#unbound intro

[killiancormac]

UNBOUND is a sci-fi / action story set in an alternate New York City, where corporations, small and massive alike, rule the nation. Much of the state outside of the city is home to abandoned warehouses, and many make their living scavenging whatever scraps they can find and selling them off to rival companies. 

Ethan Jackson, 26, a scavenger since he was a teen, is content with his life. He’s never known his parents, but is close with his surrogate father, Henry. He lives with his lifelong best friend Vaughn, and together with their mutual friend Diana, he makes ends meet by delving into the newest hastily abandoned facility in the remote edges of New York. 

When an acquaintance drags him along with them to a freshly deserted warehouse belonging to none other than Alistair Sinclair, tech mogul and scientist, Ethan learns much more about the world – and himself – than he bargained for.

fuck it do it scared etc etc. ive had this floating around in my head for eight years now NO it does not have a clear ending NO i have not written any of it down NO i do not know where it is going nor do i have a clear idea of how to get from point a to b.

this has very much been a very self indulgent little story that i made up when i was 16 that has just completely snowballed over the last few years <3 maybe one day ill do something real and true with it but before then i need to be properly medicated. love and light.

THE CHARACTERS:

ETHAN

My scrungly. slaps his bald (shaved) head

DIANA

from diana: greeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen. she and ethan influence each other

VAUGHN

i do love a gay doctor it has to be said. the only reasonable character in this series

E-25

ethan's twin brother he didnt know about and also somewhat superhuman weapon of war / assassin. my other scrungly x10000000000000

SINCLAIR

[knowledge-unbound-crk-au]

Welcome to Knowledge Unbound!

A CRK AU centric to Shadow Milk Cookie and Pure Vanilla Cookie uncovering the secrets of a rather peculiar situation involving the sudden dormancy of Shadow Milk’s Soul Jam and more importantly the sudden appearance of a witch’s magic across Earthbread’s surface. The familiar yet distant memory of, The Witch of Knowledge.

(Small note: this AU takes place before Beast Yeast Episode 3 everything up until the Dark Cacao’s journey has happened up until this point)

Disclaimer:

This AU is mostly going to focused on story and lore and will line up with typical canon violence and writing. Like there will be screwed up concepts and cookie gore?? But everything showcased in this AU will be typical to canon. This also means Ships will be minimal or only implied, I may ship PureShadow and many others (and trust me I’m still tagging it as ShadowVanilla cause I’m not subtle I like the ship) but for example one could easily see Shadow Milk Cookie and Pure Vanilla Cookie’s relationship as close platonic friends or romantic if they so wanted. There will be nothing explicit in the script just two idiots and them causing issues. The spiciest thing on the hot plate y’all are getting is them cuddling and one of them joking about kissing the other lol.

Introductions:

(Get to know the new and old faces you will see in this AU. Earthbread was never known for being quiet.)

SM PV WL

Where is this AU?

All future Chapters of the story will be posted HERE on my A03. The book of knowledge only grows over time after all.

[starscribes]

Crescent Unbound WIP Intro

Title: Crescent Unbound

Genre: Fantasy

POV: 3rd limited

Setting: Emberhaven is a city in the process of rebuilding after it was destroyed in the last battle between good and evil, the story starts here and then broadens out through forests and mountains, etc.

Plot: When Astrid was a girl her city was destroyed in the last battle between good and evil, the Chosen One triumphed over darkness and the world celebrated their freedom. But Astrid was the only member of her family to survive the collateral damage. 20 years later, she works as a historian in the now mostly rebuilt tourist city of Emberhaven, helping restore the buildings and helping curate the museum of artifacts recovered from the rubble after the battle. She has always been haunted by the past, but now her nightmares have taken a turn towards the future, and a voice whispers to her that the battle is not over. In order to stop evil from reawakening she must deliver an ancient artifact of great power to the one person she despises above all others, the Chosen One.

Characters Under the Cut

Protagonist: Astrid Vale (she/her) is 28 years old and works as a historian in the city of Emberhaven. As a girl she was confident, a little haphazard, and the first to step in against a bully. Since the End of the Beginning - the last battle fought between good and evil - she's been dealing with survivor's guilt, questioning why she survived when none of the rest of her family did. As an adult, she is more withdrawn and keeps to herself. She doesn't find it easy to connect or form meaningful relationships and tends to sabotage them when she gets too close to others. Now she avoids confrontation and conflict, rejecting leadership roles. She finds solace in solitude and has become well practiced in masking her emotions, appearing strong on the outside while vulnerable on the inside. She is more cautious, feeling a compulsive need to be prepared for anything, and seeking activities that allow her to be in control. She is haunted by nightmares of her past, and despite her more withdrawn attitude, she seeks a purpose, a reason why she survived. She thought the reason was to preserve the history and memories of those who died in the battle by becoming a historian. However, as her nightmares of the past turn towards the future and strange powers begin to awaken around her, she realizes the answer might not have been so simple.

More characters coming soon....as I figure them out

[whimseysthrone]

The back-into-it roundup, 11/2/23

There’s a wall that builds itself. It stands between me and my creative work. If I pass through it every day, I can knock it down a little with each trip—moving past it is never effortless, but the wall doesn’t have a chance to grow that much. If I don’t pass through for a while, the wall climbs and solidifies. Pushing past it gets harder the longer I wait. I shared that image, that metaphor,…

[drazillion]

Drawfee Tarot Analysis with Draz

Nathan Past - The Sun / Present - Strength

The Sun is a card of unbridled positivity and optimism. When you see it upright in a reading, it is always a good sign. But it's also a card that's often unrealistic and naive. Other cards come with warnings, but the Sun does not.

Strength reminds us that physical force is one manifestation of power. Emotional strength is equally as important. The maiden has tamed the lion with her kindness and compassion, not by besting it in a fight. Still, it is important to remember that on this card, both maiden and lion share the mantle of Strength. It is both of them, not one or the other.

Both largely positive cards, the Sun and Strength embolden each other.

In regards to Nathan in particular, I have to point out the similarities of Nathan's 2024 avatar and the duality of the maiden and the lion. Nathan is perhaps best known for his kindness and warmth, qualities exemplified by the sun, but ignoring the wide spectrum of his feelings is like ignoring the lion. Personally, I admire him for his ability to keep his optimism and his bitterness and rage in balance.

Therefore, in a sense, Nathan's cards represent his increasing willingness to share his more negative frustrations, while never losing sight of the light of the sun.

Jacob Past - The Fool / Present - The Chariot

The Fool is unique in that it is the 0th Major Arcana. The Fool is unbound by numbers, by order. The Fool is potential incarnate, inviting us to leap towards the future and seize the day. The Fool does not care about plans, preferring to deal with each new situation as they arise.

In comparison, the Chariot is a focused force with a goal in mind and with the confidence to see it through. The two sphinxes that drive the chariot represent opposing desires, but upright the charioteer is able to get the sphinxes to move forward together through sheer willpower alone.

Together, they are a confident duo encouraging forward momentum. The Chariot reins in the Fool's more reckless aspects while the Fool reminds the Chariot to still have fun along the journey and that keeping plans flexible is important.

These two cards clearly represent Jacob's journey since Drawfee became independent. While his role as episode and stream host (in particular trying to get everyone through the intro) is the most obvious, this also includes his role as content strategist. His analytical side is where his Chariot aspects shine brightest. In addition, the Fool and the Chariot combine when he makes music. When Jacob's well crafted plans fall apart, it is the Fool that comes to his rescue.

Karina Past - The Empress / Present - The Magician

Representing Mother Nature, the Empress is all about beauty and creativity. The Empress asks us to embrace qualities traditionally seen as feminine, regardless of gender. You are not weak or lesser for taking care of yourself or expressing yourself. The Empress encourages us to get in touch with our emotions, as well as the natural world.

The Magician is numbered 1 in the Major Arcana, and represents the transformation of the raw potential of the Fool into something actionable. The Magician has all the tools needed to fulfill their desires, but those tools might not necessarily look usable in their current state. The Magician must recognize this and realize the true nature of these tools.

The Empress and the Magician are both creative cards and support each other in this endeavor, provided that the querent (person the card reading is about) takes initiative.

Though both cards symbolize Karina's journey these past four years, it is no surprise that the Magician is one of them, with the creation of Sonny Mama and other mixed media creations in the past year. Nothing exemplifies the Magician more than literally using things like a log and a brick as part of a sculpture. The Empress's presence is subtler though the numerous plants that live in Karina's apartment give it away.

Julia Past - The Tower / Present - The Emperor

Due to its name, Death is often seen as the "worst" Major Arcana card. It's not. That distinction goes to the Tower (though the "worst" tarot card overall goes to the Ten of Swords). The Tower is sudden upheaval, is destruction, is disaster. Yet even so, the Tower is not an unredeemable card. Far from it. Sometimes a situation is so bad the only way to end it is to obliterate it. Sometimes the old must be destroyed to give way for the new. The Tower does not give us the tools to rebuild, that is something we have to do on our own, but it does show us that it is possible to build something better from the rubble.

The Emperor represents an authoritative figure who enforces structure in an otherwise chaotic world. Equally, the Emperor is a strategist who keeps in mind the needs of others when making decisions. The Emperor is also a protector, shouldering burdens so that others don't have to.

It can be easy to think of these two cards as complete opposites. In reality, this means they are both sides of the same coin. If the Tower is destruction of the old paradigm, then the Emperor is the establishment of the new.

The Collegehumor Layoffs exemplify the idea of the Tower. An established workplace that came crashing down. And Julia, the Emperor, rose up to the challenge of dealing with all the paperwork that would eventually lead to Drawfee's independence. Four years later, Drawfee still benefits from the work Julia did, not to mention the fact that she continues to deal with everything finance related in regards to the company. Not to mention all of the other tasks Julia takes on. While all five members of Drawfee are essential, it would be safe to say Drawfee would be unable to exist in its current form without Julia.

[ominous-faechild]

CHARACTER INTRO:

FAERIE'S DAWN

NOVA “ME” FAE

(bitterly) “You can do it, too. Archfae aren't special. They just gatekeep knowledge, and pretend we're all lesser than them.”

“Hm. I don't much like that name, either...” - Nova “Me” Fae

One of the many fae born in the early days of the Reborn World, Nova woke up in a world of chaos and magic. The Faewildes permeated all of what would have otherwise been reality, leaving the world nothing but madness.

This—a rapidly, ever-changing world of danger and subjugation—is the world that Nova grew up in.

For much of their life, Nova had watched the rest of the world from afar. They'd used their magic to see without eyes, taking in the actions and consequences of others. They learned the rules of the world without putting themself on the line.

And then Nova dipped their toes into the water.

They joined the rest of the world, abandoning their old voyeuristic ways to experience things for themself.

And then deeply regretted their decision.

Life As “A Normal Faerie”

Not accepting the typical rules of the Faewildes—where weaker fae fall under the control of archfae stronger than themselves—Nova has run from archfaerie dominion to archfaerie dominion, struggling to find a place they feel at home.

And each and every time, they've done something wrong.

The archfae turn on them, attempting to kill them for their crimes.

And yet... Nova's still here today.

They've survived countless archfaerie attacks, escaping to live on another day... and run into the next.

So, with their terrible luck, will Nova ever find somewhere they feel safe?

Magic & Combat

Nova is vague about their faerie domain—presuming they know it at all.

Still, they have displayed an incredibly diverse range of abilities, including (but not limited to): seemingly-unbound teleportation, turning invisible, creating sound barriers, and creating protective shields of magic.

In combat, Nova most often uses a combination of teleportation, warping their surroundings, warping their own body, and physical barriers to avoid attacks and turn the terrain against their opponents.

Despite their great skill in combat, Nova hates fighting. If a fight would be any more difficult than them curbstomping their opponent, they often default to the ability given to all fae: will-breaking.

Like all fae, Nova is able to break the wills of their fellow faeries and then command them. However, instead of subjugating other fae under their will for the rest of time, Nova brainwashes their enemies into leaving them alone.

Overall, Nova has extreme skill over their inborn fae abilities, but purposely goes around with an underwhelming amount of essence (magical power) in order to fly under the radar.

... if only it worked nearly as often as they hoped it did.

Appearance

As a faerie and a shapeshifter, Nova can technically take on any form they want. However, they tend to stay in the form of a 4'8 (142 cm), androgynous humanoid faerie.

Nova physically appears to be 14, but the Faewildes are infamous for their space-time distortions and inconsistent rules. Due to this, even they are unaware of their exact age. However, when their time experienced is translated into our perception of years, Nova is approximately 16 years old.

Described to be a "surprisingly human-looking faerie", Nova has warm peach skin, an endless amount of plain brown freckles, sharp features, and a mess of long, curly vermillion hair. For their fae features, they only have mothlike eyelashes, fawn-like legs, wooden hands and forearms, and stereotypical long, fae-tipped ears that move with their emotions.

Despite Nova's tendency to remain in that form, they shapeshift far more often than most fae, using it every time it's practical and/or convenient to do so. For example: they are frequently seen adjusting their height to be more intimidating, warping their body to work in impossible ways, and even growing massive butterfly wings in order to fly.

(Notably, Nova always wears a dark green, hooded cloak)

Personality & Motives

Nova is loud, crude, hyperactive, and childish. They've had very little significant interactions with others, and have instead spent a majority of their life watching others live their lives from afar or exploring the Vast Faewildes.

Nova is talkative, theatrical, and extravagant; and often uses dramatic gestures and magical effects to accentuate their speech. They constantly over-exaggerate and put their entire self into everything they do, making themself come off as extreme to others.

Still, despite their sociability, Nova is hyper-alert and paranoid. They're constantly prepared for anybody, everybody, and everything to suddenly turn around and try to attack them... and yet are still desperate for friendship. Although they refuse to admit it, Nova is extremely lonely, and is secretly searching for a place where they feel safe and loved.

To this end, Nova has been exploring the Faewildes almost aimlessly, mostly just doing the bare minimum to keep themself alive... until they came across two faeries in Kilrey.

Now, Nova has a new goal: to help Sky and Cloud find themselves a home, and to maybe finally form a friendship they never thought possible...

... just, not with Sky. He can go crawl into a hole and die. Or just shut up. Y'know, Nova doesn't really care, so long as he “just leaves them the fuck alone!”

(Except they do care... don't they?)

Name

Despite being referred to as Nova by the story, the faerie who claims “I'm just... Me.” has yet to pick their name. The name “Nova” was selected for poetic as well as symbolic reasons:

Nova, as in “new” (because they're a young faerie) (and... for other reasons 🙂)

Nova, like the “supernova” star (😉😉😉)

During Faerie's Dawn, “Nova” searches for a name for themself... as they simultaneously try to figure out who they are and want to be.

(Also, Nova is canonically genderfluid. Feel free to use any and all pronouns for them! ❤️)

Theme Song

With one desperate push His poor diaphragm forced out a plea He said: “One home burned down, one fell apart One met a flood, and one was nothing from the start Weapons built against me, well they all seem to fail But weapons built against my home They always will prevail “So leave me my liver and leave me my skin Leave me the way all those other homes did But leave me a soul, only by definition I don't want to feel anything “My neurons are snapping like cat gut strings A symphony of agony”

“Oh... it's time for us to part ways, huh...? Well, then... take care, I guess...”

Faerie's Dawn Taglist:

@honeybewrites @the-golden-comet @illarian-rambling @ashirisu @urnumber1star

@the-letterbox-archives @48lexr @aalinaaaaaa @thecomfywriter @an-indecisive-nerd

@seastarblue @rae-butter @teamarine777 @caffeinated-starsailor @oliolioxenfreewrites

@corinneglass @thebookishkiwi @storyteller-kara @themongosianhorse @theburningeyeofdawn

@notyourlocalworm @write-with-will @mildlybizarrecorvid @forgottenvalor @huewrite

@vesanal @differentnighttale @plip-plap-plop @olliedoesthings @pupculture

@princessuncertain @mythicalmagical-monkeyman @i-do-anything-but-write @a-zendrial

@real-fragments @lunauphternal @sullymarlowe @aalinaaaaaa (ask and ye shall be added)

divider by @thyming

[toh-unbounded-flesh-au]

THE OWL HOUSE AU

UNBOUNDED FLESH

the basic rundown of the AU is a few weeks after the defeat of Belos. Luz slowly (not that slow) experiences changes in her body and personality after being granted the titans powers for a limited time. These changes concern her friends. Amity is the first one to notice and take action about these strange changes. bonus creator intro hello!! im peep im 14 and a female I go by she/her pronounce. My favorite toh character (and favorite character in media) is Luz Noceda im literally her irl trust, honorable mentions of other characters are the crying child from fnaf, Mugman from Cuphead, Emma from tpn, Sayori from ddlc and Gumball from the tawog. my favorite music artist is Mitski and my favorite games are Minecraft, Cuphead, Roblox and Rayman legends :33

[avidabsurdist]

Every time a new Brandon Sanderson book is released everyone updates their suggested reading order but all you need is the patience to be uninformed and enjoy the book!

But depending on your preference the best story to start with will be different.

If you want a crash course on the basics of The Cosmere's magic physics (Aka Investiture) so you can hypothesize on how other magic works I suggest the short story "The Emperor's Soul" as a starting point, it gives a solid overview of Realmic theory and covers Identity (a rather difficult idea to communicate) very effectively. (this is the start of the PhD route)

If you want something that's more like a traditional fairy tale as an intro I suggest Tress Of the Emerald Sea, which doesn't require a PhD in the shattering to understand. (though if you're going the PhD route I suggest reading this one later because if you're questioning the magic it's a far more confusing one)

Warbreaker is a good middle ground, if you're going the PhD route I suggest this second (it covers Intention which "The Emperor's Soul" doesn't), It's not a bad starting place either, it was my first book in The Cosmere and it's up for free on The Sand-Man's website. It's also all-around an excellent book.

I'm going to be (a tad) controversial and say I enjoy Elantris, it's certainly not Brando-Sando's best work but it was his first, and it's not a bad book to start with! just keep in mind that many of the issues in the book are things he improves on in later books.

Mistborn is two (soon to be 3) series, we distinguish them by 'Era' and they should be read in order if you want to make sense of what's going on.

Mistborn Era 1 (3 books) is also an excellent place to start, it's a YA-style series so you follow a teenager in a Post-(more like perpetual)-Apocalypse, but it's also an Epic high fantasy so if you like those and don't mind romance It's a good one.

"Mistborn Secret History": read this after Mistborn Era 1 if you're going the PHD route read anytime before The Lost Metal (Era 2 Book 4) for everyone else. (PhD track: if you want the most out of it I suggest also reading White Sand first)

Mistborn Era 2 (4 books) is a high fantasy Western set in the same world much later in time, 10/10 no notes, it's excellent.

The Stormlight Archive, TheBigOne™ It is planned to be a 10-book series with accompanying Novellas. I suggest reading in chronological order including the short stories, published so far that would be:

The Way of Kings

Words of Radiance

"Edgedancer" (novella)

Oathbringer

"Dawnshard" (novella)

Rhythm of War

Start with this series if you thirst for sprawling high-fantasy novels with page counts that would make grown men weep (the Audiobook for RoW was like 48 hours long)

The entirety of Arcanum Unbounded is not required reading, (unless you're on the PhD track) but it contains both "The Emperor's Soul" and "Edgedancer", you should probably read Elantris, Mistborn Era 1, Alloy Of Law (MB Era 2 Book 1), and Stormlight (up to Words of Radiance). If you enjoy Graphic Novels and dislike spoilers/rereading stuff when you haven't finished it yet I suggest skipping the White Sand excerpt.

White Sand is also not a terrible intro, it covers a theme in B-Sandy's work that isn't directly related to the cosmere but will give you a good insight into whether you'll like his work or not: the idea that skill is developed, not just inherent. if you're like me and dislike graphic novels GraphicAudio™ (actually a company not a joke) Has an Audio rendition that has some narrative differences from the Graphic novels (iirc at least one character is a different gender) But the Graphic novels also have a random boombox on a planet with no electricity so either should be fine.

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter is in a similar situation to Tress of The Emerald Sea except instead of a classic European Folktale Vibe it's got a Western Interpretation of Anime Vibe, ofc it's high fantasy like all Sandon Branderson's work so it's world is inspired by Japanese culture rather than just being Japanese.

The Sunlit Man read Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell (Arcanum Unbounded), and at least Oathbringer (Stormlight Archive 3) before this one, unless you like being thrown into the deep end, Mistborn Era 1 & 2 would also help.

There are other routes than Ph.D., there's also the Galactic Politics route, The Secret Society route, The Worldhopper Watcher route, The Ancient History route (Aka The Shattering route) ect

if you want specific reading route recs just tell me what you're looking for I can help!

[shentheauthor]

Ranking the boss fights in nine sols, worst to best.

Disclaimer: these are all my own opinions, and I love ALL of these fights. I just love some more than others!

8-Goumang. I love her to bits and pieces but oh my god those soldiers are ANNOYING. Fuck OFF. It’s completely doable, but it pisses me off regardless.

7- Yanlao. I love this one as well, but the lasers get annoying and that stupid claw just does the same move over and over. There’s very little variation in its attack patterns.

6- Yingzhao. It’s a great intro fight to the game, and it’s REALLY fun, but all in all, it’s not my favorite! It’s the least difficult fight and I love a challenge. Plus Yingzhao as a whole isn’t even a character. It fits Kuafu well, but idc about Yingzhao. Rip. Also there’s one attack that’s a little scuffed because you have to parry way sooner than you think you do, and it fucks me over every time.

5- The Fengs. They are some of my faves, because I love the rhythm of their fight. Fuxi’s slow, well-telegraphed moves pair well with Nuwa’s projectiles, and it’s just a blast to get the hang of.

4- Eigong. She’s ONLY this low because she kicks my ass every time. Banger fight, 10/10, I just have others that I love more. Still, I love how you can clearly tell Eigong taught Yi how to fight. She uses the same moves, and it hits different to be on the receiving end of a talisman blast. Absolutely impeccable fight.

3- Jiequan. This might surprise some people considering how little I talk about it, but good GOD I love his fight. There’s this huge rush I get when I beat him fair and square without using the gene eradicator. It’s the first boss fight we get with unbounded counter, and it really throws you into it fast. Also his boss theme FUCKS.

2- Lady Ethereal. Do I even need to say anything? It’s so chaotic, but once you get the hang of it, it’s incredible. Learning her attack patterns is so fun for me. I haven’t had this much fun learning a boss’s moves since Nightmare King Grimm, and that’s saying something because that fight is one of my favorite video game battles ever.

1- Ji. My intense bias shows. The little lifelines he gives you during battle are great, and the patterns really feel like a dance after a while. Parrying Ji’s sword attacks is so satisfying, and the mechanic of choosing their attacks is so creative! It might be odd to rank this one higher than Lady Ethereal since I compared to her my favorite boss fight ever, but Ji gets bonus points for the creativity.

[blessedarethebinarybreakers]

Due to flare ups, I’ve been thinking more about my relationship with my disabilities and my relationship with God — any good resources/book you can recommend?

Hey there, sending love and solidarity as you go through flare ups and as you explore all this <3

You came to the right place — disability theology is one of my great passions! Here are my recs for you. If anyone has more resources to add on or insights for anon, please share!

For starters...

First, you might enjoy wandering through my #disability theology tag over on my other blog, which includes excerpts from various disability theologians.

Or reading through / praying with the disability text prayers I shared here last July for Disability Pride Month, which were written by a variety of disabled folks.

Since it's Lent, Unbound's Disabling Lent: An Anti-Ableist Lenten Devotional is timely!

___

Memoirs Exploring Christian Faith & Chronic Pain / Illness

My Body and Other Crumbling Empires, Lyndsey Medford (2023)

This memoir connects faith, chronic illness (especially autoimmune disorders), and the sickness at the heart of Western Empire / the Protestant work ethic.

How can we learn to work with instead of against our bodies? How can we rebuild our world to treat all bodies with the love and gentleness they deserve? .

This Here Flesh, Cole Arthur Riley (2022)

An incredibly beautiful book, poetic and searing...explores the goodness of embodied life and intersections between disability (particularly chronic illness), Blackness, queerness, womanhood, and more.

Each chapter focuses on a different emotion (anger, joy, lament, love...) to teach us how to honor and listen to what we feel in our bodies.

CW for accounts of sexual assault and other forms of and abuse and trauma, as well as accounts of antiblack racism. .

Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I've Loved, Kate Bowler (2018)

If you've been steeped in any kind of prosperity gospel, "if you pray hard enough you'll be healed" type Christianity, I highly recommend this book.

Bowler writes with gentle honesty about how her chronic pain and then cancer compelled her to move away from that kind of harmful Christianity into a faith with room for doubt, grief, and a God that holds her in her suffering.

___

Disability Theology — Books, Podcasts, Videos

Disability: The Inclusive Church Resource edited by Bob Callighan (2014)

If you're interested in the perspectives of various disabled Christians, I love the range of voices they brought into this text! A great intro to how theology and church life impact disabled persons and how our churches must re-form themselves with disabled persons at the center. .

My Disabled AND Blessed YouTube series

I've got multiple YouTube videos that draw from various disability theologians!

I especially recommend my introduction to reading the Bible with a disability lens — stressing how different biblical authors hold different views around disability; so what's God's overall message? — and my video on Luke 14's parable of the banquet!

If you have questions about or struggle with the Gospels' healing narratives, I also recommend my livestream on that topic. .

My friend Laura's Autistic Liberation Theology Podcast (you can listen wherever you get podcasts)

Laura explores scripture through the lens of an autistic trans person who uses a wheelchair and has multiple chronic & mental illnesses.

I especially recommend their episode on "the Gethsemane of things," which takes an honest look at pain and where God is in our suffering. (Most of Laura's eps don't have transcripts, but I shared an abridged version of this ep on my podcast and it has a transcript)

"I am not your ornamental prophet" is also a great episode for thinking about what pressures are put on disabled persons and how to construct boundaries for yourself .

The Mad and Crip Theology Podcast

This podcast interviews the authors who are published in the Mad and Crip Theology journal, which is really cool! You can watch episodes with captions on YouTube, or listen wherever you get podcasts.

A good starter episode: this one "on Queer and Crip Sexuality and the Disabled Christ" .

Some eps of Blessed Are the Binary Breakers

While my own podcast largely centers trans perspectives, disability comes up frequently as well! Each ep has a transcript. These are the disability-focused ones:

"No End to Transphobia without Uprooting Ableism — exploring embedded forms of oppression"

"Our Pride Is Not a Sin — a Queer and Disabled Christian Lens"

"Goodness Embodied — an intersex, nonbinary first human and a disabled risen Christ"

"Marginalized Bodies as Spectacle and the good news in Jesus's disabling wounds"

"Eli and the prophet Elijah"

“Secular” books that helped shape my own theology

What Can a Body Do? How We Meet the Built World, Sara Hendren (2020)

Fantastic book digging into recent disability history, present, and future with focus on the “misfit” theory of disability where body and world interact with each other disharmoniously, and the creativity disabled people employ to make them more harmonious  .

Exile and Pride, Eli Clare (1999)

One of my favorite books of all time. Connects disability, queerness, rural life, trauma, and more. Clare is one of the originators of the concept of the “bodymind” (though he talks about that more in one of his later books)

___

Wanting even more resources? Here's my google doc with aaaaall the disability theology stuff — plus some helpful disability 101 stuff to share with loved ones!

Praying for comfort, wisdom, and community support for you as you journey! Please feel free to drop by again with any questions that come up or to share any insights you've gained any time <3

[darlingofsatoru]

—HEARTSTRINGS UNBOUND (intros)

A Sukuna/reader smau— In which you fall for the stereotypical bad boy in high school, who just happens to be a friend you made in middle school.

YOUR FRIENDGROUP:

[Name] Gojo

-Dubbed most horrible taste in boys in the group.

-Horrendously down bad for Ryomen Sukuna, a boy who you met in middle school and never got over.

Nobara Kugisaki

-A shopping obsessed teen who always manages to get her friends to pay for her clothes and bags.

-Your friend who you met in p.e, where you both did nothing the whole lesson and somehow grew into best friends.

Megumi Fushiguro

-A stoic and quiet boy with a knack for getting into drama despite his avoidance of it.

-Nobodies sure how he joined the Friendgroup, Yuji just sort of introduced him one day and.. bam.

Maki Zenin

-The girl everyone goes to for genuine advice or opinions.

-You met at the start of highschool at lunchtime, where you were both sitting quietly next to each other. You spoke up & you’re most definitely two of the closest in the group.

Toge Inumaki

-Looks shy but is secretly a HUGE gossiper.

-Met you through Yuta & connected with you by getting milkshakes together a few times, which is now a habit.

Yuta Okkutsu

-An awkward boy who is merciless to those who insult or hurt his friends, despite his smiley or scared nature.

-You met him whilst Maki was talking to him & you just sort of became friends over time from continuously seeing each other.

Yuji Itadori

-An often very happy teenager who has a surprising talent for sporty activities yet struggles greatly with academic activities.

-You ran into him one day and he felt bad at the books dropping on your head, so he insisted on taking you to the nurses office just in case.

Panda

-A sarcastic yet cheerful student.

-Met him through Gojo, a senior who introduced Panda into the Friendgroup (who was happily accepted & fitted in well).

HIS FRIENDGROUP:

Ryomen Sukuna

-An extremely well known student, both for looks and fear.

-You met Sukuna in middle school, being the only one who bothered to give him a pen. From there on, you’d stop by his desk and eventually end up sitting together at lunch or parks as you got older.

Kenjaku Geto

-A calm and calculating boy who’s related to an older student; Suguru (who just happens to be your brother’s best friend).

-You met him very briefly when you had to do a test in the same room thanks to both of you missing it but haven’t really met elsewhere.

Uraume

-A quiet yet often borderlining rude person.

-You met many times, with Uraume finding your presence almost enjoyable in the rare study sessions and small talk.

Mahito

-A loud and proud teen who is often in detention for silly things & is hated by nearly half of the school for his antics.

-You haven’t met him but he’s seen you because of Yuji’s presence, might wanna watch out for him..

Dragon

-A curse only really in the group because of Jogo but liked by Hanami & Mahito anyway.

-You’ve yet to cross paths.

Hanami

-A lightly gentle yet also extremely opposite person who dislikes most but their friends.

-You’ve never spoken or glanced at each other.

Jogo

-An arrogant, irritable yet intelligent boy.

-You’ve sat next to each other in maths one class, when a substitute teacher rearranged the seating & had no further interaction.

EXTRAS:

Mai Zenin

-A classmate of yours who’s known for snarky comments & her distantness with her sister.

-You met when you first joined the school and are chill, who knows, you could always become friends?

Satoru Gojo

-Resident popular boy who’s two years older than you.

-A good older brother who is usually never at home despite that fact, being at parties or simply friend’s houses.

Suguru Geto

-A responsible popular boy; best friend of Satoru.

-You met him whilst you were about 10 and he was 13 because of Satoru. You’re not hugely close but he’s welcoming and you text each other about your brother occasionally.

One | two | three

[whereisten]

Late Night Adventures with a Green-Haired Kingpin

*Wildcard Ending*

Part 1 | Part 2 Intro | Part 2 | Part 3 Intro | Part 3 | Part 4 Intro | Part 4: Yuta Oneshot! | Part 4 | Part 5 Finale (Happy Ending) | Part 5 Finale (Sad Ending) | Part 5 Finale (Wildcard Ending)

Summary: You couldn’t quite explain how you, a normal office worker that didn’t even have a traffic violation, ended up in a gang leader’s bed, but here you are.

Genre: angst, fluff, smut, mafia

Pairing: Gang Leader!Taeyong X female reader (who is also a gang leader now)

Warning: violence, graphic descriptions of death and murder, cursing, cheating, toxic relationship, gun and knife mention, possessiveness, manipulation and blackmail, alcohol and cigarette use, character death, smut (unprotected (be safe!), rough sex, impregnation k!nk, dirty talk)

Word Count: 12.2K

(a/n: wow wow wowww we have finally reached the end of this series, I can’t believe it, I’m actually kinda sad to say goodbye. Greenie, I will miss you :( anyway! I hope you enjoy the finale, both endings start off the same for about 1k words, then veer off to two completely different scenarios, so I hope you’ll consider reading both. let me know what you think about them! I had fun writing both! its been some time so my writing style has changed, hope thats okay. Thank you for your support <3)

“Do you think not eating will make me pity you?” Jaehyun stares at you sitting across the table from him sternly. 

You look down at your now unbound wrists in your lap then up to the guards standing in all four corners of his dining room. You couldn’t escape if you tried. 

“What’s your plan here? What’s your goal? You’ve already killed Yuta…I’m willing to give you everything we owned..and yet..you don’t want it.”

You sniffle as you think of your last moments with Yuta. As frustrating as he was, you didn’t want him to die. You never wanted him to feel pain. He was just a young, insecure guy whose downfalls could’ve been redeemed if given the chance. And in just under a minute, all that was taken from him.

You sit there, stitched up and still in pain as tears fall onto your hands.

Jaehyun carefully cuts the fat from his steak. “Oh..you misunderstand me..I do want everything, and I will take it when I please..but I also want Taeyong to pay for his, and his father’s, wrongdoings. You also must pay for your wrongdoings. You chose to protect your men, I chose to avenge my sister. With each choice comes a consequence, wouldn’t you agree?”

You don’t nod, you only cry harder. A slight feeling of shame hits you and you think of how Yuta would scold the shit out of you for showing weakness if he were alive to see it.

“Hmm?” Jaehyun places a finger on your chin and tilts it upward. You were too lost in your tears to notice he had walked over to you while carrying a piece of steak on a fork.

The annoyingly handsome man smiles slowly while tilting his head. “I have no doubt that Taeyong will find the whereabouts of your men and bring an end to this chapter, I always get what I want.”

You chuckle and brush his hand away. “You’re a fool, he knows I’d never forgive him for revealing that.”

You wince as a sharp pain cuts deep into you again, reminding you of the accident that occurred just hours prior.

“Me? A fool? Hmm and yet you’re in this situation with no Superman to save you..your other hero lay dead, headless, and covered in bugs as the first stage of decomposition starts and-“

“Fuck you! Don’t talk about him like that! You think you’re better than him, but the truth is your daddy gave you everything! You’re nothing but a spoiled brat struggling to fit into his big man pants for the day!” You stare into his eyes and curse him through gritted teeth. Before you can take another breath, he grabs your chin and tightens his grip, then stabs your wound with the opposite end of the fork.

You scream at the sudden pain while trying to escape his hold, but you can’t get away from him. He laughs as you squirm in pain.

“And are you so different? Fucking a kingpin on the first night of meeting him? Learning all there is to know about this business just so you can fuck another man and become work buddies?” 

Your eyes widen as your eyes slowly drift up to his.

Jaehyun pouts. “Oh..you didn’t know that I know you’re a whore, a smart whore, but a whore nonetheless. You spread your legs for Taeyong and it got him all googly-eyed and stupid, so stupid he gave you everything. Fuck, pussy must’ve been that good.” 

He laughs as he shoves the utensil in deeper. You groan. “Stop!”

“Inheritance is inheritance, who cares how it’s gained..isn’t that right, honey?” The wild look in his eyes reassured you that he was having fun with this.

“Fuck you! You know nothing about me! You’re lucky your dad worked his ass off so you don’t have to lift a finger, you fucking asshole!”

“You know so much, honey. You’ve also got a dirty mouth. Be careful or I might start to like you.”

Your nose flares as you breathe heavily.

He uses his hand on your chin to pull you upwards into a standing position. You try to fight him off, but he overpowers you easily. Something about him makes his strength feel unlike anything you’ve ever felt before.

He releases his grip and moves to stand behind you. He then holds the piece of steak up to your face. “Now, eat.”

You turn your head away, letting out a huff. Jaehyun pushes two fingers into your wound, making you scream again and bend over. “Stop! Please!” You grip the edge of the table, still trying to fight him off.

He only chuckles and pushes his fingers in deeper. “Just open your mouth and I’ll stop, it’s pretty easy.”

You cry harder, but do as he says, opening your mouth as he places the fork inside. 

“There you go, good girl.” He smiles again as you chew.

He lets you go and walks back to his seat at the table, leaving you a crying mess. It takes you some time and strength to sit back in your seat, your hand over your wound as blood begins to pour out. 

“You and your men are starting to piss me off, but as I said before I always get what I want.” He cuts into the steak slowly, the fork and knife held by his fingers still covered in your blood.

You feel weak, his face becomes a blur and you pass out within seconds.

[5 Hours Later]

With only a few hours left, Taeyong arrives at Jaehyun’s mansion. He sits on the couch and waits for Jaehyun to show up.

He hadn’t slept all night, he’d been working with Taeil to figure out where your men were. He immediately knew he was going to find them and give their location away to save you. As he said before, he didn’t give two shits about them and didn’t care if that offended or upset you. Yuta was killed and he needed to save you before it was too late. He lost his best friend, he couldn’t lose his true love too. Furthermore, you could help him find Haeju.

Jaehyun arrives after about 5 minutes, walking towards the love seat facing him. You walk in after him. Taeyong’s eyes follow the leash connecting Jaehyun’s clenched fist to the collar around your neck and nearly loses it. Taeyong is saddened to see you like this, your shirt stained with blood, your eyes low and red from crying, and your face drained. To make matters worse, the collar has chrome letters decorating it to spell out ‘JAEHYUN’S’.

He truly was a petty and sick man.

“Kneel.” Jaehyun commands while pointing to the spot beside his feet on the floor.

Taeyong’s eyes grow. How dare he, he’s out of his mind. His heart starts to race as he grows angry. “N-“

“It’s okay, Taeyong..I’m okay.” You kneel quickly, ignoring the fact that Jaehyun was hell-bent on breaking you down and putting you below him. He was exactly as you told him, a spoiled brat.

“Good girl.” He smirks as if hearing your thoughts.

Taeyong grits his teeth when he sees you clutching your stomach and wincing.

“She needs to rest.” He says to Jaehyun sternly.

“Oh god, I hope that’s not what you came here to tell me.” Jaehyun rolls his eyes, leaning back and taking in Taeyong’s irritated appearance. He knows he’s practically two seconds away from lunging at him, and he loves it. 

“Taeyong..you don’t have time.” You whisper through a strained breath. Kneeling in that position puts more pressure on your wound.

Taeyong swallows hard. “Fine..here..the coordinates of where their men, along with my own will be meeting. I faked a message from Yuta’s number calling for an emergency meeting at 12.”

Your eyes grow, you shake your head. “No! What are you-“

He continues. “It’s a warehouse, so there will be approximately 5 exits your men will have to cover. Do what you will, they mean nothing to me now, let y/n go so I can save my sister.”

“Taeyong, don’t do this.” You start to cry once you see the paper Taeyong places on the center table.

“Oh? It’s that easy, is it?” Jaehyun crosses a leg over the other, his dimples showing through as he grins.

Jaehyun’s right hand man grabs the paper and leaves the room to make preparations for an attack.

“I gave you what you asked for, now let her go.” Taeyong doesn’t look at you, for the sight will drive him mad if this takes any longer.

Jaehyun nods. “Sure. Go on.”

And it’s a little too easy. No catch? No pause? Just freedom? Oh no..you both knew Jaehyun better.

You start to crawl towards Taeyong, and once you’re within an arm's reach away, Jaehyun tugs the leash hard and snatches you by the collar back towards him. You yelp and grab at the collar once it tightens.

“But..I didn’t get what I asked for, did I?”

Taeyong stands up. “Stop with the fucking games! Let her go!”

You cough and gasp for air.

Jaehyun shakes his head while laughing. “I think she can stay beside me for a few more minutes..at least until my guys confirm yours are dead. It’s only fair. Or…you could stay here and let your sister die.”

Taeyong sighs and sits back down.

After a few seconds, he says through gritted teeth. “You’re an asshole.”

Jaehyun nods. “Yes..well, it’s just another day.”

“Just…five minutes..give me five minutes then.” Taeyong looks into his eyes, trying to hide his embarrassing tone of desperation.

Jaehyun scoffs then eyes him up and down. “You don’t need five minutes, you probably finish in two..”

“You broke your own rule and lied..the least you can do is give us that…I don’t even know if I’ll see him again.” You growl at him.

Jaehyun looks down at you. “Ahh..and the bitch makes another demand.”

Taeyong's eyes narrow, he never thought he'd feel such a burning urge to kill anyone as strong as this.

“Two minutes and bring my toy back unharmed.” Jaehyun lets the leash go.

Taeyong quickly kneels to the ground with you and holds you in his arms closely. He helps you up to your feet then quickly walks you outside.

“Listen, we don’t have much time but trust me, okay?”

You sniffle and shake your head. “Taeyong, you bastard, I’ll never forgive you for this.”

He holds both of your arms and holds you firm towards him, his eyes growing as his grip tightens. “Y/n, just trust me!” 

You nod, but don’t look into his eyes.

“I’m..sorry I couldn’t save you, but I know he won’t kill you, he needs to have something over me and as of right now, he knows it’s you..it’s you above everything..look at me.” He uses his finger to bring your chin up towards him. 

Your teary eyes finally meet his, melting him where he stands. Had his mind not been in a million places at once, he would’ve kissed you until the sun set. “I love you.”

“That’s not enough, Taeyong..what are you going to do?”

“First, I’m going to save Haeju, then I’ll come back for you, just wait for me, I promise..”

You nod. For a moment, you had forgotten that Haeju was running out of time. “She’s probably at the pit, it’s a house in the middle of nowhere..here take this.” You hurriedly hand him your smart watch. While getting stitched up, you remembered that it was connected to a tracker you left inside a vase at the house. The watch could pinpoint where it was once the app was activated.

“Follow it quickly, it’s just a guess, but I doubt Yuta would leave her in a place that I don’t know of.” 

Taeyong nods. “Thank you, do whatever he says, give him whatever he asks for..just until I get back, okay?”

You nod. “Please…be careful.”

He can’t hold back any longer. He leans down and kisses you deeply, drawing you in as your eyes shut. Your heart starts to race and tears flow down your cheeks as you think this will be the last time, if not for a while, then for forever.

Taeyong feels himself tearing up as well. He remembers all the moments you spent together and the times you made him happy. He remembers when you lived together like a normal couple and how your smile brightened every day for him. Losing Yuta was too much for him to bear, he knew he couldn’t lose you too.

You finally pull away and press a hand to his chest. “You have to hurry.” You swallow hard and look away.

He nods and hurries out of the mansion.

You watch him walk away and it feels like everything moves in slow motion. You’re being dragged back into the room by the guards, your arms ache, but all you can do is watch Taeyong leave. Your heart breaks slowly as you know it will be the last time you see your green-haired lover. You don’t feel the guards tightening rope around your wrists once more.

Jaehyun places an arm along the top of the couch, watching you sit still on the couch across from him.

About 30 minutes pass as you stare at the ground and Jaehyun checks his emails and calendar on his phone.

He finally places it down and grabs your leash.

“So…How does it feel? To be used and thrown away like nothing?”

You chuckle and look up to him. “He isn’t throwing me away, he’s saving his sister..then he’ll kill you.”

Jaehyun only laughs. “Why do you even care for that freak?”

You sigh and rest your back against the cushion. Maybe if you visualize yourself choking the life out of Jaehyun, you’ll be satisfied enough.

“It doesn’t matter to you.”

“Well..do you love him?”

“If I say yes, will you leave us alone?”

Jaehyun laughs again, his dimples showing through even in the dim lighting of the gold-lined room. “Now, you know I can’t do that.”

You laugh. “Of course…coward.. are you scared you’d have to keep looking over your shoulder?”

He smirks, tilting his head as he observes the collar around your neck. “You’re lucky I need you.”

“And you’re lucky I’m tied up right now! You bastard!”

“Hey hey hey..” he yanks the leash, bringing you to the edge of the couch. You steady yourself on your knees to avoid falling off.

“No need to yell, you’re funny, but don’t push your luck with me..” he stares into your eyes and there’s a dark glint in them this time. For once, you genuinely feel threatened and it sends shivers down your spine.

“Boss!” One of his henchmen bursts into the room.

“It was a set up!” 

Jaehyun lets the leash go and stands up. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

The man hands the phone to his right-hand man. You strain your ears to listen and hear they were unable to make contact with the team that set out to kill your members at the meeting. The back up team arrived at the location Taeyong told him about and discovered that Jaehyun’s men were victims of a building bombing. Bombs were set up and detonated when the clock struck 12, killing all of Jaehyun’s men. Your guys were safe, the meeting was faked. 

Taeyong must have met with your guys and devised the plan while he was gone. He knew it was risky, but took a chance anyway, knowing that Jaehyun would trust him if he left you behind.

You smile in relief, but know you’re about to see a side of Jaehyun you’d never seen before.

You can’t help but laugh when you see his face become drained of all color while listening to the person speak over the line.

He throws the phone to the floor, watching it break into several pieces. He stomps over to you quickly and grabs you by the collar, raising you off the couch as you whine.

“Did you fucking know about this?” He takes a knife out of his pocket and presses the tip into the space just below your jaw.

However, you don’t stop laughing, it was about time the bastard felt pain like you did.

“Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t, maybe I don’t even know what you’re talking about.” You chuckle and the knife goes in deeper. You could care less what he did to you, you just wanted your guys to be safe and Haeju to be found before it was too late

He growls then throws you back down onto the couch. “Fucking bitch!”

“What’s the problem? Daddy can’t fix this for you?” You say in an annoying high pitched voice. Jaehyun slaps you hard, making you split blood onto the couch. You go dizzy for a moment, but resume your laughing fit.

“First, I’ll tear him limb from limb, then gonna kill him in front of you!” Jaehyun growls.

You chuckle. “You idiot. You killed him the moment you killed Yuta and took me away, you killed him the moment you made him choose between his sister and me..”

Jaehyun stops his pace and smiles slowly. “Hmmm..you’ve given me an idea actually.. what’s worse than killing someone quickly?”

You sniffle while sitting up slowly. What is he getting at?

He sits beside you, making you slightly nervous with the close proximity. Would he kill you now? “Killing them slowly..what if I *did* marry his sister?..he’d have to see my face, always next to his poor, innocent sister’s, and regret being alive every single day.”

You turn to him, shaking your head furiously. “No..it’s not what Haeju deserves..leave her out of this..”

Jaehyun looks down at you with furrowed brows, taking the leash up slowly into his palm. “Now..now, you’re in no position to be making demands..unless..you’d like me to marry you instead?”

You knew what he wanted. To not only hold his marriage with you above Taeyong’s head, but to gain complete access to your money and assets now that Yuta is dead. 

You chuckle. “You’re insane.”

He stands up. “Fine. Haeju it is.”

You jump to your feet. “No! Neither of us..you won’t hurt him this way, you’ll only dig a deeper grave for yourself if you marry either of us in front of him!”

“Well, sweetheart, I’m quite the daring person, I’d love to see how deep the grave gets…so what- or who- will it be? You or her?”

[10 Days Later]

You’re getting dressed when a notification pops up on your phone screen.

[BREAKING] Body of Young Woman Found, Mutilated by Knives

Your eyes widen. You unlock your phone and read through the article quickly. “No..no, it can’t be.”

“Are you ready?” Jaehyun opens your door and walks in.

“No..this..this can’t be happening..” tears flood your eyes, it was your worst nightmare playing out in real time. The body was confirmed to be Haeju’s. You feel your heart break into pieces. You stumble back and sit onto the bed as everything turns gray. Jaehyun didn’t let you have a phone so you couldn’t get in contact with Taeyong. His guys were also unable to find him. This is why.

He must’ve lost it when Haeju died. There’s no way he’d be back for you now, the one person he truly loved was gone. You wish you could apologize to him, you wish you could console him as he cries.

“Let’s go.. and don’t make me come back.” Jaehyun leaves your room, ignoring the fact that you’re sobbing into your hands after hearing the news. He’s cold-hearted, cruel, unfair, and now, you’re stuck with him forever.

Guilt eats away at your heart for the entire day. You can’t focus on the new responsibilities you’re tasked with as Jaehyun’s wife. You were able to save your guys after everything, begging Jaehyun to allow them to live as they had nothing to do with you and Taeyong’s choices. He could use the men to replace his that passed, and you proved that they were valuable by highlighting their accomplishments. 

You even surrendered everything to him once you married, combining your accounts and giving your businesses to him so he’d take the title as the owner alone. You knew Yuta would’ve cursed you out for giving him everything, but it was all you could do to save everyone. 

Now, with not a penny to your name after all these years, you were reduced to being the wife of a kingpin, a woman whose only duties were to provide a man’s needs while sitting quiet and pretty. It upset you, to feel like just an object after all you’d been through. But this was your punishment after letting Yuta and Haeju down. You deserved this, you deserved to be unhappy for the rest of your life.

Jaehyun was just happy to own you. Taeyong was nowhere to be found to pay for his crimes, he knew sooner or later, he’d be back for you. He awaits the day he gets to kill you both, not until after inflicting so much pain that you beg for death of course. Until then, he’d have to keep you alive.

In the meantime, both you and your men pledged allegiance to him and he couldn’t be happier.

[Three Months Later]

As time goes by, you worry for Taeyong, but you also feel as though you’ve been abandoned again. Could you blame him? You let his sister die. Why would he want to see you? You’re also a practical death trap for him here with Jaehyun.

But still, you wondered why he didn’t care about what happened to you.

“Hey..everything okay?” Xena leans over and asks as you both get pedicures together. If it were up to you, you wouldn’t have taken care of your appearance, but Jaehyun said that he’d never have a disgusting woman by his side for his business partners to see. If you wanted to be claimed as a luxurious handbag for a man, you needed to look expensive like one. And that meant getting all sorts of treatments done to your body daily. It was tiring, but it meant pleasing Jaehyun and in turn, staying alive.

You turn to her. “Not really, but it’s okay.”

Surprisingly, Xena was nice to you. She ended up falling in love with a doctor from the underground hospital she stayed at while healing. You realized it didn’t take much to get her to be head over heels though. She told you she thought she loved Taeyong, but she didn’t, she just liked the attention and his smile.

She knew you were stuck here in this never-ending loop of life while being a wife to Jaehyun of all people. She could see that it was hard and that you missed Taeyong, and the pain in your eyes was satisfying enough. After all, you did cause her to be shot.

Then again, Jaehyun was harsh and she couldn’t imagine being with someone she didn’t truly love.

“Okay..” she nods.

Later that night, you, Jaehyun, Xena and her new boy toy, Doctor Kun, have dinner together. They laugh and have a great time, while you give a small smile and nod. How could you find joy like some regular housewife?

After about two hours, you say your goodbyes and start to clean the dishes.

Jaehyun leans against the counter and looks at your sad face. “It’s been months..when are you going to get over it?” He says sternly as he crosses his arms in disappointment. 

He eyes you up and down in the lavender colored spaghetti strap silk dress he chose for you.

You chuckle. “Get over it? That’s funny.”

He raises his brows. “If you don’t want to do the job of a wife, then I could just kill you and get another, would you like that? How about I relieve you of your duties?”

You look onto him with empty eyes.

“Taeyong would be sad though..” he tilts his head, his mouth tilting upwards once he realizes he’s said the words that will spark feelings in your heart again.

“Oh fuck off, Jaehyun, you need me.”

He steps closer to you. “What I need is for you to smile and stop being a self-indulgent bitch. You make people uncomfortable when you act like that.”

You suddenly throw a dish to the floor and look up at him. He isn’t startled, only amused as he always is when you get upset. It’s like seeing a dog run wildly through the house because he caught the zoomies.

He chuckles.

“Uncomfortable? Jaehyun, I’m in a fake marriage! Oh, I’m sorry if I look miserable, but maybe it’s because I fucking AM! Have you ever thought about that?!”

“And how did you get into this position? Your memory isn’t that bad, is it?” He says smoothly.

He steps closer and you can feel the heat in your cheeks rise. He’s so intimidatingly close, he towers over you and you back away, but the edge of the kitchen counter hits your back.

“All I want is for you to smile..I give you everything, your life is grand and expensive..look at this mansion you can prance about in.” He stands directly above you, eyes staring intently into yours as he smirks.

You can’t help but look away, feeling the intensity might burn right through you if you stare any longer. Jaehyun can practically feel your heart racing.

He wraps an arm behind you and reaches to the back of your head, grabbing your hair clip so it falls loosely to your shoulders. You look back up at him through wide eyes, slightly scared by him in this moment.

He places it onto the counter then leans down. He’s intoxicating as his movements hypnotize you, your mouth opens on instinct. He presses his knee in between your legs, making the fabric of your dress rise. His lips just centimeters from yours, you feel his hot steamy breath enter your mouth. 

But he doesn’t kiss you, instead he places his hand onto your neck and squeezes. You whimper at the sudden sensation of his finger tips digging into your throat. He leans back and looks into your eyes. “Smile.” 

You shake your head, causing him to tighten his grasp. You hold his wrist in an attempt to stop him. “Smile or I’ll kill you right now.”

His knee presses into you harder, giving you friction that you so desperately need in between your legs.

“No.” You grumble out.

He turns the stove top on the oven beside you on. “Don’t push me, y/n.” His husky voice enters your ears.

“I hate you.” You look into his eyes.

With that, he spins you around, grabbing the back of your head and forcing you down onto the stove. You place your hands on the counter on either side. “Stop!”

“Smile!” He presses you down harder against your resistance.

You’re just centimeters away from the stove, feeling the heat decorate your cheeks as it gets hotter with each second.

“Okay!” You cry out, tears now falling out of your eyes.

He lets your head go and spins you around. 

You smile and wipe away your tears for him. 

He finally smiles back and rubs the back of your head. “Good girl.”

He kisses you for the first time, it isn’t nearly as magical as it was with Taeyong, but you welcome the embrace. It has been some time since you last felt lust like this and you needed a release.

Jaehyun wasn’t kind and he wasn’t gentle, but he was handsome and good at winding you up.

You take his shirt off over his head and unbuckle his pants.

He rips the straps off your dress, allowing your chest to be free. He then kisses your neck and shoulders as his hand holds the back of your head. You moan, chills running wildly throughout your body before he takes one of your nipples into his mouth while caressing the other. 

He pushes the bottom of the dress up so you can wrap your legs around his waist as he kisses your neck. He enters you quickly and easily, noting how you were turned on just as much as he was by his actions. He grunts and curses as you cry out his name. Your nails scratch his broad shoulders then his back, drawing out blood as he fucks you against the kitchen counter for the first time. 

“Fuck..” you whimper and shut your eyes tightly. He’s rough and unforgiving with his thrusts, you nearly cry from the feeling of being stretched out to fit him, but within minutes you reach your climax together. 

Jaehyun pants as his head rests on your shoulder. “He’s never coming back, y/n.”

You look down at the knife set to your left, you have him right where you want him. So why don’t you do it? You could end it all now, but you know that stabbing him will only lead to your death.

You had to follow Taeyong’s orders. You had to wait for him. Surely, he’d show up.

You never made love again after that day, you were only lustful for that moment, but never again. Jaehyun wasn’t Taeyong, he’d never be him.

You did, however, help Jaehyun make business decisions and even caught when partners were trying to sell him short.

One day you meet with property owners looking to sell a nightclub. They inform Jaehyun they only wish to receive 30% of the profit from the club, leaving Jaehyun with 70%. They call it a fair deal, but you notice something is wrong.

Jaehyun’s advisor agrees with it at the meeting, but you stop Jaehyun from signing.

“I’m sorry..it’s just, something isn’t sitting right with me..” the men turn to you, their sharp eyes exposing their disgust at you opening your mouth in the first place.  

“Go on.” Jaehyun looks at you and nods. 

But you didn’t need his permission to. You continue. “The club is located in a city with a diminishing population, folks are getting older and leaving to calmer places once they retire. By investing in this club, Jaehyun would be losing more than what he would gain, resulting in immense negative profit for us, and minimal loss for you as you would no longer have the responsibility of upkeep and creating appeal.”

The men are stunned silent, two shift in their chairs and look down.

Jaehyun smiles slightly then looks back at the men. “Well..is my wife correct to assume you are setting me up?”

“No..sir, we’d never do that, please believe us-ah-we just..” one man scrambles to come up with an excuse.

Jaehyun raises his hand. “That’s enough, get out.”

They move quickly, knowing that Jaehyun has a short fuse and would easily end their lives if he felt the need to.

Afterwards, it’s just the two of you in the room. He is impressed by you and even turned on by the way you talk, he wishes he could take you right then and there, maybe even while the advisor watches. Nonetheless, he knows you’ll never touch him again so he chuckles and stands up to leave with his advisor.

“You’re talented and smart, I’m happy I kept you.” He says over his shoulder as you bow.

You grimace while feeling like some sort of pet for the man.

“I was only stating my findings. It was pretty obvious what they’re trying to do.” You stand up straight and meet his eyes, the ones of Satan himself. He never let you have a phone, but he did get you a computer to do research. Of course, he also made sure to track every website you went on.

Jaehyun smiles then closes the door behind him.

[Two Months Later]

You were sitting at your desk when you heard Jaehyun call you downstairs.

You enter the dining room and feel an overwhelming sense of shock when you see him.

Taeyong.

He smiles when you walk in, making your heart melt. You feel a mix of emotions. Happiness, regret, and fear all flood you at once. You wondered why he had dared to enter the lion's den, but you also felt relieved to see he’s still alive and well. 

His hair is an intense raven black color now, but makes him look more mature and just as handsome as he was from the very first day you met him. You want to hug him, to cry with him, to feel his heart against yours once more.

“Sit.” Jaehyun interrupts your thought, he feels ill seeing you happy at the sight of Taeyong.

You do as he says, sitting in the seat between him and Taeyong.

Taeyong is overwhelmed when he sees you. Just as pretty as ever, you look healthy and gorgeous in your lavish jewelry. They weren’t you and he knew that, but he figured Jaehyun would dress you up like a doll just because he owned you. He wanted to kill him so badly, for many reasons. Behind all the glamour, however, he could see the emptiness in your eyes. They were now a dark abyss that had lost hope and he felt bad for being the reason for it. Soon, he’d make it up to you.

“Well..should I kill you or her first?” Jaehyun places his hands on the table and leans forward while smiling.

Taeyong looks away from you and back to Jaehyun with an evil glare. “I’ve come to talk..after some time away, I’ve made the decision to leave everything to you…Jaehyun.” 

You gasp. Was Taeyong really willing to give everything up?

“You expect me to thank you? Why shouldn’t I just kill you and take it? It belongs to our family anyway. Haeju is dead so there goes the idea of our families merging.”

Taeyong shows his irritation at the mention of Haeju and clears his throat. “I guess I should explain the benefit behind keeping us both alive..”

“I’m losing my patience, Taeyong.”

“My businesses are still gaining value with interest as time goes on. Everything imported into my account will automatically be put into yours, but only while I am alive. It is not until I die that the value of these investments will be frozen and assessed by a special agent. Long story short, I’ve made it so that my assets will increase drastically over the next few months and years…so if you killed me now..you’d lose a lot. And no one likes to lose, isn’t that right Jaehyun?”

Jaehyun chuckles. “You sly bastard..”

Taeyong slides two stacks of papers across the table to Jaehyun.

“Just sign it and my earnings become yours forever…”

Jaehyun leans back in his chair. “What’s the other contract for?”

Taeyong’s nods and crosses his arms. “Oh that? Those are just divorce papers for you and y/n.”

Your eyes widen. Taeyong was insane if he thought this would actually work on Jaehyun, but then again, has he ever proven to be sane in the time that you’ve known him?

You look up at Jaehyun whose smile slowly turns downward. Why did he seem to be more upset about the divorce? 

“The papers state that everything y/n owns now belongs to you and she leaves with nothing. Although, I suppose she’s already given you everything, so in that case she will have to pay a certain percentage of her income for the rest of her life to you. 90% to be exact.”

Your brows furrow. You open your mouth to protest at the absurd request, but you trusted Taeyong to have a plan. 

Jaehyun shows his disapproval with the request with his facial expression alone.

“Both contracts state you agree to let us live freely while still benefiting from our hard work.”

You knew Taeyong was smart, but you didn’t expect this sort of courage. Who was this Taeyong in front of you? Maybe Yuta and Haeju’s deaths changed him. Maybe the absence of green hair dye allowed him to think clearly. 

After a moment of silence, Jaehyun laughs like a maniac at the table. You swallow hard. It wasn’t going to work, he was going to kill both of you.

“Guards.” He waves a hand and every guard in the room points their shotgun at you, some point theirs at Taeyong.

“You’re pissing me off, I like having y/n by my side, I own her..” he says the last three words with a snarl.

“Jaehyun!..Please-“

“You don’t have to beg him, y/n, not anymore..and definitely not while I’m here.” Taeyong reaches into his pocket, pulling out a ziploc bag and placing it into the table. 

“When’s the last time you’ve seen your sister, Jaehyun?”

You look closely and find..a finger.

But not just any finger.. one with the initial’s ‘XK’ tattooed onto it. 

Xena. You were with her when she got the tattoo to prove her loyalty to Kun. You draw in a sharp breath. “Taeyong..”

He slides the bag across to Jaehyun who stops laughing and looks closely. 

He holds the blood-stained bag up and realizes it’s his sister’s ring finger. 

He slams it down and stands up. “Where the fuck is she?!” He takes his own gun out of his pocket and points it to you. “Tell me now or she fucking dies!”

Taeyong only laughs “I’m the only one that knows where she is, kill her and you’ll never know where she is..all I can tell you is she doesn’t have much time.” He smiles wickedly.

Jaehyun cocks his gun. “Do you think I’m fucking playing with you?! Tell me now!”

Taeyong leans forward, staring into Jaehyun’s soul like Lucifer readying to claim.  “Sign both contracts and I will tell you. Should the contracts be broken, my lawyer has the right to take all of your assets and put them into a private account.”

Jaehyun grumbles. “Why the hell would I trust you after what you did last time?!” 

Taeyong tilts his head to the side. “Yes, what I did was shitty, wasn’t it? This time, I will go with your men to her location, but first..you must let y/n go.”

You shake your head, knowing that they’ll just kill him after Xena is found. “No..Taeyong, come with me please.” You start to cry. “Don’t leave me again.”

Taeyong continues to impress you, but the biggest surprise of all is that he is willing to give everything up for you, even after you unknowingly aided in Haeju’s death.

He turns to you and reaches his hand out on the table. You take it and sob. 

Taeyong rubs his thumb over it slowly. “It’s going to be okay..he won’t kill me, he’d lose too much, and Jaehyun is too smart to make a mistake like that, isn’t that right?” He turns to look at Jaehyun who still holds his gun out furiously.

After being pushed into a corner, Jaehyun has no choice but to agree. “Fuck..fine!” He signs both contracts quickly and puts his gun down. 

“You better not fucking die quickly.” If there was anything Jaehyun loved more than himself, it was money. From birth, he had access to everything because of it, he was greedy and would do anything to have it. He couldn’t love you, he wouldn’t even try, but he did love the idea that you belonged to him at the end of the day. 

You were just another item for him to have access to because of his wealth and status. The fact that Taeyong was actually able to take something out of his hands like a spoiled baby losing a toy pissed him off. More than ever, he felt the urge to kill him.

“Get her out of my sight!” Jaehyun yells. Some farewell that was.

The guards drag you by both arms from the table and out of the dining room. “Taeyong! Don’t do this! They’ll kill you!”

“Don’t worry, we’ll be okay, I’ll know where to find you, just remember what I told you.” Taeyong yells back before the heavy doors close with an echoing bang.

[The Next Day]

With the help of public transportation and a few nice strangers, you found your way back to Taeyong’s old mansion. You traveled with tears overflowing you during some moments. Taeyong risked everything for you, even harming Xena in the process. How would you see him again? 

You also had nothing but the clothes on your back, no phone, no purse, no money. How would you survive? You’re free from Jaehyun, but at what cost?

You brushed your thoughts away and headed to the only place you felt was home. You hoped he’d pop up one day if you stayed there. You’d persevere no matter how long it took.

Taeyong’s house was now abandoned, and with no gate guard, you walked in easily.

You hoped you had some old clothes there in good condition. You push the heavy doors open and walk in, wiping tears away after the long journey. His mansion was vastly different from the very first night you entered it. Much like your life, it quickly lost its charisma and beauty.

You gasp when you see someone in the shadows. It couldn’t be..

“T-Taeyong?”

You walk closer.

“I’m sorry, love, it’s just me.”

Taeil turns to you. You sob harder as he pulls you into a hug.

After pulling yourself together, you sit down at the table with him.

“Taeyong wanted me to give this to you.” He slides a briefcase on the table.

You furrow your brows. “What..what is this?”

You open it to see wads of cash under a passport. 

“We created a new one for you, he told me to tell you to leave..go somewhere you’d both go and don’t look back.. don’t tell anyone where you’re going, don’t even tell me..” Taeil says lowly.

“B-but I can’t leave, not without him..”

“Y/n..I know it’s hard, but you have to trust him. You already know where he’ll meet you.”

You look down at the passport. 

If you left now, just how would Taeyong find you? You nod towards Taeil and tell him thank you. 

Before he leaves, he turns to you. “I’m sorry.”

You nod, but you aren’t sure why he was apologizing. Did he think Taeyong wasn’t going to make it?

[One Month Later]

When the first two days passed, you were okay. “It’s only been two days, y/n, calm down.” Then days turned into weeks and weeks turned into a month.

Taeyong never showed up. You sit on the beach and take in the sight of the crystal blue water of the Bahamas. You’re right back where you started, regretting the night you met Taeyong and let him turn your life upside down. He put business first, he always has and always will. 

He probably stayed to take care of things with Jaehyun. But then again, what if he was killed? There was no way of knowing now. You didn’t have a phone, you couldn’t risk being tracked. You only had your shack that was adequate for you and the small amount of things you had.

Day after day, you engaged in your routine of having breakfast at a nearby cafe, going to the library to catch up on the news, getting dinner items from the supermarket, then watching the sunset. Oh, and your nightly cry, it was at night that you missed him the most. You missed being in his arms and feeling his warmth around you as you fell asleep. You missed feeling safe and happy.

[One Month Later]

A few more weeks pass and one day, while in the supermarket, you glimpse someone with green hair.

“I must be seeing things, plus his hair isn’t green anymore.” You mumble to yourself and continue shopping.

Then minutes later, you turn the corner to get to the aisle with eggs and collide into someone, making your basket drop as you yelp.

“Oh! I’m sorry.” You bend down and pick your basket up.

“It’s fine, y/n.”

This person somehow knew your real name, and not the fake one from your passport that you told to everyone. Did Jaehyun find you?

You look up slowly to see wavy green hair touching the man’s shoulders. Your eyes shift to his.

“Taeyong-“ you gasp, dropping your basket before throwing your arms around his neck.

He runs your back and smiles while breathing in your scent. “Y/n…my baby.” 

You start to sob into the crook of his neck. “I’m so sorry..I’m so sorry about Haeju.” You sniffle.

Taeyong pulls away and smiles softly. “Let’s go home and talk.”

Taeyong takes you to his home, a new house he purchased with cash he withdrew before leaving. 

You enter it and stare in awe. “It’s so beautiful, Tae.”

“It’s perfect now that you’re here.”

You put your hands on your hips and turn to him. “What took you so goddamn long?” You manage to get out while choking up. You missed him so much, you couldn’t believe you were actually with him.

“Y/n..” he pulls you close and kisses you deeply, you close your eyes and fall into him while he caresses your back. 

“I thought you died.” You cry harder, but he kisses your cheek and wipes your tears. 

“I know..I know, I just had to make sure you were okay first.”

“You don’t get it Taeyong. I’m never okay when you aren’t here.” 

He looks into your eyes, holding back his own tears. You’re more beautiful than ever in his eyes. He wants to kiss you for days, he wants to caress you until he takes his last breath.

“Come with me..” he takes your hand and leads you to his patio where you sit down together in front of the beach. 

He runs his fingers over your hands and swallows hard. “I haven’t..been honest with you..mainly because I haven’t found the time until now..but I need to explain what happened in the time that I was gone.”

Taeyong was different, he spoke more maturely and he was gentler. His hair was green again, but he wasn’t the maniac you met on the first night.

“Okay..”

“Haeju didn’t die..I was able to save her in time at the pit thanks to you, and the private account I told Jaehyun about is actually hers.”

Your eyes widen. “But..I saw it in the news.”

He nods. “I know..I had my guys “burrow” a female body from a morgue, they placed it in the trap after we got Haeju out. The body was so badly destroyed with the bomb Yuta set up, we only had to leave her wallet and belongings there for investigators to confirm her identity. Taeil forced news stations to release the article so Jaehyun could believe her death.”

Your mouth falls open. Haeju was alive after all. You felt relief.

“I dyed and cut my hair, then Haeju and I went to Japan. We both changed our names and she enrolled in a different college while telling her closest friends what happened. She wasn’t too happy about it, nor the fact that Yuta used her, but she’ll be okay…I’m sorry, y/n, I had to protect her.” He looks into your eyes as the reflection of the sun setting hits them, bringing out the depthness of the color. A truly beautiful work of art is in your eyes right before him.

“I see..I’m so happy she’s okay..I wish you could’ve found some way to tell me..but I get it, Tae. I’m just glad you’re here.”

He smiles and hugs you close, bringing you into his lap as he resumes your kiss. You hold his face in your hands and turn your head to give him more access. Being this close to him, feeling his heart race as his hands grip your body, it still isn’t enough.

You pull away. “Before we continue, I still want to know what took you so damn long.”

Taeyong gazes down at your lips, wishing you’d kiss him again. 

He licks his own. “Okay..” he drags his fingers down your arm, making the hair in the back of your neck raise. He had changed since you’d last been together, but he still knew how to make you weak.

[Before Taeyong’s Meeting with Jaehyun]

Xena is in the kitchen cooking when she here’s a knock on her apartment door. “Kun, baby, can you answer that for me.”

Since being shot, she decided to live a “normal” life, while still indulging in expensive things of course. She just didn’t need the drama that came along with the money, and Jaehyun was doing a great job of running their father’s business anyway. When she first decided to work for him, she had her eyes and heart set on Taeyong. He was her incentive, but once everything happened, she discovered that she didn’t love him, she only wanted his attention and with you still around, that would never happen.

Kun made her happy though. He lived a simple life and showed her what true love was.

Kun walks out from his office room and does as she asks. “Who are you?” He eyes the strange man up and down.

“I’m here to see Xena.”

“Who is it?” She shouts out and looks toward the door.

She nearly drops the spatula when she sees him.

“Taeyong” comes out in a faint whisper.

He walks in. “I’m sorry to interrupt you, I won’t take up much of your time actually.”

“Wait..did THE Lee Taeyong apologize?” She crosses her arms and walks toward him. “Kun, can you finish that for me?”

Kun nods and walks into the kitchen, leaving her and Taeyong to talk alone.

“How did you find me?” She asks as Taeyong makes himself comfortable on her living room couch.

He smiles. “Come on Xena, you know how this works.”

“You should be apologizing for putting me in the fucking hospital. You never even visited me. Were you too busy dyeing your hair a normal color?” She sits down across from him.

Taeyong nods. “I’m sorry..it wasn’t supposed to happen that way..”

She rolls her eyes. “So..you disappeared, your girl is married to my brother, I’ve clearly moved on…what is it you want?”

“Haeju..was murdered..I couldn’t save her..” Taeyong shakes his head, his eyes well with water.

Xena leans forward. “Haeju..your sister? No..she-“ memories of Haeju flood her mind as she thinks of when they met for lunch. She was sweet and they bonded well. She had nothing to do with this world and shouldn’t have suffered because of it.

“She was being held captive, but Jaehyun didn’t allow me to get to her in time.”

“I’m..so sorry.”

“I need you to help me.”

“Taeyong, if this is about the merge of our families, I can’t do it anymore, I love Kun and-“

“No..no, it’s not about that..I need to get Jaehyun to let y/n go.”

She chuckles and leans back into the couch. 

“Wow..” she rubs her temple. “You are a man with a serious deathwish. You do know who my brother is, right?”

Taeyong nods and leans forward. “It’s exactly that..he’s your brother, you’re his only weakness.”

“He will never let y/n go, Taeyong. I’ve seen it myself..”

“Seen what?” Taeyong’s brows bunch together. Jaehyun couldn’t possibly be in love with you. He’d kill him on sight if that’s the case. He was already upset with the fact that it was a business marriage and you now carried a last name that wasn’t his.

“Jaehyun is infatuated with the idea of owning her. He watches her like a hawk and doesn’t even let her hang out with anyone but myself. It would be like taking a toy out of a two year old’s hands..”

“Well..it’s not impossible..” Taeyong persists. 

“I don’t know..he’s still my brother after all-“

“Xena..listen to yourself right now. Haeju is dead because of him. None of this is her fault. And y/n being a prisoner for the rest of her life, I know you never cared for her, but do you really think she deserves that?”

She looks to the floor while thinking. “Just what is it that you want me to do?”

Taeyong explains his plan to fake her kidnapping. They “borrow” another body from the morgue, but this time, only cut off a finger and tattoo it to match Xena’s ring finger.

Once the plan was set in motion, Taeyong led Jaehyun’s men to Xena who was in a hotel room sleeping safe and sound.

Taeyong then escaped to the pit to prepare for his departure from the country again. He had to lay low and untraceable once Jaehyun discovered he was tricked again.

[Present Day]

“That’s it?” You look up into his eyes.

He scoffs. “What do you mean “thats it?” You should be thanking me or telling me how smart I am right now, do you know how much planning when into saving you from that obsessive asshole?”

You only smiled while Taeyong went on and on. It was nice to have him back.

“Speaking of..are you sure he won’t scour the world for us?”

Taeyong looks to the water. “He won’t..he’s too preoccupied with other things.”

You lift your head from his chest. “Wait..what DID you do during those months?”

Taeyong’s mouth pulls into a sly smile. “Don’t worry, baby, I took care of everything.”

“Taeyong..”

“No more questions for today.” He puts a finger to your lips.  “Kiss me or I’ll leave for a few months again.” 

You gasp. “Lee Taeyong! Are you insane? Threatening to leave me? Oh you’ve really pissed me off.”

You lift yourself up completely and stop into the bedroom. “I’m going home!”

He runs in after you laughing. “You’re already home! Come back here!”

He spins you around and drags you back to the bedroom, pushing your body into the wall. Your shoulder blades collide with it, but you’re too distracted by his smooth lips and wandering hands to care.

You wrap your arms around his neck and pull him closer as you kiss. His hands rest on your hip, fingertips digging in deeper and deeper as your tongues tangle around each other.

He leads you to the bed as you moan, laying you down before leaning over you and taking your shirt over your head. It has been way too long since he felt you, he was going to go crazy if he waited any longer.

You feel the same way, shimmying off your sweatpants so you can finally feel his skin on yours.

He places his jeans below his hips and kicks them off. He then resumes your kiss while still leaning over you.

You unbutton his shirt, revealing his beautiful tattooed body little by little.

“Tae..I need you.” You whisper into his ear, feeling his fingers release your waist then float down to your apex.

You widen your legs more as he groans.

His eyes leave your face to focus on your pointy nubs begging for his attention.

He licks around both of them as his finger massages your folds slowly but purposefully. Your hands find his hair, combing through his emerald locs while he works both nipples in his mouth. He pushes his fingers in, moaning when he feels how wet and tight you are for him.

Your head falls back into the bed as you grind onto his hand. “Fuck..” it feels good to have him touch you after all this time. His thumb flicks against your clit while he lays sloppy kisses onto your neck.

His lips graze your ear. “It’s been so long, baby, but you still feel so good. I’ve been thinking about you and how you feel around me…” he uses his other hand to play with your nipple in between his thumb and index finger.

You draw in a sharp breath as his fingertips press onto your sweet spot. “Tae..”

“You’re so pretty, I just want to fuck you all day and night long..can I do that? It’s been a while, right?”

“Yeah..” you whimper. He can feel you clenching after hearing his proposal.

“I’ll take you in any position and in every room in this house, would you like that?”

You nod and close your eyes, preparing for the climax of your life.

“This pussy is mine, right? It’s so good, I had to come back for you.” His fingers move fast, he moves his other hand downwards to tap away at your clit. 

You clench even more and grasp his arm. “Yeah..right there.”

“I’m gonna fuck you until you’re round with my kids, we can finally fill this house, what do you say?” His husky tone makes you lose. 

“Yes!” Your nails dig into his arm as your body contorts below him. Your head falls back into the bed while he slows his fingers and kisses your neck.

“Hmmm..it’s been so long, you don’t even remember the rules..”

Your eyes open. “Rules?”

He nods. “I didn’t say you could cum, did I?”

“No..but Tae, it’s been so long I-“

“Shhhh..it’s okay, we have a lot of making up to do..I just hope you’re ready.”

You swallow hard and look into his eyes as he moves further down your body.

“Now..let me taste you.”

He grabs both legs by the crooks of your knees and pulls them apart. He wastes no time and begins licking up your essence. He uses the tip of his tongue to lick in-between your folds and then your clit.

You let out a mewl and place your hand in his hair.

He licks all over, his tongue going deeper and deeper with each swipe. He teases you with light movements from his tongue for a few minutes, making you breathe heavily and curse under your breath. “Tae..please.” You whine.

You try to push him closer but he resists.

“I’m so hard, but I still want to take my time.” He smirks then maintains eye contact while flattening his tongue against you.

You throw your head back. “God..I missed you.”

With that, Taeyong moves faster. You start to ride his face, moving back and forth until you see stars.

He stands up and flips you over so you’re on your stomach with your ass up. “You’re lucky I’m too fucking hard to play with you more.”

“What’s the rush? We have an entire lifetime to play..” you chuckle, but it’s interrupted when he slams himself into you. The breath leaves your body before you groan. “Taeyong!”

“You’re right, I’m gonna enjoy ruining you every night.” He pulls out slowly, enjoying the way your tight opening quivers with him inside it, struggling to adapt to his length fast enough.

He grabs your hair and snaps your neck back. “Ow!” You yelp.

He pushes back in again. “Did you miss this?”

“Of..course..fuck.” You shut your eyes tightly. Taeyong was fucking you to fit him, you couldn’t focus on anything but the grinding sensation of him finally in your body.

Your ass hits his hips as he goes deeper with each thrust. You can’t keep yourself from moaning, listening to how he pants and whispers curses.

“This pussy is so good..I’m going to fill it until you leak all over me..”

His fingertips dig into your hips, leaving a burning sensation and you’re sure you’ve started bleeding.

“Tae..I’m going to..”

“Let me see your pretty face as you do, baby.” He pulls out and lets you turn over on your side.

He kneels and then straddles your leg while curling your other leg around his side.

He holds his hard cock in his hand, brushing the tip against your dripping folds.

He pushes in while looking into your eyes.

His intense eye contact and the way he clenches his jaw makes you even wetter than you were before.

He thrusts into you, watching as you grip the sheets beside you and whine.

This position allowed him to go even deeper while still maintaining eye contact with you.

Your clit was perfectly stimulated and he could watch every cry escape your mouth as well as your breasts.

Here you were, looking perfect as ever for him during the sunset. You always took him well while still looking so pretty. He falls in love with you all over again, gazing at your face, then your neck, your breasts, your stomach, and your thighs. If he could paint you in this moment he would. But he knew he was blessed to have you all to himself. You’re all his finally and falling apart on his cock once more. He had no plans to let this sight go for the next few days. He really did plan on fucking you everywhere and every day.

“Fuck, it’s so deep inside you..” his tongue darts across his bottom lip.

He thrusts harder than pulls out completely. 

“Faster..please.” You beg him while looking at his beautiful body above yours. The way his veiny hands roam your body and keep you in position for him drives him crazy. You can clearly see the base of his dick disappear inside you now, the sight makes you dizzy.

“Of course. Anything for you.”

And with that, Taeyong drills his cock into your pussy, whimpering as it swallows him, begging to be emptied into.

“Taeyong!” You cry out while watching his abs flex and his beautiful body glisten in sweat above you.

He moves fast and places a hand around your neck, knowing that you preferred being quieted this way.

He squeezes your throat and starts to choke you.

Your body moves up and down on the plush bed, your breasts bouncing up and down while he destroys you.

He throws your leg up on his shoulder, his cock his your g-spot repeatedly and you silently go insane. His thrusts are fast, but his sturdy length slides in and out of you easily, never failing to press against your extremely sensitive areas.

“Good girl...take it just like that.”

His tone is low and husky, he continues to choke you while looking into your eyes deeply. The dark glare turns you on even more. Of course you were his, no one gets you to the edge like he does and no one is as beautiful when they try.

And with a few more thrusts, you come undone just as he does, your body shaking once again.

Your eyes roll in the back of your head as he kisses you through it.

It feels like minutes pass by while you experience your most intense orgasm. He ensures you are stuffed with him completely before pulling out.

He lays down beside you and kisses your forehead. “Rest for now..we have a few more days of this to prepare for.”

You laugh. “Still greedy as ever.”

He runs his fingers along your back. “Mhmm.”

“You’ve changed, Taeyong..how could you leave the business behind? You were a kingpin.”

He smiles and kisses your neck. “I guess I have changed, I’ve been too easy on you..”

“I’m being serious..why did you choose this life?”

He sighs. “Well…we never got a chance to talk about it, but…when Yuta died, I realized that I didn’t want that anymore. I didn’t want the pain.. I only wanted to be with you. I need you to be happy and alive. In just a few seconds, all that was taken from Yuta…how could I let that happen to you too? It’s tiring.”

“What is?” You run your hands through his hair.

“Having to watch my back all the time..having to dominate all the time..so I did what my father failed to do..I put love first. I don’t want to lose you and the chance to live happily.” 

You tear up at his confession and kiss him again. 

You made love several times that night after taking a shower. Taeyong made true to his promise to make love in every room, making you cry out his name until your voice became hoarse.

A few days later, you get a job at an insurance agency while Taeyong buys supplies for his craft. He starts painting and selling some of his works, but most of his money is made from investments he executed while staying in Japan. These were done under his fake identity, so technically Jaehyun didn’t have the rights to them. You both live a normal life and just a few weeks later, you hear the good news.

[Five Weeks Later] 

You’ve been feeling ill for the past few days, so Taeyong takes you to urgent care. When you describe the news to the doctor, he states he suspects you’re pregnant.

Taeyong’s eyes widen. “P-pregnant?”

You roll your eyes before looking at him. “Well..you did say you’d make it happen.”

You take the test and confirm your pregnancy.

To Taeyong, you are the most beautiful woman he has ever seen while you grow throughout the months. He takes care of you and makes sure you have everything you need. Massaging your feet and giving you warm showers whenever you asked.

“We’re naming him..Cerulean right?” Taeyong rushes you to the hospital after your water breaks.

“We are NOT naming our baby after a color..oh God this hurts.” You wince in pain as Taeyong speeds through traffic. “Be careful!! You’re going too fast!! You’re driving like a maniac!” Some things never change.

You give birth to a healthy baby boy and name him Cyan. Your hearts grow even more when you become pregnant again soon after, giving birth to a healthy baby girl named Dahlia.

Taeyong is the most attentive father you’ve ever seen, rocking the babies to sleep and feeding them whenever they cried. Of course, it’s the bare minimum, but the man before you blew your mind away. You love him so much.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” He says before taking his shirt off and crawling into bed beside you. He had just put the babies to sleep.

“Oh..nothing.” You chuckle.

He snatches your book away from you. “Hey!” You call out while leaning over him to get it back.

He places it on the nightstand beside him and turns to you with a mischievous smile. “You look like you wanna have a third one so let’s get started..” he tickles your side and nuzzles your neck while you giggle.

[6 Years Later]

You’re heading home after picking the kids up from pre-school.

“How was your day today?” You turn to face them in the backseat of your car.

“It was good, mommy! How was yours?” Dahlia calls out.

“It was good, thank you for asking. Cyan, honey, how was your day?” 

Cyan pouts and looks out the window.

“Cyan got into a fight with a boy because he made fun of his name!” Dahlia swings her feet.

“Oh…Cyan, it’s not good to fight. Solve your problems with words next time, okay?”

Cyan nods, but still pouts while looking out. He couldn’t be any more like his father, could he?

“With that being said, did you win?” 

He flicks head towards you and smiles while nodding. “Yes, mommy!” 

You smile brightly and give him a hi-five. “Good job buddy! But don’t do it again, okay?”

He nods. “Okay, mommy.”

“Alright, let’s go home to daddy.”

Taeyong was out at the supermarket picking up pasta for dinner when you entered the house. The kids run off into the living room as you place your purse down.

“Hey! Who are you?!” Dahlia calls out. Your brows furrow as you walk in after them.

You see Dahlia looking up at a man with long black hair. You gasp when you recognize the person.

You step in front of the kids to block him.

“W-what the hell are you doing here?” You panic. How did he find you? Your home phone is too far away to grab.

Jaehyun maintains eye contact with you, then kneels down and looks at Cyan and Dahlia with a smile. “Hey, little kids…go play in your rooms now. Your mom and I are gonna have a little chat.”

Cyan looks up at you with wide eyes. “Mommy, who is he?” 

Jaehyun smiles widely, but it gives Cyan a bad feeling. “A friend.”

“Y-yes, go to your rooms and lock the doors. Don’t come out until I call for you, okay?”

They do as you tell them. You breathe a sigh of relief once they’re out of sight, then look back at Jaehyun. “He’ll be home any minute now.” You say through gritted teeth.

The man you once saw in freshly tailored suits every day now wore a simple white t-shirt and jeans. His hair was also messier than usual. Dark rings settled under both eyes. He didn’t have any guards around him. Something was definitely wrong.

He steps closer, making you trip and fall into the couch behind you. “I could care less, y/n. I’m here for you. Did you think you could escape me? Taeyong tore you away from me, and that’s never happened before..I always get what I want, y/n.”

You reach behind you to see if you can fish out the hidden gun. “Jaehyun..you have to let it go..it’s been years.”

“Oh trust me…I know how long it’s been, I’m the one who lost everything..Taeyong set me up, he rewrote contracts and by the time I realized it, it was too late. I lost everything…” he looks towards the kids’ rooms. 

“I think it’s time you lost everything as well..I’ll take care of them and we can get going, y/n, just you and me. I don’t have nearly as much money as I did before, but I’ll have you.. rightfully.” He smiles and turns to walk, but you quickly pull the gun out.

He turns swiftly, leaping back to you to get it out of your hands. “Get off of me!” You yell during the struggle.

Then suddenly, you hear a sharp pop echo in your house.

Taeyong speeds towards you as you stare at Jaehyun who stops moving. “Y/n! Are you okay?! Where are the kids?!”

Jaehyun spits blood out and onto your face as you stare in horror. He chuckles before falling to the side and bleeding into his hand from his abdomen.

Taeyong grabs you from the couch. “Y/n! What did he do?!”

You shake your head. “I-I’m fine..the kids are in their rooms. He-“ you breakdown into tears after feeling horrified at Jaehyun’s sudden drop in. 

During the time that you waited for Taeyong, he executed a plan to destroy Jaehyun and it worked. He rewrote percentages behind Jaehyun’s back, causing a negative spiral in profit. Jaehyun’s business partners turned their backs on him, becoming his enemies one by one. He was left with nothing after slowly losing his profit over the years.

Taeyong puts the kids to sleep while you wash your face off. You then burn his body on the beach and sit beside the fire. “Why..didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I didn’t think he’d find us..I was sure someone would kill him once they found out “he” changed their contracts.”

You look towards him, tears in your eyes again. “We could’ve..” you sniffle. “We could’ve lost them, Tae.”

“No..that will never happen, I’ll always protect you, the bastard is dead and no one knows where we are..we’re free.”

You nod, still shaken up by what happened, but he was right. With Jaehyun dead, you didn’t have to look over your shoulders everywhere you went. It was finally over.

Taeyong takes your hand in his and kisses it. “I love you, let’s live happily.”

You give him a small smile. “Ahh Greenie..an entire lifetime with you? What a headache this is gonna be.”

The two of you laugh before heading back inside to your sleeping kids

And so, you raised them together and lived an honest life, enjoying the simple things like beach days and amusement parks as well as teaching your kids about art, how to drive, your responsibility of course, and eventually, how to apply for scholarships. 

Haeju visited every now and then too. The world of underground crime was no longer part of yours. 

Taeyong didn’t think it was possible to escape and be happy with a normal life, or rather he didn’t think he’d feel the need to, but he was wrong. He found someone worth leaving it for. He found someone worth living for. 

[arlecchinoprojectharbringerask]

Concept design test - Turned final + "lore"

The only thing that went bye-bye, was the lipstick.

----------------------

Lore of the Knave - "Arlecchino"

|> Intro (origins?) story |> Resonance hall idle "animations" & "voice lines" |> "Voicelines" -Main theme- In-depth dive - Voice headcanons |> Secondary theme (Battle/Intro theme) - Forest Dance >> Themes playlist

====Resonance hall idles, affinity lines & "voicelines"=========

The Knave's ''animations''

1) One of Arlecchino's idles in res hall is him summoning little warblers (see "Secret, can you keep it?") and look at them perched on his finger/in his palm with this expressionless look. Maybe tiny hint of mournful/fond/pensive for a split second--Then curls his hand into a fist, the bird turning to magic dust that scatters out through his fingers upward and fades. As he turns back to the screen with his idle full-body pose.

2) Standing in that pose as in the picture above, but his eyes glance at the fire phantoms (similar to those in Arlecchino's boss fight trailer, fire-shadows with their hands over their chest and holding scythe?) that slowly emerge behind his back from him (like some dementors in a way) and he dispels/dismisses them with a wing, eyes closing as if in pain/agitated and looks back at the screen with his resting face.

What his summons kind of look like/idea-

The Knave's voice-lines

Deploy: "Noted." (Emotionless cold)

Upgrade: "Hm." (Contemplative but not ungrateful. Just not huge reaction/enthusiasm)

Ultimate: "Witness my rise." (Like how Arlecchino says it. It's almost a rough growl in a low voice, that tapers to how Berial sounds in his ult)

Defeated: "Another...cycle.." Previous defeated line "I will..come...back.." Victory: "What's our next objective?" (clinical again.)

First Recruitment: "Name your contract."

-Resonating Hall Idles-

1 "You have something to say? Go on. You have my full, undivided attention." (With his back to you, arms folded behind his back and tail on the ground and curled around his feet a bit. Then glances at the Player slightly over his shoulder as he crosses his arms, expectant and still waiting for you to speak up. Then his tail-tip gives a single tap on the ground as he sighs through his nose -suppressed sigh- and turns around to face the screen to assume his idle pose.)

2 "....." (The first idle I described with the birds)

3 "...." (The second with the shadows)

4 "Is this everything..?" (Emotionless, asking you if he's dismissed.)

---Affinity Gift---

General line: "......thanks."

When gifted fav item -Either a demon's eye or flower bouquet: "....Home......I can hear them sing..." (Closes his eyes with a wistful tint to his expression, as if recalling fond memories...and being hurt but smiles ever so subtly, a sad tired smile of longing.)

When given item he hates (Can be Celestial sword or Graveborn lantern): "............" (Very cold, mildly agitated silence mixed with agonized mourning.)

Official tags for The Knave cryptid: The "Mad-Hatter", "Arlecchino", The "Knave" , project "harbringer" , "Harlequin", Pawn of contracts, the Solemn jester, Solemn jester

The other Cryptids' ask blogs |> The Damoiseau - "The Blind prophet" |> The Balladeer - "The Kuker" / "The Missing" |> The Marionet - Executioner/ The "Debt-collector" |> The Fair Gentleman / Unbound Will- of wisp

[brigitoshaughnessy]

What is your favorite Stargate: SG-1 intro - before the credits only?

I’ll go first. Surprising no one, Paradise Lost. I mean, come on. You don’t get dialogue like this anymore:

Jack: “you’re eating my dog.”

Maybourne: “you want it back?”

Very close runner up: Prometheus Unbound

Tell me your faves please!

[floralmusings]

Character Intro - Lucerne

Lucerne - they/them

Faceless Ones, or Servants of Vigil if you're one of the devout, are humanoid creatures bound to the Goddess Vigil through a mask affixed to their face that glows with the golden light of divinity. These creatures were once considered nothing more than remanants of myth and history, but this is soon to change.

Despite still bearing the mask of Vigil, Lucerne appears to be unbound to their goddess in all other way, expressing free will and sentience not usually known in Faceless Ones.

Lucerne has no memories from before they 'awoke', only the faint memory of a name that they've taken as their own.

The mask glows with an irreverant golden glow at all times, but can be used by Vigil as a beacon to pinpoint their location if need be.

Speaking is a painful endeavor for them and instead have taken to trying to learn sign language to communicate.

Lucerne's goals are to try and remove the mask and discover who they were before they were a Faceless One, if they were anyone at all.

[realitys-ex]

A Nerds Guide to the Cosmere Reading Order

I've seen a bunch of questions in the last 2 days about it, so I am going to give my ULTIMATE GUIDE.

First, for simplicity sake, a list of the series/books in the Cosmere, and the short forms I will use to refer to them. (square brackets refer to Novellas)

Elantris (a stand alone) Warbreaker (a stand alone):WB Mistborn Era 1 (Mistborn:The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, The Hero Of Ages):Mist1 Mistborn Era 2 (The Alloy of Law, Shadows of Self, Bands of Morning, The Lost Metal):Mist2 The Stormlight Archive (The Way of Kings, Words of Radiance,[Edgedancer], Oathbringer, [Dawnshard], Rythym of War, Wind and Truth (Upcoming)): SA Tress of the Emerald Sea (a stand alone): Tress Yumi and the Nightmare Painter (a stand alone): Yumi The Sunlit Man (a stand alone ish): Sunlit White Sand (a anthology of the 3 white sand Graphic Novels) Arcanum Unbounded (A Short story collection with stories taking place anywhere around the previous books).

I will be kinda ignoring White Sand for the rest of this because Brandon and the fandom does as well. A new version will be coming out in a bit, wait for that.

I will also be ignoring Arcanum Unbounded, because each story starts with "Read this after you have read__" which kinda gives you a hint.

Now, you can start practically anywhere, but there are three places you shouldn't: Yumi, Mist2, and Sunlit. Yumi contains jokes aimed at long time fans which can be off putting. Mist2 completely spoils Mist1. Sunlit's Main character is a semi important side character from one of the other series, which kinda spoils the arc.

That said,

My preffered Order: (Semi) Chronological/release order.

I like this because no references will go over your head, Sanderson's writing ability improves as you go, and it's kinda how it was intended to be read!

The actual release order is here , but it is more or less: Elantris, Mist1, WB, (pick up arcanum unbounded), the First 2 SA Novels, Mist2, the Second 2 SA Novels, Tress, Yumi, Sunlit.

Next Order: "Whats the big deal with this Guy, should I even bother"? This is meant to intro you to Sanderson Feet First (ish), you get a full taste of the Cosmere, followed by a step into the lighter stuff, and then reading the rest.

Tress, WB, SA1,Mist11,SA2,Mist12,Mist13, SA3, Elantris, SA4, Yumi, Sunlit

Third: "I'll have what they're having!" (what many people seem to enjoy):

SA, Mist1, WB, Elantris, Mist2, Tress, Yumi, Sunlit.

Fourth: "I wanna be confused/ have no clue what is going on!"

Yumi, Sunlit, Tress, Mist2, SA, Mist1, WB, Elantris