#(and Cecco is still a little shit)

[exiled-eyes]

Cecco couldn't help but chuckle inwardly as they imagined the scene unfolding from a distant vantage point – the moon casting its silvery glow upon the churning waves, the dark silhouette of the rowboat bobbing precariously against the backdrop of the night sky. From the shore, or the deck of the Jolly Roger, it must have looked like a death sentence, a daring gamble against insurmountable odds. After all, these were Pan's waters, the merfolk were just more tools under the bambino demone's blood stained thumbs. To venture into these depths was to court disaster, to tempt fate in the most reckless of ways. And yet, for Cecco and their ilk, it was just another day in the life.

To be called a pirate in Neverland was to be forever pitted against the entire island, a constant target for the whims of fate and the machinations of those who sought to control its destiny. Decorated with signs illegibly written, the shores of Neverland mocked them, taunting them with their own folly and foolishness. Pirates were branded as fools, condemned to a life of perpetual struggle and strife. And yet, despite the odds stacked against them, they persisted, their defiance a testament to the indomitable spirit of the human heart.

They couldn't even strike at one soul on the island without being the cause of a new war. A cruel thing it was, to be called a pirate and yet forced to live like some common sailor in a blasphemous naval force. More rules than they could count and far more repercussions to be thought of before each and every action. What should have been a carefree life, what once was a carefree life to pillage, murder and maim as they so desired, had become a twisted strategic game that held no room for intermissions.

As the otherworldly man came to rest more of his arm against the side of the rowboat, one of Cecco's hands came to rest lazily by their boot, calloused fingertips grazing the cool leather texture of their knife. Not a threat, nor a warning, simply an instinct. The other, disfigured hand rested on the oar by their side, should it be needed, it could prove a useful tool in putting some distance between the two.

"Ah, I have not come for any sort of snack- though, it seems the same cannot be said for you, bello." Cecco quipped, their voice dripping with sarcasm as they met Marlowe's gaze with a playful glint in their eye. It was a dangerous game they played, this dance of words and wits on the unforgiving sea, but Cecco wouldn't have it any other way. For in the heart of Neverland, where danger lurked around every corner and secrets lay buried beneath the surface, there was a certain thrill in flirting with danger (quite literally).

"Would you believe me if I said I was looking to see something beautiful in the moonlight?" Arching a brow, hazelnut hues slowly trailed over the details of Marlowe's arm. From the muscle that formed as he held himself up, down to the pointed claws that they could almost feel upon their skin. "And here you are-"

[fromthefishbowl]

Good evening dear Fishie, buona sera *Luca Marinelli's voice*, what do you think about the fact that literally no one had mentioned troubadours' poetry in the context of Joe & Nicky's romance? Why there's a little bird saying to me that Joe was a travelling through Lombardy and Emilia Romagna when Fredrerick II went to Rome? And that he composed verses for his own very peculiar Midons? Am I the sappiest Joenicky fan in your opinion? XD

Buondì Kiki!

I have noticed that there's a lack of discussion regarding poetry, its history, and the headcanons that could easily go with the members of the Guard, but... if we're not here for this, when what are we doing, right?

Yes, Joe probably went crazy for troubadours' poetry. I have no doubts about it. And, even with the little information we have about their timeline, it's very possible that him and Nicky, as well as Andy and Quỳnh, had already reached Italy by the time Frederick II reached Rome and got himself the title of emperor (November 1220), which gives us a lot of possibilities for headcanons.

Considering Joe's romantic soul, he most definitely enjoyed the dynamics offered by that kind of poetry: the painful recognition that the person you love the most cannot be with you; the worship of the lover's figure (well... in classic troubadour poetry it would be "worship of the woman", but no matter how you headcanon Joe's sexuality, after he met Nicky his entire heart belonged to him and no one else); the inferiority of the writer when in front of the person he loved.

However, we could give it a spin to fit the TOG universe better; troubadours' poetry was often centered around the fact that the woman was the object of the poetry, idealized in her beauty but, most importantly, in her inaccessibility: she was either married or set off to marry or in love with another man. She was weirdly balanced between this idea of being an angel who could do no evil, and this horrible demon that was making the poet lust after her without giving him the possibility to satisfy his thirst and therefore deserved to be punished (a Medieval Madonna-Whore Complex, if you will).

Joe would never write about his man being a devil nor about him being married to someone else, but he would absolutely write about how much he worries about his husband suddenly losing his immortality and dying on the battlefield, so far from him (and Andy and Quỳnh) that it would take him hours to find his body. But he would fully embrace writing Nicky as being this little sex demon, this man who fills his head with a lust so fierce he can barely think. It's a compliment, of course, and Nicky is very smug about it.

I also feel like Quỳnh would be a trobairitz too, writing poems for Andy. Rather than focusing on her possibility of losing immortality, she would maybe write about the many years they have spent apart before finding each other.

Nicky... Nicky would create some poetry too, I think, and still in the same time period as Joe's fancy with troubadours style, but... he would be pissed. So pissed.

Frederick II was pushed by Pope Honorius III to start the sixth Crusade, basically creating an exchange of: "if you start a war, I'll crown you emperor".

Nicky would absolutely be seething at the idea that they're doing the same shit again, sending men to kill and to die for what the Church thinks is right. So, with Joe's help (and maybe Quỳnh's too), he would be writing sonnets, already very popular in Sicilian poetry, in the same style of Cecco Angioleri (here S'io Fosse Foco sung by De Andrè): poems with a base of parody, but also a lot of pulsing rage (the pope is purposefully playing with the lives of the Christians he is supposed to lead, the emperor has fun with the idea of being able to kill as many people as he wishes, etc).

Andy... Andy is a practical gal and she doesn't spend time with poetry.

[eight-years-revolution]

250 followers snippets - Armine

This one is a little long as well, so the full snippet is under the cut!

“I really don’t like that Lady de Roccialta.” Her focus still on her metalwork, Armine shrugged. “I don’t like her either.” Cecco frowned at her over the kiln. “Then why work for her?” “The money’s good.” “What do you need all that money for?” The young Elf finally looked up at the jeweler. “To pay my rent? You do realize how expensive it is to live here, right?” It was Cecco’s turn to shrug. “If you lived in the upper quarter, your rent would be a lot cheaper.” Armine looked back down at the tiny silver petals she was shaping and scoffed. “No way I’m going up there.”

The Dwarf chuckled.

“A mountain girl afraid of heights.” He shook his head in disbelief before returning to his own work. “From where I’m from, it’s called having a survival instinct.”

Cecco chuckled again before both of them fell into a comfortable silence, focusing on their delicate craft. But as Armine was soldering the petals onto the ring she had forged previously, she could feel Cecco’s gaze falling back on her. She smiled. He had more questions, she was sure, but he also knew how minute her work was and likely did not want to disturb her. She sighed dramatically.

“Alright, what is bothering you?” “I’m… just a little worried, I guess.” Armine looked up at him just for a second to smile warmly at him. “That’s sweet, Cecco.”

Focusing back on her bejeweled petals, she only saw the Dwarf’s face turning a little red from the corner of her eyes.

“You’re just saying that to distract me,” he mumbled. The young Elf giggled. “Nonsense.” “Anyway… Just be careful. Nobles can be dangerous. Once they think they own something or someone, they don’t just let go…” “Oh, they let go of a lot of things all the time, trust me.”

Cecco stayed quiet. Armine glanced at him and he was staring at her. He did look pretty concerned.

“And you know this because of that shady pawnshop of yours, don’t you?” The Dwarf asked after a while.

It seemed he had decided to abandon his work for now. A good indication of the importance he gave to the matter. Armine sighed, a lot quieter this time.

“Yes,” she simply answered. “You know who else is extremely dangerous? The Thieves’ Guild.” “Oh, I know. But they don’t mess with me because I work for Lady de Roccialta.”

Armine soldered the last petal on the ring and looked up at Cecco. He was gaping at her.

“Armine, you’re eighteen! It’s way too young to be playing those games!” She grinned at him. “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. Besides, what’s life without a little spice?” Cecco groaned. “You always say that.” The Elf quirked an eyebrow up. “Am I wrong?”

With her gloved hand, she took the ring she just finished assembling and stood up from her stool, walking around the kiln to present it to the jeweler.

“Here. What do you think?”

Cecco took the ring from her hand and lowered a magnifying lens on his glasses, examining the piece of jewelry from every angle.

“It’s gorgeous,” he finally concluded. “Soon I won’t have anything left to teach you.” Armine smiled brightly at him. “I know.” A short laugh escaped the Dwarf. “You little shit.”

[lostinthemazecalledmyhead]

Part thirteen Lost ink

Previously: As his back was towards me I filled the cup with the water from the fountain. From my pocket I got a little flask that I filled with the magical water. Before Hook turned back around I was already done and stood with the cup in my hand. “Something to remember the trip by.” I said holding up the cup. Not only was this a souvenir, I just didn’t have enough time to memorize the incantation used to activate the water. Without the spell, it was just ordinary water. “Back away, love.” Hook grabbed a big rock and smashed it into the fountain. Breaking off piece by piece as he continued to hit it. How something containing so much magic and power can be destroyed so easily. “Let’s get back to the ship, love.”

Part one   Part two  Part three   Part four   Part five   Part six    Part seven Part eight  part nine  part ten Part eleven  Part twelve

After two days of walking we got back to the ship. Now that there wasn’t any immediate danger Hook took the time to interrogate me about modern technology. He wanted to know everything about movies, since I mentioned it once or twice before, but had not really explained it. I was surprised that he had not tried this time alone together to get into my head and learn my thoughts. Respecting my wishes he refrained from talking personal things and just mainly focused on getting to know  the world I was from. Hook wasn’t used to being on land and getting his food from the wild, but we managed. He knew which berries and fruits we could eat and in a way his knowledge impressed me.

“You think that they’ll be at the ship?” I asked him as we descended from the jungle onto the beach. As I asked this I couldn’t help but think about Carlos. At night I saw him fall of those rocks over and over again, but during the day I was able to tune that memory out. But as I saw the ship I knew that Carlos wouldn’t be there waiting on us to return. He would be somewhere in the sea floating until he was eaten by some big fish. I realized Hook hadn’t answered my question and I looked over at him, catching him already staring. There were concerned wrinkles on his forehead. He had watched me think about Carlos, probably saw from my expression that I was being tortured by my own thoughts. I rose my eyebrow at him. “What if they aren’t there?” “They’ll be there.” Hook ensured me. He gave me a wink before we continued to walk. The sun was burning my bare skin and I was sure that if I were to walk on this beach for any longer I would get a nasty sunburn. It was a heat I hadn’t experienced before. The hot sand underneath my bare feet burned bad, but I tried to hide it the best I could. Still Hook caught on to me and without saying anything he picked me up and carried me to the ship, bridal style. “Thank you.” I said when he put me down in the ocean, instead of telling him he was never to do that again. He acted like a perfect gentleman, these whole two days, he deserved a thank you. “Captain!” Smee hurried over to the railing of the ship calling out to us. They send a rowboat towards us and we waited standing in the water watching the boat approach us. I couldn’t help but feel bittersweet. “Someday it’ll get better.” Hook said out of nowhere, his eyes still on the boat. I looked up at him. He was talking about Carlos. He lost the woman he loved and he got over it, but he had way more time a normal person has. “And if it doesn’t, we’ll fake it.” I told him. “I’m so glad to see you, captain!” Smee crowed rapturously. His usually rosy apple cheeks are now a shade of bright red. “Smee.” Hook greeted his first mate. “Miss Donovan.” Smee greeted me and clumsily helped me into the small boat. “I’m glad to see you made it.” Hearing Smee say this meant more than it would have been coming from the mouth of for example Cecco. My relationship with Smee was more formal than with most of the other crew members. “It’s good to see you again, Smee.” I said and gave him a friendly smile, while on the inside I couldn’t be more miserable. During the boat ride Smee kept chattering on and on and to my surprise Hook didn’t cut him off. Cecco was the first to rush towards us when we got on the ship. “You made it!” He said clearly relieved. Only now it came to mind that they thought that there was a big chance that we were both dead. Alf Mason was the next to appear followed by the rest of the crew. He let out a growl in form of a greeting and grabbed me with his strong arms into a tight hug. “Can’t… breathe.” I managed to squeeze out while patting him on his back hoping that he would release me from his suffocating hug. “Sorry.” He mumbled. As he let me go I could see a broad smile on his face, his for this time awfully white teeth contrasted with his dark skin. The deck was filled with busy chatter until someone asked Hook what we were going to do now. For a moment he looked at his crew which had fallen silent and watched him expectantly, ready to move to do his bidding. “We sail!” Hook yelled. “Lift the anchor, raise the sails!” He didn’t have to say it twice, they were happy to have their captain back and like little mice they spread across the deck. I watched them, realizing that now, that everything was over, I didn’t add anything to the team. I didn’t know how to work a ship or navigate using the stars. Everyone on this ship had a role except for me and I hated that feeling of being useless. So I turned to Hook, who was watching his crew with delight, and asked him what I could do. Cocking his eyebrow he looked at me. “All you are going to do now is rest.” Hook thought that maybe he was being caring, but it felt like a jab in the stomach. “I feel fine.” I assured him. “I want to help.” “Maybe I have something for you.” Hook said with a mysterious look in his eyes. “Come with me.” I followed him down into his cabin. Out of his drawer he got a leather bound book. “You want me to read?” I asked him frowning. Hook approached me and stopped right in front of me, our bodies almost touching. I looked from the book in his hand up into his face. There was a moment of silence that send shivers down my spine. “Hook?” I called his name trying to get him to open his mouth. A part of me wondered what was going on in his head, but I’d better not know. “I’ve had this book for almost most of my life.” He said. “I never was able to understand it fully, but if there is someone who can, it’s you Emily.” He offered me the book and hesitant I took it. “What is it about?” I asked him before opening it and flipping through the pages. “It’s empty.” I said confused. “It’s not.” Thinking he was messing with me I looked up, but his face was serious. “Magic?” I asked not able to think of anything else that could explain the fact that I could not see what Hook was seeing. Hook nodded. “Where did you get this?” “That’s not important.” Hook said. “I want you to borrow this. Keep this safe for me.” I was getting the idea that it wasn’t just any magical book for him. It must be something personal. The part where the pages were blank made it kind of hard to decode the book, but still I was going to try. It probably must be activated by some kind of soul searching type of shit. Hook left me alone with the book. Since it was a nice sunny day I decided to go up and enjoy the sea breeze while trying to figure out what to do about the blank pages.

[boothxs]

Helping around the camp was surprisingly a task Isadora enjoyed, going between one place and the other, she pausing to quickly joke around Cecco for a few seconds before being called away. Things could’ve been even relaxing if not for the hellish winter that slowly started to crumble away to, Isadora hoped, a very warm and tropical summer. Still, being around her crew was enough to improve her mood by several degrees, enough that she didn’t mind getting her fingers with splinters for carrying firewood.

Retreating to a more quiet area of the campsite to rest her shoulders a little, Isadora felt her good mood turn sour as the wood cracked and in front of her eyes stood yet another girl brought to the island. Eyes seeing the dainty shoulders, impeccable posture and hair that had absolutely felt the touch of the softest brushes, everything said that this one wouldn’t survive for much longer.

The girl looked as like a damned twig, ready to crack in two with the smallest pressure, how on earth she was able to reach the camp?

“Another one? Fuck, how many that little shit already went through.” she mumbles, looking around to see if this wasn’t a trap. Grinning towards the newest Lost Boy, Isadora nodded towards the forest. “You should run back to the woods, be careful though, or we’ll find your body sooner than later.” the joke brings out a laugh from her before she turns her back, ready to return to her crew and warmth of the fire. However, the girl’s spoken words circles around Isadora’s mind, the suspicion of something being wrong making her pause and turn around to face the newest arrival.

Isadora hadn’t seen her before the snow completely covered the island. The choice of words were so quaint, so strange. No wonder her interested was piqued.

“So different and confusing when it’s covered in snow, you say? Why different?” Isadora asks, her tone of voice equal parts of curiosity and suspicion, her eyes focused on the girl in front of her, one step bringing her closer to the newest arrival.

CLOSED STARTER for     @boothxs​ …

             — thread 001 : wendy & the ‘wendy’ .

neverland was filled with strangers. too many unfamiliar faces had met hers, something she hadn’t thought to prepare for. surely, she should have known that in the matter of four years other souls would find their way to this mystifying island. new lost boys, new pirates, new weather, new new new. she couldn’t decide how to feel; on one hand, she selfishly wanted it all to be the same as the nostalgic memories she’d held so dear, but, on the other, maybe these ‘newcomers’ would help make even better memories. maybe. peter had made it seem like the island had grown even grander in her absence, so she had no choice but to believe him. why would he lie ?

from behind a fallen log, wendy eyed the pirate camp. familiar faces mixed in with strangers, & none were to be trusted ( as far as she could remember, pirates were no good ). perhaps it was dangerous of her to loiter so near to enemy territory on her lonesome but the boys had begun to feel suffocating, all so excited to entertain or impress the ‘shiny, new thing’ that she was. as wendy stood to leave, deciding she had hid from the others long enough, a branch snapped to her right. she leapt back, her eyes meeting that of another new stranger. new new new, it all felt so new. oh, how she missed the old days that existed in her memories.     “ apologies ! i’m not looking to make trouble or tricks. “     she explained, hoping her intentions weren’t mistaken for that of the lost boys ( who were so quick to pick a fight ).     “ i’m just a little turned around. everything looks so different & confusing when it’s covered in snow. really, i’ll be on my way. “

[lostinthemazecalledmyhead]

Part one   Part two  Part three   Part four   Part five   Part six    Part seven Part eight  part nine

Part six Lost my mind

Previously “I felt dizzy so I went outside and now I can’t feel my legs.” I told him while telling myself to calm down and not freak the hell out. “Well that’s unfortunate.” For a minute there I thought he was just going to leave me here, to fend for myself. Luckily he and Cecco swung either one of my arms over their shoulder and started dragging me towards the Jolly roger.

A while after they laid me down and I had fallen asleep I woke up to a rumbling noise. I saw Hook entering the Cabin with a cup in his hand. “You’re awake.” “Barely.” The first thing I did was trying to move my feet. I could feel them! Slowly my feet moved under the blankets. No real strength though. Hook handed me the cup. Thirsty I gulped it all down. “Where did you get this?” A bag hung on Hook’s iron Hook. It was the bag with the book in it. “It was a gift. Why?” I asked indifferent. “Who gave it to you?” “Just somebody it’s no big deal.” I didn’t want to have tell him about Carlos, so it’s better that I don’t say anything about John. “It is. Now give me a name.” Hook didn’t seem that caring anymore. “I’m not gonna tell you!” “Give me the bloody name.” Hook yelled. Shocked I didn’t know what to do. I have never seen him angry. “This book contains poison, my poison.” Hook explained slightly panting. “Poison? Is that why I can’t walk?” I asked flabbergasted. “I need you to tell me who gave it to you.” Hook said trying to maintain calm. “I’m going to be fine, right?” I was scared. There is no point in denying that. “It will fade in a few days.” Hook said soft. “You’ll be fine.” I didn’t like the fact that he was suddenly calm and caring. It didn’t add up. “I got the book from the brother of..” I was about to tell him, but I needed a promise first. “First you need to promise to not do anything stupid without me.” Hook just nodded. “The little brother of Carlos the bartender at the Geppetto tavern.” “looks like I’m going the pay him a little visit.” Hook said and left. “Wait! You promised.” “I’m a pirate, miss Donovan. What did you expect?” Hook said before he closed the door. “That bloody pirate.” I growled. I threw the blankets aside and let myself slide out of bed. I still couldn’t walk, but used my hands to move my body. He left the book on his desk. I needed answers and that book was going to give them to me. With a tissue I opened the book and browsed through it. I remember the poison from the Peter Pan fairytale. As Hook just referred to the poison on the book as his poison, I probably have to look into that fairytale. Captain James Hook wore this ring that he never took off. This ring contained a secret space, which was filled with poison. One drip was enough to kill the target. I didn’t lick the book or something so the poison must be absorbed through my skin. I found the page that said something about the poison that I didn’t know. Hook lied to me. The poison is fatal, I’m not going to get better. In the hope of finding anything useful I started looking through his stuff. There was one cabinet that was locked, not that it was a problem for me. A long time ago taught myself how to pick locks. This one isn’t really what I’m used to, but I’ll make it work. With a knife and a bobby pin I managed to unlock it. Inside it was the map he had stolen from Whitmire’s house. Whitmire said that the map was missing something, that it needed something else to work. Maybe if I could find out what it was, we could get to the fountain of youth just in time to heal me. If that could even work. I sat down in the chair and spread the map across the desk. On the right side were coordinates, which I cannot read. And on the bottom of the right was the compass card. I don’t know much about maps and am the worst in navigating, but one thing I do know is that there is always a compass card on a map. So maybe that is the key. If it is a compass, it’s not going to be just a regular one. I checked the drawers. Every pirate should have a compass, right? There it was. A beautiful golden compass laid in the palm of my hand. “What are you doing!” Hook rushed into the room and tried to grab the compass. “Is this so important, mate.” I added the nickname in a sneering way. He got ahold of my wrist and tried to pull it towards him, but I wasn’t giving in. “Let go!” I screamed and punched him in the stomach with my other hand. Giving my lack of strength it didn’t do much good so I kept on punching. “I don’t want to hurt you.” Hook said panting. He couldn’t use his hook, so him only having one hand was to my advantage. “I’m not believing that lie anymore.” I growled. I lost my balance and fell backwards off the chair on the floorboards. During the fall I felt a sharp pain in my arm. I felt the stream of warm blood slowly pouring down my arm. “I didn’t mean to.” Hook kneeled beside me. With eyes filled of fire I looked at him. My anger can be described as destructive. It’s hard to control once it’s inside of me. “It was my hook.” He said. He grabbed a piece of cotton and tried to put it on my arm. “Don’t. Touch. Me.” I was so angry that I couldn’t think clearly anymore. He had lied to me, betrayed me and hurt me. It is what I’ve always known, but it still hurt so bad. “You can have your stupid compass. I’m out of here.” I handed him the compass that was now covered in my blood. Faint I tried to crawl on my feet. “You can’t even walk.” “Where I’m going I don’t have to walk anyway.” “What are you talking about? Why are you suddenly leaving? Only because I got intense about the compass? It is a family heirloom.” Hook explained. “You are so full of shit.” I said shaking my head. It cost me a lot of energy, but I managed to sit up straight. “If you want to go, I can’t stop you, but you can’t go anywhere. Not like this.” Hook said. “Stop with the pretending already!” I yelled. “I know I’m not going to make it! I know that you don’t care. And why should you? You are just a pirate whose heart is affected by the ice cold seawater.” “What good does is knowing you are going to die?” Hook asked raising his voice just as I had. “There is a cure, but you are so full of yourself and so selfish that you don’t care about giving it to me!” “There is no cure against this poison.” “The fountain of youth you’ve stolen the map for.” I said. Hook looked surprised. Maybe he was finally done playing games. “How did you know?” “What does it matter?” “The map won’t work without that compass. And I can’t get that to work either.” Hook said holding up the compass. “So, here, take it.” He grabbed my hand and put the compass in it. Confused I studied his face. My head was spinning. He is a liar. He is a pirate. This is just another one of his tricks. Hook sits down across me. His knee touched my leg. “As I said earlier I don’t want to hurt you, Emily.” He gently wraps the cotton around my arm to stop the wound from bleeding anymore. “You are a great asset to my crew. I could use someone like you. The only problem is, there isn’t anyone else like you.” “Cut all that sentimental bullshit.” I scoffed. “What I’m trying to say is that I wanted to save your life, but I knew that I couldn’t. And why would I want you to know that? I know I can’t live up to your ideal pirate fantasy, but some things just make it worse.” I looked into his blue eyes and almost believed his words. I wanted to believe his words, but I didn’t feel like I can trust him anymore. He is a pirate for god sake! What is there to trust? An unfamiliar sound pulled me away from my thoughts. “What’s that?” My whisper sounded unsteady. Hook listened. “I think it’s coming from there.” He pointed at the compass. With a click I opened it and saw the needle quickly spinning around. “It works?” I asked. “We can find you your cure.” Hook squeezed my hand. I hadn’t noticed he was even holding it.