#Izzy hands being a menace

[lesbianballofgender]

I think we all forgot that Izzy moaned ‘Daddy’ in season one so… here’s your reminder

[thecreaturecalledriza]

Making a silly little one-shot (for real this time it will stay a one-shot) incorporating my last three posts about Sam rolling up in the Whydah, John King in tow, here to steal his husband Izzy away from the Revenge.

I’m having a lot of fun making Ed and Sam be dicks to each other while the rest of the crew is just standing there like 👀👀👀

[bowieandqueen11]

Seductress / Izzy Hands Imagine

Request: Hi i was wondering if you could do an izzy x reader where lucius purposely tries to make izzy jealous (it works btw) the rest is up to you also could the reader have gender neutral pronouns so everyone can share the fun! Thank you for fueling the hyperfixation fire! Lots of love 💕

Aww lovely that's so kind of you, thank you!! I love writing Lucius being a little shit (affectionate) towards Izzy lmao we love a flirty bestie!

Warning: Nothing too graphic but NSFW, some sexual innuendos and some strong language!

(I do not own OFMD or its characters, all rights go to creators. Gif credit goes to @dizzy-izzy-hands.)

☆.。.:・°☆.。.:・°

You should have known rightly from that tell-tale smirk that Lucius had nothing good planned.

The man had barely been able to sit still all day. He seemed to have taken it upon himself to be as much of a nuisance as possible: must have unwrapped himself from Black Pete's arms that morning, sat up with wide stretching arms and a smile as ferocious as the jaded depths of Davy Jones' locker itself as he decided, with an assertive nod to the rest of the crew, to cause as much mischief as he could that day.

After all, Lucius, the king of pickpocketing, was more than acute at spotting stolen glances from miles away. Of noting darting looks; that morning, as he had sipped his orange juice and observed Izzy over the rim of his glass, it hadn't escaped his notice how he had almost- god, so he had been so close to not losing his nerve. He had warbled, almost swaying from side to side as Izzy plundered the depths of his mind to try and find the courage to sit and have breakfast on your other side, but as soon as you had raised your eyes curiously to see what he had been doing, he jolted back as if electrocuted and scurried off back to the deck. Lucius' sigh had been frustrated enough to blow bubbles of juice out and splatter them onto your already scowling face.

Nor had he missed the lingering wistfulness shrouding Izzy's eyes that same afternoon: the way he had watched you from the rigging of the Revenge, clinging onto the rope as if for dear life any time you passed him by. From helping Roach roll more barrels of dried meat down into the kitchen, or nearly keeling yourself over the edge of the ship to avoid Edward and Stede's impromptu sword fighting lesson, Izzy had been almost... calm. Placated? Silent? Bashful, Lucius thought, as he had watched the man's fist squeeze so tightly into a ball he thought the leather might tear down the seams right there and then. With a hand on his hip and a huff in your direction, Lucius was getting incredibly fed up of being the only one to notice how bashfully Izzy tried to look anywhere else when your eyes met. How your voice cracked when he had come sliding up to you, hammer looking quite menacing as he thumped it against his palm and asked you why you had made it your life's work to cross Izzy's line of vision any time you could.

'This has been going on for weeeeeks, when are you two just going to stop pretending you don't want to slam each other into the wall until you're gasping for air every time you see each other', he had groaned, throwing his head back and trying to beckon Wee John over to give his concerns some backing. The man, too busy sewing a hole in his trousers back together, and having enough sense to fear for his life with the way Izzy was glaring daggers his way, quickly shook his head and buried it back down in the mottled fabric.

'I have no idea what you're talking about', you had replied curtly, effectively ending the conversation. Even if he had flared his nostrils and thwacked you teasingly over the head with the long edge of his sleeve, a blind man would have been able to see the glimmer in your eye as you looked hopefully in Izzy's direction.

No, this man really did not miss a thing. And it was beginning to drive you insane.

Thankfully, he had been gracious enough to already warn you ahead of time about his brand new spanking plan to get this idiot of a first mate to admit his feelings for you. About how, once Stede had informed the crew that they would be stopping off on a little island called 'Tangerine Grove' during the sunset, so he and Ed could have their daily constitutional through the silver gleams cast by pale tree light only the rock hidden away behind the tip of Blindman's Cove could bring, a lightbulb had gone off in Lucius' head.

Which is how you had ended up here: shivering under the growing violet wisps of dusk that splattered the spring sky, sitting alone along an unfamiliar stretch of beach, wishing you could rescind your acceptance of Lucius' excited plan and instead go join your friends as they ran, barefoot, through the wet grains and wrestled each other into the waves. Only Izzy was still standing apart, looking entirely uncomfortable as he rubbed his jaw against his shoulder. Without even realising, he found his heel to be tapping a thousand miles per minute upon the ground: a horrid itching sensation spiking its way up his legs as he tried his best to look nonchalantly towards the dipping curve of the sun. To look anywhere else apart from at you. God, he fucking hated the way you made him feel so... fragile. So stunted. Even Edward had encouraged him that morning to try and express his lingering feelings to you, but a harrowing hatred had pierced his heart and caged the words from escaping their writhing chambers.

Hatred at how foolish he felt running away. Hatred at how Edward teased him, despite seeming like a lovesick idiot for a stupid twat that would be seem like shit scraped off the bottom of his boot compared to you. Hatred at how vulnerable he felt. Hatred for himself. For how he had been the harbinger of his own ruination. How, in the end, his misery was no one's fault but his own.

'Well now', Lucius enunciates in a sing song voice, clucking his tongue at the end. You almost jump out of your skin as he appears before you, drawn away from watching Izzy's face contort in flashes of fury as Lucius' torso replaces your view. His furrowed brow and pursed lips almost endue him with a sage like intensity, as he dips his head and shoots you an almost sympathetic frown.

He waggles his eyebrows as he perches down on the cragged rocks lining the shoreline next to you. 'What do we have here, then? Little Y/n, sitting here on this god forsaken rock with stupid arse over there too emotionally gagged to come keep you company. How tragic. Do you think the stick up his bum stops him from walking over here? Or maybe it's-'

'Lucius, you really don't have to do this.' You grab onto his arm, almost pleading with him through the frantic batting of your eyelashes, but Lucius just pats your fingers and intertwines them within his own. Laying your hands on his lap, he cocks his head and carefully strokes a path down your knuckles.

'Anything for my bestie', he winks, before glancing rather conspicuously behind his shoulder to trace Izzy's path. 'Besides, if that man doesn't just admit his feelings, one of us is going to end up kicking him up the arse. And as much as I would love that to be me, I want one of my favourite people in the whole world to be happy more. Trust me, I’m fantastic at forcing two knobheaded people to admit their true feelings for each other.'

’Oi, I'm not a kno-’, you try to retort with a roll of your eyes, but are stopped short by Lucius grabbing the bottom of your chin like crab pincers digging into your skin, and has already turned your face so your nose is lined up directly with his mouth.

'You know, it's been a long time since I sketched you.' His fingers dart up your face, walking their way up your cheek until Lucius brushed his knuckles back down to your jawline. 'If you like', he leans closer to you and purses his lips, 'we could fill the rest of Stede's journal right up.' He makes sure his voice is loud enough - sultry enough, that even Roach perks his head up from where he's laying starfish on the shoreline.

There we go.

Bingo.

A muscle in Izzy's tense jaw jumps: a minute twitch, but enough to let a far too smug looking Lucius know that he's on the right track.

'Or if that's not your jam, I know something else we can do', he leans in closer so his lips move against the shell of your ear with each word, and despite yourself your back rolls with shivers at the warm blows against your inner ear. 'Roach clued me in to some hidden compartments Stede had built into the ship. No more audience - just us, if you catch my drift', he finishes with an accentuating wink and kiss to the back of your hand.

The sound of a high pitched whistling even made Frenchie and the Swede pause their scuttling in the dirt for starfish, whipping their heads under their arms and burying themselves in the sand as they waited for the cannon fire to land. Nothing came, though. Instead, the sound only grew louder... and louder... until everyone was glancing uneasily up at the puffy clouds, waiting for a cleft to appear through the weaving pink breeze.

Only you and Lucius knew to look inland, rather than up at the heavens.

And there he stood: the incoming hit. The seething tempest. The washed up wreck.

The poor man was already fuming. If he bit his tongue an inch harder, the blood would begin to pour out of the corners of the man's mouth as if he had willingly swallowed arsenic, and was allowing it to fester in the recesses of his heart. Anything, anything would be better than letting it tremble. So blood it is. Down the poison willingly goes.

You would have been able to hear the sigh that blew out from Izzy’s flaring nostrils from the crow’s nest. Forget that: you’d be able to feel the burning steam radiating off his near vibrating body from the next continent. With each passing second Izzy could feel his heart decaying in pulsing oozes through his chest cavity. And with every smile, every lingering brush of someone else's fingers on your skin, the rot residing in his soul became that little bit more mutilating. The touch of Lucius' pointer finger against your cupid's bow finally goaded his insides to slither out in a body wracking convulsion: his heart finally mouldering out through the corner of his eyes in snaking tendrils.

He finds his feet pounding across the horizon before the rational part of his brain could try to keep up. Lucius barely has time to register the swarm of black buzzing in front of his face before claws have dug into his striped shirt and have hoisted him up like a ragdoll. The feel of Izzy's teeth baring against his nose is enough even to make Lucius' head recoil.

'Get your fucking little, dirty, clawed rat hands the fuck away from them.' Izzy spits at Lucius' boots, content only when the man grimaced and took a hop backwards and away from his lacerating fingers.

'What's your problem, Dizzy Izzy', Lucius hisses back, hunching down onto his haunches and resting his hands treacherously on your shoulders: far too close, as he squeezes you reassuringly. Too damn fucking close, for Izzy's taste. 'Just because it's not your fingers, doesn't mean you have to be so jealous. We don't own each other on this ship. If you're interested, all you have to do is say.'

'Who says I'm fucking jealous', he tries to shrug, but his voice is strained. Wracked. He's obviously trying to stop himself melting to your feet and placating himself at your shrine right there and then, ready to die under your heel.

Izzy glances uncertainly along the ground, doing his best to seem as straight laced as usual, but growing more and more discourteous in his manner at the way Lucius grins at his growing discomfort. 'Oh come on, you wouldn't mind if Y/n and I headed back to the ship right now, right? After all, Dizzy Izzy doesn't get jealous. He wouldn't care if he could hear screaming coming from-'

'You shut your fucking mouth.' He shoves a thick finger into Lucius' chest, nearly toppling over himself trying to get his arm in to separate the man from your back.

'Or what?', Lucius replies, trying to keep his grip by your neck while also trying to bat off Izzy's slicing hands. He manages to pull back and wring his hand out right before Izzy bared his teeth and took a chunk out of it. 'What are you going to do, Izzy? Give me a lashing? I'm sure you'd love to do that to Y/n. Or maybe for them to do that to you - I've always known you were a mas-'

'You little. Fucking. Tease.' Despite the ferocity of his words as he spits them out from his serpent tongue, the tenderness of his fingers as he reaches down to grip your wrist surprises you. He tugs you up, taking a step around your body as if to shield you from the gratified smirk Lucius is radiating.

'I could destroy you, you know, and everyone would thank me for it. Because that's what you do, isn't it?' He was trying his best to sound as bratty as possible, but there was an almost imperceptible shake in his fingers as he tightened his grip on your wrist. 'A proper little seductress. Using and destroying perfect things.'

'Perfect?', you whisper out from behind his back, your hand coming up to touch your lips as if you could taste the sweetness dripping off the word. Izzy's brows furrow as he curses himself. Fuck. He's fucking done it now. What kind of sap will you think he is? Standing there with knees nearly knocking before you, some kind of fucking pirate with his squeaky voice and thumb circling delicate paths along your wrist.

'Do you really mean that?', you ask, the eagerness in your tone enough to make Izzy's breath falter in the back of his throat. He nearly chokes on it, but finds just enough to pant out the truest words left in his rotten body.

'I... meant, what I said.'

You flash your eyes toward him in surprise, but the man is already staring directly at you. What you were surprised about though, were the tears that were shrouding the usual piercing glare of his irises. He looked almost… childlike. Mythical. Almost pitiable, standing on the long stretch of mist, feet crushing into the grains of sand as if he were willing himself to stay anchored, to not fade away with his tears into the spray of mist.

A man strung up by the tendrils of heart, doomed to stay wanting, waiting, fading into the rays of light.

It was almost phantasmal. And as you used your free hand to cup Izzy's cheek, it was almost enough for him to trick him into believing that he was alive again.

Even Lucius’ mouth drops down into a surprised ‘oh’ as a lone tear manages to tear a ragged path down the first mate’s sullen cheek.

He snorts, raising his eyes to the piercing blue skyline and trying to blink the tears back past his eyelashes. It's when the whining starts: the soft, pitiable howls of a kicked man being held for the first time of his life, that the patchwork mould surrounding what's left of Israel Hands' inner sanctum begins to crack away. He burrows himself into the warm, welcoming palm of your hand, allowing the water to flow over the bud of his nose.

Before your feet could even register that they were moving, Izzy has dragged you away from Lucius and into the shade of a nearby orange tree. A few fireflies began to peek their heads out from between the stout leaves at the disturbance: like honey dripping down from bowed boughs, brushing kindly against Izzy's glowing cheeks and making him seem almost saint-like as they gathered around his head. The sound of your shipmates begins to blur into the distance as the singing is replaced by the wretched pants of Izzy's breath.

He slams your back against the curved bark of the tree, sliding his boots in front of yours and leaning his body over you, effectively trapping you between the scratchy bark and the heaving muscle of his abdomen. You shiver, unsure if it's due to the champagne bubbles lapping their way towards your bare feet, or the feel of Izzy raising the wrist he's almost bruising above your head, no longer trying to hide the fact he's holding you in place against his body.

'Why do you stay around such unsavoury characters.' The bastard bares his teeth at you. God, he was enjoying this far too much. Enjoying raising his knee until the bone nearly kneaded against your groin. Enjoying using his free hand to grip onto your jaw just as Lucius had done, but far needier. He digs into your skin as he tilts your head back, and you can feel his smirk branding it’s way into the bare strip of skin between the nape or your neck and the hollow of your earlobe as he leans down to whisper: 'A fine creature such as yourself should be careful of deranged creatures like that. They slink out of the depths like demons. So perverse.'

Fucker makes sure to run his lips from your shoulder blade right up to your pulse point first, though.

'You should thank me for saving you from his depravity.'

'Oh of course', you begin to smile, playing along with his little fable. His little knight in shining armour tale, so he didn't break apart so easily. 'I have to thank you. You've been watching me for a while, haven't you? Taking care of me from afar...', you take a chance while he's distracted breathing in your scent to dip down and nip at his earlobe.

His legs start to waver then, and with a quick reflex that had got you onto Stede’s crew in the first place, you manage to steady him with a hand placed around the firm muscle of his waist.

'I did my best to save you from that seductress.' His teeth clash against your bottom lip in an almost wantonly manner, hovering his mouth over yours. It takes almost all of his self control to seem like he’s seething as his nose pokes against yours; it takes every piercing shred of self restraint he has to not wet your bottom lip with his tongue.

As tough as he thinks he's being, he’s not incredibly subtle in his thoughts and temptations, if the way he can’t stop staring at your mouth is anything to go by. Something wild makes his eyes gloss over: a tightly leashed repression, a long tempered heartache burrowing their way out of his eyes until he can barely hold back the parasitic tears.

His mouth trembles as it falls open, 'you deserve someone proper. Someone better-', he swallows thickly, eyes darting quickly between your own and back down to your widening lips. 'Someone better than them. Someone better than me-'

He looks wonderstruck, and you can't bear just to see its ferity anymore. You have to taste it. And if the manic glint in his eye is anything to go by, Izzy is in exactly the same boat.

His words are quickly enveloped by your mouth. He gasps against your tongue, his own quivering as an overwhelming rush of pure love gushed through him like the rips of a storm. He wastes no time: afraid this was a trick, a prank, a cruel mirage, his mind still trapped in one of his restless, far too fleeting dreams. He lips frantically latch, smother, tug, overwhelm you until you can barely breathe. Can barely feel. Your eyes flicker close in bliss as he allows you a moment of respite from all his pent-up want, his all consuming need, planting a trail of open mouth kisses followed by wide planted licks down your throat.

The slide of your feet against the trim of his steadying boot is a welcome relief from the burn of Izzy's hand as he grips onto your waist like a man possessed. His fingers clench, nearly lifting your lower half up to grind against his abdomen, stopping himself only at the last second and lowering you back down into his unforgiving grip.

You almost gasp when you feel your name roll of his tongue and reverberate through your neck in a hoarse moan. He tries to subdue his embarrassment by finally... finally reaching up and lacing the fingers clawing at your wrist within your own. If he wasn't too busy devouring the bare stretch of skin between your neck and your breast, Izzy perhaps might have felt embarrassed by the way his pelvis was bucking up wildly, leather slapping lewdly up against your inner thigh.

But he isn't embarrassed. He doesn't feel anything at all, except for a coursing rush of life flow through his veins for the first time in years.

He crumbles against you, surprisingly gentle as he claws and kneads and mewls into you, his lips dragging down and over to the side of your jaw now with quick, tempered nicks. His hand lets go of yours to trail down your inner palm, a shit eating grin branding its way into your chest as it traces down your arm, and then quickly falls so both hands are squeezing tightly into the meat of your waist. He bites down at your skin, incisors almost drawing blood against your pec. He swipes his tongue against the cut in apology, sucking against the skin as his trousers bounce up and tighten at the sound of you mewling. You scramble your free hand onto his shoulder to try and keep yourself in place, the man ravishing you so forcefully the tips of your toes could barely touch the ground.

Your full weight is resting on his torso, happy to let yourself flop over his shoulders and allow easier access for him to litter hickeys along the sinews of your throat. He does so gladly, making sure on his way to lift his hands and move them to slap down on your buttocks with a squeeze that leaves you reeling.

You're too busy whimpering at the feel of Izzy's inner thigh beginning to bulge against your crotch to feel the sting, his leather trousers beginning to tent in an uncomfortable way that made his biceps squirm as he wrapped them around your back. To mask the sharp barks that he begins to whine, he bites onto your bottom lip and pulls it down with his teeth, until he's satisfied that his tongue has full access to delve down your throat.

You quickly pull back and glance behind Izzy's head when you hear a sing-song 'you're welcome!' and vindicated hum of Lucius receding into the distance.

For someone who saw Lucius as such a threat, Izzy Hands could be quite the little seductress himself.

[th0rns-n-r0ses]

Could you please please please do a smut inspired by faster pussycat’s song Where There’s a Whip There’s A Way with either Duff or Izzy????

where there's a whip, there's a way ~

[WARNING - SADISM//MASOCHISM, WHIPS]

izzy stradlin ~ smut ~ female reader ~ 1076 words ~

~~~~~

Fear courses through your veins. But desire and pleasure swirl in with that fear, causing sweat of anticipation to bead up on your forehead. Your eyes dart over to Izzy as he takes a whip off of the wall of his closet and walks over to you. Every little inch of your body is practically screaming for you to beg for mercy [In a sexual way, of course], but the ball gag that Izzy has shoved in your mouth is certainly preventing that.

Izzy approaches you, wearing nothing but his black boxers, which tighten as he sees you tied up in such a vulnerable state, his cock growing hard. Everyone underestimates Izzy, but when it comes to the bedroom, he’s gonna take over the whole situation. You of all people would know, of course, he loves to see your hot body squirm and writhe for him.

He approaches you slowly, and you look down at his hard cock, seeing the outline through the fabric. Your heart catches in your throat and your breath quickens, some spit falling from your lips due to the gag. The whip drags on the ground as he walks, giving him a dangerous sort of vibe. And God, did it make you hot. Sweat trickles down your face, coating your face with that hot feeling. Izzy’s fingertips touch your cheek, wiping away some of the sweat that clings to your skin and hair. A small, twisted smile forms on his slender and pale face.

“God, you’re such a whore.” Izzy cracks the whip, making a menacing and loud noise. “And I fucking love it.” He snickers and backs away, the whip following him on the floor. Your eyes dart to the whip, fearing its power. Izzy turns back around, the whip trailing around him. He snaps it, a loud CRACK coming from the whip. You wriggle and squirm, preparing for the pain and sting of the whip. Your eyes land on his, that sadistic gaze looking you right in the face.

SNAP.

The whip hits your skin, leaving a huge stinging sensation across your body. You scream, the gag heavily muffling the noise. Tears stream down your face. God, that whip hurts, but it feels so good!

“You like that, don’t you, you slutty little masochist?” Izzy sneers with a smirk, whipping you again, a harsh stinging on your stomach. You let out a cry and a moan through the gag, feeling the tight striptease garments tighten around you from how much you’re squirming. You insisted on going naked, but Izzy didn’t want to hurt any sensitive part of you, despite being such a sadist. It’s a bit sweet really.

CRACK!

Another whip hits you on the arm, right on the bicep. You scream in pain and pleasure, every little sensation surging through your body. Those screams seem to turn him more, as well as the sight of sweat and spit dripping off your face.

“This is gonna be fun.”

~~~~~

“Move, you slut.” Izzy commands.

“Iz, baby, I can’t..” You groan, your legs shaky and tired from riding him for so long. God, he’s so good at this. So far, Izzy’s gotten three orgasms out of you, but he’s never even shown signs of breaking, not even for a moment. You swallow, looking down at your bruised body that’s covered in Izzy’s bite marks and hickeys he’s given you on the stomach, chest and shoulders. The puffed up marks across your body sting and burn. Your whole body feels so weak, not knowing if you can move on any further. “Yes, you can. Now move!” Izzy growls, leaving a hard slap on your ass. You groan loudly, your head falling back from the pain. From the intensity, you know that slap’s gonna leave a mark for a while.

Following his command, you bounce yourself up and down on his cock, moans and whimpers escaping your mouth as you do so. Izzy gives you a sly smirk and lays back, lighting a cigarette as you ride his cock.

“Such an obedient whore.” Izzy smirks and runs a hand on your thigh, breathing in some smoke and breathing out, a cloud escaping his lips. His arrogance makes you feel utterly defeated, as if he’s just looking at you for entertainment. You slam yourself down on his dick, the sudden change of manner sending a wave of shock from him, his eyes widening and the cigarette almost falling from his lips. That’s it. You’ve found the weak spot.

You move your hips, riding hard on Izzy’s cock. He tenses up, breathing in through his teeth. He puts out the cigarette in the ashtray next to the bed, tilting his head back and tightly grabbing your waist. As you feel his strong hands grip your body, you feel a shiver slip up and down your spine, causing you to falter. Izzy’s tight grip on you gives him a sense of control, and he starts to forcefully shove you down on his cock in quick and hard movements. Your g-spot gets his with every movement, causing loud and high-pitched moans to leave your mouth and fill the room. Izzy grunts a little bit, knowing that he was finally gonna cum soon.

Your entire body tenses and your stomach churns, feeling an orgasm being drawn out by him and his forceful movements. Izzy grits his teeth, looking at you with a pleased and hungry look in his eyes. You cum on his cock, high and desperate moans escaping your mouth as he fucks you throughout it, edging closer himself.

“I’m so close.. God, you’re so fucking perfect.” Izzy groans in that calming yet sensual tone, his body shaking a bit as he comes closer and closer to his orgasm. You let out hoarse moans and whines, your entire body aching from the rough sex he’s giving you, his cock slamming into your body. Izzy’s breaths grow heavy and his jaw clenches as you feel his cum coating the inside of your cunt. You let out a long moan and fall over on him.

Izzy chuckles, stroking your hair as you lay on top of him. You can tell he’s proud of you for getting this far, as it’s always hard to make the guy cum. He looks down at you as you rest your head on his chest, one of his hands on your cheek, looking you in the eye.

“Why don’t we do this again next week? ~~~~~

[Listen to this song though, its actually so good]

[foodsies4me]

Thinking about the fact that Izzy is Robert's favourite child, Jace is Myrese's and max is favoured by both robert and myrese. Alec had to grow up not being anyone's favourite and having to know that everyday.

Everytime i think about how Alec grew up i get sad bc i just know it was so lonely (not like he could complain to izzy or jace about Izzy and Jace being favoured or him getting in trouble bc of them)

The first time someone tells alec that he's their favourite (favourite teacher maybe as i can see a trainee saying it) he tries his best not to get emotional infront of them and goes to his office just to sit bc holy shit he's someones favourite.

This prompt had me screeching immediately because I love it so much, so of course I had to write it (with the usual delay because I am a snail).

You're my favorite. Alec had never been the favored child. He learned early on he'd never be the favored child either. He wasn't smart like Izzy, he couldn't pick up any arbitrary subject and master it by the end of the week. He wasn't like Jace either, the most gifted fighter they had seen in decades if not longer. It didn't mean Alec was inadequate, he was a decent fighter, a decent strategist, a decent student. He just wasn't excellent. Everywhere his siblings excelled, Alec fell short. Decent to their greatness. Not good enough to their just right. Even Max exceeded where Alec failed - hitting milestones trainees twice his age struggle with without ever losing his easy smiles or cheeky remarks. Alec has always been as thankful for that fact as secretly envious. Thankful for it meant their dad paid attention to Izzy even as he continued to forget the rest of them existed. Thankful for it meant their mom praised Jace with the affection he so desperately craved. Thankful it would keep Max safe from the criticism his parents levied at him no matter what he did. Even when the voice grew too loud to ignore, loud enough that it ended with blood and bruises and choked-off breaths, Alec never let his siblings hear it, forbade them from hearing it. Alec promised himself he would never be a source of pain for his siblings and he would keep that promise. Even when it hurt him. Especially when it hurt him. Alec had never been the favored child. He long stopped believing he ever would be. He had been too weak, too ill, too lacking to be anything above decent. Mediocre. Not enough. Alec accepted it as his lot in life. He didn't need to be his parents' favorite. He didn't need to be anyone's favorite, he had his siblings' love and that was enough. Or so he thought. "Thank you, Alec. You're my favorite," Barika mumbles in his neck, small arms curled around his neck. He looks back at his new clothes - his new boy clothes - spread out on his bed, reading some of the slogans written on them, and wipes his cheeks with the back of his hand. He then gives him a shy grin, an expression that is so unlike the rambunctious little menace Alec has come to know and asks him if he wants to help him choose his outfit for their trip today. "Sure." Barika grins, eyes shining with joy. "You're my favorite." Alec smiles, "You're my favorite too." "Not Max?" Alec pinches Barika's nose, laughing at the amused giggle it produces. "You're all my favorite," he assures, feeling the truth behind that statement settle on his shoulders like a warm, comforting cloak. "Now, do you want to wear shorts or jeans?"

[fairysluna]

NOT THE BEST IDEA — Modern!AU | Final Part.

MASTERLIST | A little playlist that helped me to write this fic.

Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x Fem!Reader x Cregan Stark.

Summary: While the guilt is eating you alive, Cregan seemed to grow worried about your sudden distance, and he suspects of what really happened in the Lake House. A big decision is to be made now that Aemond seems eager to gain you back.

Tags/TW: angst, hurt/comfort, mentions of blood, aemond being a menace, wounds, violence, mentions of murder, miscommunication, toxic behaviour, veeery brief smut at the end. If something is missing pls let me know!!

Author's Note: i never expected this story to be more than one part long, but here i am posting the fifth part bc you loved it so much!! thank you for reading this story and for showing your support, this is dedicated to every single one of you!!🤍

Word Count: 5.3k

Tag List: (bold means i couldn’t tag you) @immyowndefender @bellameshipper @mysticgothicgirl @aemondswifeisme @issshhh @serrhaewin @loglady00 @melsunshine @izzy-the-ginger @champomiel @iiamthehybrid @ghostheartbeat @introverbatim @earthangels-things @omgkatherine01 @flosaureum @justanotherkpopstanlol @tssf-imagines @doublesparrows @aaaaaamond

This must be a punishment from the Gods.

You were laying in your bed, feeling as if the whole weight of the world was on top of your weakened body. Turns out that the kiss Aemond stole from you not only left you feeling terrible, but it also caused you to get the flu. 

Your throat was sore, and all beverages turned into torture to consume. Helaena has been kind to you, as she usually is, bringing you soups and herbs infusion that should be helpful to improve your sickly state. Cregan had gone to visit you too, taking chocolates, extra soft tissues and fast food. However, you would feel extremely guilty everytime he would arrive with his enormous smile by your side; after what had happened with Aemond, you no longer felt worthy of Cregan’s love.

He wasn't oblivious to your obvious and sudden change of attitude towards him. He knew that something was going on with you, but he couldn't find an answer to his questions, for you were refusing to speak with the pathetic excuse of having a sore throat. Though Cregan knew it was just a false justification, he didn't pressure you to tell him anything; he was hoping you would talk to him once you were ready to do so. 

But he couldn't help thinking that it was something that he did. 

And you were scared. Scared to face the truth and the consequences of them. Losing Cregan was, right now, your biggest fear; the fact that he could find out the truth and dump you for it was terrifying. You cannot allow it to happen, so you just find a solution by remaining quiet, without being conscious of the negative effect that it would have on Cregan. 

Helaena would be the wise one, telling you that even if you were scared, it was the right thing to do. And still, you couldn't find the courage to do it. 

"Aemond would make sure he knows," Helaena had told you, "and that will be so much worse because he will make it seem like you wanted it too."

"I should've left that bloody house as soon as I saw him there," you whined, trying to hold back tears as your beloved friend caressed your hair, "none of this would've happened if I had listened to Cregan."

"But it did," she told you, using that soft voice of hers that would always manage to calm you down, "it happened, y/n, and now you need to be honest with him… and with yourself." 

"I am being honest with myself," you cried, "I don't love your brother, not anymore. Not when he is constantly making me feel like shit."

"Cregan needs to know this. He wouldn't get mad at you, he knows about Aemond, he had known him since high school!" 

"But-" 

"He's a good man. A genuinely good man," Helaena interrupted you, now standing up and grabbing the empty bowl of soup from your hands, "We both know that he's not Aemond. He will listen before he does something irrational."

Helaena left the room, and you curled up your body hugging a pillow as you felt the distress running up and down your weak body. You close your eyes for a moment, but the feeling of the tears falling down your cheeks made you roll your eyes with frustration, because even two years after your break up with Aemond he was still able to do this; to wreck you and leave you helpless, with your mind as a mess and your heart filled with sorrow. 

You never thought you could hate someone in the way you hate Aemond right now. 

When a very well known song sounded and echoed in the room, you knew it was Cregan calling you from work. You thought, for an instant, about letting the song play until he would get tired of waiting for you to pick up, but again, he didn't deserve it. 

He didn't deserve any of this. 

"Hi?" you said softly, trying not to sound as if you were just crying. 

"Hey, love," he replied, and you swore you were able to hear the smile in his words, "How are you doing? Did you have a good night?"

You sighed, remaining quiet for a few minutes before actually saying something. 

"Y-yeah… I've been doing well. Hel just cooked me soup for lunch," you mumbled. 

"Oh, that's good," he cheered, "well, I hope you hadn't eaten too much because I just got out of work and I'm on my way to Wendy's. Do you want something special or just the same thing?" 

"The same thing, I guess," you spoke half-heartedly, feeling the knot in your throat growing with each word.

There was silence in the other line, but you were still able to hear the soft music playing in the background so you guessed he was driving his car. Then, a sigh was heard, a heavy and tired sigh that made you close your eyes as the guilt returned to you. You knew exactly what it meant. 

"Baby, can we talk once I get home?" He asked softly, patience showing in his voice. 

You bit your lip and considered the answer to that; you really didn't want to talk, you weren't ready to do it, and yet, you agreed. 

"Sure," you said in a choked sob, wiping the rebel tears with your free hand. 

"Great, so… I'll see you later," there was a dubious pause in the middle of his words, as if he was debating whether to say something else or not. Eventually, he said, "I love you, y/n."

Your breath was caught in your throat as a cry threatened to escape you. A little voice in your head was constantly reminding you that you didn't deserve him, that he was too good for you, that you were unworthy of his love… and you started to believe it. 

"See you later," you answered, your voice coming out shaky and breathy, so soft and low that Cregan was barely able to hear you. 

And then, you just hang up. 

On the other side of the line, Cregan’s eyes remained fixed in the screen of his phone as he was seeing the screen saver; a picture of you. His brow was furrowed as his heart ached a little, a bit hurted by the sudden distance you were installing between you both. He was growing desperate to know what was going on, though he was certain that Aemond was the one to blame; there was no other explanation. 

The sound of the horns from the cars behind him were enough to wake him up from his trance, and he shook his head and started to drive. An anguish feeling growing inside his chest was barely letting him breathe, and the fear of losing you was starting to succumb him.

He bought the food, ordering your favorite meal and taking it to his car to then drive towards your home. His hands were shaking with expectation and nervousness, not being sure of what to say once he started this so-needed conversation. He tried to remain calm, playing some of his favorite tunes on the radio, but it would do little to help. 

Once he parked his car, entered the main area and went into the lift, he bit his nails, seeing how the numbers would change in the tiny screen until it reached the number 7. The doors opened and he walked out, reaching the door that had a '7B' hanging from it, and knocked on the wood as he took a deep breath. A few minutes later, Helaena appeared in his sight, receiving him with the same kind smile as always. 

"Hi, Hel," he spoke softly as she took a step aside to let him in. 

"Hi, Creg," she said, before rushing her way back to the kitchen, where she was baking something that smelled too delicious. "She's been sleeping this whole time, she's getting better tho, the fever is gone."

"Good," he said a bit relieved, closing the door behind his back, "I brought some burgers, but I know you don't eat meat so I brought you some fries and an oreo smoothie."

"Thank you!" Heleana raised her voice for him to hear as he left the bag with food on the dining table. "I'm baking a lemon pie, so if you stay for supper you'll get a piece!" 

"Now I will," he smiled before walking towards the kitchen, grabbing two plates to place the burgers and fries. He was about to pick them when he stopped for a moment and saw Hel cracking some eggs, he couldn't help but to ask, "what's been going on with her lately? Do you know something?" 

He saw the way she tensed, he perceived the nervousness and how her hands slightly trembled. She swallowed hard, almost gulping out of nervousness, but she just ended up shaking her head, playing dumb. 

"I don't know," she lied, shrugging, "but I don't think it's something that you should ask me."

"Yeah," he sighed, "you're right."

Helaena pressed her lips in a thin line as she saw him go to your room. She didn't pay any more attention to it, turning around to keep doing what she was doing, though, for some reason, she was left behind with some weird sensation installed in her chest. 

Cregan opened the door of your room and saw your body covered in blankets, all curled up and hugging a pillow. He smiled softly, thinking that even now you were looking absolutely gorgeous. He looked at you for a while, observing your beauty as you slept. His attention, however, quickly went to the phone laying on the floor, so he left the plates on the nightstand and then he picked it up. 

There were no notifications in it, and Cregan was not the kind of person who would lurk inside someone else's phone even when he was dying to know what you were hiding from him, so he just left it on your desk before he started to softly move your shoulders to wake you up. 

You slowly opened your eyes, Cregan immediately noticed how swollen and red they were. There was no doubt that you were crying, and it killed him to think that you were not allowing him to help you. 

"Hey," he cooed as he started to caress your hair. 

Your eyes fluttered open and you slowly lifted your head to look at him. Your lips were dried and chapped, and you felt the need to drink water. Cregan noticed it, and he immediately grabbed the bottle of water to pour some of it into a glass and give it to you. You drank it all in less than four sips. 

"I brought the food," he informed, taking one of the plates and leaving it in the bed as you sat up. "Hopefully it is still warm."

"Thank you," you weakly said, taking a few fries and putting them inside your hungry mouth. "How was work?" 

"Boring as usual," he shrugged, "I couldn’t wait to see you. You look better."

"I feel better," you lied. 

"Do you?"

"Yes, Helaena prepared me a soup and-" 

"I think we need to talk," he interrupted you. You nervously ate a bunch of fries as you looked at the food in front of you, trying to avoid the eye contact that you knew would be the death of you. 

"Okay…" you subtly nodded, "what is it?" 

He grabbed your hand, and took a deep breath before he spoke, "I need to know what's going on, y/n. Ever since we returned from the Lake House you've been acting different."

"Cregan, I…" 

"You've been ignoring me," he muttered, and the fact that you were able to hear the sadness reflecting in his deep voice made your heart ache. 

"I haven't," you rushed to say. 

"Yes, you have," he replied, speaking softly as usual, not wanting to raise his voice at you. He tried to remain calm, "don't- don't try to deny it. Have I done something that bothered you? Are you mad at me?"

"Of course not."

"How am I supposed to make you feel better if you keep pushing me away? We're going through something, you can't deny that, but I want to fix it. How are we going to work this out if you don't tell me what is wrong?" 

You felt your nose itching, once again feeling the weight of the blame in your shoulders. It was a sensation that it was starting to suffocate you, almost unbearable. 

"I'm begging you, y/n. Talk to me, whatever happened back there we can find a solution and make it better, I swear it."

"I- I can't…" you cried softly, wiping your own tears as you were now unable to hold his haze, "I can't do this now, I'm not ready."

"Love-"

"Cregan, I don't want to talk about this right now," you said, raising your voice to make him stop. 

"You told me we would talk once I got here, and now I'm here," he sighed, losing his patience, "please, tell me. I can't do this anymore."

"Creg-"

"It's been five days!" he interrupted you as he stood up from the bed, louder words than before, "And in these five days you've told me you love just once, when you used to tell me that all the time! Is that what this is all about? You don't love me anymore?" 

"Of course I love you!" you whined, standing up from the bed and walking towards him. 

"Then what is it?" He lowered his voice once he saw you getting close, "Fuck, y/n, I need you to explain this to me, I'm losing my fucking mind."

"I just need time-" 

"More time?" He scoffed, and it was probably the first time you've seen him mocking you this way, "Don't you see I'm fucking desperate?! My damn girlfriend is ignoring me! What am I supposed to think about that?" 

"Cregan, you need to understand me," you spoke in a thin voice, reaching for his shoulder and trying to calm him down, "this is- is not easy for me either."

"Then let me help you!" 

"You can't." 

"Does this have something to do with Aemond?" He dared to ask, and your response immediately told him the answer. 

You froze, as if the pure utterance of his bloody name brought chills into your spine. Your lower lip shook as your vision became blurry with threatening tears. Cregan let out a sly, mocking laugh as his hands brushed in his face. 

"Cregan…" you tried to say, but he, once again, interrupted you. 

"Something happened between you and him at the lake, right?" 

Your head slightly shook, but Cregan was too blinded by his broken heart that he barely saw it. He just nodded, assuming his words were correct, and started to pick up his things. 

"Fuck this," he muttered, and then you broke. 

Thick tears running down your face as you saw your worst nightmare coming true. You tried to reach for his hand but he shoved it away before you could even touch him. 

"Cregan, please…" 

"I can't talk to you right now," he muttered, "just- just… fuck." 

He opened the door of your room and slammed it behind his back. The sound made you shrink in your position as you stood there, still contemplating what had happened. You looked around and before you could drop on your knees, Helaena walked into your room. 

Her haze softened in the minute she saw your poor state; trembling and sobbing quietly as your reddish face was soaked with tears. She rushed to your side and held you between her comforting arms. 

That night, Helaena let you sleep in her room, cuddling you as you cried and constantly woke up from nightmares that tormented you not only while being awake, but also as you slept. Suddenly the flu was nothing compared to the thoughts that were haunting you even as you tried to find peace in your dreams. 

Two days later you booked an emergency session with your therapist, and you told her everything. Every single detail of your life, your relationship, how you were feeling about them and about yourself. And the solution she gave was unexpected, 

"Leave," she told you, "Sometimes running away is the bravest thing we can do. You will not be able to heal if you stay in the environment that broke you in the first place. It's like digging your finger in an open wound; it would only make things painful for you."

"What about Helaena?" You had asked. 

"Helaena is your direct connection to Aemond," she tried to explain with soft words, trying not to make you panic, "I'm afraid you'll have to leave her behind until you know you are in a good mental state."

Those words were engraved in your mind, adding another negative thing in your life; leaving your best friend. Helaena has been your other half since you both met in preschool, never leaving her side, not even when you went to separate high schools. You would always find your way back to her. 

For a long time you thought that Helaena was the one true love of your life, for her loyalty to you was beyond the charts, and vice versa. That's why the idea of being away from her was unthinkable until your therapist mentioned it… and now all you wanted to do was to cry. Cry until there is no more anguish inside of you, until it leaves you dry. 

Of course you told Helaena. Later that day, when you both were in the living room watching some reality show, you opened your mouth because you couldn't hold it any longer. The bowl of popcorn between your hands was now on the center table as Helaena held you close, caressing your hair and tearing up too. 

"It doesn't matter if you go to the other side of the world, y/n," she softly whispered, "we will always find our way to each other."

"You're my soulmate, Hel," you whispered back, wiping the tears that had fallen in your cheeks. "Probably the only one who ever truly loved me," you muttered the last words, and you quickly saw your best friend shaking her head with a gentle smile drawn upon her face. 

"We both know that's not true," she said as she placed a strand of hair behind your ear. 

And your haze quickly softened once you realized who she was referring to. 

It's been three days, and the only messages you've been receiving from Cregan are 'good morning' and 'good night'. You knew for sure that all of this was your fault, the miscommunication and lack of honesty had brought the doom of your relationship with Cregan and you wondered if it was too late to save it. 

But you owed it to him. Cregan loved you as much as you loved him, and for that you need to try. 

A few days later, when the flu had already left your body and you finally got the guts to dare to speak about it, you sat on the balcony of your apartment, cuddling in the chair that you bought in a thrift store. The summer days were already leaving as a cold breeze sent you chills all over your body, making you shiver. Your phone was in front of you, and in the tiny screen it was Cregan's contact.

Just a tiny touch would do to start a very much needed call. You were longing to hear his voice again, soothing you as his strong and protective arms made you feel safe. You needed him. 

You were alone in the apartment; Helaena went to an exhibition of bugs in the Natural Museum of Westeros with some of her work mates. She had invited you, but you rejected it; you needed to start to learn how to live away from her.

That's why it was so weird for you to hear noise inside the apartment, steps clicking against the wood of the old floor as your body froze with fear. Without even thinking, you stood up, and you committed the mistake of leaving your phone behind on the table in order to go and see what was going on. 

You checked the rooms, the bathroom, the living room, and you couldn’t find anything out of place. You let yourself relax for a few seconds before hearing the fridge being open… and then you panicked even more when you noticed the main door being opened. 

"Helaena?" You asked with a shaky voice, sneakily walking towards the kitchen being grateful for being barefooted, "Hel?" 

And then you saw him. 

Aemond turned around at the same time he closed the fridge. He was wearing all black and his eyepatch was nowhere to be seen. You were able to see the precious stone replacing his missing eye; a look that would make him appear even more intimidating than he already was. You shrunk in your position, feeling helpless and belittled with his mere presence. 

The anguish returned to your chest, and the feeling of hopelessness was installed in you. Your lips were pressed in a thin line as your hands started to shake. Your mind felt dizzy and fuzzy with this unwanted visitor. 

"What are you doing?" You asked in a breathless tone, as if you were too tired of repeating this all the time, "Gods, why can't you just leave the fuck alone?" 

"I've came for what is mine," he answered, shrugging as a smug grin appeared in his lips, "I've came for you, y/n."

"I'm going to call the cops-" 

"I'm not doing anything illegal," he mocked. 

"You entered my house without my permission."

"My sister's house," he corrected you, "now, now... did you dump that stupid excuse of a man?" 

"Don't talk about him like this," you threatened him, speaking sternly. 

"Does he already know what happened between us, darling?" He stepped closer to you, and you looked up at him as he grabbed your chin, "does he know that you kissed me?" 

"You kissed me!" you yelped, already feeling the itching in your nose announcing the upcoming tears. 

"And you kissed me back," he pointed out. 

"You- you forced me to-" 

"No excuses, love, I know what happened between us that night, you barely fought against me," he leaned closer to your lips until he was close enough to rub your nose against his, "you wanted it as much as I did." 

And then, you were under his spell again. Your breath shaking as you tried to sigh to regain some of the strength you've lost in his presence, but with him it was impossible. 

His hand wrapped around your waist, pulling you close to him as his other hand wrapped in around the side of your neck, keeping you still. You could only look at him, for your limbs were unresponsive to your consciousness, and no matter how hard you tried to pull away, you just couldn't bring yourself to do it. You froze in your place. 

"Mhm… you're going to be mine forever, darling," he said, now brushing his lips with yours, "I will make sure everyone knows it."

You closed your eyes, and tears fell down from them as soon as you did. 

"Everyone will know that Cregan's little girlfriend belongs to me now."

And then it hit you right there, like a hard slap across your face. 

Aemond never loved you, and he never will.

For him, you were nothing but a trophy to brag about with others, a sign that he had finally won something over Cregan Stark. Aemond saw you as a consolation prize after all the times he lost against him, after all the competitions where Aemond was second place. In his eyes, you were just another thing to compete for. 

Suddenly, something switched within you. The sadness that used to make you freeze in front of his respectable frame was now becoming something else; rage. Anger washed over you as you finally woke up from those dreams your past self had left behind. You started to breathe faster, heavier, your face turning red as your tears stopped from falling. 

A feeling was installed in your chest, the same one that you felt the day when you saw Aemond and his new girlfriend. A feeling that made you see only red. 

With a strength you didn't even know you had, you pushed him away. He took it by surprise and stumbled backward until his back reached the fridge, dropping a few magnets in the process. The madness was clear in your face, your exorbitant eyes staring at him as he tried to regain his composure in order to grab you again. But before he could get any closer to you, you grabbed a knife from the center table and quickly put it against his neck. 

His eye widened with surprise as he gulped, and once he tried to move you away from him, you buried the blade against his skin, not so deep but enough to cause a small cut and let some drops of his blood fall down his milky skin. 

"I won't let you ruin my life!" You yelled between sobs and gasps, "Not anymore!" 

"Y/n…"

"I should've fucking killed you at Helaena’s party!" you screamed, as you saw a glimpse of fear on Aemond's eye, "Get out of my life, leave me fucking alone!" 

Your yells became a bit too loud and you didn't even notice. You were out of your mind, completely blinded by the rage and the adrenaline rush of the moment. Aemond was trying to calm you down, visibly anxious with the situation he was in. He never expected you to react this way, to actually put a knife against his throat, he was actually fearing for his life as he saw the crazy look in your face. 

You lost it, you had gone mad thanks to him. 

"If you ever dare to fuck with me or Cregan I'm going to fucking kill you, Aemond!" You threatened him, grunting as you push the blade a bit harder, now the blood staining his clothes and your hand, "I'm not fucking lying, you better leave alone."

Aemond gulped and slightly nodded, but before he could even pronounce a word, you felt a presence behind your back. You followed Aemond's haze until you found Cregan's frame, looking at you with widened eyes and a confused look in his face. 

Your eyes instantly softened with the sight of him, and the knife in your hand fell onto the floor setting Aemond free from your grip and threats. You started to shake, and feel weak; it was as if all the emotions arrived into your body at once making you feel like you were about to faint. You eyed Aemond who was grabbing his throat and looking down at your bloody hands with an horrified look, as if he could not believe what had just happened.

It was so fast, that you barely regained consciousness of yourself when you started to feel your breathing fastening and your heart beating too loud. Your vision became blurry and seconds before it turned black, you felt a pair of arms holding you tight against a firm chest. You felt everything around you disappear once the sweet cologne of your boyfriend reached your nose, leaving a feeling of peace before you passed out. 

You didn't know how much time had passed before you woke up, but you knew whose arms were surrounding your body, making you feel safe. Cregan noticed your eyes fluttering open and he quickly started to loose his grip so you could properly move. The first thing you did once your eyes were fully open, was to search for his face. His beautiful, ethereal face. 

His hand immediately went to your cheek, which had a stain of dried blood that he had not been able to clean as you were sleeping. He used his thumb to wipe the dry tears out of your eyes and then you sighed. 

"Aemond kissed me," you finally confessed, your voice sounding raspy and lower than usual. 

"When?" He asked, without stopping his caresses on your face.

"At the Lake House." 

"Did you kiss him back?" 

You took a minute to think about it. You did kiss him back, but it was because he had forced you to do it. The mere memory brought tears upon your already swollen and red eyes. 

"Y-yes…" you replied unsure, making it sound more like a question rather than an affirmation. 

"And what did you feel?" 

You frowned, "what?" 

"When he kissed you," he explained, "what did you feel?" 

Your bottom lip slightly trembled, and Cregan was quick enough to take his thumb to it, caressing it with care and delicacy. Inevitably, a couple tears escaped from you. 

"I thought that I would feel something," you confessed, "but the only thing I felt was fear, of you finding out and leaving me for it."

"And when you kiss me?" he asked shyly, in a whisper that you were only able to hear thanks to the proximity between you two, "when I touch you? what do you feel then?" 

It was indescribable, you thought. His mere presence was enough to bring calmness to you, to make you feel good and relaxed. It was something that no one had made you feel before, something that you didn't experience until you met him. 

You couldn’t find the word to describe it, but you chose the word that seemed to be close enough, 

"Peace," you muttered, taking your hand and placing it in his cheek. 

"Peace?" He asked, and you nodded. 

"When I was with Aemond, everything felt like waves crashing against my body in a sea which I could never leave," you shrugged, now going to his soft brown hair, stroking it with much care. "It was as it was drowning me, tossing me around without letting me escape… until I met you." 

Cregan swallowed nervously, and you could perceive a slight rose color in his cheeks. 

"You made it stop, Cregan. You brought calmness and peace to my life," your voice came out shaky and whiny as you started to sob. He wiped your tears as you sniffed and then, you continued, "You saved me from drowning, you pulled me out of the ocean."

You saw his eyes gleaming as he stared quietly back at you. You saw his pupils dilated after each word you would say. He never, not even for an instant, stopped watching you. 

"I love you more than I ever loved anyone before. I'm in love with you in every sense of the word. And I'm sorry if I was a shitty person and allowing you to think otherwise, I would never forgive myself for that… but I was so fucking scared of losing you because of what had happened. I was scared of hurting you."

He remained quiet, his eyebrows slightly furrowed as his lips parted a little, as if he wanted to say something but he regretted instantly. 

"So now I beg you to forgive me. I cannot lose you, Cregan. I- I love you so much that I feel I can't live without you anymore," you shrugged, feeling your cheeks soaked with your tears, "And I know that right now you're probably seeing me as a fucking psycho, as mad woman, but please, please, Cregan, I beg you to-" 

His lips silenced you in the most romantic way as he softly kissed you, holding your face in a delicate manner that actually made you forget about the rest of the world. The only thought in your mind now was the fact that Cregan was yours once again, and that you were his in the same way. 

Your heart barely burst once you felt his sweet caresses, and you heard his soft 'i love yous' against your lips as his arms returned to their favorite position: around you. 

With breathless words, he whispered once he had the strength to pull away from your lips, "Let us get away from here… come to the North with me, away from everything that troubles you. We can be happy that I promise you."

"Cregan…" you gasped softly. 

"No more tears for you, I promise you that. You would never get to feel as if you were drowning, because I'll make sure you won't."

"But-"

"We can find a small apartment for the both of us, we can have a new beginning together…" he muttered, pecking your lips every now and day, "I'll make sure to find an apartment with two bedrooms, so Hel can come and visit us whenever she pleases… what do you think?" 

And then, after days of feeling completely miserable and unhappy, a genuine smile appeared on your face as the tears dried in your cheeks and you nodded. Cregan chuckled softly, 

"Yes?" He asked, smiling back at you. 

"Yes," you said, grabbing his face just to kiss him once again. 

The need to show your love once again started to create a heat between you two. The big fight was over, your troubles will soon vanish, you had never felt more happy than you felt in that little intimate moment. It was all you ever needed. 

Soon your clothing started to disappear with the increasing need of feeling each other's body pressing. The necessity of feeling him closer than that. The kisses deepened, your hands became more curious and your breaths became heavier with each passing minute. 

Sweet moans were heard a few minutes later as Cregan was thrusting inside of you. Your arms and legs wrapped around his big and wide body, holding him close with the fear of losing him again. 

Your eyes closed as Cregan softly moaned against your ear, whispering sweet nothings and kissing your neck. You couldn't help but smile, feeling so loved, so treasured. Each touch would translate into an unspoken 'I love you'.

Right there in that moment you knew everything would be fine. All the nightmares had disappeared from your life, and a new beginning was finally waiting for you. 

And you couldn't wait to see it. 

[smolbluegoblin]

alright, Burrow's End conspiracy theories time!

what we learned is that the Blue is affecting everything in a radius around the "Second Sun" located at the grey rectangle rock - most likely a human structure as depicted on the DM screen. The "non-bears" Ava described are most likely vehicles, since (like the bear) they move around carrying smaller creatures inside and kicking up dust while doing so. The creatures described by Thorn look like humans with gas masks and hazmat suits on.

(which, might I add, is so fucking cool because seeing humans through another creature's eyes really is an eldritch horror experience, Lovecraft move over we have @quiddie now)

Two things jumps out to me straight away: the Meadow and the dust storm.

The Meadow was full of blue flowers, but also seems like it was protected by electricity somehow (the lighting coming from the earth). Was it electric fences ? A force field ? Why would humans protect flowers ?

Now, the dust storm is weird. Sure, a truck (or multiples) can kick off a lot of dust, but not enough to kill MOST OF THE STOATS in the Red Warren. The damages it dealt means it was more than dust in there, and when Viola remembered the dust cloud from the end of Episode 1, Aabria added something about it being kicked off "on purpose". Was the purpose to get rid of the stoats? To empty out the forest of threats like the parasited bear ?

Another detail I saw in Episode 3 is when Izzy asked if she was able to read English, Aabria confirmed the humans language isn't English because she "doesn't want the events to be able to be attached to a real place". So the events probably are inspired by multiple real life events but she wanted to be cool about it and have creative liberty and not tie it to a specific setting and have people in the comments calling out inaccuracies the whole time (which... fair)

Finally, with next week's teaser and Viola's vision of seeing her kids in a grey smooth stole burrow, we can assume that the facility has been abandoned by humans and reclaimed by stoats. All of that is speculative since the next episode isn't out yet though.

With all of this new info, here's my theory:

The Blue is the consequence of a human-made thing that went out of hands. Is it radiation? Pollution? Something else? Don't know yet. But it's airborne and has affected an entire perimeter around the facility and the creatures within it.

Humans don't seem to approach the Blue without hazmat suits, and protect the area with electricity, either to keep stuff from coming into the area, or to avoid affected creatures to leave the area. (the Meadow was described as far south in relation of the second sun so it might be around the border of the area ?)

A recent expedition into the polluted area kicked off a lot of dust, and the concentration of Blue killed the weaker stoats: elders and children. It might also be a gas that was spread by humans to quell the number of animals in the area, because they know they've been affected (sapience, mutations) and want a clear path to go back into the area without much threat.

The epicenter of the Blue, the facility, since it was deserted, has been used by stoats because the Blue gives them powers; it made them intelligent, capable of some sort of magic, so why not go closer to the source of their power ?

The whole situation makes me think of some ecological disasters - Chernobyl being front and center - with these mutations and invisible force/enemy. Maybe the zone was evacuated of human presence for a long time, leaving the stoats to develop their society (irl stoats are very territorial and don't like to share quarters after all). But maybe they're coming back and menacing the family with their presence and activities. Maybe the stoats were an experiment that escaped when the Blue happened ? Maybe they were just affected by it the most out of all animals for some reason ?

I mean, I can spin theories all I want, but at the end of the day these stoats have invented a writing system so it might be all for nothing and Aabria is a mastermind operating beyond the scope of our minds

[something-about-sunflowers]

Alright, *cracks knuckles, back, pussy, crack, etc* more trailer to break down.

Mirror image of the shot in the teaser? Was it flipped for a reason or are we getting more than one scene like this? What boat are they on? It's not the dinghy, not the revenge (I don't THINK?), and they're not dressed the way they are with the Chinese pirates. (Red scarf presence noted.)

Speaking of: Is this 'Susan' he's talking to? This has to be early on, he's not got his cunty little earring yet. (Just trying to nail SOME of the timeline down, you understand.)

Scarf. Feeling more and more sure it's Ed's silk.

Oluwande 💚. The way this dialogue is cut seems like they're skipping something, the way Olu says 'you dumped him' doesn't flow with the conversation the way it would if it was a immediate response to Stede's 'no, why would he do that?'

Presented without comment.

They're eating the wedding cake. :)

This is presumably happening while Ed is throwing knives at Izzy's head. :(

Anyway. This looks like they're definitely trying to get Blackbeard to stop -

- doing this so they can get through the storm or tell him something's gone wrong. Maybe Izzy's foot/leg gets real bad during the storm? Could be a lot of things.

Initially I thought this might be a precursor to him menacing Frenchie in the one shot in the EW article, but that's in the galley not Stede's cabin and this is a bucket full of bottles (alcohol) and with Frenchie it's a box with bottles (containers, possibly food but I think it looks more likely to be medicine)

(for reference)

I think this is in the auxiliary wardrobe, bride figure in the top right.

Izzy looks MISERABLE here. Whether it's the idea of him knowing EXACTLY why they're at a wedding or because he's in a hell of a lot of pain (foot still present and infected and all that) or some unfortunate combination of both (likely both), I want to wrap him up in a blanket burrito and give him forehead kissies. Also, wider shot here lets me update who's where on the topdown, so:

Jim

Izzy

Frenchie

Fang

Archie

Unnamed bald one with the studded bracers behind Izzy in the previous shot

Ed. Ed you are like. Consistently seen smoking from a pipe. You can't handle a blunt? Or is the weed too dank? Also, pretty sure this is him and Anne and/or the person she's with in the shots a bit after this.

This is why I thought it might have been the shot from the EW article but again, different container with different miscellanea and different room. He. Does seem to be. Interacting with Frenchie a lot though. And. This instance seems very specifically similar to. To him interacting with. A certain someone else. In season 1. . . I'm not saying Izzy's out with a case of Leg Gone and Ed's leaning on Frenchie in the aftermath. . . but.

I feel this so hard. We've all been there Ed. Anyway I'm pretty sure this is the same place he's smoking with mysterious, mostly offscreen, light skin-toned hand person who may or may not be Anne and/or her friend. (No scarf.)

Genuinely I feel like the nose staying on his face would look more believable without the ribbon. Lucius didn't need a ribbon for his finger. Maybe if it was horizontal as opposed to diagonal? It looks LOOSE and that makes it seem like it's not secure enough to be staying on his face like it is.

Deserved (the punch). My baby's leg tho. :'(c It's not even the right height for him. Look how he's gotta bend his other leg just standing.

Olu fighting someone???

Bracer looks like guy number 6 from the wedding raid but this doesn't look like it's on a ship. This guy also seems to have a beard or something that the other guy didn't so idk.

Cracked the code here thanks to @tizzyizzy pointing out something in my server. I was right about this not being during the storm. I was wrong about it being a possibly mutiny. I'm gonna jump a bit ahead in the trailer in a sec to explain but: Ed's got a rock tied around his waist here. You can see the rock at the bottom of the screen.

You can see the line go taut and pull him down.

You can see the rock continue to pull him down. (The rock is right at the bottom of the screen.)

Jumping ahead in the trailer and. Well. Rock with some rope tied around it. (Once again, thank you Tizzy 🙏 you eagle eyed hero) The lighting certainly matches better than the storm did. The question is: Is Hornighost trying to talk him into it or out of it? (And. Yknow. Is he a ghost at all, even?)

Back to where we jumped from. Are these guys wearing the same clothes as the guy Stede 'did a punch' to? Looks like it. *Black Pete voice* What IS this fucking timeline!

Love that Izzy is the only one who doesn't duck away. Also 👀 Lucius spotted. Is he holding hands with Jim? He certainly seems comfortable positioned right between the two little killers doesn't he? ;3c

'Oh no my boat :'(c' Is anyone still on board or did they take a dinghy and get outta there after the storm?

This.

(New promo pic.) This.

(Skipping ahead in the trailer.) And this, are all the same version of Stede. The outfit (weird little arm flappies, red sash) and location are the same. This is absolutely a dream sequence. Stede is dreaming about being the kind of pirate he wishes he was. I'd also venture as to guess this is the extent of his 'revenge on Izzy' that Some Of You are all so clamoring for.

[Out of allowed images, please hold]

[ellaenchanting]

Hypnovember 2023 Day 2: Brain Drain

I have committed Our Flag Means Death fanfiction! I am so sorry. Stede/Ed, Ed/Izzy, somehow happy poly and happy metamours making a lovely vee. Takes place in some AU season 2 where the last arc of the season never happened. Izzy is living his best happy masochist life.

Author knows fuck all about ships.

Izzy had gotten much more comfortable spending time with his shipmates since the Calypso's birthday incident.

There was nothing like a round of torture to bring a crew together, he thought.

Tonight the whole group had gathered in the galley under the ship, laughing and chatting long past when they usually went into their quarters for the evening. The sea had been calm that day and the mood was social. Everyone seemed quite relaxed.

Only two members were missing.

Oluwande looked up from his cuddle pile with Jim and Archie. He seemed to have read Izzy's mind. "Hey," he called out to the gathered group, "Has anyone seen the captains this evening?"

"No!" a few people responded.

"Thank God," snarked Black Pete. "Blackbeard...well Ed has been freaking me out. Yelled at me earlier about trimming the sails and you KNOW I keep them the trimmest, babe," he said to his partner Lucius.

"Yeah, he snarled at me when I told him 'hello' earlier," said Archie. "Like this!" She contorted her face into a frankly over-the-top grimace. "Made me nearly jump out of my skin. I may have heard him yell at some seagulls too? Or dolphins?"

Roach looked worried. "Neither captain has come down for dinner, yet," he said.

"Perhaps they are...occupied in the captain's quarters," speculated Izzy.

"Oh? Feeling left out, are you?" joked Frenchie, the little shit. Izzy tactfully ignored him.

Roach replied, still concerned. "Captain Stede will usually come down and request provisions in advance if they're having a long night alone," said Roach. "Thinks he's being sneaky, says they need extra energy 'for planning raids.'"

"My room is below theirs. Trust me, they've not been buggering today," piped up Wee John. "Unless they've learned to be much more quiet about it."

"Maybe they've gotten into a spat and someone's gotten pushed off the ship," spat Lucius. "That'll happen with him, you know."

"OK, that's enough," said Izzy, trying to regain control over the situation as everyone began to talk at once. "You're like gossipy fishwives, all of you. I'll go check on the captains. Make sure Bonnet's not running the ship into a cliff or something."

Izzy climbed up the stairs and started to look around the ship. Ed and Stede weren't in the captain's quarters (being quiet for once). There was no sign of them on the deck. He even craned his neck up to the bird's nest and checked. No captains there.

He finally spotted them at the back of the ship- on a little bit of the stern mostly hidden from view. They were both sitting facing out at the ocean. From a distance, Izzy could see Stede's arm was bent around Ed's shoulder, his hand occasionally reaching up to rock Ed's drooped head into slow, almost imperceptible little circles. Aside from the rocking, Ed's body was remarkably still. It was a huge change from the tense, coiled menace that Ed's frame had carried earlier in the day. Now, he looked almost like a puppet with his strings cut, only responding to Stede's guidance. His arms rested gently besides his legs, lax and pliant.

Izzy could hear Bonnett speaking in a low, soothing voice near Ed's ear but he was too far to make out any words.

Ed had mentioned mesmerism to Izzy before. It was one of the many upperclass daliances that Bonnet had introduced him to- one of those many trifling hobbies that Izzy would never begin to understand the appeal of. Izzy even knew that Bonnet had used his skills on Ed previously. His captain confided that Bonnett's fancy mesmerism routine had helped him find quiet during his not-infrequent emotional storms, that it evened out his seemingly uncontrollable highs and lows. In Izzy's mind, he had pictured the whole thing looking quite comical- Bonnett with wiggly fingers staring daggers into Ed's eyes (maybe with rays), Edward swooning and fainting away in response like a lady whose corset was too tight.

This was quieter than what he had pictured. Gentle. Intimate, even. As he looked over at the scene, he had the sudden feeling that perhaps he shouldn't intrude.

He began to walk away when Stede turned his head and look directly at him. Izzy froze for a moment, unsure what to do. Stede quietly waved him over to where the couple was sitting.

As Izzy approached, he began to get a closer look at Ed's face. His eyes were closed and his face relaxed. His chest slowly rose and fell with each breath. As he come closer, he noticed Ed's eyes were making little flickers underneath his eyelids like he was dreaming.

Izzy wondered what dreams were happening below those lids.

Ed's brows furrowed a bit as Izzy came closer, picking up the noise.

Stede stroked a reassuring hand through his hair. He spoke in his ear, this time loud enough so Izzy could hear: "Shhhhhhh sweetness. It's OK. Relax. You're not in charge right now, remember? Just rest."

Ed's expression immediately cleared. He let held breath with a sigh.

"Izzy's here," Stede continued. "He and I are going to have a chat for a bit. But you don't have to pay attention to that right now, ok? Just drift. Why don't you see how deep you can count yourself down for me while we talk? I'll be right here. I'll touch your leg when it's time for you to listen to me again, ok?"

Ed gave a slight, dreamy nod. His lips barely moved as he began to count silently.

Seemingly satisfied, Stede gestured for Izzy to sit and moved over closer to him.

Izzy sat down, still staring at Ed's lax face. Somehow that by itself was just fascinating. Ed seemed so vulnerable and bare right now. Izzy wasn't sure if he should feel honored or spooked.

"He had a bad day," Stede said gently, nodding over to their entranced boyfriend. "You know how he gets. He needed out of his head for a bit."

Izzy DID understand how Ed got- probably more than his dandyish captain ever would. Hopefully more that Stede ever would, he corrected himself. Ed had certainly told his other boyfriend at least a bit about the hurricane that had been his and Izzy's relationship in the past. When times were bad, they had only known how to take their energy out on each other. They bit and snarled and scratched at one another just to drown out all the noise inside. Izzy had always assumed Ed had NEEDED all of that- needed to hurt and make Izzy suffer the same way that Izzy needed to hurt and suffer for him. That's how they worked. That's who they were together.

Since arriving on the Revenge, though, Izzy had seen more and more of the hidden soft side of Blackbeard. The side that enjoyed fancy clothes and fine foods. The side that kissed Stede's cheek sweetly when he didn't think anyone else was looking. The side that, even now, sat loose and drifting and unguarded while his two boyfriends stayed by him and had a chat.

"Can he hear us?" Izzy asked Stede, curiously.

Stede smiled. "He can hear us, he's just..focused elsewhere right now. Mesmerism's not a magic spell, it's more like- a nice version of where Ed's brain goes when he's navigating. Or how he is when he's trying to sniff out a storm."

Izzy was familiar with his captain's tendency to tune everything out while trying to read the sea. He pictured the absolute, unshakeable concentration of his focused gaze. "Only with nice, clear skies?"

Stede nodded. "Only with nice clear skies." He looked fondly at Ed's dreaming face. "No rain. Nothing to worry about right now." He had dropped into a lighter, dreamy tone- and for a moment, Izzy wasn't sure if he was still speaking to Ed or Izzy or even somehow mesmerizing himself.

Izzy had seen many things in his travels. He once heard a street charlatan talk about mesmerism- saying mesmerism somehow balanced out a person's magnetic forces (y'know- whatever magnetic forces were). He wasn't one for all of Stede's little tricks but- he did understand about needing balance.

Izzy had initially misunderstood Ed's relationship to Stede. He worried that the gentleman pirate would make Ed weak. That he would seduce him away. That he would try to turn the great Blackbeard into one of Stede's fancy little gentleman friends. Izzy had been terrified there would be nothing left of the Ed that he loved after Stede was through.

But Ed was still Izzy's Ed, even now. He could still fight and outwit and outmaneuver anyone else on the sea. He would still protect his crew with all the fierceness of his notorious reputation. He and Izzy could still lose themselves in each other- in their old married couple bickering, in their fighting and fucking, in their indulgences of Ed's sadism and Izzy's corresponding masochism. It just- felt more controlled now. Izzy no longer wondered if Ed actually hated him or if he was just looking for someone convenient to break. He no longer worried that Blackbeard would maim him so badly that he couldn't look after the crew. Even when Ed hurt him now- and he WOULD still hurt him, Stede didn't magic that part away- Izzy was always rewarded with a kiss and some praise afterwards. "That's so good, Izzy. You did so well for me," he would say. Edward seemed so much stronger in these moments now- able to control his own fierceness and use it as a weapon- but also to hold Izzy as he fell apart for him.

Izzy looked over at Ed's quiet countenance- so different than before. It was otherworldy seeing him this serene and distant. He had a sudden desire to protect this version of Ed- Stede's gentle Ed. To keep him safe. A mad, possessive impulse made it to Izzy's mouth before he could stop it.

"Can I touch him?" he asked. "Like this?"

Stede looked surprised. "By touch, do you mean....?"

"His face, Bonnet" Izzy replied, snarkily. "Or his hand or something. His hair. Not going to wank him off on the deck, now am I?"

Stede bit back a laugh. He leaned over to gently touch Ed's leg.

Ed reacted with an almost imperceptible startle before gently settling- serene like the moon going back behind a cloud.

"Shhh- that's OK, love, you can stay relaxed. Good," Stede soothed. "Izzy was wondering if he could touch you while you're in trance. Would that be OK?"

Ed took a moment to respond, as though the words were reaching him from a great distance. Then he nodded his assent.

Stede smiled back at Izzy, reassuringly. Izzy took a breath- then reached over to slowly stroke Ed's hair.

His fearsome Blackbeard smiled in return to the gesture- giving a happy little murmur. He slightly leaned his head in. Just like an affectionate kitten, Izzy thought.

"Good," soothed Bonnet at Ed. "I bet that feels nice."

Izzy grinned too, feeling oddly proud to be trusted with this quiet moment. He and Ed had never been conventional. Maybe it was OK that Ed and Stede weren't either. Maybe it was ok that their relationships were so different- that they saw such different aspects of the same person.

Maybe it was all ok.

Maybe it all balanced.

They sat quietly for a long moment on the deck, letting the peace of the atmosphere soothe them.

Gradually Stede stirred. "Izzy- I forgot to ask: Did the men send you? Were they looking for us?"

"There's no emergency, they were just curious where you were," replied Izzy.

Stede nodded. "We should probably get back, then. Or at least get off deck. Love," he said, moving his voice back into that hypnotic tone. He touched Ed's leg to refocus him. "Are you ready to come up out of trance for me?"

Ed took a deep breath and nodded.

"Good, I'll count to 5 then. It's just to guide you- I know you know how to come up at your own pace. Bring back any of this peace and calm that you want with you, ok?"

Stede started counting- his voice slowly gaining energy as he reminded Ed to connect back with his body and helped him reorient to the ship. It all didn't seem particularly magical to Izzy- but then again he rarely tried to understand Bonnet's ways anyway. Ed finally blinked his eyes open when Stede reached 5.

He blinked a few more times, adjusting. Then, his gaze lost it's bleariness as he looked adoringly up at Stede.

"Hi, there," said Stede, smiling gently. "Back with us, love?"

"Mmmmph mostly," said Ed, scritching his beard and stretching to rouse himself. He looked over at Izzy as though reminding himself he was there and smiled. "Heya, Izz!" Ed leaned up to kiss him.

Izzy grinned into their kiss. "Heya, Captain. Didn't want to interrupt your little daydream session. Crew was just looking for you."

"Ah, we missed dinner!" exclaimed Stede. "I should have asked Roach for..."

"Provisions for planning raids, I heard," smirked Izzy. "Yes, we're all very snowed by your clever euphemisms."

"Fuck provisions, I could eat a horse," said Ed. He practically bounced up and put an arm around both of his boyfriends. "C'mon, let's get some grub!"

Helpless to his whims as always, both of his partners joyfully followed him to dinner.

Fanfic is new to me so would love some thoughts! Also this is unbeta'd so will love you forever if you would point out spelling/grammar mistakes or if there's unclear writing. I'm considering posting this to AO3 but- don't want to embarrass myself in front of the REAL fanfic writers, you know? Feedback welcomed!

Tagging @mentat101posts and @thekinkycocktailclub .If you want to be tagged in these, just lmk!

Tagging @darthkyra @linnybeenaughty @pearlqueensposts @thiskenisftm @deeperforme because they wanted OFMD hypnokink and I blame/thank you for the inspiration to actually get this down!

[anonficwriter]

No Safe Port

Izzy needs more than one hug, whether he wants to admit it or not, and Fang is happy to give him another - whether he deserves it or not.

“You don’t have to go in there, you know, Izzy?”

Fang’s voice was just about the last thing--

not really the last, is it, but I can’t think of that, I’ll break again

-- Izzy had wanted to hear again, after spending an entire day avoiding the crew as a whole after that-- shameful-- bullshit below deck that morning. One thing he’d learned early in life was that there is always a steep price to pay for weakness, and he’d kept that well in mind since.

Only that now he was unable to get a firm grip on himself once again; every part of him felt like the splintered piece of a ship that had taken far too much cannon fire, ready to come apart and drown the bastard at the helm desperately trying to steer the heap of broken wooden planks towards a safe port that may not exist. 

Not that he was steering a lot. He could barely hold onto the helm to keep standing.

Which was why Fang had found him there, standing in front of his cabin, unable to make himself step in - wondering if sleeping with his boots on would be enough to spare him more pain, or if it would only put him at risk of losing a finger instead. He was considering the idea of not sleeping at all - not too difficult, surely, with his left foot throbbing painfully with each heartbeat and no alcohol in his system to take the edge off the pain - when Fang had suddenly spoken up from behind him.

Izzy worked his jaw a moment, and turned with a glare. “Where else am I supposed to fucking sleep?” he snapped, with what hoped was sufficient venom to get the idiot to back off. Except that it didn’t work. His voice sounded weak to his own ears, and he hated it. He was not weak, could not afford to be weak. If Fang tried to hug him again, he’d bite his fucking throat out. 

That thought had to show on his face, and Fang made no attempt to step closer; he just held up his hands, as though to show he wasn’t trying to touch him, and spoke again. “My bunk, I was thinking,” he said.

Izzy stared. Opened his mouth. Closed it. Stared some more. 

“What the fuck made you think I’d want to sleep in your bunk?”

“Well, it’s in the cargo hold, and I figure that if-- someone gets in a bad mood tonight, hypothetically, he wouldn’t look for you there. It’s safer. Well, safe-ish. If I get in the bunk too, you know, I’m big. I think I could hide you pretty well. No one coming in would see you. If anyone does come in.”

Hide. Is this what he thought of him? Is this what the crew now thought Israel Hands did when things got tough - hide behind a crew man, flattened against the wall like a cockroach?

“Get the fuck out of my si--” Izzy began, taking a step towards Fang, and it was a mistake. It was supposed to be a menacing step, but in his anger he didn’t put the foot down carefully enough and pain shot up his leg like lightning - up his spine, to his brain - and the knee gave in. 

There was a grunt coming from his own mouth, the pathetic noise of a dog who just got a kick in the ribs, and he didn’t even try to regain his footing. He closed his eyes and waited for the impact with the floor, hoping that it would hurt less than putting weight on his foot again.

But the impact didn’t happen. Fang grabbed him before he fell, and picked him up like he weighed nothing. Izzy would have made good on his promise to rip out his fucking throat with his teeth, if not for the fact his foot was a mangled mass of a pain and he could think of nothing other than please please make it end.

“Got you, I got you,” Fang was saying just above him, and Izzy let out a low, guttural noise, head rolling against something solid that he’d assume, later, was Fang’s shoulder. Next thing he knew for certain was that he was being leaned on what someone very charitable could call a bed, the wave of pain slowly diminishing enough for him to take in his surroundings. He was in the cargo hold, sure enough, where Fang slept whenever the weather made sleeping on hammocks on deck less than pleasant. 

“Sorry, I’m sorry-- if you really don’t wanna stay I’ll take you back to your cabin. Just, you scared me half to death-- you want me to get Roach, to take a look at--” Fang didn’t try to reach for his boot as much as he gestured towards it, but it was enough to make Izzy sit up with a start.

“No,” he gritted out. There were bandages beneath the boot, of course, but he’d die before he let anyone see those either. “No. No. No one fucking looks.”

“All right, all right--”

“Don’t call anyone!”

“I won’t.”

Izzy let himself drop back on the pillow, breathing fast and drenched with sweat. Something rested on his forehead. 

“You’re warm, Izzy.”

“Fuck o--” Izzy began, but then he heard something - steps on the deck above. 

And it could have been anyone, absolutely anyone out of the entire crew, but it was enough to make words die on his lips, the snarl turning into a sharp intake of breath. It was Blackbeard, of course it was, heading to his cabin to claim more of him. And he should be glad, shouldn’t he? He’d been glad the first time, thinking that someone he’d known long ago was finally back. A single toe had seemed a fair price to pay for that.

Blackbeard is my captain, he had told him, and not too long ago he thought he’d been prepared to give anything, everything, all of him to his captain. No higher pride than being Captain Blackbeard’s First Mate. I serve Blackbeard, he had said.

But this was not the man he’d known, either. This was not how things were before. And the more he lost, the more terrified he grew of how much more would be taken next. His pride was all he could cling to, and even that had taken a blow.

It’s what I get. I did this. I made my own fucking bed and I should get up and got to fucking lie in it like a man, instead of hiding like a-- a--

The steps faded, and Izzy gave a shaky exhale, keeping still. The wooden boards above his head turned blurry; if Fang noticed, he said nothing of it and just blew out the candle. The blurry boards disappeared, and Izzy closed his eyes. He did his utmost to ignore the wet, warm something going down his temples.

“... You all right if I get in, Izzy? I’ll be careful.”

As long as you don’t fucking hug me again, Izzy should have snapped, but he didn’t make a sound and barely moved his head to nod. There would be shame in it come morning, no doubt, but at the moment he felt nothing but a desperate desire to go to sleep, rest, and awaken in the morning safe and whole. Or as close to whole as he could be now.

“You good?”

Fang was leaning down next to him and probably halfway off the bunk, since he was giving Izzy most of the space… which probably defeated the entire idea of hiding him from sight. A long breath, and Izzy shifted against the wall.

“You’re not hiding a fucking thing like that. Come on,” he muttered, waving goodbye to the last tattered leftover of his dignity. To his relief, Fang didn’t comment; he just shifted onto the bunk to lean on his side, his solid mass against Izzy’s arm, surely more than enough to conceal him from sight should anyone have a look inside. But if said someone came over…

“... The fuck are you planning to do if he really comes in? If he doesn't stop at the door and comes in looking and finds me?” Izzy found himself asking, but it was a stupid question if there ever was one. He’d give him up, of course he would. Anyone in the crew would. He would, in their shoes.

A few moments of silence, and he felt Fang shrug. A blanket was pulled over both of them. “Well, if it happens, we’ll see. But I don’t think it will. The crew agreed to try and keep him, uh, distracted, if it looks like he might come this way.”

“You’re a bunch of fucking idiots.”

“Heard that a few times.”

“You don’t make any fucking sense. Risk your lives for-- you tried to throw me off board with an anchor weeks ago.”

“Try to get some sleep, Izzy.”

Easier said than done, that: for a long time Izzy lay awake in the dark, mouth dry, aware of nothing but the creaks and groans of the ship as well as the slowly dulling pain in his foot. But little by little, as no sound of steps reached his ears, something in his chest began to ease. The pain grew duller, his eyelids heavy, and he found himself listening to Fang’s slow, steady breathing instead. Finally, he closed his eyes and turned on his side. 

His forehead rested against Fang’s shoulder, and Izzy quickly found out he was not asleep at all when he felt a hand rubbing his back. He squeezed his eyes shut with a shaky breath. “You won’t tell a fucking soul about this,” he choked out.

“Course not. Want a hug?”

“Don’t make me say it,” Izzy managed, and thank fuck he didn’t. 

Izzy didn’t struggle this time. He remained limp and still, letting Fang give him the fucking hug and hold onto him. With the lights off and no one else there to see, it was easier to fight back shame. Tears, on the other hand, were quicker to come without shame to keep them at bay; terror of being heard helped him keep it quiet, at least. 

Any and all noises that did escape him were muffled against Fang’s shirt, and the idiot was rocking him and it was fucking stupid - but if he let go of him now, Izzy knew, the splintered ship would come apart and leave him to drown at sea. He gripped that shirt with both hands, knowing that there was no safe port for him, but Fang was the closest thing to one that he could turn to and fuck it, he needed it, he needed to rest, he needed help.

Fang seemed to get the message, and kept holding on. “Get some sleep, yes? It will be alright.”

Nothing is fucking right, Izzy wanted to say, but slowly the crying subsided and left him on the edge of sleep or unconsciousness, whatever the fuck one wanted to call it. He was parched, his foot still throbbed dully, but most of all he was exhausted. Sleep claimed him with his face still burrowed against Fang’s chest, a hand rubbing slowly up and down his spine while the ship rolled gently on the waves.

It was no safe port yet but maybe, just maybe, the respite would give him the strength he needed to hang on until he found one.

[from-izzy]

things/aesthetic you associate with your moots please!

anon! this is such a fun ask! thank you so much for this one!! 😍

i'm doing the ones i've talked to enough (dm and/or on gcs) for me to (somewhat) answer this ask (sorry if i missed you or gave you something that doesn't suit you 😭) also limiting to fifteen (15) things or else we'll probably be here all day oop---

my obsession with alphabetical order strikes once again!!

honestly this became more of an appreciation post but 🥺

@astrae4

my child, cute round glasses, colourful heart shaped balloons and parties, 'i just go with the flow', energiser, miffy, light blue jeans, photobooths, wanderlust, 'paris! it's no longer just europe now', ice skating, falling gracefully despite being sick and swamped into 'sewer water' 😭, bakeries, caffeine in the form of daily matcha, doesn't like me as much as i thought she did

@cloverdaisies

black and white (with a splash of red), dynamic hair colour changes, black sleeveless satin dress, but also oversized monochromic shirts, a glass of wine one on hand, blurred pictures, mirror selfies with flash on, eyeliner wings, but also fruity and lovely, same age but so mature, 'guys it's due today and i haven't started', 'i knew you would come back with time' (🥺), juvenile, no emojis at all, sarcasm (not) detected most of the time (i'm gullible ok 😭)

@cupidjyu

my hyunjae bestie!!, bows and croquette, pink and white, picnic with flowers, toro inoue, spring breeze, texting and chatting during school times, 'i'm bored' (talking about class), thirteen-hour time zone difference (and my body clock makes it worse), 'sunwoo is cute!', but also 'hyunjae!', but also sleep >>> anything (including hyunjae 🙄), sexy brain (please gimme those braincells), going around in circles, 'why do you do this to yourself? sleep!'

@heemingyu

honey bee, distorted purple and white aesthetic, gilmore girls, late deep night talks, love and patience, three-leaf clover (shamrocks), the grinch filter, being a huge menace to society but still lovable so it's hard to really tell her off, in reality i love her more than she loves me, but i still give her silent treatment anyways, 'naur', economics and crying, missing the bus and then blaming it on me, black cat, izz instead of izzy 🥺

@justalildumpling

chaotic sibling energy, my no.1 bitch, casual night time walks, fearless, freedom, making videos during said walks, lovesick puppy, ohmyface by silichmasha on instagram, side eyes, selfies with a slightly tilted head, sometimes cutely gaped open mouth other times closed (either way it makes me wanna squish her cheeks most of the time), 'izzy i have tea! well...not really tea! actually no it's tea!', talking late into the night (well...the morning), sunlight and blue sky seeping into her blinds, 'come get unready with me!'

@littleroaes

pastel purple, pastel pink, pastel blue, basically fairy floss, innocence and beauty, supportive and real, very shy, long white dresses, flowers all around her dancing in the wind, but is also very funny, drawing reactions, sometimes talking in all caps, sometimes talking with lower caps, all the time very cute, sitting down at the beach and watching sunsets

@mosviqu

pink and white, scarfs and gloves, long-sleeved shirts paired with short skirts, long drives with dynamic playlists changes, and would ask her friends to go and make sure they have a great time, jamming out to a playlist at 3am (but she has a healthy sleep schedule so), that one friend who knows what to do, not afraid to express herself 99% of the time, the other 1% is just the world being mean, will always be a white cat, 'izzy i'm so proud of you', words of comfort, head pats!!, artistically talented, eric sohn's soulmate

@winterchimez

soulmates (but lives in the wrong country), ireland, loving mother vibes, but also tired mother vibes, sunrise vibes but specifically orange and yellow, hard worker, faith in god, quiet art museums but also bustling concert halls, turning bitterness in life into a lesson that can never be replaced and is always thankful for the opportunity even though the period of that life was hard, mental and physical resilience through crazy back to back schedules, videocalling on the bus/train on the way home, 'so/saur', my favourite purple jacket, music and piano are forever ally's vibe tbh, 'if i missed your call, i will always call you back'

@zzoguri

crying when seeing a friend, headphones all day every day, classy look, black top with light blue jeans, vintage camera film filter, journalism (it really does suit you), 'YEAH YEAH I GET YOU!', crying about uni (same tho 😭), gaming for hours, specifically valorant, my infj bestie, acoustic guitar vibes (ykwim?), 'you're so valid though', a distinct unique accent, jacob bae's partner

[softsnzstuff]

OF/MD - Kraken!Ed with a Cold

Based on this post thread. Have a snippet of what myself and @snzsnchillz-afterdark think menacing Kraken!Ed would be like when he’s got the worst cold and is trying to still be threatening. This one goes out to my OFMD buddies - @friv0lite @peach-plumb-pear2 @sniffles-and-tickles @softersteve

Based on the new promo pictures because Taika could choke me and I’d thank him Ed looks so good 🫡😍

Set between seasons 1 and 2 (before canon S2 has come out if anyone finds this post 10/05/23)

CW: intentional contagion

The crew of the Revenge were well used to Ed’s overnight personality changes at this point. At first he’d been all weepy and switched to being one with the Earth and musical and personifying his soul…whatever that meant.

The second switch happened a few days later. Over night. When he had reached the point in his breakup that condoned anger and violence. He’d cut off Izzy’s toe and fed it to him in the night, also tossing plenty of Stede’s things overboard - partial crew included.

He’d been in full swing as Blackbeard for a couple of weeks now - ravaging ships, looting them, and leaving men for dead in ways more unimaginable than skinning them with the snail fork.

This third personality shift happened when he came down with the cold from Hell… or rather - tried to convince everyone that he hadn’t.

Ed had been up Izzy’s ass the the last day, quite literally screaming orders in his ear, pausing occasionally to cough wetly. Izzy would just close his eyes and force a smile before responding with, “Yes, Captain.”

This morning, Izzy had awoken the crew early - somehow managing to be both yelling at them and quiet as not to wake Ed.

“Alright listen up, dogs! Blackbeard is… under the weather… and is more irritable than usual.” Izzy started. “I want you lot to just do what he says and try not to fucking upset him.”

“Why is that our job? He’s the one being a dick.” Jim muttered, twirling their knife.

Izzy sighed, having known Ed the longest. “Because the sooner he is well again, the sooner he stops being a cunt.”

“Yeah, that’s a good enough answer for me I feel.” Frenchie looked around for agreement. Everyone stayed silent, but Fang gave a single nod in solidarity.

“I want you all to keep your heads down and stay out of his fucking way. If he asks anything, you say ‘yes captain’ and fucking do it. And you-” Izzy points to Frenchie, “I want you find what’s left of any medicine that Bonnet left on board. Is that understood?”

There were some silent nods.

“I SAID IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?!?” Izzy screamed.

“Yes, fucking Christ.” Jim grumbled, bringing some hands up towards their ears.

“H’iszzzSCHEW! K’tCHuh!”

Just as they were finishing up, Ed kicked the door in, sniffling thickly against his gloved hand.

“What the fuck are you all doing down here???”

Izzy quickly came up with a lie, “I was just telling these fucking idiots that it shouldn’t take this long to clean the floor!”

Izzy shot Frenchie a glance and he immediately dropped to his knees, using a piece of his shirt to scrub at the floor.

“I’m sorry captain Blackbeard sir, it’s just hard to clean the floor without any.. water?” He tried to play along with the charade.

“Hmm. You’re right.” Ed hummed thoughtfully before spitting on the floor right in front of the younger man. “There. Now you’ve got something.”

Frenchie held back a gag as Ed stormed out the other door to the deck of the ship, Izzy and crew following behind. Jim have Frenchie a hand up and he scurried off to go find Stede’s medicine stash.

*****

One thing about the gentleman pirate is that he was bound to have loads of the unnecessary - books, fine fabrics, and medicine. It only took a few minutes for Frenchie to find the bottles in the Captains’ chambers bathroom, but seeing as he couldn’t read, he just grabbed everything and shoved it into a crate to bring to Izzy on the upper deck.

Hands full of different bottles and vials, he turned on his heels to leave the Captain’s chambers. Slamming into the chest of the captain…

“The fuck are you doing in my room?!” Ed hissed, looking the man up and down.

“I uh… you see Mr.Blackbeard sir… I just.. I was…”

Ed’s scowl gave way momentarily to something more relaxed. He turned to the side out of habit, sneezing openly at the air.

“Eh’tSZzZiew! Snlrff”

“Shut up! You’re fucking taking too long.” Ed held up a hand, making Frenchie stop.

The crew member was frozen, staring wide eyed, his eyes locked on the small trail of mess leaking down Ed’s upper lip.

Ed had him pinned against the wall. “The fuck are you staring at?”

“You’ve just…. You’ve got a little…on your face…” Frenchie stammered, gesturing towards Ed’s nose.

He watched in horror as Ed’s nostrils flared once again right in front of him. He squeezed his eyes and hoped for the best.

“H’ekTSZZZuhew!”

Frenchie scrunched his face as he felt droplets hit his cheek.

“Well now you’ve got a little something on your face too.” Ed released his grip on the man, throwing him against the wall and rubbing his own nose again.

“This is so unsanitary.” Frenchie whined quietly.

“What was that???”

“I said uh… sanctuary! Thank you for providing us with such a great… sanctuary….” The fake enthusiasm trailed off at the end before he scurried away to the upper deck.

When he arrived topside, he looked like he’d seen a ghost. Jim was standing at Izzy’s side.

“Jeez what the fuck happened to you?” They asked.

“Here’s your fucking medicine.” Frenchie aggressively dropped the crate of medicine on the barrel in front of Izzy, pausing to wipe at his face and swiping one of the bottles, “this one’s for me now.”

Izzy huffed a knowing sigh and rubbed at his temple. “He sneeze on you?”

Jim made a face of disgust as Frenchie nodded. “Yup…”

“He’s worse than I thought.” Izzy groaned. “Never thought I’d say this but we need Stede back.”

[alexanderlightweight]

I'm having trouble with my net and Tumblr said this couldn't be sent the first time so I'm sending it again, I apologize if you get a double-

Happy Wednesday prompt!

I sent you a prompt las week so I hope it's ok if I send another one but if not, it's all right, here it goes:

If mastery over shadows is a Trueblood ability, what would the Lightwood one be? And what if Alec got that one instead of his shadows? Or Izzy? What if Alec had a mix of both?

i got a double and that was absolutely fine! tumblr and the net can be very annoying menaces when they work together against people.

it's fine to send prompts every week! there's no restriction on it or anything. i really just answer them when i have time/the right mood for the prompt.

i hope you enjoy this au of star eater (sentient alec trueblood au) and the answer is cold fire. flames so cold they crack the wood into shards of ice sharper than glass or diamonds.

misunderstandings/unreliable narration. this is very much an au so basically when bby!alec breaks, his lightwood powers show up instead of the shadows

-

Robert Lightwood dies with an expression of terrified shock frozen on his face, before he falls and shatters into a thousand shimmering pieces.

Alec stares at the remains of his father and feels nothing but numb relief. The terror of his door being forced open, of not having anywhere to hide from his father's angry disappointment— not when Robert used his stele to unlock the door — and Alec now just feels numb.

Numb and cold and it’s with a sluggish curiosity that he lifts his right hand and stares at the silver flames on his fingers. They’re small and cold, almost bitter and Alec remembers the image of flame.

He wonders why he ever assumed the Lightwood’s fire would be warm in any way, even in color.

It's days later that Alec says goodbye to his mother and he feels as cold and as detached as the flames dancing in his core.

Alec could go with her. He could claim her as his parent and be taken in by her but Alec doubts that’s what she wants. She has a chance now, to actually be happy and Alec will be fine. Izzy needs a parent and Maryse loves her, that will never be a problem.

So, Alec steps back from his mother and he keeps his face cold, like he learned from watching her get ready for meetings or when she stepped away from Izzy to face him.

“The Lakecastle’s are going to come help you, okay?” Maryse tells him again and Alec tries to memorize her face, wondering if he’ll ever see it again. He doubts it, there really won’t be a reason for Maryse to want to see him after this and she’ll probably want to keep Izzy safe and protected and away from Alec.  After all, Alec can’t put Izzy first anymore and he can’t die to protect her like Maryse wants anymore.

It makes complete sense to Alec, but Maryse seems horrified by how practical he’s being. Like she didn’t expect Alec to be aware of the fact that he’s a child born of politics and bloodlines and that his existence is no longer Maryse’s problem. All of which, when he quietly explains it, seems to make Maryse grow more and more upset.

Which Alec supposes makes sense.

Nobody ever remembers how much Alec knows, how much he sees while he’s ignored and forgotten. The shadows have always hidden him, for all that they don’t let Alec melt into them, no matter how much he wishes he could. Sometimes, it feels like the shadows cling to him and Alec wonders if they want him to be a part of them as much as he does.

They aren’t though, so Alec can’t rely on them and while his mother’s reaction confuses him, it doesn’t confuse him enough to back down. Alec has leverage now and while he can’t completely protect himself — he’s not big enough yet and his powers too new — he can make it so that he’s safe and defended and unfortunately, that means mother has to leave.

The fire changed things between them. Not in all bad ways though and the shadows of Alec’s room twist and dance in the cold light of his flames as he practices, and Alec feels like that will be enough. His mother and sister will be gone, Trueblood’s once more and his father is dead. Alec is the last of his line with the powers he was bred for, and he wonders if this is what the Lightwood’s really hoped would come of their line.

“Yes, I know.” Alec agrees, because Hirune Lakecastle is an Elder shadowhunter who only retired to train her daughter, Mirai. Both volunteered for the position of guiding Alec and training with him, and he considers it an honor to be so well taken care of.

“If you need me—” Maryse starts to say and Alec scowls.

“I won’t.” He assures her, because he doesn’t need the worry of his mother pretending to care about him. Alec was the price of her marriage and probably a few other things and Alec — after reading through the betrothal papers — thinks he understands better why his mother hates him.

And she has to hate him, because why else would she and father have treated him like they did if they didn’t hate the duty Alec was born from.

It’s better this way, to let her forget about the heir she had to have and focus on the child she actually wanted.

[murkystarlight]

Dreamzzz season2 spoilers pt. 4

(And my personal comments)

Episode 8

Now. I wanted to end it all here. But I thought I'd separate the final episode from the others and so that we would have 5 parts :) (I just like the numbers like that. Okay?)

The name of the episode has so much meaning- oh god...

The deer- 😭 how did it even end up there?? And Zoey saving it- the tightrope (how did it even end up in the cyber realm??)

"Stop! Stop! Shoo!"

You're supposed to be saving it- but I guess you have to be alive to do so (also, the sounds it makes when it nibbles on the rope- lol)

"It's easy to get scared when you're all alone" (awh-)

[Bird sounds]

"There you are! You know, I could've used your help with this"

Zian is just trying to give you a cool moment on screen. Be nice

Zian is ADORABLE-

"Jeez. Always thinking with your stomach"

That's why Zian is so adorable

Mrs. Castillo is such a nice woman. Wise and kind and... and... smart?

"Izzie, if I tell you a secret, promise not to freak out?"

"[Sqealing] Tell me what it is!"

She is already freaking out-...

"The anticipation is already killing me"

I lover her eyes. When they go all big and sparkly. So pretty. And cute

Zoey taking about her problems to Izzie is so- aughhhh sshe trusts her well enough And- and stuff! She's sharing stuff like this to her because she now is able to open up to them

"What happened? Did he apologize? Did he explain where he's been? Did he reveal a dark secret that he's been leading a double life this whole time and he couldn't tell you in order to keep you safe?"

Izzie our trustworthy ally of an anime watcher. She saw enough shows to know this. And she is... very right about it. I didn't notice this before... wow. She- she guessed his entire life

"I'm curious what lava feels like, but I'm not gonna go stick my hand in it"

Why not Zoey? Why not?

Izzie looks so happy for her-..

And Zoey's frown-

"What class is this for?

"It's not for class. It gives me an edge when I face Astrid in the trials. Without being able to Dream Craft, I don't stand a chance against her"

"But! I got to thinking about how you're dealing with your missing memories, so I figured I'd try something totally different too. Totally unexpected."

"Like-... studying?"

"Exactly! [Doing a small jump] She'll never see it coming!"

Logan studying! So he can look good in front of Astrid(or to beat her. Or-... feel better about himself?)!

"He knows you actually have to read those, right?"

[Nodding]

"Logan, nobody wants to beat Royce's protégé more than I do,but I'll be honest, in this next round, you're going to be facing the most diabolical, most menacing, most insidious things you've ever seen"

"An alarm clock" with- a very serious voice

oh... wow. Okay

"Oh~! Squeal! It's so cute!" (Did she really say "sqeal"? Mood) "Look at those big, dreamy eyes!"

The clock is cute? No, you're cute! (...am I flirting with a lego? Y'know what forget it)

And Mateo and Cooper in the background- just staring at her blankly lol (the background is really interesting to look at in this season) and when they get told to stop Logan while he tried to catch the clock, Izzie's pose- it's so cute😍 and again, Mateo and Cooper just like- blank

The alarm clock went to 19 to 12 seconds a bit too fast...? I think

"Wah, wait. Why are you guys backing up? Is it my breath? Oh, nuts!"

The alarm wasn't a loud one. I guess it's just dream magic?

"If you and Mr. Oz are sort of the same, why do you stay here in the Dream World when he wakes up?" I was thinking the same thing! So many questions about Albert! Unsolved!!

We. Need. Answers!

"Isn't there a part of you that's always dreaming?" (But this doesn't satisfy all the questions I have)

So.... they're just training with all these random people being there with them?

Well unicorns! And Mateo's actually doing something! And Cooper- ...I thought you moved on from the vehicles (his face literally reads "yeah. I thought I did too. Why did I do that?")

Astrid has great neck movement(?). You think she can do the arm thing? Like the noodle arms or.. whatever you call it

"One may be able to conquer without being able to do it"

He read the books!! Hallelujah!

Zoey was here the whole time? I was honestly kinda surprised when I was the episode for the first time. What do you mean she was just standing there this whole time?

"This better not be BFF talk" what's bff talk? That thing exists?

Also, what does Izzie mean by "I won't ask about you dad again" again?? You mean- she just constantly kept asking about him? Trying to help Zoey? Ooh so nice

"We get to throw things at Logan"

"Oh man, there goes Cooper! This things gnarly"

The throwing-... and Cooper again. Why is he always the punching bag in the back? Poor guy... (also, if you wake up in a dream as an aware dreamer unexpectedly, or was forced, what's wrong with that? Can't you just... fall asleep again? Or... does some weird magic in the dream world stop you from doing that?)

Izzie, I thought you said you won't ask about her dad-

And do these kids really not know that they divorced or something? Or.. maybe something else happened? Idk

And-- Cooper's back? What- how does this work? Did he never wake up? Was it just a close call? If you can just fall back asleep, what about Mr. Oz??!

And Logan was literally under a couch. A darn couch

Logan being determined- and Astrid turning the alarm back on- she likes them. Shes not exactly a bully. More like a.... "it's TRUE I'm better than you. You have to be better than this" .....okay. that still sounds bad-

Zoey's aunt is- so kind

"Bro-ther.... you know those are poisonous for cats. Right?" And it's already going horribly

The pictures-

Is that red vines?

"Watching Astrid train seemed like a good idea, but man. I'm getting concerned"

"Yeah, I just feel worse now"

We've got these fella's

"Ohhhh~ pretty"

And her.

"Take it down!" *his eyes- look at his eyes in this scene

"What's your problem~ why you gotta ruin our target practice"

"Because that's my daughter!"

Woah- omg~ no wayyyy *shocked*

"What?!"

"I mean, I... I don't see a resemblance" -well of course not, you think he actually looks like a shadow??

"I had no choice. If the Nightmare king knew he would've use it against me!" Still has the same morals.... *sigh*

"Why do you think I kept letting her go?"

"To be honest, I just thought you were a lousy henchman" -I love you Susan, you beautiful nightmare thing

He admits it

"There~ he goes again"

"Ughhhh"

Look at Zoey smiling! She was happy her dad was there in the dream

And the fact that he remembered that she likes licorice as a kid- it's so cute and sweet

Afraid of getting hurt-

Beau probably already has a lot of experience flying. But he was acting(?) like he was so excited and this was his first time-... and Zoey hugging him- awwww father-daughter moment

"Hey, dad. I got some like.. a contest.. or test.. or something come watch it!"

Definitely sounds legit(the only trap. It is legit)

Beau being like- oh... um.... castle what? Uh-... mr Oz? Uh... um....

Eating hotdogs- I swear to god Cooper, food doesn't have to become your whole new personality!

Snot-bug heh cute

Logan being the only one running- like Oh....kay

The flying pizza-

I like how Mateo fell and hit the clock, rolling down the stairs... just like how you wake up. Not me. I don't have an alarm

Izzie and Zian is friends for a reason

Yay! Go Takashi~ also, the way they said his name?

Also, the dreamling costume is like- adorable! But how did he pull that off? You mean no one thought it would be weird that a dreamling is that big?

But Beau trying to be there and support Zoey is nice. Like he does care

But Mr. Oz, really? You don't have to eat off of the floor! (And I just realized. In the 18 years ago episode, Albert said something like "keeping the kids dreaming" or.. whatnot. So... Beau and Hannaha are pretty young back then. At least younger than mr. Oz. So.... does that mean beau talking to mr. Oz this whole time was... on purpose? "I'm going to be rude to him now! Hehe" and... how did mr Oz know that the night hunter was one of his past teammates? And how did he not connect the dots of Beau being the night hunter? And-)

I love how Zoey gets her confidence after seeing her dad. Because she still thinks that he couldn't come. Which in her case would make her feel even better that he did come. That he's really trying to make a difference. Because Zoey still thinks that her dad has to do other stuff that night. But despite that he came to see her! That's what Zoey has on her mind. That's how Zoey is seeing this. Which makes it even more of a... important thing to her

Which is... pretty cute

So they know it's just a costume?

Astrid and Logan bonding- ahhhhh

You can only use dream crafting (but- but-)

"Why, you stuck up little- so and so!" I'm telling you. The only reason mr. Oz doesn't swear, is because he's around kids all the time

"I don't need the win. I already got everything I wanted today"

So- ah! My hearttt the blurry picture-

Beau nearly cleaning up the cardboard cut out

And the never witch! She was gone for a while! Good to see you again you very cool designed evil witch villain that will probably cause a lot of pain to the characters. Welcome!

Also- does the night hunter voice and the Beau voice just.... switch on and off? Is Beau just capable of doing that?

The never witches staff is beautiful

Beau really want the secret identity thing a secret

"What I want. Is the one thing called... Mateo"

Ewww pedo what's wrong with you?? (I'm sorry that was the only reaction I could think of- but it is similar to my first reaction... I think)

Don't worry people who haven't watched this thing yet! She is not pedo!(or... hopefully she isn't) she's just a normal witch that want the boy for dinner! She's going to be making soup or potion out of him

Episode 9

Susan and Snivel fighting again

They're literally siblings

"I've missed this" yeah. Me too

And Nova! You're back! (Maybe she was in the hospital for lack of sleep again)

And Sneak too! Your family misses you Sneak. Please go back to them! Or... bring your two families together?

"What's taking so long!" 😡 he angy. He pissed

So I guess he's only out in the waking world now since he... *cough* isn't much help in the dream world at the moment-

"A few corrupted gummy bears are no match for my daughter" he says it with so much pride.... is this... okay? He caused them. And he... uh... okay??

Sudan and Snivel getting the front row seats to watch the show- with popcorn (really, how is this the candy realm? Just call it 'random food people like realm' ...no. that's a horrible name. Don't use that)

They could get sawed?? By the lollipop trees? Limbs go *poof*??

Oh- nope. Never mind. Sorry guys. The witch is pedo. (Mateo is going on a date👍"you got a date with the never witch")

The nightmare horse/alicorn thing!!

Mateo grunting- 😂

Mateo worrying about z-blob more than himself who is tied up and alone with a witch. Also what spell is the never witch even using?

*dramatic entrance*

"Late to the party my dudes"

Awww.... too bad. I mean.. I guess it's good?

"You handled things just fine without us!"

"Don't sound so surprised"

Why does everyone keep saying stuff like "you said teamwork. But this doesn't look like teamwork to me" as if we're going to have a similar situation from the last season, in this seasons finale too(and the way everyone automatically thinks Mateo left to see Z-blob. Just imagine how many times he did that for them to think this way)

"Mateo left again? Ugh, for the love of-!"

"Maybe- seeing Z-blob will help him feel ready for the next trial"

He's a good friend. A good friend

"Wouldn't it be dope if all of you made the final three?"

He's gotten jolly. Look at him, so friggin adorable-

"I have an... um... errand to run"

"Wha- where is she-?! Does everyone just do what they want around here?"

"Yep, it's part of our charm"

She's so chill

Zian knows-

"Arrogance, selfishness, anger. I will harness your worst tendencies to fuel my spell"

And folks. Here we have it.

Arrogance, selfishness and anger

Mateo's little flaws

I really like the coloring in this show

Did he really break that wood thing prison that he couldn't break with slime? I guess it's pretty hard-

Falling-

Oh, and falling again

Look! Zian's kind!

"What is this place?"

Creepy vine thing. But actually nothing big-

Here it is! The one... no. Not exactly one. The second! And... first clone? Madeo! He... really... ugh.. I don't know

Do the clones look like that only to us watching through the screen or do they actually look like that but the others don't care/think he changed his look by dream crafting?

"I'm the new top dog around here" he sounds like... Mateo. But with a lot of autotune(I don't know with the colors)

But did he really snarl? Like- dude... why??

"Greetings witch! Loved that soup. Spicy!" He ate the- his own- um... flesh and memory stew?

This part is great. I love it. It's so funny

Ticklish Mateo laughing. I wonder if he's ticklish or if the vine just has good skills

"Wait, how did you know I was here? And who's the weird dude?"

The night hunter making dad jokes

"I got nabbed by the night hunter-"

"What?! I will end him"

The night hunter: 😔

Also the night hunter:

"Whatever I can do to help, I will"

Then secretly when no one's watching ��

Oh- so this is where the giant raven set comes from! That set looks amazing btw

Takahashi making flowers- why is he so cute? Why does he keep popping up? Why is he still here? Is he playing a part?

*super cool landing. Sling the giant pencil on shoulder. Grin. And make it evil*

"Um, are they like friends now?"

Yes. Yes they are. And they seem to be bonding very well. Good for them!

And my favorite(? I think so. Its definitely the funniest) part

"Dude, was your brother always so dreamy?" (Its always this line. Always. Ugh...... I like it though)

"Mateo?!"

"Dreamy?"

Cooper's just surprised. Like. Dude. What?!

And Logan's more like... 'she called him dreamy?' It seems like he's in love. But I'm no expert. It seems like a potential love line the creators are trying to make.... (and if it is... how does it work? Astrid is from Berlin. Right?)

[Intense music playing] lol

[All swooning] okay. What?

The hairflip- ahhhggahg

He's good at football now. Wow.... that is real improvement the never witch made on him 😌

The flowers again-

"Smooth!" No! Cooper! Not the time to be a supportive friend! Is he jealous? Or supportive? Or what?

"Ew, that's my brother. Gross!"

See? What did I say about those sibling bonds? It's great. (And what do you mean gross? Just grossing out that "Mateo" acting is like that. Or the fact that Cooper said "smooth")

"Dude, who are you?"

Izzie really-

"Your brother, sister"

Yeah- no. I'm pretty sure no one calls they're siblings "brother" and "sister" without a reason

"No, and I'm loving this new you!"

Wait- what? Iz? I thought you- wait. So... she was calling out Cooper for saying Mateo was being "smooth" with the flirting? And stuff??

"How'd you get over your Z-blob flunk?"

Yup. And we got Cooper. Either being the logical one as always, or just... continuing to be a supportive friend

"Oh~ this and that. No biggie"

Yeah- okay. Gotta agree tho. These clones are fun. Look at that personality! Whoo!

"Well whatever you did, it's good to have you back buddy"

Alright. Supportive friend it is. And- no. No he is... the opposite of back. He's not even the same guy-

(Also, can we wave a little flag for the dude? I feel like he having the identity crisis right now🏳️‍🌈)

Malicious smile.... ehhehe

Meanwhile. The real Mateo:

"So... Beau. Mind if I call you Beau?" (Another cliche one)

Beau: 😑🤨 (long speech)

"He would never hurt me"

He... already has....;;

Izzie was sad when her balloons were taken then her face brightens up once she sees that he gave it to Astrid. I think Izzie just doesn't mind what the hell happens to Mateo's relationship as long as he has one-

Also, new word learned!

Enchanté

No idea what that is

"Dude, Mateo's pencil spear's back to normal!"

Cooper. Again. Not the time to be a supportive friend! Logan is clearly pissed rn

"Wouldn't it be great if he wins the last trial?"

Coop- oh god. He is so stupidly in love- .....I think? It's a possibility

"Wasteful, but impressive"

Well. At least she saying the truth

He can play the electric guitar?? The rock music? Omggggg that's... just a complete new feature. How did no one know he's not real? Even if he looks the same to them. By now they should've noticed?

The dream crafted speaker has a cute sticker attached to it too.

"Loud! But I love it"

Oh no.... Astrid is into bad boys- no wonder she gets along with Logan-

Izzie~ love your confidence

Only three? Really? And fight for the leader? Why??!

"I still don't get why, we can't just take on the Never Witch together"

Me too Cooper. Me too.... at least you guys are smart enough to notice

"Royce is obsessed with this "return to the good ol' days" nonsense"

And Cooper nodding- ahh so friggin cute

"Always has been-"

An attack is a good thing? Apperantly.... wow....

"Oh. That's not a hill..."

Wait- Beau just used a dart?! Ooohhhh why has no one drawn this yet??

Again with the background characters that look the same (the blonde one will be.... Alicia)

"Get out of my way! Runt!"

"Wow. Mateo had become a real-"

I'm telling you. These are not coincidences. They have sweated but it's a kids show so they sensored it

"Hi, Astrid..."

So stupidly in love no.2

Izzie has the hammer thing! And it looks amazing-

Seriously, the way they say Takashi...

Oooh~ the nightmare king again~ and he really is a little-....icon now

"You were right to be suspicious of me"

"Ooh~ this is good"

It is Voldemort's little brother. Or sister. It really is getting good

I love that pose when Beau changes into his costume again- that pose- it... its hilarious-

"So you'll lock us up instead?"

"At least you'll be safe" him and his morals again-

And then Zoey throws the clock. At this moment I knew. This was going to come back as a bad thing. She's going to need that clock. That's what the season kept hinting at us too-

And look at how Mateo is comfort(?)ing her-

"Re~presenting Brooklyn, baby!" "Ha ha ha!"

It's not just me- he did get more hyped up (and did he just pick him up on his shoulders? He can do that?? Does logic work differently here or can he actually do that? I mean- he did it with such confidence and comfort like he's done that hundreds of times)

"Logan, my brother is acting super weird!"

"Yeah, he's just found his groove"

"No Logan! You don't get it. He sabotaged me to make the task force!"

😨omg no way-(but seriously. No way)

"Finally! I'm aching for some malice!"

Also, just noticed. While watching this now

His hair streak (Madeo) is yellow and red. And here, the red is definitely red. Like.. a more brighter and more standing out red

Philllllll nooooo!!!

What. A way. To end this. 👏👏👏

Previous part

[waffles-xd]

Inspired by @rrainbowmagnet ‘s height and voice headcanon list, I shall be providing some of my own headcanons.

PresAux (plus Amena and Thiago)

Volescu: 5’10, mid/late sixties, a very sweet old man

Mensah: 5’8, late fifties, trans woman, soccer mom vibes, would probably own a minivan

Thiago: 5’9, early fifties, Izzy Hands OFMD season 1 vibes

Gurathin: 5’7, late forties/early fifties, trans masc, the energy of an overworked and underpaid IT guy, glasses, sounds kinda like Jon Hamm

Arada: 5’5, mid forties, very good at fixing things, basically the unofficial official PresAux handywoman, owns a ‘women love me, fish fear me’ hat

Overse: 6’2, mid forties, the introvert to Arada’s extrovert, looks kinda like Abby Mueller

Bharadwaj: 5’ll, late thirties/early forties, wears a lot of oversized sweaters and turtlenecks, loves books

Pin-Lee: 5’3, mid thirties, chihuahua vibes, just a feral little ball of energy, looks kinda like Andrea Macasaet (specifically from Six)

Ratthi- 6’4, early/mid thirties, wears glasses, sexy biologist moment, Phichit Chulanont vibes

Murderbot: 6’5, mid twenties, looks a lot like Vico Ortiz (specifically as Jim in OFMD season 2)

Amena: 5’6, sixteen, idk why but I feel like she’d be really into tennis

Perihelion + Crew:

Seth: 6’0, mid forties, looks kinda like Miles Morales’s dad in ITSV/ATSV, the fun dad

Martyn: 5’10, mid forties, the reasonable dad, the “you better have my daughter back at 9 sharp, young man” dad

Three: 6’6, late teens,

Kaede: 5’8, mid thirties, Mari Katsuki from YOI vibes, wine aunt (gn)

Matteo: 5’9, mid thirties, idk why but Ivan from OFMD vibes, would really like watching opera

Tarik: 5’4, early thirties, good friends with Matteo, a little bit of a know it all, also likes watching opera

Karime: 5’6, early twenties, has terrible taste in men, only rivaled by Ratthi

Turi: 5’5, eighteen, good friends with Iris

Iris: 5’9, seventeen, very good at karaoke, she and Peri were absolute MENACES as children, Anathema Device vibes

Perihelion: ~ 800x1250 ft, seventeen, its voice is not distinguishable as being masculine or feminine, it simply just IS, yellow PJs kid from Polar Express vibes

This took way too long to write lol

[avastyetwats]

IDEAS/AUs WISHLIST:

Stede getting his first tattoo:

Listen. This would be so much fun. Whether he gets one just to get one (of course something meaningful, even if it’s the swallow they get for sailing five thousand nautical miles because that would be a huge milestone for Stede) or he gets a matching tattoo with someone (Ed, Izzy, or the entire crew) I just would LOVE to write it. Stede excited, but deep down nervous because he’s heard it can hurt so he tries to be brave but he’s actually panicking and someone is there to hold his hand through it because he probably cries a little, let’s be honest. (After it’s done, he’d claim it really wasn’t that bad after bawling for the first couple of minutes)

Stede Bonnet meeting/recruiting his crew:

Details of this idea are here.

Dark/Violent Pirate Captain Stede Bonnet:

An AU Where Stede becomes anything but a Gentleman pirate. Perhaps he starts as such, but events eventually lead him down a dark path that he finds himself enjoying thanks to the power it gives him. He’s still referred to as The Gentleman Pirate/The Polite Menace simply because he still plays the part, but with a sadistic and violent twist. Perhaps he’s feared more than Blackbeard himself? Perhaps they meet and a relationship still ensues, becoming the most feared and powerful Pirate Captains.

Werewolf (or vampire)/Human AU:

Stede as the human that falls in love with the beast (Izzy, Ed or whoever) in which case I can write as Stede or Izzy.

Girl Dad Stede Bonnet:

Because I need some romantic, sappy, dad/family feels. Could be a child they rescued/adopted later down the line. GentleBeard, Gentlehands, etc. I wouldn’t mind this for Izzy as well.

Izzy bonding more with the crew.

Ideas for this here.

Apocalypse/Zombie AU

More modern AUs/AUs based off of shows/movies.

Other smaller ideas such as Stede reading to Ed and/or Izzy, Izzy training Stede, Stede And Ed shenanigans at the Inn, Stede staying with the crew while Ed stays behind or both of them continuing their adventure as co-captains, Wild West AU. Feel free to check out my wishlist tag or come at me with any ideas!

Updated (2/5/2024):

Merman/Human AU.

I like the idea of Stede being the human and meeting Merman Izzy and/or Ed and then later Stede becomes one. But also Stede being a mermaid and becoming a human would be fun, too. So many potential plots with this!