#mini prose

[naruyuki-writes]

Ravenovia's Death and Rebirth

Summary: A retelling of Strahd's descent into madness.

Word Count: 1298

Over the course of the last few years, Ravenovia has her eye on a girl named Tatyana.  A girl her brother, Sergei, brings into the line of sight.  She tries countless times to draw her eye and after many failed attempts, it was a simple statement in her Tatyana’s final rejection of Ravenovia

“Sergei’s heart is the one that calls to me.”

Ravenovia trifles with dark magics in her fit of rage and madness and seeks a way to kill her brother and finds one that will doubly benefit her.

On the day of Tatyana and Segei’s wedding, she appears wearing a beautiful black and white dress.  Her presence is met with scorn from the lovely bride and groom.  She regards them with a smiling veneer.

“You both look quite dashing on this fine day.  Such a lovely… couple.” she saunters closer to them, her heels muted on the blue velvet carpet.  “I do apologize for not meeting the theme requirement.  I’ve just always believed I looked better in blood red.” she chuckles as she lifts her white gloved hands in the air.  After a moment she lets her arms fall to her side and lowers her gaze back to Sergei.  The veneer fades and falters into disdain.  With no warning, she lunges for her brother.  A blade previously unseen is now drawn and slicing through Sergei’s fine fabrics and flesh.  They struggle and fight, Sergei doing his best to avoid Ravenovia’s precise slashes.  She trips him and plunges the knife in his stomach, falling on top of him.  Her hands leave the handle of the blade and dive for his neck.  She squeezes harder and harder, staring into his eyes so that he can see her madness and she can see his fear.

“I hope you understand now why I wore black!” she mutters to him through her teeth.  She holds her grip on his neck until his eyes roll back into his head and he falls unconscious.  It’s almost painful for her to release all of the tension and strain residing in her knuckles, but she does; hands shaking with the adrenaline coursing through her.  She reaches for the knife in his stomach and rips it out, sheathing it bloody.  “Your death will fuel my life forever,” she whispers as her hand blurs with darkness.  She swirls her hand and raises her arm in the air.  Like being unsheathed from an invisible scabbard, she pulls a sword of maddening shadow into existence, then plunges it down into her brother’s chest.  She carves through his skin and tissues and crunches into the bones that protect his heart.

Ravenovia ungracefully yanks his heart from its home, still warm, firm yet fragile, bloody red.  It soaks into her once pure white gloves, staining them crimson.  She whips her head around to the stunned bride, Tatyana.  She’s trembling in place, like everyone else in the audience.  No one is brave enough to make a move, so all they do is gaze upon the horror of Ravenovia and what she’s doing.

“Tatyana.  Is this the heart you spoke of that called to you?”

Silence.

“Well?! Is it?!” she screams at the top of her lungs and she raises herself to her feet.  Then Tatyana runs and Ravenovia gives chase.

“Tatyana, you know damn well this all could have been prevented.” Ravenovia’s voice echoes through the halls, her heels’ previous quickened pace slowing as she caroles her quarry.  “If you had just chosen ME!”

After the strenuous chase up and up and up Tatyana finds herself at the balcony with a stomach churning drop.  With the only exit being blocked by a deranged and bloody Ravenovia.

“Now, you have nowhere to go.” her brother’s heart is still dripping a trail of blood behind her, growing cold.  “This heart means absolutely nothing,” she sinks her fingers deep inside the muscle, the remaining blood and plasma oozing out until it caves in on itself with a sick spurt of blood, splashing across Ravenovia’s face.  “My heart is the only one left… does it not call to you?”  She stalks closer to Tatyana who is desperately looking every which way for a means of escape.  She turns her back to Ravenvoia, squeezing her fingers around the railing of the balcony staring into the face of plunging darkness below.

“Ravenovia… you are a horrid monster and your heart only sputters out a disgusting croak.  A cry no one would ever answer to, not out of pity… not even out of desperation.  You will die alone and I will die with my heart belonging to another.” Tatyana swiftly climbs over the railing and dives off.

Ravenovia does not even react as she watches the love of her life willingly jump to her death just to escape her.  The words she spoke pierce her deep to her core.  She throws the heart down and stamps down onto it with her toe, twisting it into the stone.  She does not move to the balcony, but instead back into the castle.  There is a fire building up in her stomach, climbing to her chest, clawing up her throat and screaming from her mouth.  She begins to hear the armored clatter of her guards.  The first one she spots she shoves them into the wall, removing their helm and bashing their skull with it.  She throws the helm at the next guard she spots, smacking them in the face.

“DON’T GET IN MY FUCKING WAY!” she removes their sword from their side and stabs into the gap between their armor at their shoulder, pinning them to the wall.  She continues to scream as she tirades down the halls of her castle.  It isn’t until she’s faced with three guards holding spears at the ready, all staring down her huffing, crazed and bloodied body.

“Did you not HEAR ME?”

“Lady Ravenovia, you must stand down at once or we will take action against you.”

She spits out a laugh and cackles maniacally, truly tickled by the threat.

“GO AHEAD!” she extends her arms out and bears her chest wide, welcoming whatever onslaught they desire to bring down upon her.  They did nothing.  She opens her eyes and cocks her head.

“You’ve murdered your brother Lady Ravenovia, we cannot allow you to continue freely around the castle, you must come with us.”

“Come with you? What and arrest me? No, I would rather die!” she strides towards them and lifts her swirling hand, beginning to unsheath the same shadowy blade she used to carve her brother’s chest open.  And at the flick of her wrist, the head of the front guard’s spear plunges deep into her heart.  She gasps in shock and pain, her spell falters and the dark mist evaporates from around her hand.  She crumples to her knees, her hands latching onto the wooden pole.  The life force from her body dissipates and it succumbs to the heart stopping stab.  Her hands go slack and her arms fall to her side one last time.

The three guards look amongst each other as they realize they have killed the Lady.

“Quickly, you go straight to the captain and alert her of what has happened, we’ll deal with… her body.”

“Aye,” the guard runs off and the two remaining stare at Ravenovia’s still body, blood spilling from her wound.

“You grab her and I’ll pull the spear out.”

“I cannot believe the Lady went mad like that… ripping out her poor brother’s heart.  I knew tales of her victories, but to extend such brutality to your own family,” the guard crouches down and takes her shoulders.  “UGH!”

Ravenovia’s hand grabs the guard's beard and yanks him closer.  Staring back at him are bright violet eyes and a widening mouth with rows of fangs.

[shellalana]

Broken

With all the losses, with all the heartache, how could I say yes? How could I take myself apart and rearrange them into some you’ll... I can’t I can’t I can’t I can’t The glue will fade, the edges will chip, the polish will crumble... and you’ll be left with the pieces to pick up. I can’t do that to you. Not now. Not ever. Broken on the inside, broken without, we’re always going to be...

[fangrl-esque]

Warning Label

I was never one for stillness

Stagnation breeding malcontent

To everyone I ever meet

I should bear this sign to them:

“Keep up with me or fall behind.”

[colorsofmars]

I don't crave your sympathy you need to feed your devil with someone else.

[tisalonelydreamer]

i should NOT have put my to-do list on my phone because every time i try to check it i get distracted and then get no work done

[moona-257]

does he want you for what you are or does he want you for what you give

[his-eternal-hell]

One of my all time favourite books. #FannyHill #JohnCleland #BannedBook #Erotica #GeorgianEra #Book #Books #author #Novel #Novels #BookLover #BookLovers

[maya-moonwalker]

We see Maya sitting in a booth across from a young blonde woman, Adelaide. The hanging lights cast a warm orange glow, giving the bar a welcoming atmosphere. That must be why so many patrons fill its seats, their voices a chattering cacophony drowning out the folksy music playing in the background. For the benefit of our readers, the following events have been translated from German to English. "Maya, why haven't you touched your drink?" Adelaide asks. She takes a sip of a light green drink in a cocktail glass, mint leaves swirling inside. "Ah..." Maya trails off and wipes off the condensation from the side of her glass mug, staring hard into the drink. "I'm not sure." A fog floats in the beer, and Maya glances at the bartenders, meeting a pair of unfamiliar dark eyes peering her down. The bartender's gaze flicks back down to the counter as he scrubs it with a rag. Maya and Adelaide frequent this bar, but she's never seen the men serving drinks until today. Adelaide grins and sets her drink on the table. "Well..." she begins, picking up Maya's beer, "if you're not going to drink it, I'd better not let it go to waste, hm?" Adelaide lifts it to her lips, and Maya's hand moves faster than her thoughts, slapping the mug out of her grasp. It shatters ear-piercingly on the ground, making a mess of broken glass and spilt beer that turns heads. "Maya-!" Adelaide gasps, interrupted by the stranger cleaning the counter. "Kid, you'd better scram before you make a scene." His voice is low and hard. It's a warning, verging on a threat. The casual conversations have died down, and people are looking at her. The music has gotten louder, chaotic and discordant to Maya's ears. Maya leaps to her feet, muttering profuse apologies to Adelaide before she runs to flee the bar, scurrying home on a route she never takes.

[guns-and-botany]

Kri's made it to the ruined site, wandering through the darkness. His eyes have perfectly adjusted to the conditions, though a message from his cybernetics briefly flashes red across his vision, warning him of carbon monoxide in the air.

He stops to tuck his rifle under his arm and secure a breathing apparatus around his nose and mouth, inhaling what feels immediately cleaner than what the smoke has wrought on the area.

His antennae perk up; he hears something nearby. Something like... a cry. A whimper, maybe. Kri follows the sound, and he comes to find a room made nearly inaccessible by the debris. There's a gap just the size for someone of his stature to squeeze through, so he gets on the ground and crawls. Something snags his leg.

"Ow, fuck-" Kri hisses, wincing in pain. He continues to the other side and stands, shrugging off the painful laceration as blood runs down his calf. It'll be healed in a few minutes, anyway.

Kri hears that sound again; it's more like a shuddering croak. A tall woman stands in the corner, staring at the floor with long black hair tumbling over her features. When she emits that strange sound again, a chill runs down Kri's spine. The woman stumbles towards Kri, reaching out with bony and malnourished fingers, and she lifts her head. Her hair parts like curtains to a macabre show, and Kri sees her face.

Her deep dark sockets. Her jaw. Her teeth.

This isn't a woman. This isn't a human.

Kri shrieks and raises his gun, firing three shots in a line through the creature's skull. It takes another step forward, close enough for him to smell it; it has a scent like festering pond scum. He fires again, hitting the monster in the chest. It drops to the floor, and Kri takes a breath.

"Room clear."

[goldfm-a]

@piedpiperss​    /    feat    .    hachi

his    heart    squeezes    slightly    at    the    other’s    obliviousness    as    he    lets    out    a    huff    of    air    .    “    dude    —    i’ve    been    flirting    with    you    for    the    last    three    months    but    thanks    for    noticing    .    ”

[naruyuki-writes]

I am so frustrated; irritated by people. Making demands for my attention left and right, back and forth. Getting angry with me when I don't follow their explicit orders. I am so sick of these people, all I want is to scream in their faces and make them feel the way they make me feel.

It's always about them and it can never be about anyone else. I want them to hurt; I want them to disappear. I want to leave and never come back. I've been chained down by my obligation, unfortunately, with no means of escape in view.

[shellalana]

There are some things you’re never supposed to know. Like the secrets of the sky and the sea, and beyond either. How far you go is of your own volition, the dangers you find there the risk you take. What precautions could I give for places I’ve never been, never even dreamed of? But you... you dare to. And for that, I will keep your story alive until my last breath.

[emtorrance]

eyes of the beholder

as this body of mine grows older

infinitely seeing

I cannot stop my dreaming

visions clear as tear-stained glass

I am drowning under the grass

beholder beholder come tell me what you see

you see me

in hell’s chaotic glee

-E.M. Torrance (Beholder)

[colorsofmars]

Mi padre realismo, mi madre idealismo. Y yo, nihilismo.

[thelittlepaperbag]

I was going through some of my old pictures and I just want to apologise to myself for being too harsh. You see, I was conventionally “skinny” back then. Yet I subjected myself to a lot of harsh scrutinies. This just made me realise that my perception was/is so distorted when it comes to my body, that I subjected a body of a growing teenager (an innocent kid who did not feel pretty when she stared at herself) to a lot of unnecessary hate. I am not saying that I am fat/unattractive now (or that I am now deserving of that hate more than I was a few years ago) all I am trying to say is, I now recognize that nothing was wrong with me, nothing is wrong with the way I look now. I just fell prey to a faulty perspective. I wish I could go back in time and tell myself, that you can open your arms a little wider than that, they don’t look hideous. You can stop clenching your jaw now, don’t hide your calves, it is okay if you sit and pose in a skirt. There’s so much I wish I could change, all those pathetic sentences I fed myself, probably 5-6 times a day. I am still not very good when it comes to loving my body but I have accepted that I tend towards being extra cruel to it. I often lend an ear to all those awful things people say about it, and I know I have a long way to go. I will have to go through a lot of dreadful days, a lot of days when I will have to tell myself again and again, that they don’t get an opinion on my body because it isn’t theirs. It will be hard, I know. It may never end, I know. But for now, I am aware, of everything that I did, everything that I do and everything I ought to do. And that is enough. I know it will be a tough journey but I know my body and I am worth it.

[drekasal]

Unpopular opinion: The Prose Edda is just Snorri Sturluson’s Christianized fanfiction based off the Poetic Edda and the bare minimum of what his peers could tell him.