independent & selective original character renata byun | nephilim carrd mun over 21 other blogs @ofeden @vensperus @umbraen
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@eposerta
independent & selective original character renata byun | nephilim carrd mun over 21 other blogs @ofeden @vensperus @umbraen
THE VULNERABILITY IN HER VOICE TWISTS SOMETHING ——something inside sujin that had long been dormant in this place, something akin to sympathy, but tinged with his usually healthy serving of skepticism. he listens, waits for her to finish, sighs.
❝ you think i don't understand, ❞ he begins, voice low, each word measured, reflecting on her accusations. his expression softens fractionally, a rare concession to her raw emotion. ❝ but I see more than you think. i see the weight you carry, not just for him, but the weight of all your choices. ❞ he pauses, allows the silence to fill the space between them so that his words might have time to sink in. ❝ i don’t think you understand. it's not about right or wrong in this, it’s about survival. ❞
the casual way he leans against the wall at his back might give the impression of calm, but sujin’s words are edged, vehement. ❝ you know what, he might survive out there, you’re right, he has a chance. ❞ they’re unkind, these words, but she needs to hear them. ❝ but what about everyone else — what about you ? what about what you need to endure to keep breathing ? ❞ voice dropping to a whisper ( not that it would matter, every word they share is likely being monitored, anyway ), he shifts to face her more fully.
❝ don’t mistake my realism for disregard. i’m not the enemy, renata. we’re aligned more than you think. ❞
neither of them are alone in this, and he wonders if she’s truly so naive to the scale of the revolution that brews outside of these walls, if she’s blinded enough by some sense of loyalty to not realize what leaving with her guard had set into motion all those days ago.
there’s a calculated pause, his gaze piercing. ❝ if you decide to fight, you have to understand the layout of the battlefield. and the stakes — for all of us. ❞ he stands, a harsh laugh mingling with the soreness brought to the surface by the effort. ❝ but trust me, you’re not helping him by staying behind these walls. ❞ // @eposerta
WHAT IS SURVIVAL ? she wants to ask . is it suffering ? does it hurt like she does right now ? or is it nothing more than putting one foot in front of the other until the edge of a cliff is a mere breath away ? renata isn’t so sure anymore . perhaps she’s been beaten into submission , given up as sujin kindly puts it , but what other choice does she have ? renata byun is a lot of things , but hero or victim are part of them . she has become nothing more than a willing participant in her own undoing , cut the thread of fate and allowed it to be lost in another world . it was one that did not belong to her , after all . she’d given that up far too long ago and instead allowed herself to become swallowed by it and maybe sujin is right – she will suffocate in the end . — but marcus , he has a chance . even in knowing that he could live just one more day would make it worth it to her . that isn’t something she can explain to sujin - not unless she wants to face his ire or judgment ( more of it ) . ❛ don’t do that ❜ at this point , she is muttering into her knees , fighting back the tears that threaten with every word he speaks , ❛ you don’t get to sit there in the same cage as i do and … ❜ with this , renata pauses , her words slipping away as fists clench to turn knuckles white . no he doesn’t get to do this to her , he doesn’t get to tell her how her decision was stupid , he doesn’t get to lecture her about the lives of everyone else . no . he doesn’t get to do that to her .
there are counted breaths warming her skin , and he’s still talking , but his words are drowning her , and while she’s fighting to the surface the only sensation that hits is that of his hand pushing her head down . maybe he doesn’t mean it ( he says he’s not intending to sound harsh , if she chose to believe him ) , but the realization of how he doesn’t understand becomes clear . finally , her muscles loosen , back straightening just enough so that she can turn to look at sujin with a gaze filled with both mourning and exhaustion all so that she could shake her head . ❛ you don’t get to lecture me about whatever sacrifice this is , remind me how i need to worry about my own survival , but then tell me i need to worry about everyone else . ❜ if there wasn’t such a tremble in her voice that vibrated her lower lip , she may sound more certain of her words , but nevertheless , she carries on , disregarding the wince from a sharp pain in her chest , even breathing hurts . ❛ i’m not some hero to the world, sujin , and i am not the deathbringer they want me to be . i’ve already survived this my whole life , so if anyone here knows this so called battlefield ? it’s me ❜ words continued to linger at the tip of her tongue , but by the end of her tirade , her speech all the breath that was left had faded and a whirl of dizziness took over forcing her head back to the wall , ❛ – please ❜ she manages through a choked voice , ❛ think what you want — about my decision , but don’t … don’t talk about it until you’re on the other side . ❜ @mythous
WARM REASSURANCE GIVES WAY TO THE CHILL OF REALITY ——a crack in his optimism, of sorts. marcus meets ren’s gaze, her words, with a spark of frustration that filters its way through that crack, fed by her what-ifs.
❝ if you hadn't left ? ❞ his voice doesn’t rise, but it does come out sharper than before — an echo of another time, a time when his concern for the constant bruises on her skin had shook him from his duty, shifted his focus from good soldier following orders, to a man determined to set her free. she is where is loyalties lie now, and marcus doesn’t know what it’ll take to show her everything that equinox had tried to take from her — to show her that there’s no such thing as freedom under their thumb. ❝ none of this would have happened ? ❞ he knows he sounds ridiculous, repeating every sentence, lilting a little higher at the end like a parrot with too many questions. ❝ ren, think about what you're saying. if you had stayed, it would have been the end of you. ❞
maybe not physically, maybe not at first. but even if they didn’t destroy her body, how could anyone withstand that kind of treatment for a prolonged period of time? sometimes he wants to grab onto her and shake — shake some sense into her, shake this misguided trust ( or whatever it is ) out of her. he knows, logically, that she needs to see it all for herself, to get there when she’s ready. but she says things like this and marcus feels like he’s on the verge of losing her.
his hands frame her face, firmer this time, demanding attention with his touch. he can feel the wideness of his eyes and thinks fleetingly that he probably looks like a madman — bloodstained clothes, sweat-soaked brow, clinging to her as though he can make her see through his touch alone.
❝ you were in a prison, not just physically, but everything they were doing to you, all that they had planned — it was a death sentence, one way or another. ❞ his thumbs skim her cheeks, tracing the trails of past tears. it wrecks him, seeing her like this, seeing her looking so lost — so sad. ❝ we didn’t just run to escape; we ran because it was survival, yours and mine. ❞ he breathes, forcing his voice to soften, despite the unyielding words, carved from the truth of their situation — of her existence. ❝ every second we're still breathing — every moment we can still fight, it’s because you had the courage to leave, to trust me. ❞
he hopes, at least, that she still trusts him after all of this, he’d take out every single soldier under equinox’s rule ten times over if it means she’ll be safe — another ten times over if it means she’ll keep looking at him like he’s something to be treasured — like he matters. ❝ it's not about what you are or aren't. it's about who you are, and — ❞ he chuckles a little, and the sound seems strange hanging the the midst of such a heavy conversation, but marcus can’t help it. ❝ — and who you are to me is the reason i’m still here. ❞ still fighting, sure, but also still here, literally. she saved his life, and he’ll spend every day of the rest of it making sure she knows how grateful he is to still be standing by her side — if she lets him.
before he can speak that out loud, her lips are soft against his, and all marcus wants to do is exist in the moment, this kiss, and a hundred more after it. there’s a desperation that calls to him that he can’t let himself answer — not in this moment, not with words unsaid ( not with drying blood and uncertain surroundings ). he pulls back just enough to speak, words pressed against her lips for the lack of space he allows between them.
❝ i can’t promise you that, ❞ soft, a whisper, maybe just a breath. he doesn’t want to tear things back down to the negative, but they are still being hunted, after all. ❝ but i can promise that i’ll never leave you alone if i can help it. ❞ // @eposerta
SHE’S BEEN SCALING THE WALLS OF DEATH since the dawn of time , the tips of her fingers gripping onto crumbling brick just waiting for the right moment to break away . she’d lost herself to it long ago — the whims of her fate , the path she was intended to take , the life and purpose that had been fixated in her mind from the first time she could understand speech . great things , renata , you will do great things . perhaps that’s why she’s numb to it , and why when marcus’ retort doesn’t hit her the way she imagines he expects . instead , she just stares at him with simplistic features while doing everything that she can to hide the pain behind her eyes . did she want to die ? no , not in particular , but growing up she also didn’t want to eat her vegetables , just a few weeks ago she didn’t want to leave her garden , stay behind the gates of equinox , but some things ? some things were just the way they were . what else was she supposed to do ? she’s become a husk , an empty shell of someone that had a purpose within her cage and she’s gone from one dependency to another . first equinox , now ? marcus . naturally , she would prefer one over the other because again , that’s just how some things were . the truth is , ren would like to tell herself that the reason her lips found his wasn’t because of the emotions that had been pillowing through her body ready to burst but to simply shut him up . she’d do anything to help him knock her off of the pedestal she’s so tired of standing on , but the truth was all too clear for her to avoid . she loved him — and the thought of him risking his life yet again for her was nauseating , it swept across her skin until reaching features that contort into a heavy frown . ❛ you listen to me , marcus duncan ❜ somehow , even when she’s sharp in her words , even as their lips still ghost against one another’s , there is a softness to them that she wishes she could push away , ❛ i can take care of myself , you might think i can’t because i would rather be in there , in my cage , but at least it was familiar territory , at least … ❜ at least in there she knew her fate . ❛ at least there i had my rose tinted glasses , and seeing the world from those ? it was something i could understand . ❜
to him , she likely sounds more foolish than she had before . it was all she had though , at one point - the tests , the treatments , her garden escape that was now long behind them ( how long would it take for her to run back ? even if to take just one flower for the memory ? ) all that she knew was gone . ❛ i should hate you . ❜ she should , shouldn’t she ? curse his name , fight him tooth and nail while trying her best to make it back to what she knows ? but instead she sits on the edge of the bed , a near puddle of tears and uncertainty writhing on her cheeks and a pair of trembling hands holding him in place . she leans back , making sure that their eyes are locked onto one another’s , forcing him to see how much she doesn’t hate him , how she could never hate him no matter how hard she would try , ❛ but i don’t – instead i’m here , and if something happens to you , i’ll be left out here on my own ❜ yes what she says is maybe a hint of manipulation , but it’s all she knows how to make him see the severity of their situation , ❛ i need you to think about that before you go and do anything stupid , before you go and almost get yourself killed , before i lose you because i mean it … ❜ the bottoms of her eyes are wet with the threat of tears , her heart throbbing inside of her chest is battling with the urge to slap him across the face for being such a fool , ❛ i don’t know what happened back there , but we — you were lucky . i’m not going to try that luck another time . ❜ @mythous
THOUGHTFUL FURROW ETCHES ITSELF DEEPER INTO HIS FOREHEAD ——zane has been in this game long enough to know that things are rarely as they seem, and renata’s words only seem to reinforce the truth of it. they’re speaking the same concept, and yet somehow the confirmation of it gives him pause. there’s a certain irony in it all — that the very beings humans fear could be the ones saving them from themselves. then again, they’d all have to open their eyes in order to appreciate the humor in it.
❝ you know, i used to think the world was pretty simple, ❞ he starts, voice low and measured, not even sure if he’s having a conversation with her, or just reminding himself of before. seems almost like that person was from a different lifetime, now. the laugh he breathes out is almost soundless, a puff of air that probably doesn’t even convey the incredulousness within. ❝ but nothing about any of this is simple, is it ? ❞
a pause, then, zane’s eyes drifting from the structure to the sky above, failing to find any clarity there when he’s met with a cloudy sky. the air feels heavier than before, like it’s threatening to press down upon him. ❝ it’s kinda like we’re all just stumbling around in the dark, trying to make sense of things we probably can’t even begin to comprehend. ❞ and maybe that’s okay, he thinks, maybe he doesn’t need to have all of the answers — maybe it’s okay if he stays away from any more answers for now, actually.
turning back to ren, he blinks and it’s like wiping the clouds away for a beat, expression softening, smile settling on his lips. ❝ i appreciate the offer, but — ❞ he’s about to decline, about to backpedal from his previous suggestion of continuing their conversation, explain that he wants to hang back out of sight, keep an eye on things here. cop’s intuition, maybe, or maybe — as his partner keeps trying to tell him — he’s just doing too damn much. instead, zane blows exhales a long, draw - out breath, gaze holding hers for a moment. ❝ actually, you know what, sure — ❞ smile brightens, and he nods once. ❝ might be good to just, i don’t know, decompress, ❞ another pause, a sweep of his arm out toward the scene they’re trying to escape. ❝ away from all of this. ❞
OF COURSE , THERE’S ANOTHER PURPOSE TO HER OFFER , but it wasn’t the weirdness in which she’d shunned herself away from mere moments before . there’s a primal need to rush the building , to help everyone in need - to quiet the screams that pinprick the inside of her mind . it’s a tragedy , some would say , to simply stand still while the world keeps moving , people keep dying over such trivial things . — but is survival such a trivial thing ? shouldn’t she risk her own exposure to help those in such desperate need ? she should , yes . the truth is that she knows they’re already dead and those at war with the flames are going to do nothing more than pull corpses to their families . they will mourn , but the world ? it will go on — and once again renata is left standing with both feet on the ground with such great power … to do absolutely nothing . ❛ well , the good news is going to my place for food and beer ? it’s pretty damn simple . ❛ she finally responds , her golden flecked gaze forcing itself away from the crimson ferocity that threatened to pierce the sky . it’s true , right ? perhaps they both need to decompress , to find common ground in clean air that isn’t hollowed by anyone’s grief ( but her own ) . ah , the dream to simply exist . what a gift that would be — for both of them .
finally , a smile extends the corners of her mouth , a facade of life and hope that what they’d agreed to would be something worthwhile . ❛ come on , just uh … ❛ she’d already turned a heel , so she glances over her shoulder to allow an expression noting tease form in her eyes , ❛ just one thing … please tell me you don’t have any plant allergies ? i don’t … or should i say , i can’t keep them all at the shop . ’ some just need a bit of special care , sort of like them .
HE'S ON A MISSION —— a scouting mission, a researching mission, possibly a scavenging mission. what it's not supposed to be is a rescue mission. but he'd been tracking these raiders for a while now because they'd clearly been tracking something else — if the excitement rolling through the group is any indication ).
marcus hadn't realized what it was that had them all buzzing —— until now, hadn't been willing to draw attention to himself until he could get closer, quietly. but now he's even more confused — it's just some girl, and she looks scared as hell.
❝ this doesn't look like a fair fight, now, does it ? ❞ it's meant to sound a little smug, but with the power armor altering his voice, it still comes out menacing. that's okay, they should be afraid, he could blow the whole group to dust with one blast — he just wants to get them away from the girl first. ❝ why don't you guys come on over here and we can have a little talk about your piss-poor manners ? ❞ // @eposerta
SHE’S CORNERED LIKE A MOUSE surrounded by ravenous cats , starved and seemingly depraved . the knife clutched within white knuckles is useless , that she knows and while feet remain firmly planted on the ground there is no hiding the tremble that ripples up her spine . is this what they all do to survive up here ? everyday it is as if a new lesson was to be learned , the kindness , empathy and understanding of the world below is set to be the very thing that will destroy her in the end — and she knows it .
perhaps her luck had run out , the sand beneath her feet shifting as they move closer . words roughly spoken cutting out like shards of glass on how they will do all kinds of things to her . it’s when they freeze , though , that she does too . every inch of her body turning stiff as whatever has them so … so startled would only be worse for her . and yet ? it’s a near grainy voice that sounds like a robot , mechanically forged and near terrifying when it finally comes into her hazy view . that was enough to bring out a panicked cry , the raiders at her front were nothing compared to whatever the hell came closer , talking to these … men ( if she could call them that ) as if they were beneath it . however , it offers opportunity on a silver platter with their attention turned and before logic can take over , she runs . it’s not graceful , it’s not exactly fast , and when she hears the demand of someone to follow her it clearly wasn’t smart , either . before the sand can be kicked up beneath her feet to force her forward just a little bit faster , there is a collision at her back as the sand greeting her face suffocates the second scream to escape her lips .
❥ — › mostly just popping on here to say i miss writing here , and would love to get back into it - i'm just currently very distracted with other things right now xo
❥ — › hi friends ! i really want to be more active here , so hit the heart and i'll send you memes that can be turned into threads :) ( or send me memes that we can turn into a thread ! )
A STOLEN MOMENT ——the kind that might earn him some sort of reprimand, if not for the solitude they’ve found in the hallway outside, just on the outskirts of the event carrying on without them. in the quiet embrace of this stolen moment, marcus feels the way the world shrinks to just two people, breaths mingling in the space between reality and dreams. he shouldn’t want that dream, should focus on the plan, the plot to remove her from this place. but the dream of holding her like this without fear, without worry for anything beyond the two of them feels too close, just within reach.
she presses her lips to his skin and it anchors him in a way that nothing else ever has — a way he’d have thought impossible before this moment. his heart beats as if in a frenzied answer to some question neither has truly posed out loud, a testament to the storm of emotion he’s kept at bay for far too long.
❝ i know, ren, ❞ the words spill from him in a hushed whisper, his voice thick with them, like handing them over is a risk he’s calculated and found himself incapable of preventing. fingers trace the line of her jaw, a gentle touch that speaks of reverence and longing. ❝ you're not just my peace, you're my storm too, ❞ he murmurs, amusement in his tone as he wonders if she’ll grasp the weight of all of this. later, he thinks, if she forgives him his decisions about this night, maybe she’ll understand his words.
gaze locked with hers, the world beyond seems irrelevant. its dangers, uncertainties, fears — all of it waiting on the doorstep for them to only walk forward — irrelevant when in this moment marcus feels a clarity like never before. ❝ we could change everything, you know. ❞ thoughts meant to stay tucked in the back of his mind, meant to be kept to himself until they’ve found a safe place, until they’re out. but it’s a bright beacon — the hope that guides him toward a future he’d almost dared to dream of. ❝ i’d be with you every step of the way. ❞
on one hand, he’s testing the waters, gauging her reaction. on the other, he makes a promise — a vow that goes beyond his duty to her, the promise of a heart given freely.
outside, freedom awaits. the first step to what comes next. but once they take it, once they give themselves over to the plans he’s made, will she still look at him the same? a soft smile touches his lips as he remains in her space, reluctant to release her or this moment.
when marcus presses closer, mimics her movements with more purpose — his lips to hers, a response to her invitation, a taste long awaited — he hopes it won’t be the last as he breathes all of himself into the kiss. it feels like both a beginning and an end, a promise of a future born of the freedom he desires, the freedom he’s pulling her toward. this is a dance as old as time itself, a moment suspended before everything changes. in it — just like he has in her presence for a long time — marcus finds solace, the peace they’ve been referencing, but also the courage to face what comes next. ❝ so — the garden, ❞ he whispers in a breathy laugh, reluctantly putting space between them. ❝ shall we ? ❞ // @eposerta
IT DOESN’T JUST RAIN IN SANCTUARY - it pours . the skies open up , the crowded streets that are home to the city dwellers flood , and the world as they knew it would be destroyed , left for them to rebuild . maybe she shouldn’t be a storm - uprooting everything that anyone could understand , maybe she could be the sun that shines afterwards to deliver hope for the future . has she turned marcus’ life upside down in such a way that she could be considered a storm so casually ? she looks at him , eyes wide as flecks of golden hues plead to crack through the darkened gaze that meets them . this could be a never ending battle , no longer just a dance , but a choreographed fencing match where both contestants are shielded , yet exposed in the smallest of spaces where the rapier can find it’s home . she feels something , no , she feels everything – but that something was intangible , an entire world whizzing by , music faded in the background and she’s locked in place . something was wrong . whatever it was felt too far away for her to grab a hold on , it was locked tight but bursting at the hinges of its confinement . ❛ aren’t we doing that already ? ❜ the question is caught in his breath , warm , innocent , but curious , prodding at the thoughts he keeps to himself , ❛ you’re here , right now , with me . it’s where i need you , always . ❜
something wasn’t right . it’s the way he speaks , the way he maintains the closeness instead of stepping back . the world where she anticipated the need to apologize was gone , so this wasn’t her world anymore . it was about to be uprooted and the two warring parts in her were fighting over whether she should fight it or embrace this change . he replaces the cold that she’d left behind , lips pressing to hers in more direct focus and she’s left to his devices , swept up in the understanding of where she belongs ( with him , it’s always been with him ) and where she currently stands . she’s trapped between two worlds - what she wants and who she is . yet none of that explains the hurricane circling around them and she can only hope that the eye won’t move , that they won’t be overtaken by the storm that he’s so readily claimed her to be .
it’s like a pinprick on the back of her neck , the reminder that the air of unease was still lingering between them . it’s quelled briefly by the way his breath laced through hers , the way their lips meet so perfectly and how everything within her soul becomes impossibly more aligned with him . she longs to latch onto it , to find the piece that’s threatening to ruin this moment and pluck it out to throw away for some other time - all so that she could selfishly revel in how she has become so irrevocably aligned with him. before she’s able to give herself entirely , the moment passes and she’s left with nothing more than the taste of him upon her lips , words having been left to the wayside as his reluctance becomes hers as well . ❛ the garden ❜ she whispers , but there are two voices wrangling inside - one warning her not to go , the other pleading with her to follow him wherever he may lead - telling her that he offers something that she could never attain on her own . when she parts from him , both sides are relieved in the sensation of victory , until she steps back , the tips of her fingers trailing along his arm . ❛ lead the way . ❜
HE WANTS TO LAUGH, wants to give some cynical answer that exposes just how jaded he’s become with everything going on. but the would - be laugh comes out more like a dry scoff, and marcus finds his head dipping as if to hide whatever look it brought to his face. it’s not like he has a reason to protect her from this new marcus — she hadn’t even known the old one. there’s just something about her eyes that makes him feel a little too seen in a way he’s not quite comfortable with.
❝ gotta be some out there, right ? i mean plenty of people get out of places like this and do something with their lives. ❞ like he’d tried to, like maybe he could have done. even now he stands apart from his family, settled into his own apartment despite having to come home. and yet they bleed in through his walls anyway. his gaze follows hers, settling on milo where he snores softly against marcus’ couch cushions. ❝ yeah, he’s not that bad, ❞ he concedes because he’s not, or he wasn’t. and he can’t even blame his brother for all of this — this scene, this exploitation of someone’s kindness, this behavior — everyone has their own way of coping with grief. when he looks back at her, marcus finds a smile. ❝ right, thanks for that, i’m surprised he even remembered my address. ❞ this time his laugh is a little more real by the time it manifests, and he nods, almost to himself. ❝ you want a coffee, or a cocoa — something warm before you head back out in the cold ? ❞ he’s not about to grill her about her drinking habits, but if she’d been at the same party with milo, might do some good to sober up, too. // @eposerta
RENATA PONDERS THIS . to think that someone could just … leave a town and change who they were - got back on their feet to start something new felt … not quite strange , but improbable . who people were rarely changed . ❛ you’re talking about things like nature versus nurture ❜ she states softly , lost in thought for a moment too long . the idea was sound , but lacking - it felt as though marcus was attempting to avoid something within his heart that had since left the beating muscle to find a place in his soul . she would ask , but she has absolutely zero business to do so . ❛ people are who they are ❜ she states simply , the corner of her mouth ticking upwards back into a smile . she looks to milo , recalling with a hint of amusement of how much fun he was having mere hours before . it was an act of escapism , creature comforts that she understood all too well and the youngest of them appeared to have wrapped himself within it . ❛ it’s up to everyone else to decide how they feel about it , right ? ❜
after all , if you leave a town after murdering people in cold blood - you are still just that . a killer . it was the mention of coffee that brought her gaze back up , eyes widening as if she’d forgotten the time , how her body was reacting not just to the alcohol she’d relished in earlier , but the exhaustion of the day as a whole . ❛ i really shouldn’t … ❜ she’s wary . he was a stranger , after all , but when she takes a look at her phone to check the time , she sees that her location is on so if she were to go missing , someone would be able to find her . besides , marcus didn’t radiate the sinister type , even if she could see clearly the shell he’s formed around himself to hide something deeper . ❛ but on the other hand , if you’re offering … i have to get to work in like … three hours so i can get to class on time to take an exam . maybe it would be good to have an extra boost . ❜ she pauses , teeth pulling at her bottom lip , ❛ i mean , don’t feel obligated or anything , i’m fine to drive back . ❜
╭┈┈┈┈ ₊˚ෆ 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 ! ╰ ♡⸝⸝ 𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐆𝐎𝐃𝐒
' tomorrow can't do anything today hasn't already managed. '
' i feel like there's a fucking axe hanging over my head. you know, i can't see it, but i believe it. '
' you know, i don't really believe any of this. and maybe everything that's happened so far is just some kind of vivid dream. '
' at least die a sacrifice for something worthwhile. '
' too many people tell each other not to repress their emotions, to release their feelings, to let the pain go. '
' i want you to consider my words very carefully and refrain from knocking my teeth out. '
' i hate that they were hurting you. i would never do that to you. '
' take your pick, and when you decide, come and tell me. but don't rush into it. take your time. '
' you believe in nothing so you have nothing. '
' you are on a path from nothing to everything. '
' you had something recently. you lost it. '
' you keep giving away your life. you don't much care if you live or die, do you? '
' you had the sun itself. i can give you the moon. '
' the only thing that scares me is being forgotten. i can survive most things, but not that. '
' your heart's not beating for this life anymore. '
' take the fucking hint. '
' i'm not one of you. '
' what has gotten into you? '
' you cannot travel in any other way than the road your senses show you. and you must walk that road to the end. '
' things are never going back to the way that they were. you can't fight progress. '
' people create gods when they wonder why things happen. do you know why things happen? because gods make them happen. '
' you only matter in matters of war. and there's not going to be a war. '
' do you know me? do you know what i am? '
' just because we are few and they are many does not mean that we are lost. '
' you're as forgotten and as unloved and unremembered as any of us. '
[ENDORSEMENT] Winter for espoir
HE IS PATIENT AS SHE SPEAKS, a dance of uncertainty across her features that complements the curiosity on his. the air hangs heavy with unspoken secrets, and his eyes — deep pools of an ancient wisdom — fix upon hers with a gentle searching gaze.
❝ renata, ❞ his voice is a soft murmur, like leaves rustling in a distant forest. ❝ there's a depth in you, an echo of something greater. it's not about fear or stories. it's about a resonance that you — perhaps unknowingly — carry within. ❞
a warmth pervades his tone, a hint of understanding bridging the gap between their worlds. the space between them is charged with an invisible energy, one he only hopes might reassure her.
❝ there's a light in you, a unique essence. you may not understand it, but you know that it's there. ❞ a question, almost, one that requires no answer. ❝ that essence is palpable to those around you. they might not comprehend their attraction to it, but they feel it, just as you feel something unexplained within yourself. ❞
he extends a hand, not so much as an offer, but as a symbol of connection, another bridge, this one to a truth not yet fully grasped.
❝ we are all — in different ways — a tapestry of unseen stories. you are no exception, renata. there's much to embrace in that discovery. ❞ his smile, gentle and knowing, a hint at mysteries yet to unfold, a silent invitation to that knowing, if she’s ready. though, he’ll just as easily let it go if she’s not.
WOULD IT BE APPROPRIATE TO LAUGH ? no . the look upon his features rests something of a tapestry of what she preferred to be unfamiliar with . his energy ? she can sense it coiling around her body that screams for her to run away . a rock balls in her throat , small pieces of gravel forming together to slice at her vocal chords leaving her incapable of speech and at first , she’s not able to swallow it down and left to hope it broke apart . what thoughts she has are lashing out , fighting one another to see which of them would come out on top and it’s in this speechless moment that her head shakes everything that she believed , the idea that people gravitated towards her not because of something unseen but because she was kind and giving , was being stolen from her in the most merciless kind of way . the calm kind of torment , the sort that leaves the body lifeless in the end .
❛ that’s called existing . ❜ she retorts now that the rock had broken apart from her frustration , ❛ you make it sound like it’s something else , some kind of force , but it’s just who we are . there isn’t poetry to it , but choice and … ❜ there’s a pause , a moment of self reflection wearing down in her jawline as she looks away , ❛ is this how you handle things ? you swoop in , talking about things like the unexplained discoveries of our inner selves ? ❜ she wants to add that because of this , he must not be the easiest person to befriend , but she doesn’t . just as yes she recognizes that she is not like others , she can see the same in what stands before her . he’s not human , something far above that , and the arrogance in each syllable that falls from his lips shows that he is well aware of that fact as well . ❛ is it so hard to believe that people gravitate towards me because i’m decent , kind , and empathetic to others needs ? there doesn’t have to be anything special about that , it’s just the way humanity moves forward . ❜
❥ — › starter call ! they're going to be one liners or super short + queued because why not
❄️☃️
@indigodreames ❤'d !
❛ YOU KNOW … ❜ she’s sitting , yes , sitting in the snow , the cold chill a welcome relief that pairs well with the sun beaming down to cast a warmth against the back of her neck and while she’s dressed for the weather it could still be felt through her skin . either way , gloved fingers toy with the snow around her , a miniature snowman forming even if it isn’t anything substantial . ❛ a lot of people would assume spring is my favorite season , because of the .. you know , everything about me , but really ? winter is just … ❜ she pauses , a hand raising palm up , a warm glow forming in the snow and within a few short moments , a flower begins ti leo fight the cold , ❛ it shows that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel , you know ? ❜
✧✦⭒ SHADOW & BONE S1 —
a collection of random dialogue prompts from season one of shadow and bone! change all pronouns/gendered language as you need!
❛When I was young, I was afraid of the dark.❜
❛Who can hear a whisper here?❜
❛Have you ever put out a fire by adding more fire?❜
❛You don’t seem like the type that does what they should.❜
❛What information do you have for me tonight?❜
❛Either you take your time or you take your chances.❜
❛No businessman worth his salt bargains for what he can take.❜
❛Answer the question. What are you?❜
❛Never make decisions out of fear, only spite.❜
❛Drive a knife into their heart.❜
❛You would choose their life over my freedom?❜
❛Planning on making a break for it?❜
❛Now call the sun.❜
❛Pray, scream, do whatever you have to do to push this out of your mind and move on.❜
❛The bone road ebbs and the bone road flows.❜
❛Our saint has arrived too late.❜
❛That’s why you look at me like that, isn’t it?❜
❛Are witches so used to deceit, they can’t accept good manners?❜
❛No saint ever watched over me… not like you have.❜
❛I will not take scraps from the likes of you.❜
❛Am I… disturbing you?❜
❛Your show of power will determine who will remain our ally.❜
❛Where did you learn to be so commanding?❜
❛You will become even more dangerous, still.❜
❛I thought I had more time to prepare you, but it’ll have to wait.❜
❛I… I killed him.❜
❛Oh, I always have hope. Even you can’t kill that.❜
❛If you put her/him/them in harm’s way, think about what I might do.❜
❛So there is a brain inside all that muscle.❜
❛They knew I was more important than any of them.❜
❛Your wet clothes will be the death of you.❜
❛A good magician is a good con artist. The trick is to make it look real.❜
❛It’s not natural for someone to be as stupid as they are tall and yet, oh, there you stand.❜
❛I just settled our tab with the last of our coin.❜
❛I may not see you just yet, but I can hear your heart racing.❜
❛Using my power is definitely changing me.❜
❛Their blood is on your hands as much as mine.❜
❛If not saints, what do you even believe in?❜
❛Do you know the only thing more powerful than you or me? The two of us together.❜
❛Choosing friendship over survival was not a luxury I could afford.❜
❛Telling half the story is not the same as lying.❜
❛You could have made me your equal. Instead you made me this.❜
❛Fine, make me your villain.❜
❛What can you really do on your own?❜
❛They are infernally happy there.❜
❛I can’t wait to introduce you to my truest love.❜
❛How do you claim such power?❜
❛I don’t have to kill you. Your past will do it for me.❜
❛It’s dangerous to go looking for the dead.❜
❛Saints become martyrs before they get to become heroes.❜
@r3dblccd ❤'d !
❛ THIS… ❜ eyes wide , they find a place upon the ground digging holes into her feet , the slight tremble in her hands quelled only by the way they curl into fists . the world that she was supposed to understand , everything that she knows , it comes into question by the smallest inconvenience — and she’s left with nothing but more questions . ❛ it was never supposed to be like this . ❜