Shadowcovcn - Tumblr Posts

🪐 — LASZLO CRAVENSWORTH​  for  nadja !

     NOT ALL CORPSES REANIMATE; SOME SIMPLY WITHER AWAY. Only the strongest of mortals were fit to endure the process. Your will to live is strong, his chest puffed out in pride at the compliment. “ Of course, it is, my dark mistress, ” he said as he needlessly smoothed the front of his nightshirt, now soaked with three days of sweat and sickness. The past few nights had been a blur of nightmarish fever, yet he remembered her clearly. This stranger whom he barely knew had cared for him. Now he was well. More than well, in fact. Despite his exhaustion, there was a sense of renewal. It was as if a thick fog had finally cleared. Sounds were sharper. Colours were brighter. He was reborn.  

     “ I dare say I’ve never felt better. ” He leaned against his elbow as he soaked in her exquisite beauty. She was more beautiful now than she had been when he invited her through his window, if that were possible.  He opened his mouth to address her once more only to realize that he did not know her name- between her fucking him into oblivion and then sucking him dry there really hadn’t been time for pesky introductions. “ What might I call you, my darling. ”

   HIS ETERNAL LIFE  had been bestowed on a whim in the throes of their passion.  &  in truth, nadja hadn’t really thought the man would make it through that first night. she’d certainly made a mess of his throat while taking her pleasure ( though luckily the head had remained attached this time ),  &  she had half expected the blood loss to be insurmountable for his weak mortal heart, the wound too wide to heal before her venom made the changes necessary to keep him alive.  &  yet something within had called upon her to stay  &  watch, needing to know for sure.                             that first night, the wound on his neck had shrunken to a slim puckered line as he lie wracked with fevers  &  sweats, his body purging all traces of mortality. by the second night, nadja had been amazed to see that not a trace of her fangs remained on his throat. yet he lingered in delirium for another night longer.  &  still, she waited.  the change from mortal to undead was not pleasant, she knew from her own experience.  she had been left on her own for hers, forced to hide to learn to survive alone  —  &  for some unknown reason, nadja had found herself unable to leave his side through his, unwilling to condemn this man she barely knew to that same fate.  instead she had remained at his side, though there was little she could do to soothe his discomfort. it was the fourth night that he fell silent for a beat, only to lean up from the bed  &  speak clearly at last, his eyes clear again.       ❝ actually, dark mistress will suffice for now  —  i quite like the sound of that, ❞  she all but purrs her response.  though her heart has not beaten in centuries, nadja is certain that were it able to, it would be fluttering madly at the note of sincerity in his voice.  &  moving so quickly that mortal eyes would perceive her only in a blur, nadja crosses to the man’s bedside.  though the putrid smell of sick still clings to his sweaty clothes, beneath that there is no warm  &  tempting scent of living blood.  &  a hand extends to tilt his chin up  &  tuck two fingers just beneath, checking for any whisper of a pulse.  but it’s still, his heart as silent as her own.  he is finally dead.  ❝ &  you, my great  &  powerful bull ?  what is your name ? ❞

🪐 — LASZLO CRAVENSWORTH  for  nadja !

     VAMPIRES WERE MEANT TO BE MERE LEGENDS. Yet here he stood in front of a mirror devoid of his reflection. His tongue glided over his canines newly sharpened to a predatory point. Laszlo had found that hunger was not all too different for the undead, he still craved a good meal every night (even if daily feeding was no longer necessary). Up to now, his lovely Nadja had been providing his meals- allowing him to grow accustomed to his new powers. 

     Laszlo couldn’t have agreed more. With a dramatic flourish, he flung his cape over his shoulders. He turned to Nadja, with a glimmer of excitement flickering in his eyes like candlelight he graciously offered her his arm. They exited the newly abandoned (courtesy of his vampiric mistress) home and arm-in-arm walked down the darkened streets of London. 

     It didn’t take long for them to reach a well-populated area. His eyes darted from person to person. So many choices. Laszlo’s mouth watered at the thought of gorging himself on the thick, warm, buttery blood of an unsuspecting victim. As the thought crossed his mind a young, delicious-looking man cut in front of their path. He smelt like the most delectable cut of Kobe beef. Like a dog on a leash, Laszlo jerked forward, only stopped by Nadja’s arm still tightly intertwined with his own. “ Him. ”

    THE HONEST TRUTH IS  that nadja had grown bored of the job of keeping her fledgling fed rather quickly.  to hunt enough prey for both herself  &  a newborn was actually quite a lot of work,  &  nadja never had much in the way of caring instincts.  at least, not until now.  but thankfully,  laszlo was growing stronger by the day, his appetite hearty  &  his instincts sharp.  he was ready to hunt for himself.  &  london is a city with considerable nightlife, she had found, a wide array of potential entrees milling about under the streetlamps.                                laszlo proved to be decisive, choosing a man  &  moving towards him as though out of instinct. still, nadja restrained him with her hand, all too aware of the practical need to be just a little more discreet than to drain a man here in the middle of a crowd.  &  yet there was a low hum in her throat, almost a purr,  that betrayed how his bloodlust pleased her.  he would make a fine vampire, she could see as much already.  ❝ patience, my dark baby. ❞ nadja murmured, her voice soft by her standards, but still nowhere near a whisper.  after all, there is no need to hush herself when she could easily hypnotize anyone who happened to overhear.  ❝ we must wait until he is alone, that way you can  take the time to really savor  the first meal you’ve caught for yourself without being interrupted by any pathetic mortal screaming  &  crying,  you see ? ❞                  luckily for them, the man in question makes for a side street with no companion by his side,  &  nadja takes a step after him, keeping laszlo close at her side.  ❝ come, darling, we will follow him. ❞  she sets a torturously slow pace, but only so that they might seem as mortals to any who see them slip through the square  —  a pair of young lovers out for a late night stroll, just like any other.  &  though nadja is far from young, something about the excitement of laszlo’s first kill has her feeling something akin to reborn herself.  ❝ you should go for the throat, just beneath the jaw.  that’s where the skin is nice  &  thin but the blood is still hot.  bite down hard,  &  keep your teeth in until you’re done, or else he’ll flail around  &  might get away, you understand ? ❞  she can only hope he does, for soon they are upon him in the close dark shadows between two tall buildings,  &  nadja lets her hand release  &  fall from his arm at last.  ❝ now, my love, go ! ❞

🪐 — @shadowcovcn​​  ( laszlo )  sent   a meme   for  nadja   :

87  —  private dancer  by  tina turner   ▶︎

      ❝ YOU DON’T LOOK AT THEIR FACES  &  you don’t ask their names.  you don’t think of them as human;  you don’t think of them at all. ❞

🪐 — @trickstercaptain  +  @shadowcovcn​  ( laszlo ) sent   a meme   for  nadja   :

69  —  hounds of love  by  kate bush   ▶︎

    ❝ WHEN I WAS A CHILD  i’d run in the night, afraid of what might be  — hiding in the dark, hiding in the streets from what was following me.  &  now the hounds of love are hunting me. ❞

🪐 — @shadowcovcn​​​  ( laszlo )  sent   a meme   for  stede   :

90  —  fool  by  djo   ▶︎

     ❝ JUST TELL ME  what to do  —  i always felt so foolish, anyway.  ❞

🪐 — @shadowcovcn​​​  ( baron )  sent   a meme   for  carlisle   :

37  —  cassandra  by  florence + the machine   ▶︎

    ❝ NOW WHEN I GO OUT  there’s no one about  —  they’ve put crosses on their doors just to try to keep me out. ❞

🪐 — @shadowcovcn​​​  ( baron )  sent   a meme   for  nadja   :

25  —  gloom  by  djo   ▶︎

     ❝ I TOLD YOU  that i really couldn’t handle much more, but then you went my back.  so now  i’m ready to go. ❞

🪐 — @shadowcovcn​​​  ( laszlo )  sent   a meme   for  izzy   :

75 —  kalahari down by orville peck  ▶︎

     ❝ WELL WHAT DO I KNOW : just a bunch of sorrow. & it's not as if there's a trail to follow. besides, i'm better off alone if you ask me. ❞

Beep, beep! Do you know how amazing you are? Befriending you has been one of the highlights of my year. Whether it's plotting like mad men or shooting the shit ooc, talking with you every day is something I look forward to. You're an amazing person and I'm very blessed to have you in my life.

ace !! you total & utter gift of a human being, did you know that i love you just so so much ? did you know that i smile every time i see your screenname pop up bc i know it's probably going to be a random yet incredibly thoughtful question about a nuanced aspect of my muses, a cute animal picture, or just a beloved friend checking on on how my day is going ? did you know that your friendliness & open minded nature is honestly so inspiring to me ? did you know that i don't even mind when you relentlessly peer pressure me into a new muse or verse because i know it's just gonna end up with us having a great time coming up with some new harebrained plot to explore ? did you know that you're basically impossible to dislike, & i am so so glad we became honest-to-goodness close friends this year ? well i hope you know now. thanks for being exactly who you are, & for sharing who you are with me. i'm so grateful to know you, i adore you to pieces & i can't wait to see what kind of ridiculous plot decisions we pressure each other into exploring in the new year. 💕

SHE DOESN'T STAY AWAY for longer than she must, curling instinctively back against laszlo’s side the moment the furry little thing has disentangled itself from her skirts. after months with a vast ocean forcing their seperation, nadja cannot bear to leave even a meager gap between them, one of her hands taking hold of the one that laszlo offers & lacing their fingers tightly together. ❝  if you were getting lonely here on your own, surely you could have found some more entertaining company to keep than these little beasts.  didn't the neighbor man come  &  check on you ?  i sent a raven to ask him to see that you were still bathing  &  eating. ❞  nadja had worried about her husband being left entirely on his own. without her, laszlo had a tendency to forego his own needs in favor of whatever whim had captured his attentions in that moment — usually some kind of pornography. but she had hoped that the strange thing that had escaped from the corpse of colin robinson for would be enough of a reason for him to keep himself functioning, especially considering it had been enough to abandon her to face london alone.  &  to her relief, it seemed that while the house has fallen into disrepair, laszlo has been able to keep himself  (  &  indeed, an entire herd of odd little beings )  alive  &  thriving amongst the manor wreckage.

still, nadja fusses over her husband. she simply cannot help it, free hand smoothing the wrinkles out of the undershirt he wears  &  running through the thick waves of his hair.  ❝ when is the last time you fed ? ❞  concern bleeds into her tone, pulling it higher in both putch & volume.  ❝ how many times have i told you — you need to drink at least one fully grown human every week. you want to keep your strength up, don’t you, my great beloved ox of a man ? ❞

     HOW HE HAD LONGED FOR HER TOUCH THIS PAST YEAR- THE LONGEST YEAR OF HIS ETERNAL LIFE. They had never been apart for this long. Of course, taking care of the boy had occupied much of his time, distracting him from the impulse to play the piano and wank until her return, or better yet join his darling Nadja in London. However, in the early hours of the evening when there was nothing to do but slumber beside the empty space where her coffin once stood, those were the moments when his aching heart became impossible to ignore. With her return those torturous mornings were all but a distant memory. Laszlo haphazardly kicked rotted debris to the side as they bounded up the stairs hand-in-hand. He only paused once at the sound of her voice, turning to her, and pressing a kiss against the back of her hand. “Every second away from you was a second too long.”

     The feeling of Nadja's tongue against his hand sends goosebumps up his skin. He shuddered, wanting nothing more than to be with her, inside of her. For one's pleasure to become the others--- and then she squealed, pulling away from whatever diabolical creature had temporarily broken the moment. His free hand reached out to steady her as a black and grey miscreant scurried out from under her legs and into one of its many newly made holes. Laszlo squinted at the raccoon. At first, he had tried to get rid of them, but it had been a lost cause. They were roguish creatures that seemed to procreate at an astonishing rate. He simply couldn’t deny the sense of comradery he held for creatures that liked to fuck as much as he did. “ They’re raccoons, my darling. They took up residence in the walls some time ago. That’s Rocket, Toby, and Mozart, ” he said, pointing them out one by one.  

@musecraft

      LONG AGO,  she might have told him he looked dashing — even regal.  &  nadja could certainly admit that he was still handsome, especially now that he was returned to his former self by the djinn's magic.  but the fact remained that staten island was an entirely different world than the one they had met in all those centuries ago, back when the baron had wielded broad power  &  influence  —  &  he had very little of either now.  & nadja almost feels sorry for him.   ❝ that's just it, baron :  no one really wants to look like a noble anymore.  in twenty twenty-three, the hot look is more sporty peasant.  it’s much better to be relatable, you know. ❞  &   she pulls up her layers of skirts to reveal a pair of air jordans underneath.  ❝ like these.  i killed a man in the park for these.  i think they really boost my street cred. ❞

❝ why are you dressed like a sad silk trader? ❞  — for baron from nadja sent by @musecraft​

     IT HAD ONLY BEEN THREE HUNDRED YEARS AGO when Baron had been setting the latest fashion trends. But now, it seemed, time had gotten away from him. The world was becoming an ever stranger place— the New World specifically was a very strange place. One where kings mingled with paupers and vampires assimilated rather than thrived. Baron shook his head incredulously, his fingers tracing tenderly over the finely embroidered silk. He already suspected the answer but felt compelled to ask anyway, “ Is this not what all the nobles are wearing? ”

      ❝ I NEVER SAID i don't love you. ❞ the baron should know by now exactly how carlisle feels for him, & so his anger does not dissipate with the obvious ploy for pity. if anything, it only runs hotter. ❝ it's like you don't even listen to me when i speak. i may as well discuss moral philosophy with a brick wall. you think you know everything one could possibly ever know already & that no one could possibly have a valid argument if it's from a viewpoint you don't want to consider. it's infuriating. you infuriate me. ❞ & yet, when he considers taking the suggestion & leaving, the idea is repellant to him. something nameless keeps carlisle here, an unseen tether compelling him to continue arguing with this man who he knows will never agree with him. for yet another long night just seems more bearable if they are together — even if they find themselves once again at each other's throats.

100  —  the chain  by  fleetwood mac - from @musecraft​ (carlisle) for baron

“ Go back to hiding in the shadows with your rats. Damn your lies. If you don’t love me now you have never loved me.”

      HUMANS WERE ALWAYS dim, slow creatures, but they were especially pathetic at night when they could barely see. convenient, considering that venturing out of her coffin & onto the deck during the daylight hours would quickly cook her alive. but after the caribbean sun had slipped beneath the horizon, it was a simple matter for nadja & laszlo to turn into bats & fly over to their targeted ship before returning to their human bodies & feeding upon the crewmen. once their thirst had been sated, it was much easier to plunder whatever they pleased from the cargo. & between the two of them, they often left the cabins & the hold alike picked clean.          this crew had put up a particularly heartfelt fight, but nadja still cut through them without much difficulty, their dedication to protecting whatever the vessel carried only encouraging her to move faster. when the spanish soldiers had all been felled, nadja left laszlo to feed & pressed on below, eager to discover what cargo the humans seemed so ready to give their lives defending. a locked door awaited, but it barely delayed her as she crashed through, tearing the iron padlocks from one chest after another & flinging their lids open. & when each one had its contents revealed, she squealed in delight, calling for her husband to come & see the spoils for himself.        she was untangling a long strand of pearls from a cache overflowing with gold chains & jeweled pendants when laszlo appeared behind her, sweeping her into his arms & drawing out another adoring squeal. ❝ look, my love, look ! it's the most gold i've ever seen in one place — & it's all ours ! ❞ his compliment earned him a kiss, nadja pausing in her celebration long enough to to lick a few lingering droplets of the captain's blood from his lips before she found her feet again. ❝ but must we really tell the rest of crew ? we did all the work of taking the ship after all — is seems fair that we should get all the reward. ❞ she mused, returning to the pile of jewelry & freeing the pearls from the chest at last before draping them loosely around her pale neck. ❝ i think we deserve to keep the finest things for ourselves for once, don't you my dear ? ❞

     THE DRAINED CORPSE OF THE FINAL SPANISH FOE dropped unceremoniously to the ground. The sound of his wife’s voice beckoned him down the hull until he found his way to a door halfway ajar. “ What have you found, my darl-? ” His words were cut short as he stepped into the room, the sight before him truly being one to behold. Several chests all opened to reveal an array of glistening jewels and coins. However, it was the sight of Nadja standing there, the light of her lantern flickering against her skink, which would have made his heart skip a beat was he not already dead. “ Look at that! ” Laszlo wrapped his arms around Nadja’s waist, momentarily lifting her in his excitement. “ Were you not here those jewels would be the most gorgeous thing I’ve seen today.” He let her go, although one hand lingered on the small of her back as the other scooped out a handful of the gold doubloons. “ We should probably let the rest of the crew know… ”

‘wait ‘til you see what’s down here. we’re going to be… um, rich.’ — for laszlo from nadja sent by @musecraft

     WHEN HE TAKES HER HAND, nadja expects to feel teeth sink into her wrist. for what could be more important to a newborn vampire than their thirst for fresh blood? she remembers that, too : the way that her throat had seemed dry to the point of pain only a few hours after her change had finished, & the way that water had only made her ill all over again. he must be hungry. but instead, he only kisses the back of her hand, the image of a perfect english gentleman even as he rises from his deathbed & steps into immortality.

                      the tender gesture is enough to surprise nadja into temporary silence. & he seems to take advantage of her shock to cling to her hand a little longer. yet though their fingers remain entwined, his bright eyes drift out of focus, as if he is distracted by something, or deep in thought. but when he poses his question, it makes nadja laugh, the outburst reminding her where her voice is.

     ❝ cure you? don't be ridiculous, laszlo. i didn't cure you, i killed you, ❞ she clarifies, her tone unapologetic. ❝ perhaps i should apologize. i didn't mean to kill you. really, i didn’t — it's just that i saw you through your window & you were so handsome. & then when you let me in, & i suppose it's possible that i got a little carried away in our lovemaking. your fragile throat simply couldn't handle my passion, my sweet. ❞ & now it is nadja's turn to shrug. as if it's her fault that mortal men were so lovely & yet so easily broken.

             ❝ but i wasn't ready to let you go, so i made you swallow some of my blood as you lie dying. & now you're a vampire. ❞ & then she grins widely, her red lips pulling back to reveal a pair of long, needle-sharp fangs. ❝ like me. ❞

     SHE WAS LIKE A LIONESS encroaching on her prey, moving faster than he would have imagined possible. Common sense would dictate that he should be afraid. But how could he be? The past few days were a blur of pain and fever of which he thought he might not survive. Yet through that muddled haze, he had felt her presence. She, a stranger who owed him nothing, had watched over him like a guardian angel. For the first time since childhood, he had felt safe. 

     Perhaps it was merely a side-effect of his prolonged sickness, but he found himself acutely aware of his surroundings. Lights seemed ablaze and the sounds of the occasional carriage rolling down the cobblestone path below his apartment were thunderous. But her touch, by mighty her touch, was more poignant than anything he had felt before. Despite having been indoors for quite some time her fingers were cold- though he did not find this unpleasant. He shifted his weight onto his knees so they met eye to eye and gently grasped the fingers pressed against his neck. “ Leslie. Leslie Cravensworth, ” with that he pressed a kiss onto the back of her hand.

     The faint smell of blood on her hand left him with the overwhelming urge to suck on her fingers if only to have a chance at a glancing taste. He pulled back, brows knitted together as he struggled to put the pieces of this strange puzzle together. This was all quite peculiar. Leslie was well-read on the latest medical literature however when considering all his symptoms from the past few days to present no ailment sprung to mind. What’s more, he had gone from being deathly ill to feeling as if he had been reborn. Did the maiden before him have anything to do with this? Leslie was not one to believe supernatural babble, but could this truly be a coincidence? It was impossible to say. His memories of their night together were patchy. “ I’m terribly sorry, my darling, but I don’t seem to recall much of anything. Last I remember you had me on the verge of climax and then- ” he gave a shrug. “ Not a damn thing after that. What was it that you did to cure me. ”

       THE RESISTANT TONE jim takes makes izzy flinch in spite of himself. he knows the price for failing to obtain obedience from the crew — has learned the lesson twice over by now. he knows that when things go wrong aboard the ship, it is he who shoulders the blame. & he also knows that their current hell is at least partially of his own making, and that it is his duty to the crew is bear the brunt of edward's rage. so he takes his punishments without complaint, bites his tongue to keep from screaming & doesn't pull away even when the knife cuts through bone.

                  but he has not entirely gained control of the fear that takes hold of him when he knows it's coming, his breath hitching & his hands beginning to tremble. & this mistake will certainly provoke edward's wrath, the cask of rum they’d taken on in the last raid evidently improperly secured & left to crack open & soak the storeroom with liquor. still, izzy tries to speak evenly, to sound confident, to stand straight despite the stabbing ache in his mangled foot.

    ❝ you’ll do as i say & keep your mouth shut about it, ❞ he snaps, loathing the waver he cannot entirely keep out of his voice. ❝ i’ll handle this mess, & you’'ll go back to your post & stay out of the way. ❞ & out of edward's line of fire. ❝ that’s an order, jim. ❞

❝ we will never speak of this again. ❞ — for jim from izzy ( @musecraft )

"THERE'S- THERE'S NO WAY HE DOESN'T NOTICE THIS." The crew's "crime" may as well have been splattered across the room. They were fucked. They were all fucked. Blackbeard was going to lose what was left of his mind over this silly, stupid error.

As always, Izzy spoke with the utmost certainty. As if he could see into the future and know that as long as they kept their damn mouths shut everything would be okay. And Jim wanted to believe him. Christ almighty. All he had to do was turn around and climb back up to the deck. But his feet, always nimble and ready to dance across the ground as if he walked on clouds, were now made of lead. A quick glance out of the corner of his eye was all Jim needed to know the truth. Nothing could make Izzy lose his composure completely. But a well trained eye could see how the past few months had worn on him. Before he could so much as make an offer Izzy cut him off, "we will never speak of this again."

Fuck that.

"Enough with the lone wolf shit. I'm not going't let you take the fall for this. " Either they figured this out or their deranged captain cut off both their toes.

❝ NO WORSE FOR WEAR. ❞ save the missing toes, the sleepless nights, & the damnable bleeding heart in edward's chest that insisted upon making the rest of the caribbean bleed with it. but izzy knows better than to say so aloud. whatever the cause of edward's good mood today, he doesn't anticipate it to last — but he also doesn't intend to befoul it. ❝ we're already older than most of our lot will ever be. must be doing something right. ❞

You are not the burnt and broken shell of a man that I believed you to be. — for ed from izzy ( @musecraft )

"And you're not the listless, browbeaten husk of a man that I feared you'd become. Look at us. How many decades? And no worse for wear then when we started."

❝ He was my closest friend. Lost to a cheap and cowardly shot. ❞ 🪐 — @shadowcovcn ▶ edward teach for izzy hands

         AFTER A LIFETIME of battle spent mostly managing to avoid scars, it seemed his luck had finally dried up. he’d had a good run, but now izzy was getting old, his body slower & more mangled by the week. & it was leading to stupid mistakes, unnecessary injuries. it’s a testament to how badly the past months had been for his normally excellent track record that he couldn’t even be certain which shot ed was referring to — the one delivered by his own hand, or the hit the prince had managed to land in their skirmish to escape nassau. ❝ would you stop being so fucking dramatic ? ❞ he grumbles & shifts slightly, restless in the bed. the movement leaves his still healing bullet wound throbbing. science may have told them that there was nothing important on that side of the body, but it still hurt like holy hell. ❝ you never lost me. knew right where i was the whole time. ❞ 

                        but izzy has known ed long enough to be able to hear the muffled note of remorse in his tone, understand the apology hidden in his words. it's hard not to think about the last time ed had appeared at his bedside like this, glowing like a messenger from god himself. as izzy lie damned & dying, he'd half thought ed had come to personally deliver him to his death. but today is entirely different; as if ed has come seeking absolution. but he doesn't need it; izzy has already forgiven him, for everything. ❝ & you're not gonna lose me, ❞ he says, voice quieter but no less rough. ❝ i’m not going anywhere. you don't understand that yet ? ❞

🪐 — spotify wrapped memes : @shadowcovcn ( frenchie ) for izzy # 66 61 ▶ free by florence + the machine

❝ THIS IS HOW IT IS — how it's always been. ❞ they're alone in the captain's cabin, just the two of them, & izzy allows himself to watch frenchie's hands with open appraciation as they gracefully move over the strings of his lute. with the wedding fast approaching, the new captain & his first mate had a surprise performance to plan. & given all that they'd been through in recent weeks, it felt only right to celebrate their collective survival. a little strange, maybe, but somehow fitting. ❝ we exist in the face of suffering & death & somehow still keep singing. ❞

🪐 — spotify wrapped memes : @shadowcovcn ( frenchie ) for stede # 47 ▶ mama šč! by let 3

OF ALL THE UNEXPECTED changes that stede had discovered upon finally returning to the revenge, perhaps the most difficult for him to wrap his head around was the unwavering loyalty that the crew members who were aboard during ed's rampage had developed towards their first mate. he had expected mass agreement when he suggested that izzy depart the ship — his betrayal of them all to the english was more than worthy of banishment, from his perspective.

but when he broaches the topic with jim, he is met with firm rejection. even more surprisingly, frenchie reacts with a look of abject panic & confusion. & when he demands to know why stede would suggest such a thing, the captain finds that he cannot hide his frustrations any longer. ❝ well, he's a vicious little psychopath, for one thing ! ❞

🪐 — spotify wrapped memes : @shadowcovcn ( edward ) for izzy # 98 ▶ rodeo by lil nas x

THOUGH HE'D THREATENED to leave more than once over the long years they'd sailed together, it had always been spoken out of frustration, empty of any genuine truth. but izzy can tell by the hard look in ed's eyes that this is different — this is real. ❝ i thought you would stay with me. ❞ terror wells up inside him, the idea of a future without his captain at his side utterly unknowable. ❝ i'm yours, you're mine. ❞ his hand flexes, longing to reach for ed. but izzy resists the urge toward gentleness, as he always does. instead he curls his fingers into a fist at his side, well-worn leather tightening over his knuckles. even now, his body remembers its place. yet his voice proves more difficult to control, words that are entirely-too-honest spilling out of him in a panic before izzy can stop them. ❝ & what am i gonna do ? i don't have a clue — there is no me without you. ❞