#he would never ever survive black sails

[bougiebutchbinch]

horrid little brainworm

Frenchie is still green at the start of the Kraken era.

He isn't, by the end.

But back then, when it all begins - when he isn't used to the sting of kohl-mixed sweat dripping into his eyes - he makes mistakes. Lots of them. Simple little things - fluffing a knot in the rigging that has their sail unfurling midway through the dogwatch, goods left unstowed to roll with the list of their ship.

Most of the time, Izzy yells himself hoarse for five minutes, then shows Frenchie how to fix it, interspersing his lecture with expletives. Whatever. That's fine. Let the little man scream - he's not the scariest thing aboard anymore.

Never was, really.

But then Blackbeard (Ed? The Kraken?) stomps out of his cabin, hair a black thundercloud, and snarls 'which one of you men is responsible for that fucking mop', pointing to some cleaning equipment Frenchie forgot to pack away.

And everything goes still, as if they're becalmed.

[CW: whipping, abuse, non-explicit mentions of Frenchie's past locked-box traumas]

No one says Frenchie's name - not even Izzy. He just ducks his chin and refuses to look his captain in the eye. But the eyes of every other crewmember jump guiltily to Frenchie, at least once - and Blackbeard is too smart to miss such a tell.

"A ship needs discipline," he says. "Isn't that what you always tell me, Iz?"

"I'll attend to it," says Izzy, voice scratchier than ever. Frenchie knows this is a bad fucking situation - memories battering against the inside of his locked box, trying to get out - but somehow he can't feel fear. Can't really feel anything.

"With the cat," says Blackbeard. "Give the culprit fifteen. Really make the lesson stick."

Ah. There's the fear.

Frenchie's breath stifles itself halfway up his throat, as screams sneak through the keyhole of his box, along with the crack of a whip -

No. No, no, no. He can't. Not again, he can't -

Izzy glances up. Frenchie expects him to grin, all vindictive sadism - but whatever he sees on Frenchie's face has his mouth pulling into a tight line.

"Yes, sir," he says, though Frenchie barely hears over the dull roar of his heart.

He casts his gaze about, looking for an escape. Over the side? They're too far from land, but fuck, if it isn't tempting -

Jim fondles their knives, glaring mutinously at Blackbeard's back as he returns to his cabin. They don't spring after him (though Frenchie selfishly wishes they would). They're well aware - as is everyone - that right now, with Blackbeard black-eyed and bloodthirsty, they'd lose.

Izzy swallows. Shuts his eyes. Then calls for Fang to fetch the cat.

Frenchie loses time then. Scarcely a blink passes before Fang reappears above the deck, the strings of the knotted whip scraping the floor like the tentacles of a shrunken sea-monster.

They're flaky with rusty residue. Old, dried blood.

Frenchie's fingers twitch in the chords of the first song his Ma taught him. No rituals or superstitions will save him. Nothing will. Because his old crew are marooned, almost certainly dead, and his new crew are - with the exception of Fang and Jim and Ivan - fucking monsters.

He's going to be whipped (again). He's going to shred open all those old scars. The box is going to open, and -

Oh, God. Oh God. Fifteen lashes is survivable (Frenchie knows, he knows) but he's still not sure if anything of himself will emerge from the other side.

He's still frozen, staring at the whip held in Fang's big hands, flat out like he's presenting it to Izzy. Only... Izzy doesn't take it.

No, Izzy moves to stand in front of the mast. Walking stiff, with a bit of a limp. While Frenchie's reeling, struggling to process what's happening, he yanks off his shirt. And - fuck, his back is almost as ugly a sight as Frenchie knows his own would be, if he could bear to study it in a mirror.

A few of the crew draw shocked inhales. Most don't look surprised.

Frenchie is one of the latter group. Sound travels, on a ship.

"Um," says Fang, cat dangling limp. "Boss?"

Izzy grabs the hawsers wrapped around the mainmast. Heaves a deep breath. Rests his forehead against the wood.

"You heard the captain," he croaks. "Fifteen lashes."

Fang's eyes are moist - though they are more often than not, nowadays. "Boss - "

"The captain wants the culprit disciplined," Izzy says. His muscles flex beneath their coating of scars. Bracing himself, Frenchie's mind supplies. For the oncoming pain. Not that any amount of tensing is ever enough. "First mate's responsible for maintaining a tidy deck."

This turn of events finally settles into Frenchie's bones. The whip's not for him, thank everything. His key slides gratefully into the lock of his box and turns, ensuring it's shut tight.

Still, sickness churns in his guts. Last week, sleep eluded him. He'd intended to skulk above decks and breathe the sea air to clear his head. He never made it - because who should stagger out of the captain's cabin, so dead-eyed he didn't even notice Frenchie lurking in the shadows of the galley door, but the Revenge's thrice-cursed angry gremlin of a first mate?

Izzy hadn't looked much like a gremlin then, though. Doesn't now, either. Just looks. Tired. And old. And bruised to shit beneath his shirt, and not all of those lash marks are old, weathered scars, and -

Frenchie's fingers twitch more rapidly, pressing through their imaginary chord sequence.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit -

"Fifteen lashes," Izzy reminds Fang. "If you can't do it, anyone else is free to step up. I'm sure there'll be fucking volunteers."

Frenchie eyes Jim. They and Izzy aren't exactly friends - not when Frenchie has heard them mumble a word that sounds horrifically close to 'Oluwande' in their sleep.

But Jim stays right where they are. Hand on the hilt of a knife. Ivan emulates, and, well, Frenchie's feet have damn near put down roots. He couldn't move from this spot if he was ordered to.

Fang's tears well over, and his hand shakes on the whip handle to the point where Frenchie thinks he might drop it.

A clash from the great cabin has them all jumping - all but Izzy, who rests his cheek on the mast like it's a particularly splintery pillow, eyes drifting shut. Blackbeard barges back out, sousing the air with body odour and smoke and self-hatred and whatever the fuck else he's been marinating in.

"What's the fucking wait?" he demands. "I expected way more screams by now." He halts, frowning at the sight of Izzy, stood where Frenchie ought to be (because fuck, he shouldn't have left that mop and bucket out; how many times has Izzy told him - ). For a moment, the harsh line of his brows crumples on itself in something that could be mistaken for regret. But then that dark sneer crawls onto his lips, the one with which the whole crew is becoming familiar. "Can't pick who gets the privilege, eh? Well, lucky for the lot of you, that's what a captain's for."

He stalks forwards, feline-graceful. Frenchie scuttles from his path. When Blackbeard snatches the whip from Fang (not seeming to notice his whimper, his flinch) Frenchie fully anticipates that he'll turn on Izzy, not him.

He certainly doesn't expect Blackbeard to smile, cold and white as a toenail moon, and thrust the whip towards him, hilt first.

"Oh, no." Frenchie raises both hands in surrender. "No, no, no. I couldn't. Awful with a whip, me. Wouldn't, um..." There's the noise of it again, slithering out through the keyhole of his box. The swish. The crack. The scream. "Wouldn't be able to strike hard enough," he stutters. "No upper body strength, yeah."

Blackbeard doesn't approach Frenchie. Just keeps the whip held out towards him, like the accusative finger of a god.

"You give him fifteen," he says, gently. "And make each one count. Or I give him fifty."

Against the mast, Izzy makes a sound - not quite a whimper. Worse; it's far too much like relief. His hands don't shake, but only because they grip the hawser tight as rigor mortis.

Fifty can kill. Has killed before. Frenchie's seen it.

But Blackbeard doesn't want Izzy dead, right? Who would he torture then?

Blackbeard's blank, lifeless eyes pour into Frenchie's.

Who indeed?

Fuck. Frenchie swallows dry. He tells himself it's for self-preservation that he unsticks his boots from the deck and shuffles forth to take the whip. Not for Izzy. Not like he likes the angry little prick. Man's vicious as a cat and thrice as cursed.

Maybe, if Frenchie tells himself that, it'll make this memory easier to lock away with all the rest.

"Ready?" he asks Izzy, softer than he intends. Izzy twists over his scarred shoulder. He looks at Frenchie - really looks at him - for what feels like the first time. Not even glancing to his left, where the Kraken lurks.

Frenchie can't decipher his expression. Pity, for whatever made him offer himself up in Frenchie's place? Frustration, that Frenchie prevented Blackbeard from whipping him into the grave? Misery and fear - no, that's far too sane for a guy like Izzy.

Izzy turns back to the mast.

"Give me your worst," he says.

Frenchie breathes in, breathes out, and obeys.

[the-avengers-ate-my-tongue]

Mrs. Fell (Smut)

Summary: you've been living with Hannibal in Florence under the identity of Mrs. Fell. Although you missed Will dearly, the energy between the psychiatrist and you begin to unfold in different — and intriguing — paths.

Pairing: Hannibal Lecter x reader, Will Graham x reader (mentioned)

Warnings: Mentions of blood, violence and, obviously, sex. 

English is not my first language, if you see any mistake, let me know!

Word Count: 2280

You jolted upwards on your bed, sweat soaking the silk linens and the black nightgown you wore.

Another nightmare. They were becoming quite common these days. 

You sighed, allowing your body to lie back down, the mattress springs squeaking annoyingly. With unnecessary roughness, you covered your mouth with your hand, trying to suppress your hopeless cries so they wouldn't wake Hannibal up. Even though he was in another room, the walls had ears. You knew he would hear you somehow. He always did. 

You took a deep breath, trying to calm down. God, how you missed Will. His touch and soft voice would be exactly what you needed to soothe you, his words of assurance guaranteeing you everything was alright and nothing would harm you, for he wouldn't allow it. 

But things ended up slipping out of his control, didn't they? You weren't with him anymore, under his golden protection. You were with Hannibal Lecter in a fancy house in Florence, Italy. Being held hostage, as much as he would disagree. Kept as a pet, an amusement. A consolation prize. Spoils of war. 

Without your control, your mind spiralled to the night Hannibal took you as advantage in his escape, disembowelling Will cowardly and threatening to kill him if you wouldn't come with him. His last fraction of torture, you remember thinking to yourself while you both rode the motorcycle under those heavy drops of rain that washed all your tears away.

You also remembered how kindly he wiped your tears without saying a word, for he knew nothing he would say would be enough. You were in that position because of him, after all. You had begged him to let you stay, to talk to Will, but he wouldn't have none of it. The flight to Italy was bittersweet, since you had never flown before, the sky being ignorantly astonishing to your pain. 

You still felt the ghost of Will's bloodied kiss before you left him. His breathless sobs still echoed in your ears, clenching your heart painfully. You never were religious, but you remember praying he would survive the wound, so you could be reunited again and forget all about the goddamn FBI, Jack Crawford and Hannibal Lecter. 

You both could live in a small cottage by the sea, fish, swim and sail all day long, raise a few babies of your own. Little boys and girls with dark hair and y/e/c eyes running around the beach, laughing joyfully with nothing to worry about. 

That reality seemed distant, however, at least at the moment. You would linger in the shadows of Lydia Fell, your new identity, until it was safe enough to come to light again.

Time travelled fast while you pretended to be the wife of the renowned Dr. Fell. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and you could feel the energy between you and Hannibal shift mysteriously. It was surprisingly easy to be Mrs. Fell, attending to parties, little soirees vanity allowed Hannibal to arrange. He would pamper you with pretty dresses, fancy food and barbiturates, making days easier to endure, afternoons fun and evenings interesting, filled with culture and knowledge you never got tired of soaking like a sponge. Whenever the memory of Will became too unbearable, you would pop a pill and drink a glass of Bâtard-Montrachet, dancing to old elegant tunes; your head feeling hazy and heavy until you finally gave up and went to bed. 

His bed, after a while. It was more convenient to pretend integrally to be Mrs. Fell. It wasn't so bad, after all, you hated sleeping all alone. Hannibal's presence made you feel safer, and he was ever most respectful towards you. It didn't take long for you to realize the longing stare to his hands when he cooked, or the way his back flexed when he sliced something thick. Started as innocent glances; until you finally acknowledged the lust rising at the bottom of your abdomen with the silliest of things, like when he played the piano, or talked about the paintings and sculptures of the house you were both staying in. 

You couldn't deny how appealing the man was, with his charms, intelligence and sophistication. How easy it was for him to entangle Will and you into his web of lies and sadistic games. You were a mere fly, trapped, waiting — and sometimes even longing — to be devoured.

"Hair up or down?" You inquired with a sly smile, grabbing a fist of your hair and pulling it up while you looked at the mirror, watching Hannibal fix his cufflinks. He directed his attention to you and your exposed neck, and you noticed how his eyes darkened, making your insides twist. 

In silence, he walked towards you, lowering the straps of your red dress a little bit to expose your shoulders, pulling out of his pocket a beautiful golden necklace with rubies the size of berries. You choked a gasp, covering your mouth while he tied the astonishing piece around your neck, allowing his fingers to gently caress the skin.

"Up. It will bring out your eyes even more with the necklace. Allow me." He took a few bobby pins and started to work on your hair with surprising skill, letting a few strands loose to shape your face perfectly. 

"Is there anything you don't know how to do?" You teased, chuckling slightly while you stared at yourself in the mirror. You looked beautiful, and at the same time an entire different person. 

"Yes." His eyes lingered on you with a subtle glow that didn't last long. "You're wearing the perfume I gave you."

"I am."

"It suits you."

"In what way, Hannibal?" You turned to face him with a capricious move, eying him from below. 

"It's elegant and discreet, yes. However, it possesses a hidden flame that only the most skilled men are able to capture."

"And you're one of those men, I suppose."

"Would you say so, Y/n?" 

You hesitated, chewing your lip with anticipation. 

"That was very psychiatrist of you, Dr. Lecter. Directing the thought to me."

"Old habits never die, I suppose. You are avoiding the question, Y/n." He stepped closer, lifting your chin with his index, caressing it with his thumb. "Would you say so?"

You licked your lips and he followed the movement with his eyes.

"Hannibal… I'm Will's. My heart will always belong to him." You tried to push away his hand but he held your chin harder, keeping you in place.

"I've given you every single opportunity to flee over the past few months, Y/n. And yet, you remain here with me. You should face the inevitable" he knelt in front of you, his hands traveling through your thighs, lifting your dress. "You enjoy being Mrs. Lecter more than you would like to acknowledge."

You sighed, allowing your head to drop back, longing to be touched. 

"Mrs. Fell." You corrected, eyes closed. "I am Mrs. Fell."

He lifted one of your legs, placing it over his shoulder while lifting your dress up, a guttural moan escaping his throat once he realized you were bare under it. The soft touch of his tongue in your core was enough to drive you mad, grabbing his locks while he delighted himself with your taste. You whimpered, moaning his name under your breath, biting your lip so hard you felt your front teeth penetrate the flesh, the copper taste of blood invading your tongue. 

Hannibal could smell it, lifting his eyes quickly like a predator, rising only to lick the small trickle that stained your chin. You were surprised with how much that aroused you; he hesitated, staring at your mouth with hungry eyes, and you wondered if he was asking for permission. You granted it with pulling him closer, kissing him with passion, tasting more parts of yourself on his tongue that you could fathom. He held you by your ass, lifting you up with ease while you wrapped your legs around his hips without breaking the kiss. You felt the soft touch of the mattress against your back and the silk linens, focusing on how good Hannibal's hands felt as they explored your body, rough and experienced touches that certainly would leave a few bruises tomorrow. 

He got slightly impatient, then, ripping your dress and exposing your breasts, your nipples hard with the stimulation. You gasped with the abrupt move, raising your arms to cover yourself instinctively, but he held your hands against the mattress with no avail. 

"I liked that dress!" You protested, trying to hide how nervous you were, the feeling of doing something wrong spreading adrenaline over your entire being. 

"Perhaps I should buy you another one, then" Hannibal said while starting to undress, throwing his vests on the ground. "I have the feeling you were never touched the way you truly desire, Y/n."

That single line caused you to paralyze like a doe on headlights, your wide eyes staring at him with disbelief. He was right; you hadn't been with many men in your life, and the longest relationship you had was with Will. He was never too much interested in sex, though, and on the times you actually did it, he touched you like one would handle a fine china. With care and tenderness, as if he feared to break you. It wasn't bad at all, he made love to you every single time, always so intense and intimate that you felt like you would break in tears sometimes. 

Hannibal was right. You were never fucked properly because you never had been with a man who cared about your true desires. Moreover, it wasn't Will's fault that you never showed him your dark inclinations, he had a twisted view of perfection when it came to you. The only light in his life, the only unchangeable good. Being held in that place was exhausting and you had never realized how full of it you were until Hannibal's statement. 

"Tell me what you want, Y/n." He commanded. You blinked away images of Will to the bottom of your conscience, embracing your desire and acting on it.

"I want you inside me," you pleaded, using your elbows to support you while you stared at his remarkable body. "Take me, Hannibal."

A convinced smirk illustrated his lips, his pupils so dilated his eyes were completely black. He crawled over you, nibbling on your neck and earlobe while his hips nested on yours, fitting in perfectly as if you both were built to the purpose by gods. He entered you without a warning, causing you to sink your nails into the skin of his back. He sighed, the feeling of your walls clenching to accommodate him being too good to be true. You spread your legs, allowing him to reach deeper, a state of bliss pouring over you. It was wrong, but it felt so right. You moved your hips in perfect synchrony, one of his hands grabbing your neck, keeping you in place without actually hurting. He used his thumb to caress your bottom lip and you took the opportunity to suck on his finger, the salty taste tickling the tip of your tongue. 

That caused him to fasten his movements without care, a light ache joining your pleasure. The wet sound of his thrusts, your moans and his groans echoed through the bedroom like an unholy symphony, the scent of sex and sweat starting to fill the air. The tip of his cock touched a critical point inside you repeatedly, and you could feel the tension start to build up at the bottom of your abdomen, arching your back while he grabbed your hair, pulling your head to the side to sink his teeth into the flesh of your shoulder, near your collarbone. That sent sparks along your spine, and you sucked the air through your teeth, your nails descending the skin of his back and drawing blood. 

Your eyes rolled to the back of your head while you felt pleasure wash over you, release becoming almost unbearable. It was as if Hannibal knew all your buttons, where to touch you, exactly what to do to bring you to the edge of the abyss. And you jumped without hesitation, his breath fastening till a moan escaped his lips and he filled you with his cum, his body trembling in silent ecstasy. 

He didn't leave you right away, enjoying the warm and wet feeling of your cunt for a few more moments before he finally pulled out, trying to stabilize his breathing. You stared at the ceiling with glassy eyes and ajar lips, feeling his cum dripping out of you. Without a word, Hannibal picked you up in his arms with a surprising tenderness, taking you to the bathroom and preparing a hot bath. 

Ah, Will. Forgive me. What have I done? Was the thought that echoed in your mind repeatedly, realization towering over you with an iced shadow. You tried to catch a glimpse of the sun under months of a lonely dark night, but ended up being severely burned. As Icarus flew too close and had his wings melted, you fell to your doom, beyond salvation, beyond forgiveness. You were stained for life; Will would never look at you the same way. 

"Y/n." Hannibal stared at you with his chocolate irises, proceeding to wash your hair, removing the bobby pins himself had placed over your locks earlier. You felt weirdly numb, dissociative, like your body wasn't your own anymore. 

"Lydia" you corrected in a tired whisper, a demented little smile playing in your lips. "My name is Lydia Fell."

[maliciousblog]

Mermaid ( Seonghwa)

The waves were violently beating down causing the ship to dangerously sway.

The captain of the ship Seonghwa stood his ground regardless of the violent downpour of the storm ahead.

The dense storm clouds letting no light through causing everything around him to turn pitch black only occasionally being illuminated by thunder.

There was no way to sail around the storm the only way was to sail right through it.

The waves crashing creating a deafening sing song which only subdued to Seonghwas fervent commands to his crew.

He knew that it was a loosing battle but he couldn't give up without a fight.

You watched from afar as he did everything in his power to keep the ship afloat.

You had been warned about humans many times.

Every night your grandmother would tell you stories of how the brave merfolk were forced to go into hiding because of humans.

She told you of the greed of man and how they would kidnap mermaids to kill them and harvest their innards.

This being the first time seeing a human in the flesh you were intrigued and the human in front of you seemed so unyielding and strong willed.

You kept your distance and watched but you knew he could never win over the wrath of the sea and he was to ultimately die at the hands of the ocean.

You could save him but what was in it for you.

You watched as a huge wave engulfed the ship consuming it and everyone on board.

Startling you, against your better judgement you swim towards the wreck trying to save the man that had captured your attention.

Holding on to him as you battled the current pulling him out of the torrential grip of the sea.

Bringing him into cave nearby gently resting him onto a moss bed.

You watched as he coughed up water that been filling his lungs.

Desperately gasping for air.

You helped him to his side and watched his body relax as he began to inhale oxygen stinging his lungs bringing him back to life.

Despite being in immense pain he couldn't focus on anything but you until now. He was fixated on the contours of your beautiful face, the way your wet hair clung to your skin the way your tail glimmered in the dim moonlight illuminating the cave.

Why did you even help him.

Mermaids always despised humans even going as far as to cause shipwrecks but here you were staring at him with concern in your eyes.

Examining him to see if any of his wounds were fatal once you were sure that he would survive.

You swiftly jumped back into the water disappearing into the deep blue darkness of the ocean.

Leaving him stunned and alone once again.

He didn't even get to ask know his Angel's name and now you were gone.

As time passed he managed to regain a bit of his strength limping along the coast to find fishermen arriving from an early morning fishing trip waving them down.

For help.

They stared at him as if they had seen a ghost when he told them what happened.

He had told them everything except

One small very important detail "you".

They were surprised he was even alive let alone relatively unscathed.

They let him on the boat once the storm cleared taking him to the nearest port so he could go back home.

Once he was home he managed to buy a new ship.

Sailing as usual once again but he couldn't ever find peace as you tormented his thoughts.

At night he layed in bed eyes wide open thinking of you.

He knew it was unreasonable to even go seeking you but ye couldn't help it you had bewitched him.

He read every single book he could find on sea creatures of the depths ran over multiple navigation and migration paths to pinpoint your exact location.

It took him years and his search for you lead him to slowly spiral into madness a madness caused by obsession that he called love.

He stood letting the cool sea breeze ruffle his air as he stared into the darkness ahead of him when in the corner of his eye he could see a glint of a tail flip through the coast.

There was no doubt in his mind that it was you.

He instructed his men to rev down the engines and sail as quietly to the coast as they could.

He saw you look at him. He knew you recognized him.

You looked at him as if you were reunited with an old friend.

You wondered if he had come back to thank you for saving him.

As you watched his ship sail closer to you awaiting to be greeted by the brave sailor that you once admired.

Seonghwa couldn't care less.

Before you could run away from him once again.

The only thing you saw was a sudden flash of silver come from the sky above as he shot a harpoon sending it right through your tail.

Leaving you immobilized in pain as his men cast a net trapping you. Reeling you on board the ship.

Where you were face to face with him once again.

But this time it wasn't the sweet face of the boy you once saved that greeted you.

He no longer was that boy anymore.

There was no warmth left in his eyes.

There was only a sick sense of pride in his eyes as if he had just won a trophy.

[minoment]

ofc ofc ofc, sub!jack sparrow supremacy✨ So I didn't really plan this out, but something about jack getting the cockiness fucked outta him…it just does something to me. I don't mind presentation, so you can keep it gender neutral if you like!! Now i'll proceed to obsessively refresh the 'dom reader' tag until you publish it <3

Pairing: CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow x Dom GN!Reader

Type: Draft

A/N: Posting this because I promised to get it out <3

Minors DNI <3

You and Jack had gotten off on the wrong foot, to say the least. Well, in your opinion. He didn't seem quite so bothered by it, more.. excited? That definitely ticked you off. He was so.. so infuriating.. so carefree. He treated you like some alluringly gorgeous god of war and that he was some un-killable fool who dared question your presence. Like he was the special one who would never ever be shown your wrath. You hated it.

Jack Sparrow was known across the seas as the luckiest, unlucky but admirable alcoholic to ever stumble upon the slippery decks of a ship. You however, were known as a vicious, territorial, almost Nordic pirate who guarded their claimed land with iron and steel. No one dared to venture near your territory, the pure amount of fear had made you almost forgotten to this day. Not that you minded of course. Stories of your cruelty and maliciousness spread an elaboration of what you were truly like, the tales isolating you in an almost comforting sense of loneliness.

You almost wished you had back that loneliness. But no. Of course not. That fool had made sure to never give you a sense of tranquility ever again.

"HELLLOOOO??"

A shouting voice was heard over the waves, it was slightly slurred and incredibly obnoxious for this early hour. The golden sun peeked over the horizon, sending golden slivers dancing across the waters surface.

You grunted softly, opening an eye and slowly picking yourself off the deck of your ship where you had peacefully been napping. You were an intimidating figure, at least 6'4" and toned from years of taming rough oceans. Your skin was tanned and mottled with scars and tattoos. Your braided and decorated hair glowed a fiery auburn in the growing daylight, 'like molten copper' as your late mother used to say.

Silently, you moved over to the ships edge, raking your cold green gaze over the sandy expanse of the small island you were moored next to. And there he was..

That daft moron got himself stranded a few days ago, somehow separating himself from his crew AND the Black Pearl. You had moored here a few weeks prior, reading the stars and waiting for the perfect time to sail back to your hidden cove you called home. He had dragged himself drunkenly out of the sea not 16 hours ago and your tranquil peace had disappeared from that point forward.

You had no intention of helping him, his constant chatting and one-sided conversations making him insufferable. He was doing it on purpose and you knew that, but it got on your nerves either way.

"What tha fuck d'ya want?" You snapped crossly over the well-kept railing of your ship. Your gaze narrowed as a triumphant smirk played across his lips. He was admittedly handsome, you'd give him that.

"Mornin' lovely..." He singsonged flirtatiously, gazing up at you and shielding his eyes from the now fully-risen sun.

You scowled in disapproval, not appreciating this levelling sort of flirtatious friendliness.

"You know.." He continued thoughtfully, mockingly speaking as if you were some sort of Lord, "I'd really like some food and water.. if you'd be so gallant as to spare some?"

You scowled once more and moved away from the railing. As much as it was 'survival of the fittest' and a constant battle with your stubbornly cruel personality, you couldn't watch a man starve to death with your help right in front of him. Besides, apart from being an infuriating pest, he hadn't actually hurt you.

A neatly coiled rope lay near your mast and you picked it up, carrying it back over to the railing. You secured the end firmly to the rail and dropped it down so the other ratty end dipped into the salty water.

"Climb up before I change my fuckin' mind.." You snapped, tilting your head in a sort of aggressive invitation aboard.

Jack wasted no time in scrambling up the rope like a monkey, your powerful grasp steadying his shoulder and body as he helped himself aboard. He stood to the side as you untied the rope and started to reel it up. His hand absentmindedly rubbed where your fingers had gripped his collarbone, his gaze flicking to your veined, clearly weathered hand as it worked the now sodden rope.

You turned and looked down at him, your gaze becoming ever so less furious as he looked back up at you and thanked you for your generosity. For some reason, you felt a little guilty for not letting him on sooner. He looked like a curious little mutt, his beautiful brown eyes seeming to warm you up from the inside out. You bit the inside of your cheek and looked away, scolding yourself for getting in your head. You motioned Jack to follow and brought him below deck.

Your boat was large yet you were the only one on it. It was decorated beautifully, showing off what obvious peace you had by yourself. There were maps and tapestries in some rooms, others having shark skulls and ornately engraved longswords hung up with bent nails. Apparently you were incredibly creative as well as a ruthless killer.

Jack marvelled your boat before his gaze curiously roamed your broad form. His keen eye took note of your clean clothes, the neat Nordic pattern embroidery and the occasional stain of spattered blood. Your belt held pouches and sheathed knives, all made by you. He admired your physique too, the way your muscles flexed under your skin as your opened the heavy door to your main living area. You didn't smell like the usual pirate either. An alluring scent of spices, fabric, seawater and blood seemed to follow you wherever you walked.

Eventually you sat him down, taking note of his ripped clothes and dirty features. You motioned for him to hold out his hands, working in complete silence as you wiped off his hands with a wet rag. The salt water stung a few scratches but Jack patiently held still, letting you wipe off his neck and face area. You almost did this as a sign of respect before standing up and getting him some clean clothes. You held out the rag and the pail of sea water, wordlessly telling him to get dressed and clean the rest of his body. He did as he was hold and you turned, moving to the other side of the cabin to find some stale bread and dried fish for him to eat.

When you finally turned around, he had washed himself and was getting dressed. Only Jacks upper body remained unclothed and your green gaze wandered over his tan skin. He had many bullet and knife wounds, adding up to the lucky part of his reputation. Personally, you found them quite beautiful although you would rather die than admit it.

"Here.." You said gruffly, handing him the plate of foot and a pouch of rainwater off your person. "Rest for a while.."

"Ah.. thank you.." Jack replied, finishing dressing himself and taking the plate and pouch from you. "I knew ya soul would be as beautiful as your pretty face.."

You sighed silently, moving to pick up his discarded clothes. You walked back up to the sunny desk, laying out Jacks clothes so they would dry and be parched of their salty sea smell.

You moved back below deck, your gaze raking over Jacks now-clothed chest and opening your mouth to ask about his scars.

"You really are nothing like the stories say, are ya?" Jack said as he interrupted your train of thought before you could speak and looked from his food to your eyes.

You paused, momentarily re-arranging your thoughts before speaking.

"No I'm not..." You said eventually, motioning to your own chest in reference to his bullet wound scars. "But you're definitely as lucky as the tales tell.."

Jack looked down and smiled slightly to himself, unable to form a response to that. It felt odd to be complimented by such a stoic and feared persona like yourself.

"What are ya really like then?" Jack asked, drinking the last of his water and letting you take the plate from him.

"I- don't really know.." You replied, stowing the things away before turning back to him. "Well no.. I just can't remember.."

"Why not?" Jack asked with a tilt of his head. "You look like you'd have quite the personality.."

"Near death experience can blanch the personality from your soul I s'pose.." You shrug, leaning back against the ships wall and crossing your arms. You watched him closely. "You definitely have had your fair share of near death experiences, how come you're still an arrogant shit?" You say flatly, making Jack laugh.

"You've got quite the mouth huh?" He smirked, his gaze flicking to your scarred lips in a much more suggestive way than before.

You were a little taken aback by his suddenness but you regained control of yourself and narrowed your eyes. "Answer my question.."

"I guess I'm just better than you.." Jack shrugged with a cocky smirk, obviously trying to rile you up. The annoying thing was, it was working. You gritted your teeth, your jaw tensing.

Jack easily picked up on that and grinned, a soft chuckle escaping him. He knew this was a dangerous game; that only made him want to play it more. It certainly solidified his reputation of the stupidly brave captain.

"You aren't better than me.." You scowled, your hands moving behind you to grip the wooden counter as he began to approach you.

"Oh but I am.." Jack smirked. "You would have killed me by now if I were anyone else in front of you.. am I special?"

The audacity he had. It made your blood boil, but nonetheless you stayed against the wall, watching him like a hawk.

"It makes me wonder.." Jack continued, moving ever closer so his body was mere inches from yours and his calloused hand reached up to cup your face. He leant up and in a little closer, his lips only centimetres from yours. "A great pirate like you.. maybe you've gone soft.. maybe you could even be a whore and-"

That word set something ablaze inside of you, a boiling pit of rage and frustration overflowing within your guts. The only thing you could think about was teaching this cocky brat a lesson. Just before he could finish the rest of his insulting sentence, before he could kiss you; you snapped.

You pushed him back, slamming him against the opposite wall and knocking the breath out of him. Before Jack could get a single word or gasp out of his mouth, you crashed your lips against his and silenced him. His eyes widened in shock before he relaxed. He attempted to bring his hands up to cup your face but you gripped his wrists and slammed them against the wall with your iron grasp. This was a lesson.

You bit down on his lower lip and squeezed his wrists tighter, earning a low whine of protest from Jack as your larger body pushed him up against the wall. Soon your hands left his wrists and he got the message, holding onto the edge of the counter lining the ships wall. Jack gripped the polished wood so hard he thought his rings would splinter the expensive timber. His breath hitched as you wrapped your hand around his neck, only needing one to pleasurably restrict his blood flow.

Heat pooled between his legs when your hand tightened around his neck, a choked whine escaping his lips as lightheaded pleasure filled his senses. You took this opportunity to slide your tongue into his mouth, making his legs almost buckle. Your kisses became even more aggressive and vicious as you tasted him, pinning him roughly up against the wall. The fiery taste of rum and salt on his lips spurred you on as Jack mewled in your grasp. You were so good, it made him lose himself almost instantly. The way you squeezed his neck, how your rough fingers pressed against his arteries so he could breathe easily through his nose while you ravaged his now kiss-bitten lips.. he wanted more, oh so much more...

Jacks greed eventually got the better of him and he clawed at your free hand, trying to move it towards his hips. You growled low in your throat, warning him. He didn't listen, desperate for more pleasure as he dug his nails into your hand. You pulled away with a rough curse, gripping his dreaded locks and dragging him away from the wall and down into the next room; your quarters.

The man yelped in a pleasurable sort of pain, opening his mouth to protest. You didn't let him, throwing him down into the messy nest of furs, fabrics, and blankets that was your bed. You held Jack down on his stomach, one hand pressing down between his shoulder blades and your knee in the small of his back. Nothing could be heard except for Jacks laboured breathing, the gentle lapping of the waves against the hull, and the metallic noise of you unclasping your belt.

You dragged the thick, worn, leather strap from around your waist before wrapping his tightly around Jacks wrists. He watched as you wrapped the belt further around an iron ring connected to the wall, unable to move his hands. Now that he was restrained and laying on his stomach in your bed, you could begin his real lesson.

Jack buried his face in the fabrics, your scent making arousal rock through his body in steady waves; yet it was also weirdly comforting to him. He felt you over him, your knees on either side of his hips as you leant down to bite and kiss at his neck.

You moved his hair ever so gently to the side, your lips and teeth leaving dark hickeys all over his sweet, salty skin. Jacks breathing became heavy once more as he tried to hide this fact by muffling his face in the furs. Eventually it became too hot and Jack couldn't breathe, so he just lay his head to the side and took it; not even bothering to preserve his dignity or hide his rough pants and gasps anymore when you suckled marks onto his skin.

You were marking Jack as yours and the very thought made his hips stutter forward ever so slightly. A small whine escaped his lips and you scowled, one hand moving to pull his hips up away from the bed. Jack was now face down ass up, a humiliated blush spreading over his features as he panted. One of your hands was in his hair, tightly gripping his locks and keeping his neck exposed while you marked him. The other held his hips, keeping him pressed against your body but unable to grind down against the sheets where he needed it most.

A choked breath was pushed from Jacks lips as he realized exactly what situation he was in. You weren't going to give him any sort of pleasure. You were going to hold him up like this and mark him up until he was a pleading mess. Jack didn't want that, he was greedy for more, anything more; and you knew it.

Jacks heavy panting and gasps filled the room, occasionally breaking it up with low keening whines as you tugged his hair and marked his neck. Eventually he couldn't take this torture any longer.

"P-please.. Indulge me, I beg you.." Jack panted, swallowing and licking his lips. His own breaking, reedy voice surprised him. "Need more..."

Jack lay his head to the side as you pulled away from his neck, letting out a low groan as you squeezed his hips and silently warned him not to try and thrust back down against the bed.

You decided to treat him knowing that his stubborn greed and wants would get both of you nowhere. So instead of taking away what he wanted, you would give it to him. Oh yes you would, you would give him what he wanted until he was a squirming, moaning mess just pleading for you to stop.

Jack practically melted in your grasp once more as your hot mouth came in contact with the sensitive skin of his neck. Your sharp teeth grazed over the fresh bruises, your tongue gliding over their wake.

The sensation distracted his attention long enough for you to slip your large, rough hands into the soft cotton fabric of his pants. the low whine echoing in his throat turned into a strangled moan as your hand wrapped around his stiff, leaking shaft.

He buried his face in the furs once more, his hips trembling as your mouth continued to work at his neck and your hand tightened around his cock. Jack could feel himself dripping into your tight fist as he bit down on the thick wool of a blanket, his eyes rolling back in pure ecstasy. Nonetheless, he remained obedient and kept his hips as still as possible while your hand worked him into oblivion.

[rnakamura22]

I will never leave you, no matter what happens

I have no regrets.

female reader!!

If someone asked you, "Where is your home?", you would say "The ship Moby Dick" without a hesitation. You have little happy memories about the land you were born, where a girl wouldn't survive in a day unless there was a knife and combat skills were good. If you wouldn't take something, then everything would be taken. You cut your hair, drained yourslf in a pool of blood, threw away your normal life as a woman and lived with one sharp dagger. You were picked up by Whitebeard, who seriously thought you were a boy when you first met him onto his ship. You had a temper, quick to get in a fight, and lacked any charm of a woman. But someone stole your heart as soon as you became family.

Izo, commander of the 16th division of the whitebeard pirates. He was beautiful than any regular woman, yet one of the most brave and fierce guys in terms of battle, while being kindhearted and a gentle person in nature. Cupid had pierced your heart the first time you met him.

You lacked any form of feminine attraction and was no different than a boy. You tried several times to gain Izo's eye, but that ended up in a complete disaster. But in a strange turn of events, the efforts you put had caught Izo's eye and made him realize your charm.

"I want you to go out with me, Will you be my lover?"　that night, you felt like you became the happiest woman alive. The day you and Izo became lovers, you presented you with a flower, an ivy.

"This represents my feelings for you. I won't leave you no matter what happens."

"Thank you Izo-san..., I feel the same way. I will never leave you."

That night, you felt his warmth and he felt yours. It was a cold day, yet you two were warm.

But the fates never prepared a fairytale ending for you. Being somewhat stubborn, you had a falling out with him one day.　You never remembered what the cause was of the fight 　But one thing was sure. Ever since you refused to speak with him, it felt like god prepared the karma you were forced to face.

The death of Thatch, Teach… Blackbeard’s betrayal, Ace’s defeat and execution. Whitebeard refused to take you to Marineford no matter how much you begged. As the white whale sailed away, including your lover that you have not spoken to for a long time, you felt the thick walls of gender crashing down on you, holding the Ivy from your lover.

Two years have passed. Everything you hold dear have fallen from your hands, including your lover. Marco refused to take you to the payback war or the battle within Wano.

Ever since you heard the news, your world suddenly lost all color. Everything looked like black and white, except the Ivy flower you had. It flowed and bloomed magnificently, despite the two year time period like it was frozen.

Time passed again until his death day came. The Ivy flower bloomed brightly, part of it being you took great care of it. The more you looked at the flower, the more the reality hits that you will never see him again.

“I want to see you… Izo-san… just for one moment…I miss you so much..”

As soon as those words left your lips, the door of your house started knocking at a brutal pace. It began to grow louder and louder, getting more intimidating by the minute.

It also felt cold even though you lived in a summer island. You began to see ice in your room. As soon as you looked at the Ivy flower, it was losing color by the minute as if someone was sucking the color out.

The door kept banging, ice was spreading across. You ran to the corner of your room and hid under the table.

“please stop…” you trembled.

As you hid under the table, you started to remember when pops scolded you and hid under the table crying in secret. That was where Izo-san found you and comforted you.

“Found you〜”

you froze. The hand placed on your right shoulder was so cold it hurts. And the dark yet soothing voice comforted you.

You didn’t need to know who it was.

“You remember what I said? I would never leave you no matter what happens.”

You started to fall, unconscious. The vase holding the Ivy flower also fell, shattered along with the Ivy flower, now draped in white.

It was the next morning that the villagers found a woman cold and dead in her house. The body’s face looked like it had seen something so terrifying but the house was completely normal. People knew of her upbringing and how she was down in the dumps after her lover died. They rumored that she had died of shock. Strangely, there was a frostbite and a handprint on her right shoulder. As if someone grabbed her and brought her to the other side.

The flower language of the Ivy- “ I will never leave you, even after I die”

[tacticaldiary]

The Absence Of Light

Pairing: Leon Kennedy x Reader

Genre: Angst

He’d taken the one steady thing in his life for granted, chosen a momentary chase of the tongue instead of her. Warning after warning, the consequences of his ignorance hit hard. 

Masterlist

“You walk out that door and I won’t be here when you get back.”

Leon’s hand freezes on the doorknob, the handle cold against his burning skin. “I’ll be back soon.”

“I’m serious, Leon.” The tense finality of her voice is enough to make him peer over his shoulder weary eyes taking her in. 

Arms crossed, shoulders tense. She looks at him like she might snap at any second. 

“You’ve been home five minutes, I haven’t seen you in three months, and the most you’ve done is glance my way with a hello and you’re leaving again? To get drunk out of your mind instead of letting me help you?”

“You can’t help me.” A sharp, tired exhale. 

“Because you never let me!” She exclaims, “This-“ She gestures to him, to the slump of his back and the twitching of his fingers aching for a glass in his hand. “-is killing you. You’re killing yourself, Leon.”

He turns around, goes to say something but stops at the look in her eyes.

Normally she’s worried. That softness of her eyes as she pulls the glass out of her hand, helps him with the gruelling hangovers that are the remnants of his attempts to forget his job.

The only thing in her eyes right now is anger. 

At him. Maybe even a little at herself for not acting sooner. 

“I’m done waiting up for you, wondering where the hell you are, which bar you’re getting trashed at. Wondering if it’ll be Chris or some other co-worker dragging your ass back home, leaving me to pick up the pieces of something you refuse to fix yourself.”

“You think I want this?” His eyes narrow. 

“I think you know it’s easier to succumb than to fight to try and be better.” She retorts harshly, and Leon misses the way her voice used to be gentle and kind. Loving...how long had it been since he’d told her he loved her?

The ring on her finger was proof that he did, but material objects and words conveyed different meanings altogether. 

He did. God, Leon loved her so much it hurt sometimes. On a mission, getting back home to her was one of the things that drove him to make no mistakes, to live, to survive. 

Why did he abandon that iron will the second he was off the clock, then? 

The idea of sorting it out gives him a headache, one not self-inflicted. Raising a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, he takes a deep breath. 

This...they could do this some other time. Right now he just needed...he needed to get away. He needed a moment of peace from his buzzing mind, and if replacing that buzzing with the lull of alcohol for a few hours, just a few hours, would get him through that set time, then he’d take it. 

Just this last time. 

He remembers the day they met. Doubts he’d ever forget someone as sweet as her. It had been at a coffee shop where she asked for his name to write on his cup of black coffee. The café had someone playing the guitar near the counter, a lovely little tune that had people smiling and taking pictures. Leon had given her his name, but she’d only responded with a confused smile.

Over the din, she’s mistook ‘Leon’ for ‘Lion’, but had indulged in his seemingly odd request. It had taken a full minute of her calling out his butchered name before he realised it was his order. A quick correction had led to a bout of embarrassed apologies. 

It was endearing. Magnetising. Leon had responded cheekily, asking her to make up for it by letting him take her out. With a flush as red as the roses he’d presented her with the next night, it had been smooth sailing from there. Clicking into his life perfectly, Leon sometimes questioned how he lucked out with someone so utterly perfect in every goddamn way. It was ironic to him. Someone unblemished for his own scarred self. 

She became his rock, his anchor. The one person he could count on to be there when he came back home, the one person who was a reprieve from the haunting nights of his job. 

The door clicking open brings about a draft of chill. 

Or maybe that’s the grim nature of her sudden silence. 

“Don’t wait up,” Leon mumbles, making his choice. She wasn’t serious, he knows she wasn’t. She’d brought this up before, told him not to compromise this lovely little thing between them, not the ruin four years of hard work and trust over something that so many people were willing to help him with. 

She’s always home when he comes back, granted in an understandably sour mood. He feels a bucket of guilt wash over him every damn time that happens, makes it up to her before his next fall and the vicious cycle continues all over again. 

Leon squeezes his eyes shut as his hands dig out his car keys, pulling open the door. 

                               · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·  

None of the lights are on. 

That’s the first indication that makes his heart twist. 

Something about the encounter, before he left, had left him rattled, enough that he couldn’t stomach the will to drink more than two or three glasses of...whatever he ordered, he can’t remember, not with the way his heart is pounding in his ears as he shoves the keys into the front door. 

Leon’s being paranoid. It was well past 11, she was probably asleep in their room. Still, the hard edge to her voice...

“I won’t be here when you get back.”

It had unsettled him. His instincts were normally right, it’s the reason why he’s survived so long in impossible situations, and Leon had only made it about two hours into his night at the closest bar before he had given in and drove himself home. 

Something wasn’t right.

A lump in his throat forms when he steps into the darkness of their home, the door clicking shut behind him a hollow sound. 

He calls out her name quietly, stepping into the kitchen, and flicking on the light. 

The countertops are just as clean as they were when he left. He’s about to head to their bedroom when his eyes linger on one of the shelves filled with mugs. 

It was a bit of a tradition for each of them to bring home the most ridiculous mugs they could find whenever they travelled. Leon always managed to snag something dumb from somewhere he travelled, and she contributed the same, though their reasons for exploring the world are vastly different.

His blood runs cold as he stares. 

Half of the mugs are gone. 

Frozen to the spot for a second, the blood in his ear rises to a crescendo, threatening to choke him because this wasn’t happening, it couldn’t be.

He tears his way into their room, shoving open their door and looking around frantically for her. Surely she’d just been doing some rearranging?

Nothing. 

Not a trace of her left. 

Her phone, her chargers, the little trinkets on her side of the nightstand. When Leon panics, pulls open the drawer and finds it barren. Empty. 

A sweep of the whole house, calling out her name all the while makes the grim reality settle into his bones, fear making his hands clammy. He yells for her, but all he’s met with is the echo of his own voice talking back to him. Each empty room makes the fissure in his heart deeper, the regret pooling in his entire body stronger. 

Fuck, he’s so fucking stupid. So stupid for someone who’s supposed to be smart, how could he have ignored her like that and-

It’s the living room that brings the final blow. 

There, on the coffee table, a single sheet of paper folded in half. 

Leon almost doesn’t pick it up, refuses to click together the pieces of a puzzle already laid out and made for him. 

With shaky hands, he unfolds the note. Something small clatters to the floor. 

Her engagement ring. 

Leon can’t breathe. 

‘I love you, Leon. But not enough to watch you waste away. Don’t try and find me, I’m done. Goodbye.’

Leon Kennedy has gotten shot, cut, beat, drowned, and nearly frozen, but nothing compares to the aching feeling that twists and tears at his chest. Feeling himself tremble, clutching onto the ring, he shakily sits back on the couch. 

She was gone. 

Not a trace of her left. Almost as if she’d never existed. 

She must have really wanted to leave if she packed everything so quickly. 

Tilting his head back, he wills himself to calm down, to drag his head back to the present, and think rationally. She couldn’t have gone far, right? It hadn’t been that long, and he could still catch her if he knew where she was going and-

‘Don’t try and find me.’

The lump in his throat thickens at the same time tears sting his eyes. With movements measured to an almost automated extent, he sets both the paper and the ring down on the coffee table. His eyes narrow, as through the tears he spots a half-empty beer bottle on the table. 

He grabs the bottle, turning it over and over in his hands, resenting the weight of it, the sloshing of the liquid that cost him something forever unattainable. Irreplaceable. The tears in his eyes blur his vision, and trickle down his face, at odds with the shaking audible crying he refuses to let out.

Caught in a sudden bout of anger, he grits his jaw, raises the bottle over his head to bring it down and-

Stops. 

Would that do anything but make a mess on his floor, he thinks bitterly. It doesn’t matter if he quit altogether if he smashed every bottle in the liquor cabinet and got himself banned from every bar and club he could think of. It wouldn’t undo the months of ignorance and neglect he’d put her through, it wouldn’t bring her back to him. 

So Leon does the only thing he knows that makes the pain go away. 

Leon leans back, defeated. Hollow, empty, and hurting. 

He uncaps the bottle.

Requests Are Open!

(04/07/2023)

[tobiasdrake]

Digimon Adventure 01x15 - Etemon! Grand Entrance of Evil / The Dark Network of Etemon

Previously on Digimon Adventure: On their way to Server Continent, the kids had a cleaning day after discovering Devimon's been dumping used Black Gears and old lanyards in the ocean. During clean-up, Gomamon got excited and nearly killed everyone.

Drake, meanwhile, regretted blowing that "They completed the tutorial level" crack on the episode's proper rundown. Should'a saved that.

Now, they're about to make landfall and meet the most iconic vocal performance in the entirety of the Adventure 01 dub.

It's been five days since the kids set sail. Now we open on Taichi bristling with anticipation on Whamon's back while the others snooze.

(This would be about Day 12, I believe, since they've been here. The timescale of Day 6 was a little confusing in both versions, but the kids ended Day 6 fighting Devimon. Then they had dinner and a night-time discussion about coming to Server, before building the raft in the daylight of Day 7. Five days later would put us at 12.)

He's so excited, he wakes everyone up even though they're probably still a ways out given how far that appears to be. Rude.

Taichi: Hey! Everyone wake up! It's the tairiku (continent)! We've reached Server Tairiku! Yamato: (waking) What's all the racket? Jou: (waking) What's this about about taiyaki (tasty fish-shaped pastry)? Taichi: Not taiyaki, tairiku! Look! It's Server Tairiku!

That's another one for the untranslatable wordplay pile, so the dub plays it this way.

Tai: Alright, everybody, wake up! Rise and shine! We're landing at Server! Matt: (waking) ...I was only resting my eyes. Joe: (waking) Well, your eyes were snoring pretty loudly. Tai: Come on, we're gonna be there in a few minutes! Gotta make sure we have everything we'll need!

Matt tries to play too cool dude for sleep only for Joe to swiftly undercut him. Hey, look at that; Joe got to be the deliverer of a joke instead of its target!

Not sure what Tai thinks they need to grab, though. I'm not even sure what they've been eating or drinking on this trip, since none of the shots of them riding Whamon have suggested that their oil drum filled with potable water or crates of food survived the raft's destruction. They were last seen floating in the debris, so I guess we'll just have to assume they fished those out offscreen.

(Maybe they've been fishing, providing a supply of tasty fish to both eat and drink somehow like Taichi suggested earlier.)

As they approach, Agumon demonstrates the limits of his worldly knowledge.

Agumon: Wow, what a huge island! Piyomon: It's not an island, it's a continent! Tentomon: This is my first time ever seeing so much land on the horizon!

Sadly, even getting involved with Agumon's ignorance gets Piyomon in trouble with the dub team, who blame her for it.

Agumon: Wow, that island's huge! Biyomon: I've never seen an island so big! Tentomon: It's not an island; It's the continent of Server.

Guess they didn't like the choice to have someone other than Exposition Guy correct Agumon.

Meanwhile, not everyone is quite up and at 'em yet. Palmon eagerly tries to rouse Mimi from a deep slumber.

Palmon: Wake up, Mimi! You can see Server Tairiku from here! It's the Tairiku! TAIRIKU!!! Mimi: (muttering, half-asleep) I prefer keki (cake) to taiyaki.... (rolls over and goes back to sleep) Palmon: (sigh) Oh, Mimi.

Alright, that one got me. I was not prepared for Taiyaki Wordplay 2: The Reckoning. XD

Needing a replacement joke here, the dub goes for the Valley Girl bit.

Palmon: Mimi, you've just gotta wake up and look at this! We're going to land on a BIG CONTINENT!!! Mimi: (muttering, half-asleep) Nooo... I'm getting a pedicure.... (rolls over and goes back to sleep) Palmon: (sigh) Oh, Mimi.

This is a good use for it. We've come a long way from the first couple episodes, where the show would get mad at Mimi over a character trait they made up to have something to get mad at her about. Switching "Mimi won't get up because she likes cake more than continent" to "Mimi won't get up because she's at the dream spa" is a lateral shift. Having her say this retains the goofiness of the moment as best they can and doesn't make her look any worse in the process.

Pulling up to Server, the kids disembark. It's a dangerous process; There's no docking mechanism for a whale, so everyone has to slide down Whamon's side and then kick off and jump to the cliff before they slide too far and fall into the ocean. But they make it. All but one, who remains up top paralyzed with fear.

Sora: Come on, Mimi-chan! Be brave! Mimi: Why do we have to get off here? Aren't there better places to land!? Koushiro: In fact, there is an inlet up north where it would have been easier for us to get off. Jou: That's why we had a group discussion, but decided to land here. You slept through it, though! Mimi: Don't make important decisions like that without me!

I want to feel bad for her, but honestly! Keki over taiyaki? Mimi deserves this.

(I'm really more of a pie person, myself; I can't stand the frosting on cake. I've never actually had taiyaki but I've always been curious. It sounds kinda like a cream-filled donut but made from waffle instead of cake.)

Meanwhile, in the dub:

Sora: Come on, Mimi! Mimi: Uhh, this is a little too extreme sports for me. Is there some way I can be airlifted onto the island? Izzy: Sorry we can't just move the continent for you, Mimi. Now, according to the map, this is the best beach to come ashore. Joe: Just put one foot in front of the other and you'll be fine! Really! It's as easy as falling off a log, Mimi! Mimi: Yeah? Well, I've fallen off plenty of logs and believe me, it's not as easy as it looks!

They cut the context that Mimi could have had a voice in this discussion had she not refused to wake up. That the group settled on a suboptimal landing spot is replaced by an insistence that this was the best place possible, forcing Joe and Mimi to spend their last two lines bantering.

Izzy also calls this cliffside a "beach" for some reason.

In the end, Whamon ends up being the deciding factor here. He sinks suddenly, unbalancing Mimi and sending her tumbling down his side before giving her a bump to throw her up onto the cliff. Trusting one of these lunkheads to break her fall for him.

BAM. Fall broken. Hope his computer's okay; This was probably the worst option for Mimi to land on.

His task complete, Whamon says his farewells and returns to the ocean, leaving the kids on a whole new continent. Fortunately, they're not entirely directionless.

Mimi: Where do we go from here? Palmon: Whamon said that if we continue on, we'll reach a Koromon village in the forests within half a day. Mimi: Koromon? I think I've heard that name before.... Agumon: I used to be a Koromon! Mimi: That's right! Tentomon: The Koromon should be willing to help us. Taichi: Alright! Let's go!

Taichi's so eager to go, he turns away from Agumon to address the group at warp speed. Flipping instantly from one pose to the other with no transitional animation frames between. Super jarring.

Not sure how Whamon knows much about the continent's geography past its edges. Nonetheless, it seems implied that this came up during the talk about where to land. Proximity to the Koromon village may have been the deciding factor in choosing Perilous Cliffside over Easier Inlet.

In the dub:

Mimi: So what are we going to do now? Palmon: While you were asleep, Whamon told us where to go. In the forest, a few miles from here, there's a Koromon village! Mimi: Koromon? Why, that somehow sounds familiar! Agumon: I was a Koromon the day you got here. Mimi: I forgot! Tentomon: The Koromon are a group of Digimon always willing to help out those in need! Tai: Okay, gang! Let's move out!

Tentomon's a bit more verbose and seems to be basing his idea off the biology of Koromon or something rather than a general hope that a kindly village will assist travelers.

But the bigger shift is in Palmon's line. Human walking pace generally averages about 2-4 mph. "A few miles from here" is a much shorter distance than half a day's journey.

The kids set off into Server. We join up with them trudging through the desert.

Jou: This really is a continent.... Gomamon: Why are you stating the obvious? Jou: Because we've been walking for so long and the scenery hasn't even changed a single bit! Mimi: I thought, once we reached the shore, I could take a bath.... Palmon: You can, once we reach the village! Mimi: When will we get there, then!? What hour, minute, and second? Palmon: ...uhhh....

Jou calls out that the biomes of Server are significantly larger than the ones on File Island. They've been walking for a good 8-12 hours through dry, dry desert and nothing looks any different from where they started.

In the dub:

Sora: This place is bigger than I thought. Izzy: It's simple physics. The universe is expanding! Joe: I think my feet are expanding. We have been walking all day long and there's no sign of the village yet! Mimi: Oh, I'd give anything to be in a nice clean bathtub with lots of bubble bath in it! Palmon: You can do that once we get to the village. Mimi: You honestly think they have bathtubs, Palmon!? Palmon: ...uhhh....

So much for "a few miles". Sora and Izzy's lines here are delivered in completely casual tones, which makes Joe and Mimi come off more whiny. In the original, everyone just sounds tired and frustrated by their trek.

We lose Jou's point about the size difference between Server and File, and replace it with Izzy's... random derailment? Cosmic expansion has nothing to do with why Server's desert is bigger than the Gear Savannah.

Mimi's bit is also shifted, and in a way that makes Mimi look better. We've come a long ways from changing her lines to give the others reasons to yell at her in the first few episodes. In the original, she's just talking about bathing in general; Palmon tries to be helpful and Mimi snaps at her. In the dub, she's fantasizing about a luxurious bathtub experience, making Palmon's attempt at encouragement more unreasonable.

Suddenly, Agumon smells something. Getting a sniff of Koromon in the distance, he calls Taichi's attention. Through his mini-telescope, Taichi spots the forest they've been looking for in the distance, and the group races off towards salvation.

Following a short march into the woods, they find their destination.

Eager for a chance to take a bath, Mimi races down the hill ahead of the others. While Palmon chases after her, Agumon hesitates. After a moment, he drops a bombshell.

Agumon: This isn't the place.

Dub Agumon isn't quite as certain.

Agumon: Something doesn't feel right.

Reaching the bottom of the hill, Mimi races into the village to find... Koromon?

Mimi: Hey, where are your baths? Koromon?: (They all turn around to face her at once, saying nothing.) Mimi: Huh? Did Koromon always look like this? Palmon: No, these are Pagumon.

Just so we're all on the same page about the chill running down Agumon's spine right now, the narrator cuts in with the rundown. Pagumon is a Baby-stage Virus-type Digimon. They get their names from "pagu", the Japanese word for the "pug" breed of dog. Pugmon.

Narrator: Pagumon. A Baby Digimon who loves to bully the weak and make fools out of others.

For his part, Tentomon seems at a loss for what he can say here.

Tentomon: Hmm, Pagumon. There are[sic] more to them than meets the eye.

Tentomon's rundown is a shrug emoji followed by "IDK Maybe they're Decepticons. Is that the right toy franchise?" He's so utterly at a loss, he even screws up his grammar.

As soon as the rundown's complete, the Pagumon gently knock Palmon over and run off with Mimi.

Great job, Palmon! Solid 10/10 bodyguarding happening right now!

The rest of the group arrives too late to stop them from taking Mimi. Following the sound of her screams, they make their way to a luxurious hut. A trail left behind by her discarded hat and bag lead them to the chamber she's been taken to.

The dub takes this as a perfect opportunity to add some jokes. When they find her hat, Sora picks it up and inspects it.

Sora: There's Mimi's hat! (snatches it up) It's definitely hers.

For the dub, she says:

Sora: Hey, look up there! That's Mimi's hat! (snatches it up) There's the price tag; It's Mimi's.

XD Solid. That got me.

Then, when they find the bag, we get:

Jou: Hey, isn't that Mimi-kun's bag? Koushiro: You're right. That can't be anyone else's but hers. Taichi: Okay, then! (angrily throws back the curtain) She must be in here!

The dub makes this into:

Joe: That's Mimi's purse. She never goes anywhere without! Izzy: Logically, that can mean only one thing: She's missing. Tai: (angrily throws back the front curtain) That's it!

Helpful, Izzy.

However, as Taichi approaches the rear curtain to enter the chamber beyond, Sora makes an alarming discovery.

It's a bath. The Pagumon brought her to the bath she asked for. A revelation that comes much too late for both Taichi and Koushiro, who are swiftly and furiously taken out by a thrown wash basin and shampoo bottle respectively.

Once the two intruders have been slain, Sora closes the curtain to preserve what's left of Mimi's privacy.

(Koushiro is having the worst day. XD This is the second time he's been laid out by Mimi-related projectile attacks.)

The Pagumon lay out a feast and formally welcome everyone to the Pagumon village. Singing a welcoming anthem in the background while the kids discuss.

Gabumon: Apparently this was a Pagumon village. Agumon: That's weird. I'm sure I smelled Koromon here.... Mimi: I feel like Otohime-sama when she arrived at Ryugu-jou! Jou: You're mixing up characters. You mean Urashima. Sora: (picking out apples with Taichi) You don't think these are fake, do you? Taichi: As if something like that would happen twice! (bite) Tasty! It's real!

Mimi and Jou are talking about a Japanese folk tale. The protagonist, a fisherman named Urashima, rescues a turtle. The turtle turns out to be the princess Otohime, daughter of the sea's ruler Ryujin. To repay his kindness, Ryujin grants him an audience in his great palace of Ryugu-jou at the bottom of the ocean. There's a lot more to it than that but the important thing is, as Jou states, Mimi mixed up which one was the main character.

(Imagine that, Mimi likes and relates to the cool sea princess more than the everyman protag. Representation matters, folks.)

In the dub:

Gabumon: This is definitely a Pagumon village. Agumon: Something's wrong here, Gabumon. I know what I smelt was Koromon. I'd bet my nose on it! Mimi: I feel just like a princess in a big, beautiful palace! Joe: I once had a chihuahua named Princess. Sora: Listen, Tai; You don't suppose this could be some kind of trick? Tai: 'Course not! You think I don't know a good Digimon from a bad one?

As far as compensating for untranslatable gags go, "chihuahua named Princess" is one of their weaker attempts. Don't know why they removed the callback to Devimon's feast, though.

In any case, the Digimon from there agree that the Pagumon are much nicer than their reputation.

They're right, too. The Pagumon are eerily nice. Like, they're too nice. They're clearly trying too hard to be accommodating. Comparing to the Pyocomon feast, the Pagumon have their entire population out here practically worshipping the passing travelers. It's weird.

They've crossed the line from "hospitality" to "trying to sell something". It's super suspicious if you're not eleven.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a long-awaited event finally happens.

Poyomon evolves, once more becoming Tokomon. He's back to where he was when he and Takeru met. The kids and Pagumon all applaud, celebrating his achievement.

But then, as Day 12 comes to a close and the kids go to bed inside one of the huts, this happy occasion becomes markedly less so.

The Pagumon kidnap Tokomon, tying him up and jabbing him with sticks.

Tokomon: W-Why are you doing this!? Pagumon: Because you evolved! Tokomon: You aren't nice Digimon!? Pagumon 1: It was an act! Pagumon 2: You're all so stupid for falling for it!

The dub edits the footage to cut out all shots of the Pagumon jabbing sticks into Tokomon. This means Pagumon's first line and Tokomon's second are all cut out.

Tokomon: What'd I do!? Why are you picking on me!? Pagumon 1: Because you Digi-volved! Pagumon 2: You were so easy to fool! What a bunch of losers!

Now, I enjoy beating babies with sticks as much as the next person so obviously the censoring makes me sad. But the dialogue still flows smoothly and hits all the key points. It's a simple enough exchange that it can be easily covered in three lines.

They don't get very far into Tokomon's bullying, however; A trio of Digimon call out to them, demanding to know what's happening here.

These are Gazimon, a Child-stage Virus-type Mammal Digimon. Their name comes from gazigazi, the onomotapoeia for eating.

Narrator: Gazimon. They have a vicious and aggressive temperament. Their special attack, Paralyze Breath, is a mass of electricity that numbs their opponents.

Paralyzing lightning breath. Well, that's fucking ominous. This is not the cavalry here to save Tokomon; These are very bad bunnies.

Tokomon handles the diegetic rundown himself.

Tokomon: Look! Those are Gazimon! On the evil scale of 1 to 10, 10 being bad, these Digimon are 12!

Really? Where would Devimon rank on that scale? Because the Gazimon have steep competition if they're going to trump him in badness. I agree with the sentiment but you may be overselling it a little.

The Gazimon promptly question the Pagumon about all this.

Gazimon: Where'd that Tokomon come from? Pagumon: H-He came with a bunch of humans.... Gazimon: Humans?

They weren't prepared for that answer, exchanging looks among themselves.

The Gazimon have the Pagumon bring Tokomon to a cave behind a waterfall. There, they lock him in a cage.

Pagumon: Stay quiet in here, you!

The dub Pagumon express jealousy for earlier.

Pagumon: Not so special now, are you?

From the cage, Tokomon sees many red eyes light up from deeper within. The sight of it frightens him, but we move perspective to the Gazimon watching from outside.

Gazimon 1: Who would have guessed the Chosen Children would show up here? Gazimon 2: I'll go tell Etemon-sama about this. You guys take care of the rest!

After torturing and imprisoning Tokomon, now seems like a good time for the dub to drop in a tension-lightening gag.

Gazimon 1: One of us has to tell Etemon that the DigiDestined humans are here! Gazimon 2: I'll go. I gotta ask him for time off for a harecut anyway!

While the Pagumon are instructed to keep an eye on the kids and not to let them leave.

We follow that Gazimon as he races across the landscape. On the dawn of Day 13, he reaches his destination. Spotting a Monochromon hauling Etemon's trailer around, he approaches the trailer and we are introduced to this piece of work!

Introducing Etemon-sama! Perfect-stage Virus-type Puppet Digimon and pop star extraordinaire. This guy turns in the single most memorable vocal performance of the entire dub by being a major villain voiced entirely and unapologetically as a full-blown Elvis Impersonator.

For the next season or whatever, we are going to be fighting Evil Monkey J-Pop Elvis. That is the plot. Digimon is wild.

Etemon: YEAH YEAH!!! Who is the strongest in the world!? That's me, ETEMOOOOOOOON!!!

Two things to note here: First, "YEAH YEAH" is in English for added stylishness. Second and more importantly, when Etemon says "strongest in the world", he specifically says "Konoyo de saikyou". That's an interesting choice of words: Konoyo.

We've previously seen the world referred to as Digimon Kai and Digital Sekai. The words there, kai and sekai, are ways of referring to the physical reality around us. It doesn't necessarily mean "Earth", mind you; Dragon Ball for instance uses kaio, "World-King", to refer to godly beings who govern the entire universe. "World" is different from "planet".

Konoyo is more of a spiritual term; It exists in opposition to anoyo, the other world beyond death. Etemon proclaims up-front that he is the strongest Digimon in the world of mortal life. He's our Frieza, um... according to him, anyway.

Meanwhile, the dub gives us our first impression of his Elvis tones.

Etemon: Yeah! The concert sensation of the Server Continent is back! ALRIGHT, it's Etemon the King!

I like that he calls himself "the King" right up front. Not even pretending. Uh-huh-huh.

Yeah, there's no way to actually make his voice come across through text. But if you know it, y'know. In any case, that's not really added; Gazimon calls him King of Digimon right after the narrator's rundown, which is probably where the inspiration to make him Elvis came from. I mean. He's a music sensation called the King, there's only so many directions you can go with that.

Narrator: Etemon. A Digimon who claims to be the strongest. His two powerful attacks, Dark Spirits and Love Serenade, support that claim.

For the rundown, the narrator even centers on the fact that Etemon's status as Strongest in Konoyo cites only a source of like, your opinion, man. While nonetheless stressing that he has the might to back it up.

Tentomon has to warp over to handle the diegetic rundown, because we're now officially at the point where doing it diegetically doesn't always work anymore.

Tentomon: There is nothing entertaining about Etemon. He has the power to control anything electronic through his Dark Network.

Spoilers, Tentomon!

Though, in a rare twist, the dub's rundown is more informative and useful than the original's, giving us an early explanation of the way Etemon's abilities work.

Hard disagree about that first line, though. Dub Etemon is amazing.

Once Etemon's intro is out of the way, Gazimon attempts to broach the topic of the kids with him.

Gazimon: HAIL ETEMON-SAMA!!! King of Digimon! Etemon: (punches Gazimon in the skull) Shut up! You're too loud for this early in the morning! Gazimon: ...maybe you should take your own advice.... Etemon: SHUT UP!!! SILENCE!!! According to my calculations, the Chosen Children will be landing here soon. I'll ambush them here and crush them all! A fine plan, if I do say so myself. But if you're too loud, the children will hear you!

He gestures to a map, where a blinking blue light indicates the kids' location. As a nice detail, you can also see the inlet further up north that Mimi would have preferred to disembark at.

(You can see the gears turning in his head here if you think about it. That spot on the map is probably the jagged cliffside. If the GPS places them there and they're on a raft, they're going to need to find somewhere nearby that their raft can actually come aground at. So Etemon's waiting at the nearest beach.)

This is a good plan, thwarted by the circumstances of the sea voyage. The Whamon encounter was a fucking miracle. Due to how much faster he was than the raft, we arrived a full day sooner than expected. And we were able to disembark directly onto the jagged cliff (or inlet) rather than this raft-accessible beach. Whamon single-finnedly made the entire rest of this series possible.

This also sets the tone for the kind of villain Etemon is going to be. Devimon had to be cautious and calculating because a 6v1 Adult-stage dogpile intimidated him. He wasn't confident he could win that.

Etemon is Perfect-stage and allegedly Strongest in Konoyo so his plan is to just tear these kids apart with his bare hands. There is nothing he can throw at them that will be more effective than himself.

Over in the dub, he continues to Elvis.

Gazimon: EVERYONE HAIL ETEMON, THE TRUE KI-- Etemon: (punches Gazimon in the skull) Now, son, you're way too loud for an early morning time like this, understand? Gazimon: But you're the one using the amplifier, sir.... Etemon: Now let's get something straight, sonny-boy; I'm the Monarch of Rock and Roll. Your jives make me happy! The humans will be here soon! You see now, once I start making my fabulous music? Well, those kids are gonna be mine! They'll just have to come over and see what great star is singin' like that!

Without mentioning that they're coming ashore here, it's less clear why he expects them to show up at this spot. I think you can still put it together from context - we got a big shot of the beach on Gazimon's approach - but that threw me as a kid.

I do, however, like the dub's addition to his plan: He was going to rock out and bait them into coming to their doom of their own free will. History suggests this would have gone off without a hitch; Children are gullible and our kids have proven to be no exception.

Overall, Etemon has a solid plan. There's just one problem with it.

Gazimon: The children won't be here. Etemon: Hm!? Gazimon: The Chosen Children arrived yesterday and landed somewhere else. They're at the Pagumon village right now. Etemon: W-What!? HOW!? WHY!? Gazimon: (points to the map) That's not up-to-date.

Etemon slams his fists down on the console, causing the data to refresh. The blinking GPS light changes to a new location on the map. Devimon lets out a hysterical shriek at the sight of it.

Etemon: AHHHHHHH IT'S TRUE!!! My plan is ruined! I'll never forgive them for this! Remember that!

Etemon releases the Monochromon and detaches the harness from his trailer. He then summons his Dark Network, causing a set of cables to emerge from the earth for his trailer to drive along.

Gazimon asks Etemon about his intentions.

Gazimon: Will you gather your subordinates? Etemon: I'll be more than enough for Chosen Children on my own.

But Etemon has no intention of leaving this task to others.

In the dub:

Gazimon: There's just one thing wrong. Etemon: Huh!? Gazimon: Just that those seven kids are already here. They've been at the Pagumon village since yesterday. Etemon: What!? Just what are you saying!? I had it all worked out, kid! My whole plan's flawless! Gazimon: Well, somebody forgot to tell those humans! Etemon: No! It's just not fair! (Etemon slams his fists on the console, causing the light to move) Etemon: I am the King here! They gotta learn the hard way what you already know: They can't be messin' with the royal one! I expect my plans to be followed, uh-huh-huh!

Once he gets his trailer moving, the exchange is:

Gazimon: This will be your greatest performance yet, boss! Etemon: It's not easy being a superstar, little bunny, but somebody's gotta do it!

This exchange conveys so much less information. Etemon doesn't even bring up the movement of the blinking light, and he seems to pound the console out of frustration rather than to refresh the data. Combined with him failing to mention the kids' landing, it's not super clear in the dub what that light even represents.

They also cut the explanation that he a) has subordinates he can bring against the kids but b) is choosing to do this himself. Entertaining as the Elvis persona is, it's replaced much of the plot laid out in this scene.

On the plus side, Etemon being furious with the kids for not following his plan to murder them is a great extrapolation from the original "I'll never forgive them!" moment.

Back at the Pagumon village, the kids search frantically for Takeru's missing Partner.

Mimi: I thought I could finally take a break. I wish he wouldn't make us go to so much trouble! Gomamon: And who do you think's given us the most trouble all this time? Mimi: Jou-senpai. Jou: Ack! He means you! Mimi: EHHHH!?!?

Honestly, I'm with Mimi. I mean, Mimi once threw a tantrum because Koushiro was ignoring her for a long time, but Jou once melted down at the entire group over how they season their eggs. Jou's dogged insistence that there's humans to take care of us just around the next corner has also landed us in trouble multiple times, including being the reason the kids fell for Devimon's trap.

Gomamon's Partner biases are showing. I love Jou, and the way he behaves makes perfect sense when you consider the pressures he's under. But if we're gonna talk "Who keeps getting us into jams?" and "Who's the hardest to be around sometimes?" then the finger should be pointed that-a-way.

The dub takes this as an opportunity for a Valley Girl joke.

Mimi: Can we hurry this up? I'm scheduled for a mud pack and a facial in half an hour. Gomamon: Tokomon should know better than to interrupt your beauty treatments. Mimi: You're so right. Joe: Huh? He's being sarcastic. Mimi: WHA--!?!?

I think the dub version of this flows better because Mimi's the butt of both jokes but here it feels more deserved. There's no ambiguity here; Mimi's being shallow and Gomamon gently ribs her for it.

With everyone searching for Tokomon, Koushiro draws a map of the village in the dirt with a stick so he can mark everywhere they've looked. While the kids are searching the village, the Pagumon check the waterfall and report back that he wasn't there.

However, while everyone else is checking the village, Agumon returns to the forest. He's interested in pursuing that Koromon scent that did not lead in the village's direction earlier.

He follows that smell all the way to the waterfall, where he finds not only Tokomon in a cage but something else.

Agumon: Koromon! Why are you all locked up in here? Koromon 1: This is our home! Koromon 2: Two or three days ago, the Pagumon came here and took over our homes! Agumon: Then those guys are-- Tokomon: Wicked liars! You have to tell everyone!

Over in the dub, Agumon's kneejerk reaction to seeing Koromon in cages is to quip about it.

Agumon: Koromon! Boy, you guys gotta get a bigger apartment; Maybe some place with a few more bedrooms. Koromon 1: The Pagumon came and locked us in these cages! Koromon 2: About three days ago, they came in and took over our whole village. Agumon: Then we were really right after all! Tokomon: I appreciate chatting as much as the next guy, but if you untie me, we could go warn the others.

Dub Agumon and Tokomon are both unsettlingly casual about this predicament. Though the Koromon don't seem amused by any of this.

Agumon tries to free the Koromon, but he doesn't get very far before he's interrupted.

It's the two Gazimon who stayed behind while the third went for Etemon. They've been guarding this waterfall cave.

Agumon: I'll get you out of here quick! Gazimon: Oh, you're not allowed to do that. Agumon: You guys are... Gazimon! Gazimon: We'll be offering the Chosen Children to Etemon-sama! Agumon: Etemon? Gazimon: We'll dispose of you here!

Agumon barely has a chance to defend himself. The Gazimon lunge for him together, shoving him to the ground and raining punches down on him.

In the dub:

Agumon: I'll have you out in just a minute. Gazimon: I really don't think so! Agumon: Hmm? But you're Gazimon! Gazimon: Exactly right. And we're going to be giving those humans of yours to King Etemon. Agumon: No, you're not! Not quite! Gazimon: Why don't we teach the little lizard a lesson?

Between this and the last bit, I think Dub Agumon's high. His lines throughout this waterfall cave scene are atrocious. My favorite part is the way he delivers, "But you're Gazimon!" as if it's abnormal for Gazimon to behave this way.

Back in the village, the kids confer about the disappearances, but one person hasn't shown up to regroup.

Koushiro: Tokomon is still a baby, so he shouldn't have been able to go far.... Taichi: He's late... Where is Agumon searching?

Which the dub plays straight.

Back in the cave, the two Gazimon nail Agumon with their Paralyze Breath. He collapses to the ground, seeming to lose muscle control as we've been told the attack does.

Koromon 1: Two against one isn't fair! Koromon 2: You've got this, Agumon! Agumon: Taichi... let me evolve.... Gazimon: It's useless! No one outside can hear you! Agumon: Damn, if only this waterfall wasn't here... Waterfall... That's it!

The dub calls the Gazimon's move "Electric Stun Blast". Otherwise this is unchanged.

Suddenly, Agumon stands up again and lets off a Baby Flame. The Gazimon sidestep his shot, but he wasn't aiming for him; He hits the waterfall behind them. Then he shoots another Baby Flame. And another. Letting off shot after shot while the Gazimon ridicule him for his bad aim. Sending up steam into the air, which Taichi sees and points out from his scouting position with his mini-telescope.

Seeing the steam in the distance, the kids decide Tokomon must be over there. This sends the Pagumon into a panic.

Taichi: That's weird.... Yamato: What do you see, Taichi? Taichi: (points) I see smoke over there. Jou: What's that? Takeru: It's Tokomon! (All of the Pagumon collectively flinch) Pagumon 1: That can't be true! We just searched that waterfall! Pagumon Group: WE SEARCHED!!! WE SEARCHED!!! Koushiro: But he might have shown up after you finished searching. Taichi: I'll go take a look. Pagumon Group: YOU CAN'T DO THAT!!! Sora: Why not? We're just taking a look. Pagumon: Uhh... Because....

Suddenly, Mimi lets out a horrified scream, pulling everyone's attention away from the rising steam.

Somehow a Botamon has made its way into Mimi's lap.

Mimi: W-What is this thing!? Tentomon: It's a Botamon. Palmon: How would a Botamon be here? Yamato: What do you mean? Gabumon: Botamon is the Digimon that evolves into Koromon. There shouldn't be one in a Pagumon village. Taichi: Then this place is really....

The Pagumon launch into a reprise of their Welcome song, welcoming the kids to Not the Pagumon Village while scurrying away.

Over in the dub:

Mimi: Eww, what is this thing!? Tentomon: It's a Botamon. Palmon: Why would there be a Botamon here? Yamato: What do you mean? Gabumon: Botamon is the small egg form that Digivolves into Koromon and then into Agumon. Taichi: Then the Pagumon lied to us!

The only noteworthy thing is that Gabumon calls Botamon a "small egg form", which is an odd choice of descriptors, and adds that Koromon evolves into Agumon. Technically, due to branching evolution paths, not necessarily always the case. But it's not wrong either, and branching evolutions aren't a thing that's been introduced to the show anyways.

Yet.

Putting those soccer legs to work, Taichi sprints full-speed to the waterfall cave. He arrives much sooner than the rest of his group and their various levels of athleticism, giving Agumon what he needs to fight.

(Sometimes it's nice to sit back and appreciate how big Adult-stage Digimon are. Good news is that the rushing sounds of the waterfall will drown out the Gazimon pissing themselves.)

Sweeping the Gazimon into the river with a single shot of Mega Flame, Greymon quickly puts an end to this. The kids enter the cage, releasing Tokomon and the Koromon from their cages.

Takeru: Thank goodness you're safe! Tokomon: I'm sorry for worrying you, Takeru!

The dub calls back to Tokomon's recent reincarnation.

T.K.: Tokomon! I thought I lost you again! Tokomon: I'm like a boomerang; I keep coming back!

Aww, that's sweet. So far, the original's been unclear about whether Tokomon remembers his past life with Takeru or not. We haven't spent enough time with him yet to know. But the dub's putting it all up-front that this is the same guy and he was just resting. He speaks in longer and more complicated sentences, and now he's quipping about his revival.

But then an ominous voice calls out over loudspeaker.

Etemon: Chosen Children, can you hear me? Koromon Group: IT'S ETEMON!!! Etemon: How dare you make a fool of me!? Since you pissed me off, I'm going to destroy everything in this village! Taichi: Everything in the village!? Koushiro: There's no way he can do that!

In the dub:

Etemon: You measly little DigiDestined humans, thank-you-very-much! Hello! Koromon Group: IT'S ETEMON!!! OH NO!!! Etemon: You little bratty kids messed up all my big, beautiful plans so now I'm gonna have to punish you all by playing a little number that I just wrote. It's called "Wrecking the Whole Place". Taichi: "Wrecking the Whole Place"!? Izzy: Do you think he can actually do that?

What, play the song? Sure, he seems talented eno-- OH, you mean, can he wreck the place? Dunno. We just met him right now, and the nature of his threat's a bit harder to follow than when he said in no uncertain terms, "I'm going to destroy this village."

Etemon puts his Dark Network where his mouth is, raising cables from the ground to form a network in the sky above the Koromon village.

The Network sends jolts of destructive energy down into the various huts, obliterating them one by one. In the original, he simply calls out "Dark Network!" to summon the cables, but the dub calls it Dark Network Concert Crush.

The Digimon evolve to resist Etemon, but he's ready for them.

Etemon: I won't let you do that! LOVE SERENADE!!!

Jamming on his guitar, Etemon plays a killer beat that forces the Digimon back into their Child-states. As long as he's playing his Love Serenade, evolution is impossible.

In the dub:

Etemon: Well, you say you want a Digivolution? Guess what, the answer's ~noooooo! Dark Network Concert Crush!

I guess this, too, is Dark Network Concert Crush. Versatile move, that.

Taichi: What's wrong with you guys!? Agumon: I-I can't feel any power! Tentomon: His Love Serenade drains you of your abililty to fight! Koushiro: Is there any other way to fight against him? Tentomon: Not while we're in this state. If we could evolve to a higher level.... Yamato: If Garurumon evolved to a higher level, it would be possible? Sora: So this is why Gennai-san told us to find the Tags and Crests. Jou: It's too late to realize that now!

Tentomon speculates that evolving to Perfect-stage would give them the ability to fight back against Love Serenade, but as Jou points out, it's a little late to start looking for Crests now.

The dub needs to squeeze a commercial break here, so they cut up the footage just a bit. The commercial lands after Tai's initial line, at which point they splice in footage of Etemon's Concert Crush to re-establish context upon return.

Tai: Something strange is going on! (Commercial) Etemon: Dark Network, YEAH!!! (A bolt of dark energy blasts the river just outside the cave) Agumon: Concert Crush took our power! Tentomon: Does rock and roll have that effect in your world? Sora: Only on our parents. Izzy: So there's no way for us to fight this monster? Tentomon: As we are? No. If only we could Digivolve a step further. Matt: A step further? Sora: That must be what Gennai was referring to when he told us about finding the Crests and Tags! Joe: I think it's just a little late for that now, Sora.

Nice rock & roll quip, Sora. Hahaha we're going to die in here.

Out of options, the Koromon lead the kids deeper into the cave. Unfortunately, they run right into a dead end.

Taichi: What's this? Koromon: There's a legend that says if anything were to happen to our village, we should escape from here!

In the dub, it's more of a hidey-hole.

Taichi: Huh!? What's this? Koromon: This is a safe place where we hide when anything bad happens to our village!

Oh, y'all get attacked a lot, I take it?

This wall presents a problem for our escape. Fortunately, Taichi's Tag begins to react to it. A bright orange light surrounds everyone, and the wall with the symbol shrinks, forming into a Crest to slot into Taichi's Tag.

Taichi: This is a Crest! Yamato: What? Taichi: I have a Crest! Yamato: Alright!

The dub delivers the same idea, but is slightly awkward in its delivery.

Tai: I think I know what this is! Matt: Okay, what? Tai: A Crest! Sora: A Crest? Tai: Exactly! Now we've got a Crest! Matt: How awesome!

The way Tai delivers "Now we've got a Crest!" makes it sound like Etemon's drowning in Crests and we're just now picking up our first to even the playing field. We are, and it is to even the playing field, but not because we're trying to match Etemon in Crest count.

Not only do we acquire a Crest, but when the glow recedes, we're in a different cave entirely.

Jou: Th-This is.... Koromon: We're in the mountains far, far away from where our village is. Jou: Then we're saved! Yamato: Looks that way. Mimi: I'm so glad! Taichi: A Crest... I finally have one! As long as I have this, Etemon is no threat at all!

Careful of that cockiness, Taichi. It might lead you into trouble.

In the dub:

Joe: ...didn't this used to be a wall? Koromon: Yeah, but the Crest must have brought us here! These mountains are a long way from our village! Joe: Alright! Frequent flier miles! Matt: This place is the bomb! Mimi: It's beautiful! Tai: Hmm... With this Crest, we can do anything we want! You know, guys, I think this is the first step on our trip home!

I like how Tai is overselling the Crest's capabilities but in a completely different way. Ironically, he'll actually be right about that prediction while Taichi's in for a rude awakening.

This is the second time frequent flier miles have been brought up. These preteens care an awful lot about thrifty cross-country transit. It's almost like middle-aged adults are writing their dialogue or something.

(Back in the 90's, frequent flier miles were all over cartoons and sitcoms. Writers were certain that worrying about thrifty cross-country transit was a universal concern. I knew that frequent flier miles were desirable before I even knew what planes were.)

However, as the kids discuss their newfound safety, a cable of Etemon's Dark Network feeds their location back to Etemon's trailer.

Gazimon: AUGH!!! Etemon-sama, the Chosen Children-- Etemon: The Chosen Children have been torn to pieces by now. Gazimon: They were suddenly sent somewhere else. Etemon: WHAT!?!? (Etemon turns and looks at the map) Etemon: You're right... How strange to see them over there. I'll need to stay on my guard with these children. But that's what makes defeating them worthwhile!

Etemon is surprisingly chill about the kids' teleportation. At least, after the initial shock, anyways.

In the dub:

Gazimon: Um, Etemon? About the human children-- Etemon: Yes, little bunny, trapping them all in that cave is more fun than learning how to lip sync! Gazimon: Maybe not, boss; They're missing! Etemon: HOW COULD YOU LOSE THEM!?!? Let me see! (Etemon turns and looks at the map) Etemon: They got away! This bunch is a whole lot more clever than I thought they were. I'm gonna have to think about this one, then defeatin' those kids is gonna earn me a standin' ovation!

Etemon was trying to blast them into bits and pieces? Nuh nuh nuh, the plan was to trap them in the cave the whole time. Nobody ever went in after them and it's not like there's any bars to prevent them from leaving, but he's still shocked they left the cave.

We close here, with Etemon plotting his next move against the Chosen Children while they flee into the mountains of Server. Both Etemon and Taichi anticipating a chance to meet again.

Assessment: This is a strong intro for Etemon. Like Devimon and the mansion trick, Etemon is given a powerful introduction to set him up as a force to be reckoned with. He brings tremendous peril to the table, which the kids only narrowly escape with their lives.

There but for the grace of Whamon, he would have had them. He nearly did anyway; Much of the back half of this epsiode is spent showing off what his pet project the Dark Network can do. Its effects are creatively distinct from Devimon's Black Gears, and menacing in a variety of ways.

And yet Etemon himself is a lovable goofball. Rather than trying to match Devimon in calculating chessmaster menace, Etemon keeps things light and fun. He's a silly villain with big reactions who is no less threatening for it, and he makes this section of the show a lot of fun.

The dub, unfortunately, cuts a lot of the Why's in this episode. Context is being stripped away left and right from various scenes which is a hard negative. Their jokes are hit-or-miss, but there's a higher saturation of jokes that work than ones that don't. And Etemon... is Etemon. So the dub of this one is lesser, but entertainingly so.

[jaynovz]

Silverflint “In Peril” Fic Rec List

Hi guys! I got an anon a few weeks ago requesting Silverflint recs with the prompt: “one of them being in danger/peril/kidnapped (or anything akin to that) and the other going just above and beyond to save him. something with the vibe, if you hurt him i'll kill you.” 

There were hmmm not as many as I thought with the EXACT getting rescued parameter but I compiled some similar ones as well. Enjoy.

--

Affinity by Magnetism_bind

Summary: Silver spends his time while captured by Hands thinking of Flint and ignoring his feelings for the man.

It's a little harder to do so after Flint rescues him.

Notes: Oneshot, 4.6k, definitely the best and most faithful example of the prompt as submitted. Silver is held hostage and brutalized by Israel Hands and Flint rescues him.

Another Way by x_etoile_x

Summary: Silver doesn’t get the chance to turn back and attack the Spanish soldiers when he and Flint are captured on the warship, so he needs to come up with a different plan. Things get out of control. A retelling of their time on the warship at the beginning of S2, in the aftermath of this.

Notes: Long fic, 29k. Fantastic story on many levels. For the list, first chapter has a direct fulfillment of the prompt--Flint is in danger, Silver goes above and beyond to save him.

Fifteen Men in September by ballantine

Summary: Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum! Drink and the devil had done for the rest Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

A Black Sails origin story for the song.

Notes: Long fic, 34k, just a fantastic read. There is a pivotal scene where Silver kills a man on Flint’s behalf and then further scenes of both of them in peril, Silver gravely ill. Very much the “going above and beyond” and “if you him I’ll kill you” vibe.

we were never meant to survive (but what if we did) by explosiontimothy, inwardphae

Summary: Since you still haven’t told me your name, I shall call you Jonah. You are so obsessed with sea and water that you’d make a home out of the belly of a whale if only it meant not to touch foot on solid land ever again. What if you get stuck there? I’d be forced to make my way to you and drag you out, cut the whale’s skin with my knife like a shark with its teeth and carve my shape out of it. And yours. There are two fighters, on opposite sides of the time war. They have never met but they know each other's names. But names are powerful, untamed things when they are spoken out loud. So they don’t call each other by their names, ever. Until, one day, they do. The Silverflint Time-Travel AU no one asked for, but you're all getting anyway.

Notes: Long fic, 46k, big concept sweeping crossover with the book This is How You Lose the Time War. Without spoiling, this story very much embodies “going above and beyond to save him.” Top tier.

darkness in his fingertips, eyes just the same by Jaynovz

Summary: A desperate fear is welling up in Silver. Flint, injured? How grievous a wound must it be to keep Flint from a battle? To prevent him from heading up the rescue party? Flint, who Silver had seen take a warship with a shot shoulder, Flint, who shrugged off injuries from raids with an annoyed grimace as if they were minor inconveniences. Silver’s heartbeat is too fast and too slow at the same time, ice creeps around him from all sides at the stark reminder that Flint is mortal. The man who would sneer at God, who would sail straight into a tempest, who seemed to control reality with his demons… Silver has seen Captain Flint bleed, yes, but it’s never mattered like this, never truly hampered him.

And on the heels of this fear is something far less enfeebling, something Silver embraces: a dark vortex of rage.

Notes: Oneshot, 4.3k. A reaction to in peril. An alt canon take of early s4 where Billy injures Flint at the Underhill Plantation. After Silver returns, he murders Billy for the insult. “If you hurt him, I’ll kill you” exactly.

frail and fragile bars by Ajaxthegreat

Summary: “I think you fuck,” Silver says. By which he means, with great intent: I think you are human. I know you are human. I see you.

Notes: Long fic, 21k. A very excellent story overall, and for this list specifically, it features Flint taking a sword to protect Silver in battle and Silver murdering the man responsible.

how we could be brought here by love by mapped

Summary: A 4x03 AU where Flint receives a minor injury in the battle of Nassau Town and Silver is very shaken by it.

Notes: Oneshot, 3.7k. Not a rescue so much as Silver’s intense reaction to Flint being hurt. I think it fits the vibe.

in over our heads by Jaynovz

Summary: Set at the end of 2.1.

The remaining Walrus crew want Silver flogged.

The experience creates some altogether unexpected outcomes.

Notes: Mid-size fic, 13k. Silver is flogged, Flint is very affected by that, takes care of him after, and they both learn a lot about each other ahem. “If you hurt him I’ll kill you” vibes definitely feature.

please do not let me go by natlet

Summary: Vulnerability, it turns out, is a blade that cuts both ways.

Notes: Series, 5 stories, 39k words total. An overall excellent series of Silverflint fics, however the one I’m thinking of for this list is the fourth, all pale and panting, where Flint is gravely ill and Silver goes above and beyond to take care of him. 

--

As always, let me know if you have a suggestion for an inclusion and I’ll give it a look. Thanks.

[etoilesombre]

Never have I ever game-- you're known for playing with the source material in ways that don't change canon's outcome, but would you ever do a non-canon Black Sails take? An AU that is entirely different setting from pirates, mod au, fairytale au, space au, cowboy au, etc?

Oh that is a great question. I don't generally do AU, and especially not modern AU, because for me personally it is hard to put them into a high enough stakes environment to explore the elements of the show I'm interested in. HOWEVER. There is one that I started to consider a while ago and have pretty thoroughly fleshed out, and have a serious plan to start once other projects are finished, and that is: Russian Revolution AU! Ok. Stick with me here. [Or don't. I'm going to put this under a cut, it is a lot, and may not make very much sense if you don't already know something about the historical period.]

So, I love the idea of using the Russian revolution as a way to explore some of the same dynamics as the show because it is a period in which there was a lot of righteous idealism, and then it all went very wrong, which naturally brings up questions of ideological commitment vs survival, what are you willing to sacrifice, how do your ideals hold up in the real world, etc. It is also a time when how queerness was treated was very in flux, fitting well with 'we care if its politically convenient to care.'

Basically, we start in the early 1920s right after Lenin dies. Flint is a general, old guard party member, was a commander in the civil war. He is known for doing Really Heinous Flinty Shit during that period. He is sort of revered but also feared, and very ideologically motivated, and so of course he is about to get his ass purged when Stalin starts to consolidate and bring everybody into line.

Silver (10ish years younger) grew up during the upheaval of the 1905, WWI, 1917. He's his survivalist trauma bundle self, and ends up working as a low level NKVD (early Soviet intelligence) guy. He gets sent to keep tabs on/gather evidence against Flint - there is immediately a Frenemies attraction spark there. For Plot Reasons they have to do something together and become Reluctant Allies. I have some of the actual plot worked out but I'm not going to get much into it here, but there is absolutely a parallel conflict in values to the show, and choice that has to be made at the end.

IN THE MEAN TIME interspersed through all of this, in flashbacks: back sometime in the years right after the 1905 revolution, Flint is a promising young military guy who came up from nothing, and has a Hennessey parallel benefactor who sends him to school to be educated. He falls in with Thomas, who is the son of a minor prince, very queer and getting away with it, and is a radical in the Christian anarchist Tolstoy model. Flint gets radicalized through him and his friends, they spend happy years abroad in exile with Thomas writing and Flint being a tactician and doing direct action stuff. They come back in 1917, the civil war starts, Thomas is basically murdered by his family because he sided against them, and he is still set to inherit. SO, that is why Flint goes all Darkness and gets especially nasty during the civil war.

There is a Miranda proxy as well. I believe she disappears and her disappearance is what sets off Plot Events.

It's also set in St. Petersburg, if anybody is wondering. Moscow, with the level I have Flint at, would involve too much interaction with Actual Historical Figures, and while I know a fair amount about this era and am totally committed to research, but still, that gets to be Much.

So, there you have it, Russia AU! My delusional long-term goal is for this to be different enough from canon that it could be published. Thanks for the ask, it's helping me get excited about that project again!

[myreygn]

Going Nowhere

spoiler for the end of vinland saga season 1!!

summary: The path to the afterlife is a mysterious one. No one knows where it leads to, everyone likes to think it leads to eternity. No one likes to think that eternity might not be that exciting after all.

an: this is just me self indulgently pushing out something with askeladd because honestly i would've dropped dead if i didn't. this has very slight bjornskeladd and you can read into that whatever you want. also i'll get to the stuff in my inbox i promise!

wordcount: 1355

taglist: @atruewarrior

¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫¸¸¸¸♫·¯·♪¸¸♩·¯·♬¸¸

Where do I go after I die?

Askeladd had never been one to ask himself that question. It seemed redundant, especially in the heat of battle when ‘after I die’ wasn’t a future one should consider for even a second if one didn’t want it to become reality. And in most other situations, if not all, it was simply too dark of a question to ask.

Of course the topic would come up every now and then and the men would start swooning about the halls of Valhalla, but no one ever asked themselves that question seriously. Genuinely. Asking yourself, or anyone for that matter, a genuine question usually led to genuine answers and those could be horrifying. Because if you genuinely asked Where do I go after I die?, a question very closely related to that would be Will I go to Valhalla? and no one wanted an actual serious answer to that. Yes, of course you’ll go to Valhalla if you die in battle, but you could die at any moment in any dishonorable way and you’ll never even know what hit you until they shut the door in your face. Great talk, have another drink. No way.

That answer, while terrifying to most people he had sailed with over the years, meant nothing to Askeladd. Never had. Honor was a great buzzword to die from but a foolish one to live by. And without honor, one would never go to Valhalla. Or so they always said. And Askeladd had listened but never agreed, nor had he disagreed. He wasn’t stupid, why would he run his mouth off over a subject he knew nothing about?

Where do I go after I die?

That was the thing, wasn’t it, no one knew. They believed, which was very different and far more dangerous. Believing that dying with honor was the greatest achievement in the world, that was a nice thing to do until you ran into someone who favored dishonorable survival. And Askeladd had always been that man to favor dishonorable survival, to favor survival over anything else, because it really didn’t matter how you did it as long as you stayed alive. And stay alive, escape, or as some might even say, cheat death he had done time and time again, and again, and again.

Until today.

The darkness around him was… it wasn’t even darkness anymore, it was just blackness. Blackness and something else, pictures of things Askeladd couldn’t tell whether they were memories or visions. Any time he took a closer look, he ended up seeing nothing, but then he looked down and could see himself clearly, as if he was a lantern in the dark, yet no light broke through the blackness. Any time he took a breath, his lungs remained empty and yet he wasn’t suffocating. His body was numb, but looking down he saw the wounds he had acquired in his life and they were bleeding, drenching his clothes in blood for a moment before they were gone again in the blink of an eye.

It was a strange mix of too little and too much, of nothing at all and everything at once and he had yet to wrap his head around it, but it sure as shit wasn’t Valhalla. Askeladd didn’t know whether he wanted to laugh or cry and when he opened his mouth to let out something in between, the sound was swallowed by the darkness so quickly he doubted for a moment that it had ever been there.

Where do I go after I die?

He had never been afraid of not going to Valhalla, that much was true. But to say that there were no possible answers to that question that would scare him would be a lie. There was one answer that frightened him more than anything else and he had never dared to say it out loud during his lifetime, but now, here, it didn’t matter anymore and when he uttered it into the abyss, the abyss sucked the words right up and said nothing back.

What if I don’t go anywhere?

He took pride in not getting too attached to people, but if he was being completely honest with himself, he had thought about Bjorn a lot. During his attempt at recovery, after the duel and even when he was bleeding out on the floor while Thorfinn screamed at him. Such an unpleasant brat, all around, not like Bjorn. Bjorn had always been very different from any other northman Askeladd had ever met. Not a genius by any means, not a moron either though. Empathetic, sensible, and way more in control than most people realized. In control of himself and his actions, of everything surrounding him. Sometimes Askeladd had thought that Bjorn even had a certain grasp on him, but it had never gotten to the point where he would’ve been ready to admit that Bjorn had seen through him. Because he just never had. And Askeladd had felt sorry about that many times - if there was one person who deserved to see through him just a little bit, it would have been Bjorn.

A small part of him had always hoped that there would be time for this in another life. Somewhere there wouldn’t be any wars to fight and secrets to keep and Askeladd couldn’t have cared less about what that other life would’ve looked like, but he would’ve followed Bjorn to Valhalla. He would’ve followed Bjorn anywhere, but apparently death didn’t care about that. Because Askeladd was nowhere and Bjorn was somewhere else where they wouldn’t open the gates for his kind. Bjorn had gone to Valhalla. Askeladd had just gone away.

“Son of a bitch went on without me,” he muttered to himself and it sounded like the voice of a stranger.

What if I don’t go anywhere?

What then? What now? He had sacrificed himself for the reign of a king he wouldn’t live to follow and the safety of a country that had never loved him back enough to justify the things he had done to protect it. And it had all been for nothing, or nothingness at least, because apparently he wouldn’t get anything else in return for his efforts. Maybe this was some kind of twisted reward; feeling nothing in exchange for all those years of pointless suffering. Askeladd banned that thought to the deepest depths of his brain before it could take roots. What, was he supposed to be grateful to be left alone in absolute silence? Eternal hellfire would be preferable to this.

So very perfidious. Outside noises had never bothered Askeladd as much as the noise inside his own head and to take away that layer of protection, to leave him in absolute silence with nothing to drown out his own thoughts, that was cruel. Nothing but cruel. Askeladd had always known that the gods were coldhearted and he had never expected them to give him peace. That was not a problem, he didn’t need peace. But that they’d push him out of all their realms, that they’d make him disappear… he almost had to salute that they had caught him off guard like that, but then again, who was he to ever arrogate the ability to outsmart the gods.

What if I don’t go anywhere?

The first step was always the hardest to take, even more so when you had no feeling in your body. But as soon as he had done it, an ever so slight ease overcame him and he took a deep breath of nothing as he took another step, and then the next one, and the next one. If he was afraid to get stuck, maybe he should start moving.

Where do I go after I die?

Askeladd highly doubted that he would ever reach an edge of the abyss, but you never knew. And if he couldn’t go anywhere, maybe wandering would be enough for now. Roaming the afterlife, seeing if there was an actual life for him to find. He had always been nothing if not an explorer.

I don’t know.

[savvythepirate]

Depths of hell

Pairing: Hector Barbossa x reader

Warnings: None

Requested by: @personlovinganime

***

“Over my dead body!” You protest.

“(Y/n), you know that this is something I need to do, I can’t take you with me, it’s too dangerous.”

Barbossa was trying to negotiate with you on staying behind for the sake of your safety.

Being the stubborn gal you were, you proceed to protest as if you didn’t hear what he just said. To make it easier for others to understand, there was no way in hell you were going to allow Barbossa for leaving you behind. You may be Tia Dalma’s adoptive daughter, but that doesn’t scare Barbossa in the slightest. It was during the curse of the Black Pearl Barbossa started having visions of you. He had never seen you before, nor had he ever experienced such visions. Barbossa didn’t know if you other than the fact his gut instinct was revealing you as his soulmate. The minute Barbossa saw you for the first time in person, he was taken back by surprise the fact you were sailing with Jack Sparrow and his crew. If he pushed that thought aside, he would be more taken back by your beauty, inside and out.

The moment you turn to look at him, that was all it took to see some kind of chemistry between you both was for the chemistry to start making itself known. Upon seeing each other, Barbossa couldn’t help but wonder what your hands in his would feel like if he took your hand, but because of the curse, touching you would get you killed and there was no way around it. Or so you thought. Barbossa kept his own distance to keep it from happening. As the battle had come on, you were in shock as you watched Jack becoming Barbossa’s killer to save Elizabeth for the second time.

It was a horrible scene to witness, so much so that you went back to your adoptive mother, Tia Dalma and remained there for a period of time, looking to get away for a while. After what you had witnessed to what should’ve been the final phase for Barbossa’s death, you’ve come to the fact that he’s more than likely dead, not having any chance on surviving after being killed that night. You let yourself in upon your arrival of your home in which you lived with your adoptive mother, Tia Dalma. The minute you step inside, you were greeted by something unusual, what seemed to be a dead man laying on a spare bed as if he’s in a casket. Not a very warm welcome, it was more disturbing to you until you recognized him as Barbossa.

The one that’s supposedly dead. During this little timeline, you’ve come to accept the fact he was truly gone and that denying it wasn’t an option to take time and grieve. This is where the chemistry settled in, so all you could really do now was stare, expecting for him to wake up any time now at any given moment. You got lost in a trance that you don’t hear someone else walk in, greeting you, a greeting that had you nearly jumping out of your skin, but once you see who it was, you were able to catch your breath.

“I pulled him from the depths of hell, he will wake up soon, at any moment.”

“What’s going on here?”

“I saved him from death.”

“Why? What for?”

“For you, my sweet.”

You don’t say another word as you could hardly believe it. As you were about to speak, Tia spoke again.

“He’s about to wake up and when he does, he will need someone that will provide the best care, just until this man is stable enough to leave.”

Not long after, you move over to his side and remain there to wait for him to wake up.

When Barbossa wakes, you’re the first he sees and that gave him a bit of peace because he does in fact, remember you. What you don’t expect was for him to say your name, which slightly startled you as it was out of the blue.

“(Y/n)?”

You than tend to him without hesitation, before he begins asking you some of the same questions that you might have in that moment.

“What happened? Where am I?”

“You’re home with me, and I’m here to take care of you.” You explain.

Following along that response, you continue to fill him in on everything that happened that had led you to what you thought was his death. Mentioning to him that the curse was broken and over.

Prior to that, that’s how you’re finding yourself in that situation. Barbossa made a quick recovery and the minute he has the all clear to head back out, he is was wanting for you to stay behind, but with the promise he would come back and pick you up later.

You disagreed and you weren’t having it.

“No way, I’m not letting you leave me until later! I’m coming with you now, Barbossa and there’s nothing you can say or do about it, to prevent that from happening!”

Barbossa sighed in defeat.

“Fine, you can come with me. But don’t blame me if something bad happens and you’re stuck with me in it.”

“Deal.”

Now that you could agree on.

Even with the thought this could be putting your life on the line, you weren’t going to let anything or anyone stop you or stand in your way. This was a new adventure, a new chapter in your life and you couldn’t wait.

Adventure calls for you and the man you’re meant to be with.

It couldn’t get any better than this.

***

@savvythepirate

Requests: OPEN

Tags: @royisrandom @always-on-hiatus @imalittleoutthere @princessofthornsandroses @justafairytailofinnocence @friendlynova @marsswann

Characters:

• Jack Sparrow

• Davy Jones

• Hector Barbossa

• Will Turner

[obsessed-with-obsessive]

''Trampled flowers, rebirthed roses''

Posted originally on Ao3 ^^ A Yan!Ayato, Yan!Thoma x reader fic Based on my previous prompt (--)

-----

TW: Stalking, Obsession

When you were 'gifted' the opportunity of smuggling goods to inazuma, you jumped at the chance. The high reward making your heart flutter, the amount of good you could do for your family, the freedom you would finally feel, it was everything you'd ever dreamt of. Your family was always your top priority, they did all they could to support your dreams, but money was tight and merchants chasing their overdue loans where ruthless in the land of contracts. This could prove to be a fresh break for you and your loved ones.

You didn't expect the wrath of the almighty shogun to be as ruthless as legend though. The seas were rough but, what you didn't account for was the unending storm, the constant crashing of lightning striking around you. Your eyesight blurred, all you could focus on was the screaming of your crewmates, your captain barking orders, the desperation was thick in the air. But before you could go to tighten the ropes of the sail, you felt your body slip, as one loud crack of lightning turned your vision black. You felt yourself be plunged into an endless abyss, you didn't expect yourself to die on this trip, but the cold peace brought you a strange sense of freedom, you'd always hoped for a vision, perhaps a cryo one, but truly you knew the gods would never gaze upon a lost cause such as yourself.

You let the cold, weightlessness embrace you.

...

You thought that was the end, until you felt a fire in your chest, the burning pain was immence. As you coughed and sputtered trying desperately to remove the pain in your lungs, your vision began to come back to you, bluring of a violet sky, with a blonde standing above you, pushing on your chest. With one final cough you felt the final lump of first in your lungs leave your body, and you sat up to catch the fleeting breath in your lungs.

''Oh gosh! thank god..' You heard next to you, a familiar tone you thought, it reminded you of your friends from mondstadt. You turned to face the voice, greeted by a soft face of a blonde, with a strange outfit, one you'd never seen before. 'Please don't exert yourself' He assured you, 'everything is okay, you were in a serious wreck..'. You blinked at him, 'W-where am I? where are my crewmates,, my ship? is this liyue?' He looked at you with concern, gently helping you to your feet, keeping a firm hand on your waist to keep you balanced. 'You're in inazuma,, you washed up on the shore alongside the wreckage of a ship, we haven't found any other survivors' Those words rang in your ears, you were the only one... The man noticed your immediate drop in attitude and attempted to reassure you 'It's alright! we will continue looking, Its a miracle you're alright, My name is Thoma, I wont ask how you got here, I understand it was probably under..' he paused, and looked down on you 'less than legal circumstances' you gulped, god, you just survived a wreck and now you're going to prison... 'Dont worry' He chuckled 'As long as you follow my lead, no one will notice. You don't happen to have a vision do you?' If only, you thought, maybe you would of been able to keep your crew alive. You shook your head slowly, and thoma looked at you carefully, his expression unreadable. 'Well then that's not an issue for us to worry about. Come on.'

Thoma was kind, at least he appeared to be, he tended to hover quite a lot thought. He offered you a job quite quickly after you recovered, under the same clan he worked under. You had your doubts as the kamisato clan seemed awfully important, what could they possibly have use of a washed up pirate for? But after taking your first couple jobs, you found yourself getting quite comfortable. Thoma helped introduce you to the others working under the kamisato family, and it made you feel less alone, they even helped you write letters to be smuggled to your family back in liyue. Your family knowing you were alive helped you ease into inazuman life a lot easier, quickly you accepted your new job, you began to make friends, and things, maybe started to feel normal. You longed for liyue still, but you hoped soon, the Sakoku Decree would be ended and you could return to your loved ones.

When you first began working for the kamisato clan, you began work as a gardener, you had tended to flowers in liyue's gardens quite often as a child, and you found that the best way to make yourself useful while working for the estate. Tending to the flowers always made you feel at ease, it was during this that you first met Lord kamisato.

While watering and tending gently to the precious dendrobium, which you had learned tended to sprout on the grounds of fallen warriors, and therefore needed to be treated with the upmost respect, you felt a presence beside you. Looking up you were greeted by the kamisato commissioner. Startled, you stood up quickly, bowing, 'L-lord Kamisato! How may I be of service?'. After what felt like eons of his gaze burning into you, he let out a soft chuckle and spoke. 'Please, continue. I was enjoying watching you tend so delicately to these flowers.' You peeked up at him, before returning your attention to the flowers silently. After a moment, you let your eyes drift up to him, 'Are you found of dendrobiums?' you asked. 'You know, any of my other servants would never dream of speaking to me like that.' He began, you turned to him in shock and as you began to spout apologies he held up a hand to stop you. 'But, it's nice to be asked about my interests beyond business.' With a smile across his lips 'I love what they represent, that the loyalty these soldiers offered to me, can be forever immortalized.' A moment passed, the wind softly blowing between you both. 'You value loyalty highly.' You spoke quietly, turning your attention away from the flowers to gaze up at him. He offered you a soft smile in return 'Loyalty is the embodiment of dedication, like a Gardner to it's flower.'

That was the last time you saw the commissioner for months. Your life continued as normal, things felt odd though, the odd time you felt you may of had an admirer, they quickly shot you down, and it left you devastated. You spent more nights than you'd like to admit crying over men who you thought were interested right until you showed interest back. You continued to send letters off to your family, taking advantage of your generous paycheck to buy ornate and decorated paper, so your family could see that you were thriving. You often sent money back with your letters too, to hopefully ease their financial burden, you never expected anything back, but it still hurt to go months without a reply.

It wasn't until one day you had gone to the commissioners quarters by request, intending to discuss your time off and request time to travel, that you noticed a draw left adjar. You attempted not to look but, you couldn't help but notice a neatly bundled pile of letters, in the ornate paper you could of swore you sent your family a month prior, it wasn't until you noticed your signature that you began to panic. You shut the drawer of his desk quickly as you went to sit down, your heart thumping in your chest. Was he personally intercepting them? Did the shogunate find your letters? Did your coworkers lie to you?

It wasn't until the door opened that you were ripped out of your thoughts, it was Ayato. He glanced across the room towards you, you watched him carefully as he scanned the desk, you swore you could see something flicker in his eyes, but it was so quick you couldn't work it out. He swiftly made his way over to his desk, sitting in front of you.

'So...' he started 'you wish to request time off?' You opened your mouth to speak 'i-' you barely started before he stopped you, quietly holding his hand up. he looked down on you, never before had you felt so small. 'You know you are paid a generous amount. You are expected to be here often and are given ample time in the week? Am i such a cruel employer that you request over 2 weeks off in another city? What if the shogunate were to find you, we would not be able to cover for your status here in inazuma if you moved.. though if you truly wish to go...' He looked at you, piercing blue eyes not giving away anything.

You gulped. 'I apologize, I've changed my mind.' looking down at your feet, as you replied. You heard a soft hum escape the commissioners lips, 'Dismissed.' You stood, your eyes still firmly on the ground as you walked out, though you did hear the distinct sound of a drawer open as you left.

You spent the next month plotting your escape, you stopped writing letters. Delusion or not, you knew you had no agency in inazuma under the kamisato clans employment. You pocketed every paycheck you were given, conversing with the locals you managed to make the aquantance of some smugglers, ones whom were travelling to liyue in a weeks time. You could barely afford their fees, but it was worth the cost, you could take the risk again.

Despite your plans, you had made friends among the servants, and you felt guilty for leaving them all behind without saying anything, so one evening, in the servants quatres, you suggested you all visit a local bar together. Most agreed, even thoma, whom you expected to excuse himself to his quarters early like usual, which was a pleasant surprise.

It was a fun night, and it was full of plenty of alcohol, and although you were anxious, you let yourself go for the night, enjoying your newfound family's company. It was bittersweet sure, but they were happy to be spending time with you, and you had some disposable income. After many hours of celebration and joy, covered by your left over savings most of you began to split off to make your way home, thoma pulled you aside. He lead you outside towards the docks before turning to you. ''Where are you going?'' he spoke harshly. Shivers ran down your spine, 'what?' you sputtered back. 'You're spending all your mora, I also know about your agreement with the crux fleet.' What was this? how did he know? 'I..' you looked up at him. 'I'm sorry, I don't belong here'. You felt tears well up in your eyes, surely he could understand that. But instead of the compassionate look you expected from your longtime friend, the one who fished you out of the ocean, you only saw distain. 'After all the lord has done for you? This job? this lifestyle? You want to run away?' He sighed, rubbing his eyes 'I really didn't think it would come to this Y/N...'. Your heart sank, what? what did he mean by that? all of this was ayatos doing? So the letters weren't a coincidence. You felt your blood run cold as he placed a hand on your arm 'Come on, you know this is stupid, don't make this more difficult than it needs to be'

Before you could think, your legs were carrying you. You were sprinting away, towards your home, towards liyue. All you could think of was getting home, The ocean didn't register in your mind, all you could think of was running. You heard the quick pace of thoma behind you, and as you leapt from the dock, you expected to feel the crash of water, but your feet kept going. Ice cold beneath your feet kept you running, frozen ice beneath ever step you took. Before you could even register the gift the gods had just bestowed on you, you felt the same heat you had felt before, right as you plunged into the ice cold water.

When you awoke, you felt something missing, but couldn't place it. You were dressed in a soft kimono, it was silk. You had no strength, none at all, you could barely lift your head to look around at your surroundings, but you quickly noticed what was wrong. The commissioner stood at the foot of the bed, speaking to Thoma, he gazed over, noticing you awaken. 'Ah, it appears you're awake.. you know, I was quite hurt by your little stunt' There was a venom in his voice, the eyes of both Ayato and Thoma felt cold, you couldn't even recognize them. Ayato moved closer, he placed a gloved hand on your chin, forcing you to look up at him. 'My kindness only goes so far, if not repaid by loyalty...'

------

[drawingducktalesducks]

Can you tell a little more about the future AU May and June and their adoptive parents?

feverish and not even sure where that doodle came from. here's some odds and ends tho

people assume the fashion designer would like everything Just So, all neat and tidy, and the long haul fisherwoman who's off sailing for moths would be fine with controlled chaos

dead wrong

the INSTANT May docks in Duckburg her anxiety spikes because she can just FEEEEEL June's messy work space

May dropping off a bucket of sea serpent scales, filling the bucket with soapy water, whipping out a mop and dust pan, and attacking her little sister's room with all the wild, furious intensity of someone trying to bail out a sinking ship

Donald likes helping but usually gets tangled up in the vacuum cord at some point

June hides booby traps for May to find in her messes. Just to have a little fun

You know how much she's been missing her sister by how many and how complex the traps are

While May is busy cleaning (and clearing) her room, June has a tradition of going on May's ship and hiding nice little nick-knacks all over it- a cool rock, a candy bar, a cursed knife Webby brought home from her last adventure... just fun surprises to break up May's extremely regulated life at sea

Daisy knits May a new wool sweater every year, and May always tears up when she get it

Donald not only has a dozen pictures of all his kids in his wallet, he also has pictures of May's first catches and allllll the clothes June has ever designed.

He talks to May about sailing to make sure she's being safe and doing okay- He listens to June talk about clothes design and construction afterwards, to calm down and distract himself from thoughts of May fighting sea monsters.

June understands that fashion trends are a thing but since they're a thing that doesn't often align with her interests she chooses to ignore them and just make what she likes

She never gets super well known as a result and doesn't mind at all

Miss Glamour admires her confidence and ends up hiring her as an assistant after Daisy starts up her own business- which nobody understands, since June doesn't cater to Glamour at ALL and the vibe is more "doting grandmother happily has tea with her headstrong and irreverent grandchild"

Daisy and June do mother-daughter martial arts exercises every morning and evening, before and after work, to stave off the carpel tunnel, and Daisy still has no idea how she survived so long without it

May tries keeping a logbook while out sailing but usually ends up writing another paperback spy novel instead (penname: Gray Gullson) 

Beakly is a BIG fan

Beakly has no idea why May keeps wanting to have teatime chats with her about the old spy days but enjoys them quite a bit in any case

June kindly pretends not to understand why her sister needs to know if you could sew secrets or poisons into dress

and she puts May’s latest novel draft back into its hiding place when she accidentally finds it

...

she also edits the draft for spelling mistakes and leaves suggestions in the margins, in May's own handwriting, knowing it'll freak her sister out when SHE finds it

they make an effort to be together for the anniversary of Black Heron's "disappearance" (June paradropped onto May's ship from the Sunchaser once) but still aren't sure how they're supposed to spend it

they always call or visit with Daisy and Donald the day afterwards though

"...you ever think about what we would do, if she came back?"

"Disappoint her, probably. We're not exactly super villains."

"Yeah...."

"..."

"I hope we'd fight her."

"I think we would. I mean, if she tried to hurt mom or dad..."

"Or Webby or the Sabrewings."

"The boys too."

"Ducks and McDucks. Beakly."

"Launchpad."

"Gyro?"

"I guess pretty much anyone, really."

"We do have a lot of people to fight for these days."

"Maybe she'd be proud of us for that?"

"..."

"..."

"Probably not."

"Well I'm proud of us."

"Yeah. Me too."

"And I wouldn't trade Donald or Daisy for anything."

"Never."

"Ever."

"..."

"...I miss them."

"Same. Let's go home."

[angelynmoon]

Cursed Stede where he's the god/goddess of the sea trapped in human form which is why he doesn't seem to fit in when he's on land.

He's unaware of what he is, bound into an infant child to grow, an attempt to make him kinder to humanity sailing the sea.

Once he builds the Revenge he feels more at home than ever.

And slowly Stede come to realize that he's not quite right, he feels at home on the sea in a way he never was on land, slowly he notices things, little ones at first, the way the water feels, the way the wind flutters through his hair, he lears to control both, surprised that he can.

Stede, who manages to make cracks in his curse, enough to keep his crew safe, they are his now.

So, what if the Revenge only ever experiences calm seas and light rains, so what if they never run out of fresh water or fish to suppliment their supplies, so what if the winds are always in ther favor.

After he and Ed meet nothing changes, except Izzy and Ed being baffled by the fact that only Mr Buttons has any real sailing expirence and yet they don't have a single issue.

Oluwande at the helm accidently sets a course South when they want to go North and they still arrive at their intended destination.

Black Pete falls overboard, (he can't swim) and yet he's floating gently in the waters until they can haul him back aboard, only Izzy notices that it wasn't a dolphin that Black Pete was clinging to.

Cracked hull, Stede insist Seaweed will take care of it, (it does but it shouldn't).

Stede has a fire place in his room and yet the ship has never caught fire.

Sandbar on the horizon, no there isn't.

It's Izzy who puts it together, only after he witnesses someone insulting Lucius, and the sudden storm that over takes the city after they leave.

Stede, who stands at the back of the ship and watches the storm flood the town out of existance, he's not remorseful, he's otherworldly, dangerous and neither the wind nor the rain that surrounds him, that washes the deck of the Revenge and ruffles her sails, touch him.

He's the eye of a hurricane and Izzy has the sudden realization that he is so very lucky he's alive, because if Stede wished him otherwise he would not be able to stop him, but for some reason playing a fool at being a pirate seems to amuse him.

And yet his affection for Ed seems genuine, Izzy didn't know Gods could look so in love and yet...

Izzy doesn't tell Ed, the lovers of Gods rarely see happiness in the end but for now it seemed to linger.

But Izzy wondered, would Stede tire of Ed, would that break the calm seas they lingered in, or would the cruelty of man separate them, would anything survive Stede's wrath?

But Izzy was loyal, and Ed was his Captain and Izzy would fight a God for his happiness.

But Izzy is as much Stede's crew as his own, if only because he belongs to Ed in ways Stede doesn't, can never, and Stede protects what is his and so the only way to hurt Izzy is through him and Stede is more God than human now and he won't let anyone take his crew from him, especially not some mortal man.

-

Am I talking about Chauncy Badmitten or Calico Jack, I don't know.

Will I flesh this out further, probably not so have a little blurb/prompt where Stede is the God of the sea.

Also I did not mean to focus so much on Izzy but he seems to hold the braincell.

[medicus-felini]

She would have been 26 by now.

Linn shakes out the matchstick, which lit up exactly twenty-six candles around the small memorial in her room—empty and lonely for 16 years. A room that was once shared, chaotic, and full of life. The feline tried not to let it get too tidy in fear of forgetting the feeling of coming back to her sister, rummaging around the countless trinkets she gathered. But she could never do Eleanor's mess justice. Her sister's bed, however, was always made. Every day anew. Even if nobody spends a good night's rest in there. A habit she never grew out of. Making her bed was therapeutic. Maybe it was her way of grieving.

❝ Happy birthday. ❞ Nobody was around. Linn treasures the time in front of the little altar. Small crafts of native forest animals made out of sticks decorate the tablet around Eleanor's framed picture in the middle. Blue eyes wander over the glassy photo, taking in her black fur, her orange and white spots. Calico cat minks were rare. Her older sister really was a lucky cat. Albeit not so lucky on that one crucial day.

The night was stressful. Her family's apothecary and doctor's office never had to take extra hours to attend their patients' wounds. The group of lesser minks—pirates at that, however—needed it desperately. Linn did not have much time to ask for the why and how. Her father told the young woman they caught up in a battle, many injured, gladly nobody died. The white cat was excited to get to welcome human visitors in their caring hands or paws. If the strangers weren't so scary-looking, she would have asked thousands of questions. Thousands. When will there ever be a chance to have outsiders come to Zou anyway?

It secretly troubles her, though. The crew was struggling to keep up after a nasty fight. From the South Blue, they were coming. All the way to the New World. A miracle that they did not die already, that the ship did not sink under these harsh tides. God, they surely had to see hell out there. And her mind goes back to the image of her sister. Eleanor would have loved to meet them. Linn could imagine her bothering the pirates until they wanted to rip out their ears themselves. A trait they shared. Curiosity.

The sisters often played out different scenarios, different games in the forest. Eleanor persisted in taking on the role of the heroic knight, the hero, the adventurer. She adored listening to stories that were too exaggerated to be true. It never bothered her that they were not real. Her free spirit was too in love with the image of embodying said heroes. Just like in the books. The now-only daughter left in their family stands up from her kneeling position, ascending from the floor, to take her notes. Maybe she could bring herself to ask at least some questions before these pirates set sail again.

And so, her feet led Linn downstairs, the silent creaking of old wood planks, reliable for centuries, announced the younger mink's arrival in the doctor's office of her parents. It sounds more lively than yesterday. Good. Everyone seems to have survived the night just marvelously. The white feline enters the room with her father and mother in a heated argument, along with some members of the lesser mink's crew. ❝ No doctors? No nurses? No medics, nothing? ❞ Her father's voice rings, echoes against the room's walls, cracking as it always does when he is in disbelief. The older hyena mink massages his temples. His face reads frustration with the pirate's decisions. His head was shaking. Linn bows down briefly to greet her parents and the patients present. ❝ Garchu.❞

Talking, talking, whispering. Mother and father almost did not notice their daughter's arrival. Her mother's hand brushes against Linn's shoulder, ❝ Good morning, sweetheart. ❞ then she goes back to arguing silently with her husband. As observant as Linn is, it did not take long for the feline to catch up on the topic. As much as the family was trying to help, the pirate crew's decision was nothing of their concern. Especially not as strangers.

Linn listens silently. Back and forth between the minks and these strange humans. Her lips tugged up in the tiniest smile. Eleanor would not have missed a beat. She always looked for an excuse to leave the office. She wanted to be an adventurer when she was old enough. Certainly, the young doctor in the making understands her family's concern. Having no medics around at sea is a death sentence. They would make it to the next island, maybe the next two, and then the voyage would end. Almost entirely sure. It is funny. These guys share the same fire as her sister did before she passed. How they persist in not needing anything more. How eagerly they want to set sail again, not interested in staying longer than necessary. Maybe they really need a doctor.

The white cat feels sorry. Not because she pities the crew. Because their fate is sealed if they leave without help. Their captain didn't even have his two arms; the scars, which only barely healed, were prominent on his face, always furrowed in an angry, annoyed look. A scary bunch. That is sure. But not judging. No. It reminds Linn of a pack of kicked dogs, gnarling and barking to hold up their reputation of being strong, even if hurt. They never needed help because they never got any.

What would she do?

Arguments are only getting louder and louder. From both sides. 'You guys are insane' 'You minks don't know how it is out there' 'We will be fine' 'We don't need to be pampered', and it won't get any quieter. Just when their vocal fight hits its peak, a soft yet commanding voice brings the room to a sudden silence.

❝ I can assist you. ❞

[servenas-inner-fangirl]

Liveblogging Black Sails 2x10

So now what, is Vane gonna storm Georgetown and rescue Flint personally? I would love to see his face. And then there's the matter of the dead crewmembers to talk about...

Also I love that the boys are getting along now, but who is gonna rescue Eleanor??

Still can't believe Miranda was killed simply for yelling.

Also did nobody notice the pirate ship in the harbor, the one they were supposedly so carefully watching, being attacked by other pirates?

God, I'm not ready for this episode.

Really enjoying Abigail's silent fury though. The more I see of her, the more I love this girl.

So that's the plan? Leave Flint's men behind with all of Vane's that disagree with the plan? Oh my god, that is never going to work.

But I gotta say, I love this new "We're all in this together" Vane. But then, he was half right all along - Flint's plan to reconcile with England failed (through no fault of his own). But Flint was also right - war with England is inevitable and they can't survive unless things change.

Also the fact that Miranda, who always tried to convince Flint to re-join civilisation, was the one that, in the end, couldn't stomach what it would take. God, I've been thinking about this way too much.

Vane even still has the blood of Flint's crew on his shirt. Yeah, this is going to go over well.

Flint manages to look done with everyone even while heading to his own execution, that is a skill.

Ugh, Lord Ashe trying to make himself feel better. I hope somebody kills him.

A CONFESSION? You've got to be kidding me.

Flint's words are as sharp as knifes here, though.

God, his face as they defile Miranda's body. Is that the first time we see him close to tears, if only for a moment, before it's replaced by anger?

Eleanor's disappearance is gonna destabilize Nassau quite a bit. They're celebrating now, but this could be a problem later...

Also how exactly are Vane and his men gonna sneak into the square? There hardly is a man who looks more like a pirate...

First time we see Anne on a ship. Love her hair blowing in the wind <3

Her conversation with Jack reminds me of what Eleanor (or dream!Eleanor rather) said to Vane: That next to him, she would always just have been a woman. But they still manage to be partners.

Oh no, Silver's co-conspirator, here to cause trouble again...

Awww, Silver is finally making friends! Or something.

And here we go, people are beating each other's heads in, to the surprise of absolutely no one. On the other hand - smart of Vane to leave behind the men he couldn't trust, because they're expendable to him.

Okay, that was over quickly. Let's see what still happens...

I don't think Lord Ashe can be happy that Flint is interrogated so publically. Some nasty things he could say...

"Everybody is a monster to someone." <3

That is the plan?? Okaaaay?

Awww, he came to defend him. <3 He couldn't look like more of a pirate if he tried though, for real, at least clean up the blood!

Ah yes, Abigail's diary!! I had forgotten about that. Now they have a problem.

Ugh, they've really never heard of true justice, have they? It's disgusting.

Aww, Max buying Eleanor's place, maybe in part because she still cares for her?

Hm, the Silver of S1 might have done this thing, but I have a feeling this Silver won't.

Oh fuck, is this how Silver loses his leg? Because he stays loyal to Flint??

Hahaha, Flint's and Vane's conversation during the trial. Maybe now they can finally talk some shit out.

"Figured if anybody makes a trophy out of you, really ought to be me." Awww, the beginning of a wonderful friendship??

Haha, Flint is so smart, of course he doesn't believe that's the whole plan. (And that's kind of reassuring.)

Ugh, seeing those two united with a common goal, however temporary it might be, really is the best thing ever. I'm about to vibrate off the couch from excitement.

Hahaha, Vane loves giving rousing speeches, and finally he has a receptive audience, must be a dream come true.

Even shackled these two are still so dangerous, I love it.

YES, justice for Miranda!!

Oh Silver, you smart, smart man, I could kiss you.

Nice, rescuing some slaves along the way (or at least giving them a fighting chance).

Ugh, the Man o'War appearing from the smoke and firing, what a beautiful picture.

Yes, Flint freeing the rest of Vane's crew. ;_; (Speaking of which, where are the men that rappelled down from the city wall? Did any of them make it?)

Vane might not like Flint, but he does respect him. That satisfied little smile when Flint anounces that he will destroy Georgetown... he really does value strength in other people, doesn't he?

Silver really has become a part of this crew. Who would have thought... But it must be pretty scary for someone like him to have to rely on other people for help.

The Man O'War firing on the defenseless city like a giant angel of death... what a picture.

I hope Abigail is safe, though.

Aww, they actually made Silver quartermaster! <3

But Flint doesn't seem too concerned about Eleanor's arrest. I wonder how Vane took that one.

Noo, Silver still lying to Flint. But then, what else is he supposed to say...

Goddamn, can nobody ever tell the truth in this show? But they found the gold?? And the walrus?? And the gold??!!

Holy SHIT that is a lot of gold.