#and everyone knows crew and ship went down in history decades ago | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

uwua3 · 4 years ago

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Yo! Can i ask for a cute Pirate AU with an adventure seeking MC pirate captain, who, when she and her crew are making a stop at some port, meets her childhood friend, Tenma, with whom she has romantic tension, only Tenma is a big blushing tsundere mess, and MC is verrrryyy oblivious to his blushiness, but accidentally innocently flirts with him?? If that makes sense? Also oops the soldiers have seen me, the wanted pirate, wanna get out of here and join my crew?

summary: a deal is made between a pirate captain haunted by their legacy and an island medium who wants to go home

warnings: alcohol, death (mentions), cops/police, crime, fights (physical/arguments), fires, ghosts, military, near–death experiences, pirates, slow-burn, swords, unrequited love/love triangle

author’s note: thank you so much for your patience requesting this pirate story~ i did my best to do this justice, as i love pirates more than anything! .*:ﾟ（｀・ω・´）ゝﾟ:*. this was a jolly good time to write, thank you! (please let me know if you would like a part 02 to this, as it ran longer than expected)! thank you!! :D

word count: 6,163

music: ship in a bottle – fin

captain, let’s make a deal.

☀️🌻 sumeragi tenma

even out at sea, you couldn’t escape the fire that destroyed your town years ago. the fire that made you become a pirate captain

you were born by a local village by the coast, where the air tasted like salt no matter what and trade was your community’s main economy

it was home. a place where everyone knew each other as family, where the sun was hot upon even warmer smiles and the euphoric laughter of children surrounded the island. this was the land of the happy, the free, and the united

it wasn’t until the damn navy—your first enemy until death—came

according to heresay, pirates were supposed to plunder and pillage without mercy. pirates were the villain and yet, what would the navy be then? after what they did to you, they were anything but heroes

yonaguni was made of tall palm trees that provided shade during the eternal summer that sunburnt your skin, floating markets by the pier with tricky elderly and learning apprentinces in the family business, and rare wildlife not found anywhere else

now, it was nothing more than hell. you could remember it all—how the flames licked the open wounds from navy seamen, the screams of the innocent replacing what would’ve been last words meant for decades later, the sound of crashing trees blocking every available escape route as birds flew away in the distance

you were just a yonaguni native, and now, there was nothing left of your hometown. it was permanently erased from world history forever, and you were the sole survivor of the island, making you the most wanted vigilante alive

it had been years since you last had a nightmare of the attack. was haunting your brain and traumautizing you for life during every waking hour not enough?

but, you knew the answer why you couldn’t stop mourning the loss of yonaguni

it was nearing the anniversary of your friend, sumeragi tenma’s, death

and, as you climbed to the crow’s nest with the power of the ocean running through your salted veins and spite overwhelming you in the deepest, darkest parts of yourself, you could see it over the horizon

the navy said dead men tell no tales, but you were alive, and you would be a legend

“all hands ahoy or you’ll be given no quarter!” (everyone on deck or you’ll be shown no mercy)

“aye, captain!” your crew replied eagerly, their loyalty unwavering and strong as always. you stood atop of the main mast, surrounded by vast ocean bordering a blue, cloudless sky. even without your telescope, you could see everything in the world

beneath you sounded the swing of the lines (rope) against the wind before two feet landed in the crow’s nest. the sailor had the type of agility that only came from a boy born on sea

“cap, don’t tell me ya forgot about me?” your quartermaster, rurikawa yuki, grinned (a rare sight that only came when the ocean smelt strongest of salt and treasure), standing at the ledge whilst holding onto the lines with one hand. any other novice would’ve immediately fallen off with how strong the random gusts of wind were, but yuki was an enigma and your second in command for a reason

“ahoy, yuki! so long as the jolly rodger waves, this crew will always be ready to set sail.” you responded, sliding down the mast to be in the crow’s nest as well. yuki just rolled his eyes, crossing his arms and leaning upon your frame like it was nothing

“don’t hornswaggle (cheat) me, cap. what are you thinking about?” yuki read you like a map, as expected of the second best cartographer (after master boatswain muku, of course) in all the seven seas. you tried to remain present in the moment, with the wind flowing and sky clear, but it wasn’t enough

“... tell me, yuki. is it so easy to read the distraught upon my face?” you joked, but it fell flat as yuki raised an unimpressed eyebrow at your facade. yuki didn’t take bullshit from anyone, not even his own captain

“aye, do not be acting as if you’re feeding the fish (about to die), captain.” yuki carefully watched if any of their small crew was eavesdropping, but the rest were doing their proper tasks for the morning. cartographer muku was happily reading directions to helmsman misumi. the two were a fantastic pair, considering the “sky” ship hasn’t sunken

surgeon kazunari was dutifully sanitizing his medical tools besides them, taking some time to laugh loudly at some story misumi was dramatically reenacting as he spun the wheel skillfully

“boom about!” yuki called out without looking away, already feeling it in his bones moments before anyone else could. his intuition was unheard of, and you watched no one hesitate as they ducked just in time

“sorry~!” misumi responded without any apologetic tone to his voice whatsoever. his sailor’s grin was infectious and wide, a smile only those accustomed to the fatal winds and waves of the ocean could make. just like everyone else on the “sky” ship, they all were forged by the sea

“smartly make way to land before i toss you off myself!” yuki snapped, but it held no malice. he rolled his eyes unimpressed when kazunari laughed at misumi’s sarcastic salute, knowing pirates did no such navy thing without mockery

“oh, dear yuki, how could i drown with you by my side?” you reached over to ruffle his hair, the precarious creak of the wooden mast the last thing on your mind as yuki swatted at your hand, irritated by the littlest of things as always

“you’re right, i’ll have your head first anyways.” yuki said with no malice, giving you a small frown as his calculating eyes glanced over you once more, trying to find any cracks in your confident visage. when he found nothing, he climbed back down, seemingly unsatisfied when you didn’t break under his stare

(you were one of the few on the crew who didn’t flinch. the other was misumi, who just had no fear towards anything, so it wasn’t personal. after all, misumi was the finest swashbuckler around!)

ahead, your acute sight narrowed in on the growing formation in the distance, your gut tensing before realizing it was far too large to be another ship

with a grin, you hanged over the edge (a habit that no longer scares your crew), your voice amplified as it was carried downward by the wind. it was to be expected, of course, as a yonaguni native, your town always had a special connection to nature that no one else did

“my men, turn your heads and look forward into the horizon! what do you see?”

“land, captain!”

“then let us sail faster! the sooner we reach the shores, the quicker you all can take a damn shower!”

with a shared lighthearted laugh, everyone focused on their role and position towards the land mass ahead. whether it was the possibility of smelling like something else other than a siren’s cove or something more, you smiled, forgetting about last night’s sleepless disturbances

up ahead was fukusaki, sky crew’s next location for the night

after three months or so on sea, your crew’s resources were dwindling (much faster since everyone had a bottomless appetite). it was time to visit a port town to stock up and set sail the next sunrise

sure, it was a rushed habit of yours, but it was never good to stay in one place for too long. that came with the risk of losing again...

besides, who liked a crew of pirates to suddenly come to the town square in their stained clothing and gleaming swords?

after barely securing a place to tie down the great beauty known as “sky”, entering fukusaki was like any other town. merchants upon the docks were experts at haggling prices, civilians went by with their day to day life, and the sun burned everyone’s skin just the same

but as you placed your leather boot upon the wooden dock, something inside you turned. like something had suddenly shifted in the town but you had no idea what

yuki seemed to have felt the same thing, even if his facial expression didn’t change. as kazunari kept muku from fighting with a seller for a map of the local area (misumi was unfortunately encouraging him), yuki inched closer to you, his brows furrowed

“you feel that? something isn’t right.” yuki bluntly stated, eyes scanning his surroundings like usual. except he didn’t know what he was looking for, so a frustrated sigh left his lips

“aye, feels as if someone’s running a rig (playing a trick) on us...” you murmured under your breath, careful not to alarm the returning muku with haughtiness ablaze in his eyes and sheepishness from an apologizing but relieved kazunari (it was hard to believe muku used to be shy prior to joining)

“keep a look out. let you know if somethin’s amiss.” yuki peeled away, checking in with muku asking where the closest tavern was. at the mention of alcohol, misumi jumped in, rambling about how he had already talked to a local about all the best spots

you took a moment to take a deep breath in, the scent of palm trees and fruit replacing your usual endless seas. it wasn’t unsettling, just new. your sea legs itched to return to somewhere always changing, always new, but you knew you couldn’t do that to your friends

you straightened your back and walked with the confidence of a true pirate captain, swinging both your arms around kazunari and misumi, peering down at the map with an easy smile

“alright my hearties, where to?”

this gut feeling could wait, you had a few hours to relax before everything turned upside down

of course the captain got the most inconvenient yet boring jobs that could’ve been assigned

(yuki didn’t look sorry as he happily enjoyed your childish huff at being the grocery shopper, knowing how much you hated to interact with people outside of the crew)

due to your very limited people skills, you awkwardly tried to summon your confidence to come back around all the fukusaki shop vendors. when you were with your crew, all eyes were on you and how high your head was held. but, when alone... a captain was nothing without its crew, you supposed

a messily scrawled list by kazunari was in your hand (never ask a doctor to write anything) as you tried to decipher the words, holding it up to the sun to figure out what the hell he wanted

after getting the main idea of what each person wanted within budget, you stood on the outskirts of the town square, desperately trying to decide what was the best way to approach this situation

you couldn’t appear helpless or confused! how were you supposed to haggle in this state of mind?! as you slowly spun around in a circle to view all of the sellers before settling on a rather small, unimpressive stand

maybe that meant cheaper prices! you thought cleverly, walking over with the poise of a seasoned native. with a neutral expression, you reached a wooden display with a certain swagger to your step

however... there was nothing. as you stood in the front of the set-up and realized no one was there, you couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. what kind of service was this? was there no one actually here to sell anything?

before you could leave, a flash of orange appeared in front of you, purple eyes wide as if surprised they even received a customer. “w-wait!” he called out, nearly falling over his own table. this kid would clearly not make it upon a ship, you thought

for whatever reason, you stopped, looking over your shoulder with an unimpressed expression at the simple boy. he was tall and lean, wearing a bandana around his orange hair and an unbuttoned shirt. it was a casual appearance unfit for a merchant

“what is it? i’ve got places to be and there’s nothing here to be sold.” you stated, a wave of shock passing over his face before solidifying in a stubborn crease in his forehead

“huh? what are you talking about? haven’t you come here to get rid of that?”

when he reached out, you jolted back, a surge of energy visible in your body. you felt that strongly, what the hell did this random merchant do to you?!

“w—calm down! stop moving or i can’t remove the yokai! you’re making this difficult.” he demanded roughly, his proper words clipped from an accent unlike any other on this island. there was a certain... twang, to his vocabulary. as if it didn’t sit right, as if it was on the tip of his tongue

so much for customer service! you didn’t listen, dodging his hand like your life depended on it. as you ducked beneath his arm, you gripped his bicep with a death glare. at your narrowed eyes, the orange-haired boy gulped and stared back with astonishment

clearly, fukusaki natives weren’t this rude

“yokai? what the hell are you blubberin’ about, kid?” you questioned, your patience thin like a century-old rope worn down by salt. he set his lips in a straight line, as if trying to assess if you were serious or not. when you didn’t budge, he yanked his arm back and rubbed the sore spot, giving in

“ghosts. you got more spirits than normal around you, they’ve been there for a long time.”

you were about to retort, but fell silent at the remembrance of yonaguni. had your ancestors been with you all this time? you almost couldn’t believe you’ve been actually haunted by their deaths for this long

“i have no ghosts. do not try to scam me.” you flatly said before turning on your heel, intent on leaving the possibility of ghosts behind before tenma took a hold on your arm this time

“but, they’re trying to tell you—”

before tenma could finish, an irritated and offended voice boomed just down the cobblestone pathway

“you dare lay your hand on our captain?!”

“yuki, wait!” the crew clambered after him, hands always short of his shirt fabric as yuki’s sword made a sickening sound when pulled out of its sheath. the orange-haired boy let go immediately, attempting to make a run for it before coming face to face with misumi, whose previous smile was cold and nonexistent

it was as if the other merchants disappeared, fearing a start of a fight would be terrible for business. tenma was caught in the middle of a 5-person circle, with yuki pointing the tip of his sword at his throat

“state your name and business for grabbing our captain like that!” yuki was adamant on proving his sword was real by putting it closer to the boy’s adam’s apple. he tried not to shake under the pressure, but you noticed how his feet had no shoes and looked ready to run to anywhere but here

“um... t—johnny. it’s johnny, and i simply belong to a family of fukusaki mediums, that’s all.” johnny(?) said, as if trying to convince himself. all of you secretly exchanged a look, trying to decide whether or not to believe this so-called johnny

“you see ghosts?” yuki scoffed, his position already clear on the issue. ever since you two have met, you knew yuki never believed in anything involving the supernatural. after all, so many mysteries were hidden in the ocean, yuki doubted anything could scare him on land

but, you... you’re starting to believe johnny as you notice his eyes waver towards you. maybe not so much you, but whatever was surrounding you

“yes, sir. i can communicate with them as well. ever since i was a young boy, i’ve brought peace to the dead.” your head snapped towards him at that, something inside of you turning

that boy could bring your ancestors peace? could it be too good to be true? as if hearing your thoughts, johnny nodded to reaffirm your beliefs

before anyone else can join in on the questioning, you held your hand up and everyone fell silent, waiting for your next words. you could easily tell yuki to kill this boy and he would... but you won’t

“how much are your services?”

johnny blinked, clearly not used to this question as he mentally calculated whatever in his head. “uh... i usually don’t get paid.”

“if we took you on your ship, how much then?” (you immediately hushed a protesting yuki and wary crew)

“my payment wouldn’t be money.” johnny quickly said, almost shocking himself with how fast that answer came. you raised an eyebrow at that, about to question his terms before muku turned, eyebrows furrowed

“there’s someone coming.” muku whispered in a hush, immediately on guard as everyone shifted to a defensive position. at the first sound of a boot on ground, kazunari’s eyes widened. a telltale sign of the cop’s traditional uniform, which kazunari knew better than most

“go! go! go!” you ordered, everyone taking off running. without thinking, you took a hold of johnny’s hand. he squeezed it without flinching, turning and impressively staying by your side even as you got faster and faster

you were fast, but you despised running with a passion. if you closed your eyes longer than a blink, you could almost smell the smoke and crack of the tree trunks. for some reason, johnny smelt like coconut, and that humored you to a certain extent as your crew ran for their lives from the officers. someone must’ve alerted local authorities nearby...

even with a map, muku was lost to the island’s complex system. despite being quick on his feet, muku’s eyes frantically analyzed the outdated lines and pressed his lips into a straight line out of frustration. you knew you should’ve stepped in, but what could you have done?

“follow me!” johnny whispered hurriedly, turning into a waypoint before stopping and looking back. your crew subconsciously looked towards you as well, as if asking if this fukasaki native was trustworthy

though, it’s not like you had a choice now

you ran with johnny, the rest of your crew following suit. when you reached a dead end, you expected this to be a mistake before johnny nimbly flung himself up the ivy-covered wall, landing with a hard thud as if he hadn’t done so in a long time. ignoring the pain, johnny extended his hand an impressive height away

“grab my hand and we’ll be free!” pirates weren’t one to say no to freedom (or put all their coins in one chest...), so you got down to provide a boost to your crew mates. it wasn’t a time to be noble, so they all took your support without complaining, easily being able to run past johnny

when it was your turn, the sound of polished boots grew increasingly closer, much to your chagrin. you backed up quietly, gulping and trying not to look behind you as you glanced up. both johnny and yuki were standing there, their hands extended as you got a running start

you closed your eyes, breathed in the imaginary smoke, and leaped, feeling the grip of both their hands upon yours as they helped you up. just as you ducked beneath the foliage, you breathed a sigh of relief as the officers ran by without sparing a second look

when you opened your eyes, you noticed johnny was still holding your hand, his fist tight around yours as you could practically feel his heartbeat through leaning on his shoulder

you got up to thank johnny before noticing yuki’s uncharacteristic quietness and the way his eyes looked between you and johnny... as if he was betrayed

you didn’t think more of it despite the sinking feeling in your stomach

it was a night to celebrate! escaping the cops was no easy feat, especially on a foreign island. your crew, who had taken a liking to johnny’s ability to hold his own, invited him to drinks (not that they needed guidance to the safest tavern, of course...)

you nursed your own drink of choice at a rickety table with the crew, watching as they became less like pirates and more like their own ages with a few drinks and good music. yuki didn’t drink, which was something that had always occurred no matter where they went

johnny was flustered under all the attention, or it was the alcohol everyone insisted he could keep down. you stifled a chuckle when kazunari hooked his arm around tenma’s neck and ruffled his hair, the look upon his face priceless

you took a sip before lowering the cup’s rim, noticing yuki’s wary gaze. he met your eye with a frown, as if hesitating on what to say next. once again, how strange

“captain,” at that, you tried not to outwardly wince. it wasn’t common for yuki to be so... formal with you, at least. “do you truly intend on bringing this stranger with us?”

“johnny is no stranger anymore, yuki. he saved our lives, we are indebted to him.” you flatly said, glancing at johnny once more. yuki huffed, clearly disagreeing with your opinion as he rolled his eyes

“we would’ve been just fine without him. plus, he’s a medium! how do you know he’s the real deal, anyways?”

“i just... know.” you tried to elaborate, but it fell on deaf ears. there were some parts of your past you just couldn’t elaborate on, some parts that wouldn’t make sense to a non-yonaguni native

yuki slammed his water on the wooden table, a sound barely distinguishable in the rowdy atmosphere before getting up with a skid of the stool. he silently left, no doubt heading back to the docks where the stars shined the brightest and moon made things shrouded in dark more visible

you got up and followed without speaking another word. the crew knew disagreements between you & yuki were far and few, so there was no time to ask silly questions

when you reached the outside, the salt in the air and muffled sound of everyone having fun made you stop. behind you, you noticed the door didn’t slam completely as a quick-footed pair of feet made their way besides you

“are... you okay?” johnny asked, his hands in his linen pockets as you exhaled, nodding as you leaned onto the wall. johnny stiffly stood by the door, as if guarding it

“yeah, yeah. i am... just a little tussle, that’s all.” you sounded as if you were trying to convince yourself, but neither of you pointed it out. a few moments of awkward silence passed, before johnny cleared his throat

“okay, i didn’t hear nothin’. just... heard the spirits around you get loud.”

there he went again about the ghosts and spirits! you subconsciously patted your hair down flat, turning to look at johnny with yuki-like skepticism in your narrowed eyes

“how can you see there are ghosts on me? how do i know you’re not pullin’ my leg?” you suspiciously questioned, watching as johnny bristled under the attention. it seemed as if the island natives didn’t question his credibility as a medium

“you know i’m right. you have tens, maybe more, spirits attached to you. i can help you take them away, for a price, of course.”

“which is?”

“i want to find an island lost to me long ago.”

if you blinked, you could’ve sworn you were talking to a past-version of yourself. why did that request seem so familiar?

“do you know its name?”

“nay... my family refuses to tell me anything about where i’m from. all i know is the navy is the reason i lost my parents.”

“mine too.” you admitted with a breath and the conversation paused, you two sharing an understanding expression of sympathy but unshakable faith. you two understood each other despite knowing one another for a few hours

“then, is it settled?” johnny held out his hand, which you took with a firm grip. his palms were soft for an islander, funny enough. he must’ve thought differently since this was one of the few times you took off your leather gloves

“as long as you bring peace to my ancestors, you’re comin’ with me.”

when the hours became late and you ultimately decided everyone passed their limit a long time ago, you and johnny led them all to their barracks with laughs and humor in the air

when you reached the docks, yuki was barely noticeable in the night as he stood upon the mast of the ship, his hair waving in the wind like a flag

he didn’t look at you, not once, so you didn’t climb up. how could you when johnny was holding your hand with his eyes flickering back to you, or whatever was around you?

you introduced johnny to his new quarters and left him to be, feeling free for once in your life that night

morning came with the unfurling of your sails and your position in the crow’s nest. the sky was blue and cloudless, just like everyone predicted as the sea welcomed your crew into its arms

“ahoy, my hearties! off we go to find our next treasure!” you commanded joyously, the crew hurrah-ing in return at your enthusiasm. like most pirates did, your crew’s goal when off-land was to find a ship to rob and make off with their goods

you turned to the side, about to say something before realizing yuki wasn’t next to you. he must’ve slept in, that’s all. you didn’t question it even if he was always on time the years you knew him

disguising your expression of disappointment, you left your crew to their own means, sliding down the mast as per usual. when you landed, you noticed johnny standing awkwardly to the side as everyone was doing their own job

“hey, johnny! what are you muckin’ around for?” you questioned lightheartedly, slamming your freshly-shined boots (after an unfortunate drunk throw-up incident) upon the oak boards. johnny flinched from the sound, unaccustomed to the constantly-busy atmosphere of a large ship

“do you... need any help? i kinda, feel guilty just lazing about in my quarters.” johnny confessed, a red flush against his face as he rubbed the back of his permanently-sunburned neck. you were taken back for a moment, not used to being offered help

“um... you seem to know how to throw a person off their rhythm! i have nothing on mind as of now, hmmm....” after much consideration, you snapped your fingers with a start. “perhaps consider shadowing me for today! get the feel of a captain’s life—”

“no need, captain. i will take him off your hands for you.”

you turned to see yuki besides you, his feet silent and eyes attentive as always. you sensed the tension still imbedded between you two, gulping as you tugged at the collar of your shirt. for some reason, you immediately felt disappointed at the missing opportunity of tenma being with you

why were you feeling this way?! there was no reason to think like that as a busy, efficient pirate captain!

“thank you, yuki. return him in one piece, alright?” you joked, turning away to review what needed to be done that day. as you left, you didn’t notice yuki place a cold grip on johnny’s shoulder with an uncharacteristically eerie stoic pose

johnny looked after you, wondering what was behind that shroud of spirits who wanted nothing more than to see you freed of them

“you’re quite lucky the captain has taken quite a liking to you, johnny, was it?”

yuki & johnny found themselves ending the ship’s tour in the underground of the main deck, located along the cannons placed in their corresponding holes. the smell of gunpowder and flint was nearly suffocating, but yuki moved with ease and seemed to revel in johnny’s tight expression

“y-yes... the captain is very kind and charitable to take me on board.” johnny managed to get out without coughing, his eyes inspecting the materials and wondered how loud it truly was during battle

“you agreed to come so soon. you have no family of your own?” yuki asked innocently, mindlessly fixing the placements of the bombs behind the barrels. johnny shook his head, explaining it wasn’t an emotional attachment he had to fukusaki

“how... suspiciously fortunate.” yuki deadpanned, suddenly whipping around with a blank stare. it caught johnny off guard, who nearly stumbled back into a cannon. yuki wasn’t armed, but his tense demeanor and personality change was jarring

“listen, kid, i’ve got no clue who you are, but you have no reason to be upon this ship.” with every word, yuki seemed to come closer until his pointer finger pushed in the center of johnny’s chest

“you may have fooled everyone else, but our captain has always been too naive. i see right through you, johnny. who are you, really?”

johnny shuddered, backed against the wall and desperately holding onto anything that can keep his wobbly legs up. he didn’t know if it was the rocky seas or yuki’s simmering anger, but he felt like he was staring straight into one of those cannons

“i’m johnny, an island medium who sees ghosts on your captain. it is my duty to let them go, that’s all.”

a moment passed, before yuki took a few steps back. before johnny could react, he found the tip of a real sword pointed at his neck once again

“you’re lying, i know it. do not make me ask you again, who are you?”

johnny tried to remain placid in the face of a weapon, but he gritted his teeth and couldn’t help himself

“why the hell does it matter to you? are you in love with your captain or something?!”

silence, then yuki lowered his sword. he sheathed it back, before turning and leaving without another word. johnny let out a deep breath, sinking to the floor as he closed his eyes

if johnny listened hard enough, he could hear your spirits try to communicate with him. but, their voices were garbled and unlike anything he’s heard before. who were you and why was he here?

the first time you & johnny met in terms of spirits was two weeks after a pattern of sleepless nights

he already found you teetering close to the edge, your hands folded as you searched for something, or someone, past the blackened seas

it was as if some savage sea monster had spilt its ink-like blood into the waters, the once blue surface that reflected lucky skies now murky and as mysterious as the dark side of the moon

with your usual guarded glint now gone, you still seemed just as capable to be the one responsible for such dark seas

“good evening.” johnny mumbled lowly, placing the lantern besides his feet as he made his way next to you. you hummed, not particularly fazed by his sudden appearance despite not paying attention. it’s as if you had eyes in the back of your head, like a sea monster

“i suppose fukusaki isn’t used to the rocking of wooden ships?” you retorted, to which johnny sharply exhaled through his nose, a sign of amusement at your observation

“nay, but... i haven’t been able to properly maintain my sleep schedule ever since boarding. your spirits... are rather loud for ghosts.”

you full-on laughed at this, disturbing the intimate atmosphere between you two. johnny couldn’t help but smile at your worn-down exterior. you presented yourself like you were made of a glass bottle, but you were as intricate as a carved artisan ship

“try living with them your whole life, boy, then you can start complaining about their volume.” you jested lightheartedly, offering a soft smile at the newest recruit. as you leaned back onto the railing of the ship, you watched the constant surface of the waves, as if you could anchor your endless thoughts to davey jone’s locker

johnny mimicked your position, his elbow knocking into yours. his hands were much too soft for a seasoned sailor, you noticed this in the dim lantern light. for a moment, you let your impulses take over and you wondered how they felt against yours

“pardon my words, but when will you let me speak to them? i can never find you through the day...” johnny began to ask, but trailed off when your salted eyes and weariness became apparent in the way you exhaled quietly

“it is not your fault but mine, johnny. this is my ship and i am the captain, that’s all. i cannot allow myself to suddenly become weak in case i am needed.” you spoke like a true hero, well, as much of a hero a pirate could be

johnny didn’t exactly understand, considering he just got up and left his entire life on a whim of a promise to find out who he was. but, he nodded anyways, watching blurred movements of entities swirl around your head like troubled smoke

“what about now? will you let me—?” when johnny reached out, you immediately stepped back, your lips pressed in a straight line as if restraining your true reaction

“you look for every reason to touch me, don’t you?” you tried to force it out like it was nothing, but it was clear how your boots twisted like they were prepared to run away

when was the last time someone physically comforted you in any sense? or... comforted you at all?

“captain...” johnny mumbled, eyes wide with pity and you couldn’t stand it. he called you captain, but he didn’t revere you like a typical person would. he didn’t flinch at your sword or head held high, it was unnerving

“what is the purpose of having a crew if they cannot help you through this?”

the wind wailing against your ears reminded you of how little time there was in a day, and how the sun would rise soon and this cycle of pretending everything was okay would begin again

it was maddening, to live the same day again and again with no change

johnny perhaps was someone you looked forward to, a diversion from the expected

“do you consider yourself apart of my crew, then?” when johnny took a moment to think, you wondered what he was remembering. was it the night where misumi pretended to fall over board to scare everyone or was it when kazunari didn’t react to seeing a skeleton that time? was it when muku could predict every type of weather for the next day without fail or when yuki finally cracked at a joke after a hour of pretending nothing was funny?

or, was it when you two shared glances across the deck, clinked your glasses a little too long, or when your hands ghosted over another when pulling lines?

“yes, your crew is my own as well. and like them, i wish to help you, if you’d let me.”

you always found yourself unsure around johnny, unaware of how to respond in a way worthy of your pirate captain title. as you hesitated, johnny looked you in the eyes and his eyes reminded you of storm clouds thundering in the distance

“why else would you take me on the ‘sky’? if you didn’t want help?”

perhaps those were words you would reveal later, but you couldn’t bring yourself to share the real answer. it was a gut feeling that your world would be turned upside down, and you were right when you felt your throat dry at johnny’s hopeful gaze

johnny continued on, straightening his usual bent posture and his voice carried, like he was one with nature. as if they supported him unconditionally

“i know this is your own battle to win and this is your ship and you are my—our captain, but please... let’s make a deal.”

you stood, intrigued, as you witnessed a side of johnny never seen before. once meek, once easily intimidated, now talked to you like an equal

“let’s promise to say things we both really feel. be honest with me, do you want me to help? to remove the spirits and let them move on?” when you nodded, johnny let out a breath of relief and moved closer, gathering your hands in his. when you didn’t pull away and only tensed, he spoke as if he was sure things would change

“i can help you, i can make them go away. you bring me back to my home, i let your spirits go home. deal?”

“is that how you truly feel?”

“and more.” johnny’s eyes glanced down, and you felt your heart stutter as if the surface rocked

“i feel the same way. i wish to help you.”

that night, you remembered for the first time in a long time, a captain was nothing without its crew

#sumeragi tenma #tenma sumeragi #a3! act! addict! actors!#a3!#act! addict! actors!#a3! actor training game #a3! headcanons #act! addict! actors! headcanons #mankai a3!#mankai company #a3! x reader #a3 x reader #tenma x reader #a3! tenma #a3 tenma

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tuiyla · 4 years ago

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A Definitive History of Bubbline

With “Obsidian” coming out in two days, it really is time for a definitive history of Marceline and Bubblegum’s relationship. And by that I mean the tumultuous road that led us to “Obsidian” from a production and fandom point of view. For a list of Bubbline episodes, check out my Bubbline Guide (and part two) - which I need to update, I know I know. For this post, I wanted to highlight how far this pairing has come and what Bubbline means to queer representation in children’s cartoons.

This is less of an analysis and more of an overview with links to more information on specific incidents to keep it (relatively) brief. I say it’s a definitive history but it isn’t an exhaustive one, so do check out the links included to learn more about how we got here. I realize not everyone cares about these kinds of things but I think it’s important to know how hard Adventure Time’s creators had to fight. Bubbline is a pioneer ship in many ways but it doesn’t always get the recognition it deserves.

Initial Concepts

As is the case with much of Adventure Time, the initial concept of who the characters of Bonnibel and Marceline were going to be is very different than what we ended up getting. @gunterfan1992 explores this and other production tidbits in depth in his book so I do recommend checking that out. The short version is that these two were created to be opposites and with a Betty and Veronica type dynamic in mind where they would both be love interest to the protagonist, Finn.

This didn’t quite end up being the case but remnants of this concept are seen in “Go With Me” (March, 2011), the episode with the first on-screen Bubbline interaction. As Marcy helps - and sabotages - Finn in asking Bonnie out, she also becomes a potential love interest for him but she shuts him down immediately. So while Finn’s crush on PB continues, the notion that Marceline would be part of a love triangle is dismissed. Instead, this first Bonnie and Marcy interaction established that the two already know each other and there’s some bitterness in that past.

“What Was Missing” and the Mathematical Controversy

A potential preexisting relationship between the two was further explored in “What Was Missing” (September 2011) just a season later. The episode was written and storyboarded by Rebecca Sugar and eventual showrunner Adam Muto. Sugar was responsible for much of the character depth added to Marceline and later even played, quite aptly, her mother in the Stakes miniseries. It was Sugar who wrote the now beyond iconic “I’m Just Your Problem” based on personal experiences and suggested that Marcy and Bonnie be queer characters with a complicated romantic past.

“What Was Missing” was hugely important in how it hinted at a complex relationship through character interactions, Marceline’s song, and the last scene twist with PB’s shirt. The AT crew were supportive of the idea and sneaked in plenty of queer subtext, but this is where I have to point out that 2011 was a very different time and it’s thanks, in part, to Bubbline that things have changed. Autostraddle’s article from back when covers what is now known as the Mathematical controversy. Audiences picked up on the subtext and Cartoon Network was not having it. The popularity of the ship soared but the execs were not taking to queer implications kindly.

Great Bubbline Drought

So, the ship has sailed but controversy looms over it. “What Was Missing” s subtle by today’s standards but it was enough to keep Marceline and Bubblegum apart for two years on-screen. Each character went through wonderful development in the meantime, as did the show itself, but there’s a certain sense of bitterness to what came to be known as the Great Bubbline Drought. CN got so afraid of the potential backlash that they waited two years to have a new episode featuring the pair, “Sky Witch” (July 2013), by which point Sugar had left AT to work on her own show, Steven Universe. I’m happy that Sugar got to create her own show and push for even more queer representation, but it’s also sad that she never got to write more for the ship she pioneered.

“Sky Witch” still happened, though, and featured even more subtext, from PB’s side this time around. The shirt returned and there was hope as Marcy and Bonnie were seen hanging out together more often (”Red Starved” and “Princess Day”). Another controversy threatened to emerge in August 2014 when Olivia Olson, Marceline’s voice actress said that creator Pendleton Ward had confirmed a pre-show Bubbline romance. It was a messy ordeal with deleted tweets and questions about whether the two could get together again in the series. Fortunately, though, things changed in the three years between 2011 to 2014 and another Bubbline drought didn’t follow.

The Season That Changed Everything

It took another two years after “Sky Witch” but the ball was finally, inevitably, relentlessly rolling. “Varmints” premiered in November 2015 and three episodes later, the Stakes miniseries kicked off. What season 7 meant wasn’t just breadcrumbs and (not so) subtle songs anymore: suddenly, there were too many Bubbline moments to count. “Varmints” served as a follow-up to “What Was Missing” and a final reconciliation, and though Stakes was primarily about Marcy, it also developed her relationship with Bonnie. Afterwards, it became clear that Bubbline was heading somewhere.

It’s worth noting that the cultural context also changed between when “Sky Witch” and “Varmints” aired. In December 2014, The Legend of Korra ended with Korra and Asami beginning their romantic relationship, and Rebecca Sugar was making Steven Universe more and more explicitly queer by the day. Adventure Time started the ball rolling but now it wasn’t alone as a popular Western cable cartoon with queer characters. However, Bubbline was still very much subtext at this point, just with significantly more hope of becoming more.

Late Series Entanglement

But at what point does subtext become plain text? Bubbline fans sure did have fun with that question between Stakes and the finale. Bonnie and Marcy became near inseparable, with most of their major appearances involving one another from this point on. These included the meet the adoptive dad date “Broke His Crown” (March 2016), the Elements miniseries (April 2017) and the nigh on obnoxiously on the nose “Marcy & Hunson” (December 2017). In fact, all but two of Marceline’s major appearances from season 7 on included Bonnie - the exceptions being “Everything Stays” as part of Stakes, and “Ketchup”, which really wasn’t any less gay.

Bubbline moments really did become too many to count, with the vast majority of them having romantic implications. And with queer representation becoming more and more prominent in Western animation, canon Bubbline romance seemed like a question of when rather than if. I’d like to point out here how this was often frustrating, though. After the very rocky start, this relationship was thriving and was really basically confirmed, but that last little push to make it undeniably a part of queer history was still needed.

“Come on!” - The End and Beyond

The almost three years that passed between Stakes and “Come Along With Me” (September 2018) were much more tolerable than the Drought; after all, there was plenty of Bubbline content in the later seasons. The big question as the finale came was whether Adventure Time would fizzle out on its early pioneer of a wlw ship or follow through, once and for all. Almost four years after LoK ended and just before season 1 of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power dropped, Marcy and Bonnie had an emotional moment, kissed on screen, and ended the series together.

The intricacies of why a kiss was needed as a signifier of romance is a discussion for another day. But wouldn’t it have been strange after almost a decade of build-up for them not to seal the deal with a kiss? And to think it almost didn’t happen, as by that point it was so obvious they were together. Again, I direct your attention towards Paul Thomas’s book, he explains how it was storyboard artist Hanna K. Nyström’s call to add this final detail. Because, come on! Sometimes, you need to be as clear as possible, and that’s the case with queer representation in animation.

Since the finale, the comics have been continuing the Bubbline train - which are not technically canon but one can have fun regardless. In any case, the existence of Marcy and Bonnie’s relationship, of their queer identities, is not something that can reasonably be denied. It was a long road, and, make no mistake, an arduous one, but this is the story of a win. A win for storytelling and a win for wlw relationships.

We’ll Build Our Own Forever

So, there you have it, a Bubbline timeline of sorts. In March of 2011 we had the first on-screen interaction and now, in November of 2020, we’re getting a 45-minute-long special with the two of them as the central characters. They’re canonically in love, with King Princess covers of Bubbline songs and more. I tried to contain myself, for once, and not write too much. I think it’s important that people have a general idea of just how monumental all of this is and how, even just 9 years ago, “Obsidian” would have been totally inconceivable.

Some of this might have come as a surprise to you. It’s certainly not been easy to get to where we are now with Bubbline and it’s yet to be seen how open “Obsidian” will be about the relationship. I’ve been talking about Bubbline for years and attempted to chronicle their relationship many times so I’m happy I’ve finally done it from this perspective as well.

Adventure Time: Distant Lands “Obsidian” is streaming on Nov 19 on HBO Max. If you can, stream it so we can show that there’s popular demand for stories like that of an angry vampire and a despotic piece of gum.

#Adventure Time #bubbline #obsidian #marceline abadeer #adventure time distant lands #at #pb #my thoughts #definitive history of bubbline #there you have it folks #princess bubblegum

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matrixreimagined · 4 years ago

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The Dream Chronicles Chapter 7

I always forget to post this here! lol

A03 Story Link

A03 Chapter Seven

Trinity woke with the ship.

The gentle hum of the systems rebooting, coming out of their overnight stasis. She heard the lights in the hall flicker on and reach their gentle hum.

She opened her eyes.

Neo was still lost to sleep, his face relaxed and content. She ran a hand down his cheek. Stubble was starting to form. The hair on top of his head was also quickly growing into what looked like a buzzcut. It was cute, she thought, but his haircut in the Matrix had suited him much better. It somewhat softened his features.

It would grow back, she knew. Just as hers had done, fifteen years ago.

She wished she could just stay and watch him sleep. But there were things to do and everyone had been slacking since finding the One. Morpheus was letting it slide because he was so excited himself, but they needed to stay on top of things. Especially repairs. The last thing they needed was for the ship to break down while everyone on board was celebrating and watching Neo kick ass all through the construct.

Sighing, she tried to slip out of his arms, only for his grip to tighten, pulling her back to his chest with a dissatisfied groan.

Try as she might, she couldn't help the smile on her face. For a poddie, Neo was already shockingly strong.

"Don't you dare," he muttered.

"I need to shower," she replied, squirming as she tried to fight his vice-like grip.

"Smell good to me."

She smirked. "I'd like to keep it that way." She slipped down and out of his arms, quickly stepping to her feet.

His eyes cracked open, a lazy grin on his face. "Want help scrubbing your back?"

"Some other time," she promised, grabbing a fresh set of clothes from her shelves. She leaned down to press a kiss to his forehead. "I'll be back soon."

Neo hummed, closing his eyes. "Miss you already."

She hurried to the wash. It appeared that no one else was up yet. She could not hear the subtle creaks that came from the crew moving about on the metal ship.

While there were two bathrooms on the ship, only one contained the showers. It was usually a fight in the morning to get there first and Trinity nearly always won.

She kept her time to a minimum, scrubbing her body down and soaping her hair, all the while knowing it wouldn't make much of a difference. In a few hours, she'd be covered in dirt and sweat from running repairs.

Still, it was soothing. And while water was plentiful in Zion due to the recycling plant, on a hovercraft, they were much more limited. Most ships allowed for showers every two days. As the Neb rarely made port in Zion, they tried to conserve water the best they could. Meaning, oftentimes, they were limited to twice-weekly showers.

The urge to get back to Neo was surprisingly overwhelming. She told herself it was only because they'd have to spend the day separately and not because his absence weighed on her every moment that they were apart.

She had lived without him for decades but now minutes dragged by.

Trinity dried off quickly before dressing for the day and slipped back into the hall. Dozer's door was open, as was Morpheus'.

She opened the door to what had quickly become hers and Neo's room.

The man in question was sitting up in bed. He had dressed for the day and made the bed before sitting back on top of it, the datapad pulled down and resting on his lap.

He looked up as she entered, a smile forming on his face that made her heart fucking stop.

"What are you looking at?" she asked to distract herself from his contagious grin, tossing her used clothes into the laundry bag.

"Catching up on the history of Zion. You know-—trying to fill in the gaps."

"How's that going?" She sat next to him on the bed, glancing down at the datapad. He was reading about the Second Machine War, judging by the pictures.

Neo shrugged. "It dually makes sense and is hard to make sense of."

Trinity nodded. "Despite your dreams, you spent thirty years indoctrinated by the Matrix. It'll be harder to let go of certain things."

Neo powered down the datapad, pushing it up behind them to its rightful station. He leaned towards her, pressing a kiss to her lips. "Good morning."

"Morning," she echoed, resting her head against his. "How are you feeling today?"

"Mentally, pretty good. I feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be."

"And physically?"

"I'll do anything you ask if you don't tell Apoc where I'm hiding."

She laughed, craning her neck to kiss his cheek. "Sorry, sweetheart. It's back to bootcamp, I'm afraid."

Neo was practically beaming at her and it took her a moment to realize the term of endearment she had laid upon him. She felt herself flush, but Neo kissed her before she could dwell on it for too long.

She let herself get lost, at least for the moment, in the tastes and sensations of Neo. She wanted to just say fuck it all… to call out sick and just stay in bed, kissing him, all day.

But it wouldn't be beneficial for either of them.

Neo still had to train, and she had a ship to run.

But a few minutes more wouldn't hurt.

............

While there was technically no time constraint on breakfast being served, they were definitely late, considering everyone else was already sitting when they walked in.

Switch wasted no time honing in on the tray in Neo's hands. "What's with the bowls and shit?"

Tank was quick to jump in on that as Neo and Trinity made their way past the table to the little kitchenette. "Oooh, that was from their date last night."

Trinity sighed as Neo set the tray in the soapy water. It was going to be a long fucking day.

"Date?" Switch nearly hollered, looking up. "What date? We're on the Neb!"

Dozer fielded that one. "They made do. Dinner, tea, bottle of my home brew."

"What? Ugh!" Switch shook their head. "I can't fucking take this."

"That's really cute, though!" Mouse piped up.

"I'm dying. I'm literally dying."

Neo stopped up next to Trin as she prepared their teas. "Think they've noticed we haven't said anything yet?" he asked, bending down to whisper in her ear.

"Definitely not." She gave him a small smile. "I'm sorry they're like this."

He kissed her head before reaching for two bowls.

"Just look at them," Tank was saying. "It's nearly nauseating."

"Nearly?" Cypher added.

"Hey, dumbasses," Trinity said loudly as Neo poured them each a serving of breakfast, "take a moment and remember who makes your schedules and decide if you really want to be doing overnights for the next month."

Apoc snickered as a collective sigh filled the kitchen. Trinity had never been so thankful for her one friend who seemed able to mind his own damn business.

She brought their teas over and sat at the end of one of the tables, Neo quickly following with their breakfast.

"You two look awfully domestic," Tank said, like he was unable to help themselves. It only made sense, thought Trinity. Of everyone on the crew, Tank was probably the least afraid of her.

"How long was that?" Trinity asked with a sigh.

"Not even thirty seconds," Neo replied evenly, slipping into the seat next to her, "although I'm not sure what you expected."

"You know what? With the exception of Neo, everyone on this crew has gone after me and Sparky for years. And now that I'm on the other side, I get it and I'm getting in on it!"

Neo smirked at the operator. "I'm not exactly innocent; I've definitely got in on going after you and Sparks on my end."

"See!" Tank said, raising a hand to accentuate his point. "This is my time to shine!"

Trinity rolled her eyes while the others chuckled, save Morpheus. He was eyeing Neo with that intense curiosity.

"You're remembering," the captain commented.

"More and more every day," Neo admitted with a glance to Trinity, remembering their conversation the previous night. "The problem is I'm not sure which dreams are reliable, and which aren't."

"What the hell does that mean?" Cypher asked.

"I mean," Neo paused trying to think of how best to explain, "it's undeniable that some of the things I know are accurate, but there's very little I trust implicitly."

"You dreamed of the club," Apoc noted, sounding curious.

"I did," Neo agreed. "Hundreds of times. And the scenarios ranged a few dozen different ways. But nothing actually matched what really happened that night. And even as far as meetings go, I had other dreams where I met Trin in a library or in a bus."

Trinity's head turned towards him quickly and he was met with a stunned silence from the rest of the room. She shook her head, sighed, and went back to her breakfast wordlessly.

The stares from the others didn't stop.

"What?"

"When Trinity and I were deciding how to make contact with you," Morpheus replied, "we discussed both your bus route and the library you frequent."

Neo glanced to Trinity and back to Morpheus.

Fuck.

"I wonder then, if instead of a fixed linear path, you've been dreaming multiple eventualities of the possible ways this could have gone."

"Oooh," said Tank, shaking his head. "Too many big words possibilities for breakfast conversation."

"Agreed," Switch jumped in. "I'd much rather hear about the shit the Messiah may or may not know."

Neo smirked, setting down his spoon into his breakfast, again leaning forward so he could see around Trinity. "Switch, with the things I know, do you really want to play with me?"

"Save the teasing for Trinity, Messiah. I want dee-tails."

Before Neo, Trinity reflected, she probably could have counted the number of times that other's antics had made her blush on one hand. She didn't embarrass easily, nor was she uncomfortable with people being sexually explicit. Case in point, three of her closest friends were Sparks, Tank, and Switch.

Now? It felt as if her cheeks were stained pink at all times.

"I can't speak to the entire validity of everything I know and remember from this world, however"—Neo kept eye contact with Switch—"do the words 'the Switch Shuffle' have the same resonance for you as they do for me?"

Trinity choked on her breakfast, coughing as she tried to swallow the goop. He looked to her, slipping a hand onto her back immediately as Switch spluttered and Apoc, Dozer, and Tank burst into laughter. The others continued to look on in stunned disbelief.

Neo continued rubbing Trinity's back in small circles as he handed her the tea. She took it gratefully, sipping to soothe her throat after the unexpected revelation.

"Oh, shit. Neo knows about the Switch Shuffle," Tank said, wiping his watery eyes. "New best day ever."

Neo shrugged, looking back to Switch. "Now, do you actually have to be drunk to perform the Switch Shuffle or is that just the only way I've seen you do it?"

"I dance better drunk," Switch confirmed, nodding in slight awe. "Okay, Messiah. Tell me about that dream."

Again, Neo shrugged, sliding his arm fully around Trinity's back to hold her against him. He stiffened as he did, remembering again that this was not his world and while Trinity was still his, she did not have the memories that he did. He went to lower his arm, but Trinity leaned into him in silent permission.

He swallowed while the others eagerly listened in. "We were in Zion at a celebration in the Temple. Switch had a little too much to drink when everyone was getting ready and arrived completely sloshed. Before Hamann could do any sort of announcements, Switch was demanding the drums start and proceeded to do the Switch Shuffle in front of half of Zion. No music, no one else dancing. Just a big circle cleared for you to… shuffle."

"That's bloody brilliant!" Switch said, nodding ferociously.

Neo picked up his spoon. "I enjoyed myself."

"What else happened?" they asked, drumming their hands on the table, bouncing in their seat.

"That was mostly it," Neo said, squeezing Trin's side. "Just dancing."

"Dancing?" Tank asked, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. "Or… you know… dancing?"

Neo said nothing, just took another bite of his breakfast.

The short answer, which he would not be sharing, was both.

He could still hear the beat in his head of the drums echoing around the Cave. Heat rolling around them with hundreds of people dancing in close quarters. Trinity pressed against his body, his arms around her as they swayed to the beat. Not caring about sweat or the people around them watching, just moving together.

Before stumbling home. Leaving the party early to kiss in empty halls and elevators. Fumbling to unlock their apartment as he pinned her to the door, before their clothes fell to the floor and their rhythm changed.

He tried not to shift as he felt himself harden.

Instead, he just took another bite.

"This is fucking wild," Mouse said, eyes wide. "I've never even seen the Switch Shuffle. I've only heard about it."

"That's because I don't drink around children."

"I'm seventeen!" Mouse whined.

"You're a baby."

"I'm old enough to drink and go into the Matrix. I should be old enough to see the Switch Shuffle."

"You're really not missing much," Trinity told him.

"Neo's seen stuff in his dreams that I've never seen in real life! How is that fair?"

"Don't worry, Mouse," said Tank, slinging an arm on the younger man's shoulders. "One day, you'll see real titties too. Just not Trinity's."

Trinity smirked, sparing a side glance at Neo. Years of worrying how the One would react to waking up in the real world were wasted down the drain.

When she had gone into the Matrix that night to find him, she was secure in the knowledge that she was at an advantage. She knew things about him. She orchestrated getting him out of his tiny apartment and to the club, had watched him for weeks on end.

And then he had said her name.

It was intimidating, sometimes, how well he knew them all. An odd anecdote about Switch's dancing skills or Deadbolt giving him a hard time, but it all came back to her.

Entwined, the Oracle had told her. Their fates were entwined and inseparable. "He'll be the One. But without you, he'll fall."

She had spent so long trying to figure out why life in the real world still felt wrong and incomplete. Like a breath caught in your throat. Taking in more and more but being unable to release. And then, he was there, and she could finally exhale.

"Oooh," said Switch, sitting up straighter. "Have any fun stories about Sparks?"

Neo blinked, tilting his head to the side in thought.

"Ease up," Trinity ordered the table softly. "Breakfast first, then interrogation."

Switch stuck out their tongue but started eating.

"You guys up for poker later?" Tank asked. "I know Neo knows all of us but maybe that would be a chance for us to know him."

Trinity glanced to Neo, inclining her head slightly and leaving the decision to him. She had to admit, it wasn't a bad idea, but he needed to do so on his own terms. When she gave no indication one way or the other, Neo nodded. "Yeah, that might be nice."

"Awesome!" Switch grinned. "I'll bring the cards, Neo brings the stories, and Dozer can bring the booze."

"I'll bring the stomach pump," Apoc added dryly before turning to Neo. "Finish up. I'll meet you where we trained yesterday."

Neo nodded, unsure what he was dreading more: the intense workout or having to let Trinity go from his arms. She felt so fucking right, leaning into him, tucked into his side. He finally understood why couples felt a need to display affection.

It wasn't about proving something. It was about never wanting to let go of something good in a world where everything else was bullshit.

The older man carried his dishes over to the sink, setting them in the water before saying a quick goodbye to everyone.

Trin leaned her head against his shoulder, briefly, before sitting up to continue eating her breakfast.

The crew at large still seemed fascinated with their interactions. Most were trying, subtly at least, to avoid staring at them.

Cypher, however, was blatantly watching them.

It made him a little uncomfortable and he tried to think back to his dream memories of the real world. While he had plenty of memories of Tank and Dozer and Switch and Apoc, even a fair few with Mouse, there were significantly less of Cypher.

He knew the man, vaguely.

Had memories with Cypher lingering in the background, watching Trinity a little too intently for Neo's liking. Mostly on the Neb. In fact, he couldn't think of any memories of Cypher in the Matrix or even in the city.

It was as if the man existed only on the ship.

He couldn't quite make sense of it, but then, things were still becoming clearer.

Trinity started giving orders out to the remainder of the crew, letting them know their jobs for the day, prioritizing a crack in the outer hull that needed to get repaired before they flew off anywhere new.

She turned to Morpheus. "I'm giving you a heads up—there's a good chance Lock is going to want a call. He wasn't too happy with the latest report."

The captain barely withheld a sigh. It was nice, Neo thought, to know some things never changed.

Neo waited for Trinity after he finished eating so he could take her bowl to the sink as well. She rewarded him with a small smile that made his heart skip a beat.

"Good luck," she said as he walked by.

He cupped her cheek as he leaned down to press a kiss to the top of her head. "See you soon," he promised, more for his benefit than hers.

He ignored the teasing sounds from Switch and Tank as he left to continue his training. Life was good.

.............

One by one, the rest of the crew filed out of the mess hall to get back to work. Cypher and Dozer went to work on the hull, and Mouse hurried along to help with the wiring on the bridge. Morpheus left to take inventory, leaving only Switch and Tank behind with Trinity.

"So?" Tank pushed.

"You can't just let things be, can you?" Even as she said it, her lips twitched into a small smile.

"Not for all the bread in Zion. Come on! How was your date?"

"It was good"—she found herself looking down as she thought back to the night before—"really good."

"It was his idea?" Switch asked, leaning forward.

She nodded. "Yeah. Said he wanted to make sure we did this right, despite all the memories and confusion. And he's more concerned with making sure I'm comfortable than he is with this transition."

Trinity wondered if it was wrong that it made her unbelievably happy to see him trying so damn hard to make her feel safe and happy.

"It's all he seems to be focused on," Tank agreed. "Much to Morpheus' dismay."

She considered admitting what the Oracle had told her. To unleash the burden that lay on her shoulders for fifteen goddamn years and yet… she stopped herself.

She had her reasons for keeping it to herself for so long, least of all that what the Oracle said was for her and her alone. She knew she would have been weaponized if anyone had known her ties to the One.

She'd thought about telling her friends before, just so she could talk to somebody about it.

But Tank would be too excited to keep it to himself. Even if he never told, his actions lacked subtlety and Switch would have kept it to themself but would have teased Trinity mercilessly, she knew. And there was always the chance of being overheard and found out.

Of course, now the secret was mostly already out.

She and Neo were bound together.

A profound attachment that she couldn't begin to explain.

But she stopped herself from saying more about the Oracle because… well, because the only person she really wanted to share that with was Neo.

And it was stupid—he had barely gone from her sight and she already missed him and was counting down to when she'd have an excuse to touch him again.

They had spent two nights together and the thought of sleeping in her own bed alone made her queasy.

The words were already on the tip of her tongue every time she caught sight of him, and her heart ached to say them.

I love you.

But he was still so new to the real world. He was still adjusting and the last thing she wanted to do was confuse him as he learned to separate his dreams from reality.

"Morpheus'll get over it," Switch said, pulling Trinity from her thoughts abruptly. "So, have you two fucked yet?"

"Will you stop fucking asking that?!" Trin said, staring at her friend incredulously. "In what world would I ever share that kind of information?"

"This world, Neo's dream world… who cares? Come on, I mean, he stayed the night after your little date, didn't he?"

"We're sharing a space." She didn't mean for it to come off defensive, but it definitely did.

"Whatever. The fucking is inevitable. What I'm curious about is, are you two married in his world?"

Oh.

Truthfully, she hadn't thought about it.

Marriage was, after all, a simple ceremony and a piece of paper.

It was low on her priorities long before she met Neo but now… the idea of putting some kind of formal claim on him was appealing. To have him marked as taken…

She had never been particularly possessive but now it crept through her. A dark urge to keep him for her own. To lock him away where he could be safe and protected and hers. It sounded far too good for her liking.

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "But I feel like he would have said something if we were. He's been very honest about the whole thing."

"I don't know," said Switch, "you said yourself, he's concerned with making sure you feel safe. And you're kind of a flight risk. He might not be telling the full truth.""

Shaking her head, she said, "He wouldn't lie. He knows that everything between us right now is based on trust and…"

"Slow down," Switch narrowed their eyes, leaning forward. "Holy shit. You really trust this guy, don't you? Like actually trust him, trust him?"

Why did it feel like she was walking into a trap?

Trin looked away briefly before admitting, "Yeah. I do."

Switch looked to Tank. "Took this bitch years to trust me. Turns out, all it takes is a line about seeing her in my dreams and a swift make out."

Trin flipped Switch off.

"It is weird," Tank said with a shrug. "I mean, under normal circumstances, if someone walked up to me and said they knew shit about my future, I wouldn't believe them. Maybe it's because he's the One or maybe it's just because you two have your whole"—Tank waved a hand—"thing going on."

Trinity knew what he meant.

Tank tended to be as trusting as they came but the things Neo said were somewhat out of the realm of belief. And yet, she never doubted his words or his intent.

"And not for nothing," Tank added, almost as an afterthought. "I know you know more than you're saying."

Her crew wasn't stupid, that was for sure.

She nodded, unwilling to lie to her friends through anything beyond omission. "If there was anything that I felt was related to safety or the wellbeing of the crew, I would let you all know. But there are some things that don't need to be shared."

Switch snorted loudly. "You tell that to Morpheus?"

"Yes."

"How'd the Cap take that?"

"As well as can be expected." Trinity sighed. "There's a lot that I know. But there's a lot more that I don't. Until Neo and I are able to figure things out, he's just going to have to deal with it."

"Surprised you didn't figure things out last night." Tank had a teasing tone lacing his words.

"We talked some."

"Some?" the operator pushed, waggling his brow.

She kept a blank face. "Yes."

"Ugh, stop it with that!" Switch shook their head. "I get that you're keeping some things to yourself but at least tell me this: the One a good kisser?"

It took all her self-control to not let that question affect her. Because fuck. The care and attention put into each moment where they were fused together was outweighed only by the sheer passion and mutual adoration.

Kissing Neo was toe-curling, body-tensing, eye-rolling, breathtakingly perfect.

"Fucking amazing," she muttered before she could stop herself. She regretted it immediately, noting the shit-eating grins on both her colleagues' faces and Trinity sighed. "He knows me, okay? Like, in some ways we're starting this like it's new, but he still is coming in with all this information."

Tank bounced in his seat. "And when you say he knows you…"

She'd already alluded to it. In for a penny. "He's been dreaming about me for fifteen years. He knows my body better than I do."

Switch smacked Tank in the chest. "Can't take it. Can't fucking take it anymore."

"I'm literally dying," said Tank, shaking his head, "Trin, please, I am fucking begging you… let me tell Sparks!"

She shook her head. "Not until I talk to Ghost. I don't want him to hear about this third-hand."

Tank leaned forward. "Sweetheart, I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this to myself. We message every day and I keep telling him ‘not much' is going on. Not much, Trin! When we've got a living, breathing Messiah walking around and you're saying shit like that!"

"I have faith you can keep this to yourself for at least a few more days."

"I don't!"

"I can always find more work for you if you think you have enough time on your hands to be gossiping," she teased. It was an empty threat and they both knew it.

"You owe me so big, mami."

Trin rolled her eyes. "On that note," she said, "I need to get back to work. As do the two of you."

"Bo-ring," Switch sang even as they stood up. "But I guess I'll have to wait for tonight. Playing poker with the One is sure to be fun."

"It'll be something."

Trinity could only hope the crew would behave.

#the matrix #the matrix fanfiction #neo x trinity #Neo (The Matrix)#trinity (the matrix)#tmdc #the matrix dream chronicles #the dream chronicles #the matrix has queue

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worryinglyinnocent · 3 years ago

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Fic: Beneath a Black Flag

Summary: Having turned to a life of piracy after being betrayed by the Amestrian navy, Captain Roy Mustang and Quartermaster Maes Hughes of the Phoenix are on a mission to find the wreck of the legendary treasure ship Xerxes, hoping to both strike rich and prevent the mythical Philosopher’s Stone from ending up in the navy’s clutches…

Written for the WriYe August Shorts Challenge, and very loosely inspired by Black Sails.

Rated: T

Beneath a Black Flag

Seeing the lights of Port Aerugo always felt like coming home. Even back when he’d been a legitimate navy captain, Roy had always felt more at ease in the rough and ready world of the southern port, with its bars and brothels and black market warehouses, than he had ever done in the more respectable places that his ships had docked in. The Amestrian navy had always adopted a laissez-faire attitude to the place: several attempts to ‘civilise’ it had fallen flat, ending in easy victory for the pirates who made it their base of operations, and humiliation for the navy.

The Phoenix dropped anchor in the bay and her crew started to disembark, eager for the pleasures of dry land after a long and difficult last haul. Still, the trip had been successful, which had raised people’s spirits no end.

“Roy? Were you intending on getting off this ship any time soon? Earth to Roy?”

Roy turned from his position gazing out over the Port Aerugo twilight and found Maes behind him, arms folded and an amused expression on his face.

“For someone who lives on the sea, you’re spending a worrying amount of time with your head in the clouds.” Maes came up beside him, leaning on the rail. “What’s eating you this time?”

Roy sighed. “I’m just thinking about the magnitude of what we’ve taken on. Do you ever look at what we’re doing and think ‘this is madness, I should pack it all in and become a tomato farmer instead’?”

“Yes. Frequently. But I know you’ve got a plan, however hare-brained it might be, so I trust you to navigate us through it. I’m not promising that I’m not going to force you into tomato farming as soon as it’s all over, though. You actually will give me a heart attack one of these days.”

“Have I ever got us killed?”

“No,” Maes admitted, “but you can’t deny that we’ve had some very close calls.”

Roy grimaced. He definitely couldn’t deny it, and he would have to admit to being glad that their next sortie would hopefully provide the last piece of the puzzle that they had been chasing for so long and bring with it the reward they desperately sought. All they had to do now was to stay one step ahead of the navy, but that was proving easier said than done.

“Do you ever miss it?” he asked Maes eventually.

“What, the navy?”

“Yes. Well, not the navy specifically. But the time before, when life was less complicated.”

“Was life really less complicated in the navy? It wasn’t as hard and it probably wasn’t quite as constantly dangerous, but complicated? Roy, you of all people know that it was infinitely more complicated back then.” He wrapped an arm around Roy’s shoulders and pulled him in close, pressing a kiss to his temple, and Roy had to smile. “Do you really want to go back to a time when we had to hide?”

In a way, piracy was nothing but hiding, always trying to outfox the navy, but ever since they had started sailing under a black flag, Roy and Maes had never had to hide their relationship or make out that they were something they weren’t. Snatched moments here and there and the ever-present threat of being found out and court-martialed for daring to fall in love had given way to easy acceptance and the closeness that they’d never been allowed before.

“No,” he agreed. “I’d rather have this.”

Maes gave his shoulders a squeeze. “Come on. Let’s go ashore. Everyone else has already left apart from the night watch. I’m beginning to forget what dry land looks like.”

Captain and quartermaster made their way towards the final longboat making preparations for its launch, and soon they were walking through the streets of Port Aerugo. It was a place that never slept, coming even more alive after dark when the drunks started carousing and the brothel girls started touting for business. Roy and Maes were well-known enough not to be bothered by the latter, who just gave them a cheerful wave as they went past and went to try their luck with the other, incredibly willing members of Phoenix’s crew.

As always, their path took them to Madam Christmas’s. Bar and brothel rolled into one, the place had always tried to maintain an air of elegance in an increasingly tawdry world, and above all its other attractions, it would always be a safe place for Roy.

Madam Christmas gave them a nod as they walked in, whisky ready on the counter for them. Roy knocked it back, savouring the burn.

“This is good stuff. Whose prize did you skim this off the top of?”

Madam Christmas laughed. “I got it from Armstrong. The cask was too bloody to be sold on through the warehouse so I took it off her hands for a very reasonable price.”

Roy raised an eyebrow. Oliver Armstrong was known for being absolutely terrifying, but in his experience her reputation preceded her so much that she never needed to resort to bloodshed. Crews saw the Briggs Fortress coming with its black flag flying and they just handed over their manifests with their hands up.

“It’s not like her to make a mess,” Maes commented. “She likes things quick and simple.”

“I’m sure that this one would have been quick and simple too if some idiot hadn’t signed his own death warrant by telling her she ought to be off having babies instead of captaining a pirate ship.

“Ah.” Maes and Roy looked at each other. “Yes, that would definitely do it.”

“I bet she and Riza had a great laugh about it afterwards. Anyway, enough of Armstrong. I take it that your voyage was successful?”

Roy nodded. “Yes. We’re ready to go as soon as Phoenix is prepared for the trip.”

Madam Christmas let out a low whistle. “You really think you’ve found it? I was beginning to believe the nay-sayers who maintain that the lost treasure of Xerxes is just a myth.”

There was a small part of Roy that would admit that he too was beginning to believe the same. The legendary treasure ship had wrecked somewhere in the southern seas decades ago, and so many stories had been built up around it over time that it was difficult to know what was real and what was embellishment, with all the accounts varying wildly.

Just one thread had remained constant throughout, and that was the thread that Roy had never stopped pulling on. Among the treasures on board the Xerxes was a Philosopher’s Stone.

All alchemists were familiar with the concept of Philosopher’s Stones and Roy was no exception. Rarer than the rubies they resembled, the navy had been trying to get their hands on one for as long as anyone could remember. Whilst Roy didn’t believe the stories of turning lead into gold or producing the elixir of life, he absolutely believed in the stone being used to bypass equivalent exchange and make alchemists’ raw power stronger by tenfold.

Which was why Roy was determined to stop the navy getting anywhere near one by any means necessary.

“Well.” Madam Christmas gave Roy an impressed look. “If you can track it down then more power to you. Metaphorically speaking, of course. I’m well aware of your thoughts on the whole matter. Just as long as you give me a cut of the treasure for giving you bed and board all these years.”

Roy rolled his eyes but he couldn’t deny that it had been a blessing to have a home base that wasn’t floating. There was always a bed waiting for him at Madam Christmas’s, and finishing his second shot of Olivier Armstrong’s filched whisky, he decided it was high time that he made his way there. Maes followed him out of the bar. Tomorrow the real work would begin, prepping the Phoenix for her next and arguably most important journey and charting their course for the fabled location of the Xerxes wreck, but tonight could just be for them, and they could forget the trials they would soon be facing.

Roy never slept properly the first night back on dry land after a long voyage, missing the gentle - and sometimes not so gentle - rocking of the ship to lull him off to sleep. He envied Maes, who could drop off anywhere in any position and be completely dead to the world within five minutes.

He ran his fingertips over the scar on Maes’s chest, too close to his heart for comfort. All pirates had scars, most had many, and they were generally worn as badges of honour for battles survived. This one, though… This one was the reason they were here in the first place, the moment that had started this very long journey towards the Xerxes treasure.

“Stop thinking about it.” Maes caught his wandering hand, opening his eyes and looking up at Roy blearily. “I survived, that’s all that matters.”

Roy rolled over, looking up at the ceiling. He knew that Maes was right, of course, but he couldn’t help thinking about what might have been. It was something he dwelled on often.

Most pirates did not set out to become pirates and Roy was no exception. He had never had any desire to turn to a life of piracy in his younger days. His first interest had always been alchemy, and going into the military as a naval alchemist had seemed like a natural career progression. Every ship in the navy carried an alchemist as standard; it was almost guaranteed job security. Most pirate ships carried at least one as well - Roy had never known whether the navy’s alchemy programme was a response to the pirates or if it was the other way round, but the set up had been established for so long that no one really questioned it.

He had earned his alchemy license and graduated from the naval academy where he had met Maes and history had been made. They had joined a ship, and Roy was pretty sure that neither of them had intended to look back, despite the constant difficulty and secrecy that had to surround their relationship.

Life had never been anything close to perfect, but it was as good as Roy thought that they would ever get, and he had been content with it. It had all been going really well until the incident at the admiralty.

He was pulled out of his train of thought by Maes rolling over on top of him and leaning in for a long kiss.

“You worry too much,” he said softly once he finally let Roy up for air. “And you always seem to blame yourself for things that weren’t anything to do with you.”

“Maes…”

“Oh, shush.” He kissed him again and Roy surrendered into it, closing his eyes and wrapping his arms around Maes’s back to pull him in closer. It was easy to push the uneasy thoughts to the side when they were like this, Maes warm and solid and very alive in his arms reminding him that despite what might have happened, it did not actually happen, and the past wasn’t a place that it was healthy to stay in for too long.

After all, when it came down to it, they would never have found out about the navy’s plans for the Philosopher’s Stone if it hadn’t been for everything that had happened. They would all still be blissfully unaware and unwittingly assisting in potentially ending the world as everyone knew it. As it was, Maes had chased a loose thread that the navy had most definitely not wanted him to chase, and ended up with a bullet in his chest for the trouble.

Roy had cut all ties with the navy as soon as he had found Maes collapsed halfway down the street from the admiralty building, and whilst he might often look back and wonder what might have been after that moonlit flit to Port Aerugo, he could never bring himself to regret it doing what he had done and both of them ending up joining the life of piracy.

“Now…” Maes purred in his ear, making Roy’s stomach flip-flop. “For the love of God will you go to sleep.”

Roy couldn’t help laughing.

The weather was good for making repairs, bright sunshine and a cool breeze, but not enough wind to make working on the sails and rigging unwieldy and dangerous. A thorough assessment of the damage sustained on their last sortie had shown that the problems were largely superficial, and Phoenix should be fully ship-shape again within just a couple of days. Leaving the crew to tackle the repairs and Maes to supervise restocking for their next and most important voyage, Roy was gathering intelligence. It was all very well having worked out where the Xerxes had wrecked, but that wasn’t going to be of any use if the navy were swarming all over the area. Roy really didn’t want to have to shoot his way out. Or shoot his way in, for that matter.

“Mustang. It’s been a while.”

Grumman was in his usual haunt, sitting in one corner of the Armstrongs’ bar in the shadows with his hat pulled down over his eyes, trying to affect an air of mystery. Unfortunately, Roy had known him long enough to know that there was no mystery at all to him, he was simply a very shrewd man with a lot of contacts in strange places. Even those completely new to Port Aerugo tended to regard him with raised eyebrows rather than any kind of awe these days.

“It has, Grumman. Can I get you something?”

“That depends.” Grumman swung his feet down off the table and leaned in. “What do you want in return?”

“Information, Grumman, like always. Preferably useful information and preferably about naval movements in the coming weeks.”

“Well, I think I might be able to help you there. You know my usual.”

With alcohol procured, Mustang returned to Grumman’s information dispensary and settled in for one of the old man’s stories. He was surprised when he didn’t spin off into a tale about his granddaughter’s latest exploits.

“So, you’ve found it then?”

“Potentially. Either way, I’d rather not have the navy on my back when I go looking for it.”

“No, I can appreciate that. I’ll admit that I haven’t had any reports for a few days, but it’s not looking too bad out there, just the usual patrols, and they don’t normally go as far south as you’ll be heading. At least, I assume that you’ll be heading south?”

Roy made no indication either way. He considered Grumman to be a friend, but information was money in all businesses and he didn’t trust the old fox as far as he could throw him. He knew that he was not the only pirate in Port Aerugo who was on a quest for the Philosopher’s Stone, and he knew that not all of them had the same intentions as he did.

He hoped that familial loyalty would win out in the end when it came to Grumman, though. His daughter sailed with Armstrong - hence his permanent fixture in her family’s bar - and Armstrong’s opinion of the navy and the Philosopher’s Stone were well-known. Roy certainly wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of her by assisting in anything other than the Stone’s ultimate destruction.

“Well, I wish you the best of luck in your endeavours,” Grumman said. “Of course, if you do find what you’re looking for then I’m sure that the residents of Port Aerugo will be expecting you to keep them in rum for a long time to come.”

Roy raised an eyebrow. “If I do find what I’m looking for, Grumman, then Hughes and I will be retiring to the country and never setting foot on a ship again.”

Grumman just chuckled. “You’d never do that. You enjoy the call of the sea too much.”

Roy left Grumman to it, paying for another drink for the old man and heading back towards the Phoenix. He didn’t really have any intention to retire on his potential gains from this journey, he was far too cynical to believe in such romantic notions, but he couldn’t deny that he often thought about a life without looking over his shoulder for the navy every five minutes. Perhaps he could be one step closer to that at least.

It was a cool and clear morning when they set sail in search of the goal that they had been chasing for so long, a strong wind blowing them steadily away from Port Aerugo and into the southern seas. It should have been the ideal conditions for starting a voyage, and indeed, most of the crew were in high spirits having had such a good beginning - hopes were high that they would ultimately succeed.

There was something in the air that made Roy uneasy though. He couldn’t really pinpoint what it was, putting it down to just an alchemist’s instinct.

“Hey. It’ll be ok. Whatever gets thrown at us, we can weather it.”

Roy laughed as Maes came up beside him. “I’ve never understood where you get your relentless optimism from.”

“Well, it’s certainly not from you. Being shot by your own side tends to put things in perspective and you learn that life’s too short to be morose. Just think of all the riches that are coming our way. I know, I know, that’s not the reason why you’re doing this, but stop thinking altruistically for a moment and bask in the glory of gold and jewels beyond your wildest imagination.”

“I suppose there’s something comforting in that,” Roy agreed. He looked out at the open sea in front of them again. It would take a few days of sailing before they came into sight of the supposed wreck site, and it didn’t seem like there would be anything getting in their way. Even with Grumman’s intelligence, though, the navy were never to be trusted not to put a spanner in the works. Sometimes Roy thought that they had some kind of sixth sense going on with their uncanny ability to be just where they weren’t wanted.

Someone hailed Maes and Roy was left alone with his thoughts. He turned back to survey the bustle of the ship’s normal operations. They had started life as a rather rag-tag bunch, many of them leaving the navy for various reasons that Roy had not inquired into, but over time they had come together into an efficient crew who worked well together. Breda was at the helm, keeping Phoenix steady as she cut through the sea, Havoc up in the crow’s nest keeping watch, Catalina and Fuery scampering over the rigging. Roy would trust this crew with his life, and when he thought about what was at stake for them on this latest outing, he knew he would far rather have these people by his side than any of the naval crews he had sailed with in his time.

All the same, he still couldn’t get that uneasy feeling to go away, despite the perfect conditions, still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Perfect conditions for them meant perfect conditions for every other ship that might be out here in the southern waters with potentially nefarious intent.

The other shoe dropped three days into their voyage when the wind began to pick up further.

“Sails!” Havoc yelled down from the crow’s nest.

“What? Shit.” Roy whirled around to look in the direction that Havoc was indicating, finding the bearing he was shouting and extending his telescope.

“Friendly or not?” Maes had jogged over to him and was leaning over the railing, squinting at the vague white shapes on the horizon.

“Likely not, looks like a navy flag.” Roy looked back at the helm. “Maintain present course and speed.”

Breda nodded, holding the helm steady as Roy continued to look at the ship that had joined them.

“Dammit, Grumman said that there weren’t any patrols in this area.”

“I know he’s usually pretty reliable but he’s been wrong before. Sometimes the navy just like to mess with us.”

“I swear they’re psychic,” Roy muttered. He held out the telescope to Maes.

“I don’t know why you’re giving it to me, I’ve got the worst eyesight on the ship.”

“Just take a look.”

Maes dutifully took a look. “I think you’re right. Definitely looks like a navy ship. She’s going at a hell of a lick as well, we’ll be able to see for ourselves shortly.”

“As long as she keeps coming straight and doesn’t turn.” Roy did not want to be broadsided by a full navy cannonade. They were going at a steady pace themselves and if they kept up this way then there was the slim chance that the two ships paths would not cross and the navy ship would end up behind them, playing catch-up and giving them the upper hand.

“I really don’t like this,” Maes said. “It’s too much of a coincidence for them to be in the same place as us.”

“Well, it’s not exactly a secret that we’ve been hunting the Xerxes all this time, but I thought that our main problem would be competition, not the navy. They must be getting desperate if they’re following up on gossip coming out of Port Aerugo. You’re right, though. I don’t like it at all.” He turned to the rest of the crew, all of whom were now watching the fast approaching sails. “Ready the cannons!”

The crew jumped to it, all those that could be spared racing down to the cannons and beginning to prepare them. Roy really hoped it would come to nothing, but as the navy ship kept bearing down towards them, he knew that it would be in vain.

“It had to be the Bradley, didn’t it? Of all the ships in the fleet, the one that came after us had to be the Bradley.”

The approaching ship was beginning to turn side-on to them. It was a double-edged sword; they had a larger target to hit with their own cannons, but they were now also a larger target for the navy’s.

The Phoenix had one thing that the navy didn’t, though. The Phoenix had Roy. Leaving Maes in charge on deck, he went below to the guns, checking the fuses as he pulled on his spark gloves. Flames on board a ship full of gunpowder were not normally a good idea, and his choice to learn flame alchemy as a potential alchemist afloat had raised more than a few eyebrows, but his years aboard Phoenix and the many tricky situations he had found himself in had honed his skills considerably.

The rest of the crew, having seen him in action many times before, dutifully stood back before he snapped, pinpoint flames igniting the fuses just at the precise moments that he needed them. The thunder of the cannon nearly deafened him, but he could see that at least some of the balls had hit their mark. Now it was time for the navy to return fire as they reloaded.

“Incoming!”

Roy heard the earsplitting crunch of a cannonball blasting the railings on deck above him and he grimaced. The ship’s master would not be happy about that one.

“Sails to starboard!”

Roy swore violently on hearing the exclamation being passed around the ship from the crow’s nest. Somehow they’d managed to get themselves into a trap. This was not how he had envisioned this trip going. They had done so well at avoiding the naval patrols.

The cannons reloaded, Roy set the fuses again before Maes stuck his head down onto the gun deck and hailed him.

“Captain, we’ve got a problem..”

“I heard. Any identification yet?”

Above them, the crew hit the deck as another volley of cannon fire from the Bradley soared over them. Most of the balls this time seemed to fall short; perhaps they’d overdone it on the powder the first time.

“No flags,” Maes said. “Wait…”

He vanished up onto the deck again as Breda called out to him, and Roy took advantage of the brief lull of reloading to peer out of one of the gun ports with his telescope. Another ship was indeed bearing down on them from the opposite side, this one fighting against the wind and creaking with the speed that it was putting on. There were no identifying flags on it, and it didn’t appear to be a typical naval ship.

“Captain, we’re being hailed.”

This time it was Fuery coming down onto the gun deck. Roy followed him back up, watching the little flashes of light from the approaching ship.

Need a hand Mustang?

Relief flooded through Roy’s veins as the newcomers unfurled a black flag and swung the ship around. Now that they were closer, he could recognise Briggs Fortress, and he didn’t think he’d ever been so pleased to see Olivier Armstrong in his life.

“Message from the Briggs, Captain. Armstrong and Hawkeye are coming over.”

As fearsome as the Bradley was, the pride of the Amestrian navy that struck annoyance if not fear into the hearts of pirates everywhere, it was no match for two ships working together to scupper it, and the Phoenix and the Briggs had left it floundering and unsteerable with most of its crew bobbing in the water behind them, sailing the same course together for a few miles until they were sure that they were out of harm’s way and could slow down to make any immediately needed repairs.

Fuery threw a line over the side as one of the Briggs’ longboats drew up alongside them, and a couple of minutes later, Olivier and Riza were on the deck.

“Well, that was bracing,” Olivier said grimly. “Honestly, Mustang, you should know better than to go after something as big as the Xerxes without a consort.”

Pirate ships usually worked alone, after all, there were a limited number of prizes on the seas and they were all in competition for their livelihoods, but it wasn’t unheard of for a couple of crews to team up and go after a particularly lucrative or well-guarded ship in return for sharing the profits. In the case of the Xerxes, Olivier did have a point, especially considering how much naval interest there was in locating the wreck, and the fact that the treasure wasn’t their main objective anyway.

“Mind you, this is you we’re talking about, and your capacity for idiocy is well-known, so I can’t say that I’m exactly surprised by this.”

Roy sighed but didn’t rise to the bait; he was too grateful for the help that the Briggs crew had provided to argue with Olivier now.

“I didn’t want to publicise things too much. Not everyone is as scrupulous as you and I when it comes to what’s at stake here.”

“Mustang, my thoughts on the navy, the Philosopher’s Stone, and alchemy in general are well known. As much as it pains me to say it, I’ll gladly work with you to keep the bloody thing out of the wrong hands. Anyway, I suppose we should explain our fortuitous presence here.”

“I was going to ask about that,” Maes said, eyeing the two women with equal parts respect and suspicion. “Has Grumman been spilling his secrets?”

“In a manner. When he received intelligence that the navy were on the move into the south, specifically where you were going and where he’d told you they weren’t likely to go, he felt it courteous to let you know, and since we were in the area, Riza persuaded me to take off on a mad goose chase after you.” Olivier shot a glance sideways at her lover. “The things I do for you. Anyway, it looks like it was lucky we arrived when we did.”

Roy nodded. “Thank you.”

The four of them moved into Roy’s cabin to discuss the route that they were taking and the approximate location of the treasure that they had finally found. It felt strange to be sharing it so openly having spent so many months trying to keep their research under wraps, but they were so close to the end of it all now. Roy really didn’t want to face another situation like the one they’d just narrowly escaped without being able to make repairs to the ship. They couldn’t afford to turn back towards Port Aerugo now, not with the navy on their tail already.

Riza looked over the maps, giving everything her expert navigator’s eye.

“I’ve no idea how you managed to piece it all together,” she said, “but it all looks watertight.”

“Well, in that case, shall we get going?” Maes asked. “This little skirmish has lost us some valuable time and we need to course correct. If the Bradley's out here then she won’t be alone, and I’d rather get as much of a head start as possible.”

“See, your quartermaster talks sense,” Olivier complained as she and Riza made their way back towards their longboat. “You should listen to him.”

“Yes, Roy. You should listen to me.”

Roy just smacked Maes in the arm.

“Ow! Man down! Man down!”

“It’ll be man overboard if you’re not careful,” Roy growled.

In the longboat, Riza rolled her eyes as she and Olivier began to row back to the Briggs.

“Sometimes I wonder how those two manage to get anything done.”

“Is this it? I have to say, Mustang, you’re not filling me with an awful lot of confidence here.”

They had reached the supposed site of the Xerxes wreck, the Briggs coming up alongside the Phoenix and dropping anchor as Olivier shouted across the prow. So far they had not come across any other navy vessels in the area, but the Bradley was the fastest in the fleet so it made sense that she would catch up to them first. Roy was already working out a more circuitous route back to Port Aerugo to try and avoid the other ships that had no doubt been sent after the advance guard.

On the face of it, he had to admit that Olivier had a point. The place that they had come to was little more than a large jagged rock sticking up out of the water, seemingly innocuous. It certainly wasn’t an island large enough to have treasure buried on it, but given some of the lethal-looking protrusions, he could well see why the Xerxes would have wrecked here on a dark and stormy night.

“According to all the research I’ve done, this is where she wrecked. The sea levels and tides have to be just right for the rock to be visible about the waterline.”

Riza leaned over the rail and peered down into the still waters below.

“I can’t see anything down there but then, we don’t know how deep it might go.”

“We’re not looking for the wreck itself anyway,” Roy pointed out. “It’ll be nothing more than rotten planks by now. We’re looking for what was on the wreck, and it should be on that rock.”

“For the love of God, Mustang, where?”

“You’ll see. Hughes, are you coming?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world, Captain.” Maes followed him over to where Breda and Fuery were making a longboat ready to cast off, and soon they were rowing in towards the rock. It was a fraught journey, the waves lapping against the rock causing odd eddies that threatened to bash them against the side, and the ever present threat of being snuck up on by the navy was weighing heavy in the back of Roy’s mind all the time.

“You’re a sly one, Mustang.”

They had reached a fissure in the rock, invisible to them from the distance of the ships and only appearing once they were up close. If Roy’s theory proved true, then it was inside this fissure that the treasure of Xerxes would be found. With the fissure so well-hidden and the rock half-submerged most of the time, it would be the perfect resting place, and there was little wonder that no-one else had tracked it down before.

They tied up the boats and clambered awkwardly up onto the rock, lighting lanterns before edging their way into the fissure. It was tight going at first, but opened out after a few yards to give them more breathing space. Maes was leading the way, Riza bringing up the rear, leaving Roy with Olivier in the middle. He could feel her eyes boring into his back, and he was glad that the trip would hopefully be a short one. The tunnel angled down a steep incline and Roy could tell that they were below the waterline now. Hopefully they’d be able to get back up again.

“Captain.”

Maes stopped abruptly, causing Roy to nearly run into him, and he peered over his quartermaster’s shoulder, grinning.”

“Ye of little faith, Armstrong.”

It was not the massive haul that legend had built it up into, but Roy had been expecting that. With something like the Xerxes, everything about it had been blown so out of proportion that the tales had reached the stage of the thing being rumoured to have been carrying so much gold that any ordinary ship would have sunk under the sheer weight of it.

It was still a decent prize though; even after splitting with the crew of the Briggs it would be a hefty nest egg for them all.

“Enough to retire on, do you think?” Maes asked. “Get a little place in the country and live comfortably?”

“Potentially. We’ll have to get Falman and Fuery to make a proper account of it back in Aerugo.” They moved further into the small cavern where the treasure had been stored. The gold and jewels were not their main concern and all four of them knew it. Riza turned back to get help from the ships to shift the loot, and Olivier came into the cavern.

“Right, let’s find this blessed stone and get out of here before we’ve got the navy breathing down our necks again.”

Looking for a red stone in a chest full of jewels was never going to be the easiest of tasks, but the sooner they started sifting, the sooner they could be sure of making sure that the thing was lost forever. Roy really didn’t like the idea of having it hiding in plain sight on the Phoenix or the Briggs for any longer than necessary.

“Got it.” Maes held up a leather satchel unearthed from the bottom of one of the chests and rolled his eyes when Olivier and Roy both gave him incredulous looks. “Yes, I know it’s not the stone. Captain’s log. It might give us a clue where to look.”

He began filing through waterlogged pages as Olivier and Roy continued to work through separating out everything that remotely resembled a ruby until Riza returned with a few men from both ships, forming a chain to pass everything out of the cavern and along the fissure.

“We’ve got sails on the horizon,” she warned. “Miles reckons we’ve got just under three hours before they’re in firing range and they’re riding low, they’ve got the heavy guns.”

“All right, we can focus on finding objects of mass destruction later, let’s move on out.”

Both crews were used to clearing loot quickly; it never did to take your time grabbing merchandise off a boarded ship when the navy might pounce at any moment, and soon the cavern was cleaned out and the two ships were weighing anchor, moving away from the rock in convoy. The navy sails were still on their tail and the lookouts were keeping sharp eyes on them, but they were not yet in a position where it looked like they were gaining, and Roy was confident of his ability to lose them once they were back in more familiar waters. If necessary they could split up, each of them leading a navy ship away. Maes was still reading the captain’s log in a desperate search for something that could help them.

Roy watched the expressions that crossed over Maes’s face as he skimmed over the last couple of pages of text. He seemed to run the entire gamut from overjoyed to incredulous to angry and back again.

“Roy, take a look at this.” He came over, handing off a couple of damp sheets of parchment. The ink had run and the writing was barely legible, but Roy could still make out the captain of the Xerxes’s final message.

The rest of the treasure I shall leave in this rock. Those canny enough to find it are welcome to it. I myself have no further need of it. To those who come in search of the Philosopher’s Stone, I can offer only disappointment. There is no stone. There never was. It was a legend we concocted and fed to strike fear into the hearts of those who might set upon us for our cargo. Take the jewels and leave all foolish attempts of immortality and power beyond imagination behind.

May the wind always be at your back. VH. 1756

Roy had to read it three times before the message sank in. On the one hand, this entire outing had been for nothing. It meant that they had left the navy for nothing, Maes had been shot for nothing. On the other hand, they didn’t need to worry about the Philosopher’s Stone falling into the navy’s hands now, and they had a boatload of treasure to boot. It was all so unbelievably ludicrous that Roy couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“Roy?” Maes was looking at him as if he’d grown a second head. “Roy, are you ok?”

Roy nodded, pulling Maes in close out of sheer relief that it was all over. Maes’s arms came around him, the safe haven that he’d always been, and Roy sighed.

“We’re definitely retiring after this.”

“I’m already planning the tomato farm.”

They stayed in their embrace for a little while longer until Roy finally broke away.

“We should tell Armstrong that she can call off the search in her share of the loot.”

“I’ll get Fuery to send a message over. Honestly, trust us to go on a righteous mission to rid the world of a dangerous legendary artefact only to find that it never existed in the first place.”

It was an odd irony, but as they looked out over the open sea in front of them, Roy could not bring himself to care. All was well that ended well, and with the news from Havoc in the crow’s nest that they had lost the navy ships following them, all was definitely ending well and heading in the direction of a bright new beginning.

#FMA:Brotherhood #FMA Fanfiction #Roy Mustang #Maes Hughes #MustangxHughes #Hyuroi #AU #Pirate AU #Pirates! In An Adventure With Alchemists!#Fic: Beneath a Black Flag

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silverflintdaily · 5 years ago

Photo

Silverflint Summer Challenge - All the prompts so far!

Challenge details:

Prompts Any kind of prompt is fair game as long as they include Silverflint. OT3 and OT4 ships like Silverflinthamilton are fine too. You can submit as many prompts as you like. All prompts will be anonymous and can be submitted through the form linked below.

Fills You can create any kind of fanwork for this, fic, art, edits, videos etc. Prompts won’t be assigned or claimed so you can make things for multiple prompts and each prompt can have multiple fills.

Schedule Submit prompts and work on fills May 1 through June 22. Posting week is June 23rd to 30th, more details will be posted later.

Submit prompts here:

HTTPS://FORMS.GLE/LMGMVAYUHRAFZCVW6

art above is a commission from @laskapsy

Full list of prompts as of 5/25/20 below.

Ships/characters in bold

Max, Anne, Silver, and Flint They all go to burning man

Silverflint Instagram drama: Silver has crush on Flint, following with each other, Silver shove his love on Flint and Flint's uncomfortable. Flint unfollowed him one day and Silver was devastated and disappeared from Instagram. Flint found out through friends and he must seek him before Silver did something stupid.

Silverflint Truth or dare

Silverflint Canon era, one (or both) accidently calling the other one pet names

Silverflint (+sort of Flinthamilton) Silver asking Flint, while having sex, to tell him about his sex with Thomas (in detail). I think canon era, placed after 310, would be better but it's up to writer.

Silverflinthamilton + ? summer vacation modern au - maybe they go somewhere warm (or not, as Flint burns so easily), maybe they meet some beautiful men there

Silverflint post canon era reunion fic - fighting to kissing. they start out almost trying to kill one another

Silverflint modern au - after a meet rude during the coronavirus lockdown they both can't stop thinking about that handsome idiot they met. One of them tracks the other down online to apologize. how do they spend the endless weeks of shelter in place?

Silverflint canon era - A small happy celebration with just the two of them.

Silverflintmiranda canon era - Miranda survives the shot, convalesces with Silver

Silverflint modern au where either Silver or Flint has an ASMR channel (or they both have) and they secretly love listening to the other. Could be distant pining or enemies to lovers etc.

Silverflint (+Hamilton[s]) tarzan au (you can choose who is on the island and who arrives there). Lord Thomas Hamilton and/or Miranda can also be included.

Silverflintmadi "My name is (Long) John Silver. And I've got a long fucking memory [loss]."

Silverflintmadi canon era. They go on a picnic and it starts to rain. Fluff or otherwise good times would be nice!

Silverflint Flint is a cockslut and hasn't had cock in ages. Silver is happy (and really fucking astonished) to present his for the taking. happens before Silver loses his leg, canon era.

Silverflint Modern au with 'there is only one bed' trope and mutual pining. Silver is Flint's long suffering sassy PA who's been hiding a crush on his boss and friend forever.He has been successful so far. One day he has to accompany Flint on a business trip to let's say Bahamas?! and there was a booking mistake - there were booked into a honeymoon suite. And since there is a summer festival there is no chance to get another room. Things happen!

Silverflint, Silverflinthamilton 7 years after their escape from Savannah plantation, James and Thomas are living a quiet, happily ever after life - money and jewels they grabbed on their way out were enough for decades of comfortable life which they now had. And almost everything was perfect-they had each other, got to know each other again,accepted each others' demons and learned to handle each others' nightmares and guilt. Flint long ago told Thomas about Silver and with time forgave, but didn't forget him. After all Flint's heart was broken on Skeleton Island and both him and Thomas knew deep inside he still loved John Silver. They talked about Silver-about the feelings Flint used to hide, about the pain and forgiveness and about love that didn't had a happy ending. It was fine, discussing it all together, sharing these stories-past is in the past and that chapter of Flint's life will remain there. Until one day the past refused to remain in the past and John Silver showed up on their doorstep, injured, delirious and looking for his own forgiveness.

Silverflint/Silverflinthamilton Post canon S4: John Silver is no longer Long John Silver. Exiled from Madi and Maroon Island, he brought himself to somewhere nearby Savannah and disappeared. James Flint and Thomas Hamilton escaped from plantation, bought house and live happily together. 3 years later, Flint saw John Silver at tavern. But John Silver doesn't remember him. Turns out he lost memories due sickness and always forget who he was everyday. Will Flint able bring John Silver's memory back and reconcile?

Silverflint, Silverflinthamilton Modern AU silverflint - Flint and Thomas are a happily married couple and Silver and Flint are bffs with a long history. But the thing is-Silver has been crushing on Flint forever and his pining is epic. He is also sure he is clever and no one figured it out. Only both Thomas and Flint did a while ago and Flint is determined to make Silver confess his feelings. He has turned Silver's life into a living hell with his seduction techniques and jeans so tight they should be illegal in public. Meanwhile Thomas is having too much fun watching them two and making his own plans for their shared future together.

Silverflint John Silver is 30 year old virgin and has never had a relationship and sex. Max and Jack decided to set him up with date at local bar. John Silver's first date was James Flint, a loner and his last partner left him for indifference opinion. James Flint is working as cattle farmer (?) and their date went well. Except.. they are not rushing to have sex and taking time to know each other. There were lot confusion and miscommunication between them on next date. Will John Silver able to lose his virgin and will James Flint make first step to ask John Silver as his boyfriend? First kiss, first touch, sexting, first sex and hot smut.

Silverflint smut ficlet to go with finnguala's fabulous art

Silverflint post canon - old pirates having a day at the beach

Silverflint Flint is distracted by Silver's big hands.

Silverflint Modern au: Flint found Silver's missing childhood's photo at Silver's grandparent's house. He told Silver about it and gave compliment on him ("you were cute as kid and I noticed how baby earsie you were and your smile was beautiful") and Silver keep blush for non stop teasing. And then sweet, hot summer sex on bed ;)

Silverflinthamilton pornstars au

Silverflinthamilton After reunion. Thomas is trying to seduce Silver with a new, especially tight, pair of trousers.

Silverflint Canon era. S1-S2 After an accident on the Walrus Silver and Flint end up being able to read each others thoughts. How does that end up going for them?

Silverflint + Miranda just some porn where miranda is pegging one of them while the other watches them fall apart. canon or modern era, it doesn't really matter.

Silverflint Two idiots with mutual pining and obliviousness. Others try to help but it may not go so well at first.

Silverflint canon era. After a really great haul the Walrus has a rum soaked celebration. The next morning Silver and Flint wake up together in the captain's bed with no clothes.

Silverflinthamilton After reunion. Silver finally appears on their doorstep, later they are talking over their dinner but something goes wrong and Silver and Flint start to fight. Thomas is trying to calm and separate them but Flint accidentally punches him instead of Silver.

Silverflint Persuasion AU. An unmarried Silver encounters his former love Captain James Flint after he returns from battle.

Silverflint competing reality cooking show contestants

Silverflint Silver and Flint have met before many years ago and even spent the night together. Now for reasons (there was a lot of rum that night, they're both different people, memory loss etc.) neither of them remember. One of them has a nagging feeling when Silver joins the Walrus crew but one of them remembers nothing yet.

Silverflint One of them needs to be restrained and dominated to truly let go. Writer's choice who and what era.

Silverflint Silver threatens to shave his head

Silverflint/Silverflinthamilton (probably?)Post canon S4 and Treasure Island: Captain Flint's ghost decided to haunt John Silver for revenge. However, Long John Silver was disappeared to nowhere. Fast forward for this year, Long John Silver's great great grandson, John Silver bought property in Bristol. One day, he was haunted by ghost Captain Flint. Ghost Captain Flint wants revenge but ended up falling in love sweet, poor John Silver's due social anxiety. Will they make up for loss done by his late ancestor? Happy ending for everyone. All depend on writer's idea!

Silverflint AU Canon divergence during season 4. Madi really dies in episode 7; Thomas Hamilton is not found in Savannah. The war goes on, bolstered by an enraged Silver, fueled by the Urca gold. During this time of violence and grief, Flint and Silver become all each other has left in the world.

Silverflint Sometimes one of them will keep the other on the edge for as long as he can stand. There is lots and lots of begging and pleading. There could be fingering and rimming and toys...

Silverflinthamilton Reunion fic where John finds James and Thomas in their home x nbr of years after s4, then realises he knows Thomas because they spent a month living together in Paris some years before Thomas met James and having a blast. John recognises Thomas who doesn't recognise him until John shows a tattoo/mark placed somewhere there is no misunderstanding of why he recognises that part of him (because he's seen john naked). Develops into threesome or twosome where the last person joins in later.

Silverflint tentacles

SilverFlint / MadiSilverFlintHamilton Post s4 Thomas and Flint are living together after escaping the plantation. Madi and Silver who are still together come to visit them. SilverFlint have palpable sexual/romantic tension and Madi and Thomas conspire to push them together. Afterwards when the tension is resolved Silver and Flint realize it was planned by their significant others all along and invite them into bed and the four of them have some fun

Silverflint When drunk, Flint behaves like Toby Stephens’ Prince John in BBC Robin Hood.

Silverflint (hamilton) Annihilation Au

Silverflint Canon-compliant up til 4.06. When the Spanish attacks Nassau, Silver is the one who is thought to be dead and later revealed to have been captured (instead of Madi). Rogers tries to use to Silver to cause a rift between Madi and Flint, thinking that Madi will trade the treasure for Silver's life while Flint will not. To everyone's surprise, the opposite happens. Madi refuses to trade the treasure while Flint will stop at nothing to get Silver back.

Silverflint firefighter au: silver keeps accidentally triggering the fire alarm while trying to improve his cooking (an actual fire may or may not be involved) and flint is the ridiculously attractive firefighter who has to deal with it

Silverflint vigilante au: they're both vigilantes watching over the same area and have a bit of a rivalry going on until they have to team up to take down a new threat.

Silverflint modern au (amnesia): silver wakes up with amnesia and forgets that he was dating flint before the accident. as far as he remembers, they can't stand each other, and he doesn't understand why flint shows up at the hospital and seems genuinely worried about him. (roles could be reversed--author's choice).

#Silverflint Summer Challenge #Silverflint #prompts #Black Sails #fanworks challenge

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vanderlindeandco · 5 years ago

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The Long Haul: Chapter 1 (Felix Millstone x The Captain)

Also available to read on ArchiveOfOurOwn.

It was supposed to be a fairly simple job. The Unreliable needed a replacement part, and Nyoka had heard rumors that a ship had crashed in the wild on Monarch some years ago, a ship similar enough to the Unreliable that its parts should be compatible. We’d found it all right, Felix and Nyoka and I, and while she and I held off the mantisaurs, he had pulled the part that Parvati needed. Unfortunately, we’d managed to step on the toes of a large group of local marauders on our way back, which led to our hasty retreat to the Unreliable.

“Fixed it, Captain!” Parvati’s voice rang from deep in the ship and I keyed in our skip destination quickly, ignoring ADA’s warnings, as much as I knew we shouldn’t. The ship shook with the impact of a grenade launcher.

“All right, everyone hold on!” I clutched the arms of the captain’s seat in the Unreliable as the engines roared to life, wincing at the sound of bullets pattering against my ship’s sides. The ship rose, quivering at the beating it was taking, and then we were blasting towards the edge of Monarch’s atmosphere. I was about to skip the ship when Parvati’s voice rang through the halls.

“Captain, something’s wrong!” The smell of smoke reached my nostrils before I got to the engine room and found Parvati with Felix standing helplessly behind her, Parvati's gloved fingers moving a mile a minute over the recently-repaired engine. “I swear I put it in right, I-” she broke off, reaching a hand back. “Felix?”

He handed her the wrench he was holding and she went to work again. I knew there was nothing I could do to help and I’d only distract her by asking, so I waited, heart pounding, ready to grab the fire extinguisher hooked to the wall if need be. “Almost… got… it,” she muttered, switching the screwdriver with a wrench to crank something tighter. The smoke stopped suddenly, and she sat back on her heels, pushing her goggles back up to rest on her forehead. “I think that should do for now,” she said, her shoulders slumping with relief.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Law, I have no idea,” she said. “Everything was working just fine and then next thing I knew the engine was overheating. I-I’m sorry, boss. I must have done something wrong.”

“It’s all right, Parvati,” I said. “You got it taken care of. You had to install it fast, too, so I don’t blame you one bit.”

“Thank you, Captain,” she said. “I thought I knew how to do it but maybe I don’t know as much as I thought. If we could go to the Groundbreaker, well, I’m sure Junlei could help us.”

“You sure you only want to go there for her help with the ship?” I teased, and she blushed furiously.

“Captain!” she exclaimed, “We really could use her help!”

“I know,” I said, “I’m just teasing you. Think we can make it there?”

She looked back at the repair and nodded slowly. “I can’t promise it, but I’m pretty sure.”

“A 'pretty sure' from you is good enough for me,” I said. “Let’s go. Anything else you need to do before we skip?”

“No, ma’am,” she said.

“All right, then. Good work, Parvati.” I turned to return to the cockpit, Nyoka next to me. “Where’d Felix get off to?” I asked. I hadn’t noticed him leave the engine room, and didn’t see him on my way to the cockpit.

She shrugged. “Probably went to find some food. You know how he is.”

“Yeah,” I said. Still, I was a little surprised he hadn’t stuck around to see the problem through to its end. That wasn’t like him. True to Parvati’s word, we skipped successfully to the Groundbreaker, and I went upstairs to find Felix to ask if he wanted to come with us onto the ship. I knew Junlei and Parvati were likely to be working for some time, and Felix would be disappointed if Nyoka and I left without him. His bedroom door was closed and I knocked twice.

“Come in!”

I pushed open the door and stepped inside. He was sitting at his desk, cleaning the grenade launcher that he always used with such gusto. He looked up briefly, barely meeting my eyes with a smile that felt forced before his gaze returned to his task. “You disappeared earlier,” I said. “Everything okay?”

“Oh, yeah of course,” he said. “It just didn’t seem like there was much for me to do there. You know how I can be when it comes to that kind of stuff. More harm than good, right?”

“Maybe,” I said. His demeanor was off. He seemed nervous, and Felix wasn’t supposed to be nervous around me. It didn’t feel right, and I didn’t like it. “So everything’s ok?”

“Yep,” he said.

There was no point pestering him; I had learned Felix’s MO - if something was wrong, he’d bring it to me eventually and nothing I could do would get it out of him before then. “All right, I trust you,” I said. “You’d tell me if it wasn’t. You trying to come onto the Groundbreaker while Junlei helps Parvati with the ship, or do you want to stay here?”

“I’ll come, if you don’t mind,” he said, reaching for a rag to wipe his dirtied fingers on.

“I wouldn’t have asked if I minded. C’mon, let’s go.”

“All right, Boss.” He seemed lost in thought as we descended the ramps to the base level of the ship. He was probably just tired from the mission, coming down from the stress of it all. That made sense.

Nyoka joined us as we left the ship, and we crossed the landing pad, moving into the heart of the Groundbreaker. “Anyone looking for anything in particular?” I asked.

“I was thinking of getting a drink,” Nyoka said. “Anyone care to join?”

“At 11 AM? I think I’m good,” I said, and Felix laughed. He seemed a little more himself now, and I liked that.

“Suit yourself,” Nyoka said. “I’ll see you back on the ship.”

“What about you, Felix?” I asked as we continued down the thoroughfare.

He shrugged. “Nothing in particular. Just thought I’d tag along.”

“All right then,” I said. “I’m trying to find some deals on ammo. Wanna scare Belle into cutting me a discount?”

He looked at me incredulously. “I don’t know about that, Boss.”

“Oh right, ‘cause she’d be the one doing the scaring, wouldn’t she?”

He frowned, his lower lip jutting out in a pout that somehow tightened my chest. “That’s not fair,” he whined. “She sells weapons for a reason.” Even though it was fake, I hated seeing him upset. Of course, I felt that way about the rest of the crew too, but lately, I’d felt a little extra protective over Felix and I hadn't had the time to put my finger on why.

“I’m just kidding,” I said, nudging him with my elbow. “Cheer up.”

“Felix, is that you?” A female voice interrupted our conversation, and both Felix and I looked over to see a woman jogging toward us. She was tall, nearly as tall as Felix, dark red hair tucked into a loose braid that swung gracefully as she moved. A heavily modded revolver hung off her belt, and well-muscled arms emerged from her armor. Her face was pretty, dark gray eyes set under a strong brow, a dusting of freckles across her tan cheeks.

“Alaina?” Felix asked incredulously, opening his arms to embrace the woman as she reached him.

My stomach tightened slightly, a sour feeling in the back of my throat. Oh. That was why I had been paying a little extra attention to Felix lately.

Oh no.

I couldn’t let myself get distracted like this. Not when there was so much to get done. My romantic history was messy to say the least, and the last thing I wanted was to risk fouling up my friendship with Felix by letting my feelings get involved.

She had stepped back, and I realized she was holding out a hand for me to shake. “I’m Alaina,” she said.

I cleared my throat, shaking her hand firmly. “Rose Cornett. Pleasure to meet you.”

“I’ve heard of you,” she said. “Never thought I’d find Felix on your crew, though.”

“Why’s that?” I asked.

“Oh, you know. He’s a troublemaker. Didn’t think he’d be much for a crew like yours.”

“Shut up, Alaina,” Felix protested. “I’m not like that anymore.”

She raised an eyebrow skeptically. “You don’t seem very different to me.”

"Well, I am," he said obstinately. "I've got plenty of stories."

“Well, tell me 'em over the lunch you're about to buy me,” Alaina said.

“Yeah, sure,” Felix said. “Wanna come, Captain?”

“Already ate.” The lie slipped off my tongue automatically. “Be back at the Unreliable in an hour. We’re out of here as soon as Parvati’s done.”

“Oh. Okay.” His face had grown more serious and I knew he had noticed the tone change I had failed to disguise. “See you then.”

“Yup.” I walked on towards Belle’s, silently cursing myself. Of course I had feelings for Felix. The stupidest thing about it was that I hadn’t realized it earlier. I was close with everyone on my crew, but now that I thought about it, I didn’t find myself admiring Nyoka’s smiles. I didn’t laugh as much with Parvati. I didn’t feel as much myself with ADA. Of course I liked him. He was kind, and brave, and loyal, and smart? Well, maybe not so much that. But Law, he was easy on the eyes. The thoughts crashed over me like a tsunami and again I cursed my own ignorance. Had it been so long since I’d had feelings for someone? Well, not counting the decades I spent on ice. How stupid could I be? I did my business with Belle quickly and then returned to the ship, holing up in my room and trying not to think of Felix’s date, or whatever it was, and how tightly he had embraced Alaina. I sat back, resting my feet on my desk and willing Parvati and Junlei to hurry up. The sooner we were out of here, the better.

#felix millstone #felix millstone x the captain #the outer worlds #outer worlds fic #nyoka #parvati holcomb

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officialleehadan · 6 years ago

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Red Throne

Luka closed his eyes and forced himself to breathe.

The cameras would be rolling any minute, and he still didn’t know what he was going to say.

“Be brave. Be strong,” his mother said, her face covered by a black veil. He almost couldn’t see the red of her eyes, or the tears on her cheeks. An Empress through and through, she mastered herself, and straightened proudly, unbent despite her terrible grief. “He always knew you could do it.”

“But never so soon” Luka whispered, and tried not to think about the hole in his heart. If he did, he was going to start crying again, and that was not the image to project. Not now, with so much riding on the next few minutes. “It was supposed to be years. Decades even.”

“Sir, we’re ready for you,” one of the cameramen caught his attention, and Luka nodded tightly.

He stepped onto the podium, and tried to smile for Amir when his cousin squeezed his shoulder. Just out of sight, Vree watched, odd kitty-lizard face twisted in concern. They had arrived minutes after Luka himself and barely left his side since.

Their presence helped. Of all his cousins, Amir was his favorite, and the one who understood why he needed to spend a year in the dregs of their empire, learning about people.

“Sir?”

“Yes,” he dragged his attention back to the cameras, and the anxious faces behind them. “I’m ready.”

“When the light turns on,” the cameraman said, and signaled someone behind him. ”Three… two…”

The light went on.

Luka struggled not to break down with the entire Galactic Empire and all their allies watching.

“My name is Luka. I am eighteen years old, and six solar hours ago, I was a prince.” he said, struggling to get the words out through the lump in his throat. “Six hours ago, I woke up, and went about my day like anyone else. Six hours ago, my father was murdered.”

His throat burned as he spoke the words he had been dreading, as if saying them made it all real.

His father was dead.

“Not only him,” he continued, because forward was the only way to go and if he stopped, he wouldn’t be able to start again. “Fourteen thousand, two hundred and nine of the best our Empire had to offer, aboard the Galactic ship, Australia were lost with him, at the hands of an unknown assailant.”

The Australia was one of their most powerful destroyers. No, it wasn’t a Carrier, but it was still a force to be reckoned with. And something had destroyed it even before the emperor could get to his escape capsule.

Luka wondered if he had even tried. Emperor Nelius Hector Gaius was not the kind of man to run while others died in his name.

“To everyone who had family aboard the Australia,” he said, and felt tears growing in his eyes. His throat and chest burned as he kept the tears from falling. “I am so terribly sorry, and I grieve with you. This is a blow we did not see coming. It will not go unanswered.”

Beyond the cameras, he could see Tusca and his crew. The people who had become a second family to him over a year of living and working together in the hard life of those who scraped out a living in the Black. They had pushed their little ship to breaking to get him to the Pacifica.

“My sister is without a father. My mother, without a husband, and they are not alone among the families who have lost so much to this attack,” he said, anger straightening his back as he accepted the mantle that he always knew would be his someday.

It weighed heavily on him, and he struggled to stand under the burden of the immense history that now rested on his shoulders. “But while this attack has taken much from us, it will not bring us to our knees. So I stand before you now. Before the Human Galactic Empire, and our allies. Before the people who murdered my father, and stole fourteen thousand two hundred and nine precious lives from us.”

He gripped the pedestal until his knuckles went white, and let his mask crack. All his pain and anguish spilled out for everyone to see. His rage, and the deep, burning knowledge that he would never see his father again.

“To those who thought the death of Nelius Hector Gaius would cripple us, I say this;” he said, with his mother to one side, struggling not to cry, and his cousin on the other, absolutely still in that way that Amir always was when he was trying to keep it together. “My name is Lukas Rayhan Goliat. I am Emperor of the Human Galactic Empire. Come for me. If you dare.”

+++

HGE - Learn to Fly, Learn to Breathe:

Tusca hired a teenager on a whim, and a doctor because they were old friends. Unfortunately, nothing is ever simple when a Red Baron is at the helm.

Red Sun

Red Meeting

Red Baron

Packmates (In HGE- Smoke Before Fire)

Red Prince

Red Sky

Red Heart

Red Ship

Red Palace

Child of my Kind (In HGE - Smoke Before Fire)

Red Throne

+++

HGE - Smoke before Fire

Vree liked his humans. They were kind, clever, and tended to be adorable, in the way that a small, particularly spiny cub was adorable right before it bit you.

Of course, small adorable cubs usually couldn’t shapeshift or burst into flame whenever it suited them.

The Legend, The Rumor

Deep Water and Scales

Black Scales and Open Spaces

Screams in the Dark

Warning Lights

Into the Wild

Scientific Examination

Nobility and Flames

Packmates

Survivor

Child of my Kind

+++

More Stories!

+++

Support me on Patreon

My Tip Jar

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verdigrisprowl · 7 years ago

Text

Jan 6 Bevel’s Movie Night - Star Trek: Discovery Ep. 3 & 4

This is actually the second time Bevel has screened Star Trek: Discovery. The first time, tragically, the chat log was lost. But Not This Time.

All I remember about the first stream is that there was a discussion about making ships out of dead bodies (fun fact: corpses make sub-par ship construction materials), and after the movie Bevel and Ratchet hung out a while talking.

I don’t remember much about this stream either, but that’s okay, because I don’t have to remember it, because I have the log!

Today Bevel 8:45 pm *this building is now officially her movie place, same set up as last time. it's no Dancitron, but enjoy the vaguely drive-in movie feel but with couches and stuff. treats and energon are on the table to the side* Ratchet 8:47 pm *pops in* Ratchet 8:48 pm *is this the first multiversal thing Ratchet has been to since Christmas, or the second? regardless, he's got a different frame than the last time he was HERE, specifically* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:48 pm *Soundwave follows almost on Ratchet's heels, ready to find out more about this timeline's history.* Bevel 8:49 pm Hiya! *waves to them both, yay the invitations went through* Ratchet 8:49 pm Evening! Bevel 8:51 pm You made it! I was hoping you would be able to. Ratchet 8:51 pm *Ratchet will scout out the snack table before taking a seat* Ratchet 8:52 pm Yep! Things have been settling down a little bit at home. I can take a bit of a break now and then. Bevel 8:54 pm Awesome. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:55 pm *Soundwave nods to them both and parks himself in a spot, minding not to knock his arm into anything as he does.*

[[Fewer casualties?]] Ratchet 8:55 pm For the time being, knock on.... uh. Bevel 8:56 pm ((gonna start in 5m, warnings for violence and some resident evil-esque grossness Ratchet 8:56 pm *is there any wood around, Bevel?* Bevel 8:56 pm *probably, she's basically brought any bits and pieces she thought anyone might want to either eat or fiddle with* *because she will probably fiddle with pieces of metal at random* Ratchet 8:57 pm *well if there's wood to be found, Ratchet will find it, and finish his thought* Knock on wood. Bevel 8:58 pm *giggles* Bevel 8:59 pm Fewer is good. Do you think it might mean the war could end? ItsyBitsySpyers 8:59 pm *Oh boy, what a lovely floor he's looking at.* Ratchet 8:59 pm Pfeh. No. Just means the 'cons are busy planning something. FakeProwl 9:00 pm *appears; immediately finds a corner seat to huddle in* Bevel 9:00 pm *frowns* *not at Prowl, Prowl gets a wave* FakeProwl 9:01 pm ((did we skip an episode?)) Ratchet 9:01 pm [[ quick question are captions possible ]] Bevel 9:01 pm ((yep, hit the wrong episode hold on ((they are i will put them on Bevel 9:03 pm ((there we go FakeProwl 9:04 pm *heard the word piezoelectric; he knows that word.* Ratchet 9:07 pm Lucky save. *also, belatedly, a wave to prowl* FakeProwl 9:08 pm *nods* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:08 pm *Greeting ping to Prowl, though he doesn't push anything beyond that. If Prowl sought out his own seat, Soundwave will obey that - and not bother Ratchet or Bevel either.* Bevel 9:08 pm We dealt with spores like that once. They were really annoying. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:09 pm [[When was that?]] [[...Did she call the prisoners animals.]] Bevel 9:10 pm She also called them garbage. FakeProwl 9:11 pm *there's a bit of a delay before he pings Soundwave back.* Bevel 9:11 pm It was about three decades ago by my time. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:13 pm *Already does not like the ones calling names and being rude about Vulcan martial arts. The Michael human had the others beat, didn't she?* [[What happened when you ran into them?]] *THAT IS A TRIBBLE. WHY IS IT THERE.* Bevel 9:15 pm They killed one of us before we were able to figure out how to get rid of them. Bevel 9:17 pm Water? Ratchet 9:18 pm He's tall. I didn't notice last time. He must've been sitting the whole time. Bevel 9:19 pm I like his feet. He was standing on his toes. FakeProwl 9:21 pm *At least they're all very civil about their hard feelings.* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:22 pm [[Ha.]] FakeProwl 9:23 pm *Well. MOST of them are very civil.* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:23 pm [[The Tilly should not have chosen an easily disprovable lie, if she couldn't handle the Michael human's presence.]] Bevel 9:23 pm That was mean of her to lie. Bevel 9:25 pm Ooo pretty Ratchet 9:25 pm Wow. FakeProwl 9:27 pm She's been there a day and she's already violating curfew and breaking into places where she's been banned. Because, apparently, she's curious. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:27 pm *He likes her already.* FakeProwl 9:27 pm *His approval of her significantly dropped.* Bevel 9:28 pm *likes everyone but the human that called Michael garbage, that was mean* Ratchet 9:30 pm [[ i learned the word panspermia today watching bill nye and suddenly it is here ]] Bevel 9:30 pm ((it was meant to be ItsyBitsySpyers 9:32 pm *Leeeean.* FakeProwl 9:32 pm ... I'm missing something, why do they blame /her/ for starting the war. The Klingons showed up ready and eager to start the war. Her mutiny lasted for thirty seconds and consisted of giving an order, which the crew didn't carry out. Ratchet 9:33 pm Scapegoat? *those injuries are.... fascinating* *Ratchet would kind of like to get a better look at them* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:33 pm [[She is also the one who terminated the...]] *Repeats the Klingon word back to himself. He's slightly rustier with it than he is Vulcan.* [[Torchbearer?]] FakeProwl 9:34 pm Ah. Yes. That makes more sense. Ratchet 9:34 pm [[ is anyone having flashbacks to tfcon and dnd ]] ItsyBitsySpyers 9:34 pm ((MEEEEEE)) Bevel 9:34 pm ((lol FakeProwl 9:34 pm ((YEP)) ItsyBitsySpyers 9:34 pm ((the giant poop!)) Ratchet 9:34 pm [[ omfg i forgot about the giant poop ]] FakeProwl 9:35 pm ((how could you forget about the giant poop)) ((im still proud of how we got rid of it)) Bevel 9:35 pm ((that we totally avoided 😀 Ratchet 9:35 pm [[ my memories of the night are more focussed on ratchet and skywarp's illicit affair ]] ItsyBitsySpyers 9:35 pm ((i mostly remember murderbeak, soundwave refusing prowl's request with an I NEEDED THAT, and the soap and towels on the floor)) FakeProwl 9:35 pm Of course, the torchbearer was before the mutiny, killed in self-defense, and almost undoubtedly left there as bait to deliberately start the war. Bevel 9:36 pm *laughs* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:37 pm [[It is easier to assign blame than to think rationally. Especially when Vulcans are discriminated against for their focus on logic to begin with.]] Bevel 9:38 pm *likes Michael a lot more now because that was awesome* FakeProwl 9:39 pm I know. Believe me, I know. I'm still going to relentlessly criticize it. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:39 pm [[Feel free. He doesn't mind.]] Bevel 9:39 pm *wonders if that ship is gonna get taken over by tribbles at some point* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:41 pm [[.........One moment. The Klingons later suffered from Tribble overpopulation, to the point of wiping their species out in 'wars'. Why do they not put the Tribble aboard the Klingon base?]] [[Then their enemies will be forced to turn their focus elsewhere.]] Ratchet 9:42 pm Perhaps the Tribble IS the biological weapon. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:42 pm *Yeeeaaah, no, he wouldn't enter a lockable room on the command of someone like this.* FakeProwl 9:42 pm *Oh, hey. Prisoner locked up for treason, gets offered a job that looks like a twisted version of her old position, turns it down on moral grounds. Is that familiar.* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:43 pm *...Quietly taking notes, just on the off-chance this has some future use.* Ratchet 9:45 pm What happened to his eye injury? Bevel 9:45 pm I think he said he needs to adjust to light? Ratchet 9:46 pm There's been no indication of his having the lights adjusted for his comfort since his first introduction. Bevel 9:47 pm I do not know. FakeProwl 9:47 pm The lights haven't gone up and down around him. No need to adjust them if they're consistent. Ratchet 9:47 pm Hmm. Bevel 9:48 pm *kind of likes this Amanda person* Ratchet 9:48 pm Oh, he.... oh no. Bevel 9:48 pm Kitty. Ratchet 9:49 pm [[ it looks like a very large tardigrade ]] FakeProwl 9:49 pm If he did indeed lure her on board by disabling her shuttle—which he didn't deny—then that means he killed the pilot to do it. Something caused that pilot to become untethered. That's something she should have taken into consideration before agreeing to join him. Did she even remember that? ItsyBitsySpyers 9:51 pm [[Apparently not.]] Bevel 9:52 pm I hope not. Ratchet 9:52 pm [[ i get where people are saying this show isn't very, like....... star trek, tho ]] ItsyBitsySpyers 9:52 pm ((they said that about ds9 too back in the day)) FakeProwl 9:52 pm ((the most star trek part of the show is the name)) Bevel 9:52 pm ((I like to think it's focusing even further on the grey underbelly of the mythos ItsyBitsySpyers 9:53 pm *...Part of him wants to fly through wherever that was. Part of him knows it would be a terrible id--- oh. It's not land at all.* FakeProwl 9:53 pm ((once they have befriended Four (4) Brand New Alien Species i will accept this as star trek)) Bevel 9:53 pm ((lol FakeProwl 9:53 pm ((catching a xenomorph puma doesn't count)) Bevel 9:54 pm ...is that box going to keep chiming the whole time? FakeProwl 9:55 pm synthesize a pillow to put over it. Bevel 9:55 pm *giggles* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:55 pm [[Ultra Magnus.]] Bevel 9:56 pm ((my favorite ensign with the amazing hair ahhhhhhlovehersomuch FakeProwl 9:56 pm ... Mm. One of them. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:57 pm [[One of what?]] Bevel 9:57 pm That is a really cool tactic being able to teleport anywhere. FakeProwl 9:57 pm Ultra Magnus. Bevel 9:57 pm Kitty. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:58 pm [[Oh. Yes. The statement reminded him of ours.]] [][][]I remain unconvinced.[][][] *Lean again.* *What is this thing?* FakeProwl 9:59 pm Ah. I thought you were referring to his overall personality. Ratchet 9:59 pm Didn't he tell her she WASN'T here to create weapons that went against the Starfleet code? FakeProwl 10:00 pm Do we have any evidence that better knives and shields are against Starfleet code? Bevel 10:00 pm Better shields is good. Ratchet 10:01 pm Mm. I suppose. But I'd like to see her not have to do anything that goes against her convictions. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:01 pm *What is this, now...?* Ratchet 10:04 pm [[ it's a tardigrade ]] Bevel 10:04 pm Ripper haaa Ratchet 10:08 pm Why not make several jumps? Bevel 10:09 pm Maybe too many jumps is just as bad? ItsyBitsySpyers 10:09 pm [[Navigational stability problems, as he said. The time it would take between jumps might be too much.]] ItsyBitsySpyers 10:12 pm [[Or that might happen.]] Bevel 10:12 pm Oh no. That did not go well at all. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:14 pm [[Anyone who thinks knowing how something feels is unnecessary when trying to get it to fight has no business doing such work.]] FakeProwl 10:14 pm Indeed. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:15 pm *Nods to Prowl. Thank you.* [[She is nowhere near ready.]] [[She is having an emotional reaction to the -- there, you see.]] Ratchet 10:17 pm Her death was unnecessary. She caused it herself. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:17 pm [[Agreed.]] Ratchet 10:17 pm That wasn't a sacrifice, it was willful stupidity. Bevel 10:18 pm She should have made sure it was sedated. 😔 She should not have been trying to mutilate it either though. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:18 pm [[She /should/ have waited until her head was clear and /investigated/ the creature instead of throwing open the doors in an uncontrolled environment with no idea how to handle it.]] ItsyBitsySpyers 10:19 pm *He likes her, too.* Ratchet 10:20 pm [[ i like these two klingons and i ship them ]] FakeProwl 10:20 pm *Ah, a professional second-in-command.* Bevel 10:24 pm Yay she made a friend. FakeProwl 10:24 pm ((okay, they need to make friends with 3 more alien species and it'll be star trek)) Bevel 10:24 pm *cheers* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:27 pm [[It killed everyone aboard. He would not recommend its use as such.]] [[Evidently it did not enjoy it.]] Ratchet 10:28 pm Didn't they run into something after exiting the... myto-something plane? Bevel 10:29 pm She is not a very good second-in-command is she? Ratchet 10:29 pm [[ 😧 it looks sad ]] FakeProwl 10:29 pm The accident killed almost everyone on board. The creature escaped onto a ship of people that didn't know what it was—including Klingons, who enjoy killing things. The people it killed, it likely killed in self-defense. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:30 pm [[Perhaps. But it does not look happy now, in that cube.]] Bevel 10:30 pm Poor Ripper. FakeProwl 10:30 pm ... Perhaps that's another thing it was defending itself from. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:30 pm *Nods.* Bevel 10:31 pm I think Michael realized it is in pain. FakeProwl 10:31 pm Why does he want to "send the Klingons a message"? Wouldn't it be better if they DON'T get a message and don't know that Starfleet has a new threat? Bevel 10:32 pm Maybe he is not as good at war as he thinks. FakeProwl 10:33 pm Clearly. Bevel 10:38 pm *welp she's sad now* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:39 pm *Kind of the Captain to have left her that. Though he supposes there wasn't time to change her will.* Bevel 10:41 pm I think that is enough tonight. There are still more files though so I can invite everyone again soon. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:41 pm *Light stretch.* [[Very well. Thank you again.]] Bevel 10:41 pm *nods and grins* Ratchet 10:42 pm Thanks, kiddo. See ya again next time, I hope. Bevel 10:42 pm It is fun. Is that why you do it all the time, Soundwave? ItsyBitsySpyers 10:42 pm [[One of many reasons.]] *Soundwave rises, offers everyone a nod and Prowl an extra ping goodnight, and gets ready to head home.* FakeProwl 10:43 pm ((another reason is sitting in the corner.)) Bevel 10:43 pm Definitely, Ratchet! FakeProwl 10:43 pm *returns the farewell ping* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:44 pm *Faster than before. That's promising. He'll be on his way now.* Bevel 10:45 pm ((I remembered not to close the room without saying anything \o/

#chat

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theonyxpath · 7 years ago

Link

Aaaah, what does Jon Snow know, anyway?

(The answer is “nothing”.)

But we know that we’ve themed our Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition Kickstarter to change from season to season, week to week. This week, we’re finishing up Winter, and next up is Spring and all the growth that promises.

But right now, Winter rules and with it a post-Thanksgiving sense of lingering thankfulness.

Maybe it was attending PAX Unplugged in my hometown of Philly a couple of weeks ago just two blocks from the hobby store where I bought the original D&D Monster Manual, then a wonderful family Thanksgiving, and then getting back together with an old friend and gaming buddy from our college years after ten years yesterday, but I’m in the mood to tell you about how I got into this tabletop gaming thing of ours while expressing some thanks.

(Feel free to skip to THE BLURBS! and the Updates, if anything pre-White Wolf causes your eyes to glaze over. This is pre-history, dude.)

Half Damned art by Michele Giorgi

Here’s the preamble: I started serious tabletop gaming in my sophomore year of HS (Central HS in Philly, class 239) by walking into the Strategy & Tactics Society where about a dozen guys were playing board games like Squad Leader and Wooden Ships and Iron Men.

You want to see where checking off heatsinks in BattleTech came from? That’s your game; you checked off hull, rigging, etc. Also probably influenced Star Fleet Battles.

Anyway, I was amazed because I had never met anyone who wanted to play Avalon Hill and other tactical boardgames. Besides myself. So I stayed and played, and within a couple of weeks I heard that Robert was coming back, and he was ready to DM.

I had no idea who this guy was, or what a DM was, but this was apparently big news to the group who were into this new style of gaming called Dungeons and Dragons. A bunch of the other gamers in the club were not happy with it; it wasn’t real gaming, they said. Apparently, we had all been waiting for Robert to get his hands on a book of new rules called Blackmoor. Sure, whatever you say.

Well, I did sit in on the session when Robert returned, and while my Halfling Thief was hardly an original fantasy character concept, I was enthralled by this combination of improv theatre and wargaming where I could discover the world that started on sheets of graph paper that Robert scribbled on in response to our questions – a tree here, a pool of mud there – but was so much bigger and richer in my mind.

And Robert was amazing. The way he worked with each player to include their ideas, but kept his conception of this world of his constant, was like watching a narrative grow. Like sitting next to Moorcock, Tolkien, or Leiber, and suggesting ideas. I didn’t know anything like this existed! So my first Thanks go to Robert, my first DM, who inspired me to start my own campaign world not six months later.

A bunch of us took turns DMing as Robert faded away towards graduation, and not just D&D, but Boot Hill and Traveller as well. How we laughed as our intricately planned space military characters died in character creation! Good times.

Enemy Action art by Andrew Trabbold

But I DM’d D&D specifically, and began a consistent world that I fined-tuned over the Summer vacation, so that when we resumed playing in our club after school, and I had enough players that we could divide them into the good, neutral, and evil, teams, they all started in The City With No Name that sat astride the east/west and north/south trade routes nexus – and their adventures affected the city and the world.

Two years the gaming club guys played in that same world, many of them running through multiple characters. I graduated, went to art school twenty minutes from high school, so I returned to DM for the club some afternoons. Many of the folks who learned tabletop RPGs from playing these sessions became friends and we got together outside of the club, especially as they graduated and went to college too.

Meanwhile, I started DMing, same world, for a group of students at art school and their friends once a week. A bunch tried it, thought it was fun (or not) but didn’t keep up with it. But a core group loved it, and became the nucleus for a weekly gaming session that went on for twelve years. (I did not run all of those games, and we did miss some weeks, but it was mostly my D&D world).

And here is the next Thanks: I’m thankful that our group was mixed genders and races and that there was never an issue with prejudice within our group. There were affairs and jealousy and grudges and other human interactions, but for whatever reason I was lucky to have a group that saw this weird hobby as something that everyone could partake in and play in whatever way they felt good playing.

We had Mickey with her crafted storylines for her characters like Kwik the duck monk (Mistress of Kwak-Fu), and the brutish DW the half-ogre and his evil intelligent two-handed sword who did his thinking for him. Danilo with his “what’s next?” questions, and chaotic characters like Elmer who reincarnated into a troll. Jodie, who read every D&D book and magazine she got her hands on and knew all the gaming tricks for Yain Yarwa (Y-Squared) elven thief/assassin, and Isis, illusionist were-tiger. Chaka with his intricate strategies and plans that could take months to come to fruition, and Ed, who wrote up our sessions as chapters in a novel featuring his character Farcist, half-orc renegade.

In fact, our group only stopped playing because I moved to Georgia in 1992 to take over all Art Direction at White Wolf. We had been to hell and back together in our personal lives, and except for one guy who deserted us during those times, the group stuck together. When I moved, they were the ones who drove the rented vans with all my worldly goods down to GA.

Which brings me to now and several decades later. Because as of last year, most of the old crew have started to get together once a quarter. Sometimes for game night, sometimes for a movie, once for a wedding; always so we can talk with each other as only old friends can. Our kids are heading out into high school and college or into their own lives, and there is time again to get together with those people whose characters were once an adventuring party, but whose real lives have bonded even more tightly. My third Thanks goes to them.

So fourth Thanks: for forty years (this month) of this RPG hobby that set me on a career path and allowed me to make friends all the way through those times. My good gaming friends from high school and college and my WW friends and all the people I’ve befriended since then. Folks I’m simply glad to see at conventions, folks on-line, and those who have stood with me facing the hordes of hell.

Kind of getting inspired here; I may even start running my D&D world again…

Many Worlds. One Path.

BLURBS!

KICKSTARTER:

Almost halfway through our KS campaign!

Our story so far: We funded in about a day, and have already blown through nine Stretch Goals and went past 200% funding before last weekend! The goals include the two novellas: Autumn and Winter, an art budget increase, two new sections for the Kith and Kin book that we’re calling the Book of Kiths, the first sections for the CtL2 Companion: Entitlements and Freeholds, and we added another 2 PDFs to our CtL 1st Edition PDF reward. And we’re just on the verge of adding another Kith section to that book!

We’ve also revealed excerpts with notes from the developers, and half the book text has been shown to backers so far.

Come along as the seasons change and we reveal the next chapters of the core book text to backers!

Next, our Trinity Continuum Kickstarter will start in early January!

ON SALE NOW:

As we try and find ways to enable our community to more easily play our games, the Onyx Dice Rolling App is now live! Our dev team has been doing updates since we launched based on the excellent use-case comments by our community, and this thing is both rolling and rocking! Right now, they’re working on implementing multi-dice and die previews in the store, after adding in a lot of requested upgrades and tweaks, which is going along nicely but is a ton of work. Here are the links for the Apple and Android versions:

http://ift.tt/2zjnD0c

http://ift.tt/2hhT5Fk

Three different screenshots, above.

(The Solar Anima special Dice)

ON AMAZON AND BARNES & NOBLE:

We’re delighted to announce the opening of our ebook stores on Amazon and Barnes & Noble! You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle (from Amazon) and Nook (from Barnes & Noble). Our initial selection includes these fiction anthologies:

Vampire: The Masquerade: The Endless Ages Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: Rites of Renown: When Will You Rage II (Kindle, Nook)

Mage: The Ascension: Truth Beyond Paradox (Kindle, Nook)

Chronicles of Darkness: The God-Machine Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Mummy: The Curse: Curse of the Blue Nile (Kindle, Nook)

Beast: The Primordial: The Primordial Feast Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

And here are six more fiction books:

Vampire: The Masquerade: Of Predators and Prey: The Hunters Hunted II Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: The Poison Tree (Kindle, Nook)

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: Songs of the Sun and Moon: Tales of the Changing Breeds (Kindle, Nook)

Vampire: The Requiem: The Strix Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Werewolf: The Forsaken: The Idigam Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Mage: The Awakening: The Fallen World Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Andand six more more:

Vampire: The Masquerade: The Beast Within Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: W20 Cookbook (Kindle, Nook)

Exalted: Tales from the Age of Sorrows (Kindle, Nook)

Chronicles of Darkness: Tales of the Dark Eras (Kindle, Nook)

Promethean: The Created: The Firestorm Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Demon: The Descent: Demon: Interface (Kindle, Nook)

And even more books are now on Amazon and the Nook store!:

Scarred Lands: Death in the Walled Warren (Kindle, Nook)

V20 Dark Ages: Cainite Conspiracies (Kindle, Nook)

Chronicles of Darkness: Strangeness in the Proportion (Kindle, Nook)

Vampire: The Requiem: Silent Knife (Kindle, Nook)

Mummy: The Curse: Dawn of Heresies (Kindle, Nook)

OUR SALES PARTNERS:

We’re working with Studio2 to get Pugmire out into stores, as well as to individuals through their online store. You can pick up the traditionally printed main book, the Screen, and the official Pugmire dice through our friends there!

http://ift.tt/2w0aaEW

Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Here’s the link to the press release we put out about how Onyx Path is now selling through Indie Press Revolution: http://ift.tt/1ZlTT6z

You can now order wave 2 of our Deluxe and Prestige print overrun books, including Deluxe Mage 20th Anniversary, and Deluxe V20 Dark Ages! And Screens…so many Screens!

And you can now order Pugmire: the book, the screen, and the dice! http://ift.tt/1pOsnTb

DRIVETHRURPG.COM:

This Wednesday, we unveil Vampire: The Requiem 2e‘s Half-Damned as an Advance PDF on DTRPG.com!

I love her, she’s family, but I don’t love what she is.

– Antonio Ramírez, dhampir

This book includes:

• An exploration of what it means to be one of the Half-Damned, dhampir, revenants or ghouls.

• Mechanics for creating Half-Damned characters.

• Information for creating and running chronicles using the various Half-Damned character types, both with vampires and alone.

• Information on Half-Damned antagonists for vampire chronicles.

Legacy of Lies, the V20 Dark Ages Jumpstart, goes undead in PDF and physical book PoD versions on DTRPG:

http://ift.tt/2k981ql

TWO PRINCES. BITTER RIVALS. AND A COTERIE CAUGHT BETWEEN THEM.

Marcus Verus, the vampiric Prince of Chester, secretly prepares to go into torpor. Should his plans be made public, the Prince knows the wolves — both real and imagined — would launch an attack, threatening all within his domain.

That’s where you come in.

Legacy of Lies includes:

Basic rules for players and Storytellers

Introduction to the Vampire: The Masquerade Dark Ages setting

Introductory adventure

Characters for players and Storytellers

Appearing on DriveThruRPG is the Advance PDF for Arms of the Chosen for Exalted 3rd Edition! http://ift.tt/2A0ga4f

Take up the panoply of legendary heroes and lost ages, and awaken the world-shaking might of their Evocations. Before the dawn of time, the Exalted wielded god-metal blades to cast down the makers of the universe. In an ancient epoch of forgotten glories, Creation’s greatest artificers forged unimaginable wonders and miracle-machines.

Now, in the Age of Sorrows, kingdoms go to war over potent artifacts, scavenger princes risk everything to uncover relics of the past, and the Exalted forge great arms and armor on the anvil of legend. These treasures are yours to master.

Discover the mystical power of the five magical materials and the secrets of creating your own Evocations. Wield weapons of fabled might and don the armor of mythic heroes, making their puissance your own. Claim Creation’s wonders: the miraculous tools of the Chosen, living automatons, flying machines, hearthstones, and more. And unleash the mighty warstriders, titanic god-engines of conquest and devastation, to once more shake Creation with their footfalls.

NOW on DriveThruCards, the Pugmire Card Set One (Trick, Condition, and Initiative Cards) are helpful visual aids for your Pugmire gaming fun! http://ift.tt/2zC3kuY

Enhance your Pugmire game with this set of player aid cards! These helpful visual aids make your Pugmire gaming easier! Lay them out next to your sheet for ease of reference during play, and to keep track of what you can do, what affects your character, and when they get to act.

Set one contains one card each of every trick in the game, as well as every condition. It also has a set of initiative cards to track player and non-player character actions during combat. Sets two and three (covering artisan and shepherd spells) coming soon!

What dark secrets do the eldest vampires hold? Find out in Thousand Years of Night for Vampire: The Requiem! PDF and physical book PoD versions available on DriveThruRPG.com. http://ift.tt/2sV8lZR

You may think that with a multitude of people coming, going, dying and running away, we’d be tired, done, or ready to give up. Instead, I find myself restless, looking for the next thing. There’s always a next thing, and I for one am not yet ready to die.

– Elder Kincaid, Daeva Crone

This book includes:

• Detailed instructions on creating elder vampires, including how to base chronicles around them

• A look into the lives of elders, how they spend their nights, who they work with, and why including their roles in both their clans and covenants

• New Devotions, Merits, and Rituals for elder vampires

• The kinds of creatures that pose a threat to elder vampires, including Inamorata, Lamia, Sons of Phobos, a new elder conspiracy, and more!

Is a life of running and hiding a life worth living? We say yes. There’s always something between the running and the hiding, and those moments of grace make it all worthwhile.

The Huntsmen Chronicle Anthology is a perfect companion piece to Changeling: The Lost, 2nd Edition. These stories spin tales of the Lost, of those abducted and enslaved by fairies. Those who escaped, but whose captors will stop at nothing to find them. These fairies summon forth the Huntsmen, primordial hunters who understand nothing but pursuit and capture. The Huntsmen are unstoppable monsters, and the Lost can only look to each other for respite, rare comfort, and rarer trust.

The Hedge has parted and you can get the Advance PDF of The Huntsmen Chronicle Fiction Anthology for Changeling: The Lost 2nd Edition at DTRPG.com! http://ift.tt/2z4uZnU

A Land Where Legends Walk

Drawing enthusiastically on Greek mythology, the revised and re-imagined Scarred Lands nonetheless retains its place as a modern fantasy RPG setting. This is a world shaped by gods and monsters, and only the greatest of heroes can expect to be counted among them. The most populous continent of Scarn, Ghelspad, plays host to vast unexplored regions, hides unsolved riddles from ancient cultures, and taunts adventures with the promise of undiscovered riches hidden among the ruins of older civilizations.

Yet the myths of the Scarred Lands are relatively recent events. The effects of the Titanswar still ripple through the world, and the heroines and villains of many of these stories are part of living memory, if not still living.

The Award-Winning Fantasy Setting Returns

Scarred Lands has been a favorite fantasy setting since the release of the Creature Collection for the d20 System in 2000. In subsequent years, over 40 titles were published for Scarred Lands, making it one of the most fully supported fantasy RPG settings ever and the premiere product line of Sword & Sorcery Studios.

Available in both 5th Edition and Pathfinder compatible versions! PDF and PoD formats available NOW!

http://ift.tt/2fEO9YJ

http://ift.tt/2fELqyx

Heroes, Villains, and Others in Between!

This tome is a revision of the original book by the same title, originally published for use with 3rd edition rules for the world’s most popular roleplaying game. In this revised edition of The Wise & the Wicked, all the same characters have returned (and we’ve added some new ones, too!), for use with the Scarred Lands Player’s Guide.

Champions of Gods and Titans

The Wise & the Wicked introduces a rogue’s gallery of the Scarred Lands’ movers and shakers, characters who carry out the will of the gods or the fallen titans. These non-player characters can be friends, enemies, or simply convenient resources for the player characters in your game.

Inside, find villains such as King Virduk of Calastia, the Black Dragon, along with his wife, the beautiful (and black-hearted) Queen Geleeda; the Grand Vizier to King Virduk, the wicked warrior-mage Anteas; and the sinister general of Virduk’s northern armies, Archduke Traviak the Steel-Fisted. At the other end of the spectrum, meet the gracious Lady Ariniel, the Swan Knight, champion of Madriel; Kimer the Shatterer, bearer of the Earth Sword of Scarn and tenacious foe of the titanspawn of the north; and King Thain the Just, the Aleking, ruler of Burok Torn. And many others beside!

Here you’ll find a fascinating compendium of characters from the Scarred Lands, but easily transported into campaigns set elsewhere. In addition, find multiple appendices full of new magic items and artifacts, class archetypes and prestige classes, new feats, new creatures and races, and more.

Available in Pathfinder and 5th Edition versions! PDF and PoD formats available NOW!

http://ift.tt/2zdVHXS

http://ift.tt/2zeEpd8

CONVENTIONS!

This weekend, Matthew Dawkins, Dave Brookshaw, and Eddy Webb are going to be at Dragonmeet in London. https://www.dragonmeet.co.uk/ Expect plenty of playful class warfare as these three mix it up, represent Onyx Path, and generally redefine the term “hooligans”.

Planning ahead for 2018, we’re heading back to Midwinter Game Convention in Milwaukee, January 11-14, where we’re going to be bringing a big crew of many of your favorite Onyx Path designers and we’ll be running demos and making some special announcements at the show! http://midwintergamingconvention.com

And now, the new project status updates!

DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM ROLLICKING ROSE (projects in bold have changed status since last week): No changes this week.

First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)

M20 Gods and Monsters (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

M20 Book of the Fallen (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

C20 Novel (Jackie Cassada) (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)

Redlines

Hunter: the Vigil 2e core (Hunter: the Vigil 2nd Edition)

They Came From Beneath the Sea! Rulebook (TCFBtS!)

Second Draft

WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)

Tales of Good Dogs – Pugmire Fiction Anthology (Pugmire)

Exalted 3rd Novel by Matt Forbeck (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Night Horrors: The Tormented (Promethean: The Created 2nd Edition)

Monarchies of Mau (Monarchies of Mau)

Development

Signs of Sorcery (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)

SL Ring of Spiragos (Pathfinder – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)

Ring of Spiragos (5e – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)

Scion: Origin (Scion 2nd Edition)

Scion: Hero (Scion 2nd Edition)

Trinity Continuum Core Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)

Trinity Continuum: Aeon Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)

GtS Geist 2e core (Geist: the Sin-Eaters Second Edition)

WW Manuscript Approval:

Editing:

Ex Novel 2 (Aaron Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Pan’s Guide for New Pioneers (Pugmire)

Dragon-Blooded (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Kithbook Boggans (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

The Realm (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Post-Editing Development:

Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition, featuring the Huntsmen Chronicle (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition)

Indexing:

ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE:

In Art Direction

Cavaliers of Mars – New art getting assigned.

Ex3 Monthly Stuff

Scion Origins

Ring of Spiragos

Changeling: the Lost 2

Trinity Continuum – Assigned art notes for pieces for KS.

Pugmire – Vinsen’s Tomb

Ex3 Dragon Blooded

Pugmire – Pan’s Explorer’s Guide (or whatever) – Sending notes for this over to Laubenstein, Syme, Loboyko, and Alida this week as soon as I finish going through them.

Marketing Stuff

In Layout

Beast PG

Pugmire/Scarred Lands Community Content – working on the logo.

Book of Freeholds – To Mark

DtD Enemy Action – With Josh

Pugmire Fetch Quest – Working on sample designs for more playtesting.

Proofing

Wraith 20 – Final layout proof to WW.

W20 Changing Ways – First proof.

At Press

Beckett Screen – Shipped to shipper.

Scarred Land PGs & Wise and the Wicked PF & 5e – To fulfillment shipper. PDF and PoD physical book versions on sale at DTRPG.

Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition) – Deluxe Edition cover and Screen in the works. Waiting for Deluxe cover and the Screen proofs.

Prince’s Gambit – Print and Play version updated. Getting specs from printer.

M20 Cookbook – Files uploaded and processing.

CtL Huntsmen Chronicle Anthology – Layout waiting for errata.

V20 Beckett’s Jyhad Diary– Inputting errata.

C20 Ready Made Characters – Ending Backer PDF errata gathering.

Ex 3 Arms of the Chosen – Advance PDF on sale on DTRPG, gathering errata.

Pugmire Artisan Cards – PoD proofs ordered.

Pugmire Shepherd Cards – PoD proofs ordered.

Pentex Indoctrination Manual – Being sent to backers this week.

VtR Half Damned – Advance PDF on sale this Wednesday on DTRPG.

TODAY’S REASON TO CELEBRATE: To reference last week’s TRTC, the new version of MST3K has been picked up for a second season! (While you may think this is just a casual aside that speaks of another’s cultish nerd interest…consider how interested a person might be in a revival of a project with a hard-core group of vocal fans, if that person revives game lines with hard-core vocal fans on a regular basis. They did a great job at it, there is always much to learn from that.)

#Onyx Path Publishing

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occasionalfics · 8 years ago

Text

Cross the Stars, part XI

part x, part xii

A/N: Okay so you got a really long one, a really short one, and now another kind of long one. But I really love this scene (not to toot my own horn).

Summary: Nightmares keep Indriza up, but she’s not the only one.

Words: 4,234

~~~

After the dancing and the Dirty Novas, Indriza finds it easy to fall asleep. Staying asleep is another story. Her mind takes control, terrorizing her with images of Omara falling onto her slowly, blaster pointed directly at her, a wild, almost animal look on her face.

“Beautiful Omara,” she says. “I raised you. I brought you into this world of ravagers, the United, and Stakar Ogord. And this is how you repay me?”

Omara screams and then: “You took me out of stable homes! You never found our brother! You disappointed me - you went soft over a child and an exile! And worst of all, you left me!”

“You didn’t listen,” Indriza insists.

“Listen to you grovel at the heels of a traitor? Listen to you insist at his innocence? Listen to you turn your back on your family?”

“You didn’t listen to your heart, Omara.”

“I have no heart. You made sure of that.”

And then, a blast from the gun. It grows white hot, larger and larger until it collides-

And then she is awake, sitting straight up, covered in her dark hair and cold sweat. Yondu barely stirs. He is deep in sleep, and she is wide awake. The darkness paralyzes her at first. She tries to catch her breath, to calm herself down, but only sees shadows move before her eyes.

She wonders if ghosts are real, if stardust collects and combines with the souls of the forgotten to haunt those that have forgotten them. She wonders if the shadows on the walls that she sees are her kin that perished with Axion, or her mother, or her father, or the brother that, as Omara so politely reminded her, she never found. He could still be alive, where Yondu was over a decade ago. But he could be dead, haunting her now, with the rest of their family. They could torment her for leaving her sister and abandoning the Axion faction. They would do more harm to her than Stakar Ogord could, in that case.

In some way, that thought calms her. So there’s a bounty on her head - what of it? If her dead family is more horrifying than Stakar Ogord, why should she fear him? Last she’d been told, the bounty required them to be alive upon delivery. Even if they were caught and traded, they would at least get to live that long, because Stakar Ogord was, apparently, merciful. Or he wanted something from them - but even that thought was less terrifying than imagining her mother’s ghost wringing her neck in the dark of the night.

She has to leave the room. Everyone on the ship is asleep - or so she hopes - but she needs to go somewhere with a light, where she won’t disturb too many people. She lips out of the bed, pulls on her trousers and a top, puts her knife in its holster, and leaves as quietly as possible. She even closes the door by hand, rather than letting it slide back into place, as to not wake Yondu. At least he seems to be having a better night than she is.

The metal of the ship is cold under her bare feet as she heads across the bridge. She has to tiptoe through big rooms and squeeze between walls, as the crew finds places to sleep wherever they can. The Elector is much less like a home than the Axion II is, but the ships and crews are different in size. The Elector is larger in both.

It’s so large that Indriza almost gets lost. This is, of course, after she nearly wakes a crewmember with long, stringy black hair that’s fallen into his mouth. She almost gags at the thought of sleeping like that, but moves on, especially when she hears...sobbing.

It’s not loud, but there isn’t much to absorb the sound this late at night. She follows its sound, guided only by emergency lights and broken flashlights no one has bothered to fix or turn off. She comes around a corner and finds the blinding light of the kitchen is on - not the commissary, but the kitchen itself.

She comes up to the push door and looks through the dirty window. Peter Quill is against the far wall, his legs drawn up to his face, hands securing them there with his fingers clasped at the front. She opens her eyes wider to see through the grime on the window and sees that he has his Terran music mechanism with him - the box part sits on the floor of the kitchen, attached to the head...what did he call them? Headphones? Those are over his ears, large and orange, as he bobs either in time with the music or because of his crying.

It’s been so long since she’s seen a child like this. Yes, her faction was known for their compassion to children and those otherwise destitute, but she had been relegated to only thieving during her last little while on the Axion II. She almost misses the sight of a crying child, misses the feeling of helping them. So she pushes the door open and hears how loud his Terran music is. He doesn’t notice her at first.

She and Peter Quill have not had a real conversation since she arrived on the Elector. He is never far from Yondu or Kraglin, and neither is she. She’s never really gotten a moment to speak to him alone before now, to get to know him as Peter Quill, not a Terran child of Ego.

She approaches him slowly, knowing that he is, in fact, a child of a Celestial. He may not know what that means or even necessarily remember that day on Ubraa-10, but she does. Perhaps he has not unlocked his powerful potential, or even knows he has it, but she wants to be safe. She already has enough to worry her out of sleep.

When she is about two feet away, Peter’s head shoots up from behind his legs. He squints up at her. She watches his pupils dilate, his vision focus on her. Before he says anything, he takes a deep breath and wipes his face on the sleeves of his ratty plaid shirt.

Indriza sits against the cabinets next to him and folds her legs over one another. She doesn’t smile, but stays as calm as she can. Peter removes his head...phones, placing them around his neck, and breathes through his mouth.

“Can’t sleep?” she asks him.

He shakes his head, but says nothing. She sees that his eyes are red and bloated, his nose also discolored from irritation, it seems.

“Me neither,” she whispers.

He breathes heavily for a few beats, then asks, “Why?”

She isn’t entirely sure what he’s asking about, so she answers the only way she can think to. “Night terrors.”

He shakes his head again. “Why are they coming for us?” he asks.

Her face drops, and her eyes widen. She wants to reach out to him, for she knows the power of touch, but she refrains. “No one is coming for you,” she tells him.

“They’re coming for you. And Yondu. And me and Kraglin and the whole crew and-”

She can’t listen to him ramble. Her heart won’t bear it. “No,” she says, then shushes. She even reaches out and rubs his back, to which he only flinches once, and then allows her to continue. “They won’t have us. Yondu and I aren’t going anywhere.”

She knows a little bit of what the boy means to Yondu. Her Centaurian has no family outside of the Elector now, after having no family his whole life. He risked everything for the child, and countless others, but this one...he kept. He may threaten to eat the child at least twice a day, or threaten to let someone or something else eat him, but she knows better than to believe those empty words. Peter may not, she knows, because he is so young, but she knows that this Terran is special to Yondu. She just doesn’t know exactly why except that he is kind, enthusiastic, and made of pure light. She doesn’t quite know what Yondu means to Peter in return.

“Everyone leaves,” he whimpers suddenly.

Her hand stalls on his back, but does not disengage. “What?” she asks.

“Everyone leaves me.” He leans forward, as if his stomach is causing him too much pain to bear. “Daddy left ‘fore I was born. Mama left before I came here.” He pushes himself up quickly and looks at her. “You and Yondu are gonna leave me, too.”

She shakes her head and moves her hand from his back to his face. He doesn’t flinch, so she softly wipes the tears away from his eyes and strokes his soft freckled cheeks. “No, never,” she says.

“‘S what Mama said. She still left,” he replies.

She sighs, and resolutely decides that now is as good a time as any to open up to someone other than Yondu. Part of her cabin fever is grounded in loneliness, but if she made more friends...it was a funny thought to have as a ravager, but not an invalid one.

“My mother left me, too,” she says. “When I was sixteen. She had a kind of cell in her body that ate other cells, and it killed her.” This is the first time she can remember telling the story since telling Allura, almost seven years ago. She keeps her Axion family close to her, rarely shares her history, and thinks of her mother’s passing even less.

“Cancer?” he asks, turning to face her completely.

She nods.

“Mama had a tumor,” he says. Peter lifts a hand and points at her head. “There. Lost her hair from the medicine. Grandaddy said she went loopy before she passed.”

“Loopy?” she asks, looking at his finger, still pointed at her head.

“Talked about stars. Said my Daddy was from the stars, that he’d come for me one day. That I was her Star Lord. I thought Yondu was my Daddy at first, ‘cause he took me the same night.”

She looks at him, but he is in a trance, staring at her forehead still. Her heart breaks for him - so young, mother gone, father...not what he seems, lost in space with a ravager crew that only has itself for resources. At least she had her sister, and until recently, the full force of the United at her disposal if she needed it.

She grabs his finger and holds it in her hand. He is cool to the touch, and her warmth breaks him out of his trance. “Do you think she was loopy?” she asks.

Peter shakes his head. “Not anymore.”

She smiles at him.

“You’re warm,” he says.

“You’re cool,” she says back.

He raises an eyebrow. “Who are you?” he asks slowly. “I know who you are really, but...I don’t know you.”

She almost tells him that she doesn’t either, sometimes, but actually says: “I’m a ravager. I’m from a planet called Axion.”

“Are all the people from your planet purple?” he asks.

She nods. “Most are. Some of the people that came to my planet were Kree escapists and even a few Xandarians. But you saw my sister - she’s purple too.”

He nods then. “A lot of Earth...Terran people are white like me. A lot aren’t, too.”

“You’re not white. You’re pink.”

“We call it white on Earth.”

“Why?” she asks.

His brows furrow and he looks away from her briefly. “I...actually don’t know. Huh,” he says.

“Well, what other colors are there on Terra? Or Earth, as you call it?”

He focuses on her again. “Some people are black, but their skin is actually brown. All shades of brown, too. Some have tan skin, some have really really white skin-”

“Whiter than yours?” she asks, all seriousness on her face.

He takes it as a joke, laughing as he nods. “Depends on where people live and who their parents are.”

“Why?” she asks.

“You don’t have a sun on your planet?” he asks.

She pauses, and then: “My planet doesn’t exist anymore.”

“Oh,” he says quietly. He looks at their hands, hers still holding his. “Sorry.”

“You didn’t cause the core to erupt,” she whispers. “We didn’t know it, but the planet was a ticking timebomb. We wouldn’t have been able to save it if we wanted to.”

He takes a moment to process the information. “You don’t think Earth will erupt, do you?”

She giggles. “No,” she says, her voice shaky with giddiness. “I think Terra is stable from the inside. From what I know, the outside could use some help, though.”

“Good,” he sighs. He looks at the ground, pulls his music box to him, and thinks for a while. Finally he asks, “How did you become a ravager? You seem too nice to be one.”

She shrugs. “We’re all different.” She thinks of reaching for his box, just to have something to hold onto, but decides against it. The thing is his and his alone. Even Yondu hasn’t touched it, that she’s seen. It’s his reminder of home, and she won’t be the one to take that away from him.

“Like I said, I was sixteen when my mother died. I had a little sister to care for and a whole galaxy that was ready to eat us up.”

His eyes widen then, and she remembers Yondu’s threats.

“Not really. But we were two kids alone in the universe, and we weren’t shown a lot of kindness. Until we met a man who was already a ravager. He wanted to create a community of ravagers so that no faction would be left in the dust by the others. I think he’d watched too many of his brothers die that way.”

She briefly wonders if her words are age appropriate, but Peter doesn’t cower from her. He stays attentive, fondling his music box close to his chest.

“This man promised me and my sister shelter, safety, food, and all we had to do was steal things for him. Pretty things. Shiny things, things that people would give to cute kids if they were distracted enough.”

“Like what?” he asks.

“Like things I’m sure Yondu’s had you look for,” she says. “Rings, intel chips. Sometimes he just wanted information. See, this man...he is...was sneaky. He liked to be in charge, and the way for him to do that was to know everything.”

“Is this the same man that saved Yondu?” Peter asks.

Indriza smiles and nods. “It is. He saved me and my sister, too. I was a scared girl, just like Yondu was a scared boy once.”

“I’ve never seen Yondu scared. He’s mostly angry and...mean, except when you’re around. And hungry, I think.” He shrugs.

She cups his face again. “Yondu is a lot of things that you don’t always see, Peter,” she says quietly. “He is angry and mean a lot of the time, but have you seen his crew?”

They both laugh at that. When their joy recedes, she continues.

“Yondu is also kind, caring, and brave. Most of all, he is brave - but you have to know fear to be brave. Otherwise, you become ambitious and corrupt.”

“That must be why you like him,” Peter says.

She tilts her head a bit, her smile stretching across her face. Indriza feels a blush climbing up her neck and into her face as she nods. “That’s part of the reason I like him, yes.”

“What’s the other part?”

She bites her lip, unsure of what to say. She knows what her answer is: she loves Yondu especially because of his compassion towards Peter. But to tell the child that, she would have to tell him the story of his origin for it to make any sense, and she will not be the one to burden him with that. It isn’t her story to tell.

“He protects the people that mean the most to him. Sometimes silently, sometimes violently, but you and me and even Kraglin? We’ll be well taken care of for the rest of our days.”

“You’re sure ‘bout that?” he asks.

Indriza nods. “I wouldn’t be here if I believed otherwise.”

“Kraglin says you came to save Yondu, not the other way ‘round.”

“You’re very perceptive,” she says, turning her head to wink at him. “And Kraglin is right. I left my faction to save Yondu from the man who once saved him.”

“What does that man want?” Peter asks.

She knows she’s said too much now. Either she will have to tell Peter everything, or nothing at all. She’d send him to bed worried and maybe even more scared than he already is.

“Is he the reason you can’t sleep?” she asks.

Peter nods.

“Me too,” she whispers, deciding that she can tell him...some things. For his own sake and safety. She isn’t sure how Yondu will react, but her gut tells her that Peter needs to know some things.

“What happened?” Peter asks.

She sighs. “First, you must know that Yondu does not keep you as a prisoner. Things are not...ideal on the Elector, I admit, but he watches out for you, and not to keep you from running.”

“Is that man after him because of me?”

She has to lie. There is no other choice. She shakes her head, rather than saying no. Instead she says, “Yondu made a mistake. A big mistake. He needed units to build his faction, but in doing so, he got in trouble with the man that’s looking for us- uh. Him. Because this man is in charge of the United - the community of ravagers - he exiled Yondu. Do you know what that means?” she asks.

He shakes his head.

She gives him a sad, sullen look. “It means...that Yondu is no longer a part of the community. Officially. He is not technically a ravager.”

“Then what is he?”

“According to the man looking for him, a pirate.”

“But pirates are cool!” he says.

She has to giggle at that. Even in his worry, this small Star Lord is funny. “They are,” she agrees. “But not to the United. To them, Pirates are dishonest and evil. Sometimes the United doesn’t care about pirates, but when they used to be ravagers, it’s a big deal.”

Peter nods. “So...now that you’re here, are you a pirate too?” he asks.

She breathes deep. Saying it will make it real, but it’s been weeks. She made her decision. She can’t look back and regret it now, when there is no returning to the Axion II. “Yes,” she says, having to choke back tears before Peter. She can’t let him see how upset this makes her. She’s afraid it will confuse his perception of Yondu, which she wants to preserve as a good thing within him.

“You need an eyepatch,” he says, shrugging.

“Do I?” she asks, forcing herself to smile again.

Peter nods. “All good pirates have eyepatches!”

“What is the use of it?” she asks.

“Mama told me they use it to adjust to light better. On ships back on Earth, there’s this thing called a cabin. Pirates used ships with cabins under the bridge, so their cabins were really dark but the deck was really bright because of the sun. so they would keep one eye covered on deck, and then when they went to the cabins, they would switch the eyepatch because-”

“The other eye has adjusted to the dark! Of course!” she says, excited now. “Wow, pirates are cool.”

“I tol’ ya so,” he says.

She nods, and then a silence falls over them. Peter hits a button on his box that has a triangular shaped button, and even from their distance, she can hear the melodies that flow from his headphones. The song plays for a bit, and Peter closes his eyes. At some point he starts to sing softly: “Come and get your love…”

After a few verses, Indriza decides she wants to know what Terran music is like, and why it means so much to him. She clears her throat. “Peter, do you think...could I maybe…”

“You wanna listen?” he asks.

She nods. He pulls the headphones from around his neck and hands them to her. She’s seen him wear them over his own ears, so she puts them over her head and jumps at how loud the music is. It’s not unpleasant, though. She listens to the lyrics, to the beat, to the instruments.

“Do you like it?” she hears just barely over it. Peter is kneeling in front of her, waiting for her reaction.

Indriza smiles and nods, then bops along to the music. The words get repetitive, but not annoyingly so. When the song ends, she takes the headphones off and hands them back to Peter.

“That was fun,” she says.

“It was one of my Mama’s favorite songs,” he says. “She made me this mix before she got sick. I think she made another one but…” He looks at the music box in his lap.

She leans over to see his eyes, which are almost closed. “But?” she asks softly, trying to encourage him to talk to her.

He looks up at her after a few seconds, his mouth open, breaths heavy. “I don’t wanna open it.”

She doesn’t have to ask why. She lost her mother, too, after all. Her mother may have not given her music or even a parting gift - which was fine - but she had left Indriza with Omara, who was younger and more vulnerable. For a while, she could hardly look at Omara; she tiptoed around her sister, glanced only when she had to, and otherwise distanced herself. Indriza had to learn how to deal with their mother’s death when Omara threatened to run away because Stakar Ogord treated her with more regard than her own sister did. But Peter didn’t have a sister, he had a music box and an unopened rectangle to play in it. He could put off facing the pain of reality as long as he could stay his curiosity about what’s on that other rectangle.

She puts her palm against his cheek again and says, “That’s okay. You don’t have to do anything with it until you want to.”

She doesn’t know if she has some kind of empathic ability or something, but Indriza feels as if they have an understanding between them now. They were both orphans, both having to deal with a lonely life in space. She had been in his place once, and she had finally been able to tell him that.

He leans against her hand as his eyes gloss with tears. She wonders if anyone has ever told him that his fear is valid, but she knows how important it is. He’s so young, so bright-eyed, and so terrified of his situation. He has to know that one day, that fear will be overcome, and he will be all the stronger for it. Maybe he doesn’t know all of that now, but that doesn’t stop him from almost scaring her as he jumps up and crawls into her lap. He lets the tears fall from his eyes only after his head is against her shoulder.

She’s done this before, with Omara, and many orphans across the galaxy. There was once a time when her faction donated units to orphanages on outlying planets to help find them homes and give them better lives, but since Omara took over - and even a bit earlier than that - that ended. Maybe she can make up for the time and units lost by rocking Peter slowly, allowing his cool skin to be warmed by hers.

They stay like that for a while, his music playing softly from his headphones. Eventually, Peter falls asleep against her, but she is still very much awake. She realizes that she doesn’t actually know where Peter’s room is, has never been there before - and the ship is so vast, it could be anywhere. She doesn’t want to wake him or even move him, really, but the floor of the kitchen is far from comfortable.

She resolves to pick him up as carefully as possible, but first she puts his headphones over his ears and places his music box in one of his pockets. Then, with as much care and effort as she can, she supports Peter with her arms and pushes her feet out from under her, then lifts them both. Her legs jolt after having been folded for so long, so she waits to move until the feeling is mostly gone.

She takes him to the one place she knows of, where he won’t be bothered or threatened: Yondu’s room. Her Centaurian is still sleeping, facing the wall, so she puts Peter on the bed beside him, more on her side of the bed than his. Neither of them stir as she gently gets into the bed and sits against the wall behind it. From there, she watches as they breathe, together and apart, and she can’t help but feel her heart swell.

This feels right, she thinks. It feels like home. Like family. And she is horrified at the possibility of it being taken from her by the man she had once idolized.

#yondu udonta #yondu fanfic #yondu x oc #cross the stars

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bisexual-cyborg · 6 years ago

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Okay so apparently no one else read Horrible Histories’ line of biographies as a kid where they did this in great detail, or knows how to google. Cause no, they weren’t drunk and yes, they stole a theatre - the entire structure of a theatre.

Basically before 1596 the Chamberlin’s men (Shakespeare’s group of actors and crew) were performing in a place called the Shoreditch theatre but the lease ran out, and despite the general success the landlord was an asshole who refused to renew it. So they’d been stuck in a crappy theatre for 2 years nearby until the Christmas holidays 1598 where the landlord went to see his family in the country.

Cause they’d realised they weren’t getting the land back, they’d leased some on the other side of the Thames but didn’t have enough money to build a theatre from scratch - that’s shit is expensive. And the Shoreditch theatre had been the first permenant one in the UK a few decades ago, was still in good nick, and all shuttered up.

So they did what anyone would do and began to dismantle it in the middle of the night and ship the pieces across the river. Now this heist would have taken several days realistically but I like to think that everyone else looked at this mad scheme and just went “yeah, they’ve earned it.” It wasn’t like they could send a message to the landlord to come back, anyway.

Keep in mind this was an acting crew so it was like 15 guys. And they dismantled the whole thing down to each nail, shipped it across the river and stored it for the winter, until a guy called Peter Street reconstructed it in the summer of 1599 and made the famous Globe (until it burned down 14 years later). They were never prosecuted: the landowner just had to deal with coming back from his home in the country to find his entire building missing. No one knew quite how to deal with that.

Anyway, that’s the story of how Ikea got their business model from Shakespeare’s wacky antics.

a whole theatre

#theres no record that places the bard there #but it was all his closest friends and theres no denail either so i bet he was #he did some weird shit this was right down his street #and he was mild for an elizabethan playwright #his rival was a spy who got stabbed through the eye in a barfight and died

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deactivatedashe-s · 8 years ago

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My List of Stories

Secret: zero:

Anthony Slaughter has been living alone on the side of a cliff he carved out, completely self-sufficient, for the past ten years. Before he knows it, he’s chasing a thief into an electric trap and is waking up to the world he never had the chance to learn from. The leader of the guild he fell into looks like someone from the past… No, he is that person. He needs to get out of here before they discover his secret.

Litheliun:

This is why he didn’t want to travel past Earaat. Ziren and Riden have been travelling the continent together for a good portion of their life. All it takes is some poor management of a ship and suddenly Ziren is running across the world in order to reunite with the person who holds his greatest secret. Along the way, he runs into those who barely even seem to connect with his goal. Unfortunately, they all carry bits and pieces of a history that had been lost in time, a history that may relate to his grey-eyed partner a little too much.

Eternal:

The sequel to Litheliun. Nearly 600 years after Ziren and Riden disappeared, life continues on. The people they left behind live their lives. However, they never did fully finish what they started. Leia returns to the scene larger and more powerful than ever. Phiran and the daughter of the queen regent, Melody, are forced to leave behind the invaded Capital of Oshiean and seek out the help of the Spirit Catalysts. Along the way, Phiran unearths facts about himself and others that were buried in time. Guilt, grief, and chaos reveal themselves in spades as they all wonder how it came to this.

Millennium War:

The prequel to Litheliun. Tens of thousands of years prior to the course of events that make up Era of Realisation is the true history behind the one known as Riden Olivyon. It all starts with the era known as the Millennium War. Reidoux Youthly lives a life of tragedy. Her life begins a secret. Too shortly into it, she’s already lost most of it. Emotions are detached and revenge consumes her. She’s destined to fail but not before she places a curse on the world that cursed her very existence by name.

Short Stories:

This is literally just random instances in the lives of the Litheliun crew during, before, between, and after the events. It consists of a poetic summary of Reidoux’s PoV from beginning to end, the events leading up to Liluna and Chiron’s marriage, TJ and Diamante’s own love life, Ziren’s narration between Litheliun and Eternal, and more.

re:Meetings:

Day’s past is a mystery. He is an aberration. He leaves a vague impression of recognition on many of the people he comes across yet none actually can place it. His only clue is a small, irremovable band around his left wrist with a circular charm. When the independent group that had taken him in, Evani, is blackmailed into taking part in another war after their empire had fallen from the last one six years ago, Day decides to assist them in a plan to escape. Unfortunately, that entails befriending the king of the country that reduced them to a small village… Where is this melody coming from?

Meetings:

The prequel to re:Meetings (ironically). Amale has been trying to protect itself from the Evanence Empire’s attempt at imperializing the peninsula for the past decade. On one side of the war, a young prince and his retainer fight for their country against all odds. On the other side, a noble lady sneaks her way into the army to assist her fiance. Somewhere in between, a boy assassin falls in love with an unfortunate bystander. None of them know that fate plans to tear them all apart.

Lock and Key:

It was World War IV in 2107. It lasted for only seven days, but it was enough to send the world into watery apocalypse. The human population went from a striking 9.7 billion to just 2.3 billion. Magic. That was the cause. No one knows how it was discovered or why they just suddenly knew it. However, there’s a journal floating along the water that explains it all. It’s locked, but the search for the key has begun. Avery James knows more than anyone else on this watery abyss of a godforsaken planet. She’s determined to return the books to the hands of its rightful owner.

Valentia:

Riddle was a rescued slave that caters to the royal family. After years of being trapped in the dark, he finally has some semblance of a normal life. After being framed for a crime he didn’t commit and pinned to a wanted criminal with the ironic name of Rhyme, suddenly he wonders why he ever wanted a normal life. This is fun! While running across the dimensions, he meets invaluable friends and discovers secrets about himself and his past. Yet, he can’t shake the illogical phrase Rhyme whispered to him when they first met. “You’re a valiant knight, aren’t you?” Riddle didn’t even do anything when they met.

Fantys Aurea: Academy:

Skylar Davit is a villain. That’s a fact that will never change. It may have been pure chance that his school burnt down but transferring to the greatest hero academy in the country with his cousin and partner-in-crime was a decision that he doesn’t regret. His roommate may be a clusterfunk of saturated primary colours and white that suffers from casual existential despair and hyperactivity and his cousin might be insinuating something he doesn’t really get but he’s not planning on leaving… After all, too many of students and faculty here in Phantom Rhea Academy are too suspiciously related to what made him become the villain he is.

Game of Chase:

A spin-off of Fantys Aurea. The heist was supposed to be fun. Curse the spirits, Alice’s cold just had to destabilise her power, huh? Skylar and Sora somehow end up dimension hopping after an artefact of unimaginable power. Skylar just wants to go home already and take a break from Sora’s unending pining. Why should he care if some random dimension blows itself up? It’s not like they’re the one dimension hopping. Why does Sora need to have a hero-complex?!

Fantys Aurea: University:

A collection of short stories that occur after the events of Game of Chase and FA:Academy when Skylar decides to attend college as a Psychology Major. The others are self-sufficient or making their wages already. At least he's not alone... If only the personified definition of cheery despair would pay attention to him!

Godly Affairs:

Meth is a god. That is a fact of the universe. What kind of god is he? Well, that’s the mystery. His mind is a blur, a jumble of colours like the empty pocket universe he’d been trapped in for aeons. He vaguely remembers the sound of playful laughter and the impression of metal working. Finally freed from his prison, he resides in the Aurea Pantheon’s other-world until he can assist him like the weapon of mass-destruction they believed he was before they discovered his amnesia. He wants to discover who he is but his only lead is the arcane god who resides in the Mirrored Forest.

Caelus:

Caila’s country was falling apart from a civil war. Her servants had forced her to hide and before she knows it, she’s falling through space and time. Alex, Alice, Anthea, and Aias live in the heart of the Forbidden Forest, hidden. They’ve lived for centuries after having left their mark as the Heroes of Legend in the world of Caelus. They never expected visitors in the form of two escaped slaves, one a fae and the other a human from Earth?! All of them are speechless until Alice pipes in. “Welcome to Caelus, the world of stories, my Princess.” Now, their goal is to return Caila to Earth before it’s too late.

Ever After:

The spin-off shorts of Caelus. Like the Litheliun Short Stories, these are narratives of the lives of the Caelus crew any point in their lives undocumented in the main story. It follows their lives before the prodigy twins created the interdimensional portal that drops Earth humans into Caelus and changed the destinies of everyone involved. It also narrates their lives afterwards.

Dragons:

The first part occurs in their youth. A group of youths had ventured into the forbidden caves and soon found themselves whisked through the sky and surrounded by the dragons who live there. Out of the many children, only three found the courage to live amongst the dragons while the others dug deeper and created a civilisation for themselves within. The second part deals with the lives of those three children after discovering they had been brought to the future and that their dragons had returned to the past. They willing restart their lives, separated… Good thing dragons have a tendency to be immortal.

Falling in Wonder:

In a particular city forgotten by the outside world, there is a trio of heroes against outside forces, a trio known as Wonderland. What happens when a stranger from the outside shows up and begins to disrupt the daily lives of the citizens in Memory Coast? This person is different. He is different. He will begin something new.

Most of these stories are not available online. However, you can find the unfinished, original (and very cringe-worthy) drafts of Secret:zero, Litheliun: Short Stories, re:Meetings, Valentia (then named Never Give In), Secrets Behind Lock and Key (rewrite and original), Caelus, and Falling in Wonder on my Wattpad account here! The original draft of Litheliun is complete and currently in the process of being rewritten. If you’d like to read the first eleven chapters of the original draft, you can look through the early stages posts of @ahotcupoftea for those. For the entire draft, please message me. Actually, if you’d like to read any of the unpublished drafts for all or any of the stories I have, please message me and I wouldn’t mind sharing or posting them!

P.S. Secret:zero, like Lock and Key, is a rewrite of the story I titled Secret but with a different execution and narration. That one can be found on a much older and much more cringe-worth account from my middle school years. Secret has a similar plot line to Zero but the original took place in a werewolf universe under the PoV of Lucas (the leader) while Zero takes place in a fantasy-guild-esquire universe in the PoV of Anthony (the betrayer). Lock and Key (rewrite) can be considered the sequel to the original. The original has a set-up like a journal and is quite literally the journal that Avery looks for in the rewrite. However, the original sequel was meant to take the PoV of the author of the journals.

#list #DreamlessAshes #summary #notice

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abakersquest · 8 years ago

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CHAPTER TWELVE – THE LUNAR SWELL

The Weather Eye was a gathering place for sailors, built in such a way that if anyone but seafarers ate or drank there, they’d seem entirely out of place. The well aged shack, clearly comprised of old ship wood, sections of barrel, and rope, had every smell life on the sea had to offer, especially the bad ones. It sat dangerously close to tumbling into the ocean, but provided the finest view of the water for miles. It was here that Captain Blackeye came every day for the last fifteen years. He sat in the exact same chair, ordered the exact same pitcher of spirits he never finished, and looked out onto the open sea.

Everyone knew Captain Blackeye’s name, at least the parts of it that involved the words ‘Captain’ and ‘Blackeye’. One of, if not the, greatest sailor in the history of Mondia. In his sixty years on the water, it’s said he’d sailed the whole of the world and became the unquestioned master of the sea. They also say that if he spits on one coast, a tidal wave swallows the other, and that he can stare down a storm until it becomes a gentle breeze by means of intimidation alone. So when it came to him spending hours sitting in a seaside pub and apparently doing nothing for over a decade, of course, many rumors were born. Some imagined it was a punishment from some ancient sea god, with whom he lost a duel. Others say he pined for a lost love, cruelly swallowed by the waves. One thing was certain, he’d never answered when asked, in fact, aside from ordering his drink, no one ever heard him say a word.

Wally and his friends knew nothing of his modern exploits of sitting and waiting, but even they had heard the many tales of Captain Blackeye. Be it in historical document, bedtime story, or reports of his naval victories against the forces of Sauro. So, of course, they could hardly believe the young Icthyite girl had anything to do with him, but Wally knew, or rather felt, that she was telling them the truth. Or, at the very least, what she believed to be the truth, as they followed her to the coast.

As the group entered The Weather Eye, Icthyite sailors abounded. Wally began to note the more uniform features they possessed, dark eyes built for fast motion and gathering up the slimmest glimmers of light in the darkest of spaces. Smooth skin and rounded features best for swimming efficiently with a variety of fin shapes to suit their needs. A broad array of colors and shimmering scales to every individual there, creating quite the fascinating spectrum. As they came closer to Blackeye’s table Wally could feel wary eyes watching from every angle, which made him look up and spot the small fellow in a bandana, reclined in the netting above their heads, who then quickly looked away and attempted to look as if he was up their casually glancing at everyone.

Ahead of the band of four sat an Icthyite that outsized all the others by a full foot, his large bare arms covered in scars that marred the otherwise smooth texture of his two tone hide. An old leather vest, well worn and dyed dark blue framed the large dorsal fin high on his back which was pierced by a large gold ring that bore a number of charms and other jewelry.

Almost every sailor in the pub tensed and readied for anything as the second seat of the captain’s table was pulled out and sat upon by the young girl who’d lead the group in. They all calmed when Blackeye sat unmoving.

“Cap’n,” She began. “‘Member how you said you’d be needin’ some hands soon? Well I went out and found you some!”

Blackeye turned only slightly to eye her before he laughed and turned back to watching the sea. “Oh did you now, Polly dear…”

It was hard for Wally not to notice every eye in the bar watching the scene play out. They all seemed shocked and amazed at the sight, adding credence to the claim that the shark that sat before them was truly the legendary captain.

“Oi, short one with the sword.” The deep voice of Blackeye at full volume felt as if it could shake the timbers of the entire pub. “How many souls be watchin’ you right now in hea’?”

All eyes turned to Wally, who straightened his spine to bear the weight of attention on him, keeping it from making him feel small. ‘How many souls?’ he repeated mentally, going over the question carefully. ‘He must have meant how many people are in the pub… But how could I possibly…’ As he thought on it, the answer came; the number was clear as day. Somehow he knew there were exactly twenty four other people in the room.

“Twenty four?” Wally answered with some trepidation. Even if he knew that was the answer, the fact he couldn’t explain how he knew it made him cautious.

Blackeye laughed. “Your fire shines its light on all things, boy, even on souls… Gives ya sight past all the nonsense, burns it away like chaff n’ leaves only truth. Also means y’can’t lie worth a damn.” The shark turned in his seat to finally face Wally, who desperately tried not to stare at the enormous scar on the captain’s face that framed the one eye that was as black as pitch, with no life to it at all. “So you’ll be tellin’ me truly, how is it y’ came upon the Stellar Flare.”

There was a chorus of murmurs and whispers around them before Blackeye looked up and glared at the assembly which quickly snapped back to minding their own business silently.

Wally unconsciously gripped the strap of the Flare’s sheath. “It fell into my kitchen just under a few weeks ago… Feels like longer now that I think about it.”

“Great journeys tend to treat time like rubber, of that y' can be sure. Always too stretched out when you don’t need it, and snappin’ back to nothin’ when y' do.” Blackeye leaned back into his chair which a soft groan. “And now, war over for twenty years, and here’s another lad with the same magic sword no doubt to ask me to do somethin’ impossible.”

“So it is true…” Hector said reverently. “You took my father to Sauro.”

“That I did, and ain’t you his spittin’ image…” He took a swig of his drink before continuing. “Thinkin’ on it, I’m likely the last one to see your pappy ‘fore he charged up to Kota and showed her the what for. He practically flew off my ship n’ over the mountainous shores of the dread isle after tellin’ me to head back to the main fleet without him. So, stubborn shoal that I am I anchored down n’ waited. Next thing y’know the sky lights up like the sun was shinin’ on just the one place in the world… And then nothin’. The wind stopped, waters went flat, both like they were holdin’ a moment of silence. I waited for him for days before I finally had to move on.”

Hector looked briefly disappointed.

“Cap’n!” Polly interrupted the scene with a plaintive cry.

Blackeye looked at her over his shoulder as she gestured to the ocean and he nodded. “RIGHT!” He hopped onto his feet, sending a tremor through the floorboards that knocked over a drink or two. “Time’s wastin’! Ain’t been sittin’ here in this patch a nowhere for nothin’ after all! As it is, Polly picked you lot out so now you’re all temporary members of my crew… BASKY!”

The Icthyite bartender, spooked into juggling the glass in his hand by the sudden shouting of his name, quickly replied, “AH! OH! Got it… W-what is it Captain?”

“Spread the word, tell everyone to tie their ships down to port, tight as they can and drop anchor while they’re at it. No one’s to set out today aside from me.” The captain put his hands to his hips and stuck out his chest before bellowing, “THAT GOES FOR THE REST OF YOU SCALLOPS! TELL EVERYONE, HOP TO!”

The rest of the patrons recoiled at the captain’s bone rattling shout, some even saluted on reflex before they scrambled outside.

“B-beggin’ the captain’s pardon… Sir,” stammered the bartender. “B-but what is it you’ve been sittin’ fifteen years for?”

Blackeye’s smile was a razor filled slice of joy and elation. “The Lunar Swell, Basky. What else?”

Wistea gasped loudly, drawing everyone’s attention as they hurriedly followed behind Captain Blackeye. She quickly began to explain, “It is said that every five hundred years, when the moons are in the right position, a massive wave is created by their pull on the ocean. It travels from the northern coast of Planae toward the heart of the Icthy Isles, Galaga Island. No one has ever recorded the event, and its existence is based on circumstantial evidence at best… But if it does exist, it is no doubt an astonishing spectacle of nature. It is said the wave at cresting height reaches even higher than the First Tree! Captain Blackeye, are you telling us you waited here all this time just to warn sailors of this event?”

“Huh? Oh… Happy coincidence that, was aimin’ just to be ready to sail it. Now come along, the God’s Fortune is waitin’ for us!”

“Hang on!” Rozzi shouted. “You mean to tell us you’re plannin’ on actually ridin’ on top a mile high wave and you expect us to just go along with that?!”

“I need hands, and you need a ride, math’s simple when you’re putting one and one togetha’, eh?!” Blackeye laughed as his pace quickened. “They call me the master of the sea, the king of the waves; I’ve charted almost every coast, discovered lands unseen and fought to keep ‘em that way. I got one chance in this life to sail that swell, and I aim to, crew or not! But ain’t no point in me doin’ it without someone to share in it. So come along! It’s somethin’ you’ll never forget, or be a legend if you die doin’!”

Polly skipped alongside her captain with a broadest smile on her face. “Weather’s fair, sun’ll be at its highest in a bit, and I finished oiling the ships wheel just this mornin’, Cap’n!”

Rozzi shook her head and slowed to walk alongside Wally, ready to share a myriad of reasons against following Blackeye. Then she saw the growing smile on his face. “Wally… Y’ do know this is quite possibly the most needlessly dangerous thing we could possibly do, right?”

Wally looked at her, unable to shake the strange feeling of elation surging up within him. “Well, yes, of course, it’s impossibly dangerous and really we should be avoiding this at all cost. But Rozzi, it’s Captain Blackeye! If there’s anyone who can get us to Sauro in one piece it’s him, and he’s even done it before!”

Rozzi made a small frustrated noise in protest.

“And, as out of character as this may sound, I’m actually… Excited! I can’t explain why, maybe all this adventuring finally went to my head, maybe it’s all those bedtime stories my mother told me… I just know we have to do this.”

She sighed, if there was anything she knew about the wallaby, it’s that his enthusiasm was more infectious than a plague. She just wished it stayed in a kitchen like it was supposed to. “Alright… But don’t come cryin’ to me if we’re left swimmin’ in the open ocean.”

The traveling party quickly found themselves before a small and sturdy brigantine sailing ship. Its dark oak timber accentuated by the sunset red trim of its frame and masts. By the size of it, it could accommodate a crew of maybe ten, with its low profile and sharp bow; it was no doubt built with speed in mind. The stern of the ship had a unique metal structure that shone like gold. Wally tried to make sense of it, only to conclude it reminded him of a snail’s shell.

Polly easily leapt up from the dock and onto the ship’s deck, lowering the gangplank so everyone else could board. Wally looked about and his smile widened. Despite its age and journeys, the ship appeared as pristine as he imagined it, as if it was kept preserved by the stories of its captain’s journeys. Wally thought on it for a moment and came to the conclusion that many of Blackeye’s myriad scars were the true price paid to keep the Fortune in such excellent condition.

“You with the Flare, name!” Captain Blackeye said as he pulled up the gangplank.

“Wally B. Walter, sir!” He fought the urge to salute, thinking it embarrassing for the both of them if he did.

“Right, Mister Walter, you and Mister Cani there work the capstan and get that anchor up double time!”

The knights nodded and made their way to the short pillar on the deck, taking hold of its handles and turning it to spool the anchor chain. “… Cani?” Wally said curiously.

Hector did his best to keep up with Wally as the two of them worked. “My mother’s surname… My father took it since he never had one himself.”

“Is that why they called him Sir Hammond the Only?”

“Maybe…” The two of them locked the capstan down as Hector continued. “He never told me how he got that title. I only know what it came to mean in the hearts of soldiers that fought alongside him. Their one hope, the guiding light of the army, there was hardly a soldier who didn’t see him as the ideal.”

Wally suddenly felt heavier after hearing that. Being the second Flarebearer meant setting a standard for the title, no telling if down the line someone else would carry the sword and look back at his exploits as a source of inspiration. He shook his head to dismiss the disparaging thoughts that followed.

Captain Blackeye lifted Polly clean off her feet to boost her climb up the mast toward the crow’s nest before he turned to Rozzi and Wistea, “Names?”

She rolled her eyes. “Ain’t legendary for your manners I s��pose. Rozzi Orland.”

She began to bow. “Wistea of the Faboi Clan, Fifth-”

Blackeye held up his hand. “Why greenies always insist on mouthful names I don’t know. Miss Orland, Miss Faboi, you release the mooring lines then help me unfurl the sails, understood?”

Rozzi gave a half hearted salute before dragging an offended Wistea over to her task before she could lodge her complaint.

In short order the ship was underway, cutting through the calm waters off of Planae’s northern coast with ease. The sun was high in the sky and the weather truly mild. The new crew of the God’s Fortune had no idea what to expect as Planae was soon left behind them. Wistea was grateful the First Tree stayed in view even this far away, no doubt it’d shrink beyond the line of the horizon soon, but for now it was a comfort. This moment was shattered however as the ship suddenly shook, as if yanked into a new course.

Captain Blackeye smiled broadly. “Mister Walter! Mister Cani! Be ready to furl the sails on my command! Miss Orland! Miss Faboi! Secure them and yourselves to the deck!” Blackeye carefully scanned the waters ahead and felt out the undercurrent with the rudder by slightly loosening his grip on the ships wheel. “It’s you darlin’… I know you’re there… Where’s your middle…”

The ship’s hull groaned after another jolt of speed shook it. Captain Blackeye laughed uproariously and turned the wheel hard to port. “HANG ON TIGHT YOUNG’NS, ‘CAUSE HERE WE GO!”

If water could be said to roar, the sound it made now would be ten times that. Ahead of them a swell of water began to grow, from slope, to hill, quickly forming into what seemed like a literal wall of ocean. The deck of the God’s Fortune tilted more and more until the only thing holding its would-be crew in place were the knots around their waists tied to the ship’s railings. Ahead of them, Captain Blackeye had planted his tail against the deck to prop himself up against the tilt, laughing heartily as they rose up the back of the still growing wave.

The combination of wind and undercurrent was enough to carry the ship half the distance before the weight of it was too much for both to push any further. Hector quickly realized that he and Wally were still holding the rigging ropes that would furl the sails. “CAPTAIN! THIS IS MADNESS! IF WE FURL THE SAILS WE’LL FALL!”

Blackeye growled. “I WON’T HEAR OF ANY MUTINY BEFORE Y’EVEN GET YOUR SEA LEGS, BOY! YOU JUST NEED SOME FAITH! WHAT SAY YOU MISTER WALTER?”

Wally’s brow furrowed and he tightened his grip on the rope. “ON YOUR ORDER, CAPTAIN!”

Hector quickly looked to Wally and saw the confidence in the wallaby’s expression. If Wally was sure, then he could be as well.

“ALRIGHT BOYS!” The captain called out. “FURL THE SAIL.”

The knights of Animana pulled hard on the ropes in their hands, the twin sails folding away. With the wind no longer aiding their ascent there was a sickening moment where the ship began to fall backward and all gravity faded. Wally saw as Captain Blackeye pushed a large lever by the wheel that he hadn’t seen before and suddenly the accent resumed with greater speed than ever before. Through the din of tidal forces a piercing whistle hit the ears of everyone on board as they raced up to the crest of the wave.

“WE’RE ALMOST THERE,” Blackeye shouted against the chaos of noise. “BE READY TO DROP SAILS!”

The God’s Fortune rocketed forward and flew clean off the wave into the open air above its crest, before anyone had time to shout or otherwise respond, Blackeye’s command cut through any panic and fear, “DROP SAILS!” The captain pushed the lever by the wheel as Wally and Hector released their hold on the rigging. The sails flared, filled with the mighty wind coming off the surging waters, pushing the ship forward and out of its slant. It splashed hard onto the crest of the wave before finally settling where, somehow, the waters were calmer and quieter. The captain threw his arms up into the air and unleashed the loudest triumphant laughter any of his new shipmates had ever heard.

As the rest collected themselves and stood on shaky legs, they looked around in amazement at the view the elevation afforded. For the first time in their lives they beheld the curve of the world they stood on, the shimmering brilliant blue sea in all directions, Planae a distant dot of green behind them, and ahead of them only the vaguest notions of islands.

Hector looked to Wally and, with a bit of a smile and a slightly tired tone said, “‘on your order, captain?’”

Wally scratched the back of his ear nervously. “It… Well it seemed like the right thing to say, you know?”

Hector laughed and patted him on the back before the two of them were lifted up by the massive arms of Blackeye in celebration. “YAHOO! I’LL MAKE PROPER SAILORS OUT OF YOU LAND LOCKED FUZZIES YET! FINE WORK LADS!” He planted them roughly back on their feet before taking a step back and straightening his posture. “Now that you’re all bein’ in my good graces and shown proof y’can stand tall on the deck of the Fortune in the worst of it, I’m happy to properly do some introducing.” He bowed his head as gracefully as his bulk allowed. “Captain Arias ‘Blackeye’ Cofresi, happily at your service for all your needs on and off the sea! If the Flare’s back in the world and you lot are on a quest to save it, I’ll be damned to the abyss iffin’ I don’t come along to help you!”

Polly suddenly leapt out of the crow’s nest into the waiting hands of Captain Blackeye, giggling excitedly the whole way before she yelled, “Me too!” The captain put her down gently and she saluted everyone. “Polly Cofresi reportin’ for duty! Ooh! Does that mean I can call you ‘grandpa’ in front of them now?”

The captain chuckled and rubbed his nose against her cheek. “Whatever makes y’ happy, sunshine.”

Polly lovingly embraced the old shark before rushing past everyone to go down into the ship’s interior.

Blackeye cleared his throat aggressively to try and reclaim any respect the touching scene might’ve cost. “Now! By my guess this wave’ll give out a day’s time away from Galaga Island. We’ll make port, get supplies and pick up any scuttlebutt on whatever’s makin’ the ugliest noises on the waters. You lot find places to bed down and settle your belongin’s while I make sure we don’t fall off this thing, eh?” He laughed and headed over to the Wheel, humming what was no doubt an old sea shanty, his tail swaying to keep the beat.

After he made sure the sail rigging was tied off, Wally relaxed and leaned on the ship’s railing, watching the rolling sea off in the distance, shimmering under the light of the midday sun. He wondered on how big the world truly was and what other wonders it held. His little bakery was so far away now, both in distance and in mind, a slim fear began rise that even if he did return to it, could he simply be a baker again? His father returned to his work as a blacksmith after the war, but he never made another sword.

He felt something shake him from introspection and looked to see Rozzi had settled her arms on a spot of railing next to his.

As she looked out onto the view he was enjoying, she said, “I’m so glad you talked me into this. I mean look at that! I knew the sea was big but… That just defies the word, don’t it?”

Wally said nothing; he only nodded before resting his chin on his folded arms, eyes locked on the distant horizon.

She knew that was the right response and moved a little closer before settling into the same relaxed pose to watch the sea, that is, before the both of them noticed someone was watching. They turned in unison to see a now startled Wistea

“Oh! I… I um…” She awkwardly stammered for a few seconds before she quickly rushed out of sight.

Wally watched her go, slightly confused, “What was that all about?”

“Her audition for ‘maid of honor’ I s’pose” Rozzi turned back toward the view. “I could do worse.”

“Oh.” Wally said nonchalantly before the implication struck him like an arrow to the temple. “WAIT, WHAT?!”

Rozzi laughed loudly, “Stop makin’ it so easy for me Wally, it’ll get boring!”

<[Chapter 11]–[Index]–[Chapter 13]>

#A Baker's Quest #Writing

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currentbdnews · 6 years ago

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https://postmediacanoe.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/swissair-anniversary-diamonds-20180830.jpg?quality=100&strip=all&w=640&strip=all‘Treasure, it just makes people crazy’: Enduring mystery of lost diamonds, millions in cash from Swissair Flight 111https://ift.tt/2C0tHgL ‘Treasure, it just makes people crazy’: Enduring mystery of lost diamonds, millions in cash from Swissair Flight 111 For update news visit All Bd Newspaper

HALIFAX — More than five kilograms of diamonds and jewels. A Picasso worth millions. Nearly 50 kilograms in cash.

The fate of many millions of dollars of valuables said to be carried aboard Swissair Flight 111 when it went down off Nova Scotia 20 years ago this Sunday remains unknown.

Insiders say the mystery may never be solved — an attempt to salvage the precious cargo was quickly abandoned, and any treasure hunters who seek to find it are doing it illegally.

“There was a lot of talk about it after the crash, that there had been all these valuables on board. That was a big deal,” said Stephen Kimber, author of the book “Flight 111: A Year in the Life of a Tragedy.”

“Somewhere down at the bottom of the ocean, theoretically, are those diamonds.”

When the plane hit the water off Peggy’s Cove on Sept. 2, 1998, all 229 passengers and crew on board died instantly and the fuselage shattered into several million pieces.

Debris from Swissair Flight 111 is lifted from the ocean floor by the heavy-lift barge Sea Sorceress off the coast of Nova Scotia near New Harbour on Wednesday Oct. 14, 1998. More than five kilograms of diamonds and jewels. A Picasso worth millions. Nearly 50 kilograms in cash. The fate of many millions of dollars of valuables said to be carried aboard Swissair Flight 111 when it went down off Nova Scotia 20 years ago this Sunday remains unknown.

USS Grapple — an American navy ship equipped with a giant vacuum — was brought in to suck up debris from the sea floor. The Transportation Safety Board’s investigation report said more than 18,000 kilograms of cargo were recovered, but does not go into further detail.

According to Kimber, the plane’s manifest included a diamond from a “Nature of Diamonds” exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, one kilogram of other diamonds and about 4.5 kilograms of other jewelry, 49 kilograms of cash, and a multi-million-dollar version of Picasso’s Le Peintre.

Insurer Lloyd’s of London reportedly paid out an estimated $300 million for the diamonds and other jewels, and had applied for a treasure-trove licence from the Nova Scotia government to search the site following the federal investigation. But that plan outraged many of the victims’ relatives, and the company eventually withdrew its application.

Lloyd’s did not return a request for comment this week.

A two-kilometre-square exclusion zone around the site was maintained for just over a year following the crash, the RCMP said.

“RCMP, DFO (Department of Fisheries and Oceans) and the Coast Guard conducted patrols of the area to maintain security of the scene. If someone tried to enter the area, they could have been charged with obstruction under the Criminal Code, or perhaps other offences under the various federal acts that might apply,” said Nova Scotia RCMP spokeswoman Cpl. Jennifer Clarke in an email statement.

“Once the restrictions were lifted, the RCMP would not be aware of people going to the area to search for valuables, as it would not have been an offence or a police matter. This continues to be the case.”

John Wesley Chisholm, a Halifax-based TV documentary producer who has worked on shows including “Clive Cussler’s The Sea Hunters,” raised the possibility that international treasure hunters could have been quietly searching the area in the years following the crash under treasure trove licences for nearby sites — including the wreck of HMS Fantome in Prospect, N.S.

“It’s a business that’s riddled with intrigue and deception,” said Chisholm, adding that there are roughly 10,000 shipwrecks along Nova Scotia’s rugged coastline.

“A very common treasure-hunting technique is to say, ‘Oh yeah we’re looking for this wreck over here,’ like the Fantome… where they may in fact have been looking for the Swissair treasure.”

Chisholm said Nova Scotia’s laws at the time made it “the wild west of treasure hunting in the ocean,” but the rules were out of sync with global standards.

Today, treasure hunting is illegal in Nova Scotia.

Lynette MacLeod, a spokeswoman for department of Communities, Culture and Heritage, said paleontology and archaeology sites on land and in water, under public or private ownership, are protected under the Special Places Protection Act.

“Those who damage or destroy important sites face stiff penalties under the Criminal Code of Canada, and stop-orders are enforced if sites are threatened by development. All enforcement is through RCMP and other law enforcement agencies,” said MacLeod.

“The Government of Nova Scotia highly discourages any diving activity or treasure hunting in the area of the Swissair crash out of respect for the crash victims and families involved in the tragedy.”

Chisholm said the current provincial restrictions were implemented roughly a decade ago, “And the whole world of treasure hunting went radio silent after that.”

But that doesn’t mean it’s not still happening.

RCMP investigators search through recovered belongings and debris from the downed Swiss Airliner flight 111 at a dock in Peggy’s Cove, N.S.. Tony Caldwell, Ottawa Sun, files

Timothy Lightfoot, a commercial diver from the Halifax area, said it’s known within the small diving community that there are “pirate” divers.

“There are people in this province, divers, rogues, that are out raiding treasure wrecks and plane crashes for their own benefit,” said Lightfoot, who has been a commercial diver for 17 years.

Asked if he has heard of pirate divers scouring the Swissair site, Lightfoot said: “I’m not saying no one has ever gone there, I’m saying, they’re not talking about it.”

He said the tragedy not only took the lives of 229 men, women and children, it had an emotional toll on the people who worked on the investigation.

“If you tell me you were diving down on Swissair, I have a lower opinion of your moral ethics,” said Lightfoot.

Nevertheless, Chisholm believes some treasure hunters see it differently.

“Treasure, it just makes people crazy… Somehow, it just pulls on the psyche of men to do crazy things,” he said.

“The notion that there could be $300 million of diamonds just there, out of sight, just away from where everyone is, is just an absolutely irresistible pull for a certain kind of person.”

Kimber’s book said Picasso’s Le Peintre, valued at C$2.2 million, wasn’t specially packaged for shipping — it was simply inside a wooden frame and stowed with the rest of the general cargo.

But other cargo was handled with greater care, the book said.

It said the plane’s valuables case — a one-metre-high aluminum container with reinforced walls, a locked door and a metal seal — contained the exhibition diamond, which was being shipped back to its owner in Europe, along with 49 kilograms of banknotes destined for a U.S. bank in Geneva and the jewelry.

“If Flight 111 had become well known as a shuttle bus for United Nations staff, it was equally popular, if publicly less well known, as a courier service for jewellers who used the flight to transport valuables back and forth between gem centres in the United States and Europe,” an excerpt from the book reads.

Kimber noted it’s not known if the valuables even survived the crash.

“What you essentially have is a plane going 500 kilometres an hour and hitting water, which is like concrete,” he said.

“What happened was in one third of a second, the tail of the plane was in the nose of the plane… So it’s hard to know what happened to the things that were aboard the plane.”

from https://ift.tt/2omFGLJ https://ift.tt/2omyYp3

#24 hours bangla news #all bangla #all bangla news online #all bangla news pepar #all bangla newspaper bd

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silverflintdaily · 5 years ago

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Schedule - udpates! Submit prompts and work on fills now through the end of the month! We’ll post a link to an ao3 collection closer to posting time. Our main posting week is June 23rd to 30th! We’ll still reblog fills after that but want to have a week of new Silverflint stuff. :)

Submit prompts here: HTTPS://FORMS.GLE/LMGMVAYUHRAFZCVW6 Auto updated prompt spreadsheet: HTTPS://TINYURL.COM/YCGDCNNQ Full details here: https://tinyurl.com/y832muwv

FULL LIST OF PROMPTS AS OF 6/15/20 BELOW.

Ships/characters in bold

Max, Anne, Silver, and Flint They all go to burning man

Silverflint Instagram drama: Silver has crush on Flint, following with each other, Silver shove his love on Flint and Flint’s uncomfortable. Flint unfollowed him one day and Silver was devastated and disappeared from Instagram. Flint found out through friends and he must seek him before Silver did something stupid.

Silverflint Truth or dare

Silverflint Canon era, one (or both) accidently calling the other one pet names

Silverflinthamilton + ? summer vacation modern au - maybe they go somewhere warm (or not, as Flint burns so easily), maybe they meet some beautiful men there

Silverflint post canon era reunion fic - fighting to kissing. they start out almost trying to kill one another

Silverflint modern au - after a meet rude during the coronavirus lockdown they both can’t stop thinking about that handsome idiot they met. One of them tracks the other down online to apologize. how do they spend the endless weeks of shelter in place?

Silverflint canon era - A small happy celebration with just the two of them.

Silverflintmiranda canon era - Miranda survives the shot, convalesces with Silver

Silverflint modern au where either Silver or Flint has an ASMR channel (or they both have) and they secretly love listening to the other. Could be distant pining or enemies to lovers etc.

Silverflint (+Hamilton[s]) tarzan au (you can choose who is on the island and who arrives there). Lord Thomas Hamilton and/or Miranda can also be included.

Silverflintmadi “My name is (Long) John Silver. And I’ve got a long fucking memory [loss].”

Silverflintmadi canon era. They go on a picnic and it starts to rain. Fluff or otherwise good times would be nice!

Silverflint Flint is a cockslut and hasn’t had cock in ages. Silver is happy (and really fucking astonished) to present his for the taking. happens before Silver loses his leg, canon era.

Silverflint Modern au with ‘there is only one bed’ trope and mutual pining. Silver is Flint’s long suffering sassy PA who’s been hiding a crush on his boss and friend forever.He has been successful so far. One day he has to accompany Flint on a business trip to let’s say Bahamas?! and there was a booking mistake - there were booked into a honeymoon suite. And since there is a summer festival there is no chance to get another room. Things happen!

Silverflint, Silverflinthamilton 7 years after their escape from Savannah plantation, James and Thomas are living a quiet, happily ever after life - money and jewels they grabbed on their way out were enough for decades of comfortable life which they now had. And almost everything was perfect-they had each other, got to know each other again,accepted each others’ demons and learned to handle each others’ nightmares and guilt. Flint long ago told Thomas about Silver and with time forgave, but didn’t forget him. After all Flint’s heart was broken on Skeleton Island and both him and Thomas knew deep inside he still loved John Silver. They talked about Silver-about the feelings Flint used to hide, about the pain and forgiveness and about love that didn’t had a happy ending. It was fine, discussing it all together, sharing these stories-past is in the past and that chapter of Flint’s life will remain there. Until one day the past refused to remain in the past and John Silver showed up on their doorstep, injured, delirious and looking for his own forgiveness.

Silverflint/Silverflinthamilton Post canon S4: John Silver is no longer Long John Silver. Exiled from Madi and Maroon Island, he brought himself to somewhere nearby Savannah and disappeared. James Flint and Thomas Hamilton escaped from plantation, bought house and live happily together. 3 years later, Flint saw John Silver at tavern. But John Silver doesn’t remember him. Turns out he lost memories due sickness and always forget who he was everyday. Will Flint able bring John Silver’s memory back and reconcile?

Silverflint, Silverflinthamilton Modern AU silverflint - Flint and Thomas are a happily married couple and Silver and Flint are bffs with a long history. But the thing is-Silver has been crushing on Flint forever and his pining is epic. He is also sure he is clever and no one figured it out. Only both Thomas and Flint did a while ago and Flint is determined to make Silver confess his feelings. He has turned Silver’s life into a living hell with his seduction techniques and jeans so tight they should be illegal in public. Meanwhile Thomas is having too much fun watching them two and making his own plans for their shared future together.

Silverflint John Silver is 30 year old virgin and has never had a relationship and sex. Max and Jack decided to set him up with date at local bar. John Silver’s first date was James Flint, a loner and his last partner left him for indifference opinion. James Flint is working as cattle farmer (?) and their date went well. Except.. they are not rushing to have sex and taking time to know each other. There were lot confusion and miscommunication between them on next date. Will John Silver able to lose his virgin and will James Flint make first step to ask John Silver as his boyfriend? First kiss, first touch, sexting, first sex and hot smut.

Silverflint smut ficlet to go with finnguala’s fabulous art

Silverflint post canon - old pirates having a day at the beach

Silverflint Flint is distracted by Silver’s big hands.

Silverflint Modern au: Flint found Silver’s missing childhood’s photo at Silver’s grandparent’s house. He told Silver about it and gave compliment on him (“you were cute as kid and I noticed how baby earsie you were and your smile was beautiful”) and Silver keep blush for non stop teasing. And then sweet, hot summer sex on bed ;)

Silverflinthamilton pornstars au

Silverflinthamilton After reunion. Thomas is trying to seduce Silver with a new, especially tight, pair of trousers.

Silverflint Canon era. S1-S2 After an accident on the Walrus Silver and Flint end up being able to read each others thoughts. How does that end up going for them?

Silverflint + Miranda just some porn where miranda is pegging one of them while the other watches them fall apart. canon or modern era, it doesn’t really matter.

Silverflint Two idiots with mutual pining and obliviousness. Others try to help but it may not go so well at first.

Silverflint canon era. After a really great haul the Walrus has a rum soaked celebration. The next morning Silver and Flint wake up together in the captain’s bed with no clothes.

Silverflint Persuasion AU. An unmarried Silver encounters his former love Captain James Flint after he returns from battle.

Silverflint competing reality cooking show contestants

Silverflint Silver and Flint have met before many years ago and even spent the night together. Now for reasons (there was a lot of rum that night, they’re both different people, memory loss etc.) neither of them remember. One of them has a nagging feeling when Silver joins the Walrus crew but one of them remembers nothing yet.

Silverflint One of them needs to be restrained and dominated to truly let go. Writer’s choice who and what era.

Silverflint Silver threatens to shave his head

Silverflint/Silverflinthamilton (probably?)Post canon S4 and Treasure Island: Captain Flint’s ghost decided to haunt John Silver for revenge. However, Long John Silver was disappeared to nowhere. Fast forward for this year, Long John Silver’s great great grandson, John Silver bought property in Bristol. One day, he was haunted by ghost Captain Flint. Ghost Captain Flint wants revenge but ended up falling in love sweet, poor John Silver’s due social anxiety. Will they make up for loss done by his late ancestor? Happy ending for everyone. All depend on writer’s idea!

Silverflint Sometimes one of them will keep the other on the edge for as long as he can stand. There is lots and lots of begging and pleading. There could be fingering and rimming and toys…

Silverflinthamilton Reunion fic where John finds James and Thomas in their home x nbr of years after s4, then realises he knows Thomas because they spent a month living together in Paris some years before Thomas met James and having a blast. John recognises Thomas who doesn’t recognise him until John shows a tattoo/mark placed somewhere there is no misunderstanding of why he recognises that part of him (because he’s seen john naked). Develops into threesome or twosome where the last person joins in later.

Silverflint tentacles

Silverflint When drunk, Flint behaves like Toby Stephens’ Prince John in BBC Robin Hood.

Silverflint (hamilton) Annihilation Au

Silverflint Canon-compliant up til 4.06. When the Spanish attacks Nassau, Silver is the one who is thought to be dead and later revealed to have been captured (instead of Madi). Rogers tries to use to Silver to cause a rift between Madi and Flint, thinking that Madi will trade the treasure for Silver’s life while Flint will not. To everyone’s surprise, the opposite happens. Madi refuses to trade the treasure while Flint will stop at nothing to get Silver back.

Silverflint vigilante au: they’re both vigilantes watching over the same area and have a bit of a rivalry going on until they have to team up to take down a new threat.

Silverflint modern au (amnesia): silver wakes up with amnesia and forgets that he was dating flint before the accident. as far as he remembers, they can’t stand each other, and he doesn’t understand why flint shows up at the hospital and seems genuinely worried about him. (roles could be reversed–author’s choice).

Silverflint modern au based on this text post: How to kiss a boy 1)grab his waist 2)slip you hand in his pocket 3)steal his wallet 4)don't even kiss him 5)just run.

Silverflint Fic set just after Silver loses the leg and Flint loses Miranda and they are stuck in the cabin together.

Silverflint (Modern?) Soulmate AU (names on skin) - Flint knows Silver is his soulmate and thinks Silver either doesn't want him or doesn't have him as a soulmate in return, meaning a one-sided bond. In reality, Silver has no idea because his mark says James McGraw and all he does is wish the universe had given him a different James.

Silverflint (hamilton) post series canon James is growing back his hair and gets a little teasing when it hits a truly awkward length.

Silverflinthamilton Slow burn

Silverflint Body swap!!! Preferably while they're interested but not yet together. Lasting long enough that they'll have to pretend to be one another for a little while.

Silverflint One of them, or both of them, cries during/after sex.

Silverflint knifeplay! let's just say that first meeting in the wrecks made quite an impression.

Silverflint + Silvermadi madi pegs silver while he thinks abt flint

Silverflint taking care of one another like tending to wounds post battle, caring for Silver's leg

Silverflint Early s3 (probably during/after 3x01): Flint wears eyeliner on a raid, Silver doesn’t know about it until he gets back. He sees Flint wearing the eyeliner and is, unexpectedly and intensely, turned on by it. He wrestles with himself And his attraction but ultimately finds himself drawn into the captain’s cabin. Pining, angst, maybe smut? Writer’s choice!

Silverflint/Silverflintmadi Silver and Hands do not escape Max and her men (Season 4, Episode 2). Hands is killed (?) and Max's henchmen drag Silver off and hold him prisoner somewhere until he can be secretly taken off the island. Bad things happen. Flint and/or Madi eventually locate Silver and find him alive and happy? dead and sad? half alive/half dead and thoroughly screwed up?

Silverflint/Silverflintmadi Flint and the Maroons are defeated on the beach and Hornigold and the British make it through to the village (season 3, episode 10). Silver is captured whilst Madi retreats to the underground shelter to keep the villagers hidden. Hornigold proceeds to torture Silver to discover the location of the cache and to avenge Dufresne's death. Can Flint and the remnants of his forces mount a counterattack and save Silver? Can Madi sneak out of her hiding place and rescue him? Or is Silver doomed to die at the hands of a very angry, silver-haired grandpa?

Silverflint Flint, Dooley and Joji are unable to rescue Silver at the wrecks (season 4. episode 3) and see him carted off to Nassau by the Redcoats. Rogers takes out all his frustrations on Silver during some rather brutal interrogations, and attempts to humiliate him and his cause by mocking the street for fearing/following a tiny, one-legged nobody. Somehow, Flint manages to rescue Silver before Rogers hangs him. Don't ask me how. I have no idea. But I have Great Faith in Flint.

#Silverflint #Black Sails #Silverflint Summer Challenge #John Silver #James Flint #prompts

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