hera1d

[hera1d]

bursts in here in a cold sweat

[hera1d]

nah this is crazy

[hera1d]

IN THE ASHES ,

a sentence starter prompts list comprised of quotes from the novel an ember in the ashes by sabaa tahir. please be advised that this list may involve topics including, but not limited to, murder, death, and violence. change verbiage as needed.

why do keep disappearing when i need you?

i wasn't spying.

what you saw is dangerous. you can't tell anyone about it. not ever.

keep your secrets close, love.

i'm not working for them.

don't be afraid [name], i won't let anything happen to you.

what are you doing down here?

much as i hate to admit it, you're not usually wrong.

the field of battle is my temple.

the dance of death is my prayer.

the killing blow is my release.

aren't you a pretty one.

who trained you?

keep it safe for me just until i come back.

unless you're stupider than you look, even you can see how this appears.

you worked hard. you did everything right.

go, [name]. go get some air. i'll handle this.

the ghosts of our misdeeds seek vengeance, but the cost will be high.

you are an ember in the ashes, [name]. you will spark and burn, ravage and destroy. you cannot change it. you cannot stop it.

we don't abandon our own!

who do you want me to spy on?

shadows will bloom in your heart and you will become everything you hate.

so my choices are either to stay and be evil or run and be evil. wonderful.

they always underestimate me.

this isn't a mission for the fainthearted.

go away. you're not real.

you're distracted when you can ill afford to be.

if you want to win this, you need to wake up.

i've already wasted too much time cleaning up your messes.

lay low. don't risk spying until you're certain you won't get caught.

fail me again, and we're done.

these are my friends, my family. people i know. i wouldn't hurt them.

how do i make it stop? i have to make it stop.

until you conquer your fear, the dead will remain with you.

i won't kill you. i swear it. by blood and bone, i swear it.

you're going to be fine. i'm going to fix you right up.

fight, [name]. you have to fight. you have to win.

death before tyranny.

if what you say is true, then the balance is upset, and we must restore it.

you look terrible. come into the shade.

you really should run. you’re just going to die.

wait, you idiot! it might be a trap!

i won’t let you fall, i promise.

i want you to know that i think what you’re doing is brave. really brave.

it’s not a stupid idea, just dangerous. i don’t want you getting hurt.

you’re trying to sneak out.

i wouldn’t have traded this for anything.

i live with my sins everyday. i live with the guilt.

i’ve never asked you for anything. i’m asking you now.

you think i can’t defend myself? you think i need bodyguards?

i’ve been distracted worrying about you.

i’ll kill him for this.

don’t talk. just keep quiet and… let me think.

you’re in love with me! but i'm not in love with you, and you hate me for it. you’ve let that ruin our friendship.

i could never be in love with you.

you have no idea what I’ve given up for you, the deal i made. 

who did this?

look at you–look what they’ve done to you.

you don’t have to be brave.

do you have what i want?

i have something, but i need more time.

if you have nothing, then this mission is a failure.

don’t have time for that. I’ve got other things on my mind.

if i wanted to hurt you, i’d already have done it.

as long as there is life, there is hope.

either way, you’d have blamed yourself.

either way, people you cared about would have suffered.

i should have stayed, even if it meant dying.

they won’t let you have compassion or kindness. they won’t let you have a soul.

my soul’s gone. I killed it dead on that battlefield.

there are two kinds of guilt. the kind that’s a burden and the kind that gives you purpose. 

you have a soul. it’s damaged, but it’s there. don’t let them take it from you.

you don’t need to be so cat-footed. i’m not armed.

you’re surprised? you’re naïve, is what you are. you’re a fool.

you’re sick. don’t you have any regret? any remorse?

i’ll celebrate them. i’ll mourn them. but i won’t regret what i did. i did it for the empire. i did it for my people.

don’t make vows when you can’t know their cost.

i crossed a line, and i won’t cross it again.

do you know what i do to spies?

be strong. if you don’t win this, everything is lost.

i will be your blood shrike, your second-in-command, the sword that executes at your will, until death. i swear it.

in the night, your loneliness crushes you, as if the sky itself has swooped down to smother you in its cold arms.

there is nothing of me that is worth anything.

tell me, or i slit your throat here and now.

you’ll pay for this. i swear it to the skies, to the stars. you’ll pay.

just because he’s a good leader doesn’t mean he’s a good person. he lied to you.

for the first time since i can remember, i don’t feel alone. because of you.

i can’t–i can’t stop thinking about you. i’ve tried not to. i tried to push you out.

i’ll take care of everything. i promise.

the moment i knew you existed, i hated you.

if i feel regret, it’s that i wasn’t willing to die sooner.

i’d rather die than live with no mercy, no honor, no soul.

fear is only your enemy if you allow it to be.

too much fear an you’re paralyzed. too little fear and you’re arrogant.

i’ll watch your back if you watch mine. we can make it if we stick together.

[hera1d]

what a silly little ending that would be: bear witness to how he spoils, falls apart like rotten fruit, bugs and bacteria crawling through him and scavenging him until there's nothing left of the sickly innovator from the undercity. a forgotten cadaver dissected, picked clean among the countless. “ telling that to a dying man, mind you. ” he quips, glossing over the severity of the notion. surely fareeda can see it too, an hourglass leading up to viktor's demise filling his side of the bulb with sand, overflowing, beginning to engulf him. a deadly reminder that the clock was ticking, running out. a concept gone remote with each fleeting second. as things stood between them now, they had nothing left to lose in their erosion. desperation of the condemned, white-hot. gloved hand rests atop his crutch, felt the hum of shimmer in its hidden clasp. he averts from fareeda's serpentine expression, returning to the several bundles of documents, blueprints, the hexcore. with their mouth subtly parroting her smile, grim and sly, a thick eyebrow cocks upward. “ why not? let's hear it, miss ahmed. ” such curious gifts she bears, ones as profound, oracular, perhaps even more so than the science and magic blurring around the pair. he wished to cut the belly of the beast as it coiled him now, lingering dangerously close, see what lied within its gory clandestine details. “ the council, ” said with barely concealed venom, “ speaks much of your skills. as do those in our city below. ” viktor spares a glance her way this time. “ i wonder about their cryptic effects on me. ”

@hera1d: i do love a good conundrum.

her head tilts as she maintains eye contact, the red mark on her forehead glinting in the moonlight with the movement of her body. it burns brightly at the tip before it dims once again and that same breath of ghastly grey leaves her lips— and this time anyone can see her lips curl into an easy smile. her body shifts slightly and then with slow and deliberate steps, she begins to traverse along their surroundings, protected by the roof above.  ``     that so?    `` in her head, the memory of her vision grows closer and closer with each step, the next gust of wind has the smoke travelling her way and it stings at the back of her throat. she shows no sign, but the atmosphere is no better. it batters against her skin and demands entry. it strokes along her features, along the length of her jaw and the scar barely hidden by her dress that was not suited for someone like her. it only makes her smile again.  ``     i offer you a few conundrums, however. which one do you see first?    `` the way she offers her truth is the same way she always does: riddled with several lies.

it reminds her of a serpent, curling and curling before it tightens, constricting until its prey gives in. until there was no hope left. fareeda was something worse than a snake, however, she was intelligent. conniving. a strategist who could have the world in utter chaos if she wishes it, but where was the fun in that? piltover has been a setting she's grown quite used to, even if it is in the most twisted way possible.  ``     one of them could kill you, you know. what a silly little ending that would be.    `` she notes, her head turned just enough for viktor to catch the brown of her eyes when she side - eyes them. her words are probing, an underlying question that shall never be answered. she feigns a gasp and turns around to look at him once more.   ``     should we make this into a game? i bet that'll be much more enjoyable than whatever boring science stuff you have going on.    ``

[hera1d]

CREATE A MONSTER AND I WILL SHOW YOU THE REFLECTION.

the unknowable.

what is this, this thing that you have summoned? created is not the right word, cannot be what you have done, for truly this being leapt out of you without much of your say-so. even as you stand there, it undulates and twists, its form a writhing mass of energy, glowing black. at once it shifts into a humanoid form, then something animal, then something... else, so alien that it hurts your mind to even contemplate it. you raise your hands, try and command it, control it - but it just opens its maw and emits an otherworldly screech that has you curling into a ball, hands over your ears, screaming your own pain and hearing the echo. when at last the noise has subsided, the thing is gone. you are alone. and for the first time, there is a hollowness in your soul that you cannot explain.

tagged by: @gonchayas ehe thank you (im in hell) tagging: if you've yet to do this, get to it NOWWW!

[hera1d]

WHAT DOES YOUR SOUL LOOK LIKE?

a shattered crystal ball.

you are the scientist. the inventor. you are the machinist, and the known and unknown boundaries of the world are your instrument. you want to know how the world works, and you seek to understand every aspect of it that you can unravel with your own means. to you, there is never a question that does not have an answer, only one who has not been discovered yet. you take comfort in certainty, and though you take great risks in the pursuit of knowledge, this is never without calculation. you want to know, because you want to be safe. something robbed you of your sense of safety once, and now you spend all your life trying to reclaim it. but be wary that you do not break the world as you play with forces beyond what you know. what have you unleashed during this endless quest of yours? what have you sacrificed to get this far? you have become so obsessed with seeing what you can do that you have forgotten to stop and ask yourself if it is something you should do. slow down, restless mind. the world will not crumble if you stop to breathe.

tagged by: @bllakcat ty for tagging me but at what cost tagging: if you've yet to do this, do it immediately<3

[hera1d]

[hera1d]

@bllakcat. ✶ i wanted to see if i was right.

“ and are you? ” they faced each other in close proximity, swayed along the ballroom floor. a dance of obscurity, interwoven with likewise bodies of masks; everyone wore a disguise. simple, ornate, some more imparting than the other. in viktor's case, it shrouded his features fully, laser-cut black and crimson, adorned by feathers and jewels. it left no room to gander at the zaunite innovator beneath. to the majority, he's just another attendee of the council's masquerade. much the same could be said for felicia, who prowled her way inside with ease a beautiful mystification dressed in silk and lace, no longer the notorious black cat. intimate to her design, a sort of magnetism only they shared, it didn't take viktor long to gravitate towards her. sought her out from the rest. under the anonymity of his own veil, he broke into a smile. “ had you not shown up like you did, i would've found a way back to the lab by now. ” the sequence was manageable to execute, required little effort, even littler strain in his footwork. he balanced on his good leg, cane handle tucked in the curve of his arm as he spun felicia with watchful grace; her back now turned to him, pressed flush and featherlight against his chest, they're held together in blithe harmony. “ not doing this. ”

[hera1d]

🌺 send this to ten muns you think are wonderful 🌺

looking at you like this

[hera1d]

x-ray images, 1916-1931

[hera1d]

i really need to make a warframe design for viktor

[hera1d]

↪ 𝐹𝐼𝐿𝐿𝑂𝑅𝑌 ⅋ 𝐅𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 . ( a collection of sentence starters from season one of syfy's the magicians . adjust phrasing as necessary . this prompt will be updated as time goes on . )

it's always something with you , isn't it ? it's always an emergency .

look , this is your responsibility .

wow , nice trick . i'm sure you're a hit at parties .

so ... you think you're ready .

i called you . all weekend . where were you ?

okay , we have got to pull you together .

you can't run away hard enough , can you ?

i know where you were all weekend .

life is raw , everybody medicates .

i love you . call me , okay ?

am i hallucinating ?

come on , or you'll miss it .

can i start over ? please .

i'm going to make sure you don't remember a thing .

playing with time is such difficult magic .

don't bother trying to compare yourself .

it's good to be aware the world is blatantly unfair .

it's my fault that they said that .

if you think my family is some sort of advantage , you've been misinformed .

maybe i wouldn't let myself forget .

that was before i knew there was something else .

it's really okay if this is not your thing .

you're hurting yourself , & you're not okay .

i just needed to see if i was right .

we've been watching you for quite a while now .

hello ? do you need help ?

you feel right because you're starting towards your destiny .

for some reason , you're involved . so be involved .

look , hold that thought , okay ?

i'm obviously coming with you .

there's no such thing as safe magic .

what is this place exactly , besides a health hazard ?

you ask a lot of questions .

jesus , you didn't tell me you were dangerous .

it's a little bit bigger than messing up .

there's a bad story every few years around here .

can you just help me live with myself ?

i'm gonna tell you something deep & dark & personal now .

i'm trying to tell you , you are not alone here .

i don't know . i wanna be your friend , i guess .

you should hate me right now .

the last thing i wanted to do growing up was read fantasy .

let's just say life wasn't exactly non-stop fun growing up .

if you're guilty , i'm guilty .

come do something stupid with me before you go .

okay , you know what ? i'm not interested in your personal issues .

this isn't just some lark to me , just so you know .

i mean seriously , what do they expect , you know ?

look , you can't run away from you .

there's nothing i can do in this moment to stop the comet from crashing into the earth , is there ?

i keep trying to tell myself that this is somehow better .

you don't see color & want to go back to black & white .

you can't help , & i can't help you .

what the hell was that , you maniac ?

why would you ever trust anyone ?

i'm willing to teach the right people what i know . & i know a lot .

you're lucky i can fix this .

hey , have you heard of karma ? sometimes it's instant .

i'm generous with you , considering .

get me everything on this list . this week .

why even ask , if you'll just forget it again ?

that's not a real answer .

you're a much better liar than i expected you to be .

do you think you have a destiny ?

there is no destiny . no born heroes .

you can either step up to it or not , that's up to you .

this is your problem , that you should solve !

[hera1d]

glorious ovulation or whatever

now miss hardy.

[hera1d]

if i had a nickel for every time i was in the vicinity of someone who wanted to cleanse the world with the aim of easing pain and suffering but the solution was to put the world THROUGH pain and suffering and war, id have two nickels. weird that its happened twice though

every time i speak to you i contract a disease

[hera1d]

ima machine on his herald til i gloriously evolve, or whatever

[hera1d]

a private portrayal of viktor, the machine herald. carrd.