#Fins & Flintlocks

[finsandflintlocks]

Name: Fins & Flintlocks (FiLo)

Started: November 23rd, 2024

Type: Speculative Fiction, Adventure

Pages: N/A

Summary: Two fish, a dog, and a boy—sounds like the setup to a bad joke, right? Welcome aboard the WestBound Nautical Trading Company, where the lower ranks of the crew—Quartermaster Jean-Samuel Dubois, Technician/Assistant Cook Ludwig Bauer, and Deckhand Idris Bashar—are just trying their best not to sink the ship. With wildly different motivations and personal baggage, they scramble to keep the ship afloat while their reserved, often troubled Captain, Delmor Boucher, grapples with his own mental and physical battles. Together, they navigate the dangerous waters of trade, rivalry, and adventure, all while circling the globe, one chaotic mission at a time. Can they survive the madness, or will they sink trying?

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Overview:

In this world, all races are collectively considered to be under the classification of “human,” even if they do not appear traditionally human on an individual level. Their distinct forms and ways of life do not make them monsters but simply variations of humanity. They share the same intelligence, emotional depth, and societal complexity. The central conflict revolves around differing racial ideologies, technological advancements, and the occasional manipulation of these societies by powerful individuals.

The world and universe of Fins & Flintlocks began as a Minecraft-inspired setting known as "Brass & Dust" but evolved into its own unique creation, offering greater creative freedom. While it still holds subtle influences from Minecraft, it has transformed into an entirely original setting.

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Racial Classification and Lifespans

Tall-Men (80): Tall-Men are the standard human race, widespread along with the others across various regions with diverse cultures and societies.

Harpies (80): Harpies are winged humans with feathers all over and talons for feet, often perceived as delicate for their hollow bones, which they have to achieve flight.

Lupinites (80): Lupinites are wolf-like humans with fur, claws, and tails, They are unique in where men and women are indistinguishable from one another, both having facial hair similar to beards or moustaches.

Gillborns (80): Gillborns are humans with fish-like features, such as gills and long tails, living near land where water stretches for about 50 miles.

Serpentfolk (600): Serpentfolk are humans with snake-like lower bodies, long lifespans of up to 600 years, and a deep connection to ancient wisdom. They are distinct by their long, slender necks, and lighter colours in the inner sections of their hair.

Sirens (600): Sirens are humans with fish-like lower bodies, known for their mesmerizing voices and enchanting beauty. living up to 600 years.

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Lifespan Dynamics and UAM

The lifespan of each race influences its societal development, priorities, and role in the world of Fins & Flintlocks. Cultures with average lifespans (80–100 years) are characterized by steady progress, innovation, and generational overlap. In contrast, long-lived races (200–600 years) are deeply entrenched in their traditions, often slow to innovate but acting as custodians of ancient knowledge. Along with being the races with the smallest population, these long-lived races are deeply rooted in history, and their societies change extremely slowly, usually only in response to external pressures.

The Universal Age Measurement (UAM) system standardizes the measurement of age across different races, accounting for their varying lifespans. This system ensures that societal expectations and maturity are accurately portrayed.

Formula

Assuming the human lifespan is of 80 years as a basis:

Human Age = (Characters Actual Age/ Race Lifespan) × 80

Nonhuman age = (Human Age / Conventional Lifespan) x Race's Lifespan

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Magic & Alchemy:

In Fins & Flintlocks, magic as it is typically known in fantasy settings doesn’t exist. Instead, magic is tied to rare phenomena, artifacts, or forbidden knowledge that produces effects mimicking magic. There are no widespread magic users, and individuals who claim to wield magic are either frauds or rely on extremely rare or dangerous means to produce what might appear as magical effects.

The closest "equivalent" to magic-users would be potion makers or alchemists, who can brew potions using ingredients from the world around them. Potions are limited in power, with effects that are typically mild unless rare ingredients are used. Their usage is on the decline due to the scarcity of necessary materials, and modern medicine has taken over much of their role.

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[vasyandii]

Finally got around to Updating the voice claims of my Ocs AUGHHH AUGHHH

[onepiece-polls]

One Piece Crack Ship War - Round 3 Side E

CoraBelle art by @halacska-fins

Propaganda under the cut.

CoraBelle:

A surprisingly popular ship considering they never interacted, but I see the appeal. Both former Marines, both loving and caring adoptive parents.

Two of the best parents in One Piece, imagine if they both lived and raised a happy little mixed family together.

Best adoptive Dad + Best adoptive Mom. I think they would vibe.

Cora is Bell-mere's malewife failure and she loves him. She enjoys making him flustered and tripping him up. He is just heads over heels in love with her, he loves her so much Just the thought of Bell-mere making a man who's twice her size completely melt for her fills me with joy. They were both apart of the Marines and ended up adopting children while on the job. I'm not exactly sure who died first but learning about your lover's death (if it wasn't covered up) is amazing angst potential. They're watching over their kids in the afterlife together.

Dead serial adopting Marines smokers, what else is there to say?

hi i’m back with my corabelle agenda. these two are a match made in heaven. literally. they have so many narrative parallels, it hurts. they both sacrificed themselves for their adoptive kids’ longevity, they’re both former marines who deserted their positions in order to give these kids a better life. they were both killed by a flintlock, and their last words to their kids were “i love you.” !!! it’s uncanny!! they could have known each other when they were marines, too! bell-mere is just one year older than rosinante. they were from different blues, but there’s a chance they could have run into each other or even trained together for a period of time. bell-mere would be the perfect friend for a young rosinante who’s preoccupied and stressed over his brother. in terms of personality, that’s where we get some of that juicy opposites-attract theory into play. they do have a lot in common tho! some common flaws, (hotheaded, a bit irrational, impulsive), and some common strengths as well, (determined, fearless, values the strength of a smile)! but otherwise, bell-mere isn’t afraid to lay the flirt on and seems a bit more extroverted, where rosinante is a little more reserved and keeps a very small circle of friends, (literally one and it’s sengoku). someone direct like bell-mere could easily draw him out of his shell, and someone down-to-earth and occasionally goofy like rosinante could help keep her grounded.

Both marines with rough lives who seemingly picked up children when they weren’t expecting it. Bellemere would make a great mom to Law and Corazon would make a great dad to Nami and Nojiko. Both of them would bond over the bullshit of the world!!

Art by @gendervapor14

Cobradile: The Hero of Alabasta and the King of Alabasta caught in a sordid secret love affair that ends in a brutal betrayal.

[mhacontainmentzone]

[ID: digitally colored illustration of the My Pirate Academia AU, showing the deck of a small ship at a low angle. Aizawa is tied to the mast by a rope around his chest (his wrists are also bound behind him). He has an iridescent blue and purple mermaid tail with hints of green that is nailed to the deck by a large spike. His right pelvic fin is tattered. His visible eye is yellow, and his teeth are sharp and bloody. His nose is bleeding. A nondescript pirate huddles behind the mast and holds a flintlock pistol to his head. Yagi is close in the foreground with his back to the viewer, wielding a cutlass. He partially frames the image. There are storm clouds on the horizon. /End ID]

MHA Pirate!AU, but Aizawa had a secret...

Aizawa's design is based on MadMuseMakeup's Mer!Zawa look : D

[gentilchat]

I am proud to introduce you all to my future wife, all I gotta do is figure out how to make OCs real and then the wedding is on (infodump under cut)

This is Enyo, she's a siren who disguises herself as a human via magic kept in one of her scales on a necklace. She sought a new place to belong ever since her original colony broke apart, and especially since her 3 adopted children grew up and left her to start families of their own, and with a bit of help from a magically-inclined mermaid, decided to try her luck on land (yes I am aware of the inspo from The Little Mermaid). She now lives as a pirate, loyal to her captain, her crew, and protecting them all as her colony and the ship as her territory.

They all think she's a little... "off", to put it nicely, given that she is often aggressive as hell, attacks mirrors or anything else with her own reflection, fights better with her teeth than with a sword or flintlock, the mysterious barrel in the back of the supplies she's protective over (and they think they might have seen a human hand in), and plenty of other strange things, but they love, trust, and respect her regardless. They just... Also give her a wide berth if she's pissed off, lest they get caught in the crossfire.

As for the necklace, essentially it contains her siren form, leaving her in a human-ish form (with some tells, like scars replacing former fins and gills, eyes, teeth, etc.). If the scale gets wet, she'll temporarily be transformed into her siren form, and if it's ever destroyed, she will be forever in her siren form again, unless she finds someone else skilled in magic to restore the human form again.

[diinferi]

LOCATION 

[Drum Island] A winter island located near the beginning of the Grand Line. Cold year-round, but as far as the Grand Line goes, it is a relatively peaceful place to live. Led by the Sakura Kingdom.

AGE 23

GENDER Male

ORIGIN 

[Drop-In] You have been dropped off at your chosen destination with nothing but the clothes on your back, your pre-existing knowledge of this world, and whatever equipment you have purchased. You have a few days worth of food and water, but you also have no connections to this world. On the plus side, this means you have no extraneous memories bogging you down - you are truly yourself.

PERKS

[Nakama] Fate has conspired to have someone you meet early in your adventure (or someone who is already a part of your past) turn into a great friend. There is an immediate connection, and your friendship immediately runs deep. This friend will be with you through thick and thin, will never even consider betrayal, and will likely be willing to take a cannonball to the face if it means saving you. Fate gives you one friend now, but fate in this world works in mysterious ways - they may be your first true friend here, but they likely won’t be your last or only.

[Survivalist] You know where to fish, where to find fresh water, what animals are safe to eat (and which ones will try to eat YOU), and what plants will and won’t kill you if you try to eat them. Basically, you can survive on almost any island.

[Swimming] You are quite adept when it comes to moving in the water. You can keep your head above the water easily and can keep your cool whenever you’re in the drink. Getting thrown overboard is not a big issue for you, provided the fall doesn’t knock you out on impact. Of course, this is all moot point if you ate a Devil Fruit..

[Combat Training] You know how to hold your own in the fight, on land or at sea, with gun or sword. Includes proper combat knowledge on how to handle a cutlass, flintlock pistol, and musket, as well as general brawling experience.

[Precision] Your kinesthetic sense and body coordination is quite the spectacle. You can see and react to attacks coming at you much faster than most, whether in melee or at range, and can hit targets much more accurately away than the norm.

[Haki] You have awakened the latent power of your mind, body, and spirit! This power is, to put it simply, weaponized willpower, giving any who possess it the ability to even the odds against Devil Fruit eaters by being able to deal damage to them despite whatever defenses their power may offer them (with enough training of course). Your power is still weak and will require training to perfect, but you have already show a solid grasp on the basics of Evasion and Armament Haki to the point where you could go up against a group of mooks or an evenly matched Devil Fruit eater with good odds of coming out the victor. There is said to be a secret third type of Haki that few are said to possess, but you aren’t one of these people…

ITEMS

[Reinforced Clothing] A set of clothing appropriate to your affiliation that has been woven in such a way that it is resistant to sword cuts, thrusts, and can probably even stop the odd bullet.

[Swimming Gear] A pair of fins, a mask, and a tank of oxygen that will last for 1 hour. Tank automatically refills while above water. Not too useful for deep-sea dives, but could be useful for shallow water exploration or fixing a ship under the water line.

[500,000 Beli] A pretty sum of money that can buy a great deal of gear to start you out on your journey.

[Unique Weapon] Melee or ranged, if you’re looking for weaponry you won’t find anywhere else, this is the place! Sea prism stone nunchucks? High-pressure water cannon? Extreme-long-range musket that can hit target on another island? If it’s within reason, you can get it here!

[Medical Kit] A small medical kit with bandages, herbs, and various medical drugs. Will patch up most wounds that aren’t serious and stabilize those that are.

[Devil Fruit Encyclopedia] Heavily worn and somewhat illegible, this book holds a good deal of information on all known Devil Fruits recorded by man. The pictures are slightly faded and the writing can sometimes be hard to make out, but it gives you a good idea of which fruit does what.

[Dial Box] A box full of about a dozen unmarked and fragile dials. Each one likely does something different, but what they can each do is a mystery. Can perform feats like recording music, generating gases, or generating strong wind currents. Get to testing!

DRAWBACKS

[Hungry]  After a long period of exertion or a good fight, you almost immediately hear your belly growl. While this doesn’t affect your performance, you’ll become irritable and drop nearly anything that isn’t immediately critical if it means running to the kitchen for a quick chunk of meat 

[Wanted] If you are a Drop-in or Pirate-Affiliated, the World Government has placed a 100-million beli bounty on your head. If you are Marine-Affiliated, a very prominent pirate group has placed a similar bounty on you. This bounty will likely grow if you do virtually ANYTHING to make anyone mad, so be prepared for bounty hunters and do-gooder civilians to repeatedly attempt to cash in your head. 

[Plot Bound] No matter what you try or how far you try to run, fate is determined to make you one of the main characters, minus the plot armor that typically accompanies the position. If you are a pirate, except to find yourself aiding or conflicting with the Straw Hats at every plot point from Luffy’s execution at Loguetown to the ends of the New World. As a marine, you will find yourself tasked with pursuing the Straw Hats with much the same frequency. If you are a Drop-in….god help you. Yes, you WILL be present for events such as Impel Down and the Marineford War, your presence WILL be noticed, and you will likely have to pick a side soon or risk making everyone your enemy. Completely derailing the plot will not save you, for a new one will take its place, but this time you will not have the luxury of knowing the path it takes. Avoiding minor plot points may be doable, but fate WILL find ways of forcing your presence when it demands, whether that’s Grand Line weather phenomena catapulting you across the world or a mysterious Devil Fruit eater teleporting you to where you need to be. Your safety is not guaranteed if you try to avoid the fate you have chosen... 

[miloslime]

General Info About Kuno

Full name: Kuno Thallasian Reason for name: Thallasian is a play off of the Triton Goddess Thallasia Gender: He/They Sexuality: Bisexual Age: 35 Hair color: teal ombre to neon green Hair type: wavy Eye color: slimecicle green Skin: mid toned aqua Race: Shark Triton Recognizable features: His fin-like ears, the fin on his head, his tail Height: 6ft Body type: buff dad bod Mother: Misha Thallasian (deceased) Father: ??? (deceased) Enemies: A lot but the most notable one is The Goddess of Manipulation and Chaos, Agni Partner: ??? Religion: Pelagic Philosophy: treat others as they treat you Home town: the Undersea Kingdom Capital Favorite color: Lavender Favorite food: Fried Rice Favorite activity: flower weaving and swimming Favorite animal: Magpie Occupation: transporter of goods/pirate Current residency: his pirate ship known as The Tidebreaker Important items: the pearl necklace from his mom, the fabric belt given to him by the Flintlock Pirate Captain who found and adopted him, his prosthetic leg Weapon: a great sword with pearl inlaid hilt Special abilities: has the power to summon and control lightning and water (in all states of matter) Combat ability: High in both attack and defence due to the training from his childhood and quick on his feet due to spending his teen years fighting with pirates

Some images for a visual reference

[therapardalis]

honorhearted​:

-

“After you,” Ben said, though he started rowing without instruction. He clenched his jaw and grimaced, powering through the nettled, burning sensation along his shoulder. Thera seemed to be unharmed – a true miracle, as far as he was concerned – so he kept his peace as shouts echoed after them from the docks. 

One of the men grew brave. Despite the boat being a fair distance out on the water, the redcoat sheathed a dagger between his teeth, and then dove in after them, cutting through the ocean with vengeful determination. 

It was then that Ben realized he hadn’t fired off his second pistol. Feeling beneath his coat for the flintlock, he halted his rowing and turned to aim at the furiously swimming soldier. He was young…probably not much older than Samuel had been upon his death. For just one moment, Ben faltered, his hand shaking as he attempted to steady his aim.

It’s not him. Samuel is gone. He’s not, he’s not…

Squeezing his eyes shut, Ben fired off the round and the soldier gave a sharp, responding cry before thrashing about, then gurgling as he descended underwater in a limp, lifeless heap. The ocean swallowed him up and Ben exhaled, pocketing his flintlock before turning back around again.

Not looking Thera in the eye, he frowned and reclaimed his oars, swallowing past the dryness in his throat as a shivering swell of relief burned within his chest. They were going to make it. They were. They were.

There was no one left now to oppose them. They had done it. But the only remaining question was…how?

Looking up from the bottom of the boat, Ben appraised Thera across from him and offered a threadbare smile. “As I recall, you mentioned that once we made it out of here, you could tell me a bit about yourself,” he said. “Or rather, your adventures at sea. Did you happen to fight alongside pirates, by chance?”

Frowning, he looked around them in bemusement. The wind from earlier was gone. “Such strange weather,” he muttered. “I’m eternally grateful, but…I just don’t understand it. I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

A hiss passed over Thera’s teeth, the only voice given to the wince beneath. Stupid little idiot. It was the fate of so many young men to think they could do what they could not. Her gaze lowered a moment, but not so much in regard for the newly passed; instead ... there was blood in the water, and the Sound was far from an empty space. It wouldn’t be long before fins cut the surface and nothing of the body was left behind.

At least the others had stayed on dry land, perhaps deciding their losses were quite enough.

“Already?” She turned to look at Ben, the adrenaline bubbling through her veins not yet caught up that there wasn’t anywhere for it to go. A wry smile ticked, and she made sure the pistol she held was loaded, just in case, before setting it aside. Her bag was settled in the well of the boat and she made her way aft. “Give me that oar.”

A jut of her chin pointed to the side where he’d been hit. It might be a squeeze to negotiate, but she intended to ease the work his shoulder had to do. “Was that what happened?” She fussed with her skirts a moment, eyebrows raising, “I saw them flinch, and took advantage.”

Not completely untrue. Water rushed past the hull as they continued on, and Thera took a moment to catch her breath. “Short answer ... yes. Remember I told you I was traveling up the east coast by sea? I was coming up from the Caribbean. It’s not as full of pirates as the stories claim, but there’s quite a few. And pirate hunters, as well ...”

[rotworld]

30: Mer

your arrangement with a creature of the deep tends to get you into trouble.

->contains gore, hard vore (again not fetish vore but the mers eat people), murder, implied captivity, possessive behavior.

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The storm seems to come from nowhere, but any seasoned sailor knows mer magic when they see it. The sky goes black as night and the water is dreadfully still and silent for a heartstopping moment before all hell breaks loose. Howling maelstrom winds churn the sea, battering the ship with vicious waves. This isn’t the indiscriminate violence of nature but something else, something thinking and plotting that shreds the sails and washes sailors screaming overboard.

And then they come, rising from the depths. Like lanterns in the night, their glow pierces the abyssal dark. Their snaking bodies, dotted with patches of bioluminescence, slither up from trenches where the sun doesn’t reach. They are gray and midnight blue, their tails adorned with long fins and graceful, ribbon-like fringe. Like sea serpents of legend, they circle the ship with their long tails trailing behind them. Their large, pale eyes are accustomed to total darkness and they see everything.

An unearthly sound comes from the deep. A low thrumming. A primeval roar. It cuts through the crash of waves, through the screaming wind, through the screams and prayers of sailors overboard. It says, “Choose your next actions wisely, for you have something of mine.”

Captain “Bloody” Byron looks at you, his flintlock pistol pressed to the back of your head. He looks like he sorely regrets not tossing you overboard hours ago. With a shove, he marches you towards the deck railing, giving you a view of the black sea and the creatures swarming below. “Aye, I have something of yours!” the captain shouts. “How much are they worth to you?” Leave it to pirates to try and haggle their way out of certain death. There’s a considering pause, the storm itself waning for a moment as though deep in thought before it returns in full force.

One of the sailors in the water begins to scream. He tries to swim towards the ship but a thick ridge of a serpentine body cuts off his escape. Something tears at him, yanks him below the waves with one last gurgling screech, and the sea blooms with blood. You watch on with Captain Byron in muted horror at the swarm of mers, tails snapping and coiling about as they devour the sailor alive. 

Some distance from the carnage, closer to the ship, another mer emerges. This one is dark, stony gray along his back and paler, almost translucent, along his chest and underside. His body is freckled with spots of light and a thin, fleshy stalk extending from his forehead and dangling with a glowing lure. His tail snakes and arches through the water around him, littered with old scars. You can tell, even at this distance, that he’s looking right at you as a jagged, sharp-toothed smile stretches across his face. 

It’s Silwesh the Stormcaller, the reason you’re in this mess in the first place. And he doesn’t look all that sorry about it.

“Ah, you would like to negotiate?” Silwesh says, speaking to the captain even as his gaze burns into you. “Then here is my offer. You will return them to me. Each minute you do not, we will eat one of your men.”

“You do that and I’ll kill them,” Captain Byron threatens, making a show of prodding the back of your head with his pistol. 

Silwesh hisses and his face contorts his jaw unhinging to reveal rows upon rows of teeth spiraling down his throat, spiny fins flaring on either side of his head. “Then we will kill all of you,” he growls. “We will sink your ship. We will rend the flesh from your bones. We will feast on your souls. We will show you such unbearable agony that you will beg for death.” 

“Just give him what he wants,” one of Captain Byron’s men begs him. “Throw them overboard. We’ve got nothing to gain by making him angry.” 

“I will not be threatened by mers,” the captain growls. The moment the words leave his lips, lightning strikes the mast. Wood splinters and sails catch ablaze, fire sweeping over the deck. That’s all it takes for a brief mutiny to break out on board. Someone wrestles Captain Byron’s pistol away from him. You miss most of the scuffle because the next thing you know, you’re being hauled over the side of the ship and tossed into the water. You hit the water hard and drift, delirious and afraid, but only briefly. 

Arms wrap around you. Webbed and claw-tipped fingers drag you back to the surface and a powerful, muscled tail settles beneath you, as firm as stone. You cough and suck in the humid storm air as Silwesh gazes at you with wry amusement. The light of his lure illuminates his gaunt and monstrous features, the gills fluttering on the sides of his throat, the fangs along the joints of his jaw, the long fins on the back of his head in place of hair. Slowly, the winds die down and the ocean settles. Storm clouds begin to disperse, revealing the grisly remains of sailors floating by.

A few of the other mers swim closer to inspect you, wet and webbed hands sliding all over you in search of serious wounds. They find a few bruises, a tender spot that makes you hiss on your scalp. Silwesh holds you still during the examination, a frown building with every flinch and pained noise you make. 

“I am returning home,” he announces. In a dizzying contortion of movement, he manages to set you on the thick base of his tail and twist back around, his long body cutting quickly through the waves. He mentions casually over his shoulder, “Kill them all.” With a twist of his wrist, the storm brews anew, more furious than before. The sailors in the water start to trash and scream as the mers converge on them.

“They let me go,” you protest.

“Not quickly enough,” he says.

The noises in your wake are too horrible; wave after wave crashing against the ship, sending fragile human bodies tumbling into the sea, the frantic splash of a struggle and the wet shred of flesh in a feeding frenzy. You don’t look back.

Silwesh tells you to hold your breath. You get the feeling he’s showing off, the way he twirls in the water, his tail drifting in coils around you as he gathers you in his arms. He spends some time looking at you, enjoying the feeling of your strange human skin against his. At your urging, he surfaces for air, floating lazily around you with a smile on his face. “Well, I’m glad one of us is having a good day,” you grumble.

He chuckles, brushing his tail against your legs affectionately. “I am simply enjoying your presence,” he teases. “Is that so wrong?” 

“You’re going to get me killed one of these days.”

“Hm. Unlikely,” he murmurs, poking your stomach and smiling at the startled noise you make. “Human flesh is moldable. Very easy for my magic to heal.” 

“It would still hurt,” you insist. 

Silwesh nips at you playfully, baring his teeth. “And what is life without a bit of pain?” 

You must be far from Silwesh’s home because he brings you to a rocky shore you don’t recognize, leading you into a grotto to rest your legs. The cave is clearly frequented by mers, adorned with the usual territory markings; deep gouges in the rock, scattered bones and scavenged goods from pirate ships. He slithers up to the shore, perched on a rock with his tail coiled around it, watching you with unnerving focus. “How, pray tell, did you get yourself into such a predicament?” he asks smoothly. 

“Long story,” you mutter. 

“Mm. We have time.”

So you tell him, letting your feet rest in the water and feeling passing fish tickle your soles. You’ve been Silwesh’s courier for some time now, his only means of communicating and trading with people further inland. The job isn’t without its perks, from the handsome pay you receive every time you meet him at the coast to the places you never dreamed you’d see, castles and palaces where commoners like you could never enter, but the risks almost outweigh the rewards. 

Many a seafaring kingdom has tried to have you captured and held for ransom, eager to extort the mers in exchange for your safe return. You’ve had to pull off some daring escapes in your time. A series of unfortunate encounters with opportunistic royals put you in the custody of a Naval Captain, who was in turn raided by pirates, finally leading you back to Silwesh. 

It becomes clear he isn’t paying attention, muttering “oh?” and “really?” at inappropriate times and preening, picking at his scales and absently grazing your legs with his tail. But when you say, “Maybe you should find yourself a new courier,” he snaps to attention. Silwesh frowns, his fingers curling beneath your chin to draw your gaze. 

“Let’s not be hasty,” he says. “I have taken care of you, haven’t I? I have rewarded you generously for your work.” 

“And I appreciate it,” you say, gently pushing away his clammy hand. “But this is dangerous work and I’m tired. I’m sure you can find some young adventuring type to give it a shot—”

Silwesh lets out that monstrous hiss and seizes your wrist before you can flee, pulling you to him. “No, that simply will not do,” he says, depositing you in his lap. Your squirming is quickly put to an end when he grabs your hips, digging his claws into your flesh. You go still with a whimper, unnerved by Silwesh’s hard stare. All the teasing and playfulness is gone from his expression, replaced with something determined. “I told you when you began to work for me that you were mine, did I not? The Stormcaller’s courier. The sea’s voice. We may negotiate your responsibilities, but you will not quit. I will not allow it.”

The unshakable certainty in his voice scares you. You try to move again and part of tail wraps tightly around your legs, restricting your movement. The spines of Silwesh’s fins are sharp, threatening to sink into you if he so much as flinches. You’re at his mercy as he runs his cold, wet hands down your chest. There’s a hazy, distracted look in his eyes as he touches you. The patches of light along his body flicker in hypnotic rhythm. 

“If the reward is insufficient for the risks you take, I can pay you more,” Silwesh murmurs, running a hand through your hair. “And gold is not all I have to offer. There are artifacts you might enjoy, trinkets the surface world has never seen. Or perhaps your reward could be magic itself? The art of stormcalling could keep you safe beyond my waters.”

It’s a diplomatic disaster waiting to happen, but you can’t deny that the idea of being able to better defend yourself is appealing. “That would help,” you say noncommittally. Silwesh’s tail splashes restlessly in the water around you. It’s not the same as the anger he showed the pirate captain, but it’s close to that, simmering just beneath the surface. Your defiance is an enemy he can’t kill and devour. Not in a conventional sense. But you know Silwesh. You don’t doubt he already has a plan in mind. 

“By all means, my dear human, speak the word and you shall have whatever your heart desires,” he says. He holds you close, pressing you against his damp body. You lose yourself in the depths of his eyes, a darkness as endless as the deep sea. You hardly notice his hands wandering, sliding lower. You’ve never been this close to him before, close enough to kiss. But he never does.

 “We will discuss it later, after you’re rested,” he says. His tail uncoils from your legs, allowing you freedom of movement. He’s smiling, that teasing edge and confidence returned to his voice. You feel as though you’ve just shown him something vulnerable, something dangerous for him to know. Silwesh leaves you in peace on the rocks, slipping into the water to stretch and relax himself, but his hand leaves you slowly. It slides in a slow, caressing movement from your face and over your neck, across your shoulder and down your arm. He lets go slowly, one finger at a time. 

Dark eyes peer at you from the water, slowly circling your perch. You wonder if this is how Captain Byron felt, watching his men die in the water as mers surrounded his ship. “Negotiation,” Silwesh calls it, like a joke. Whether he’s killing sailors or keeping you captive in this cave until you give into his demands, you know you don’t really have a choice.

[just-call-me-the-intrusive-thot]

Soulmate September - Day 9

Day 9 - When you write something on your own skin it appears on your soulmate’s skin as well. (Pirates and Sirens AU)

Pairing(s): Romantic Dukeceit, Background Romantic Prinxiety

TWs: Swearing, murder mention, Remus being Remus, semi-detailed leg  and fin injury

–

Those who ran afoul of The Witch’s Serpent rarely lived to tell the tale. Many a foolish young sea-farer - far too inexperienced and overly cocky - had met their end at the hands of the galleon’s captain long before they could even hope to make their mark on the open seas. 

Captain Remus Gaspar was an impulsive, enigma of a man; capable of great feats of bravery and reckless daring do, alongside acts of cold blooded murder and remorseless torture inflicted upon those who crossed him. The sea choked on the bodies of his victims while he and his crew sipped the finest stolen wines with nary a hiccup. The naval officers of the mainland cowered in fear while Remus decimated their trade routes and sent their men to the depths to keep the fish company. In fact, only one man had faced the Captain and lived to see another day, but kept coming back for more. 

Commodore Logan Callows.

Remus would have admired him - in all senses - if not for his fanatic loyalty to the crown and it’s laws. Make no mistake, Remus very much wanted Logan’s head for a bow ornament with every fibre of his mortal being, but outside factors forbade Remus from fatally wounding the man. Namely, Logan’s first mate and closest friend was his brother-in-law, Virgil Giordano. Why did Roman’s soulmate have to be a man who could rival any opponent in a knife fight, despite being the sort to panic over the smallest change in weather conditions? Remus had no goddamn idea what fate was playing at, but he knew for certain that killing Logan would result in having to run from Virgil’s swift and immediate crusade for revenge. And if there’s one thing Remus Gaspar refused to do, it wold be spending his life in hiding.

Remus loved his brother dearly but all the familial loyalty in the world wouldn’t save him from Virgil’s wrath. He’d learned that much from his last encounter with Logan’s ship, The Inquisitor. Too many cocky remarks and attempts to stall while his men pillaged the lower decks of the ship in secret had earned him a close encounter with the business end of Virgil’s dagger. Naturally, the Captain had made things worse by uttering a rather salacious remark for which he was gifted a shiny new slash mark along his cheek.

“As a warning.”, his brother in law had hissed.

When forced to retreat, Remus had lamented the size of their haul at first. Not nearly enough sugar and spices as they’d been hoping for, but a small crate of flintlock pistols ripe for sale more than made up for the loss once they’d been discovered among the spoils. 

Thus we come to the present moment; Captain Remus, sat upon the docks with a bottle of expensive rum, staring out into the ocean blue. His men had been more than happy to give the Captain his space while they spent their time merrily drinking in the local tavern. Once he was sure he was alone, Remus removed his black leather bracer and rolled his white sleeve to stare at the message written upon it. The Captain had seen many an alphabet in his day - either scrawled upon the foreign exports stolen from trading vessels, or within his memories of home, being tutored alongside his twin as children - but Remus had never laid eyes upon the letters that adorned his skin in a shimmering golden cursive.

Naturally, ever since he’d first been written to, Remus had made an effort to search for the script, but the only ‘lead’ he had been given was an old woman selling wares a couple of ports prior who had raved on and on, claiming it to be the language of the sirens. He’d scoffed at the idea and decided it likely wasn’t worth trying to work out in the first place.

Remus had never been one to buy into this whole soulmates arrangement. Even the day Roman had shown him the violet cursive that had appeared like magic, Remus had rolled his eyes and sworn off taking such a thing seriously. After all, acknowledging that kind of thing brought about some rather unpleasant thoughts he would rather not think about. The fierce Captain liked to play remorseless, but in truth, Remus simply knew that life at sea demanded blood, and it was up to him whether it’d be the blood of his enemies, or his crew and himself. But that didn't stop his mind wandering into territories he wished it would stay out of.  How many men lay on the sandy shores of the depths with messages from soulmates unaware of their beloved’s fate? Did severing the connection hurt? Would fate allow those whom he’d unknowingly widowed to love again? Or had he doomed them to a life alone with no one to share such a connection with ever again?

… More rum would be needed it seemed. 

A clattering from the nearby rock shoal drew Remus out from his own mind with a couple of curses leaving the Captain as he knocked over the rum bottle and watched a good portion of it pour away before he could right it again. 

“Son of a bitch!”, he hissed, corking it and casting a glare towards the rockpool where the clattering had come from. Whoever had just cost him a good amount of rum was in for the brawl of their life. Remus threw on his coat and cursed his inebriated steps over the craggy rock face, swearing once again as he nearly rolled his ankle when his boot sunk into an unseen rockpool. He wrenched his leg free and crested the large flat rock in his way. 

The second his eyes could focus, Remus made a mental note to find that old woman on their round trip and apologise. 

Sprawled on it’s side nestled in the sand was an honest to god siren. The Captain was mesmerised by the creature; it’s long golden hair flowed over it’s scaled shoulders and torso, complimented by it’s black and yellow streaked fin-like ears that fluttered angrily each time it hissed. It wasn’t hard to work out why it was so angry. The creature’s left leg fin had been hooked in a rather nasty mess of fishing line and barbed hooks. The Captain had seen the technique used before to ensure a plentiful haul, who knew it could catch such a creature of legend so easily?

Perhaps Remus was succumbing to the creature’s charms, or maybe he was just too drunk already to think things through, but he found himself whistling to the creature to catch it’s attention. The way the creature’s panicked, beautiful eyes met his own momentarily knocked the wind from his chest as he wheezed out, “Need help?”

 It let out a strangled sound and scrambled backwards, only to let out a cry of pain as it’s injured leg dragged along the sand. The Captain dropped down from his rock perch and made his way over,

“Woah there! Unless you want that fin ripped out you should lemme unhook you-”

Despite the excruciating pain it must’ve been in, it still managed to hiss dangerously at Remus in a voice that felt like a million tiny hands groping around in his brain with every syllable,

“Stay back!”

Remus’ halted momentarily, the voice in his head warning him, “Come any closer and I won’t hesitate to eat you alive!”

In spite of any semblance of common sense, Remus impulsively shot a cocky grin the creature’s way, “Kinky!”

The siren wasn’t amused. 

It lunged forward to swipe at Remus, but the Captain caught it’s arm, making sure his grasp wasn’t painful, but firm.

“Watch it, you’re gonna take someone’s eye out! Or maybe these beauties will just gouge a couple chunks outta my face-” 

Remus’ rambling was cut short as he saw the siren’s expression shift from a ferocious snarl to one of immediate fear.

“Please don’t kill me-”, it murmured quietly, slapping it’s free hand over its mouth. It tried to change back to a more aggressive persona but Remus refused to be intimidated,

“The last thing I wanna do is hurt you. Now are you gonna be a good lil fishy and let me unhook you?” 

The siren scanned his face with those enchanting eyes once again, scrutinising every inch of Remus before it huffed and turned away from his gaze. The Captain took it as a sign of an indignant ‘do whatever you want’ and sat on the sand next to the siren, already beginning to carefully remove the hooks as best he could. Each wince the creature gave was met with an apology until Remus got the hang of it. 

“.....What’s your name?”, Remus mused to the surprised siren, “Might as well get to know each other, right?”

The creature mumbled something Remus couldn’t understand under it’s breath but relented reluctantly, “My name is Janus. At least, that's how you humans would pronounce it.” 

“It’s a beautiful name. Mine’s Remus.”, the Captain mumbled, too hyper focused on removing the hooks to see the way Janus’ cheeks flushed a dark ochre colour. Once the last hook had come loose, both of them let out a shared sigh of relief; Remus admired his job well done but grew concerned as Janus went to stand up. “Hey, you’re going to hurt yourself doing that.”, he warned, to which Janus scoffed, attempting to hide his emotions once more.

“I’ll be fine, Remus, I’ll heal quickly-”

“The salt water’s gonna sting like a bitch.”, Remus cut in.

Noting the wince Janus gave in response, he continued, “At least let me take you to my ship so I can bandage you up proper-“ 

“No!”, Janus declined fiercely, though he softened right after, letting Remus know it was likely a reflexive reaction, “I apologise. I… I’m rather wary of that kind of thing. Please understand.”

Remus sighed and stood up, taking off his coat to place it around Janus’ shoulders. The siren stiffened, though curiosity got the better of him and he softly touched the warm material. Janus inhaled and immediately was hit with the smell of the garment; a mix of body odour, dried blood, sea salt, and countless food-like smells. Not to mention the reek of old alcohol.

“In the name of Uranus, do you never clean this ornate rag!?”

Remus cackled, taking Janus’ hand to lead him to The Witch’s Serpent, noting that his fingers were webbed. Adorable. 

“Nope! Not since I hauled it off the guy I ran through to get it!”

Janus’ nose crinkled at that yet the siren kept following Remus towards his ship. With a proper glance in the light of the port, Janus piped up, “Oh. That’s an interesting coincidence.”

“What is?”, Remus questioned, making sure no one was aboard yet so he could lift a flustered Janus on deck despite the embarrassed glare he received from the siren.

“I’ve been following your ship for months.”, Janus elaborated, trying to regain his footing on the decks, “With the scraps and bodies you leave behind in your wake, I rarely have to bother hunting for new prey.”

Ah. Remus wasn’t sure what to make of that yet, simply shrugging, “Good to know you’ve been freeloading this whole time.”. 

Once more taking the hand of the siren, Remus led him towards the Captain’s Quarters; the room was just as gilded and ornate as the coat keeping Janus warm, with various trinkets, maps, paintings, and oddities given their own place within the room. Taking the opportunity to snoop around while Remus was rooting around in his desk drawer for bandages, Janus allowed his eyes to lead him on a journey around the room. A telescope, a star map, family photos, animal bones, even a goblet made from a man’s skull connected atop a metal stem, Janus had never seen so many interesting and macabre items. His interest peaked when his gaze landed on a beautiful topaz necklace resting on a book of fairytales.

Janus’ fingers traced the jewellery adoringly. It was rare for such trinkets to end up on the seafloor unless a storm had sent an unfortunate vessel to the depths. Not that Janus was ever lucky enough to get at the spoils; the boisterous captain may be sweet on him, for who knows what reason, but his own kind were never too fond of Janus’ standoffish nature and biting remarks. Of course, Janus didn’t care if he was lonely. He didn’t. Not at all. “You can have it if you want.”

Remus’ voice startled the siren who nearly tripped over the end of the Captain’s large coat. He chuckled and slowly lifted the necklace off the book to carefully let it loop over Janus’ neck.

“It suits you. Really brings out the scales.”, he complimented. Without giving Janus a second to process the act of kindness, Remus led him towards a wooden armchair in front of his desk. He guided Janus to sit down in the chair while Remus sat on the desk itself. To his side was a roll of bandages and a cloth, ‘for the blood trail’ he’d explained, gesturing to the droplets patterning their route. Janus watched the captain remove his bracers and sink to the floor to tend to his wounds. By the gentle way the Captain held and bandaged him, Janus assumed the man had sobered enough for the siren to pose the question,

“Why?”

Remus frowned, looking up to lock eyes with the siren, “Why what?”

“Why’re you...”, being so kind? Treating me so sweetly? Not trying to kill me to sell my skin? “.... treating me like this? You realise I threatened to eat you earlier, right?”

The Captain shrugged, his expression as blank as before, “Yeah. But you didn’t. And you got all fucked up in some moron’s fishing line, so it wasn’t like you posed much of a threat-”

“Exactly.”, Janus interrupted in frustrated confusion in his tone, “My voice is out of practice, if you wanted to, you could’ve slaughtered me for my skin. Any human would be a fool not to. But here you are, treating me like I’m worth more to you alive than dead. Adorning me in such… expensive trinkets.”

Remus’ brow furrowed at that. “For someone who threatened to eat me earlier, I figured you’d practice a little more self preservation.”

The siren scoffed, “I didn’t say I wanted to be slaughtered, I’m merely trying to work out why you wouldn’t take such a chance. Doesn’t your species enjoy monetary gain? Like I said, any human would be a fool to miss such an opportunity- oW!”

Janus fixed Remus a glare as the Captain flicked the abused tip of his leg fin, “First off, yeah, I like money but that's not what I do this shit for. Secondly, most humans think your kind aren’t even real. If I waltzed into town claiming I had siren skin to sell, I’d be run outta town as a conman. Besides, if I’m nice to you, I’ll have an ally in the water, and that's far more valuable to me.”

As he wrapped up the calf area for good, Remus grinned up at the siren, “You’re also really handsome, so that helps.”

Janus’ face crinkled in a flustered surprise, “Remus, I’m part fish-”

“You’re still handsome as fuck.”

“I’m not even using my human glamour-”

“And? You’re hot.”

“I’m literally covered in fish scales-!”

“Still hot!”

Janus couldn’t think of another rebuttal, so Remus counted it as a win for him. He rolled his sleeves to tackle the rest of the injuries when he caught Janus’ eyes tracing the fresh scar on his cheek.

“Wondering how I got this scar?”

“I may be interested.” came the coy reply.

Remus smirked, “You could call it a gift from my brother-in-law. I got a little too up close and personal with his best friend and found up with this beauty. It’s a shame, said bestie’s pretty fun but he’s the biggest pain in my ass since this one time I ate some bad eels-”

“That’s charming,”, Janus interrupted in disgust, “Why don’t you simply dispatch this ‘bestie’ and be done with him?”

“Can’t. If I did that, Virge-”

“Who?”

“My brother-in-law.”

“Ah. Continue.”

“Virge would hunt me down to the ends of the Earth and the last thing I wanna do is trade away my freedom to do whatever the fuck I want.”, he averted his gaze to Janus’ leg and kept bandaging it; whoever had put that line into the ocean had no idea the damage it’d caused to such a beautiful creature. “Besides, if I hurt Virge like that, my brother Roman would be miserable. Even if he probably hates me, some dumb bitch part of me really doesn’t want him to feel like shit just ‘cause I went and upset his soulmate.”

Janus scoffed quietly. It lacked the venom he no doubt intended it to have but the disdain was enough to draw the Captain’s attention. “You humans are far too sentimental. My kind have no qualms treating even close family like scum if we so desire. Even our soulmates it would seem..”

Remus caught the darting glance Janus sent towards his scaled wrist, noting the sigh he suppressed. “.... They’re a damn fool to not want you.”, the Captain murmured thoughtfully as he finally finished the upper shin bandaging. He wiped his brow with the heel of his palm but stopped as he felt smoothe fingers wrap around his wrist. His confusion was answered as the siren bore holes into the sliver of writing on his arm with those mesmerising eyes.

“You’re not the only one having soulmate trouble,”, Remus began answering, “Never really cared much for this shit, but now I got a message, I can’t make heads or tails of it-”

“Help me. I need you.”

Remus locked eyes with Janus, the siren’s own eyes wide with realisation and looking ready to bubble with tears, “That's what it says. It’s in Aquan. I wrote that to my soulmate while I was feeling…. rather vulnerable.”

Unsure of how to react to this turn of events, Remus stood and sat on his desk once more. He was too stunned to reply at first. A million questions swelled and crashed upon the shores of his brain, all fighting to be asked, but Janus beat him to the punch.

“Why did you never write back?”, the hurt in his voice stabbed at the Captain’s heart, “I mean, even if you couldn’t understand me, why didn’t you just...”

Remus wasn’t sure himself. No, that was a lie. He simply never fathomed that the message had been a cry for help. 

“I don’t know. I wasn’t thinking.”, he began, looking to Janus - no, his soulmate, and asking in return, “What happened?”

Janus sucked in a breath through his teeth, “.... It was a moment of weakness but….. My family had cast me out. Not that it was all too surprising, nor could I stand most of them anyway, but… being left alone to wander by yourself is a rather terrifying thought no matter the situation. I’d reached my breaking point. I felt like I’d been abandoned by my kin entirely. I thought perhaps my soulmate would be there for me. I never imagined you were human.”

“Makes sense. I’m sorry your family sucks ass.”. Eloquent as always. But hey, the snicker that got from the siren was worth it in Remus’ eyes. “And I’m sorry I didn’t write back. But I guess it’s good we finally crossed paths.”

Remus gestured for Janus to join him on the desk, to which the siren accepted the offer, being careful not to catch the coat he was still adorned in on anything on the way up. With his soulmate seated by his side, Remus wrapped an arm around the siren and held him close. Janus gave a lop-sided, fond smile, leaning into the act of comfort and gently resting a hand on Remus’ chest.

“What now then, my Captain?”, Janus’ voice was as soft and sweet as a ripe peach. Remus knew it’d require a lot of explanation where his crew was concerned, but he wasn’t about to let Janus slip away from him. He pressed a kiss to the siren’s temple, relishing the blush that spread over Janus’ cheeks. With a grin, Remus cackled,

“Simple, we make good on this alone time we’ve got ‘til my crew get back!”

--

Sorry this one’s so late TTvTT I miight need some time to finish days 10 and up, but I’ll get things written asap. @tsshipmonth2020

Taglist: @somehow-i-got-an-account @cateye-glasses @fandomsofrandom 

[finsandflintlocks]

Jean-Samuel Dubois (26) and his adoptive Father Delmor Boucher (50)

[vasyandii]

Idk if it's okay to ask but I NEED TO KNOW MORE ABT DELMOR N KABIITES RELATIONSHIP it has me on choke hold. From ur Instagram stories how did they become enemies? Or what was the loss?

Hiii thank you so much for taking interest in Fins & Flintlocks :) unfortunately I'm still working on Worldbuilding and such, so once everything is ready to debut, I'll tell people about them!

[onepiece-polls]

One Piece Crack Ship War - Round 2 Side E

CoraBelle art by @halacska-fins

'Arctic Birds' art made by @cherself

Propaganda under the cut.

CoraBelle:

A surprisingly popular ship considering they never interacted, but I see the appeal. Both former Marines, both loving and caring adoptive parents.

Two of the best parents in One Piece, imagine if they both lived and raised a happy little mixed family together.

Best adoptive Dad + Best adoptive Mom. I think they would vibe.

Cora is Bell-mere's malewife failure and she loves him. She enjoys making him flustered and tripping him up. He is just heads over heels in love with her, he loves her so much Just the thought of Bell-mere making a man who's twice her size completely melt for her fills me with joy. They were both apart of the Marines and ended up adopting children while on the job. I'm not exactly sure who died first but learning about your lover's death (if it wasn't covered up) is amazing angst potential. They're watching over their kids in the afterlife together.

Dead serial adopting Marines smokers, what else is there to say?

hi i’m back with my corabelle agenda. these two are a match made in heaven. literally. they have so many narrative parallels, it hurts. they both sacrificed themselves for their adoptive kids’ longevity, they’re both former marines who deserted their positions in order to give these kids a better life. they were both killed by a flintlock, and their last words to their kids were “i love you.” !!! it’s uncanny!! they could have known each other when they were marines, too! bell-mere is just one year older than rosinante. they were from different blues, but there’s a chance they could have run into each other or even trained together for a period of time. bell-mere would be the perfect friend for a young rosinante who’s preoccupied and stressed over his brother. in terms of personality, that’s where we get some of that juicy opposites-attract theory into play. they do have a lot in common tho! some common flaws, (hotheaded, a bit irrational, impulsive), and some common strengths as well, (determined, fearless, values the strength of a smile)! but otherwise, bell-mere isn’t afraid to lay the flirt on and seems a bit more extroverted, where rosinante is a little more reserved and keeps a very small circle of friends, (literally one and it’s sengoku). someone direct like bell-mere could easily draw him out of his shell, and someone down-to-earth and occasionally goofy like rosinante could help keep her grounded.

Both marines with rough lives who seemingly picked up children when they weren’t expecting it. Bellemere would make a great mom to Law and Corazon would make a great dad to Nami and Nojiko. Both of them would bond over the bullshit of the world!!

Art by @gendervapor14

Arctic Birds: -Aesthetically speaking, they're great looking together -I think they balance each other well, would understand each other, each have heavy responsibilities and expectation weighting on their shoulders and are very specific in the companies they like to share.

[theravencawsatmidnight]

A Pirates Life

Denki was manning the helm, Kirishima was the Captains first mate, and currently dancing around the ship with Mina, spilling rum everywhere . Sero was leaning over the ship off by himself watching the waves hit the ship. And the captian, Bakugo was standing by Denki watching the sea .

It was a interesting crew to say the least. Everyone was a misfit and working for little money untill Bakugo found them and put together a crew. Together they sailed the seas, looking for treasure, raiding ships, looking for the legendary kraken along with other creatures they only heard of in stories.

Bakugo was a hard but firm Captain. He wore a big black pirate hat with matching slacks, a sword at his side. He rarely wore a shirt. But he did sport multiple necklaces glittered with coins and gold. Along with rough looking black boots.

Kirishima. His first mate was a happy go lucky pirate, kept an eye on everything when he was not drunk with Mina. He wore a white button up that always had just the bottom button pieced together. Brown pants with brown shoes, a sword at his side.

Denki, the ships helm was the energenic one. Always the first one to jump onto another ship to raid it. It didint matter if he left the helm mid turn to jump ship nope.. he wore a black coat with fur on tne collar with matching pants and boots, a short sword at his side.

Mina. The navigator (when she was sober) was the only female of the crew but that didint mean she couldint pull her weight with the guys. She sported a tight tan corset with matching tight pants and black knee high boots. A flintlock pistol at both of her hips that she loved to twirl in her hands .

And Sero, the quiet one. He did ship repairs and explored islands making sure they were safe and okay to explore. He wore black pants , a brown pirate hat and a brown jacket with matching boots. A small hand knife at his side

They were on the Black Pearl currently , sailing the sea leisurely. It was a day off for the crew. And Mina and Kirishima were taking full advantage of it.

“Yo ho ho!!!!” Yelled Mina

“And a bottle a rum!!!!” Yelled Kirishima

The two walked around the ship arm in arm drinking . The Captian shook his head .

“A fine bunch.” Denki said

“Not the words id use but sure.” Bakugo added.

“Uhm.. captain. I see a .. island ? I think.?” Sero said pointing. Bakugo grabbed his telescope looking to see a very small island. He lowered the telescope stomping his foot.

“Kirishima! Mina! Land!” He yelled.

The two stopped walking and looked over at the captain, Mina grinned and climbed up to the crows nest stopping half way to hang off some rope. “I see land!!!! “ she swung around on the rope smiling. Kirishima stumbled up to his Captain rubbing his head and Bakugo rolled his eyes.

“Were close enough, Sero, go check it out.” He ordered.

••

Sero hopped in the lifeboat sailing over to the island. His boat hit the sand and he got out pulling it up onto the beach, took a quick look around , and waved his hands.

A little bit later the crew was on the island. Off exploring while Sero hung back by the boat and the ship. He was drawing in the sand with a stick when he heard something hit the life boat. Except when he looked up he didint see anything.

Meanwhile Bakugo and Kirishima were gathering fruit wile Denki and Mina were gathering tools they had found and hunting any animals they could find.

Sero heard another noise and this time got up going to the life boat stepping into it looking all around it not seeing anything. Suddenly the boat tipped and he fell on the beach. He heard giggling and shot up to his feet getting back in the boat. This time he saw a beautiful shiny yellow tail waving at him.

He kneeled down reaching out , completely captivated by its beauty. It was so shiny, like .. like gold. The scales were medium sized and only got smaller the closer they got to the tail fins. He was close to touching it when the boat tipped again and he fell in the water this time.

“Wahh!!!” He climbed back in the boat rolling to his back heaving, caughing up water.

He rubbed his head groaning and heard more giggling. He turned around fast tonsee a woman with her arms up on the boat, her head resting on her arm. She had yellow sea shells in her hair and colorful small stones. Her tail rose up out of the water waving at Sero.

“Mer.. mermaid...” was all he could come up with.

You smiled giggling again.

“Yes , thats me. But my name is Y/n.”

“S-ser-sero. Your beautiful...”

You dipped under the boat only showing your eyes, the tips of your fingers only on the boat now. You let out a cute growl with slanted eyes but then you jumped up giggling again.

You had on a gold seashell bra and you were just.. beautiful to him. Like the sea, endless beauty full of surprises.

He reached out to touch you but you slipped under the boat going to the other side, splashing him with your tail. He turned holding his hand out to you looking worried.

“Wait! Please. Dont leave yet...”

You waved with your tail one last time. “Maybe ill see you again, Sero!” You flipped over swimming away.

Soon after the Crew returned and Bakugo scoffed shaking the boat bringing Sero out of his frozen state.

“What are you doing ?” Asked the captain

With a very big smile on his face he answered.

“I saw a mermaid!!!!”

••

@knifeewifee

[captain-beanage]

Noob Tales : Chapter 5 : Ascension

The waves crashed against the side of the hull, throwing our new Brigantine from side to side. The sky a horrible murky grey. We were caught in the middle of what I imagine to be the worst storm I’ve seen in my days as a Pirate. The anchor creaked at the weight of the ship. We weren’t going anywhere in this.

Rain poured into the cabin, our feet soaked and our boots waterlogged. Quartermaster Abbott, our new crewmate peered through the gaps in the entryway, trying so desperately to keep dry...

And that is when he saw it.

The mighty fin heading our way... The Megaladon...

The decks rung with the clattering of arms and ammunition. Cannonballs being loaded into every cannon. I drew my trusty flintlock and gave the order to fire. 

“Fire!”

Cannon-Shot rung through through the skies as the monster made way for the ship as it banged and scrapied at the sides of the hull. First Mate Bumble responding to each and every bit of damage that dared present itself. I stood at the entryway firing my flintlock into the beast, never relenting. Shot and powder flung from the weapon, meeting the beast dead-between the eyes, but it was going to take more than that to bring the one down.

The battle went on for quite some time, we were running low on cannon balls, wood and food. That was when the last shot hit and sent the beast sinking to the depths.

I brought the ship about, alligning the harpoons ready to get whatever loot there would be. And that is when it happened...

The worst thing that could happen...

The water blackened once more... The water began to swell...

The Kraken!

It was back, after we scared it away on our previous voyage it was back for more, and now we were in for it! With no wood and no cannon balls left we stood very little chance if we planned to take this on! But we’re pirates! Nobody sinks this ship! We all gathered in the entryway, each of us having a bucket in one hand, and a flintlock in the other.

We engaged the beast, tentacles slamming into the side of the ship, wrecking havoc with our rhythm. Shoot, bail, shoot bail. We were there for ages, fighting the beast until we could no longer. With no hope left and little in ammunition, Quartermaster Abbott leaped at the beast with his cutlass as First Mate Bumble and I sprayed the last of our ammunition into the gluttonous creature.

The creature screamed in pain or anger, who knows which. Tentacles slamming down into the ocean. As if by some miracle of the seas, the water cleared, the tentacles stopped, and we retrieved our loot.

We limped back home in what remained of our ship, with no wood it was non-stop bailing all the way to Dagger Tooth Outpost. But we made it.

What a crew.

[diinferi]

ORIGINS

[DROP-IN] You have been dropped off at your chosen destination with nothing but the clothes on your back, your pre-existing knowledge of this world, and whatever equipment you have purchased. You have a few days worth of food and water, but you also have no connections to this world. On the plus side, this means you have no extraneous memories bogging you down - you are truly yourself.

LOCATION

[LOGUETOWN] A city in the East Blue, covering nearly the entire island it is on. A popular hub for those seeking to challenge the Grand Line due to its proximity to Reverse Mountain, you can likely find anything you  would need for your adventure here if you look hard enough. Birthplace and execution spot of Gold Roger.

SKILLS & ABILITIES

[NAKAMA] Fate has conspired to have someone you meet early in your adventure (or someone who is already a part of your past) turn into a great friend. There is an immediate connection, and your friendship immediately runs deep. This friend will be with you through thick and thin, will never even consider betrayal, and will likely be willing to take a cannonball to the face if it means saving you. Fate gives you one friend now, but fate in this world works in mysterious ways - they may be your first true friend here, but they likely won’t be your last or only.

[SWIMMING] You are quite adept when it comes to moving in the water. You can keep your head above the water easily and can keep your cool whenever you’re in the drink. Getting thrown overboard is not a big issue for you, provided the fall doesn’t knock you out on impact. Of course, this is all moot point if you ate a Devil Fruit..

[COMBAT TRAINING] You know how to hold your own in the fight, on land or at sea, with gun or sword. Includes proper combat knowledge on how to handle a cutlass, flintlock pistol, and musket, as well as general brawling experience.

[SURVIVALIST] You know where to fish, where to find fresh water, what animals are safe to eat (and which ones will try to eat YOU), and what plants will and won’t kill you if you try to eat them. Basically, you can survive on almost any island.

[PRECISION] Your kinesthetic sense and body coordination is quite the spectacle. You can see and react to attacks coming at you much faster than most, whether in melee or at range, and can hit targets much more accurately away than the norm.

[HAKI] You have awakened the latent power of your mind, body, and spirit! This power is, to put it simply, weaponized willpower, giving any who possess it the ability to even the odds against Devil Fruit eaters by being able to deal damage to them despite whatever defenses their power may offer them (with enough training of course). Your power is still weak and will require training to perfect, but you have already show a solid grasp on the basics of Evasion and Armament Haki to the point where you could go up against a group of mooks or an evenly matched Devil Fruit eater with good odds of coming out the victor. There is said to be a secret third type of Haki that few are said to possess, but you aren’t one of these people…

ITEMS

[SWIMMING GEAR] A pair of fins, a mask, and a tank of oxygen that will last for 1 hour. Tank automatically refills while above water. Not too useful for deep-sea dives, but could be useful for shallow water exploration or fixing a ship under the water line.

[REINFORCED CLOTHING] A set of clothing appropriate to your affiliation that has been woven in such a way that it is resistant to sword cuts, thrusts, and can probably even stop the odd bullet.

[500,000 BELI] A pretty sum of money that can buy a great deal of gear to start you out on your journey.

[UNIQUE WEAPON] Melee or ranged, if you’re looking for weaponry you won’t find anywhere else, this is the place! Sea prism stone nunchucks? High-pressure water cannon? Extreme-long-range musket that can hit target on another island? If it’s within reason, you can get it here!

[DEVIL FRUIT ENCYCLOPEDIA] Heavily worn and somewhat illegible, this book holds a good deal of information on all known Devil Fruits recorded by man. The pictures are slightly faded and the writing can sometimes be hard to make out, but it gives you a good idea of which fruit does what.

[DIAL BOX] A box full of about a dozen unmarked and fragile dials. Each one likely does something different, but what they can each do is a mystery. Can perform feats like recording music, generating gases, or generating strong wind currents. Get to testing!

[MEDICAL KIT] A small medical kit with bandages, herbs, and various medical drugs. Will patch up most wounds that aren’t serious and stabilize those that are.

DRAWBACKS

[HUNGRY] After a long period of exertion or a good fight, you almost immediately hear your belly growl. While this doesn’t affect your performance, you’ll become irritable and drop nearly anything that isn’t immediately critical if it means running to the kitchen for a quick chunk of meat

[WANTED] If you are a Drop-in or Pirate-Affiliated, the World Government has placed a 100-million beli bounty on your head. If you are Marine-Affiliated, a very prominent pirate group has placed a similar bounty on you. This bounty will likely grow if you do virtually ANYTHING to make anyone mad, so be prepared for bounty hunters and do-gooder civilians to repeatedly attempt to cash in your head.

[PLOT BOUND] No matter what you try or how far you try to run, fate is determined to make you one of the main characters, minus the plot armor that typically accompanies the position. If you are a pirate, except to find yourself aiding or conflicting with the Straw Hats at every plot point from Luffy’s execution at Loguetown to the ends of the New World. As a marine, you will find yourself tasked with pursuing the Straw Hats with much the same frequency. If you are a Drop-in….god help you. Yes, you WILL be present for events such as Impel Down and the Marineford War, your presence WILL be noticed, and you will likely have to pick a side soon or risk making everyone your enemy. Completely derailing the plot will not save you, for a new one will take its place, but this time you will not have the luxury of knowing the path it takes. Avoiding minor plot points may be doable, but fate WILL find ways of forcing your presence when it demands, whether that’s Grand Line weather phenomena catapulting you across the world or a mysterious Devil Fruit eater teleporting you to where you need to be. Your safety is not guaranteed if you try to avoid the fate you have chosen...

FUTURE

[...HERE WE GO!] Another world, another adventure. When will the adventure end? Who knows! All you know is that it won’t end here. Time to pack up and see what the next world holds! You keep all your skills and gear and continue along your never-ending journey.