my fate is up to me, not the heavens

[sundersfate]

a highly selective & mutuals-only indie multimuse with original & canon characters featuring original & mixed media lore. WRITTEN BY HEX ⸻ she/her , black, queer, 30s. mst (utc -7). low / slow activity. intended for mature audiences (21+). MINORS & PERSONAL BLOGS DNI!

exploring the slow burn of becoming yourself, the revelation that even lambs have teeth, nurturing the parts of yourself that used to be punished, honeyed words dripping off a sharp tongue, staying gentle in spite of violence, and recognizing you are a weapon of war.

BENDING THE HEAVENS WITH ⸻ drownedhymns, fatesown, feilien, huyaoxiaozi, ignisfate, mysticcls / slashcrz

CARRD ⸻ PROMPTS ⸻ WISHLIST ⸻ PINTEREST

[05112005]

on the run

[sundersfate]

when it comes to men, natalia's type is sad dumbass who's trying his best (ex. bucky, clint, and matt). like men who have the best intentions but do not think things through ever at all.

incidentally, razzing is one of her love languages, so they absolutely do not get away with that shit unscathed.

[feilien]

{ ♚ x ᴘʀᴏʙᴀʙʟʏ ᴇɴᴅʟᴇss ᴍᴀᴛᴛ ᴇᴅɪᴛs 018/∞ x}

↳ The Artist™

[the-fae-folk]

what actually happens if the fae take your name? how does that work in real life? do people just forget your name or what?

Well it depends. In the old stories this phrasing only meant that you accidentally revealed your full name to the Folk and thereby gave them power over you. With your name they could enchant or lure you, they might even be able to influence your behavior. When you know someone’s name you have a certain measure of power over them.  You can do things like catch their attention by saying out loud, referring to them even when they are not present, or even using their influence to bolster your own. But humans don’t have the necessary skills and powers needed to do much more than simple things with a name. Fae, unfortunately, do have such skills and powers. This is why people feared them. However something interesting has happened in contemporary fantasy surrounding Fae. The idea that the Fae could quite literally steal your name. To be sure, from all that the Fae are able to do in their various myths and folklore, I doubt that such a feat would be impossible for them. Nor would it be at all out of the way to label them as thieves. Not only did they routinely steal food or materials from houses and barns, but they often abducted children, babies, and even unwary adults. I’ve been putting some thought into how it might work if the Faeries did steal your name from you, or you accidentally gave it to them. Imagine for a moment that your name has been stolen. Well names are actually pretty easy to come by most of the time. Most people have nicknames of all kinds, and nearly everybody has a last name to fall back on and sometimes an extra name or two between their first and last names. You find that people begin to fall back on these other names that belong to you. If they think hard or are reminded they can probably remember the name that used to be yours, but they might be unable to shake off the feeling that it’s wrong somehow, that it doesn’t belong to you or fit you anymore. You might even pick up a new name, one you’ve chosen yourself or a new nickname. Most people will happily move to that, thinking in their secret most thoughts that it feels right, more comfortable, but never quite able to consciously say why. Even parents might find this to be true, as years and years of calling you by the name they chose seem to not matter that much as they slip into calling you something else entirely. But what about birth certificates? Mail? Checks and other official documents that have your name? You’ll still find them. Sometimes official documents, especially new ones, can get the names mixed up or changed and it just stays like that for years until someone notices. Or papers can get smeared if they’re written in pencil, or dripped on by ink or something else. But most often I would imagine they stay the same as they always were. In the eyes of most human governments, it doesn’t really matter if your name fits you as long as all the papers are in order that say its yours. If they wanted to, a Faerie (or even a perfectly ordinary human with malicious intent) could use this against you and commit identity theft to gain even more of what you have for their own. But most of the time I doubt the Fae would care about your finances or anything else unless you did something to offend them. I don’t think everyone would suddenly and magically forget your name entirely and forever as if it never had been. Mostly because that would cause a huge stir as people suddenly find that a person whose name they’ve known all their life suddenly doesn’t seem to have a name and they can’t remember or find it. People would notice and raise a fuss. And how many people do you know, even casually, that would know your name somehow? Probably a lot of people, to make that many people forget would have to involve a serious amount of power. While its not impossible that a Faerie would go to all this effort to directly punish you for something that infuriated them, I find it a little hard to believe they’d put that much effort in for it when they could just turn you into a goat or something else of that sort and be done with it.

[scorpio-ressources]

charithra chandran

[sundersfate]

an obvious oddity in pasha's home is a large metal ring in the floor of her home office. made with a mix of silver, copper, and tin, if you're not in the know regarding magic, she will simply tell you it's a strange quirk that came with the house.

for those who are in the know, they will recognize this as a magical conductor that makes it easier for a witch to hold a protective circle during spellcasting. although casting a spell without a protective circle is possible, it's incredibly ill-advised. any outside interference can effect with the outcome of a spell or lead to much dire consequences, such as the spell backfiring on the caster.

to that end, a lot of the tools pasha uses for spellcasting also involve the same metals in order to enhance the efficacy of the spell. all of her spellwork implements and ingredients are stored in a fireproof and water-tight filing cabinet in her office, which is always locked both physically and magically.

[kamenriderryukisurvivesworld]

[feilien]

 “That doesn’t sound right,” Lei muttered with a pout. “When I’m hurt or don’t feel well, Long Zhi makes me stay in bed until I feel better. Why is it different for adults?” They should rest, too, right? It was obvious Long Zhi wasn’t doing well, so having to work when he was hurt obviously wasn’t alright. But it wasn’t as though there was much he could do. He barely even got to see his dad.

 Lei let out a quiet huff at Yiseul’s words, letting go of the ring he’d still been toying with so he could cross his arms in front of his chest. “He always says that, too. That I’m too young. But I’m already—” he paused, lifting one hand to count his fingers, before he presented her with all five fingers on his hand. “Five. That’s old, right? I don’t need him to protect me, and I want to help him. Maybe if I help him, he can stay in bed until he feels better.”

 Looking up at her, he sighed. “But I know he won’t let me. He never does.” It was frustrating, really. If only he didn’t have to work for lǎo ye… That was the whole problem, wasn't it? Everyone thought he didn't know, but lǎo ye was scary, and no one was brave enough to disobey. Not even Long Zhi, who wasn't scared of anything. “Can’t you help him, Yiseul? You’re older, right? And his best friend. I mean you guys even have matching necklaces. Can’t you make sure he gets some rest until he’s better? Maybe he’ll listen to you.”

[sundersfate]

yiseul went still for a moment at lei's mention of her having matching necklaces with matt, casting back through her memory to ensure no one else could've seen them. no, both of them had been careful —– even matt didn't always wear his, like when he was training. lei was just too perceptive for their own good, putting the pieces together faster than she could come up with any sort of excuse or reasoning. she was horrible at lying anyway, which was why she stayed silent most of the time instead of trying to weave any part of a tale.

instead, she gently took the ring out of lei's hand, the nightlight shining on small, unpretentious diamonds, and looked at it with a soft smile.

"long zhi and i promised that we'd be friends forever, no matter what," she explained simply, letting lei take hold of the necklace again. "but it has to be kept a secret for now, so i'm trusting you to not tell anyone, okay?"

because of xiao dan found out that she and matt had gotten married, there would be a new level of hell constructed right under their feet. the old man would definitely put more pressure on matt by threatening to harm her if he didn't comply, and that was the last thing she wanted to happen.

"i promise i'll talk to long zhi the next time i see him and see if i can find a way that he can rest, but you should tell him about your nightmare yourself." she pulled the blanket up further, making sure lei was tucked in, then pulled over a stuffed dear toy for him to cuddle with. she wasn't going to argue with him about who did and didn't need protection —– there was no sense in pulling the rug out from underneath him, especially right now.

"the best way you can help long zhi is by doing what you always do: being the best buddy he can ask for and spending time with him. that does a lot for him."

[dailyajanaomiking]

Aja Naomi King attends the 23rd Annual ELLE Women In Hollywood Awards at The Four Seasons Hotel on October 24, 2016.

[cnladies]

tian xiwei 田曦薇 | 2026 spring festival gala — cctv

[blackpinkofficialupdates]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JISOO 2025.01.03

[huyaoxiaozi]

@sundersfate ⋮ FOUND FAMILY AU PLOTTED STARTER, FOR » PASHA.

       Zane awoke with a start, the sensation of pain and tension in his throat, the struggle to take in a full breath flueling the bleary panic that was already surging through his body. His heart hammered painfully against his ribcage and, for a long few seconds, he couldn't remember where he was, let alone who was next to him. He felt a hand gently gripping his shoulder and his first instinct was to flinch away — thankfully, Zane managed to stifle the urge in time to recognize Pasha's features.

       She stared at him, her brows furrowed, teeth digging into her bottom lip and immediately he felt a stab of shame, guilt even. It was quickly overshadowed by how difficult it still was to draw in breath and it brought him back to the first month or so after his injury, the dread and terror of it all, the near constant inability to breathe properly — stop, Zane urged himself, trying to get himself to relax. After all, thinking back on the things that fueled his nightmares wasn't going to fucking help with that, was it? And yet ...

       ❝Shit, sorry,❞ he rasped on a ragged, shallow breath. ❝M'fine, just —❞ he briefly turned his head to cough into his pillow, roughly clearing his throat to no avail. Then, with his eyes slipping closed again beneath narrowed brows, Zane rested a hand on Pasha's upper arm, softly rubbing it up and down for a moment. He must've startled her awake somehow and she certainly hadn't signed up for dealing with his fucking nightmares when they'd hatched this plan.

       This temporary little studio apartment with just enough room for one person, but struggled with two. The ruse of them owning an herbal shop together as a couple, a scheme to infiltrate a rival gang, which served them both in different ways. Zane was sinking back into reality now, his breathing still shallow, but probably not as bad, he thought? He was fine. Everything was fine, right? Fuck, was he tired. ❝Just ... need a ... minute,❞ he struggled to speak as his throat crackled with a sharp sting every time he swallowed. Along with the constant dull ache of it, a slight twinge of nausea struck him with the sensation. Ugh.

       For a fleeting moment, the urge to slide in close, to wrap himself in Pasha's arms, bury his face into her shoulder was nearly unbearable to resist. But Zane couldn't do that, no matter how badly he wanted to. ❝Didn't ... didn't mean to ... to wake you.❞

[sundersfate]

there's a strange intimacy in seeing someone at their most vulnerable.

perhaps it was because it often came at the cost of security. showing someone your throat meant that you were giving them access to everything that could cause you harm. it was an act of trust, laying it at their feet and hoping they won't stop it out or use it against you. hoping they will safeguard it alongside their own.

most people didn't do that —– at least not in the world she and zane lived in. it was why people like them didn't often form close bonds. it was easier, safer, to keep everyone at an arm's length and carefully select the parts of yourself you wanted them to see.

at some point during this mission, those boundaries had blurred, to the point where pasha was starting to wonder if they'd ever existed to begin with. the awkward rigidity of sharing such close quarters had transformed into a comfortable living situation, each of them learning how to move around —– and with —– one another in the cramped space. now she was as used to zane's presence as she was the soft, ever-present hum of magic that danced in her blood.

she'd awakened the moment his breathing had changed, its steady rhythm turning into shallow, concerning bursts, his lungs trying to find purchase. by the time he'd started muttering and shifting on the bed, pasha was fully sat up and shaking him awake, not wanting the nightmare to go on any further.

"hush," she murmured, her voice whisper-soft, as though afraid to shatter the night.

on instinct, pasha reached out, hesitating only briefly before brushing sweat-dampened hair off zane's forehead, eyes searching his face for any signs of pain. bemusement twitched over her lips when zane caressed her arm, as if to comfort her. as if she were the one having a shitty night. strange, but telling; she'd come to learn over their days together that zane often put the needs of others before his own, as if he wasn't worthy of the same care.

after a moment, pasha slipped an arm around zane, helping him to sit up before she grabbed the glass of water she always kept on her nightstand.

"here." she handed him the glass, hand still on his back, rubbing soothing circles. "we can talk about it if you want or we can just sit here until you're able to relax. i can make you some tea."

[feilien]

 Throughout their entire time together, Matt had never seen Yiseul angry. Scared, panicked, worried, even stubborn, but never angry. It blindsided him, and although her anger lacked the same intimidation Xiao Dan's possessed, it terrified him more than his grandfather's anger ever had.

 Because he knew what it meant, what it hid between the lines: she had been pushed to a breaking point.

 It didn't matter that it wasn't him she was angry at, it hurt him just as much as if she were. He tried to shield her from those things, the same way he tried to shield Lei from them. But it seemed as though he failed the both of them, terrifying Lei in the process, and hurting her.

 "Yiseul," he said softly, grabbing a hold of both of her fist so he could press kisses on each of her knuckles. It was no use arguing; Matt knew she was right. There was no one else like Yiseul ( at least not anyone known, let alone readily available the way she was ), and finding a replacement for him? Well... There was none. Not a single man in the clan had been trained the way he had, molded into the heir and weapon Xiao Dan had always wanted. Lei would be the next best thing, but everyone knew that the Black Dragon's great leader didn't have another 20 years to repeat the process. They held all the cards—technically.

 Problem was... He couldn't afford risking it all, just because he was injured. He had to keep playing his part, and that meant enduring what he always had: pain, and indifference.

 When she moved off of his lap, Matt let out a sigh and averted his gaze. There was no move to stop her, though. Not this time. He knew it was useless and it would only serve to upset her even more. "I—I can't do that, Yiseul. He'll question why. Why you're so ready and willing to go to those length to make sure I'm alright. It's going to mess everything up, isn't it? He'll... He'll know."

 But then she dropped the real bombshell, and whatever color he had in his face drained. "No." Shaking his head so violently it nearly made him dizzy, Matt gathered all of his resolve. "No, you can't stop me. I don't care if you keep the door and window closed, I'll still show up." Would she really stop him? Would she? "Seeing you is the only thing that gets me through the day. You can't take that from me."

[sundersfate]

never before had yiseul wanted to take back her words more than she did in this moment, watching the color drop for matt's face in staunch rejection of her terms. she had to bite her tongue to stop herself from groveling and begging for his forgiveness, or asking him to just forget she ever said anything.

"then we have to make it so you can come through the front door, because i'm serious about this, sojunghan. you got injured protecting me. i won't be part of the reason why it doesn't heal."

she understood his reluctance to shake things up: even just scheming against his grandfather on the low was already asking matt to lock himself out of his comfort zone. they ran the risk of being found out at every turn, so caution was key; but yiseul had come to learn that caution could also be stagnation. she'd lived her life in a holding pattern, just watching the world pass her by. it wasn't until matt that she'd found even a modicum of courage to change her circumstances. now she would have to find that thread of bravery again to change his, if only a fraction.

taking a deep breath, yiseul twisted her hands in matt's, letting their fingers intertwine with a firm grip, holding him steady.

"for all his schemes and power, xiao dan is short-sighted. he only sees things in terms of their use: you, me, even lei and bao. we can use this to manipulate him, use his narrow-mindedness against him."

her mind was racing, brows knitted as she considered everything she knew about xiao dan, both from her own observations and from matt's stories of him. his cruelty made people fear him to the point where they didn't see every shining flaw. he was just a frail old man who needed others to do his dirty work for him, who relied solely on his grandson to enact his will and bring others to heel. take long zhi away and he had very little standing. hell, the old man couldn't even talk to her —– a woman he'd spent time, money, and other resources to kidnap —– without matt having to translate.

"oppa," her lips skimmed over the back of matt's hand, then the other, leaving lingering heat in her wake, "tomorrow i will show your grandfather that i care for you, and he will think nothing of it other than you've found a way to seduce me to keep me bound to the clan. the only thing he will suspect you of is finally aligning with his worldview."

in her chest, her heart pounded wildly, anticipation and trepidation weaving an intricate web across her ribcage. maybe she was making too many assumptions here; maybe she was being too bold and reckless. but in her gut, she knew this would work, no predictions required. because men like xiao dan were always the same.

"all i need you to do is be my mouthpiece when i make my demands."

[drexmwomxn]

[hiliqht]

[feilien]

@sundersfate said: “ a pawn shop cluttered with other people's memories. (yiseul) ” {♚ x RANDOM SETTINGS PROMPTS. x}

 A few days had passed since his, uh, proposal. They were running out of time now, with their flight to San Francisco only a mere two days away. But the days between then and now had mostly been spent resting, his body still in no shape for long excursions. And even if it had been, he doubted Yiseul would’ve agreed to let him leave the bed. She was an exceptional nurse, but oh so careful and surprisingly insistent, too.

 But… His own persistence had paid off in the end, and she agreed that one day out of bed couldn’t hurt. At least as long as he agreed to say something when it became too much.

 Their taxi came to a stop in front of a nearby pawn shop ( a waste of money as far as he was concerned, but Yiseul had insisted that walking was just too much right off the bat ), and Long Zhi carefully got out, before offering his hand to her. “Alright,” he nodded, leading them inside. Honestly? He would’ve preferred buying a proper pair of rings, a matching pair, shiny and new. But after their two-week vacation and splurging on several occasions, he was starting to run low on funds. So they’d decided that this? This was the next best thing.

 The inside of the pawn shop was stacked from top to bottom with seemingly random bits and pieces everywhere, and he wasn't entirely sure just where to look first. His gaze, rather than being drawn to jewelry, admittedly found itself drawn to a row of knives neatly displayed inside of a glass vitrine. Clearing his throat, he pulled himself together and instead searched for the one containing a figurative mountain of jewelry of any kind.

 “Let’s see if we can find something.” Pulling her close, Long Zhi leaned down to kiss the top of her head, dropping his voice to a low murmur. “And then we’ll get married.”

[sundersfate]

admittedly, she'd been hesitant about this little escapade.

not, of course, because she didn't want to go ring shopping or marry the man of her dreams (quite the opposite, actually), but because long zhi was only a few days into his recovery. and with their impending flight pending, yiseul had been adamant about him not depleting his energy on anything except healing. they didn't need rings to get married —– knowing in their hearts, for her, was enough. but long zhi had had different a different idea and, frankly, he could be very convincing when he desperately wanted his way.

(those big, brown puppy-dog eyes of his didn't help either. they gave him an unfair advantage when it came to shaking her conviction.)

a bell jingled happily overhead as they entered the pawn shop, the smell of swirling dust and lingering memories invading her senses immediately. the shelves and display cases were packed with heirlooms and trinkets and some people's junk that would hopefully find life anew as someone else's treasures. it was a place laden with the personal histories of so many, all if it frozen in time. as yiseul followed long zhi through the narrow aisles between shelves, she found herself both excited to be here and grateful that she'd remembered to wear her gloves that day.

giggling at long zhi's conspiratorial whisper, yiseul leaned over the brightly-lit display case filled with sparkling jewelry, hazel eyes filled with wonder. marriage had never been something she'd contemplated before —– even know, she was having a hard time wrapping her mind around the reality that this was even happening —– so she'd never imagined what her dream ring looked like. now she found herself staring down at other people's dream rings, pawned off due to failed marriages or in an act of desperation. the thought was sobering even as she hoped they would be able to give at least two rings a different ending.

yiseul looked over at long zhi, chewing on her lower lip. "we're not inviting bad luck with used rings, right?"