#justice for lucius

[thecoolestcowboy]

stede sends ed the sweetest little message in a bottle, like DOWN HORRENDOUSLY bad for this absolute beast of a man, but there’s just one minor problem. the scribe is overboard and no one on blackbeard’s crew knows how to fucking read.

this is gonna be one hell of a season 😭

(jim does not gaf enough to read that long ass letter ☠️)

[lovemelikerealpeopledo]

Lucius Spriggs is a nobleman HC

my personal hc which i love with all my heart and soul and which seems so real to me is that he is from a noble family. my judgments are based on the behavior of the character in certain situations, and i hope that there are those who also think so.

first of all, let's remember that Lucius knows how to write, can read, and draw beautifully (whatever his drawings are). as far as I know, not everyone could get an education at the beginning of the 18th century (when the series takes place). the ordinary working class had no access to education, and the ordinary family never had books, and no one exchanged letters. even clerical work was available only to those who had money or connections (most often family). for example, in the Russian empire (I am from Ukraine and studied its history), only the children of wealthy citizens or nobles could become clerical officials and any other workers that were in any way connected with writing and papers. to get such an education, one had to either hire personal teachers or attend boarding schools (lyceums), where education costs a lot of money.

the working class never had access to education and even those who lived in the cities rarely knew how to read. such luxury was available only to wealthy merchants, family business owners or doctors, who also did not come from ordinary families. education needs money. much money. and so it has always been.

even if we assume that Lucius learned to write, read, and draw on his own, it still seems unlikely. how? tell me how many of you learned this on your own. to start reading, you must at least learn how letters are read. if his parents are ordinary workers, then they most likely could not even write their own name (they would not need to). and Lucius was able and very legible.

second, his behavior. Lucius is squeamish about blood, does not like to work, and most likely simply does not even know how to do any difficult work. looking at him, I see a man who has never worked and never did anything himself. even household chores seem to him incomprehensible labor. it seems that he will not survive on the street for a week if suddenly he does not have a penny in his pocket. it’s just that a boy from a working-class district cannot be such a kid glove, because in those days children were attracted to real work from the age of 10 (sometimes even earlier). if so, then a Lucius who is at least 17 should be able to do a lot of menial work, and not shirk even the simplest task.

i would also like to remember that Lucius is not inclined to communicate only in obscenities and simple sentences. he can speak in hints, express his thoughts, and formulate sentences. he understands people well, and even with his free attitude to love and sex, he fucks anyone just for the sake of sex. this and much more speaks volumes about his level of education.

also, let's remember how back in the first episodes he was able to tell where to go based on his knowledge of the weather. believe me, a cat man has never been to school and has not been to the sea, he will not know this. to understand such things one needs knowledge in geography, biology, and astronomy. such knowledge is given only in lyceums or colleges.

Lucius, I think, left the house after learning that he was engaged to some noble lady or that his wedding was already planned. such marriages without the consent of the newlyweds themselves were not uncommon in those days among noble families who thought only about purity of blood, status, and wealth. for him, his own freedom is clearly higher than material wealth, therefore this is a completely expected step for him.

call me weird or challenge my headcanon but I can't shake the idea that Lucius Spriggs is a runaway aristocrat from an unwanted marriage.

[watching-the-detective]

Scrolled past this and immediately thought LUCIUS!!!

[lucius-official]

CALLING ALL NRC STUDENTS/STAFF

Are you sick and tired of being a pawn in Dire Crowley's twisted game?? Of being used to boost his own ego? Of always fighting his battles while he cozies up in the safety of his office neglecting to pay his child support??

Then join the rebellion. Rise up against the birdman. And take back your freedom.

We will storm Dire Crowley's office on the morrow and remove Crowley from his position of power by force.

(Bring your own pitchforks/broomsticks/nukes-and prepare to lay down your lives for the cause)

It's time for the Crow to fall 🐦‍⬛❌️✊️

[heavenboy09]

20 Years Ago Today. On September 11th, 2004

From Warner Bros Animation & DC COMICS Presents

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He's joined on occasion by Robin and Batgirl. Black Mask, Killer Moth, the Everywhere Man and a brand-new Clayface join the Joker, Penguin and Riddler in ceaselessly tormenting Gotham City.

Can Batman stop them once and for all?

Find Out In This New But Classic Take On The Popular Kids WB / Cartoon Network Animated Series Of The Early 2000's

WARNER BROS ANIMATION, DC COMICS, KIDS WB & CARTOON NETWORK

PRESENTS

THE BATMAN 🦇

HAPPY 20TH ANNIVERSARY TO WARNER BROS ANIMATION, DC COMICS & KIDS WB / CARTOON NETWORK'S

THE BATMAN 🦇

#TheBatman2004 #BruceWayne #AlfredPennyworth #Robin #Batgirl #LuciusFox #TheWayneFamily #JusticeLeague #EthanBennet #EllenYin #ComissionerGordon #GCPD #TheJoker #ThePenguin #Catwoman #Bane #MrFreeze #TheRiddler #ManBat #Firefly #Clayface #KillerCroc #PoisonIvy #BlackMask #GothamCity #TheDarkKnight

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[gently-decaying-flowers]

oh yeah i forgot also THEY DIDNT HAVE TO KILL LUCIUS.

I WAS JUST STARTING TO REALLY LOVE HIS CHARACTER.

BASTARDS.

I FINISHED OFMD

so spoilers btw

so i am sad and gay. so this show made me sadder lmao.

i am happy that i KNOW there is a season 2 coming out (october bby!) because otherwise i would be kinda disappointed with the ending :/

i was genuinely concerned that Stede’s crew was gonna die but then he found them on the island and i nearly cried i swear TvT

ALSO ED NO. NONONO. don’t do this :(

final note: srsly just kill Izzy Hands already. i don’t like the guy- and they’ve gotten so close to killing him like six times ;-;

anyway- very excited for s2 because i need some closure on the sad gay pirates

[starlooove]

Ppl will say fanon v canon doesn’t matter and it’s all jokes and I’m sooooo close to going sure sometimes and then I remember y’all removed a major role of one of the if not THEE most prominent black character in Bruce’s story who was created a whole decade before tim and gave it to tim based off a run where he literally handed the role back! Like IN THE COMIC Tim was CEO in name only and handed it back to Lucius relieved when he didn’t need to front anymore like.

[incorrect-malfoys]

Narcissa: Oh stop it, both of you

Lucius and Bellatrix: What?

Narcissa: I can hear you glaring

[scordoesart]

Season 2 is right around the corner but here’s an au

Picking up from the end of season 1, Stede and the part of his crew that was marooned are sailing around trying to catch up with the revenge, but are ill-supplied to be doing so both due to the small size of the boat on the open ocean and that Stede didn’t seem to have much in ways of supplied with him when he left Barbados. I don’t think the marooned crew would consider Stede as their captain at this time (given that he abandoned them to the kraken!Ed). Stede would probably be avoidant in talking about where he’s been (in the “rules for thee but not for me” way he operates) other than he’s back to stay, has no money, and only what little experience he’s had in his brief time sailing as skills. They wouldn’t abandon Stede though, seeing him as maybe the only person who could fix this mess. Stede and his bunch get picked up by another ship who, turns out, is also looking for the Revenge. This ship is either operated or in the command of Bellamy (though he’s using a different name these days because he’s supposed to be dead). When Stede introduces himself, he’s somewhat met with “a pirate captain without a ship and that wasn’t mutinied upon?” questioning (some amusement there on Bellamy’s behalf), and Olu or all of the marooned people explains to their understanding what happened on the Revenge while Stede was gone to the best of their ability. The tale of the Revenge’s crew’s current state was left in just drives them both to want to find it even more. (A good chunk of this story is tracking down information to find the Revenge, which fortunately, Bellamy still has information sources in spades. Sometimes things just happen on the sea. Maybe they run into Jack again?). Bellamy may or may not be a less than open about who he’s chasing after on the Revenge (haven’t decided, or maybe it’s something that eventually comes out but isn’t said directly at first? Bellamy would have little reason to give up his many-year alias/charade to Stede and also strikes me as the kind of man to hold his cards close until he wants to play them). Stede gets to know more about Ed as a person from someone who knew him years ago without Ed there to curate ( Much like Jack and Ed, they act like no time has passed next they meet. I think they would have had a kind of rivalry but also an underlying respect for one another. or at least some base kind of comeradery) and also about pirating when money isn’t your background. Just to complicate things, because Stede and Ed have escaped the royal navy, pirate hunters have been sent after the Revenge (Hornigold maybe?). This is discovered at one of the ports they stop at for information. Time is ticking for them to find the Revenge. Stede no longer has the family inheritance money to lean on, and from the change in lifestyle he’s had to take to compensate, he develops a kind of understanding if not respect for Izzy’s steadfastness in duty of running the ship. ------------- Meanwhile back on the Revenge.... Things keep getting worse somehow. Izzy knows he Fucked Up (see walking on thin ice with Ed), but keeps telling himself Blackbeard is back and this is what he (Izzy) wanted. It’s what’s best for Ed. Izzy tells himself this, but even he knows it’s all gone wrong. He can’t face that reality because Izzy only finds the value of himself in serving Blackbeard. This wasn’t always true. It’s not something he’s ready to confront yet. Izzy is also managing (not well) the missing pinky toe whose stump is healing about as well as Lucius’ finger did. His swordsmanship has also suffered due to the lack of balance from its loss. He must hide all this to the best of his ability to keep up appearances, but of course things will go horribly wrong. Ed notices none of this of course; too wrapped up in his own grief and trying to be the Kraken for the one last reliable person (Izzy) he’s scared will leave him if he isn’t being exactly what Izzy expects him to be. After all, Stede disappeared on him without a word, Jack helped Izzy sell Stede (though ed probably interpreted it as selling both ed and stede) out to the British. Ed and Izzy haven’t been talking outside of strictly first mate-captain business talk. And even then, sometimes it’s Izzy (nervously but with a front to show the crew otherwise) managing without Ed. Lucius is living in the walls at this point and sees and hears much from people when they think they are alone. Ed’s fragile state and crying. Izzy’s struggles with his foot and brief forlorn expressions when he’s alone. Maybe there’s times when he’d grip the ring, saying nothing but mind going mile a minute to something Lucius wouldn’t know at this point. He could probably pick up that it’s a thought of someone missed. Lucius can’t keep a secret for long so he’d start conversing secretly with some of the crew. Jim perhaps? The two of them have a precident of secrets kept a  la season 1. Those that were part of the Revenge both don’t see a way out of this and start trying to plan for a means of a way out of this. Would there have been more crew transferred from the Queen Anne’s Revenge to the Revenge to fill out the crew with competent pirates? Maybe. Eventually though Izzy can’t ignore that this isn’t anything like the usual moodswings of  Blackbeard he’s accustomed to managing. Things aren’t changing and he’s already been dragged too deep underwater by the kraken to surface from the situation. Might as well continue to try and keep the rest of the crew afloat and working as they should be. ---------- (A maybe possibility of an event but not sure how it fits in characterization wise?) Lucius eventually reveals himself to Izzy (under funny accidental circumstances probably). Perhaps when things have gotten Really Bad for Izzy’s foot and he’s bed bound with fever and infection? Would Izzy admit to Lucius he didn’t think an infection would be the thing to do him in? Probably not, but maybe in such a situation he would? (I didn’t think through this scene too much, but maybe some more direct hints that there was someone else (Sam) for Izzy a lifetime ago? But since Izzy never really dealt with the loss other than just shove it down, he doesn’t really want to talk about it? This would provide an opportunity for those that were left from the Revenge crew to gain a kind of respect and the briefest of peaks beneath the demanding middle manager demeanor Izzy has. HOWEVER, this seemingly conflicts with two of the truths Izzy upholds for himself: Loyalty to his captain above all else, and, pirates all just in the process of screwing eachother over) ------------ Back with not the Revenge... Bellamy, Stede, and the rest of the marooned crew eventually catch up to the  Revenge with barely enough time before the pirate hunters arrive. If Stede hadn’t but it together by now just who Bellamy was looking for, it would be outright said who specifically is being sought after. (Stede probably wouldn’t put it together that the man he calls Iggy has the name Israel or may be referred to by the nickname Baz) Stede could say it’s him and he’s returned, but Ed wouldn’t believe him. By now, Stede looks quite different a man. No matter what Stede says, It takes a proper pirate boarding and takeover to get Ed to listen. Maybe Stede getting stabbed by Ed (just like he was taught) to get Ed to listen. The revenge crew on both sides wouldn’t want to fight their friends/companions. The jig is seemingly up on romcom logic where everyone is going to be okay. Maybe Ed boils over and Stede sees the Blackbeard the books he has tell of? Does Ed kill someone in his kraken rage or just think he killed someone in order for him to snap out of it enough to allow that emotional vulnerability to show again? (It would have to be him directly doing it, not throwing someone into the sea, or fire, or anything like that. As with when Jack was talking about Ed burning people alive in ep 8, Ed considered it the fire doing the killing, not himself.) There is of course a dramatic and emotional reunion of all the couples. Them all dealing with what happened in their own ways. Izzy of course is beyond words. Not knowing how to emotionally deal with 1) Sam being alive. Sam being here. 2) Stede Bonnet is back. 3)Pirate hunters (Hornigold?) on the horizon coming right for them. That third point would cut everyone’s emotional reunions short, but also be the only one of the three that Izzy has any inkling of how to deal with after years of shoving his own emotions down and never dealing with them. The fight to even get on the Revenge having caused enough fatigue that a fuckery has to be used to get away. Stede gets to showcase what he’s learned as a practical, broke, pirate (and that probably not enough if he creates the fuckery without assistance from others). There’s a grand kind of confrontation between Hornigold and the two captains who were once under his command. Stede gains a deeper understanding of the man that in many ways shaped Ed (and Izzy and Sam and Jack and maybe other figures that could have been encountered while looking for the Revenge such as Anne Bonny and Mary Reed). And then finally, the crew can start to unpack and sort out the situation. It’s a long process. The world, under normal logic, wouldn’t wait for them to sort such things out. Maybe romcom time makes a comeback and they can sort through at least a good chunk of it. Ed, for his part, does a lot of growth or at least tries to. In the end, Izzy ends up leaving with Sam for retirement. Ed tells him to go, be happy. Releases him from service (much to Izzy’s conflicted feelings on it). Izzy insists that no that’s a big mistake. Ed insists that’s what would make Ed happy (even if that too is a lie in some capacity?): to see Izzy finally have that same happiness with Sam that Ed’s now found with Stede. -------------- As for what happened between Izzy and Sam all those years ago... Years ago, Sam was sweet on Izzy when they were both serving under Hornigold. It was a whirlwind romance. Sam promised Izzy fine things and retirement together- something so rare for those in their line of work. It seemed like the stuff of fairytales, but something made Izzy give Sam a chance to make it a reality. I haven’t decided what the reason they weren’t sailing together. Izzy and Sam would have been on different ships under Hornigold’s command. Sam with his own ship and Izzy under Ed’s command. Maybe Izzy’s sense of loyalty to his captain was there (as instilled by Hornigold in all his men), but at the time, he wasn’t giving both of his hands to his job. One for the ship and one for his own interests. Maybe Ed was jealous and didn’t want to “share” Izzy with a someone else and he pressed the loyalty to the captain aspect? Maybe there was some other fuckery a la Ed afoot? Maybe Izzy, being torn between duty and love, said he’d go with Sam once Sam got the money needed for that retirement? That seems to conflict with the intensity of which Izzy holds loyalty though. Hmm.... In any case, after splitting off from Hornigold and some time passing, Sam ended up reported dead along with almost all of his crew in the sinking of the Whydah. (The timeline with Hornigold’s involvement and if he’s still alive even seems to be pretty loose at this point as far as OFMD canon goes in comparison to history. Therefore the timeline between Bellamy being elected captain of what once was Hornigold’s fleet, his independent ventures, and the sinking of the Whydah can be played with fast and loose.) Ever since then, Sam’s been working under another name to regain those funds, find Izzy, and give his love the retirement he promised. News of what happened to the Whydah and Sam eventually made its way to Ed and Izzy. Izzy never really processed the grief. Just bottled it up and dedicated his whole self to his captain. Both hands to the ship. (“The only retirement we get is... death”)

[incendiorum]

IOVITA LEARNS EARLY THAT THEY and lucius don’t see eye to eye when it comes to killing a person.

and it’s not a problem of moral standpoints. lucius simply cannot handle it. he gets flighty at the very idea, and sick at the actual implementation. iovita stands over him in annoyance during one of these times, while he vomits into the grass.

“ are you done? ” they ask. lucius groans.

“ you could be a little kinder about it, ” he mutters.

“ you could be a little faster about it, ” iovita snaps back. they offer him a hand, though, and he takes it, pulling himself up and wiping his mouth with the back of his arm at the same time. iovita wrinkles their nose. “ gross. ”

“ be quiet. ” his tone is so sharp that iovita is startled into silence. they watch as he picks up his sword, cleans it off, and sheathes it again. his gaze is blank. “ we should go. ”

it’s not just the fact that he gets nauseous about it. he gets quiet and distant afterward. he wanders off on his own and sits in silence. his presence feels as tangible as fog under a hot sun.

and what truly bothers iovita is that they don’t feel the same way. death is easy. death is permanent. death means that the person trying to hurt them can never do it again.

they start pushing him aside, when the situation calls for someone’s permanent end. they don’t miss the way lucius gives them a sideways look every time. iovita grabs at the fury that seems forever rooted in their mind and takes care of it and they don’t feel anything at all, afterwards.

lucius's men start talking in hushed whispers and cutting glances after this happens multiple times. and iovita still can’t bring themself to care.

iovita comes to still choking on hot, metallic blood. when they twist onto their hands and knees, they can see it coating the grass beneath them in a viscous, sticky pool.

“ easy, io, ” latona says, voice trembling. her hand is on their back. “ spit it out. there you go. ”

their eyes burn when they finally look up. latona stares at them, face twisted in concern. if iovita’s mind weren’t so foggy, they’d be surprised. latona is cool and collected. never worried.

lucius is on his knees on the other side of them. his cheeks are damp and glistening. his sword lays on the ground nearby, blade coated in blood. beyond that, facedown, lies a body. iovita lifts a hand out of the pool of crimson underneath them and wonders how much of it is their own.

“ can you stand? ” latona asks. iovita reaches for her. she lets them hang onto her arms as they struggle to their feet. lucius stands as well, and she hands them off to him. a strong arm wraps around their waist, guiding them away from the viscera.

iovita lifts a hand as they walk, brushing their throat. wet and sticky, as well. still hot. but the deep gash that had been there only minutes ago is gone. latona’s quick handiwork.

“ you were very close to dying from that, ” she murmurs. iovita jerks in surprise to see her still lingering at their other side.

lucius stops near the horses and pulls away. iovita stands, dazed, at xanthos’s head, watching as he pulls the four-horned saddle off her and hands it to latona. xanthos nudges them, gently, and iovita sets a hand on her neck, trying hard to not lean their entire weight on her. it leaves a red handprint on her tawny coat.

“ io. io. ” slowly, too slowly, iovita shifts their attention to lucius, who holds both hands out, expression pinched. “ I’ll help you up. ”

they reach for one of his hands, and try their best to not be completely useless when he boosts them up onto xanthos’s back. he keeps a hand on their thigh as he leads the mare over to a nearby boulder. his hands never truly leave them, fluttering up to their side or their shoulder as he uses the boulder to climb up behind them, and every touch leaves a tingling patch of warmth in its wake. “ back home, ” he says, “ and you can rest. ”

“ I am fine, ” iovita insists. their voice fails them – small and hoarse.

“ no, ” latona says from somewhere nearby. despite her snippy tone, iovita thinks they detect some semblance of relief. “ you are not. go back and rest. you lost a lot of blood, and my healing almost certainly took your energy, as well. ”

“ mmgh, ” iovita mumbles back. lucius huffs what sounds like a strained laugh, and nudges xanthos into movement.

xanthos’s walk is long-strided but smooth. lucius keeps one arm wrapped tight around their waist, letting their head lull against his shoulder. too exhausted to dwell on this, iovita lets the rhythm lull them into half-sleep.

the journey travels in that haze. at some point, they’re aware of xanthos stopping and lucius sliding down to the ground, pulling them carefully into his arms, and then they’re no longer aware of anything at all.

iovita wakes with the first soft light of dawn. exhaustion pulls at each and every one of their bones and their head pounds in slow, painful throbs. there’s a mountain of blankets heaped over them and under them to cushion them from the hard ground, but they still feel cold prickling along their back. they shift and realize that they’re in different clothes. no blood crusts to their skin. they touch their throat. the long ridge of a fresh scar greets them.

their movements stirs a person laying near them. “ you’re awake, ” lucius murmurs. his voice sounds odd. distant. he doesn’t sit up. he stays on his back, tilting his head towards them.

they remember, through the thick fog of their mind, lucius on his knees. wet-faced and stricken. “ you were crying, ” iovita whispers.

“ was I? ” lucius replies. his words are flat.

a red-edged sword. “ you killed him, ” iovita says next. lucius squeezes his eyes shut. “ the man who tried to kill me. ”

silence falls over them both. so heavy that iovita can almost feel it. but it doesn't take long for lucius to confess. “ I�� didn’t even think about it. I just… acted. I haven’t done that since… ” he swallows and clenches one hand. it’s the one he keeps wrapped up with a long, thin strip of cloth. but iovita has seen the ragged scar hidden underneath. “ I haven’t done that in a long time. ”

his eyes open and meet their own. the warm brown of them has turned impossibly dark in the low light. “ I did it for you. ”

the immensity of his words hit iovita like a landslide. “ oh. ”

they don’t think his affections are a secret, anymore. lucius has always been patient with them despite their anger. he has always leaped at the chance to include them or join them in the most mundane of tasks. iovita may have been oblivious at first, but they could only remain so for so long.

iovita scoots a little further away and lifts up the thick pile of blankets draped over them. “ come here. ”

lucius props himself up onto an elbow. “ are you sure? ”

“ I wouldn’t have offered otherwise, ” iovita grumbles. slowly, lucius shuffles over to join them, and they let the blankets drop onto his back. they pillow a hand under their cheek, and watch as he does the same.

“ better? ”

lucius nods.

iovita lets quiet fall over them again, but they don’t let it linger. “ you didn’t have to do that for me. I know… I know how much you hate it. ”

“ I did, ” lucius says, so fast the two words jumble together. “ I did, ” he repeats, slower. he reaches out, and pauses. “ can…? can I? ”

iovita feels dizzy all over again. unlike the blood loss, however, this one is edged in a new kind of excitement. they nod. lucius’s callused fingers brush over their cheek. light and soft and barely there. his thumb traces their cheekbone. in the growing light, they can see his gaze fall to their mouth. something tightens in iovita’s chest.

“ I am glad you’re alive. I do not regret what I did. ” he pulls his hand away. lets it fall between them. “ go back to sleep. ”

they can’t find the energy to argue. iovita falls asleep imagining what it would have been like to feel his lips on their own.

and they don’t stop thinking about it.

it doesn't help that lucius's hands start lingering a little longer when he touches them. or that he always stands so close that their shoulders touch. but he's also far too much of a gentleman for iovita's building frustration. despite his lingering looks, he doesn't try anything. or even ask.

when it's just the two of them one day, iovita decides that they can no longer stand it, yanks him off the road, backs him up against a tree, and says, “ just kiss me already. please. ”

the way his eyes light up makes something in their chest flutter. “ really? ” iovita tightens their grip in his shirt and nods. “ really? ”

“ lucius, ” they hiss, reaching up to tangle a hand in the wavy black locks of his hair and yank him against their mouth. lucius grunts in surprise, and then brings his hands up to cup their face. his mouth softens against their own, slow and curious.

foreign warmth seeps into their face and down their neck, tingling pleasantly under their skin. it takes them a moment to realize that it’s lucius’s magic. every rapid beat of their heart spreads it further and further, until they can feel it from the top of their head down to their toes. iovita pulls away, eyelids heavy. their mind is pleasantly foggy. “ you can do that? ”

lucius raises his eyebrows and says nothing. he traces his thumbs over their cheekbones and heat slinks along the back of iovita’s neck and down the curve of their spine.

“ you can do that? ”

he laughs. “ I’m delighted that I could be the one to introduce you to it. ”

iovita is hazy and fuzzy and tingly all over, so they say exactly what they shouldn’t, “ no. I didn’t know it could feel good. ”

lucius’s hands drop from their face. the feeling dissipates like steam. “ what? ”

iovita blinks. a rush of shame hits them not a moment later, and they look away. “ nothing. ” he’s so close to them. legs pressed against their own. breath fanning across their face. they put a hand on his chest and step back. “ forget I said anything. ”

he reaches for them, fingers closing around their wrist. “ are they still looking for you? ”

iovita jerks away. the memory of their mother’s magic, searing itself into the muscle under their skin, won’t leave their mind. “ don’t touch me. ”

lucius winces. “ are they still looking for you? ” he repeats.

they rub their nose. “ no. ”

“ iovita. I know you just lied to me. ”

“ they’re not looking for me, ” iovita snaps. lucius raises his hands, placating. “ they… gave up. I’m sure of it. I haven’t seen or heard anything in months. ”

lucius gives them a look, but he doesn’t press the matter further. iovita knows that they’ve given him the truth by avoiding it so viciously. there’s nothing - their vanishing in the first place, the rumors that trail their (changed) name, or even their age - that has kept their parents from pursuing them, even after all this time. “ I’m fine. I swear it. ”

he sighs and turns to start walking back to the road. “ we should get back to camp. ”

iovita lingers for a moment, kicks uselessly at a rock, and trails after him.

later, they spot lucius grab latona by her arm and drag her aside, dipping his head low and towards hers so that they can whisper. latona peers over her shoulder once, at iovita, and then drags him further away.

iovita stands there, entirely unsure of how to react. in the end, they don’t.

the next day lucius and latona both leave in the early morning.

“ I’ll be back soon, ” lucius promises them. iovita says nothing back, except to grab his wrist and give him a hard look.

“ it’s nothing. ” he’s lying through his teeth. iovita lets him go anyway.

latona and lucius are gone for a week. iovita flips from annoyance to anger to utter boredom. and when the boredom gets to be too much, they find themself right back at step two: anger. they snap at anyone who tries to talk to them until the entire group gets the message and leaves them be. iovita uses it as time to stew in their own irritation. they could have handled this themself. they don't need lucius and latona to do it for them.

as if they haven't had years to handle it.

it’s col who finally approaches them. “ do you know where pater went? ”

I know exactly where he went. “ no, ” iovita replies. they see col stiffen, from the corner of their eye, and take a long breath. when they speak again, their voice is more level. “ he said he would be back soon, though. ”

“ oh. ” col fidgets. iovita finally turns to look at him completely. he’s started to get gangly. all elbows and knees. they wonder if lucius looked the same at this age. “ do you want to go practice with me? ” he lifts the bow he’s holding in his hands.

iovita blinks. “ practice? ” they echo. when col just tilts his head, they stand up. “ how about you put your skills to use and hunt something for us? ”

col’s eyes light up. “ and you’ll cook it? ”

“ of course. ”

col grins and turns to hurry away. he stops, throws his head back to stare skyward with a loud sigh, and whips back around. “ I’m going to go get the horses. I know a really good spot for rabbits. ”

iovita raises their eyebrows, amused. “ I’ll be there in just a moment. let me go grab what I need. ”

“ okay! ” col yells over his shoulder, already sprinting off again.

col proves to be a good distraction. he wakes them up as early as he can get away with each day and drags them around the nearby countryside. iovita doesn’t mind. his good mood is infectious.

they come back one afternoon after a failed fishing attempt, and when they round a copse, they both spot xanthos at the same time. col glances at them from the corner of his eyes.

“ you can say hi to him, first, ” he says.

iovita tightens their jaw. “ no. it’s fine. go say hello to your pater. ”

“ if you’re sure, ” col says hesitatingly. he’s giving them an even weirder look, now. “ io? ”

“ hm? ”

“ are you and him… um… ”

iovita’s head snaps towards him in alarm. “ what? ”

col blinks. “ nothing, ” he squeaks out, and hurries off ahead of them.

iovita makes their own entrance quiet. latona catches them, at the edge of camp, and gives them an unreadable look. she doesn’t say a word, either. and leaves iovita feeling vaguely unsettled. they lurk, until the sun starts to dip further towards the horizon. without col, their annoyance has started to build again. until, finally, they can take it no longer and stalk away to find the subject of their ire.

iovita finds him, as expected, alone and far away from everyone else. sitting on the ground with his knees pulled up and arms wrapped tight around them. his eyes are firmly locked on the horizon. he looks small, sad, and bogged down with a kind of exhaustion that iovita knows only he will ever feel. at once, their anger trickles away.

“ lucius, ” iovita says. he doesn’t respond. “ lucius, ” they say again, louder. when he still doesn’t turn, they reach out to touch his shoulder. he startles, whipping around.

“ oh. ” his shoulders slump. “ salve .”

iovita sits down next to him. “ lucius? ”

“ hm? ”

he’s gone back to staring into the distance. iovita reaches out to turn his chin towards them. when he finally meets their gaze, they say, “ can I ask you a question? ”

lucius’s eyes turn hard and flinty. “ …yes. ”

iovita tries to swallow the lump in their throat. there’s a feeling, building in their chest. dark and nervous. they’re afraid to name it. I know what you did, sits on the tip of their tongue. the cloth he keeps wrapped around his hand has a dark, rusty stain on it.

“ can you show me how you did that… ” their gaze darts away as they gesture in a vague series of hand flips. “ that thing… with your magic? ”

the breath that leaves lucius is sudden and strained, twisting into something a bit like a laugh and a bit like a sob. “ yes. yes I can show you. here. ” he reaches for their hand with the one of his not wrapped in cloth. “ press your fingers to my wrist. ” iovita does, and the pads of their fingers press flush to his pulse. “ just do what you always do. will your magic to do what you want it to. ” he pauses. “ do it with… intention. good intention. ”

don’t do it with pain in mind remains unspoken. iovita focuses. the warm trickle of their magic curls out along their arm, growing hotter and hotter under their skin by the moment. they imagine it brushing lucius’s skin. sinking underneath and spreading, and they hear him sigh. his fingers curl, stiffen, and then relax.

“ your magic is hot, ” he murmurs. “ hotter than mine. ”

“ yours is… ” iovita thinks. “ cozy. ” it felt like how they would imagine the stroke of his hands, but they don’t say it aloud. that… doesn’t make them feel cozy, exactly. “ it felt good. ”

they let their hand fall. lucius takes too long to pull his own back. he feels… distant to them again. like he’s not even sitting next to them. like io could waves their hands through him and he’d fade away before their eyes.

“ io… I – ” his voice catches in his throat. he swallows, hard, and tries again. “ io I did something I… I don’t think I should have. ” his eyes are bright. iovita looks away. “ I did it – ugh. ” iovita looks back to see him press the heels of his palms into his eyes. “ I did it for you. ”

silently, iovita reaches for him. they pry his hands away from his face. the cloth catches their attention again and they take his hand into their own, unwrapping and rewrapping the strip into a loose roll that they set aside. when he doesn’t pull his hand away, they trace a thumb over the twisted scar on the back of his hand. if they look closely, they can still see some of the black ink of the old tattoo lingering in between the ridges of it. “ lucius? ” they murmur again, looking up to see him with his attention fixed on their hands, eyes wide.

he meets their gaze. iovita says nothing. they stare, unwavering, back. and then give him a little nod. I know. it’s okay. after a moment, lucius lets out a long, shuddering sigh and nods back.

iovita pulls him into a kiss and pretends not to feel his cool tears pricking against their cheeks.

[luimagines]

Fck it Droid AU headcanons? Or just a small thing with Skydroid / Twidroid?

Droid au lives on forever

Let’s introduce the rest of the boys

Masterlist

Content under the cut!

Sky

Model SKYLNK

Programmed to be a domestic droid

Babysitter, cook, butler

Tutors the small children, watches over them, and takes care of pets as well

Due to it’s softer programming, when working in the public, it tends to work in bedside manner

Like nurses and nannies

The kind to work in hospitals and elderly living

Not necessarily the newest model on the block, but is one of the most affordable one

Commonly seen in the homes of the middle class

This droid is known for having very little drive deviate from orders

There’s very little facial expressions for newer models

Some, however, have been seen to mimic the facial expressions of the people they serve due to the acclimating programming naturally found in all droids 

The droid is built for handy work around the house

But not designed for hard labor or any heavy lifting

Perfect designed to keep things moving smoothly through the unit it’s assigned to

However- newer models have been seen to come with relationship programming (a new project from Hylia.Inc) 

Further development is yet to be seen

Time

Model TIMLNK

One of the few adults droids on the market

Versatile for many upgrades and job applications

Heavy work? Built for it

Domestic droid? On it

Teacher, hospital nurse, secretary? Just download the needed package for him to take on what job you need him to do

There are certain things that maybe a bit awkward for him to do

Like translating or babysitting

But it works in a pinch

Also sought out as a companionship droid

Takes on a lot of brunt work

While he has a lot of packages that came with time (ha), he is used more for heavy work, like cargo or supply shipments

Isn’t so much for public availability despite the company’s best efforts to expand his roles in society

Not very expressive due to the shift in attention when he was being designed

This is probably why he’s not bought for public use even if he can do the jobs

But he is programmed to be hard working and the robotic equivalent to compassionate 

So this guy never really stops working if the data received can be interpreted as contributing

Legend

Model LGNLNK

Teenage Domestic droid

Known for it’s extensive programming

In the highest demand due to the versatile talents that goes into him

Is used beyond domestic circumstances

Is typically found in place of a translator for political or high standing communal events

Can cook

Clean

Teach

Can directly call emergency services 

Known for the original intention of keeping younger children company or for acting as a Jiminy Cricket for older children

Also originally advertised for older couples who wanted a younger energy in their empty nest

As since branched out to include the other features and is the more commonly seen droid out in public

Also the most customizable out of all of the publicly made droids

Is the only droid available beyond national borders

Other, more advanced models are in progress

Hyrule

Model TRVLNK

A multi-purpose droid

Designed for human relation work or bedside manner

Typically a nurse droid

But not designed for domestic use

Is designed with high grade professional use in mind

Is commonly found in nursing homes or in children’s hospitals

Is also a part of public staff in very highly populated common areas

Like carnivals and amusement parks and zoos and museums and the like

Also acts as tour guide in many other places where travel agencies send tourists for their holiday vacations

Is one of the few droids on the market that can connect to GPS

When droids begin to start working for the public division, they were at first found in buses, driving people from destination to destination

Naturally this upset many people and bus use fell around 19%

But with time people got used to it’s features and the buses ran on time for a change

Not to mention his pleasant demeanor and over all cheerful disposition in his programming made this model likable by many who had to see him on a day to day basis

Four

Model FSWLNK

Meant to be the successor to the WNDLNK model

Used as a child support droid

But also a family companion for lonely, childless adults who want youthful energy in the household

Because of his youthful appearance but older programming, this model tends to be used for public service more so than private ownership

Even if this model is seen nearly in every family friendly public space, there are a few who do��accompany children as a family owned appliance

The reason he’s more corporately owned than privately is because he is also used as a child safety surveillance system

Like at public places where children can easily be lost

Like at the zoo, museum, festival, carnival, you name it

They are looking for kids without supervision or who appear to be in danger

It took a lot of training to get that programming even marginally successful

Because they need a lot of of the droids on surveillance, they tend to wear different colored uniforms so people can identify what job that specific droid is doing

Can also be found in child counseling offices or therapy clinics (physical therapy included)

One of the more easy going personality programs

Easy to get along with and easy to like

Is programmed to work with multiple units despite the success in privately owned facilities

Wild

Model CALLNK

Meant for high paced, highly demanding work

A public service droid by nature

Meant to work in the police force

Also found in office facilities 

Or a high scale kitchen where orders have to leave in the matter of minutes

Used as a security droid in a lot of places as well

But more so as a security droid for high profile individuals

Meant to defend and protect no matter the cost

Even if it includes damage to self in the process

Not very expressive in nature

Due to the difficulties and intricacies in programming, they forgo any need for there to be a personal expression in this particular model

So he’s always straight faced no matter what the circumstances are

It’s very unusual for this model to be found in the private or commercial sector

As mentioned before those who use this model for private use are high profile people and people with money

One of the most expensive models on the market

Very few even know he exists

Wind

Model WNDLNK

Child Domestic Droid

One of the first models made by Hylia.INC

Made as an support companion

Later tweaked for homes where children are wanted but not available for whatever reason

As support companions they were designed to help children with special needs, whatever it may be

From reminding children to take their medicine on time, to helping them keep to a schedule and remembering chores as well as simply being emotional support 

The concept was at first a personified tablet

But later on, newer models became more life like and more attuned for family life

Even more later on, they were designed for aforementioned concept of lonely adults who wanted to have children without the cost or mess or real children (Take that as you will)

Is sensitive to temperature

Occasionally feels “hunger” to simulate taking care of another human

Very playful in nature

Few models can be seen in schools with a little more money to float around, helping children where Paras are hard to find

Typically used in school with younger children as the older ones tend to be a little put off by his young appearance

A people pleasure by default, but no one knows if it’s based on his programming or on his need to see though with his missions for the day

Warrior

Model WARLNK

Consort Droid- built for relationships

Has been used for espionage purposes

Doubles as a security droid as well

Is seen typically working a desk job as well

Secretary models, am I right?

Someone has to handle all the forms and PAs and meetings and names and appointments

Not just desk jobs, but also customer service

Is very much used for the public service

Only the rich have it for personal use since it would have added features regarding said spy ware and filtrations mannerisms

Or just to have a pretty thing around

Some people are into that so he’s also for them

Service with a smile~

(potential angst for android War? Definitely.) 

That being said, due the upgraded systems used for both security work and espionage

WARLNK models have also been integrated into public police forces

Public opinion varies heavily on either side

But their effectiveness cannot be ignored when investigating a crime scene

Twilight

Model TWILNK

Heavy work load droid

Handy man is all aspects

Meant to be put to work

Known from farms to construction sites

Programmed to be very loyal to the cause

Lives to serve so to speak

Needs to receive feed back to know if it’s contributing to the community

While not the typical domestic droid, some houses have been known to have a model or two around

Some companies rent out their models to the common folk to help with renovations, or moving, or landscaping, or plumbing- even electrical work

In this au, a lot work for “Got Junk?” 

There has been the one in a million celebrity that has managed to find customization locals and renovate the model to be that of an escort droid

But that’s a very expensive process

And frankly, it’s easier to change the hardware than the software

Is also the occasional nursing droid

Known to be working in nursing homes and independent living units, where it might be required to lift an entire body as dead weight for whatever reason

Is the strongest droid on the market

[thecoolestcowboy]

poor little guy… pussy facing the world :(

[boilingheart]

First of all, shut the FUCK up stop TALKING to me like that and FUCK ME already WHAT THE HELL!!

Second, this interaction is SO fucking funny, actually. You get out of a horrible fight with shadow monsters and when u turn around Gale has a raging boner 😭😭😂😂

it is absolutely criminal that i can't just jump his bones on the fucking SPOT after this interaction. if i had it MY way i woulda [this statement has been redacted by the advice of my lawyers]

(also oh my god. gale. in front of EVERYONE?? you're saying this to me. IN FRONT OF EVERYONE???????)

[nicnacsnonsense]

OFMD fic in the style of AtLA Southern Raiders where Ed tries to reconcile with Lucius by taking him on a field trip to get revenge on the guys who killed Pepper.

[femslashspuffy]

I LITERALLY just remembered something that I have felt weird about for weeks. Ok gay pirate women episode of ofmd with Anne Bonny and Mary Reid they are just sooo horny the entire fucking episode and they're so violent but they love each other and at the end of the episode they have this nice little moment in the flames and ever since I've seen it I've been talking about it because it just feels off. They do not kiss there. They are the horniest characters on the show and they make fun of Ed and Stede for not having sex yet but they don't kiss there in their big pivotal I love you moment from the episode

And when I saw that when I saw them get that close and then skirt away I thought to myself hrmm, that felt like the homophobia of "era's past" and I said that is really weird, it's really weird that in this show where every person is queer they did not let these two women kiss

Now my friend said maybe it was actor preference and sure maybe but it just didn't sit right with me and it didn't fit. So I thought maybe, maybe the network will have limited how explicit they can make this but then no because Ed and stede have their kiss next episode and I would've been like oh they took that kiss from the girls so they couldn't do it. But then they kiss harder and they go all the way and they have sex and I said hmm. And then lucius and black pete are very affectionate and stede and ed get their other really big kiss in this last episode and I'm just like hmm. (Although I can't remember exactly but Pete and Lucius might not kiss after the proposal and hold that thought)

And now. Now. We have Izzy Hands. And he's been killed for seemingly no reason be it tonal or for a character reason. And he was killed in a very confusing very out of character way. And then the creator of the show goes on to describe his relationship with ed as a "father figure." And I can't help but think that this, again, feels like-- reeks of the homophobia of "days past."

And I think that's why I've been so confused the last few weeks. At a glance this appears to be a decidedly queer show. So why then, why then is it falling back on things that buffy or supernatural did. Shows that were created for different audiences in a "different time" why are we once again hiding and skirting away from kisses like willow and Tara had to do or killing our gay characters from non fatal wounds in a barn on a ship and rewriting their relationships, claiming they have no family. Why are we doing this? In a show about queer love and acceptance? In 2023?

The days of typical queerbait may have passed with the passing of supernatural but there is something dark that I am noticing in this season of ofmd and I really do not like it. And I am in no way saying that this show is queerbait because that is ridiculous but why, in our own shows in shows made for us that aren't being put out on cable or anywhere where people wouldn't know what it is. Why does it feel like our shows are being censored?

[thoughtfullyrainynightmare]

Perhaps I'm taking too much enjoyment out of this but:

Ha!! Take that William! You arm -stealing, treason committing excuse of a Captain!