( * a series of prompts taken from shayfer james and kate douglas' rock-noir reimagining of the epic poem beowulf. feel free to adjust as needed. / PART 1
Punish You. ( TW: asphyxiation )
"I swear I'll leave a scar."
"I'll mark you for the beast you are."
"It won't be gentle, clean, or quick."
"You'll taste the blood upon my lips."
"I will feast upon this fad."
"I will swallow you entire."
"I will punish you."
"You belong to me."
"I swear I'll leave a bruise."
"I'll take the breath away from you."
"My heavy hands around your throat."
"I'll teach you what it means to choke."
"We're all guilty of something."
Lullaby.
"There is a memory."
"You took me to the river."
"You taught me how to swim."
"You sang for me a lullaby."
"How did it go again?"
"The moon is new, the wood is dark, the sun has died."
"But I am here, my darling dear."
"Come sit by my side."
"The stars are black, the air is still, the sky is wide."
"Don't worry, dry your eyes."
"It occurred to me."
"I never learned to float."
"Oh, this tragedy."
"My life has made a mess of me."
"With all this wasted energy."
"All my life you taught me."
"People can't be trusted."
"We have to fight to stay alive."
"We'll always be the enemy."
"Eye for eye, and limb for limb."
"I've grown tired of this."
"There's beauty and there's empathy."
"Some people might have cared for me."
"I hid my heart and stayed inside."
"I'm tired of this."
Life is Beautiful.
"I think I've found passage out of here."
"I'll become a messenger of fate."
"The beast is dead."
"The road ahead is clear."
"So raise a glass, we have cause to celebrate."
"So drink to the dawn."
"We'll be home."
"Life is beautiful."
"Save all your prayers while we're good."
"I think I see the sunlight peeking through."
"The time of fear and feebleness is done."
"I'll become a legend thanks to you."
"So raise a glass."
"The battle has been won."
"And if another comes, you go ahead."
"I'll meet you there."
Can't Go Back.
"This vicious beast has struck at home."
"We're on our knees."
"But we are not alone."
"Our hero's here."
"Her sword is stained with blood."
"One beast is dead."
"But that is not enough."
"So we can't go back now."
"This time is now."
"You swore you'd see this through."
"It's eye for eye, it must be tooth for tooth."
"This brutal beast must die in agony."
"For her offense."
"For this catastrophe."
"If we are to stay alive, then the beast cannot survive."
What They Want (Reprise).
"There is a wall, through which I dare not step."
"We have been warned time and time again."
"There is a lantern, shinning back upon this winter's day."
"And a castle in the corner of my eye."
"I am equal parts a criminal and king."
"And I was still to be the master of a fate."
"This is what I want."
"This is what I'm here for."
"This is who I am."
"This is what I came for."
"There is a river bank we sinners must ascend."
"I'd rather be someone who burns than someone who hesitates."
"I am equal parts a monster and a fool."
"And I was born to be a ruler of the cruel."
Fate Goes.
"I've been waiting for this moment to arrive."
"I can see you for the monster that you are."
"A predator in the dark."
"A beast without a heart."
"I've come for you."
"They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions."
"But I had none to start."
"So where am I then?"
"I will surrender to the tide."
"Let the water be my guide."
"I am a wave on the ocean wide."
"Fate goes, as ever fate must."
"Fate is the only one thats just."
"Fate I trust."
"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."
"It's been written in the stars that you will fall."
"But I'm certain you won't go quietly."
"A spineless creature in the dark."
"Fate goes."
"As ever fate must."
"The same as me."
Epilogue.
"The warrior returns."
"The warrior returns with blood on her hands."
"Our hero will never die."
"As long as we sing praises."
"As long as we write history from the right side."
( * a series of prompts taken from shayfer james and kate douglas' rock-noir reimagining of the epic poem beowulf. feel free to adjust as needed. / PART 2
Prologue.
"Listen."
"Listen to the sea."
"Feel the water at your feet."
"This is how the tide behaves."
"We're swept along an open sea."
"We are drifting endlessly."
"The tide will rise, the tide will fall."
"And in the end it takes us all."
"We try again to tell the story."
"Cities built will fall to flood."
"And we will scrape them from the mud."
"The victors write our history by conjuring the enemy."
"We're at the mercy of the swell."
"It beckons us, and bids farewell."
"We build a cradle from our grave."
"Ebb and flow."
"The villains go."
"The heroes go."
Pile of Bones.
"I watch them through their windows."
"I stalk them in the street."
"They don't see me."
"They keep me company."
"I would rather be a monster than a fool."
"I'm hungry, and I've come for you."
"There's a pile of bones in the corner."
"They built these brittle walls in vain."
"They know my name."
"There's a pile of bones in the corner that I call friends."
"They satisfy my hunger."
"I wait 'till they're asleep."
"I call this chaos order."
"I call this carnage peace."
"I'm gonna grab them by their fragile throats."
"They cower at my feet."
"I will never have enough."
"I will drink of this destruction."
"I am summoning the flood."
"They scream my name."
I Believe in Peace.
"They call my name."
"Do they know what it means?"
"They ask for blood like they're dying of thirst."
"I'm a one - woman church."
"They want a savior."
"I'll be their savior."
"Give me your poor, your weak, your lost, your hopelessness."
"Don't worry, I'm here."
"I believe in peace."
"But I'll go to war for you."
"I believe in truth."
"But I would lie for you."
"I know how to cure devastation."
"See, I am salvation."
"I know how to calm a commotion."
"See, I am the chosen."
"I am a marvel."
"Carve me in marble."
"Enemies cower when I come around."
"I'm elemental, build me a temple."
"'Gonna light the way."
Family.
"You never disappoint."
"You keep us fed."
"You keep them wounded."
"But I can smell it on the wind."
"Another heathen they've recruited."
"This one is different from the rest."
"She comes in war, she comes like thunder."
"We'll lose whatever we have left."
"You must do this for your mother."
"They're hateful, they're heartless."
"They say we're the enemy."
"I'm all that you've got."
"We are blood, we are family."
"If you don't strike first, she'll take you away from me."
"I will keep you safe."
"I will be your eyes."
"I'll be your protector."
"They have no business in this place."
"And no, I will not be afraid."
"You always do as you say."
"I'll ruin all they've created."
"I will take it all away."
"No one is going to take you away from me."
"I feel it swelling like a storm."
"It's eye for eye, and limb for limb."
"It's time to end this."
Song of Praise.
"Our hero has arrived."
"I humbly submit myself at this soldier's feet."
"To sing of soldier's feats."
"Can I ask you, please."
"Do I have the blessing of addressing the one and only?"
"I'm truly at a loss."
"We must sing praises."
"We must keep her legacy alive."
"Our hero will never die."
"My clever words could never paint the picture that your name creates."
"The gory glory, the body count."
"The color of blood upon your blade."
"You put other men to shame."
"I couldn't possibly explain."
"Should I sing of monsters slain?"
"Of those you saved from certain death?"
"Let this be the day you came to fight for us and win again."
"I may run out of breath."
What They Want.
"Pivot, smile, stop."
"Make them laugh and give them what they want."
"Raise a glass."
"Praise the names of those who came before."
"Tell them fate is waiting at the door."
"This is what they want."
"This is what you're here for."
"This is who you are are."
"This is what you came for."
"Make a promise."
"Keep it modest."
"Tell them there is nothing left to fear."
"Say a changing of the tide is near."
The Flood.
"They sing their songs by firelight."
"I watch them dull their minds."
"These foolish drunks and diplomats."
"Lies and empty promises give hopeless men relief."
"Is ignorance their innocence?"
"Do they walk the world asleep?"
"I am cunning."
"They're complicit."
"I am coming."
"They dismiss it."
"Let their comforts blind them."
"I have come here to remind them."
"I am wakeful."
"I am watchful."
"I am unafraid to fight."
"I will stir you from your slumber."
"I will never say goodnight."
"I will tear you from your treasure."
"We're all guilty of something."
"For every gift, there is a sin."
"It depends on where you're standing."
"Cutting corners, casting stones."
"We are, none of us, immortal."
"We are, all of us, alone."
"For every give there is a take."
"We pretend to love the victims of the choices that we make."
WILL CONNOLLY’S CATERPILLARS OF THE COMMONWEALTH SENTENCE STARTERS
( * a series of prompts taken from will connolly’s album caterpillars of the commonwealth. feel free to change pronouns. some prompts feature mentions of drugs
Odd2even (A Newer Sleep)
“This fortress built by nature for herself.”
“I watched it all hit rock bottom.”
“Now I watch the clock tick, tock, from odd to even, odd to even.”
“The theater's built with innovation.”
“Mortal coils motored by oil, so dull.”
“A new version with every new city.”
“A newer sleep under a newer sun.”
Caterpillars (Of the Commonwealth)
“Lips are twitching, so you crack a smile.”
“You've been conditioned to listen and wait.”
“Move an inch and I will trek a mile.”
“You know you'll always be my valentine.”
“Now, swear to god that you will never tell.”
“You can stay, make yourself at home.”
“You've got potential, little parasite.”
“'Cause I'm a gentleman.”
“I said no, you need to know your role.”
“I said no, it's all under control.”
“Oh, that was so long ago. I don't even know.”
“She's nothing, nothing to me.”
“I said more photographs may come to light.”
“I said I'm sorry, and I'm seeking help.”
Bohemian Groove Pt. 1 (Invitation)
“I know what it's for.”
“The future's a void.”
“These pills don't relax me.”
“And all my friends have surpassed me.”
“Showbiz is a fickle bitch.”
“This is senseless. Struggling is senseless.”
“Satisfaction guaranteed.”
“This is senseless. Success is so senseless.”
“No, I can't live like this.”
“'Cause it's senseless.”
Bohemian Groove Pt. 2 (Cremation)
“Celebrate, bro; you're at the club.”
“It's fate, you've waited for so long, I know.”
“Have a beer, bro, and have a fifth.”
“We're safe, we're gated, closeted, alone.”
“Take a hit bro, pass it to the left.”
“It's like tradition.”
“Tonight we'll dance like no one's watching.”
“No one can stop us, we're the cops.”
“You can't imagine all the strings we pull.”
Backstage (Don’t Ask)
“I believe you knew what you were doing.”
“The look on your face says it all.”
“This will set me back years"
“A new dawn, new day.”
“I don't ask anymore.”
“'Cause how the hell can you tell when it's lasted years?”
“I don't know if I believe you knew what you were doing.”
Clouds
“I'm as high as the clouds.”
“My whole life in the clouds.”
“And I'm never coming down.”
“One time I thought that peace was a wide open door.”
She had been so young, so lonely and naive, that she imagined herself as some sort of vessel to be filled up with love. But it wasn’t like that. The love was within her all the time, and its only renewal came from giving it away.
Kim Edwards, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter
(via wordsnquotes)
Tries to hide the palpable disappointment ( the way his shoulders drop, the breath that leaves his lips as expression falls, his fingers curling into the fabric of his jeans ), eyes momentarily flickering away from the phone propped up across from him– the phone currently showing him the face of one Tony Stark.
It wasn’t as if they hadn’t fallen out of routine before. Tony was a busy, important man and Harley had his own worries ( family, mostly, a mother and sister to take care of ) to keep him occupied. He should be happy Tony had chosen to keep in contact at all, after a chance encounter when he was eleven that hardly lasted the night. Nine hundred miles between them and six years later, yet Tony was still there.
“Yeah, yeah– I get it.”
And he did. But it didn’t mean it didn’t sting a little bit.
He pushes past the feeling as best he can manage ( he can dwell on it later, in the comfort of his garage when no one is around to see ), signature smirk falling on features ( if a bit forced ) as he shifts in the seat– an attempt to make himself loosen up.
“So, what happened? You almost die again? Y’know, I’m always up to be your guy on the phone again– if you need me.”
