#Git mentors

[ghostscarface]

Harry Potter and the Muggle therapist

Session : About Snape

Harry: "Snape was the Half-Blood Prince. He was brilliant. I learned so much from his old textbook".

Therapist: "So a mysterious anonymous author mentored you better than any real adult did? Sounds like you trusted knowledge more when it wasn’t tied to authority".

Harry: "I copied everything. Potions, spells, even his little notes, I was obsessed with it, well... until I found out it was him".

Therapist: "And then you rejected it. Because admitting he helped you would mean accepting your "enemy" shaped you. That's scary, Harry."

Harry: "No he wasn't my enemy. He was just a greasy git with a superiority complex.Just happened to be good at potions...He was awful to me for seven years, but then at the very last minute, turn out he loved my mum, which made him protect me."

Therapist: "Fascinating how much detail you’ve assigned to this "not-influential" man. You even remember the texture of his hair. Very telling Harry".

Harry: "I don’t like him, alright? I know I should be thankful, but I'm still angry?! .He was cruel, and bitter, and he-he called my dad a swine !

Harry: But Snape never forgave my dad. That’s why he hated me. I know that now.

Therapist: And he loved your mother?

Harry:...Yeah

Therapist: And that makes it complicated..?

Harry:....That makes everything worse.

Therapist: "Sounds like you saw him as a villain, then realized he was a person. Maybe even a reflection of parts of yourself."

Harry: Oh please now you're being ridiculous,me and Snape have nothing in common. I think he hated teaching me. I think... he hated himself, too.

Therapist: Sounds like you saw more of yourself in him than you wanted to.

Harry: …Okay that’s creepy.

Therapist: So this entire relationship is built on inherited trauma and unresolved resentment. No wonder you’re conflicted.

[queereads-bracket]

Queer Fiction Free-for-All Book Bracket Tournament: Round 2A

Book summaries below:

Carry On (Simon Snow series) by Rainbow Rowell

Simon Snow is the worst Chosen One who's ever been chosen.

That's what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he's probably right.

Half the time, Simon can't even make his wand work, and the other half, he starts something on fire. His mentor's avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there's a magic-eating monster running around, wearing Simon's face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here — it's their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon's infuriating nemesis didn't even bother to show up.

Fantasy, romance, mystery, series, young adult

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland

Kadou, the shy prince of Arasht, finds himself at odds with one of the most powerful ambassadors at court—the body-father of the queen's new child—in an altercation which results in his humiliation.

To prove his loyalty to the queen, his sister, Kadou takes responsibility for the investigation of a break-in at one of their guilds, with the help of his newly appointed bodyguard, the coldly handsome Evemer, who seems to tolerate him at best. In Arasht, where princes can touch-taste precious metals with their fingers and myth runs side by side with history, counterfeiting is heresy, and the conspiracy they discover could cripple the kingdom’s financial standing and bring about its ruin.

Romance, fantasy, romantasy, secondary world, queernorm, adult

[slitheringghost]

An interesting detail is how the mention of books appears throughout the series - and in DH especially - as an indication of a character valuing intellect and finding or craving intellectual connection with others. For example, Dumbledore being a genius and Aberforth's difference from him is described:

They were not alike; Aberforth was never bookish and, unlike Albus, preferred to settle arguments by dueling rather than through reasoned discussion “Not Albus, he was always up in his bedroom when he was home, reading his books and counting his prizes, keeping up with his correspondence with ‘the most notable magical names of the day'” (DH)

This is then contrasted with Bathilda Bagshot writing a book and Bathilda’s house mentioned as having books, and we know she was Dumbledore’s mentor in Transfiguration who he found the intellectual kinship with that he didn’t with his blood family (which he also found with Grindelwald, who stayed in Bathilda’s house too).

She stood watching him as he finished lighting the candle stubs that stood on saucers around the room, perched precariously on stacks of books and on side tables crammed with cracked and moldy cups. (DH)

Tangentially, it's also established as a connection between Dumbledore and Hermione:

“Why do you think Dumbledore left you that book, Miss Granger?” asked Scrimgeour. “He... he knew I liked books,” said Hermione in a thick voice, mopping her eyes with her sleeve. (DH)

A similar lack of intellectual connection with blood family that Dumbledore feels is shown with Voldemort and the Gaunts:

“Marvolo Gaunt was an ignorant old git who lived like a pig, all he cared about was his ancestry. If that ring had been passed down through the centuries, he might not have known what it really was. There were no books in that house, and trust me, he wasn’t the type to read fairy tales to his kids. He’d have loved to think the scratches on the stone were a coat of arms, because as far as he was concerned, having pure blood made you practically royal.” (DH)

This is also highlighted in Voldemort's protections around the Slytherin locket alluding to his mother being denied an education - more on that here.

The Gaunt shack having no books is contrasted with the place Voldemort keeps the diadem horcrux (the horcrux most directly related to intellect, as it’s Ravenclaw’s diadem) - The Room of Hidden Things, which Tom thinks he’s "clever and cunning and inquisitive" for discovering.

There were thousands and thousands of books, no doubt banned or graffitied or stolen. (DH)

This links to Snape, who is paralleled intellectually to Voldemort and whose Half-Blood Prince book eventually ends up in that room. The Prince's book is also a representation of his intellectual connection with Lily, implied as a collaboration with her. Snape's bookishness is further emphasized in the description of his house:

They had stepped directly into a tiny sitting room, which had the feeling of a dark, padded cell. The walls were completely covered in books, most of them bound in old black or brown leather (HBP) He pointed his wand at the wall of books behind him and with a bang, a hidden door flew open, revealing a narrow staircase upon which a small man stood frozen. (HBP)

Likewise, Sirius's bookishness is indicated in the books mentioned in his bedroom (confirming reader Sirius while there is no such confirmation for Remus...):

Harry looked around at the floor. The sky outside was growing brighter: A shaft of light revealed bits of paper, books, and small objects scattered over the carpet. Evidently Sirius’s bedroom had been searched too, although its contents seemed to have been judged mostly, if not entirely, worthless. A few of the books had been shaken roughly enough to part company with their covers, and sundry pages littered the floor. (DH)

Sirius was always up in his bedroom, reading his books, ignoring his mother, etc. That this passage is right next to Lily's letter could also symbolize their intellectual similarity.

[morallysuperiorlips]

Fanfiction Taught Me 90% of What I Know About Writing

That’s the gods honest truth. And I’m saying that as someone who has a literal college degree in writing.

I took SO MANY writing classes in college. All genres. Creative. Playwriting. Screenwriting. Editorial. Journalistic. Business. Technical. I’ve been writing since I could hold a pencil correctly, and really started to pursue it in 2nd grade when every teacher following gushed about my writing skills. I can confidently say I’ve been honing my craft for over two decades.

However, I didn’t really git gud at writing until I started really writing fanfiction. Like, joining a fandom and actively writing an ongoing fic for it.

Again, I’d taken years upon years of writing classes. I learned story structure, grammar, theming, POVs, tone, etc. all throughout school. I learned how to receive feedback and edit my work a little more down the road. I learned from professionals in the field. I worked with mentors.

However, none of that helped my skyrocket my skills like writing fanfiction did.

Fanfiction taught me how to actually write deep, nuanced, and compelling characters. I never once filled out a 200-question character sheet for any character I wrote on some silly school assignment. I never knew how to really know my characters until I was writing OCs for a fandom.

Fanfiction taught me the value of being concise. My schooling had drilled the concept of long, purple prose into me over time and in writing for a fandom for a children’s game, I unlearned that real quick.

Fanfiction really taught me the concept of “show, don’t tell.” I never really knew what a penchant I had for info dumping until somebody pointed out to me most of my headcanon’d lore drops happened in exposition and not in action.

Fanfiction taught me how to worldbuild. Eating the canon of my preferred fandom gave me a lot of time to strengthen my chops while I came up with my own answers to canon lore I hated.

Fanfiction taught me consistency. In school, I mostly wrote short stories. I hadn’t really bitten off a longer project until I started writing a longfic, and in doing so, I learned how to keep my characters, plot, and world consistent for a prolonged period of chapters.

Fanfiction gave me a close-knit community to consistently bounce my ideas off of, and give me feedback that actually served me in terms of bettering my skills and the story I was writing. Not just for the sake of meeting the measures of a grade or rubric given by a teacher.

I could go on and on, but tl;dr, I owe my current skillset and understanding of writing to writing fic. I wouldn’t be at the level I am without it. Honestly, I wouldn’t even be writing my current WIP without it.

So, to anyone who might have told you that fanfic is a waste of time, they are just objectively wrong. And if you’re reading this thinking for yourself that fanfic is a waste of time, well, you’re stupid and also objectively wrong :>

Fanfiction is valuable. Don’t underestimate it.

[bonefall]

Cat? Gray. Eyes? Blue. Hotel? Trevago.

Design babble stuff below

BLUESTAR

Good god it's been over a year since I last drew her. I can do so much better now

I give her a wolf motif for BB, because in my mind it's about the myth of the lone wolf. Lone wolves aren't normal, they're pack animals. At first, Firestar sees her as this ideal, strong leader who stands independently of everything... but he's wrong!

She's NEVER acted fully alone! She's always been devoted to her family, even as it dwindled. Her ruling style is to protect other Clans, unlike any leader who's come before her. In BB, she even had a mixed-Clan friendgroup called the Forget-Me-Nots.

She helped to depose ShadowClan's tyrant. She sent Firestar to fetch WindClan, even against the wishes of the other two. She even fought Nightstar and Crookedstar when they tried to drive them out again.

She even takes the code SO seriously that she refused to kill Brokentail, extending a mercy that ended up backfiring.

And Firestar learns everything about leadership from her. Grace, diplomacy, fairness... and she was fair to a fault.

Both her and her apprentice would eventually face down Tigerkin, Bluestar during the coup and Firestar even lost a life after defending Hawkfrost for several books.

The only time Bluestar ever became a "lone wolf" was in her cruelty arc, when she was dragging everything she ever stood for down with her.

Her wolf motif shows up in her entire family, to connect them. It's in her nephew Whitestorm, her uncle Goosefeather, her daughter Mistystar, even all the way down into Curlfeather and Frostpaw who are descended from Reedwhisker in BB.

The scar comes from her fighting a badger to rescue Darkstripe and his sister, Cricketclaw, when they wandered off as kittens.

CROWFEATHER

He's a mix of spiky and swirly, as a cross between his dad Deadfoot and his mother Ashfoot.

He's older in BB to change that he was an apprentice on the Great Journey, and also to fix an inconsistency where his dad would be dead when he was conceived.

I think it was a huge missed opportunity that Crowfeather's bond to his mentor, Mudclaw, is barely mentioned in-canon. In BB they were VERY close and Mudclaw was incredibly influential to his personality.

Deadfoot is dead-- Mudclaw was like a father to him.

Crowfeather is torn between the influence of his mother, who was a Forget-Me-Not in her youth, and the hard ideology of his mentor. All the while, the ego boost he got from being selected to go on the Great Journey massively affected him, in a bad way.

He ended up taking Mudclaw's side in the rebellion-- not because he believed that ThunderClan had told a lie (in fact he defends his friend's honor) but because he believed Mudclaw would be a better leader.

But eventually, he found himself surrounded by cats he didn't want anywhere near WindClan. Good intentions or not, Mudclaw was willing to work with cats like Blackclaw and Hawkfrost-- people who want a second TigerClan.

Crowfeather betrayed the rebellion, running to fetch Brambleclaw and ThunderClan reinforcements. In the fight, his nose was scratched in a chevron, the shape of Mudclaw's stripes.

I like the idea that he carries it with him, but always tries to put it off his mind. He mistreats and misuses other people, ignoring the reminder that he is a fallible person that's carved onto his nose.

died of infection. Sad!

All of his kits resemble him in some way. Lionblaze inherited his tail, Hollyleaf has the spikes, Breezepelt has the build, Jayfeather is a miserable git has the ear swirls

He was head of Kitchen Patrol until BB!OotS, but I'm actually planning for him to NOT be deputy in BB. His character growth feels a lot more satisfying in realizing he really doesn't handle power very well, and should stay away from it.

He has old relationships and burned bridges to mend, and staying part of Kitchen Patrol seems like the way he should plan to do that.

I talked about him a lot in Nightcloud's summary and he's going to be coming up in the outline of Nightcloud's Pannage a lot. Much as I love taking potshots at him, he's got a very kind arc laid out.

CINDERPELT

She is the daughter of LIONHEART whY don't you people give her A MANEEEE

let her be THICK

In BB, the Frostfour are actually from two different litters. Cinderpelt and Brackenfur were in the older one.

Frostfur was head of Kitchen Patrol at the time, and very overworked lmao

So Cinder and Bracken both have an "older sibling" energy. Their mom was usually involving them in every little activity to get some help. Brackenfur is over-responsible, and Cinderpelt was always trying to help out other people and prove herself.

Of course, it also lead to her running right into Tigerclaw's trap which was set for Bluestar-- she wanted to be helpful.

The injury didn't heal right and she has chronic pain. She has severe mobility issues in the hip, and usually keeps the leg bound to her body so it doesn't drag or hurt.

She could have still been a warrior if she wanted to, but discovered while healing that she loved working with Yellowfang. I also interpret it this way in canon, to be fair, but TNP decided to remember it completely differently.

After saving Littlecloud's life they became absolute best friends. They worked on a mobility device for Wildfur together.

They style their manes in a similar way, pushing it up into that "spike" on their heads and out of their faces.

ASHFUR

Moonkitti's blonde Ashfur remains iconic, I fear

I draw him like a cheetah so he has the funky cheetah cub hair

I'm a HUGE fan of what the Erins did with the direction of Ashfur's story, with him being an obsessive spurned lover, but that's not really the sort of story I tell in BB!

So I approach his obsession on Squirrelflight as being very... Judge Frollo-esque.

Frollo's ultimate goal isn't to possess Esmerelda. He wants her, but it's a wrench in his plans to commit ethnic cleansing using his religious justifications. Hellfire is about how he finds a way to shift the blame for his own lust onto her, and offers an ultimatum; "She will be mine or she will burn (along with everyone else I plan to slaughter)"

In Frollo's mind, he "forgives" her for what she's "done to him." For what she is. He sees what he's doing as giving her an "escape."

It's not for her benefit. It's for HIS. By giving her this "escape," if she takes it, he gets to think of her as redeeming herself (and thus being worthy of him).

If she does not... then it's no skin off his back. He's Done His Part. Everything was always her fault. He is blameless.

Either way he gets to walk away feeling justified.

All that to say-- that's how I approach BB!Ashfur.

He wants to punish codebreakers. He wants the Clans to suffer for how far they've fallen from where they should be. They've become vulgar, ungrateful, unworthy of StarClan's grace.

He tried to kill The Three because he'd learned of the Fire and Tiger prophecy, and was only trying to protect the Clan. If Squirrelflight had CHOSEN HIM, then none of this would have happened.

He was righting a wrong, you see, and StarClan understood, in his eyes.

When Hollyleaf slaughtered him, violating the Code, it only confirmed he had been right all along.

And again and again and again, he offers Squirrelflight what she needs to redeem herself. He wants her. He wants her to "be better."

When she lets him down... then it's not his fault. She's forced his paw.

SO the blonde hair isn't totally just a fun reference, I also find it fitting because aside from the cheetah motif, he sees himself as angelic.

It's also why I don't portray him as "grubby" like some folks do, BB!Ashfur is much more vain than Canon!Ashfur, caring immensely about his appearance. Thinking about it, he probably won't even let his Bramblefake vessel fall into disrepair, he'd feel more grossed out than usual.

He also gets a very cool boss fight form at the end of BB!TBC which I still need to design lmao.

[starry-slithers]

Odds in our favour (HG au)

Pairing: Calypso Salutations (@dwightschrute11) x Avania Chase

Warnings: Cursing, lesbianism.

Summary: Avania, the aloof girk from district 4 and Calypso, sunshine of 11, are thrust into the hunger games. Avania’s set on winning, there’s nothing to get back to, sure, but she doesn’t want to die by somebody else. She wants death to be her own choice. But then she meets Cal, a bright eyed girl who stirs feelings and makes her wonder if she wants to get back home knowing it will cause the other girls death.

She’d had to ask her mentor if there was some kind of mind control plant in 11. There had to be. And that Salutations girl must have put it in when she left her coffee unattended. Damned girl. She had to have done something, or else she wouldn’t be feeling like this.

Like every other tribute, she rewatched the reaping to size up the competition. Her initial reaction to the girl from 11 was…indifference. Maybe a bit of pity knowing she wouldn’t survive, just based on her sunny demeanour.

But now? With the blue eyed girl throwing the occasional glance at her as they prepared for the tribute parade? It made her stomach twist uncomfortably and it pissed her off. She scowled at the girl, hoping to scare her off. But her frown deepened when that stupid cocky git Sallow from District 7 started chatting her up. She’d watched his reaping, he’d volunteered for his sister, a sickly girl called Anne.

Bu whatever, she shouldn’t dwell on how stupidly adorable the girl looked. She’d end up on the end of her spear by next week so there was no point getting attached.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

CHAT THIS WAS JUST A TASTER, LEMME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK. THIS IS JUST A SNIPPET, THE ACTUAL FIC IS STILL IN PROGRESS AND WILL BE POSTED ON MY WATTPAD (in my bio)

[theorganizedfanfictionlibrary]

Name-

The W in Weasley stands for Werewolf

Fandom-

Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

Archive warnings-

No Archive Warnings Apply

Rating-

Teen And Up Audiences

Relationships -

Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter , Arthur Weasley/Molly Weasley , Hermione Granger & Harry Potter & Ron Weasley , Hermione Granger & Neville Longbottom & Harry Potter & Ron Weasley , Sirius Black/Remus Lupin

Characters-

Ron Weasley, Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy , Hermione Granger , Molly Weasley , Arthur Weasley , Neville Longbottom , Percy Weasley , Fred Weasley , George Weasley , Charlie Weasley , Bill Weasley , Ginny Weasley , Luna Lovegood , Sirius Black , Remus Lupin

Tags-

Werewolves , Weasley Family-centric (Harry Potter) , Good Weasley Family (Harry Potter) , Werewolf Ron Weasley, sort of a series rewrite , Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence , Fix-It of Sorts , Humor , Fluff and Angst , Implied/Referenced Child Abuse , Canon-Typical Violence , maybe a tiny bit more gruesome in places , Abusive Dursley Family (Harry Potter) , Oblivious Harry Potter , Gryffindor & Slytherin Inter-House Friendships , Gryffindor Harry Potter , Gryffindor Ron Weasley , Ron Weasley-centric , BAMF Ron Weasley , The Golden Trio Era (Harry Potter) , Crack Treated Seriously , sort of crack anyways , Manipulative Albus Dumbledore , Fluff , Mentor Severus Snape , he is NOT happy about it though , Good Severus Snape , Eventual Drarry , Bit of a slow burn though , since at first they are eleven , Tags will be added as story progresses to avoid spoilers, multiple POVs , Harry Potter is a cinnamon roll , or the weasleys think so anyways , he's actually a bit feral to be completely honest, Minor Original Character(s) , that show up like once lmao , Werewolf Draco Malfoy , Powerful Luna Lovegood , no character bashing for the most part , except some dumbledore bashing , also there will be romance but it won't be the main focus or anything , Evil Voldemort (Harry Potter) , Minor Character Death , Not Britpicked , Or at least not as britpicked as it probably should be

Author-

gonzoclock

Summary-

When a werewolf comes out of nowhere and attacks nineteen-year old Arthur Weasley, he thinks his life is over before it's even really begun. He's wrong, of course, and now all of forty years later the Weasley family is thriving, happy, and healthy- and every one of them is a werewolf.

Things are going really well for eleven-year old Ron... except for the part where he has to get through school without anyone finding out his family's secret while simultaneously keeping his new brother alive. Easy-peasy. Right?

(Pay no mind to the one-eyed beast that seems to be lurking in the shadows- it's almost certainly nothing to worry about.)

Features the entire Weasley family adopting Harry Potter practically the second they lay eyes on him (or before that, even); Ron Weasley finding himself being altogether far too nice too slimy gits who don't deserve it; Percy Weasley doing his best; Harry deciding that being enemies with this Malfoy kid is too much work actually; Hermione Granger being as smart and ruthless as ever; Severus Snape who did not, and I repeat, did NOT sign up for ANY of this; and much, much more

Link -

https://archiveofourown.org/works/45430777/chapters/114304930

Oh my fucking god i absolutely love this fanfic. Werewolves, found family, drama and so much more! werewolf Ron will always be one of my favourite tags (why is it so underrated aaaaaa) but adding the whole Weasley family too! The author is a god sent for creating it. Unfortunately it's currently on a hiatus but it's at 140,000 words so is still an amazing read regardless of the completion status - Sleepy

[razorblade180]

With the HSR collab a month away, it git me thinking. What would be a good collab for ZZZ?

My personal take, and probably too far reaching because of REASONS, the MCU. Their anesthetics can allow the movies to exist as that, Movies, in their universe. Plus I personally wpuld like Captain America to mentor Seth.

Unironically, Dead or Alive characters would go crazy in ZZZ. Special Agent Ryu Hyabusa would beat the hell out of everyone he fought. Same with Kasumi and Hayate

You could put Marie Rose in ZZZ and nobody would notice that’s a crossover character. Give me Ayane and I will stop being free to play. Free Milia S Rank

[haveyoureadthispoll]

Simon Snow is the worst Chosen One who's ever been chosen. That's what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he's probably right. Half the time, Simon can't even make his wand work, and the other half, he starts something on fire. His mentor's avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there's a magic-eating monster running around, wearing Simon's face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here — it's their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon's infuriating nemesis didn't even bother to show up.

[queereads-bracket]

Queer Fiction Free-for-All Book Bracket Tournament: Round 1A

Book summaries below:

Carry On (Simon Snow series) by Rainbow Rowell

Simon Snow is the worst Chosen One who's ever been chosen.

That's what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he's probably right.

Half the time, Simon can't even make his wand work, and the other half, he starts something on fire. His mentor's avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there's a magic-eating monster running around, wearing Simon's face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here — it's their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon's infuriating nemesis didn't even bother to show up.

Fantasy, romance, mystery, series, young adult

Monstrous Whims series (The Whims of Gods, The Whims of Hate) by Mell R. Bright

Helios has a knack for survival. All he has ever known is the world after the Rise. He’s the product of a ruthless new era. Humanity has been brought down by the old gods that walk the Earth once again. But on the day he’s about to be sold into slavery after being captured with a group of nomads, survival comes in the form of a mutant. His savior, Griffin, agrees to take him on board his vessel, the Beetle. The Beetle is a never-before-seen six-legged machine inhabited by a bad-tempered AI.

Helios, seduced by the prospect of doing more than just surviving, will do everything in his power to hold on to this new life. And if staying on the Beetle means spending time with the Devil of the Wastes, so be it.

Science fantasy, romance, monster romance, science fiction, post-apocalyptic, series, novella, adult

[corvuserpens]

A Girl, An Ocean {A Black Sails fanfic} - Ch. 12

Fandom: Black Sails Rating: Teen and up audiences Warnings: Very light NSFW Characters: Billy Bones, James Flint, Hal Gates, protagonist OC, supporting OCs Relationships: Billy Bones/OC, Hal Gates/OC (paternal), Max/OC (friends), James Flint/OC (mentor) Additional tags: Original character-centric, first person POV, canon character x original character romance, self-discovery journey, kinda alternative prequel to canon, canon compliant, slow burn, mutual pining, friends to lovers, tooth-rotting sweetness, cute but also sexy, angst galore, found family, Hal Gates has two children now, canon typical violence Series: Part One of Six of A Girl, An Ocean Chapters: 12/13 Summary: Constance's first birthday as a pirate becomes the most memorable of all when the crew prepares a surprise party for her. The cherry on top of the cake: Billy's birthday present.

Author's note: At last, AT LAST................. 👀 I don't want to spoiler anything, I'll just say this chapter got me giggling like a teenager while writing it.

Chapter xii.

"Where are you people taking me?" I demanded.

They had ambushed me at the tavern while I was preparing to have dinner. My arse had scarcely sat for a full minute when I found myself surrounded, with no escape possible. I was alone, too, which was stupid of me. Perhaps too much hubris, thinking that being a part of the Walrus crew somehow rendered me untouchable. They had blindfolded and now both my arms were being held firmly, though my hands were free. I should feel apprehensive, but curiosity was getting the better of me, I supposed.

I knew we had left the tavern when the ruckus of the crowded parlor faded away and the fresh night breeze blew back my hair, filled my nose with the smell of manure, tar and brine. We were going down the main street, judging by the inclination on the road. No one answered my question; wherever they were taking me, they were serious about keeping it a secret.

CRASH!

Something made of porcelain shattered not far from us, at my right side.

"Watch it, you git!" Logan reprimanded. "I don't have the money to pay compensation for everything you break."

"It was right in the way and it's dark!" Dooley barked back. "Next time, he can put it somewhere that isn't the middle of the fucking road!"

"Oy!" An angry male voice I didn't recognize shouted from behind us. "You gotta pay for that! That was the finest china in my stock!"

"Then put it somewhere people won't trip on it, you fucking swindler, or I'm shoving my pistol in you mouth and filling your skull with lead!"

Dooley must have looked quite scary while roaring, for the other complained no more. I pressed my mouth shut to fight back a grin. "Relax, Dooley. It was probably counterfeited and everyone knows it."

"Hate that scheming little weasel," he grumbled. "Always trying to rip people off."

We continued down the hill. Soon enough, the typical sounds of a bustling night life in town were replaced by the crackling of fire and the ocean's waves. Under my feet, the hard dirt transitioned to soft sand. Were they taking me back to the Walrus, perhaps?

"No, seriously, where are we going?" I asked a second time. "Wherever it is, it better have food. You bullies pulled me out of my squid kebab and you know how quickly it runs out."

"Trust me, Miss-" I heard de Groot say. "There will be plenty of food."

They went quiet after that, oddly so. Logan was a chatterbox and Dooley a blabber, so I could only assume de Groot had shot them a warning glare to keep their mouth shut and me ignorant to whatever was going on.

At last, we stopped. I could feel the warmth of a fire close by, smelled the burning wood. I heard people running around, footsteps muffled by the sand, but still audible enough for me to hear. They spoke in hushed tones and "shhh'd!" at each other, whch increased my curiosity.

"We're here," Logan said solemnly. "You ready, Siren?"

"Oh, get on with it," I retorted. "You're killing me with all the suspence!"

"Alright, alright, geez!" His fingers dug under the blindfold and tugged it out of my face. I opened my eyes--

"Surprise!!!"

The noise that came out of my mouth as I brought both hands to my heart must have been ridiculous, but thankfully, it got lost beneath the chorus of booming voices and the applause that followed.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you!" They sang as Bjorn and Folsom brought forth the largest cake I had ever seen in my life, decorated with wave motifs and a replica of the Walrus sitting on top of it, complete with her flag and everything! Twenty-nine candles crowned the layers, symbolizing my twenty-ninth year of life. I had to cover my mouth to hide how wide I grinned. Probably like a child on... well, her birthday.

The whole crew was assembled around a wide firepit where various foods cooked. And not just my shipmates: Hammer was there, and Charlotte, Idelle, some other girls from the brothel, no doubt on duty rather than for my sake. But Max was also present, which increased my joy ten fold. They brought the cake to me while singing together, out of tune and at different intervals, but all of them at full lungs and with as much heart as they had in them. When they finished the song, they clapped and whistled and reminded me to make a wish before blowing out the candles. For their sake, I shut my eyes tight and made a show of thinking hard about my wish, but honestly? I had nothing to wish for. Everything I wanted or needed, I already had it. Right there, on that beach. My crew – nay, my family - my health, food and a real home, where I belonged. What more could I wish for?

I blew out the candles to the sound of cheers and wishes of happy birthday. Gates was the first to embrace me and even pressed a kiss to my cheek. Next, it was Mr. de Groot, who also hugged me. Then it was Thierry's turn; he shook my hand and rubbed a hand on my hair, playfully. Bjorn locked forearms with me like warriors do, then pulled me in for a quick hug as well. And of course, Hammer came forth, wrapped his giant flabby arms around me and lifted me off the ground into a bear hug, thundering laugh and all.

He wasn't actually hurting me, but for comedy's sake, I wriggled in his hold and kicked my feet while shrieking: "Hammer, you're crushing meeeeee!"

Gentle as if I was made of glass, he set me down, grabbed both my hands and kissed them, as was his custom. "Happy birthday, m'lady."

"Thank you," I huffed, touched by this gesture of appreciation on the part of all these people I loved. I did a turn to look at all my friends, my brothers. "Thank you all, so much. I... I don't know what to say."

Out of all of them, it was Max who floated up to me, beautiful in a black and blue dress that cut her silhouette perfectly, hair cascading in ringlets around her shoulders. She stretched her hands out to me with that captivating smile of hers and kissed both my cheeks.

"Say nothing, then," she offered, voice rich and sweet as caramel, especially with her French accent. "The look on your face speaks volumes."

I took her hands into mine and ignored the highly interested men that surrounded us and watched her like magpies around a shiny object. For the sake of a little privacy, when I talked, I did so in her mother tongue: "I know you're here on work, but believe me when I say that I am genuinely glad to see you here. After what you did for me, I consider you a friend. So, thank you."

For the briefest moment, surprise flashed in her spectacular amberine eyes, always lined with kohl, before she dominated herself and squeezed my hands with a more honest smile. "It was nothing. But, I still appreciate it. I'm glad to be here for you, too."

I leaned a bit closer and murmured, just in case: "And while you're here, if there's anything I can do for you, anything, don't hesitate to come talk to me. Alright?"

Max nodded, tilted her head sideways. "You are too kind, Constance. I would advise you to mind that, but... I prefer you this way. Don't let them beat it out of you."

"I will do my best."

She smoothed a hand over my cheek. "Happy birthday, ma chère."

"Oh! Coming through!" Muldoon looked behind him as the men parted. "Make way, everyone! Let the mastermind pass!"

I stretched my neck to see who it was, but turns out it wasn't necessary.

Billy Bones, who towered over the majority, came forth without difficulty, eyes twinkling with mischief, but also glad for seeing me so happy. He was dressed better than usual, with clean clothes and freshly trimmed beard, not a scrape of dirt on his tan skin. He looked so handsome that my stomach did a flip, like I had butterflies trapped in it.

Billy stopped in front of me and, for a few seconds, all we could do was smile at each other like two timid little children. Then, he brought one arm around my shoulders and pulled me to his chest to give me a hug.

"Happy birthday, Constance."

"This was you?" I whispered in his ear, hands clutching the linen of his white shirt. "You did this...?"

"I may have had a hand in its planning, aye." He chuckled. "It was mostly Gates' idea, but we all thought, since this was your first birthday with us, you deserved to have it be a memorable one."

I laughed into his shoulder and held him tighter, took this rare opportunity to appreciate his natural scent, feel how large and warm he was, how good it felt to have both my arms fully around him.

"Mission accomplished,” I sighed. “No one has ever done anything like this for me. Thank you..."

He pressed his lips to my temple and I very nearly melted in his embrace. "You're welcome."

It would have been nice to stay there with him a minute longer, but then the teasing started and forced us to apart. This time, he didn't seem too embarrassed by it. Instead, he smiled like I was the most precious thing in the world and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear before releasing me.

"This is all very nice and cute," Logan quipped. "But I thought you said you were hungry? Let's eat and drink, boys!"

Muldoon smirked and winked at me. "Oh, she's hungry for something, alright."

"Muldoon!" I protested with a violent blush.

Billy snorted and started to walk away, but I noticed that he had gone red in the cheeks, too. "I'm going to pretend I didn't just hear that, and so should you."

"You know what, you're absolutely right," I agreed. "I'm going to get a drink, instead. Bye!"

"You can run, but you can't hide!" Muldoon cackled after me.

Having taken my first shot of rum that night, I perused the banquet at our disposal for something to eat. There were all kinds of food to choose from: salted pork, fried chicken, roasted beef, and yes, my beloved squid kebabs. There was also grilled fish, shrimp, fruit whose names I didn't even know and sweets galore. After my supper of squid and shrimp, those were the ones that got my attention the most. I would soon discover that sugar coupled with good booze made for a very hyper-active birthday girl.

Well into the party, the vast majority of us drunk and high on opium, I was invited to dance. Folsom was too pissed to be our violinist, but he wasn't the only musician in the crew. Besides, as it was prone to happen on that island, not long after our get together started, all kinds of people joined - merchants from town, other crews, people I had never seen before, so a rag tag band formed quickly. The music if violins, lutes, a harp, a bódhran, a cello, an accordion, pipes and drums filled the air for miles around, I was told later. I was sitting with Thierry and Luca when Hammer came over, offered me a hand and pulled me to my feet.

Back home, I had never been much of a dancer; my Father used to say I had two left feet. But that was ballroom dancing, which was all delicate waltzes. This was energetic, vibrant, random and chaotic. There was no expectation to perform well. Hammer had one arm around my back and practically spun me around like a rag doll, my feet barely touched the sand! And God, how I laughed while at it – hysterically, joyfully.

Logan and Charlotte joined us next, then the working girls found partners for themselves. Before I knew it, we were hopping around the fire, all holding hands, river dancing as we sand along to cheery shanties. We would then spin and trade partners - male or female, it didn't matter - elbows locked like chain links, breathless from the effort and from laughing so hard. I was drenched in sweat, feet light as feathers, hair twirling around me. I had never felt so free.

Who would have thought that I would come to find that I loved dancing?

Then I spotted Billy sitting somewhere to the side, talking to Gates. They were smiling as they held their heads close together so they could hear each other over all the noise we were making. I spun out of the circle and approached them.

Gates gave Billy's shoulder a proud tap that got him glowing with satisfaction, then looked up when I arrived and chuckled as I reached for Billy's hands.

“Dance with me!” I pleaded while tugging him up, but he resisted.

“No, Constance, no. I don't dance--”

“Nonsense, you're an excellent dancer!” Gates interceded, one hand on his back to push him forward.

“See? You're an excellent dancer!” I giggled. Between my pulling and Gates' pushing, we got him off his arse. “C'mon, just one dance!”

Billy grunted softly. “Fine. But you're mending all my clothes after this!”

“Deal!”

I brought him to the circle around the fire, but kept us on the outside of it so we could have space. I placed his hand on my back, laid my own on his shoulder and started skipping and swaying to the lively tune our band was playing.

Contrary to Gates' words, Billy was not, in fact, a good dancer. He had trouble finding his feet and almost stepped on me a couple of times, always dreadfully worried he might have hurt me, but I just laughed and kept trying to get him to follow my lead. Little by little, he got the rhythm of the music and trusted me to guide him, although we still had a few close calls.

“Y'know, for a veteran sailor, you're quite clumsy,” I teased.

“You're not exactly a ballerina, either,” he returned with a smirk.

“Do I look like I care?” I pulled away and lifted our hands so his arm would make an arch that I could spin under. On instinct, he tugged me back and held me close, afraid that I might fall.

“That's the spirit!” I giggled. “Now you're getting the hang of it.”

Encouraged by my praise, he took the lead without my noticing and made me follow him. I definitely stepped on his toes at least twice, but there were no complaints.

Billy spun me around by the hands, skipped up around the fire like we were kids jumping puddles and, one time, he even lifted me high into the air. Just for a second, I could see how big the party had gotten and I realized how truly blessed I was.s.

For twenty-nine years, I had lived in stale conformity, trapped by expectations, forced to be something I was never meant to be, surrounded by shallow people more concerned with climbing the social ladder instead of forming meaningful connections. And now... here I was, dancing with the man I wanted, surrounded by friends, living in paradise. I had no idea what I had done to deserve such a boon, but I thanked God for it every day of my life since that night.

When Billy brought me back down, my eyes found his and I allowed myself to be pressed against him, hands around his waist to interlock at the small of his back. He slowed us down and held me there as we swayed in gentle circles. I couldn't tell what I scrutinized in his gaze; I only know that it was intense, like he could see into my heart and I into his. There was an unexpected connection in that instant, two halves of a whole clicking together. It took my breath away and made me dizzy.

Or perhaps it was all the alcohol I'd had and the spinning around that was affecting my head. Who the hell knew. Either way, it was the perfect excuse for me to rest my ear on his chest and close my eyes to better hear his heart beat wildly. His arms encased me as his lips touched my hair. Embraced like that, we continued to dance in a lazy back and forth. I was so happy that there weren't enough words in any language to describe it.

By the time we decided to stop, we were both red in the face, but smiling. My head felt so light, I had to hold onto him, for when I tried to step back, I nearly fell on my bottom.

"Woah--" He laughed while keeping me upright. "I think that's enough for one night."

"Yeah," I chuckled.

Billy guided me away from the fire and sat me down on a chair for a rest. When I looked up at his face, I could hardly make out his features, since they kept shifting and going out of focus.

"Oh, hello there, Billy's twin!” I slurred. “Nice to meet you! It's amazing how much you two look alike."

With a soft chuckle, he knelt in front of me and cupped my cheeks. "Close your eyes for a bit, it'll pass."

Actually, it had passed almost as soon as his palms had touched me. The shock of that unexpected contact, so intimate and tender, brought my brain to a stand still long enough for my vision to stabilize. Even so, I did as he suggested and let my eyelids flutter closed.

It was... nice. His hands were clammy with sweat, but they were warm and so gentle as they held my face. I felt his thumbs rub ever so slightly over my skin, which caused my heart to skip a beat, only to then hammer furiously against my ribs. I had to part my lips to breathe better after it had become shallow, almost desperate.

Had he been bold enough to lean in and close the remaining distance between us, I wouldn't have protested. In fact, I wanted him to. I wanted him to so much...

Instead, he asked, rather hoarsely: "Better?"

I cracked my eyelids open. Finally, I could distinguish Billy's features fully: he was quite close to me, but kept his distance still, and smiled while he waited for my answer. However, I knew he would release me as soon as I did, and I wanted him to leave his hands where they were just a little longer. I let a few more seconds pass before speaking up.

"Much better. You're back to being only one."

He dropped his hold on my face. "That's good."

I offered my own smile to let him know I was alright, though there was a pang of disappointment in my gut. At least he went back to taking my hands in his, so that was something.

Billy's stare deviated to my left for a moment and he made a face - a grimace, actually, eyes wide in bafflement.

"What?" I turned to look over my shoulder, but I only saw Gates standing a few meters from us, trying (and failing) to look like he was merely inspecting my mostly devoured birthday cake.

With a smirking, I returned my attention to Billy. "What was he doing?"

"Nothing," he replied in a rush. "Just Gates being Gates. Anyway, if you've recovered, could I invite you to take a walk with me...? To clear our heads a bit?"

My cheeks lifted in a grin from ear to ear. An opportunity to be alone with him, away from the scrutinizing eyes of the crew, and have some real privacy? How could I pass up?

"Sure," I nodded. "I would love to."

So he helped me to my feet and, always keeping a hold of at least one of my hands, he sneaked us away from the chaos of the party, toward the darkened beach.

Fortunately, the moon was full that night, which allowed us to see the white sand glowing silver, as well as the undulation on the surface of the ocean, the foam of the waves. The wind was calm, though a little chilly, and after all the dancing, my skin felt uncomfortably cold.

I used my free hand to tug the scarf Billy had gifted me from beneath my belt and wrapped it around my shoulders instead.

"Cold?" He inquired.

"Just a bit." I tied the pashmina wool at my front so it wouldn't fall off and took back his hand. "There. Much better, now."

His fingers weaved through mine. The smile he gave me was the softest I had seen on his lips yet, eyes half-closed as they took in the sight of me.

"I love seeing that scarf on you," he whispered, perhaps more to himself than to me. Still, I gripped his hand a little tighter and drifted closer to him until our arms were rubbing together.

There hadn't been a single day I hadn't worn that scarf somehow since he had given it to me. It was a constant reminder of Billy's affection, a symbol of our bond, and I wore it with pride so the world might know how dear he meant to me. I couldn't help to hold my head a little higher whenever he would see it on me and blush with a secret smile.

I wondered...

As we walked together, steps lazy on the sand and the sea breeze filling our lungs, I slipped my hand from his. At first he was confused – but when I slowly let it go around his lower back, just a light touch that he could easily refuse if he wanted to, his arm went around my shoulders and pulled me gently me to his side. He hadn't even hesitated.

I kept my chin tilted down so he wouldn't see the stupid big grin on my face.

Moments later, rather small and timidly, he said: “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything,” I replied.

He opened his mouth, paused, closed it again. He turned his face toward the ocean in search of inspiration, then stared straight ahead, too intimidated to look me in the eye as he spoke.

“You and Max... I...heard things.You went to see her once on your first time here, didn't you?”

Oh. He heard things. I had a feeling I knew exactly what he had heard and who might have told him.

“I did,” was my cautious answer. Jesus Christ, this was going to be so embarrassing for me.

“And I saw you with her back there.” He nodded behind us. “You two seem... close. Which is fine by me, don't get me wrong--”

Heaven above, I couldn't take the beating around the bush. He was going to ask the question sooner or later and I would rather get it over with as soon as possible, so I leaned my head back to look at him.

“Billy, I know what you're trying to imply at. You want to know if she and I fucked.”

He faltered, blinked a couple of times and stuttered like he had forgotten how to speak English. Adorable.

“I... Wouldn't put it in those terms, err...”

“But that is what you want to know--” I knit my brows into a frown. “Don't you?”

He pressed his mouth and shook his head. “Listen, I'm not trying to accuse you of anything. You're a free woman and you can do whatever you wish with whomever you wish. It's just...”

Again, he scanned the sea to try to find the right words. “If you and her are involved, I would like to know because... I...”

I made us stop and brought my fingertips to his chin to encourage him to look at me.

“There is nothing going on between Max and I,” I told him, calmly but firmly. “Yes, I went to see her, but not for the reasons you're thinking. I...”

Now it was my turn to struggle for words. I might as well just spit it out and hope for the best. Fists clenched tight at my sides, I opted to stare at his chest or to the side instead of his face. “My... My bleeding came while we were in town. I had no female friends to turn to for help, hence, I went to the brothel. Max happened to be the one to attend me. When I explained to her that all I wanted was to know where to obtain what I needed to prevent all my trousers from looking like they came from the butcher, she laughed at me!”

Billy listened with barely contained horror, skin going pale in the moonlight before turning bright red with shame.

I bit my lip and dropped my gaze to our boots, as I couldn't bare to see that expression any longer. It hurt too much. “Muldoon and the others saw me exit her room and assumed I had gone to see her for sordid reasons, and since I was too embarrassed to tell them the truth, I lied and let them go on believing it was true. That's all. I...”

I shrugged and prepared for the visceral reaction men tended to have when confronted with the biological reality of a woman's body. When my eyes started to prickle, I had to walk away so he wouldn't see.

Fuck... And we were having such a good time...

“I understand,” he said after a minute. Casual. Relaxed. Like it was nothing to make a fuss over.

I stopped and twirled around to see him nod whilst he attempted to mask how much he was squirming on the inside. When he saw the dismay on my features, his expression changed to a troubled one. He came up to me and pulled me back against his side so we could resume our walk, and given that he was much larger than me, I had no option but to follow.

“Thank you for telling me,” he added. “That is... That is a relief. Again, not because I think it would be wrong, it's just... I'm sure you noticed, but you mean a lot to me, Constance. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't fighting a losing battle. That I... That I might be meaningful to you, too.”

If only he knew. I clutched him tighter and laid my cheek on his shoulder, let his wonderful scent – sweat and sea salt, hemp and wood, a musk more intoxicating than any rum – calm my fragile heart.

I grasped the hand he had on my shoulder and held fast. “You mean more to me than you know, Billy Bones.”

His mouth pressed against my hair and I just knew he was smiling by the sound of his voice alone when he whispered: "Good... That's... good."

I let out a small sigh and let my eyes close for a moment to better take in the feeling of being enveloped in his warmth, his strong yet gentle hold, the comfort of his presence. That he believed Max and I were lovers and it had bothered him was all the confirmation I had needed.

Billy had romantic feelings for me. We were taking a walk on the beach, under the moonlight, embraced like only lovers would do. There wasn't any shadow of a doubt about it, now. If I had been happy minutes before at the party, in that instance I was in heaven.

We were almost at the opposite end of the beach, where a rocky promontory blocked our path, when my foot got caught on a pit in the sand, and if it hadn't been for Billy holding me, I would have twisted my ankle for certain. Wouldn't that have been a terrible end to an otherwise almost perfect night?

"You alright, there?" He chuckled as I straightened up. "You didn't have that much to drink, did you?"

"Look, in my defense, it's dark and it's my birthday, so shush, you!"

Billy laughed with both arms firmly around my frame, though not too tight. With my front pressed against his, I was in no danger of falling, and yet he didn't let go. Still, just in case he thought I might want him to, I let my hands climb up the expanse of his back in one smooth motion and curled my fingers into his shirt.

His laughter turned into a pleased hum that sent chills down my spine. Without thinking, I scrapped my nails down his shoulder blades, pressed the tips of my fingers into the muscles of his torso, then brought my palms around his sides to his front. As my fingers continued their trek up his stomach, took their time on his chest and stopped at his collar bones, his eyes fluttered closed, hands pressed flat on my back. His lips opened just a fringe, his eyebrows tensed up, but he didn't tell me to stop. So, I bit on my lip and kept going.

I felt my way up his shoulders, then the column of his neck... Soon enough, my palms cupped his jaw. I loved how his short beard scratched my skin.

Slowly, like he was in a daze, he opened his eyes. I gasped quietly; there was so much adoration in them, mingled with a longing I had never known before. They glowed with want, with intent, with... God, with...

"It is indeed your birthday," he murmured. We were so close I could smell the rum in his breath, but I didn't mind. Mine probably smelled of it, too. "So it's only right that I give you a birthday present."

I smiled softly. "You didn't have to get me anything."

"It's not a thing, per say." Now I could see doubt on his face, in the way his expression fell away and his eyes drifted to the side before returning to mine, determined. His voice dropped to a whisper.

"Do you trust me?"

"I do," I replied without hesitation.

He touched his forehead to mine. His breath quickened as he stared at my mouth, licked his lower lip like he could taste me on his tongue. "And you know I would never do anything you weren't comfortable with, don't you...?"

My heart raced in my chest to the point I could feel it in my throat. My lungs constricted as I too found it harder and harder to breathe. I thought I knew what he was driving at, and the answer was: "Yes... Yes, I do...."

"Close your eyes for me," he requested.

So I did.

His nose touched my cheek. His shallow breath brushed my lips. I swallowed hard and parted them in anticipation while electric shocks ran rampant along my every muscle.

And yet, he didn't come closer. He was waiting for me, allowing me one last chance to back out. He was passing me the reins so that I might feel safe, so that I might know he was worthy of my trust. Not that I didn't know that, already.

I went up on the tip of my toes and pressed my lips fully to his. Then, I all but melted.

My hands slipped from his cheeks to lay on his shoulders, wanting him closer, as close to me as humanly possible, and so did he - his arms held me hard against him as we kissed. A choked noise hardly audible, escaped his throat.

It was everything I had expected and more. His lips were chaffed as they slowly moved on mine to savor every bit of contact, but hell if I cared. I let one of my hands rub the short crop of hair at his nape, and the moan he produced made my entrails tingle, especially on my lower belly. I parted my mouth to invite him in and he wasted no time slipping his tongue inside, eagerly reaching out for my own. He tasted of the rum he had drunk, the fruit he had eaten, and something else I couldn't identify. Something sweet, unique... Something that was his and his alone.

Lord forgive me, I wanted him. I wanted him with all my burning heart, with every inch of my skin. I wanted him to the point of tears. He was the final piece of my puzzle that I needed to be complete. I locked my arms around his neck and pressed myself to him, wishing there was some way I could bring us closer.

As if reading my thoughts, Billy brought his hands lower and lifted me off the ground so he wouldn't have to hunch over. Our teeth knocked together in the process, but we just laughed and went back into it, all but devouring each other until we were both breathless. My fingers held onto his shirt like driftwood in a storm, while his dug into my back or got lost in my hair.

When we finally ran out of air, he moved from my mouth to plant quick pecks on my cheek, my chin, the underside of my jaw. I let my head fall back to give him easier access, sucking in breath after breath in desperate gulps, grunted when he kissed down my throat and dragged his teeth and tongue on my trachea.

If he had wanted to rip my neck open there and then, I would have let him. If he had wanted to lay me down on the sand, pull all my clothes off and take me, I would have let him, too. But he didn't. Instead, he held me up, panted into my clavicle with a hand on my nape to keep me secure.

I opened my eyes and saw the vast expanse of the night sky, stars as far as the eye can see, and wondered how something that felt this good could be sinful. How could this beautiful feeling in my chest be seen as evil? In that moment, Billy and I were of one mind, one heart, one soul. He wanted me and I wanted him. How miraculous was that? To wish to be with someone and have that person desire you the same way was a miracle. I never wanted that moment to end. I wanted to stay like that with him forever, wrapped in bliss and never let him go.

"Do you want me to stop...?" He murmured against my skin.

I shook my head and tilted down my chin to reach his ear. "No..."

He swallowed, then kissed my cheek. "I'm going to lay you on the ground, in that case. No offense, but my arms are getting tired."

I snorted to that. "Fair enough."

However, as he adjusted his grip on me and prepared to set us down, I wrapped my legs around his sides (quite instinctively, might I add), which caused him to hiss and literally fall to his knees with me still hanging on to him.

I gasped when he lost his balance and shot out an arm to stabilize himself, causing me to drop on my back on the sand. Fortunately, I wasn't far from the ground, so I didn't get hurt.

Billy leaned over me with preocupation in his eyes, which scanned me for any sign of pain that might indicate an injury, but all I did was stare up at him, hypnotized by how beautiful he looked on top of me with the moonlight glowing behind him.

“Sorry,” I sighed. It was the only thing I could manage to think in that moment, mesmerized as I was. I reached up with a hand to touch his cheek, hardly believing he was real and not a vision conjured up by the alcohol in my system.

“S'all right,” he returned, every bit as stunned as I was. “It was my fault, really...”

“Hmm...” I hooked my finger on one of his necklaces and tugged him down. “I'm not complaining...”

“Uh huh...” He eased himself on top of me and wrapped one hand around my back while the other once again tangled in my hair. I raised my head off the ground to meet him halfway and hooked my ankles around his thighs so he could rest between my legs.

That was when I felt something hot and hard press into my core that set my insides on fire. Without meaning to, I moaned quietly into his mouth as we kissed and rolled my hips on his.

His head jerked back, eyes wide as he watched me intently. I, on the other hand, was in a daze. My whole body sizzled beneath his weight, my skin crawled with desire. Perhaps I should have been afraid; I had never laid with a man before Billy, after all, but I trusted him wholeheartedly and there was nothing I wanted more than to have him all to myself.

I snaked my fingers into the collar of his shirt to feel the feverish warmth of his flesh, the drum of his heart beneath all that muscle. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head as if to clear it while I undid his buttons one by one, dying to see him bared to me.

His hand snatched up to hold my wrists and make me stop.

"Constance... We shouldn't."

Just like that, my heart stopped in my chest. My hands froze - in fact, my whole body went cold and numb, in the blink of an eye.

"Why not?" I whispered. I didn't want to stop, not now. I was ready and willing. Why wasn't he?

Seeing the disappointment on my face, Billy lowered himself down and placed a love bite on the crook of my neck, which made my back arch until my whole front was pressed into his. His hand felt up my side and - oh, that devil - he curled his hips into mine so I could feel every bit of his lust for me.

"I want to keep going," he groaned in my ear. "God, I want to keep going until you're moaning my name and begging me not to stop. But we're both drunk and I want to do it when we're clear headed, so there won't be any regrets later. I want to be sure you want me for me rather than because the booze is telling you, you want me. I want to do it when we're both in a state of mind where it matters."

Well... when he put it that way, how could I not agree with him? He was right, of course. What if we ended up going too far and I got scared? I didn't want to hurt him like that. Not by leading him on nor by making him think he had done me harm. Or, what if I didn't remember what happened the following morning? I wanted to remember every part of it, every detail, every touch, every kiss. Therefore, when he pulled away and rolled off of me so he was lying by my side, I didn't protest.

He brought my hand to his lips and then held it to his chest as we locked eyes. To let him know I was fine and concurred with his argument, I joked: "I hate how noble you are, some times."

His smile morphed into a smirk. "No, you don't."

No, I didn't.

I wriggled closer and laid my head on his shoulder, curling into a ball by his side. It was cold, after all. This near to the promontory, we were sheltered from the wind, but I still craved warmth and he didn't mind sharing. He put his arms around me and rested his cheek on my forehead while I intertwined my legs with his. Much better.

In no time, my eyelids became heavy with sleep. I was so comfortable... The sound of his heart beating in my ear was like a lullaby. Before I knew it, I was out like a blown candle and only woke when the first rays of light painted the sky in breathtaking shades of lilac.

I was on my side, head resting on Billy's biceps. His arm was around my side, hand encasing mine to my chest, his front to my back. I could hear his calm, deep breath and didn't want to wake him, so I laid there half awake, wrapped in my lover, and recalled the previous night with surprising detail.

Blushing and smiling, I licked my lips to the memory of his mouth on mine. Even if I had felt let down at the time, I was grateful that we had stopped. For one, I didn't want my first time lying with Billy to happen on a beach, where sand would get everywhere and any random stranger could see us. For two, I wanted it to be special, something to look forward to and to cherish for the rest of my life. And for three... I had no wish to become pregnant any time soon. Once again, I would have to consult Max on how to avoid that outcome.

No. We would do it when we were both good and ready, and it would happen between four walls, preferably on a bed. I could wait. It would be worth it.

Until then... a kiss here or there would be fine. It would suffice. For the time being.

[diviningtime]

Just thinking about how it's canon that when Lilia is having a major vision, where her clairvoyant gifts are full on blasting, the electricity goes around her. And the bigger the vision, the bigger the surge.

The biggest instance in the show is obviously when she conjures the names of the coven, and has her little closed-eyes-psychic-writing moment, and everything in her entire apartment just blows out, the light bulbs, the sockets, her hotplate, everything.

And then we see it a bit when she is reading Billy's palm. The moment she sees that he has two lifelines, and she starts seeing, as she says 'I saw who you were, and you would become', the lights start flickering all around them as the power starts surging.

Lilia canonically affects electricity, even if it's unintentional. And that's a big fucking deal.

Because yes, Lilia is a divination witch, which is any witch that focuses on divination as their area of expertise (e.g reading tarot, palms, tea leaves, etc), and she is also a clairvoyant (someone who has natural psychic gifts that cannot be taught), but that clairvoyancy is far from average. She was the one who creates the entire coven, every single name, including Billy's (the black heart), she could See who William was even before his soul merged with Billy, she could See his future before the past had occurred if that makes sense, she could READ AGATHA. Agatha cannot be read, even Billy can't read her thoughts, and yet Lilia read her past, the betrayal and hurt she'd experienced and caused, what she'd done to Wanda, with absolute effortless ease, she knows Jen is bound the instant she meets her, and I'm convinced if Jen hadn't distracted her by calling her pitchy she would have seen that Agatha's 'Walk the Road' was a whole scam, and she can See DEATH. I don't mean death happening to people, but actual Death. She had Seen Rio's true face for centuries, so much that Rio literally says 'don't you recognise me, Lilia?' because Death sees her in turn.

Lilia is an extremely powerful clairvoyant, and I do have another post half-drafted going into that more (because I haven't even gotten onto the fact she was literally born to live her life out of sequence, that she sees the lack of flow in time that no one else sees) and I think the only real reason she's not this all powerful witch when we meet her is due to a mix of losing her coven at a young age (well, young for a witch) and therefore not having enough mentoring, and the fact she actively suppressed her gits, and hides herself. That, as her maestra said, she's filled with a lot fear about what she can See and do.

But, yeah, Lilia is not simply 'divination and clairvoyance'; it's something majorly significant. So much so it causes electrical freaking charges.

[voidwritesstuff]

Roast Show Reprive. AKA "Who gave Jane a microphone?"

Cw: mentions of animal trafficking. (Lucas' platoon rescued a cat)

Summary: with spare time on their hands,the soldiers of Alpha Foxtrot decide to do something to make the troops laugh. With their dearest Jane at the helm.

Ocs mentioned: Ayzee ( @gizm0-gadgetz ) Noa and Rick ( @graceandtheidiotsquad )

There in the Jungle there was little to do. When they werent training,the soldiers would be fucking about in the canteen or the muck, betting ill gotten goods or working out. So the troops decided to do something, put on a comedy show.

The air had been grim lately,stress and boredom mixing together with patriotism and fear of survival. In a desire to be nice,Captain Alphonso Wheeler pulled some strings to have Head Nurse Jane Zhao at the helm of the show.

And what a mistake.

--C'mon boy,The show's about to start-- Alphonso put a hand on the shoulder of his lieutenant Lucas Cole,The radioman, who was currently fixing a radio.

--Five more minutes-- the other Man mumbled,like a child who wants to Keep sleeping. He had a white cat on his lap,purring up a storm.

The sweet kitten had bed rescued by the squad not too long ago. It was common to pick up strays,to save them from trafficking or companion animals for the soldiers.

--What are you,five?--The older Man insisted with a teasing yet lighthearted voice.-- C'mon,git ' off yer ass...-- he began walking away-- And bring commander fluffball witcha.

Knowing his friend wasnt taking "No" for an answer,he Drops his tools. Dedjectedly and quite huffy, he scoops up the purring feline and falls in line with his captain. --C'mon fluffy-- he murmured-- We're about to see comedy..

The canteen had been Turned into a small stage area. Troops Ate and mingled, the medical staff was fluttering about with the intention of being friendly,which was a first given how busy they usually are.

"The Hounds" as Alphonso's troop was nicknamed, had front row seats to the stage made of wooden crates And canteen tables. Speakers set up with a microphone stand. The murmuring of the crowd grows silent as head nurse Jane Zhao gets up on the stage and takes the microphone.

Something tells Lucas this is either the worst or best,idea Wheeler ever had.

--This thing on? Good-- Jane said. She was a small woman,but also a no-nonsense one. You could feel her step into a room,her presence was unmatched. She stood with her usual nurse outfit,never free enough to change,and her eyes have this deeply mischevious and excited glint to them-- And..are we all here?

The crowd cheered.

--Great. Then lets begin-- Jane took the microphone and began to slowly pace across the stage-- I know theres little to do here,in bumfuck nowhere-- some people snicker-- So its good to organize these things. Lord knows the higher Ups dont give two shits.

--Amen!--Alphonso says from his spot,some other soldiers agree with him.

-- I dont seem like the type,but im quite good at comedy-- She answered-- Roast comedy.

The crowd groans,others cheer excitedly. So this was it. Not a comedy show,but a roasting one. Nobody was more perfect for the role than the head nurse,who had embarassing story after embarassing story to tell. Nobody was coming out unscathed.

--Yeah,yeah,dont bitch about it -- she snickered-- Its either this or drills, choose one-- upon the silence of the crowd she says-- yes,thats what I thought.

--Man,the hell did you do?--Lucas asked,leaning over to his friend and mentor figure.

With the slow realization settling in,the sense of deep dread sinking down his chest, wheelers eyes widen with an embarassment that bordered on fear-- A mistake.

Jane waves off the complaining of the troops and stands by a Group of nurses sitting. They see Ayzee,a butch woman of short hair and defined muscles,looking up at her boss.

--Us nurses have a hard time going around with all the people here. Doesnt help we're running thin every day. -- she began-- A lot of the times, we're literally going by "Slap a bandaid on it and go". --She smirked-- And then theres Miss Winters over here,who had patched a bullet wound mid shooting with gauze and tape and sent the platoon on their way. Truly,amazing.

The crowd laughed,some clapped and Ayzee flipped her off with a tiny smirk. Jane then began to turn towards The Hounds,walking at a slow pace like a predator.

-- And "Slap on a band aid" isnt the only metaphor we go by. -- She continued,the attention of the room on her. Hanging on her every word-- Ever wondered where "Shoot yourself in the foot" comes from? I do. And im happy to say ive finally found the origin.

She stopped infront of The Hounds and looked down at the very young cadet wit a white cat on his lap. She smiles,and adds.

--Lucas Cole everyone!-- the troops explode in laughter,Lucas feels his face warm up. He also heckles at her,making her chuckle-- I still remember treating his dumb ass..

-- Give the kid a break!--Rick laughed, his blonde hair getting in the way of his sight. Seemingly fresh out of the shower.

--And that leads me right into "things you dont want to hear"-- She gestured at the blonde-- Here in the canteen we all get our food,unless you sneak in food like somebody I know-- she sneaks a glance to Alphonso-- Theres a reason Rick Hayes isnt allowed in kitchen duty. The phrase "Duck and Cover" shouldnt belong in a kitchen!-- laughter filled the room,Lucas even pushed Rick,who pushed him right back. -- It shouldnt! -- Jane insisted

The head nurse smiled,standing there with a kid like mischevious stance.

--Seriously! This guy should be in the demolitions squad!--She laughed. The crowd chuckles-- But hes here,with The Hounds,the best of our platoon. And I have to thank Noa for being the "Idiot Wrangler" of the Group. Saves me work-- She shrugged-- Though at this point she should go into the nanny bussiness. Hes got war time experience on the matter.

Noa laughed,alongside some of the other soldiers. -- I just might with your kids!

A round of "oooooh~!" Comes from the crowd. Jane laughed and waved him off-- Good one,Malie--she snickered-- And last but certainly not least, the captain Alphonso Wheeler. An invaluable veteran,who should be on his way to the retirement home by now.

More laughter and whistling fills the air,swelling like a tide. Alphonso laughed and yelled-- youre older than me! You bitch

The nurse cackled and said-- 'M taking you with me, asshole!

Continuing the show,the woman moved on to other grups. She jabbed and teased towards some of the other soldiers,couples of cadets and Nurses who werent as sneaky as they thought they'd be.

By the end,the air feels lighter,Jane exchanged a couple of words and returned to work. No time to waste, as always.

Yet by the end of the day,When she returns to her office (A tent) she couldnt help but wonder of her radio finally got fixed by the engieneers. She works better with music.

Upon her desk She finds a fresh cup of black coffee and chocolate. She chuckled and held the treat in her hands, seeing an "-A.W" written on the back. Thats Alphonso's way of saying "Try and talk shit about my contraband now"

And her radio,fixed, has a little note taped on the front. Written in green pen. "Thanks for making today lighter. PS. The commander helped -L.C"

Jane smiled,her eyes prickling with tears. She sits and enjoys the gifts she was given. She felt very lucky,despite all the stress, to be in this platoon. She was surrounded by Friends.

[windsweptinred]

OK I had to do these for Corinthiel cause they're the pinnacle of crack prompts.  

who controls the netflix account and what have they dominated the suggestions with by watching 

Well, since Danny has every streaming service living rent free in his mind, it's got to be Cori. You've got to have all the modern luxuries when out doing your Lord's bidding in the Waking, including the best streaming has to offer. His watch list is full of the usual you would expect for THE nightmare paramount. A chocolate box of horrors so psychology damaging, one wonders who or what the director had to fuck to get it green lit. His suggestions however, are curiously dominated by the suspiciously twee likes of the ‘The Great British Sewing Bee’ and the ‘The Secret Life of Cats.’ He blames Ruin… Everyone knows it's not Ruin.

who snores

Daniel, oh yes, perfect little princess face Danny boy with all the grace, poise and finesse of an expert geisha… Snores like an alcoholic sailor with severe sleep apnea when he's out. That ‘unique’ laugh of Morpheus's had to go somewhere. And it chose make a new home for itself in Danny's nasal passages. Eldritch horrors live in fear of hearing it, demons tell stories of it in hushed, reverant tones. It's the most horrific sound to ever take form. Cori adores it. 

who has an embarrassing ringtone that the other calls them in public just to get to go off 

Wait, you think Cori's phone blasting ‘Pour some sugar on me’ while his phone  flashes a salacious lockscreen photo of Daniel, isn't meticulously planned? For his own delight and everyone else's discomfort? He's purposely arranged callbacks from sales companies, just so he can stand there like a smug git while a Jpeg Lord of the Dreaming flashes his sugar tits. He's done it with Constantine, Hob, the archangel Michael… That one time with Destiny. He doesn't talk about that though… 

who sleeps on the top bunk if given the chance 

If by top bunk you mean the finely sculpted pectorals of one blonde nightmare.. It's an all out war between Danny and Madison about who gets to curl up and purr themselves into oblivion. Trust me, those catfights gets naaasty! They're the closest thing the Dreaming has to bloodsports. Trauma for the eyes in a flurry of white hair. 

who plays the piano at 6 in the morning to wake up the other 

Matthew once spent a month making Mervyn hit a piano repetitively with a heavy duty chain whip to get them out of their bed chamber. Does that count? Would you want to face an enraged librarian on the warpath because their peace has been heinously disturbed? Well neither did they. It was the only way to get them to put their pants on. 

who has accidentally set something on fire by attempting to cook a birthday meal 

Well, since Cori is the accomplished male wife he is, I'm going to say with no canonical proof ( but we all know it's true) his skills in the culinary arts could make Gordon Ramsey renounce swearing in euphoria. And Daniel should be able to pull from an encyclopedic dreamer knowledge of this stuff. So… Ruin did it. How did Ruin set fire to the deep fat fryer when making a romantic icecream  sundae for his Lord and mentor in all things night terrors? Well, let me tell you, he has a particular set of skills! 

[pumpkinsy0]

If we could get the most CLICHE coming of age hcs for the two dorks (papercut) that would be amazing I'm living what I thought being a teenager would be like when I was a kid through them fr

i LOVE cliche things this is so perfect im basically just gonna describe an early 2010s coming of age movie if they were in it LMAOOO

•curly is like the mentor, but he only knows a LITTLE but more than pony, bc ponys naive he doesnt rlly notice that most of curlys advice is shitty

•theyre known as “those kids”, theyre not the WORST kids in school, but everyone knows who they r bc of how ODD they r😭, they try fitting it but it backfires and they show OUT, curly wants to b more popular like tim, ponys just trynna get through hs and curlys his bodyguard bc hes a shepard

•PLEASSEEEE let them get their first job together, curly totally didnt want the job, heee just wanted money, pony always ends up doing most of his work

•ponys like never invited to parties, curly is but its begrudgingly and he always drags pony along, they TRY drinking but they dont like it so they stick to drinking the shitty juice so nobody questions em

•once the cops came to a party and ponys track skills DEFINITELY saved his ass while jumping those fences, curly just hid but he was so mad pony “ditched” him he aint talk to him for half a day (he missed him)

•pony shows a LOT of interest in kathy and curlys soooo jealous, its even worse bc pony keeps asking curly for some advice. kathy kinda reciprocates and it gets curly upset, bc pony asks curly for practice on kissing, they sworreeee not to tell anyone else, and they didnt but pony got huge feelings for him, just tries to hide it

•ponys not safe either, curly hits on other ppl cause his crush isnt looking at him and hes a desperate hormonal teen, seeing curly hit on ppl annoys pony too

•does anyone know that one scene in superbad w the fake id and the TERRIBLE name “McLovin”, yea pony and curly git fake id’s and had fake names theyd totally look back on and think was so ASS

•pony just crushes on any girl (and lowkey guy) around him, he had the SMALLEST crush on her that curly found out about and punched him hard (on the arm) for, but it was a crush crush??? he didnt like her that much, especially w the way she would treat them during detention and they would try to sneak out, she would rip into him for no reason at all😭😭

•im telling u they totally hang out w this kid who has more money w them but they arent FRIENDS w them, just kinda using them for more things, pony thinks its a lil fucked up but doesnt think much about it cause curly says thats just life

•curly gets his first tattoo w pony and ill just say that is in fact something only a teen would get, curly told pony to get one too and after much pressure, pony decided y not and got a super small one

•summers have to b BIG for them, theyre always doing something much to darry and tims dismay, like just lay down sometimes. EVERY summer has a “remember THAT summer” story

•stole a motorcycle once and came home w a road rash, NOT even 6 minutes in to the drive, thats the one thing curly will ever say he wont try ever again (hes gonna try it when hes older)

•let these bundle of sticks kiss at the end of the movie damn it!!!!

[shefanispeculator]

Blake Shelton just revealed his next move after leaving his longtime record label. The country veteran has signed with BBR Music Group, home to Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Jason Aldean and more.

The announcement also teased new music.

Shelton has been a part of several successful collaborations over the last five years, including the current radio single "Pour Me a Drink," a duet with Post Malone. His last Top 10 single as an unaccompanied solo artist was "Minimum Wage," released in 2021.

Earlier this month, Shelton announced he was leaving Warner Music Nashville.

He'd been with the label for 23 years.

No timeline was introduced for new music.

Dustin Lynch, Parmalee, and American Idol winner Chayce Beckham are a few more BBR artists. Shelton will now be on the same record label as longtime friend Craig Morgan, plus newcomers like Drake Milligan, Madeline Merlo and Brooke Eden.

What Does This Mean?

Typically, an official announcement like this means an artist has new music ready and his new record label is prepared to deliver. A solo single would likely do nothing to slow the ascent of "Pour Me a Drink," found on Post Malone's F-1 Trillion album. That song will probably grease the rails for Shelton to deliver his next hit.

In recent years, BBR/BMG Nashville artists have collaborated together and enjoyed tremendous success. Jelly Roll and Wilson's partnership for "Save Me" is the most notable example, but Lynch and Jelly Roll (plus Merlo) also came together to sing "Chevrolet," a No. 1 hit for Lynch.

Parmalee and Blanco Brown have also collaborated. Brown and Wilson were in one of the original videos for "The Git Up" together. Newcomer John Morgan is mentored by Aldean. This is all to say a Shelton collaboration with one of the label's high-priority artists would be in line with what's happened recently.

Shelton is not the only hitmaker to split with Warner Music Nashville in recent months: Quietly, Brett Eldredge also left the label.