bittersweet migraine. @noctxrne - Tumblr Blog

the stillness of a forest just before a predator's strike, an ember dancing from a roaring bonfire, and the smell of ozone and crackle of electricity in the air promising a storm || written by t.

SOLÈNE RYLAN ELLIS / THE WOUND / VAMPIRE

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#mc: intro #iii. & you fall 𝚊 𝚜 𝚕 𝚎 𝚎 𝚙 when i put a 𝐬 𝐩 𝐞 𝐥 𝐥 on you; – musings

dusktildcwn

she shrugged, refusing to return to memories of their time together. of the bond they once shared and the love that had been felt so strongly. rylan did not get to show up and force emotions onto odette that she had spend centuries repressing. "it has been two hundred years. you should have expected me to change in that time."

the blonde watched them with a calculating gaze. "in what world are you not pretending? acting as though you can wash away all the bodies left in your wake if you simply save those in this town, over and over again? until you have to move on. when they start asking questions... realizing you never age. how strange the humans must find it, that you never so much as catch the flu." so maybe she wanted to break their perfect bubble. she wanted to upend this life they had carved out for themselves, furious that it had not been planned with her in mind.

the statement that is directed to her is ignored. rylan can theorize all they want about why odette was there. the facts were known. she had skin in the game, and she wanted the hunger to be destroyed. "i see your opinion of me hasn't shifted." softly she dragged a lone finger along the rim of the tumbler she had stolen from rylan. "how disappointing." still she wondered how she had lost them. when the change was made from love to hate. but that was a conversation for another time. or perhaps never at all.

she smirked at the comment, at the challenge. fine, she would play. standing, odette walked along the bar, finding a lonesome man that had his own glass of scotch in hand. walking up beside him, she put her hand on his arm and used all her influence to calm his heartbeat and his mind. "𝔥𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔪𝔢 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔡𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔨." she cooed, smiling as the man's eyes glazed over and he offered it without a second thought. while she was certain the bartender questioned the interaction, odette did not explain as she took the glass and walked back to rylan. she placed it in front of them, a chuckle on her lips. "drink up."

noctxrne

HALF OF THEIR EXISTENCE, and yet the memories refused to fade. were it not for the ramshackle bar or the haunted town, they might have remained apart longer than they had been together. yet, somehow, they can only allow themselves to envision a change for the worst. but perhaps that is on them. for believing that any improvement might have crossed their paths sooner.

❛ no one wants to be coughed on by their paramedic. ❜ rylan’s brow raises ever so slightly, amusement otherwise contained. ❛ i think they find it convenient, if they think of it at all, ❜ they muse. humans are lazy, willing to look past what they don’t understand so long as it does not inconvenience them. rylan’s ability to move swiftly and lift weights beyond their stature is convenient. and when attention lingers a beat too long, a nudge of perception is all it takes to send them on their way; a mercy perhaps, rather than manipulation. ❛ there’s comfort in illusion. it’s more than i could have done with my ability otherwise. ❜

there’s an irony in her words. i see your opinion of me hasn’t shifted. it hasn’t, and therein lay the problem. from their first breath to the last, their opinion has remained frozen, imprisoned along with every organ and drop of blood preserved by her venom. stubbornly unchanging in the face of the steady march of time.

they don't watch her leave. it’s hardly necessary. the click of her shoes against worn wood, the measured cadence of her footsteps, the coercive exchange at the bar—each sound maps itself through the room. their fingers continue an idle rhythm against the table, counting the seconds between her footsteps and the clink of another glass being set before them.

they lift the glass, inspecting it for a long moment before taking a sip. a wince. it doesn’t taste any better. beyond the glass, they allow their gaze to rove odette’s features. they bite. ❛ if i am so wrong about you, why are you here? ❜

#ii. * but i wasn’t l i st e n i n g so i did ᴰᴼ what i ⅆⅈⅆ; – gif paras #& and as the earth burns to the ground; the dark.

enhaloes

WHEN XINGYU VOLUNTEERED TO JOIN RYLAN ON THE HUNT, he thought he had prepared himself for it. for the quiet eerieness that always plagued god’s acre regardless of the time of day, for having to follow rylan’s lead chasing something he’s only heard about in passing, for the unfamiliar weight of the baseball bat in his palm. he eyes the headstone that they did. nods once. soft features hardening, muscles tense. with every step they take to push deeper into the cemetery, it’s getting harder to pretend that he can’t feel his heartbeat stamp loud enough to feel its pressure in his ears. even if putting on this bravado doesn’t matter — he’s sure rylan can hear it — he has to at least pretend for his own sake. their question cuts through the nerves. he looks down at the baseball bat. “i was a football player, not a baseball player,” he admits. taps it once in his hand to feel the heft again. it was his brother’s that was left behind from his family’s move. “and not that i’ve swung it at anyone before, either…” he looks away with a grimace. tonight will probably be the last sentence he gets to say that.

his slender fingers, uncalloused, adjust their grip around the handle. it does no use to think this way, and if anything poses a risk to them. so he takes a breath, and amends, “but i think it’s pretty straightforward, right?” eyes meet theirs again, hoping that through it he can promise that he has their back. not that they have a storied history, but he remembers when they had come with the girl rescued from the fire, and the look in their eyes when they had come back, asking if the girl was okay. he at least trusts rylan enough to get them through the hunt. “...and you?” his gaze shifts to the blade in their hand, the curve of the blade visible in the moonlight. “someone told me you… have experience with this?”

noctxrne

IT'S AMUSING THE WAY HIS HEART FLUTTERS while his jaw remains set. a willful display of bravery. it's admirable — with any luck, it won't get him killed. ❛ i suppose that’s better than throwing a football at them. ❜

straightforward indeed. rylan’s gaze follows his to their knife, lips curving into a smirk. ❛ you could say that. ❜ they toss the dagger loosely, smooth wood slicing through the air before once more finding their grip.

experience makes their movements fluid, careless in a way that betrayed centuries of practice. if anything, it takes more thought to maintain a human pace than it did to plan their approach.

still, he’s new. the way they were once. so, they slow half a stride, no longer leading. ❛ remember, they aren't like other vampires. they've lost the ability of rational thought. they won't hesitate, even if it means their death. they will go for the obvious kill. ❜

they’re hunting a group, and from the footprints on the ground, there are at least four ferals. not too many to handle, but they would be unpredictable. ❛ and never let them get behind you. that’s where they’re most dangerous. ❜

with minds clouded by hunger, group cooperation should prove difficult. perhaps if the pair could draw them close enough, they would tear each other's throats out. then, as an afterthought, ❛ do you have any silver on you? ❜ they don’t carry any, for obvious reasons, but it could prove useful. ❛ a necklace, a ring… a stake. ❜ teeth flash in a grin at the last suggestion. ❛ worth a shot. ❜

#ii. * but i wasn’t l i st e n i n g so i did ᴰᴼ what i ⅆⅈⅆ; – gif paras #& tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife; the beacon.

dusktildcwn

over the centuries, rain had become nothing more then an annoyance to odette. soaking through her clothes, ruining her hair, causing her makeup to run... not to mention rain brought storms. and storms brought memories she would rather repress.

but the universe, it seemed, had other plans.

when she walked into the rusty nail for the fourth night in a row, the only location in town that seemed to offer her both distraction and entertainment, her senses identified the shift in an instance. their scent is on the air, mixed in with the cigarette smoke and cheap perfume. the lack of a heartbeat - the total silence - in that direction had her ears ringing for something to detect.

but it is the bond snapping against her subconscious that causes her head to turn. she wants to ignore it. but it's a dull tapping on the edge of her temple, begging her to let her eyes take in the one who had once been everything. a friend. a confidant. a lover. an indulgence.

until thought of redemption became their every waking thought.

the pet name was soft, in a language that had not seen use in years. and yet when they spoke, it was the loudest sound in the room. odette felt the urge to turn and run. to leave them this time, and not the other way around. but she could not be a coward. so instead, she takes a steady step towards the booth, sliding in across from rylan. the vampire takes one look before snatching the glass in their hand and finishing the remaining scotch in one gulp.

there is a moment of quiet tension. she watched them as she crossed her legs, leaning back into the booth to exude comfort and confidence. "you gave up the right to call me that when you left." she muttered, the sound of her accent slipping on the words the only indication of her frustrations. "i should have expected you to end up somewhere like this." she looked around the bar. the wood paneling and the jukebox that was somehow out of tune. the residents who would never amount to anything other then being so deeply ordinary. "somewhere completely unremarkable. where you can hide and pretend your worst days were nothing more then a nightmare."

noctxrne

THEY DON'T FLINCH. the instinct is still there, the urge to bare their teeth, to ignite. instead, they watch, gaze flicking languidly from the empty glass to their maker. as expected, the years have done little to change the woman. though memory had done her little justice.

❛ is that so? ❜

somehow, they had hoped time would have dulled the sharp edge of their departure. that perhaps she might see it the way they did: not as cruelty, but a choice they were forced to make. a necessary evil. ❛ shame. ❜ their eyes trace familiar lines before hardening. ❛ you used to like it so much. ❜

it’s not the first disappointment they have endured.

rylan leans back into the booth, fingers resuming their steady tap against the table. ❛ who’s pretending? ❜ it’s a hollow response, and they know it. so they deflect. ❛ is that why you’re here, then? ❜ their head tilts slightly, a challenge rising. ❛ drawn to the most miserable places because there's enough rot that your own can go unnoticed. more shit to add to the pile. ❜

the town is unremarkable. it haunts its residents, swallows any threat of light that tries to seep through the canopy. but there are parts worth saving. they’ve seen it in trembling hands clutching a thermal blanket, the quiet moment of relief when a heartbeat returns. they have to believe there’s more to the town than it seems.

then, because they can’t help themselves, rylan nods toward the glass. ❛ you owe me another. ❜

#ii. * but i wasn’t l i st e n i n g so i did ᴰᴼ what i ⅆⅈⅆ; – gif paras #& and as the earth burns to the ground; the dark.

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑: xingyu – the beacon @enhaloes 𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍: god's acre

❛ STAY CLOSE, ❜ rylan tosses over their shoulder, less a suggestion than a command. the ground is soft underfoot, and their boots sink into thick moss with each step.

it’s the first time they’ve been hunting with another, much less a human, and they have taken every precaution. their muscles sing with the fresh human blood, replacing their usual diet of deer and black bear.

for the sake of their companion, rylan had fed prior to their meeting. the man had bled faster than expected —anemic, most likely— and his pulse was thready by the time the vampire drew back. they didn’t like to leave them that way; the phantom thread connecting them a nuisance, an open door that strayed too close to the truth. a reminder of the monster they became to protect those around them. they made sure his end was quick.

out of an abundance of caution, they chew a piece of gum. the pack rests heavy in their pocket.

an overturned headstone draws their attention, and they turn sharply. ❛ this way. ❜

facing a group of ferals is no small task. somehow, the pediatrics nurse isn’t who they envisioned as their hunting partner.

they have met before, a child rescued from a house fire. rylan had a rule of not visiting once the ambulance left the medical bay, but the girl had been so small, lungs filled with smoke, heaving beneath an oxygen mask. when they visited a week later, xingyu was there.

he’s nice enough, and that worries them. there’s little room for niceties when it comes to hunting. ❛ how are you with that thing? ❜ they ask after a minute, nodding toward his bat. ❛ the great american pastime. ❜

#ii. * but i wasn’t l i st e n i n g so i did ᴰᴼ what i ⅆⅈⅆ; – gif paras #& tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife; the beacon.#lmk if you'd like me to change anything~

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑: odette – the dark @dusktildcwn 𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍: rusty nail

IT'S RAINING — but then, when is it not? rylan watches as it beads against the window, a soft mist that dampens rather than soaks. the best kind, they think.

they sit in the last booth, wedged between a splintered panel of wood and the jukebox, back to the door. a finger toys with a half-empty glass of scotch, turning slow circles through the condensation.

their hair has dried, dampness slowly leaching from the nylon of their jacket. they can’t say how long they’ve been here. only that the room has shifted around them; social stragglers giving way to those with nowhere else to go. abandoned darts litter the bartop, though there's little rush to move them.

rylan raises the glass to their lips, forces a swallow. not for taste, but for ritual. a metronome of normalcy as stale as the garbled hum that drifts from the jukebox: down, down down… and the flames went higher…

the air shifts when the door opens, falls shut again.

they feel it before thought can name it. the ancient, infuriating resonance threading through the room, pressing against thought. a hum carried in their marrow.

how long have they waited for this? since finding their way back to magnolia creek, carving out a niche as a paramedic who seemed too experienced for their age, yet too self-possessed for anyone to question it. since the crackle of something ancient began to threaten a resurgence, drawing the one presence they had evaded for a century.

the tether, once slack, tightening.

burns, burns burns… the ring of fire…

they don’t turn, don’t raise their voice over the music.

❛ mon étoile. ❜

#ii. * but i wasn’t l i st e n i n g so i did ᴰᴼ what i ⅆⅈⅆ; – gif paras #& and as the earth burns to the ground; the dark.#//please feel -1000000 need to match length

muserhq

“I have done bad things. I can’t take them back, and they are part of who I am. Most of the time, they seem like the only thing I am.”

— Veronica Roth, Insurgent (via blu3rthanvelvet)

#iii. & you fall 𝚊 𝚜 𝚕 𝚎 𝚎 𝚙 when i put a 𝐬 𝐩 𝐞 𝐥 𝐥 on you; – musings

uservillanelle

EMMA D'ARCY as TOMMY THE TALENT (2023) dir. Thomas May Bailey

#iii. & you fall 𝚊 𝚜 𝚕 𝚎 𝚎 𝚙 when i put a 𝐬 𝐩 𝐞 𝐥 𝐥 on you; – musings #vii. what do i ⒦⒠⒠⒫ from all the 𝖘𝖙𝖗𝖆𝖓𝖌𝖊𝖗𝖘 who sleep where i ṣľếḛṗ ; – aesthetic #rylan

morxwar

#iii. & you fall 𝚊 𝚜 𝚕 𝚎 𝚎 𝚙 when i put a 𝐬 𝐩 𝐞 𝐥 𝐥 on you; – musings

vampirerelics

𝔦𝔱 𝔦𝔰 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔟𝔩𝔬𝔬𝔡

𝔦𝔫 𝔪𝔶 𝔳𝔢𝔦𝔫𝔰

𝔱𝔢𝔩𝔩 𝔪𝔢 𝔥𝔬𝔴 𝔦’𝔪

𝔰𝔲𝔭𝔭𝔬𝔰𝔢𝔡 𝔱𝔬 𝔣𝔬𝔯𝔤𝔢𝔱

⁺‧₊˚ ཐི⋆♱⋆ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺

#iii. & you fall 𝚊 𝚜 𝚕 𝚎 𝚎 𝚙 when i put a 𝐬 𝐩 𝐞 𝐥 𝐥 on you; – musings

m0rtuav1ta

#iii. & you fall 𝚊 𝚜 𝚕 𝚎 𝚎 𝚙 when i put a 𝐬 𝐩 𝐞 𝐥 𝐥 on you; – musings

brattyfrenchvampire

Drain the pressure from the swelling

This sensation's overwhelming

Give me a long kiss goodnight

And everything'll be alright

Tell me that I won't feel a thing

So give me Novacaine

#iii. & you fall 𝚊 𝚜 𝚕 𝚎 𝚎 𝚙 when i put a 𝐬 𝐩 𝐞 𝐥 𝐥 on you; – musings

noctxrne

“…will I ever even know it when I become my demons... I was a shadow and one to follow straight to the meadows of sleepy hollow. ”

–– rainbow kitten surprise, ghoul

#iii. & you fall 𝚊 𝚜 𝚕 𝚎 𝚎 𝚙 when i put a 𝐬 𝐩 𝐞 𝐥 𝐥 on you; – musings

the-eternal-moonshine

#iii. & you fall 𝚊 𝚜 𝚕 𝚎 𝚎 𝚙 when i put a 𝐬 𝐩 𝐞 𝐥 𝐥 on you; – musings

xxlying-from-y0u

“I guess by now I should know enough about loss to realize that you never really stop missing someone-you just learn to live around the huge gaping hole of their absence.”

— Alyson Noel, Evermore (The Immortals, #1)

#iii. & you fall 𝚊 𝚜 𝚕 𝚎 𝚎 𝚙 when i put a 𝐬 𝐩 𝐞 𝐥 𝐥 on you; – musings

ashstfu

hendrik voogd / H.D

#iii. & you fall 𝚊 𝚜 𝚕 𝚎 𝚎 𝚙 when i put a 𝐬 𝐩 𝐞 𝐥 𝐥 on you; – musings

lily-musings

Inside me, something seethes. Inside me, some feral animal claws at my ribcage, trapped.

#iii. & you fall 𝚊 𝚜 𝚕 𝚎 𝚎 𝚙 when i put a 𝐬 𝐩 𝐞 𝐥 𝐥 on you; – musings

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