Welcome, dear readers, to the first part in the Doctor’s Training Trilogy, which is also the first trilogy in the Chains of Fate Series.  This novel is a work of fiction based in and around St. Louis, Missouri.  Many of the places are real, but many are not.  Please see the Chains of Fate notes at the end of this novel for brief descriptions of the fictional places that are used in our works.  The situations presented are quite possible, and are something often seen in this lifestyle.  We, as the authors, want to make sure that you, as the reader, understands that this is a fictional work about learning alongside our dear doctor and about the various methods of entrance into this world.

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Situations presented may mimic real life situations of one or both the authors, and may be based on experiences of others interviewed and worked with by the authors.  The world of BDSM is a wide and varied one.  There is no one right method, and we hope that in this work we can introduce the reader to the various possibilities. At the end of the novel, you will find a few pages with author recommended reading and a handful of links to some helpful places online.
  
Many background characters are based on real life individuals. These people have granted permission to the authors to use a character in their likeness. Names and features have been altered for the purpose of anonymity of those involved. The dungeon mentioned is created as an idealized dungeon based on experience of the writers, and features many things that may or may not found in real life dungeons. Many aspects of the dungeon are realistic, and may be found across the world. Please note, a dungeon exactly like Strawberry’s Black does not exist. Dungeons have a variety of rules. Some places do not allow nudity, others do not allow penetration of any kind (even with toys), and others have even stricter restrictions on activities. Private dungeons are a different matter, and should be approached with caution if you are not familiar with the owner.

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Please be aware, this work features graphic and detailed scenes of violence and graphic sexual acts, both consensual and non-consensual. This work also features heterosexual and homosexual relationships, and characters that are at various points on the sexuality spectrum. You will also see many different genders and depictions of various polyamorous situations. There are many intersections with the kink community and other lifestyles that many consider alternative. Several individuals are neurodiverse, including characters with bipolar disorder, autism, and PTSD. Because of the diversity of the individuals presented, there will also be depictions of ableism, ageism, racism, homophobia, transphobia/antagonism, kink/lifestyle shaming, and discrimination based on religion and/or polyamory. 

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If you are interested in the BDSM community, contact a local group or use social media to visit verified safe BDSM sites. Do not engage in activities that seem to you to be unsafe. BDSM should never feel like abuse, and it is always completely consensual. Kink culture is varied and expansive, and there are many more things out there than detailed in the one novel you’ve picked up. There are many people in the world that would take advantage of new members of the BDSM community, or those looking to become involved in the BDSM community. More than one submissive has found themselves the victim of abuse because they did not understand the way this community works. The same can be said for fledgling Dominants who are brought in with a manipulative “submissive” who is using them for their own gratification. We use words like slave, pet, and humiliation. We engage in things like ownership contracts, consensual non-consent role play, age play, and other relationship types. This is a very real game we engage in. It is always, always, with the permission and consent of all parties.

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You, in the end, are responsible for your own safety and security. This book and other Chains of Fate books attempt to show the good, bad, and sometimes unusual sides of the BDSM community. This novel is an attempt to bring you on the doctor’s journey and recovery through submission. We hope you join him as he moves through rape recovery and learning to deal with his mental health concerns. The storms that Dr. Sung’s navigates are very real events for many people. In the end, he finds comfort and love in bondage, the way so many in our community have. 

With all that said, we need to remind you that the following story is a work of fiction, and like any work of fiction, requires some degree of suspension of disbelief. We have strived to make the work both realistic and entertaining. In the real world, there are very real implications of the activities presented in these pages. Characters make choices, and those choices will eventually have consequences later on. Please keep in mind, engaging in casual sexual relations, casual D/s play, and having multiple partners requires a degree of caution and self-protection. Throughout the stories, there will be chances to see consequences of various poor choices made by individuals. Since this book has a high degree of sexual relations, we advise readers to keep safe sex in mind. The characters in this story have histories with each other and understand the risks of engaging in sexual activities with or without condom use. Some agreements take place off screen, before the reader meets the characters, so please keep that in mind. There are also some possible effects related to some of the activities the characters engage in, which they may seem to avoid. Again, this is fiction after all.

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There is a scene in which a character engages in oral sex with another without more than verbally being told his new partner is “clean”. We do not recommend this, but the character has his reasons for being willing to engage in risky activities like this. Another character engages in disturbing fantasies of others, and one character goes through stages of anger that almost turn to abuse. Characters say and do things that they should not do and have to deal with consequences of. These individuals are human, and they go through and learn throughout the stories we write. None of them will be perfect.

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Remember, the actions of characters, even protagonists, are not supposed to represent right or correct actions. These actions also do not reflect the moral standpoints of the authors. In the end, these books are about imperfect humans trying to make their way in the world. They will make mistakes, and they will hurt others and be hurt by others.

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Thanks, again, for giving this novel a read.  It is our hearts and souls on these pages. 

Love,

Beverly and Kenyon