“no one ranks for creative genius like a sailor shirking work.” for stephen from william

{ True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle Starters }

“Is that what we’re calling this?” Stephen retorted, the amusement in his tone as undeniable as the laughter that had been startled out of him after finding the young lad ensconced away in the tremulous boughs of a young ficus citrifolia – no grown man would have been able to settle so easily upon those slender limbs and find security, let alone the

lackadaisical

comfort presently exuded by the young lord. And how he had managed it with one arm! Stephen could not fathom, but creative genius certainly did seem to apply itself to the moment.

Hardly one to care overly much for the strict runnings of a ship ( no doubt to Jack’s eternal exasperation and deep frustration ) Stephen stepped over and rather than scold the boy, simply set the journal he had wanted to bring him into his hat. It was not the most secure means of delivery, but it would assure the pages their safety should he miss his aim.

Steadying himself, he leaned back and flung it up for William to catch. “That ought to give you something to do other than nap,” He offered, the smile in his voice undeniable as the crinkle at his eyes.

Of Boys & Sea Monsters

@lightsailing continued from [x]

In truth of reflection, Stephen would be hard pressed to be sure whom he had been attempting to placate in that moment – the young lord Blakeney, or the poor tortoise whom had startled the lad. As it was, the boy’s calm and apparent delight with matters soothed whatever remaining nerves he held himself, and Stephen could not contain his own smile.

“Yes, I rather suppose it is easy to lose track out here – and they are phenomenally quiet creatures!” They were rather surrounded by them in fact, most of them having wandered a bit more up the ridge in search of more low hanging foliage upon which to indulge. This one, it seemed, had found itself convinced that a shirt would make fine fare instead.

Reaching up, Stephen plucked a branch the tortoise would not have been able to reach on its own, and held it above the creature’s snout – drawing attention to it and hopefully, aiding his young companion in escaping the less than dire clutches of his newfound friend.

“I’d never thought them capable of growing quite so large – it truly is a wonder, this place.” So many undiscovered secrets, nature unveiling countless marvels in one small stretch of islands. He’d meant to do more travelling today, but as it was they had time to sit and rest, which he’d allowed himself on account of his injury – since, they’d found so much in this spot, he’d rather lost the urge to move!

The Good Die Young

@lightsailing continued from [x]

To his credit, young Blakeney was holding up better under the knife than many men twice his age had done without a nigh heart stopping amount of laudanum in their systems. Stephen was reluctant to use too much on the boy, knowing its ravaging effects could be hard enough on adults – and while he was sure some would argue Blakeney’s status on that front, he was in no mood to hear it. There were some matters when age held too much impact for pride to hold any bearing between who ought to qualify as a boy or a man, and medicine was most certainly one of them.

The work was taxing – both physically and on a lower, internal level that Stephen quietly suppressed. To enact this level of violence on so small a form – even for the sake of sparing the life – was trying at best. It was something Stephen never did particularly well with on a personal level, though he was wise never to show it – but there were times he could not help but remark on certain points of interest, such as ( in this instance ) the sheer amount of blood one small body could contain.

The quiet apology catches him off guard – he had not thought Blakeney was even coherent at the moment, but as it was his own reply was clipped from the stress of his efforts and his desire to get this matter resolved swiftly so as to see the lad on his way to recovery with as minimal pain as possible under the given circumstances.

“That was rhetorical – and hardly anything to apologize for.” He doubted the boy was functional enough to maintain conversation – though if he was some alcohol might be needed soon enough. This next procedure would be even worse, as the flesh was cauterized to seal the wound.

💦 FROM JACK TO STEPHEN IM SCREAMING HOLMES

{ Nonverbal Starters }

“Jesus,” The prayer fell from his lips unbidden and unwanted even as his head fell back slightly, unable to bear gazing down at the lewd sight Jack had made of himself. Firm hands kept his thighs spread wide, which was perhaps the only thing keeping Stephen steady at the moment as he fought to keep himself silent against the sensations – marvelling, momentarily, at how much easier it was to resist a sound against pain than it was to deny his voice against pleasure.

He could not tell from where the tremble in his hand stemmed as he brought it up to sift through the captain’s hair, catching at the nape of his neck with more uncertainty than he had known in ages. He did not know whether he wanted Jack to stay exactly where he was, or if he wanted to pull him back and regain some semblance of control over himself and the situation.

In the end, the decision was made for him by some fiendish trick of the tongue. One moment he was caught in the midst of debate – the next, he was gripping Jack firmly and canting his hips up in unspoken demand without any conscious decision on his part. It was all he could do, in that moment, not to set a rhythm right then and make use of what was being offered to him.

Slowly, reluctantly, he eased his grip and urged Jack off, unwilling to risk obstructing his breathing – though some wild part of him wanted to sink into this completely, he could not bring himself to dare. Instead, he regained his grip on the man’s hair and tilted his head back, sinking down off the chair and onto the floor with him, legs straddling either side of Jack’s hips as he bowed his head to kiss him soundly – demanding his focus somewhere a bit less scintillating, if only to keep his control somewhere he felt he was steady enough to be a contributing party rather than an overwhelmed one.

“Perhaps you need to have a little bit more faith in people.” || Jack to Stephen!!

{ Black Sails Starters }

The dubious look on Stephen’s features likely spoke volumes in and of itself, all things considered. “I have plenty of faith in people.” His tone was a little bland as he returned his attention to the books before him, carefully notating his thoughts in the margins as he continued, “When it comes to the lengths of human stupidity, there is surely no limit to what they can manage.”

He glanced up, knowing full well his jovial and naive counterpart would not take kindly to such a pessimistic outlook. “As for the kind of faith you require – I think I shall leave it to the men to hold on to such hopes. Their prayers grant them ease of mind and I would not take it from them – but I am not a man who is comforted by anything short of facts and figures, Jack. I cannot blindly believe – especially not when the numbers and the history behind them stack up like this.”

He shook his head, and stoppered his quill before he ended up making a spot on the paper. He knew that Jack’s enthusiasm was like a hurricane to these men – something that blew through and stirred them all into action as if to do anything but heed the winds would lead to sheer disaster. Yet all Stephen could see was pride, a catastrophic loss in profit and men, and an ambition that could yet see them all ruined.

“The results speak for themselves,” He stated tiredly, “But if you believe faith and hope will pull us through this, who am I to argue? We both know I’m no sailor, so by all means, carry on.” He huffed irritably, “It’s not as if I can stop you.” He’d sworn not to be bitter – and here he was, chewing bile all the same. It was phenomenal, the way this man could rile him in a fucking minute when he put his mind to it.

This is a permanent starter call for Stephen Maturin, of Universal Pictures’ Master & Commander: Far Side Of The World explicitly.

These calls give me a heads up on who is open to interacting with whom (which is handy for those who have exclusives among my crew! ) and gives me an excuse to kick you starters whenever something crosses the mind, or blow up your inbox knowing who would be most wanted.

These calls also serve as a final tag dump – when this call is posted it indicates a character has been fully moved into the blog and is ready for action!

For other starter calls, check the tag HERE.