. Giving him a look to let him know that there was nothing going on between Chan and you.

"You've got me," You whispered to him, wrapping your arms around the back of his neck and smiling.

Swaying together on the dance floor all Minho could focus on was the way you moved your hips. Watching your every movement as you danced together with him. Normally he would be an avid dance partner but not tonight, tonight he was worried about what everyone else was doing. If they were watching you and he wanted to show who you were, that you were his and his alone.

"Y/n," He breathed out as you turned your back on him, his arms linked around your waist as you rolled your hips back to meet his crotch.

"What?" A smirk hit your lips as you began to feel him grow from one small touch. Barely even a full touch from you and he was already needy and ready to take you home. Not even home, there was one thing Minho hadn't told you about tonight and that was that he had organised something.

Nothing large but an overnight stay in a fancy hotel for the two of you. Something to get you out of the house and experience this luxury a little while longer.

"We're going," He ordered in your ear as he took your arm into his grasp and headed toward the exit.

"Minho, we haven't even paid yet." You laughed a little as he continued to pull you out. Ignoring the looks he was gaining from other people at the function.

"Hmm my boy is so needy," You breathed out as you sat in the front passenger seat of his car. Hands resting on his thigh rubbing softly as his whole body seemed to tense up. Mind trying to focus on driving while you inched your hand higher and higher up his thigh until it was at his crotch. Palming him gently through the fabric of his smart pants.

"Fuck," He whined out rolling his hips a little at a red light, glancing to you as he felt himself growing harder beneath your touch. Almost getting to the point where it was unbearable to feel you so close and yet so far away from him at the same time. The light changed and he drove again, your hand palming him a little harder as your other hand worked on undoing his buttons.

"You missed our turning," You laughed as you saw Minho staring straight ahead. Eyes darkened as he shook his head at you, the feeling of taking you to a nice hotel for a romantic evening gone. Now all he wanted to do was get you there and fuck you so hard you would regret touching him in the car.

"Speak to me Minho," You whined as you took him out of his pants, pumping him in your hand as he let out a groan. Still not uttering a word in your direction so you continued to pump him, running your thumb along the slit of his cock and smirking. If he wasn't going to talk to you, you would have other ways of making him.

"Hmm, I guess you don't want to..." You whispered leaning down a little to spit onto his cock, kitten licking the head of his penis before smirking to yourself. There was one thing Minho hated most in the world and that was you teasing him. Glaring up at him you took him to the back of your throat, wasting no time in bobbing your head up and down. Swallowing around the head of his cock to make it tighter for him and enjoying the noises he let out.

The whimpers and moans of your name as he continued to drive, in the completely wrong direction of your home together.

"S-Shit!" He grunted parking in the parking lot as you continued to take him in your mouth. Playing with his balls until he let go into your mouth, slamming his hands onto the wheel and moaning out.

"Shit! Y/n, fuck." He watched you as you raised from his crotch and wiped the corner of your lips. Slowly parting your mouth to show him all of his cum inside of your mouth.

"You swallow it right now," He ordered as he took your face in his hands, tilting it back so that you couldn't drop any. Smirking at him you stared him in the eyes, not moving or swallowing anything.

"I suggest you swallow it or you will spend the night clenching your thighs together at the thought of my cock being stuffed inside of you." The moment he threatened you with that you swallowed, parting your lips to show him that every last drop was gone and he smirked. A smug look plastered across his face as he got out of the car and pulled you out with him.

"What are we doing here?" You questioned as you began to walk in the direction of the hotel. Minho simply smiled, tilting your head up to the fourth floor and showing you the large floor to ceiling windows.

"You're going to get stuffed up against that window," He whispered right before wandering off on his own to go and check into the room. Leaving your legs rubbing together at the thought of him doing that with you. Something you had both wanted to do for the longest time.

"Whoa!" You breathed out rushing over to the window and staring out at the city. Everything looked beautiful, you weren't that high up and yet you could still see everything.

"The city lights look like stars," You whispered gazing out at everything as Minho dropped his bag onto the bed. Some spare clothes for the two of you to go home in tomorrow, that was if you could still walk by the time he was done with you.

You opened your mouth about to say something else when your hands were pinned to the window above your head. Minho took in a deep breath and smirked at you,

"We should make this the best night of your life," He whispered as he bit down on your ear lobe, grinding his already hard cock against your ass with a smirk.

"T-The bed," You whispered but Minho shook his head, running one hand down the side of your dress to find the zip.

"The bed looks, great baby...I would just throw you down, put you on your stomach and make you beg for my cock but..." He smirked taking in a deep breath and looking at the way you rubbed your thighs together at his words. How could you not? The thought of Minho doing anything to you sent a pool to your panties and made your stomach do flips.

"Against the window?" You questioned as you turned around to face him, holding your dress by the bodice since Minho had already unzipped your gown.

"Take it off baby...Nice and slow." He whispered watching as you slowly let the dress fall to the ground. Exposing the black lace underwear set you had worn that night.

"Now your bra," He smirked licking his lips as he watched you yet again. Unclasping your bra and watching him as you threw it to the side,

"So hot," He moaned out as you began to rub your breasts in your hands.

"Shit princess, look at you...Squeeze and pinch your nipples like a good girl." He praised as you followed his orders, letting out a soft whimper. Nothing would feel as when he would do this to you, but you knew this was punishment for making him cum in your mouth in the car.

"Now your panties," He stood back a little, stripping himself down to nothing but his shirt and pants, watching as you kicked off your panties. Licking your lips as his eyes went straight to your core.

"Tease your little pussy for me," He whispered watching as you began to slowly rub yourself with your fingers. Eyes fluttering shut as you imagined his fingers on you instead of your own.

"Yes, just like that...Good girl." He praised once more watching as you continued to slowly and gently rub your clit. Letting out small whines when you couldn't touch yourself quite how he could.

"Look at that, all dripping wet and ready to be fucked." He whispered in satisfaction, rubbing himself through his pants as he moved closer to you.

"Turn around and bent down in front of the window baby." He smirked slapping and grabbing your ass as you turned away from him.

"Right against the glass baby, like a beautiful piece of art for people to see," He stood behind you, cock brushing between your folds as he made you look out at the city.

"You think anyone can see? Maybe they can see the way your tits press up against the glass." He sniggered rubbing your clit with the head of his cock making you whine.

"Minho please, fuck me." You begged him, turning your head to look at him over your shoulder but he looked at you.

"I'll take my time with you, baby," He placed a soft kiss on your neck making your eyes flutter shut. You always loved feeling his lips on your neck, they made you feel so safe around him.

Rubbing himself at your entrance he made you face forward, cock ready to push into you as you whined.

"F-Fuck, I'm just going to push into you baby," He smirked sliding into you and moaning out as you clenched around him,

"Mhmm, always so tight around my cock." He grunted as you moaned out. Hands stretched on the window as you looked out at the city,

"Look at that, you're already starting to fog up the window baby." He chuckled as he began to slowly ease out of you only to slam right back into you and moan out.

"Up against the glass, good girl." He moaned out as you pushed yourself against the glass, ignoring how cold it was against your tits and enjoying the way it felt to have him inside of you. Every inch of his cock stretching you out as he eased in and out of you.

"Fuck, you're so much tighter...You like this huh?" He smirked slapping your ass and rubbing it softly in his hands,

"You like being fucked up against a window when anybody could see you?" You knew this was either going to make or break tonight so you smirked,

"Anyone? Like Chan?" Minho's hips froze as he held himself deep inside of your cunt. Hand gripping onto your ass as he asked you to repeat it.

"What was that angel?" The roughness in his voice made you clench around him and he chuckled.

"C-Chan could be watching," You repeated as you moaned out, rolling your hips back but he pushed you against the glass.

"You want that? You want Chan to see the way I fuck this pussy?" He began to roughly fuck in and out of you. Moaning out as you continued to try and grip onto the window.

"Fuck! Just like that!" You screamed as he continued to get rougher with you, biting down on your skin.

"You want Chan to see who makes you scream? Who you cum for ?" He smirked at you.

"Acting like the little slut you are for me?" You could barely form words as you whimpered and nodded at him.

"Getting fucked from behind in front of the window, you're fucking mine." He grunted his thrusts getting harsher with each word that he spoke. Hands gripping onto your hips as you cried out nothing but his name. Getting lost in the feeling of his cock hitting that one spot over and over again.

"You're fucking mine, say it." He ordered as he froze inside of you, holding himself at that one spot that made your toes curl into the carpeted floor.

"No one can fuck you like that, can they?" He growled at you, hand slapping against your ass,

"No! No one can!" You screamed as he began to thrust once again, tits hitting the window as you cried out his name.

"Take my dick baby, like the good little girl you are," He moaned out as you clenched around him, feeling your high fast approaching as you nodded

"F-Fuck me Minho, fuck." You cried out as he continued to pound in and out of you harder against the glass. Moaning out your name as he kissed down your neck.

"I like the view right now," He smirked as he continued to fuck into, rolling your hips against his as you cried out his name. Head getting lost at the feeling of him inside of you.

"You feel so good Minho," You moaned out as you looked over at him, moaning out as he slapped your ass again.

"Hmm, if Chab could see you like this right now, bent over for me getting fucked right against the window." He slapped your ass again and you moaned out, feeling your stomach tightening. The orgasm building up inside of you as your eyes began to shut,

"Minho!" You cried out as your legs began to shake a little, hands reaching into the window to grip onto anything you could.

"You want to cum?" You nodded desperately and he smirked, grabbing your shoulders as he began to pound into our harder,

"Pound into that tight fucking pussy harder," He chuckled deeply as he began to get rougher with you.

"Fuck!" You screamed out, hands slamming against the glass as he looked at you in pleasure.

"That's the spot isn't it?" He chuckled as he moaned out, hitting that one spot that caused your legs to shake and your pussy to clench around him. Holding your shoulders to slam into that one point over and over again without fail. Your eyes widening as you felt yourself beginning to tip over the edge.

"Shit, shit! F-Fill me up! Fuck me full with your cum." You begged him looking over at him as he continued to fuck into you. Eyes darkening as he nodded his head

"Make it drip out of me," You begged as he moaned out. Enjoying the way you begged for him as he fucked you like this.

"Yeah?" He questioned as you nodded over and over again.

"YES!" You practically demanded as you looked over at him.

"So fucking beautiful, so sexy." He whimpered as he nodded at you,

"Cum on my cock angel, cum around me." He moaned out as you cried out his name. Hands slamming against the glass as you finally let go of the release inside of you. Letting your orgasm wash over you like a wave and cum around him. Clenching and shaking uncontrollably as he fucked his load into you.

The moment you dropped down onto the bed Minho switched demeanor, holding your waist in his and smiling. Making sure to hold you close to his body and rub your back softly.

"I love you, baby," He whispered as he placed his lips on your skin softly and lovingly. Never wanting to let you go all night long if he could manage it,

"We can order room service if you want?" He offers, realising that neither of you had eaten much at the charity event and how hungry you must have been.

"Sure, with chocolate cake?" You hummed turning around in his arms so you were face to face with him, pressing a soft kiss on his lips.

"Perfect, I'll order it all soon." He whispers before kissing you once again.

Tagline: @minholuvs @taestannie @sw33tnight @acciocriativity @mwitsmejk @taeechwitaa @justbangtanthingz @stillwithlix

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letteredlettered · 2 years

Note

Like so many other people, I really admire your writing! "The Boy who Only Lived Twice" and "Away Childish Things" especially.

I'm always trying to hone my writing skills too. Something I've been wondering about, especially regarding really skilled writers like you, how you go about choosing the events that occur in your story? Sure, there are story ideas and concepts that come along that work as foundations for a story, but when it comes to the execution of those ideas, there are many different directions a writer can go. Writers with potential will get maybe half of the events in a story "right" and most readers will come away enjoying the story overall. Excellent writers, however, manage to get 90% or more of these story events "right" (leading to readers being swept up in a story, a build up of emotion, and eventually satisfaction that leave readers with a lasting impression from the story). I personally feel like I'm in this potential-having category, probably because I can make most event ideas that first come to mind "work" in a story even if they aren't the best choices overall, but I really want to reach the excellent category. To perhaps better explain what I'm getting at, in John Truby's "The Anatomy of Story," the chapter on "Premise" states: "One of the biggest reasons writers fail at the premise stage is that they don't know how to spot their story's true potential. This takes experience as well as technique. What you're looking for here is where the idea might go, how it might blossom. Don't jump on a single possibility right away, even if it looks really good." I figured, I would go around asking some of my favorite writers about this part of the story-writing process, see how that stage works for them. So, do you have any tips or thoughts about this part of the writing process? Your tips on writing dialogue have already been super helpful!

In another post, my answer was the Marie Kondo method. If a scene or event sparks joy, I write it. If it still sparks joy after I write it, I keep it. For all my best pieces of writing, if I didn't love a scene, I didn't keep it. I either threw it out, or, if it was necessary for the plot, I summarized it instead.

The key for me for really good writing is to really enjoy what I'm doing. This is perhaps why I am not a particularly prolific writer, and also why I can't write a lot of things I want to, and also why I've never been able to make much money off original writing. Some people do say I'm prolific because my stories are very long, but you'll note in my AO3 history that I've been writing fics since 2003, for a total of 2,095,616 words. That's about 116,000 words per year, or 10,000 per month, or 320 words per day, which is just not all that much in the scheme of things. I really struggle to write things I don't love, because the reason I write is for my own personal gratification, and that really guides a lot of what I do.

Therefore Truby's advice isn't really something I use all that much. It's definitely true that I sometimes get ideas for stories and don't write them right away. I'll sometimes let them marinate, spending time thinking of the scenes I would like to write. I had the idea for an HP de-aging fic years and years ago, but though I loved the idea, I couldn't think of a single actual scene. I tried to write the premise several times and then put it on the shelf, because there was nothing that I loved about it. There are other ideas, though, that I think about quite meticulously, that I pore over, thinking about what I want to say, imagining specific scenes--and those don't always work either. I had lots and lots of ideas for By The Grace, but in the end, that story just wasn't executed well. Meanwhile Another Mask Behind You is something I barely thought about at all, and while I don't love that fic, I think in a lot of ways it's a lot more compelling than By the Grace. The key is excitement.

Some fics I signed up for fests or auctions and had to write them. For those, I Marie Kondo'ed the first half, in that I worked really hard to love every single scene and every single word. Then I Great British Bake Offed the rest, by which I mean I didn't have time to make everything perfect; I just needed to get something on the plate and hope it tastes good and doesn't collapse. Away Childish Things was a fic where I really took my time and loved every single scene. The Boy Who Only Lived Twice was a fic where I really just tried to get something on the plate.

So, I'm sorry this isn't shaping up to be really great advice, but my question for you is--why do you want to be a good writer? Is it so you can write a story you love? Or is it so people will say you're good, so you can quit your day job, so you can make money off things you've written? Because, my friend, those are two different paths for most of us, and my advice really only works for the first one.

#writing

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thosch3i · 3 years

Note

Hi hi! So the lost tombs and chronology all super confuse me. So tlt2 ended on a cliffhanger that was not resolved by tlt3 which is ultimate note, but now there is another tlt3 that I am guessing is made by the same studio as tlt2 (but not UN) that actually follows tlt2? And it has the same WPZ as tlt2 (but sadly different WX, ZQL though I’m sure these guys are great). You seem to know what you’re talking about so I’m hoping you can help!

UN also ended on a cliff hanger so I’m wondering if they’ll get a sequel from their studio that comes before tomb of the sea.

ahhh hello anon! yes ahaha the dmbj dramas are certainly very confusing--because they keep switching the screenwriters/entire production team between dramas. huanrui did tlt1 (2015), tlt2 (2019), and the sequel to tlt2 (2021). they're also technically the production company for un (2020), but linghe did like all the directing/casting/writing so its significantly different in tone and quality from the other dramas huanrui produced. npss (dmbj author) did sha hai (2018) and tltr (2020), with sha hai being in collab with linghe, so you can see lots of parallels with un and shared cast. (gonna add that i dont know much about the m9 because that’s not what im personally interested in, so i’m only going by stories with wu xie & the iron triangle.)

unfortunately, the dramas pretty have no continuity as a result of all the weird shit and multiple studios doing different dramas and messy stuff going on behind the scenes. the author's production company currently has all the rights back for filming future dramas, which is......imo, a good thing for book fans who love the author but a 😬 thing for book fans who like the original story more than what the author is now doing with it. I'll uh avoid saying too much opinion stuff though so no more on that 😅

that aside! yes 云顶天宫 “explore with the note” part 2......is the direct sequel to tlt2 and done by the same studio. unfortunately the writers are different and im not sure how much of the production team is the same either. idk how much you know about the novels so brief summary here--for the chinese version, the main story has 9 parts split among 8 books (though the official eng tls have each part being a different book) with some important content being as follows:

official eng title “cavern of blood zombies” (first time wx goes into a tomb, first t3j meeting)

official eng title “angry sea, hidden sands” (xisha seabed tomb, introduce a-ning)

official eng title “bronze tree of death” (bronze tree in qinling, wx & lao yang solo adventure)

official eng title “palace of doom” (heavenly palace on the clouds, introduce bronze gate)

official eng title “deadly desert winds” (golmud, introduce hei xiazi, desert, rainforest, tamutuo)

official eng title “graveyard of a queen” (the rest of that arc, wu sanxing & xie lianhuan reveal, jade meteorite, amnesiac xiaoge and escape, sanshu vanishes for good--also i think the official eng tl covers a couple chapters of the beginning of the next part too)

阴山古楼 (searching for xiaoge’s memories in banai, miluotuo cave, i think introduction of wu erbai)

邛笼石影 (auction/hotel iron triangle fight, introduce xiao hua & xiuxiu, wx & xh on the mountains alone while pz & xg go with granny huo)

finale (rescue from zhang family mansion, changbai mountain goodbye, 10 years promise)

after the main story are the main sequels:

zang hai hua (tibetan sea flower; unfinished & abandoned) covers wu xie a few years after xiaoge has entered the gate, searching to understand xiaoge’s past

sha hai (tomb of the sea; unfinished & abandoned) covers wu xie’s plan to wipe out the wang family, after zhh

chongqi (reunion: the sound of the providence) covers wu xie’s lung disease and how he recovers from that, set after they pick up xiaoge again from the bronze gate. thunder city and everything.

灯海寻尸&万山极夜 (still updating on wechat) don’t worry about this one since it’s still a WIP lol

btw between sha hai and chongqi there’s also ten years later (a short story) that covers how wu xie and pangzi pick up xiaoge from the bronze gate and take him home

the dramas Do Not Connect To Each Other At All, which the exception of tlt2 & tlt2 pt2 somewhat, but they go in this order:

盗墓笔记 / the lost tomb 1 (2015): covers part 1 but with major OCs and filler, and includes the auction scene from part 8 for some reason, so introduces xiao hua early.

怒海潜沙&秦岭神树 / the lost tomb 2 (2019) technically “explore with the note”: covers parts 2 & 3 but with major OCs and filler, introduces xiao hua & xiuxiu (and hei xiazi briefly) early. last couple episodes also cover the beginning of part 4. not a direct sequel to tlt1 despite being done by the same studio.

云顶天宫 / heavenly palace on the clouds (2021) technically also “explore with the note”: covers part 4 with major OCs and filler (and the same changes carrying over from tlt2). some episodes are identical to the last couple episodes of tlt2. works as a direct sequel only if you ignore the last couple episodes of tlt2 that take place in the snowy mountains. (those episodes of tlt2 were filmed after this drama was filmed, and im still not sure why they dragged the wu xie and xiaoge from tlt2 back to changbai mountain to film those episodes.)

终极笔记 / ultimate note (2020): covers parts 5-8 with minor OCs and minimal filler, also introduces xiao hua & xiuxiu early. the only adaptation that resembles its source material most of the time.

沙海 / tomb of the sea (2018): covers the second sequel with major OCs and filler. includes some bits from zhh and the short story “three days of silence”.

重启之极海听雷 / the lost tomb reboot (2020): covers third sequel with major OCs and filler.

in addition there is the prequel series mystic nine (2016) and side movies for the dramas that the author produced. there is also a single standalone movie--time raiders (2016) that is....well it’s. very strange. it’s fully subbed on youtube if you’re interested?

the best way to watch the dramas is to assume each one is its own self-contained AU set along different points of the dmbj timeline because even the dramas the author himself worked on don’t have continuity LOL (and with the exception of ultimate note & sha hai most of the time, also assume most characters are pretty OOC from the novels).

i uh regret to inform you though, that ultimate note will not be getting a sequel unless the author magically decides to not care about making money anymore and sells the rights to film the finale to linghe or something ^^;;;; it’s....unfortunate bc un is the most highly-rated dmbj adaptation on douban by A Lot, but it’s an adaptation that the author had literally nothing to do with whatsoever.

more information on some of the side movies/stage plays/manhua/donghua here.

summaries of the main novel stories (currently through zhh) here.

edited mtl (some of which has apparently been looked over by native cn speakers) of the novels following where official eng tls end here. (there are many scattered extras as well.)

you can get the official eng tl books/ebooks on amazon or elsewhere(?), but if you have problems purchasing them or like you just dont wanna support amazon or something, dm me off anon. (also i dont want to be mean but frankly the official tls are kinda bad too ^^;;;)

a rough timeline (spoilers galore) for the dmbj novels here. (fair warning im not 100% sure how accurate all of this is--they put three days of silence as 1991 but looking at the info in zhh, it seems like it should have been before the 1950s...but it’s more than fine as a general overview.)

anyway i hope that was helpful in some way? dmbj is a Very Confusing thing to get into ahahaha, one of my twitter mutuals has made a few carrds if you think they might be helpful: book, dramas (slightly out of date bc it says heavenly palace hasn’t aired yet), ultimate note (got its own carrd by virtue of being the only adaptation aside from sha hai sometimes that most og book fans acknowledge lol ^^;;;)

also anon if anything wasn’t clear or if you had more questions feel free to ask again sorry ahahaha im kinda tired rn @.@

#dmbj #shouting into the void #ask #anon #....im kinda tired bc i just finished watching ydtg so i hope that doesnt come across *too much* in this post LOL #and its probably obvious which adaptation im biased towards but after reading the novels i cant really help it

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actress4him · 3 years

Text

The Barn 4 - The Pole

(Prompt #1 for Summer of Whump)

Yes, I’m coming in at the last minute with one more Summer of Whump prompt, and yes, it’s prompt #1. Also, if you read more than one of my series I’m sorry that this one is kinda like that one chapter of In Irons...? But I actually thought of this one first, and yes, it was inspired by Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.

Previous | Next | Masterlist

Warnings: captivity, restraints, dehumanization, references to beating, mild blood, starvation, dehydration, nausea, emeto, fainting, heat exhaustion/stroke, probably medically inaccurate

Stetson dropped Jacob’s foot, and another puff of red dust went up into the air, joining the cloud that his body had created as it was dragged. It would have been the perfect time for him to leap up and try to run again, but he couldn’t move. His everything ached.

A second later a leather-clad hand gripped his arm and yanked him upright. Jacob’s head swam with the swift change in elevation and his nose throbbed. While he was busy trying to get the world to stop spinning around him, Stetson roughly pulled his arms behind his back and started winding rope around his wrists.

Fantastic. He hadn’t even gotten to enjoy them being free.

Once they were thoroughly wrapped and the rope pulled tight, Stetson stood, taking the tail end with him and jerking Jacob’s arms backwards in the process. He cried out in surprise, and tried to get up. His legs only cooperated enough to scoot him back a few inches, but it was enough to let his arms rest against his back again.

Whatever Stetson was doing, he finished up and came back around to squat in front of his captive, arms propped across his knees and brown eyes studying him just as emotionlessly as ever.

“Maybe a few days of this’ll teach you some manners.”

“Doubt it,” Jacob immediately shot back without thinking. “My mom’s been trying to teach me manners for twenty-six years. I wouldn’t count on a few days making much of a difference.”

Stetson huffed very lightly, something that almost could have been taken for a laugh if Jacob wasn’t positive the guy didn’t know how. “We’ll see.”

Straightening with a quiet popping of joints, he turned and strolled away.

There was no way he was just leaving Jacob alone and able to run off. Craning his neck painfully around, he finally took a look at what was behind him. A post. A wooden post, probably coming up to around his shoulders. And the rope that was tying his wrists was looped through a metal hook in the top and knotted.

Okay, no problem. Jacob was good with his hands, he had nimble fingers from spending all day typing code. Struggling to his feet, he bent over forward so that he could reach and felt his way up the rope until he reached the knot, fingers fumbling around it, trying to get a sense of where it started.

Instead, he found a padlock.

Jacob let out a frustrated scream, the first time he’d actually had a chance to vent his feelings since this whole nightmare began. It felt good enough that he did it again. Then he ran forward, as hard as he could, as if he was somehow going to break the rope or pull the post out of the ground instead of nearly ripping his shoulders out of socket when he abruptly reached the end of his lead.

Tied to a stupid pole like...like a horse, or a dog. He was a human, dang it! Who did these people think they were, treating another person like this? The last…forty-eight? seventy-two? He didn’t even know how many hours anymore...had been completely flabbergasting, just seeing the sheer number of people who thought this was perfectly okay. And now he was stuck, in the middle of nowhere, with some psychopath who thought he was gonna what, train him? To do what, he didn’t even want to know.

Night was falling by then. Jacob was beyond exhausted, and resigned himself to sinking back down to the dirt, resting his back against the pole and getting as comfortable as possible.

The next day dawned with little sleep having been found. The sharp pains of yesterday had given way to stiffness and aches that made it hard to pry himself off the ground. His face was coated with dried blood and who knows what else, making him sticky and disgusted in addition to everything else.

He’d really never liked the outdoors that much. He was much more at home inside, in front of a computer. The outside had far too many things that could get you dirty, like, you know, dirt, for instance, like the kind of dirt he was currently sitting on and covered in. Most of his friends growing up had been your typical rough-and-tumble boys who lived for mud puddles and rolling down grassy hills, but Jacob had never been able to stand the feeling of being dirty.

Sweat was a thing encountered more often outdoors, too, and was just as bad as dirt. He could feel it, collecting underneath his shirt as the sun rose higher in the wide, blue sky. There was nothing in the way of shade in this field. Just dirt, dust, and more dirt, all surrounded by a wooden fence. A corral, probably. Meant for horses, not people.

The heat only grew more intense as the day wore on. There was no sign of Stetson, no indication that he would be bringing food or water or coming to untie him. Jacob hadn’t had anything to eat since this whole thing had begun, and no water since before the auction. His tongue was beginning to stick to the roof of his mouth.

He tried pacing around the pole, circling until the rope was tightly wound one way before turning and going the other way. His brain wasn’t used to boredom. There was always something to think about, always something to do. But now the only thing to think about was how absolutely screwed he was, and that wasn’t helping anything.

He tried pulling some more, too, not running this time, but turning until he could grip the rope in his hands and tugging backwards with all his might. Which, to be honest, wasn’t a lot. He was a computer geek, okay, working out wasn’t high on his list of priorities. The moral of the story was, pulling on the rope did nothing but make his back and arms ache even more.

The heat and the lack of stimulation made the day drag on and on forever. Jacob’s stomach moved from groaning to aching to roiling. If there had been anything in it, he was sure it would have been expelled. His head pounded something awful, and he wasn’t sure whether it was from heat or light or lack of water or having it repeatedly bashed in the day before.

By the time the sun finally started to sink beneath the horizon, his clothes were soaked with sweat, which was not only gross but also turned cold once night fell. He never thought that he’d actually miss the sun once it was gone. But now he was shivering, and the headache hadn’t gone away, and his stomach felt like it was trying to turn itself inside out, and he was pretty sure there was dirt in his mouth, and he was completely, totally, miserable.

Day two was somehow even worse than the first. Jacob tried standing up and stretching his legs, walking around the pole again, but he was so dizzy that he collapsed right back to the ground. Groaning, he dropped his forehead against the pole, grinding particles of dust further into his skin.

His...dry...skin. He didn’t know much about health and science, like, at all, but he was pretty sure not sweating in this heat was not a good thing. He almost felt cold still, like the chill of the night was clinging to his skin.

Hours dragged by. Every time he swallowed, it felt like nails going down his throat. Moving his head in any direction made the world swim around him, the blinding rays of the sun making spots dance across his vision. His stomach kept feeling worse and worse until he finally ended up folding over, retching uselessly again and again until every muscle in his torso was on fire and his head felt like it was exploding.

His only vague thought was, am I gonna die? before he fell face-first into the dirt and passed out.

A blast of cold woke him. He tried to gasp for air, but instead inhaled a mouthful of freezing water, sending him into a coughing fit that racked his sore stomach muscles. But the water just kept coming. It was harsh enough that he couldn’t even sit up against the onslaught, not that he was sure he had the energy to, anyway. The spray scoured every inch of his bare skin, leaving it stinging from both the pressure and the cold.

But it was water. Sweet, beautiful water. As soon as he stopped coughing he tried his best to gulp it in, letting the cold coat his scratchy throat.

He wasn’t sure whether to be disappointed or relieved when the spray finally stopped. Bringing up weary, unbound hands, he wiped the drips from his eyes, blinking blearily up at Stetson, who dropped the hose and stared him down.

“You didn’t last as long as I had planned.”

“M-maybe…” His voice came out as a croak, and he attempted to clear it. “Maybe you should try some...food ‘nd water. Haven’t...had any of that in a while.”

Stetson continued to stare with crossed arms for another moment before walking over and grabbing onto his ankle again. “You just had your water. Maybe you can have food tomorrow. We’ll see how well you behave.”

Ignoring Jacob’s weak protests and attempts to fight, he dragged him away from the doorway of the barn and into a nearby stall. Iron bars reached from the half wall up to the ceiling, giving it even more of a prison cell feel. The only good news was that he didn’t bother to tie him up this time, just threw him inside and left, shutting the door with a deafening creak and an ominous click.

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rhysismydaddy · 3 years

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An Artful Revenge Pt. 2

Feyre’s part of The Damnation Series. Part 1 is here.

I am proud of myself for finishing this shit, because it’s long as fuck. Whoops.

~Feyre~

Honestly, I should’ve known.

I should’ve known that somehow, with whatever endless resources he has, he would find me.

That’s all I can think as I find my way into the Impressionists exhibit and find Rhysand Azara, real estate agent to the stars, leaning against the wall, sipping a cup of coffee and looking at Dancers in Blue with narrowed eyes.

It’s been five days since our date, and like the cliché I am, I’ve spent the entire time thinking about him. I’ve checked my phone countless times, and I even decided to stalk him and Googled his name.

When--just like he’d said--nothing came up, I googled Dancers in Pink. He said he had it, but it had been sold a few years ago in an auction to “Amren Valenta.”

Unless Rhysand had a stage name, that was definitely not him.

I dug some more, but after three hours all I discovered was that he owned Azara Industries, which owned a lot of buildings downtown. Oh, and he never let himself be photographed.

Which was upsetting, because it means I had nothing to stare at whilst stalking him.

Pathetic. I am so pathetic.

But anyway, I should’ve known he’d come here. He’d said he’d call, but he didn’t have my number. Plus, I’d told him I come here pretty much every day, so really, what did I expect?

I still laugh as I spot him though, somehow surprised, and ask, “Here to flirt with more art students?”

“Just one,” he answers, running his eyes over me as I draw closer.

Gods, this man is seductive. He’s just looking at me, but I feel his gaze like a touch, dragging over my entire body with slow, intentional grazes.

My breath hitches, and his eyes twinkle, like he’s well aware to the dirty place my mind has wondered. I can tell he’s holding in some likely-male comment, but he refrains from embarrassing me and he holds out another cup of coffee.

I take it, grateful for the caffeine boost, and find it somehow made exactly the way I like it. Maybe I’m not the only one stalking.

Although his methods have to be better than mine if he already knows about the definitely unhealthy amount of sugar I put in my coffee.

“How many times have you been here this week?” I ask, curious to see his level of devotion.

“Three. Not a very convenient way of communicating with someone, I admit. I was about to send a smoke signal.” He watches me sip the coffee, watches my tongue dart over my lip. “Plans tonight?”

I fight a sigh and decide to be a student worthy of my scholarship for once. “I told myself I’d work on my senior project.”

His lips twitch at my dejected tone. “What is it?”

A ginormous pain in my ass. “Bad,” I say simply.

He shakes his head, sipping his coffee and eyeing me over the rim of the cup. “Details.”

For someone who offers no information, he loves demanding it from me. Instead of fight it, I groan and give in to the patriarchy. “It’s just bad! It’s supposed to be a mix of different styles and mediums, but it’s going so poorly I might just start over. Or drop out and become a starving artist a year ahead of schedule.”

Rhysand smiles at my phrasing. “I would never let you starve. And what do you mean, mixing styles and mediums?”

“For someone who frequents museums and has millions of dollars in art, you don’t know much about it, do you?”

“I have people for that.”

“Amren Valenta?” I ask without thinking, exposing myself as a stalker.

He pauses, cup halfway to his smirking mouth, and raises a brow. “Clever, creepy little woman,” he teases. “But yes. Amren is my curator, and we use her name because I don’t want media attention. As I’m sure you know.”

Busted and blushing to high hell, I roll my eyes and become a junior detective. “Isn’t it illegal to buy something with someone else’s name? What if the IRS comes after you?”

Rhysand looks at a loss for words at that. If I weren’t serious, it would make me laugh how shocked he looks. “I guess,” he says after a moment, “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”

I roll my eyes again, because we both know he doesn’t give a shit. It’s not like the IRS actually enforces rules for the one percent, anyway.

“Now tell me about your project.”

Rolling my eyes at how bossy he is, I tell him, “I wanted to combine photography and painting. And I wanted it to be kind of abstract, but also realistic enough.”

“Ambitious.”

I sigh, not able to repress it this time. “Stupid, is what it is. I don’t even know where to start. I have no motivation, let alone inspiration, to work on it.”

A contemplative look crosses his face. “I know where you could find inspiration.”

I raise an eyebrow and gesture around us, because in case he’s missed it, we’re in a museum. Inspiration abounds. But he scoffs and whispers, “This is child’s play compared to a certain someone’s private collection.”

“Oh yeah?” I ask, playing along and pretending I don’t know the someone he’s talking about.

He nods, looking around as if making sure there are no spies in the completely empty room listening we’re standing in. “He has Degas, Monet, Dali, you name it. And he’s generous enough to let you come over tonight.”

Pursing my lips, I scan his face, trying to see if he’s serious. I mean... I am dying to see his collection. But, “Is this just a ploy to get me naked?”

He puts a hand on his chest, offense written across his face. “You think I’d try to seduce you while you study?”

“Yes.”

“You’re probably right.” He chuckles, then says, “If you need to get naked to look at art, I certainly won’t complain. But no, Feyre darling, this isn’t a ploy.”

I pause, half stuck on the whole darling thing and half contemplating what to do.

Ploy or not, I know that if I go to his apartment or house or mansion or castle, I’ll probably sleep with him. He’s too attractive, and my resolve just isn’t that great where’s he’s concerned.

Plus, I know it’s insane, but art just... Never mind.

I tell myself nothing’s going to happen and that I’m going because of the art--both lies--as I say, “Okay.”

He extends a hand, and I slide mine into it, almost sighing at how perfect we fit together. Would that be the case everywhere?

Feyre.

I avoid looking at him as he leads me from the room and outside, where a very beefy guy holds open the door to a black sedan. “Seriously?” I ask Rhysand as he ushers me in the back, then climbs in beside me.

“I usually drive myself,” he says in defense, smiling when I roll my eyes.

The city blurs around us as Beefcakes drives, and I’m about to ask where the hell he lives when the car pulls to a stop and the door opens. Climbing out, I look up at the black, shiny penthouse tower, and say, “Of course you live here.”

It’s expensive and in the city and has a million floors, and I bet he lives at the very tippy top.

He gives me a strange look but pulls me in the lobby, then into an elevator. We shoot up flight after flight till we reach the penthouse, confirming my suspicions.

For what feels like the millionth time, I ask myself why the hell Rhysand’s taken an interest in me. I mean, a year of therapy got me to admit I’m decent looking and all, but I’m... I’m a college student. He’s older and richer and has his life together. Why does he want me?

I don’t have long to contemplate life’s great mysteries because the elevator doors slide open, revealing his apartment, and I become too busy trying to mask my surprise.

I thought the place would be... I don’t know, like him. Sleek. Modern. Luxurious.

And it is, at least that last part. Everything is obviously expensive. But there’s also a homey quality created by a fireplace, plush couches, decorative rugs, tapestries.

It’s burgundy and black and cream, and so unexpected I smile.

I step in and walk automatically toward the huge windows, taking in the view and realizing we’re at the dead center of the city. In all directions, Chicago’s spread out, lights and traffic and Lake Michigan surrounding us.

Even though the place is beyond wonderful, there’s one thing missing.

I turn to Rhysand and raise a brow. “No art?”

“One floor down.”

I have to press my lips together to keep the questions in. One floor down, as in it takes up the whole floor. As in he has a private museum. As in I’m so fucking excited I can hardly walk.

But he seems to be baiting me, seeing how long I’ll last before demanding to be taken down there, so I casually walk around his apartment, taking in all the little details. “It’s more... lived in than I would’ve thought.”

He nods, knowing what I mean even though it was a poor way of explaining it. “I have a few places around the city, but this is the one I prefer.” Nodding to the kitchen, he asks, “Hungry?”

“You cook?” The thought of him covered in flour seems absurd, but we all have our hobbies.

He smiles like I’ve said something funny. “No, but I have takeout menus in there.”

“Hopeless,” I tease, going to the kitchen and opening the fridge like I’m the one who lives here. “I’ll find something.”

I end up finding beer, wine, cheese, and various fruits and vegetables.

Not a lot, but enough to make a charcuterie board, which just so happens to be my specialty. I search for a few minutes before finding a wooden cutting board, then start to assemble whatever snacks I can find.

Cherries and grapes, two types of cheeses, carrots, and crackers fill most of the board, and I fill in gaps with blackberries and chocolate chips I’m surprised he has.

Once it’s completed and visually appealing enough, I slide it over to where he’s seated on a barstool and bow dramatically. “I’m a master cheese plate maker.”

“I see that. Wine?”

Nodding, I reach in the fridge and grab the first bottle I see. Setting it in front of him, I move to the cabinet and get two glasses and an opener.

Rhysand takes the opener and eyes the bottle, lips twitching as he smoothly uncorks it.

“What?” I ask, unable to figure out what’s funny. Was it weird to make a board or something? Surely even rich guys like cheese and crackers, right?

He pours two glasses, shaking his head and silently refusing to let me in on the joke.

Eyes narrowed, I sit next to him and suspiciously take a small sip from my glass. He watches me, probably expecting me to say something about it, so I offer, “It’s good.”

He bites his lip but can’t keep the laugh in at that, so I finally demand, “What?”

“It’s an $800 bottle of wine, Feyre.”

I almost spit it all over him, which would indeed be a shame, because there’s probably $50 in my mouth. Managing to swallow it down, I sputter, “You... you should’ve said something!”

He’s still laughing, but he stops to take a huge swallow and shrug. “I say we drink the whole bottle.”

I put my head in my hands, blushing. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I couldn’t care less.” He pries my hands away. “Seriously. I just wanted to tease you.”

Now that, I believe. But I still ask, “You’re sure?”

“I’m sure.” He smiles, taking another sip. “I keep the really expensive stuff at the townhouse, anyway.”

I roll my eyes and drink some more, somehow trying to taste it better or something now that I know it’s liquid gold. Shifting to put my foot on the stool, I lean across him to grab the platter.

His gaze glides over me slowly, and there’s surprise in his eyes, like he can’t believe I’m sitting in front of him so casually.

It’s probably weird to be so... open around a stranger, but he’s not exactly normal, so I don’t feel any pressure to be, either.

Regardless, it’s a little hard to breathe with him looking at me like that, so to break the tension, I grab a cherry, pull the stem off, and hold it an inch in front of his face.

“Ready?”

His eyes cross and he pushes my hand away so he can actually see what I’m holding. “Ready,” he confirms.”

I stick the stem in my mouth, using a trick I spent three hours teaching myself on a rainy afternoon to tie it in a knot, then pull it out with a victorious grin.

“Very impressive,” he notes, but before I can gloat about my supreme cherry-knotting abilities, he steals the stem and sticks it in his own mouth.

My eyes are wide, but I don’t have time to ask what the hell he’s doing before he pulls it out.

Unknotted.

“Impressive,” I repeat, actually meaning it. “How’d you do that?”

“I’m good with my tongue,” he says immediately, obviously having been lying in wait for the question, and I huff a laugh.

If I called my sisters and told them what I’m going right now, they’d probably try to have me committed. I’m sitting in a billionaire’s penthouse apartment, drinking expensive wine and watching him untie cherry stems with his tongue.

“How was your week?” I ask to get us back in semi-normal territory, grabbing a cracker off the plate.

He answers vaguely and asks me about mine, and just like that, we fall into easy conversation.

It’s honestly strange to me that after one date, we can talk like this. With my ex, it took weeks before I was really comfortable around him, and yet I feel completely at home with Rhysand.

He tells he’s from the south side of Chicago and asks about my hometown, and I it feels natural. It’s just... easy.

“By the way, you can just call me Rhys,” he tells me as we finish off the platter. “Using my full name reminds me of when I got in trouble in grade school.”

I drain my wine glass, a slight buzz in my veins, and ask, “So I only call you Rhysand when I’m about to spank you?”

He howls with laughter, then surprises me by asking, “What’s your middle name?”

“Adalene. Why?”

“Just trying to figure out what I’ll call you when we get around to spanking.” I blush as he continues, “Feyre Adalene should do.”

He puts the empty wine bottle in the trash and runs a finger over my red cheek. I bat it away, embarrassed, but he just laughs and asks, “Ready to go downstairs?”

For some reason, I get a little nervous, but I put on my big girl pants and nod, taking his hand when he offers it.

Then we’re back in the elevator, coasting down a floor, and just before the doors open, he says, “Close your eyes.”

Anticipation makes it difficult to follow the request but I manage, and he guides me out of the elevator and turns me slightly. “Open.”

I open my eyes and come face to face with something I never thought I’d see.

“You... you have a...” I whisper, not quite able to get the word out.

“Meule.”

One of eight left in private collectors hands, Monet’s Meules--or Grainstacks--are some of the most recognizable, renown works of art in the world. The last was sold four years ago for over $80 million.

Amren Valenta is a very, very rich woman, according to her art collection.

I’m standing inches from it now, mildly unsure of how that happened, looking at the sunset colors bleed into the shadows of the grain, taking in the easy lines and brushwork.

Turning to look at him, I see he’s leaned against the wall next to the painting, head tilted as if I’m the most interesting thing in the room.

“I can’t believe I’m here right now,” I say honestly, my voice airy and light.

He just smiles and motions to my right. “The collection goes in a loop.”

I nod, and after a few more minutes staring at the Monet, I start to walk.

Or more like mosey.

If he’s irritated with how long I’m taking, he doesn’t mention it. He follows me as I stare after pieces of art I never dreamed of being close to. Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Klimt, Pollock, Munch.

And then, at the edge of my peripheral, I see it.

Dancers in Pink hangs besides a smaller Degas, but it’s all I can look at. The dancer’s skirts are so bright in person, the tulle layers seeming to come off the canvas. The gold in the background is vibrant and metallic, in sharp contrast with the dark wall it hangs on.

Gods, it’s beautiful.

I know there are more famous paintings in here, but I’ve spent three years going to look at Dancers in Blue, never imagining I’d see one a similar work.

Tears slide down my face and a laugh bubbles out of me, the two reactions complete opposites but both somehow feeling right.

Strong arms wrap around my waist, and I feel Rhysand’s chin settle on my shoulder as he hugs me from behind. “You know,” he whispers, seeming to not want to disrupt my moment with loud noises, “I never understood how important this is to people.”

“Oh, Rhysand. It’s... wonderful.”

It’s an inadequate way to say what I want to say, but it’s all I can come up with at the moment. I lean into him, and we stand like that, me staring at the painting, him at me, for a long while.

When I start to get tired, I turn in his embrace, wrap my arms around his shoulders, and kiss him softly. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

I somehow finish the loop, and by the time we’re in the elevator again, I’m so emotionally spent I can’t hardly breathe.

“Inspired?” he questions, linking our hands and pulling me closer to his side.

I nod, but inspired doesn’t begin to cover it. I’m grateful and overwhelmed and so happy I could burst.

A professor once told me that art is a gift that lasts forever and never stops giving, and I never really understood what she meant until now. Over a hundred years after Dancers in Pink was completed, it still brings people to tears.

It’s a powerful and beautiful and eternal way to send a message, and it makes me feel like a small piece of the puzzle, but at the same time, so important and alive.

We glide smoothly back up to his apartment, but neither of us move once the doors ding open.

Because technically, there’s no longer a reason for me to be here.

I’ve seen the art, drank his expensive wine. I should get my bag and go.

I should... but I don’t want to.

Rhysand’s perfectly quiet and still beside me, patiently waiting for me to make up my mind.

The angel on my shoulder tells me how sweet and considerate he’s being. The devil tells me to reward this behavior with a few sinful ideas.

Running a hand through my hair, I debate my options. Be smart and leave, or stay and try and fight the urge to throw myself at him.

“Oh, fuck it,” I mutter, dramatically taking a step forward like I’m going into war.

He laughs as he follows me off the elevator, strolling back to the kitchen. “More wine?”

I nod, because at this point, I’m already a lost cause. He opens a new bottle and pours me some. “How much was this one?”

“Ten dollars,” he lies, fighting a smile. “On sale at Walmart.”

“I’m surprised you even know what Walmart is,�� I laugh, taking my seat back at the bar.

“You forget I’m from the south side. All this,” he motions around us, as he takes the seat next to me. “Used to be nothing more than a dream.”

“How’d you do it?” I ask, genuinely curious. Most people with his kind of wealth were born into it and given every advantage possible. “What’d you do?”

He looks down at the floor, but there’s a sudden set of his jaw, a tightness in his shoulders. “Whatever I had to.”

I don’t point out he’s given me yet another non-answer. Instead I say simply, “I find working for something makes you value it more, anyway.”

His eyes find me again, and there’s something I can’t read in his gaze. “Yes, it does. And it makes you do whatever it takes to keep it.”

I swallow and nod slowly, trying to figure out what exactly he means.

He takes a deep breath, then drinks the wine in his glass in a single swallow. There’s a story there, and it’s easy to see it burdens him, but it’s his to tell in his own time.

Just to get that strain out of his gaze, I switch topics completely. “Honestly, I’m still trying to figure out how you untied that damn cherry stem.”

Rhysand smiles, a full one that showcases all his pretty little teeth, and leans in, the intent clear in his eyes.

“Come here and I’ll show you,” he whispers.

I press my lips to his and open them immediately--for the lesson, of course--and his tongue meets mine in a slow glide.

Where our first kiss was all heat and drifting hands, this one’s slow and sensual and like ice cream melting on a summer day.

His mouth fits mine perfectly, and his hands seem to be made to hold me, sliding up my thighs to settle on my hips. The hair at his nape is soft against my fingers, and I lean on the stool to get closer and wrap my arms around his neck.

I suck on his tongue, and he makes a low sound, then his hands are tightening and lifting, and I’m being settled on his lap.

Both of us on one stool isn’t ideal, but I wrap my legs around his waist and hope we don’t go crashing over.

Gravity comes into play and I start sliding, so he turns the stool and traps between him and the counter. The granite digs into my spin, but I can’t be bothered to care, because the new position gives his hands freedom to roam again, and he slides them over my thighs, across my ass, up my sides.

His thumbs brush the sides of my breasts, and they become heavy and aching against his chest.

His mouth slowly drags down to my neck, and I sigh as he finds that one spot that drives me crazy. His nips the skin, tongue smoothing the small hurt, and his name slips out of me in a quiet moan.

Everything seems to change at once.

Cursing creatively, he sweeps me into his arms and stands, then walks us into his living room and plops onto a plush couch.

My ADHD kicks in and I’m momentarily distracted by how soft the leather is, but then his tongue runs across the seam of my lip and I snap back into focus.

My hips are churning against him, desperate for some friction, and I kiss him without restraint, abandoning our slow, peaceful rhythm from earlier. I hadn’t realized I’d been working on the buttons of his shirt, but then a band of tan skin is exposed, and I dip my head to press my lips against it.

He tugs my hair to bring my mouth back to his, and I practically attack him, biting his lip and pulling his hair and generally acting like a depraved cavewoman.

He doesn’t complain, though. His hands drag my hips closer, then slip under the hem of my sweater.

The scrape of his callouses on my sides snaps me back to the shocking reality where I’m--yet again--making out with a man I hardly know, and I gasp, then curse, then practically jump backwards off his lap.

Standing in front of him, I put a hand over my mouth like that’ll stop me from using it and look him over.

He’s all sprawling legs and swollen lips and beautiful eyes, and I force my eyes to the ceiling. “You look like a hot, virginal dork I just deflowered in the back of my minivan,” I tell him.

“I feel a bit like that,” he laughs, running a thumb over his bruised lips almost in shock. “Although it’s always nice to be desired.”

I’d be embarrassed if I wasn’t so distracted by him looking so thoroughly messy.

But I know that despite what just happened, I can’t do this with him yet.

I mean, I definitely could, and it definitely would be enjoyed by all parties involved, but I would regret it.

Rhysand isn’t someone I can just sleep with and forget. I’ve known him a week, and I already feel a strange sort of bond with him.

If we slept together, then never spoke again, it would hurt me more than I’d care to admit.

“I think I should leave.”

He nods like he was expecting this, but asks, “Why?”

Putting my hands on my hips, I repeat what I said earlier. “Working for something makes you value it more, remember?”

He smiles and stands, taking a minute to straighten the clothes I’d pawed out of place.

“It also makes you do whatever it takes to keep it,” he reminds me, a shiver sweeping over me at the words. “Come on; I’ll walk you out.”

We go to the elevator and stay on opposite ends the entire ride down. I’m a little proud, because I most certainly thought about crossing over to his half.

Stepping outside, Rhysand motions for Beefcakes to open the door. “He’ll drive you home.”

“Thank you,” I say, starting towards the car.

I take two whole steps before he’s somehow in front of me, blocking the path. “Two more things.”

He kisses me, gently but firmly, then pulls back and slips a piece of paper in my hand. “It’s your turn to send smoke signals.”

I look down at the paper and see a number written in a slashing scrawl, intelligently putting together that it’s his phone number. I look back up to respond, but he’s already back at the entrance to the building.

Rhysand looks over his shoulder, winks, and disappears inside.

I get in the SUV and tell Beefcakes my address, and off we go. I study the piece of paper the entire way there, mind reeling with everything that happened today.

The easy conversation, the art, the kiss.

Is this how it feels to be swept off your feet?

And how long, exactly, do I have to wait before calling him?

________________________________________________

This took me so long to edit holy FUCK. Part 3

@perseusannabeth @cursebreaker29 @a-bit-of-a-cactus @elriel4life @girl-who-reads-the-books @shinya-hiiragi @aelinfeyreeleven945tbln @ireallyshouldsleeprn @highqueenofelfhame @nahthanks @ghostlyrose2 @tillyrubes10 @claralady @tswaney17 @rowanisahunk @superspiritfestival @thegoddessofyou @awesomelena555 @booksofthemoon @greerlunna @jlinez @studyliketate @over300books @justgiu12 @maastrash @aesthetics-11 @bamchickawowow @b00kworm @sleeping-and-books @musicmaam @hizqueen4life @maybekindasortaace @elorcan-trash @emikadreams @alpha-omegas @joyceortiz13 @sapphic-beauty @meowsekai @ahappyhistorianreader

#feyre #feysand #feysand fanfiction #rhysand #acotar #acomaf #acowar #acofas #acotar fanfiction #a court of mist and fury #a court of thorns and roses #a court of wings and ruin #feyre archeron

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we-dragons · 3 years

Text

I'm from a different dimension actually Chapter 4 Damian x reader

Pulled away to another world, Y/N uses magic science and a Little bird to help her get back home and possibly be rid of an apocalyptic event. "So, will you succumb to your doubts completely or step into the sun of this new world?"

We didn't stay in the library very long, in fact as soon as I stepped foot in the space I was dragged back out by the back of my collar by my science partner. And despite showing my protest was thrown into the back of a black car with a surprised boy on the other side of it. Other than the look of shock on his face, his black hair was styled to part down the middle and wide tired-looking blue eyes. He regained his composure and displays a nervous grin on his face his eyes twitching as Damian slid in beside me.

"Damian who's our guest, and why is she here?" There was a hit of displeasure in his voice but not necessarily aimed at me.

"This is my project partner since father made it very clear I was grounded," Damian replies coldly, glaring at the male in front of him. The air was deathly still and I could feel a cold chill travel between them.

"Master Damian, Master Tim are we ready to leave?" an old man peers back at us from the driver's seat, his eyes land on me and he smiles slightly. "You must be Ms. (y/n), master Damian said you we coming over to work on a school assignment on scientific devices."

"Y-yes, sir!" He nods turning back to the wheel, we leave the parking lot, and out the window, I spot Molly waving in my direction as the school pulls out of view.

The ride was short, to say the least, and filled with air so thick you could make egg drop soup with it. Tension only seemed to rise as Tim tried to talk to me he was immediately shut down by Damian growling or glaring at him. For me this ride felt like an eternity in reality it was about ten minutes, and my stomach dropped when we pulled up to the building. The building fits perfectly to the name of the city towering behind spiked gates that creaked as it opened, the odd feeling of the place increased recalling the last time I was in a similar place, and I swallow the feeling pushing it back. The car pulled to the doors letting me leave the confined space of the car, being pulled out of it of course by Damian who marches on faster than I can keep up and he doesn't stop till he gets inside the door where he is tackled by a Great Dane. I pull my wrist to my chest rubbing the now sensitive skin, a laugh erupts from beside me, Tim stares down at Damian as if he won something.

"You should be more careful about your pets Damian, it seems this one got the better of you." He says attempting not to smile too widely, the boy on the floor however was not impressed pushing the dog off of him.

"Screw you, Drake." He grumbles getting up and points the dog out the door, the Dane happily obliged leaping out just as Alfred move out of the way.

"Master Richard must be home, shall I call him for you?" The boys both winced at the name, the looked over at me then back at Alfred.

"No!" they said in unison then peered at each other in disgust.

"Umm" I start gathering their attention. "listen I need to get home by 6 so I can feed my cat It's already 3:10 so.." I clap my hands together tilting my head slightly. "are we ready to get this show on the road?"

_____________________________________________________________

Even after we had gotten upstairs to their enormous library we found nothing about the Astrolabe anywhere not even in Islamic art or Greek sciences. So I used my knowledge on the subject there was plenty on the subject so I pull out my notebook and start writing.

"What are you doing?" a gruff voice says. I look up and see Damian glaring down at my notebook.

"Writing down what I know starting from Greece," I pull my finger down the outline I made, " to Mariam Al-Astrolabiya, and sailors. Ending with mathematic importance and finishing with overall importance." He looks at me a little surprised but his face pulls back into his regular scowl.

"How do you know any of that already?"

"Well from many sources really, I had books on the Islamic golden era and Greece's people of importance, the Minnesota renaissance festival, and my mom," I said quite proudly reminiscing the times my family would spend there, well my dad was only in it for chain mail, we would learn about the past, see the fire shows, we would always have so much fun, especially when we were with mom.

"Was your mother a historian?" He moved over and took my notebook to read over what I had.

"Not really she was an archeologist by trade, but I guess, she did teach Islamic golden age and Mid-evil centuries of Europe."

"Was your mother professor Astrid Hopperfeild?" My heart didn't beat, I stare at him, disbelief filling my core as that pit built up some more.

I smile in hopes that I cover up any nervousness, "Yes that's my mother, did you know her at all." He gives me another off look and gets up. He goes to a chest on the far left of the library and opens it he taking out a large file box and sets it in front of me. "I don't know her personally but," he takes out a book from the box and hands it to me. "she left very detailed journals about her findings." The book was a light purple and leather-bound with an old fashioned clasp in the front, I didn't believe it at first, then open the book examining the ink and I smell the pages.

"These are differently her's only, my mother was the only one I know who would write with Lilac scented ink and a classic dip pen." My eyes start to water and I close the book so I don't get any of the pages wet. "How did you get this by grandma said they were stolen." He scoffs.

"They were sold two years ago at an auction in South Dakota, my father bought every last copy"

"I knew it.....they were too greedy to look past the fortune they would bring." I look up at Damian. "How did you know? Why show me these? I could have gone my whole life without needing to know they were still around."

"Your handwriting is very similar and It was convenient," he shifts putting the box on the floor so he could see me better, "I was going to ask you myself later but being paired with you on this project was just perfect. I wanted to know the disappearance of the (L/N) family and Astrid Hopperfeild, along with the last three of her books."

I push myself out of my chair making it leave a loud clattering noise, I quickly gather my things and put my mother's book in his hands. " Thank you for your hospitality and your time, I will be leaving now. I will finish this report at my house and we can decide on a project later at school." I run as fast as I can to the door taking my jacket from the coat rack and rush out, running as fast as I could from this place. I hear a thunderclap and before I feel the rain, I pull my hood up and hide my skin the best I could. I run for ten minutes before I reach my apartment, my body soaking wet and my skin burning. I rip the wet clothing from my skin and rush to the mirror to see the damage. I wasn't going to school tomorrow or even the next, my body was covered in scales that are going to need to be removed I was going to be ill when I wake up the next morning, I knew that this wasn't the first time anyway. I just needed to call the school tomorrow. I sigh giving Nightmare his food and heading once again to my closet pulling out three books bound together by brown twine that are dear to me. A note was attached to it, Lilac ink wafting the air as I reread my favorite line from it, over and over again.

It was 8 when I decided I needed to go to bed the weight of today's experiences sinking into me. People here still know about the books, they aren't safe, and neither am I. My mother's last note to me played to me in my mind and I feel the tears run down my cheeks.

Just remember I love you my little one, and this secret is only ours.

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witchesoz · 3 years

Text

Additional thought for Oz adaptations

To add to what I mentionned before...

While I say one doesn't need to stick strictly to the content of the books and can merely use it as inspiration and ingredients for their version of Oz... I however do not say one can just mess up things related to the books Xp Don't get me wrong.

Sure, Baum had inconsistencies when it came to explaining the history of Oz, to explore the nature of characters, and the same went for when he made maps or gave titles to people... Take the magic practicionners, the "hierarchy" and terminology of magic keeps changing every two book, and Ozma has like three or four different backstories under Baum alone, and there are also many elements he changed or scrapped as time passed by (do people die in Oz? Is money used in Oz? Where is Oz exactly? Is the Deadly Desert really deadly or just big?). But they are still a series of works part of a series, of what we would call today a franchise. There are constants, there is a tone, there is a spirit and an ambiance to the Oz books.

So while I say one is not forced to consider the books of Baum a scientific encyclopedia, if you want to base yourself on the lore of the books or pay homage to the books, please get it right and at least study a bit their content Xp

Because the books have a very distinct direction and ambiance from the numerous adaptations Oz received, and I'm not just speaking about the MGM movie here.

I know these are very vague opinions but I still wanted to include them. A good exemple would be this dark comic that went around in the 90s, Oz Squad.

Its idea was to do a dark and grim parody/version of Oz-the books. And it worked at first because it stayed in the Oz feeling. They made the Scarecrow a depressed, cynic and suicidal bitter emo - but it worked because they played on the idea that, as the "character with the brain" he lost himself in deep philosophical and sociological considerations. To represent the Tin Woodman as a cyborg is not out of the Ozian feeling, after all he is a man made entirely of prosthetics. They made the Wicked Witch of the East a sort of James Bond-villain as a sexy lady reuniting random wicked people of Earth and fantasy realms to sell them at an auction a powerful artefact. And it works, because again, Baum has done numerous times the idea of "reunion of representants from other realms" and the idea of "reunion of villains for a common evil plan", these are typical Oz scenes.

But then, they decided to have the Nazis in the past invade Oz and built concentration camps there. And it doesn't work at all because it is out of the blue, with no feeling of Baum's Oz, or no connection to the Ozian myth at all. Later, they also introduced other elements which really feel out of place, such as time-travel or werewolves, things that feel too far away from the universe Baum created.

Again, a good key to a good adaptation or readaptation or parody or whatever is to always "stay in the myth", keep relations and links with already existing elements, playing with the themes and the ambiance of the original works.

(And no I am not going to enter into the books VS MGM movie here. This post is just for those that want to use the books of Baum as a basis.)

#oz #wizard of oz #l frank baum #novel #book #adaptation #tips

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lumau · 3 years

Text

Here is another puzzle piece of the Froststorm vintage arc. Some day soon I will come up with a title, I promise.

mild warning for mentioned transphobia

❄🤍🖤❄

“Lord Li Ming, I am sorry to disturb you. His majesty the king would like you to receive this, please.” The bow with which the servant handed him the small black box could not quite hide the curiosity with which she eyed him. A curt and polite, but clearly dismissive “Thank you” from Li Ming discouraged any further interest though and she quickly left.

After the first few days in Marseille Li Ming was convinced that, regardless of what he said his intentions were, this was a holiday home to Ao Shun, a space where he could deviate somewhat from courtly customs and protocols, allowing himself more freedom and extending that leeway to his servants as well. And the business he was building up for himself gave a good cover - so far Li Ming had spent most of his time here accompanying Ao Shun to exhibitions, galleries and museums, so they could gather information on the local culture and art scene. The ship tours around the old harbour and to the Île d'If were necessary as well, so that they could give knowledgeable recommendations to potential visiting business partners. As were the dinners at the city’s most renowned restaurants of which Ao Shun insisted on trying a new one every evening. It did make sense. And yet…

Li Ming had never had any interest in joining the other courtiers and staff in their seemingly endless discussions of interpersonal relationships. He rather focussed on his work than on how many people of which status had been sharing minister Zhong’s bedroom of late. Still, he was an intent observer and knew how these situations usually played out. Li Ming was also not oblivious to the more or less subtle cues in the king’s behavior. He knew how it had to look, and why it would be food for gossip, something he generally did his best to avoid providing.

He opened the presentation box, and found a pair of matte black cufflinks on a white silk cushion. They were simple and exquisite. He toyed with them for a moment, absorbed in his thoughts. Then he found it was probably a signal for him to get ready for dinner.

His wardrobe had proven to be put together according to his preferences, just like his rooms. Li Ming was particular about his clothing, but every piece fitted perfectly. While the cut was that of the latest local fashion, he could recognise the work of the royal tailor, who, of course, was well accustomed with his needs and style.

The splendid three piece dinner suit, light grey with the slightest natural shimmer to its fabric, had seemed a little over the top for all his appointments so far. Li Ming considered it for a moment, then, with another look at the new cufflinks and the twitch of a smile on his lips, he took it out and began to dress.

Tonight the location for their dinner was one of the most exclusive gentlemen's clubs, members only - a dinner table had been reserved for them by recommendation from another art collector Ao Shun had met at an event some days ago. Their waiter had shown them to their table in a discreet corner. Li Ming wondered what assumptions he might make about them, but didn’t bother giving it too much thought. He had brought his notebook, and informed his lord about dates for upcoming auctions with some potentially interesting items, when the wine and hors d'oeuvre were served.

After sampling and approving the wine, Ao Shun raised his glass, and Li Ming mirrored his gesture.

“Ah”, Ao Shun set his glass down again after a sip, and smiled, “Let me see them properly again.”

When Li Ming inclined his head in incomprehension, Ao Shun reached across the small table and took hold of his hand, pulling it slightly towards him to expose his cuffs under the hem of his suit jacket. ‘Alright… apparently touching hands is a thing that keeps happening now.’ Li Ming thought slightly giddily.

“Yes, I knew they would be perfect for you.” Ao Shun said, clearly pleased, and continued to drink his wine.

The thoughts began racing in Li Ming’s head. For some reason, Ao Shun was still holding his hand. What did he expect him to do now? His grip was not demanding, it was simply casual and warm. Could he move his fingers to return the gesture, and acknowledge the touch? But what if there was no intention behind it? It would seem quite inappropriate. Yet, if this actually was Ao Shun making soft advances to him, and he simply remained completely impassive, he might interpret it as a rejection. And while he could not say what was going on or what he wanted, he knew that he did not want to reject him.

The waiter made the decision for him, when he approached the table to politely inquire whether everything was satisfactory. Ao Shun’s hand smoothly moved over to his glass of wine instead, and Li Ming quickly pulled his back, aware that his cheeks must have turned deep crimson.

After the interruption, Ao Shun changed the subject back to the upcoming auctions, and no more hand holding entailed. Food was served, glasses refilled and the evening unfolded rather pleasantly.

When the king wished to leave, the driver was notified and their waiter accompanied them to the door. As a professional, he had clearly picked up on the hierarchy between them, and addressed Ao Shun exclusively.

“Monsieur Ryu, we appreciate your visit, and hope that we will be able to welcome you as one of our esteemed members in the future.” The slightest change went through his expression, as he leaned almost unnoticeably closer. “I am aware that you only just arrived in Marseille, so please allow me this small advice. Next time, Monsieur should want to consider the company of a different associate.” Ao Shun stared blankly at him with the attention that a great tiger might give to a mildly distracting fly that had just landed on his piece of meat. When he did not get any reaction, the waiter added emphatically, “This is a gentlemen’s club, Monsieur.” Li Ming felt the air grow cold around him. He knew where this was leading, and he hoped against hope that Ao Shun either didn’t, or let the matter drop and leave. A small frown appeared on the king’s forehead. “Li Ming is from a noble family,” he said with an air of growing annoyance.

“Ah, excusez-moi, Monsieur. There is no doubt about that, of course.” The waiter bowed, and Li Ming almost breathed a sigh of relief, as Ao Shun gave a dismissive nod and turned to leave, when he continued, “Monsieur, you must see though that there are limits. We had complaints from our members this evening. You will understand, I’m sure, that this is an exclusive establishment.”

As he grew even colder, Li Ming saw the flare of red in Ao Shun’s eyes and felt the tingle of static in the air. He had gotten used to running into more or less irksome issues in public human locations, but it was always unpleasant. Whenever possible, he generally just avoided them. It would be best to simply leave now, and not get drawn into an uncomfortable discussion. Raising a storm on the building would not make things any better either. He unobtrusively took a step forwards into Ao Shun’s field of vision.

“Mr Ryu, the car is outside now.” he politely addressed him with the agreed upon alias.

He avoided looking at the waiter, just like he had ignored him in turn throughout the evening, and did his best to keep his face impassive. Ao Shun’s heavy gaze shifted to him, and a roll of thunder sounded from outside. Li Ming did not want to show any sign of weakness, which was much more difficult when it felt as if the king was looking right into his core. ‘Don’t cause a scene. Please, just leave already,’ he mentally tried to urge him. After a long, awkward silence, Ao Shun turned swiftly towards the door and with a single, angry snort left the room. Li Ming followed right after him, not dignifying the bowing waiter with any sign of attention.

Outside he took a deep breath and with a sigh of relief he quickly entered the car, before the already lashing rain could get to him.

Li Ming fell heavier than usual into his seat opposite Ao Shun. The air in the small room was thick with pressure and ozone, and he felt the king’s piercing gaze on him.

“I will level this place to the ground,” Ao Shun snarled, and the thunder echoed in his words. In the privacy of the limousine his scale patterns were gleaming on his skin now, and his elongated claws were balled into fists. “Those wretched minions! How dare they question you? The audacity!”

“Please, your majesty, you should not need to be bothered by this matter. It has no significance,” Li Ming said appeasingly, “Those humans don’t matter.”

“No significance?”

The fury rang in Ao Shun’s voice and made Li Ming avert his eyes. He felt suddenly exhausted, and lacked the focus to deal with the raging king. He simply wanted to forget about the incident and not waste any more energy on it. “They don’t matter. But you do.”

Li Ming looked up in surprise, and met Ao Shun’s gleaming eyes. Beyond his grim frown lay a deep concern that Li Ming found difficult to bear. He bit the side of his mouth hard, struggling to maintain his calm composure. He felt exposed and weak under Ao Shun’s intense scrutiny. And while it made him uncomfortable and he had to keep his hands from trembling, a part of him wanted more of that care he felt directed at him. He had spent so much time in Ao Shun’s company. He trusted him probably more than anyone. But it was quite different to feel so vulnerable around him.

For a long moment, only the motor and the heavy drumming of the rain against the outside of the car was to be heard. Li Ming’s throat was dry, even if he had known what to say, he probably wouldn’t have brought out a word.

Then Ao Shun blinked, and with a somewhat resigned sigh he sat back in his seat again. Li Ming felt both relief and pity at the break of their connection. They sat in silence for the rest of the ride, and while Ao Shun stared broodingly out into the rain, Li Ming tried to divert his thoughts by recalling the warm feeling of his hand on his own.

#the invisible library #froststorm #li ming #ao shun

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jumukus · 3 years

Text

A3! Event: Trump the Phantom Thief Episode 8 Translation

Play time! A heads up on the characters' names:

Muku: King Yuki: Q Kazunari: Ace Juza: Jack Banri: Fox Sakyo: Club

Saionji: Muku-kun, how are you doing? Are you getting seasick?

Muku: I'm doing alright, thank you. Oh, and the room is so beautiful.

Saionji: I am glad it is to your liking. We purposely built the suite rooms in a place where you can't feel the ship's motion.

I am planning to take every possible measure for the theater venue as well, though do not hesitate to let me know if you are unsatisfied with anything.

Muku: I will. Thank you.

Kazunari: Dude, not only the suite rooms are superbs, but to think we also get a whole staff to ourselves…! We can even get the beverages here as many times we like!

Yuki: True. The service is just so good it surprised me.

Sakyo: Don't get too engrossed in these service or you'll be havin' a hard time once we return to Mankai Company.

Izumi: You have a point…

Banri: I don't wanna go back.

Juza: ...I'm thirsty.

Muku: Wanna get some beverages in our rooms?

Juza: No, it's fine. Our rooms are far from here.

Azami: There's a lot of vending machines there. I think they have your favorite strawberry milk.

Juza: I'll go get it.

Muku: …

Izumi: (Today is finally our opening show. I knew it. They all seem pretty nervous because we're going to perform in a different venue.)

Juza: …

Izumi: (Juza-kun looks stiff.)

Kazunari: OK, guys! We've gotta form a circle in times like this!

Banri: Be more specific. What d'you mean by "in times like this"?

Yuki: Bet you already thought of what kind of circle you wanna do.

Kazunari: Righty right! Since our play is about phantom thieves, we all should strike a phantom thief pose!

Sakyo: The heck is that?

Kazunari: No complaining! Just follow me!

Yuki: Fine. Fine.

Juza: ...Muku, do the chant.

Muku: First things first, I'm sorry for causing you guys troubles when I was at a loss of what to do.

I don't want to give up on all the things I want to do. I've decided to do everything I can in all of them.

I'll run through until the end. Follow me, guys!

Juza: Yeah!

Kazunari: Okie!

Banri: Yea.

Q: "It's as musty as always."

Ace: "Clean it up."

Q: "How about you do it?"

Ace: "No way. Geez. This place used to be clean, wonder what happened to it."

Q: "That's because we had a clean-freak before."

Ace: "Okay. Leader, you do the cleaning."

King: "I think it's pretty clean, though."

Q: "Seriously?"

Ace: "Should've known a messy room owner like Leader would say something like that."

Q: "Anyway. Since this is the first time we gathered here after a year, that means you've already set our next target, right? Let's cut to the chase already."

King: "Our next target will be "Mermaid's Tears", a 12-carat diamond."

"It's going to be sold during an auction held at the Royal Star cruise. It's one of the event's highlights and expected to sell for 6 billion."

Ace: "Woo-hoo."

Q: "Heh. Interesting."

King: "Royal Star is currently hiring staff. Q."

Q: "Got it. That means I have to sneak in as one of their staff members, right?"

King: "Ace, get close to the ship's captain and collect information."

Ace: "Roger."

Izumi: (I expect no less from Summer Troupe. They have great teamwork. I can totally feel it.)

(Not to mention Muku-kun's King is able to unite them as a leader.)

Q: "I'm in charge of the rooms in Block A… Laundry and… Ugh. What a hassle."

"This isn't my job in the first place, after all. If that person were here--."

Crew Member: "Are you new here? You seem lost."

Q: "Yes. I don't think I can get out of this place if I lose the map."

Crew Member: "You can ask anyone if there's anything you don't understand."

Q: "Thank you."

"?"

Crew Member: "What's wrong?"

Q: "I think I saw someone over there--."

Crew Member: "But there's only a garbage can over there. Is it a ghost or something?"

Q: "Hey. Stop. I don't like it."

"Hm? A letter?"

"Could this be--I have to report to King."

King: "I'll take the Mermaid's Tears--Jack."

Ace: "Can't believe he's aiming for the same thing."

Q: "Him and King sure are compatible in a strange way."

Ace: "Even though their personalities are the exact opposite of each other."

Q: "What are we going to do now?"

Ace: "Guess we're gonna have a change of pla--."

King: "We'll continue the operation."

Q: "Come again!?"

Ace: "So you mean we're gonna compete with Jack?"

King: "I will not send out this notice. Let's call it a direct confrontation between Trump and Jack."

Q: "Whaaaat!?"

Jack: "Weird. The cops aren't on the move."

"Hm? Where's my noti--."

"It's been a while. How about a reunion? At The Mermaid's Tears' chamber. Trump."

"King, huh… It's just so like him to do something like this. Fine. Let's have a showdown."

Fox: "Here. I got what you wanted, the Royal Star's blueprint."

King: "It is indeed the blueprint."

Fox: "I got you some addition as well. This one is a lil bit pricey."

King: "Figured as much."

Fox: "What are you going to do with this information, though?"

King: "It's prohibited to poke your nose into your client's private life."

Fox: "Oops. My bad. I was curious since you rarely asked for something like this. Oh, yeah. Your master said he wanted to see you."

King: "Club? I wonder why. I'll try contacting him."

Club: "I'm comin' in."

Fox: "Speak of the devil."

King: "Long time no see."

Club: "Perfect timing. Are you free now?"

***

Club: "I'm goin' to retire soon. Take whatever you need."

King: "Retire? Are you serious?"

Club: "My body is startin' to fall apart. It's an age thing. Tell this to Ja--Oh, right. I heard you two broke up."

King: "You made it sound like we're dating. Please don't do that. He just decided to quit my group on his own."

Club: "Y'all never change. Here I thought you'd keep workin' together. That's what you call youth, I guess."

King: "To be honest with you, I'd also never thought he would betray me."

Club: "Looking at that guy, I think he's in his rebellious phase rather than betrayal."

King: "Rebellious phase?"

Club: "He's got some strong sense of rivalry, y'know? Add that with the fact that he's never won against you."

"He must be jealous of you. You're a genius, while he can only do things in a crude way."

King: "Really? I like his way of doing things, though."

Club: "That's exactly why you're hated. Oh, well. You better make up before I die."

King: "Please tell that to him too. You're going to meet him after this anyway, right?"

Club: "You're right. Guess I'm also gonna tell him directly. Both of you are my most excellent apprentices, after all."

King: "Please take this as my present for your retirement. This one is 40 years old."

Club: "You sure are well prepared."

King: "I was actually planning to use it for the celebration party, though."

"--Oh, right. If you're going to retire, please give me that. You know, the 'Venus Ring'."

Club: "I refuse."

***

Fox: "Welcome. Man, I guess we've got a lot of 'speak of the devil' moment today."

Jack: "What are you saying?"

Fox: "Nope. Forget it. Anyway, this is your requested uniform and safe."

Jack: "Thanks."

Fox: "Oh, yea. Your master said he wanted to see you. Why don't you give him a call?"

***

Jack: "Long time no see."

Club: "Hey. Is it just me or did you lose some weight?"

Jack: "What do you want to talk about?"

Club: "I'm gonna retire soon. Take whatever you need."

Jack: "Whatever you need, huh. By the way, the 'Venus Ring'..."

Club: "Y'all really have the same taste. I ain't gonna give it out. I sent it to the right place."

Jack: "By y'all… Do you mean King?"

Club: "You should just go back and regroup with him."

Jack: "I'll never go back until I win against him."

Club: "What a pig-headed kid. So? You see any chance to accomplish that?"

Jack: "I have a feeling we're finally going to settle this soon."

Club: "Heh. You seem confident."

Jack: "Because I've made arrangements ahead of time."

Club: "That's so you. You still look as gloomy as ever, though. Why don't you go soaking up the sun in some warm places in the south once in a while?"

Jack: "No--But you have a point. Maybe I'll do that once this is over."

Club: "Do that. And make up with King."

Jack: "...It depends on him."

Guard A: "Wait there."

Guard B: "This place is restricted to authorized personnel."

***

Q: "'Mermaid's Tears' has been carried away."

King: "Got it. Looks like they put it at the expected place."

Q: "How about the security? Can you unlock it?"

King: "I've already made preparation for that. We just need to see how things will turn out."

Ace: "Hey, wait a sec. Please, King."

King: "Find out the schedule for the guards' lookout."

Q: "Ugh. What a pain. Why do I have to do this…"

***

Q: "The guard will change at 1 P.M. The key will only be handed over when a substitute comes."

King: "So we need that key and the password that the captain has to unlock the door."

Q: "Ace, gain some time for us."

Ace: "Roger. Leave it to me."

Q: "Don't screw up."

***

Ace: "Hey, good work."

Guard A: "You're here sooner than I thought."

Ace: "Boss said my shift would start 30 minutes earlier since I'm always late, you see. Today I got here on time, though."

"Oh. Don't tell me you're gonna get scolded if you end your shift early? Wanna have some chat for thirty minutes then? Man, being a guard sure is easy."

"I actually want to increase my shift more, you know. But I don't reall--."

Guard A: "No, it's fine. I'll end my shift now. Bye."

Ace: "Oh. Okay, then. Bye."

***

Ace: "Mission complete. It's your turn now, King."

King: "Let's see, now. This is unexpectedy such a hassle~."

Ace: "I'm glad you seem to be having fun but please hurry up."

***

Q: "It's almost been thirty minutes."

King: "Just a little bit more…"

Q: "The guard is coming."

King: "I'm counting on you, Ace."

***

Ace: "Hey.."

Guard B: "Hm?"

Ace: "Ouch ouch ouch…"

Guard B: "What's wrong?"

Ace: "Oh, are you the substitute? Thank God. I'm starting to panic since my stomach is killing me. Good bye!"

Guard B: "Hey, wait, the key--."

Ace: "Key? Oh, right. I've gotta hand it ove--ouch ouch ouch."

Guard B: "Hey, you okay?"

Ace: "Wait a minute. Just until I calm down. Ouch ouch ouch…"

Guard B: "F-For now, just go to the toilet first."

Ace: "Don't think that's possible. I feel like it's gonna come out once I move."

Guard B: "Whaaat!?"

Ace: "Do you have some medicine or anything?"

Guard B: "No, sorry…"

Ace: "Can you bring me one from the infirmary? I'm on the edge here."

Guard B: "O-Okay! Wait a little bit!"

Ace: "King, you better open it now."

***

King: "...Weird. We may not make it."

Ace: "Come again!?"

King: "Oh, I got it. This one."

"...Nice. It opens!"

"Q, carry it out. Let's retreat."

Q: "Got it."

***

Guard B: "Hey, I have the medicine!"

Ace: "Very thanks, man. Here, your key! I'll leave the rest to you."

Guard B: "Yeah. Hope you recover soon."

King: "...This is weird. Jack didn't come in the end."

Q: "Maybe he realized it's impossible to go against phantom thieves."

King: "No. That guy…"

Police: "Freeze! We're police!"

King: "--."

Q: "!?"

Ace: "Since when!?"

King: "We're being set up. Q, throw the 'Mermaid's Tears' to the sea."

Q: "Huh!? Do you hear yourself now!?"

King: "Do it now. We'll escape the moment the police look away."

Ace: "You're lying, right!?"

King: "Quick."

Q: "You're the one who told me to do it, alright!"

Police: "H-Hey! The jewel! Pick it up, quick!"

King: "Let's go!"

Police: "Wait!"

Q: "What do we do now!? All of our hardship went to waste!"

Ace: "Our 6 billion…"

King: "That was a fake jewel Jack had prepared."

Q: "What?"

King: "Jack had stolen 'Mermaid's Tears' in advance and replaced it with a fake one."

"He was the one who snitched on us."

***

Narration: "The day before…"

Guard A: "Hey, what's wrong?"

Jack: "No, it's just… the engine…"

Guard A: "Hold on, hold on. If there's any trouble, you better do something about it or else it'll get worse later on. If we're liable for the damages…"

Jack: "There's smoke coming out!"

Guard A: "Say what!?"

Jack: "Stay away from the car!"

Guard B: "Whoa!"

Guard A: "C-Call the fire station! Wait, we gotta get the safe first!"

Guard B: "Hey, is it okay?"

Jack: "Yeah. The smoke disappeared. I found no issues with the machine too."

Guard A: "That means the safe is alright, yeah? God. Give me a break. We almost carry it away ahead of time."

***

Q: "So that's why Jack didn't show up…"

Ace: "He really got us! I already thought it was weird for the police to appear at times like that!"

Q: "Ugh. Even if the police didn't appear, Jack still won since he already got the 'Mermaid's Tears' before us."

King: "I wonder about that."

***

King: "He hasn't made any changes in his base. Well, isn't he a little careless…"

"Even his security system is so weak."

"Hm? A card?"

"'Out of respect of Master's retirement, I will hand over the victory.'"

"Don't be satisfied with second place. You could have taken measures if you know there's a chance it'll get stolen. Oh, well. I'll accept your kind offer…"

***

Jack: "..."

"He really came…"

King: "Hey."

Jack: "--ugh. Why are you still here, King?"

King: "It's been a long time, I want to renew our friendship. I even brought alcohol with me."

Jack: "This is why you're hated."

King: "But you don't hate me, do you?"

Jack: "How did you find out?"

King: "I got some information about you from Fox. It helped me understand your strategy to some extent."

Jack: "In that case, why did you fall into the trap?"

King: "Because, otherwise, you won't move forward as planned. I'll be troubled if you're on your guard."

"I could narrow down your base thanks to the location device I planned on the alcohol I gave to Club. The rest is my intuition."

Jack: "I can never bring myself to like you in the end."

King: "Now, now. Let's have a toast for the 'Mermaid's Tears'. Q and Ace are waiting."

Izumi: (This is the only scene where Jack and King talk face to face. Even so, you can tell how close they are just by watching this scene alone.)

(Maybe because they are cousins, they can create a unique relationship between rivals who understand each other the most.)

***

Muku: Thank you so much!

Juza: Thank you.

Sakyo: Thank you.

Yuki: Thank you.

Kazunari: Thankies thankies~!

Banri: Thank you.

***

Sakyo: The audience's reaction on our first show is great.

Juza: King was so cool.

Muku: Jack was even cooler! The fact that he's active behind the scenes is just so Juchan!

Juza: I can also feel the gap between King, a sharp person with a gentle look, and you, Muku.

Muku: I-Is that so? Ehehe. But your Jack…

Azami: They're going to be like that forever at this rate.

Yuki: When are you going to stop?

Banri: But well, it was good overall. Right?

Kazunari: Totally! Their chemistry was just perfect on the stage, even the audience was pleased!

Izumi: Let's keep this energy until the closing show!

Muku: Yes!

< Episode 7 | Masterlist | Episode 9 >

#a3!#a3! translation #summer troupe #autumn troupe #muku sakisaka #yuki rurikawa #kazunari miyoshi #juza hyodo #sakyo furuichi #banri settsu #azami izumida

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putschki1969 · 3 years

Text

My Experience with Japanese Online Shops, International Shipping and Proxy Services

In the last few months I have ordered from many different Japanese online stores and I have made use of a bunch of new international shipping and proxy services so I thought it would be a good idea to sum up my experiences and write a little review so everyone knows what to expect. Without further ado, let’s get to it.

Content

tenso

Buyee

WorldShopping

HMV International Shipping

CDJapan

Amazon.co.jp

1. tenso.com

A staple for everyone who wants to register for various Japanese services (e.g. fan clubs, streaming platforms, etc) or enjoys shopping in Japanese online shops. It cannot be said often or loud enough how indispensable tenso is for fans of anything Japanese, their service is a true lifesaver! The H-el-ical// Online store even recommends using them! These days many Japanese sites accept foreign payment methods but one thing that’s still almost always required is a Japanese address. And that’s where tenso comes in. They will provide you for free with a Japanese address and phone number which you can use to register on almost any site. You can have your fan club stuff and purchased items sent to that address (the tenso warehouse) and they will then ship it to you. There are not a whole lot of shipping options available but that’s fine. Air Mail is definitely their best offer but if your package is too big you will end up having to choose EMS (which is quite pricey but typically very fast - not during the pandemic tho, at least not for Austria). A big advantage is the possibility to edit the package description. You can lower the value of your items to avoid import taxes and custom fees in your country. Please note that tenso does require an identity verification which might act as a deterrent but I can assure you, they are totally trust-worthy and reliable. I get a LOT of use out of them. Of course I have all my FC related stuff sent to their warehouse but tenso also came in handy for my orders on Tower Records Online, Animate Online and the Universal Shop/H-el-ical Shop/mu-mo Shop.

※ With the exception of the Universal Shop, I was able to pay at all the above mentioned stores with my foreign VISA.

2. Buyee

Another staple and the very first proxy service I ever used. You will need them in all those places that do not accept foreign payment methods (there are still too many out there unfortunately). Their customer service is impeccable and I have never had issues with them. They have gone as far as to contact Japanese stores on my behalf even though it is not part of their usual service. They offer a very wide range of features and shipping options, their service fees are also not too high (although I will admit that they have slightly increased throughout the years). They operate on so many different Japanese online shops, it’s rare to find a big store that does not collaborate with them. Also, if you want to thrift Kalafina related items, THIS is your go-to service. Be it Yahoo Auctions, Mercari or Suruga-ya, you can use Buyee on all those sites. They even have their own English user-interface for some of the major Japanese online stores and you can take advantage of their browser add-on which makes shopping a lot easier. The only downside is that they will not allow edits to the package value so if you live in a bureaucratic country like myself with very strict tax and custom regulations, you will have to make sure to send your packages wisely or just expect to pay quite a lot of fees. This time I used them to order my Wakana cover album copies from Rakuten Books (I REALLY wanted their tokuten). Since Buyee offers the biggest variety of shipping options, I got these copies before anything else, they were here super fast.

※ It’s funny how I am able to register my credit card for Rakuten Pay in order to purchase music on mora.jp but I cannot use that very same credit card to actually buy stuff on Rakuten.

3. WorldShopping

A fairly new service as far as I know but it seems like they are quickly expanding and trying to give Buyee a run for their money. Their banner has been popping up on almost all Japanese sites I have visited in the past few months but up until recently I wasn’t really feeling like trying a new service (I am always hesitant when it comes to new stuff). At least until I found myself in dire need of the Sofmap store specific tokuten for Wakana’s cover album XD. Unfortunately Sofmap does not accept foreign payment methods and Buyee also does not operate on their site so I took a leap of faith and made my purchase through WorldShopping since their banner looked so inviting. It was surprisingly straighforward since they are providing their own interface on the Japanese sites. I didn’t even have to go to the WorldShopping main page to register or anything before using the service. Their fees are acceptable but not exactly low. I was a little wary because I didn’t have a proper account but they did provide a link in the initial email where I could more or less keep track of everything. It took VERY long for my purchased item to be registered at their warehouse (for tenso and Buyee it takes around 1 day) and I didn’t get a notification email that it had arrived so those are not the best aspects of their service. The only shipping method they seem to offer is EMS (which again, is very pricey). Anyways, at the end of the day, my package arrived unscathed in Austria (including the tokuten) so I am a happy camper. While I will probably not be using their service regularly in the future I can still recommend WorldShopping to you with a clear conscience. But please keep in mind to check your status link regularly!

※ Please note that the WorldShipping interface in Japanese online shops overrides the site’s very own purchasing option so if you want to make an order using your own account with your tenso address and a domestic shipping method (let’s say in the mu-mo shop for example) you will have to deactive all WorldShopping services on the page.

4. HMV & BOOKS Online International Shipping

Another first for me. I had no idea they offered international shipping so when I saw the little button on KEIKO’s Lantana page, I couldn’t resist. Since Amazon.co.jp is no longer an option for me, I was desperate to find other stores that offered international shipping and tokutens. Unfortunately, their international shipping service is not a very good replacement for Amazon.co.jp since it takes VERY long. I registered as a guest and made my order without any trouble. I expected them to ship the item on the release day (or the day prior) but that was not the case. I am almost entirely sure that they use a “hidden” proxy service but still promote it as direct shipping. Which is why the process is taking so long. I think it wasn’t until the fifth day after the release date that I finally received the shipping confirmation. Also, don’t get thrown off by weird phrasing in their e-mails. They kept saying that they had shipped “the first part of my order” when in fact there was only one part. Since they only offered EMS as shipping option it once again took quite a while for the package to get to me even though the shipping fee was very high (please note that EMS is typically very fast but as I mentioned earlier, COVID-19 has changed everything). Overall, I can’t really complain about their service, if you are willing to wait a while, HMV International Shipping is definitely worth a try. HMV always have some of the best tokutens so be sure to check it out.

※ I originally tried to register properly but that turned out to be quite complicated so I recommend registering as a guest just like I did.

5. CDJapan

The first site I ever used to order Kalafina-items. I have never had issues with them. They are very reliable and of course the best thing is that they ship directly to your country. However, these days I hardly ever shop at CDJapan anymore because they rarely have tokutens. Also, items you purchase on their site will not be calculated into the daily and weekly sales data for Oricon music charts so that sucks. As you know, I want to support my girls as best as possible (and that means contributing to their chart numbers). Sometimes CDJapan do offer tokutens so they are definitely a viable option for foreign fans. They have lots of payment and shipping methods to choose from and typically their packages arrive very quickly. I bought Hikaru’s RE of “disclose” (only the LE came with tokutens) and one of my “Lantana” copies (CDJapan did in fact have a tokuten for that. YAY).

※ If for some reason, CDJapan isn’t your cup of tea or doesn’t work for you I think YESASIA is a good alternative. However, I haven’t used their service yet so I am not sure how reliable they are. They offer free shipping if your order total exceeds a certain amount so that’s definitely pretty neat!

6. Amazon.co.jp

Amazon.co.jp has been very reliable for the past few years but this year they have really let me down. Just like HMV they do offer an international shipping service but theirs is actually a DIRECT shipping service and it’s SUPER fast. Also they estimate the import/customs fees of your respective country and they charge a deposit which they can use to pay the customs office to speed up the shipping procedure. If this doesn’t happen, packages will usually end up being stuck at customs for a very long time until they have been processed. Last but not least, they often have some of the coolest and most unique tokutens. These are all reasons why I loved to use them but it seems like the pandemic screwed things up for many foreign fans. When I was logged in and checking the product pages of the Kala-solo-releases, they would either show me that everything was out of stock from the get-go or no longer shippable to my country. However, when I wasn’t logged in and checked the Japanese version of the product page I saw that there were in fact still copies available. Now that the pre-order period is over they seem to have restocked a little bit and some versions have finally become available again for foreigners. For example, I could now technically order the LE of “Lantana” with a tokuten. I really wonder why that stuff wasn’t there when I needed it *grumbles*

※ I am not 100% sure if the pandemic caused all these issues but I kinda hope that was the reason because that would mean that next year things will hopefully work fine again. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

#kalafina #review #tenso #buyee #worldshopping #cdjapan #amazon.co.jp.#shopping in japan #proxy service #international shipping #wakana #keiko #hikaru

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flyinginthetardis · 4 years

Text

Mismatched Time

a/n: yay!! after an eternity i have finally finished writing something :)) its my first time writing for twelve so i do hope that its okay. (a long time ago) i was inspired by the song “Sideways” from Citizen Cope and well i came up with this thing. Originally i had decided to make it really angsty but i apparently i went in a different direction and made it more fluffy-ish. i hope that you like it!

Pairing: twelfth doctor x reader (i would say its more platonic but you can think otherwise if you want to)

Warnings: maybe some swear words

summary: you go to earth to make amends with your parents and ask the doctor to come with you. He says he'll be there in 10 minutes but it turns out to be 10 years until you meet each other again.

“Ah. Home sweet home. I can't wait for dinner." You say as you put on your jacket and straighten any wrinkles from your clothes.

"Fancy dinner date huh?"

"What? Oh, no." You say incredulously while snickering.

"What's got you all dressed up like that then? Why are you wearing all these fancy clothes and weird stuff? I've never seen you dress fancy in your life. At one point I simply assumed it was impossible for you."

Your mouth opens in shock and closes once you can't think of anything to say. A frown crosses your face as you pace around the TARDIS console anxiously. "That's not true! I've dressed fancy many times. At like events and stuff."

"Oh really? Name one other time that you've dressed fancy. Come on. Prove me wrong."

You stutter and stumble after words trying to get the question to register in your brain and find any example. Anything at all.

"Uh...well..well-wh-what about that time we had to go to that fancy auction party event thing. I was wearing a dress and you were wearing a suit."

"Ha! That doesn't count! It was just a holographic image projected from a device on your t-shirt. I had one too but because I'm a Time Lord, I saw through the projections and saw you simply wearing a t-shirt and jeans."

"Ugh. Fine. I am wearing this 'fancy' outfit because I want to look good for my parents, who I am having dinner with tonight and have not seen them in a couple of years. When I came with you, we didn't exactly leave on the best terms and haven't really spoken since."

"Oh. Well, um, do you want me to come with you? Or..?"

Looking down at your feet, you let out a sigh while placing your head in your hands.

"Yeah it would be nice if you could come."

"Alright." The Doctor gave you a soft, reassuring smile as he moved around the TARDIS, pushing buttons and pulling levers on the console before arriving right outside your parents house.

"We're here."

"Guessed that much." Before either of you could say another word you run over to the Doctor and engulf him in a big hug. Burying your head in his shoulder for comfort and reassurance, you relax a little as he awkwardly tries to hug you back.

"I know you don't really like hugs but I really need this right now." Your voice is muffled against his clothing as you close your eyes, let out a large breath and remove yourself from him.

"Yeah, I know."

You smile at him as you pick up your purse from somewhere under the console sofa and walk over to the door, opening it halfway but not yet stepping out.

"So are you coming?" you ask playfully as your usual demeanor comes back.

"Yes, yes, but go without me, I'll come in ten minutes."

"Okay then, I'll see you soon." You shout from outside the TARDIS as you walk towards the spunky, modern house and close the blue doors behind you.

You stare at the oak coloured door in front of you, thousands of thoughts running through your mind. Deep, cold breaths left your lips as you dragged your fist towards the door; but before you managed to knock the door flies open. Warm air tickles your skin as you stare at your parents standing in front of you.

"Y/N!"

"Hi."

"Come in, come in. Dinner is almost ready." Your dad says warmly as he ushers you in and closes the door behind you.

As you take a seat at the table across your father, your mother emerges with a glorious array of food. You squirm in your seat as an awkward silence prevails.

"So, Y/N, where is that friend of yours that you said would come?" Your mother asks inquisitively with her cold eyes flashing and her question laced with poison as if she enjoyed seeing you intimidated.

"Oh, yeah, he uh, he said he would come in ten minutes."

"Oh, okay. I guess we should wait for him then."

Silence. You wait for ten minutes. Then twenty. Then thirty.

An hour passes.

Where is he?

"Well, I guess we should start because it seems like he stood you up." Your mother says sighing as her tone tells you that she is just utterly disappointed and a wave of criticism is about to come and crash onto you.

That asshat. Where the hell are you! You thought, clearly irritated. It wasn't as if he hasn't done this before and if it had been any other day, you honestly wouldn't mind as much, but this was an important day for you. He knew that. Didn't he?

You sigh and give in. "Yeah, maybe."

Your father passes you some chicken, potatoes and peas before adding some to his own plate. "Thank you."

"Not a problem sweetheart."

You cringe slightly at the old nickname as you pour some gravy over your food before going silent.

"Should we eat?" Your mother asks, finally sitting down with a plate of her own food.

"Sure." You and your father say in unison, grinning slightly at each other. The three of you dig in and as you eat you get lost in your thoughts and wonder about what happened to the Doctor.

***

You sighed as you watched the raindrops race down your window as you huddled up in blankets and drank hot chocolate to warm yourself up. It had been ten years since you last saw the Doctor. Ten years.

Not minutes. Not hours. Not even months!

Years. Years.

He left you for ten years. You despised him for it. And yet you still missed him. You tried to find him but it was just impossible. You sigh and take a sip of hot chocolate. You smile as the marshmallows melt in your mouth.

You pick up an old notebook beside and give it a sideways glance. It contained everything about the Doctor. It was your way of finding him, basically. But it had led to a dead end and so you gave up. Flipping through the old book you reminisce lightly about how hopeful you were those first few years. Snorting at the memory and throwing the book aside, you watch the raindrops patter against the window silently.

Going back to normal life had been hard. Harder than you expected.

Suddenly, you started. That noise.

Could it be?

You run and grab your keys from the glass bowl on the kitchen counter, hurriedly put on your shoes and run like hell down the stairs, not at all waiting for the elevator.

You stand outside and gasp. The TARDIS. You walk over to it carefully and slowly as if it was a frightened animal even though it was nothing of the sort. Your fingers graze the blue police box and you smile. You barely feel the drops of water on your skin as you examine the TARDIS incredulously.

"Hello, Sexy." You whisper to the TARDIS as you lean your head against the blue box. "I've missed you."

Suddenly the door opens and you step back.

"Doctor?"

"Oh hey Y/N! Is the dinner ready?"

"Dinner? What dinner?"

"The dinner with your parents of course."

You scoff at him and take another step back. "Oh that dinner? Oh I'm sorry to tell you but that dinner was TEN YEARS AGO!"

The Doctor blinks and his face gets serious. "What? No, it can't be."

"Check your calendar." You say voice dripping with malice and sarcasm.

The Doctor goes back into the TARDIS and you hear him mutter something angrily. He steps out of the TARDIS again and faces you.

"I am so sorry Y/N."

You scowl at him for a brief moment before giving him a huge hug.

"Don't you dare do something like that again or I will punch you so hard that I'll make you regenerate." You say into his shoulder before you calm down and slowly relax into his arms. You bury your head in his shoulder and the both of you just stay in that position for a while. Finally you release him from your hug and give him a smile. "I missed you so much."

The Doctor smiles and you take his hand, dragging the both of you out of the rain.

"Let's go to my apartment, it's much more cozy than standing dripping wet in the rain."

The two of you walk up the apartment building stairs and stop at a door with the number 321 on it. Your apartment. Walking in, you throw your keys back into the glass bowl on the kitchen counter and sigh happily before collapsing comfortably on the couch. "Come here." You say while patting the seat next to you. The Doctor slides onto the cushy seat next to rather awkwardly but you don't mind.

You lean your head on his shoulder and he slowly wraps an arm around your waist as you turn the TV on. "So what horrendous movie are we watching today?" He asks while looking at you pointedly.

"Hamilton."

"Hm."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"What?"

"Nothing." He replies with a similar tone to yours and you eye him cautiously before letting out a small 'hmph' of annoyance. You narrow your eyes ever so slightly but make no response as you get ready to press play. However, before you can do so, he breaks the silence.

"What is that?"

"What?"

"That." He points at your head leaning on his shoulder and he has the hint of a frown on his face.

You groan and roll your eyes.

"Give me a break," you sigh and look up at him, not moving from his shoulder, "I mean you did leave me for like, oh yeah, ten years."

He sighs and stiffens at your response. "Fine." He mutters out sounding sheepish.

You let out another exasperated sigh and begin to move away, putting space between the both of you. But before you're able to get too far, he grabs your hand and shoulder pulling you back to him.

"Stay." He says as he kisses the top of your head gently, and props his head on top of yours, making you lean into him. You smile, and press play on the remote, finally being able to relax completely after such a long time. Content, you sigh softly and stare at the TV screen. All is well and everything is as it should be. For now, anyways.

a/n: hey so i didnt realize i posted this accidently lol but i was missing a whole lot of editing and was missing a chunk of writing at the end so sorry about that. i was wondering what had happened to my draft but now i know haha.

#twelfth doctor x reader #twelfth doctor #12 x reader #12th doctor #twelfth doctor reader inserts #reader inserts #twelfth doctor fanfiction #twelfth doctor angst #angst #doctor who angst #fluff #the doctor #doctor x reader #doctor who reader insert #doctor who fanfiction #doctor who x reader #nu!who #x reader

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jungle321jungle · 4 years

Text

Ask No Questions (I’ll Tell No Lies): Part Three

An Agent and a Con Man.

With such conflicting backgrounds it almost seemed laughable for the two to be soulmates. Fate had chosen this, but Logan had chosen to arrest the man across from him no matter what.

Taglist: @hells-missing-a-goat @angels-and-dreams @ollyollyoxinfree @gattonero17 @chumo-cookie @dreaming-always @anxiety-ismy-name @mrbubbajones @janustheliar @simplyapannightmare @why-do-you-care

Ao3 - Masterlist

~~~~

Part Three

“Daniel! You look positively dashing.”

Janus forced a smile on his face as he made his way over to Remy. The two exchanged the standard kiss on each cheek before he spoke, “Evening Remy. You’re looking well as always.”

“Well?” Remy asked, adjusting the sunglasses he had no use for in this event hall, “I was hoping for a better compliment than that.”

Janus resisted the urge to gag and he instead gave Remy’s companions a nod, before he looked back to the man with a suggestive smile on his face, “Well you have company here, I don't think they’d like to hear what it is I am really thinking.”

~~~~

“I assume your true thoughts were more... colorful?” Logan interrupted.

Janus gave a smile in return as he stirred more sugar than necessary into his coffee, “I know multiple languages, Agent. There were rainbows of all spectrums in my mind.”

~~~~

Remy gave a laugh and Janus barely had time to mentally prepare himself before Remy had thrown an arm around his waist- and it was dangerously low. “Well feel free to whisper then.”

Janus gave a smile as he leaned in and whispered, “Any finger below the belt will be broken.”

Remy didn’t even have the audacity to acknowledge the words as a threat as he instead pulled Janus closer to him, “I like how you think babe.”

“Daniel Perez,” Janus stated, introducing himself to Remy’s friends given it seemed the man wasn’t going to do it himself.

“He helped organize things here tonight,” Remy supplied. “He’s gonna help me get some nice stuff.”

“I didn’t organize anything,” Janus corrected with a modest smile. “I just convinced my father that there was a good investment in sponsoring the auction. And then in return he sent me to oversee his investment tonight, but I’m not worried so I think I’ll mainly oversee the alcohol.” The words were simple ones, but they were enough to cause the small group to chuckle, and for him to get an out. He turned to Remy with a tad bit of mischief in his eyes, “Would you like me to get you a drink? Champagne perhaps?”

Remy didn’t give him a reaction at all as he said that would be fine and let go. While Janus was thankful to move away he couldn’t help but be a tad frustrated. What would it take for Remy to do something other than give a smile that made him want to punch it off? He forced himself to take a calming breath as he headed to the open bar pulling out his phone as he did. He was greeted with a text from Remus.

I like him

Janus didn’t bother with a reply.

“Things just seem to be going amazing don't you think?”

Janus barely looked up as empty glasses were set before him, “How are we looking?”

“The Target just walked in,” Virgil replied as he poured. “And the artist is stationed.”

“Good. Then do me a favor and make sure he follows the plan?”

“I don’t leash him.”

Janus picked up the two glasses of champagne and turned to walk back to Remy, “Maybe you should.”

~~~~

“What? You’re not going to ask what my marvelous plan was?”

Logan blinked at Janus boredly in return, “Was I supposed to? Wasn’t the whole point of all this that you were going to tell me?”

“Well yes, but I’m telling you what I heard, saw, and thought. Clearly I did not see my own plan go down. I had an alibi all night.”

“Fine. Then do tell me Blank, what was this plan of yours?”

Janus opened his mouth to respond before he closed it, a smile playing on his lips. “Well, why don’t you tell me? ...How would you do it?”

“I’m not a criminal, I would never do such a thing.”

“Humor me,” Janus requested leaning forward in his chair. “I did say I am interested in how you think after all.”

Logan paused taking in the face across from him before he set the notepad he had been writing in down with a sigh. “Do I get any more details?”

“If you need them.”

“A rich club owner trying to buy a present for the victim’s birthday... and from what I understand your forger, Roman, and your thief, Virgil, were there. Roman to do what I am still not sure, and Virgil to blend in if he was posing as staff. And I assume Remus, your hacker, was in a safe location monitoring everything. And this was all at an auction for the elite. That is the basic information correct? Oh and of course there’s the painting that was stolen from the victim’s home.”

“I believe that’s all.”

“Well I supposed the first thing you would need to do is convince the victim, Thomas Sanders that he wants the forgery.”

“Alright, how?”

“How?” Logan repeated in agreement. He paused in thought his mind lacing and weaving together Janus’ words until he came to an answer. “You’d make sure he overhears.”

~~~~

Janus was thankful to escape Remy for the little time he could. He crossed the room of guests still milling about waiting for the event to start keeping a pleasant smile on his face as he did. There was an art to walking through a party. Janus had learned that he needed to smile, make eye contact, and flow as the people did- it didn’t matter that the crowd was taking him in the wrong direction- in a space like this he’d reach his destination through patience. He had learned that as he went he needed to have a small presence by way of giving compliments here, pausing to ask someone about their life there. But he always knew where to draw the line. He needed to speak just enough for them to wonder where they had met before- but not so much that they would need to ask him, and certainly not so much that they would dare remember him.

As he neared the Target coming towards him, he found himself morphing into a group casually and directly the conversation the way he wanted.

“What am I interested in?” he repeated louder than necessary as the Target came closer. “The Crown Jewels, by C. I can't believe that such a painting lost to time has resurfaced.”

“I didn’t even know it was up for bid,” One of the women commented. “I can’t believe it's been found.”

“I love C’s works,” someone else put in. “The whole man is an enigma. He’s only known by a letter, and isn't it true that even a depiction of his face has been lost to history? That he destroyed his only self portrait?”

“Any work of his would be a reflection of his soul wouldn’t it?” Janus asked stepping back slightly- only to bump into a man. As wine spilled down his sleeve he hurriedly turned and apologized to the man.

The Target was apologizing profusely himself. “I am so sorry! I will pay for your dry cleaning Mr.... um?”

“Perez,” Janus supplied. “Daniel Perez.”

~~~~

“Let me stop you there.”

“What?” Logan asked, slightly annoyed. “Is that not how it went? Planting the idea of the painting in his mind? And I assume you most certainly had your hacker place images of The Crown Jewels all over his web searches.”

“While I won’t deny that, but rather I’d like to ask you something... What was it I told you when we first started this conversation?”

“Your real name.”

“Before that.”

Logan paused his eyebrows knit as he glanced over his notes, he didn’t have anything written prior to the man’s true name.

“It was back before we left my place,” Janus started. “I told you that I had...”

“You told me that you...” Logan paused racking his brain as he tried to run through their long conversation through his mind before letting out a curse. “You met the victim last night.”

“Ding ding! So, how do you think it went down if I didn’t interact with him on the night of the auction?”

Logan drummed his fingers on the table slightly as he thought, “Well... just because you usually take the lead as the grifter... doesn’t mean that you have to.”

“Go on.”

~~~~

Roman was itching for his chance to do something. Until now he had been flowing among the guests with ease, Janus’ lessons- lectures echoing in his skull. It was truly annoying, it had been years since he and Janus met, and yet he still couldn't get that nagging voice giving orders out of his skull. Roman gave a laugh as the rest of the group he was with did before he took a breath pushing memories of Janus away as he moved on to the next group. But unfortunately they resurfaced. “There was an art to walking through a party,” Janus would say. And quite frankly with that Roman couldn’t disagree. The flow of people were like the strokes of a brush. Each one different yet distinct and completely and utterly connected despite itself. And each one would interact with another and many different ways. So Roman followed the strokes of the painting he could not fully yet see. He could visualize it though, everything he wished to go right tonight and in the future, but Remy had already been one unexpected blemish and he hoped there wouldn’t be more. So to do his part, Roman smiled, laughed, and talked his way in and out of groups of people- out of swirls of paint until he found the portion of the canvas which would become his masterpiece.

And all it took was one intentional step back.

The Target was apologizing profusely. “I am so sorry. I will pay for your dry cleaning Mr. um?”

“It’s not important,” Roman told him with an easy going smile. “I’m no one of your status Mr. Sanders, and this blazer is almost out of season anyway.”

“Everyone is important in their own way,” the man disagreed. “But I couldn’t help but overhear. Is it true The Crown Jewels is up for auction tonight?”

“It is,” Roman nodded before he gave a slight laugh, “but now that I know you’re interested I’m not sure I have enough to buy it myself.” As the group laughed with him Roman felt his phone buzz in his pocket, Remus was right on time. He quickly apologized to the group he was with and the Target as he put his phone to his ear and fought the flow to head towards the back room.

~~~~

“Better?” Logan asked.

“Much. But I’m not letting you off that easy. How do you think we got the painting accepted? Or how we made sure Thomas didn’t buy it?”

“I’m still working on the first question,” Logan admitted. “But if you had Virgil handing out drinks he could easily slip something in the victim’s which would upset his stomach and cause him to leave.”

“Close, but I’ll give you one for free. Virgil also helped with the distribution of the small appetizers which went around and conveniently found their way to the majority of the people interested in the painting.”

“The ones you hadn’t used as plants.”

“Precisely.”

“So with them and Thomas Sanders gone, Remy was free to buy the painting. And as for getting the painting appraised and inspected... You could have just paid someone off, but that’s not your style.”

“You know me too well, Agent.”

Logan paused scenarios running through his mind as his fingers tapped on the table. There were options- many of them. Time seemed to pass incredibly slowly as he did. He could feel the sun beating down his arm given it had changed positions but he didn’t think to adjust how he sat. He needed to come up with an answer before Janus lost interest. But how was he supposed to come to a single conclusion with so little infor- “You told me your job was an appraiser at first didn’t you?”

Janus gave a satisfied yet surprised smile, “If you have an idea, then tell it.”

~~~~

It had been just over two weeks since Janus had started his job as the newest personal assistant to a man who seemed to have a revolving door of them. Two weeks were barely anything in the larger scheme of things, but they had felt like eternity. He had been sent off on so many pointless errands and he had been running all around the city so often that he seldom had time for what he had actually gotten the job to do. Not to mention the man called his boss was one of the largest assholes he had met (first Remy and now this man? Janus seemed to have terrible luck). His boss barely acknowledged his presence when he was around and when he did, it seemed Carlos was the hardest name in the world to remember.

“His assistants leave so often he doesn’t know any of their names,” a woman had told him pityingly once.

That Janus understood. It was part of the reason he had gotten the job. What he didn’t understand was why nine times out of ten he was called by a female name.

“Marta you're three minutes late.”

Janus attempted to keep his mask on, “I’m sorry sir. There was traffic.”

“Account for it next time.”

“Yes sir.”

“What’s next on my schedule?”

“Well given you canceled your meetings involving any gallery heads today, what's next is a meeting with a man who found an old painting in his grandfather’s home and would like it appraised.”

“Send to a grunt worker to do. Or hell, do it yourself for all I care.”

“I have not been trained in this sir. Also given if the painting is real it would be best to have your name on it.”

For the first time the man across the desk looked up from his computer to stare at the face Janus had put on. “What is it?”

“The Crown Jewels sir.”

The man leaned back in surprise and Janus could see the scheme forming in the man’s mind. His suspicions were only confirmed as the man said, “Does he know its worth?”

“I doubt it.”

“Keep it that way. And make sure we’re the only ones who know about it.”

“Yes sir.”

Greed would always be a fun thing to twist.

~~~~

“And then you’d have Roman come with the painting and the man wouldn’t really be too interested in if the painting was real or not. He’d be more interested in the amount of money he could make and the notoriety he could gain.”

“All true, but you’re missing something.”

“Which is?”

“Someone would notice if Roman carried that large painting in its frame. He had to roll it up to bring it. So if it is simply a painting... then how do we get a bug in Thomas’ villa?”

“The appraiser of art probably would know someone in framing...”

“I’d assume.”

“So you’d put someone there as well, to plant the bug in the frame.”

~~~~

“This one isn’t right either.”

“What about this one sir?”

“Hm? Oh Carmen you’re a genius! This one it is. I'm headed to my next meeting, you stay and coordinate.”

Remus bit the inside his lip as he tried not to laugh as Janus gave his boss a nod. Even from his spot across the room he could see Janus’ annoyance slipping through. It was always funny to him. Seeing the true Janus beneath the layers of makeup, wigs, and contacts. As much as he tried, he was always the same person- and yet Janus seemed to be the only one who couldn’t see that.

Remus sat the counter listening casually to their conversation as he awaited customers. Not like there would be many of them. There hadn’t been someone in at all yesterday, and yet his boss didn’t seem to have noticed. Remus of course had mainly because it just shined light on the fact that he was bored out of his mind. There were so many things he could be doing. He could be playing games, hacking people for the hell of it, watching something, or doing all of the above at once. And yet he was restricted to an old framing shop and his phone. His phone of course was the saving grace, he had recently bought the newest model when he and Roman had returned to visit their parents a few months prior, and since it had rarely left his hands for more than a moment. That had been an interesting trip... he had hung out at the marina, drank, partied, and hacked his father’s company for sport. But then he again aside from boring moments like now that’s all he ever did.

“I’m going to have you lock up today, alright? I have a few things to do.”

Remus gave the man his heartfelt promise that all would be in good hands. So when closing time came, and he had locked up Remus had nearly run for his backpack and pulled his laptop from it. He couldn’t stop himself from silently running his fingers over the keys in anticipation as he turned it on and signed in. When he had he got to work. First pulling up his secure servers before he pulled the bug from his bag and began to sync it. His fingers danced across the keyboard as he worked the colors he had programmed lighting up after each press of a key. This was what he loved doing, sure the rest of it was fun. But using the skills he had gained out of spite was the greatest thing. If only it had lasted longer. But when he was done he shut his laptop and put it back and took the bug with him as he went to the painting. It was already in the process of being framed, but as Janus had anticipated Remus’ boss wouldn’t be done until the following day due wanting to be extra careful and delicate given the nature of the “rare” and “one of a kind” painting. He ran his fingers gently across the wood and metal until he found the spot he had recognized and he pushed it forward before pressing it down. The small compartment opened inward and he dropped the small bug into it before he pulled the cover back into its slot.

~~~~

“While I am convinced that the bug was hidden in the frame,” Logan said, interrupting himself. “I don’t understand why the need to steal the entire painting last night.”

Logan didn’t miss Janus’ smile dip slightly before it was replaced. “We haven’t reached that part of the story just yet. But-” Janus stopped suddenly as the ringing of a phone could be heard. “Sorry.” He pulled it from his pocket and answered it in on motion. “Yes? ...What am I doing? I’m working. There was an-” his eyes looked over Logan’s form before he spoke again. “An unforeseen circumstance, but I am dealing with the predicament. What are you doing?”

As the conversation continued Logan couldn't help but analyze the man across from him as he did. Janus’ body language screamed he was relaxed, and he was incapable of lying in Logan’s presence, and yet somehow everything he was doing seemed to be for show. He wasn’t actively lying, but without hearing the other side of the conversation there was no way Logan could know the scale of this lie of omission.

“Well I do trust you can handle that yourself,” Janus was saying. “Or are you suddenly incapable? ...Virgil, despise is a strong word... You wound me. I nearly- he hung up on me.”

“Working?” Logan repeated.

“Well you seem firm in not wishing to romance me so yes, I’m working. Going above and beyond my usual methods, but given you have no warrant for my arrest and yet you’re here anyway, you’re doing the same. Anyway what was I saying?”

“Stealing the painting.”

“Right, right. But before I tell you about that, don't you want to hear more about how I dealt with Remy?”

“Quite frankly it doesn’t sound like I have much of a choice.”

~~~~

“So everything is set for tomorrow then?”

Janus raised an eyebrow, “How many times do you plan on asking me that? This is my line of work you know.”

“Not really sure you should be using that as the basis.”

“Says the man who drugged me.”

“Oi, who’s fault is it really that you got drugged?”

Janus could only stare at the man seated across from him in disbelief, “Yours!”

“Run me through it again,” Remy ordered as he made himself comfortable with both legs thrown over the side of Janus’ arm chair.

Janus rolled his eyes, but ultimately he complied. “It's simple, you and I keep Thomas with the guests and out of his office, while my guy runs in, grabs the bug and leaves. And he’ll be under the cover of my hacker.”

“Why not leave the thing? You said it was sending you the audio already. Why retrieve it?”

“Because, once the blackmailing begins those people are going to go knocking down Thomas’ door and he’ll do the math that all this started after he got the painting. He can then tear it apart, but if there’s nothing to find and no way to trace us. The end.”

Remy didn't seem completely satisfied but given he was too busy typing away at his phone to speak, Janus took it as an opportunity. “Why do you even want to participate in this? Did Thomas do something to you?”

“What does it matter to you?”

“It doesn't.”

“Then keep it that way.”

“Did you decide what you want yet?” Janus asked to redirect the conversation. “I’m leaving soon and I rather finish everything before I leave.”

Remy paused before he turned in his seat to sit properly. He flicked his sunglasses up and his unsettling gaze fixed itself on Janus, “What if I told you want to stay?”

“That’s not of equal value,” Janus replied automatically. “You’re already getting a cut of the future profits.”

“But think of all the fun we could have, babe!”

“No.”

Remy gave a frown as he considered Janus before he gave a shrug, “Then I’ll have to keep thinking.”

“Please tell me things are set. Somehow each time I spend time with Remy my skin crawls more instead of less.”

“Everything is set,” Virgil confirmed from the other side of the line. “Roman got us each a ticket to different places and then from there we’re on our own and as agreed we will meet up in a month. Even different forms of transport.”

“Good.”

“But how do you plan on getting out without Remy knowing? The rest of us should manage but it's clear he’s uh... attached to you.”

Janus gave a sigh, “I plan to give him a little diversion of sorts. The day after next is when we leave. You all don't need to worry about me I’ll-”

“I’ve never worried about you once in my life.”

“Please remind me why I am friends with you?”

Virgil ignored him, “So how are you getting out? Remy’s clearly got connections based off of what Remus reported. Dangerous connections.”

“Well that sounded a tad like concern didn't it?”

“Janus.”

“Fine. I’ve been acting more distant to Remy later and at the party I’ll drop a rumor to his friends. I’m almost done spinning the silk around him, and then once I break it hopefully he should get stuck long enough that I have enough time to leave. It should take him about 18 hours after the party starts to get free and come after me, but my flight is in 19, and I plan to be at the airport past security long before that.”

“Don't fuck up then. I’ll talk to you after.”

Thomas’ villa was beautiful. That Janus already knew from all the pictures and planning done, but it was entirely different seeing it.

“Quite the place right?” Remy asked pulling Janus close.

His two friends eagerly nodded in agreement, and with that the four of them headed to the door. When they approached the door was already opening to allow them entry. And when they had it was clear the party was in full swing inside. People looked up as they entered, most likely wondering why Remy had bothered showing up this late when the party had started closer to eight, but then again most of them probably knew that Remy had a flair for the dramatic. Perhaps that was why no one commented on how late they were. Rather they hurriedly shoved drinks into their hands and absorbed them into the conversation.

“Remy!”

Janus turned with Remy and turned to look at Thomas Sanders. It was kind of strange, meeting the man he had come to the city for months after he had planned it. He had access to every detail Remus could dig up about the man’s life, and he had been listening in on Thomas’ conversations for weeks, and yet here and now was the first time they had ever locked eyes.

“Thomas!” Remy greeted with a slight slur as he greeted the other man. “How are ya?”

“I’ve been good. But how have you been? I have been trying to contact you for weeks to thank you properly for the painting!”

Remy gave him a dismissive wave, “See I ignored those because I didn’t want you trying to give it back to me. This is to make up for all the birthdays I missed in the past and those I’ll miss in the future.”

Thomas gave a laugh in response, “Of course. And oh, hello to your friends.”

“You already know those two, but this is Daniel Perez,” Remy introduced.

Janus gave the man a smile, “Nice to meet you.”

“You too. But um, Remy?” Thomas asked. “Can I pull you aside to talk for a minute?” Thomas asked.

“Sure thing babe!”

Janus watched as they walked off to the side, and as he went back to the conversation happening in front of him he kept glancing over to the two. As time passed the friends finally noticed.

“Daniel?”

Janus turned from where he had been watching to face Remy’s two friends. “Hm?”

“I said you should join us next week at the network's party,” Sofia told him. Janus had been listening to their conversation of course, but Sofia and Manuel were co hosts for entertainment news, and if he wanted them to take up his story he’d need to up the drama.

“Oh,” he nodded slowly before his gaze flickered back to Remy. “I’m... not sure if I can make it.”

Manuel took the bait, “Is something going on between you two?”

Janus shook his head quickly, his eyes darting over the listening ears he amassed from neighboring people, “It's fine really. I shouldn’t...”

“You can tell us,” Sofia insisted.

Janus gave a sigh before he leaned in slightly, “I just don’t know if I can do this anymore. The hot and cold, I mean.”

“I know he’s a flirt but he's a good person.”

Her partner gave a nod, “He’s just trying to have fun before he settles down with his soulmate. Didn’t you say you were doing the same?”

“Well yes but...”

“But?”

Janus paused looking around before he leaned in again, “I found my soulmate.”

“Oh who?”

The woman beside him slapped him on the arm, “Idiot, he means Remy!” she hissed.

“Oh... oh... I understand. Wait, you said hot and cold?”

Janus gave a nod and let his gaze fall to the floor, “He... he dismissed me... I’ve been staying here trying to hope something will change but it never goes further than anything you guys see. He puts an arm around me and shows me off but he... he dismissed me.” Janus gave a slight sniffle and he forced himself to look up the ceiling blink repeatedly as if trying to hold in tears.

“Oh my God,” Sofia gasped. “He did? I am going to-”

“Don’t!” Janus told her quickly. “Please. I just want to enjoy tonight and then I-I’m actually leaving to go on a trip tomorrow. I just... I just need to-”

“Somewhere to think?” Manuel guessed.

“Yeah... but please don't tell him I told you. I don't want more drama. He’ll try to stop me from leaving and I just need to be alone. I’m only here tonight because I promised him weeks ago that I’d come.”

“You poor thing,” Sofia frowned, gently taking his face in her hands and wiping away the beginning of tears. “We’ll keep your secret. And give him a stern talking to once you’re gone okay?”

Janus gave her a thankful smile. “Okay.”

~~~~

“How long did they manage to keep the secret?” Logan questioned.

“Do you not watch the news?” Janus asked with a smile.

“I was more concerned about coming to arrest you.”

Janus gave a laugh in reply and Logan silently hated how much he tuned in to the pleasant sound. “They didn’t make it twelve hours, but Daniel’s name was kept out of it. And Remy is currently stormed by paparazzi, but he’ll make it out sooner than later.”

“I see. And you claimed you’re leaving today?”

“Is that a problem?”

“It might be... but what happened for the rest of the night?”

“I did my part, kept my alibi. Remy was talking to Thomas most of the night, so I left it to him to ensure Thomas was distracted and Virgil wasn’t caught. The end.”

“That’s it? Logan asked in disbelief. “There must be more.”

“Oh? Do you like my story that much, Agent?”

Logan ignored him. “What about the painting? Why steal it? What is to be gained? I highly doubt that you were suddenly feeling bad about lying about rediscorved art.”

“Of course not. No that was... a hiccup of sorts... as if the murder wasn’t already.”

“What do you mean?”

Janus gave a small sigh and rubbed at the bridge of his nose as if upset at the thought of it, but he told the story nonetheless.

~~~~

The moment Remus had altered the security footage he was moving. He left the staff quarters and headed to the base of the villa. He checked his surroundings to ensure he was alone twice, but then he could hear Remus’ voice in his ear.

“No one is watching you but me Virgie.”

“Something feels off,” Virgil whispered back.

“You’re always paranoid. I wouldn’t let you get caught. No! What? He deserves a red card for that, not a yellow!”

“Are- are you watching the game without me?”

“Hurry back and I won't have to. Oh do you want color commentary in the meantime?”

“No.”

The word was ignored as Remus began to describe the game going on, and Virgil did his best to ignore it as he began his ascent up the trellis. He bit his tongue as he climbed silently worried about whether it would hold his weight (despite the fact he had tested it multiple times previously) but even so he climbed it. The trellis came to a stop beneath the balcony so now came the next issue. He took a deep breath and pulled the metal spikes from his belt and stabbed one in above him before he did the same with the next. And then he was hanging. It was slower moving than he’d like to admit, but he had done this in harder locations higher from the ground. He reached the end of the underside of the balcony and reached up to begin the turn from underneath to the side. He just needed to keep his foc-

“Goal! Yes!”

Virgil jerked in surprise and quickly steadied himself as his heart rate spiked. “Remus?”

“That was such a good- hm?”

“Shut the fuck up.”

“You could at least say please, manners are everything Virgie.”

Virgil held in a retort as he climbed further and reached up for the railing. It wasn’t until he had both feet firmly placed on the other side of it did he calm even slightly. The halls were empty and Remus was monitoring, but that didn’t mean that Virgil was planning to move slowly. He hurried down the hall keeping his steps as quiet as possible and headed toward the office. He glanced back and forth out of habit before pulling out his lockpicks. The long pieces of metal were as familiar to him as his own fingers, and perhaps that's why in a few expert clicks, the door was open and he was on the other side of it. The room was dark and quiet, but that was to be accepted given the host was elsewhere in his home. Virgil took a step in turning on his headlamp as he did. When he did, the painting was easy to spot. It hung on the wall behind the small bar looking out to the rest of the room. He went to it quickly and ran his fingers over it looking for the compartment Remus had engineered, but he couldn’t find it.

“Remus, where is it? The opening?”

“Bottom left.”

Virgil frowned and put pressure on the spot once more only succeeding in deepening his frown. “It's not here.”

“Yes it is.”

“No its-”

“Just shove it forward then- Someone’s walking your way. Get it and get out.”

“I would if I could.”

What must’ve been a Greek swear echoed in the earpiece, “It's the Target, I don't know if he’s headed for the office or somewhere else, but he’s about to turn to the hall. Get out now.”

Virgil could hear the footsteps now. He bit his tongue in thought as panic rose in his chest. He hurriedly turned off the headlamp as they grew closer each one echoing on the floor as it came closer. But there was nowhere to hide in this room- not if he didn’t know what the man was coming in here to do. Damnit, what was Janus even doing? The idiot only had one job for the evening and it seemed he couldn’t do that. Would Virgil really have to teach him everything?

Virgil ran eyes over the room in the dark before a wardrobe stuck out to him and with no other choice he bit back a curse as he moved to the door- locked it- and ran for the wardrobe. He had just closed the door behind him when the office door opened. From his spot holding his breath amongst the rich man’s clothes (hell why did this man even have a wardrobe in his office? Did rich people change clothes in the middle of meetings?) Virgil could only see the light of the room, but he could hear. The Target had crossed the room and was rummaging through his desk. Time seemed to slow as Virgil’s body cramped at the uncomfortable position, he couldn't risk moving. He was already barely fitting in the space as it was, and movement could cause the door to open and he couldn’t have that even if the cramping on his leg could be due to his former injury. He closed his eyes and tried not to think about the feeling. This was no different than any other challenge. Challenges were the breath of life. They were what inspired Virgil to move forward despite everything, because nothing came easy. His mom had taught him that, and even if she hadn’t he had realized it soon enough. Because what came easy wasn’t always deserved.

The closing of the office door and the click of the lock were like blessings. Virgil climbed out giving a sigh of relief as he did. He flexed his leg a few times before he closed the wardrobe and moved to stand in front of the painting once more. But he still had no clue how to access the planted bug.

It was another swear in his ears which distracted Virgil from his analysis of the frame. “I need you to stop talking about the game.”

“I...I think he’s dead.”

Virgil froze, “What?”

“I-I don't... I looked back to the game and when I looked back there’s a ton of blood on the floor!”

“What where?”

“At the end of the hall!”

“I’ve had enough,” Virgil decided, removing the large painting from the wall. “Drive the van as close as you can get.”

~~~~

“He was spooked by the victim’s death and took the whole painting then?”

“Yes,” Janus nodded tiredly. “Virgil has been doing this longer than me, but he isn't as skilled in keeping his emotions in check.”

“And the reason there is no footage of the murder is because Remus had already been looping that area because Virgil was due to make his escape that way.”

“Correct.”

Logan paused in thought as he squinted at Janus as the words settled in his mind. And just like that all at once, the riddle had an answer, “That would mean the killer had to know that the footage was being manipulated.”

“They would.”

“And the only person who knew what was happening that night, who was there, and who wasn’t you or Virgil was... Remy.”

“I came to the same conclusion,” Janus nodded.

“But why would he-”

“I’m sure you can figure that out yourself, Agent. My story was about what I am doing in this city. Not about the murder.”

“They’re connected,” Logan argued. “This means Remy has been murdering people for weeks! And-”

“Perhaps, but they also are only strung together by the word of a chronic liar and an Agent out of line.”

Logan faltered as he looked into Janus’ eyes. The man had let his confident mask shatter to reveal what was true because at this point it didn’t matter. Logan already knew the truth, he had known it since the conversation had started or perhaps even before then, in this situation, he was powerless.

“I’ll catch him,” Logan said anyway. “Remy will be charged.”

“I believe that you’ll try. But now, Agent... I think I should be going.”

No. “You can’t-”

“Why not?” he asked standing. “This is a conversation, not an interrogation after all. One happening off the record. Even if you were to arrest me one day in the future, this would all be more than circumstantial. So I need to leave the country before Remy catches up with me.”

No no no no.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. He was supposed to find Blank, get his answers and arrest the man no matter what. It didn't matter that Blank or Janus was his soulmate. It didn’t matter that he didn’t even have permission. All that mattered was that he couldn’t let Janus walk away. He had been doing this for too long. For so long he had been chasing the wolf in sheep’s clothing and his merry band, he had been running through countries and letting time pass. It had been over two years followed by six months of riding a desk hoping and praying for this moment. He had spent six months pretending he was satisfied as long as he had Patton but this moment here was what he had been yearning for so it couldn’t just- just end.

Emotions had never been Logan’s strong suit. Everyone who knew him knew that. But never more than now did Logan wish he could explain the passion- the anger- the fear- the joy- the sadness and more that filled him to the brim.

“Please remember that this case isn’t everything. I know you’ve devoted yourself to it kiddo- and you know I love how into your work you get but... but you’re more than the case.”

Patton had said and meant those words, but here and now Logan wasn’t sure if they were true. Because even if he could arrest Janus here and now what would come from it? He’d arrest the man, and feel better for what? A day? A week? A month? But it wouldn't change that he would still be chained down by his desk by his superiors. It hurt. More than emotionally it hurt physically. There was a pain in his chest and it hurt. It hurt more than he wanted to admit- even if it was just admitting it to his soul. It was hard to admit that he needed more than Patton- when he knew that Patton would give him everything if he dared say the word. He needed his job- what he truly loved more than any person. And the only way he could keep any grasp on his former position and the former case... was to let Janus go.

“I will arrest you,” Logan promised finally.

Janus gave him a smirk and a slight nod of the head, “Let’s see if you keep that promise Logan... And when we meet again, do me a favor and try to be more romantic. If you do... perhaps I’ll have another story for you.”

~~~~~

“Lo!”

Logan lifted his head to see his lover’s face.

“What happened? Are you okay? Did you-”

Patton’s words were cut off as Logan moved forward to embrace his fiancé tightly.

“Lo?” Patton asked softly as he hugged him back.

“I’m sorry,” Logan told him as he buried his face in Patton’s shoulder. “I should’ve been better to you.”

“Hush,” Patton chided. “What could be better than hugging you? Well I guess I prefer it when you’re smiling and hugging me. But this can lead to smiling Logan so it's okay.”

Logan couldn't stop the small chuckle which left his mouth.

“Oh I hear him already.”

Logan shook his head as he pulled back enough to wipe at his eyes, “I love you, Patton.”

Patton gave him a bright smile back, “I love you too. Now I’m going to start dinner and you can tell me about your day and if you met Blank some other time if you don't want to talk now, okay?”

“I met him,” Logan confirmed. “And... well, I got more than I bargained for.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, have you ever considered the thought of having two soulmates?”

Patton’s mouth dropped open in surprise, “No way!”

“Yeah... he is.”

“Wow... well I know I just said I’d wait, but can I go back on it?”

Logan gave a laugh as he pulled Patton close to him again, “Yeah... you can.”

~~~~

This line of work was never something he had seen himself in. He had grown up thinking his only choice in life was to become a businessman and be better than those he was exposed to. And then he had witnessed a robbery, and he fell head first to a world he hadn’t known. And despite everything he had fallen in love with it. The art slipping his way into any group was something he had learned, and it was the art of the lie that he had perfected which allowed him to be such a notorious conman. And nothing could be better than that. Cons allowed him to meet amazing people, travel, and do something only he could. Others could steal, others could paint, others could hack, but only he could weave one another together to reach the goal. Only he was the one who could put things together- or he was supposed to be. But Logan was an anomaly, and even if Janus had the ability to lie to him he was sure the man would have figured him out on his own. “A long while,” that’s how long Logan claimed to have been tracking him. He couldn't help but wonder how long that had been. How long had it been that he had left behind enough clues to let his soulmate into his mind? He'd have to do better if he didn’t want to come this close to being caught again. But at the same time... the thought of Logan catching him wasn’t a bad one. Janus gave himself a quick and mental shake, no. He had other people to think about, and- and if Logan did catch up with him he was sure as hell going to make the other man earn it.

A soft sigh left his lips as he tried not to think about how uncomfortable the coach seats were as the plane moved closer and closer to the tarmac. It had been a longer flight than he had anticipated given the weather not allowing them to land, but now he was more than grateful for a chance to stretch his legs. Then it was off for a month of relaxation and planning before doing it all over again. As the plane landed and began to taxi he reached for his phone and pulled it out to turn it on and was greeted by a barrage of texts.

He didn't recognize the number having wiped off all personal data before boarding the plane, but reading through them it was clear enough who they were from.

What the hell Daniel!? WE HAD A DEAL

Bitch where the fuck r u

I will fkin find you!

What do uthink ur smart or someth?

I have ppl everywhre. They told me about u!

ANd when i tell them that u fkin destroyed me?

i’ll kill u

They went on like that for a while but Janus paid them no mind, and he did his best not to smile as he picked up his napkin and rubbed it over the phone. When it was his turn he climbed out and took down his carry on and moved to leave. He gave his thanks to the flight attendants as he did, ensuring he complimented a woman’s earrings as he did so he could drop the napkin- and phone in her trash without her noticing.

“One month to relax,” he breathed out as he left the plane. One month of no work... he wasn’t entirely sure he would survive that long without doing what he loved. But, perhaps it would make quite the prologue.

~~~~

Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Sequel

The end! But as you see above I'm planning for sequel! So I hope you're curious about learning more about the history of Janus and crew and about Remy. So yeah, until then!

#the two workaholics love each other for loving work #soulmate au #loceit #logicality #murder mystery #character death mention #Janus Sanders #logan sanders #virgil sanders #roman sanders #remus sanders #patton sanders #c!thomas #ts remy sanders #agent #conman

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the-voltage-diaries · 4 years

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tbh I think eisuke is better than Taki because he has more of a character development, wouldn't you agree?

Hey there, anon! Lmao that’s a kind of a controversial question you’ve asked me haha

Disclaimer: What’s written below is my own humble opinion, it’s not meant to hate on, or disregard, or disrespect anyone intentionally.

I’m going to have to say I disagree. And by saying I disagree, I am not, in the least bit, trying to state the counter: that Taki is better than Eisuke. If someone said that, I’d disagree then too. And that’s because of one simple reason, that Taki and Eisuke are two separate individuals with very, very different personalities and it’s wrong to compare them on the basis of character development, according to me.

Here’s why:

1. Statue vs Rust Now, here’s a way to look at it. Eisuke’s character development is like making a statue, whereas Taki’s is like removing the rust. When it comes to Eisuke, his character development starts at a point where he doesn’t even know half the human emotions that exist, like love, care, affection, et cetera. He doesn’t invest his time in them because he’s never felt much of them, and the MC, over a period of time, has to make him understand what those emotions mean and how important they are. He gets introduced to a world he never knew, in a sense. That’s precisely why Eisuke has so much scope for development, too. In a metaphorical sense, it’s like the KBTBB MC meets a stone Eisuke and over a period of time, and after putting in tonnes of affection, hard work, and care, sculpts him into a beautiful statue. She slowly works on the intricate details and makes him into who he is now. Now, if you look at Taki, the scope for his character development is limited in this sense (I’ll elaborate on that in a bit). With him, it’s like polishing the rust off of something. When it comes to his story line, he is very different in terms of knowing emotions as compared to Eisuke because he has already felt emotions like love, care, affection, et cetera. In his teenage years, he was a very charming and kind individual who knew those feelings well. But, due to the misunderstanding with MC and the debt situation, he felt like those emotions aren’t meant to be felt, that they are a hindrance. He purposefully chose to mask over what he felt because he knew the price of letting them out. Here, MC’s task was to remove that facade, and she made him realise it��s okay to feel those feelings. It was like removing a thick layer of rust to allow his inner self to shine through. In simpler terms, it’s like letting something which was already there come up to the surface, instead of shaping it from scratch, like what happens with Eisuke.

Even if you look at their MS’, you’ll notice that Eisuke, by the end of his MS is still pretty bland whereas Taki has more of a feel to him. He smiles more, he’s more honest, and it’s like bringing a teenage Taki back.

2. Varying Scopes Eisuke’s stories are more about him coming to terms with his emotions and realizing he feels things which he didn’t even know he felt. More like, Eisuke’s story line’s central theme, in most cases, is working on his character development from an emotional point of view. It focuses on how Eisuke feels, and grows that into something more. Whereas with Taki, his stories aren’t about his character development with respect to feeling new emotions and dealing with them. His character development is linked to coming to terms with his past and allowing himself to feel what he denied feeling for so many years. That’s one reason why you won’t find a lot with Taki in terms of his emotional development with respect to feeling new things.

3. History does repeat itself With Eisuke and MC, it’s important to note that they didn’t know each other at all prior to that fateful meeting at the hotel lobby. They probably hadn’t even talked much and their relationship started from square one. So it’s kind of understandable why Eisuke would still keep his walls up for a LONG time. It takes a while for Eisuke and MC to work through obstacles and establish a degree of trust between them with respect to each other. Whereas with Taki, MC and him already share a history. They were high school sweethearts and Taki and MC both know what the other person was like, and can decipher from a mere few moments that neither of them has changed much over the years, except for having a higher wall around them, owing to their experiences with life in the past. Once Taki and MC realise who the other is, it’s a little bit of awkwardness before they both allow themselves to settle in and be comfortable around each other (even banter a lot lol), because they essentially do know the other person well. Because of that, there’s already a certain degree of trust established between Taki and MC right from the middle of his MS Season 1. That, in turn, leaves less of character development in terms of his relationship with MC when it comes to Taki.

4. Family Backgrounds It’s also important to look at how different their backgrounds are. Eisuke hails from a reputable family, and was adopted into a super rich family as a kid too. He has always dealt with two-faced people and has always had a much more luxurious life from the start. What I’m trying to say is, Eisuke’s not bothered to concern himself with emotions from the very beginning because that’s what’s been ingrained into him from his childhood. Also, because he’s been ultra rich from the start, the MC has more work to do when it comes to making him realise money ain’t everything, my guy. Now with Taki, he has very humble origins. He came from a very normal family, and knows what it’s like to live with just enough money (not being ultra rich, I mean). He was a very normal guy in high school with a very warm group of friends, an incredible girlfriend who he was in love with and a very humble life. His attachment to money came with the debt, when he realised as long as you have money, you have power and as long as you have power, you have everything. MC’s task here was to take him back to his teenage days and make him understand that sometimes, it’s the less expensive things which give you more happiness.

5. Old Habits Die Hard Now, let’s look at their interactions with the MC. If you’ve noticed, Eisuke is very... hm, how should I put it... non-slangy + formal in the way he speaks. To make more sense of this, Eisuke is very proper when he speaks, and he doesn’t use a lot of phrases like “Man, you’re...” or “God, that was....”. And that’s because it’s been ingrained into him. Eisuke’s vocabulary is very prim and proper and non-slangy because that’s what he’s been taught since childhood. It makes him seem more like a robot, in a sense in the very beginning, in my opinion. Gives him a less relatable vibe, basically (and I mean no hate). Whereas if you look at Taki’s stories, he often uses a lot of phrases like, “God, you’re cute.” or “Man, that was something.” and that’s mainly just his high school, boy next door self showing its form. It makes him more relatable and human in my opinion, and those slangs are what show the reader that yes, the Teenage Taki still exists in there.

6. Won’t Lose You As stated previously, Eisuke hadn’t even known the MC exists till they met in the hotel lobby in the prologue. So when Eisuke and MC start dating, it’s with a perspective of “Okay, now she is my girlfriend.”, which doesn’t allow Eisuke to be very open about his feelings from the start. In case you’re confused, hang in there and let me explain Taki’s side to help you understand better. Now, Taki is MC’s ex. Someone who was very in love with her. Still is. He knows what it’s like to lose the MC, for he had already lost her once, and would do anything and everything to NOT lose her again. Thus, he is relatively more open with his emotions. He let’s her know how much he loves her, values her, cares for her, because he doesn’t want to let her go again, ever.

7. Okay, Let’s Be Direct Eisuke is a very “actions speak louder than words” person. He isn’t very open with his emotions, heck he doesn’t even say “i love you” till MC demands it out of him lmao. He is very indirect in terms of expressing what he feels for the MC, even in his later stories, and it takes time for him to come to terms with the word “love”, in general. If you look at Taki, he has been very direct from the start. Even in high school when he confessed to MC he went “I like you.” and in his MS when MC asked him why he kissed her, he said “Because I love you.” right on her face. He has always been direct with expressing himself, so that leaves a much smaller scope when it comes to him coming to terms with feelings like love and care, et cetera.

8. Different Premises Now, this might be the last point I touch upon. The thing is, both KBTBB and KoP are set in VERY different themes. In KBTBB, the MC is a normal person with a fulfilling life, she gets sold in the auctions, meets the auction managers and her journey starts from there. In KBTBB, MC has to mainly deal with the stress that comes with throwing herself into the dangerous life Eisuke and the other lead, and apart from that her life doesn’t really have much of an angst. In the sense, that none of the action managers have to actually deal with the MC and her emotions, per say. In KoP, the MC goes through a divorce which basically leaves her mentally shattered. She self-doubts and and constantly keeps worrying about what did she do wrong which made things end up the way they did. Here, while the KoP guy and and MC fall in love, it’s also about helping MC realise what happened was not her fault entirely. It’s about connecting deeper, much deeper, on an emotional level with the MC, which gives Taki a sort of a head start when it comes to character development in terms of bonding with the MC. ... I hope that made sense lol

That was a LONG response, not gonna lie, and I’m so sorry for being late with this! But, I hope I was successful in showing you my side of things on this debate.

Thanks a lot for the ask! <3

#ask zela #anon asks #eisuke ichinomiya #taki kozaki #kings of paradise #kissed by the baddest bidder #kbtbb #kop #kbtbb ask #kop ask #kbtbb eisuke #kop taki #character development #eisuke vs taki #who is better?#im sorry but #i genuinely cant compare the two #because they are so different #my little crumbcake~

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inforapound · 4 years

Text

Emboîté Part 1

A/N - I sat down to write a one-shot for @youbloodymadgenius‘s 400 writing celebration and I accidentally wrote 19k words of the sappiest, fluffiest modern Ivar. I love you @youbloodymadgenius. Series is pretty much done so I will post a couple of chapters a week - 6 parts total. Please see warnings.

Pairing – Ivar and Sarah (Aethelswith)

Words – 1,500 approx

Series Warning – explicit smut, dance industry inaccuracies, fluffy Ivar, possessive Ivar, semi-slow burn, ‘baby’ used as a term of endearment.

When our eyes met through the crowded reception, it startled me. It was the bleakness of his expression. As if he had just received bad news and his body was yet to react. I didn’t mean for my eyes to linger but I was curious. Somehow drawn. The emotion just under the surface of his face held my eyes to his and I couldn’t turn away. When he looked away first, I felt almost jarred, like someone had snapped their fingers in front of me. It was the strangest thing.

---

“Fuck off.”

Wincing, he leaned on his crutch, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

“You would be less miserable if you sat down.” Taking a sip from his glass of vodka, Ubbe ignored Ivar’s glare, setting his drink down on the tall table in the cocktail area of the ballroom. “Just head to our seats,” he nodded toward the far side of the large room set up as if it were a fashion how. Chairs lined either side of a catwalk with a stage and podium behind.

“I wouldn’t have come if I knew it was going to be like this. What is taking so long?”

“Chill Ivar, it’s a benefit,” Ubbe said, his tone placating. “They want us liquored up before we bid.”

“It’s not too late for you to go,” Hvitserk chimed in, his eyes scouring the females in the room. “I’m surprised you even came.”

Grunting in the back of his throat, Ivar again shifted his weight on his cane, ignoring his drink on the table. “Our father left me chief controller, not you,” he glanced at Hvitserk. “And Freddie said we need charitable write-offs. Mom loved this place….”

“You mean we aren’t here because of your love of the fine arts?” Hvitserk smiled taking another drink but stopped and frowned. “Shouldn’t this be an open bar for how much these tickets cost? And... this is a two-night gig, there’s still that silent art auction thing in a few weeks at the gallery on Hereford.”

“Forget that,” Ivar sneered. “I’ll write the cheque tonight and that will be that.” Picking up his highball of dark liquor, he knocked it back, plunking the glass down onto the table.

---

There was no time to dissect my reaction to the striking man in a dark suit across the room. The tall, handsome Ronan Dorst approached, stopping beside me, standing so close the arm of his suit touched the skin of my shoulder. My black formal gown was not overly revealing, but I still felt a chill from the low neckline and off the shoulders cut. Looking up to him, I flashed a quick smile. Ronan’s smile was so natural, if one didn’t notice the way his eyes roamed the figures of every dancer, performer, server who passed, they would almost believe him to be a gentleman. But, I suspected differently.

“You ready to shine?”

“In truth, I’m trying not to think about it.”

“Meh,” he took a long drink, emptying half his glass. “You are used to being in front of a crowd. It’s all in fun.”

“Says the man who won’t be paraded down a stage in hopes of attracting bids for an awkward supper out with strangers. Anything for the ballet.” I groaned, fidgeting with the glass of wine in my hands. Too nervous for it to taste good.

“I will bid on you and then you won’t have to suffer through the boring dinner with the Ravenhurts. You weren’t here last year, were you?”

“No, I had just been signed.”

“They do this every year. Outbid as many as they can and then throw a large, stiff dinner party at their big house. They like to remind us, peasants, that they are the theatre’s primary donors. Relax,” he looked down, and I could feel his eyes on the skin of my chest. “I’ll rescue you.”

Comforting, I thought, taking a sip of my bitter drink. Looking over at the older couple, the man was wearing a tuxedo and his wife, a purple glittering dress that resembled a housecoat my mom used to wear. They looked sweet. And dripping with money. The entire room was dripping with money, including my charming, googly-eyed friend standing next. How much would they bid, I wondered if they saw my shitty apartment above a laundromat with a bifold door on the bathroom. My eyes skipped back to the three reserved and well-dressed men standing around a table.

“Who are those men over there not talking to anyone?”

“Where?” Ronan gawked, failing at being discreet.

“Closest to the bar.”

Straightening, he looked away, his expression sour as he took another drink. “The Lothbroks. I would suggest you not wonder over.”

“Wasn’t planning on it.”

“You are too sweet to mix with that crowd.”

“How do you know I am sweet?”

Glancing down at me he rolled his eyes, “Nice try gorgeous.”

Continuing on, he gave me no time to ask questions.

“What kind of bid are you hoping to get? I am feeling generous,” he wiggled his eyebrows looking less and less attractive the longer we talked.

“Ugh,” I grimaced. “Giovanna is lead and Nicole has an incredible following for a second.”

“You are a second.”

“Yes, but they are stars. They can work a crowd. Mikal is a legend and Jono is a straight-up peacock. They’ll bring in the money. Jono will have eyes for all the older ladies with fat diamond rings. I will be happy if someone bids, something.”

The sound of chimes came through the speakers. It was time to be displayed like a cow at auction.

---

“Ladies and gentlemen, we now welcome one of our two understudies. All the way from Montreal, Canada, Sarah Pearson.

Oh god, I exhaled and stepped out onto the shiny surface of the stage relieved that they were clapping.

“Sarah has been with our company for one year. She….”

Tune it out, tune it out, I chanted in my mind, attempting to focus on my breath and maintain a smile. The blaring voice of our director drolled on the details of my life like it was a shopping list. I took comfort, as always, in the blinding lights. They prevented me from trying to make out the features of the faces lining the stage, staring. It all felt like some 1950’s bullshit. The music rattled on, not as loud as her voice over the microphone and I marched forward, careful not to roll an ankle. Wouldn’t that be something?

“Dancing since the age of three and from a long line of dancers, Sarah…”

Hmm, I pressed my lips together now at the halfway point on the walk pleased she left out the details of my ex-ballerina mother now permeant-couch-dweller, chain-smoking, alcoholic. She was usually surrounded by garish glamour photos of herself in a slightly rattier apartment than mine and one that always had the choking smell of ashtrays and Chantilly talc powder. Yes, that snip-it of information would not bring in the bids.

“We will start the bidding at five hundred dollars. Five hundred!’ she immediately repeated pointing in the direction of a paddle being held up in the air.

“Fifteen hundred,” a man’s voice called from somewhere on my left and I knew immediately it was Ronan.

“Three thousand,” a woman’s voice called out and I wondered if it was Mrs. Ravenhurst in her rhinestone housecoat.

It felt as though I should look over, but I pretended to be oblivious to the figures being hurled in my direction.

“Five thousand dollars,” another man spoke, his voice sounding shaky, making me think he was another one of our more elderly patrons.

“Seven thousand dollars,” Ronan interjected, and our director, turned auctioneer, all but orgasmed over the mic.

“Eight. Thousand. Dollars,” the woman called out pointedly giving the impression she would not be rattled by little boys playing with their father’s money.

Would she keep bidding, I wondered, knowing there were still nine dancers to follow?

“Ten thousand dollars!” Ronan shouted, sounding theatrical and sparking the crowd to clap and cheer.

Rounding the end of the catwalk, I began my painfully slow trip back to the stage. The auctioneer repeating and calling, ‘ten thousand going once, twice….”

“Twenty-five thousand,” an unknown voice cut through the excitement. Instinctively, my head snapped in its direction, the lights on the stage stinging my eyes. Squinting, I looked down at the floor with a large black spot in my vision unable to see who had made the bid. Stopping at center stage, I spun and lifted my face back to the crowd with a smile, listening to the applause.

“Going once!”

Our director was truly embracing the moment.

“Going twice!”

The mallet dropped with a hollow whack.

“SOLD for twenty-five thousand dollars!”

Nice to have the value of my life confirmed with the drop of a hammer.

“Ladies and gentlemen, now THAT is how you support the ballet. Yes, give our generous donor a round of applause. Thank you so much number 24. Mr.…” hesitating she looked down at her podium as if searching a list, “ah, thank you Mr. Ivar Lothbrok.”

@youbloodymadgenius @naaladareia @whenimaunicorn @lol-haha-joke @ceridwenofwales @jaydelesley4 @sweeneythots @squirrelacorngliterfarts@funmadnessandbadassvikings @fangirl-nonsense @thiahilmarsdottir @redama @mdredwine @didiintheblog @yourpurplequeen @londongal2810 @fields-and-fields-of-poppies @readsalot73 @hexqueensupreme @silly-bullshit-collector @littlecarolina94 @oddsnendsfanfics @youbelongeverywhere @blonddnamedhandz @waiting4inspiration @flowers-in-your-hayr

#ivar #ivar lothbrok #ivar fluff #ivar fanfic #modern ivar #ballet #ivar and oc #Ivar and sarah #ivar the boneless #ivar love story #ivar romance #Ivar and Aethelswith

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onedoesnotsimplywriteafanfic · 4 years

Text

Reunited at last (2/6)

Part 1

The days leading to our departure I needed to find someone who could cover me on work and teach the history classes. Luckily one of my co-workers wanted to work day shifts in staid of night. Today would be the last history class I would teach before leaving that night. ‘’So you are going on another trip again?!’’ no one could contain their excitement. ‘’I will be leaving tonight, and I don’t know for how long I will be gone.’’ I said honestly. ‘’But you will come back right?’’ one girl asked afraid of my answer. ‘’Yes, I will be back and yes, I will be telling all about it.’’ she laughed in relief.

My bags were already packed and ready to go. Rafe was waiting for me in the door opening of the library hall. Looking at me and admiring my passion and love for these children. No one noticed him standing there for a huge amount of time until one girl saw him and started whispering to her friends. ‘’Is there anything you want to share with the others, Dahlia?’’ I said while raising an eyebrow.

All the girls started giggling and blushing slightly. Rafe enjoyed the attention and couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. The sound of his chuckle startled me and I turned his way. ‘’Rafe, what are you doing here?’’ I asked him confused because I remembered meeting him at the airport. ‘’I wanted to pick you up, before heading toward the airport.’’ he shrugged nonchalantly.

All eyes were now fixed on us. ‘’I will be done in fifteen minutes, can you wait up front?’’ Everyone booed and awed. ‘’I don’t think they want me too.’’ he said grinning, showing his picture perfect smile. ‘’Please let him stay.’’ I heard someone ask. ‘’Fine, but we keep our heads to the subject.’’ I warned them. Once Rafe was seated somewhere at the table I continued the less.

In staid that I told them a storie, Rafe took the stage and told one of his. It was a nice finish before I left. For the first time I could watch and see how these children admired history and stories, taking in their faces one by one. There was no doubt about it, I was going to miss them like they were my own.

The next few days went by in a haze, we flew to Italy. The auction was held three days after we had arrived. That gave us plenty of time to find a dress for me and a suit for Rafe, explore the city and over all get to know each other again.

We stayed in a luxurious hotel in the hart of the city. It was more a penthouse then a suite. It has two rooms with each of their own bathroom, a functional kitchen and the most amazing few I had ever seen. Looking out over the city, with each night the sunset far in the distance.

As the sun was setting, a light warm breeze tickled my skin as I sat on the balcony. Admiring the view and letting my thoughts wander of into the distance. I didn’t notice Rafe walking out. ‘’Penny for your thoughts?’’ He took a seat next to me in one of the chairs. ‘’Just admiring the view.’’ I send him a quick smile before turning my gaze back to the horizon. ‘’It sure is beautiful.’’ He said, looking in the same direction.

For a couple of minutes we sat in silence. ‘’Tomorrow is the big day. The auction.’’ You could hear the excitement in his voice. ‘’I truly don't know what to expect.’’ I admitted, I’ve never been to an auction before, normally I would just take the artifacts, depending on the location and legal reasons. You could say I was a thief, in some ways.

For a second Rafe searched for an answer. ‘’Well it’s only a gathering of a bunch of rich assholes.’’ He said with a chuckle. ‘’In or excluding yourself?’’ I asked with a raised eyebrow. ‘’Depending on my mood.’’ He said with a wink. I rolled my eyes and laughed.

Not much later my phone rang, I looked at the caller ID and saw that it was my dad. ‘’I need to take this.’’ I said and walked inside. ‘’Hey dad.’’ I said after answering. ‘’Hey, I went by your work and you were not there, the said you left.’’ I completely forgot to tell my dad about going on this trip. ‘’Yeah, I am on a vacation, felt a little stressed out so yeah.’’ I made up a lie, something in me tolled me not to tell my dad the truth about Rafe.

After he left, without saying a word, my dad was beyond pissed at Rafe. Sam and Nate were like sons to him. My dad basically raised the two. My dad found Nate after he stole a ring in Colombia, Nate was just a teenager. Immediately my dad had a soft spot for him and took him in and that was the start of our friendship.

I got the impression that my dad was circling around his point as well. ‘’So why where you at my job anyway?’’ I asked bluntly. ‘’Well Nate and I, we have a job and it’s a big one and we will be gone for a while.’’ There was something in his voice I couldn’t place. As if he was hiding something from me. ‘’Oh, where are you going?’’ He hesitated for a second before he answered. ‘’Yemen.’’ It didn’t sound right to me but I didn’t question it either, because I was lying too about my whereabouts.

I could here Nate talk in the background, not sure who he was talking to but he sounded happy. ‘’When ever I have time I will call you.’’ My dad said, a little sad. ‘’I will look forward to your calls dad.’’ our call ended right after, my dad had to go. Rafe walked in and looked at me. ‘’Who was that?’’ With my phone still in my hand I looked back at him. ‘’My dad, he and Nate are going to Yemen.’’ Whether or not it was real, I passed it on to Rafe. He simple nodded and didn’t say much about it.

It was getting late and with each passing second my eyes grew heavier. ‘’I call it a night.’’ I said to Rafe as I passed him in the kitchen. ‘’Oke, goodnight sweetheart.’’ he always called me pet names, something I still have to get used too. ‘’See you in the morning.’’ Looking at him for one last time before heading towards my room.

That night I dreamed meaningless dreams, I couldn’t remember a thing. Waking up it felt like I still needed eight hours of sleep. With tired eyes I walked into the kitchen for a cup coffee. Rafe was already awake and eating at the kitchen island. ‘’Morning sweetheart, how did you,’’ he looked at me and stopped mid sentence. ‘’Did you even sleep at all?’’ he asked concerned. ‘’I did.’’ I said, rubbing my eyes and yawning.

Handing me a cup of freshly brewed coffee, Rafe placed a hand on my forehead. ‘’I am not sick, Rafe, just tired.’’ A smile formed on my face. Rafe wasn’t a sympathetic man, but when ever I was around he seemed a different person. ‘’Drink your coffee, take a bath or a nap. Just get your rest for tonight.’’ He planted a small kiss on my forehead. ‘’I need to meet a client of mine, I will be back later.’’ I nodded and suppressed a yawn, without success.

Dressed nicely as usual, Rafe grabbed his coat and walked out. Walking to the cough I sat down and drank the last of my coffee before I fell asleep. I slept for about an hour and I felt immediately a lot better. Heading to the bathroom and taking a long shower.

Afterwards I got dressed and prepared my outfit for the evening. Still roaming around in my room I heard the main door open. ‘’Rafe?’’ I asked, already knowing it was him. ‘’Yes, it’s me.’’ he called back. Somewhat relieved I felt my body relax. I didn’t know what I was expecting, who els beside Rafe could have walked in.

I walked back to the kitchen and Rafe smiled once he saw me. ‘’You look better.’’ I nodded. ‘’I feel better too.’’ Taking a seat on the chairs I listened to Rafe’s story about his client. He talked with such enthusiasm.

The entire day we spent talking about our jobs, time flew by and before we knew the auction was about to start. We both got ready, Rafe exchanged his black suit for a white one with black accents. I found a dress that matched his suit, a black rein stone dress with an illusion top and a white a-line skirt. My hair has always been a mess so also this time it was held up in a messy bun decorated with some hair clips.

Walking out the room, I was met by Rafe. Once he laid his eyes on me, his jaw dropped. ‘’Is there something wrong with my dress?’’ I panicky asked as I looked at my dress. ‘’No not at all, you look gorgeous.’’ he said with taken breaths. A blush painted my cheeks. ‘’Oh.’’ not knowing how to respond.

I never cared about how I looked. As long as it was easy to move in and comfortable. When you were walking trough forests and running for your life, you didn’t want to be walking in heels. ‘’Are you ready malady.’’ Rafe offered me his arm witch I took. Together we walked to the elevator and left the building to the limousine that was waiting for us outside.

Like a real gentlemen, Rafe opened the door to the limo for me. He even helped me get in. Once I was seated he stepped in and closed the door. Even though there was enough space for him to seat he sat right next to me.

It was a short drive to the Rossi Estate. ‘’We have reach your destination, ma’am and mister.’’ Said the driver trough a small window. ‘’Thank you.’’ I said to the man. Rafe opened the door and stepped out first. He offered his hand once more, which I took, and stepped out after him.

The place was secure with many armed guards. Only an idiot would try and sneak in to steal any of these artifacts. Without trouble we got passed security, the scanned our tickets and we were in. A gasp left my lips as soon as we walked in. I couldn’t stop admiring the architecture.

Slowly the place became more and more crowded, something I never liked. I didn’t do well in crowds. I liked small caterings with a maximum of four people. Never leaving Rafe’s side we mingled in the crowd. Rafe talked with a lot of people that night, he introduced me to each and everyone.

Feeling like I couldn’t breath and most likely to have a panic attack, I excused myself from Rafe’s side to look for the restrooms. Walking carefully trough the sea of people I searched for a waiter. I was still holding a glass of champagne in my hands that I wanted to get rid of and to ask for directions.

In the far back a man caught my eye, black tuxedo, combed back brown messy hair. I just saw him for a brief second but I could have sworn it was Sam. My breath got stuck in my throat and a horse gasp escaped before I dropped my glass. Once it hit the ground it shattered into a million pieces and the sounds of breaking glass filled the room.

For a second it was complete silent, I turned around to head out the other direction but I bashed into someone. ‘’Are you oké?’’ It was Rafe, he probably saw what happened. ‘’No.’’ I said with a shaking voice. ‘’What happened? let’s get you some air.’’ We walked to the nearest exit and it happened to be a balcony. ‘’So what happened?’’ he asked again because I never answered the first time. ‘’I thought I saw Sam, which is ridiculous because he is dead. But I could have sworn it was him Rafe,’’ I turned to look at him in the eyes. ‘’Every fiber in my body says it was him.’’ he looked at me and spoke softly. ‘’You know it can’t be him. I saw him die.’’ He did see him die that fateful day.

Part 3

Masterlist

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