#a savior's forthcoming

[channieskies]

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐗𝐈𝐈: 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐝

Pairing: Prince Hyunjin x Reader (AFAB) Summary: Hyunjin learns to never take his eyes off of his opponent. Word Count: 6,000+ [Reading Time: 25 Mins] Genre: Historical, Fantasy, Strangers to Lovers, Royalty, Angst, Smut (Eventual), NSFW tags are below. AU: Prince, Royal, Supernatural NETS: @neverendingdreams-net & @mirohs-aurora-society Synopsis: The kingdom of Volantis is in disarray; the monarch rules with an iron fist. The times of hope, harmony, and kindness were buried with the queen who passed many years ago. The people are praying for a savior, but who will be their light at the end of this dark tunnel? Authors Note: Please reblog or leave a comment to let me know how you feel. I'd love a little feedback. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. As per usual, this hasn't been proofread. Special thanks to @therhythmafterthesummer for helping with with this chapter and @saradika-graphics for some of the dividers. Disclaimer: This story does not reflect the real lives or personalities of Stray Kids. I do not know them personally. This is purely a work of fiction.

Looking for another chapter? Chapter Index: Chapter 1| Chapter 2| Chapter 3| Chapter 4| Chapter 5| Chapter 6| Chapter 7| Chapter 8| Chapter 9| Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16

Warning: This chapter contains descriptions of sexual activities. Reader discretion is advised.

The books from the secret library at the keep felt heavy in your bag. You hadn’t told Hyunjin of your findings, even if Aeri urged that you should. You'd snuck away to find them while everyone else was getting supplies ready for the long journey ahead. Despite your healing abilities, Venia thought it would be best if you sat on the sidelines and let them handle things.

Aeri was right about the ever blooming flower and how it opened with your blood essence. What she failed to tell you was that you needed to actually shed a little of said blood to open the door. You struggled to get it open for a whole fifteen minutes before you'd figured that part out. 

Thankfully no one was around to see you flounder. Especially Minho, he'd never let you live that down. Truthfully, you hadn’t even opened the books, too afraid of what they would say. Your father’s side of the family was a little more forthcoming with information about your lineage, while big chunks of the family history was still a big mystery.

While your mother’s side was shrouded in secrecy. The only thing you knew for sure was that they originated in the Jade mountain pass. Other than that, you knew about as much about them as the next commoner, absolutely nothing.

You needed to know why your brother didn’t heal on the battlefield, why the very thing that saved your life didn’t save his. Just like you needed to know why you healed the way you did and if you were capable of anything else.

Hyunjin needed to know why he had the dreams and visions that he was having and how they were connected with this epic the three of you were on. You all needed to know how he could control his powers to better aid you in this journey, for all of your sakes.

You’d been traveling a full week since his last vision, and you were now bordering the Passageway of Diamonds, the easternmost point that led into the Jade mountains. Within a week, maybe a week and a half or so, you should be in the little town Minho grew up in. You were all so close to the finish line you could almost taste it. But that also meant you were close to where him and his mother were held captive and that scared you.

The three of you had become content with being together. You’d let him in on the secret language that Minho spoke and even in on the little jokes the two of you made. But, Hyunjin had a lot to learn, both you and surprisingly, Minho were willing to teach him.

When you’d  settle down for the evening, classes would begin. Swordsmanship, horseback riding, archery, hand to hand, and even basic things to help keep him alive, like cooking or foraging. 

You learned the hard way that he couldn’t survive off the land when he brought back poisonous berries because they looked pretty. Hand to hand was your forte, Minho was the swordsman. While you would most definitely hold your own, you’d even won a competition or two, while in disguise, a few times.

But it wasn’t what you were best at. No, hand to hand was your thing. You preferred to do damage with your own two hands if possible. The three of you were camped out on the outskirts of Guiwei, the southernmost town outside of the passageway that led to the Jade Mountain pass. 

“You need to always keep your eye on your opponent.” You spoke, as you assed Hyunjin, marking down all the weaknesses you spotted. “Their weakness can be your triumph, your weakness can be your downfall.” Your eyes met his as the flames of the fire danced inside of them. He was eager to learn, just as much as you and Minho were to teach him.

You needed him to learn, so that he could flourish on the throne and not wither away. You’d noticed over the last few weeks that Hyunjin was nothing like the royalty or nobles you’d met in your life. Maybe with the exception of the prince from Perth, Christopher, most of them were pretentious little puppets who could strategize their way out of a low hedge maze. You wanted better for your kingdom, you wanted better for the man you were growing to call your friend, Hyunjin. 

You’d read about what a king was supposed to be and his father was far from it. He was cruel to his subjects, he didn’t care about the blood of the men, women, or children that was shed for his stupid war. He had no concern about the people in his own castle city that were dying from the illnesses that plagued them or the fact that most of them went hungry everyday while he threw feasts in his name. He wanted monuments built of him, for people to fall at his feet and worship him as if he was a god. 

You needed better from the next king. One that was kind and understanding of the plights his subjects went through. You were so deep in thought over what the kingdom needed and how you hoped you and Minho could help mold the future king that you didn’t even notice Hyunjin taking your distraction as an opportunity until it was far too late. He swept your legs with his long ones, causing you to land on your back in the mud beneath you with a thud. The move knocked the wind out of you, making Hyunjin panic.

“Oh no- I’m so, so, sorry.” He reached down to help you up, but in the spirit of pure pettiness, you take his hand and pull him down with you. Taken completely off guard, he falls forward, face coming dangerously close to your own. Your eyes shut tight, waiting for the impact, but it never came. Hyunjin hovered over you, his breath lightly dancing over your features.

He had you caged beneath him, successfully catching himself before crashing his face into yours. Blush immediately painted his cheeks when you looked up at him. “Never take your eyes off of your opponent.” He looked away, clearing his throat. “I’ll keep that in mind.” You broke eye contact first, feeling a strange heat creep up your neck and moving fairly quickly to your face. 

“Okay, you can get off me now.” He lingered, eyes desperately searching your face, waiting for you to connect with him again. But you kept your head turned. You couldn't understand the feelings that were swirling around in you with part of his body partially pressed to your own.

He moved away, sitting back on his knees. “Don’t get distracted.” You cleared your throat, wondering why it sounded shaky. Could it have been the fall? “Battle doesn’t stop because you fall. It's an ongoing assault until you or your opponent claims victory.” He nodded in understanding, but made no moves to get up from his position.

“Let’s call it a night.” You stood, dusting off your dirt slicked pants and shirt. Finally the prince stood to his feet, but surprisingly, he didn’t attempt to make his appearance more clean. You suppose he’d just been hanging out with Minho, he’d picked up the habit from soldiers who frequented the battle fields during the war.

“Min has probably started cooking, since I can smell the fire going. You should probably join him.” There was this strange awkwardness growing between the two of you and instead of facing it, you decided to run off. You need to clear your head and get some of this dirt off your body. 

Guiwei was a beautiful town. The architecture of it was ancient with the town being older than the kingdom itself. This used to be the hub of trade for the people who lived in the Jade mountains and the people from the southern isles, or at least that is what your grandmother told you. A bustling little town with plenty to offer.

Jade from the mountain caves, jewels and fish from the southern isles, spices from the east, meat from the borderlands, anything you needed could be found in Guiwei. Any magic ailments could be healed, any potion concocted. You could feel the remnants of magic in the stone of the buildings when you passed through the town. It buzzed with a current you couldn’t explain even if someone asked you to.

Even way out here in the outskirts, you could feel it in the trees, magic seemed to brush over your skin as it mingled with the wind. You’d never felt so in touch with yourself. You even understood why they named this Shimmering pond. As the sun started to set, the magic truly started to show. There were three or four waterfalls that flowed into this waterway.

The sound of the roaring waterfalls falling into the pond could be a remedy for any type of stress. The way that the sun hit while it set made it look like diamonds, lapis lazuli, rubies, and jade were beneath the surface. The water sparkled, painting the tall cliffs surrounding it in a beautiful kaleidoscope of colors. The landscape was painted with this pinkish-purple hue that reminded you of the otherworld, Elysium.

You undressed, not bothering to tidy up the clothes you were going to wash anyway. You carefully set the fresh set off to the side so they wouldn’t get wet. You waded into the water, the coolness of it was a refreshing change to the hot stickiness you’d grown used to. When you got to where your feet no longer touched the pond floor, you dove, wanting to get your whole body clean while you were out here.

These waters felt more than just a little cleansing. It was almost like they were cleaning you down to your soul, making you a conduit for the magic in the air. You could live in this space, maybe after getting the prince to the kingdom, you’d consider it. It wasn’t customary for a daughter to leave her parents, especially if she wasn’t married. But you were sure that neither was being an escort to the prince. You could see yourself settling down in a place like this.

He stood there, looking longingly at your back as you retreated. Though things were getting better between the two- well, the three of you, he still wanted more. Even if he didn’t know exactly what that ‘more’ entailed. Downtrodden, he headed back to the camp to see if Minho needed any help.

His shoulders were slumped, an immovable frown etched on his face. The loud thump of Minho chopping into his freshly caught deer, brought Hyunjin back to the present. He could ask for advice, but Minho saw you as a sister and there was no way he wouldn’t see past a hypothetical ‘If there is a girl I like, how do I approach her?’ situation. This was just something he’d have to deal with on his own. 

He stood a few feet away from his friend, stomach turning at the sight of the raw, red flesh he was handling not so gently. He couldn’t understand how Minho had the stomach for it. Even with you telling him all he needed to know about both you and Minho’s upbringing, that didn’t make hunting any easier to stomach.

“N-need some help?” Hyunjin’s brows knit together, disgust evident on his face. The other man glanced up at him, stopping his actions to appraise him for a moment. Minho shook his head, then nodded towards the pond, telling him to get washed up. He didn’t have to tell Hyunjin twice, he was hoping, repeating ‘Do not say yes. Please, don’t say yes.’ over and over in his head, in hopes the Volantian gods would take pity on him and grant him this one simple wish.

He all but ran to get away from the gruesome sight before him. He didn’t bother gathering fresh clothes to use after bathing, he’d just cover himself and walk the short distance back to camp. That's how he and Minho had been doing things, he knew you had to go about it a different way, since you were a girl, even if he didn’t know exactly what your bathing routine was. Was he curious? What man of his age wouldn’t be curious about the person they like in every way?

He wanted to know your thoughts, even the things you found mundane. He wanted you to tell him how you were feeling even when you tried to hide things behind polite smiles. He wanted to hold you in his arms while you fell asleep, since it seemed you struggled to do that on your own. He wanted to be your comfort, your joy, the one you turned to when things were rough and you needed to vent- 

All his thoughts ceased as he waded into the water, the tall grass around the pond initially shielded his view from anything beyond it. The sight before his eyes settled into his bones, shook him to the core. He knew it was wrong to stare, but at the same time, how was he to take his eyes off of the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen? You were more beautiful than the most beautiful painting in the world, but even then, there was no medium to which your beauty could be captured. 

The moon casts its beautiful radiance down on you and the water surrounding you, painting your skin with the soft pale glow of it. The water sparkled like the finest jewels adding to the gleam on your gorgeous skin. Your shoulders were dotted with moistness, your head tilted back, showing off the mesmerizing curve of your neck. Time stopped along with his breathing and movements. His brain stuttered to a halt as well.

He was stuck standing there, staring. You could feel eyes on you, but for some strange reason that didn’t cause any alarm. You slowly turned to the shore, making eye contact with the bewildered prince, a soft smile gracing your lips. This felt like a dream of his. Was this a dream of his? He snapped out of his daze to pinch himself, cursing his actions after the pain rushed to the spot he tweaked. You chuckled at his face of discomfort. “It’s fine, Hyunjin. You can come closer if you’d like. I don’t mind.” 

It had slipped his mind that you’d grown up with a boy around your age in the house. Has Minho seen you naked? His eyes widened at the thought, but relaxed almost immediately upon remembering, he was raised as your brother. Everything between the two of you was purply platonic. He trudged forward, moving closer to where you stood in the water. 

His heart beat fast with every step he took, he feared you’d be able to hear it. He certainly hated the fact that he could. He stopped a few feet away, just out of arm's reach. Afraid that if he got any closer he’d be tempted to do the things that were playing behind his eyelids every time he blinked. Indecent things that normal people wouldn’t want to do with their friends.

“See, I won’t bite.” You finished your words with another heart wrenching smile and he gulped, because something in him almost wished you would bite him. “It's beautiful isn’t it? It's almost like it’s enchanted.” You looked out at the waterfalls, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of you.

He nodded, forgetting briefly that he needed to respond verbally. “Ah- yes. More beautiful than you can imagine.” You looked back at him and he looked away, gazing at the glimmering crescent in the sky. He didn’t have to look to know you were smiling again, he could feel the presence of that effervescent look on your face. Could it be that you were happy because of him? Because of his presence here in this space with you? Just the thought filled his heart with joy.

“Hyunjin…” You turned your body towards him and he was thanking whatever higher being out there that there was steam coming off the water, hiding whatever glorious sight was underneath. He didn’t think his poor little heart could take it. “Do…” You paused, making him grow worried about what was on your mind. “Do you know.. Anything about your mother’s side of the family?” You chewed on your lip as you waited for him to answer. 

He sighed. He had tried to pry as much as he could about his mother’s side of the family. Looked for books on her people in both the castle library and well as the keeps, but he never found a thing. “Not really. I knew she was high born, from the Jade mountains. Venia let it slip that she had a sister, but that is all I know. Why do you ask?” It wouldn’t have surprised him if the outside world knew more of his mother than he did, that was by design, courtesy of his father. The king felt Hyunjin didn’t have the right to know about the woman he supposedly killed.

“Well, what if I tell you that I visited with your mother when I was knocked out.” His eyes bulged. Was she that delirious that she was seeing the dead? She put a hand up to stop him from jumping to conclusions. “You and I aren’t so different.” She spoke with a sureness to her tone.

“Our mothers are both from the Jade Mountains, well at least my mother’s family is. There is a limbo that people from there go to when they die. I was summoned there by Aeri. She wanted me to tell you that she’s watching over you and that she loves you very much and wishes that things wouldn’t have gone the way they did, so that she could be in your life.” 

Something deep down in Hyunjin always made him think that his mother hated him. His father had told him as much over the years. He always felt that maybe his words were true, that his mother might have held a grudge against him, that's why he had faced so many hardships in life. Venia tried to tell him that his father's words were untrue and that his mother loved him more than life itself, which is why she so willingly left this plane of existence so that he could live.

But he could never understand how or why she abandoned him, leaving him with his tyrant of a father. “You dream.. Often, don’t you? Not about things that you should be dreaming about. I mean, you see things… like the future or what could be the future.” He couldn’t look at you. How could you have possibly known about his dreams? Did you really meet his mother? Were his dreams because of her?

“I will answer your question, but first I want you to answer mine..” You nodded for him to go on. “D-did you really meet my mother? Wh-what was she like?” He could feel himself shaking. It wasn’t from the cool breeze that was carried to them by the waterfalls or the contrast of the warm water that they stood in.

No, he was overwhelmed by the thought that you of all people might have had the chance to do something he hadn’t even had the pleasure of doing, meeting his mother. It seemed that no matter how hard he wished, or how many dreams he had, he could never see her. Despite how hard he yearned to.

You did something unexpected. You reached out and caressed his cheek, “You have her eyes, Hyunjin. You are sweet and kind just like her. She was beautiful and she just had this aura about her that made me feel safe and taken care of, like I could trust her with all of my problems.”

Your brows knit together as you looked upon the sad look in his eyes. “By no means does this mean, hurry up and die, but I can’t wait for you to meet her. I know you’d love her just as much as she loves you.” Your hand was lingering on his face and despite him trying his best not to hold it there, he lost the battle. His hand covered the one on his cheeks, taking you by surprise.

“Conspiring to take the prince’s life is a punishable offense.” He spoke in jest. “I’m both happy and sad that you got to meet her. Sad that you had to go through all of that just to get to me. I have no doubt that our travels ahead will be… tumultuous to say the least, but I’m happy that it’s you…… and Minho at my side on this journey. I’m also happy that it was you who got to experience what my mother is like. I undoubtedly would have taken it for granted, with the grudge I hold towards her in my heart. You went in with an unbiased heart and came out of it with an enlightened spirit. Thank you, for wanting to share the moments you had with her, with me.”

Hyunjin was usually at a loss for words when it came to you. For the words to flow so easily from his mouth, it shocked both you and him. He sounded so mature and wise. Understanding his shortcomings but not trying to overcompensate for them, instead apologizing for them.

It was the way you were looking up at him, it was pulling his heartstrings. He mourned for what he’d lost for years, even if whom he mourned for was someone he’d never had the chance to meet. So a missed opportunity wasn’t something he thought too much about. In fact, he was happier it was you and not him, genuinely. Your hand was still pressed to his cheek under his own, bodies so close to one another in this warm pond that surrounded the both of you. 

Your eyes darting to his lips wasn’t lost on him. As a matter of fact, he was holding back, trying his best not to press a kiss to your tempting lips. Hyunjin wanted to be a gentleman for you. He’d seen all too well what men could be like. His father was a rough man, and he wanted to be nothing like him. But when your eyes darted to his lips again, he just couldn’t help it anymore. He needed this.

Though the moonlight gave off a beautiful glow, it was hard to see the things around you. Especially the darkness in the young man's eyes standing in front of you. “There is no need to thank-” His lips pressed to yours, shutting you up completely.

At first caught off guard, your body ridgid from the unexpected display of affection, you soon melted into him, eyes closing. He stepped closer when you made no attempts to pull away, a hand moving to your waist, but not making any other moves. 

For a first kiss it was tender but in no ways awkward. He pulled away first, eyes closed just as yours were. He rested his head against your forehead, savoring the moment the two of you just shared. He wanted more, wanted the moment to last. But he was too afraid to make any other moves.

This was his first time having any contact with a woman, he didn’t want to risk being too handsy or doing something that would make you uncomfortable, so he opted to do nothing.

He didn’t account for how you would feel or if you would take charge. Your fingers tangled into his shoulder length hair, as you pulled his lips back to yours. It was his turn to be shocked, but that shock only lasted a few seconds before he was pulling your naked body into his. Never in a million years would he have expected you to reciprocate his feelings, but it seemed like you did.

With no experience to date, he didn’t know how to move further than just a closed mouth to mouth kiss. His nerves were beginning to kick in. What if you wanted to do more than just this? He’d never so much as touched a girl before you came along and turned his world upside down. You nipped at his bottom lip and his mouth and eyes flew open. 

Were you the opposite of him? He’d read about women who were more forward than others, were you one of them? Have you done more than kiss someone before? A bout of jealousy bubbled up in his chest. If this was to persist, would you be his first and him just another conquest?

His mind was jumping from a to z and back again. “Hyunjin?” You pulled back from him, noticing how distanced his mind had become. “If you don’t want to… I understand.” There was a lump forming in your throat from the supposed rejection you were feeling. 

“I- no.” He shook his head, trying to rid himself of his thoughts, which were bringing him down. “Ha-have you do-done this before?” You looked up at him with those beautiful eyes of yours and all his worries subsided. You shook your head and all the tension in his shoulder released.

“Yes, but no. I’ve kissed before, but never like this..” Your eyes traveled down to where the water hit his body, but quickly looked away, the view was almost too much for your eyes. Hyunjin may not have been the most muscular man you’d met, but even before his training began, his body was well built.

But since you’ve been training together, you’ve noticed the changes in his body. Not that you were looking or anything. Hyunjin took the initiative, he wanted to kiss you again. It was his turn to cup your cheeks. 

He softly grabbed your face, pulling your lips to his once again. Trying his best to remember every move from every love scene in every book he’d ever read. He licked the seam of your lips and like some strange chant to open a hidden cave’s doors, your lips parted for him. Apprehensively, he slid his tongue in your mouth, tentatively rubbing his tongue against your own until he got the hang of it.

It was when you moaned into the kiss, that's when all of his sanity snapped. He needed you, like a person needs air. With a strength neither of you knew he had, he picked you up, trying his best not to break the kiss but inevitably failing. You giggled, grabbing his face and pressing sweet kisses all over it.

He carried you to a nearby rock, sitting you down on its shockingly warm surface. “I want to try so-something.” He was nervous, that much was evident. He’d read all types of books over the years, mostly they were whatever Venia brought back from her travels. 

Some he’d requested after reading something he liked from a particular author. Even with him reading a plethora of genres, he enjoyed romance the most. With that came some bed scenes, in which some books are spicier than others. He’d read things from a female perspective about what they may like.

He gravitated towards the books, hoping that if he ever got the chance to, he’d do exactly what made the women feel pleasure in the books. He pressed a kiss to your lips, letting them linger there before moving his lips over your jaw, neck, then chest. 

“I-is that okay?” He asked after swiping his tongue over your nipple before moving to the other. You nodded, eyes rolling back. You’d never felt anything quite like this before. It felt like every nerve ending was on fire. When he took a pebbled bud into his mouth, nipping at the flesh lightly, you let out a soft moan.

Your fingers intertwined into his soft, inky locks. Hyunjin couldn’t get enough of the taste of your skin. It was like a drug to him, he needed more after the first hit. He dropped to his knees, the water coming up just above his belly button as he did so. His face was right there between your legs, causing your face to immediately heat up. 

Your mother had taught you about things that could happen during your first time, but never had she mentioned the immodest act of a man kneeling between your legs like this, especially not the prince of your realm. You covered your hot cheeks with both hands as he drug his fingers down your skin. “You were right about me dreaming…” He spoke softly, the babbling waterfalls adding the perfect soundtrack to his pleasant voice. “I’ve dreamed about you countless times. You are all I’ve ever seen, for years now. Your eyes..” 

He leaned up and pressed a soft kiss to your lids, you closed them as he leaned in. “Your lips..” A chaste kiss to your parted lips was next. “You, sitting on the windowsill of your room, looking out at the sprawling land your family owns. The orchard right out front of your door…” He pressed kisses to each of your fingers.

“You have been the only thing I’ve known outside of Venia and I didn’t even know you. I just knew that somehow, someway, you were meant for me.” A kiss was then pressed to your belly button before he made his descent. 

Your body shivered. You’d never felt something so tender yet innately erotic. You could feel tingles from the places he kissed all the way to your toes and back. But nothing felt as good as his tongue tentatively exploring places only you had touched. Your head fell back as a loud moan escaped your lips.

His trembling hands pushed open the thighs you were desperately trying to lock around his head. Not that he would mind though, he was enjoying the sounds that slipped past those beautiful lips of yours. He took pride in the fact that he was the one pulling them from you. 

All of that reading he’d done was paying off. His tongue dipped into your hole, searching for more of the sweet nectar he had by chance gotten a taste of. He was like a man starved when his thirst was quenched. Diving his tongue even deeper, the tip of his nose constantly brushing against the sensitive bundle of nerves that was your clit.

You tugged at his hair, making him groan against you. He was on edge, itching to touch himself, to relieve the tension he felt. But his mind was too preoccupied with trying to figure out if he was doing this right. 

You pressed him further into you, needing more. Teetering on the edge of something you’d never felt before. Granted, you had touched yourself before. Everyone had urges. But your fingers had never felt this good. So good that you felt like you could shed your skin and become a new woman from this experience.

When he sucked your clit back into his mouth, svelte fingers, prodding at the entrance his tongue had just left, all words and thoughts escaped you. Your body tensed, back arching against the rock beneath you. Words unbecoming of a lady fell from your lips as the hand that once tightly gripped the prince’s hair was now the one to push him away.

He looked over at you, concerned. What part of what he had done had been your undoing? He was curious, but right at that moment might not be the best time for him to ask and find out. “Wha-what was that?” You asked as you finally came down, but was still in the midst of catching your breath.

Your mind was reeling. Thoughts speeding around your mind like wild horses in the plains. “Ho-how did you do that? That…” You paused, heat creeping up from your neck to your cheeks. “That thing… with your tongue?” It was Hyunjins time to blush. Bashfulness painting his perfect skin.

“I don’t know.. I read about it in books and thought that maybe the authors I read would know a thing or two about what women like..” He shrugged a nonchalant edge to his words and actions like he didn’t just go down on you.

Then it dawned on you, the Prince of Volantis just ate you out on a rock a few towns outside of the kingdom. This certainly couldn’t be written about in the history books.

You tried your best to not feel awkward about this. You’d never done anything like this before and to make matters worse, you’d done it with the prince you were supposed to be protecting. Shame started to taint the afterglow you were feeling. “What’s wrong? Did I do something wrong?”

Hyunjin started to panic. The last thing he wanted was to do something that would make you regret this. Regret being with him. His heart started to beat erratically in his chest at the thought. Any sign of the flame of arousal was doused in the iciest waters. “Did-” He paused, tears starting to brim his ebony eyes. “Did I hurt you?” 

His voice was drenched in sadness and just the sound of it broke your heart. You shook your head, “No. Nothing of the sort. I just..” You covered your burning cheeks with your hands. “I was just pleasured by the prince of this very realm.. That’s a lot to take in.” He chuckled, mood visibly lifting. He hides his face in the crook of your neck. 

He wanted to say that he wanted to do this again. He wanted to be honest and a little forward and tell you just how much he hoped that when the dust settled, that you would remain by his side for eternity as his wife, his queen. But the words just wouldn’t come out of his mouth. He was afraid that this was a one and done situation and rather than finding out for himself, he’d rather just leave the words unspoken to not face the possible rejection.

You left the pond first after thoroughly washing up. Hyunjin took some time for himself to really reflect on what this meant. It was evident that there was some sort of attraction between the two of you, but how deep did that go? Was it just physical or was there something else, something much more profound?

Since he laid eyes on you, he couldn’t get you off his mind. Maybe it was because your destinies were intertwined, at least that what he figured was happening between the two of you. With his constant dreams of you now being on this journey with you. He knew there was something there, something that dragged the two of you together. Was it fate? He hoped so. He hoped that you were fated and not in a tragic way either. 

By the time he returned to camp an hour had flown by. You were tucked in, fast asleep. Minho was sitting by the fire whittling wood into some shape Hyunjin couldn’t recognize. Still needed to eat, he took a seat next to the quiet man and fixed himself a plate.

Minho didn’t look up at him at first, which eased the prince’s nerves, but that was quickly replaced with an overwhelmingly anxious feeling. Hyunjin was only a few bites in when he noticed the icy stare coming from his aphasic counterpart. The prince took a chance, looking up into his friend’s eyes. Everything in them saying, “If you hurt her, I will kill you.”

He had seen this man kill, catch, skin, and gut animals with nothing more than a dull knife, he knew that threat was on great standing. Hyunjin simply nodded, receiving a soft but scary smile from the man sitting next to him. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt you, but that threat alone gave him even more incentive to not fuck this up.

© ✐Channieskies 『MINORS DNI! This post contains nsfw material. Please do not interact with it if you are under the age of 18. Do not translate or repost here or on other sites. Please leave a like , comment, and reblog if you enjoyed this story.♥』

[sunflowersandsapphires]

Make a Mistake

Wake Up, Chapter 6

Series Masterlist           Next Chapter

pairing: Matt Murdock x fem!reader 

summary: In an attempt to stop the advances of an unwanted suitor, Matt Murdock accidentally condemns you to being his fake girlfriend.

warnings: smut-adjacent towards the end (steamy kissing), swearing

a/n: This chapter was so much fun to write! I tried to unpack Matt’s insecurities a little bit and I had so much fun with that. As always, like, reblog, respond, and request if you have feedback!!

w/c: 3.6k

It had been a few weeks since you survived an attempted mugging, the pain in your head having mostly faded. 

Matt had stayed with you at your place for the entire weekend, reluctantly departing for work on Monday—though he diligently checked in on you every hour. Your boss has been more than sympathetic to your situation, giving you a few days off and letting you work from home until you’d fully recovered. 

During that time, you were hesitant to be left alone. While you barely remembered the encounter itself, the fear surrounding it was still very present as you went about your days. Matt had become your anchor (to a higher degree than he already was, you supposed.) 

You replayed your foggy memories of that night over and over in your head, thinking back to how Matt had knocked a man unconscious to help you. Though, from what you knew about the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, he was pretty practiced at that. 

After you pieced together the trail of clues he’d unknowingly left you, you began to care more about the public’s view of the vigilante, for obvious reasons. It had become a new obsession of sorts. Reading newspaper articles about the various criminals he had stopped, looking at images of “sightings” online, rabidly defending him in online forums against trolls. 

While others might feel betrayed or disgusted by Matt’s secret, you felt…awe struck. 

This man was devoting every single minute of his life to the people of the city that needed help. The people that needed him. He had saved hundreds of lives, including yours. He had almost died. Multiple times, according to some sources. You’d have to ask someone about what the fuck had happened at Midland Circle, though you doubted anyone would be forthcoming with the story. 

The knowledge of Matt’s alter ego made you want him even more, which was really complicating your role as his fake girlfriend. As was the fact that this sweet, savior of a man was now spending damn near every night at your place to make sure you felt safe enough to fall asleep. 

Sheepishly thinking back to the night two weeks ago when you’d called him sobbing after a concussion-induced nightmare, you couldn’t help but smile at the thought that he cared about you enough to check on you daily after that. In fact, you were expecting him soon for your weekly dinner, which he had promised would turn into another night at your place. For your security, of course. 

Groaning and dropping your face into your hands, you cursed your crush-happy little heart. Here you go getting attached to the man that you were in a fake relationship with. This was bad. Your feelings could jeopardize everything! And Matt didn’t deserve that. The poor man was working another job after coming home from the office and you were begging him to spend time on you for, what, comfort? Sure, you weren’t stopping his nightly activities from happening—if the way he leapt out your window after you had fallen asleep was any clue—but you weren’t exactly making his life easier. 

‘And you should be making his life easier’, you scolded yourself. All this man does is help others. He deserves to have someone looking after him for a change. Hell, he deserves a whole team of people to look after him, but if you needed to act as a one-man army, you could do that. 

A knock shook you from your thoughts. Putting your anxiety on hold, you went to retrieve Matt at the door. 

Picking at your dinner as your nerves tied your stomach in knots, you faked a smile and asked “How was your day, Matty?”

“Not bad. We got the charges on the Jones case dropped. Dismissed with prejudice.” 

“Oh Matt, that’s amazing! I’m so proud of you!!” Slipping your arms around him, you squeezed tightly. “Shouldn’t you be out celebrating?” 

“Eh, I was tired. Besides, a bar wouldn’t really be good for your head just yet and I don’t want to give you a migraine.”

You shook your head at him, smiling. “We aren’t sewn together, you know. You should've gone without me!” You gave his shoulder a light shove. 

Matt simply shrugged, burying himself in your hair. “I don’t want to go anywhere without you, anymore.” 

The statement caught you off guard, but before you could blurt out a response, he stammered. “I—I mean, you’re my girlfriend to the public. So it’s best if we spend a lot of time together around other people, is what I meant.” 

Your heart sank. “Yah. No, yeah that makes sense.” You were quiet for a moment while you debated whether to be honest with him about your growing affection. After a bit of deliberation, you choked out “How did you get the charges dropped? I thought that case was a disaster.” Cringing internally at your cowardice, you pulled away from Matt and back into your own seat. 

Matt frowned, hands clenching momentarily before his expression evened out. “The court's error was big enough for us to turn their main argument on its head. The judge didn’t think the case was worth the time after that, I guess.” He gave a mirthless chuckle, staring at his lap. 

“Good thing you discovered that error then!” You squeezed his knee and his expression brightened a little. 

“I did the easy part. It was all Foggy and Karen, really.” 

“Well, you’re a team! So of course they would—“ you tried to reassure him but Matt interrupted. 

“Honestly, I’m shocked they still want to work with me. I rarely pull my weight. They’re both so kind and devoted and I’m…I’m a mess.” 

You looked at him in disbelief, gently taking his hand in your own. “What do you mean, darling? How are you a mess?” 

Biting his lip, he refused to turn into your gaze. “I just— we won today but I felt so…ashamed. Like everyone was giving me all this credit for something I didn’t do. I feel like that a lot of the time.” He closed his eyes, body deflating. 

“Oh, Matt,” You cupped his cheek to try to bring him out of self-deprecation mode, but he wasn’t ready to step out of it yet. 

“And it’s not just work, I mean I have no idea why you haven’t run for the hills yet. I’m overbearing and temperamental and selfish. I just take and take and most people realize that and cut me off— but somehow there are some people that don’t seem to care that I’m bleeding them dry. But I can’t pull away because…I need it now. So I just sit here and take the credit and pretend that I’m helping, but I’m not.” To your horror, his eyes became glassy. 

“You are helping.” You began firmly. “And you are allowed to need help yourself, darling.” You tenderly gripped his nape, stroking the skin underneath his jaw with your thumb. “We haven’t ‘run for the hills’ because we care about you too. And, as much as you want to deny it, you are incredibly patient and sweet and thoughtful.” 

“But I—“ 

“Darling, I’m more than willing to hear you out, but I want you to acknowledge that this is just a flare up of your imposter syndrome and a side effect of your crippling Catholic guilt. Is there anything that you could be doing that would satisfy you? Or would you still be critical of yourself for not doing ‘more’?” 

Matt sighed, leaning into you and resting your foreheads together. You brushed some hair away from his forehead and gave it a firm kiss before letting it fall against yours once more. 

“I am honored that you trust me enough to talk to me about this, and your feelings deserve to be heard and acknowledged, but you have to cut yourself some slack sometimes. Have you ever had a moment where you felt that you were enough?” You posed the question as precariously as possible, but Matt still felt emotion well up in his throat. 

“No.” His soft voice cracked on the admission. 

“Why not?” You pressed, still stroking his warm skin. 

“Because…because—“ he drew in a ragged breath. “I’m just not enough. I’m just not and I never will be.” 

“And I can absolutely relate to how you’re feeling right now, but have you ever had a personal reason for feeling this way, or is it because it’s what you’ve been told?” 

Matt hadn’t revealed much to you about his childhood, but you knew that it hadn’t been filled with love or validation. As someone who had also lacked those things growing up, you expected his guilt and shame surrounding what he wasn’t doing stemmed from never being good enough for others. 

“Matty, darling,” you continued as he stayed silent, your concern and curiosity growing. “When was the last time you felt appreciated by someone close to you” 

“Um…probably last week when you—“ 

“Someone besides me, love.” 

Matt held his breath, wracking his brain for an answer that would appease you, but he couldn’t find one. 

“I don’t know.” A tear finally slipped down his cheek and you brushed it away. 

“Do you feel good when people do appreciate you?” 

Matt nodded against you. “Yah. I know I don’t deserve it but…”

“Matthew Michael Murdock, of course you deserve it.” You chastised, but your words held no real anger. “I know it’s hard to believe when you hear it so rarely but you are wonderful. And if I have to convince you of that all by myself, I will.” You repositioned yourself so that you were in his lap, running your fingers along his scalp, foreheads remaining glued together. 

“You are so compassionate. Everything you do is for someone else. I don’t know many people who would think about dropping their evening plans to console a friend after a nightmare once, let alone consistently care for them for weeks after.” 

“See? Overbearing.” Matt interjects and you push at his chest to interrupt him. 

“No! Not overbearing. Kind. And you might operate on a…unique schedule…” Matt flinched at this so you hurried to praise him again. “But! You are so effective and intelligent that you manage to juggle everything anyway! Like that week when you stayed home from the office because you’d fallen and sprained your wrist. You told me Foggy was upset with you, but you unraveled the opposition’s argument in less than an hour the day you came back. That was impressive. You’re impressive.” Matt flushed at your comment, burying his face in your neck. You smiled down at his adorable position before continuing. 

“And you’re so resilient! You’ve been through so much and you’re still trying to make the world a better place. So many people would’ve given up on the rest of humanity but you don’t. And I don’t think you ever will. You’re just so…good. So don’t ever say that you don’t deserve to be praised for what you do and who you are. You’re the best man I’ve ever known. And I will always appreciate you.”

“Thank you,” Matt spoke your name softly, gripping the top you wore as if it was the only thing holding him together. 

“Anytime. I mean that. If you’re ever having a bad day, I will gladly ramble on about your great body and incredible personality.” 

“I don’t believe you mentioned my ‘great body’ before.” Matt straightened up with a tiny smirk.

“Oh c’mon. You and I both know that you’re well aware of the effect you have on women. We’ve been fake dating long enough that you don’t need to pretend with me.” You scoffed.

“I know that other people have considered me attractive, hell, Foggy talks about my ass so much some people think we are married. But I don’t think you have ever said anything.” 

“Because I knew it would go straight to your head and i refuse to give you the satisfaction.”

“Weren’t you just saying that I should be complimented more?”

“This is different.” 

“How?” 

“It just is!” You laughed as he poked your side. 

“It sounds like you’re not ready for my line of questioning. We may have to revisit your testimony at a later date, if the opposition permits.” Clearly his wave of insecurity had passed, if the joking nature of his comments were anything to go by. 

You shook your head at his jest, tracing his perfectly sculpted jaw with your fingers. As you scraped your nails over his stubble he made a sound akin to a purr. Giggling, you did it again with a bit more force. “You like that, do you? Good to know.” Your brain signaled to you desperately. You are treading a dangerous line, ma’am. You ignored your rational side, continuing to stroke the lawyer’s face. 

Matt let his head fall against yours once more, the bridge of his nose pressing against your cheek. Your hand moved back to his scalp, kneading gently. Leaping over your own anxiety, you took a risk. He felt your jaw move as you spoke again. “You know, I’ve been thinking about all the preparation we’ve done, but we haven’t practiced something that seems kind of…big?” 

Matt nuzzled your ear, hearing your pulse throb under his touch. “What’s that, angel?” 

“Well, um, it’s just that—we’ve never, uh, kissed before.” You stumbled over the request, continuing to thread your fingers through his hair. Before Matt could say anything, your ramble continued. “I mean, you’ve kissed me on the cheek, I guess. Sorry, I don’t mean to sound needy or anything—I mean, it’s fine! We don’t need to do that. Forget I said—“ 

Cutting you off, Matt swiftly dipped your body so that you were lying horizontally on the couch cushions and positioned himself over you. A dark smirk crossed his face as your arousal grew. “Have you been thinking about kissing me, angel?” 

“No!” You squeaked, wriggling out from the trap his arms and provocative gaze had created. God, why was it so hot in here right now. Standing up from the couch, you paced away from him. “I just meant— It seems like something other people would expect couples to do, is all.” 

Matt’s sinister smile faded to a softer one. “If you wanted me to kiss you before, sweetness, all you had to do was ask. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.” 

“Oh trust me, you don’t need to worry about that.” You brushed off the concern quickly before realizing what you’d just admitted to. “Uh—I mean—“ 

Matt just chuckled, standing from the couch and moving over to you. He softly took your chin in one hand. “You know, you’re cute when you’re flustered.” That statement did not help your feelings at the moment, but Matt wasn’t done. “You want me to show you what we could do, the next time we are at an event together?” 

You were nodding, practically breathless at this point. “Please, Matty.” 

“Well, a pretty girl like you deserves a nice experience, not just a quick peck on the lips.” Matt pursed his lips, thinking, and you fixated on them. Desire was pooling in your gut. Matt, seemingly, did not notice your growing hunger as he stroked the hollow of your cheek before continuing. “We’d want to get their attention, right? So, I think I’d start by pulling you close.” He tugged you into him, making you gasp. Smile widening, he slid a hand around to the back of your neck. “I’d want to hold you like this, I think. Make a real big show of how lucky I am to have you, ya know?” 

This man was going to kill you. He had to know what he was doing, right? Damn your lovestruck heart for initiating this. 

You shifted from foot to foot, a rush of pure lust making you a bit impatient. Matt frowned, “Sorry, too much? Need to stop?” His hand dropped from your nape and you whimpered involuntarily. 

“No!” You squeaked, cringing at how high pitched your voice sounded. “No, it was nice. Please don’t stop, I want to, um, prepare for the next event! Like you said.” 

Matt’s smile flickered back to life, his hand coming to rest under your hair once again. “Oh, I get it now. Did you like this, pretty girl?” He pulls you impossibly closer, breathing over your lips. “I’ll keep showing you what we could do, but if you stop liking what I’m doing, you tell me, ok?”

“Uh huh.” You managed, completely breathless now. Matt grinned, wrapping a strand of hair around one finger and giving a slight tug.

“Good girl.” You bit back a moan, keening into him a bit. Matt steadied you with a laugh, “Well, once we had everyone looking—and they would be looking, sweetness—I’d lean in…” He did so, his lips ghosting over yours. “And I’d kiss you until everyone in the room knew you were all mine.”

You couldn’t take it anymore. You forcibly closed the indiscernible gap between the two of you, wrapping your arms around him. As your lips met, sparks danced across your eyelids. You’d heard rumors, but you were still amazed at how skilled Matt was. He was an incredible kisser. Threading your lips together with ease, he gave your top lip an almost imperceptible tug before slowly pulling away. “Something like that, sweetness.” He panted, brushing a thumb over your lower lip. 

“I think I need another demonstration.” You murmured, hand coming up to his head to push him back onto your lips. His mouth parted in a broad grin as you desperately pressed your mouth to his again. Your knees were practically buckling, Matt was holding you up—hand still woven into your hair. 

Stubble scraping against your chin, you gently pulled at his bottom lip, mirroring the sensation he’d just created for you. His breath danced across your face, a small noise escaping his lips. His tongue gave the tiniest swipe over your lip and you mewled. 

Pulling away abruptly, your own noise acting like an ice bath, your eyes widened with horrific realization. Clearly, you were taking advantage of the position he’d put you in, and you were more than embarrassed at the thought of you getting off on it. 

“Oh god, Matt I’m so sorry—I-I don’t know what came over me!” You stammered, stepping away from him with your head falling into your hands. He let you pull away, but smiled after you, shaking his head. 

“You didn’t do anything I wasn’t more than ok with, sweet thing. I’d be overjoyed to practice that again sometime.” 

You peeked at him between your fingers. “Really?”

His eyes darkened with want. “Really.” 

“Are you absolutely sure? Because I don’t want to push you—“ 

Matt was on you in an instant, wrapping his strong arms around your waist and touching his nose to yours. “Please, angel, kiss me like that again.”

And you did. 

“So are we going to dance around the big fat elephant in the room all night?” You stirred your drink, avoiding Marci’s question. 

“What elephant? There’s no elephant.” You assured her, maybe a little too quickly given her knowing smirk. 

“God, you're a worse liar than Fog. Who told me after little to no pressure was applied that you and Matt are kissing now? Am I supposed to pretend that’s not a massive development?”

“Marce, it’s not like that. We were practicing for the legal conference next week.” 

“I’m sorry, ‘practicing’? You have to know how disgustingly middle school that sounds.” 

Burying your face in your hands, you heaved a sigh, knowing that Marci would not drop the topic until you’d satisfied her curiosity. She was ruthless that way. “I mean, when you put it like that—“

She laughed as heat rose in your cheeks. “Ok then spill! How long has this been going on? Have you told him that you like-like him yet?” Her voice rose in a sickeningly teasing falsetto. 

Ripping your head out of your palms, you looked at her in shock. “I do not like-like Matt. What are you—“ You trailed off, taking in Marci’s knowing look and raised eyebrow. Returning to the shelter of your hands, you groaned. “God, does everyone know? Does Matt know??”

“Foggy, Karen, and I have been speculating for a while. Matt seems to be blissfully unaware.” 

“Ugh! You can’t tell him, Marce. Promise me! It’ll ruin everything.” You pleaded, anxiety swirling through you at the thought of him finding out that you’d been infatuated with him throughout the fake relationship. 

“I won’t tell him.” Marci took your hands in hers, encouraging you to look at her again. “But, I don’t think it would ruin anything. In fact, I know that it wouldn’t. He likes you just as much as you like him.” 

“He does?” You bit your lip, warmth cascading over your face at the thought of Matt returning your affections. 

“Yah, babe. He treats you like you hung the moon. And, apparently, you two have kissed already…” 

You rolled your eyes. “Ok we kissed a handful of times in my apartment and once in public and we agreed that it was so it wouldn’t look awkward in front of Snyder in the future.” 

“Ok so that is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. You two have kissed multiple times in the last week and you still think this relationship is fake? I’m begging you to put an end to all of this misery and TELL HIM HOW YOU FEEL.” She gently shook your shoulders to prove her point and you laughed. 

“Ok! Ok. I’ll do it. I’ll tell him.” 

“Thank god!” Marci downed the rest of her drink. “I'm going to hold you to this.” She pointed at you, sternly. 

“Yah, yah. I know.” 

Little did you know, Matt was getting an eerily similar lecture from Foggy and Karen on the other side of Hell’s Kitchen. 

Taglist: @maladaptivedaydreamingbum @scoliobean @harperdoodle @mattkinsella @leikelle @sweetbee0108 @dark-night-sky-99 @fallen-angels2213 @will-delete-this-later-probably @cheshirecat484 @thornbushrose @vernon-dursley

[kaidanworkshop]

Workshop Progress: November Update

Happy Holidays guys, gals, and non-binary pals! Firstly, apologies for the delayed update! Flu and COVID season is in full force this year, and it seemed to have it out for not only the Workshop staff and families, but for our VA Paul Warren! We're happy to report that everyone is on the mend and returning to our regular workflow. Learn from our follies; make sure you're taking care of your own health as well! Last update we focused on our alpha and beta testing progress with the Creation Kit and Assets Team -- progress on that front continues as we add in more recorded lines and refine the new systems we've implemented; this update will be a deep dive focusing on our Writing Team and their workflow process in organizing, evaluating, and proposing changes to the base script via our peer review system. Besides this, we have our fourth recording session with Mr. Warren in the coming weeks; after this session, our business lead is projecting one more session will be enough to complete the rest of the original script, and we can begin to finalize what options the community has towards allocating the remaining funds. We've been compiling a few synopses of what those bonus content options will be, so stayed tuned on that front! Finally, we're very excited to show off some of what we've managed to implement, so one of our Community Team members will be streaming some of our current 1.3 beta for our Discord community this upcoming Wednesday, November 15th, 2023 at 3pm CST, and Thursday, November 16th, 2023 at 10am CST! With that out of the way, here's our Writing Team Workflow Deep Dive! Warning: The below contains spoilers!

The temperatures might be cooling down outside but we're staying nice and warm working on the Kaidan romance lines commission. As we move towards the more emotionally charged dialogues the player can have with Kaidan (i.e. his friendship and romance quests), we realized that our previous script notes for our VA needed to be a bit more robust in order to really convey the tone we're looking for. As much as we all love this silly little 10+ year old game, the reality is that Skyrim's engine has its limitations with regards to NPC emotivity and expression, so the onus falls on the voice acting to carry the extra emotional weight. While Kaidan is, on the surface, a rather reserved person, a major part of the growth he experiences with the player character is allowing himself to more vulnerable and forthcoming with his emotions. For prior commissions, our script to Mr. Warren was aggregated into spreadsheets broken up by quest name and dialogue path, with brief notes on delivery/different quest paths as needed.

For each commission, we have two members of our staff sit in with Mr. Warren and offer direction as he works his way through the script. We tend to get around 3 to 8 different takes of each line, with around 250 - 300 lines per commission. Once complete, Mr. Warren sends us the full audio, and the next leg of processing begins. Our absolute savior of an audio tech gets to work splitting all the hundreds of different takes up into individual cuts, as well as processing the audio for any latent sounds or fuzziness in the background. Once separated, they're placed in an associated thread for staff members to listen to and vote on.

Sometimes we are very lucky, and there's a clear winner for the individual take. Sometimes.

Other times, ties must be split. Or not.

It is also during this process that we'll identify lines that might've been misread or otherwise need a retake. We aggregate a list and discuss our feelings on it, then shoot them back to Mr. Warren with further clarification on what we're looking for in his delivery. The process of receiving, splitting, and voting on the retake lines then begins again.

This method of breaking down these emotion-fueled dialogues really helps us as a staff keep a firm grasp on the original presented characterization of Kaidan, and not get wrapped up in trying to unnecessarily change or otherwise alter his dialogue. There's a reason this follower remains one of the most popular within the Skyrim community, and the last thing we want to do is damage LivTempleton's magic with arbitrary wordsmithing. Still, sometimes changes are needed. We try to keep them as minimal as possible, but some lines stuck out due to strange wording or odd delivery. For example, Kaidan's response to this line was originally "You do, eh? Well keep digging there, you might make it to Akavir." We felt that it didn't flow very well, and depending on how far the player has progressed in his personal quest, it might not make any sense for him to be mentioning Akavir at all yet. The below change smooths out the transition in this conversation.

Another example of a change we're adding in is creating a path for players to exit the romance path completely -- as it is now, if you wear an Amulet of Mara and initiate the romance path, there is no way to change your mind. However, we always felt that the below line pathing was very harsh; after all, Kaidan exits the conversation completely and shuts down. Working in a way to 'break up' with him via this dialogue path (sorry Kai!) felt like an easy way to work in a new mod function without having to create entirely new dialogue -- it saves money for extra content in the future, something very near and dear to our business lead's heart.

Finally, one of our favorite changes is rewording the "How do you feel about me?" dialogue tree. Given that not all players will be following the 'hot' or 'warm' romance paths, this line of questioning from the player felt like the LDB was fishing for compliments -- not a good look in our opinion. We changed this to instead be a more equitable exchange of compliments between the two ("I think we make a good team" & "Can I tell you something? I'm glad we met"). Also, we use this format to track which lines will have multiple nickname/pronoun takes.

As we approach the final sets of scripts to wrap up the revoice section of the Workshop timeline, this process may undoubtedly change again when we begin discussing how we'd like to work with the community in producing Workshop original scripts -- which is exciting! In using a peer review system from start to finish, we keep ourselves open to workflow improvement suggestions that ultimately makes the process easier in the long run. While this method of group voting and review undoubtedly adds extra time to production -- especially given the logistics of scheduling multiple staff meetings to accommodate all the different time zones our staff members live in -- we feel that it results in a more polished product, and one in which all the members of each team feel empowered to discuss and offer their insights for our favorite CVF. We'll see you for the beta 1.3 livestreams on Wednesday, November 15th, 2023 at 3pm CST, and Thursday, November 16th, 2023 at 10am CST!

[radabeast]

A Character Analysis of Mohg

Okay. so this started as a ramble in response to tumblr/twitter talk i’ve been seeing, and then branched off into an entire multi-para analysis… bear with me. or not. TL;DR: i feel mohg is a very compelling and even pitiable character in the overall story of elden ring, but also he is very not a good person. And well, duh

i do agree that mohg having any sort of sexual misconduct toward miquella ISNT canon and doesnt Need to be considered as such, however. to say that “there is no implied incest here at all” also is honestly not quite right.

in his very introduction cutscene, mohg takes miquella’s hand, calls him “my dearest”, and presses his forehead against it. says “miquella is mine and mine alone”, implying that, you know, he values him as more than just a replaceable key to assuring his own rule. and while “bloody bedchamber” is agreeably too vague to canonize any sexual contact… it’s also definitely a curious term to use in regards to half-siblings?

i agree that you can be a mohg fan and it doesn’t have to be Weird. i agree that mohg is a very compelling, VERY intriguing, and even sympathetic character. but i also think it’s a bit of a disservice to the full brunt of his role, as well as a naive sort of de-fanging to him, to think he would be capable of like. a whole blood cult, but not incest or even worse. or god forbid, that he’d even NEED to be BEWITCHED in order to kidnap miquella

mohg’s whole origin is of someone who was forsaken, abandoned by god herself, and then found a new mother, one who has promised him love and purpose. he is very capable, but also very starved. this starvation of love, appreciation and praise has led to him creating an entire cult around himself, devoted to his supposed future dynasty.

clearly, he’s got the drive to conquer, and a very apparent disregard for a good amount of life. he didn’t just approach miquella and try to manipulate him into a partnership— he stole him, while he was cocooned, and while he was helpless and unable to even possibly consent. he did not care at all for miquella’s beloved haligtree, and the denizens within it that saw it as their very hope; mohg forsook them from even his own presumed form of salvation, and left all of the haligtree without their own savior, their greatest hope. they know not who took him, or even presumably who could’ve possibly done it; all they know is that he is gone.

i will go so far to call this not only callous of mohg, but also cowardice. instead of a diplomatic attempt, he pulls a secretive kidnapping and retreats down to his palace hidden beneath the earth. not by any means a forthcoming fellow, but we also honestly shouldn’t expect that of him. and like, come on. the corrupting blood? the blood that gets put inside of you and corrupts and infests? i could make a whole analysis on that too. it’s insidious!

but circling back around. mohg is someone who is starved of love and family, so in addition to his desire of praise and power (as a direct offspring of marika herself, no less!), he has made his own warped, corrupted version of one— a cult, as well as positioning himself a consort of his own half-brother. miquella is not a beloved sibling to him, but a tool and a key to his rule; the formless mother told mohg that he was needed, and mohg took him. he is not treated as a person by him, awake and able to converse with his own thoughts (and we are outright told mohg receives no answer at all, ever). miquella is dehumanized, and placed within a role he wasn’t able to consent towards. (varre and the other non-surviving surgeons also shared a very similar fate, as well.)

so with that— while i actively abhor the idea of incest or even so far as rape, yes— why WOULD it be outside of mohg’s known character to behave as such, though? even the potentiality of it. i’m not going to get on a soapbox, i’m not SAYING you should accept a canon that he’s an incestuous rapist. all i’m saying is that, yes, it actually could very well track, and feed into his character further?

mohg is a sympathetic character indeed, abandoned by his mother, god herself, for his very appearance outside of anyone’s control, and then left clinging to the one and only hope he’s ever found in the formless mother. of COURSE he’d listen to whatever that mother says. of COURSE he’d have a warped view of personhood and family and love. even if mohg was capable of those detestable things— and he’s already a murderous kidnapper with a blood cult, mind you!— that doesn’t disregard that we can see where he was coming from, how his upbringing would lead to this!

i respect mohg fans, and mohg fans also need to be treated with respect. but i also think we can’t just say it’s crazy to say that mohg isn’t morally detestable, or potentially capable even of those things, even if with a pitiable bent. and that’s fine if he is! he is a story character and he fills a very intriguing role

[booklover41802]

Could you write a folk of the air fanfic where what if during her exile Jude meets her mother’s parents who set her up on a date and Cardan’s ruins the date. He actually chases the date away. And the grand parents don’t approve of Cardan, and Cardan has to win them over. A two-shot?

I loved this prompt! It ended up being far more angsty than I originally intended, but I had so much fun writing this. I hope you like it :)

Having seen her parents die in front of her when she was a child, Jude never imagined she would ever see her maternal grandparents again. Or that they would recognize her after all the years spent away. And yet, after having been banished to the mortal world with nowhere to go, like dandelion fluff on the wind, floating aimlessly without a purpose, she had been found. Jude had taken to wandering her usual haunts: the mall, her favorite food joints, and the park when she heard a woman’s voice call out her name. Then, there they were, a few years older, but the same faces Jude remembered as a child. They’d been nothing more than snatches of memories, and then they were standing in front of her, real and solid as anything.

Now, a month later, Jude was enjoying breakfast with them at a local diner, more happy and content than she would ever have had reason to think she’d be in the mortal world. It was… strange to gaze upon her grandmother’s face and wonder if that was what her mother would have looked like, had she been allowed to age. Or what she would look like if she never went back to Faerie.

It was almost unsettling to think she’d never go back to Faerie if her banishment wasn’t lifted. 

“Jude,” her grandfather began in that gruff voice of his, hardened by years of grief, “Now that you’ve been here a month, I think it’s time you started talking to some young people. One of our friends has a granddaughter about your age. I can get her phone number for you if you want. It is high time you get out of the house and talk to someone your age.” He set aside his silverware and keenly peered at her as if trying to peel back the layers of her skin and see what lay beneath the surface. Jude could hardly blame the man for trying. She hadn’t been the most forthcoming about her past and everything that had transpired.

“Okay,” Jude said nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders as if the very thought of meeting someone new didn’t make her muscles stiffen and her heart clench with fear. How could she even possibly begin to relate to a mortal when there were so few things that Faerie hadn’t stripped from her? “What’s her name?”

A small smile played at the corners of her grandmother’s mouth, a mischievous thing that reminded Jude all too much of herself. “June.”

And then there she was, with her purple hair shining in the late afternoon, delighting in the smallest of things as Jude held fast to her hand. June Baird, the most unexpected delight of the mortal world. Several months had passed since their first meeting, which had been awkward to start with, neither one knowing what to say. Perhaps it was the shared interests in magic and adventure that drew them together, but Jude found that June’s company was as irresistible as the blackberry wine often served at revels. 

Months had passed from her banishment in Faerie, and Jude had long since stopped hoping for a gallant savior to herald her return. And now that she’d been here so long, Autumn had arrived.

Faerie didn’t have seasons and was perpetually in summer, always warm and sunny. Whereas now, she had been in the mortal world long enough for a new season to come around. She loved the rotted sweetness of Autumn. It reminded her of Faerie Fruit with its cloying smell that seemed to cling to the trees and infuse the very air with its honeyed decay. The leaves crunching underneath her boot was such a small thing, but for once in her life, Jude felt normal as she clutched June’s hand a little tighter as if she’d vanish if Jude let go.

“Hey, you’re crushing my hand,” June laughed with an ease that Jude envied. June never needed to protect herself and was so free with her smiles and kisses. Maybe that was the true magic of her.

Jude relaxed her grip, forcing her mind to stop racing with the possibilities of who might be lurking in the pumpkin patch to play tricks on them. It was just a regular pumpkin patch, and she was on a normal date with her mortal girlfriend. There was nothing here that could harm her. Only Jude’s secrets could do that, and she had no intention of letting it come between the two.

“Sorry,” Jude said, flashing a quick smile that felt too stiff, “I keep feeling like if I look away from you, you’ll vanish or flee.”

“The only thing I’ll be running from is your grandparents if I were to break your heart. Evelyn is no joke with her walker,” June teased. 

A light-hearted giggle burst out of Jude before she could stop herself. It was a habit from her childhood to keep her emotions controlled and to not let anybody know what she was truly feeling, but she needn’t do that with June. June was safe.

“Don’t discount my grandpa, he can move for the remote in a blink of an eye. He may say he has bad knees, but when his favorite program comes on, nothing will get in his way.”

June laughed at that, as her sea-green eyes flitted over to the mass of bright orange pumpkins, with a grin Jude had come to know never meant anything good. “Let’s bring your grandparents the biggest pumpkin we can find and carve their dog into it.”

Jude held back a groan at the thought of carrying a huge pumpkin several blocks to their house. “Why the biggest one? Several small ones would work just as well.”

“I want to get on their good side, of course. And what better way to do that, than to bring them the biggest and best pumpkin? Besides, you know how much they love Annie.”

It was true. Their dog, Annie, was just as much part of the family as Jude. Annie even got her own stocking for Christmas, she’d been told. “I suppose I can’t argue with that.” Jude loosed a breath, mentally preparing herself for the long walk back. She could already see the delight on her grandparents’ faces as they carted it up the front steps. “Let’s go find your dream pumpkin then.”

June stopped walking and reached out to grab Jude’s free hand, giving both of them a quick squeeze. “You’re the best, you know that?” 

“I know,” Jude answered, as June leaned forward to press a light kiss on her forehead.

“Come on, let’s go!” June said, yanking Jude forward, her feet already pounding against the grass in her quest to find the largest pumpkin in the patch.

Jude knew that Autumn was June’s favorite season, but the irony of her name being June never failed to make her smile. She supposed that it was just another thing that Jude loved about her. The thought came upon so suddenly that the easy smile slipped off Jude’s face.

Love. She hadn’t imagined she’d find it here, with a mortal girl, or that the fiery passion she’d shared with a certain faerie might cool its flame. Yet, this was more tentative and quiet. Not all-consuming and uncertain. The dependability was nice. To know that no matter what, June would love her for all that she was and there was no part of herself she would need to hide.

Even her rocky past. She hadn’t even told her grandparents the full truth and spun a series of lies so deep she wasn’t sure she’d find her way out. But she wanted to tell June the truth, to tell something honest about herself for once. June never pushed or prodded the way her family did. She only accepted her with open arms, understanding what it was to be different from everyone else. 

“June, wait, slow down!” Jude cried as her foot caught on a stray root and she found herself tumbling to the ground before strong, steady hands caught hold of her.

“Are you okay? I thought you were right behind me.” June’s eyes searched her for any injury, always seeming to land on her hand, where part of her ring finger had been bitten off as a child. But she never asked, never questioned the scars, both physically and mentally.

Jude nodded, brushing back a stray strand of June’s smooth locks that had fallen in her face. “I’ve never been better.”

Instantly, the worry vanished off her face, and her crooked smile returned, revealing the small chip in her front tooth. The imperfection was so endearing to Jude, who had grown up around perfect beauty. It was so very human, and Jude found that she liked her mortality, and she no longer yearned to be one of the cold, impervious fae.

“Good, because I think we’ve found our quarry.” June eagerly pointed to a gargantuan pumpkin that seemed to be choking the one next to it in vines.

“You’re joking. There’s no way we can-”

June silenced her with a kiss. It wasn’t a world-ending kiss, but it was soft, sweet, and just what Jude needed. “Did that change your mind?” June asked against Jude’s lips, her breath hot on her skin.

Almost absent-mindedly Jude’s hands wandered towards June’s waist, drawing her closer.  “I think I need another one to be convinced.”

“Mmm, that can be arranged,” June said as she captured Jude’s lips once more, smiling, as she always was.

Jude had half of a mind to feel embarrassed to be so affectionate in public, but there were no more than a handful of people wandering the farm, and no one paid them any mind, except for an older woman who was shooting them looks. But Jude didn’t care. In Faerie, no one cared about gender and who someone loved. The only thing that seemed to matter was beauty, and there was an overflowing amount of it it was almost sickening. Jude had gorged herself on beauty and found herself disinclined towards it.

June’s beauty was so mortal and wonderful that Jude found that she could never tire of her aquiline features. It was then that Jude realized she was staring intensely into June’s face.

“What? Have I gotten lipstick on my face?” June asked, raising a brow.

“No,” Jude murmured, “I just can’t believe how beautiful you are.”

June’s cheeks flushed pink, biting her lip as she always did when she was nervous. She might be confident, but somehow Jude’s compliments seemed to catch her off guard, as if she didn’t believe them. 

Then, just over June’s shoulder, Jude’s worst nightmare came to life. Cardan was standing near the door of the farmhouse, his hands lazily placed in his pockets as he stared daggers at June. He was just as devastating as Jude remembered, with his sharp eyeliner and harsh cheekbones. He looked otherworldly in the human world, and Jude hated how her pulse jumped as she saw his face after months away.

Jude swore under her breath. Of course, just after Jude found her happiness, Cardan had come along to ruin it. Faerie always ruined everything it touched, and Jude was no exception. It seemed she could not escape the fate set in motion by her mother.

“What is it?” June asked, starting to turn around towards the boy who had made and remade Jude before destroying her so utterly she had only just crawled out of her despair.

Jude tightly gripped her shoulders, forcing June to look at her. “You know how I never talk about my past? Well, someone I knew is here and you need to go before-”

June’s brows crinkled in confusion. “Wait, where is this all coming from? If someone is here, I’ll stand by you, as I always will, Jude.”

Cardan started to slowly meander towards them, a wicked gleam in his black eyes that always brought violence. Jude’s heart was beating so frantically in her chest that she was afraid it would burst out and fly away. 

“No, you don’t understand-”

“Then help me understand! Tell me what you are so afraid of.”

Jude wished she could close her eyes and pretend as if everything was fine, that she was still safe in the mortal world. But she couldn’t. Not when she had someone to protect. “The boy I used to love has come back for me,” Jude said finally, in a flat voice devoid of emotion. 

A muscle ticked in June’s jaw. It was the most angry Jude had ever seen her. Gone were the smiles and laughter, and in its place was a storm about to crash onto shore. Jude almost feared for Cardan if she didn’t hate him.

“Then we’ll face him together.” Jude opened her mouth to object, but June placed a finger on her lips. “And I’ll hear no complaints of it, alright?”

Defeated and with no other option, Jude nodded glumly, knowing when she was beaten. When June made up her mind, there was no changing it, even if Jude wished otherwise.

By the time Cardan sauntered his way up to them, Jude could practically see the anger radiating off him, though he tried to disguise it in the easy manner of his steps. However, Jude knew him well enough to see the tells of his emotions, and right now, his razor-sharp smile was enough to cut through flesh. 

“My, my, Jude, you’ve certainly been busy in your time away,” Cardan said so casually that Jude could almost believe they were friends. 

June held her hand tighter, and Jude was grateful to have her as an anchor. If it weren’t for her, Jude feared she would be adrift amongst a sea of fear. “Jude doesn’t want you here,” June spat out, with enough venom that caused Cardan to raise a brow, but not enough for him to take her seriously, as if she were below his notice, like an errant fly buzzing around him.

“Jude, I believe, can speak for herself. Or have you also forgotten how to do that?” 

Jude balled her hand into a fist, digging her nails deep into her calluses, which had developed from years of swordplay. It was now that Jude wished for Nightfell, if only to have the comforting weight, even if she knew deep down that she’d never truly be able to wound him physically. “Jude doesn’t want you here,” Jude said, pulling herself free from June and stepping in between the two, not so subtly pushing her girl behind her. 

“And here I thought you’d miss your husband after months apart.”

There it was. The one thing she knew would cause June to break. The effect was almost immediate as June whispered so heartbreakingly soft, “Husband?”

Triumphant in his assured victory, Cardan smirked viciously with his deceptively soft lips that only spoke biting words and insults. “Didn’t you wonder about the ring your darling Jude wears around her neck? It’s her wedding ring, of course.”

Jude’s blood turned to ice at his declaration about the ring that dangled around her throat. She knew she shouldn’t have lied to June about the ring’s origins, but how was she to explain that she had married the High King of Faerie in a moment of weakness? Jude closed her eyes, waiting for the fallout.

Moments later, it came with all the frightening sharpness of a blade. Jude could already feel herself bleeding from a thousand cuts with each accusation Cardan threw at them. “Jude? Is that true?” June asked in a choked voice, practically begging Jude to laugh and say it was all some joke. 

Jude half-turned, opening her eyes to see her love’s face bright with the threat of tears. She debated the merits of refuting Cardan, but she knew that another lie would only make things worse. It was for the best, for June to know the sharp-tongued creature she truly was. “Yes,” she said softly, half hoping June wouldn’t hear it.

But she did. June’s beautiful eyes, which were so reminiscent of the sea, sprang with tears. To Jude’s even greater dismay, June dropped her hand. Instantly, Jude felt cold. “You told me it was your mother’s,” June said, her voice wavering as it threatened to break. “Why did you lie?”

“Jude’s lies are the only thing she can claim as her own. Deception is written into her blood,” Cardan answered before Jude could explain, shattering any semblance of trust that might still remain.

“Then, was it also a lie when you said he was a boy you used to love? Do you still love him?

Jude opened her mouth to deny it, to deny him, yet she could not. No matter how much she had tried to convince herself there was nothing between them, the throb of all that they were remained taut between them. 

June shook her head angrily, wiping away tears that started to glide down her cheeks. “I should have known better, but I suppose we’re all fools in love, even you, Jude.”

“You deserve better than me.”

June huffed out a breath, her hand twitching as if she wanted to reach out and touch her. “I didn’t want better, Jude, I wanted you. I guess I never really had you, though, did I?”

“Juniper,” Jude said, attempting the nickname she’d fondly called her, reaching out for June, wanting to have one more moment with her.

June only stepped out of her grasp, her mouth pressed in a flat line. “Don’t,” she whispered. “Don’t call me that.”

“I’m sorry.”

It was somehow worse that June didn’t spit angry words and instead only smiled sadly at her as if she had known the end of all that were was inevitable. “I know.” Then, she turned to walk away, her shoulders sagging with defeat. Before June made it far, June looked back over her shoulders, the tears now streaming freely without restraint. “When you said you loved me, did you mean it, or was that a lie too?”

Jude sucked in a breath, feeling as if she’d been punched in the gut. “I never lied to you about that. I did, no, I do love you,” Jude replied quickly, trying and failing to salvage the situation, only to find herself before a yawning abyss that stretched ever wider.

June’s lips wobbled as she gave one last heartbreaking smile. “I understand.” This time, when she walked away, June didn’t look back.

Whirling on Cardan, shoving her grief deep in her chest as she always did, and shaped it into jagged shards of rage. “Why are you here?” Jude snapped, letting loose the anger she kept on a tight leash. The time for reigning it in was gone. 

Cardan only gave her a lazy grin, feigning innocence. “I’ve come to retrieve you from your banishment, of course. Wasn’t that what you wanted?”

“Not like this,” Jude said, clenching her jaw tight, fury engulfing every inch of her. “Never like this.”

“Am I supposed to let you go? You know I can’t do that,” he said in a ragged voice. Then, with a light finger, he traced the edge of her jawline with his long, pale fingers.

She slapped his hand away, already beginning to stalk towards the road to get back to her grandparents. “Yes! You banished me, in case you’ve forgotten, so I’ve done my best to move on, to forget, but you won’t let me have even that, will you?” Jude sniffled, and it seemed no matter how much she tried to fight against her body, her grief won. She really did love June. But all Jude knew how to do was hurt the people she loved, so she shouldn’t have been surprised that June was another victim of her lies.

This time, she wanted things to be different. Jude’s life was the same story of pain and heartbreak again and again in an ever-spinning wheel.

“I thought you’d know my words were just a farce to pacify Orlagh. I never wanted you to leave,” Cardan said quietly at her back. “Didn’t you get my letters?”

The softness was enough for Jude to stop in her tracks. Cardan wasn’t soft or quiet. “What letters?” Jude’s heart seemed to have a mind of its own as it beat frantically with each confession pouring out of his lips. She should hate him, but Jude always loved what she shouldn’t.

This time, when Cardan tentatively reached for her hand, Jude didn’t pull away, though she knew she should after how he hurt June. No, she had wounded June by not telling the truth. And maybe, just maybe, Jude believed she deserved to be hurt just the same, which is why she didn’t turn away from the wicked boy of her dreams.

Cardan’s lips twitched humorlessly, and it took everything in Jude not to remember what it was like for his lips to press against hers. “I should find a new Master of Letters. It seems this one didn’t deliver my letters to you in the mortal world.”

Jude didn’t bother to respond as she processed what he was saying. It didn’t matter anyway as Cardan rushed to fill the silence that threatened to swallow them both. “Come back with me, Jude,” Cardan blurted out. “You can pardon yourself, you know. You’re still my wife and therefore, the crown.”

Angry tears spilled down Jude’s cheeks. Of course, how could she be so foolish to not see the trick in his words. Faerie was full of tricks, but she believed that Cardan would never play them on her again. More fool was she for trusting him after all he did during their childhood. Then, surprising even herself, she shook her head. “No. Not after what you did.” She pulled free from his grasp and started to walk away again.

“Please,” Cardan said in a small voice. “I need you.”

Jude swallowed the lump in her throat at the betrayal towards June she felt at the thought of accepting his offer. Could she honestly accept his offer in good faith? But she knew there was no way to salvage what she had with June. Trust was a fragile thing to mortals, and Jude had taken advantage of that trust. “It would be easier if I still hated you.” Sighing heavily, she said over her shoulder, “Earn my trust and more importantly, my grandparents’ trust, and I’ll consider coming back.”

Then, hesitantly, she said, “Find the biggest pumpkin and bring it to their house, and I’ll consider that the start.” Jude didn’t hear what Cardan said in response as she walked away, her heart heavy with loss.

June’s broken face haunted her walk home, and Jude had never hated herself more. But Jude knew she deserved to be hurt. Pain was all she knew, so perhaps she and Cardan, the monsters that they were, deserved each other. They would destroy each other and Jude relished for that day to come.

[grimmswan]

Dracula in Storybrooke 3

Captain Swan Supernatural Summer

@cssns

Once Upon a Time: Emma Swan and Captain Killian Hook Jones

Killian told Emma about his suspicion that his former first mate might know more about what is going on then he was being up front about.

Emma suggested that if Smee was willing to talk, he should bring him to the diner, and he could tell the rest of the group what he knows.

With a plan in place, and a kiss on the cheek, Killian headed out.

It was best if Killian spoke to Smee alone. He would likely feel less intimidated and more forthcoming that way.

Emma finished up her second cup of coffee, (and her second poptart) then left the house to talk to her parents about Killian’s theory and the new plan.

It was morning, but the sunlight was quickly fading away.

A dense gray fog was quickly rolling in.

There was no doubt in Emma’s mind that magic was behind it. Looking ahead, she saw a dark figure wearing a black cape.

With a roll of her eyes and a sigh, she pulled her bug over and got out.

“And I thought my pirate was over dramatic. Were the theatric’s really necessary, Drake? Or would you prefer I call you Dracula?”

The vampire was taken aback by her nonchalant attitude. He had been expecting a bigger reaction. Every other being would have been amazed, or frightened at his ability to summon the fog and appear out of nowhere.

But it seemed that the savior needed to witness more to be impressed by his power.

“I wanted to have a talk with you, alone. Your family, and the sun, have a tendency to interfere with my ability to have a deep conversation with you.”

He glided closer. His voice was low, sultry, and hypnotic.

“You are an exquisite being. Far too lovely for the likes of any mere mortal.”

Drake leaned closer to Emma. His eyes became more intense. Emma senses were going off. A part of her felt drawn to the man, but another part was screaming to run away.

Drake’s eyes were on Emma’s lips. He was going to kiss her.

But the only man she wanted to kiss was Killian. She only loved Killian. And he would be hurt if she allowed another man to kiss her.

Emma jerked back, her full senses returning. By pure instinct, she shot light from her hands toward The Count, who hissed loudly and quickly backed away.

“No. It’s not possible. How could you resist my power?”

“I’ve been told I can be pretty stubborn.” Emma retorted. She held up her hands, which were glowing with her magic. “I suggest you get out of here.”

In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

Emma noticed that the fog also started to disappear, but at a much slower rate.

She got back in her bug and headed to her parent’s apartment.

Once Upon A Time

“He tried to kiss you?” David was outraged that anyone would try to take advantage of his daughter like that.

“I think he has the power to put people in a trance. But for some reason, it didn’t work on me.”

Snow, equally concerned for her daughter as her husband, asked, “Were you tempted, but fought it?”

“Yeah. All I could think was that this wasn’t Killian. And I was able to pull away.”

Snow smiled. “That’s like what happened between your father and the siren. He was able to break free from her trance because he loved me.”

Snow looked at her husband with a bright smile. “Isn’t it wonderful! Our daughter has true love!”

“Our daughter also has a second centuries old being interested in her. And that one probably wants to drain her of her blood.”

Hoping that Killian convinced Smee to divulge what he knew, the Charming family headed to Granny’s Diner.

Once Upon A Time

“Dracula must take a bride every one hundred years. He failed to turn Mina Harker, and was weakened because of it. He needs a bride of great beauty, and great power, or he will die.”

“He wants Emma?”

“He needs Emma. Without her, he will become as weak and powerless as any mortal man.”

"The only person who gets to bite my neck is my pirate."

"That is not information a father needs to hear." David groaned.

"That’s not information a son needs to hear, either." Henry added.

"Dracula wants to make Emma his bride?" Mary Margaret wanted to get the conversation back to gaining information to protect her daughter.

Her husband’s and grandson’s psychological discomfort would have to wait for another day.

"One of his brides. Technically, you would be his fourth. He's already had three." Smee explained to his captain’s true love.

"Well doesn't that make me feel special." Emma rolled her eyes."What girl doesn't dream of being part of a harem. Having to wait in line for her husband to pay attention to her."

"He certainly picked a challenge." Whale thought any man who believed he could steal Emma Swan away from Killian Jones should be declared legally insane.

"He didn't exactly pick her." Smee explained. "Emma holds the light that will give him back all of his power. It’s Emma’s blood. She's the product of true love. She has magic that is pure light. Dracula believes he can regain power by turning Emma.”

“Is that how he picked his other wives?” Leroy asked.

“He didn’t need his power restored when he took the others. Each time he takes a bride, he chooses a woman who has something that he needs.

The first of his vampire brides was a maiden of noble birth from his own land. Her family had a lot of land, and great wealth. He killed every member of her family to gain full control of her and her family’s holdings.

When the people of the village near his castle became suspicious. His food source was becoming scarce. That’s when he realized he would have to travel to different lands from time to time.

That’s where taking a wife would be useful. He would never reveal that he had other eternal brides, of course. 

Not all of those he turned would spend eternity with him. And not every maiden he married was turned.

Those that submitted to him completely and did his bidding were the ones he called his brides.

Those whose company he grew tired of were either killed or sent away to decide for themselves how they wanted to spend their eternity.”

“That’s not a life I want. Not even an undead one. How is Dracula planning on forcing me to be his bride? Because that’s the only way I see his plan working.”

“The only way he can consume your blood, is if you give into him willingly. Mina Harker’s love and innocence was what he needed to gain strength. Because it was something special within her blood, she had to surrender herself to him of her own free will. The power that he needs from you is within your blood. Just like with Mina Harker, he can’t take it by force. Or else the source will be tainted and it won’t work.

 It seems that Dracual will have to make Emma forget everyone, and everything she knows. Only then will she be vulnerable to his influence."

“Magic.” Killian sighed. Fear for his true love and her family colored his voice and his face.

“Dracula’s not a sorcerer, Captain. He has the ability to do a lot of things. But his power is limited.”

“If he is as devious and resourceful as you, he will find a way.”

“And we will find a way to stop him.” Emma laid her hand on Killian’s arm.

“To undo everything Dracula had done, he needs to be killed, or at least sealed away again.”

“Do you remember how they did it?”

“I wasn’t there. I was under Dracula’s spell, so they had me locked up in a sanitarium. But I remember that Van Helsing kept a detailed recording of all of his encounters with the supernatural. I overheard him mention it to Dr. Seward, head of the sanitarium. If you find his journal he kept at the time, it will tell you how he and Harker defeated the vampire.”

“In all of the stories, crosses, garlic, and holy water make vampires powerless.” Henry was sure there had to be some truth to legends he heard.

"Dracula does not follow the same rules as other vampires."

"What makes him different?"

"Dracula wasn't bitten. He became a vampire through consuming the blood of a dragon. His power is greater because it came directly from a being of magic."

“I didn’t know there were dragons in the land of horror?”

“There’s not. Do you think Jefferson and Gold were the only beings to constantly travel between realms? There have been peddlers throughout the ages that have delivered goods from one world, to sell to those in another. I used to be one of them, before I joined in with Captain Jones.”

“Is that how many of the monsters were created?” Henry asked.

“The Captain’s right, you are a clever lad.”

Henry beamed with pride.

“I have said before that magic manifests differently in each realm. Even if you take an item from one realm, it may not work the same in another.” The Blue Fairy warned.

“There was a time when travel between realms was common. And there was an opportunity to make a lot of money. In the Land of Horror, multiple groups of people were trying to conquer the world. Some kingdoms wanted to protect their people from being invaded. Peddlers from lands of prosperous magic brought many magical items into the Land of Horror.  But the effects changed the recipients in ways that were unimaginable. Vlad Tepest was one of those rulers who sought to defend his people. His intentions were once honorable. But it was power he was not meant to have, and it corrupted him. He even changed his name to Dracula, because he thought he had become a descendent of dragons.”

“So a guy consumes something he shouldn’t and ends up turning into a monster. Fair enough. It wouldn’t be the strangest thing I’ve ever heard of.”

“The strangest would be Captain Hook falling in love with the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming.”

“And here I thought it was the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming falling in love with Captain Hook.” Emma shot back with her own cheeky grin.

"So how do we keep him away?" David asked, wanting the conversation to steer away from his daughter’s love life.

"He's still sensitive to direct sunlight. Unfortunately, he can still be out during the day. As Emma found out earlier. He can summon the fog to aid him."

"What we need are werewolves." Henry announced. "A large pack of werewolves. Lots of movies say werewolves are deadly to vampires."

"Most of the wolf shifters were eradicated." Granny explained. "The pack mentality leads to too much destruction. So multiple kingdoms sought them out and killed them."

Henry looked disappointed, then a thought came to him.

"What if there are werewolves in other realms? The vampires came from Whale's world. What if the werewolves that kill vampires are also from Whales world?"

"If I recall, the creatures you're talking about can not be controlled and have no control over themselves when they shift." Killian said.

"And sometimes it's the vampires that have control." Emma added.

Still, it was an interesting idea. If also a really dangerous one.

It also posed the issue that there might already be werewolves, of the horror world variety.

“What if those types of werewolves are already in Storybrooke? What if that is something else we’re going to have to worry about?”

It seemed to be one thing after another. The heroes could not seem to catch a break.

“There’s been no proof of the more savage types of werewolves in Storybrooke. So let's not start worrying. We have enough to concern ourselves with already.”

Mary Margaret looked over and saw the dwarves clustered together.

“What are they doing?”

“Drawing straws on who gets to drive a stake through Regina’s heart, if she becomes a vampire.”

“Will you guys stop that! We need to focus on protecting my daughter!”

[mizusswordtip]

Down The Rabbit Hole ⚝ Killian Jones x Reader (24)

find the story on wattpad

summary: Alice's plan to overthrow the Queen of Hearts is thwarted by a dashing pirate with a hook. Years later, after the curse is broken, they reunite once again.

masterlist

The more we look around the rocky cavern that was once Rumpelstiltskin's cell, the more I'm beginning to think the ink doesn't even exist. How is squid ink supposed to help us defeat her to begin with? I shake my head, sticking my hand in another crevice. This had better work.

"The squid ink, it's not here." I say, irritated. I look over to Snow and Emma who approach with confused looks on their faces.

"Gold said we would find it." Snow's voice is filled with worry as she swings her head from left to right.

"He hasn't exactly proved to be the most forthcoming person." I say with a heavy sigh. I swear, if Gold has led us on another wild goose chase, I'm going to personally ring his neck.

"Well, was there anyone else in here with him? Could they have taken the ink?" Mulan asks, holding the torch up to the stone walls to see better.

"No. He was kept alone. Visitors were forbidden. He was too dangerous to allow any human contact." Snow shakes her head vehemently.

"How'd he keep from going crazy." Emma mutters to herself.

"I did." I answer without thinking. Emma shoots me a sympathetic look. "Sort of." I correct, looking down at the twenty eight scars carved into my forearm. "Well..."

"He didn't." Aurora chimes in, ignoring my musings. I look over at her and see she's holding a scroll of some sort. The paper looks warn but is surprisingly well preserved for something that old.

"What is it?" I ask.

"Is it a message?" Emma walks over to Aurora and holds out her hand.

"Yes. And I think it's for you." Aurora hands the scroll to Emma.

"Why would you think...that?" Emma says as she slowly unfurls the scroll. I can hear the fear in her voice and it doesn't take even a second to figure out why. On the scroll is Emma's name. Written repeatedly.

"Oh." I say. Emma walks over to a rock and sits, staring down at the scroll in disbelief while the rest of us continue to look for the ink. Why would Gold use up so much ink to write one name? I mean, I know Emma is the savior, destined to break the curse but what good does that do? I guess it's no use trying to decipher the motivations of a mad man.

"What does this even mean?" Emma asks, perplexed.

"He was obsessed with you, Emma. You were the key to breaking the curse." Snow reaches up to check a crevice that's too hard to see from the ground.

"We've looked everywhere. There's no ink in this cell." I say once she comes up empty handed.

"No, there has to be. He told David." Snow's voice becomes more panicked and I can't really blame her. Her husband is stuck in an eternal sleep until she kisses him.

"Need I remind you that 'he'  is Gold? In the little time I've known him, he's done nothing but lie." I point out, throwing my hands up in the air in exasperation.

"Besides, you were in a netherworld. Maybe something got lost in translation." Emma says, still unable to tear her eyes away from the paper. If she glares at the parchment any harder she might burn a hole through it.

"No. She heard right." Mulan's words fill me with hope as we all run over to her.

"You have it?" I ask breathlessly. In her hand is a stained jar. A notably empty jar.

"In a manner of speaking. There was ink in this cell." She tilts the jar up to the light, trying to see if there are any traces of the ink left. I let out a humorless laugh.

"Wow, who would have thought? The Dark One? Leading us astray?" My voice is laced with sarcasm. Emma shoots me an annoyed look and I simply shrug in response. Before anyone can even stop her, Aurora picks up a rock and throws it at the mechanism that keeps the door open. She hits it on the first try, much to my horror.

"Aurora! What are you doing?" Emma goes to run towards the closing gate.

"No!" I scream, my heart beating out of my chest when the heavy metal touches the ground. I can feel a familiar panic crawling up my throat. Some days in the asylum I would become all too aware that I couldn't escape. Not just my cell, but my own body. My own brain. My clothes. These fucking clothes. On those days, the nurses would give me a friendly shot to help me sleep.

I grasp the cool metal of the bars, pressing my forehead against them. There is no medicine in this world to help me calm down.

"Helping me." I don't even have to open my eyes to know that Cora is standing in front of me. This can't be happening. Not again. After all these years, I still am unable to beat her. All that talk about prophecy had been wrong.

"No! No..." I whisper and tug on the bars as hard as I can, finally opening my eyes to see the all too please smile on her face. I clench my jaw.

"Don't waste your energy, dear. Rumpelstiltskin himself couldn't escape from this cell." She chastises and I can't help but let the look of defeat overtake my features.

"No." I whisper.

"Thank you, Aurora. We couldn't have done it without you." Cora's words make all our heads snap to Aurora. My blood turns to ice as I stare her down. She looks just as shocked as the rest of us.

"Why would you do this?" Emma snaps at her. All Aurora can do is shake her head and open and close her mouth a couple of times.

"Don't blame her. She was only doing what she was told." Cora reaches into her robes and pulls out a red heart and all the pieces click into place.

"You took her heart." I hear Emma say from behind me, sounding truly horrified. I wish I could feel surprised by this new revelation but there's a reason she's known as The Queen of Hearts.

"Actually, I did. It was a gift." Hooks voice says and it's only then that I notice him. Leaning against the wall casually. I had been too preoccupied with Cora to even notice him. The realization of what's happening comes over me, slower than I'd like to admit. He played me for a fool. I'd actually believed him and trusted him.

"Figures." I say, my heart turning cold. "Figures you're just as weak willed as you were before." I say and a look crosses over his face that I can't quite decipher before it's replaced with a cruel smirk.

"I'm not the one who's trapped in a cage, Love." He says and I just shake my head ruefully. His jaw clenches whenever my gaze doesn't falter and looks away.

"Forgive us. We'd love to stay, but Storybrooke awaits." The both of them go to leave and I feel the panic begin to rear its ugly head once again.

"No! Hook, please wait." I call out and thankfully he stops dead in his tracks. I wait for him to turn his head to look at me. "Don't do this. I tried to help you. You know I did so please. I'm not asking, I'm begging." I plead and I curse myself for sounding so pathetic. I can see it now, the guilt hiding beneath the surface but he turns without another word. I smack my hands on the bars. "Bastard!" I turn my attention to his ally. "Cora!" I don't know what comes over me in this moment but I feel it. The fear in me is replaced by years anger over losing to this witch. Over losing to him.

"Yes, dear?" She asks condescendingly.

"I will not die in a cell. I spent twenty eight years locked up and I was able to get free. Your death is my destiny so you can best believe that I will get out of here. And when I do? I will show you the same amount of mercy you've shown me. None." I finish and she clenches her jaw. I don't give her time to respond as I turn my attention to Hook. "As for you. I don't have to kill you. She'll dispose of you and never think of you again. And when that happens, I won't lift a finger to help you." I say and to my surprise, he doesn't even look angry. He just turns away, waiting for his master, I'm assuming.

"Well, it looks like little Alice finally found her teeth." Cora says with a little laugh, approaching the bars and placing her hand on them to lean close to me. "It's a shame you'll never get to use them." I feel it in me stronger now, a flare of anger so strong I feel as though I can't contain it any-.

Me and Cora both rip our hands from the bars as they scorch our hands. I look down at my palms to see the red and angry burns. Had she done that?...or me?  I look up just in time to see the brief glimmer of fear in her eyes before she turns and leaves for good this time.

"Let's go."

[dailytafsirofquran]

Tafsir Ibn Kathir: Surah Hud Ayah 41-43

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

11:41 And he said: "Embark therein: in the Name of Allah will be its (moving) course and its (resting) anchorage. Surely, my Lord is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.''

11:42 So it (the ship) sailed with them amidst waves like mountains, and Nuh called out to his son, who had separated himself (apart):

"O my son! Embark with us and be not with the disbelievers.''

11:43 The son replied: "I will betake myself to some mountain, it will save me from the water.''

Nuh said: "This day there is no savior from the decree of Allah except him on whom He has mercy.''

And waves came in between them, so he (the son) was among the drowned.

The riding upon the Ship and Its sailing through the huge Waves

Allah, the Exalted, says concerning Nuh, that;

And he said: "Embark therein: in the Name of Allah will be its (moving) course and its (resting) anchorage.

This means that its sailing upon the surface of the water, the end of its journeying and its anchoring, would all be with the Name of Allah.

Abu Raja' Al-Utaridi recited it,

"In the Name of Allah, Who will be the One Who moves its course, and rests its anchor.''

Allah, the Exalted, said,

And when you have embarked on the ship, you and whoever is with you, then say: "All the praises and thanks are to Allah,

Who has saved us from the people who are wrongdoers. And say: "My Lord! Cause me to land at a blessed landing place, for You are the Best of those who bring to land.'' (23:28-29)

For this reason, it is preferred to mention the Name of Allah (Bismillah) at the beginning of all affairs.

The Name of Allah should be mentioned when boarding a ship, or when mounting an animal. This is as Allah, the Exalted, says,

And Who has created all the pairs and has appointed for you ships and cattle on which you ride, in order that you may mount on their backs. (43:12-13)

This practice (mentioning Allah's Name) has been encouraged in the Sunnah and is considered a preferred act. A discussion concerning this is forthcoming in the explanation of Surah Az- Zukhruf (43), if Allah wills.

In reference to Allah's statement,

Surely, my Lord is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Such statement is suitable while mentioning (His) vengeance upon the disbelievers by drowning all of them. Therefore, he (Nuh) mentions that His Lord is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.

This is similar to Allah's statement,

Surely, your Lord is swift in retribution, and certainly He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (7:167)

He also says,

But verily, your Lord is full of forgiveness for mankind inspite of their wrongdoing. And verily, your Lord is (also) severe in punishment. (13:6)

Likewise, there are many other verses that combine Allah's mercy and His vengeance.

Concerning Allah's statement,

So it sailed with them amidst waves like mountains,

This means that the ship sailed with them upon the surface of the water, which had completely covered the earth until it encompassed the tops of the mountains and even rose over them by a height of fifteen cubits.

It was also said that the waves rose over the mountains by a height of eighty miles. Yet, this ship continued to move upon the water, sailing by the permission of Allah. It moved under His shade, His help, His protection and His blessing.

Verily, when the water rose beyond its limits, We carried you in the ship. That We might make it an admonition for you and it might be retained by the retaining ears. (69:11-12)

Allah also said,

And We carried him on a (ship) made of planks and nails, floating under Our Eyes: a reward for him who had been rejected! And indeed, We have left this as a sign. Then is there any that will remember (or receive admonition)! (54:13-15)

The Story of the drowning of Nuh's Disbelieving Son

Allah continues the story, saying,

and Nuh called out to his son,

This was the fourth son of Nuh. His name was Yam and he was a disbeliever. His father, Nuh, called him at the time of boarding the ship, that he might believe and embark with them. If he did so, he would be saved from drowning like the other disbelievers.

who had separated himself (apart): "O my son! Embark with us and be not with the disbelievers.''

The son replied: "I will betake myself to some mountain, it will save me from the water.''

He believed, in his ignorance, that the flood would not reach the tops of the mountains and that if he clung to the top of a mountain, he would be saved from drowning.

His father, Nuh, said to him,

Nuh said: "This day there is no savior from the decree of Allah except him on whom He has mercy."

This means that nothing will be saved today from the command of Allah.

And waves came in between them, so he (the son) was among the drowned.

[play-me-a-durge]

Head Like a Hole

Down By the River

While working your way back out of the ruin, you do end up navigating some traps, but Astarion disarms them with a self-assured flair that he nonetheless clearly has earned. Now that will be a very useful skill. But alas, the effort is hardly rewarded. In the end, you return to the grove with a sizeable load of random bauble and trash that nets you some displeasure from the traders but just enough value to get your company some fresh gear.

What little euphoria you had clawed from those bloody corpses is already fading, leaving your itch as strong as ever, your hands shaking and your head thick. You need some quiet, somewhere safe but secluded where you can focus. The song of the river draws you down, you do feel lighter as you approach, like a caress on your mind. Everything is going to be alright.

You had gotten far enough ahead of your companions that they are nowhere to be seen when a figure materializes before you. Poised, fashionable, pompous. Every instinct rises like the hair on a cat. You try to ignore his words, see past them and focus on his demeanor, to discern truth among the misdirections and cryptic phrases. You do not play along with his act and he feigns concern for your mental state.

As suddenly as he appeared before you, you now find yourself in new surroundings - a grand dining hall with a laden table and lavish furnishings. You are in no mood for games but you recognize you are powerless in this instance, which does not improve your mood.

"Are these theatrics leading somewhere?"

The devil at last reveals himself. A savior? That is the least certain of those options. To even think of fighting him is foolish, you are nowhere near strong enough. But you also don't want to know what it is he wants of you - or perhaps, it's not what he wants of you but of who you were. That is the wild card that keeps stealing your chances.

But what he wants is not forthcoming. If it was merely your soul you don't feel it would be much to part with, but there is more hiding behind what he does not say.

"You're mad if you think I'll make a deal with a devil."

You recognize he is offering to remove the infection, but still lets no hint of his desired payment slip. That, perhaps, is the most concerning part. Your patience snaps at last, and you let yourself enjoy the image of ripping out his tongue and eating it, of doing far worse things to the rest of his body. It's unfortunate you both know you're in no position to carry out this threat.

When he returns you, it seems as if no time has passed at all. You see your companions only just now reaching you at the spot you disappeared. You say nothing until you return to camp so you only have to say it once. Relaying that tale is not the highlight of your day.

Nor is that the only thing at camp that proves interesting. The Undead has found you - as he promised - and offers you aid should you need it. You decline.

That evening you slip away from your companions to sit contemplative at the river's edge. it glitters silver and black in the moonlight, cradled by the land which ushers it peacefully along its inexorable journey. Not one drop has the power to alter its own course, to resist its path and flow to some other end. Unless it be drawn out by another's hand, its fate is sealed.

So easily it slips through your fingers, briefly interrupted but ultimately undeterred. You lift a handful, drops landing aimlessly, lost to the rocky shore. It feels cool against your face, washing away grime and blood.

Whose hand was it that dipped into fate's river and drew you out? To which end did it once flow? Have you the freedom to choose what to do with this chance, or will you merely return to your river and drown in it?

There is a will greater than your own at work, a hand from which you dangle like a puppet. Actions you did not intend, thoughts moving you without awareness, and that insatiable hunger driving it all.

Who were you? Who are you? Perhaps most uncertain is: who do you want to be? Which of these myriad thoughts are your own? Do you accept your place as slave to your past, or do you fight with every fiber to be master of your own self? Do you hunt down the one who caused this for vengeance, or should you be thanking them for this second chance?

The tadpole, the devil, the gaping hole of your past: unanswerable questions swirl in your mind as bile churns your innards, and sleep offers little rest from your struggle; but between bloodied dreams you manage to slip into oblivion for a few hours.

next >

< previous

< the beginning >

[wisheswagered]

Florian, as far as Wendy can tell, is a very well-regarded member of society. Charming and passionate, he's become something of a hero amongst the local population - a savior of lives at that, though details about his personal life are much less forthcoming. Personally, Wendy feels there's something too sharp about his smiles. Good people, including heroes, do exist, but Wendy's past experience with people has taught her that placing one's faith in reputation is more likely to leave you disappointed than not.

With that said... in this scenario, maybe he's exactly what she needs. When she approaches him, she puts very little effort into appearing welcoming or put together - but if he's put off by that, it likely wouldn't work out anyway. If possible, she'd prefer to get straight to the point.

"Mr. Brand. I appreciate that you must be a busy man. But about what we talked about the other day... how would you feel about a partnership?"

@svpernovae ( starter for florian! )

[bellheadband]

Excited to announce that a brand new BELLHEAD song "Boomstick" will be featured on the forthcoming Electronic Saviors Compilation May 2nd via Metropolis Records and Distortion Productions.

BELLHEAD have been previously featured on ES:6 Prime edition, as well as previous Distortion Productions release Synthcore Dreams Volume 2 and 3. We hope you enjoy the new song, share and support this project which is near and dear to our heart continuing efforts to raise funds and awareness for cancer research.

[dfroza]

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures

for the 16th of january 2025 with a paired chapter from each Testament (the First & the New Covenant) of the Bible

[The Book of Acts, Chapter 27 • The Book of 2nd Kings, Chapter 7]

along with Today’s reading from the ancient books of Proverbs and Psalms with Proverbs 16 and Psalm 16 coinciding with the day of the month and year (with the consummate book of 150 Psalms in its 1st revolution this year), accompanied by Psalm 27 for the 27th day of Astronomical Winter

A post by John Parsons:

The Breath of Hope...

When Moses proclaimed the good news of God’s forthcoming redemption for Israel, the Torah states that the people could not listen because they were “short of breath” (Exod. 6:9). Interestingly, this phrase (i.e., mi’kotzer ru’ach: מִקּצֶר רוּחַ) can also mean “lacking in spirit,” as if in a paralyzed state of hopelessness. But how did the people become so downhearted? Had they forgotten the promise given to Abraham (Gen. 15:12-14)? Had they disregarded Joseph’s final words (see Gen. 50:24-25)?

According to some of the sages, part of the reason for their “shortness of breath” (besides the cruel bondage and hard labor imposed on them) was that the Israelites miscalculated the duration of their 400 year exile, and therefore they began to lose hope. When members of the tribe of Ephraim tried to escape from Egypt some 30 years before the time of the redemption, they were all killed by the Philistines, and many of the Israelites began to believe that they would remain as perpetual slaves (Shemot Rabbah, 20:11). They became “short of breath” and could no longer receive the message of the Holy Spirit...

Indeed, life in this evil world can be suffocating at times. And though we may not be under the oppression of a cruel Pharaoh, we are affected by the "princes of this age" who spurn the message of the Messiah's redemption and love, and we are still subjected to bondage imposed by taskmasters who defy the LORD and who seek to enslave us by means of lies, propaganda, and threats of violence... The devil is still at work in the hearts and minds of many of his "little Pharaohs" that govern the world system... The Scriptures make it clear that we are engaged in genuine spiritual warfare: "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12).

It is evident that one of the central purposes of God's redemption is to bestow freedom and dignity upon his people. As the story of Pharaoh reveals, God does not take kindly to oppressors, dictators, and other megalomaniacal world leaders who deny the truth and who therefore seek to enslave (or kill) human beings created in His image and likeness. Just as God judged Egypt for its oppression and violence, so He will one day break the "rulers of this world" with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel (Psalm 2:9-10).

To help us “catch our breath” during this time of waiting, it is important to remember that the LORD redeems us so that we may become His children and therefore be clothed with everlasting dignity... Our redemption makes us heirs of the Kingdom of God and citizens of heaven. We must never regard ourselves as slaves - not to the State, not to the bankers, not to fear, and not to religion (Gal. 5:1). God gave up His Son for us so that we could be made free to live with honor as his dearly loved children.... All the threats of the world system - economic, political, religious, social, etc. - are ultimately made empty and vain by the glorious redemption promised to us in Yeshua our Savior.

The Scriptures declare that "we are saved by hope" (ελπιδι εσωθημεν), that is, we are saved through an earnest expectation of good to come on account of the promises of the LORD God of Israel. Amen. The LORD is called "The God of Hope" (אֱלהֵי הַתִּקְוָה), indicating that He is its Author and its End (Rom. 15:13). God both gives birth to our hope (tikvah) and is the satisfaction of our heart's deepest longings. For those with God-given hope, "gam zu l'tovah" – all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28). In light of God’s promises, hope is the one "work" that we are called to vigorously perform: "What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?" Yeshua answered, "This is the work of God, that you trust (i.e. hope) in the one whom He sent" (John 6:28-29).

Don’t let the world system destroy or impugn your hope, chaverim... If the devil can’t seduce you with illusory hope or counterfeit joy, he will attempt to oppress you with fear and doubt. Fight the good fight of faith and refuse to succumb to despair. Run the race before you with endurance (Heb. 12:1). Look up, for the time of your deliverance draws near... God redeems us for the sake of His love and honor... It is the “breath of God” that gives us life and courage to face this dark and perverse world (John 20:22). May you be filled with the hope and strength that comes from the Holy Spirit. Amen.

[ Hebrew for Christians ]

========

Psalm 25:1-2a reading:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/psalm25-1-2a-jjp.mp3

Hebrew page:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/psalm25-1-2a-lesson.pdf

1.15.25 • Facebook

from Israel365

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

[samerdas]

#GodMorningThursday

Prediction of Mr. Anderson about the " The Savior "Sant Rampal Ji Maharaj.

A Messiah will impregnate the entire world with happiness and peace for the forthcoming thousands of years.

The Final Avatar

To know, read the sacred book Gyan Ganga. Ph+91 7496801823

[pipelinelaserraygun]

Oh say, can 🇺🇸🐏🐑 you 👀?

Exclusively by 🕎✝️ Godly appointment, WHO is in the 👑💍 Heavenly 🗄️ cabinet?

A group set apart: Mrs. Jesus is a helpmate to her Spouse, "marrying into the Heavenly Royal Family business", 👰🏽‍♂️ championing the causes nearest + dearest to the 🌎 World's Savior & Messiah.

This time around, 🐛 who'll be FED to the worms? 47 has evildoers running 😰 scared.

🕎✝️🛐 Father God, protect 47 and the 🆕 Cabinet picks.

A hellbent 👿 demo-🐀 RAT Rogues 👺 Gallery WON'T be FORTHCOMING about 👹 their 💥 counterstrike plans.

MUST 🙈⬆️ NOT turn away: Approaching 🚀 observers COULD be FALLEN angelic outcasts, 🔙 for a title bout.

[darkmaga-returns]

A massive leak of internal e-mails and memos from Germany’s Robert Koch Institute (federal agency and research institute for controlling infectious disease) reveals that the institute's scientists understood that virtually every aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic response was NOT guided by science, but by political machinations to spread fear, control the population, and promote the experimental vaccines. On November 2, 2024, Professor Stefan Homburg gave a presentation on the leaked documents in the German Parliament.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, I have suspected that governments throughout the world were committing the greatest organized fraud in history, but I still found Professor Homburg's presentation to be absolutely breathtaking in the sheer ruthlessness of the lies and manipulation revealed in these leaked documents. Perhaps the most perfidious is a memo from September 28, 2020.

Translation: 28.09.2020: FDA approval [of COVID-19 vaccines] before the US Elections is not desired, also not by European authorities.

In other words, both U.S. and European public health authorities were afraid the COVID-19 vaccines—which had been heralded as the forthcoming saviors of mankind—could help to get Donald Trump elected if they were approved before the election. And so they found it expedient to withhold approval until after the election, even though they claimed the vaccines could save millions of lives.

I strongly encourage everyone to watch the video presentation (in German with English subtitles) and to share it far and wide.

[beginagain--]

Fit For An Autopsy Drop Latest Track, "Lower Purpose"

Metal masters Fit For An Autopsy latest single ‘Lower Purpose‘. The blistering new track serves as a follow up to previous releases ‘Savior Of None / Ashes Of All’ and ‘Hostage’ – all of which can be found on the band’s forthcoming album The Nothing That Is. The new album is set to be released on October 25th via Nuclear Blast. On the new track, the band shares:“You work, you pay taxes, and…