#mlqc speculation

[trashlie]

Love and Deepspace Thoughts

I promised some thoughts about Love and Deepspace and we're a week into the game and I think I can finally ramble about it for a while. I've been immensely enjoying myself and screaming daily with my friends lol and I think I've been able to formulate my thoughts pretty well! Idk how many people actually wanna read this, but I always love to have a record of my thoughts - especially something this early in game, because knowing papergames, there's going to be so much angst, so many twists and turns, and I'm already seeing a lot of threads of how things could play out and I like to be able to look back and see how wrong I was lol.

I play on the North American server and have completed chapter 7, so this will be full of spoilers for story content, as well as a lot of spoilers for anecdotes, tender moments, and some of the myth stuff - I'll try to denote where I'll mention certain spoilers in case you're trying avoid certain things, but it'd be impossible to write all of my sincere thoughts and capture all of what I really love and am looking forward to without spoilers, unfortunately.

Below will have a lot of thoughts on the current LIs as well as speculation about the 2 coming LIs, as well as their dynamics, and further speculation on where I think - or maybe just would like to see - the story could be going. To be clear, I have not cleared all anecdotes or myths, as I'm trying to savor things and good lord I cannot pull all those cards; a lot of this is compilation between my experiences as well as @poisonheart and further things I've read and discussed in the server. I will also be approaching this as a longtime player of MLQC, papergames' other otome game, because I cannot help but see the comparisons between the game and sing the praises of where I feel like they've grown and refined, but I don't think you'll need to have played MLQC to read this - you can honestly just ignore those bits lol >A<

What I can outright, sans spoilers, say is that I'm really enjoying Love and Deepspace so much and I think that it's come at a really good time for me, personally, as a MLQC player, because there's so much in game that's been completed and we're basically going through the motions doing our dailies, waiting for our new chapter events or participating in the occasional events (if you aren't hoarding resources for SP wish tree events) so it feels SO refreshing to dive into a new game that takes place in the same universe/world but have so much new stuff to uncover, so much new lore, new characters to meet and get to know. In MLQC I have a very clear favorite, but so far in LADS, I find that while I think I might have a favorite, I really enjoy all three LIs so much and I don't feel bad when I pull someone else's card, because it means I get to gobble all the lore! I don't feel like "UUUGGHH THIS GUY" when we get to X's chapter route. Perhaps it's just that LADS really caters to specific tropes and cliches in a way that I enjoy, but I feel so much like they've done these characters great justice! This goes for the MC, too, who doesn't feel at all like a cookie cutter MC meant to be a stand in for our own self-insert, but rather has a lot of personality of her own, is feisty and discerning.

Also, I gotta give a lot of props to the character customization features. I understand why people are upset that you can only change your hair and hair color in the photobooth function, but we rarely see MC out of that feature - so much of the game is in first person POV - and the times that we do see her, she's seen from the back, so maintaining the same hair for all characters allows them to keep something they can use for her stand in in such scenarios. But the customization is legit nuts! You can do so much with it, I spent so long tweaking mine the day before the game launched! I want to make side accounts I will never play just to play with that function lol

But let's get into the good stuff!

I really cannot sing the praises for the LIs enough, and that's going to be the bulk of what I'll talk about, because even this early in game, there's so much nuance to the LIs in both their characters as well as their dynamics with MC. Everyone brings a little something different to the table, and with what little we know of the upcoming LIs, I think even if for some reason the current LIs don't work for people, maybe the new ones might? But personally, I am so invested in all three of them! While I think I have a definite ranking in favor forming, it's not like it means I dislike any of them at all, and I'm always so eager to learn more!

One thing I'd like to mention before getting into it is that I love the inclusion of the myth cards, and though they are treated as alternate universes, I think it's more like they are previous or parallel timelines, but I'll try to get into that a little more as I talk about the characters!

From what I can see so far, I think Rafayel is one of the more popular fans with the North American/English-speaking fanbase - and it's not hard to see why! He's sassy, provides good comedy, he's fun to bully, and he's really pouty. I had a feeling he would be my favorite from the get go, just because I tend to have a thing for really pathetic men lmao and I have SUCH a fondness for him. I said I think I have a ranking forming, but it feels WRONG to rank them because that's how much I really like them, but if I had to, Rafayel's #2 position is really, REALLY close to #1! But the thing is, it's not just because of all of those traits above. I'd argue that he's one of the characters who has a lot of iceberg depth, as in there's a lot of depth to him that may get ignored or glossed over because of the sass and brattiness that accompanies, or even masks, it. As poisonheart puts it, the comedy hides the pain - and Rafayel comes with a LOT of pain! There's a delicious complexity to him where he is one part needy and clingy, but also one part resentful and hurt. MC made a promise that she doesn't recall - whether it was in this life or another - and you really get the sense that Rafayel wants to settle the score, but at the same time his feelings get in the way of those bitter, hurt feelings, and I really enjoy this complexity a lot! I think it elevates all of the sassiness, gives it a purpose and meaning.

Take his Nightly Stroll Bond: on the one hand it comes across as comedic and even manipulative -and it is! But when you get into it, you understand why. That's not to say if I think there's justification for manipulation because that's not what I'm here for; I'm just here for a good time and a good time I'm having. But when Rafayel says "It's been 800 years!" I don't think that's an exaggeration - he just isn't talking about just the day that he waited. Is faking an injury/illness and checking himself into a hospital overkill? Sure lol but that's what makes him so delightful to me. There's all of this hurt and unaddressed resentment, but as much as that, there's all of these feelings! Because even though he's hurt, he CARES about MC, SO MUCH. That's the problem! It would be easier if he didn't care, but he does. He's so needy, so clingy, he wants her attention because he's waited for so long while she was off, having forgotten him, living a life that abandoned and left him behind while he waited and waited and listen ;~; my stinky fish man I'm so sorry I cannot wait for her to learn the truth. I want to know SO BADLY what happened! When did they meet, anyway? He makes a comment on the homescreen when he's sulking lol about "See you in three months... three minutes, landlubber"

HOW LONG DID HE WAIT FOR HER IF ONE MINUTE IS ONE MONTH TO HIM?!

And listen, idk what anyone else thinks, but the end of chapter 7 had me in my FEELINGS, with the way he tried to leave her at the bottom of the ocean - but he couldn't, because of their promise, because he's unable to go back on it, because even though she forgot all about him and their promise and went about her life without a memory of him, he can't do that. It's the hurt! It's the resentment! It's the confliction between his feelings, because it seems like they take up equal space - his hunger for her attention, for what feels like she was so fickle to give and take away, the way she meant so much to him and he feels like it wasn't the same ;A;

(I've contemplated how possible it is that they met when she was younger, before she was attacked in the Wanderer incident 14 years ago, and if that could somehow have affected her memory, but I feel like it must be something greater, because seeing the fish glow in his heart means the vow they made was binding, so something strong must've caused her to forget. But that's also why I've contemplated if this was in another life? I'm less sure about this, because in Rafayel's second anecdote, he crosses paths with MC at university, though of course she doesn't recognize or recall him, and he specifically recognizes her voice. "Though her voice has matured, her pronunciation, enunciation, the rhythm of her speech, and even the emphasis in her sentences... Every word strikes like a drumbeat, awakening long-buried memories in his mind" It feels more likely that it happened while they were younger. Also I feel like this passage really encompasses her significance, that he can recall these details, to recognize them after so much time ;~; stinky fish you make my heart ache ;~;)

I appreciate so much that they've given Rafayel so much depth, that under the comedy of his pathetic, sulky exterior is so much reason for it, that there's an undercurrent of resentment and something dark - after all, we haven't actually uncovered what happened with the painting and Raymond. We saw the mermaid skeleton in his house - was Rafayel seeking revenge for his people?

But Rafayel also shows tremendous emotional sensitivity, in ways that sometimes catch me off guard. I distinctly remember lol sitting in shock after 4-3, and the text from Rafayel that pops up asking MC if she got the thing, telling her about how he asked a seagull to send a white seallshell why hasn't it arrived yet lol and I remember going "NOT NOW RAFAYEL READ THE ROOM ;~;" and then he goes on, telling her "if you draw on it and put it into the ocean the sea will carry the feelings you poured into the drawing to the soul you yearn for" and I just started SOBBING lol ;~; It was just so.... poignant but so simple. He didn't say I'm sorry for your loss or my condolences or anything like that - it was his own chaotic, weird method, but it was sincere. Likewise, he shows that similar sincerity in Ocean At Night, despite initially dismissing paper lanterns as silly human traditions - a lantern will be blown out why would you put all your hope in something so fleeting - coming around to using his own flame, that will never go out, to light a lantern for MC with the prayer that her hopes will never go out. ;~; Listen, I cried. I was TENDER my heart was soggy ;~;

And while I know people love a good pathetic man and enjoy chaotic sass and the fact that we really, truly NEVER know where his plots are going to go lmao - always an adventure with him - I hope they appreciate that depth and don't disavow the darker elements of him that give reason to those core elements of him. Rafayel is a character that carries his hurt and bitterness on his sleeve, rather than hiding it or shoving it away, and I really look forward to exploring it and all the messiness it has to offer, and how it will play out for MC.

On the very far end of the spectrum is Zayne. He's the character I expected to not be too fond of, so I was so pleasantly surprised as we got to know him to find myself proven wrong! I expected him to be... hm... I guess colder? More prickly? Than he turns out to be? And, admittedly, he is still rather aloof and cold on the surface, but I think it helps that he and MC have that history and that we are introduced very early to them through the A Frozen Promise Bond. It made it readily apparent that Zayne was not a cold and aloof person because he was too lofty or something but rather... it just seemed like maybe he'd been someone more awkward when he was younger, someone who didn't know how to connect very well with the daughter of this family friend, but he still tried. The snow seal took me out, you guys ;~; I never moved on from that!!!!!!

Despite seeming so cold, there's a certain kind of warmth to Zayne, just under the surface. He shows his care and concern in the ways he knows best, as MC's PCP, caring about her well being and health, but their Tender Moments are a collection of wonderful moments showing them growing closer, getting to know each other better as people, as friends and equals. For the record, Starry Nocturne hurt me so much, but it did two things I thought were so important. a. It showed that he was not infallible, which I think is very important, because often characters are written in their roles as geniuses who never fail, or else accomplish the impossible, and to see him lose a patient, while painful to read, made him so human but also b. It gave him that moment of vulnerability with MC where he could lean on her. It's so, SO important! for a MI to be able to lean on the MC, I feel, for them to be those equals, for him to be able to be vulnerable with her, but especially so for a character like Zayne who feels very reserved and closed off.

MC makes statements about feeling like there's distance between her and Zayne, especially when they first come back into each others' lives for the first time, so getting to indulge in these little Tender Moments of them taking little steps towards each other, closing that gap between them, is so satisfying! Having that history gives them a dynamic unlike Rafayel or Xavier's with her, because she has her memories of their childhood, of who he was when they were younger, and who they are now, and can compare the warmth of him opening up, of the chuckles and laughter she elicits from him. They also have this kind of flirtship I really enjoy - something very coy, not in an uwu so shy way just.... very coy, both dancing around the bush, before one of them calls it what it is - I thought the A Heartfelt Paradise Tender Moment a really good example of this!

It's so easy to read Zayne as being cold and aloof, but he really does have so much warmth, he just isn't good at showing it. He doesn't wear things on his sleeves like Rafayel or MC. But good LORD when he's in private....!!!!!!! The Business Trip Memoria TOOK. ME. OUT!!!!!! This is the game launch and they're already throwing this at us?! It was, to me, such a mature kind of date to give us? Two people who have had to grow used to each other's absence in their lives, and continue having to make space for those absences, as both are busy people - Zayne, a dedicated cardiac surgeon and MC a hunter - and what it means to grow used to the absence and to miss each other. But listen - when MC got in his lap?! She was touching his mouth? His face?! "What did you want me to do, in front of all those people?" he asked her? SIR?!

HELLO?! Girl. Listen.

I had to fan myself alfjkkfkjafjkafkjaf lmao

I looooooove them for that element of normalcy - for the people who have important careers and lives that they have to attend to, but still find the room for each other in their lives. The implication that Zayne rushed his way through school, took on grueling workloads and lacked a social life amongst classmates much older than him, not because he loved learning or even because he was so dedicated to his career - but because it was his way back to MC, so that he could return to stand in front of her? GOD. HOW DO YOU MOVE ON FROM THAT? HOW DO YOU HANDLE THAT? Knowing that he did it all so that he could stand in front of you again? HOWLING pls LISTEN.

Zayne may feel cold on the surface, but he is SO warm, he cares so much. And not just about MC, either. Thank God, too, because I'm not huge on the "Cold man only cares about the woman he loves" type, but Zayne cares so much about his patients, and making sure they feel seen, cared about? His first anecdote had me crying about seniors in hospitals with no relatives to accompany them to their examinations ;~; What a man.

I haven't had a chance to dig into his myth yet, which is a shame, but his third anecdote DID destroy me. I'm not even exaggerating, I was sobbing in my bedroom - and the worst part is I knew it would be painful going in and I still wasn't braced for impact enough! I mean, frankly, both his second and third hurt but nothing like the third! Parallel universe Zayne in a grim reaper role where he must kill humans turning into Wanderers - so very opposite the surgeon version of him who does everything he can to save people, both of them living parallel lives to each other, experiencing each others' lives through their dreams/nightmares. THIS HAS ME SCREAMING!!!!!

So much of MLQC has a lot to do with timelines - parallel worlds, some alternate universes, a whole timeline that's technically the same timeline reset but also still moving forward...... lol I can't help but think about where all of this fits in to LADS. Even though the Myth storylines are taken as alternate universes.... I think they're part of everyone's stories. We see echos of them. I haven't finished Rafayel's but even little moments, like making a break for it and having to run to escape attention echos a scene of Rafayel and the Princess MC making a mad dash in the market alley to escape the palace guards. It feels especially true for Xavier and MC, which I'll get to. But especially with Zayne - whose myth, again, I haven't been able to dig into, but seems to pose him as a sort of god, a forseer - we have two very different timelines/events now: his myth/Philos story and his parallel Grim Reaper self. How many timelines/parallel universes are we playing with, I wonder....?

I really want to revisit this in the future when I do get to dig into his myth, because I can see how Rafayel and Xavier's myths tie into their identities and their dynamics with MC, but I don't know yet how any of that works for Zayne and MC! I'm so intrigued, I can't wait!!!!

And finally, Xavier. God, I should have known lol in retrospect I should have realized Xavier would be my weak spot but listen..... sometimes I gotta lie to myself lol I love everything about him, the seemingly gentle eepy man who is also simultaneously a walking weapon of mass destruction but also so easily stumped by a UFO machine lol. Much like Rafayel, I'm especially fond of him because of the depth and dynamics, but also, honestly, much like Rafayel, he just checks all the boxes. Poisonheart puts it best when she says Xavier is the perfect middle-ground of the two - he's not as sassy as Rafayel is, but he'll still roast MC, he's very grounded and comes off a little aloof sometimes, but he doesn't seem nearly as aloof as Zayne, and he's also really unintentionally funny! He plays the middle-ground of them SO well. And where Zayne was working hard in order to show up in front of MC again and Rafayel has a score to settle but also so much neediness, it feels like Xavier has a LOT of karma to make up for.

Now, I personally don't have his myth cards, but poisonheart does, so everything I know I've experienced via her and all of our hours of screaming lol and the thing that really gets me the most about Xavier and MC is like..... okay it's the way he's clearly this really incredibly strong guy, but he plays the submissive prey role so well? lol He begs if she tells her to, he doesn't resist, he indulges her, he plays along - but when the mood strikes, he'll pull the dominant switch and flip the table and alkfjlFKJKAFJ ALKJFAF LAKJFAKFKJFAJ AFLKJD GODDDDDDDD IT GETS TO MEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Xavier has that sense of like.... everything for MC, right? Like he's making up for a lifetime. There's implications that maybe he's been searching through space and time for her, trying to find her, that they've lost and each other countless times before - or rather, she's lost him - and his Shooting Stars myth supports this. Sometimes it's really subtle, sometimes it stands out so much I'm in agony. She remarks so often how he feels so distant, like he's as out of reach and mysterious as a star. She has nightmares about him disappearing and he is incredibly reassuring about staying, about not leaving. And maybe I'm reading into it, but he even talks about her hanging on tight, like maybe if she's strong enough, she can keep him from ever being taken away, keep them from being separated this time.

He's also the one who feels like he's actually endured all the years. Rather than separate timelines or parallel worlds it feels like Xavier has actually traveled through space and time, like he's the same Xavier from the myth himself, which makes him talking about the loneliness of stars so much worse. How long has he been alone, searching for her? ;~;

But their dynamic just really gets to me - it's those echos, the way MC subconsciously acts on them, and how indulgent Xavier is towards her. It's the playful teasing and the gentleness and how he plays so submissive and docile but when the mood strikes he can switch it up and catch her (and me!!!) off guard. It's the way he texts LMAO never writing out you or one lmao (which is marginally better than Rafayel's COMPLETE LACK OF PUNCTUATION LMAO ALFKAJFKJAFKJAFKJAFJK) It's the way he has that innocent baby face and could absolutely get away with murder.

Initially I had contemplated if it was possible he is actually a star and while maybe that isn't true I am still not certain he's human - at least he's not from our world (especially if he really is the very Xavier from the myth) but I still like to think of him as one, because he wears the star motif so well and likens himself to one so often. Also, look, I am a SUCKER for a star motif. I was doomed from the start lol.

There's just something about the agony and TRAGEDY in their past, in the echos, the subconscious fears, and the sheer indulgence!!!!! It's MC telling Xavier he might be her enemy later and the distress it caused him, prompting him to share his access privileges with her to earn her trust ;A; It's the way he's apparently spent DECADES, at the VERY LEAST, on our earth AND HE'S A TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE COOK lmaoooooooo it's the stupid little lines he says because he's not as overtly clingy and pouty as Rafayel but an armful of plushies is a dreadful thing because then he doesn't have a free hand to hold MC's hand !!!!!!! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BE NORMAL ABOUT THIS?! WHINES

I could write a whole essay about Xavier and I'm restraining myself and attempting to be really, really normal about him okay?

But yeah for him it's that depth of like... the guilt and agony he carries - because not only does leaving her hurt him, but it hurts himself, too. That unbearable loneliness, the endless wait, hoping, wondering, unsure of when, or if, he'll find her again, but refusing to give up - and when he does, endeavoring to make up for it. Like, as it is, there's something about strong men being submissive that is so lakkjfkafkjfkjaf alfjakfaf but it's the way Xavier does it with MC that is soooooo INDULGENT, so VERY "for you, because it's you" that makes me want to chew my keyboard and howl at the moon and every time he reassures her he won't leave I feel dread but also I want it to be true.

I know how papergames operates. I know Xavier may mean it, but I also know.... ;A;

And to think, this is all JUST THE LAUNCH STUFF! We haven't even passed chapter 8 yet lmao We don't even have all our LIs! We've (maybe?) yet to meet our antagonist? WHICH I'M EXCITED ABOUT BTW

Listen.

I have some thoughts and I'll try to keep them short (yknow, for me) because this is already long and rambly and maybe I can just expand on this later but: Sylus and Caleb are confirmed as LIs right? But are they the same person or not??????

If Sylus = Caleb it gives us a LOT of potential for exploring some really complex, grey morality. I mean, no matter what, Sylus is going to bring grey morality lol but especially if it turns out Caleb is actually secretly the leader of Onychinus, because it brings that whole "Who is this person I thought I knew?" and more so because Onychinus is poised as an enemy to the Hunter's Association.

But something Papergames has done in MLQC and I fully expect them to do here is explore grey morality, not only in Onychinus, but the Hunter's Association. Xavier's Tender Moments Garden of Secrets brings up the implication that some Wanderers are, in fact, intelligent, and while it's rare, it can occur. And with parallel world Grim Reaper Zayne having to kill people before they turn into Wanderers it begs the question of this world: can that happen here, too? And it gets into the moral conundrums. That's not to say the Hunter's Association are bad for killing Wanderers and protecting people but it starts to bring up questions, because in Grim Reaper Zayne's world, this is being covered up. What about this world? There's also the question of what is Onychinus even doing? I fully expect to find that whatever their objective is, it will be a question of the greater good and if the ends justify the means and the such.

Ultimately, an antagonist LI has to be sympathetic in some fashion, because how else are they going to write the story for them lol. Like they can certainly have Bond/Memoria/Tender Moments that are more about the combative element of their relationship meeting the chemistry that draws them to each other, but at any rate, there has to be something that draws them to each other and makes them care, right? So therefore, he can't be entirely bad, or at least MC has to be able to empathize with him and his objective, or the cause of it or something like that.

If Caleb = Sylus, that might be more achievable because of their history, but obviously that isn't a requirement, and that can also make it more complex, because again, that whole "this person I thought I knew".

I think there's a possibility for that overlap partly because we already have a LI with a history with MC - but to be fair, Zayne's history with MC is very different than Caleb's and has a different dynamic, so even if they didn't give him the villain route, it would still play out very differently and give them a significantly different enough dynamic that I don't think it would be a big issue.

If he's not Sylus, then there's still a lot of avenues to explore with Caleb. They've already implied that Caleb wants to take care of MC, wants her to lean on him and let him play that role for him, to stop being so strong in front of him, and I think that could very well affect his story and what has lead to his "death". Being in the airforce makes me wonder if it's possible that the military is associated in any way with Onychinus - after all, didn't he say that he does top secret work involving the deepspace tunnel, and isn't Onychinus interested in that? It wouldn't be the first time a government agency was written as being corrupt lol (and again there could be a lot gray morality here where Onychinus isn't necessarily inherently bad). Caleb could have gotten involved simply by his job.

There's the revenge angle, if he, too, was an experiment subject (which would make sense because why did Granny take him in as well?) and wanting to get back at? the people who experimented on them. Or wanting to be more involved? A spy case? SO many possibilities and I'm really excited to see where it all goes!

I think regardless of how Caleb is reintroduced to the story, I imagine there's going to be some kind of conflict - his "death" and then reappearance.... did he know that was going to happen? was it planned? was he involved? I don't think they'll bring him back and yay! now she has a family member back but I think there will be some kind of strife to work through, some good ol angst that really plays with the dynamic of feeling hurt and betrayed but wanting to return to the old times that can never be returned to, wanting to seek refuge in someone who maybe doesn't exist anymore, being drawn to someone you cared so much about and feeling so conflicted about it alfkjkfjkjafjkaf kj

I JUST HAVE SO MANY FEELINGS!!!!!!!!!!

This is such a rambling mess so kudos to anyone who made it this far. Maybe I'll manage to write some more bitesized thoughts later @___@

#Love and Deepspace #LADS Brainrot #LADS Rafayel #LADS Zayne #LADS Xavier #LADS Caleb #LADS Sylus

[gachapains]

Chapter 8 Love and DeepSpace thoughts!!!!

Spoiler and speculation and screenshots below

So we've come to the point where it just says "coming soon" and it's not level locked so that means that was this games " season finale " AND MANNN just some thoughts

Xavier confirmed Lumiere (though we all kinda knew)

My hunch is Xavier is some kinda of alien or super natural being from DeepSpace. Definitely a more shady person he's leading on too.

Xavier also mentioned something about no contact I wanna know what our connection is with him

Jeremiah seemed to know of us and was really?? Honored and shocked to be in our presence?? Why??? Is it because of the aethercore, does he already know us, or something else I dunno??

Rafayel being a merman just kinda checks, there were signs for sure.

Rafayel is either evil or on our side, he definitely sold us out in some way or another

That person Rafayel is talking to at the end had a highly detailed model which means he's gunna be important, he didn't sound like Caleb but he kinda looked like him... That's just my speculation though

What the fuck is Zayne defrosting??? OR FROSTING??? IDK??? It looked like it had a protocore so maybe some kind of monster??

I wanna know more about Zayne, I feel like we got bits and pieces for Xavier, we flat out got told Rafayel is a merman and is into some shady stuff. But Zayne we got very very little.

Also the eye, I hate this thing sci-fi looking ass

If the developers are gunna pull a Mr. Love Queen's Choice and make us some sort of pivotal part to this, the world is in some sort of danger. MC definitely seems to be capable but in the last chapter she was just careless so I'm curious to see if she remains a strong person or if she's gunna turn into a damsel in distress.

Anyway those are just my thoughts. Really excited for the future of this game. It's probably gunna be a month or two before the next chapter comes out. Those who played MLQC will know the pain of having to wait a long ass time for more story 🫠 (I only played like the first chapter of Hoyoverse's Otome game so idk if was the same deal.)

#sinspeaks #love and deepspace #love and deep space spoilers #love and Deepspace chapter 8 #mlqc spoilers

[sharinluna]

I'm surprised by the amount of positive reactions of my latest post. To be honest I was preparing myself for getting angry letters from Victor stans going "How dare you label Victor with a bad thing like patriarchy!"

...Trust me, I get really....wild anon messages from all sorts of people. Which I mostly ignore and never bother to reply.

Anyway, VictorxMC relationship is stereotypical and conservative, but I think that is a factor that contributes most to his popularity.

Also that is why he needs the humbling experience of chapter 18. The prince has to fail in saving his love. He has to watch her die in his hands. He had to be absolutely powerless to protect his woman. He has to be dragged down from his throne.

Why? Because MLQC is a story about deconstructing/subverting conventional romance! What are usually recipes for happily-ever-afters in other love stories are ruthlessly torn apart.

If someone asked me the lesson of this story I would reply: Life sucks but we have to do our best to live on. Love is painful but we shouldn't abandon love. The Light is forever unreachable but keep reaching for it all your life because that's what counts. Don't give up Hope even though you know it will lead to nothing but despair. All of which are what MC is trying to do in the chapters. But the writers won't readily hand her the happy ending.

And I thought GoT was dark.

#mlqc victor #mlqc #mlqc spoilers #mlqc spoiler #mlqc speculation

[azelfia]

Summary of MLQC and Voice Actor Conflict Part 1

[This is purely to inform people and give people an understanding of the circumstances. I tried to make this as factual as possible with the limited resources I have on these events without bias wording or opinions of my own. If there should be any changes, updates, or fixes, please do kindly correct me, thank you. Along with that, please feel free to share this to anyone who needs an understanding of the situation.]

恋与制作人 (Love and Producer) is a Chinese developed gacha and otome mobile game. Mr. Love: Queen's Choice (MLQC) is the global server with English translations and with interchangeable English Voice Acting and Japanese Voice Acting. The game also has a Taiwanese, Korean, and Japanese server. Paper Games is the Chinese game developers for the game. ELEX is the marketing group for MLQC and Mr. Love: Dream Date (MLDD), which is the South East Asian (SEA) Server.

Mr. Love: Queen's Choice released a statement on their Facebook and followed by their other social accounts regarding their cooperation with Jonah Scott, Victor's New English Voice Actor. Here is the actual post before it has been removed on all of their other accounts due the comments. The post was deleted ~7 hours later.

( This image is a screenshot that I took when the announcement was just made.)

This led to a lot of confusion and concerned to what have occurred among players. Nothing has been truly address of this matter: however, MLQC player started speculate that that it might have been related to his tweeter post that has been deleted before MLQC made their announcement.

( The sources of these images are from Facebook comments on MLQC post about Jonah Scott's contract with MLQC and unofficial MLQC discord. As you can see in these images, these aren't my edits nor photos. These are edits from people who view that Taiwan is not country. I do not know if the individuals ethnicity is Chinese; along with that, I can not confirm if these individuals are from the Chinese Server of MLQC. )

As these images and issues began be shared and retweeted, it lead to uproar among MLQC players

[ MLQC English Voice Actor's statements ] As these information began to spread among the MLQC community. The English Voice Actors of MLQC have released some statements on the issue on their individual tweeters.

Gavin's English Voice Actor: Joe Zieja's announcement

Kiro's English Voice Actor: Sean Chiplock's announcement

Sean Chiplock addressing the bullying/harassing of another VA by some players demanding that they should quit MLQC: Sean Chiplock's statement

Victor's English Voice Actor: Jonah Scott's Statement

Shaw's English Voice Actor: Aleks Le's statement

Lucien's English Voice Actor: Bill Roger's statement

There IS A PART 2 and is about Taiwan's perspective, Chinese Server announcement, and the various arguments and opinions about the controversy. Here the link: -> I still currently polishing it so please bear with me. thank you!

[ Historical Background and Sources to Learn More ] Here I provided some info from various news reports & YouTube videos to get some understanding of the social issues that have been brought up in this controversy. I can not summarize these articles for you, unfortunately😅, but they are easy to understand. I hope this help!

Here are some history of China and Communism: Crash Course on China, Nationalism, & Communism | Where did China's Communism come from? | Why didn't Communism not fail in China? | How the Chinese Communist Party’s Tiananmen massacre crushed democracy in China

Here are some background and information on the social issues of what is going on with China and Taiwan: Mapping Taiwan's History | What is behind China & Taiwan's divide? | Why China-Taiwan relations so tense? | Is Taiwan part of China? | Is Taiwan a Country or Part of China?

Here are articles on China's censorship laws and how much impact it has not just in their own country but around the world, especially Hollywood and gaming world : China's Great Firewall | Made in Hollywood Censored by China | Hollywood censors films to appease China | How China is changing Hollywood | How Hollywood is Censoring your movies for China | Restrictions in China's Film Industry | Chinese video-game censorship doesn't end with 'Devotion | Censorship, Steam, and PC gaming in China

Here is an article that also elaborates to why John Cena had to apologize to China for calling "Taiwan a country." This situation incredibly relates to the MLQC situation and gives a great explanations as well of the events.

Here are great literature books that focus on some of these issues: 1984 ( fictional book about living through a totalitarianism society while being censored or watched by Big Brother ), Animal Farm (An Allegory of the Russian Revolution and a little understanding of Communism), Fahrenheit 451 (Fictional Book about living through dystopia and mostly focuses on censorship of information on the mass by burning books), and Giver ( Fictional book about living through a seemingly perfect utopia but the truth is hiding behind the ignorance of the people in dystopia.

Hello, Azel here! 👋I hope this inform you and learn more on what is going on in the MLQC community. Also, thank you so much to my friend, Cyllan, for proofreading and helping gather some of the links and information! it took me three days to formulate all of these thing together, so please do share. Everyone, please be kind in the comments and be reasonable to one another. If there are any other great article that I should add, please do inform me. English is not my first language, so if there should be any changes, updates, or fixes, please do kindly correct me. Thank you."😅 Thank you all so much and please take care of yourself especially during this heartbreaking period of time, MLQC players. ❤💛💙💜

#mlqc #mr love queen's choice #evol x love #mldd #elex games #paper games #gaming #voice acting

[cheri-translates]

Cheri! So I heard some CN fans were a bit upset that Tot clashed their events with MLQC. Eg : Releasing tot both in cn and global on same day as Gavin. What were fans reaction after finding out it's the same for global?? Personally, I think it was on purpose and i have some mixed feelings too :( I have to go back and forth....

(つω`｡) Oo I actually didn't know there was unhappiness floating around about this so I can't comment on their responses...

We'll never know whether it was intentional or not, so I wouldn't speculate too much HAHA ( ´ ▿ ` ) Regardless, I trust that every player has their own way of prioritising and making time for what's special to them - whether it's celebrating Gavin's birthday or getting ready to fall in love with the men in ToT~

#...or doing both like me LOL

[redqueen-hypothesis]

sensitive spots ➳ mlqc

for sensitive spots, all go meet him really tells you is crotch so just grab your man by the dick i guess, but i have a few speculations of my own based on how the characters act and their sprites! i hope this satisfies you :)

lucien

scalp - absolutely adores it when your fingers are stroking through his hair, a gentle hum rising in his throat almost like that of a cat’s purr. finds the limits of his restraint fraying when your nails drag down his scalp in the throes of passion, and has to bite his lip to get himself back under control (he can’t tire you out so quickly, can he?)

neck - the most sensitive where the shoulder meets neck. lucien loves it when you rest your lips against his pulse, and it’s the place where you can really feel just how much you affect him regardless of the usual calm expression on his face. loves it when you leave marks there that he can feel every time the material of his turtleneck rubs against it. he finds your tries to stake your claim on him cute

fingers - long, slender fingers that look attractive just wrapped around Iridescent as he does his work, capable hands that save you every time you get into trouble, gentle touches as he brushes your hair back to kiss your forehead. thank them for their affection by brushing kisses over them, and tell him you want more by sucking them into your mouth, until your lips touch the knuckles and you can hear the soft intake of breath from his mouth

gavin

ears - have you seen the way his ears get so adorably flushed every time he gets embarrassed or flustered? dip your tongue inside of his ear, press soft, open mouthed kisses along the rim, blow some hot air in and tease him a little. the tips of his ears turn hot red underneath your teeth

collarbone - not just his collarbone, but more specifically his scars. he takes quiet pride in them, seeing each of them as a tattoo on his body that tells his story without words, so he’s extra loud when you dip your head down to trace his scars with your tongue and gently nibble on them with his teeth. wants you to leave your own marks on them, even though they aren’t permanent, but it’s okay - you’ll be there to renew them, right?

back of the neck - shy birdcop lifts his hand to the back of his neck whenever he’s shy. drop little feather light kisses there to surprise him and he involuntarily tilts his head forward for you to give the spot more love, tiny hairs at the back of his head tickling your nose. try not to sneeze!

kiro

sides - kiro is incredibly ticklish! just wrapping your arms around to give him a hug can make him burst into fits of giggles if you brush the right spots. bring your fingers to his sides and tickle him whenever he’s trying to sneak a snack he shouldn’t be! prepare to catch the treat if it goes flying in the air, though

nipples - yes, i did actually use go meet me to check this and every time you tap on his chest he just... responds so yes, nips. kiro’s chest is sensitive, especially his nipples. trace your tongue over them and he lets out soft, breathy sighs, fingers winding in your hair as he guides you to where he wants to feel your mouth on next

ankles - you discovered his ankles were sensitive when you’d gripped them to hold his legs apart during one of your more... playful romps, and were surprised by the way he let out a soft whine and shifted closer to you restlessly. now you make sure to scrape your teeth along the ankles as you make your way up his legs with a smile on your lips, the sight is more than enough to drive kiro crazy

victor

feet - weird right? no, this isn’t a foot fetish most of victor is very worked out and very uhh... h a r d, but he can’t exactly work out his feet so they’re still relatively soft compared to the rest of his body. they’re pretty sensitive, so you like to give him foot massages sometimes, fingers pressing into the arch of his foot and he might reward you with a gentle hum or a soft gasp - sounds that you don’t normally hear from him

shoulders - broad and thickly corded with muscles, victor’s back shoulders are practically a blessing to the world (well, mostly to you). sink your teeth into the strong muscle there as he pleasures you with his fingers and hear his sharp intake of breath, the dark groan he lets out and a low “kitten wants to bite, huh?” uh oh

back - this one was a surprisingly easy one to find. rake your nails down his back and hear the growl that leaves his lips, the ferocity with which he attacks you with his mouth only increasing in intensity until you can barely breathe, your breathless moans only spurring him on. loves it when your nails dig into his shoulder blades, or when your ankles lock at the small of his back

shaw

ears - or more specifically, his piercings. suck on any of them when you’re making out, metal clinking against teeth and shaw groans so loud at how damn good it feels. he likes a bit of pain with pleasure, so don’t hesitate to nip at the shell of his ear and listen to the barely suppressed noises he makes for you only (listen carefully, because he’ll never admit that he whimpers afterwards)

thighs - shaw decorates those thighs in tight jeans that hug them just right. hook a finger into one of the rips in his jeans to tug him closer to you; the higher up the better, and you might just find yourself pinned against the wall with your hands over your head and his tongue in your mouth. even more likely to happen if you’re in public

ass - shaw knows he’s got a great booty and flaunts it by wearing skinny jeans and pants that are literally painted onto his legs. he’ll never say it out loud, but secretly hopes that you’ll give his butt a good o’l squeeze or smack as he walks past. loves it when you dig your fingers into the cheeks when he’s pressed up against you

#mlqc #mlqc lucien #mlqc fanfic #mlqc gavin #mlqc victor #mlqc kiro #mlqc shaw #lucien #lucien xu #mr love lucien #lucien fanfic #kiro #kiro zhou #mr love kiro #gavin bai #mr love gavin #gavin x reader #victor li #mr love victor

[otonymous]

Remembrance (MLQC Gavin - NSFW)

Description: In a world where strangers abound, friends become foes. Warnings: NSFW/18+:  Explicit/graphic language — reader discretion is advised.  Spoilers for Shaw’s identity and the latest chapters in the EN server (up to and including Chapter 24; the rest is pure speculation and imagination on my part as I generally try to steer clear of spoilers on other servers), hints of exhibitionism, vaginal fingering, angst Word Count: ~1500 words (~7 mins of smut & angst) Author’s Notes: This story was inspired by one of the many karmas that recently hit the CN server (please see pic above) and Gavin won out in my poll of which boy to write for first!  As with many things MLQC-related, you know I had to inject a dose of angst with my smut 🤣

SPOILER WARNING: For all my friends that are caught up on the latest chapters in the EN server, this story takes place in a timeline where MC is still unrecognized by the boys, but has developed some of that badassery I’m so looking forward to seeing in the future (I mean, just LOOK at the expression on her face in that karma; it screams “DON’T MESS” and I’m ALLLL for it LOL).  That being said, please note the warnings listed above and happy reading! 😊

🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬

He doesn’t know you.

If there was ever any doubt, it is driven swiftly from your mind by the frost in amber eyes, the gaze that once held nothing but tenderness now tinged with suspicion and distrust.

“Who are you?  How did you gain access to the classified files?”

The grip on your wrists tightens, the leathery smoothness of his gloved hand a sharp contrast to the strength in those long fingers, binding your arms behind you with ease.  Gavin’s breath is hot, dancing on the nape of your neck in unhurried rhythm despite the precariousness of the situation.

What did he have to be afraid of, after all?  He wasn’t the one in a compromised position, pinned against a glass wall in the Archives room - the inner sanctum of the Special Task Force headquarters.

“My patience is wearing thin.  You’d better start talking.”

His voice is hushed, low and dangerous and completely out of place when directed towards you.  A lifetime ago, when the biggest worry you had involved convincing a certain CEO not to pull funding from your production company, Gavin had loved you — completely and unconditionally.

Now you knew what it was to stand on the other side of that fence.

The woman you were before would’ve cowered, limbs shaking beyond control as her blank mind raced in endless circles, trying to come up with something, anything, to extricate herself from the desperate situation.

Scared.

Helpless.

All the things you no longer identified with.

Your breath fogs up the glass, mere inches from the tip of your nose.  Each passing second of silence sees Gavin’s brows furrow even deeper in the reflection staring back at you, his handsome features easily made out against the darkness of the surrounding hallways — dim save for the odd crimson glow marking exits and doors.

Shaw said he’d provide you with cover but apparently even he was capable of miscalculation.  No one was supposed to be here, let alone his older brother.  You wondered if he watched you now through the cameras panning the room; wondered whose eyes, if any, fell upon the pair of bodies pressed so tightly together they might well have been mistaken for lovers caught in flagrante.

Lovers.

In another life, you had called Gavin yours.  

The thought settles heavy in your heart, sinking until it reaches the pit of your stomach.  You knew what had to be done, hoped you had the wherewithal to make it happen.  Physically, there is no contest: Gavin is much too strong and fast for you to take on.  Escape now is contingent on the hope that even if he had no recollection of you, his body would still respond to the things you knew he loved best.

“I bear no ill intentions towards the Special Task Force, Commander Bai, least of all towards you.”

Half-whispered, the tone of your voice is sultry, aiming to disarm.  Taking a deep breath, you step back, moving closer into the curve of Gavin’s body as you ignore the awkward angle of your stance.  The lapels of his overcoat brush soft against your bare shoulders and suddenly…

…you recognize that scent.

Soap on skin.  Windblown hair.  The memories wash over you, relentless like the undertow of a tidal wave: the letter you never opened — bloodied and crumpled.  The boy with the bandaged face, thrusting his jacket over your head as he yelled over the din of pouring rain for you to make a run for the school gates.  Your heart had pounded even then to be close enough to catch the subtle fragrance of his soap.

I’m sorry, Gavin.

You feel the heat of tears rolling down your cheeks, see them glisten in the reflection looking back at you.  And when you crane your neck to face him, amber eyes widen at the sight, Gavin’s grip on your wrists loosening just a bit to hear you say,

“You’re hurting me.”

Feigning innocence, you keep your gaze locked on his, letting your mouth fall open just enough to allow your tongue to sweep out and wet pink lips.

“Don’t you remember me, Gavin?”

Exaggerating the arch of your back, your bottom juts against the plane of his groin, hard even beneath layers of clothing.  And when your hips begin their languid sway — tracing figure eights over his body in an attempt to persuade — the prominent bob of Gavin’s Adam’s apple signals that you are on the right track.

“I…I don’t know who—”

“Touch me, and maybe then you’ll remember.”

You let your head fall back onto Gavin’s chest like so many times before, hear the echo of his heart — racing now — when you peer up at him from beneath your lashes.  Fighting against his grip, you slide your hands down and over the outline of his hardening cock…slow…until you reach the hem of your skirt.

Grasp and pull.  Up, up, up.  Try not to shiver when the cool air hits your bare skin.  Let the memories of the love you shared with this man burn bright enough to melt the ice of this Eternal Winter.

“I don’t care who sees if you don’t, Commander Bai.  You have nothing to fear from me.  I’m unarmed.  Check for yourself…”

Barely breathing now, you maneuver — cautious — until your palm is pressed to his.  Gavin’s fingers twitch and you seize the opportunity before it flees.  It is now your hand that grasps his, bringing it down and around the curve of your hip until it slides beneath the lace of your panties.

“Hm…”

Gavin moans despite himself to feel the heat radiating from your core even through leather, distraught at how uncharacteristically he was behaving.  He was seasoned enough to know when he was walking into a trap and yet, there was something about you that told him you weren’t lying; that he did know you even if he had no recollection of ever laying eyes on you in his life.

Maybe that was why he let himself be led, allowing your touch to ease the disquiet in his chest to feel like he finally found something important he once lost without even realizing it.

Your purse slides off your shoulder when you lurch forward, hands shooting out last minute to prevent your face from kissing glass as your knees shake to feel his gloved hand rubbing circles about your swelling clit.  Each stroke is torturously slow, as if Gavin were patiently getting reacquainted with the body that took very little time to respond to his touch.

You could hear it, after all — the wet sounds that accompanied the movement of his fingers, especially now that the middle and index were beginning to traverse the length of your slit, curving at your entrance to gather the arousal that pooled.

And when he holds up his hand before both of you, the sticky sheen that darkened leather in places makes you blush before all thoughts of self-consciousness are swept away by the sight of Gavin licking from knuckle to tip, white teeth biting to pull the glove off one hand, then the other.

You feel the heat of his skin now, the roughened callouses on fingers and palm sweeping gently along the line of your jaw, eyes of molten gold observing every movement in the reflection of you and him on glass like an intimate portrait.  And suddenly, there is no Special Task Force, no NW, no Black Swan…no Evol.  

Nothing else but you and him.

I love you.

The silent echo of your unspoken words settle in the darkest corners of your heart as your close your eyes, giving over to the touch of Gavin’s hands — one cradling your face as the other conforms to the curve of your breast.

“I don’t know why…”

Soft lips brush against the lobe of your ear en route to dropping kisses along the pulse of your neck.

“…but I’ll trust you this one time.”

There is an edge to his voice as Gavin pulls back, burying the tip of his nose into the nape of your neck and inhaling deep before he steps aside to let you pass.

“Go.  Before the rest of them get here.  Don’t ever let me catch you again.”

His eyes fall on you, scanning from head to toe before he reaches out to retrieve your purse from the floor and drape it over your shoulder.

“Gavin, I—”

You’re interrupted when the doors at the far end of one hallway slam open with a bang, STF agents spilling through with weapons at the ready.  Gavin shoves you towards the exit, shouting “GO NOW!” as he makes to step between you and the approaching brigade.

And as you make your escape, running so fast each breath draws the taste of blood, you fight to keep the tears from blurring your vision, all the while unaware of the amber eyes trained in your direction…watching until you merge with darkness itself.

🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬🌬

Thank you so much for reading!  Check out more of my work here! 📚

#mlqc #mr love queen's choice #love and producer #mr love dream date #mlqc gavin #mlqc bai qi #mlqc smut #mlqc gavin smut #mlqc fanfic #mlqc fic #mr love queen's choice smut #fanfiction #my writing

[ontowanderlust]

How ybout Shaw+gentleness?

I know he isnt gentle too much so i would like to see how would this turn out.

Gentleness., n.

He was aware that... unlike the rest of her suitors, he was more of rough around the edges kind of guy.

Brazen and unruly, rude and jarring- with a hair widths of an attitude of a thug.

He wasn't that bad per se. He knew that even those other suitors of hers had some bad side in them but while they were pricks in their own ways, there were some redeeming qualities in them that any other girl would've swoon after.

"Why me?" the question leaving his lips before he could even stop himself, eyes flitting around the room if it means avoiding her speculative gaze.

He swore the thought didn't bother him, he had more pressing thoughts to ponder on after all. And he swore it was a random thought crossing his mind- because he did not agonize over this matter during his sleepless nights nor during his more vulnerable state. This is all for curiosity's sake- for statistics.

Because he wasn't one to worry over these things.

"Because..." she spoke up, his ears straining, as his heart thumped loudly that he wondered if she could hear it against his chest. "Why not?"

He snorted, rolling his eyes at her as mirth danced through their eyes, feeling of doubt whispering in between the silence that came after. "I'm gonna need more than that, sweet pea."

Despite the bite behind those words, he watched as her eyes softened, scooting near him as if she's waiting for him to realize that the answer is right there in front of him all along.

When she's near enough, he reached out, twirling a stray strand of her hair before tucking it behind her ear while she cupped his jaw, gently turning him to look her in the eye.

Since when did she-

"Because." her voice resolute and firm, eyes twinkling as if she's letting her eyes convey what her words can't in fear of breaking the mood she had set between them.

Searching her eyes, he let out a small sigh of... relief? followed by a small scoff as his signature smirk slowly crept back across his mouth before leaning in, leaving a kiss on her forehead- small and light and yet held so much promise for her...for them.

Hello hello, anon! Even though Shaw can be... a brat sometimes, I do believe there’s gentleness in him that only MC can see hence this. 

I hope you like this one and I hope you all send me some more prompts. These are fun to write and I loved exploring these guys through the words you guys give. 

MLQC Dictionary Prompts

#mlqc #mlqc fic #mlqc prompts #mlqc dictionary #mlqc shaw #mlqc ling xiao #mlqc shou #nonny #mr. love queen's choice #mr love queen's choice #mldd #mr love dream date #mr. love dream date #koi to producer #love x evol #i need more asks you guys #so keep sending them

[op-peccatori]

Upon This Sword | MLQC Gavin

Fandom: Mr Love Queen’s Choice 

Pairing: Knight!Gavin/Queen!Reader

Rating: Teen and Up

Summary: You’ve fought to keep Gavin by your side for a long time. When the time comes to let him go, will you find it in you to let him do the right thing?

Word Count: 6621

Warnings/Tags: fantasy au, royalty au, minor language, mentions of death, congrats you are a queen!!!, extreme cheesiness because I’m a block of cheese for these guys

a/n: yes, this is the result of reading chapter 22. I strongly debated posting this on here but honestly, I had so much fun with it I’ll probably do parts for the other boys too (~˘▾˘)~ this is an unholy union of all the fantasy shows and webtoons I’ve ever consumed.

With the early morning sun just barely making its appearance, the sounds of heavy footsteps thudding against the ground of the courtyard drown out all other sounds in the castle. 

“Keep your heads up, we’ve got a few more laps to go!” 

You’re aware of the eyes boring into your back, knowing there are some trying their best to stay averted, ones still glinting nervously. It hasn’t been long since you started joining the soldiers in their drills instead of working privately, but it seems not all have gotten used to your presence.

You keep your gaze fixed on the one leading the group.

Amber eyes glance back at you for the briefest of moments, a sharp brow cocked your way questioningly. A guileless smile is your only response; you pretend you hadn’t just been studying the way his shoulders flex under the thin layers of his clothing. He continues to run, unfaltering, drenched with sweat; his hair, gathered up tightly, sways with hypnotically, its edges brushing the top of his spine.

You follow, not much better off yourself, with your sleeveless tunic and leather armour clinging to you like second skin but you can’t deny the spring of motivation welling up with the presence of the others around you.

By the time the sun is high in the sky and the stone keep castle is buzzing with life, you’ve switched to sparring.

The clash of steel has heads turning, and the figures clashing keep them turned. The others have paired up, walking away as fast as possible after receiving their instructions, eager to get away from the two of you circling each other like a pair of eager, sweaty hawks. 

You see pursed lips twitch, so subtle if you were anybody else you would’ve missed it, and you’re just barely swift enough to dodge the jab to your side. 

Gavin narrows his eyes at you. 

“You really need to work on your tells,” you tell him seriously, before propelling yourself forward to strike him head-on. He blocks it with a grunt and a tiny roll of his eyes. 

“Not if you’re the only one who catches them,” he mutters, shifting his weight and you slip away, your longsword sliding off his, an impish grin blooming along your mouth.

“It’s only a matter of time before others catch up. Or are you saying you just let your guard down around me?” Your smile is saccharine as you swing your weapon in a high arc; he meets you with a strained laugh, swords meeting with a loud ring. 

“Around you? I’m no fool,” he says before you both stop horsing around and charge in with a flurry of attacks, striking hard and fast. You keep him in your line of sight, focused on every minute movement from him. From the slight bend in his knees to the glistening bead of sweat at the top edge of his upper lip, your senses deeply attuned to him.

29-30 is the current tally—in Gavin’s favour. It’s time to avenge your pride. 

‘I’ve got this.’

“Your majesty!” 

Your sword lands in the mud behind you, the tip of Gavin’s quickly pointed at your heaving chest. The both of you turn in stone-faced unison to see Minor standing behind the fence with his hands clamped over his lips. 

“That doesn’t count,” you say at once and Gavin grins at you, not budging an inch. 

“Shouldn't have gotten distracted. A loss is a loss. Say it.” 

Looking like you’ve eaten the most disgusting fruit in Loveland and trying to school your face into something more dignified, you sigh with no small measure of frustration. 

“I suppose. This victory is yours.” He backs off without another word, rolling his shoulders as he visibly basks in the glow of his unfair win. 

And then you turn to glare at Minor, who winces at the ire in your face. 

“I’m so sorry! It was Anna! I mean, she sent me to inform you that there’s a council meeting in an hour.” 

You see Gavin pause in your peripheral vision; there are a number of reasons why the small council would need to call a meeting, but with the recent tensions with a neighbouring kingdom, Sethia, you wonder if there’s more bad news coming your way. 

A grumble on your lips, you move to yank your sword out of the ground. “This is it for now.” 

You watch, unamused, as Gavin inclines his head deeply. He slicks sweat-slicked bangs back, leaving you momentarily distracted by the sight of his forehead. He smiles that quiet little smile, the one that leaves you smiling back helplessly. “Your Majesty.” 

“See you.” 

You reach up to feel your own damp, and maybe a little muddy hair. An hour. That’s barely enough time to clean up well enough for Anna’s standards and get some food in. 

“Minor, I’m going to need some help.” You could probably get some in if someone else wrestles your hair into compliance. 

“On it, boss. I’ll have someone send up a plate once you’re done cleaning up.” 

From your seat at the head of the table, fingers drumming on the wooden surface without missing a beat, you study each member of your council in grim silence. Not all of them are people appointed by you; some of them you wouldn’t trust with a treasured brick, even if they’ve sworn oaths to you. If it belongs to you, they’d find a way to use it. It makes you uncomfortable, but there’s not much you can do about them.

Sunlight pours in from the wide windows, bathing the room in a soft, bright glow. It would make you sleepy if not for the stress of what’s coming.

“We’ve received reports of increased activity by Sethian soldiers near the borders,” Anna informs you, jogging a stack of papers, face set evenly. She remains the picture of grace, the one guiding presence in your life after the passing of the previous ruler—your father.

You nod at Anna, leaning back in your ornate chair. 

Some council members you would trust with your life—have trusted with your life. She never loses her cool, not in front of you, and it allows you to hold onto the calm a little better.

“How many?” 

“Not big enough to worry, but it’s unusual.” 

“Knowing their king, I’d say it’s enough to worry,” you muse, a sour taste filling your mouth at the thought of the man. There had been an incident involving envoys from the other kingdom. In a suspicious case of misidentification, the small group had been killed. The soldiers involved, your own, had sworn to all the gods above that they had believed them to be enemy spies but could not give an account of who had given them that information, or why they had charged in and killed them without reporting them first.

It left everyone perplexed, but the biggest consequence of that was the Sethian king crying for blood. The soldiers had been stripped of their ranks and handed over for interrogation, but the muddled explanations were not satisfactory for the other ruler. While your kingdom wasn’t small by any means, you still wished to avoid warring with Sethia, what with all the other threats in the lands.

“Ahem.” You look over to see Leto frowning at you. “I agree, Your Majesty. Which makes me wonder if it’s wise to have certain council members here.” 

As one, all of them—except you—shoot speculative glances at the man to your right, seated opposite Anna. Gavin stares back at them unflinchingly, and you draw their attention back to you with a light cough; fighting to keep your hands relaxed, choosing instead to lean in and rest your chin against steepled fingers. 

He’s much older than you. Leto has been on this council since your father’s time, and you can admit he’s good at what he does. As the Minister of Laws, and thus the head of law enforcement he’s done a fantastic job of controlling crime within your lands, especially the capital.

But there has always been something about him that makes you want to recoil and keep him away. Whether it be the barely-hidden mockery in some of the things he says, the contempt clear in his gaze, or the hunger for power barely contained by his respect for the rules. There is also, of course, the biggest source of your aggravation when it comes to the man.

“You think it’s unwise to have our Lord Commander attend a council meeting, Lord Leto?” There’s a note of warning hidden in your silken voice, but the man doesn’t flinch. “One that involves reports of enemy soldiers?” 

“I merely wish to remind you of our Lord Commander’s origins. He is, after all-”

“The man who wins our battles for us and keeps us safe. That is all you should keep in mind when it comes to Lord Gavin.” Your tone had been sharper than intended. Not waiting for a reply, knowing there won’t be one worth listening to, you turn to Gavin. “What do you think?”

How he manages to remain level-headed even in the face of Leto’s ridiculous suspicion is beyond you, but it’s always been one of his more agreeable traits. “It could be a red herring, but we still need to keep an eye of them.”

“Send Eli to the borders, give him fifty men. More if you think it’s necessary. And have someone contact the Mage Tower.” 

“You think the mages will get into it?” Anna asks. “They’ve always remained neutral.”

“And I’d like to keep it that way. Has their head mage been located?” Your father taught you many things when it came to relations with different factions in all the lands. One of them had been to never, ever make an enemy of the mages. 

But if you do, make sure you have people of similar power on your side first. 

“No. His Excellency—Lord Lucien is still missing.” 

“Assign some men to help them, just make sure you pick the ones less likely to be freaked out by mages. Actually, tell Karyu he’s got the mission, but have him give you an accurate list of the men he recruits. Tell him to work with our spymaster.”

“I’ll have a word with her, we need more eyes in Sethia’s capital as well,” Gavin says, wincing at the thought of having to track down the elusive member of their council. She probably already knows what’s going on, but you should still have a word with her about showing up for these meetings.

 “Tell her to come find me.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” 

You cast an expectant gaze around the table, ignoring the pointed looks by the old crones you wish could be forced to retire. 

“Are we done, then?” 

“One more thing, ma’am,” Leto leans in with a tight-lipped smile, eyes drifting to the man on your right once more. The determined look in his eyes has your hackles rising at once. “I know you said not to bring it up, but I must, once again, impress upon you the importance of keeping peace with Sethia.” 

“What’s on your mind, Lord Leto?” you ask, trying your level best to keep your discomfort out of your voice. He looks at the members sitting around him before meeting your eyes, straightening his posture a little more. You don’t think it’s necessary; if the man stiffens up any more he might snap something. 

Oh, perhaps he should keep puffing up a little more.

“Keeping his origins in mind, I feel the need to ask if you think they could actually be of help to us.” Gavin seems to be listening intently, much to your secret dismay. “He was born in Sethia, regardless of his current position, and I wonder if, perhaps, we couldn’t arrange a diplomatic visit to arrange a treaty—one led by Lord Gavin, of course.”

‘Oh, you would just love to send him back into the jaws of the wolves, wouldn’t you?’ you think darkly. 

“As you said, my lord, Lord Gavin was born there,” you respond, keeping your tone neutral. “But he has lived here longer than anywhere else; he belongs to our kingdom. To answer your question, no, I do not think it would be wise to send him to treat with them. I doubt they would respond as peacefully as we hope they might.”

Leto looks far from pleased at your answer.

“Now, if there’s nothing else, I believe lunch is ready.” 

You shoot out of your seat, striding off before anybody can stop you, and the clanking of heavy armour tips you off to Gavin’s presence behind you. Closing the heavy door behind you, you grab him by the arm and pull him into an alcove near the door, behind the statue of one of your esteemed ancestors. He doesn’t even protest, long used and resigned to your antics.

With how often you’ve used it, you wonder if one of your predecessors created this space for the very same purpose. 

Gavin stands close behind you, enough that you could lean against him easily if you wished to do so. You very much do, but now is the time for some basic espionage, not acting on your often overwhelming emotions. 

His breath puffs warmly against the nape of your neck as he leans in, no doubt straining his ears. You remember the first time you had done this, a smile curling along your lips when you remember the aghast look on his face at your sneaky ways. 

You hear the door open, Leto’s calls of ‘Your Majesty!’ following. You both stay quiet as some of the other council members approach him. 

“It was a good plan, Lord Leto. But you know she would never agree to send him away.” 

“Hasn’t this gone on long enough? The late king took him in out of the kindness of his heart, treating him like one of our own, but their closeness is simply unacceptable,” Leto mutters, and you can imagine the great scowl on his face with ease. “How is any future husband of hers to accept it?” 

“He’s an important asset to the military. Surely, you cannot disregard his achievements,” one of his friends try to offer. 

“I’m not. I agree that he’s a gifted soldier, but that doesn’t change the fact that he is a foreigner. And yet, she still treats him like her beloved pet.” Their voices fade as they begin to walk down the hallway, but you stay in your little space, trying to breathe through the sudden rage that demands you find Leto and send him on a vacation to the dungeons. 

“It’s not like that,” you whisper, all the doubts you had never quite buried finding their way to the surface once more. Because how you see the two of you differs greatly from how others see you: a fledgeling queen and her foreign knight. 

“I know that. The people who matter know that,” he says into your hair. You exhale forcefully, nodding at his words. Sensing the calming waves of your mind, he continues.

“He’s an asshole, but his plan has some merit,” comes a murmur that threatens to send you hurtling back into a temper. You whirl around, looking at him in disbelief, advancing on him until he’s pressing back into the wall.

Much to your consternation, he remains infuriatingly calm even in the face of you nearly breathing fire at him. 

“Oh, he’s not wrong, you say? Why don’t we fix this, then? His other solution was to marry you off, maybe we should pursue that plan too?” you spit out through gritted teeth, a voice in your head telling you none of this will help but you can’t stop the rapid thrumming of your heart in your veins. Leto has a way of getting under your skin and you’re tired of letting him, but he just makes you so angry.

“It would’ve helped,” Gavin agrees, raising a hand to tuck a lock of your hair behind one ear. “But as I told him, I could never leave your side.”

His smile is softer than all the fabrics you’ve touched in your life and good god this man puts Peggy’s desserts to shame.

“You could.” Your shoulders slump as you recall the furious threats you had made against the councillors wanting to marry Gavin off. “I’d never force you to stay.” 

“No, I couldn’t,” he says firmly, and the anger leaves you in a rushed breath when armour-clad arms wind around your waist, pulling you in. You pretend you can hear the familiar, steady beat of his soft, martyr heart beneath the steel as he tucks your head under his chin. 

“I don’t own you, Gavin,” you repeat, for the umpteenth time. “We’re friends. We’ve known each other since we were ten. Short of committing a massacre, you know I would support whatever decision you make.” 

Friends.

A wary, subdued boy in plain clothes, standing at your father’s side when he returned from war. A ward, he’d declared, from Sethia. Be nice. You remember being baffled at his presence, still rubbing the sleep from your eyes. You had fallen into slumber near the window, and at the first sound of hooves thundering across the grounds you had sprinted to the hall. 

But who was this little boy looking like a baby bird displaced from its nest? Surely, his parents would come looking for him.

Years went by, and there was no attempt at contact from Gavin’s people. You used to pester him about it, asking if he’d like to send them a letter, but his response was always a little smile and a quick shake of his head. 

“They don’t want me back,” he told you once. “I like you much better anyway.”

That was the day you decided Gavin was one of you. If they wanted him back, they would have to fight you for him. It was risky, to allow him to join the military. It just wasn’t done. Wards were glorified hostages, a way to keep kingdoms in line. 

But Gavin is ours now. He won’t go back.

He still faces contempt from people who believed he was a spy, a man who could tear the country apart. But he remains steadfast at your side through it all, content to shield you and strengthen your soldiers. A warm, reliable presence. Somewhere along the way, he became a big part of what home means to you.

“I never asked you, did I?” you realize, all of a sudden, cheek smushed against unyielding plate, fingers tracing the symbols etched into the metal.

“Ask me what?”

“If you wanted to go back. To Sethia,” you clarify and your heart throbs madly as you wait for him to reply. 

He takes moment to think it through.

“I did when I first came here. Everything was unfamiliar, I didn’t know anyone...it wasn’t home,” he admits, and you pull back slightly, scrutinizing his expression. You feel his breath on your skin, see his mouth so close; you force your eyes back up, grappling with the sudden surge of desire. His proximity flusters you more than he would ever know.

He shifts slightly, his own gaze drifting down your face before he looks up quickly. Feeling a bit too warm, you finish his train of thought in the way you’d hoped it would end.

“But...now everything is familiar and this is home?” You can’t hide the hope in your eyes, and he doesn’t reply for a moment, expression blank. You feel his hands struggling with something behind your back, but just as realisation dawns he’s pinching your cheek hard with a gloveless hand, a laugh shattering his poker face at your immediate disgruntlement. 

“Yes. This is home,” he assures you, warm tones and honeyed eyes leaving you feeling disconcertingly hot. You avert your gaze with haste, your stomach clenching with emotions that still give you sleepless nights, and Gavin releases you only brush his fingers along your jaw and cup your cheek. “Which is why I ask that you let me do whatever I can to help.”

The warmth leaves you in an instant. You slip out of his comforting hold and out of the alcove without another word. “No. Time for lunch!”

You stalk away, breath heavy and fists clenched, oblivious to the man standing at the end of the hallway. Gavin, who slips out behind you, watching you go with a hooded, wistful gaze, turns to look at him. 

“Lord Commander,” Lord Leto greets him, a tiny, knowing smile on his lips. “I believe we have some matters to discuss?”

You’ve already disappeared around the corner, and with a sigh, Gavin follows him.

You’ve loved Gavin for nearly half your life. 

You don’t know when it went from trying to make the quiet, moody boy smile, to the same boy’s smile making your entire day better. You don’t know when you fell in love. It’s carved into you so deeply you wouldn’t know who you’d be without it. You’ve gotten into all sorts of mischief together, but kept each other out of trouble and had each other’s backs no matter what. 

Gavin has devoted his life to protecting you, but you value his safety and happiness just as much. You’ve fought to keep him with you, to make your home his home, and you will continue to do so until your dying breath. It would be him and you, fighting at each other's backs, sneaking food from the kitchens late at night, learning how to sew because you did everything together. 

He was there when your father left you, standing at your back as you beat your sword, and your anguish, against a training dummy. He was there with his clear eyes and no judgment, coaxing you to eat something when it felt like your appetite had deserted you. He helped you breathe.

You had been there for each other after your first kills.

It’s not as if everyone suspects him. The men he fights with admire him deeply, looking to him for guidance and as a role-model. Most civilians have even set their prejudice aside, acknowledging his loyalty, won over by his charismatic demeanour, charming people everywhere he goes, often to your own frustration—mostly because you feel you’re not nearly as likeable, despite Gavin’s assurances. 

But he has a place here. 

“So why are you telling me you’re leaving?” you ask numbly, standing in your chambers, in your nightgown as Gavin tries to get you to put a robe on before giving up and wrapping it around your shoulders. 

It’s been a week since the council meeting, with more reports of Sethian sightings coming in. You had just awoken to Gavin’s knock at your door. He’s not in his armour, dressed comfortably for long travels instead and there’s a distinctly guilty look in his eyes, with a steely resolve sheltering it. There’s a scroll in his hands.

Your heart plummets at the sight.

“If I don’t at least try—it might work, ___,” he says, so earnest it might break you. “Eli will be taking over for me, they’re sending someone else to the borders.”

“Or it might not, and they’ll kill you. And then I’ll kill them.” He sighs, rushes to you, dropping the paper on a table before cradling your pale cheeks and forcing you to meet his gaze. You wonder if you could reach it before him and throw it in the still lit hearth, set it on fire before he can do anything. “No.” 

“Will you force me?” he asks, and a slap to the face would’ve hurt less. He notices how your face crumbles and looks slightly apologetic, but still so damn determined.

“You know I won’t.” He dips his head, pressing his forehead to yours, sweet syrup on his breath and he doesn’t get to do this, not when he’s leaving.

“I know. This is something I need to do. But, listen to me. I will come back to you.” 

“Is it because you want to leave? Did I do something?” you croak, thoughts on the verge of spinning out of your control, and he visibly holds himself back from leaning in. “You’re my family. You know that, don’t you? I don’t care if they’re of the same blood as you, I…” you can’t bring yourself to continue, keeping your eyes locked with his despite the tears springing in them. But he understands.

And so he steps back to unsheathe his sword, sinking to one knee. His sword—one of a pair, forged for the two of you when you both came of age. They’ve never been too far apart either. God, you had been so confident that he’d be with you forever. He holds it pointed down, the tip of it sinking into the thick carpet.

“Listen to me.” His tone is firm in that way he uses when he needs you to focus.

You attempt to quiet your mind, knowing full well your heart is a lost cause, feeling as if the floor is collapsing beneath you.

“ ___. I swear, upon this sword, I will come back to you. Alive.” You stare down at him in conflicted silence. “You’ve protected me for so long. Let me fix this for you. I couldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t try. And...” 

You clutch the silk of your nightgown anxiously.

“And if I didn’t feel the same way, I would never even think of going back there,” he tells you, a glow settling about him as the sun begins to peek at your parting.

“If they hurt you...” you warn, eyes darting to your own sword out of habit, where it rests near your bedside. He reaches for your hand, brushing his lips across the back of it and keeping them there for a moment. Even with the chaos swirling within your chest, the soft contact sends your nerves tingling.

“I know. It won’t come to that.” He looks up at you, soulful eyes pleading and chipping away at your resolve. “Will you sign the mission?” 

It’s true. You have protected Gavin, kept him close and within reach. This is a moment that will change your lives forever. You could choose to refuse, and not sign off on this. You could keep him safe.

Or you could trust him. 

You sign it in resigned silence.

You could never disrespect him, or do him the injustice of not believing in him when he’s done nothing but support you all this time.

‘You don’t know that they won't hurt you. And I know you know that,’ you think, watching him walk to the door, turning to smile at you one last time. ‘Other people aren’t like you. They’re not good.’

You wave back at him, trying to muster a smile, but the thought that this could be the last time you see him makes it near impossible. “Gavin?” 

He hovers at the threshold, hand resting on the mahogany door frame. Words unspoken hang in the air between you. They’re crawling up your throat, roaring to be let out, but you swallow them like you’ve done for years.

“When you return, there’s something I have to tell you. So...Don’t take too long. I’ll be waiting.” He hesitates, wanting to ask. He leaves with a small nod.

It’s not goodbye. But the pain you feel, a quiet helpless prickling, cannot be reasoned with.

Gavin had come to your home a boy with a chip on his shoulder, and a determination to prove himself. Before you knew it, he became the one man you knew you wanted to spend your life with. 

But even Anna had never been on board with that.

“You could do it. But it would make all our lives very, very difficult.” 

So you had never told him how you feel. You had gathered up your love and willed it to hide within you, but it always showed, threatening to burst at the seams at the most inconvenient times. It showed how you would seek him out the minute you had some free time. How you insisted on learning together, and snuck him sweet cakes whenever he felt low. In how you watched him do the most mundane things as if he was channelling the wind his ancestors were famous for. 

It became obvious when you reacted to his suitors with clear disdain, and sometimes your sword. It’s not something you have ever been able to contain, not completely. 

It’s been two months. Two numbing months without him, spent pacing restlessly, asking for reports obsessively, waiting for news from the docks. It’s a bitter, hopeful taste on your tongue, a rope wound tight in your chest. 

You have a few regrets. Maybe should’ve told him how you felt. Or begged him not to go. You could’ve met the king in neutral lands. 

You look back down at the report in your hands, something about the fae. But the words seem to keep dancing at the edges of your comprehension, and you feel frustration rise swiftly as it’s prone to do without Gavin here to temper you. It’s unfair to put the responsibility on him, but everything just keeps reminding you that he’s not here.

There’s a series of urgent knocks at the door to your study. 

“Come in,” you call out, placing the document down with no small measure of relief at the prospect of a distraction. Perhaps you should add this to the list of things you hate doing without him: read.

The door flies open to reveal Minor, panting heavily—but smiling widely. Hope blooms anew in your chest and you fight to control it.

“It’s him,” he breathes. “The ship docked nearly an hour ago. Lord Gavin’s back.”

There’s no hiding your anxiety as you watch the gates. 

You had been advised to wait in the throne room, where you accept other visitors, and you had seen fit to ignore that. This isn’t a visitor. 

For a brief second, you wonder if your attire is too casual, before dismissing it; it’s just Gavin. At least you’re in a dress—a plain peasant dress it may be—although Anna doesn’t seem to agree with that sentiment.

A few soldiers had been sent to escort them from the docks, Gavin’s personal horse taken along despite concerns that it could be seen as inappropriate. Why would it be? It’s his horse. 

And when he rides in through the gates, you nearly collapse at the sight of him unharmed. Relief fills you, pushing out every ounce of worry you’ve kept bottled up, and you can finally breathe again. His hair is shorter. He looks a little tired but that’s to be expected with the long journey. When he dismounts, the parting of his heavy cloak gives you a glimpse of his attire. Finely woven clothes—in Sethian colours. Your eyes fall on the foreign insignia stitched at the front of his cloak, that you had overlooked in your all-consuming joy. 

There are four unknown men with him. Soldiers, from the look of them.

You have a feeling, and you don’t know how you feel about it.

Gavin’s eyes fall on you and your heart flutters at the way they light up; he approaches you without hesitation. You can feel the gazes of the people around you, their confusion and unease, disquieted and unsure of what to make of this. 

He bows at the waist, before straightening back up and holding his hand out to you. “Your Majesty.” You notice the approving looks the strangers shoot each other.

You don’t think twice about placing your palm on his. Whatever’s going on, you have him back. “Welcome home.” 

He presses a kiss to the back of your hand, lips curling against your skin. 

Gavin doesn’t seem that different, but you know something has changed. It’s obvious he has something on his mind; he offers a crooked elbow to you and escorts you back in. It shows in how he stands, confident with a secret in his eyes, while you sink down onto your throne. 

“Well?” you demand, and he fights a smile. His entourage bristles slightly, but you hadn’t missed their curious, calculating looks when you had greeted them. 

“There is one thing I should probably begin with.” You wait, breath held against its will in your chest. “My family has accepted me back into their ranks.” 

You wonder if you misheard.

“Elaborate. Please.” 

“My revered father has reinstated me. As a Sethian,” Gavin explains and one of his escorts steps forward. 

“His Royal Highness, Prince Gavin of Sethia, to be precise. Your Majesty,” he added with haste, stepping back with a bow as you resist the urge to start tapping your nail against the gilded plates of your throne. Anna, Leto and Minor stand to one side; the council members look oddly pleased at the announcement, while Minor looks floored.

You had expected and hoped for many outcomes, but for his father to take him back just like that? Batting away the jealousy, frustratingly territorial in nature, you accept this result. Gavin would not look nearly as cheerful if something had gone wrong.

“That’s quite generous of him. It’s good to see the esteemed ruler of Sethia remains as kind as ever.” Very pointedly not rolling your eyes when you see two of the group looking pleased with the praise for their king. You look back at Gavin, silently demanding him to spit it out. He looks pleased as punch and you’re literally at the edge of your seat here.

“Yes, he’s quite benevolent. Unfortunately for me, he already has an heir. My brother has been raised to rule Sethia, despite being younger in age, so that is one position he couldn’t give back to me.” 

“And…” you prompt, leaning forward in your seat.

“And so he sends me with a proposal. An alliance, to keep peace, one contingent on two conditions.” The man to his right steps forward with a little smirk, holding out a document to Gavin but he waves it away. “The first is to join Sethia in the New World alliance.”

You glance at Anna, and only look back once she nods. The look on Leto’s face is, for once, unreadable. 

“And the second?” you ask, clutching the arms of your seat tighter.

“Marriage.”

For a moment, there’s complete silence in the hall, before it’s broken by Minor’s gasp and the sudden chatter that comes from behind the doors to the room. In the midst of the shocked reactions, your eyes remain fixed on Gavin’s smile.

“We’ll call a meeting,” Anna announces over the voices, when it looks like you’re unable to get a word out. “It’s good to see you, Prince Gavin. While we discuss your proposal, please allow Minor to escort your men to their assigned quarters. Would you prefer your old quarters or…?”

His eyes find you and you rise from your seat, descending from the raised platform with a sudden calm blanketing over you.

“Before that. Anna, I was wondering if I could ask Prince Gavin to accompany me? Just to the gardens, there are some concerns I’d like to discuss with him.”

You take his elbow before he can even offer it, pulling him along without another word. 

Your mind is oddly quiet, as if unable to produce a coherent thought, as you walk, your preferred gazebo soon within sight: the one surrounded by all your favourite flowers. Gavin’s quiet throughout as well, but the moment you’re alone and out of sight he slips his arm from your grip to curl his hand around yours, his skin just warm as you remember it, and something relaxes in your chest.

“Just to be clear, when you say marriage…” you trail off, turning to him when you step into the shade. 

“Well, Sethia found themselves with a prince to spare, and what better way to secure an alliance?” Gavin explains, holding onto your hand. “And, yes, that’s me.”

‘This is too good to be true’, you think and feel a bit faint when he sinks to a knee, no sign of nervousness in the smooth lines of his face. “Are you-?”

He takes a deep breath, reaching for your hand, and it’s just like when he was leaving, but this time he’s here to stay. 

“I should wait, shouldn’t I? To be honest, I don’t think I can. I’m sorry about that. But we’ve waited so long. And these two months apart have been ones I never wish to repeat in my lifetime. Even though I’ve known it for a long time, I don’t think us not being together is an option. It’s awful, it’s what I imagine foul magic is like.”

He smiles up at you, a little wobbly and so very soft. Your eyes feel wet and damn it, you had wanted to propose first.

“I love you, ___. I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life. And I know we’ve both known for a long time, but...there’s no longer anything that can separate us.*” He takes a deep breath, and another. “I came up with a lot of things I wanted to say but I can’t seem to recall what they were. And the ring is in my trunk. I’m sorry for springing this on you.” 

You study him, his quiet frustration at not being able to recall his no doubt carefully chosen words and the way his hand flexes around yours.

You sink to your knees, hands weaving through his hair and tugging him close to finally, without the need to hide, crush your mouth to his, nearly falling into him at the taste of him on your tongue. His arms wrap around you, holding you to him, his cheeks just as wet as yours. 

You kiss and kiss to your heart’s content, because even though the council will insist on discussing it— 

“Yes, I will marry you,” you whisper against his lips. A part of you worries your heart might burst with how desperately it’s pounding. It feels unreal, but you think kissing him will help. “I hated it without you too. I love you so much. And I agree, I suspect dark magic is quite similar in nature.” 

He listens to your rushed words carefully, nodding along. 

“We’ll ask the court mage, once the tower finally gives us one.”

Us. 

You grin at him, primal satisfaction rushing through you at his hazy eyes and swollen mouth. “I can’t believe we’re going to do this.”

He kisses you again, breathless with a giddy sort of joy. “I’m going to be your husband.” 

“I’m going to be your wife.” Your grin mirrors his, ridiculously wide and your knees are starting to hurt, but it feels like, in this one moment, everything is going right and you get to have the one thing you’ve wanted, properly. 

“Glad you let me go?” He sits back, crossing his legs and pulling you onto his lap. After aeons of very carefully just keeping yourself off him, you can’t get over how right this feels, of your bodies pressed close and hands touching freely. 

His smile looks a touch smug.

“...I suppose. This victory is yours.” You can’t feign displeasure over it when you can feel his lips on your hair, your forehead, and you can tilt your head back to let him slot his eager mouth over yours.

His response is a breathy laugh against your flushed skin.

“No, it’s ours.” 

It’s time to plan a wedding.

Welcome to the finish line! Thank you for reading ♡

(MLQC masterlist)

#mlqc #mlqc gavin #mr love queen's choice #mlqc fanfic #mlqc bai qi #love and producer #mr love gavin #I LOVE GAVIN #now i can go back to reading without feeling guilty...for 2 days

[janumun]

Hi! If it's not too much to ask, could you give me a short summary (spoiler, really ^^) what actually happened with the Helios/Ares stuff in MLQC? I didn't play that far, but I love the characters and the fics (What you want --> *drooool*) so I really need to know WHAT IS GOING ON!? xD Thanks a lot

Not too much to ask, Nonny. Helios and Ares are, in fact, two of my favorite areas of interest cough.

Spoilers ahead for chapters 13 and 17 following the pictures cut (!!!!)

Ares

Following the events depicted within Chapter 13 of the game and briefly, albeit obscurely, touched upon within Lucien's 'Crisis Date'— it is revealed that Ares is the man's codename within the Black Swan Collective; the organization that's after the MC (the "kidnapping" in Chapter 7, the "black shadows", the lightening incident in Chapter 10), the one that's been carrying out unethical experiments surrounding the evol gene.

The veil is lifted off of Lucien's "true" intentions in the chapter and the MC discovers that the Professor approached her with ulterior motives (keeping his "allegience" to Black Swan in mind). It's a harsh blow to the MC to learn that the kind Lucien was a facade and the cold, calculating Ares persona is the real him. Lucien admits to as much.

Everyone has their own perceptions of the chapter. Many, understandably, felt betrayed. I have an entirely different interpretation of those few, heart-breaking scenes. However, that's not the purpose of your ask so I'll skip on to Helios.

Helios

Now, keep in mind that I haven't read up on analyses for any Helios-featured chapter nor do I follow spoilers for the CN version of the game, so this is mostly going to be my own take, blended in with scenes from the EN chapters of the game.

Kiro is Helios. Just as Lucien is Ares. If Kiro is the sun, Helios is the shadowed, moon persona. If you've done Chapter 11 (I'm not sure on the number), you receive an ambiguous call from Kiro where he speaks of having made an "important" decision, which (I believe) was regarding him donning on his Helios face.

Helios is a contrast to everything Kiro stands for. He's cold and brusque, the silver hair in contrast to the flaxen Kiro locks, and he apparently seems to have no recollection of the MC or Kiro. The MC confronts him on several occasions ("You're Kiro, aren't you?")— she's rebuffed every time she brings it up.

Now, some speculate Helios is pretending to not know Kiro, to keep the MC at bay, to avoid getting her involved in danger. Kiro certainly seems to be aware of Helios as depicted within Chapter 17. We don't know his motives so far in doing so, but there it is.

Both are such interesting character traits/personas to study and write for. All that delicious, dangerous energy about them but also the secrecy that mists over these men, the utter ruthlessness their original characters belie—

Hope this helps, I tried my best to be coherent without screaming and drooling too much. (*´・ｖ・)

#asks! #anonymous! #mlqc helios #mlqc ares #mlqc lucien #mlqc kiro #mr love queen's choice #pickled blubbering #mlqc spoilers #spoilers

[andinewton]

I don’t know if this is enough sass but here you go!

Thank you both for asking!

MLQC:  Victor - Says Who?

‘I think she’ll be an heiress to some big company.  It’s not a romance but a business merger.’  Willow grinned before sipping her coffee.

The romance of the LFG CEO was big news both in the industry and gossip columns.  So far no one could confirm the identity of the mystery girl who had been seen with Victor several times in the last few months, no one had caught her on camera, the CEO being very protective of her.  Now it was the subject of gossip around the set as you prepared for Victor to be interviewed about LFG’s latest successful project.

‘Nah, I think she’s some foreign dignitary.’  Minor threw in.  ‘She’s so mysterious, and he’s been spending a lot of time abroad recently.  Coincidence?  I think not!’

Kiki shoved him away from where he had put his face in hers to make his point.  ‘Stop, Minor, we all know he’s been seen several times before now with Chic.  It’s either her in disguise or a stand in to throw us off the scent.’

You shook your head at their speculation.  Everything was done you were just waiting for the man himself to arrive so you couldn’t even tell them to get back to work.

Anna strolled over then, having been listening from a few feet away.  ‘Actually, I think it would be great to find out she’s a normal girl, just anyone you could pass by on the street.’

‘Oh!’  Kiki gasped.  ‘Like a modern Cinderella story!  That would be so romantic!’

Minor and Willow started laughing.  ‘That is the worst theory yet!’  Minor cackled.

‘Yeah,’ Willow added, ‘there’s no way Victor would just go for some random nobody.’

‘Says who?’

You all turned at the sound of the brusk voice that suddenly interrupted.  Everyone shifted awkwardly as Victor strolled through the studio towards your little group.  His eyes glanced over everyone but deliberately avoided you, making your colleagues squirm where they stood.

‘I could be dating anyone of you.’  Victor stopped as he reached your side.  ‘You, or you.’  He looked at everyone in turn.  ‘Or you, or…’  He stopped when his gaze reached you and you had a moment to wonder what he was going to say before his arm wrapped around your back, allowing him to pull you close and kiss you deeply.

You weren’t aware if anyone spoke, you weren’t aware of much at all, other than the feel of Victor’s hand on the back of your head and his arm holding you close, his soft lips caressing yours insistently.  He had a way of filling your senses without even trying, leaving you with the sensation of there only being the two of you in the entire world.  Your skin tingled with the heat from his touch and just when you thought you might combust from his lack of progress he drew his lips away from you, leaving you to only let out a small, satisfied murmur.

Checking you were stable on your feet he released you then walked towards the set.  ‘Are you ready to do a light check?’  He asked simply, leaving you to grab your clipboard and chase after him.

‘Right, work!’  You said loudly, your cheeks flushed pink as you chased after him, leaving your colleagues to look between one another in confusion.

Finally, it was Willow who found her voice, vocalising exactly what was on everyone else’s minds.  ‘What the hell?’

Drop me an ask from this list!

#MLQC #MLQC Victor #fan fic #ask

[sharinluna]

MLQC Thoughts

I said in my MLQC theory post here that the pre-release trailer, the prologue of the story, is about Yōurán(MC) in retrospect thinking that maybe if she hadn’t met the guys her life wouldn’t have hurt as much, but it’s too late now and her heart cares too deeply about them to let them go.

This led me to think that one day, she might be faced with a Choice: To live in a peaceful world where she is not met with any dangers or life-threatening situations. There are no world-wide disasters. No flu epidemic, no massive deaths of the population. No end-of-the-world calamities. But instead, the 4 guys don’t exist in this universe. Or would she live in a world where they do exist, but the hardships and pains she must endure will increase tenfold.

I also thought that Yōurán is connected to the whole fate of the universe. However, that connection is contaminated and her existence alone is what causes all the disasters in the story. The disasters will always happen as long as she exists and the only way for them to not happen is for her to not exist. Is there a way to mend Yōurán’s influence on the universe to become more positive or is she destined to become a detrimental factor to the world, and the only way for human society to continue is to get rid of her?

#mlqc #mlqc speculation #mlqc mc

[milki-mlqc]

mlqc vampire headcanons

a/n: soo spooky season may be over, but allas, enjoy these vampire!mlqc headcanons  (≧◡≦)

gavin:

you always thought gavin was weird since high school, not in a bad way, but it was clear that he was different from you

his athletic skills were basically inhuman. how could someone be so fast and his instincts were even faster?

he tried to keep his distance from you, but the two of you attracted each other like moths to the flame

gavin didn’t want any type of danger to come near you and that could mean himself as well

you wanted to know more about him but he always seemed to pull away from you

but one day you confronted him and you made sure he wouldn’t just shrug it off. you needed to know why he would constantly pull away from you

you cornered him and unintentionally exposing your neck, subtly tempting gavin

you noticed the way his eyes changed, the way his breath became ragged and how sharp his teeth were?

‘’gavin, why are your eyes so big?’’ -the better to see you with mc

‘’gavin, why are you breathing so hard?’’ -because you make me feel breathless

‘’gavin, why are your teeth so… sharp?’’ -...mc, i’m a vampire

obviously you didn’t believe him (duh), so you laughed out loud

gavin let out an exasperated sigh, feeling frustration bubble in his chest, and you noticed gavin felt hurt by your reaction

you asked him to explain, and ooof he did

your relationship changed, gavin became more open around you and seemed more comfortable 

gavin wouldn’t want to feed from you (what if he actually hurt you, then gavin would never be able to forgive himself)

surprisingly shy about his status as a vampire especially whenever you come starry eyed, asking intimate questions

kiro:

kiro was surprisingly open about his status as a vampire and he loved the fact that you were so curious about his nature and welcomed your curiosity

and honestly? sometimes you couldn’t believe that kiro really was a vampire…

but one day, you saw another side of kiro

instead of an all happy, bright and sunshine kiro -you saw a side of him that was wild, furious and and completely compelling

something had gone wrong on set thus resulting in an injured you and an angry kiro, since the injury could’ve been prevented, but because of a stupid mistake you got injured, you got hurt and now you were suffering

kiro, while still being calm and collected (he had a image to protect), rescheduled the shoot and got you out of there

with superhuman speed and strength he carried you out and found a room where the two of you could be alone

‘’mc look at me, are you okay?’’ his eyes were concerned and he scanned you for any serious injuries

he kept you close, not letting go of you

you were okay and repeatedly told kiro you were, to ease his extreme concern

from that day on, you were introduced to another side of kiro, one that showcased the vampire side of him a lot more

normally the vampire side would come out during times the two of you were intimate and typically when he fed on you

but seriously he loves feeding on you, he can’t get enough of the taste of your blood and it’s almost like he’s addicted

forget about chips and sweets his favourite meal is you (in any way ;))

lucien:

lucien had this… mysterious aura around him

a genius like lucien was wise beyond his years, or at least that’s what people told him

the calm look in lucien’s eyes hid a horrendous secret, one that he wasn’t proud of

lucien intended to keep his status as a vampire hidden from you, but you were smarter than he originally thought

you discovered his secret by accident. you visited lucien’s apartment frequently and as you were getting a drink from the refrigerator, you noticed red bags with varying descriptions 

you asked lucien what they were and you got no reply

lucien just stared intensely at you, the look in his eyes changing

‘’are you sure you want to know mc?’’, his voice was low and his intense eyes never left yours.

you nodded and lucien complied your request, truly showing you the dark side of him 

the fact that lucien was a vampire didn’t change your relationship, if anything it caused you to ask him tons of questions

lucien indulged your curiosity and answered your questions with delight 

lucien loved the way you would let him feed from you. all pliant and so cute, he almost couldn’t get enough. but don’t worry, lucien knew better than to take too much blood from you

and after a feeding he always made sure you ate enough and that him feeding on you didn’t affect your everyday life

knows when you’re on your period and makes sure to take extra good care of you

victor:

no one suspected a thing about victor’s little secret, no one except you of course

you noticed that sometimes he would be really weird, like weirder than the normal victor-tsundere-style

he hated extremely sunny weather, never cooked with garlic, and ran whenever he saw the slightest bit of blood.

of course, you couldn’t piece the puzzle together, and when you asked him, why he was so weird, he just shrugged it off and told you to focus on your work

you did forget it since a huge load of work suddenly came, so you didn’t have time to speculate about victor

victor had agreed to teach you a couple recipes (after a lot of begging) and had invited to souvenir

you being clumsy meant a lot of accidents in the kitchen 

thus small accidents weren’t a surprise for you and neither was you bleeding, but for victor?

oh boy, o’boy…

at first he got worried, but the sight and smell of blood made the vampiric side of him come out and suddenly the once unbothered eyes turned red and animalistic

with somehow supernatural speed he was in front of you, his breath hovering close to your neck

the taste of your blood was sweeter than wine and victor couldn’t get enough of the taste of you

when you accepted his vampiric side, you couldn’t help but to ask kinda stupid questions

he’d reply with an in depth answer albeit with a deadpan expression

but his vampiric side made him have great stamina,, so you know night activities were always fun ;))

#mlqc #mr love queen's choice #mlqc victor #mlqc kiro #mlqc gavin #mlqc lucien #mlqc headcannon #woopwoop had this sitting in drafts for the longest time ahah #i'm a sucker for vampire concepts #aahah you get it #sucker? #wow that sounded funnier in my head #ohwell

[tiramisiyu]

【未定事件簿】 Tears of Themis: 【夏彦拜访剧情】 Xia Yan’s Personal Story 2-7 Translation

Translated parts: Xia Yan’s Personal Story Chapter 2: 2-1 / 2-2 / 2-4 / 2-5 / 2-7 / 2-8 / 2-9 / 2-10 / 2-11 / 2-13 / 2-14 Translation Masterlist: here

Video: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1xV411m79T?p=5

A quick explanation of how this feature works is that each boy has their own section that you can “Visit”! Part of it is like MLQC’s GSH feature, where you can talk to the boys (with Live2D!) and raise intimacy by interacting with them. The other part of it is a storyline that centers on the MC running around with the respective boy to deal with a certain case or situation.

Escape Room

Xia Yan and I returned to the escape room.

I placed the photos we’d gotten earlier from the Velcro with the three pictures from the commission letter.

Symbol Patterns

MC: The patterns on the picture we found from the Velcro match up with the three pictures from the commission letter.

MC: The patterns on the back are still incomplete.

Xia Yan: Don’t get anxious. We’ll go step by step with the arrangement.

Xia Yan: I think we’ll be able to find all the missing pieces very soon.

Alarm Clock Picture Front

MC: 10:11 morning, 11:10 noon, 0:00 night…

MC: Aren’t these morning, noon, and night times a little strange?

Xia Yan: That’s right. So I think that these three alarm clock times have another meaning.

Xia Yan: Bell, cuckoo ring – the meaning of this is that the alarm sound of the clock is the cuckoo bird.

Alarm Clock Picture, Words Area

MC: The words on the bottom here!

Xia Yan: “In every day, my lady, I wish you a good morning, a good noon, and a good night.”

Xia Yan: “I’ve used my methods to record your times, and I’ve hidden the secret among them. Awaiting the cuckoo bird to reveal it.”

Xia Yan: Zero must have written these words on the alarm clock screen. It’s a clue to solve the riddle.

Xia Yan: According to my speculation, the words at the bottom of the alarm clock system are clues to solve the riddle. 

Xia Yan: “I’ve used my methods to record your times” should hint that we have to make changes to the alarm times.

MC: “I” should mean Zero. Zero is an AI robot, its methods…

Xia Yan: I know! We have to change the number system!

Xia Yan: People normally use the base-10 number system in daily life, but calculation machines are different. They use the binary system.

MC: So it’s like this!

MC: If we take off the symbols for the three times for morning, noon, and night, then order it in that arrangement – 10111110000.

Xia Yan: To convert it back to base-10, we need to “sum using exponents of two based on the digit location”*… we get 1520.

MC: “I’ve hidden the secret among them” – so 1520 is the hidden secret’s essential number.

MC: “Awaiting the cuckoo bird to reveal it.” If the alarm clock’s alarm is set as the cry of the cuckoo bird…

MC: We have no way of finding Zero to have it turn on its own alarm clock, right…

Xia Yan: There’s actually something else that’s related to time and a cuckoo bird in this room.

MC: Something that’s related?

I looked all around. Suddenly, a clock hanging on the wall caught my attention.

MC: Ah, it’s the birdcall clock! Something that is related to time and the cuckoo bird is the birdcall clock!

Xia Yan: That’s right! As expected of my Watson!

MC: The essential number that will show the “secret” is 1520, and the “cuckoo bird” is the birdcall clock.

MC: So we first have to search for a birdcall clock that can make the call of a cuckoo, and then set the time to 15:20?

Xia Yan followed my finger and looked towards the only birdcall clock on the wall, but he wrinkled his eyebrows.

Xia Yan: The hanging clocks in here all aren’t moving. Looks like we need to find batteries first.

After going through a good half of the room, we finally found two batteries and placed it in the birdcall clock.

I adjusted the clock’s time to 3:20, but didn’t notice anything happen at all.

MC: Weird, why did no changes occur?

MC: Could it be that the analysis earlier was wrong, and 1520 doesn’t represent the time 3:20?

Xia Yan: Don’t worry, let’s think some more.

Xia Yan: This clock doesn’t indicate day and night separately, so 3-o’clock can’t accurately represent 15-o’clock.

Xia Yan: Which means it’s a different combination method…

MC: A different combination method…

I carefully looked over the birdcall clock again. I hadn’t noticed just earlier that on the face, there was also a nearly-transparent thin clock hand.

MC: Is this an alarm clock pointer? But birdcall clocks are rarely used as alarm clocks, right?

Xia Yan: I’m speculating that the answer just might have to do with the alarm clock pointer and the second hand.

As Xia Yan said this, he took the birdcall clock and started adjusting the knobs on the back of the clock face again.

When the hour hand, minute hand, second hand, and alarm clock pointer were successfully adjusted to the “1”, “5”, “2”, and “0” positions, the answer of the riddle appeared.

A cuckoo bird quickly popped out from the lattice on the hanging clock, reporting the time with a “cuckoo, cuckoo”.

MC: Xia Yan, under its feet!

The cuckoo bird was stepping on a triangular picture.

Xia Yan: Looking at its shape and the symbols on it, we can now completely put all the five pieces together.

MC: I’ll put them together and see!

Seams

Xia Yan: There are numbers on the seams…

MC: What do the patterns on the back represent?

Xia Yan: It might be hinting that there are similar things in this room. 

MC: Looks like we’ll have to look through the room again.

Words on the Memo Picture

MC: On the memo system screenshot, the time recorded on it is March 31, 2043.

MC: “We read books in the flower garden, straight until night fell.”

MC: “Amid the night-coloured flowerbeds, ten tulips shone gently.”

MC: “You told me that the secret was in front of my eyes, as well as in the book.”

Xia Yan: When a typical escape room riddle brings up “black”, it’s a hint to turn off the lights, and then use ultraviolet light to see words that can’t be seen with the naked eye.

Xia Yan: Let’s try looking here to see if there’s an ultraviolet light here.

Xia Yan: In escape rooms, you’ll eventually be unable to avoid having to look for things. Let’s look around and see if there is related information.

MC: Mhmm, let’s divide and conquer.

Xia Yan and I split up to search in the room to see if there were items that were related to the numbers and patterns on the back of the pictures.

After a while, I quickly noticed something on a floorboard.

MC: Xia Yan, I found that pattern!

I turned around to call for Xia Yan, and saw him pacing back and forth on the other side of the room.

As Xia Yan walked, he stopped from time to time, crouched down, and knocked on the floor.

MC: What’s wrong?

Xia Yan: There’s a discrepancy between the footstep sounds. There’s a basement under here.

Xia Yan carefully distinguished the echoes of the footsteps, determining the range of the basement.

MC: Could it be that the message in the pictures is the way to open the basement?

When I thought this, I quickly, carefully observed the pattern on the floorboard in front of me.

After looking carefully, I noticed the seam of the floorboard with the pattern was a bit abnormal compared to other floorboards.

MC: The gap seems to be slightly wider and somewhat deeper.

MC: Could it be that the switch to open the basement is here? Such as something like a password lock?

I gently poked at that floorboard a few times. Sure enough, I noticed that it had somewhat loosened.

I tried pressing it.

Ka--!

MC: Ah--!

The moment I pressed the button, the floorboard split open. Right after, I fell into the darkness.

Xia Yan: [MC]! Are you all right? Is there anything wrong?

Xia Yan’s voice sounded above me, full of panic.

But it was exactly because of his voice that let my heart, which was pounding nonstop from what had suddenly happened, slowly calm down.

Xia Yan immediately turned on the flashlight and shone the light in.

--

Basement

My eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness. After calming down, I carefully started to look around the surroundings.

MC: I’m fine! There’s a cushion down here!

Xia Yan: I’ll come down immediately. Don’t be scared! Wait for me!

Saying this, Xia Yan was about to jump down. I quickly called out to him.

MC: Xia Yan, wait! Don’t come down yet, in case the clue to get out is upstairs—

I lifted my head to call to Xia Yan, suddenly noticing that there were a few faint lights on the ceiling.

MC: !!!

MC: Xia Yan, I’ve found the clue from the third picture.

Xia Yan: What…?

MC: “Amid the night-coloured flowerbeds, ten tulips shone gently.”

MC: On the ceiling of the basement, there are tulip symbols. Ten of them are lit up.

Xia Yan: So the clue’s there.

I carefully explained shape of the ten lights to Xia Yan.

A moment later, Xia Yan’s voice sounded.

Xia Yan: I got it. We need to find a book called “KISS”. The method to leave the basement should be in the book. 

MC: Eh? How did you know?

Xia Yan: Wait for me to come down, where I’ll slowly tell you. Let’s look for the book first, alright?

I knew that Xia Yan was uneasy about me being alone in the basement, which was why he wanted to hurry down. But..

MC: That book could be upstairs or downstairs. Let’s split up and search.

As I said this, I was preparing to get to work, but Xia Yan suddenly called at me.

Xia Yan: Wait!

MC: What’s up? Did you think about a new clue?

Xia Yan: It’s not that…

Xia Yan: I’m afraid that you’ll be scared down there. How about we talk while looking for the things!

Xia Yan: Right! How about I sing a song for you?

Xia Yan’s agitation made me unable to resist laughing, but my heart was warmed.

>I’m not a little kid

>Then please sing a song

MC: I’m not a little kid, needing to be sung to when in the dark.

MC: Don’t worry, I’m fine. It’s just some mechanism – I’ve already mentally prepared when we came to this place to play.

MC: It’s just the matter just now happened so suddenly, so I was pretty badly startled.

Xia Yan: For real…?

MC: For real! See, aren’t I talking normally to you right now?

Xia Yan: …

Xia Yan didn’t respond. I knew that he still felt uneasy.

MC: Then… how about I sing a song for you?

Xia Yan: Huh?

MC: I know you’re worried about me, so I’ll prove it to you.

MC: As long as I can sing it without problems, that means that I don’t have a single problem here.

MC: How about it?

Xia Yan: … Okay.

I cleared my throat, adjusted my breathing, and slowly sang the song from my memories.

MC: Twinkle, twinkle little star.

MC: How I wonder what you are.

“Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” was the song that Xia Yan would often sing to me when we were little.

Every time I got dragged by him to see a movie with those murders in secret rooms, I got scared to the point that I couldn’t fall asleep, so Xia Yan would sing this song to soothe me.

In my heart, this song had a particular magic ability. It seemed that as long as the sound of the song started, all my unease and anxiousness would leave.

And this time, I wanted to transfer this “magic” to Xia Yan.

Xia Yan: …

Finally, Xia Yan laughed.

>I’m not a little kid

>Then please sing a song

I couldn’t help joking with him.

MC: Then, please sing one!

Xia Yan: What do you want to listen to? “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star?”

MC: Mhmm!

Xia Yan laughed lightly, a sort of reminiscence in his voice.

Xia Yan: Whenever you were scared in the past, you had me sing this song.

MC: Wasn’t that because you’d always bring me to see movies with murders in secret rooms!

Thinking about those films, my originally calm heart suddenly became a little scared.

MC: Xia Yan… hurry and sing!

Xia Yan: Alright.

Xia Yan gently cleared his throat, adjusted his breathing, and started to sing softly.

Xia Yan: Twinkle, twinkle little star.

Xia Yan: How I wonder what you are.

Xia Yan: Up above the world so high.

Xia Yan: Like a diamond in the sky.

His voice was both soft and warm, like feathers layered, yet also like bits of stardust.

Their twinkling lights slowly fell downward, filling this lonely, dark space I had found myself in.

Just like in the past, his sound accompanied me by my side from start to finish, not stopping for a single second.

--

After singing the song, Xia Yan and I split up to start looking for that book, “KISS”.

MC: Right, you haven’t told me how you solved the riddle!

Xia Yan: It’s like this.

Xia Yan: “We read books in the flower garden, straight until night fell.”

Xia Yan: This is hinting at something that can only be seen in pitch-black.

Xia Yan: Something that can only be seen in the dark, combined with the symbols you mentioned, very much corresponds with a kind of text.

MC: Something visible in the dark… a kind of text…

MC: Ah! Could it be Braille?

Xia Yan: You got it! And then based on the shining symbols you described, looking up the corresponding Braille letters, is “KISS”.

Xia Yan: “You told me that the secret was in front of my eyes, as well as in the book.”

Xia Yan: “In front of my eyes” are the tulip symbols you saw.

MC: The “book” is what we need to find!

Xia Yan: Smart!

I simultaneously talked to Xia Yan while searching the basement like this.

Very soon, I noticed a book called “KISS” in a very obvious spot on the table.

MC: I found the book, Xia Yan!

I opened the book. The pages in the book had been taken out – inside, a little remote control had been placed.

I pressed the on/off button. Beside that floorboard that was part of the mechanism, there immediately was a “click” mechanism activation sound.

Right after, a rope ladder hung down.

MC: Xia Yan, you can—

Without waiting for me to finish, Xia Yan had already jumped down.

He didn’t use the rope ladder. Instead, the moment he confirmed that the return route had already opened, he directly jumped down so he could come down quicker by a few seconds.

He stood up from the cushion, a slight bit of sweat reflecting the light on his face, his breathing irregular.

Xia Yan: Sorry, I made you wait long.

--

TL Note:

*I actually could not figure out how to translate the original text for this, so I went with what I learned from a 2-minute search online.

#tears of themis #weiding shijian bu #tot translation #未定事件簿 #xia yan #夏彦拜访剧情 #夏彦

[thebookwyrmn]

Evol Breakdown

So before we can break down the characters of MLQC,let’s first breakdown what we know about Evol as stated by the game. Please be advised that this may hit spoiler territory and that some of this is wild speculation. With that in mind let’s begin.

In the Mr.Love Queens Choice universe super powers are refered to as Evol and the the users Evolvers. Evol can range from element based powers to precognition and many others not yet stated.

What we can guess based on the chapters currently in the game, is that Evol can become unstable if the user is physically or emotionally unsound in any way.

Kiro confirms this half way through the first arc of the game when his charm Evol causes a riot to happen. He tells the MC that he hadn’t meant for it to do so and that earlier he “Wasn’t feeling himself” (paraphrasing but you get the gist.)

Gavin in the same set of chapters becomes emotionally unstable due to the MC putting herself at risk, and because overall BirdCop was stressed out that it cause his wind Evol to create a wind storm.

In later parts of the game we can also add that certain Evols need a cool down period before they can be used. Why? Well the game hasn’t said why, but we can guess that the Evol in question can cause damage to the Evoler if over used.

Evol itself is a mystery to the gamers as not much is told about it, which leaves a lot of guessing about Evol and how it effects the Evolers.

What do you think? Was there anything you noticed in game that I missed? Please let me know.

#mlqc #love and producer #mr love queens choice

[otonymous]

What’s your favourite thing about each of the mlqc guys? (Up to you if you wanna keep it sfw or make it dirty) looking forward to what you’re planning next! 💕

Hey Nonny!

Thanks so much for the interesting question! 💕 I love taking the time to sit back and ponder over what it is about these guys that makes me throw crazy amounts of cash at them 💸🤣

WARNING: SPOILERS for the game on the EN server, up to and including Chapter 21 (everything else is pure speculation on my part as I generally try to avoid spoilers from other servers).  Profanity (because that potty mouth habit is hard to break LOL)

What I Like About You: Favourite Things About The MLQC Boys:

Things to love about Lucien:

Not to be dramatic but every single fibre of my being loves every tiny pixel making up this gorgeous 2D man (can you tell he’s my favourite boy? LOL)

Lucien is my Byronic hero — I love and embrace all the imperfections of his character, his darkness, his intensity, etc.  Personally, I’d rather have a dark prince than a white knight.

And yet, you know this man would still come through for you regardless of what happens.  And god help whoever tried to hurt you because Lucien’s revenge would be cold and swift

His brain drives me insane: genius scientist professor?  The sensual double entendres?  Sign me TF up please!

DRAMA, ANGST, ACTION! - I love how practically every date and interaction with this man has some deeper meaning that contributes to the plot of the game.  And what could be more romantic than a man trying his hardest not to fall in love with you, only to fail miserably?!  SWOON 💕💕💕

I love: Those eyes, that hair, those fingers, that lab coat, the black trench, those glasses, the black leather gloves, the hickeys on his neck, the way he kabedoned me the very first time we met….

Things to love about Victor:

I actually LOVE his sarcastic ways.  Honestly, nothing makes me laugh harder than bantering with good ol’ Vic.  And let’s face it, the fact that he seems to become even more attracted to you when you sass him back?  SEXY AF

The man COOKS for you and he does it well.  ‘Nuff said.

Ok, seriously, you know at the end of the day that Victor’s got your back.  The man has the wealth, power and influence to really make shit happen and you want someone like that on your side

I love: Victor’s broad ass chest and shoulders, and those tiny smiles he thinks no one can see

Things to love about Gavin:

There’s just something about a guy who’s loved you for his entire life and continues to do so

The fact that this man literally cannot stop himself from saving you, even when he has no idea who you are (it’s like there’s some psychic pull within himself that says HE MUST PROTECT YOU!  Very Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon 💖)

No doubt about it, Gavin is your Ride or Die.  He will BE THERE with you till the very end

Also, this is literally the type of guy who will go to any length and do the most ridiculous stuff just to make you smile.  Want to try that trendy new snack that’s currently breaking the internet?  Gavin will secretly line up around the block for it then surprise you with it 5 hours later like he just happened to pass by the shop

His bajillion-pack abs

Things to love about Kiro:

How he tries to maintain a positive and sunny disposition despite likely having suffered some horrendous atrocities in his past

How open he is with his affection, especially towards MC

The fact that he is just a genuine person in general (e.g. his love for his fans)

His ability to kick ass with ease and in style (ahem, Helios)

The man is a genius hacker.  Have your panties dropped yet?  Cus mine are already on the floor 🤣

Let’s face it: I want dibs on that snack stash.  I’m not about to say no to whatever he’s got hidden away, okay?!

When those blue eyes turn golden, the man doesn’t even need mind control to make me want to do all types of unspeakable things to his body like paint his nails

Things to love about Shaw:

Before we get into this, can we just take a moment to appreciate that half-lidded sexiness?!?  Thanks LOL  

I love the sass and snarky ways of this highly intelligent and capable bad boy

Also a big fan of how Shaw seems to make his own rules instead of blindly following others and is wanted by both the Special Task Force AND Black Swan

I love: his lavender hair, his leather gloves, the way he makes all the panties drop when he plays bass guitar, his skateboard, his taste in music, HIS IRREVERENCE 

Let’s not forget about his mad graffiti skills 🤣

Thanks so much for reading!  Check out more of my work here! 📓

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