#bonnie gold series

[charliemwrites]

Good morning! This is just a warm up, not canon to the series.

Anyway — bark, woof, awoo

It’s a cool fall day when you nearly die.

Johnny’s run off into the woods barking - not his scary bark but his excited bark. You’re worried that he’s gonna get his teeth in some poor local wildlife and go hurrying after him, boots unlaced.

Of course it’s hopeless to go chasing after a wolf-dog even running at half speed, but you can’t stand the thought of him coming home with a dead bunny or something. So off you go, clomping through the trees, calling for your big dumb fluffy butt to come home.

But it’s not your Johnny that comes trotting out of the trees. No, it’s an even bigger, wolfier looking dog. Creamy white fur, honey gold eyes, and odd black markings around the face like a skull. You instantly know he’s not like your goofball, a little less human-friendly, perhaps more feral. Looks at you like he’s trying to decide if you’d make a decent meal.

Is someone breeding them and just.., letting them out?? Some weird poorly thought out attempt to reintroduce wolves to the UK? The thought makes you frown, praying that you won’t come out here one day to find some poor pups struggling in the wilderness.

For now though, you’ve got yet another gorgeous animal in front of you.

“Well, hello,” you coo, softening and smoothing your voice. His ears tick forward. “Look at you, handsome thing. Have you seen my Johnny boy?”

The dog tilts his head - your first indication that he is familiar with humans, recognizes the tone of a question. You hum.

“Alright big guy, would you like to come with me to find him or are you doing your own thing?”

He doesn’t respond (of course) except to make a little “ruff” noise. You consider him for another moment, then decide he’s not being aggressive and it’s safe to continue your search.

You turn and continue on the path, calling for Johnny. Don’t get far before your new friend sweeps in front of you, blocking the way forward. You make a noise as you stop quick, nearly losing your balance to avoid stepping on his paws.

“Oh you big jerk,” you huff. He instantly starts pushing at you, big shoulders pressing against your stomach as he shoves a big, wet nose into your neck and face, focusing on your mouth. You roll your eyes and gently push his nose away.

“Knock it off,” you grumble, trying not to laugh. “You wolves are so rude. You don’t need to do that to smell me.”

He moves on to your clothes, all the way down to your crotch. You’re ready this time though, taking a big step back and guiding his face up by the chin.

“No.”

He snorts and shakes off, looking almost annoyed.

“Oh, yeah, how dare I not let you sniff my junk?” you scoff, rolling your eyes. “Grow up, you big baby.”

A deep, raspy grumble starts up in his chest. You ignore him, patting at the thick muscle of his shoulder.

“Yeah yeah, you’re a big scary boy,” you joke. “Ya gonna bite me? Show me your big pretty teeth?”

When you reach for his face he takes a step back, ears flicking. Looks almost shellshocked. You finally break, giggling as you croon baby noises at him.

“Oh, poor boy, did I spook you? I’m sorry, baby. No, no you’re very scary. Very intimidating.” You start scooting around him, amused how curves around you almost like he’s afraid you’re going to touch him. “It’s okay, buddy, I just need to find my boy. I’m not out to get you.”

As if on cue, Johnny comes bursting from the trees. He barks when he sees you, then almost comes up short when he realizes the other dog is there.

You become acutely aware that you’re not all too sure how Johnny will respond to another dog - especially one so close to you given his protectiveness. You instantly move between them, calling his attention.

“There you are, Bonnie Johnny! Where have you been?! Naughty boy, you better not have eaten anything fluffy.” His ears go back, a little whine starting up. He ducks his head to let you grab at his muzzle, inspecting him for anything gross. “I do not feel like wrangling you to brush your teeth.”

Luckily, he seems clean. Whatever had him so excited, he must not have caught.

Movement behind you catches your attention, the other dog loping closer. Your eyes bounce between them, watching body language for any aggression or hostility. To your relief, Johnny seems almost excited by this new friend - the other one… well, he seems a bit more subdued, but lets Johnny lick at his chin and bump into his side.

“Okay, ready to head home, baby boy?” you ask, giving Johnny’s collar a gentle tug. “I have to start making dinner.”

He whines, turning those big blue eyes on you and positioning himself behind the other dog. You groan.

“Johnny, really… I don’t know if I can handle two of you. I don’t even think he likes me very much.”

As if to spite you, the other dog sits and leans in, licking at your hand. And damn it, it’s cute.

“Alright, hold on, let’s just see if…”

This time, the other dog lets you touch, feels around his neck for a collar that unsurprisingly isn’t there. You feel around his shoulders too, hoping for that tiny bump that means he has a microchip, but nope.

“If I have a nickel for every time I found a wolf-dog in the woods…” you sigh, turning back for home. “It would be two nickels but it’s weird that it happened twice.”

When you notice both pups stalling, you whistle sharply.

“Come. It’s getting cold.”

Johnny instantly bounds ahead with excitement while your new companion is slightly slower, staying just a bit behind and to the side of you so that you can see him from the corner of your eye.

Back at home, Johnny leads the way inside. The strange dog looks around curiously, sniffs at a few spots. It’s then that you remember Johnny marking the house his first couple days and notice that Mystery Dog is also unaltered.

“Hey.” Both dogs turn to you. You point at the new one sternly. “If you pee on anything in here - anything - I’m dying you pink. By god I’ll do it, there are dog safe hair dyes.”

You get a sneeze for that and he walks away with disinterest, but at least he keeps his leg down. You’ll take it.

Dinner is interesting, no fussing or fighting over food from either of them. When they’re done, you retire to the couch, Johnny happy to follow up until he sees that his new friend isn’t coming as well.

He starts yipping, bouncing, bowing, trying to get the new one to follow. You’re amused up until Johnny nips and the bigger dog growls, showing teeth. You plant yourself instantly between them.

“Hey.” You look the new dog in the eye, get into his space and back him away from Johnny. “No the hell you’re not.”

The new dog stares, eyes locked on yours, ears swiveling. You don’t back down, watching and looking waiting, still bodily between him and Johnny. Until finally his ears go back and he sneezes, laying down.

“Good.” You soften your voice, sigh. “Good boy.”

You offer your hand. Get a sniff and a resigned lick, then scratch at your new boy’s ears.

“You be nice, big boy. Everyone in this house is mine. I take care of everyone.”

His eyes do a weird thing then. You’re not sure how to describe it, combined with the way his head tilts. But you just chalk it up to Weird Dog Things and finally return to the couch, an oddly subdued Johnny clambering up with you.

“You can join us, honey,” you call to the other dog. “You’re welcome up here if you behave.”

He doesn’t take you up on it for awhile. You and Johnny settle in for your usual nightly shows. And then, about an hour later, movement draws your eye. The Mystery Dog, standing at the edge of the couch with his tail down, ears neutral.

Earlier drama forgotten, you smile at him.

“Hi there,” you chirp, “you want up? C’mon, bud. Up.”

He hops up with surprisingly gentleness, picking his way around your limbs and Johnny’s. He ends up crawling over your dog and settling half on top of him, and half on top of you, his chin settled between Johnny’s stupid perky ears. Johnny seems thrilled so you laugh a bit.

“What good boys,” you coo, giving them each a scratch and receiving a kiss in return. “Alright, this isn’t so bad.”

You fall asleep there, already trying to come up with name for your new pup. Maybe Phantom.

Main Story | Konig pt. 1

Masterlist

[onlyangel4]

your love's like. mv1. smau.

max verstappen x wife!reader

a slip of the tongue leads to max revealing that he married his long term girlfriend in private.

faceclaim: aitana

sabrina carpenter series masterlist

f1wags posted a story

written: max verstappen's long term girlfriend y/n y/ln has arrived in zandervoort ready for max's home race

y/ninsta posted a story

written: bonnie is so excited to watch her dad race

f1updates

liked by user1, user2, user3 and 34,192 others

f1updates: max verstappen's girlfriend y/n y/ln and dog bonnie have arrived at the paddock ready for media day, this is bonnie's first time in the paddock!

view all 2,129 comments

user1: cat dad max verstappen and dog mum y/n y/ln are the best pairing ever made

user2: it is so funny that all the other drivers have tiny designer dogs and max just has bonnie, whom his girlfriend found behind a bin three years ago

user3: i just saw a video where bonnie spotted daniel and ran towards him almost pulling poor y/n over

redbullracing posted a story

written: our dog is better than your dog. scuderiaferrari. alpinef1team

maxverstappen posted a story tagging y/ninsta

written: busy day today but ready for qualifying tomorrow

maxverstappen posted a story tagging y/ninsta

written: got my lucky charm, ready for race day

f1updates

liked by user4, user5, user6 and 47,284 others

f1updates: in a surprise turn of events lando norris has gotten pole position for tomorrow.

view all 3,293 comments

user4: i bet max is mad

user5: y/n running over to him before he had to go and do an interview was the cutest thing ever she gavbe him a kiss whispered in his ear and then left

user6: guys wtf was that interview

f1wags

liked by user7, user8, user9 and 132,211 others

f1wags: i genuinely have no words...

interviewer: "i bet you are dissapointed that you do not have pole for your home race"

max: "i am disapointed but not discouraged, i have won from much worse places than second but i did want to get pole. you know, show off in front of my wife"

interviewer: "your wife?"

max: "oh shit, y/n is going to kill me"

view all 12,573 comments

user7: mum and dad are married and they never told us

user8: he looked so panicked when he realised he messed up

user9: the camera panning to y/n shaking her head was comedy gold

y/ninsta posted a story

written: surprise !

y/ninsta

liked by maxverstappen, danielricciardo, alexandrasaintmleux and 1,231,002 others

tagged: maxverstappen

y/ninsta: 03.08.2023

the best day of my life

view all 54,122 comments

maxverstappen: i love you so much

y/ninsta: i love you too, even if you did leak our marriage to the world

danielricciardo: that picture of jimmy makes me die every single time

y/ninsta: my son is a refined gentleman

user10: they have been married for over a year what the actual fuck

∘•···············•∘ʚ ♡ ɞ∘•················•∘

TAGLIST SIGN UP SHEET

taglist: @formulaal @formulaonebuff @danielshoe @noooway555 @dilflover44

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@blushmimi

@kodzuvk

@mochimommy2002

[evilgwrl]

TF 141 x Reader (Apocalypse!AU)

Immune: Eight

WARNING: This is a 18+ Poly!141 series (MDNI)

CW: Riding, unprotected sex, titty sucking, groping, Ghost being a stalker + his perspective

Taglist: @beebeechaos @h3art3at3rr @johannxseb @cndy-l0v3 @nylluns @pomegranategum @tapioca-marzipan

Masterlist

Glass panes fogged over, the abyss surrounding you long forgotten through the rusted panes, your reflection like static as your hips ground down against a plush belly, curls of pubic hair wisping up as they tickled against your pelvis.

Sweat dripped from your pores, leaking down the backs of your thighs, trapping themselves amongst the aperture of your knees. The Scotsman was everywhere, tummy practically bulging with his member as you whined out every time you bounced onto him, cock kissing your bruised cervix as a grunt left his lips.

Soap’s eyes were curled up towards your breasts, occasionally glancing over your fucked-out face as you cooed sweetly into the air. Veined hands ruggedly found your tits, squeezing the flesh in his palms as he lapped in every movement caused by the collision of your pussy sinking down on him.

“F’cken milking me bonnie, keep going jus like that,” He spat into the open air, his pupils blown with lust as he watched you. Your lips tucked in between your teeth, metallic spilling into your mouth as you bit back a squeal, head rolling back desperately as your thrusts grew sloppier.

“Dinnae tell me ye’ getting tired, lass.”

You barked out a, “Shut up,” hand slapping against his chest as you raised your hips once more, the squelch of your wetness filling the blank walls, bouncing from timber to window as you whined, thighs burning. Soap cocked out a laugh, now gripping at your hips, groping the fat as he thrust his hips up, meeting your slowed movements.

His length was fathomlessly stroking your walls, eyes cavernous as he watched your face contort up, squeals singing from your throat as he began to take over, cock ramming inside you with an insatiable vigour as your hands fell beside his head, tits hanging low against his face as he fucked up into you.

Scorched skin found his mouth as he licked against your breast, the saltiness of your sweat spurring him on as he grazed against a nipple, tongue wrapping around it as his hands gripped your waist. As Soap continued, you wailed out an expletive, practically choking on the dust that littered the room.

“That’s it, love, fuck – so fucking tight, ain’ ya? Jesus-“

His mouth was filthy, only pulling away from your chest to spit out praise as your walls milked him. Your neck was littered with sweat, hairs clawing against the skin as you held yourself in place, taking every thrust he gave you. Heavy hands slapped at your ass, keeping it apart as he set his bruising pace, balls crudely grazing against the flesh.

“Fuck – Johnny, too deep – I can’t.”

“Ye can f’cken take it,” he grunted, his pace somehow growing faster as you screamed out obnoxiously, pleasure wracking through you. Your body was on fire, veins gushing with pure arousal as your cunt squelched around him, every hair on your body raised as your skin prickled under his touch.

Your legs were weak, shaking mercilessly as the Sergeant held you in place, orgasm bracing you as your stomach tightened, incoherent babble ludicrously scorching through the air as you gripped onto his shoulder blades, a cocky smile across Soap’s face as he fucked you through an orgasm, pussy milking his member before he stuttered out a deep thrust, holding your thighs as he flipped you over.

You whined at the overstimulation against your g-spot, tears breaking the surface as your legs continued convulsing before he pulled out, hot spurts of ivory ceasing against your plush tummy, pants wracking through the both of you as you collapsed.

Your lashes fluttered around subtle light as you felt Soap moving against you, dampness hitting your stomach before prickly cotton engulfed you.

Arrogant gold hues crept up through the slumber of the night, tenacious stars clawing at the midnight of the sky, the early settlers of birds cawing out to the living dead in a mocking manner before settling in the depth of the trees, out of reach to groping, rotting hands.  

Silk weaved between the trees, dew settling between the earth and the branches they clung from before soaking into the dirt, the stench of the morning stalling across the forest. Heavy footsteps thudded against the floor, the indents between large boots stunk of mud and broken sticks as leaden hands grabbed at spider webs, tearing them apart between sudden movements.

A hoarse grumble left the man’s throat as he trenched through the woodlands, the soft bristle of the wind whistling against the thick, black cotton of his mask, eyes salty with sleep. It wasn’t unusual for Ghost to never sleep past sunrise, his body achingly creaky from the distant memories of military life, fists slamming against punching bags whilst others were only just settling down to sleep.

A rugged scar ran across his lip, the faded colour a shimmering pearl under the morning light as he pulled the balaclava down. Even alone, during the apocalypse, the eeriness of vulnerability sank into his stomach as he took in a deep breath before pulling it up again.

Thick fingers gripped around carbon steel, the head of the sniper inches away from the forest floor as the Lieutenant crept through, almost unhidden by the woodland creatures, the occasional squirrel popping its head out before flustering away into its burrow once more.

Thick thighs held their ground, buried in the bushes, the occasional snag of a thorn rustling throughout before the silenced sound of a gun went off, a gentle flurry of birds scattering around before quietude muzzled the wood surrounding him.

He worked best alone and used to never rely on anyone, no matter the stage of his life. The task force became a second home, a cold place that was only warmed by the familiar faces he worked with. His body ached with every movement, the remnants of past wounds only seeming to heighten when he began to forget about them. It was an alarm that gunned through his head, working at the speed of light through his spinal cord to remind him that he would never escape his work.

No matter where, no matter how, it would always stay with him. Sometimes Simon wished for death, the peacefulness of nothing welcoming him like a hot bath, skinning the flesh from his bones in a chamber of perdition.

Blood stained his padded hands, soft speckles of the afterlife draining from the deer’s eyes step by step as he trekked back to the farmhouse. There was a soft patter of rain that littered across the sky, the crops thriving amongst muddy soil, fertilising amongst burrowing grubs and worms.

Your eyes met the door, staring down at his damp figure, the gruelling emphasis of nature splattered among the subtle tears in his clothes and weaves of silken strings displaced on the dark clothing. You peered down at the carcass in his hand, offering him a polite small.

“Thank you,” you murmured, the morning air still shivering across the walls as you adjusted to not making as much noise. After all, you didn’t live alone anymore.

Ghost was unsure of you. He watched you a lot, umber shades shelling over with an unknown feeling. He took in the way your spine creaked through the skin of your back when you bent over or the way your lids would crease over as you laughed. He noticed the way you looked down when you didn’t want to answer a certain question and he could hear from the crack in your voice when you reached your peak, sweaty body writing under anyone, anyone but him, as you clenched around them.

Maybe it was jealousy. Jealous that you found this place, you got to make a life for yourself and earn potential freedom, a rarity that he was unsure he would ever have. Jealous of the fact that he watched you first, eyes glazing over you weeks ago in a town hours away, muscles soaked in salty residue, thighs burnt out from the relentless biking.

Jealous that he didn’t get to sink his teeth into you the night he walked in on you, pussy pathetically gushing around nothing as you attempted to shelter your moans, his cock aching with a demand for release as he stalked back into his room, rutting into Johnny’s mouth.

The deer fell on the kitchen counter, your bodies in close perimeter as he gaped at you. His voice was rugged, holding a girthy tone of citrus to it with every syllable he pronounced.

“You gonna show me how to be a man around here or you just gonna fuck m’ with your eyes?”

[hellbornsworld]

JUNGKOOK FANFIC RECOMMENDATION(9)⛓

⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆

❤︎ seonbaenim! | Jungkook X Reader | OneShot | @trivia-yandere

❤︎ number: unknown | Jungkook X Reader | OneShot | @aft3rhrs

❤︎ definition of love | Jungkook X Reader | OneShot | @sparklingchim

❤︎ 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙇𝙞𝙣𝙚 | Racer!Jungkook X Reader | Series | @bonny-kookoo

❤︎ Inevitable | Jungkook x (f.) Reader | Exes AU | Series | @ahundredtimesover

❤︎ sweet apple biscuits | jungkook x reader | OneShot | @rosaetae

❤︎ Primrose | Emperor Jungkook x Empress Y/N | @mingshits

❤︎ Answer My Calls | possessive jk X Reader | OneShot | @74jeon

❤︎ Red and Gold | Iron Man!Jungkook X Reader | OneShot | @thedefinitionofbts

❤︎ The Offer | CEO!JK X Reader | Series | @nanamilkandbrownies

❤︎ SATIVA. | husband!Jungkook x fem!reader | OneShot | @2hightocare

❤︎ the underwear thief | jungkook x female reader | OneShot | @gukyi

❤︎ METAMORPHOSE | postmilitaryracer!jungkook x she | Series | @hoseoksluna

❤︎ and my man, thank you to my man | dealer!jeon jungkook x (f)reader | Series | @darklingjeon

❤︎ All Over Again | Dad!JK X Reader | OneShot | @jungkookstatts

❤︎ Nine to five, Five to Nine | side chick dancer female reader x boxer jungkook | OneShot | @thvlouvre

❤︎ peppermint gum | jungkook x reader | TwoShot | @whatifyoulivelikethat

❤︎ Come Back to You | Reader x Soldier Jungkook | OneShot | @ahgasegotarmy116

❤︎ Endless Summer | jock!Jungkook x nerd!reader | OneShot | @koostattoos

❤︎ By your side always and forever | jungkook X fem!reader | OneShot | @le3worl

❤︎ Birthday Cake | Jungkook X Reader | OneShot | @blueberryarchive

❤︎ Lucifer | demon jungkook x (f) reader | @elijeon

❤︎ KNOCK OUT | Jungkook × reader | OneShot | @btsbrat

❤︎ Daddy Daycare | Technician! Jungkook x Teacher's Assistant! Reader | @miraclesatnightfall

❤︎ Semantic Error | Techie inexperienced fem!reader x Artist fuck boy Jungkook | Series | @ahgasegotarmy116

❤︎ LOVE. | pinkcoquette/Sanriolover!oc x bf!jk | OneShot | @sayokodiary

❤︎ Aşk-ı Memnu | non idol! Jungkook x fem! married! Reader | @sweetcarrotsandroses97

❤︎ new beginnings | ceo!jungkook x figureskater!oc | OneShot | @nochukoo97

❤︎ timing | Ex!JK X Reader | Series | @spideyjimin

⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆

[fuckaroundandfindouttournament]

Hey there, girlies (gender neutral)! Welcome to the ✨fuck around and find out✨ tournament, where we find out who’s the cutest badass! Submissions will be open for a week! (until 09/11 @ 12 EST)

✨The rules:✨

“Cute but can kick your ass” characters of all genders are accepted. Just no one from overly problematic sources. Vtubers and MCYT are not allowed.

One character per submission. You can submit multiple times, but only submit a character once! Please don’t spam.

No limit on characters from the same source.

Please be nice! Propaganda and feedback is allowed, but do not attack myself or others. You will be blocked.

This blog is rated M. Warning for potentially upsetting media. Let me know if you need anything tagged.

This bracket is for fun! Don’t take anything too seriously please. :3

✨Submit Here✨

Inspired by: @autistic-anime-girls-bracket @autisticgirliesbracket @girlygirltournament @pinkhairswagtourney@victimsofyaoipoll @morally-grey-girlbosses @best-kirby-character-tournament @controversial-blorbo-bracket @least-sexy-man-competition @most-datable-datable-bracket @leastdatablebracket @canonmisogynyvictimstournament @bi4bibracket @magical-mascot-smackdown @precureshowdown @precure-alphabet-showdown @mommy-daddy-issues-poll @uquiztournament @personasongshowdown @precuremusictournament @foundfamilyadoptionagency @ultimateanthropoll @ultimate-good-dog @ultimatepinkboy @magical-boy-bracket @guys-with-good-vibes-tournament @multicolorhairswagtournament @siblingtournament @tragicsibsshowdown @actually-insane-blorbo-bracket @favoritepokemontournament @favoritecapcomcharacterbracket @look-how-they-massacred-them (there’s more but i’m blanking lol)

Characters who are already entered:

all the Mew Mews (Tokyo Mew Mew)

all 4 Cures (Hirogaru Sky Precure, Fresh Precure, Mahoutsukai Precure)

Abigail (Stardew Valley)

Aerith Gainsborough, Tifa Lockhart & Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy VII)

Alice Liddel (American McGee’s Alice)

Alphonse & Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Alucard (Castlevania)

Alyssa Hamilton (Clock Tower 3)

Baby Bonnie Hood (Darkstalkers)

Barbie

Bibi the cat (IRL)

the DDLC girlies (Doki Doki Literature Club)

the Elsens (OFF)

Princess Fiona (Shrek)

Fiona Belli & Hewie (Haunting Ground)

Garnet & Spinel (Steven Universe)

Guillermo de la Cruz (What We Do in the Shadows)

Hana Nono/Cure Yell (Hugtto! Precure)

Haruka Haruno/Cure Flora (Go! Princess Precure)

Heather Mason (Silent Hill 3)

Isabelle (Animal Crossing/Super Smash Bros.)

Jeanette Voerman (Vampire: the Masquerade — Bloodlines)

Juliet Starling (Lollipop Chainsaw)

Leon S. Kennedy (Resident Evil 4)

Link (The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker)

Lisa Garland (Silent Hill)

Love Momozono/Cure Peach (Fresh Precure)

Kagome Higurashi (Inuyasha)

Kanji Tatsumi (Persona 4)

Kirby

Kotone Shiomi & Shinjiro Aragaki (Persona 3 Portable)

Madotsuki (Yume Nikki)

Mami Tomoe (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)

Marina (Splatoon 2)

Mega Lopunny (Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire)

Mimikyu (Pokemon Sun & Moon)

Noelle Holiday (Deltarune)

Opal (Pokemon Sword & Shield)

Panty & Stocking Anarchy (Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt)

Penny (Pokemon Scarlet & Violet)

Princess Peach (Super Mario/Super Smash Bros.)

Pyro (Team Fortress 2)

Rabbit of Caerbannog (Monty Python and the Holy Grail)

Prince Sidon (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild & Tears of the Kingdom)

Sora & Kairi (Kingdom Hearts)

Spyro the Dragon

Terry Hintz & Buddy (Lisa the Painful)

Top Speed (Magical Girl Raising Project)

Toriel, Asgore and Asriel Dreemur (Undertale)

Usagi Tsukino & Minako Aino (Sailor Moon)

Whitney & Miltank (Pokemon Gold, Silver & Crystal)

Wirt & Greg (Over the Garden Wall)

Zoey, Rochelle & Ellis (Left 4 Dead series)

[a-man-for-hire-and-his-archives]

Here’s Why Everyone Is Talking About A Pirate Drama That Ended In 2017

Black Sails has been described as Game of Thrones with pirates

If Black Sails kicked off in 2020 instead of 2014, it certainly would have thrown fuel on the raging fire that was TikTok’s sea shanty obsession. The reality is that this TV series aired on Starz from 2014 for four seasons, coming to a close in 2017. So why is everyone talking about it now, a decade after it began?

Black Sails is coming to Netflix very soon, triggering its fans to emerge from the woodwork and promote the show online. ‘I am SO excited for people who’ll be watching this show for the first time,’ one user wrote, with many others recommending the series to fans of Game of Thrones. With House of the Dragon still a few months away, here’s why you should tune into Black Sails this month.

New To Netflix: Black Sails

What Is Black Sails About?

Black Sails transports us back to 1715 – aka the Golden Age of Piracy. Set in New Providence, an island in the Bahamas, we meet the feared Captain Flint (Toby Stephens) who brings a new younger crew member into the fold (‘Long’ John Silver, played by Luke Arnold) as his crew continues to fight for survival and negotiate their space on the island.

Is Black Sails Based On A Book?

Black Sails was written as a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel, Treasure Island (1883).

Is It Based On A True Story?

While Black Sails isn’t based on a true story, it does trace real events. The first season focuses on the hunt for the Spanish treasure galleon Urca de Lima, a real ship that sank in 1715 near Fort Pierce in Florida (where it still lies). Season two traces the fallout of Urca de Lima’s treasure being stranded in Florida, strictly guarded by Spanish soldiers while pirates prowl the shores. The subsequent third and fourth seasons then look at the war for the control of New Providence between the pirates and the British Empire – a la Pirates of the Caribbean.

Likewise, some of the characters are based on real people. Real pirates fictionalised in the show include:

Blackbeard (Ray Stevenson)

Anne Bonny (Clara Paget)

Benjamin Hornigold (Hakeem Kae-Kazim)

Jack Rackham (Toby Schmitz)

Charles Vane (Zach McGowan)

Ned Low (Tadhg Murphy)

Israel Hands (David Wilmot)

Meanwhile, Captain Woodes Rogers (Luke Roberts) – who represents the British Empire in seasons three and four – is based on a real English sea captain and slave trader, and subsequently the first Royal Governor of the Bahamas.

Was Captain Flint A Real Pirate?

Captain Flint is a fictional character who was first created by Robert Louis Stevenson in Treasure Island. He has since appeared in multiple works of fiction, including A. D. Howden Smith’s Porto Bello Gold (1924), John Drake’s Flint and Silver (2008), Pieces of Eight (2009) and Skull and Bones (2010), and J. M. Barrie’s Peter and Wendy (1904).

Where Was Black Sails Filmed?

Black Sails was filmed in Cape Town, South Africa, mainly inside at Cape Town Film Studio. Because the real city is so different today than it was in the 1700s, Nassau – the capital of the Bahamas, located on New Providence island – was built from scratch in a studio over a period of four months, as were two large water tanks to house the series’ two ships. Some scenes were filmed outside in and around Cape Town when new terrain was required, but most of the series was filmed on set.

The Cast

The cast of Black Sails is incredibly large, but key characters to know include:

Toby Stephens as James McGraw/Captain Flint

Hannah New as Eleanor Guthrie

Luke Arnold as ‘Long’ John Silver

Jessica Parker Kennedy as Max

Tom Hopper as William ‘Billy Bones’ Manderly

Zach McGowan as Charles Vane

Toby Schmitz as Jack Rackham

Clara Paget as Anne Bonny

Mark Ryan as Hal Gates

Hakeem Kae-Kazim as Mr. Scott

Sean Cameron Michael as Richard Guthrie

Louise Barnes as Miranda Hamilton/Barlow

Rupert Penry-Jones as Thomas Hamilton

Luke Roberts as Woodes Rogers

Ray Stevenson as Edward Teach

David Wilmot as Israel Hands

Harriet Walter as Marion Guthrie

The Trailer

Interested? Here’s the trailer for a taste of the action.

WATCH

All episodes of Black Sails are streaming on Netflix from 17 April 2024.

Source: Country & Town House

[sockie2sock]

I need more Jeremy Jordan content because I'm running out.

Something that's not death note, newsies, the last five years, supergirl, tangled the series, hazbin hotel, bonnie and clyde, the violet hour, the great gatsby, the greatest showman, waitress, heathers workshop version, it's all coming back to me, disney medleys, spinning gold, joyful noise, smash, little shop of horrors, even the livestream he had during quarantine with Ashley and Clara.

I need more, man, I need more.

[zablife]

As Long As I Live (Part 4)

Tommy Shelby & Amelia Holland (OC) x Bonnie Gold

Summary: When things go wrong at Lizzie's party, Tommy proposes a solution Amelia finds difficult to accept.

Author's Note: Requested by the lovely @kpopgirlbtssvt. This will be the final part to the series and the longest at 4K words!

Warnings: drinking, language, mention of assault and blood, mention of pregnancy, minor character death

Masterlist

“How long is a fucking ballet anyway?” Arthur asked, fumbling inside his coat pocket for his flask of whisky. Finn only shrugged in reply, barely watching the performance himself in favor of staring at his pocket watch. He ducked his head to study the time, only to find the minutes passing more slowly than before. He gave a tired exhale of breath as a hand clamped over his shoulder.

“Finn, we need to get Tommy,” Isaiah said out of breath and uncharacteristically rattled by something. 

“Thought you were supposed to be with Amelia,” Finn noted. “Tommy’ll have your balls if something happens to her.”

Isaiah’s face turned grim as he confided, “Something’s already happened, mate. She’s probably with Frances by now, but Tommy should come to the garden straight away,” he urged.

“Y-yeah, ok,” Finn stammered as he moved into action, glancing at Arthur who didn't look like he'd be much help in his state of inebriation. 

Quickly shuffling between seats, Finn found Tommy and whispered to him. Watching Tommy excuse himself from the front row, Lizzie pressed her fingertips to her temples, willing away a throbbing headache, unaware the night was about to get worse.

As Tommy rounded the corner of the garden he found Bonnie throttling another man, arm pulled back to deliver a punch. “Oi! Get the fuck up!” he yelled, pulling Bonnie off with all his strength and struggling to contain him.

“What’s going on?” he demanded to know, squinting in the dim light to make out the bruised and bleeding figure on the ground. The man rose to a sitting position, holding his ribs and heaving for breath as he searched for a handkerchief to dab at his bloody nose. A sliver of light cut across the garden path illuminating his face and Tommy’s eyebrows raised at the sight of Sir Oswald Mosley.

“One of your thugs attacked me,” Mosley accused, pushing himself up from the ground with great effort. 

Tommy looked to Bonnie for an explanation and Bonnie turned away as he stuttered, “He-he had Amelia. If I hadn’t come-” Tommy held up his hand, his mouth suddenly too dry to speak. He understood Bonnie’s meaning immediately as Mosley’s ghastly reputation preceded him. It wasn’t hard to believe, though he did wonder why Isaiah hadn’t kept her away from the party like he asked. It was no time for that, however, as he attempted to handle the matter at hand.

“I want to know what you’re going to do about this, Shelby,” Mosley demanded, stalking toward Tommy angrily. “This animal belongs in jail for attempted murder,” he seethed, pointing at Bonnie. 

“Nevertheless, you attacked one of my guests first,” Tommy replied, attempting to restrain the venom seeping into his voice. 

Mosley scoffed at Tommy’s comment, taking the handkerchief from his face as he sneered, “One of the whores you employed for the evening?” He waited for Tommy to take the bait, revealing the true nature of the relationship. However, Tommy held firm, swallowing harshly to hold down the bile that threatened to rise in his throat. Seeing no other option, he realized he would have to acquiesce to Mosley’s demands or give that illusion until he could formulate a plan.  

“Alright,” Tommy reluctantly agreed. “If you’ll step inside I’ll make the necessary calls and see that you receive proper medical attention,” he said with lips pursed tight, otherwise expressionless to hide the fear of how he might find Amelia. Tommy exchanged one last concerned look with Bonnie before escorting Mosley inside, his mind preoccupied with his daughter’s well-being before he could begin to think of a solution to this catastrophe. 

———————————-

The next morning blinders guarding the front entrance of Arrow House could hear the shouting from Tommy's office. It reverberated off the paneled walls and down the corridor. The men exchanged nervous glances as pieces of the conversation drifted out toward them. For the better part of an hour Tommy attempted to persuade Amelia to flee without providing details of his treacherous ties to Sir Oswald Mosley. However, his proposal of having her return to a life of travel with Bonnie Gold was not something she was prepared to entertain. 

“How could you do this? Cast me off like some cursed soul?”Amelia yelled. She realized she was being dramatic, but that’s how she felt. 

“Amelia, please, I’m trying to see that you’re taken care of and...,” Tommy trailed off, words failing him suddenly. Was he doing what was right? He’d only just gotten her back. Could he relinquish her so easily? He wasn’t so sure of his decision now that he was saying it out loud, but this was the best plan he could think of on short notice. 

“You’d never do this to Charlie or Ruby!” she shouted, turning to face him with tears stinging her eyes. At a time when she had finally come to believe her father loved his children equally, this was irrefutable proof he saw them very differently. Although she had been attacked in the garden, she felt she was being blamed for it. Her father's insistence on her protection felt more like banishment so he could continue living a life of respectability amongst the toffs he claimed to despise. 

Tommy halted, taking a deep breath as he thought about what he was asking of his eldest daughter. Amelia took his silence as complacency and it infuriated her more. When he finally began to speak she wouldn’t allow more than a few words. He began, “Amelia, I wish you’d consider…” before she interrupted.

“I don’t want to hear about Bonnie Gold again as long as I live!” she said defiantly.

Tommy removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose as he exhaled loudly. She was stubborn and headstrong, qualities he loved about her normally. However, faced with the sickening fingerprint shaped bruises on her neck, he was desperate to get her to safety. “What if Aberama and Polly go with ya?” he pleaded. He clenched his fists to hold back the feelings of helplessness he’d experienced when Izzy disappeared all those years ago, willing this time to be different. 

Amelia looked at Tommy with fiery determination wanting to object, but knowing it was useless because her father was also relentless when he wanted something. It was a battle she would surely loose, a humiliating defeat with only her heart at stake. Finally she gave in with a slow nod of agreement.

Tommy’s posture instantly relaxed knowing he’d found a compromise. “Thank you, Amelia. It’s for the best,” he assured her.

“For me or your fucking career?” she bit back.

“That’s not why I’m doing this,” Tommy urged, holding her gaze in hopes she would recognize the sincerity of his words. 

"It doesn't change the fact that you're giving up on me. Because that's what you do when things are too difficult for you to handle, isn't it? You abandon people... like you did with mum," she confronted him, voice constricting in her throat. 

Tommy felt an uncomfortable weight settle in his chest at her accusation. “I wanted you here, Amelia. It just couldn’t be,” he murmured. He wished to express how much she meant to him, but his words fell away as he noticed the look of disillusionment spreading over her like a disease. 

Amelia’s stare remained harsh as she waited for something more. An apology would have been a start, though she knew her father was unaccustomed to issuing them under any circumstances. 

"You should pack," Tommy finally told her, in a resigned voice.

Amelia shook her head in disgust and turned on her heel, slamming the door behind her as she went. Passing Lizzie in the hallway, she ran to her room.

As Lizzie entered, she found Tommy slumped forward in his chair, elbows on his knees, contemplating what Amelia had said.

“Tommy, what’s happened?” Lizzie asked, pulling her dressing gown closed against the chill.

Tommy exhaled slowly, reaching for a cigarette. He took his time lighting one for his wife and himself before answering, “I’ve fucked it all up, Lizzie, and now she’ll never forgive me.”

“What did you say?” Lizzie asked hesitantly and Tommy told her plainly what was to come. He explained how Moss would arrange Bonnie’s transport early the next morning with just enough time for his men to intercept at a crossroads. Then Aberama and Polly were  to whisk him away deep into the mountains. He held his breath before admitting Amelia would be with them.

“Oh, Tommy, no,” she sighed, abandoning her cigarette in the ashtray and collapsing into a chair. “You promised me she’d be taken care of after everything…” she said, lowering her head into her hands.

“And she will,” Tommy said, coming to stand next to his wife’s side.

Lizzie looked up at him with a shake of her head. “I don’t understand you sometimes. What is this good that you will become?” she demanded to know. “When you turn away your own family. Is this work with bloody fascists so important you’d lose everyone you care about?” 

“Lizzie, please, I need you to understand,” he said, reaching for her hand, but she stood suddenly to avoid his touch. Walking to the door without a backward glance, she left him alone with his thoughts and his regrets.

————————

There was something comforting about being in nature again after nearly a year on Tommy's estate. Now that she was back on the road, it was as though she’d never left. The circling of the crows overheard and the welcoming softness of the velvety moss under her feet were all she needed to feel at home again. Despite the desperate ache she felt leaving her younger siblings behind, she soon found routine in her chores and conversations with Polly, who helped her understand the person her father became in order to survive after the war.  Amelia listened to the stories out of curiosity, but disregarded the silent plea for forgiveness. That wasn’t something she was prepared to give just yet.

Sometimes she contemplated what her life might have been if she’d disobeyed her father and stayed near Small Heath, but those were only fleeting thoughts. She wouldn’t stay where she wasn’t wanted. It was a thought that crept up on her, chilling her even in the warmth of the campfire. Amelia shivered as she stared into the abyss of the flickering light, too lost in the past to notice Aberama approaching. She startled at the feeling of his large palm on her shoulder when he softly asked, "May I sit with you, child?”

She immediately nodded in agreement, gladly accepting his company as she had changed her opinion of him during their travels. He’d proven himself to be generous with her, ensuring her comfort by providing plenty of fresh meat and repairing the old vardo where she slept. She’d also witnessed his fair and honest dealings when trading and felt ashamed at her earlier accusations. 

Taking up a place on a log beside her, Aberama stoked the fire before rubbing his hands together to feel the warmth radiating from the flames. If there was a moment to say what he'd been holding back, now was the time. "You know, I traveled with the Hollands many years ago," he said with a small smile playing on his lips at the memory.

Amelia's head shot up at the mention of her mum’s family, fingers clasping the gem at her throat nervously. "You did?" she asked hesitantly.

"Aye, and I knew your mother," he recalled. "You'd not find anyone better with horses," he mused, eyes drifting upward with the curls of smoke twisting in the night air. Then he added sadly, "She was a rare gem and she would have made a fine wife."

Amelia swallowed a lump in her throat as she asked, “I don’t understand. Were you in love with her, Mr. Gold?”

His head dropped as he huffed out a little laugh, “I think everyone loved Isidora, but we all knew her heart belonged to Tommy Shelby,” he said, reaching for a piece of kindling and his small pocket knife to distract himself with a bit of carving. He was growing nervous at the thought of revealing secrets long buried and looked to his work instead of the girl at his side as he continued. “Amelia. I didn't think it was my place to say anything before, but now perhaps you should know something," he ventured. 

However, Amelia soon grew uncomfortable and attempted to push away the topic that caused a deep chasm to open within her chest. "It's alright, I know my father abandoned her when she was pregnant," she said dismissively, rubbing her thumb over the sapphire in silent apology to her mum. 

Aberama's hands dropped to his sides as he stopped to look at Amelia with a look of confusion, mixed with pain. "No, child, he loved that woman."

Amelia scoffed, "You must have him mistaken for someone else. He never wanted her...or me," she noted bitterly.

"That's where you're wrong," Aberama corrected. “Your parents were very much in love, but your grandfather kept them apart because of a feud.”

“Dad never mentioned that last part,” Amelia said, knitting her brows. 

Aberama considered the piece of wood he held in his hand as he said, “I doubt he knew his father’s deceitfulness caused him to lose Izzy.” He glanced up at Amelia with a mournful look, wishing he weren’t the one to tell her this.

“Your grandfathers were friends. Well, they gambled quite a lot together,” he corrected himself. “Izzy’s father owed money to Tommy's father and in 1914 they began to quarrel," he explained. Amelia leaned forward unsure if she wanted to hear more. Aberama took a deep breath before continuing. "Soon after Izzy fell pregnant and her father came to believe it was some kind of retribution. He was outraged that the Shelbys would collect a debt in such a manner so he sent her away. Said he’d be damned if she married a man with no honor. Of course, your father went to war and by the time he returned, you and your mother were long gone.”

Amelia's eyes were wide with shock and disbelief, wondering if this misunderstanding could be the cause of so much pain. Furrowing her brow she asked the question still lingering in her mind. “But…that doesn't explain why my father never looked for her," she said accusingly.

"He did. For years he asked my family for help, but we never found her,” he said in a voice close to a whisper. Amelia could see the look of regret etched on his face and didn’t ask anything more, choosing to sit in pensive silence. She knew there was little else he could have done to help, time ticking away the years her mother had left before fever claimed her life. She knew from Polly’s stories that in those years Tommy became a hardened criminal and any suspicion the family had about him was cemented in his deeds with the Peaky Blinders.

Amelia’s fingertips lingered over her necklace as she thought of the promise it contained and she realized her father had told the truth when he said he was coming back for his true love after France. She sat back against a log, taking in a deep breath as she closed her eyes and imagined her parents together. It healed her fractured heart to know that they had been happy for a brief time and in a way, their love remained through her.

With the fire crackling between them, Aberama studied Amelia and watched a look of contentment settle over her face. He placed his knife in his pocket with a nod, standing and brushing himself off before leaving the campfire. As she listened to his footsteps, Amelia’s eyes opened and she called out, “thank you.”

Aberama turned back and tipped his head toward her in acknowledgment before joining Polly in their vardo.

———————————

Amelia didn’t spend much time with Bonnie when they first set off into the mountains. He reminded her of the awful night at Arrow House that drove them all away. Sometimes when she looked at him she blamed his jealousy, and the temper Aberama claimed he inherited from his mother, for what happened. However, as time passed, she found it hard to hold a grudge. As her own mood improved she became curious to know Bonnie, though occasions were now rare seeing that he often kept his distance from her.

Sitting by the riverbank, Amelia watched Bonnie cross a log, his feet swift and sure, never faltering, and it reminded her of the day in the boxing ring when he'd shown such promise. Suddenly she found herself thinking of everything he’d given up that night in the garden after she dared to spit in Mosley's face, provoking his animalistic impulses. 

Unable to contain the question as it came to her she blurted out, “Do you hate me?”

Bonnie wobbled on the log for the first time, looking over at her in surprise. He'd waited for the moment Amelia might speak to him again. He feared she might never trust him after the beating he gave Mosley. Thoughts echoed in his mind about the brutality she’d witnessed from him, even after she yelled for him to stop, protesting how she could have managed on her own. But the image of Mosley's hand against her throat as he ripped Amelia's dress replayed on a loop nearly every night and he knew he’d do it all again if necessary to keep her from harm.

Without a hint of hesitation, he replied to her question, “Course I don’t hate ya.” He made his way to the end of the log and jumped down, joining her on the soft grass. “What makes you say that?”

“You’ll never get to live your dream now. Don’t you remember the day in the gym when you told me you wanted to be a champion?” Amelia asked sadly, turning her face away from Bonnie and hiding in her shoulder. 

“I didn’t say that, dove. You did,” Bonnie reminded her gently, looking out over the river.

“What?” she asked in confusion.

“I said I didn’t want to waste my life and I’m not so long as I’m with you,” he replied.

Amelia peeked out from her hiding place, to glance at Bonnie. He laid back against the grass looking up at the passing clouds as he continued, “The day I met you in the stables, I knew you weren’t like anyone I’d ever met. You've got a wild spirit that makes ya fearless. Hell, sometimes I watch you just to see what you'll do next!" An easy laugh escaped his lips and he rolled over to lean on his elbow looking at Amelia as he turned serious. "If I never went back to boxing again, that’d be alright.”

“You’re lying,” Amelia sniffed, though she felt the truth behind the sentiment in the gentle way he spoke, without rushing his words.

Bonnie's heart caught in his chest as she began to cry. He moved toward her slowly, coming to kneel beside her. “M not. Even if you said you hated me, I’d stay.”

“Why?” she asked. “After all this..” she wondered aloud, wiping a tear away with the back of her hand.

Bonnie shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. “Stubborn, I reckon,” he said with a grin, ducking to catch her gaze.

“That’s it?” she giggled in spite of herself.

“No," he said with a soft shake of his head, hand brushing over the luscious grass as he plucked a daisy from the ground. "I’d like to get to know you better cos there’s something else I think I’d like to ask you one day,” he said, offering her the flower and the whole world all at once.

———————

Eight months later…

Arrow House was quiet with the children at school and Lizzie attending a meeting for one of her charities. Only Cyril was left to keep Tommy company on this cold winter’s day, but he didn’t mind. He was soaking in the last moments of tranquil solitude before the entire family would be reunited at last. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so at ease. With Mosley's assassination, his plans for the party could go forward and Bonnie and Amelia were now safe to return home.

A fortnight ago he sent Johnny Dogs to deliver a handwritten message, asking her home to talk and offering an apology for the way they parted. He finally found the words he’d been unable to speak months ago. Though the letter had unburdened his soul, he hadn't slept until he received word she would see him. He also promised Lizzie not to interfere with Amelia's plans after the visit, allowing her to choose her own path now that she was eighteen. 

As luck would have it, she and Bonnie arrived two days before Christmas looking well and much more agreeable than when they left. Tommy wondered what transpired in their time in the mountains, ushering them into his office for a chat. The pair beamed as they requested an audience with both Tommy and Lizzie, smiling from ear to ear. 

As drinks were poured and everyone found a seat in Tommy’s large study, Lizzie held her breath, noticing the obvious sparks between the young couple. Amelia was the first to speak, a glow about her as she excitedly announced her engagement to Bonnie Gold.

“And what, might I ask, happened to “not as long as I live?” Tommy asked incredulously from his place beside his wife.

“Shhh, Tommy,” Lizzie hushed him. Whispering in his ear, she reminded him of his promise to concentrate on Amelia’s happiness from now on. He waved her off, saying, “Alright, alright, Lizzie.”

“Of course, you have my blessing,” he said, standing and extending a hand toward Bonnie.

“Thank you, Mr. Shelby, sir,” Bonnie replied with a wide grin. He pumped Tommy’s hand with a bit too much vigor, excitement and adrenaline coursing through him. 

Lizzie rose from her seat to offer her congratulations to Bonnie and Amelia faced Tommy. She  clutched his letter she’d kept in her pocket since she’d received it. “I’m sorry too, Dad,” she whispered as he held her in a long embrace.

Tommy pulled away to study her dewy eyes asking, “What do you have to be sorry for, eh?”

“I said the worst things before I left. I was hurt, but I didn’t realize you were in pain too,” she managed in a shaky voice, stopping to look deeply into his eyes. “I’m sorry you lost mum, but you won’t lose me again,” she promised.

The breath left Tommy’s lungs as he listened to Amelia’s heartfelt declaration, leaving him speechless and happier than he’d felt all year. As Lizzie looked to them with a tilt of her head, she decided not to pry into their private moment. Instead, she asked the group, “Shall we ask Frances to open a bottle of champagne? We should celebrate properly!”

“We should,” Tommy agreed with a wide grin. “Me daughter’s home and she’s getting married. It’s a good day,” Tommy declared, staring back at Amelia with a look of pride. 

Lizzie looped her arm in his and they set out toward the dining room, peppering Bonnie with questions about his adventures, his easy laugh filling the corridor. 

Amelia watched them happily as she placed a hand over her necklace, feeling the presence of her mother beside her. She hadn’t experienced this kind of inner peace for a long time. The circumstances of her short life had taught her to be wary of this feeling as it was ever changing and tended to shift beneath her feet whenever she found herself on stable ground. However, when she married Bonnie Gold the following spring she knew it was everlasting. As she stood before him in a flowing white dress and a crown of daisies adorning her thick mane of dark curls, she was comforted by the quiet promise in his voice when he proclaimed, “I will love, honor and cherish you for as long as I live.”

----------

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[emotionalcadaver]

Part 21: The Shadow of the Abattoir

Fandom: Peaky Blinders

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x OC

Summary: Tommy and Lucy finally meet face to face with their latest adversary.

Word Count: 5,151

Notes: Warnings for depictions of smut and violence.

Previous Chapter • Series • Fic • Next Chapter

Chapter 6: None of You Will Survive

“What are you doing in here all on your own?”

Lucy turned from where she’d been feeding apple slices to Wraith and Sin, smiling a little at the sight of Tommy walking through the entryway, hands pulling free from his pockets.

“I’ve got these two to keep me company,” she said, the horses snorting in agreement. Tommy came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and nestling his face in the crook of her neck, pressing a few kisses and nuzzles into her skin. Her eyes fluttered, leaning back into the solidness of his body with a sigh. 

“I spoke with Polly.”

“Mm,” he rested his chin on her shoulder. “How did that go?”

“Could have gone worse,” she shrugged, then craned her head back to look at him. “Could have gone better, too. I’ll tell you about it later,” it had seemed that her conversation with Polly had taken up most of her remaining energy, leaving her feeling so fatigued, she was half tempted to crawl into Sin or Wraith’s stable and fall asleep beside them on the hay. 

I spoke to Aberama Gold. He wants us to help his son, Bonnie, become a boxer.”

“Oh? Is he any good?”

“I think he might be. We’ll do a test later.”

She hummed, nodding and closing her eyes. Tommy chuckled at the way she leaned more of her weight back into him. 

“Tired?”

“Mhm.”

“After we eat, we can go back to the house and get some rest,” keeping one arm around her, he reached out the other to give the horses a gentle pat. He then turned her in his arms so that she was facing him, cupping her face with both hands. “Eh?”

She nodded, then dropped her head forward to land heavily on the center of his chest. Tommy laughed softly, squeezing her and kissing the top of her head. One of his large fingers curled under her chin, tilting her head up until he could kiss her softly. 

“Come on,” he took her hand. “Food’s ready.”

Fingers clutched in his big, warm hand, she squeezed his palm, and let him lead her from the stables. 

∗ ∗ ∗

She’d heard from somewhere–she couldn’t quite remember where, maybe from one of her cousins or aunts on her yearly visit to them and their caravan in the mountains–that funerals made people want sex.

Maybe it was the need for comfort. Or maybe it was the reminder that life was fleeting, and so you might as well make the most of it while you still could. 

Lucy sighed, back arching up, pushing her bare breasts harder against Tommy’s hands, his calloused skin sliding and squeezing hers and making her shiver. Her legs were hitched up around his waist, feet pressing into his lower back and urging him to go deeper. He kissed her softly, taking his time in mapping out the landscape of her mouth with his tongue. 

With John gone and Arthur, Ada, and Polly all staying at their own separate houses, they’d claimed one of the empty bedrooms in the Shelby house, letting Charlie have Tommy’s old room.

Everyone had dispersed after dinner to get settled in or deal with any business–family or otherwise–that they needed to before they set hard to work the next day. They were alone, save for Charlie sleeping soundly in the other room and Asher dozing dutifully outside his door. 

Tommy purred as she moaned into his mouth at a particularly deep thrust. “Can’t be too loud, love,” he warned, even as he grunted softly at the way she tightened around him when he bottomed out. 

She pulled him in closer for another kiss, hands smoothing along and squeezing his strong biceps before finding purchase on his back. He growled lowly when she circled her index finger around a scar on his shoulder. 

His public bone rubbed up against her sensitive clit with each thrust, his hands all over her as they kissed again, and again, and again. There was no chance of her being chilled like she had been earlier at the yard. Not with her back to the mattress and Tommy on top of her, his skin hot like there was an inferno swirling within him. He’d always ran warm. It was part of what made him so good for snuggling.  

“Tommy,” her head fell back against the pillows. He’d already made her come once with his mouth tonight, and she could feel her muscles, tired but eager, preparing for another one as it continued to build, growing closer with each roll of his hips into hers. 

“I know,” he was moving a little faster, cock throbbing with his own approaching release. “I know; it’s okay. What do you need?”

“Faster,” she requested, and he immediately picked up the pace. She scrabbled at his shoulders, soft moans leaving her lips. Tommy kissed her again, one strong hand sliding up to cup her face and the side of her neck. Humming, he used it to tilt her head just so, placing kisses along the expanse of her exposed pale throat. 

“Close, so close…” 

His hand dropped to brace by her head, keeping the bulk of his weight off of her as he started to go even faster, still hitting deep, but bucking at a more frantic pace. Lucy’s hips met his at every thrust, their skin slapping together audibly. 

“Ah…” she jerked her head forward, pressing her mouth to his neck to try to stifle her moans. Tommy groaned, cock twitching inside her. 

Without warning, his hand was between her legs, thumb pressing hurried circles into her clit, and she bit down roughly into his shoulder to stop what would have been a very loud cry of his name as her walls clamped down around him in release. 

Tommy growled, eyes rolling in his head at the sting of her teeth in his flesh, thrusting a few more times, moaning at the tightness and the gush of her orgasm around him, before his cock twitched, then throbbed hard and he stilled, sheathed fully into her while he emptied. 

Neither of them moved for a long time, choosing to remain entangled beneath the blankets. Tommy was kissing up and down the side of her face lazily, practically purring. 

“You bit me.”

She smiled to herself at the mild amusement in his voice, and leaned up to press a kiss to the spot on his shoulder. “Sorry.”

He just kissed her temple, and with a somewhat overdramatic groan, pulled out and rolled over to sprawl on his side of the bed. Lucy rolled onto her side, pouting at him while he grabbed his cigarette case from the nightstand and lit one. When he noticed her expression, he chuckled, hooking an arm around her and drawing her in tight against his chest. 

“C’mere.”

She made a happy little humming noise, snuggling in close, taking drags from the cigarette whenever he offered it. 

“Gonna be a long day tomorrow, isn’t it?” she mumbled, voice slurry with sleep as her eyes closed. 

“Yes.”

“Mm,” reaching up blindly, she took the cigarette from him and clumsily stubbed it out in the ashtray. Both arms wrapped around his ribs, hugging him like she would an oversized teddy bear. “Try to sleep, Tom.”

She felt him sigh and shift against her, getting more comfortable, his face pressed into her hair, breathing her in and relaxing. “I love you, Lucy.”

She stroked his back lazily, smiling a little. “I love you too.”

They were both asleep within five minutes.  

∗ ∗ ∗

The walk to the factory was smoky and riddled with fire and clangs from the machinery they were passing, men covered in soot and sweat shot curious glances her way until they recognized the red of her hair or who she was with and quickly looked away. 

All men in Small Heath knew that if they looked at her for too long, they risked losing their eyes. 

“I talked to Charlie on the phone before we left,” she reported to Tommy, adjusting her grip on Asher’s lead. “He said May got in and picked up the horse with no trouble.”

“Good.”

“I still wish we could have said hello.”

“When I talked with her on the phone, she said that she might try to come back at a later date to see us.”

“That would be nice.”

“I thought so too.”

“Tommy! Lucy!”

She glanced in the direction of the voice, smiling a little at the boy jogging up to fall into step beside them. “Hello, Isiah. What have you got for us?”

“Nothing yet on Luca. The boys are still scouring.”

“Tell them to keep an eye out for his mother, too. She would have come with him from New York. Any other relatives?”

“With Vincente and Angel dead, there’s just a cousin in Birmingham. Luca came from New York to be best man at his wedding sometime between 1919 and 1920,” he handed Lucy a photograph of a group of men dressed in suits gathered around, smiling at the camera. “The boys checked his flat in what used to be the Changretta’s territory, but he’s gone.”

“Hm. Tell them to keep looking. And don’t do anything if you find him, just report back to me or Tommy. What’s his name?”

“Alessio Changretta.”  

“Right. Good work. Keep it up.”

He nodded, and melted away into the smoke.

“He’s a good kid,” she commented, holding out the photograph for Tommy to have a look.

“Yes, he is.”

“He’s been helpful with running the spy network this past year. If I ever were to be out of commission for a prolonged period of time, I think he’s getting close to being able to run it without me for a little while.”

Tommy shot her a look. “Are you planning on getting horrifically injured again sometime soon?”

“No,” she chuckled, raising a hand unconsciously to rub over the scar just under her left ear. “But it’s always good to be prepared just in case.”

As they finally made their way to the factory, she spotted Arthur waiting for them near the entrance with Aberama and Bonnie Gold. They all greeted each other warmly, and followed Tommy into the factory. Sparks flew and blazed all around them, the clang of metal increasing. Asher’s ears twitched, momentarily lowering against his skull, but he settled when she stroked a hand along his head. 

“I know, boy. I know. It’s loud. C’mon.”

He looked up at her with big, trusting brown eyes, tongue falling from his mouth, sticking close to her side as they moved deeper inside and to where it was a little quieter.    

Devlin, the factory manager, rushed over to them. Tommy began giving him instructions to clear the area and get him some rope and a bell, then indicated for her and Bonnie to follow him deeper into the depths of the factory.

He called out to a man Lucy had found by scouring their employees' records the night before: Billy Mills, a former heavyweight champion. Tommy offered him a heaping sum of money to fight Bonnie while Lucy leaned against the wall, fighting off the curl of amusement on her lips as she watched Tommy work. As soon as Billy had agreed to the fight, Tommy was marching back up to where they’d come, the area already starting to be cleared off the way he’d asked. Rope was tied on posts to create a square for the fight to take place in, Arthur taking bets while Billy and Bonnie prepared. 

Lucy linked her arms with Tommy’s, Asher sitting dutifully at their feet. Someone rang a bell, and the fight was off. 

The kid had good form, but was leaning heavily on the defensive. Lucy chanced a look up at Tommy, and bit back a smile at the way his eyes were narrowed in concentration, analyzing every single second of the fight, the men around them hollering and cheering.  

And then, suddenly, with a quick order from Aberama, Bonnie downed Billy Mills, the Heavyweight Champion, in but a handful of punches.

Lucy had to fight back the urge to whoop. It was always nice to see someone small and slight take down someone bigger than them.

As a card carrying member of that club herself, she approved. 

“Alright boys, that’s enough sport, get back to work!” she called to the men around them, and they began to disperse. 

As they spoke with Aberama, Devlin came up to them again, informing them that Jessie Eden was waiting upstairs. Tommy told him they would be there in a minute, but he hesitated. 

“She’s becoming impatient.”

“Offer her tea or…something while she waits,” Lucy said. 

“We already did.”

Her head snapped around, brow raising at Devlin’s tone. He immediately looked down at his shoes. 

“Well, offer again,” she said slowly. Devlin’s eyes darted between her and Tommy, visibly shrinking in on himself at the coldness he was met with from both parties, nodding and shuffling off. She shared an exasperated look with lover, stepping to the side with him and Arthur to speak in low voices by the car. 

“What do you think?” Tommy asked them. 

“I like him,” Lucy said, looking back at where Bonnie was talking with his father. “And it would be good to have something substantial to hold the Gold’s loyalty to us. Besides, we could use some fresh blood around here.”

Once the three of them were all in agreement, they approached Bonnie and Aberama again. Tommy told them to speak with Polly regarding a deal about money, and held out a peaked cap for Bonnie to take. 

“We better get upstairs. Before Devlin has a coronary,” Lucy said, angling her head towards the stairs, shooting a warm smile Bonnie’s way. “Congratulations.” 

At Tommy’s heels, she followed him up the stairs and into the conference room where Jessie was waiting for him. 

“You can go,” she told Devlin, and he hurried out the door. “Asher, no,” she gently chastised the dog, giving a small tug on the lead when he moved to try to sniff Jessie’s shoes, guiding him instead to follow her towards the far end of the table, hanging up her coat and plopping down in the seat to Tommy’s right at the head of the table. Asher laid down beside her, head on his paws. She reached down to stroke his huge head, scratching behind his ear before straightening and getting to work. 

The conversation with Jessie did not last long, and ended with her whisking from the room, followed quickly by the shrill shriek of her whistle, initiating the beginning of a strike, echoing throughout the entire factory. 

Rubbing at her face, Lucy stripped off her suit jacket, hanging it on the back of her chair. “How many meetings do we have today?”

Tommy turned his cigarette over and over between his fingers. “Several.”

She sighed, and wriggled out of her gun holster, loosening the straps and contorting slightly to get out of it. She passed it to Tommy, who took it and hung it up next to their coats and his own holster. Best not be displaying a loaded weapon around when in professional meetings. 

When he went to the door, she got up and followed him, Asher in tow, to watch over the railing from the level above as the men below put down their tools and started to walk towards the door. 

It was eerily quiet, once all of the men downstairs had left. Lucy felt her nerves jumping, even after they returned to the conference room. Asher sniffed around the coat tree where they’d hung their jackets and holsters, but let Lucy pull him away and coax him to lay back down at her feet. She was grateful that she didn’t have to do much more than take notes during the various meetings they had for the day. By the time Devlin came in to inform them of their last meeting, it was getting late, the light filtering in through the windows beginning to fade. 

Tommy tossed his pen onto the table, rubbing at his eyes and sighing.

“Last one, right? Then we can go home,” Lucy reminded him. Beside her, Asher suddenly rose from his spot laying at her feet, back arching, legs planted firmly as he stood in front of her. “Ash?”

A deep, rumbling growl sounded from the dog’s throat, lips curling back in a snarl, dark eyes focused on the door.

Lucy’s head snapped up, suddenly on high alert. Devlin came in, followed by a tall, dark haired man. Lucy didn’t hear the name Devlin introduced him by. It didn’t matter, anyway. It wasn’t his real name. 

The fingers of her left hand curled in Asher’s collar to keep him from lunging prematurely. Her right hand slipped unconsciously to her ribs, and the cold gasp of panic suddenly encircled her throat at the realization that her gun wasn’t tucked snugly against her side like it usually was, but instead was hanging in her holster dangling from the coat tree.   

Her eyes darted to Tommy as Devlin left, momentarily caught frozen like a deer in headlights. She had a knife in her shoe, and her aim when throwing it was almost as good as her shot with a revolver, but bending to retrieve it risked alerting Luca to what she was planning, and in the split second it would take for her to pull the blade from her boot, he could hurt Tommy. 

She could sic Asher onto him. Let the dog tear him to shreds or at the very least distract him long enough for her to get her blade out. But that approach had its risks too. 

They were cornered. 

Tommy’s eyes met hers, just as shocked as she was, for a second. But he recovered fast, gaze flicking to Asher, still growling at Lucy’s side. She could see him analyzing the situation just as she had, turning over every approach and possibility in his head.  

Stand down, his eyes commanded silently.

Are you sure? she asked back. 

Yes.

She swallowed roughly. “Asher,” it came out in a hoarse, soft rasp, then, in Romani, “stand down.”

The dog immediately stopped growling and sat back on his haunches, but continued to watch Luca with eyes as suspicious as those of his two owners, prepared to spring if given the order. She looked at Tommy again, more tense than she thought she’d ever been in her life, even as Luca moved to sit in the chair across from them. Every miniscule movement from him had her on edge, ready to give Asher the order and reach for the blade in her shoe at the first sign of aggression. 

Tommy?

I want to hear what he has to say. He tries anything, you know what to do.

The calmness of his voice, even just in her head, helped to ever so slightly relax her.

Tommy pulled out his cigarettes from the pocket of his coat where it was hanging, along with their gun holsters. Good. He could get at them easily if he needed to. 

Luca reminded her of a snake. Everything, from the way he smiled, to the glint in his green eyes. He spoke slowly, and she swore that a hiss undercut his every word. He placed a toothpick between his teeth, and Lucy wondered if it would be too much to hope that he choked on it. 

“I am surprised how easy it was to get into a room with you,” Luca said, low, smug. 

Tommy pulled his gun from his holster and cocked it. “And now?”

Luca held his hands up, sarcastically, tauntingly, and Lucy felt her blood chill as he explained how earlier, during the commotion on the factory floor, he’d sent a man up to unload their guns while they dangled unguarded from the coat hanger. He reached into his pocket, and drew out a handful of gleaming bullets. Tommy checked his gun, and Lucy could see the silent, rather colorful language flitting through his head behind his eyes as he took in the empty chambers. A sick feeling twisted in her stomach, but she forced herself not to move; to remain calm.  

If Luca wanted to kill either of them here, they’d likely be dead already. But she still kept careful watch over his movements.

Luca began to list off the names of each individual Shelby while setting the bullets cupped in his hand down upright onto the table. There was one for each of them: Arthur, Polly, Michael, Ada, Tommy, and John. He flicked the one for John across the table towards Tommy with a taunt and a clatter. 

“None for me, Luca?” Lucy asked. He had yet to acknowledge her at all. Hadn’t even looked at her, in fact. But his snake-like eyes were on her the moment she spoke, and she smiled widely, letting it shimmer madly in her eyes to hide the way that her heart was pounding in her chest. “I’m hurt.”

Luca looked her up and down, fingering his toothpick. “Ah…” he settled the slip of wood between his teeth and cocked his head. “The little demon. At first, I’d hoped to get a meeting with you alone, Mr. Shelby. But my mother…my mother said that that would be almost impossible. She says that wherever you go, your Red Demon is never far away,” he smiled at her in a way that sent a chill down her spine and made her stomach turn. A scoff that reminded her more of a hiss left his lips. “Lucy Winters,” he said her name with both contempt and disappointment, the final s of her surname drawing out between his lips. “She made you sound terrifying, but…” he clicked his tongue, looking her up and down. “Hard to see what there is to be so terrified of.”

“At least get to know me first before you start making assumptions,” she smiled, confidence returning slightly. He did not take her seriously. He did not believe her to be a legitimate threat, despite his mother’s warnings. 

They could use that. 

Luca chuckled, continuing to gnaw on that damned toothpick, grinning at her with it jammed between his teeth. “No bullet for you, little one. Though make no mistake, I will put you down the same as I do the others, if you make me,” his eyes suddenly sparked with cruel mirth, gaze darting between her and Tommy, eyeing him smugly before returning his gaze to her. “But, after your lover here is dead, if you find yourself feeling lonely…” he trailed off, grinning at the suggestion. Out of the corner of her eye, Lucy could see Tommy tensing. Luca noticed it too, glee dancing in his eyes at getting under Tommy’s skin. “Since you have a taste for gangsters.”

“I’ll take the bullet to the head,” Lucy sneered back. Luca just chuckled, unbothered at her answer.

“Loyal, hm? I can respect that. Well done, Shelby,” he tipped his head to Tommy with another smirk, though his eyes still remained on her as he shrugged. “But…if you ever change your mind…”

“That’s enough,” Tommy growled out, jaw set. And Luca’s eyes were on him entirely again, all shining spark of humor abruptly snuffed out. Lucy watched him, brow lifted and unimpressed. Not for one second did she believe Luca to be legitimately interested in her. He’d written her off as of any significance the first second he laid eyes on her. The only usefulness she suspected that he saw in her was in using veiled threats against her to get under Tommy’s skin. 

But in the few minutes he had been in the room with them, Luca Changretta had revealed a good many things about himself: he underestimated her–and potentially other women, too–he was cocky, gloating, and believed that this would be an easy victory for him. His suit was pressed, shoes clean. That meant that he had not had to travel far to meet them. It was likely that he was staying in or close to Birmingham somewhere. And he had come here, not to kill them, but to talk. That indicated some level of honor.  

All knowledge that would be quite useful in pinpointing his weak spots. 

It was like she had disappeared entirely, the hate Luca felt making itself known across his face, darkening his eyes, his focus solely on Tommy. 

“None of you will survive.”

He rose from his seat, still hissing his cocky, mocking words. Promises of death to all whose names he’d just listed out. He advanced on Tommy slowly, though Tommy did not move, did not speak. Asher started growling softly as Luca drew nearer, and Lucy tightened her grip on his collar with her left hand, the fingers of her right itching for her knife.

At Luca’s suggestion that they fight the vendetta with honor, Tommy put down his empty gun–though Lucy suspected he was greatly tempted to try to bludgeon him with it.

“No civilians. No children,” he said.

Luca nodded. “No police.”

One half of Tommy’s lips pulled up in a sarcastic smile. “Welcome to Birmingham, Mr. Changretta.”

Luca’s lips pulled into something that was more grimace than smile. “Grazie,” looking between them, he smiled. “I will leave you two to your business, then,” he started for the door. “A pleasure meeting you both.”

Neither of them moved, or said a word, until the door was swinging shut behind him, the sounds of his footfalls retreating as he headed for the stairs. They were both waiting for the sound of him returning, or the crack of gunfire to explode in through the windows. When it became apparent that neither was coming, Lucy jumped from her seat, releasing her hold on Asher’s collar and scrambling for her gun in its holster. She pulled it free, the sensation of the grip in her palm soothing. When she cracked it open, she was met with the empty chambers, fumbling for the spare bullets she kept in her pockets to refill them. 

Tommy was hastily closing the blinds and locking the door. 

“Holy fuck,” she said, breathing suddenly more rapid now that she was allowed to show more emotion. “Tommy…”

He was pacing back and forth, rubbing at his eyes and looking like he wanted to scream and cry in equal measure. She caught him by the arms, hands flying up to touch his cheeks. He latched onto her biceps, holding onto her suddenly as if she were the only thing anchoring him to the earth. Her eyes searched his face, and for a moment, she could see plainly the fear in his eyes–fear for his family, for her, for himself. She leaned into him, thumbs stroking his cheeks.

“It’s okay,” she whispered. They’d made it out of the meeting quite well, all things considered. Especially since they’d been caught so unawares. The children were effectively all safe, thanks to the deal Tommy and Luca had struck. And it had allowed them a real glimpse of their adversary. A chance to gather information and to get to know the man they would be warring against. That type of understanding of him would be invaluable going forward. 

But…

“I’m sorry,” she wetted her lips. “I should have had my gun with me…” Stupid. So fucking stupid. If she hadn’t taken off her holster, she could have ended this whole fucking mess then and there the second Luca walked through the door. 

“Not your fault. I made the same mistake,” Tommy finally spoke, seeming to have somewhat come back to himself. 

“We got some useful things out of that, though.”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “Yeah, but it’s not safe here. Grab your things.”

“Right.”

Hastily, she pulled on her holster, replacing her revolver in its proper place nestled against her side, then put on her suit jacket and coat, hat pulled securely on her head. They gathered up what papers they needed to take with them, and with Asher’s lead clutched in one hand and Tommy’s hand squeezing hers in the other, they rushed from the factory.

∗ ∗ ∗

Tommy sat beside Arthur, Lucy leaning into his side with her head on his shoulder, while he and his brother talked about death. 

Arthur thought that John was in hell. Tommy didn’t believe that there was such a place. Not really. Nor did he think there was a heaven. When you died you were just…gone. There was nothing.

“I think it’s probably what life was like before you were born,” Lucy had said once, when he’d asked her what she thought life was like after death. “Which…I suppose, wasn’t so bad, was it?”

She was probably right. After all, every explanation humanity had tried to conjure up to explain what came after death was just a wishful fantasy. No proof in any of it. 

The ache in his chest, the one he worked so hard to ignore, throbbed. He swallowed hard. While he could never fully bring himself to believe in any of the religious dogma he’d been taught as a child, it was moments like these that he understood why so many clinged to it so desperately. 

The thought he would never see any of the people he’d lost over the years was almost paralyzing in the sorrow it struck him with.

He felt Lucy rub a small palm up and down his chest, as if sensing the emotions roiling with him. 

Arthur stood, sobbing dryly and knocking his head lightly against the brick wall across from them. Tommy watched him for a moment, then sighed, pulling himself to his feet. Lucy rose with him, looping an arm around his waist while he spoke to Arthur. The warmth of her against him was a comforting balm against everything else. 

“But it’s like with Grace, Arthur…” he said, and felt Lucy tense a little against him. They almost never spoke her name when in the company of others. It was too hard. Even now, he could feel it burn up his throat, reawakening the grief that he always felt for her where it had momentarily been slumbering. He hooked his arm around Lucy’s shoulders, thumb stroking up and down in what he hoped was a comforting movement. “They’re just gone…just fucking gone.”

Lucy tightened her arm around him. Staring out straight ahead, a roil of frustration, strong and potent as the burn of whiskey down his throat after a long day, rushed up inside of him. Seizing his gun, he took aim at a few bottles in the distance, the bullets he let loose as he pulled the trigger shattering each one.

The gunfire echoed like a clap of rageful thunder, promising to bring with it a torrential downpour, the likes of which no one had ever seen before. 

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[silvereyedowl]

What We Know About Series 14

Doctor Who series 14 is coming up next year. This is a roundup of advance information and leaks about the season and the preceding Christmas special. Sources are at the very bottom below the cut.

CAST

Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor. Unlike his predecessors, this Doctor changes his outfit a lot.

Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday. Like her actress, Ruby is a native of Manchester.

Returning characters:

Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart, head of UNIT.

Bonnie Langford as former companion Mel Bush.

Villains:

Jinkx Monsoon as a villain favouring piano-themed attire, described as "the Doctor's most powerful enemy yet". Not everyone survives the encounter...

Indira Varma as the Duchess. RTD: "a whole new audience will be hiding behind the settee when the Duchess unleashes her terror." Varma previously played Suzie Costello on 2 episodes of Torchwood.

Other characters:

Aneurin Barnard as Roger ap Gwilliam.

Jonathan Groff as a "mysterious key" character.

Lenny Rush as Morris, in time for the Doctor's "greatest nightmare". RTD: "But what secrets does he hold? What's secreted in the Segway?! And will his terrifying probabilities be proved true..?"

Jack Forsyth-Noble as Will.

Gemma Arrowsmith and Mary Malone will appear in the Christmas special, while Majid Mehdizadeh-Valoujerdy and Billy Brayshaw will appear in separate episodes.

Also announced to be appearing: Sophie Ablett, Anita Dobson, Michelle Greenidge, Bhav Joshi, Millie Kent, Eilidh Loan, Pete MacHale, Miles Yekinni, Hemi Yeroham. Dobson previously appeared in the audio play "Blood of the Daleks".

EPISODES

There will be a Christmas special in December 2023, followed by an eight-episode season. (The BBC posted that the season would air in spring, but then removed the information.) Russell T Davies is the showrunner.

A guest star from 2005 returned for the special.

Episode 1's title was coincidentally spoken aloud in a third-season episode of Star Trek: Picard. It includes the words roar, Glastonbury, and conquistador.

Episode 2 contains the words Liverpool, legions, and non-diegetic. Scene 10 begins "INT. CANTEEN. DAY."

RTD thinks episode 4 is one of the best things he's ever written. The line "I once went to the top of the Shard" was cut from it.

The script for episode 7 begins with the line "INT. COFFEE BAR, USA — DAY, 1947".

Episode 8 will contain the words kingdom, gold, and Tigella. Scene 73, featuring the Doctor and Ruby in the TARDIS while "enemies are being fought", was the last scene filmed for the season.

There's a 1960s episode, featuring the Doctor and Ruby in snazzy period outfits.

The episode guest-starring both Varma and Groff will be set in the Regency era. "Dress to impress, and beware the Duchess."

CREATOR RAMBLINGS

According to RTD, we will be "staggered" by the 2023 festive season surprises.

There are monsters which are "impossible to describe" without referencing Fourth and Seventh Doctor adventures.

RTD promises that there are "plans still unfurling" which have yet to be made public.

Production designer Philip Sims said he was excited about "designing a new Dalek".

Davies has hinted that the blue doors Michelle Greenidge and Anita Dobson were photographed with are significant.

Script editor Scott Handcock mentioned filming which required nine babies, as well as Ncuti and Millie.

Monsoon's first day on set "teams her with an unexpected name from the Tom Baker era".

Anita Dobson has said she's playing Ruby's neighbour, whose name is either Mrs. Flood or Blood.

RTD used a potato emoji while commenting on publicity photos from the Regency episode (Sontarans?). Davies was also very coy about the identity of Groff's character.

RTD mentioned one episode having gone through three titles with no decision having yet been made. Another episode had "sixpence" in the title for a while, until the coin was cut.

RTD teased a famous guest star appearing in a scene with a giant statue head in the finale.

While writing about the final days of filming, RTD said that "Yasmin Finney wrapped a few days ago".

OTHER

Filming began on December 7, 2022 and wrapped on July 14, 2023.

Block One was directed by Dylan Holmes Williams. Block Two was directed by Mark Tonderai. It included the Christmas special. Block Three was directed by Julie Anne Robinson. It contains "two wildly different episodes, by two different writers". Block Four was directed by Ben Chessell. Block Five was directed by Jamie Donoghue.

Posters of the Doctor and Ruby.

Fifteen will be getting a brand-new sonic screwdriver.

previous

Leaks and sources below the cut!

LEAKS

Michelle Greenidge appears to be playing Ruby Sunday's mother. Since Greenidge and Millie Gibson are different ethnicities, she is presumably an adoptive, foster, or step mother.

Campaign posters for the "Albion Party", with Roger ap Gwilliam as the "Space Saviour", were spotted on location filming.

Jinkx Monsoon is in the '60s episode.

Millie Kent is playing Valerie, and Sophie Ablett is Marti Bridges.

Mel Bush will be appearing in the season finale.

Reports from finale location filming, albeit second-hand, of someone on set saying, "This is where the Daleks come in".

According to his CV, Majid Mehdizadeh-Valoujerdy will be playing Carson in an episode directed by Julie Anne Robinson.

Davina McCall may be the returning 2005 guest star. She will apparently host a genealogy show on which Ruby appears, and will be crushed by a falling Christmas tree.

RUMOURS

UNIT may be getting its own spinoff. (SOURCE)

The DWM production journal has led some fans to theorize Steven Moffat will be returning as a writer.

SOURCES

Doctor Who filming begins with new director

Doctor Who filming in Penarth as Doctor and companion costumes revealed

Doctor Who filming at Capitol Shopping Center in Cardiff

Doctor Who filming with new monster at Swansea Bay Campus

Doctor Who filming in Newport with UNIT, Space Saviour and companion

Doctor Who filming in Swansea: new monster details

Doctor Who filming with Aneurin Barnard at Cardiff City Stadium

Doctor Who filming with Millie Gibson on a moving train from Cardiff

Doctor Who filming at Loudoun Square flats

Doctor Who Filming in Bristol With Millie Gibson, Michelle Greenidge and Anita Dobson

Doctor Who filming in Pembrokeshire with Millie Gibson

Doctor Who filming: new photos of Millie Gibson in Pembrokeshire

Photos snapped of Millie Gibson filming Doctor Who

Doctor Who filming: Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson in Pembrokeshire

Doctor Who filming in Bristol with Millie Gibson and Anita Dobson

Russell T Davies talks “exciting” Doctor Who scenes as programme films in Bristol

Doctor Who filming with Ncuti Gatwa at two venues in Cardiff

Doctor Who filming: Block Three begins

Doctor Who filming: clue found for secret location filming

Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson film 1960s Doctor Who scenes

Doctor Who films in Bristol with Ncuti Gatwa and Jinkx Monsoon

Doctor Who filming in Cardiff with Beatles connection

New Doctor Who photos of Jonathan Groff alongside Nucti Gatwa and Millie Gibson

Doctor Who filming at Margam Park

Doctor Who films more scenes with a Beatles connection

Doctor Who films in Cardiff theatre

Doctor Who films in Cardiff with Ncuti Gatwa and Bonnie Langford

Michelle Greenidge films Doctor Who in Cardiff

Ncuti Gatwa, Millie Gibson and Bonnie Langford film Doctor Who in Cardiff

Millie Gibson and Ncuti Gatwa film Doctor Who at Cardiff City Hall

Doctor Who films scooter stunt on Cardiff streets

Bonnie Langford and Ncuti Gatwa film Doctor Who scenes on a scooter

Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson film Doctor Who in Barry

[existslikepristin]

Little later than expected because I feel like shiiit. And, I know. "What's new?" But at the moment I mean physically. Regardless, here's ya dang story:

Tags: NSFW, S.M.U.T., genie, poor game design

(Story Index)

Figure the app out

“Well,” you say with a sigh, “I can’t read any ancient languages, so can you just help me out here?”

“Oh duh. Sorry about that, master. Old habits die hard, even if said habits are a few millennia old. We’re currently speaking… ah, yes! English! Easy peezy squeezy my buttcheeks. There you go.”

You look at your phone again. The mass of text bubbles all over the screen are now written in English. It’s still… a lot of nonsense.

“Just point me to the important parts?”

“Of course! Let’s just make you a little more comfortable.”

By the time she finishes the sentence, you’re in your room, sitting on the edge of your bed with Joy pressing her chest into your back. She reaches over your shoulders and speaks softly into your ear as she taps your phone.

“So here we have your Harem Hub, which is where you’ll be spending a decent amount of time swapping back and forth between screens. Where you’ll be spending most of your time…”

Joy touches an image of a tower with gold coins spilling out of it.

“… is here, in your Inventory—it’s called that because you own the people in your harem like they’re inanimate possessions—, where you can organize, sort, search, and summon the members of your harem as desired. As you can see, it’s currently empty, so let’s go back to the Harem Hub.”

While Joy pokes around with one hand, the other is softly rubbing your shoulder. It’s quite relaxing. Come to think of it, you are a little tired.

“Right in the center of the Harem Hub is the Summoning Portal, which summons anime girls to your Inventory, not into the real world, which is a different kind of summoning. Let’s give it a try now and see who you get!”

Before you can do anything yourself, Joy taps the portal and the app begins a series of over the top animations of overlapping summoning circles and colorful overlays. About fifteen seconds later, a naked anime girl with a pitch black hime haircut, nearly black eyes, and rather small breasts flashes on screen. She looks like pretty much every other anime character being drawn these days.

Joy gasps very dramatically, “Oh my gosh, master! You got Anecha on your first try! But she… she’s a Super Rare! You only had a zero point three percent chance of that happening! She’s from the mythical land of Sorgania, and she’s a hybrid of all three class archetypes, able to spec into any skill tree you want! She’s one of—if not the—most versatile girls you can get!”

“That’s cool,” you mutter, “Can we summon her and get fucking?”

“Oh master, you’re so funny. You can’t summon a character naked.”

“But, the whole point is to have sex with her…”

“Well yeah, but when you’re not having sex with her, she’s going to be questing! We’ll get to that in a minute. First, check it out. She was just the rarest of your summons for this pull,” Joy wraps her legs around you, fully bear hugging you from behind while she yammers on, “You also got Heyri, Emi, Bonnie, and Magz. That will make for a pretty balanced party, though you can expect Anecha to handle basically everything on her own until you get to World 4, at least. Obviously though, we need to go back to tow—I mean the Harem Hub to purchase some basic equipment. No, not that shop. That’s the cash shop where you can get more summoning shards. Right here, at the Blacksmith. You’ll want to equip Anecha first to make the first few quests as easy as possible, and you’ve got all these coins ready to go, so… Oh, fantastic! Tim has lava katanas in stock, so we absolutely have to take advantage of that in the next two minutes. We better make sure some of your other girls can benefit from those stats though, so if we check the party status screen you can see their preferred stats are highlighted in gold. It looks like Emi prefers Gumption, so a lava katana is—”

Joy’s words fade into the ether and your eyes drift shut. She’s so warm, holding you like this…

“… and that’s why you always save up your electrum ingots. You don’t want to be willy-nilly turning those into…”

“… obviously, but don’t forget that any skill cooldown can be refreshed by…”

“… back from the arena! We should go congratulate her for defeating the sand kraken, because that will bump up the congratulatory meter. Sometimes you want to hold back though, since doing it too often will give diminishing returns…”

You’re woken up by the sound of squawking birds outside and sunlight blasting your eyes through the window. You’re on your back, legs hanging off the bed. Looking to the side, you see Joy, still naked and hunched over, tapping your phone. “I know it’s labeled as a PVP mode, but since the magic is actually built into you and not the app, that’s not actually a thing. The other players’ names and teams are just randomly generated but slightly optimized versions of your own builds so that you get an idea for what’s actually possible when you spend your gems properly.”

With a yawn, you sit up, make note of your own nudity, and flinch back as you nearly headbutt a new stranger standing at the foot of your bed. “What the fu—who are you?!”

It’s a woman, wearing a skimpy purple bikini with silver trim and blue ribbons hanging off of it. Her hair and fairly large eyes are dark, midnight black. Despite the fact that she’s holding what definitely appears to be a katana made out of lava, she looks a little bit nervous. “S-sorry, master. She,” she points at Joy, who is paying you no mind, ”um, she told me to stand here and wait after summoning me…”

You look her up and down. She’s… taller than you thought she’d be, and her face is a little rounder than it had looked in the image. That picture didn’t do her pouty lower lip or her flared out hip any amount of justice. “Anecha?”

“Sorry, master. It’s pronounced ‘AH-neck-ah,’ but… No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t correct you. Sorry.”

Options:

Um, it’s the morning now. You need to go to work already. You’re probably late.

Responsibilities can wait because they’re for losers. Get a blowjob from Anecha.

Take that sword from her and mess around (safely). It’s so awesome!

Joy called Anecha "the most versatile." Fuck her while you jerk off her futa cock all over Joy’s face.

[joleneghoul]

This is going to be less of an essay and more of a disorganized infodump where I just ramble about my favorite character Rip has a relationship with and that's Jeff Smith.

I actually find Jeff to be more important to Rip's entire story and character background than Booster. There will also be some mentions of Bonnie because the Rip, Jeff & Bonnie dynamic is pretty important.

Though partially that is because the erasure of Jeff is what has made Rip such a boring character to read within post 90s Booster Gold stuff.

Jeff Smith is probably one of my favorite characters nobody really knows about and comics forgot about (until recently, but I'll get to that).

To sum it up quickly, Jeff is Rip Hunter's partner in the broad sense of the term. He was Rip's mechanic, his best friend, his scientific other half, and even once a cowboy (howdy).

More under the cut because this info-dump got long!

Jeff was Rip's partner from Rip's first ever appearance in showcase #20 and stuck with him onward to the 90s. While the stories had Rip's name on them, Rip and Jeff were postured as more of a duo than otherwise.

Bonnie and her brother Corky were along for the story but not as front and center as Jeff and Rip, hell even the story starts with Rip telling them to stay home while him and Jeff test their time machine by going on a jaunt to the prehistoric together.

The time sphere was first and foremost a creation of Jeff and Rip's scientific and mechanical prowess put together. I find it more interesting this way than if Rip were some sort of solo genius.

Later within the Rip Hunter series from the 60s-70s Jeff Still plays the role of Rip's partner, even saving Rip's life multiple times over. A characteristic that is strengthened as time goes on with Jeff is that he is the more calculated and thoughtful one of the pair. This remains the case in the Time Masters 1991 series.

Jeff, much like everyone gets a redesign for this series and a bit more heft to his character motives/personality. This is a series (while not good) that follows a linear story line instead of a collection of adventures so it was needed. I honestly only reread issues of this series for Jeff because I like the way him and Rip's relationship is handled here, as it strengthens the fact that pushing others away can only hurt everyone involved and being alone can be worse than your fears.

He is introduced not only as Rip's partner but his best friend. According to Rip, Jeff is one of his only close friends on account of his obsessive personality. A lot of Rip's own characterization in my opinion mirrors someone who has OCD. His obsession becoming stopping what he saw the future became while in Booster Gold vol 1. Hell...Will Magnus tells him he's paranoid.

Specifically I think the relationship Rip has to his paranoia and fears vs the relationships he has with others is really interesting. This, while comes up with Rip's relationship to Bonnie, is shown mostly with his connection to Jeff.

Jeff throughout the series is the one to break through to Rip even as he pushes others away at everyone's expense. This is shown in the start when Jeff breaks Rip out of spiraling overthinking, bringing him back with his logical thinking. Then all the way to the end when Jeff comes up with the idea of how to fix the time sphere, while Rip was caught up in his own paranoia and had at that point pushed everyone else away or caused them to leave him.

ALSO Jeff has to tell Rip to trust BOOSTER, who in retrospect is Rip's father. I just find that interesting.

Now, I'm going to be talking about subtext which is just how I interpreted things not saying they were intentional but it's just what I picked up on. Also I have a lot to say about how Bonnie is treated I really hate it because she's so disrespected when shes supposed to be equals to Rip but- a rant for another time ig.

The relationship between Jeff, Bonnie, and Rip (and Cave but not really tbh) are at the forefront of the interpersonal drama. It's worth mentioning that every scene Bonnie has romantically with a man (like Jeff or Cave) is mirrored immediately with Jeff and Rip. Specifically usually when Bonnie struggling with her own relationships vs when Jeff and Rip are coming together.

There is when Jeff shows up to Rip's office in a green trench coat (not pictured in this panel bc he took it off) and sits on Rip's desk to tell him he'll be his partner. Then within the same issue Bonnie in her green trench coat trying to seduce Cave (who is HER scientific partner) by getting on his desk- but then getting rejected.

Then again when Jeff chooses to leave Bonnie (in bed) to go be with Rip VS the end of that issue when Rip solemnly makes the choice to leave Jeff (in bed) to go chase his own hubris. (later we see Bonnie make the choice to steal the time sphere and go live in the future and make her own life teaching people post nuclear war, thank god she didn't end up with any of these men after all that)

Also side note- When Jeff and Rip go to ancient Atlantis together that's practically the first time in issues we see either of them really happy since like, issue 2. The only thing that tips Rip off is once again when someone brings up his paranoia. Also they get these gay earrings.

Anyways at the end because Rip ends up alone, without Jeff who was his only close friend, Rip realizes that time changes everything and to not be so worried about the literal end of the world- and that hopefully in time even he can change and be a better person to others.

....WHICH I feel is totally ignored and thrown away later on when Rip returns as Boosters son and Jeff was erased from the picture entirely (Bonnie still managed some appearances in other media but Jeff did not- not even in lot so I've heard..which is odd because that was inspired BY time masters). Rip became characterized as the lone mysterious savant who always has a plan (or can easily figure one out).

Despite the reader knowing his secret that he is Booster's son, we do not tend to get to see much of their family relationship since Rip is more shown as a mentor than anything else. Otherwise Rip is used as a narrative device for stories to bring in a little time travel spice if Booster or that one treadmill isn't available.

I actually find the more interesting Booster and Rip interactions being the ones where Rip is shown to be overwhelmed, in the wrong, or confused instead of the "guy who knows everything". Sadly we don't get to see this often.

Jeff after over 30 years has come back to comics but not in a way I really like, he just doesn't feel like himself at all but neither does any of the time masters. We haven't seen him much yet but I'm just not excited because the reason we have this "loner" characterization of Rip still is because of the same writer who's bringing them back- and yet again its a case of "Rip is running around alone" "ah that's just Rip". Like I thought we went over why that's bad for him LOL.

Anyways I guess the moral of this infodump/rant is this:

FUN FACT TIME:

Jeff and Rip met at MIT where they were both top of their classes!

He is as smart as Rip who is classified officially as a super-genius.

Jeff according to the DC ttrpg books is as wealthy as Ted Kord was when he was still apart of Kord industries.

He also apparently has connections to the Metal Men and Magnus still while Rip does not.

[tragicfrabricofdreaming]

Dark Hearts .2

Summary: Cori Douglas has lived a somewhat quiet life in mystic falls. Despite a few slip ups, she has managed to fly under the radar with her best friends. That is, until her junior year when two new mysterious men roll into town and shake everyone up, including her best friend Elena. What will Cori find out about these mysterious men and about herself? Mostly follows the storyline of tvd show but may take some creative liberties.

“She swore vengeance on all men with dark hearts.”

― Lisa Papademetriou, Siren's Storm

Series Masterlist

“Thanks for being my date,” Bonnie says to Cori as they wait in line to get into Lockwood’s mansion for the founder's party. Elena and Stefan were going together and Caroline was bringing Damon as her date (gross) so Cori and Bonnie decided to show up together so that they could have fun on their own, probably making fun of people from the corner, their favorite activity. 

“Are you kidding me?” Cori loops her arm through Bonnie’s, “I should be thanking you, this is much better than having to come with my dad.”  Almost the whole town was out at the Lockwood’s house, dressed in their Sunday best and ready to one-up each other with their family heirlooms. While the Douglas’ were a part of the founding families and Cori’s dad Hayden was a part of the town council, Cori could honestly care less about all the hullabaloo that surrounded the town’s history. To be honest it was just riddled in racism and they shouldn’t be celebrating it anyway. 

“Free champagne, prime people-watching real estate, what more could two nosy girls ask for?” Bonnie nudges her playfully and the girls laugh. Once inside the house, Cori loses track of Bonnie after she slips away to sneak a drink. Pouting to herself, she decides to stroll over to all of the artifacts that the families had put on display, stopping in front of the one labeled for her family. She had seen all of the items before but she hadn’t expected to see one in particular because she thought her sister was off at college wearing it around her neck. 

Cori’s fingers touch the glass case softly, tracing the outline of the necklace through the barrier. Her dad had given the necklace to Grace on her eighteenth birthday but Cori had always admired it since she was a little girl. It was beautiful–a gold pendant on a gold chain with a silhouette of a mermaid embossed on it. Another shorter chain dangled from the pendant with a small, iridescent pearl at the end. It had belonged to one of her ancestors, she could never remember which one, but Cori was utterly obsessed with it. Her dad must have asked Grace to send it back home so he could put it on display with some of the other items. 

There was a journal from one of her female ancestors she couldn’t remember the name of, a small scrap from the sail of the ship they had traveled over on, and a medium-length, golden trident with stones of sea glass decorating the handle. Cori rolls her eyes slightly as she brings her champagne glass to her lips, the thing had always looked like it was bought at a Halloween store but apparently, it was very old and valuable. Whatever. 

“Ah, the Douglas’,” Cori choked on her champagne mid-sip as Damon appeared beside her, “Your family looked to be very…little mermaid-esque.” He frowns at the items. 

Cori recovers from her small spit take and wipes the remnants of champagne from her chin, “I need to get you a bell. Like a cat. So I can hear you coming.” She was still very weary of Damon Salvatore but Caroline had gone off on Cori a bit, telling her she just needed to give him a chance and get to know him just like she had with Stefan. So, Cori agreed to be civil and not threaten him with sharp objects but she was still keeping an eye on him. 

“Good to see you too, Cordelia,” he smirks, taking a sip of his bourbon, “I must confess, your family history has always intrigued me the most out of all of these other snobs.” he gestures to the other displays around them. Cori sighs, turning to face him. He cleaned up nicely but no amount of hair gel and dress shirts would take away the smug air around him.

“There’s not that much to them.” She admits, “They came here from a very small island off the coast of Ireland,” she explains, “They were very superstitious about sea creatures and stuff so the journey was difficult for them, but they made it and there isn’t much else after that.” Cori shrugs, taking another sip of her champagne and her eyes move to the necklace in the display again. 

Damon examines the side of her face, seeing the longing in her eyes as she looks at the piece of jewelry, “I won’t tell anyone if you want to snatch it.” Her eyes snap to his and she looks guilty like he just caught her with her hand in the cookie jar before dinner. “It would go great with your outfit.” He gestures to her light blue dress. 

Cori chuckles nervously and blushes while she shakes her head, “No, it’s not mine.” she says. 

“It belongs to your family, though.” 

“Well, yes,” she nods, twirling a lock of her hair around her finger anxiously, “but it’s technically my sister’s now, my dad gave it to her before she left for college. I think she’s just letting them borrow it for the display.” A small smile graced her lips and maybe it was the champagne bubbles going straight to her head, or the number of people crammed into the room making her feel lightheaded, but regardless of why she does it she just keeps talking to Damon, “When I was little, I used to sneak into my dad’s office after everyone was asleep,” her voice lowers to a whisper as if she was still a little girl trying not to get caught out of bed. Damon finds himself leaning in, “and I’d take the key he hid under his keyboard–” 

“Terrible hiding place.” 

“I know, right?” Cori laughs, “But, I’d take that key and unlock the top drawer of his desk and take the necklace out and just hold it in my hand–I couldn’t figure out the clasp on my own–but it was like I was so restless–like I couldn’t sleep until I just looked at it and held it in my hands for a while. To remember what it looked like, what it felt like.” The palm of her hand rests against the glass case, right above the necklace, “It was…grounding, almost.” 

Damon could picture it in his mind, or maybe he had snuck into her mind without realizing it. A young Cordelia, standing at her dad’s desk holding the necklace in her tiny palm, admiring the jewelry. He can see Cordelia the age she is now, watching her sister open a present on her birthday, and can see the sadness in Cori’s eyes as she realizes the necklace now belongs to her older sister and is forever out of her reach. “And I sound insane,” Cordelia says, finishing off her glass of champagne, “it’s just an old piece of jewelry.”

“It means something to you, though,” Damon speaks up. Cori looks at him, her eyebrows scrunched together at his tone, “and maybe it isn’t entirely about the necklace.” He shrugs, “Maybe it has more to do with your sister, how you feel about her.” 

“I love my sister.” 

“I didn’t say you didn’t,” he recovers quickly, “I just mean…” Damon’s eyes scan the room, landing on Stefan and Elena on the dance floor. Cori follows his gaze and her frown deepens, “Maybe it’s more about how she makes you feel. Like she’ll always be first, get everything you want even if you wanted it first.” They stare at each other for a second. Cori knows he hit the nail on the head, and Damon knows it too, but neither of them will move to speak that it was true. 

“There you are, sweetie,” Their stare is broken by Cori’s father appearing at her side, placing his hand on her arm and pressing a kiss to the crown of her head, “I was beginning to think you skipped out on the evening.” 

“Of course not, Dad,” Cori blushes, gritting her teeth slightly. She quickly places the empty champagne glass on a nearby table and clears her throat. Her father and Damon are eyeing each other carefully, “Uh, dad, this is Damon Salvatore, Caroline’s boyfriend.” She gestures to Damon and then to her father, “Damon, this is my dad, Hayden Douglas.” 

“Ah, Damon,” Hayden and the older Salvatore shake hands firmly, “Cordelia has told me all about you.” His daughter’s eyes widen immediately and Damon smirks, glancing at her. 

“All terrible things, I hope.” 

Hayden laughs, “Well, she has always had an… imaginative vocabulary.” 

“Alright!” Cori chuckles, clapping her hands together, “You guys get acquainted with each other, I’m gonna go find Bonnie.” 

After walking around what felt like the entire party, Cori finally finds Bonnie standing just outside of the dining room, “My date!” She gasps in relief as she stands beside Bonnie, “I just had my first conversation with Damon without threatening him, so I think I’ve had enough abnormal experiences for the week.” 

Bonnie chuckles lightly, opening her mouth to respond when something distracts them both, “Look around,” Carol Lockwood is in a heated conversation with one of the event workers, “What’s missing?” The worker looks around the room, looking confused and scared, “The flames, the candles. Why aren’t they lit?” There were an alarming amount of candles in the dining room that were unlit but there didn’t seem to be a reason to yell about it, “There’s matches in the kitchen.” 

The worker scurries off to the kitchen, looking traumatized and Mrs. Lockwood leaves the room in a huff, “Bitch.” Bonnie mutters. Cori scoffs in agreement. Instead of turning and leaving the room, Bonnie stays for a moment, staring intently at a closeby candle. Cori watches her with a confused look but doesn’t say anything because it doesn’t exactly last long. When nothing happens after a moment, Bonnie sighs and grabs Cori’s elbow, “Come on,” she turns to leave the room but Cori stops her, gasping in shock. 

“Bonnie, look,” her friend turns back around and sees what Cori is so amazed by. As if by magic, every single candle in the room is lit, seemingly like they had been for hours. Cori laughs in amazement, looking at Bonnie, “You did that!” she exclaims, “Bonnie, you’re a witch I–” 

“Shh, you can’t tell anyone.” Bonnie urges her friend, grabbing her hands as they face each other. 

“But, I believe you now! I’m so sorry I doubted you before but this is insane, Bon, I mean–” 

“I know, but I need to talk to my grams first, I don’t really know what this all means, and I…I wanna know more before I go telling people, even Elena.” Bonnie is pleading with Cori, squeezing her hands gently. 

Cori looks at the candles Bonnie just lit with her mind and then back to her magical friend, nodding slowly, “Okay, your secret is safe with me.” She promises, “I won’t tell.” 

“Thank you,” Bonnie smiles. They look at each other for a minute, the moment remaining serious until Bonnie’s face breaks out into a full grin, “I’m magic!” She squeals. 

“You’re magic!” Cori squeals back and they start jumping up and down with their hands clasped, giggling with each other like they had over such smaller events in the past. 

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

Hayden was thankful that his daughter had left him alone with Damon all on her own so he didn’t have to corner him at another time. “Cordelia and I were just admiring your family’s collection–” 

“You need to stay away from her.” Hayden cuts Damon off in a low voice. They stare each other down, looking incredibly out of place among the mingling crowd but no one seems to take the time to notice. 

“Oh,” Damon smirks in amusement, “Papa Bear roars.” He doesn’t seem phased by Hayden’s threatening glare. “Don’t worry, pal,” he claps him on the shoulder, “your precious little girl isn’t my type.” 

Hayden shrugs off his grasp, his jaw clenching, “I don’t care. Regardless of what you tell everyone else, you obviously have some weird interest in speaking to her and that needs to stop.” The music stops briefly before the next song plays so Hayden steps closer to Damon, his voice lowering but not losing any of its sting, “You roll into town, and before your car’s engine is cold you’re meddling in the lives of your little brother’s friends. It’s weird and I know your intentions can’t be good so you need to leave my daughter out of it.” 

“Is this supposed to scare me?” Damon motions between the two of them. He could rip this guy's throat out in two seconds and not feel an ounce of guilt about it. Maybe later he would, there were too many witnesses right now. 

“She’s been through a lot, she isn’t exactly stable right now.” Hayden’s gaze shifts to the other side of the room where Cori had just re-entered. Damon follows his gaze and watches as Cori whispers something to Bonnie excitedly. Her cheeks were flushed, probably with the champagne she had been drinking, and she was gesturing with her hands wildly as she talked to her friend, “Cordelia is…fragile. She’s barely getting back on track after an incident at the end of last school year and one wrong move from you–” Damon draws his gaze away from the girl and back to her father, “she might not come back so easily.”

Damon scoffs, “What do you think I’m going to do to her?” 

“I don’t care. I know guys like you–” 

“No one is like me.” 

“Whatever agenda you have going on, I don’t care. But Cordelia cannot be a part of it.” Hayden growls. 

Damon considers this a threat and he isn’t exactly taking this human man as someone who could cause him harm, but he did think he could be of use to him, “I’ll tell you what, Hayden,” Damon starts, “I’ll leave your daughter alone if you can get me into the next town council meeting.” 

Hayden considers him for a moment. Yes, the patriarch of the Douglas family was a part of the Town Council but he didn’t see why this twenty-something who just rolled into town would have any interest. “Okay,” he decides, “I’ll talk to the council and get you in.”

Damon smirks, “Deal?” He holds his hand out for Hayden to shake and, after a moment of hesitation, Hayden grips his hand and seals the deal. 

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

Cori sighs at her reflection in the mirror. This was the worst group costume you have ever come up with, Caroline, she thinks to herself as she adjusts the straps of her large, circular costume piece. Caroline has insisted on her, Bonnie, and Elena dressing up as witches and Cori could be the cauldron. Why they couldn’t just all be witches or be the Cheetah Girls or something, Cori had no idea. Bonnie was also not a huge fan of the idea considering it felt a little too on the nose of her recent experiences but since Damon had supposedly left town and subsequently ended Caroline’s short-lived relationship with him, they were obligated as her friends to make her happy. 

Although, contact with Elena had been scarce as of late so there were questions about whether she would even be at the party at the school tonight. Either way, Cori was stuck with this fabric, a makeshift cauldron that hung around her midsection as her costume. She had gone with a black dress to wear underneath it and her hat had green plastic balls glued to the top of it to appear as bubbles. Sometimes she wondered if Caroline just liked making a fool of her. 

As she struggles to slip into her black boots around the obstacle of her costume, her dad steps into her room and lets out a laugh, causing Cori to glare at him, “Toil and trouble,” Hayden says, the laugh still evident behind his voice. 

“Very funny,” she mumbles, finally managing to get her shoes on, “I’m sure that won’t be the last time I hear that tonight.” 

“The things Caroline can talk you into,” he shakes his head, leaning against her doorframe while he watches her collect her things and slide them into the pockets that are inside the cauldron costume. “You heading out?” 

“Yeah, Bonnie is picking me up.” She tells her dad, looking in the mirror while she adjusts her hat. 

There’s a beat of silence as Hayden considers his daughter. He thinks back to the conversation he had with Damon Salvatore at the party the other night, and how he had been going on and on about how fragile Cordelia was. While he knew it was true, he couldn’t help but feel like he was being a little too overprotective of her as he watched her get ready to go out with her friends. Right now, in this moment, she was just a normal 18-year-old girl, and that’s how he wanted her to be. He just hoped she could remain this way forever, “Be careful out there tonight.” He says softly. 

Cori looks at him over her shoulder and flashes him a grin, “Of course, I always am.” And he knew that was true. She was responsible and cautious and never missed curfew…she was nothing like her older sister who was responsible for the graying hair on Hayden’s head. She was good and he needed to reward her for that. 

There’s a car horn honked outside, snapping Hayden out of his observations of his daughter. “That’s Bonnie,” she says, taking one last look in the mirror before turning toward her dad, “how do I look?” She asks. 

Hayden smiles at her, “Cutest Cauldron I’ve ever seen.” 

Cori rolls her eyes but grins at her dad as she makes her way out of the room, “Thank you,” she presses a kiss to his cheek, “I’ll see you later, save me some candy!” She calls over her shoulder as she heads downstairs. 

“Be home by midnight, if you’re going to be late, call me!” He calls after, listening as she opens the front door. 

“You got it!” The front door closes behind her and the house falls silent around Hayden. There was a lot he needed to tell his youngest daughter, and he would have to do it soon. He just wanted her to remain a normal teenage girl for a little while longer. 

////

Three Lockwood special ciders later, Cori is wandering through the high school hallways looking for her friends. She had departed from them to go to the bathroom but couldn’t seem to remember where she had left them. She reaches into her cauldron and pulls out her phone, looking down at it as she walks. Just as she’s sending a text to Bonnie asking where she is, she collides with someone right in front of her and gasps. “I’m so sorry–” she stops short, looking up at the pillar of a human she had just crashed into to find Damon Salvatore. Filled with shock and confusion, the only question that she can manage to ask is, “I thought you left town?” 

Damon scoffs, looking down at her, “Hello to you, too,” he says sarcastically, causing her to roll her eyes, “My brother loves to spread rumors about me.” He adjusts his leather jacket, looking her up and down, “What the hell are you supposed to be?” He asks. 

Cori blushes and looks down at herself, slumping in defeat, “I’m a…cauldron.” She says slowly, looking back up at him, “It makes more sense when I’m with Bonnie and Caroline, they’re witches and I’m…their cauldron. Elena was supposed to be a witch too but I think she came as something else.” She’s rambling now so to cut herself off she takes another drink from her cup. 

“How’d you draw the short straw?” Damon asks her. 

Cori shakes her head as she swallows her drink, “Caroline drew it for me.” Damon lets out a small ‘Ahh’ as if he totally understands now, “But I don’t mind,” she says quickly, “people tend to laugh at me behind my back anyway so I might as well give them a reason to do it to my face.” Something about running into Damon made her just spill everything. Or maybe that was just the cider talking. 

“How do you know people are laughing at you?” She leans against a row of lockers against a nearby wall and Damon stands in front of her, tilting his head as he observes her. 

“Caroline told you about my little incident last year?” He nods, remembering that dinner at Elena’s when Caroline mentioned the time she choked at the state finals for the swim team. “The whole school knows about it, and they know that it happened when I was younger, too, that’s why I got held back a year and am an 18-year-old junior.” She takes another drink from her cup, “They all think I’m crazy.” She stares at the floor in front of her, thinking back to how it felt in middle school. The first time she had one of her episodes in the pool and had spent the next two months in a psychiatric hospital in practically a catatonic state before she was able to return to school. Because of this, she was forced to stay back a grade. That was when she met Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie. She hadn’t been in their grade until that point and while everyone else at school whispered about her reputation, those three didn’t care. They accepted her as she was. 

“Maybe you are.” Is Damon’s response. Not the typical response she got when she opened up to people about this but it made her laugh. 

“Probably.” She says simply. And she meant it. There was no guarantee that at any moment she wouldn’t snap and start hallucinating in front of her eyes. There was nothing that triggered it, she could be in the pool the majority of the time and feel completely normal and there were years between the two big incidents that had occurred so there was really no pattern to it.  

Damon quickly changes the subject, “I think this is the longest conversation we’ve had without you threatening me.” He remarks. 

Cori snorts, quickly covering her mouth with her hand at the awful sound, “Well, Tyler’s cider is very strong and I’ve had three of these,” she holds up her cup, “You caught me at a good time. Plus, you’re leaving Caroline alone.” 

He smirks, taking half a step closer to her, “Don’t get too excited, I might just get attached to another one of Elena’s friends.” There’s a look in his eyes that sends a wave of warmth through Cori’s body. She blames it on the cider. 

Rolling her eyes, she pushes off of the wall, “I’m too drunk to threaten you in a witty way right now, call back later.”  She turns away from him and starts down the hallway to continue her search for her friends. 

“See you around, Cordelia.”  She doesn’t turn back around at the farewell, simply waves at him over her shoulder.

[thewardenofwinter]

Give No Quarter: The Marauder's Mutiny| Novel Introduction

“Every pyrate's path ends at the same destination: The Gallows.”

“You trap yourself on a wooden tub for weeks on end and risk death every day from a noose around your neck, sickness, and starvation… for what? Fortune? Fame? For the sake of rebellion?”  “Because the moment you hoist that black flag in the air— you don’t belong to no one but yourself.  You need not heel to any king, nor government, nor God. On this ship, when every day you decide between your fellow crewmates' lives, your captain's orders, or your own skin: you are God.”

Give No Quarter: The Marauder's Mutiny is the first installment in the Gold, Gods, and Gunpowder series. Set in 1773, this thrilling tale inspired by the true history of pirates follows the charismatic rogue Adam Bonny, grandson of the late Anne Bonny and Calico Jack, and Circe, a mysterious woman with more secrets than even she is aware of, in their escapades across the high seas.

Join these two unlikely allies in their ventures through merriment, misery, and magic. Meet some friendly (and not so friendly) faces, pillage and plunder to your heart’s content, and sharpen your cutlasses: for their story is just about to begin.

GENRE: fantasy fiction, historical fiction, adventure fiction

WORD COUNT: 150k

STATUS: final edits

POV: Dual POV, first person

SYNOPSIS:

After a run-in with the lawmen that leaves pirate captain Adam Bonny and his colleagues captured with their map stolen, Adam will do just about anything to get his hands back on that precious parchment and break his friends out of their chains. In a brash effort to escape, Adam joins forces with the mysterious Circe in return for her freedom as well. Circe, though mistrusting of Adam, is left with no other choice but to ally herself with the deceptive rogue because she too is running out of time to free herself from the shackles of her captor.

But their problems don't just end in their escape. A mutiny among Adam's faction comes to light that could cost many men their lives, and Circe's chance for answers behind her imprisonment is beginning to slip through her fingers. Hellbent on revenge at any cost, both Adam and Circe throw themselves overboard into each other's worlds, unsure of whether they will sink or swim.

PLOT:

—ADAM BONNY

CHARMING, TRICKY, AND DEVLISHLY HANDSOME CAPTAIN ADAM BONNY has gotten himself into yet another sticky situation: one that doesn't just come at the cost of his life this time. A failed promise, an ambush, a stolen map, and a mutiny among their faction leave Adam and his allies in the hands of the French, captured inside of their fort and awaiting a noose around their neck in two weeks' time. But unlike his brothers at arms who’ve all but given up on the prospect of their freedom after all this time, Adam has never been one to give up easily: for better or for worse.

Just as they walk to the gallows, a lifeline appears before Adam in the form of a mysterious woman who promises his escape in exchange for hers as well. She’s terrifyingly beautiful, callously cruel, and her wit is as sharp as the knife she holds to his throat. She poses a bargain that he can’t refuse, though he has no intention of completing his half, only focused on completing his own goals. While in prison Adam learns that their capture was no mere coincidence: one of their own men sold them out for a reason that they do not know.

Once he and his friends have escaped their respective situations, Adam is left with one goal: to take out James Kruger for his crimes against their faction. But this plan is jeopardised when he learns that one of Kruger's men has come aboard his ship with the intention to kill him first. With no other option, he turns back to the very woman who assisted his escape in the first place. He's hesitant to let a woman aboard, let alone one who has tried to kill him half a dozen times, but Circe might just be the exact person he needs aboard his ship to snuff out the traitor that threatens to bring down their pirate faction once and for all.

— CIRCE

TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR CIRCE, AND HER DESIRE FOR FREEDOM AND REVENGE GROWS WITH EVERY PASSING DAY. For her entire life she has been locked in the cage her mother dared to call home with no contact with the outside world. But now her mother is dead and for the past three years, Circe has been dragged along by Sebastian de Jager under the guise that he will protect her from a powerful force she does not understand.

But no more will she roam. In three weeks' time, she is to be sent back to the island she once called home to rot until her dying days, but the prospect of avenging her mother has festered in her mind to the point of recklessness. With only the stories her mother has fed her for her entire life and a singular name, Circe dives headfirst into a brash escape plan that involves finding an old ledger to lead her to one of the men involved in her mother's capture. But instead of finding the answers she needs, she comes across a pirate in the process of concocting his own scheme as well. His carelessness, greed, and rash nature make her wary of trusting him, but her desperation and lack of time leave her no choice but to entrust her daring escape in the hands of this scoundrel who’s been rumoured to have escaped the grips of death herself. 

Once freed from the shackles of de Jager, Circe has been left alone in a world she does not understand with no allies or means to continue her revenge plot. She knows only of one man that might lead her to her answers: James Kruger, who possesses an old relic that will assist her in her goals. Adam, though in search of the same man, refuses to let Circe aboard his ship on the prospect of her femininity.

After the two successfully concoct another escape plan, Adam offers her a deal which she cannot refuse: passage aboard his ship in exchange for her finding the conspirator among his men. To do so, she must hide in plain sight amongst the very rogues and charlatans responsible for her mother's capture in the first place.

links:

Book Playlist // Circe Playlist // Adam Playlist

Circe Pinterest Board // Adam Pinterest Board

NOTE: This is a work of FICTION inspired by real-life events and is NOT meant to be an accurate retelling of history. While I do fancy myself a bit of a pirate historian, I also prefer fantastical retellings over plain Jane history and thus wrote one myself. There are plenty of factual pirate books that you can check out to learn the real lives of these high-seas robbers, but this is not one of them.

I was debating on whether or not to share my magnum opus with Tumblr, as I am currently looking to be published with this one, but I am just too dang passionate about pirates and my little bastards to not share them with the world. This story is very near and dear to my heart, I hope you enjoy this WIP post and other things that I will post about it. If any of you would like to read any excerpts or see any character sheets, feel free to comment/ask I might post some snippets. Also, I just want to say before anyone asks because I get this question a lot, this first book does not have any romance in it. Later installments do feature romance, but this first book is purely an action/adventure between two unlikely companions of the opposite gender.

— M. Warrin

[a-man-for-hire-and-his-archives]

Why 'Black Sails' Is Still Worth a Watch

These pirates' lives made for some great television.

(Spoiler alert for people haven't watch!)

The Big Picture

Black Sails is an underrated pirate series that serves as a prelude to the novel Treasure Island.

The show explores the origins of Captain Flint and John Silver, and their journey from noblemen to pirates.

The series features an ensemble of real-life pirates, has a prolific cast, and delves into darker and more introspective themes than other pirate shows.

Pirates make for great entertainment. From the swashbuckling thrills of the Pirates of the Caribbean films to the animated antics of One Piece, and recent hit shows like Our Flag Means Death, buccaneers and their battles on the high seas have provided a wealth of stories for screens large and small. One of the most underrated pirate stories happens to be the Starz series Black Sails. Over the course of four seasons, a gripping narrative of blood and betrayal was woven.

Created by Jonathan E. Steinberg and Robert Levine, Black Sails was crafted to fill the void left by Starz's previous heavy hitter Spartacus. And much like the Rome-set series, Black Sails features an ensemble cast and drew inspiration from another creative work. In this case, the show serves as a prelude to the novel Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, and focuses on two characters from the novel: Captain Flint (Toby Stephens) and new crew member John Silver (Luke Arnold). While other prequels to famous works feel the need to explain every little detail that surrounds the preceding source material, Black Sails takes a different path and explores how its pirates came to be the men they are.

Captain Flint and John Silver Are at the Center of This Swashbuckling Story

In the second season, Flint is revealed to have turned from a nobleman's life to that of a pirate following the imprisonment and death of his lover Thomas Hamilton. Adding salt in the wound is the death of Thomas' wife Miranda, which pushes Flint over the edge. Throughout the series, he attempts to gather his fellow pirates into a force that will rival the British fleets; he also tracks down and kills those who wronged him. By the series finale, Flint has finally won his war and becomes the ruler of the pirate nation Nassau. Stephens portrays Flint with a quiet intensity that often boils over into bloodlust and/or rage given who he interacts with.

During his quest, Flint must deal with Silver, who often schemes against him and ultimately winds up betraying him in order to gain a greater share of the gold hidden in the Spanish ship known as Urca de Lima, which drives the plot of the first two seasons. However, over the course of the series, Silver grows to be a loyal ally to Flint and the crew of the Walrus, and uses his schemes to help them survive. True to the book, Silver suffers extreme torture in Season 2 that forces him to have his leg amputated — but even though he has a peg leg, it doesn't make him any less dangerous.

'Black Sails' Explored the Lives of Real-Life Pirates and Deeper Themes

Black Sails was also notorious for introducing several real-life pirates into its narrative. Chief among them was Blackbeard (Ray Stevenson), who goes by his real name of Edward Teach. Teach enters into a partnership with Flint and the other pirates when they seek to retake Nassau from Captain Woodes Rogers (Luke Roberts), who Teach wants revenge against for reasons initially unknown. Stevenson is utterly terrifying as Teach; he towers over everyone and even defeats Flint in a sword fight — when Flint is the one who challenged him! Other real-life pirates include Zach McGowan as Charles Vane, Toby Schmitz as Jack Rackham (otherwise known as "Calico Jack"), and Clara Paget as Anne Bonny.

Black Sails contains what may be one of the most prolific ensemble casts for a cable series; each member went on to star in more genre fare. Tom Hopper, who portrayed Billy Bones, is a major part of The Umbrella Academy on Netflix. Jessica Parker Kennedy, who plays Max, made an appearance on The Flash as Barry Allen's daughter Nora. Stephens has appeared in the James Bond film Die Another Day, as well as Netflix's Lost in Space. Stevenson has been in all sorts of genre fare including Ahsoka (in his final performance), Punisher: War Zone, Thor, and G.I. Joe: Retaliation. This is another thing it shares in common with Spartacus, as that show has seen many of its alums go on to alternate genre fare (none likely more famous than Lucy Lawless, who defined early genre TV when she played a certain warrior princess).

Black Sails stood out from other pirate series by going into darker places, especially where its characters were concerned. Though Flint was the protagonist, he'd commit cold-blooded murder, especially if anyone crossed him. Betrayals were second nature; one minute two of the pirates could be allies and the next they'd be at each other's throats. And for all the blood, sex, and swearing, the series was rather introspective; it explored the mental cost Flint's past took on him, and was willing to question whether or not he could truly find peace. Black Sails was definitely a series ahead of its time, not just in pirate media but in genre storytelling on the whole, and the map it laid out would lead to many similar elements playing out in shows that would soon follow, like Game of Thrones and The Witcher.

Black Sails is available to stream on Starz.

Note from admin: Black Sails coming to Netflix US on 1st January, stay tuned!

Source: Collider

[thewriterg]

𝐣𝐮𝐦𝐩 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐬

pairing(s): JJ maybank x oc!charcter, Pope Heyward x oc!character, JJ maybank x pope heyward, pogues x oc!character

summary: pougelandia was paradise and now it was gone and it was back to chaos and commotion

word count: 3.1k+

warning(s): Polyamory themes, jealousy, kidnapping, plane crash, weapons, and language

A/n: —GIFs; @misandriste & @winchvster— So I’m starting a new series chapter two is up on wattpad so if you’re invested and want to get updates early heres my page!

𝐁𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐃 from a distance as JJ finished hanging up the Pouglandia sign that he a had made from a ratio of cloth and the char off a burnt stick but before the brunette could comment Kiara was already a step ahead cheering the blonde on with all her might

The girl took a step back bare feet sinking in the sand as she began to walk away her orange top that she had made out of one of the blondes tank tops clinging to her body like an overbearing hug leaving the pair alone

Everyone had a job to do and a partner to do it with

Everyone except Bonnie it seemed she did task plenty to keep herself busy and the pogues alive such as cooking meals, showing John B how to crack coconuts more times than she could count beyond her ten fingers, and weaving baskets to carry fish and different berries in

But what partner did she have? JJs attention was basically Kiaras and Pope had Cleo now the girl was inevitably alone

"Going somewhere?" Bonnie didn't turn her head to look at the dark skinned boy on the side of her as she hummed continuing to walk along the trails worm by their feet

"Thought you were picking berries with Cleo" Pope raised his eyebrows slightly inching up to his hairline at the girls tone he didn't think she meant it she always sounded more harsh than she intended majority of the time

"Got done early, when you weren't with JJ I came looking for you" He said in a mater of fact tone as the girl pursed her lips continuing walking her trail

"I think we should just live here, when JJ said it first I thought it was just stupid but I think I could do it with you two." Bonnie finally looked at him and she couldn't help the small smile on her face and Pope didn't miss even when she tried to shake it away

"Come on Jimmy Neutron we need to head back" The brunette sighed watching the sun begin to set on the horizon and the pair began their walk back to the beach

<><><>

"If you could do it all again what would you do different?" Sarah questioned the group sitting in a circle playing one of the games they found themselves playing often

"Get the gold out before Ward did." JJ stated

"Maybe hide the cross a little better." Pope sighed

"Not yell murderer at Ward maybe" Kie grimaced at the thought

"Not threaten to kill Rafe in front of a police station" Bonnie shrugged

"Uh, steal a couple bottles of rum before we jumped off the boat" John B finally responded

"Yea why didn't you do that actually?" JJ questioned turning around to look at the boy with a playful glare

"Maybe 'cause I was in a fight to the death?" The tan boy rolled his eyes

"I would look both ways before crossing the street" Cleo turned to look at John B pausing from sharpening her knife the group took a few more turns until the badly woven hat got placed upon Bonnie's head

"I think I'll finally go with a dare" The girl rolled her eyes as the group clapped JJ going as far as whistling at her finally abandoning the 'safe' answer as John B called it

"I dare you to go with the big jump no one's done it yet" Kiara challenged as Bonnie immediately began to shake her head at the thought as everyone began to boo at her

"Hell No absolutely not" The girl laughed shaking her to the point where she couldn't notice JJ slowly rising out his seat until he finally tackled the girl girl beginning to run off with her in his grasp as she screamed and yelled the girls began to giggle excluding Kiara as Sarah blew kisses in her direction and Cleo help up a heart made from her hand

JJ looked for a good climbing spot and found the best on the other side of the makeshift mountain finally sitting the brunette down on her feet

"JJ I'm not going up there" Bonnie stated looking how far up she would have to climb it was dumb and dangerous

"Come on princess, I'll go with you if it makes you feel better" He was cocky and no matter how much she said she hated it deep down the blonde knew she hated it a little less with him he knew her better that anyone

They knew her better than anyone.

"Come on one foot in front of the other one arm above each other" The pale boy encouraged as Bonnie began rock climbing to the top as he trailed behind her

"Shut up Maybank" The girl didn't know how many times she had rolled her eyes in a day but it had to have broken some record as the pair finally made it to the top they could hear the cheers from their friends down below

"Oh shit" The hair on her neck began to stick up from the cool breeze nipping around her body was the mountain always this far up?

"Don't get cold feet now Bon come on, if you don't hurry I'll throw you I swear" JJ was already at the tip of the platform ready to jump with no hesitation and Bonnie was in the middle of the landing with the almost ground area looking over the rocks

The girl screamed out a laugh as the blonde began to approach her with a small smile on his face

"WAIT okay, okay I'll jump. Just, just let me take off my shorts these are the only dry pair I have" The girl shot the blonde a pleasing look as he stood in his tracks waiting the pogues could be heard by both of them from down below but it began to become background noise as the brunette began to slip the brown shorts off from her waist along with the waist beads her and Sarah's had made with rope and rocks the had searched for around the island

JJ had stretched a hand out to her which she took stepping away from the pile of clothes she had left as the made their way to the tip of the peak the girl had to admit the view was beautiful

"On three" JJ began to count down their fingers still intertwined with one another as he stared at the girls smile her shoulders slightly shaking in anticipation

𝐎𝐍𝐄 He couldn't process how someone like her could even give him the time of day. How she could let him into her bubble of creativity, let him touch her upon her spirituality, she was something that he could understand unlike any subject in school or any problem through at him in life. He knew that she couldn't even begin to understand how bad he has it for her, how bad he has it for them.

𝐓𝐖𝐎 The blonde then turned to look at the dark skinned boy below them both. He was sure that he was the smartest person to walk the planet he'd be an Einstein one day going off to make the world better and giving the government a run for their money leaving him behind taking his heart with him and he'd let him take it to the ends of the earth with no fuss

𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 It was settled how could he let someone like them go? The simple answer was that he couldn't even if we wanted it was a the stupidest mistake anyone would ever be able to make and he was sure of himself he wouldn't

𝐆𝐎 They finally jumped still hand and hand as the cold water hit their skin screaming was the first thing they heard when their head were out of the water beginning to swim to shore as the girls laugh erupted his ears as a melody

Pope was the first to reach them both engulfing the two in a hug the water transferring to his shirt off their bodies didn't seem to phase him as JJ laughed openly pushing his wet hair from his face before wrapping an arm around them both before Bonnie's did the same both arms wrapped around both boys shoulders and waist

Her boys they all thought

<><><><>

"That's what I'm talking about now freshly caught" The group sat around a fire eating fish in silence Bonnie had her head rested on Popes shoulder and her legs were over JJs lap as he rubbed his palm against her flesh leaving a trail of goosebumps as he went

The rest of the pogues couldn't help but sneak glances in awe it took long enough John B would say but the silence was enough and spoke for itself

Kiara watched them all with a sinking feeling in her stomach she wasn't chirpy about it how was she supposed to be when the boy she had feelings for found that same feeling in other people?

<><><><>

Pope could feel himself stir as he began to blink away the sleep from his eyes at the sound that evaded his ears on the usually silent island when the pogues weren't talking and the waves weren't crashing against shore he happened to look up in the sky at helicopter that flew over the ocean close to the island

"Guys wake up!" The boy was immediately up on his legs grabbing his shoes and JJs lighters that once rested in Bonnie's bag before he was off

Bonnie woke up the sight of the brown skin boy that once lied next to her running from her peripheral view was enough to get her on her feet as she quickly tapped JJs thigh before going to follow him

It didn't take long to catch up to Pope as you both ran up the hill to a pile of wood that you had made just in case as the boy cursed at the spiking lighter that wouldn't erupt in the wind until Bonnie cupped her hand around it making a small flame that was enough to light the sticks and tree branches as the pair began to yell waving their hands in the air

"𝐇𝐄𝐘, we're over here!"

"𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 help us!"

The plane continued a it seemed no matter how much the pair screamed it was deemed useless as they both panted heavily until the plane began to turn to its side wings frozen in the air as it turned around

"Pope, Pope they see us!" The girl yelled tapping his shoulder jumping up and down until the boy picked her up his arms resting under her thighs spinning in circles as they both screamed in victory

The pogues began to run after the plane that landed in the pond as the door opened and a middle aged man long hair and a button up shirt stepped out

"Well what do we got here?" Pope ran up to John B wrapping an arm around his shoulder as both boys exclaimed in victory while Bonnie approached JJ with a bright smile that he couldn't quite mirror as she hugged his side her head resting against his bicep and just the peak of his shoulder and the blonde didn't hesitate to hold her before he handed her her bag

"You know, just some castaways." John B replied brightly

"Well I'll cross that off the grocery list, you know I got just the thing for y'all the two things you need on a deserted island first aid and rum" The man tossed both of the said items the rum landing in the pond before getting picked up by Sarah and the first aid landing in Popes hands

"So what's the story, you guys sink a boat?" He said as if it was the most reasonable thing in the world

"Jumped off one. Her dads." John b replied nodding over to where Sarah stood beside him with a skeptical look on her face

"In-laws man their tough. Well have no fear Jimmy's here I got you" The group began to laugh

"Well all hail Jimmy guys! Let's go." Cleo cheered as the group began to get on the plane the last two left were JJ and Bonnie as the two looked at each other before following their friends

"So what we're you doing all the way out here?" JJ questioned not fully sitting back in his seat Bonnie sat In between both him and Pope waiting for the man's response

"I got a little guide outfit in Saint Vincent I was spotting fish." Jimmy responded starting up the plain as the engine roared to life

"What we're you spotting?"

"Oh you know the usual Wahoo... I'd hand on to something get a little spicy on takeoff" The brunette didn't miss the look on JJs face as he squinted at the man before before clutching onto one of the handles that hung from the ceiling as the plane began to accelerate up into the air

"Wahoo don't run in September ever. So whoever this man is he's not a fisherman" The girls head snapped to look at the blonde her lips slightly parted

"Maybe the run just starts earlier out here" Pope tried to reason a small look of alert taking over his features

"Are you sure about that? In the Caribbean" JJ shot a look at the boy as Bonnie's knee began to bounce up and down a habit she had when she was trying to think or when she was anxious

"No I know what this is, he's working for my dad and he's probably been looking for us the entire time." Sarah spoke up in her seat next to Cleo all eyes shifting to her

"All right we gotta find out looking for some sort of... clues" The blonde trailed off as he looked at the bag on the back of the pilots chair as he looked at Bonnie and John B

"Hey Jimmy, how long you had this bird?" The boy questioned as JJ stretched an arm across the isle way sticking a hand in his bag

"Probably about ten years"

"How long you been flying?" Bonnie spoke up as the man shook his head with a smile that made her stomach uneasy

"I've been flying all my life"

"Uhh who's the lovely lady right there?" John B through another question back like a grenade ready to blow

"That right there? That's Cynthia" The man laughed loudly overly loud the Bonnie though his headphones probably had something to do with the fact

JJ began sprawling some of the things he got from the man's bag out on his lap as Bonnie picked up the book flipping through pages for anything useful as JJ handed Sarah a picture

"The costal venture oh my god this is the boat we were on with Eberhimi and the cross" Sarah whispered

"So he was looking for us?" Cleo questioned even though it was more than a statement as JJ agreed nodding his head

"He's working for my dad" Sarah declared before the plane began to shake as Bonnie fell into Popes side the boy wrapping his around her without missing a beat

"You guys better hold onto something we got some unexpected turbulence up here" Jimmy called back

"Guys whatever it is it's happening fast look." Kiara pointed out the window and everyone could see an island the plane began to approach

"It's Barbados. It's where I lived there before I moved with my dad to the cut" Bonnie stated as she remembered the memories she had before her dad moved them both to the obx just when she was seven on the peak of turning eight

"Okay there's seven of us, one of him. You know my vote we storm the cockpit." JJ stated the girl honestly questioned it logic majority of the time

"No who's gonna fly the plane dumbass" John B protested

"I've seen Pope fly simulators" The blonde responded and the girl pinched at his arm for putting him on the spot to which he pouted genuinely beginning to rub his arm

"I crop-dusted for my uncle last summer this is not the same thing" The brown skin boy shook his head

"We don't have time to pretend that's a real option" Kiara responded

"Do you have an idea?"

"Something safe."

"Why don't we just wait until the plane lands somewhere safe, and if someone comes to mess with us we handle it." Bonnie interrupted the banter and everyone seemed to agree

"I like the handling part" JJ responded and the girl couldn't help but roll her eyes

"Just put that back" She pointed to the stuff in his lap as John B began to stir up conversation with Jimmy again as the man turned his head catching JJ putting back one of the books he had taken back in his bag

"Hey what the hell are you doing man" He had reached back pushing JJ letting go of shift sticks to control the plane in the process as the plane began to drop

"FLY THE PLANE!"

"Please fly the plane!" Jimmy had finally took control of the stick pulling upwards with abnormal force and soon the plane finally crashed in the water beginning to sink

"We got to get out come on" The group jumped one by one until it was Bonnie and Kiara left Pope had his arms out for the girl and Bonnie reluctantly jumped out the plane into the boys arms as JJ took the girl from his grasp beginning to swim of the direction underneath the pier

"Kie went the other way!" Sarah exclaimed as they watched the girl begin to run of the shore deeper into the island men dressed in khakis and cargos chasing after

"What are we going to do we're going after her right?" John B questioned as he watched his best friend get dragged away

"What can we do?" Pope questioned

"That girl always has to play fucking hero" Bonnie panted JJ still holding her tight in his grasp

"Guys my dad didn't, didn't sell our house we can crash there until we figure something out" The girl continued beginning to shake from the cold clear water and the pogues had settled on that idea quietly swimming to another part of the shore making it to land

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