I've Always Wondered This, Because I Have No Self Control/organisation Skills But How Do You Guys Best

Hands fold delicately beneath her chin, large brown doe eyes watching with interest as he takes her in. Likely trying to figure her out. They all did it, humans and vampires alike. She didn't fit into their definable boxes that separated them from one another. Humans knew - without always knowing how or why - that she was different. Vampires often wondered the nature of her fluttering heartbeat. How she smelt like them yet with something alive inside. Serena often wondered that part herself, how something so unnatural had the capacity to be born just like a human. It didn't become any easier, watching her siblings births. Perhaps that was why she liked to drink, to forget.

Though it seemed she would have a harder time convincing this one to grant her every whim. Human bartenders, human men especially, were easy. Malleable, so single minded that the mere thought of getting close to a creature like her had them falling over themselves to please her. It did become a little boring after a time. She didn't so mind the challenge or being levelled with. Head tilts ever so slightly as she takes him in this time, wondering just how old he was. His smile playful but his eyes told a deeper story that have her leaning closer to try and drink them in. "I heard you, but I was hoping you might make an exception." She pouts, before shrugging and leaning back.

Turning to take in the place properly before turning back to him, she raises a brow. "Not a very good business model, this. You could be bringing in some other types of clientele." Leaning down beside the bar, Serena picks up what looks like some sort of jewelry piece adorned with an upside down cross scattered in tacky, fake red diamonds in the shape of blood drops. "Ones who aren't children playing make believe."

Malakai watched her approach from his peripheral while he continued his task of cleaning the night's used glasses. When she took a seat, he slid a glass into place and dropped his towel on the counter. His hands found resting places on the edge of the sink. Now he looked at her. Really looked at her, not just the glance he gave her when she'd walked in.

There was a slight narrowing of his eyes and his nose twitched ever so slightly. For a moment, he considered turning her out. He didn't care about the bills she pushed across the counter, the register was already closed and shut down for the night. It was one of the first things he did after the last patron had filtered out of the club. But he'd be lying if he said he hadn't been intrigued by her the moment she sat down. Something was different. Not quite human, not quite vampire. An amused smile spread across his lips. "Did you miss the part where I said last call already happened?" he teased lightly.

One hand lifted to motion around the silent club. The overhead lights were on, but the colorful dance floor lights, the stage's spotlights, and the LED strips that helped contribute to the atmosphere during operating hours had been shut off. "In case you didn't notice, we're not exactly open for business." That same teasing tone lingered in his voice, and he made no effort to tell her she had to leave. At least not yet.

they come to drink they come to dance to sacrifice a HUMAN HEART

Ever the optimist, Didyme's innate positivity had fought back against the call for darkness. Perhaps just as sorrow was a condition of humanity, self-preservation was a condition of the eternity her brother had gifted her with. Trying to burn herself in the sun and join her siblings had resulted in only a temporarily charred wrist. Though on the other side of her temptation she saw a clearer truth; she had lost herself. She remembered how precious life had been in humanity. How one more hug, one more meal, one more sunrise was a blessing and none of them were promised. And there she was with an endless abundance. Who was she to shun such things?

Still, when death seemed as much a promise as the joys of life she knows it harder to resist the temptation to meet it earlier. A small, thoughtful smile crosses the vampires delicate features. "You're right, I do not know you." But she knew humans. She had seen a plethora of them, countless lifetimes, of the way they could be. Some prettier than others. The yellow jewel of her necklace catches the light of the moon, illuminating her face as she moves closer. "But I am willing to bet you did not start this way. No one does." Not even her cold and controlling brother, even he had once been a child full of light and hope. As she moves, so does her power, invisible tendrils attempting to take hold of the woman's heart and fill it with a warmth she surely had not felt in some time. Reaching for the human's arm, Didyme's own heart aches as the others pain hits her even harder. In her tear stained gaze she sees but a broken child. When was the last time someone held her?

Overwhelmed, the ancient pulls the woman into her embrace, trying to envelop her with a certain protection from the harsh fate that awaited on the other side of the cliff. "It's going to be okay. Not every day will feel like this." It was only the two of them under the evening sky, but her words are still whispered. A gentle offering of comfort from whoever she needed it to be from. From wherever she had never felt it.

Sorrow wasn't apt enough a word for the depth of Esme's grief— her pain. Every breath felt like needles in her lungs, pricking tears from eyes just for her to then choke on them. They had to pull her fingers from around her son's body, pry her arms from around him so they could take him to the morgue. All while she screamed and begged for another hour.

The silence afterwards was incomparable to anything she'd experienced before. They had threatened restraints on her, but one of the nurses managed to convince the doctor otherwise; she was just a grieving mother, not a danger to anyone's safety—

Well, perhaps her own.

Her lungs burned as they did bringing her boy into this world. Over the past few days she had become accustomed to heaving lungs; labour of different kinds, one now to reward her the end of this tortuous existence.

Through her tears, Esme thinks that perhaps the figure and the words to be her mother. The innate kindness of them make her yearn for the familiarity of a mother's embrace, but as she blinks the tears away, Esme focuses instead on a stranger.

The breeze is non-existent on this humid, August night. The stars glisten like silver above and Esme can't help the way she finds peace in this landscape being her end.

"How could a stranger know if I'm myself or not?" Her words are spat. She is so close now. If her son can't be with her, she'll be with him. "They couldn't, so don't pretend you're any different."

asoiaf: sword of storms starters

❝ why would the stars want to look down on one such as me? ❞ ❝ sometimes i think everyone is just pretending to be brave, and none of us really are. maybe pretending is how you get brave. ❞ ❝ come, curse me or kiss me or call me a liar. something. ❞ ❝ some battles are not won with swords and spears, others with quills and ravens. ❞ ❝ old stories are like old friends. you have to visit them from time to time. ❞ ❝ still, night falls for all of us in the end, and too soon for some. ❞ ❝ and i tell you truly, there is no man in all the world who will ever be half so true to you as me. ❞ ❝ there are fights no swords can win. ❞ ❝ nothing will happen to you. nothing. i could not stand it. ❞ ❝ in such troubled times, it is hard to know friend from foe. ❞ ❝ you hide behind courtesy as if it were a castle wall. ❞ ❝ why do i enrage you so? i’ve never done you harm that i know of. ❞ ❝ it seems to me that a ruler who trusts no one is as foolish as a ruler who trusts everyone. ❞ ❝ love’s not always wise, i’ve learned. it can lead us to great folly, but we follow our hearts…wherever they take us. ❞ ❝ only lies offend me, never honest counsel. ❞ ❝ it was never my wish to sow enmity between us. ❞ ❝ best you were taken to your bed for a long resting, until you are stronger. ❞ ❝ even brave men blind themselves sometimes, when they are afraid to see. ❞ ❝ no harm will come to you, you have my word on that. ❞ ❝ the worst is behind us. don’t be frightened. ❞ ❝ silence. have you forgotten who i am? ❞ ❝ there is something we must speak of. will you walk with me? ❞ ❝ you shall rise again, i am sure. a man like you. ❞ ❝ i am not a cruel man. you know me. ❞ ❝ the world grows a little darker every day. ❞ ❝ i have need of good counsel, and you never gave me less. ❞ ❝ you are a treacherous old rogue, but a good friend all the same. ❞ ❝ madness and greatness are two sides of the same coin. ❞ ❝ if you love me all so much, why are you still dressed? ❞ ❝ you’re mine. mine, as i’m yours. ❞ ❝ wars need not be fought until the last drop of blood. ❞ ❝ one voice may speak you false, but in many there is always truth to be found. ❞ ❝ when it comes to battle, discipline beats valour every time. ❞ ❝ sometimes the best thing you can do is nothing. ❞ ❝ it is too late for ifs, and too late for rescues. all that remains is vengeance. ❞ ❝ only blood can pay for blood. ❞ ❝ why do you hesitate? kill him, and be done. ❞ ❝ i will fall into those eyes and drown. ❞ ❝ harsh justice is still justice. ❞ ❝ i am cleverer than most, surely wits count for something. ❞ ❝ there’s a storm coming. a bad one. ❞ ❝ men will read all sorts of things into a knowing smile if you let them. ❞ ❝ the greatest fools are ofttimes more clever than the men who laugh at them. ❞ ❝ all these kings would do a deal better if they would put down their swords and listen to their mothers. ❞ ❝ you were made to be kissed, often and well. ❞ ❝ i walk alone with no true companion but tears. ❞ ❝ there is a savage beast in every man, and when you hand that man a sword or spear and send him forth to war, the beast stirs. ❞ ❝ there are fights no swords can win. ❞ ❝ here you are my guest, and safe from harm at my hands…this night, at least. ❞ ❝ i love the smell of you. i love your hair. i love your mouth, and the way you kiss me. ❞ ❝ i am alive, and drunk on sunlight. ❞ ❝ we look up at the same stars and see such different things. ❞ ❝ let them kill me. so long as i die fighting, a blade in hand. ❞ ❝ they are still behind us. they are taking us one by one. ❞ ❝ cry if you must. in your place, i would likely rip my hair out. ❞ ❝ would you wake me, please? i’m having this terrible nightmare. ❞ ❝ i know what it is like to love so greatly you can think of nothing else. ❞ ❝ if truth be told, i’m bored with your company. ❞ ❝ i am tired of fighting you. what say we make a truce? ❞ ❝ no man grows rich by kindness. ❞ ❝ it is well you did not lie to me. i would have known. ❞ ❝ the blood of my enemies i will shed gladly. the blood of innocents is another matter. ❞ ❝ i do not know who you are, and it may be that’s for the best. someone important, i fear. ❞ ❝ is every word you say a lie? ❞ ❝ why should i tell you my name? you haven’t told me yours. ❞ ❝ you are weak as a child, and no warrior. ❞ ❝ if i look back i am lost. ❞ ❝ if you lie to me, i will have your tongue. ❞ ❝ you’ve grown more amusing since last we met. ❞ ❝ i wonder if i might have a few private words? ❞ ❝ i dreamed a dream, no more. go back to sleep. ❞ ❝ this is a bad place, is it not? a dark place, and foul. ❞ ❝ i did not intend to give offence. forgive me. ❞ ❝ you have never feared to speak the truth, why do you lie to yourself? ❞ ❝ the music’s still playing. might i have this dance? ❞ ❝ your eyes give the lie to your tongue. ❞ ❝ let me go now. for our friendship, wish me luck and let me go ❞ ❝ a wise man never makes an enemy of a king. ❞ ❝ this must be our last time together. the danger is too great. ❞ ❝ some day try thinking before you speak. ❞ ❝ i have a dragon’s temper, that’s all. you must not let it frighten you. ❞ ❝ you must not be saying such things, even in jest. ❞ ❝ what we want is not always what we get. ❞ ❝ put up that sword now, unless you want to be hurt. ❞ ❝ sometimes a man knows more than he says. ❞ ❝ when i don’t fancy a man’s eyes, i put an arrow through one. ❞ ❝ my heart is full of doubts. ❞ ❝ in times like this, we must make do as best we can. ❞ ❝ i never dreamed how quick the sweet would turn to sour. ❞ ❝ my skin has turned to porcelain, to ivory, to steel. ❞ ❝ the stink of death is fresh on you. ❞ ❝ you have repaid betrayal with betrayal, let it end. ❞ ❝ the higher the man climbs the farther he has to fall. ❞ ❝ i was hoping one look at this sweet face of mine would be enough to persuade you all of my innocence. ❞ ❝ after all the storms we’ve suffered, you should trust me better. ❞ ❝ you can kill your enemies, but can you rule your friends? ❞ ❝ could there be honor in a lie, if it were told for a good purpose? ❞ ❝ i am the monster they all say i am. ❞ ❝ pray excuse me, i need to hit someone very hard with a sword. ❞ ❝ you did your best to kill me. perhaps i ought to return the favor. ❞ ❝ you do, don’t you? you take me for a fool. ❞ ❝ we’re all just songs in the end, if we’re lucky. ❞ ❝ there is a long league’s worth of difference between wilful and stupid. ❞ ❝ you…a man like you brings blood with him. ❞ ❝ when did i make so many enemies? ❞ ❝ i must be strong. if i despair, my grief will consume me. ❞ ❝ give me sweet lies, and keep your bitter truths. ❞ ❝ i know what it is to be betrayed by men you trusted. ❞ ❝ all my victories turn to dross in my hands. ❞ ❝ it is a pleasure to look on you again, even in such trying times. ❞ ❝ are you scared? have you lost your belly for fighting? ❞ ❝ you were so long, i feared something had gone amiss. ❞ ❝ any man who must say ‘i am king’ is no true king at all. ❞ ❝ always keep your foes confused. if they are never certain who you are or what you want, they cannot know what you are like to do next. ❞ ❝ small men curse what they cannot understand. ❞ ❝ if you’re lying to me again, you won’t be leaving here alive. ❞ ❝ it all goes back and back to our mothers and fathers and theirs before them. we are puppets dancing on the strings of those who came before us. ❞ ❝ when you know what a man wants you know who he is, and how to move him. ❞ ❝ a pure world. i do not belong here. ❞ ❝ you make me sorry that i am not the monster you would have me be. ❞ ❝ i crossed a thousand leagues to come to you, and lost the best part of me along the way. don’t tell me to leave. ❞ ❝ my big mouth will be the death of me, i swear it. ❞ ❝ we have suffered much, and there is more peril and more grief ahead. ❞ ❝ i…i suppose i earned that. ❞ ❝ begging for help never gets you any. ❞ ❝ you’re not made to lie. you blush and squeak and stammer. ❞ ❝ one day you must tell me all. the good and the bad. ❞ ❝ and there is stands, miserable as it is. my ancestral home. ❞ ❝ whatever i do, all i make is death and horror. ❞ ❝ it is safer to walk in darkness here. there are things you would not wish to see. ❞ ❝ you have a certain cunning, but the plain truth is you talk too much. ❞ ❝ that might have hurt me once, when i still felt pain. ❞ ❝ we will fight a battle, and then we will rest. alive or dead, we’ll rest. ❞ ❝ every man must die. but first he must live. ❞ ❝ all night i have been making songs for you in my head. ❞ ❝ my blood, my body, my songs, you own them all. ❞ ❝ if you lie i’ll punch your face. ❞ ❝ what a fight that was, and what a foe. ❞ ❝ be quiet. i will tell you when you can speak. ❞ ❝ forgive me. you have to forgive me. ❞ ❝ never lie to me. never betray me. ❞ ❝ there are two sorts of people. the players and the pieces. ❞ ❝ the only thing i value less than my life right now is yours. ❞ ❝ perhaps i should leave you here to rot if you’re going to be so discourteous. ❞ ❝ i hadn’t forgotten, though i hoped you had. ❞ ❝ i can still bite and kick. i’ll die with the taste of blood in my mouth, that’s something. ❞ ❝ you bray like an ass, and make no more sense. ❞ ❝ you do not belong here. this is not your place. ❞ ❝ i’m not going back to sleep. my head is all a tumult. ❞ ❝ some doors are best left closed. ❞ ❝ it does not matter how brave or brilliant a man is, if his commands cannot be heard. ❞ ❝ a man who fears battle wins no victories. ❞ ❝ you’re not half bad with a sword, but you’re not good enough to take on two hundred men by yourself. ❞ ❝ that is a good color on you. it goes well with your eyes. ❞ ❝ if blood is what you wish, then let it flow. ❞ ❝ i liked you well enough…but i never trusted you. a man needs to earn my trust. ❞ ❝ it is good to see you know who i am. ❞ ❝ i have told you no lies. yet there have been truths i have withheld. ❞ ❝ pardon me if i do not weep for you. ❞ ❝ you’ll find nothing here but death. ❞ ❝ don’t…don’t talk like this. you’re scaring me. ❞ ❝ you must be very brave or very stupid. ❞ ❝ i gave you the truth. you owe me the same. ❞ ❝ that loose tongue of yours will be your undoing. ❞ ❝ i must have fire in my eyes when i face them, not tears. ❞ ❝ it will take more than an arrow to kill you. ❞ ❝ the sound’s inside, it’s in here with us, and it’s getting louder. ❞ ❝ see? we know each other too well. ❞ ❝ you meddle in matters you do not understand. ❞ ❝ i have no luck. i have never had any bloody luck. ❞ ❝ do all gods feel so lonely? ❞ ❝ you are strangely quiet. how do you feel, i wonder? ❞ ❝ stop trying to think up ways to kill me. none of it will do you any bit of good. ❞ ❝ all you need to do is take my hand, come on. ❞ ❝ we’re together, just as you’ve always wanted, just as we’ve always planned. ❞ ❝ wars are won with quills and ravens. ❞ ❝ if only i had my sword, nothing could harm me. ❞ ❝ a valiant deed unsung is no less valiant. ❞ ❝ there are wolves in these woods, and worse things. ❞ ❝ say nothing of what we’ve discussed here today. to anyone. ❞ ❝ you’d best go. you’re making me angry. ❞ ❝ fear cuts deeper than swords. ❞ ❝ an ill-omened name. i have asked you not to use it. ❞ ❝ you cannot hide from me. come closer, now. ❞ ❝ there’s no cause for all these tears. ❞ ❝ it is good that you have woken, but you must give yourself time to heal. ❞ ❝ there is no honor in hiding and sneaking. ❞ ❝ come with me. we have to get away from here, and now. ❞ ❝ kings are falling like leaves this autumn. ❞ ❝ you don’t know half as much as you think you do. ❞ ❝ you seem so sombre. is aught amiss? ❞

They are not gonna follow us, they are gonna follow their queen. I’m not their queen.

* idiots to lovers romantic starters

also known as rivals to lovers / idiots to idiots but they’re lovers / rivals to besties / rivals to idiots, the list goes on. some of these are inspired by pre-existing media. change pronouns/aggressive terms of endearment/insults as you see fit! these can also be platonic of course!

“i dunno. sometimes i just… feel things when you’re around.”

“i love your ass.”

“your ass is your best quality.”

“i’d tap that.”

“i love you, bitch.”

“do you ever feel… like… you know… things? like… those warm… feelings?”

“oh my god, stop looking at me like that! i’m gonna end up kissing you.”

“sometimes you’re not annoying.”

“you don’t, like… make me wanna tear my eyes out… or whatever.”

“you love me? are you sure?”

“i don’t hate you.”

“shut up and stay. please.”

“i hate when people say shit like ‘you’re my best friend, i love you, i can’t imagine my life without you. i wake up and you’re the first thing on my mind, and the last thing before i go to sleep. suddenly all the love songs make sense.’ you know? i prefer starting it by saying how much i hate when other people say it, then say what i mean anyway. it’s way less embarrassing like that.”

“we aren’t friends. friends don’t do this kinda thing.”

“maybe i don’t wanna be just friends with you.”

“who the fuck said you aren’t funny?”

“who the fuck called you boring?”

“who the fuck said that? you’re great.”

“i don’t think you’re weird. i think you’re cute.”

“i don’t think you’re weird. you’re a dumbass, maybe, but i like that about you.”

“obviously i like you! i’ve been trying to tell you for ages now!”

“i’ve been flirting with you for the last six months, thanks for noticing.”

“some parts of you don’t make a lot of sense to me, but i don’t know why the sky turns pink at sunset and i still think it’s beautiful.”

“i want you. i don’t know why, i can’t explain it, but i just wanna be around you all the time.”

“i woke up one morning and realised i loved you.”

“you’re the worst. i love it.”

“you’re stupid, that’s what you are, buddy.”

“i wouldn’t die for you, but i think i’d kill for you. maybe. but then, that would mean going to jail… nah. i take it back. no offence.”

“did you know when i call you dude i mean it romantically?”

“what are you gonna do? kiss me?”

“you don’t look totally ugly today.”

“you look… never mind. i didn’t say shit!”

“they’re just flowers, don’t read into it.”

“can you please stop moving your mouth so i can kiss you?”

“you wanna kiss me so bad it makes you look stupid.”

“i trust you, stupid.”

“i love you, dumbass.”

“you’re a pain in the ass but i’m glad we met.”

“of course i care about what you think of me!”

“you’re looking at me funny.”

“i’m not looking at you funny! this is just how i look at someone i hate.”

“being with you makes me feel like a better person.”

“being with you makes me feel like a better person. i look like an angel compared to you.”

“huh? what was that? are you being nice to me?”

“sorry i made things weird the other day. we can still hang out, right?”

“sorry i kissed you, that was stupid. let’s just forget about it.”

“maybe kissing you was stupid but i don’t regret it.”

“are we hugging right now, bro? is that what we’re doing? do we… keep going? do we stop?”

“i’m not going anywhere.”

“i’m here, aren’t i?”

“this is all your fault!” *it is not*

“you drive me crazy in a way that makes everyone else look boring.”

“i can tell when you’re lying, you know. you ain’t slick.”

I’m sorry for the lack of posting and this shitpost but why is this big Aro and Marcus energy

you are the patron saint of...

didyme: martyrs - the patron saint of those who died to be like you. maybe you died to be like them too: but at the end of it, you weren't like them. patron saint of tragedy. saint of saints. it's you who holds the hands of the holy dead, and you who has to answer: what do they do if they regretted it?

serena: bones - patron saint of frameworks. of structures. of solidity. patron saint of things that break. patron saint of things that are left behind. the bones survive long after the body, the building: what is there left for them, when the rest has gone? what do bones do, with nothing to hold around them? who holds the bones?

vera: heartbreak - not of comfort. not of condolences. there is a heart and there is a fissure, a fracture, something that starts to splinter and break open. you're the patron saint of the way a heart is rent open. the way it tears itself apart. patron saint of the rift. patron saint of the gash. when they say to "open your heart" to somebody, you are the patron saint of bleeding out.

chelsea: obsession - patron saint of devotion. of dedication. of passion. of everything you won't call it, in the spaces between. patron saint of holding tight to it until it bleeds. patron saint of pushing it too far. patron saint of staring into the sun until you're blind. patron saint of gazing onto beauty until you can't see anything anymore.

rosalie: horror - you're the patron saint of the dawning moment of realization. the patron saint of comprehension, maybe. the patron saint of understanding. the patron saint of knowing exactly what's going to happen. of seeing clearly. of not being able to look away.

maria: relics - patron saint of remembering. patron saint of holding something close. patron saint of holding on for too long. for a saint, a relic is often a part of the body, kept for some physical memento of their holiness. they are all in your hands, now: does it feel like remembrance? does it feel sanctified? are the dust and blood as precious as they're supposed to be?

KISA — season two