[dr5amatic]

ONE OUT OF MANY ,

a sentence starter prompts list comprised of quotes from the novel the will of the many by james islington. please be advised that this list may involve topics including, but not limited to death, violence, and religion. change verbiage as needed.

watch your step. it gets slippery down here.

so what is it all for? debts? a woman? some vice that you cannot bring yourself to give up?

i know it’s not in your nature, but if you’re ever going to swallow your pride, tonight’s the night.

i’d have thought twice about coming out here if i’d realized my opponent was such a coward!

chain your anger in the dark and it will only thrive.

i wasn’t trying to kill him.

i think you’re so used to resisting, you don’t know how not to.

sometimes bullies are better off with the truth, no matter how unpleasant.

a ladder should not be climbed from the shoulders of others.

you’re placing a lot of faith in the abilities of someone you’ve just met.

conviction is admirable, but it can only take a man so far.

what i want to know is what are you punishing yourself for?

they killed your family. stole your home. don’t you want to do something about it?

this is my best chance at finding something approaching a normal life.

you only have this chance because of me, and you seem to be under the mistaken impression that this is some kind of offer.

you can still back out, but this is your last chance to do it. is this opportunity worth it? is it worth your life?

it’s hard when the lies that let you sleep are so cruelly laid bare.

you’re welcome to rest and eat before you go.

if i believed in the gods, i would say they led me to you.

there is always something more to lose.

i can hate without it coming to violence.

hate is its own violence. your choice is whether to let it hurt them, or you.

i have come to bring a reckoning for your decisions. your weakness. your blindness and cowardice and complicity.

silence is a statement. inaction picks a side. and when those lead to personal benefit, they are complicity.

you should have told me all of this from the beginning

if there is something you should be telling me, i assume you will.

you’re brighter than most—but bright doesn’t mean brave, or caring, or heroic. more often, it means the opposite.

a man will always wonder what might have been, but a wise one recognizes fortune when it comes.

how could you not resent them for what they took from you?

there comes a point in every man’s life where he can rail against the unfairness of the world until he loses, or he can do his best in it. remain a victim, or become a survivor.

there can be no love without honesty.

there are more measured approaches to justice than punching.

just because you are good at something does not make others bad at it.

whether the obstacles to our advancement arise from our ties or our actions, we need to learn to overcome ourselves. it’s not fair, but nor is the world.

a fair system only works if there’s an unbiased means of assessing merit, which means that fair systems cannot exist where people are involved.

sometimes, i’m not sure there’s anything of the real me left anymore.

there are those who see what should be, and complain that they do not get their due. and then there are those who see what is, and figure out how to use it to their advantage.

you’re not planning to kill me, then.

a cut’s only worth it if there’s poison on the blade.

we do not have to be enemies.

if all you’re trying to do is change who’s in control, then you don’t really want to change anything.

you cannot be free if you are afraid to die.

be safe, and for the love of all the gods, don’t get caught.

i am just trying to remember the last time i so vastly overestimated someone’s intelligence.

you have a reputation as a killer.

in this place… each man has to find his line. has to find it ahead of time, and be resolved never to cross it.

don’t mistake inaction for neutrality.

violence is no answer to grief.

there’s being brave, and then there’s throwing your life away.

what do you believe makes a good ruler?

don’t equate having less heart with more intelligence.

not pleasant, seeing your trust betrayed, is it?

remind me to never get on your bad side. i have no idea how i’m going to repay this.

you’re so mysterious and unpredictable.

i want you to know that you are my friend. that you have my full trust.

i envy you, you know. your capacity to do that. to trust like that.

you rotting, fetid coward.

i’m going to make sure you burn for this.

death is only meaningless if it does not change us.

[dr5amatic]

THAT'S A WRAP ,

a sentence starter prompts list comprised of lyrics from my 2024 spotify wrapped. change verbiage as needed.

you once called me forever, now you still can't call me back.

i think i’m gonna call it off even if you call it love. 

he disappeared from the second that you said “let’s get coffee, let’s meet up.”

i don’t want the world, but i’ll take this city.

my life was a storm since i was born. how could i fear any hurricane?

my give-a-fucks are on vacation.

please don’t go, i love you so.

i just want you to make a move.

everything that kills me makes me feel alive.

you treat me like a stranger, and that feels so rough.

i’m so full of love, i could barely eat.

i feel like no one wants me and i hate the way i’m perceived.

i don’t know why my heart knows that if you’re there then i’ll be alright.

i’m the treasure, baby, i’m the prize.

leave all your love and your longing behind. you can’t carry it with you if you want to survive.

who wants to live forever, babe?

i wanna live a thousand lives with you. i wanna be the one you’re dying to love.

who knew that we’d let it get this bad when it ended?

i’m here right now, right now with you.

if i tell you this is drowning, you’d tell me i’m walking on water.

follow my lead.

you know what they say, “never waste a friday night on a first date.”

i kinda wanna throw my phone across the room.

i’m almost me again. she’s almost you.

there is a special kind of grace in your eyes.

i won’t make my mama proud. it’s going to cause a scene.

it’s not my fault you’re like in love with me.

you had me at “hello,” then you opened up your mouth.

i'll be your light, your match, your burning sun.

you took my light, you drained me down.

i don't know if you love me, or you want me dead

i couldn't utter my love when it counted.

i’m back on my bullshit.

whatever devil's inside you, don't let him out tonight.

last night, a thief came to my house. he came and said, "give me whatever is yours.”

i'm starving, darling. let me put my lips to something.

i don't know what you've been told, but time is running out, no need to take it slow.

i told my friends i was asleep, but i never said where or in whose sheets.

a seven nation army couldn't hold me back.

the only heaven i'll be sent to, is when i'm alone with you.

i stopped caring 'bout a month ago. since then, it's been smooth sailing.

i thought you thought of me better. someone you couldn’t lose.

i wish i could show you more of yourself. i wish i could make you somebody else.

just close your eyes if you think it’s unsightly.

if i crash on the couch, can i sleep in my clothes?

tell your boyfriend if he says he's got beef, that i'm a vegetarian and i ain't fucking scared of him.

this industry's venomous.

an inevitable choice is coming.

though i've handled the wood, i still worship the flame.

why do you assume you’re the smartest in the room?

don't get me venting on friends who resent you.

you can’t live life standing still.

would things be easier if there was a right way?

do i love him? do i hate him? i guess it's up and down.

i think i got too many memories getting in the way of me.

just be yourself. it doesn't matter if it's good enough for someone else.

there’s a lot of room left to grow.

if you can't get what you want, well, it's all because of me.

you can't love anyone, 'cause that would mean you had a heart.

i want this like a cigarette. can we drag it out and never quit?

i'm hoping that somebody will pray for me.

how you been? you settled down? you feelin' right? you feelin' proud?

i love you when you're singing that song.

you just need a better life than this. you need somethin' i can never give.

i don't like walking around this old and empty house.

i know she's been asleep on my side of your bed.

i was afraid of the dark, but now it's all that i want.

jump into the driver's seat and put it into speed drive.

i ain't proud of all the punches that i've thrown.

we’re sinking like a bleeding stone.

heaven ain't close in a place like this.

you know that i want you and you know that i need you.

can you hear the sound of hysteria?

i feel lost since i've found you.

my heart and soul were never mine to own.

we both know exactly what i'm thinking.

i wish you could see the wicked truth.

it's been some time since we last spoke.

all you ever do is turn me down.

i’m not the best you could have attained.

it was only a kiss.

why has all of me become yours?

i think it's time to get out.

this is a big mistake.

i think about you even when i'm not thinking.

let this season of love stay forever.

let's forget who we are for one night.

take a deep breath my dear.

you screw me and i’ll screw you too.

you and i are nursing a poison that never stung.

i might change your contact to "don't leave me alone.”

heaven’s door is getting farther and farther away.

there goes all i ever wanted, how'd i ever fail so soon?

i loved you then and i love you now.

i'm a sorry sucker and this happens all the time.

it's like i loved you so much that now i just hate you.

if home is where the heart is, then we're all just fucked

i don't know what you're expecting of me.

i wanna get in trouble. i wanna start a fight.

you better run.

[dr5amatic]

MONSTER YOU CREATED ,

a sentence starter prompts list comprised of quotes from arcane season 1. please be advised that this list may involve topics including, but not limited to violence. change verbiage as needed.

we're not gonna get caught. we'll be in and out before anyone notices.

thought last time was the last time we were gonna do this.

you could fill a damn library with all the things you didn't do.

a bit of advice. don't threaten the guy who pours the drinks.

when people look up to you, you don't get to be selfish.

you're gonna have to lay low for a bit, understand?

those who did this will be dealt with.

i ruined everything. i always do.

you have to believe me. i didn't do this.

i do love a good conundrum.

no great science should ever put lives in danger.

i believe i've discovered something truly incredible.

we look out for each other. it's the way it's always been.

all i see is a child meddling with things they don't understand.

i was trying to create magic.

arcane talents are something you're born with. they can't be fabricated.

you don't understand what's at stake, but how can you? that's a burden that only i carry.

if dangerous ideas didn't excite the imagination, we would never wander astray.

there's a monster inside all of us.

you're just a small man in a little hole the world forgot to bury.

i know you wanna hurt the topsiders for what they've done to us, but who are you willing to lose?

i saw it with my own eyes what magic can do, the lives it could save. you've no idea how beautiful it is.

when you're going to change the world, don't ask for permission.

what makes you different makes you strong.

you'll oblige a doomed man one last smoke, won't you?

you never did know when to walk away.

what have you done? this wasn't the deal!

you'll get people killed. for what? pride?

oh, i hated you for what you'd done, but as time passed, so did my hate. and i was left with an understanding.

the only way to defeat a superior enemy is to stop at nothing to become what they fear.

you'll die for the cause, but you won't fight for one?

willing to risk exile for your endeavor. that's quite the conviction.

wait a minute, this isn't my bedroom.

another late night. the work just doesn't end.

you were supposed to guard the cargo.

it was your job to make sure things went smoothly. you failed. don't disappoint me again.

do you have any idea what you've done?

how do you intend to prove any of this?

did my parents pay you to let me win?

i don't need favors. i need you to do your job.

you've just made yourself everyone's common enemy.

that place looks like it has bodies buried in the basement.

you're a symbol of the future now, whether you like it or not.

how can i say no to such an auspicious offer.

if you really want people to talk to you, you have to let them think you have what they want.

what is truth, but a survivor's story?

if i'm discovered, we're both finished.

are you headed home soon? i thought we could walk together.

betrayal, that pain that feels like it'll eat you from the inside out, can either break you or forge you into something greater.

loneliness is often the byproduct of a gifted mind.

do you contemplate death?

it's a sad truth that those who shine brightest often burn fastest.

i hate feeling so useless.

i know you have your reservations about me, but this only works if we can trust each other.

i just... want to feel what it was like... to be somebody. to make other people afraid.

how many problems can one girl cause?

you can fire that thing if you want, but i'm not going anywhere.

i'm not going to abandon you again.

i knew it was a mistake trusting you.

you look good for a dead girl.

that was a long time ago. people change.

nature has made us intolerant to change, but fortunately, we have the capacity to change our nature.

i know the look of a doomed man.

love and legacy are the sacrifices we make for progress.

i should have been there. for you. for everyone.

we came from a world where there was never enough to go around. that's why we fight. do you remember?

who found you? who cared for you? gave you a home?

i am your family. everyone else betrays us.

i'm only asking you to prepare to defend your people.

i'm worried i have to do something i never thought i would.

if you want to last in this world, you must learn to be both the fox and the wolf.

you'd give me a throne?

i'll give you the world if you prove you can take it.

sometimes, death is a mercy.

every time i think you can't get dumber, you dig a new low.

ego is one thing, brain is another.

weapons can't be unmade and they are always used.

that looks like more than a sprain. you need medical attention.

you have the passion of youth.

oil and water. wasn't meant to be.

we got a deal, pretty boy?

you've always been a part of this. you just never had to look it in the eye.

you really are fond of him.

i wanted to protect the city from people like you.

i can't believe you'd start a war just to cover your ass.

i would set the world ablaze to protect our family.

we lost ourselves. lost our dream. in the pursuit of great, we failed to do good. we have to make it right.

i'm trying to save you from annihilation.

i can't make a deal with a snake and cut off its head. we both have our shitty parts to play.

you'd be surprised what you can pull off when your life depends on it.

it's not enough to give people what they need to survive. you have to give them what they need to live.

is there anything so undoing as a daughter?

nothing ever stays dead.

the only thing that kept me going was the thought of getting back to you.

you're my daughter. i'll never forsake you.

remember who you are! i know you remember!

don't cry. you're perfect.

i thought maybe you could love me like you used to. even though i'm... different. but you changed too.

[dr5amatic]

RUNNING TOWARD HOPE ,

a sentence starter prompts list comprised of quotes from the novel blood over bright haven by m. l. wang. please be advised that this list may involve topics including, but not limited to, murder, death, violence, alcohol, and religion. change verbiage as needed.

was that a veiled dig at my intelligence?

leave your tools and weapons. they’re just weight.

while you can still breathe, keep moving. stop for nothing. turn back for no one. not even your own blood.

it must be hard to be you! how terrible to be so singularly talented!

since when do you really care about people who aren’t you?

i take it that wasn’t supposed to happen?

be cold, be hard, and don’t give them an inch, you understand? no matter what they say of you.

when i care how attractive you find me, i’ll let you know.

you’re certainly not going to survive playing against me.

that’s a lot of power.

i already missed my train. i’m going to sleep here.

the world isn’t about love for me. it’s about power.

i think i’ve just had a problem with magic since the first time i tasted it–like some people have a problem with alcohol.

magic is the one area where i can shut myself in a room with my books and my thoughts and come out more powerful than i went in.

the unbreakable rules of magic are unbreakable for a reason.

don’t play dumb with me. it doesn’t suit you.

is there something unreasonable about wanting to do my own work correctly?

brilliant men–even moderately intelligent men–in this city get showered with opportunities to succeed. brilliant women have to fight for those opportunities, and, when we get them, we have to defend them tooth and nail, or they’ll be snatched away.

i’m not married, i’m no one’s apprentice, and i’ll be damned if i let a man find some other way to take my glory from me.

women are always told to be kind, be forgiving, be nurturing. as far as i know, it’s never gotten them anywhere. the men, who have the real power, won’t return the favor when it matters.

if you are capable of everything they are as a group, then who can say you’ve been arrogant or unvirtuous?

if i can’t clear that clouded glass, there’s nothing left to do but break through it.

i never said i didn’t believe your god existed. i just don’t believe he’s the greatest or only deity at work in the world.

a ravine won’t water crops or quench the dying. at some point, there has to be a river, or what good can you really claim? if the man of good intentions never manifests a river, only calamity, should he not go to hell?

this is the balance of the universe. it is only right for the world to bring back upon him what he brought upon the world.

anyone with enough self-delusion can admit himself to heaven. this is nonsense.

it’s much easier to tell yourself you’re a good person than it is to actually be one.

i can’t work with you if we’re not honest with each other.

i’m not trying to twist your words. i’m trying to make sure you mean them.

you want me to be honest. i want the same thing from you, but you can do that without disrespecting me, my discipline, and my culture.

i can be civil, or i can be honest. you can’t have both in their entirety.

my knowledge of magic and history is obviously nothing in the face of yours.

maybe you’re not remembering clearly. sometimes, when an event is too upsetting to wrap your mind around, your memory gets muddled.

you’re that committed to your god of greed? go on, then. serve him. destroy me.

you’re the worst kind of murderer, i think. the kind who won’t even acknowledge their crime.

you never worshiped a god of truth. you worship a delusion.

i lost myself a little. and it took today–took something terrible–to bring me back to reality.

let me pose you a question that’s been troubling me for hours: must i forgo brilliance–no, not even brilliance; must i forgo any sort of intelligence; must i forgo the baseline mental functions that come with being alive–for stability?

you must be the dullest conversation partner i’ve ever met!

they’re either evil or they’re the stupidest people who ever lived!

you have to play along. pretend to buy his cover story. whatever he wants you to believe, act like you believe it and go about your business like nothing is wrong. don’t ask questions. don’t antagonize.

swear to me on your god and your mother’s grave.

i’ll be happy when i see you alive and whole tomorrow morning.

i just want you to be smart. be careful. acting on your every emotion the way you do is going to get you into trouble.

the most powerful minds and hardest hearts have a breaking point.

your head will clear, you will remember who you are, and you will move beyond this.

your devotion has always been to magic. none of that has to change because you’ve uncovered a few skeletons.

it seems i misjudged you. my theories about you were flawed.

for many, the denial must be a necessary shield against the guilt.

we’re surrounded by devils.

someone’s going to bleed and nothing bleeds like a mage’s ego.

things are about to change. the future has to be different. it will be different.

are you really going to do this? is this the mark you want to leave on the world?

i’m realizing how ridiculous it is to demand civility when the world is so disgustingly uncivil upon closer inspection. so, i’m not here to ask for your friendship or your politeness.

mages are detached from reality. they’re obsessive, socially stunted egomaniacs. you know, like me.

good people will turn monstrous when it’s down to their survival or someone else’s.

all i can say is… if you’re going to do this, i don’t co-sign it. don’t do it for me–or for anyone else. be selfish. be arrogant. do it for yourself.

i don’t want to be the reason anyone gets hurt. i don’t want to be the reason you die.

is it better to be safe and broken than it is to be dead?

all this agony for your goddamn ego.

i can’t believe i ever called you my family.

the forces of darkness are nothing to the light of god. 

sorry about your reputation.

you could’ve been something great.

as far as the public is concerned, you will be forgotten–all your skill and innovation.

i never helped you for glory. i did it because it was the right thing to do.

i’m not your glory. i’m your penance. 

we have done a great evil, and you’re smart enough to know that, deep in your soul, no matter what lies you spin around it. and i’m your attempt to get out of that feeling, aren’t i?

we all bear the burden of knowledge in different ways. some of us endeavor to do good.

have i dragged you anywhere you weren’t determined to go by your own power?

if i was to be your penance for what you have done, is it working? do you feel absolved?

you want me to throw away honesty in exchange for my life?

i don’t know what you’re capable of.

i think it’s important to be honest with the people you care about.

i don’t want your protection! do you hear me? do you understand? if you harm any of those people down there, it’s for yourself, not me.

you still have a chance to do the right and honest thing.

you have a long way to go yet before you’re half the monster i am.

if i’m going to die, i want to go knowing i left you safe and right with yourself.

if this is the last night of the world as we know it, i want to spend it with someone who can appreciate that with me. i want to spend it with you… if that’s alright?

don’t stay because you’re hoping to talk me into your plan over the course of the night.

honestly, i don’t know why i indulge your pessimism.

remember all this grief and terror–and try to do something good with it.

[dr5amatic]

THE ADVENTURE BEGINS ,

a sentence starter prompts list comprised of quotes from the d&d actual play fantasy high from dimension 20. please be advised that this list may involve topics including, but not limited to, murder, death, violence, and religion. change verbiage as needed.

she can’t have been that good an oracle if she didn’t see the storm coming

why would it be impractical to fight with a two foot diameter orb?

i don’t have a lot of friends even though i’m pretty social so that’s weird. 

it’s not great that you’re doing this. 

i can be your man on the inside. 

why am i encouraging this? don’t do this.

try and tell me even one good bard that learned how to bard in school!

i’ve got a song called “my dad is a demon but he’s also a deadbeat.”

do you want this metal flower?

a hero is someone with the strength of heart, courage of spirit, and the might of will to go to strange lands and enact violence on things there. 

a hero is a violent wanderer who enacts their will bloodily and with strange magicks upon the world. 

does a hero truly stand alone?

the strength of the hero is the strength of the party. 

never forget that the greatest magic of all is chronomancy, the magic of time. 

where i’m from is the same place i’m going, buddy. nowhere. 

god, i’m just like jesus!

you’re just another maternal figure that has let me down. 

i am hashtag blessed. 

it’s not your time. you have more work to do. 

i met god and it was really disappointing. 

you gotta not touch the body!

oh, don’t be spiteful!

i’ll put you in the ground before i let you kill me. 

what do you think about rage?

i’m sorry, you’re a little freak and i love it. 

i’m really mad but that’s okay because this song is about being mad and that being fine. 

as the poets say, the heart wants what looks good. 

there is no one in this world more important than you. 

i actually met god and he sucked. 

dude, i think your mom’s bi. 

there is one law and only one law: the law of the blade. 

now why did you draw steel last night?

your objective was to draw weaponry until it got less scary?

i have no use for dead men, only men that can make me richer. 

i fear no one. 

death, to me, is nothing more than a joke. when the time comes, i will jump into hell and kill the devil. 

my dad is so metal. 

are you starting a religion?

did you kill something with a ladle?

who can truly know what lives in the heart of another?

i need three cc’s of coffee!

you know, kindness begets kindness. 

there’s no god. there’s no devil. 

wind chimes are fucking annoying. 

plant some trees or some shit. 

if you’re not playing for your own team, how can you expect anyone else to?

the time is coming and it’s worse than you think. 

maybe i should hit people more. 

you and i were raised very differently and i’m realizing that now. 

we are not going to get our security deposit back. 

you have a ton of work ahead of you that in a more just world you wouldn’t have to do. 

so i think i maybe accidentally started a war. 

be careful on ships because when shit goes sideways there’s nowhere to go. it’s just ocean. 

when push comes to shove, i imagine you’ll make the selfish choice. 

i’m glad you’re alive. 

you always got to be kind, you always got to try your best, and there is no sense in being a fucking pushover. 

you have to fucking pull yourself together. 

fuck. i should’ve killed that dude. 

quit it, dad!

the only thing special about you is that some god decided you were special randomly!

you’re not clever enough for the library, and you’re not brave enough for the world.

your father’s more man than you’ll ever be.

so unlovable that your father would rather go to hell than stay with you.

you might have a jail cell waiting for you.

it’s really bad!

having panic attacks is not a character flaw. you are not a coward, you have a goddamn medical condition. 

i came here to fuck shit up and help children. 

did you kill god?

recreation is the highest form of self-medication. 

the heart and soul of magic is having a good time. 

so you’re a god now?

bad things happen to good people because things happen all the time and it’s up to the people to determine whether they are bad or good. 

in the same way that your heart feels and your mind thinks, you mortal beings are the instrument by which the universe cares. 

if you choose to care, the universe cares. 

what is a god worthy of worship?

i had a whole plan! i did everything right!

everything in this world is bullshit, but understanding how is the key. 

[dr5amatic]

THE AGONY OF UNMADE DECISIONS ,

a sentence starter prompts list comprised of quotes from the novel if we were villains by m.l. rio. please be advised that this list may involve topics including, but not limited to, murder, death, and violence. change verbiage as needed.

why are you here? you should know by now i’m not going to tell you anything.

seems safer to let sleeping dogs lie.

it must eat you alive, not knowing. not knowing who, not knowing how, not knowing why.

you’ve kept your secrets all this time. it would drive anyone else crazy. why do it?

want to come out for a smoke? might help you relax.

your time will come to be the tragic hero.

let’s go skinny-dipping! i haven’t been swimming all summer.

seems like just yesterday my dad was shouting at me for throwing my life away.

you can’t do good work if you’re hiding, so we’re going to get all of the ugliness out in the open.

if you haven’t made any enemies in life, you’ve been living too safely.

you make a surprisingly convincing villain.

i know what you’re doing. you’re baiting me.

i don’t know about you, but i want to get cleaned up and go to bed and pretend this didn’t happen for like at least eight hours.

i think we were all fucked up from the start.

you promised me you wouldn’t say a word, so don’t.

i’m sorry, what the fuck just happened?

you know, people aren’t going to put up with your bullshit for much longer.

you’re probably the only person he’d listen to.

where’ve you been all night?

i was making the rounds for a while, but i got overwhelmed and snuck upstairs to do some reading.

i’m done with this fucking party, with all of them down there. what do you want?

why don’t you just tell me what happened? no performance. no poetics.

we can’t just stand around arguing about how it happened, we have to do something.

look, i know you have a pathological need to play the hero, but right now you need to stop and ask yourself if that’s really what’s best for everyone.

someone’s dead and you don’t know where you were?

before last night, everything was fine.

i care about you, and what might happen if you carry on like this.

he wasn’t an easy person to like, but he was an easy person to love.

what do you do? ignore your grief, or indulge in it?

maybe every day we let grief in, we’ll also let a little bit of it out, and eventually we’ll be able to breathe again.

i’m not going to kick you out of your own bed.

it doesn’t add up. we’re missing something.

you look like you might need someone to carry you.

i’m going to bed unless you’ve got something to say.

i’ve had enough of your sexual misadventures for one year, thanks.

it’s fucking freesing and i’m not leaving you out here alone.

when did we become such terrible people?

why don’t we get a drink or something? just us. i can’t think straight with everyone watching like we’re a reality show.

i just–maybe it’s because you’re you, and i mean, look at you–but i don’t understand. why me? i’m nobody.

you know, everyone calls you ‘nice,’ but that’s not the word. you’re good. you’re so good you have no idea how good you are.

we carry on as usual, or they’re going to want to ask all kinds of questions we don’t want to answer.

are you going to cold-shoulder me all night?

what’s gotten into you? you don’t sound like yourself.

you’re smarter than this. 

i’m not keeping any more secrets for you.

you can justify anything if you do it poetically enough.

you’re just going to leave me?

i think hell may have frozen over.

when you enter the theatre, there are three things you must leave at the door: dignity, modesty, and personal space.

anything can feel like punishment if you’re taught poorly.

you can’t quantify humanity. you can’t measure it–not the way you mean to. people are passionate and flawed and fallible. they make mistakes. their memories fade. their eyes deceive them.

i want so badly to be so mad at you that i could kill you, but i can’t, so i’m mad at myself instead. do you even understand how unfair that is?

i don’t know what’s wrong with me. i want to hurt the whole world.

why don’t you sit, and i’ll pour tea?

he was my friend—much more than that, truthfully—and that was enough. i didn’t need to know why.

can i help? i still–i want to help.

let me put myself back together and then i’ll come find you.

it’s like i look at you and suddenly the sonnets make sense.

tell me you didn’t do it.

i never wanted you to look at me the way you’re looking at me right now.

we have to go back and act like nothing’s wrong. we’ve got to get through tonight, and then we’ll worry about it. all right?

you know, it’s not too late if there’s another version of the truth you want to tell me.

will you rest easier with one less mystery on your mind?

you were real to me. sometimes i thought you were the only real thing.

[dr5amatic]

FAMILY FIRST ,

a sentence starter prompts list comprised of quotes from the novel the reappearance of rachel price by holly jackson. please be advised that this list may involve topics including, but not limited to, murder, death, and violence. change verbiage as needed.

what do you think happened to your mother?

so, do you prefer apples or bananas?

don't we need to do more conversation if you're about to touch my ass?

you gain a second every time you abbreviate. those seconds all add up in the end. time is money, my friend.

you aren't a real person, are you?

i'm giving up if no one is helping me with this snowman!

i can't help but notice you're still wearing your wedding ring.

i'll never be able to thank you enough. don't think i've said it as much as i should.

were you nervous the verdict was going to be guilty?

you might not want to do it, i don't want to do it, but we have no other choice.

have you considered, maybe, just trying to be normal?

why do you think you deserve the truth more than anyone else?

so what do you like to do for fun?

it's going to be a media shitstorm, pardon my french.

you can't always rely on memory to keep things like that.

you seem like the stabby type.

you look like a sad tangerine.

you can hit me if it'll make you feel better.

there can be value in not talking.

you are the shittiest sidekick.

i don't trust you, and i don't like you, and i definitely don't need you.

sometimes, even after something terrible, good things can happen to good people.

what have you done to him?

i can't tell you the truth! i wouldn't do that to you.

i can do this on my own. i was on my own for a very long time, i know how it works.

[dr5amatic]

THE ABILITY TO HOLD PAIN ,

a sentence starter prompts list comprised of quotes from the novel the sword of kaigen: the theonite war story by m. l. wang. please be advised that this list may involve topics including, but not limited to, murder, death, and violence. change verbiage as needed.

you don’t need to play dumb with me. i like you better when you’re smart.

be careful how hard you love what you know you can’t have.

i’ve never seen you smile. what’s wrong with you? are the corners of your mouth busted or something?

you’re not a disappointment. you couldn’t be if you tried.

you… are you saying our government would lie to us?

any warrior will tell you that even the strong can’t afford complacency.

you’re a good fighter and your small-town pride is cute, but it’s all based on a lie.

you’re talented, but talent is meaningless without self-discipline. you will never be fully realized if you continuously let your pride run away with your principles.

you’re patriotic and loyal. you’re exactly what everyone’s told you to be.

if i kill you, you’ll be facing me with a sword in your hand.

i don’t just make up ridiculous, self-serving lies whenever i feel like it.

i’m too young to die!

are you hurt anywhere else? is there any bleeding?

the moon and ocean fear no change.

we can’t claim to be crime-fighters if we disrespect life just as much as the criminals we fight.

i don’t think killing a horrible, hostile person is really disrespecting life.

if you didn’t want your enemies dead, why even bring me onboard? why did you choose me?

street fighting is always messy and full of cheating.

so, you care that everyone lives, but you don’t care whether you fight clean?

how easy do you think it is to build a life out of nothing?

it’s not your powers that make you special.

i know you can take care of yourself. i’m just not sure you will.

do you not understand? you’re going to die!

if i think your life is in danger, i will kill for you.

only you could turn an offer for help into a threat.

for someone so proficient at fighting, you certainly seem to loathe it.

careful what you wish for.

you should lie down and rest for at least a little while.

can i tell you why i hit him?

you learn over time that the world isn’t broken. it’s just…got more pieces to it than you thought. they all fit together, just maybe not the way you pictured when you were young.

listening never made any man dumber, but it’s made a lot of people smarter.

the world is whole. you are on the right path. everything is going to be alright.

ours is borrowed power, a gift and a blessing. the true power belongs to the gods.

respectfully, i just want to know how you feel about your government lying to you.

do you fight to be remembered?

if it came to it, i would have killed without a second thought. if it was to save [name], i would have killed as many people as i needed to.

that is the dumbest thing you’ve said all day. square up.

you can try to stop me.

i’m not sure i’m worthy of your pride, but i will be. just wait.

you’re going to find something worth fighting for and you’re going to get your chance to fight for it.

you think i’m a good person. that saved my life.

you saved me. i’m going to return the favor, but i need you to trust me and hide.

are you serious? you’re sure you don’t want to run?

power. that’s really the thing people use to decide who they marry?

i don’t want to leave without you.

a life of dangerous adventures might seem worth it now, when you are young and seemingly invincible, but one day, you will have children, and you will not want that life for them.

you’re trying to hurt me so i can leave you here without any guilt.

i know your tactics. they won’t work on me.

this doesn’t seem like something you would have chosen of your own free will.

i made a decision you don’t like, so i’m a coward?

divinity lives here. i think this is a place of miracles.

i never loved you the way i should have.

the least i can do is warn you about what is going to happen next.

are you always going to be this mean to me?

this power… i might not understand it completely, but i know that it comes from my will to protect the people i love.

i’m impressed. patience has never been your strong suit.

you’re good at talking to people – lifting them up, breaking them down. you’ve always been good at that.

i’ve stood by too long while you disgraced yourself, but this–this is the last time you will be weak in front of me.

do you ever feel love?

the anger is not going to go away, but you are going to face it and tame it.

you’re guilty of the same thing i am.

if you don’t want to hurt me, you will face me like a real fighter, with respect

there are worse things than fighting. i like a bit of fighting. it’s silence i can’t stand.

when you’ve been around the world and seen all different kinds of lies, it gets easier to see through them. i don’t fault you for being misinformed.

what happened to the fearless optimist i knew?

a person’s tragedy doesn’t define them or cancel all the good in their life.

how many of them did you kill?

i’ll never understand how you forgive people you disagree with so fundamentally.

i thought i could become strong enough to protect the people i cared about from anything. i understand now that that’s not true. and it’s too late.

[dr5amatic]

BEYOND THE STORM ,

a sentence starter prompts list comprised of quotes from the novel a sky beyond the storm by sabaa tahir. please be advised that this list may involve topics including, but not limited to, murder, death, and violence. change verbiage as needed.

we are, all of us, just visitors in each other’s lives. you will forget my visit soon enough.

emotion is the enemy. love, hate, joy, fear. all are forbidden.

you will not win. i do not care what it takes, nor how long. i will defeat you.

death is not good, nor evil. there is no right or wrong with death. death is death.

murder is not the answer to everything.

worrying won’t help, but talking about it might.

defeat in your mind is defeat on the battlefield.

men are a terrible waste of air.

the world’s not only full of bad things, you know.

you of all people understand what it means to have the love of your life turned into someone else.

don’t let me fall, you idiot. unless you want to carry my carcass the next hundred miles.

it is torment to love someone hopelessly, with no chance of requital. there is no salve for it, no cure, no comfort.

your heart is the only thing that can be trusted.

i can’t change your mind, can i?

for me, [name], desire is not simple. it is not shelter. it is not warmth. it is a fire that offers no light, only heat, ruinous and consuming. the longer you deny it, the hotter it burns. you forget shelter. you forget warmth. there is only that which you want and cannot have, and the desolation that follows.

your wishes do not matter much to me.

you will not touch me. you will not even think about taking me anywhere without my leave.

may death claim me first.

when you look at me, what do you see?

you’re brave and wise. you just have to be patient too.

i am sworn to protect you.

i need you to disappear. to never leave. i need to have never met you or felt you. you. you. you. i need you.

why do you stand there like a moonstruck doe? if they catch you, they will kill you.

can a worm hurt a wolf, or an ant kill an eagle? no matter how badly you want me to die, i cannot.

i want to fight. i want a battle that isn’t in my head.

do you even remember those you’ve killed? or are there so many that their faces fade together?

greetings, death. you come to claim me at last.

i could not live with myself if more suffer because of me. stay away. leave me in peace.

there is no safe place for me in this world. not unless i create it for myself.

one day, you’ll have to reckon with all the things you try to hide from yourself. the longer you wait, the more it will hurt.

forgive me. laughing hurts less than facing what happened.

when i thought i was going to die, i thought about you.

there is no honor in death by idiocy. 

for the living, death is the only guarantee. it cannot be defeated.

war is your past. war is your present. war is your future.

a commander who has tasted the bitter fruit of war is the only one worthy of waging it, for they understand the cost.

i have missed you, my love.

get away from me. i will tell you nothing.

we are doomed, you and i, to offer more love than we will ever be given.

you’re a man of few words, so don’t waste the ones you do utter on things i already know.

this is my city and as long as i have breath left in my body, i will fight for it.

do not give me some sad story about love and loss and your broken heart.

you and i are more alike than you know, and that is not a compliment.

you’re in a position of great power. it’s a lonely place to be. most leaders spend their lives using others and being used. love isn’t just a luxury for you. it’s a rarity. it’s a gift. don’t throw it away.

you are lucky enough to love someone who loves you back. they are alive and breathing and in the same vicinity as you. by the gods, do something about it. for however long you have, for whatever time you get. because if you don’t, i swear that you’ll regret it. you’ll regret it for all your years.

mangoes are not as sweet if you are not sharing them with someone you love.

i didn’t care about them. not like i care about you.

i’d tear apart the world if anything happened to you.

you cannot make me stop loving you. not when i know that somewhere in there, you feel the same.

do you not understand why? i do this because I love you.

it’s so good to hear you laugh. you don’t laugh enough.

memory will make you weak and emotion will not serve you well.

you are broken, but it is the broken things that are the sharpest. the deadliest. it is the broken things that are the most unexpected, and the most underestimated.

i have seen what happens to those i love.

can i kick him? i’m going to kick him.

i still loved them. i shouldn’t have, but i did.

every time i touch you, i fall deeper into a place i know i will not be able to emerge from, should I lose you.

my soul aches with all that I should do. it weighs on me like a mountain, and i cannot bear it.

all my love goes with you.

i do not know if i will be able to do what must be done.

there are some things that do not die no matter how many blades we put into them.

love is why i still live.

come to me in the darkest hour of the night when the stars still sleep.

still flirting at inappropriate times, i see.

how many have died because of a king’s greed or a commander’s pride? 

how much pain exists in the world because we cannot get past what has been done to us, because we insist on inflicting pain back?

how does one move past such huge sins?

sometimes, it is better to die than to live as a monster.

there’s no one i’d rather have at my back.

love can be more powerful in a battle than planning or strategy. love keeps us fighting. love drives us to survive.

you don’t get to decide if you deserve my love or not. i decide that. you are worthy of my love.

your mistakes only define the rest of your life if you let them. don’t let them.

i want a life with you. adventures. meals. late nights in front of fires. a thousand rainy walks. you talking me out of my clothing in inappropriate places. i want more.

you cannot go first. i could not make sense of the world if you did.

there is not a single person alive who i trust more than you to do what must be done today.

all that i do is driven by love. love of all that was taken from us. love of what is left.

how do i go on when i’ve wrought such devastation? when all i have to give is death?

perhaps you and i are doomed to always be hurt. what we do with that hurt is our choice. 

how do we trust our happiness? how do we go on if we don’t know if it will be taken away?

i wish i could live a thousand lives so i could fall in love with you a thousand times.

[dr5amatic]

A REAPER ,

a sentence starter prompts list comprised of quotes from the novel a reaper at the gates by sabaa tahir. please be advised that this list may involve topics including, but not limited to, murder, death, and violence. change verbiage as needed.

pain is a choice. succumb to it and fail. or defy it and triumph.

you're all that holds back the darkness.

the cruelest anger comes from the deepest pain.

duty must reign over all else: desire, sadness, loneliness. love cannot live here.

he is cloaked in lies and shadow, like you. find him at your peril, child, for you will lose much, even as you save us all.

there is no joy in destroying a weak foe.

words as pretty as that smile.

at best, he's taking orders from a ghost. at worst, he's hallucinating.

strange how monsters can reach from beyond the grave, as potent in death as they were in life.

the memory is in the pain. the memory is where the hurt lies, the greatest anger.

you humans give your loyalty so willingly for just a little hope.

hope is stronger than fear. it is stronger than hate.

the past shall burn, and none will slow it.

to lead, you have to do ugly things.

we've all made mistakes in love. me most of all.

sometimes those we love are lost to us, as surely as if death himself had claimed them. all we can do is mourn the divergence of their path. if you try to walk it, you too will fall into darkness.

there is success and there is failure. the land in between is for those too weak to live.

war creates such opportunity for greedy, cowardly swindlers, does it not?

everyone believes that nothing concerns them until the monsters are knocking on their doors!

when you are weak, look to the battlefield. in battle, you will find your vigor. in battle, you will find your strength.

you will know victory or you will know death. there is nothing else.

first you will be unmade. first you will be broken.

the heavens live under the feet of the mother, so great is their sacrifice. and indeed no one suffers in war more than the mother. this war will be no different.

you wish to cause me pain, but already, my every breath is torture.

you cannot walk in the shadows as long as i have and not become one.

work with what you have, not what you want.

we're not gods. we can't save everyone.

what is it like to know that no matter what you do, nothing will stop the war that is coming?

there is a price for greed and violence. we do not always know who will pay it. but for good or ill, it will be paid.

the world must be broken before it can be remade or else the balance will never be restored.

the pain of what you have given up will fade. you have endured much in a short time, learned much in a short time. you cannot expect to be ready overnight.

those who ignited the blazer must suffer its wrath.

look into my eyes, you wretch. see the darkest moments of your future. witness the devastation i will unleash.

your dreams of the future only bloom if they have a firm hand to nurture them to life. otherwise, they wither before they ever take root.

forgive me, forgive me for failing you.

[dr5amatic]

AT THE GATES ,

a sentence starter prompts list comprised of quotes from the novel a reaper at the gates by sabaa tahir. please be advised that this list may involve topics including, but not limited to, murder, death, and violence. change verbiage as needed.

no harm shall befall you. i vow it.

i fear what you will do if harm comes to those whom you love.

i would destroy anyone who dared hurt you.

your heart is made to love. to give. not to take.

it's stupid to fall for a once-dead ghost-talker, i don't care how pretty he is.

who took him? tell me!

talk or die.

unless you're a fool, you'll agree that death would be preferable. i will make it swift.

i could never mourn them. i wasn't allowed to.

you nearly got yourself killed. is that not enough?

you have much to learn, and i do not know how much time i have to teach you.

go or don't, doesn't matter to me. but stop being woeful and useless. i don't have the patience for it.

you didn't ask for assassination. you asked for destruction, and destruction takes time.

you don't have to tell me if you don't wish to.

you don't have to come with me.

not a chance. never again. where you go, i go.

you will fail, usurper.

i thought we would have more time. i thought we'd find a way out for you.

i don't want to let you go. not yet. not so soon.

you are cruel, [name], to give a girl all she desires only to tear it away.

this isn't the end for us, [name]. do you hear me? this is not our end.

you've never been a liar. don't start now.

why are you lurking out there? are you spying on me?

you destroyed my life. you could have saved them. you—you monster.

what of you, [name]? are you not a monster?

fare thee well, [name]. i will see you once more before your end.

tell me what's going on. i can decide whether it concerns me or not.

how the hells are we going to get out of here?

i won't make a promise i can't keep, and neither should you.

any other threats? discussions you wish to waste my time with? none? good. then lets get the hells out of here.

you are new to your power, but that does not mean you do not have it.

i'm not going anywhere with you, not until you tell me who you are.

if i answer one question, will you stop being so annoying and let me get you to a safe house?

why did you not listen to me, [name]. why did you not learn?

what is the point of having muscles if you cannot carry things for others?

she penned a play. i can feel it. don't act the part she's written for you.

why are we not fighting back? night won't fall for hours. we need to use the light that remains.

first, you need to eat. you're irritable and i don't like talking to irritable people.

i can be your ally, or i can be your enemy.

we leave in an hour. come along or stay. it doesn't matter to me.

you must have a guard with you at all times. not because you are incapable, but because you must show your strength. there is strength in numbers.

what, you don't want to pass the time in conversation with me? i'm hurt.

who did this to you?

you're not dead, and you're not going to die. do you hear me? you're going to live. you're going to find whoever did this to you. you're going to make them pay. get up. get to safety.

i'll never let go of what i fought so hard to keep.

stay with me. you don't have to speak. all you have to do is stay awake.

off to get yourself killed again so soon?

i heard you got stabbed. thought i'd come yell at you for allowing it to happen.

some guard you make. you were fast asleep.

i don't know your secrets and so i cannot protect you when others try to ferret them out.

if you didn't need protection, it would be because no one saw you as a threat. needing protection is not a weakness. refusing to trust your allies is.

we're dying out here! while you dine on roast fowl and fresh fruit in a tower that doesn't belong to you.

you are so stupid! you're the only one i have. the only one left! did you even consider that before running into a burning building?

you do not know the weight of the crown. you could never understand.

will it always be chaos for us, [name]? will things never be normal?

if... if i change... if i seem different, remember that i love you. no matter what happens to me. say you'll remember, please—

you seek counsel. i am honor bound to offer it. sit, please. i will speak with you.

no one is safe. have you not yet learned this lesson?

we will see each other again. i swear it.

i'll make my own way. i don't need you.

why do you care so much what happens to me?

there are men back there who were counting on me, and i left them.

mercy, [name]. that is my order. i do not deserve it. i do not even wish it. but you'll give it to me anyway. because you're good.

you dare put those you love before all of humanity? you dare be so selfish?

no need for that. i didn't drag you through a hundred miles of caves so your first act upon waking would be to stab me.

you came for me. you dragged me from the claws of death himself. you have more good in you than you will ever acknowledge.

[dr5amatic]

READER, WRITER, PROTAGONIST ,

a sentence starter prompts list comprised of quotes from omniscient reader's viewpoint by sing shong. please be advised that this list may involve topics including, but not limited to, murder, death, and violence. change verbiage as needed.

we are companions separated by life and death.

i remember the moment i read a novel for the first time.

it isn't important to read the letters. the important thing is where the letters lead you.

perhaps it was similar to learning about death. for the first time, i realized that something was finite.

if i am really a god then i am the most incompetent god in the world. the most helpless god in the whole world who knows everything but can't explain anything.

i believe in you more than the future that hasn't come yet.

ultimately, every human is their own writer.

helping someone who didn't want help can be a curse. however, some people can't ask for help despite needing help because they had never asked for it before.

what i am looking for is passion. i hope you have the passion to see the end of this damn story with me.

by the way, are you a couple?

tell me, you fool. if i continue to regress, will i ever get to meet you again?

[name]. can i hit you?

you will be my companion and you will see the end of the scenario.

the story won't end unless the reader gives up on the story.

i am an ordinary person with ordinary skills. but even so, this doesn't mean i can only do ordinary things.

i am [name]. and you shall die here.

get lost, [name].

this story is for just that one reader.

hey, just say that you like him. quickly.

there is no weight to sadness.

in the end, to every human being, the most precious thing is themselves. and you risk everything of yours always.

strangely, i've been craving something sweet lately. do you want to eat?

release your hand and get lost, you damn son of a bitch.

i have a companion already.

i always regretted about something in my life. however, my regret over the things i haven't done is way bigger than for those that i did do.

i don't know anything about the future. however, i do know this. you said that you want to save this world? it's the same for me too.

you are the world i wish to save.

you are like dough made by anyone while a god was carving him for a thousand days.

i might be a killer but i don't want to become a monster.

those who read more than fifty chapters of a boring novel aren't normal.

eat the soil, [name].

marry him? i'd rather kill myself.

it's my freedom to decide what i hear and what i remember. and i shall decide who i am.

i'm only good to people who are also dead. i'm sorry that we met when you are a living person. you should die soon and come back again.

justice, in most cases, is just something that is agreed upon by the majority.

don't you know that people are the most dangerous in an apocalypse?

i can kill all of them if i want. therefore, i can save all of them if i want.

it's been a while, [name]. you are still ugly.

i shall pray that you may continue to exist somewhere too.

you probably know this already, but i'm not a prophet. no, i am as far removed from such a being as you can get.

if you get a chance to run again, do you believe you can see it better the next time?

where do you plan to die alone?

why are you going so far to save me?

i have something i need to ask that fool.

it was a really great story. isn't that right? let's meet again, [name].

give me [name]. then i will spare you.

you are necessary for this world. i need you.

you will be killed by the person you love the most.

i won't give up on this life, so don't give up either.

don't worry. i'll do the rest.

everything has already been written, and at the same time, still being written.

even if i was a little bit less happy, i wanted to live longer.

we can save the world. you know that, right?

you always had to endure these moments all by yourself. fortunately, you aren't alone this time.

the fact that you can regress at any time means that death is meaningless.

i will decide my story.

perhaps you understood my heart more than anyone else.

this version of you is the despair of the world itself.

i will never sacrifice myself again. i will not leave my companions behind.

it has always been once chance for me.

one's life should always be greater than a story written about them.

i'm giving you the opportunity to become its very first reader.

don't be an ass and just read it when i tell you to.

fine, fine. i'll definitely read it.

some stories can only begin anew after coming to its end.

you're the cowardly lion, obviously.

do you still believe that you can understand someone through just a few lines of text in a couple of chapters?

knowledge is never perfect.

how do you know all my weaknesses...?

why did you die for us over and over?

you're our son. that is all that matters.

i want to buy a really big house and live together with everyone.

a person who watched a certain story for a long time would eventually grow to resemble that story.

your salvation is cruel. like rescuing a drowning person with a blade, those saved by you are inflicted with an unhealable wound.

i always hated you. and regretted it, too? why did i write the story of someone like you with my own hands?

[dr5amatic]

THE LAST GRADUATE ,

a sentence starter prompts list comprised of quotes from the last graduate by naomi novik. please be advised that this list may involve topics including, but not limited to, murder, death, and violence. change verbiage as needed.

there's no such thing as normal people. there's just people, and some of them are miserable, and some of them are happy, and you've the same right to be happy as any of them—no more and no less.

you're the only right thing i've ever wanted.

people don't think about us nearly as much as we think they do, because they're all busy worrying what people are thinking about them.

i'm not some sort of pallid romantic who insists on being loved for my shining inner being. my inner being is exceptionally cranky and i often don't want their company myself.

i could never afford to look past survival, especially not for anything as insanely expensive as happiness, and i don't believe in it anyway.

it is not a complex problem to appear nice to people!

so long as they think you are agreeable, others will follow in their lead.

i want to help my family, i want ot take care of them... but i can't be that girl. i can't be the smart girl. i can only be me.

i can't be your savior; i have enough to do saving myself.

you'd rather run away and wallow in angst than ask for help or anything else horrible like that.

i don't need this much more to lose.

oddly enough constantly being on the verge of malnourishment, exhaustion and mortal terror isn't really conductive to romance.

i'm not going to play it safe if you say yes, and i'm not going to do anything dumb if you say no.

you'll do an enormous number of truly stupid things no matter what!

why don't i just kill them all as they come in?

shrivel up and die, you putrescent sack of larva!

more or less, i informed the eldritch horror it had no business existing with so much aggression, that i shoved it out of reality.

i don't know what to do with myself.

i need to know if i can get on a plane and come to you. because that's what i want to do.

if i wanted you dead, if i wanted any of you dead, you'd be dead!

something about the aura of future monstrously dark sorceress must put them off.

my supply of grace wouldn't overflow an acorn cap.

how exactly have you managed to spend your entire career until now pretending to be a nice person?

[dr5amatic]

A DEADLY EDUCATION ,

a sentence starter prompts list comprised of quotes from a deadly education by naomi novik. please be advised that this list may involve topics including, but not limited to, murder, death, and violence. change verbiage as needed.

i love having an existential crises at bedtime, it's so restful.

i ran the fuck away.

i decided that you needed to die after the second time you saved my life.

was i starting to feel evil? yes.

i think that after a certain number of evil choices, it's reasonable shorthand to decide that someone's an evil person who oughtn't have the chance to make any more choices.

the more power someone has, the less slack they ought to be given.

you're nearly dead and you're still the rudest person i've ever met.

given that you're at least half responsible for this situation, i refuse to thank you.

i got an affinity for mass destruction.

my anger's a bad guest, my mother likes to say: comes without warning and stays a long time.

you have to ration sympathy and grief in here the way you ration school supplies.

there was only me to save me, because no one else cared.

oh, how i'd enjoyed all that sweet crisp righteous anger, my favorite drug: i'd nearly ridden the high straight into murder.

i am reasonably sure that my one tried-and-true method of being aggressively rude isn't actually how normal people make their friends.

hope is a good strong drink, especially when you can get someone else to buy it for you.

most people can get through lunch without urning it into an act of war.

do you think that everyone is always trying to sit with you for your amazing personality or something?

it always mattered a lot to me to keep a wall up round my dignity, even though dignity matters fuck-all when the monsters under your bed are real.

i don't have a very good idea of how people behave with their friends normally because i've never had one before.

i've got quite well-developed willpower when it comes to doing necessary work. i just have very little willpower when it comes to indulging petty resentment.

the only chance they're really giving us is the chance to be useful to them.

you don't actually want to date me, do you?

i'm delighted to report my repaired door slammed shut on his heels beautifully.

i'm trying not to get kicked out of your life.

my darling, i love you, have courage.

now i'm worried i'll be turned into the dark side by too much crochet.

just because it's a forty-sixth order derivative equation or something doesn't mean that i can't work out which side of that equation is the guilty one.

it's too easy to call people evil instead of their choices, and that lets people justify making evil choices, because they convince themselves that it's okay because they're still good people overall, inside their own heads.

we all get the illusion of a chance.

i was five, ice cream was my only motivation for wanting power.

i'm going to bash your head in with a brick!

only a boy would date somebody for two weeks and not mention it to them.

[dr5amatic]

AGAINST THE NIGHT ,

a sentence starter prompts list comprised of quotes from the novel a torch against the night by sabaa tahir. please be advised that this list may involve topics including, but not limited to, murder, death, and violence. change verbiage as needed.

how did they find us so fast?

if your sins were blood, you would drown in a river of your own making.

you ask what am i, but what are you?

stay out of the way. no matter how bad it looks, don't interfere, don't try to help.

when the fear takes over, use the only thing more powerful, more indestructible, to fight it: your spirit. your heart.

we have to keep going. we have to get out of the city.

if something happens to me, don't fear.

you took long enough. i’ve waited hours.

if you think i need an army to destroy you, you are mistaken.

don’t falter now, fool. you’ll regret it.

bad luck to lie to a comrade-in-arms.

do you enjoy it? the hurt you cause? the pain? i can see it. you carry it with you. why? does it bring you happiness?

i don’t mean to–i don’t want to hurt people.

you destroy all those who get close to you.

you are dead, you just don’t know it yet.

you’ve been blacked out for hours. i thought you might not wake up.

don’t you dare fade out on me again.

i can’t do this without you.

stay. don’t go back. i need you.

i’m going to hurt you. i hurt everyone. 

try to stay. you were gone for so long last time, and i need you to stay.

tell me another story. tell me another memory. something good.

if you care for [name], then do not let [name] care for you.

like the poison that rages within you, you have no antidote.

willpower alone cannot change one’s fate.

thirteen fractures is nothing.

i’m about as good with tears as i am with declarations of love.

every time i stare into your eyes, i see my nightmares.

now you seem older and harder and, perhaps most terrifyingly, wiser.

he insisted that killing you would lead to my doom.

to be honest, i’m tempted to slit your throat just to see what happens. perhaps i still will.

i’m yours to command, my lord.

i don’t have allies. i have people who owe me things and people who want things and people who use me and people whom i use.

you swore to be the sword that executes my will. now is the chance to prove your loyalty.

i need him dead and i want you to be the one who kills him. 

i want you to watch the light die in his eyes. i want him to know it’s the person he cares for most in the world who shoved a blade through his heart.

i want it to haunt you for all your days.

he’s sly enough to escape the bounty hunters quite easily, but you and i both know that he would never be able to escape you.

how do i kill the man i love?

forgive me, but how can you speak to me of obsession?

small victories have made you daring. do not let them make you stupid.

you have your orders. carry them out.

it will destroy you if you’re not careful.

would you care to hear my theory?

your injuries tell me you’ve seen battle.

the problem with greedy people is that they think everyone is as greedy as they are.

we’re surrounded.

i’ll catch you.

almost there. stay with me now.

i’m glad you’re alright and i know you’re risking so much to do this for me. thank you.

you kept me alive. you kept yourself alive. 

you’re as brave as your mother. don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

i can’t help the people i’ve hurt. i can’t change what i did to them. 

if i do this, then perhaps i’ll make up for some of the evil i’ve brought into this world.

how sure are you?

as long as you want to save him, then i will help you. i made a vow. i’m not going to break it.

i swore fealty. you made me swear fealty.

i trusted you. i believed you. i did what you wanted.

do not let despair take you. hold true to your heart.

this is what it means to have faith, to believe in something greater than yourself.

the blood, it won’t come off. it’s–it’s everywhere. 

most successful missions are just a series of badly averted disasters.

either we lost them, or they’re being very clever about keeping themselves hidden. i’m thinking the latter.

you want to talk now? after weeks of not even looking at me?

i look at you even when i shouldn’t.

i am the last person who will judge you for killing in your own defense. look at what i am. look at my life.

i left you alone because i thought you might find comfort in solitude. 

so much death. it’s everywhere. what’s the point then of living? will i ever escape it?

your emotions make you human. even the unpleasant ones have a purpose. don’t lock them away. if you ignore them, they just get louder and angrier.

why do you do that? you close yourself up. you shut me out because you don’t want me to get close. what about what i want? you won’t hurt me, [name].

i don’t trust you, not about this.

do not pull rank with me.

don’t take offense, but i don’t know you. so you’ll forgive me if i don’t trust you.

how long until they kill each other, d’you think? and who strikes first?

i won’t hurt you, but you can’t let fear take you.

i’m hurt, [name]. you’re not nearly as friendly as the first time we met.

if you do betray me, i will not go down without a fight.

even your ally is helping us. more reason for you to do the same.

you didn’t get to where you are by breaking promises. grant my favor. fighting it is a waste of time.

it has changed you, [name]. it does matter.

always so afraid of the darkness within. don’t you see? so long as you fight the darkness, you stand in the light.

i’ve been looking all over for you. stay with me! we have to get out of here.

i’ll distract them and meet you there.

you were my best friend. i can’t just throw that away.

don’t. don’t call me that. everybody calls me that. but not you..

i wouldn’t expect you to understand.

i have to leave, but i don’t want to hurt you. i’m so sick of hurting people.

i miss you. i’ll always miss you. even when I’m a ghost.

keep your head down and stay.

family is worth dying for, killing for. fighting for them is all that keeps us going when everything else is gone.

i know what it is to do things that you don’t want to for a greater good.

you are my temple. you are my priest. you are my prayer. you are my release.

we both know I’m not long for this world.

exhaustion makes for failed missions.

i’m the reason he’s dead.

sleep where you wish. i will not disturb you.

atop all else, are you an oathbreaker too?

keep your vow to me, and i will bring order to this empire. betray me, and watch it burn.

i hope i see you again.

forget that you did not say goodbye–you did not even give me a chance to object to your decision.

secrets are a snake’s way of doing business.

the vow I made to you, it was all for nothing.

most people are nothing but glimmers in the great darkness of time. but you, [name], are no swift-burning spark. you are a torch against the night–if you dare to let yourself burn.

you see assurances. i can offer you none.

breaking your fealty will have its cost, as will keeping it. only you can weigh those costs.

you think knowing will make it easier, but knowing makes it worse.

knowing is a curse.

stay alive. protect them. help any others you can. that’s the only payment i expect i’ll get.

what honor is there in a useless death?

how’s this for a trade: you tell me what i want, and i don’t gut you.

in the cold, you don’t realize how much you’re pushing yourself. you’ll collapse if you’re not careful.

we won’t get anywhere if we’re dead.

you’ll exhaust yourself into illness.

pain is how you know you loved her.

i wish didn’t remember. i wish i didn’t love her.

what point is there in being human if you don’t let yourself feel anything?

you’re not afraid. why aren’t you afraid?

true suffering lies in the expectation of pain as much as in the pain itself.

are we fools for finding comfort in the midst of such madness?

what is there to live for if not the moments of joy? what is there to fight for?

give me your guilt, i’ll hold it for you.

why didn’t you listen to me? look at you.

you always think everyone is your responsibility, but we’re not.

you are loved, you are not alone, and you deserve to know that.

you said i didn’t have to do it alone.

you brood and make questionable choices that put your own life at risk, but you’re a good person.

failure doesn’t define you. it’s what you do after you fail that determines whether you are a leader or a waste of perfectly good air.

what did we fight for if it was just going to end like this?

it is as if your very fate is to leave a trail of destruction.

you have repented long enough.

[dr5amatic]

IN THE ASHES ,

a sentence starter prompts list comprised of quotes from the novel an ember in the ashes by sabaa tahir. please be advised that this list may involve topics including, but not limited to, murder, death, and violence. change verbiage as needed.

why do keep disappearing when i need you?

i wasn't spying.

what you saw is dangerous. you can't tell anyone about it. not ever.

keep your secrets close, love.

i'm not working for them.

don't be afraid [name], i won't let anything happen to you.

what are you doing down here?

much as i hate to admit it, you're not usually wrong.

the field of battle is my temple.

the dance of death is my prayer.

the killing blow is my release.

aren't you a pretty one.

who trained you?

keep it safe for me just until i come back.

unless you're stupider than you look, even you can see how this appears.

you worked hard. you did everything right.

go, [name]. go get some air. i'll handle this.

the ghosts of our misdeeds seek vengeance, but the cost will be high.

you are an ember in the ashes, [name]. you will spark and burn, ravage and destroy. you cannot change it. you cannot stop it.

we don't abandon our own!

who do you want me to spy on?

shadows will bloom in your heart and you will become everything you hate.

so my choices are either to stay and be evil or run and be evil. wonderful.

they always underestimate me.

this isn't a mission for the fainthearted.

go away. you're not real.

you're distracted when you can ill afford to be.

if you want to win this, you need to wake up.

i've already wasted too much time cleaning up your messes.

lay low. don't risk spying until you're certain you won't get caught.

fail me again, and we're done.

these are my friends, my family. people i know. i wouldn't hurt them.

how do i make it stop? i have to make it stop.

until you conquer your fear, the dead will remain with you.

i won't kill you. i swear it. by blood and bone, i swear it.

you're going to be fine. i'm going to fix you right up.

fight, [name]. you have to fight. you have to win.

death before tyranny.

if what you say is true, then the balance is upset, and we must restore it.

you look terrible. come into the shade.

you really should run. you’re just going to die.

wait, you idiot! it might be a trap!

i won’t let you fall, i promise.

i want you to know that i think what you’re doing is brave. really brave.

it’s not a stupid idea, just dangerous. i don’t want you getting hurt.

you’re trying to sneak out.

i wouldn’t have traded this for anything.

i live with my sins everyday. i live with the guilt.

i’ve never asked you for anything. i’m asking you now.

you think i can’t defend myself? you think i need bodyguards?

i’ve been distracted worrying about you.

i’ll kill him for this.

don’t talk. just keep quiet and… let me think.

you’re in love with me! but i'm not in love with you, and you hate me for it. you’ve let that ruin our friendship.

i could never be in love with you.

you have no idea what I’ve given up for you, the deal i made. 

who did this?

look at you–look what they’ve done to you.

you don’t have to be brave.

do you have what i want?

i have something, but i need more time.

if you have nothing, then this mission is a failure.

don’t have time for that. I’ve got other things on my mind.

if i wanted to hurt you, i’d already have done it.

as long as there is life, there is hope.

either way, you’d have blamed yourself.

either way, people you cared about would have suffered.

i should have stayed, even if it meant dying.

they won’t let you have compassion or kindness. they won’t let you have a soul.

my soul’s gone. I killed it dead on that battlefield.

there are two kinds of guilt. the kind that’s a burden and the kind that gives you purpose. 

you have a soul. it’s damaged, but it’s there. don’t let them take it from you.

you don’t need to be so cat-footed. i’m not armed.

you’re surprised? you’re naïve, is what you are. you’re a fool.

you’re sick. don’t you have any regret? any remorse?

i’ll celebrate them. i’ll mourn them. but i won’t regret what i did. i did it for the empire. i did it for my people.

don’t make vows when you can’t know their cost.

i crossed a line, and i won’t cross it again.

do you know what i do to spies?

be strong. if you don’t win this, everything is lost.

i will be your blood shrike, your second-in-command, the sword that executes at your will, until death. i swear it.

in the night, your loneliness crushes you, as if the sky itself has swooped down to smother you in its cold arms.

there is nothing of me that is worth anything.

tell me, or i slit your throat here and now.

you’ll pay for this. i swear it to the skies, to the stars. you’ll pay.

just because he’s a good leader doesn’t mean he’s a good person. he lied to you.

for the first time since i can remember, i don’t feel alone. because of you.

i can’t–i can’t stop thinking about you. i’ve tried not to. i tried to push you out.

i’ll take care of everything. i promise.

the moment i knew you existed, i hated you.

if i feel regret, it’s that i wasn’t willing to die sooner.

i’d rather die than live with no mercy, no honor, no soul.

fear is only your enemy if you allow it to be.

too much fear an you’re paralyzed. too little fear and you’re arrogant.

i’ll watch your back if you watch mine. we can make it if we stick together.

[dr5amatic]

THEY NEVER LEARN ,

a sentence starter prompts list comprised of quotes from the novel they never learn by layne fargo. please be advised that this list may involve topics including, but not limited to, murder, death, and violence. change verbiage as needed.

please. help me, please h—

he's a boy and he'll never become a man. because in a few more minutes, he'll be dead.

who's smiling now, motherfucker?

i can be happy here. i know i can.

thank you again for the letter of recommendation.

your work speaks for itself. if they don't choose you, they're idiots.

the police are still there, i saw the cars on my way to campus.

i don't know any more than you do now, i'm afraid.

now, as devastated as i know we all are, we still have business to attend to.

do you want to be here?

hey, i didn't wake you up last night, did i?

i'm kind of over dating boys at the moment.

since you never want to go out, i figured i'd bring the party to you.

i would actually kill for this part. i would end a life.

you ever feel so anxious it's like your stomach is trying to eat itself?

i could drink a whole pot of coffee at midnight and still sleep like a baby!

i'm pleased you offered to assist with our work, because i was going to reach out to you anyway.

i killed him to carve him out of this world like a tumor. and i'd do it again.

i guess it goes to show: you can never tell what someone's like just by looking at them.

i will never understand what all of you see in that guy.

you're so cute when you're scandalized.

come on, it's a gorgeous day! who knows how many of these we have left before winter?

i'll always love you. just not in the way you want.

men like him don't want a relationship, they want a fan club. the more members the better.

my father is a cheating bastard. i wish he was dead.

you looked like you wanted to burn the whole place to the ground.

i would have sent you an invitation already, but i know how you loathe parties.

stop talking about dead white men. it's a party!

i'll never understand lighting shit on fire as a form of celebration.

let me guess. someone had a little too much fun tonight.

you better not wake me up unless she's dying.

thanks for taking care of me.

someone could see us going off together alone.

what if i come over another night?

promise you won't tell anyone. i wouldn't want to start any rumors.

take off your pants and lie down on the bed.

don't tell me you've never done this before.

you really think it's a good idea to tell me what i can and can't do?

tell me where you were tonight.

i want your key back.

they could at least wait until after the fucking funeral.

all those people, acting like he was some fucking saint. he was a piece of shit.

you despised him as much as i did; i could see it every time you looked at him.

i thought he was the love of my life.

you're so smart. you stayed single, you never let a man dictate the course of your life.

my life isn't as together as you think.

you're too good for this place.

i mean, you can have the bed. i'll sleep on the floor.

don't worry. i covered for you.

you deserve so much better than him. you know that right?

you can't keep all this stuff bottled up inside forever.

you don't have to show me what you write. you don't have to show anyone. but trust me on this: you have to let it out sometime.

come down here and tell me that to my face, you fucking douchebag.

he wasn't afraid of me, that was his first mistake.

i guess that explains why you don't seem too broken up about his death.

i assure you, our relationship was entirely professional.

well, only someone with massive daddy issues could write the shit you do.

save it. i can stand up for myself.

i've never seen you like that. so much fire in your eyes.

i figured it out. i figured it all out.

i think these men were all murdered. by the same person.

you two need to kiss and make up. in fact, i recommend that exact order of events.

if there really is someone killing all these men, i have to say... i almost admire them.

what took you so long? i wanted you from the first day i met you.

it was you. you killed him. you killed them all.

don't come any closer!

i would never hurt you, [name].

how many? how many people have you killed?

well, what are you waiting for? you know what i did. what i am.

you know, i used to think about killing him.

[name], give me the knife.