#open starter: ricky

[monstersxxorxxmen]

"It's Ricky," he finally took pity on his hookup from the night before who was clearly having a hard time remembering his name. He searched for his shirt before giving a shout of victory at finding his it. "Don't worry I'm not offended.... I had fun though? Maybe we could do this again some time?"

Open to M/F/NB

[melodyplucked]

open starter | open to anyone

    ❝    i'd much rather die trying to make something sacred than live as another youtube sensation…    ❞    

[heroestales]

@walstarterblog

"Do you think they have music at this festival?" Ricky mused leaning over his hot coffee at awkward angles. His doe eyes wide and thoughtful. Maybe the whole bisexual thing about sitting was real after all. He had already ruined one notebook dropping the coffee on to it. A hand moved to run through his curls. A slight furrow of his nose the way he always did in thought. "I mean I'd love to play it, but I also just enjoy supporting others that way."

[marisola]

open to m / f / nb

“  i  have  been  trying  so  hard  not  to  say  anything  ,  to  just  ignore  it  ,  but  i  cannot  do  that  any  longer  .  ”

[avastyetwats]

Stede Bonnet - Open Starter #2

Bang.

The bullet flies past the makeshift dummy's head and connects with the wall behind it, right next to the door leading to his quarters.

"You're pathetic." He can hear his father's voice so clearly, he can see the look of hatred and disappointment in his eyes.

Another gunshot. Another miss.

"Weak." Another gunshot and this time it hits the dummy's shoulder, but it wasn't good enough for Stede. Because that isn't where he was aiming.

"Lily-livered." Tears fill Stede's eyes now, obscuring his target. "Rich boy and that's all you'll ever be. You'll never amount to anything!" Stede pulls the trigger, but nothing happens.

It's empty.

He throws the gun onto the ground and unsheathes his sword, storming towards the dummy.

"Baby bonnet!" He can hear Nigel Badminton's laugh now, but not just his - there's so many others. And they're all laughing. "Silly! Outlandish! Pathetic!"

He raises his sword and slashes downward, slicing the old shirt open. "You're no pirate! You're barely even a man!" Anger, shame, and pain fuels him as he slices at the dummy over and over and over, tears spilling from his eyes. He can't stop himself from crying no matter how hard he tries. He's pathetic. He's weak.

"You let me get away. Your plan failed, just like you always do! You're a failure, you're nothing!" Now it's Ricky's voice. The man that took so many lives because of Stede, the man that almost killed Izzy. He turned Ricky into their biggest enemy yet, just as he turned Ed into Blackbeard when he fled. When he ran. Because he was afraid. Because he was a coward.

"It's all your fault! People died because of you, Israel almost died because of you!" This time it isn't his father's voice. It isn't Nigel's voice. It isn't Ricky's voice.

It's his own.

He stabs his sword into the dummy's abdomen once, and then twice, and thrice, brutally running it through as the rage fills him. He's breaking. He's trying desperately to keep himself from shattering, but he's failing. He's always failing.

He stabs the dummy once more and this time, he can't pull his sword out. He pulls and pulls, but to no avail, so with a howl of anger, Stede releases the handle and uses his fists instead, punching the dummy's face over and over and over again until his knuckles start to bleed. "IT'S MY FAULT!" Stede cries out as he beats on the dummy, ignoring the searing pain in his hands. He deserves it anyway, doesn't he? "IT'S ALL MY FAULT!" Innocent people died because of him. The blood was on his hands. Not Blackbeard's, not Ricky's, but his. He'd been the cause of it all. Izzy's life nearly lost because of him. Because of his plan.

It's only suicide if we die. And they almost did. Israel almost did. God, he was an idiot. He was a failure. He didn't belong out here. He was no Captain. He was no pirate. He was no man. Not a good one. Everyone was right... everyone was right.

With a cry of pure anguish, Stede collapses. He shatters completely. His knees hit the floor as he grabs onto his head, sobbing loudly into the otherwise quiet night. Blood drips from his knuckles, adding to the blood he already had on his hands, as the heartbreaking cries rip through him, his body shaking, his stomach churning painfully, his heart shattered.

Stede Bonnet, not a Gentleman Pirate, but a broken man.

[halloweenflcwer]

Open to: Fan/friend/stranger

“I’m sorry I didn’t notice-.” he said looking far too embarrassed after running into the other as he looked down at his feet, before blue eyes looked up once more, a shy smile on his lips, “I’ll try not to let it happen again.” It was after a show so it was dark- he could have just blamed the dark for it but taking accountability was important too right?

[pcetstcrtured]

"when donkey asks shrek what his name is, shrek pauses before he says it and now i'm convinced he came up with it on the spot."

[g0dforb1d]

"I remind you of someone? Seen me before?" She acts like it's an insane accusation as if her face isn't plastered on music magazines world wide.

"I dunno... I guess I have one of those faces or something,"

[lxstreign]

"So can I count on you being my Karaoke partner, my go-to is Back to Black by Amy Winehouse but willing to settle for any Britney Spears or Madona song"

Muse:Ricki Monroe open to anyone

[typhoidcaught]

♪ || TAG DUMP

[alinaceyhan]

closed starter for @enriquemarrero location: north star camp

It was a quiet day at the nurse's cabin, which was always good. Usually, there were a few kids coming in with a sliver or something and she'd bandage them up, but they didn't even have that today. Alina was sitting there in the office reading and listening to the laughter that always filled camp when the door opened and her heart skipped a beat as she saw Ricky enter. Her crush on him had definitely grown throughout the years, but she was content in keeping their friendship just that. She just couldn't control her heart from always skipping when she saw him. She smiled as she stood and put her book down before she noticed him touching somewhere in pain. "You know, you can just visit me like a normal person and don't have to be injured." @enriquemarrero

[heroestales]

Ricky Bowen was almost done with this song. He felt like he’d done a twelve hour shift having not slept several nights and spent them transcribing his soul into his notebook. Playing it seemed crazy. But a voice. A voice of interest. It didn’t help that he fell out of his chair either. “And the stereotypes for bisexuals and creatives continues, sorry.”

@walstarterblog

[hiddenpxpercuts]

@hiddenstarters | Open Starter..

"Oh, ignore the blue paint on my face. I was doing some Spring Break activities and had to take a break from that and get myself something to eat. The food they had there was disgusting." Ricky admitted as he took a fry and popped it in his mouth. "You can sit here though. I'm not a weirdo, well not that weird."

[mudskip-drabbles]

send  💬  for  an  angsty  starter . — Soupmates. Coward. :3

oooo im gonna Getcha oooooo~

"Heya Shades, I'm hoooome!" Singsonged with a backwards kick to shut the door as he shucked off his coat. "Beartrap is stayin' over at Trixie's, so it's just you 'n me tonight!" A stumbling pair of thuds as shoes were removed. "Man, you should'a seen her today! She was awesome! We-" Wait.

Something wasn't right.

"Uh...Rick? You home?" Gio knew he was home, his coat and scarf were still hanging by the door. He never went anywhere without them. "Ricky? Buddy?" Nothing. Rick always greeted them at the door no matter how long they'd been gone. "Riiiick?" Not a sound.

Okay, he was starting to panic now.

Giovanni checked every single place a grown man could hide, behind the couch, under the sink, in the bathtub, under the bed...only place left was the closet in their bedroom.

"Ricky? You in there?" Pressing his ear to the door, he was met with the distant, muffled sound of crying. "I'm...I'm gonna open the door now...okay?" No answer.

With the slow squeak of hinges, the door was pulled open, the dim light emitting from the closed curtains across the room revealing the trembling visage of Rick where he was curled up in the corner on the floor.

"...Ricky?" Quiet, scared, worried, met without even a twitch.

Giovanni lowered himself to his knees and shuffled forwards just an inch at a time.

"Buddy? You okay?" Only the barest touch of fingertips against the icy skin of Rick's arm pulled forth a reaction, that being a sudden jolt backwards with a startled shout from the trembling man as his head hit the wall.

"Woah! Woah woah, it's okay! It's just me! It's Giovanni! Your bestest pal!" Hands held up in a placating manner, Giovanni shot his friend a shaky grin as he watched Rick's breathing grow painfully quick, that being the only sound between them for several agonizing minutes. Then, quiet, disbelieving:

"...Giovanni?" Gio didn't get to answer, the air being knocked frm his lungs as he was tackled into a bone crushing hug. "Itwasgoneitwasgone!!! Itwasthereandthenitwasgone!!!!!"

"Wait, hold on-" Any attempt to pull Rick away from his chest was futile with how tightly his arms held on. It's like...he was afraid that if he let Giovanni go, that he'd just...disappear. "Rick, you gotta breathe for me, okay? Can you do that? In and out, try to match mine....there ya go...." Slowly but surely, Rick was able to get a hold on his breathing. He was still overflowing with sobs and half formed words, but it was something. "It's okay, I got you...." Soft reassurances paired with the soothing rub of a hand between shaking shoulders was able to quiet those sobs, at least enough for Rick to get out-

"I thought you were dead!" Everything froze, everything except Rick's sobs now back near full force. "You were there, and then you were gone!"

"You...you thought I was dead?" A nod was pressed into his chest, Gio's mind trying to piece together this puzzle as more tears soaked into his shirt. "Wait...are you talking about our bond? It...you felt me there, and then you...didn't?"

"Yes!"

"That's....I was only at Trixie's." They all had made a habit to tell Rick if there was even a chance they'd be going too far for him to feel them, none of them wanting to repeat the incident that happened after the Neo Trio went on a field trip a few towns over.

It had taken hours to calm Rick down.

"You can still feel Trixie, can't you? And Molly?" A pause, Rick holding even his breath until he gave a slow nod in confirmation. "Well then why..." Oh.

Oh-

"Oh, Shit! Ricky- We...Molly's epithet, we wanted to see if she could dumb down someone else's, s-so I let her dumb down mine. It...it must have...Fuck, I'm so sorry Rick! If I had known I would have-" ...called.

"Rick that...that was hours ago! Have you...you've been sitting here this whole time, thinking I was dead?! Why didn't you just call me?" It was far from accusatory, the question hardly above a whisper.

"I...I DON'T KNOW!" Yelled into Gio's chest, a new wave of tears soaked into his shirt as stuttered apologies tried to break through the sobs. "I-I I'm s-s-sorry! I should have helped! I should have- I-I- I'm sorry, I was t-too scared to- t-t-to leave the cage-"

Everything came to a stop.

"What?" Rick couldn't breath. "What do you..." He was breathing too much. "Rick...look at me?" But he couldn't, his head shaking as he held Gio even tighter. He was afraid if he looked up, his fears would be true.

"Hey...It's okay...Rick, it's okay. I'm right here, I'm not goin' anywhere. You can even hear my heartbeat, see?" Soft spoken as a hand gently carded through dual colored locks, sobs quieted long enough for Rick to press an ear to Gio's chest-

Before crying even louder than before.

Gio didn't push, arms holding Rick tight as he cried himself out, only soft spoken reassurances whispered into the sweat and tear slicked hair stuck to Rick's forehead. Eventually, when wails mellowed out to just hiccups between breathes;

"Rick...what did you mean cage?" A question he regretted as soon as he asked, Rick hands holding onto the back of his shirt so tightly Gio thought it might rip. Before he could take it back, to tell Rick that he didn't have to explain if he didn't want to, Rick...started to talk.

And talk. And talk.

By the end, Giovanni was the one buried into Rick's chest while the wizard pet through pink locks, half sobbed rambling of how they were going to 'overthrow the aquatic government' the only thing he was able to really get out between stuttered hiccups. They stayed on the floor for what felt like hours, simply holding each other tight until tears eventually ceased to flow between the two of them, and breathing was only hitched with the occasional hiccup.

"Hey, we... we gotta redo the pact!" A sudden grasp at normality, a hope to move past all this, but Rick could only respond with a look of pure confusion.

"You...still wish to...but...am I not harmful to your image?" He as broken, pathetic. He'd hid in a closest instead of helping Giovanni in what he thought was his final moments.

He didn't deserve his friendship.

"Uh, yeah? Why wouldn't I? You're my minion! A good boss can't go around abandoning his minions for no reason." Said so confidently, like it was indisputable fact. "And you have the most epic supervillain backstory!" A bit of cheer found it's way back into Gio's voice as a palm wiped at his eyes, something that Rick was able to reflect in a shaky smile. "Not to mention you have a bitchin' villain name! Rick Shades! It's awesome!" Even as Rick laughed, he still felt...hollow. Giovanni had said he'd wanted to be his friend, but...nothing had happened.

Did...did he not mean it?

"Think about it! With how strong you are, and how awesome I am, we'll make the most epic team! The wORLD WILL COME TO FEAR US!!" Rick could only blink at first, Giovanni sounded so sincere, but...

"y-Yes! HAHA! EXACTLY!" Grabbing Gio's hand, he held it up between the two of them as he tried to grin back. "All the world will come to know of our names! And with such awe-inspiring POWER at our disposal, none shall be able to decline the mighty hand when extended in FRIENDSHIP!!"

Friendship that Giovanni didn't feel back anymore.

"Hell yeah, Odi! Oh wait, can I call you Odi?" A perplexing question, seeing as Rick Odi had said only his friends tended to call him that.

"Of course! Why wouldn't you-" Cut off by a gasp as an unexpected force gripped at his heart, Gio mirroring the same as they watched that familiar string reconnect between them. "...what just happened."

What?

"What do you mean, 'what just happened'! It's your epithet!" Hadn't this happened several times by now?

"Yes, but...it...has never worked that way before..." The hand not holding Gio's came to rest over his heart, Odi's brows knit tight with confusion.

"Wwwhaaat do you mean? You said you bonded with Bear Trap after she called you Odi, right? Because it meant you were friends? You said I could call you Odi, soooo..." A gesture between the two of them, something that only deepened Odi's confusion.

"But...you asked me." Oh.

OH.

"You asked me, and it...I've....never had anyone ask me to be their friend before..." Did...that mean it wasn't just a hollow connection? That...that the 'friendship' had to be mutually felt with those he connected with?

His friends...loved him just as must as he loved them?

"Oh..." More tears, but happy this time, a smile plastering itself to Odi's face as his free hand wiped at his eyes.

"Ooookay, I have no idea what's going on, buuuut I assume it a good thing?" A nod, Odi too busy laughing now as he gave up on drying his cheeks.

"Yes. It is...a very good thing." They all...they all really did care about him...

"Cool! Uh...weee should probably get off the floor, my back's kinda starting to hurt?" He was still pinned to the floor with Odi sprawled on top of him, not that he seemed to mind beyond his aching spine. "We can order something from that pizza place you like? And you can tell me all about this really good thing?" Shifting off of Gio, Odi gave a nod as he held out a hand to help his friend off the floor.

"First you must tell me about this 'special training' Molly partook in. Is she as strong as we believe her to be?" To his surprise, Giovanni took hold of his hand once more as he led them towards the door.

"Even stronger! You should've seen her, Odi! She was like 'Bear Claw'! And my epithet went 'whoosh'!" As he listened to Giovanni retell such a grand tale, neither of them seemed to realize Odi had only grabbed his scarf where it hung by the door. If he put on his coat, he'd have to let go of Giovanni's hand and...

He never wanted to let go. And Giovanni didn't either.

[ccrusso]

starter: (specifically for @drvioletmetcalfe, @mvximized, @tctteredwings, & @kitsantoss) but also open to anyone else! @bhqextras location: Songbirds & Sangria Karaoke Tent

(this is a group starter, not a group thread!)

cece needed something like this. the woman had been feeling more established now in new york but work was starting to actually feel like...well a job, instead of just a fun thing she got to do with her favorite cousin, and a part of her was missing ricky just a little bit extra...so the festival filled with drinks, tents and good music couldn't have come at a more perfect time. she was currently buzzed, swaying and singing along as someone finished their rendition of a fleetwood mac classic, and she quickly turns to the other in excitement, eyes bright as she almost tips over her cup in excitement. "oooh, sing with me? you're singin' with me! what should we do?!" she gasps, grasping onto the mini book of selections that a worker hands her way. "i mean don't go breakin' my heart is a classic, of course, but there's also (i've had) the time of my life...oooh! or you're the one that i want!" she looks back over at them from where she's pointing at the line. "ya know, believe it or not that movie absolutely raised me."

[pcetstcrtured]

""i got at least a solid eight minutes of sleep last night. not consecutively, but it's fine - you're not even that blurry."