@grewarden. How Long Were You Going To Hide This From Me?

his expression is as stormy as the tempest raging beyond her window, the howling gales rattling the frame, shaking the very foundations of the castle. this was only natural, he was a creature possessed of intense moods, but like any animal he purred when stroked correctly. typically it was his ego that needed proper attention, and she was only ever too happy to oblige. when his darkened expression did not lift at her compliance & teasing, worry furrowed at her brows; the crease between them wrinkling yet deeper when he begins to speak. she did not like to imagine the terrible things he was capable of, for something to be so terrible that he had rattled even his own stubborn confidence & pride was enough to shake her.

wiser women would turn him away, or at the very least coax him into confessing his sins before promising to absolve him of them. though wiser women would not have permitted such a man into their chambers in the first place, so perhaps she was already far too lost to correct her course. lithe hands journey to his shoulders, grabbing fistfuls of the wet leather to draw herself close to him yet again. this kiss lands at the corner of his mouth — a touch so terribly tender. when again she pulls back, she does not fully withdraw from his grasp. only far enough to look at his face: clinging still to his shoulders. pale eyes convey more words than her lips would ever permit. i have forgiven every terrible thing you could do long before this moment. look what a dreadful fool you've made of me. your bloody hands do not frighten me. though through her unobliging pride, all she utters is ... "what a foolish question, and one you already know the answer to."

with the jacket still in her clutches, she pushes at it — wordlessly urging him to shed the soaking layers. "you'll catch your death in this - and you're tracking water everywhere," still she hopes to get him to smile with her chiding, to chase away the haunted look in his eye. to see him so pliant in her palms made something icy & rigid in her chest soften & crack, and she could not permit it. both hands grab at his, drawing him deeper into the chamber. "come, take these off. warm yourself by the fire ... then you may tell me whatever you wish."

burnt rainwater was on him, was all over him   ‒‒   parts frozen, parts singed. 𝐯𝐡𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭, fast and blazing and ruthless and 𝚋𝚎𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚍’𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚕. that much had become glaringly obvious. a̳e̳m̳o̳n̳d̳ was not under aemond’s control. he sought some nameless thing, blindly, thoughtlessly   ‒‒   𝖈𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖚𝖗𝖊 with a wide, red-rimmed stare and ashes rattling in his chest, too fast, too fast. 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐚’𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐡, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞 had shone out to him l̳i̳k̳e̳ ̳a̳ ̳b̳e̳a̳c̳o̳n̳, a stormlight. here, there might be benediction. 𝚊 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 he knew better than to ask of those offended.

𝚒𝚏 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚢𝚎𝚍 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑, elethea would never know how much comfort her touch wreaked, how much power she had. ( it escaped his notice, then, that she had done everything he asked   ‒‒   everything but c̳u̳r̳s̳e̳ ̳h̳i̳m̳. )      ❛❛  𝖎𝖋 i told you something,  ❜❜      he began, so very, very quietly,      ❛❛  would you consider, 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝, that i meant no harm?  ❜❜      some understanding, s̳o̳m̳e̳ ̳m̳e̳r̳c̳y̳   ‒‒   it was a small thing to wish for before killing again. they were only figments, but 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 would be no easier : his mother's last foolish denials   ( . . . )  clinging stubbornly 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚋𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚔, 𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚜.      ❛❛  would you d̳e̳f̳e̳n̳d̳ 𝖒𝖊?  ❜❜

they were not, aemond thought, 𝐚 𝐝𝐲𝐧𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬, ᵇᵘᵗ mammals gone so mad within this sandstone trap that they’d 𝚍𝚎𝚟𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚎. the thought terrified him. it could not be true. he could never admit that he had, even for a second, believed that 𝖍𝖔𝖗𝖗𝖎𝖉 thought. ( that would make it real. he had t̳h̳a̳t̳ ̳s̳o̳r̳t̳ ̳o̳f̳ ̳p̳o̳w̳e̳r̳. )

NOSFERATU (2024) — dir. Robert Eggers

the cousland/dragon age origins series that exists in my head would be stylistically and tonally very similar to the green knight i will not elaborate further

think i’m gonna retcon elethea’s athleticism (excluding her martial & archery training) in highever. her problem is that she’s inside too much and has such a reduced perspective. she literally needs to touch grass. yes she has rudimentary horse riding skills but it’s mostly side-saddle, and if she goes hunting its only for the pageantry of it.

THERE. that's better

NOW THATS BRYCE COUSLAND...

𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍; 𝚀𝚄𝙾𝚃𝙴𝚂 𝚂𝙾𝚄𝚁𝙲𝙴𝙳 𝙵𝚁𝙾𝙼 𝙶𝙾𝙾𝙳𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙳𝚂.

change  pronouns,  tenses  and  other  details  as  deemed  necessary. &  please  specify  muse  when  sending  to  a  mumu. slightly edited wording for roleplaying purposes.

My  fault,  my  failure,  is  not  in  the  passions  I  have,  but  in  my  lack  of  control  of  them.

What  reason  weaves,  by  passion  is  undone.

None  of  us  can  choose  where  we  shall  love...

Feeling  too  much  is  a  hell  of  a  lot  better  than  feeling  nothing.

You  are  enough  to  drive  a  saint  to  madness  or  a  king  to  his  knees.

A  great  fire  burns  within  me,  but  no  one  stops  to  warm  themselves  at  it,  and  passersby  only  see  a  wisp  of  smoke

I  want  to  know  what  passion  is.  I  want  to  feel  something  strongly.

I  envy  people  that  know  love.  That  have  someone  who  takes  them  as  they  are.

If  something  burns  your  soul  with  purpose  and  desire,  it’s  your  duty  to  be  reduced  to  ashes  by  it. 

I  have  loved  to  the  point  of  madness;  that  which  is  called  madness,  that  which  to  me,  is  the  only  sensible  way  to  love.

I  raised  you  so  high  that  every  other  on  earth  is  now  doomed  to  live  in  your  shadow.

You  have  corrupted  my  imagination  and  inflamed  my  blood.

You  know  that  when  I  hate  you,  it  is  because  I  love  you  to  a  point  of  passion  that  unhinges  my  soul.

People  wait  around  too  long  for  love.  I'm  happy  with  my  lusts.

The  human  body  is  the  best  work  of  art.

I  would  rather  die  of  passion  than  of  boredom.

Your  memory  feels  like  home  to  me.  So  whenever  my  mind  wanders,  it  always  finds  its  way  back  to  you.

What  if  you  find  your  soul  mate...  at  the  wrong  time?

Only  the  united  beat  of  sex  and  heart  together  can  create  ecstasy.

Light  yourself  on  fire  with  passion  and  people  will  come  from  miles  to  watch  you  burn.

My  eyes  were  dazed  by  you  for  a  little,  and  that  was  all.

🐝  *  ―  𝑭𝑶𝑼𝑹𝑻𝑯 𝑾𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑺𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑪𝑬 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑺.

❛  you will not fall. i will not allow it.  ❜ ❛  i could torch him if you like. but you do seem attached.  ❜ ❛  you're making us look bad. stop it.  ❜ ❛  i chose him for his inability to relent.  ❜ ❛  at least i didn't let you fall to your death.  ❜ ❛  but i will not run. i wouldn't be standing here if i'd quit every time something seemed impossible to overcome.  ❜ ❛  the right way isn't the only way.  ❜ ❛  justice is not always merciful.  ❜ ❛  the reason we'll never be anything more than friends isn't because of your rules. it's because you have no faith in me.  ❜ ❛  i'm used to functioning in pain, asshole. are you?  ❜ ❛  in the darkest moments, it is our light that shines the brightest.  ❜ ❛  fear is not the enemy, but rather the catalyst for growth and bravery.  ❜ ❛  the only limits we have are the ones we set for ourselves.  ❜ ❛  courage is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to face it head-on.  ❜ ❛  going for blood today, are we, [name]?  ❜ ❛  i don't deserve you. but i'm going to keep you all the same.  ❜ ❛  there's nowhere in existence you could go that i wouldn't find you, [name].  ❜ ❛  you look all frail and breakable, but you're really a violent little thing, aren't you?  ❜ ❛  defenseless women have never been my type.  ❜ ❛  even when i'm not with you, there's only you.  ❜ ❛  there is no me without you.  ❜ ❛  i've been yours for longer than you could ever imagine.  ❜ ❛  i know exactly who and what you are, [name].  ❜ ❛  we're all broken in some way, but that doesn't mean we can't find beauty in the cracks.  ❜ ❛  if i get my hands on you, really, honestly get my hands on you, i don't know if i'll be able to stop.  ❜ ❛  she exists and i get turned on. i've come to accept that particular truth over the last year.  ❜ ❛  fuck, i'm never going to get enough of you, am i?  ❜ ❛  not that i wouldn't climb the man like a tree if presented with the right set of circumstances.  ❜ ❛  let me guess, you could smell my perfume. isn't that what always gives the heroine away in books?  ❜ ❛  do you boys just want to whip it out and measure? it would be faster.  ❜ ❛  hope is a fickle, dangerous thing. it steals your focus and aims it toward the possibilities instead of keeping it where it belongs - on the probabilites.  ❜ ❛  you can't make me fall in love with you and then die.  ❜ ❛  none of this is worth it without you.  ❜ ❛  i'm so wildly in love with you that i can't imagine what my life would look like without you in it. and i probably shouldn't have said that, but if we're doing this, then we're starting from a place of complete honesty.  ❜ ❛  you never considered that it was you i couldn't stay away from?  ❜ ❛  you turned oranges into a weapon, [name]?  ❜ ❛  you're going to be the death of me.  ❜ ❛  have you always been this tall?  ❜ ❛  no one stays friends forever, [name]. eventually those closest to us become our enemies in some way, even if it's through well-intentioned love or apathy, or if we live long enough to become their villains.  ❜ ❛  i need you to survive this, even if i hate that i still love you.  ❜

elethea

@prodigum, leliana & elethea - fear does not work as long as there is hope.

LIPS PART, THEN CLOSE IN THE SAME SECOND — hesitation, tactful restraint; then a touch of condescending bemusement that turns the corners of her mouth. half - frown, half - smile & a glance away that is almost a roll of her eyes. what hope is there? even elethea could hardly see it. it had been fear, not hope that had kept her alive thus far. fear and anger. any hope she had dared to harbor had been swiftly cut down & stamped out at every turn. other such vitriolic cynicism sits on her tongue, bitterly acidic and swiftly swallowed. it is an endearingly naive sentence bred from the same mind that believed a dream to be a message from the maker. but she cannot doubt the existence of hope — not when she is meant to be the one they look to for guidance & inspiration. if the leader of their doughty, hopeless band of misfits did not have hope in their cause, then why should any of they? "you sound so sure, leliana," a vague hand gestures to the sorry scene before them, the tension which hung over the city so thick one could choke on it. she had never seen denerim so still. "but fear has been the stronger force thus far."