#one of our party members was a pirate captain and the rest of the party kinda molded around thinking he was the coolest motherfucker ever

[blackcr0wking]

our DM made the transition from module to homebrew Official-official, lmao.

[beanghostprincess]

there's just something so inherently poetic and romantic about zoro's devotion to luffy during all of wano that makes me go completely insane.

he sees luffy for the first time in like a week, which might not seem much but for them, who are used to feeling each other's presence all the time and did not have a good experience with being separated, it's torture to not be together. so of course they go all happy, kicking their feet and blushing when they reunite. then his captain is like "hey, this is tama. tama is our friend now" and zoro takes it extremely seriously and protects that random kid he has no connection to because luffy says so and, well, because she's just a kid and everything, but still i think zoro instantly accepting to adopt tama is really cute.

zoro acts like luffy's enabler during this arc, because his captain might do the most impulsive and reckless shit, and the dude will support him to death. even when he's just competing against kid and law to see who's stronger (or the dumbest), luffy is the most serious he's ever been here. of course, zoro has some moments of "okay, gotta stop this idiot" but it turns out zoro is fucking stupid too, and getting into a fight in the middle of a party while you look for your captain is just,,, so them.

and all of this is just silly moments that make you think "oh, okay, zoro is whipped, yes. we already knew that". but then he pulls the most romantic and poetic things we've ever witnessed in anime history and honestly, i fucking lose it every time he does things like this.

drake goes to them and asks if he can be on their side (btw dude could have just told luffy he knew koby somehow but okay) and zoro instantly goes 'protective first mate' mode and says "haha no the fuck you're not. disloyal people are the worst and you'll always be like that. once you betray someone there's no going back" which is something i love about zoro because, even if from his perspective drake was actually a member of kaido's crew and they're supposed to be the bad guys, zoro respects loyalty so fucking much that he doesn't care whose side are you on as long as you have your priorities and beliefs on the right place. i find that beautiful, especially knowing what comes next.

zoro is gifted a sword that theoretically could cut hell, to then being then perceived as the king of hell for the same reason, and then actually going to the battlefield and referring to it as hell itself because they're fighting to death against two emperors and saying "if you're sending our captain to hell, you'll have to take me with him" because he would quite literally go to hell for luffy. and then the guy goes and tells law "hey, this is going to hurt like a bitch and i might probably die. if that happens, you know, just take care of the rest because luffy trusts you too" and he goes and awakens his conqueror's haki without even meaning to and not even giving a single fuck when kaido tells him because his only ambition and will at the moment is protecting luffy and fighting for him. that, and also the countless times he saves luffy without hesitation during this fight, which are too much to remember but i swear every time he gets in between one of kaido's attacks and luffy, my heart does a backflip and i die. and also, the gentleness in which zoro treats luffy when he can't fight. the way he protects him when luffy puts all of his undying trust on zoro. they make me go wild.

the fact that luffy is constantly saying in this fight (and always, of course) that he's going to be the pirate king and showing it clearly with all of his parallelisms to roger, and then zoro pulling things that make him quite obviously the king of hell, just makes the whole "captain and first mate" thing seem so little for what they actually are. because we have 3 different couples of this kind in this story, and nobody compares to these two, because they're not just a captain and his first mate, they're literally kings. and i haven't watched more (i'm on episode 1030 if you're curious, uta time!) but i'm so excited to see how this develops. especially knowing the religious undertones behind whatever the fuck gear fifth is supposed to be (except for a lil cute and powerful af looney tune).

[iamthemaestro]

so. after a lot of Internal Deliberation I figure it is about time that I introduce to tumblr the Guys who take up approximately 40% of my brain space at any given moment of the day now that I have really made the jump into Tumblr OCposting as of late. this will be a bit of a long post so…. buckle in!

Percy and Sydney are part of a project @neon-sunsets and I started back in 2022 and essentially have not stopped thinking about since. there are over 500 pages of writing for these guys and most of it will not stand up to serious editing but in the future it’s a story we hope to put out into the world, and Percy and Sydney are only half of it, with Nebula’s characters Esther and Atarah constituting the other two members of the Protagonist Party, but I will let them do their own talking about the Disaster Lesbians (though I love them dearly). I don't intend to talk much about the story itself since that is perpetually being worked on but I do feel it's appropriate to give some background to these very dear characters of mine.

(I will be sticking the rest of this under a readmore for everyone’s sanity)

the story takes place in a world a lot like ours but slightly to the left, during their universe's golden age of piracy. Captain Percival Arlington Winchester II is a highly respected, notoriously strict, and unbearably professional officer for the in-universe equivalent of the british navy, with a bad sleep schedule, an inflexible moral code understood only by him, and a first lieutenant who inexplicably hates him. he’s descended from a long line of naval war heroes, only he's been biding his time for a long while waiting for his chance to prove himself in war... which may present itself soon. in the meantime, he settles for being the navy’s number one pirate hunter, which at least earns him a good name among the public.

there are a lot of things I could say about percy. he’s autistic. he’s a redhead. he has daddy issues. he’s been married for 12 years and is still somehow a virgin. not that he has any particular desire to change that at the moment, really, because it’s not like he’s ever been particularly attracted to the fairer sex. but still, apart from that, he seems to have everything a successful 18th century military man could want: a good name, a decent marriage, and a commission with all the respect and wealth that comes with it—all that’s missing is an honorable death, preferably in naval combat, and he’s made it. at least, that’s what his late father would have said.

and yet his story only truly begins when he receives a mysterious letter from the Rogue Marauder—one of the sea’s most notorious pirates, who inexplicably vanished from the scene several years ago after a sudden separation from his speculated-sibling and partner-in-crime, the Eel Queen. the letter is innocuous enough, if ambiguous: there’s no way to know what, precisely, the Rogue Marauder wants from him, only that he has valuable information, and thus by necessity must be desiring something in return. everything points to this correspondence being against protocol… but still, it’s a way to keep the Marauder close, Percy thinks—perhaps close enough to catch him, at last. so he writes back.

the Rogue Marauder is a man called Sydney Law, a fact Percy will only find out much later. Sydney, too, is a lot of things: incessantly charming, unabashedly flirtatious, and absolutely unafraid of consequences. the Marauder is a combination of robin-hood-turned-pirate-turned-femme-fatale, with a past reputation for seducing high-ranking naval officers seemingly just for his own enjoyment, and keeping almost nothing for himself of the vast amounts of gold he manages to weasel out of them in the process. on top of this, he’s in a weird perpetual state of gender flux, regards his adopted sister with a near god-like reverence, and is strangely obsessed with the idea of his own death. needless to say, the idea that he would ever willingly throw himself at the navy’s most prestigious captain does not bode well for either of them. indeed, at the beginning of the story it happens to be that he is already well past the point of no return in an extremely convoluted and precarious plan that, in all likelihood, will get him killed and very possibly start an all-out war. but of course, no one but him knows this yet. or at least so he thinks.

but they keep writing. despite all this, it turns out they’re far more alike than they seem. and what starts as a tentative mind-game with ambiguously sinister intentions turns into a conversation—the longest and most genuine one either of them have had in years. perhaps, though Percy will not admit it, they’ve even grown rather fond of each other.

the Marauder, however, understands this far before the Captain does. which is unfortunate, considering, at this rate—a fact which he regards as unfortunately necessary, for reasons understood only by him—he is almost definitely hurtling toward his death, at the hand of the man whom he has come to adore.

what he cannot know, however, is that he will not die. he cannot know yet that at some point, he will save Captain Winchester’s life. and then an entirely new story will begin—one that neither of them could have ever imagined. but I won’t spoil that part.

what I will spoil, however, is that Percy is absolutely not the person he thinks he is, and it is only through Sydney that he is able to discover that. underneath all the naval decorum and neurotic obsession with his own presentation, he’s a huge sweetheart with a passion for cartography and a case of ocd. he likes dressing well and exploring uncharted islands and going aloft like he hasn’t in years… and Sydney, very much.

and of course, like I mentioned, their story is only half of what the full story is about… but this post is long enough, and Nebula deserves to be the one to talk about their own characters and their Lesbian Situationship Of All Time, which you should definitely tune in to. however that’s the gist for Percy and Sydney lol. there is Far more I could say but for everyone’s sanity I am simply going to stop here for now. these guys have been so important to me over the past couple years and they have already been met with so much positivity from people and it makes me so happy. I love and appreciate you dearly if you read this far <3

[random-of-random]

The Pirate Queen

Chapter 3 - The Ball

If anyone ever said pirates weren’t efficient, they should be told the tale of Alice and her crew getting ready to host a ball for a new Commodore.

Hiding anything suspicious was the easy part. The locked extra pantry was plenty enough to stow away any of the papers they needed to keep from prying eyes. Their gear was locked into trunks in their personal rooms.

What wasn’t easy was shelling out the money for caterers and extra servants to make the night perfect. While they had the money, Alice had made a fortune sailing with Sam Bellamy and then even more in her exploits, they all hated spending it on posh pricks who would more likely give them a bullet than the time of day under normal circumstances.

Most pirates on ships had duel roles. Everyone chipped in, and just like on a ship, the men dove head first into getting ready.

By the time the night arrived everything was absolutely perfect.

Three of the men would be carefully and quietly sneaking into the Fort while the rest of the town partied at the mansion, courtesy of Vicountess Somers. Their goal was it make it seem like no one have ever been there. They didn’t want to get captured, and they didn’t want to have to kill. Alice and her crew took a page from Sam Bellamy - they didn’t kill if they didn’t have to.

The men left before the extra servants arrived for the night, and Alice went upstairs to get ready. Edward stayed at the mansion, her even present bodyguard.

When he knocked at the door to her room to let her know guests arrived, he couldn’t help but smile.

“You may not be a noble, but you wear the outfits quite well.” She turned to look at him with a smile on her face.

“Let’s be honest, I look better in trousers and my jacket.”

He motioned to her dress. “I see you’ve picked your signature color.” The red dress was her most fashionable. Bright red, matching the bow weaved intricately through her hair. Instead of an updo, she wore her hair down. The black hair fanned across the red dress she had commissioned to match that bow. The dress itself was more old fashioned than she had been wearing and the corset fit just perfectly. There were no color accents except around the sleeves and chest, and was intricately woven with gold and red fabric.

“Well, I wanted to stay partly me.”

“I wish Sam could see this.” Edward said and Alice took a calming breath.

“Me too.”

“Where should I wait during dinner?”

“You’ll be next to me.” Alice said simply and Edward raised his eyebrows.

“I don’t think it’s proper to have your bodyguard sitting at dinner. Robert would faint.”

Alice laughed. “Tonight is our last night with these people. I don’t particularly care what they think and they’re not going to question a noble.”

“Sounds good, Captain.” Edward was dressed in mostly black, fine quality that most would expect of a bodyguard. “People are going to be arriving soon.”

“Alright, let’s get ready to play our parts.” She effortlessly switched into her posh accent.

There were murmurs throughout the party. The red was certainly making some heads turn. When Governor Swann and Elizabeth arrived Alice was there to greet them.

“Lady Frances, you look marvelous!” Elizabeth said with a smile. They two women held hands for a moment.

“As do you, Elizabeth.” Her dress was a light blue which paired with her quite well. Her hair had been curled delicately and put in an updo worthy of a coronation, she was sure of it.

“That is such a stunning color.” Governor Swann started. “You stand out, in the best way.”

“Thank you, Governor.” Alice replied, trying her best not to smirk. “I felt it was appropriate since the ball is on behalf of a member of the Navy. Navy blues seemed a bit too pompous, don’t you agree?”

Governor Swann searched for something to say as Elizabeth politely held her laugh behind her fan. “You look absolutely wonderful, Lady Frances.” He finally said. Safe, complimentary.

“Thank you, Governor.” From behind him she caught the eyes of James. “Please excuse me, sir. I want to wish the man of the night my congratulations.” As she made her way over, James couldn’t seem to even think. She was beautiful. James was in his Navy dress. An outfit that should send Alice’s anxiety shooting upward. Yet, she was sure she had never seen a man so handsome.

“Captain Norrington.” She curtsied and he bowed back. Alice knew that there couldn’t be a repeat of the night of the dinner. The best thing would be to treat James Norrington with civility and step away as quickly as she could.

“Thank you for your generosity with this night.” He started. “And, if I may say, you look absolutely beautiful, Lady Frances.”

“Thank you, Captain. It is a pleasure to celebrate you.” James could tell she was being more formal, putting more of a guard up. He had no right to wish for something different. To wish anything different was downright improper. “Please, enjoy yourself.” She curtsied again and turned to greet her other guests. The bow going through her raven hair caught his eye and something stirred in his memory. Just for one second a moment of fear crept into his mind, but he couldn’t, for the life of him, understand why.

As everyone made their way into the dining room, there were whispers at the fact that while Lady Frances sat at the head of the table, her own bodyguard was to her right. To her left was Governor Swann, beside him Elizabeth, and James was surprised to find himself placed next to her.

Once everyone was seated Lady Frances stood.

“Good evening. I hope you are all enjoying yourselves.” There was some murmurs of approval. “Tonight we are here to celebrate Captain James Norrington, who will not be called Captain in twenty-four hours. Now, I have only known Captain Norrington for a few short days. I could regale you all with the kindness and character he has shown me. However, I wanted someone who knows him more, who served with him, to speak here tonight. Lieutenant Groves, if you would please?”

A few seats down from Edward, Groves stood, and Alice took her seat. She knew her brain would betray her if she was forced to give a speech about James. She could hardly talk about how handsome he looks in the moonlight. She was supposed to be married. More than that, it was about to be James’ job to be in charge of hunting her and the people she cared about. The thought soured her mood considerably. More so when she realized she shouldn’t even be thinking about James Norrington. She should be wondering how we men were doing at the fort. By the time she came back into focus, Groves had finished his speech and she held up her glass in a toast before the first course.

Once the food was cleared and the band had begun to play, Alice whispered to Edward to go and be on the lookout for the returning men. The hope was they would be back quickly and efficiently. One of her men named Simon had offered to help in the kitchen. He had been a chef back in Ireland and then became the chef for her crew, and he would be waiting to move any papers to the locked pantry.

“My dear Lady Frances.” Governor Swann said as he walked up to her. “Would you honor me with a dance?” He held out his hand and she took it immediately.

“It would be a pleasure.” They danced to a lively tune. The laughter around the floor told her everyone seemed to be having a great time. She made sure they had enough stock of wine to last them, and making sure everyone was good and drunk could only help her in the long run.

As the Governor turned her she caught a glimpse of James who was dancing with Elizabeth. He was smiling, she was laughing. Alice felt a pang of jealousy go through her, but she quickly pushed that away. Any thoughts about her and James Norrington needed to stop at that moment. And, more than that, she knew he would make a great husband to Elizabeth. He was kind and gentle. When he showed emotion it was sincere. In the first night she had watched his eyes flicker to Elizabeth which such adoration. Alice knew she would be taken care of and loved. She couldn’t ask for more than that from two wonderful people.

The dance came to a close and there was a small round of applause. “Thank you for the wonderful dance, Governor.” He bowed. “If you would excuse me?”

“Of course.” He beamed. His cheeks were red from several glasses of wine and Alice found herself thinking that wasn’t a bad idea. Find a servant with the wine she took a glass for herself. When she turned back to the party she was surprised to see James walking toward her.

“Lady Frances.”

“Captain Norrington.” She acknowledged. “Are you having a good time?”

“I am, thank you.” He promised. “I came to ask if you would honor me with a dance.” She couldn’t say no. Maybe it was knowing that after tomorrow she would, hopefully, never see him again.

“I would be delighted-“ She was interrupted by Edward.

“I am terribly sorry, my Lady.” He bowed.

“What is it, Edward?” She asked.

“May I speak with you, privately?”

Her eyes turned to James. “My apologies, Captain.” She and Edward turned, heading for another room. James couldn’t pretend he wasn’t disappointed.

The study was a place she had wanted to spend more time in, if they had the time. It was dark wood with books lining the walls. Giles stood outside on guard to make sure no one came within earshot as Edward closed the door behind them.

“Is everyone alright?” Was her first question.

“Yes, everyone made it back safely.” Alice let out a sigh of relief. “They were in and out quickly, no one saw them. It’s what they found that’s concerning.”

“What did they find?” Alice asked.

“A list of spies for the Royal Navy and where they are located. Some are on Tortuga.” Her jaw clenched. “There’s also a few pirate havens that they know about. I think your Captain Norrington intends to go raid them after his promotion is made official.”

“Go, get Robert, will you?” She asked and Edward gave a quick nod before leaving. They would have a head start on anything Norrington had planned, which was key. She sat in silence for a few moments. If her mind wandered too far, she could almost feel tears threatening to spill. So, she pushed them down. Edward and Robert came back in a few minutes.

“Captain.” Robert acknowledged.

“I need you to get to the docs and get first passage that you can. You have to get to Tortuga as quickly as possible.” She put her hand on his shoulder. “Hopefully those pirate havens can be cleared out before the Royal Navy gets their hands on anyone. And make sure the right people in Tortuga know the names of the spies.”

“You can count on me Captain.”

“When you get to Tortuga send someone for us. We’ll want to leave late tomorrow night.”

“I will.”

“The winds be with you, Robert.” She shook his hand and he headed back out the door.

“What’s the plan?” Edward asked.

“Tomorrow, after the ceremony,” Alice started. “We will spend the day carefully packing, not drawing any attention. Once night falls we will gather everything up. We can’t leave a trace of us behind. Not a single piece of clothing.”

“Understood, Captain.”

“We will leave an urgent note with the Swann’s. My husband has taken ill and we were quickly recalled to England.”

“Will they believe it?” Edward asked.

Alice shrugged. “Once we’re back on the seas, it won’t matter.”

“I’ll start telling the men.” He said and she let out a soft sigh. “You should get back out there. The hostess will be missed.”

Alice seemed to clench her jaw. “I can do this for one more day.” He nodded before opening the door for her.

[pumpkin-bats]

Dress Up - Straw Hats Fic

[Small fic of the Straw Hat crew shenanigans.]

a/n: A prompt my friend said in passing and it possessed me. My first fic on tumblr and I hope it's okay- please enjoy our wonderful silly pirates!

summary: A few of the Straw Hat members crash a party in disguise for a chance at winning a prize. They just so happen to all be crossdressing. And Luffy is incredibly dense.

contains: Annoying flirting attempts, sfw topics, crossdressing, mention of chest area, especially Zoro's, post 2 year time skip, mostly from Nami's perspective.

wc: 2.5+k

Let it be known that Nami's not a gold digger. That being said, three hundred million berries was three hundred million berries.

The Straw Hat crew was originally just passing by. A little pit stop for supplies before they got to the next nightmare island Luffy wanted to take them to. They didn't tend to dawdle too long in places their adventurous captain found boring.

At least, that's usually the case. Now they have other plans, if Nami has any say in the matter. And she has a lot to say about the matter.

Apparently some rich geezer in the fancier part of town was hosting a party for his rich geezer friends. According to the intel she gathered when out shopping, they have a tradition of playing a game with a cash reward for the winner. From what she could tell, it seemed more like a gathering to bet and gamble than anything else, but the prize was real.

The only catch was the guest list. A list that excluded people not friends with said rich geezer. People such as, politely speaking, crazy pirates. And she'd checked, their wanted posters had been pinned up around all areas of the town they've stopped at. Hence why only a small team went out to get supplies while they left the more energetic and easily recognizable members to wait back on the ship.

So her first solution was to get some disguises.

"Why are we doing this again?" Usopp tugged lightly at the bunched fabric climbing over his collar bone. There was clear distaste in his expression but Nami paid it no mind as she slapped his hand away to fasten a thin, glittering chain around his neck.

"Because the only group not going to that party just so happens to look a lot like us." She adjusted the necklace and brushed a few curls out of the way before stepping back to admire her work.

"That's great and all... but do we really have to go dressed like... this?" Usopp gestured at his outfit, to which Nami gave him a merciless smile.

"We have to be convincing right?"

As she said this, her fingers flit into the air to reveal a small photo. She'd managed to get her hands on it a few hours prior, and it's the backbone of her plan. There were six people posed in the photo, dressed to the nines and clearly part of some noble's inner circle.

She tapped one perfectly manicured nail at a striking woman in a sleek crimson dress. The lush black curls framed her face perfectly, looking soft despite the grain of the photo. All of it gave the impression of a powerful, gorgeous person ready to rule, even with the outlandishly long nose at the center of her face.

"I'm not doing this," Zoro growled, hands crossed over his chest. At least, he attempts to. He was clearly having difficulties trying to rest his arms on top of the feathered boa draped over his bare shoulders, the garment falling down his front to stop just above his waist.

For the rest of the boys, she had to add extra padding to give the illusion of a well endowed chest. Therefore, Nami found great amusement in the fact that Zoro's dress was completely unaltered on the top.

"Oh please. You look great!" She tightened the bow around her collar and brushed off the front of her jacket. "Besides, you still owe me five hundred million berries. consider this a chance to pay off a tenth of it."

"Wha- you-! Oi, the number went up! it was less than that last time!"

"Sure, but that's because you forgot about the interest." She stuck her tongue out at him playfully, meeting her thumb and forefinger in a small circle to finish off her signature money pose.

"Unbelievable..."

"These people do bear a striking resemblance to us," Robin noted, taking the photo into her gloved hand to further observe it.

This was the main reason Nami suggested they do this. Every person in the photo looked almost exactly like some member of their crew except in the opposite gender. Since there was a lack of lookalikes for Chopper, Brooke, and Franky, she had to ask them to stay behind for a little while.

Although, considering her plan included Sanji, Zoro, and Luffy, she would have to keep a tight leash on them if she wanted even the slightest chance at winning the prize money. But she had a feeling that it would be worth it in the end. Besides, a part of her was extremely curious to see what they'd all look like cross dressing and so far she wasn't disappointed. Sue her, Nami deserved to have some fun of her own every now and then.

"Ah... Of course I'd do anything for you, Nami-Swan- but uh...." Sanji's face was twisted like he was in pain. She knew he didn't have the most fun on the island of okama, and was quite proud that he was still willing to go through this for her despite that. And she couldn't deny that he really did look flattering in the long, skin tight, black dress he wore.

"You look lovely Sanji-kun." Is all Robin needed to say to have Sanji twirling around and forgetting all of his hesitation. Zoro, on the other hand, was still less than pleased.

"Shouldn't Luffy be done by now?" Usopp chimed in again, casting his gaze at the outhouse they'd gathered around to change. Before Nami got a chance to reply, the door promptly smashed to the ground.

Luffy lowered one, pencil thin heeled shoe from where it hovered in the air, likely the culprit for the decimated door. A soft 'fufufu' echoed from Robin as the group took in the appearance of their captain in a genuine attempt at looking like a girl. And not a single soul had words to speak.

Despite the deep, drooping frown, Luffy was more dazzling than anyone expected.

His legs had no hair and were virtually unblemished. Because of this, Nami thought it would be safe to put him in a deep, wine red dress that ended mid thigh. The top was loosely ruffled to detract from his broader shoulders, and the resulting illusion was a powerful one. Even the wig Robin styled, paired with the light makeup, made him look almost unrecognizable.

Sanji simply stared, mouth slightly agape, which allowed his cigarette to fall from his lips and land mutely on the ground. Zoro's mouth was locked shut but his eyes were blown wide enough to pop. Usopp blinked a few times before holding his hands up in the air.

"I concede. I won't doubt your black magic transformation skills anymore."

The grin that crept onto Nami's face was wicked. They were so getting that money.

~

Nami was very aware of the type of attention she garnered when entering a room. Sure she was part of the self proclaimed 'weak trio' in her crew, but she knew her charms, strengths, and skills, as well as how to use them to her advantage. One thing she'd learned over the years is that there's nothing more eye-catching than confidence.

It's because of this that she was immediately able to read the energy of the room the second she and her friends entered the party.

Now, when people first hear stories of Luffy, they assume that his presence is large and commanding. A powerhouse echoing magnificence with every step he takes. But only those who really know him understand how easy it is to let him slip under the radar. Or lose him in a crowd, in her personal experience. All in all, he was quite unintentionally deceptive in that way- though it proved helpful in many of their adventures. However, this... this was not one of those times.

As they walked through the threshold, it was like watching moths become ensnared by a beacon of light. Every eye in the room glazed over the crew to settle on their captain. Nami's never been on the outside of this scenario and she'd be lying if she said it wasn't an enthralling sight.

Luffy entered the way Luffy enters any room. Casually, confidently, and with some degree of a goal in mind as he moved forward. All these traits flared off his skirt and flickered from the ends of his curled wig. Every clack of his heels on the tile was a booming echo and the curve of his shoulders had the eye of almost every man and woman in the vicinity.

Nami would be tucking this information into her back pocket for future plans.

Their group was quick to separate, sticking in pairs to help reduce any unexpected, and frankly unhelpful, outbursts from any of the more... rambunctious members. Robin kept to Sanji, Usopp with Zoro, and Nami with Luffy.

From what she'd understood during her information gathering, the game would be a sort of trivia. She had no doubt that they wouldn't fly through with flying colors, especially when working alongside Robin and Usopp. The concern was making sure the remaining three didn't blow their cover before they could even get to that point.

So here Nami found herself at one of the fancy tables, decorated in the poshest way possible with gold ornaments and jewel studded dishware. All items she would absolutely find a way to sneak back to the ship before they left. Luffy sat beside her, arms crossed over his chest and an ever present pout on his face.

"I'm hungry," he grits out, leveling a blazing glare out at the dance floor. "And these clothes are uncomfortable."

"I promised you a big meal after this, didn't I?" Nami replied calmly. He sank further into his chair, blowing a silky black strand of hair out of his face.

"Meat?"

"And more."

"Hm."

Nami can't help chuckling at her captain. He was an adult and more reliable than he looked, but he certainly had his own childish moments. A part of her was touched that he also agreed to go along with her whims for this, even though it went against almost everything in his nature. Wild Luffy, sitting quiet and polite. And in a dress at that.

As she swirled a flute of champagne, pitching it up to take a sip, she was quick to catch sight of a finely dressed man making his way over to their table.

She set the cup back down and rested her chin gingerly atop her hand. Recognizing the look on his face and having experienced this one too many times before, she prepared herself to play the man like a fiddle. He looked like a fellow with money in his pockets, surely she could snatch his wallet while he was preoccupied. Then she belatedly realized that she wasn't 'Catburgalar Nami' in that moment. Because Luffy was not 'Monkey D. Luffy' in that moment either.

"Lord Geraldine." The man gave Nami a brief tilt of his head before immediately redirecting glittering eyes on a displeased looking Luffy. "Lady Celestine, I'm glad to see you all decided to attend. I wanted to say that there's something... different about you today."

It took Luffy a moment to realize the man was talking to him. He blinked up at the guy, pointed at himself, looked at Nami, then looked back at him.

"Uh, yes. I mean no." Nami pressed her face into her hand. She also forgot that Luffy can't act for the life of him.

"No, I do quite insist that you seem a little different." As he spoke, the man bowed at the waist to be more on level with her captain before gently taking a lock of Luffy's fake hair in his hand. "Could it be a new style you're trying out? A new perfume perhaps?"

"I don't wear perfume," Luffy stated bluntly. Nami began to reach out to him, thinking of something to say to step in and distract the man before they were discovered.

"Ah, I see." Luffy's eyes met the man's and Nami swore she saw him shiver. "Your natural beauty is just extra dazzling then."

"Er... sure?" Luffy lifted a hand to scratch at the back of his neck where the line if his wig dug into his skin. The man followed the line of his arm and the fluttering movement of his hair. Nami can't tell if she wanted to laugh or cry.

"You know... I've never dared to speak to you. I didn't see any reason to before but, I don't know what I was thinking then. Someone as... enchanting as you- how could I not?" There's almost the whisper of a sigh to his voice and Luffy's expression twisted into a frown.

"I am not," he bit out, throwing the man off guard entirely. The stranger reeled back, although his face colored a deep red at the power and authority in Luffy's voice.

"I apologize if I've offended you. I just wanted to-"

"You're annoying. Go away." And with that, Luffy returned to his previous demeanor of pouting in his chair with his arms crossed, glaring out at the dance floor. Except now there was an extra air of irritation around him that wasn't there before.

"Oh... I... yes, Lady Celestine. Sorry to have been a bother." The man stumbled for a moment before scuttling away. Rather than looking upset, he seemed awfully pleased with himself in a way that made even Nami's mood sour just a bit.

Once he was gone, Nami snapped out of her daze to look at Luffy. She wasn't sure what to expect when coming to this party, but that interaction was not it. Not to mention he turned on the man so suddenly, she can't determine what part of that speech had set him off.

"What was that about?" She asked, leaning into her palm.

"He called me enchanting," he spat out, making Nami blink. There's something she's missing here, she knows it.

"What's so bad about that?" She didn't flinch when his eyes snapped over to meet hers. The hostility wasn't directed at her, but he was clearly upset for some reason.

"I'm not enchanting."

There's definitely something here that she's missing. He said it with such force and venom that it made the word sound evil. But this was Luffy she was speaking too, and there's likely more to it than just what the surface was showing. So she tried a different approach.

"Mhm, and what do you think 'enchanting' means?"

Now it's Luffy's turn to look at her with slight confusion. His expression eased, shoulders losing a bit of their tension while his expression screamed that she was the weird one in this moment.

"It means rich and weak!"

Ah, there it is.

Nami decided in that moment that she may just try to steal the money later after she finds out who ends up winning it. Especially when she sees another nobleman waltzing over to their table with a carnation in hand. There was no way she was going to stop a line of suitors from interacting with Luffy before he eventually snapped. 

And maybe she'll get a chance to explain to him what the word 'enchanting' means. After she finds out what word he possibly mixed it up with in the first place.

{Fin.} Thanks for reading!

[hermitcraftheadcanons]

Skizzekai Au- Character and Group Summary

Very long summary post! This contains information on every single hermit, established group, and major plot event. Summaries are below the cut.

KINGDOMS AND GROUPS

Skizz's Adventuring Party

Team ZITS! Skizz, our main hero, quickly found allies in the other three. Tango was his first ally, and Zedaph joined up because of his alchemy skills. The alliance was a bit strained after Zed brought Skizz back from death and gave him some difficult and annoying tasks to do, but now they're closer than ever. Impulse came to join them after hearing rumours of the new hero. Grian and Mumbo are not formal party members, but show up to help from time to time.

ConVex Travelling Merchants

Scar, Cub, and False roam throughout the kingdoms, selling wares and taking both money and names! They also may be a little bit possessed. Neutral forces, both helping and messing with Skizz, they're in this mainly for fun and profit.

Lore Kingdom

Ruled by Joel, this kingdom has a heavy concentration of magic affecting fate and stories. A group of seers called the Watchers were the ones who made the hero's prophecy, forseeing Skizz would be needed- and so Joel summoned him to this world. Naturally, they've been on his side the whole time.

Ice Kingdom

A harsh and frosty place ruled by Queen Stress- and one of the first places hit by the great evil, slowly draining the magic and life of the citizens. Thankfully Iskall, the queen's bodyguard, seems to have some sort of protective aura, keeping the palace and those nearby safe. The native iskallium crystals, capable of pulling energy from the environment and turning it into pure magic stored within, might be one reason this kingdom was targeted so quickly. They also cause the eternal winter of the kingdom, drawing in heat. Ice Kingdom artificers are known for the incredible magitech iskallium can be used in.

Undead Republic

Formerly a kingdom ruled by Ren, after the crown passed on to Cleo she declared the place a republic. The votes that followed landed her in charge anyways, with Ren as second in command. All sorts of undead live here, including the half-ghost Joe and the drowned Gem. The kingdom is currently dealing with an infestation of strange blue lichen underground. It's sensitive to sound and seems to be able to infect people into monstrous and deadly creatures.

Evil Empire

Lead by Evil X, this is the big bad of our story. The citizens here are mainly demons, using magic drawn from risk, danger and gambles, often used to form contracts. EX himself has found a way to drain magic from the world into himself, stealing it from the environment and the people. He uses this to gain power, create loyal constructs that take the shape of other people throughout the world, and also to power a really good hot tub. Unfortunately for him, dissent grows in his citizens, and at least one- Impulse- betrayed EX's side completely.

Jungle Guardians

Deep in a sprawling, deadly jungle, four hermits make their homes. Acting as guardians, they help adventurers safely pass through. Their forms are created from the environment around them, with Bdubs being all plant, and Etho having a metallic shell around his leafy center. Doc likes to change things up, constantly adding and replacing new parts. Beef is as of yet undetermined.

Pirates

There exists a kingdom that is not quite a kingdom, oceans ruled by whichever captain, warlord, or general scoundrel happens to be most listened to at the moment. False used to be one of them, leading a crew of harpies. She still visits from time to time. Wels used to be part of her crew as well. Xisuma also joined a crew of pirates once, thinking the flag meant they had bones to spare. He was wrong, but they let him tag along anyways.

HERMITS

(alphabetical order)

Bdubs

Species: Jungle Construct

Bdubs is made entirely of leaves, moss, and vines. He is NOT small, thank you very much, he is above average for his species. Along with the rest of the NHO, he protects the jungle he calls home. Has powerful plant magic. If provoked too far, may unleash a terrifyingly powerful aura.

Beef

Species: Undetermined

Protects the jungle with the rest of the NHO. Seems to be a perfectly normal, if slightly creepy, farmer.

Cleo

Species: Zombie, previously Fae

Prime Minister of the Undead Republic. Cleo leads her people well, and is currently fighting against the sculk infesting the tunnels. Has an army of constructs and puppets, but is willing to hire adventurers to help out. Friends with Joe and Ren.

Cub

Species: Fae (Sculk?)

After a deal with the Vex leaving him slightly possessed, Cub runs a traveling shop full of magical wares with Scar and False. Unknown to them, he had an interest in the other, nonmagical world. One thing lead to another, and he managed to build a functional portal, only to find that the sculk living in the cracks between dimensions followed him back. It's starting to take over him, slowly but surely.

Doc

Species: Undetermined/Varies, presumably Jungle Construct

Protects the jungle with the rest of the NHO. Constantly changing his form, adding new traits and replacing old ones. Also has the ability to grow to kaiju size. Made a portal to the human world with Etho, just to see if they could.

Etho

Species: Jungle Construct

Despite being of a normally short species, Etho is seven feet tall. This may be due to the fact he has formed a metallic shell around his plantlike inner body. Not quite in control of his aura, which is constantly projecting a slight threatening feel. Made a portal to the human world with Doc just to see if they could.

Evil X

Species: Nothingness

The ultimate villain of the story. EX has been draining the magic of the world, trying to maintain his form with stolen power, as well as just for fun and to make himself stronger. Maybe take over the world while he's at it. Rules his own kingdom, and created the Hels Hermits with stolen magic. He's created a fake prophecy to justify his rise to greatness. A tiny bit of magic is used to power his hot tub, which is filled with water from a magic spring and actually helps all the stolen magic cohere. Since the magic he's stealing is helping form his body, EX's appearance is constantly shifting based on where he most recently took from.

False

Species: Harpy

Used to lead a crew of pirates, but after a deal with the Vex she had to leave. Now travels with Cub and Scar, although she does meet up with her old crew sometimes. Recently, shes taken to hunting down Skizz, due to the bounty put on his head... if only her companions were more helpful.

Gem

Species: Drowned, previously Human

Skizz isn't the only hero of prophecy this world has seen. Gem was summoned for the same reason, not too long ago. She used to have angelic, feathered wings, and wield powerful light magic. Unfortunately... she failed.

She was struck down, and the ocean saved her, by changing her into a Drowned. Undead, adapted to life underwater, and with the wings she used to have only broken scraps on her back. Now, her light magic burns her. She can't use it. But she was still working on saving the world! It's moved on. It's replaced her. So she sets a bounty out on Skizz, to teach him what happens if he fails too.

Grian

Species: ????? Entity???

Grian is... strange. He appears different to everyone, seeming like one species or another, with the only constant being that he is known to be powerful. In truth, he's simply not able to be understood- a being sewn into the very fabric of the world, deeper than anyone else, perhaps made entirely of pure magic. He used to be a member of the Watchers, getting thrown out of the group because blowing things up is "distracting" and "makes it hard to see the future". He still knows a few tricks though, such as being able to recognize if you've been a subject of prophecy. He also likes fishing.

Hypno

Species: Human

Changelings are a rare thing in this world, a few sneaky fae slipping between dimensions to swap out their children. Hypno is one of those humans who got taken. His fae "family" had plans, ones that relied upon the human ability to adapt to magic so easily. They kept him away from any strong sources of magic... until it was time. That night, when the plan was pulled off and Hypno felt the magic moving inside him and trying to twist him and feeling so very wrong wrong wrong, was the night he ran away. He never wanted this. Was he just some kind of tool or exotic pet to them? He just wanted to stay human.

The deal EX offered him was almost too good to be true. A simple watch, capable of absorbing the magic that would otherwise be mutating him. He could feel at home in his own skin. And the payment? Just the magic the watch stole. Basically free! So what if it worked a little too well, slowly draining the magic around him if he stayed in one place too long? He can keep moving. It's fine. It's better than not working well enough. He needs to stay himself.

Impulse

Species: Demon

A former citizen of the Evil Empire. Having grown up under EX's rule, living and working there his entire life, he had doubts but didn't think he could make a difference. Maybe the prophecy could save them if he held on long enough.

He saw Gem try, and fail, and lost hope entirely. So he kept his head down, worked hard, got promotions, did what he needed to survive. If the chosen one couldn't win, what chance did he have?

Until he heard the rumors of a new hero, of them gathering an army and growing stronger. He left, joined up with Skizz, and has become a great ally and friend. Shame that his old coworkers think he's a spy for them now. Hopefully his new friends don't believe it.

Iskall

Species: Undetermined

A citizen of the Ice Kingdom, and Stress's bodyguard. His original name was lost in a bet a while back, but Stress only uses it for silly pranks, and he likes Iskall better anyways. Has a strange aura full of magic and life, working as an energy source, and protecting the area around him from the draining darkness.

Jevin

Species: Slime

He is a slime guy who does slime magic. Likes hanging out with Hypno, and doesn't understand why the guy doesn't want to be magic. It's fun. In fact, Jevin is made almost entirely of magic, which.... may be a bad thing if he's going to spend so much time around Hypno.

Joe Hills

Species: Half-Ghost, previously Human

He may be a citizen of the Undead Republic now, but Joe will always introduce himself as being from Nashville, Tennessee. He did use to live there! Ended up in Hermiton after Doc and Etho made a portal and found him. Thinking it was a scam, really he should have just left, but he was curious.

Joel

Species: Minor God

He wasn't always godly. Due to the kingdom he rules being so full of lore magic, the belief and opinions of his people had a strong effect on him. Originally an ogre, he's gone through quite. a few transformations, and finally settled on aacending to godhood. As a god, he can look however he wants, although a ogre-like form is still most comfortable. A really tall and handsome ogre, though.

Keralis

Species: Unicorn

He's a unicorn. And a menace. He's got an ego, only uses his magic when he wants to, and claims he can see the value of souls. Keeps calling XB the princess of the lake.

Mumbo

Species: Weakened God

Mumbo used to be the god of the night and all its creatures, until Grian accidentally stole half his power. That power was, again accidentally, used to create the species of vampires, which Mumbo now greatly resembles, right down to his ability to turn into a bat. Grian still feels bad about it. As for Mumbo himself, he turns up to help the heroes now and again, and may or may not follow them around in bat form.

Pearl

Species: Fae (Mothlike)

Pearl was once the queen of her own kingdom. It was a wonderful place, known for nature magic helping them grow anything. When a talking dog came asking to be her advisor, she made the decision to accept its offer. From its advice, her decisions got more and more cruel, her powers stronger, and the hound grew into a beast. The queen corrupted, and so did the magic.

But one day, it all got too much. Pearl realized what she had done, slew the beast, and exiled herself. Her powers faded, she keeps her head down. Now she just tries to live her life and have fun, doing her job delivering mail.

Ren

Species: Werewolf, previously Fae

Him and Cleo were friends since childhood. Even when she got zombified and he got bitten by a werewolf, they never gave up on each other, and even bonded over it. They formed their kingdom together, and these days Ren is second in command of the Undead Republic. They're still very close.

Scar

Species: Fae

A wizard who made a deal with the Vex, and now travels around selling enchanted wares with Cub and False. Jellie is his familiar. Took Skizz's name at one point, but gave it back after Skizz found Jellie, who had been missing. He also keeps letting Skizz go whenever False captures him, for various reasons each sillier than the last.

Skizz

Species: who knows at this point, previously Human

Main character. Was summoned from Earth to defeat a great evil and save the world. Joel didn't quite explain how, so he's just doing his best. Currently, he's going around to different kingdoms, trying to get them on his side.

When he was summoned, he was still wearing his suit he had put on for work. It didn't take long to annoy a wizard, who cursed him so that he can't wear sleeves. The sleeves of his suit then proceeded to explode. Thankfully, the rest of the suit picked up durability magic somewhere.

A more important magical item is his necklace. It was made as a sort of battery for mages, charging up and storing ambient magic. When full, it bleeds off excess energy by sending it into the wearer, which normally results in boosted magic. Unfortunately, it is currently on a human, who has no magic of his own.

The result of this has changed Skizz, attuning him to the world's magic, and causing dragonfly wings to sprout from his back. He can feel the faint electric-current buzz of magic in his chest and at his fingertips. He's become able to learn and use the magic known by his friends, channeling their power through him.

Skizz's life on Earth was not a good one. It was boring, monotonous, and stressful. Wake up, work, go home, sleep. Is there any wonder he prefers this fantastical world over it? When everything is over, he chooses to make his home in Hermiton, with his new friends.

Stress

Species: Fae

Queen of the Ice Kingdom. Has Iskall's name, but only uses it to be silly.

Tango

Species: Undetermined, presumably Fire Something

Tango has strong fire magic, but it's hard to control- it's tied to his emotions, flaring up with anger or fear. He has to keep calm to properly control it. A side effect of this magic is that he has a prehensile tail made of fire. It also reacts to emotions, but in a much more harmless way, perking up when he's curious and wagging when happy. He doesn't use his fire much, preferring to rely on a deck of magical cards, each with a different effect.

TFC

Species: Unknown

TFC likes to mine. He spends his time in tunnels underground, mining in many different caverns. Nobody is quite sure what species he is. Dwarf, goblin, fae, and construct have all been theories, but none turned out to be right. The one time Skizz encountered him, he simply gave him the gem he'd been looking for. After all, why not help out? He doesn't have the energy for nonsense anyways.

Wels

Species: Selkie

A former member of False's pirate crew. Wels is proficient in bard magic, weaving power into voice and song, and he's also good with a sword. Most of the time, he wears his sealskin as a cape, appearing human. He has a second set of armour that fits his seal form so he can kick ass underwater.

XB

Species: Water Spirit

Lives in a lake fed by a magical spring. This is, in fact, the place EX got his hot tub water from. XB is not happy about this. Leave his lake alone!

Xisuma

Species: Nothingness (+Bones)

A puddle of nothingness that learned to sustain himself and build a solid body from bones! He finds them delicious. At one point, he joined a pirate crew because he thought the skull and crossbones flag meant they had bones to eat. They didn't, but they were nice and let him stay. Over time, he found a way to grow his own bones, poking out of the nothingness that is him. It doesn't even hurt to pull them out.

Zedaph

Species: Undetermined

Originally, Zed was just a normal alchemist, with a little reality distortion magic. Somehow, he happened upon the secret to immortality. There was not supposed to be a secret to immortality. Death didn't make it possible. When Zed did it, Death Himself showed up, extremely confused. He took Zed on as an apprentice to try and figure out how that even happened, and hasn't succeeded yet.

As Death's apprentice, Zed has the ability to bring people back to life- not even undeath, just straight up life. He has a rather terrifying reputation, but he's friendly, if a lot weird, and prone to making those he revives do silly and almost impossible tasks for him. For fun, of course. Revived Tango at one point, and accepted a card full of luck magic as payment.

Hels Hermits

Species: Various, may or may not be the same as their original due to the different types of magic used in their creation

These are constructs, people formed and brought to life from the magic EX stole. They work as his underlings, endlessly loyal and just as evil as he is. Notable members include Helsknight, EX's personal guard, Badtimes, a diplomat, and True, a spymaster.

PLOT IDEAS

- Skizz, after being summoned, ventures around the land collecting allies and getting the help of various kingdoms

- At some point, ZITS raid EX's palace, presumably to try and defeat him

- During the final battle, Skizz manages to channel the light magic Gem still holds deep inside

- After his journey is complete, Skizz is sent back to earth... only to find he no longer feels like he belongs there. Using the last bit of magic stored in his necklace, he contacts the Hermits, and asks to be summoned back home.

- In exchange, Hypno is sent to live on earth, after a bit of preparation from the former humans. He no longer has to worry about magic changing him, and now he can make new friends, without having to keep distant to avoid draining them.

[xxkitty13]

Circus Freaks

LA Buggy x Fem Reader

NSFW

Previous Chapters- Part 1, Part 5

Next Chapter- Part 7

Previously: A sudden trip is given to the Ti’s by the Abask family. Overwhelmed, y/n decides to brush it off. In Dr. Hans' office, her and Buggy find more evidence of his involvement in the scheme. In the heat of the moment, she seeks comfort from the pirate and makes the first move. Yasi becomes suspicious of their relationship and mingles with their plans.

Part 6: Jealousy

Music rang from the large circus tent. Roars of people were heard from the distance. With the night approaching, colorful lights stretched outside.

“Oh, what’s going on in there?”

“Are they throwing a party without me?!”

Buggy hurries his pace and starts dragging y/n to the commotion. Her feet barely make steps as she tried to adjust to his speed.

“Ah, slow down!”

He ignores her pleads and simply carries her body. They make it inside the tent and are met with the whole crew enjoying the night.

“What’s going on here?” His voice booms through the ring.

The crewmates drop their laughter and stare at the angered captain. Their eyes then trail to the woman he holds. Y/n becomes uneasy at the sudden gaze towards her. Buggy feels her tense in his arms and gently sets her down. She takes note of the members of his crew. All appear to be wearing bold fashion statements. Others stuck out like a sore thumb, certainly freaks of the world.

“Captain, you’re back,”— Mohji gives him a large mug— “Sorry to start the fun without, but there’s plenty to drink.”

"Aye captain, who's the pretty lady? Is she your girlfriend?" One man shouts, followed by laughter from the rest of the crew.

Buggy grunts at the drunken man, placing y/n's bags down.

"Tsk, it's none of your concern."

"She is, isn't she?"

The few women of his crew encircle y/n, happy that the captain has finally found a partner.

"This is nice, we have another girl aboard! Come on, let us introduce you everybody!"

They drag her to another part of the ring, leaving Buggy alone at the entrance. He groans at his crew for taking his woman away. With a sigh, he takes a gulp of the strong alcohol in the mug.

"So is it true?" He looks to his left and sees Cabaji walking towards him. "Is she joining our crew?"

The captain looks inside the mug he holds. Their relationship is merely beginning and has not thought about that important question. Will she join his crew? He knows he would let her join in an instant, but will she agree to the request? He does not know.

He chugs the remaining liquid and traces his gaze to his chief of staff.

"It's not decided yet. But she'll be residing here for now."

Cabaji scoffs.

"Cabaji, I have an important task for you."

"What is it captain?"

Buggy grins. "I'd like for you take y/n under your wing."

"What?!"

"I need you to find an act for her. Prepare a routine for tomorrow's show."

"Captain, with all due respect, it is impossible for her learn a routine by tomorrow. She has no experience."

"She'll do fine. Treat her nicely, captain's orders," he chuckles away, leaving Cabaji in a frustrating mess.

On the other side of the ring, y/n is bombarded with questions. It becomes overwhelming and it was to her luck that Buggy came to her rescue.

“Ladies, I need you to give her some space.”

The women groan as Buggy pulls her out of their little circle. Y/n thought the attention was over, but he took her to the middle of the ring.

"Oh no," she thought.

"Listen my freaks," he calls out. "This is y/n and is an important guest of mine. I advise you all to treat her as such."

The Buggy pirates stare at the woman intently. Y/n disliked being the center of attention, her palms sweat from anxiety. Her eyes scan the crowd, their expressions were hard to read. Is it a look of disgust or curiosity? It felt like school again, even in a freakshow, she's an outcast.

Buggy ushers a subordinate to give him another drink. He grabs the mug and takes a gulp of the burning alcohol. "Now let's continue on with the party!"

The pirates roar and cheer at the night of fun. Y/n huffs out, thanking that the small speech is over. A pirate approached her and handed her a drink. Before she could deny the gesture, he forcefully placed it in her hands and stumbled away.

She stared at the overspilling mug, it reeked of cheap beer. Drinking didn't scare her, but she has never been a big fan of the taste. Beer is at the bottom of her list.

"What's wrong?" Buggy states, chugging down his drink.

"I don't like beer."

He chuckles. "Liking beer is an essential part of being a pirate," he says grabbing the mug out of her hand.

"But I'm not a pirate."

"Yet," he thinks to himself.

He nudges someone nearby to grab her bags from the entrance. With the bags at hand, he gives the mug out to the first person he sees.

"Come on, they won't notice that we're gone."

They arrive to his room once again. The voices are still heard from the ring.

"You should get some rest. Cabaji will begin your routine early in the morning."

"Huh? Cabaji will? Do you think that's a good idea?"

"Both Mohji and Cabaji are in charge of the acts, but Mohji is busy with other tasks. Besides, I need you two to get along."

"It's going to be hard to patch things up between," she sighs laying facedown on the bed.

Buggy removes his hat and places it down on the large dresser. He goes to lay next her and places his hand on her lower back.

"Do you think I can do it?"

"Do what?"

"Perform in your show. Everyone is able to do incredible stunts and captivate the audience, but I'm not cut out for that."

He begins to rub her back. "Don't be scared, Cabaji won't give you anything difficult to do. I know you'll do great."

Y/n sits up and Buggy does the same. He picks her body up, making her yelp, and sits her on his lap. "What are you doing?" she asks, holding onto his shoulders. He pecks her lips.

That's when she felt something poking her lower region. Buggy uses his hands to press her bottom on his crotch. She knows exactly what it is.

"B-Buggy. . . w-what are you doing?" She tenses up at the feeling of the hard bulge.

"Picking up where we left off," he grunts out.

"I-I don't think I can. . ."

He stops and looks at her eyes. "What is it?"

She looks away. "I just. . . never shown my body to a man before. . ."

His hand takes a hold of her chin, using his thumb to rub against her soft skin. "Don't worry, you don't have to show your body to me." He leans to her ear. "I know you're curious to see what's underneath."

Her eyes widen at his words. Buggy grabs her hand and make her grope his stinging erection under his pants. In shock at the action, she freezes.

"Go ahead, unzip them for me."

Y/n looks up at Buggy, who only gives her a smug look. Using her shaking hands, she goes to trim of his pants and tugs on the metal zipper. She unzips the pants and reveals his boxers. Uneasy, she takes her hand off his crotch.

He softly laughs and makes both of them stand up from the bed.

"On your knees."

"Huh?" She gives him a puzzled look, but with those green eyes, she obliges.

"Go on."

Again, she nervously placed her fingers over the waistline of this pants and found herself holding his boxers. In a quick pull, the throbbing erection popped out in a springing motion.

She gasps at the sight; it is her first time seeing the real thing. It is definitely strange, the hard member is covered in veins and blue hair covers the base, trailing up his belly button.

"What's wrong? Don't be shy," he says, stroking himself.

Amazed by it, she gives him a flushed look. With one hand, she wraps her fingers around the base. Buggy flinches at the foreign touch. Her hand wraps his member nicely. He gulps, watching her other hand grab ahold of it.

It is rock solid, something she did not expect. It is also warm; the skin is rather soft and somewhat rubbery. She looks up at the pirate, wondering what the next command is.

He goes to hold his own dick, making y/n let go of it. The next thing he does surprises her, he slaps his dick over her face.

"Open up," he says sliding his tip over her smooth lips. Stunned, she slowly opens her mouth as Buggy pushes it in.

He nudges her to open wide, letting himself feel her wet cavern. It is a lovely sensation for the pirate. It took all he had in him to not push the young woman down on his cock. He only grunts at the warmth.

The taste is strange to y/n, it is salt-like. Buggy's gaze at her changed, waiting for her to do her job. She exhales, knowing what he wants her to do. Both of her hands wrap around the erection, her mouth sinks down the shaft. She has no idea how to please a man, but she'll do her best.

It's like the books, she thought, sucking on the member. Although it is never the same in person. The girth of the member makes hard to take in completely. She uses her hands to stroke the bottom portion, Buggy barely holds back his moans. The grunts coming out of the pirate's mouth excites y/n, only making her eager to please him.

The sucking becomes faster, wet noises fill the room, she hums at the motion. Buggy enjoys every second of it, his breathing is deepening at each time her mouth sucks in his cock. He grits, lust pumping throughout his body.

Buggy hitches, he wants to fuck her mouth already. In haste of the moment, his gloved hand grabs the back of head, tugging on her hair. With force, y/n's mouth plummets down the base of the member. She gags, almost throwing up at the gag reflex. Buggy, who's too lost to notice, continues to fuck her mouth. He thrusts with great speed, only wanting to cum.

It did not take long for the pirate to release his hot cum inside the woman's mouth. Sweat drips down his face, enjoying the orgasm that spreads throughout his body. He did not expect to arrive so quickly, it has been ages.

Y/n swallows his load, tasting the rather bitter flavor on her tongue. Buggy releases his grip on her hair. She removes her mouth for his soften dick and coughs out, feeling a stinging pain on the back of her throat.

"Sorry, I got lost. . ." he pants out.

Y/n wiped the tears off her eyes and holds her abused throat. Buggy goes to caress her cheek. "Good girl." She blushes at the name.

He zips up his pants and helps the woman off the floor.

"Go ahead and rest, I'm going to check on my crew. I'll be back shortly."

She nods as he gives her a kiss on the cheek. He chuckles, leaving her in the room. Y/n sighs and heads to the bathroom. She checks her throat, it seems fine.

"Men. . . are something else." she laughs to herself.

.°˖✧.°˖✧

In the following morning, a knock is heard. Buggy groans at the sound that disturbed his slumber.

"Who's knocking?"

"It's Cabaji, captain. Remember your order?"

Lazily, he turns to wake up y/n.

"I hate to interrupt your sleep, but your training is about to begin."

She yawns and rolls out of the warm bed. Buggy drifts back to sleep as y/n heads to the bathroom. She quickly gets herself ready for the day, keeping Cabaji waiting terrifies her. After dressing, she goes to open the door. There the man waits for her, leaning against the wall.

He looks down at her, a mean scowl emits from his face.

"Um, good morning," she squeaks out.

“Hmph.” He whips his hair and walks away. Y/n follows behind, twirling her fingers to release her anxiety.

“You know you’ve been causing me a lot of trouble. Captain just had to make me get up this early to teach his little pet some tricks.”

“It’s not like I wanted to either,” she mumbles.

They enter the ring and props fill the space.

“Let’s see, what are you good at? I’m sure you can do a flip or something.”

She shakes her head. This makes Cabaji groan.

“Look, this is the best circus in all of the East Blue. We cannot let an average person like you ruin our show.”

“Can’t I just be someone’s assistant? Do you have a magician?”

“That spot is already taken, besides, his act requires the assistant to have skill.”

Y/n goes to sit down on a bench and uses her arm to lay her head. This would be easy if she was still alive.

“My mother used to be an acrobat, but I never got the chance to learn from her.”

Cabaji is intrigued by this fact. “An acrobat huh? I’m sure you got it in you. Well, you’ll never get to my level,” he chuckles.

“Look Cabaji. I’m sorry that I hit. . . you know. . .”

He grunts, remembering the stinging pain.

“You were going to kill me. I just defended myself.”

The acrobat knows this, but he continues to hold his grudge. “That shit hurt for days. You didn’t have to hit me that hard.”

Y/n laughs at his outburst. “I said I was sorry.”

He scowls. “Whatever, I guess I’ll have to leave that in past since captain has taking a liking towards you.”

He walks around the ring, trying to think of an act that would fit with the show. He knows y/n is not able to do any stunts, but an idea comes to mind.

“I think there’s something that you can do.”

He looks at her up and down.

“Perhaps it will top all the performances tonight,” he boasts.

She looks at him confused. The way Cabaji eyed her made her blush. He approach her and offers his hand.

“Let’s do an act together. I’ll do everything, all you have to do is follow my lead,” he grins. “However, you will have to take a risk.”

She hesitates to grab his hand, but complying will repair the strain between the two. The acrobat smiles at her for the first time.

“Good. We don’t have a lot of time, so let’s begin.”

.°˖✧.°˖✧

The evening arrives sooner than expected. The crew is rushing to prepare for the show. People fill the circus tent, eager to see what new acts the pirates will display.

Buggy peaks through the curtains and scans around the ring. In the middle of the arena, sat Yasi. He grunts at his appearance and backs away from the curtains.

“Alright freaks, the show will start at 8:00 pm sharp. Get your asses ready!”

He looks around the mayhem behind stage. Y/n is not here.

“Cabaji!” He calls out.

“Yes captain!”

“Where’s y/n?”

“I’m pretty sure she’s in your room. She mentioned that she has stage fright. She’ll come out when our act is up.”

“Our?” He questions.

“You’ll see.” He laughs.

He grabs Cabaji by his vest. “You best not make a fool out of her.”

“No, no captain. It’s nothing like that.” He sweats. Buggy lets go of him.

“Like you said, I’ll see.”

Time ticks and the clock strikes to 8:00pm.

“It’s showtime!”

Buggy stands behind the curtain, waiting for his cue. The show starts with the grand entry of the pirate clown. People are amused to see him again. His charisma captures the joy of the audience. As usual, he starts talking to his guest and commence with his jokes. With the audience in glee, the acts begin.

Y/n paces across the room, biting her nails. There’s plenty of people the fill the bleachers of the tent. Never ending sweat fills her palms. Her heart races will each tick of the clock. The next act will start shortly and it’s hers.

A knock bangs on the door, she jumps at the sudden sound. The door opens reveling Cabaji.

“Y/n are you ready? We’re up next.”

“I-I don’t think I can do this.”

The acrobat walks up to her and holds her shoulders to stop her quivering.

“You’ll be fine, just wear the mask. Nobody will notice you besides Yasi.”

She exhales out and looks at the mask. It is a white full coverage mask; jewels line the plastic, and the paint adds a feminine touch.

“I know, I know. . . It’s just, do you think this outfit is a bit revealing?”

Cabaji looks at the glittery mesh body suit. The color red suits her.

“I’m wearing something similar. I don’t think it’s that lewd.”

“But you’re always showing your abs. This is the most I revealed,” she says hiding her body.

Cabaji removes her arms and takes a look of her figure. “You got nothing to worry about. You have a nice body.”

Her face turns red at the compliment. Cabaji realized what he said. “Ah, I mean. . . forget I said that.”

The two stay silent.

“Next act in two minutes!”

“It’s time, let’s go," he says. Y/n nods and follows after him, putting on the mask.

Buggy stands in the middle of the ring, excited to call out the next performance. Just like the crowd, he is ready to see what spectacle Cabaji has to offer.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please give a round of applause to our next act!"

The lights dim as Buggy walks to the outer edges of the ring. Y/n gulps, holding onto Cabaji's hand tightly. A bright light centers to the curtain and it finally opens.

They run to the middle of the ring and Cabaji helps y/n to the small stand. Now alone, the light changes to red. Y/n poses, ready to start her solo. Music plays as she shows off her body. With every note, she captivates the audience. Each movement flows with the beat of the song, using her curves to add a proactive touch.

Cabaji jumps to the stand with y/n, the duo encircles each other, adding a fight for dominance. He takes lead of the dance, allowing her body to flow with his.

In shock by this, Buggy watches with a gape mouth. This is not what he had in mind. Meanwhile, Yasi knew who hid behind the mask. He watched in awe, falling more in love with the woman. Despite the intimate dance with the acrobat, he enjoyed watching her move with the tight attire.

The dance ends with y/n's back arched over Cabaji's arm. The audience claps. The music transitions and a line of rope emerges from the ceiling.

"Remember what we practice. Stay on my toes and grab onto me tightly."

Cabaji and y/n go to their respective posts, climbing the poles to reach the level of the rope. The rope stops and production teams add a net below. Usually this would not be a part of the show, but Buggy would kill him if she got hurt.

Standing on the thin rope is difficult; however, it adds a daring element. Y/n does her best to keep her balance as she walks to the middle to meet Cabaji. Each step sinks down, vibrating the thin line.

“Don’t look down, eyes on me.”

Y/n takes a hard gulp, obeying his words. Her covered feet stood still despite being a shaking mess. She stays close to him, her torso is practically on his hard abs. It was his idea to do a tightrope routine, he knew it was a hasty move, but y/n is a natural.

He begins the tango inspired dance. She closes her eyes, remembering the intense practice they had together. Locking in, she blocked the audience and the drop below, it's just her and Cabaji. He grabs her hand and spins her, an advanced move she mastered in a short amount of time.

Soon, the routine was all on Cabaji. He throws y/n into the air, as he flips himself on the rope, catching her last minute. With the woman in grasp, he continues to stunt, using her like a prop. People held onto their seats, watching the masked woman twirl in the air.

It was time for the last part of the routine. Y/n held her breath as Cabaji threw her up for the last time. She drops below the line, making the crowd believe she'll fall on the flimsy net, but a pair of hands grab her arms. The acrobat uses his lower legs to stay on the rope and he bends upside down. He pulls y/n up and back on the rope as they hold hands, raising their free hand in the air.

Silence fills the tent as loud cheer sounds off from the audience. The tightrope slowly comes down and Buggy could barely process what he’s seen.

Missing his cue, he breaks out of his trance and runs to the ring.

“Give it up for our amazing acrobats!”

Claps fill the ring and y/n could only smile behind the mask. Cabaji tugs her to jump off with him. They bid a final goodbye and head backstage.

The captain watched with a glare, seeing his subordinate run off with his woman. He kept his composure as he had to stay with the crowd for the next act.

“Oh, I did it!” she yells out, removing her mask.

“I told you there was nothing to worry about.” He says picking her up. The acrobat twirls y/n around in his arms.

“I’m surprised you were able to balance up that high so quickly. You’ll be a great acrobat like your mother.”

She hides her face with her hands. “You think so?”

Still in his arms, he looks at in her eyes. “I know talent when I see it.” He puts her down. “I was wrong about you. I’m sure you’ll fit right in.”

Y/n gives him a big smile.

The crewmates who lingered watch the two share a small moment together. They whisper to each other, wondering what relationship the newcomer has with their executives.

The clock continued to tick, and the circus is finally at its end. The performers come out to wave their final farewell. The guest leave and a celebration commenced between the Buggy Pirates.

Y/n laid on top of Richie while Cabaji and Mohji drank next to the large lion. They offer her a drink to which she accepts. She takes a sip of rim filled cup and gags at the taste. The pirates laugh at her and peer pressure her to chug it. Just for the night, she does and gulps down the burning drink. The three laugh as she gags once again.

Buggy leans against a post, barely taking a sip of his own drink. He glanced at them from a distance. He has never seen y/n laugh like that. His blood boils and a wave of unprecedented anger rushes through his veins. It was far worse than jealousy- envy.

"I'm going to change now; I'll catch up with you guys later." She waves her hand as she heads to Buggy's room.

They return the gesture and continue the night of fun.

Buggy takes the courage to walk up to them and takes a hold of Cabaji.

“What was that about?”

The acrobat, beyond buzzed, turns to face his captain. “Wh-what was what?”

He grunts. “Don’t play dumb, are you hitting on y/n?”

“Hit?”— hiccup— “No captain. Why would I hit y/n? I didn’t hurt her.”

Buggy groans. He’ll have to wait till he sobers up to confront him. Mohji only eyed the two, slowly stepping away. He hasn’t had much to drink compared to his mate and knows not to mess with these type of dilemmas.

“Whatever.” The captain storms off and follows behind y/n.

The door swings open, startling y/n who only began to unzip the body suit. Buggy slams the door and approached her.

“Buggy? Did something happen?”

“Are you messing with my men now?”

“What? What do you mean?”

He throws his hat to the ground and grips her by the shoulders. Eyes that once beamed of love, turned dark. “Why the hell were you so close with Cabaji, huh?”

“Buggy he made the routine. I didn’t think it meant anything.”

“Tsk.” He lets her go and turns away. “I get it.”

Y/n furrows her brows at the statement.

“He’s normal. . .”

She sighs and goes to touch his arm. “Buggy, I don’t care for him. I like you.”

The pirate stops breathing for a moment and slowly turns his gaze to the woman. “Why do you like me? I’m a freak of nature.” He begins to shake.

Immediately, she kisses him. Buggy does not comply and stops the kiss. "Don't do this out of pity."

"I'm not. I mean it." She cups his face and leans in for another kiss. "Why won't you believe me?" He grabs her hands and leans in for comfort.

"How can a beauty love a hideous face?"

Her eyes soften at those words. "Buggy, you're handsome." She goes to boop his most insecure part. "Your nose makes you hot," she says teasing at him.

Buggy melts, no one has ever praised his nose. His cheeks warm up, the white face paint is not able to hide the blush underneath. "S-shut up. Ugh, what are you doing to me?" He facepalms. Looking through his fingers, he takes a good look at y/n. Oh, how he wished to remove that tight body suit. Everything about her is perfect.

"Shit woman, you don't know what you've done."

The pirate throws her to the bed, making her yelp as she hits cold sheets. Before she could say a word, Buggy pounces on her and attacks her lips. Y/n wraps herself around him and returns the kiss. It deepens, messily moving their lips over each other. He slips his tongue in her mouth, twirling against her own. He sucks on her tender tongue; a small moan is released from the woman. With a pop, he lets go and y/n goes to nibble on his bottom lip. Enticing him for more.

Buggy huffs out, his mind only focused on the woman pinned down on his bed. He yearns for intimacy. Longing for the loving touch of a woman and now, y/n is under him. She will be his. His thoughts trace to the performance, to see y/n be close to another man drove him mad. He channels that anger into lust and rips the thin mesh suit open.

"I'll make you mine."

"B-Buggy!" She covers her exposed chest, but he forcefully pins her arms over her head with one hand. Using his teeth, he removes the glove of his free hand and gropes her soft titty. Two fingers play with her nipple. "B-bu-buggy. . ." She gives him a flush look, surprised that he dares to touch her in this way.

He chuckles, his fingers trail down her chest, tearing the suit all the way down to her stomach. He comes dangerously close over her womanhood. The touch makes her jolt, her body becomes light from the foreign sensation.

The pirate completely cuts the suit all the way down the middle, revealing her most private regions.

"Bu-Buggy!" Her legs shut tight.

"What's wrong, darling? Let me return the favor from last night." His bare hand sits over her stomach, slowly moving down.

She gulps, this scared her, but she wants to feel the pleasures of sex. This man is willing to take her to next level. "I. . . this is embarrassing," she mumbles. Buggy hand roams over the fluff covering the sensitive flesh.

"Don't worry love, I could care less," he says kissing below her belly button, leaving a trail of kisses down her inner thigh. She hitches, her breathing accelerates. As soon as Buggy goes to pry her legs open, she freezes.

“Come on baby, open up.”

She shakes her head, too shy to reveal what’s underneath. The pirate smiles at her. “It will be ok, say no if you don’t like it.” He winks at her.

At such a vulnerable state, all she can do is give in to his tactics. She spreads open and grabs a pillow to hide her face. Buggy removes his other glove and goes down on her. His hot breath is felt over the cold skin, he licks his lips from hunger.

"I haven't touched you yet,"— he murmurs— “look at how wet you are for me." His fingers spread the delicate folds; his tongue goes over the throbbing bud.

Oh, it was a wonderful bliss to y/n. The warm tongue flicks against her clit, stimulating the nerve bundles to the maximum. His raspy chin rubs against her skin, adding another stimulating factor. She bites the pillow, trying to hide the moans. This wouldn't do for Buggy; he wants her to beg for him.

Without a warning, he sticks his index finger inside her needy hole. It is uncomfortable at first, but Buggy kept her busy with his tongue, the never-ending lapping between her folds brought her ecstasy. This is amplified with the finger inside of her.

"B-Buggy-"

There it is. However, he wants to take it up a notch.

Another finger is added inside. Y/n feels herself stretch at the insertion of the digit. It burns slightly, but that is deduced by the in and out motion of his fingers.

"Mmm. . ."

He fingers her gently, stretching her out little by little. Y/n looks over the pillow she holds and is meet with those gorgeous green orbs. The pirate gives her a flirty wink and begins to devour his feast.

The outburst of her moans turned him on. Encouraging him to play with her sex. He fingers her fiercely, prepping her for the upcoming event. His thumb presses against her sensitive bean, sucking on the lips of her pussy.

"B-Buggy. . . more-" Her hands slither to his bandana, trying to get a hold of his head. She removes the scarf and grips his hair. The tug on his scalp became tight. "Oh-"

She is absolutely enjoying herself. In her trance, she pulls on his blue hair, riding his face. Buggy is taken aback and hums on her pussy. She arches her back at the erotic scene, the juices run down the pirate’s jaw. It was then she found the sensational pleasure of his nose rubbing against her hot clit. The texture drove her crazy, she bucks her hips, ridding against the large nose.

Buggy held onto her hips; the woman is going to drown him. He did not mind, who would have thought she would be so needy.

In lathering in the sweet juices, he adds another finger to spice up the act. Y/n moans out loud, pulling his hair harder. A building up throb emerges from her pussy, the climax is close. And Buggy is eager to take her there.

Y/n's legs shake, nearing the release of her orgasm. Buggy overstimulates her insides and feels the flesh around him clench, finally.

"Fuck- Buggy!" she moans, eyes rolling back. The grip on the pirate's hair is released. She bucks one last time, riding out the orgasm onto his used wet nose.

It is hard for y/n to catch her breath; this is something she's never felt before, and it was amazing.

Buggy clears his throat, wiping his drench face with his sleeve. His red makeup is mostly gone, but he does not care.

"We're not done yet love."

"Hmm?" she weakly huffs out.

The pirate starts to remove all of his clothing, his naked body is now presented. Everything is foggy to y/n, but once her vision clears, she finally sees the monster of a man in front of her.

It is Buggy and his hard rock erection. Again, she'll have to deal with that beast.

"What's wrong babe, I'll show what a real man has to offer."

He slaps his hard cock on her worn out pussy, rubbing his shaft in between the wet folds.

"Are you ready love?" he sultry whispers, gaining her full attention.

She exhales, her virginity is at stake, but this is the man she wants to lose it too. So, she nods, allowing him to take full control.

Buggy knows it is not wise to go in raw, but it is a risk he's willing to take. He feels sorry that there's no lube to ease the entrance and he is not willing to wait any longer.

The tip of his cock glides to her hole. He begins the insertion, feeling himself be swallowed. It is a different type of constriction compared to his fingers. The tightness is overwhelming. He grunts, slowly going in.

Y/n feels the rim of her hole burn from the stretching. The girth is getting larger as the base nears the entryway. Her eyes begin to water, her body shakes at the pain.

Buggy leans over, his face directly above hers.

“It’s okay- the pain will be gone soon.” He goes to kiss her, distracting her from the pain.

She wraps herself around him, embracing the stinging pain that spreads inside of her.

“Relax,” he calls out, feeling her tense up. She complies, focusing on his soft lips.

It did not take long for the base of his dick to reach her skin.

“Fuck-” he grits. Buggy has only entered her and it’s already making him weak. “Are. . . you okay?”

“Mhm,” she whispers. She looks down to see the view, it surprised her that she’s able to take in something of that size.

Feeling ready, the pirate pulls out, only going halfway. He inserts himself back in, the hot cavern takes him in so nicely. Tears form as y/n claws his back. Buggy kiss the salty tears, penetrating her slowly. He attacks her neck, sucking and nipping. He picks up the pace, trying to hit deeper.

"Shit, you're so tight." He could honestly cum inside of her at the moment, but that would be disappointing.

His hands roam to her chest, squeezing her breast and runs his tongue over her nipple. She moans softly at the touch, wanting more. The pirate nibbles her needy bud and begins to suck on it. The thrusts accelerate as she loosens up at the arousal.

Buggy fucks her faster and harder, her walls enclosing on his member.

"You're mine, you're mine, you're mine," he mumbles.

His long hair falls over her face, he wraps his arm around her shoulders, pushing her body down on his dick. The bed creaks with every heavy thrust. She squirms under him, barely taking the force of the penetration.

Buggy moves his hair out the way, watching her tits bounce at the movement. She's a moaning mess. He smirks, loving the way she's taking his length.

"Say my name. Who owns you?" he asks with a raspy voice.

Y/n could only focus on his big cock pumping inside of her, hitting her core just right. She cannot answer him. Buggy no longer has any patience; he grabs her hair and pulls on it.

"B-Buggy."

"Louder!"

"Buggy!"

The praise was all he needed to fuck her mercifully. His balls slap against her skin as he penetrates her with all his might. Y/n pleads to him to slow down, but Buggy ignores her, letting himself get lost in her tight walls. "Shit, babe," he moans out. It is all too much for him.

His core tightens as he gives his final pumps. He feels it coming and tries to hold back, still fucking her oblivion. With one last thrust, he removes his swollen cock and releases his load all over her abdomen. The hot seed spreads on her sweaty skin. Buggy pants, dropping his heavy body on her.

Y/n tries to catch her breath, her legs shaking from the forceful beating. Buggy lazily kisses her shoulder and rolls next to her. They both laid next to each other, completely drained. Y/n turns to look at Buggy and holds his hand. In that moment, everything felt right. However, one question still lingered on her mind.

"What are we?"

"Whatever you want us to be."

.°˖✧.°˖✧

A/N: I hope you guys could imagine the tightrope scene. I tried my best ;-;

Also, LA Cabaji and Mohji are not talked about enough, they're so fine. Idk that's just me. Now you may be wondering, is y/n a hoe? Eh, but can you blame her? ¬‿¬

P.S. Check my masterlist for more!

[catsi]

What's the rest of Miffys party like?

ohhhh i'm so glad you asked TT__TT yay i have so many images to answer this with. ok. the party are called The Whorlpool, and from left to right in the pic above, the (original*) party consists of: Reno Kaseno, a Lalafell Gunbreaker; Purpetua Deutros, a Miqo'te Arcanist; Miffy, a Viera Black Mage; and Wandering Anchor (aka Anka), a Roegadyn Dragoon/Paladin.

*i say original because they have since inducted a DMNPC into their party: Cardamum Sartorius, an Au'ra Red Mage. she's the daughter of the BBEG! more on her later. also Andymion kind of counts too

Reno Kaseno is the character of my dear friend @doppelgender! Reno is a gambling man from the city of Treno who loves a good card game and hates owing people money. Reno is pragmatic, funny, and easily the heart of the group. he's deeply charismatic and a fantastic liar when he needs to be. Reno's quick thinking and excellent charisma have saved the party's ass on multiple occasions.

Miffy relates to Reno the most out of anyone in the group; they both have people in their life who they feel as though they have allowed to come to great harm as a direct result of their own actions, and their interactions with that person are deeply infected with that guilt. also they're the two best dressers in the group (Anka and Purpetua only have drip because they let Miffy dress them).

Reno's greatest priorities are his friends, his money, and the opinions of others. he has little desire for power and little love for his home.

Purpetua Deutros is played by my lovely gf @purpearls! she is from the spiritual apex of Oaxia, the holy city of Ennewhorl. she is also the spiritual center of the party, and the one with the closest connection to Leviathan (the major deity of this shard).

Purpetua used to be a medic for the Church of the Broken Wave, but used magic to heal a fellow soldier once which was a grave sin in the eyes of the Church. she deserted shortly thereafter and has been feeling like she is trying to atone for her time with the Church since then.

she is easily the most collected member of the party and frequently has to be the voice of reason when the others have terrible or dangerous ideas. though sometimes she has incredibly terrible ideas of her own

Purpetua is compassionate, intelligent, and idealistic. she tries to meet others where they are and connect with them whenever she can. her priorities are her friends and their health, as well as love, praise, and the truth! she has no interest in fame, wealth, or power - she's very pure of heart.

also she and miffy do a lot of dancing around each other sapphically. miffy's constant engagement with evil shit and unethical magic + purpetua's commitment to remaining Moral and Good makes their courtship very interesting lol

the final member of the original party is Anka, who is the character of my good friend @catmanjohnson. Anka is a former pirate who used to intercept and raid Church sea vessels. her original crew sailed on a ship called The Whorlpool, and they disbanded after their captain was killed as the result of a battle. Anka was the one who suggested we name our party 'The Whorlpool'.

Anka is the muscle of the group for sure, and has no problem being the bearer of bad news or causing problems for other people LOL

Anka is confident, aggressive, and EXTREMELY impulsive. she loves drinking and being loud and having a good time (who can blame her!!!). her priorities are her friends, family, and power. things like praise, love, truth, and fame are not major concerns of hers.

also Anka has a necromancer-biochemist now sharing her body who gives her cool powers and nags at her

then there is Cardamum Sartorius (we call her Cardi for short)!! an NPC played by our wonderful dm @whoreofavalon. she is one of the daughters of Saint Sartorius, the leader of the Church of the Broken Wave (the BBEG)

Cardamum originally met the party outside of Leyfall where she pretended to be a nervous young mage who just wanted guidance and safety. she was, in fact, completely intending to betray us and throw Leyfall to the wolves, but our DM said that we treated her so kindly and patiently that they couldn't bear to have her betray us (': so she's part of the party now yaaaay!

Cardi is kind, thoughtful, and far too good for the evil ass family she was born into. she is still trying to figure out who she is in the context of being her own person, but she's doing a great job and we're all rooting for her!! she lets Miffy pick outfits for her also (':

Andymion (also a DMNPC) is technically a member of the Whorlpool too? but he like doesn't come along on our missions or fights or anything so he's not really part of the "party" if that makes sense? Andymion is an intelligent, passionate, generous man who stretches as far as he can to take as many people under his wing as he can. he is well intentioned, and a good person, even if he did break up with his last girlfriend by insisting they move somewhere else together but that she go first, and then sending her a breakup letter via owl once she had settled down. unforgivable.

[swampstew]

KIᒪᒪEᖇᑕOOK - ᑕᕼᗩᑭTEᖇ 9

Welcome to Raven’s Reading Nook - a small corner of this blog dedicated to cozy story times. Join us in the family room as we sit around and browse our phones, and eat some Girl Scout cookies as we begin tonight’s story. Rated Mature for language. Minors DNI

*Phone app notification goes bing bong*

TikTok – KillerCook has uploaded a new video. Check out their page and make sure you turn on notification so you don’t miss any content!

Title: Countless Cupcakes Description: It’s Heat’s birthday! Enjoy this compilation video of us smashing cupcakes in his face. 4 minute, 30 second video. The thumbnail is Heat’s face, covered with a healthy amount of colorful frosting, someone made a smiley face over where his lips would be, his eyes are blazing red.

*Press Play*

“Hello everyone! KillerCook here with some exciting news – one of my best buddies, FlamingHot420, is celebrating his {redacted} years on this planet. So how else can we show him we love him? By smashing cupcakes in his face when he least expects it. Everyone on the crew made a different flavor, some might be boozy, some might have a surprise inside, and some might be edibles. Let’s see how fucked up we can get him! Make sure you wish him a happy birthday in the comments – and only happy birthday – OR ELSE!” Killer’s finger wagged at the camera before he picked up a cupcake. It was wrapped in a metallic blue foil, topped with blue frosting and vertical white chocolate stripes.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY FUCKER!!” the blonde suddenly screamed as he threw his cupcake across the room. The camera panned to follow the baked confection’s trajectory. Flying through the air until it splattered hilariously into the tall, blue haired cutie. His suit and tie t-shirt was immediately covered as frosting dripped from Heat’s face.

With closed eyes, Heat poked his tongue out and licked the ruined treat hanging off his lip. “Hmmm, blueberry with toasted coconut? Damn that’s RICH. What’s the aftertaste I’m getting, white chocolate?”

“You’re not wrong,” Killer mused, pulling a long spoon from the hole in his helmet, licking up frosting from the bowl. “The white chocolate was to mask the weed taste. I forgot how many grams I put in it.”

“Jesus Christ Killer.”

“I’m lying,” Killer whispered to the camera when it panned back to his face. “I know exactly how much I put in it.”

Kid burst into the background wearing several pointed party hats on his head that resembled a spiky bike helmet, bulky stereo perched on his shoulder that was on but not playing anything.

“KID PIRATES – ASSEMBLE!!!!!!!!”

Before Heat could move, more of the crew began filtering into the kitchen space, each one holding a different cupcake in hand, all wearing party hats and mischievous smirks on their faces.

“Ah shit,” Heat’s shoulders slumped, “You’re really gonna make me run on my birthday?”

“Only if you don’t want to get {redacted} {redacted} to {redacted} and {redacted} gang-bang style,” Kid roared with laughter as his own comment.

“KID YOU CAN’T SAY THAT ON CAMERA!” Killer whipped a spatula full of blue frosting at the Captain.

The redhead dodged the creamy frosting and pressed play on the stereo, blaring a popular birthday rap song that made the speakers boom.

“ATTACK!” The redhead grabbed the second cupcake Wire held in his hand, smushing it into Heat’s gaping jaw. The piped red frosting smeared over Heat’s lips, the cake itself crumbling and squeezing through Kid’s hand as he crushed it for maximum mess.

Heat jumped back for space, pushing aside Killer and Jaguar as he raced for the door to the yard, half choking and half going mmmmmmm at the flavor.

“Was that real Fireball whiskey?!” Heat hoarsely cried out as he stumbled through the threshold.

“YOU BETCH’Y’RE ASS IT IS!”

“You guys are gonna kill me!”

With the same rap song laid over the rest of video, the remaining minutes were a compilation of short clips of each member of the crew smashing their cupcake wherever they could reach on the tattooed bluette. Heat would eat whatever remains he could gobble up and call out the flavors as the camera chased behind him, the rest of the crew coming in and out view as they creatively tried to dive bomb and trip the birthday boy so they could throw cake in his face.

“Chocolate Peppermint!”

“Matcha and Cinnamon!”

“Purple…velvet? You can make red velvet purple? Is there a blue velvet?!”

“Death by Chocolate!”

“Pistachio Rosebud? Didn’t expect that from you Pomp.”

“Pink Lemonade? Do I look like a bitch?”

“Margarita alright that’s more like it!”

“ICE CREAM IN THE MIDDLE! HOLY FUCK!”

“Plain vanilla? Really? Are you basic?”

“Caramel Latte? I feel fancy.”

“NO THE PRESENTATION EVEN LOOKS LIKE A MOSCOW MULE DON’T—”

“Carrot cake!”  

“Boston Crème! That is decadent!”

“Bro I love Cinnamon Toast Crunch!!”

“Mimosa? Is it bottomless? No really is there more?”

“CANNOLI?! Mama Mia…”

“You know I’m a sucker for Kahlua, Wire. Easy win you bastard.”

“Cheesecake center? Well damn!”

“DON’T YOU DARE THROW THAT PICKLE LOOKING CONCOCTION AT ME GIG I’LL FUCKING KILL—” *spews it out. *

“It looks like the Grinch. Is it the Grinch? Is that would the Grinch would taste like? He tastes like weed…ooohhhh.”

“Rumchata? Look at you, fancy as fuck, House.”

“Bro the cookie dough presentation, cookie dough frosting, and cookie dough cake flavor is fucking me up. Was that all cooked – none of it was raw right????”

“Is that real marshmallow fluff? Oh it’s s’mores I love that!”

“Is that supposed to be brains? Jesus Christ I don’t wan— oh! It’s raspberry!”

“CHURRO! BITCH I LOVE CHURROS!”

“…That crème brulee frosting looks sus…”

“Pumpkin Spice, hell yeah.”

“Lemon custard!”

“Caramelized Pear? Oh shit that’s divine!”

“Aw it’s my face!” – SPLAT – “Mmm, yes I do feel like if I was a cupcake flavor, I would be Guiness Chocolate. Exquisite.”

The video ends with a repeat of the chorus fading and a still frame of the Kid Pirates laying down on the floor looking drunk and covered in frosting and cake. Heat is in the center, completely passed out. As the video fades to black, KillerCook’s logo floats to the center before the video ends.

Read on Wattpad | Read on AO3

[wall-eye]

Ku! What ate you thoughts on each party members? And Alabaster

Don't tell Al, but I missed that cat. He is very important to Captain, and.... he is important to me too. It wouldn't have just been Captain who'd been devastated if we didn't find him and bring him back with us.

Fawn is one of the bravest people I know, and endlessly full of love. I'm going to do my best to make it so that she and Wager get to be happy together, and live full lives. I admire her ambition and enthusiasm in reaching for and getting what she wants. I wish to be more like her, in that aspect.

Hai has gone through so much, in such a short time. She always does her best, but... I think she deserves to have a rest. To just be. We all do, but she has... gone through a lot. I hope that once we arrive to my home, that she will be able to rest there. Pirate ships, especially ours, aren't known for their long term peace.

Sil.... Sil also needs rest. She has been running off of her first instinct for a long time, and having a space to fall apart and rebuilt herself safely would be good for her. I hope we can be that space for her.

Ephie. I can't wait to see who she will be. Finding themself after the lifetime she has had, where they had to be what She Decided and had no room to be herself for fear of punishment, is going to be a whole new adventure for her. I hope she will allow us to come with her, and know who they will become.

Thank you for the questions. Overall, I love them. They're apart of my family now, and I would do anything for all of them.

[thearcticfoxz]

A list of very normal things about our crew in a D&D pirate campaign:

- We have a hierarchy of captains. Not because multiple people wanted to be captain, for the exact opposite reason. The first captain became captain because no one else wanted to be. The second and third captains became captain because the captain above them in the hierarchy was not there/unconscious, and an NPC referred to them as the captain of the crew. Therefore, because no one wants to be saddled with the role of captain, the rest of the party decides to roll with it.

- One of the party members' mental state is, for some reason, directly proportionate to the state of the ship.

- Another one of the party members is part giant, and because of his ancestory (and also because of a deal he made), he can grow to 20ft tall. This is regularly abused by polymorphing him into a bird and then releasing the spell over enemies so he can fall onto them and crush them.

- The party is indirectly responsible for summoning death in a populated city.

- The druid (me) has accidentally crushed a large amount of people under a party member because she panicked and turned that party member into a whale in the middle of a city.

- Said druid is also the ship's doctor, mostly because no one else can do any healing spells or medical knowledge. This is best exemplified by when said druid was having a prophetic seizure, their best idea was to "turn her off then on again". This manifested by trying to punch her, which missed terribly.

- Our lizardfolk fighter is quite dumb, but his brain grew in size due to time travel. Everyone in the party noticed. Though when the captain mentioned it, the party decided that they, collectively, would pretend that he was always like that.

[airandangels]

Watching The Mandalorian S3EIforget, "The Pirate"

Okay, 44 minutes of a show that's rapidly losing my allegiance, not for being offensive or brutal, just for being kind of dumb and palpably losing interest in its title character. Let's go then.

If this show was going to go with pirates while also being addicted to re-introducing characters from the CG TV shows, I really feel they could've graced our screens with Hondo Ohnaka. But I fundamentally don't want them to keep bringing in characters from the CG shows. The only exception I would make is Rex, because Temuera Morrison, but I would rather still have more Boba, because also Temuera Morrison.

They haven't even tried to re-member the dismembered IG-11 statue.

shiny ass-kissing droid

and now there are pirates

and I just feel like a man in Greef's position -

actually speaking of Greef's position, I love how before skyping the mossy pirate captain, he squares up and puts his hands on his hips like Henry VIII posing for Holbein

- okay, a man in Greef's position, formerly deeply involved with the bounty hunters' guild, ought to have a staff of mercenaries on site in readiness for shit like this. Instead he's as unprepared for the possibility of bad guys with a big ship showing up wanting to take his stuff as Boba was on Tatooine. Presenting these middle-aged guys who have been involved in the underbelly of the galaxy for their whole adult lives as so naïve about the security challenges of running one's own fiefdom during a somewhat lawless period of regime change is such a bizarre choice. Why is everyone in this show so dumb about stuff they should be totally used to? They're not Luke Skywalker coming from the middle of nowhere with starry eyes and feathered hair. Like they should be smarter than me at this type of thing, and I'm a typist from Auckland.

there's a PIRATE NATION taking over the Mid Rim? THAT I ACTUALLY AM SEMI-INTERESTED IN so I bet they won't show it.

Retreat to the lava flats - a large, open area without shelter or cover. Super.

exsqueeze me, Disney+ subtitler, but PSYCHEDELIC ROCK MUSIC PLAYING?

well, the krill farmers are still pumping out the blue juice, I see. And here's a nice Korean Canadian dad - you know what? I feel like Captain Teva is here to provide the Papa Smurf beard that Rex is not onscreen to give us.

Okay, so just as apparently Ragnar just hung out in a dinosaur's crop totally uninjured for 12 hours minimum while a search party stopped to rest overnight on their way to him, Mr Kim has time to travel to Coruscant and try to get a meeting with his superiors while Nevarro is under active pirate attack. He doesn't say "screw it, time is of the essence, I'll render aid and take the consequences." This show's idea of time in rescue situations is bizarre.

Who else feels like this fucking boring New Republic plotline was supposed to be part of the Rangers show that presumably Cara Dune would have headed up if the actress hadn't insisted on being a douchebag on Twitter? And now they're just trying to fold it into The Mandalorian. I resent it.

You know, when I heard the name Tuttle I had a brief feverish flowering of hope that a M*A*S*H tribute about the insanity of military bureaucracy might be in the works, but then it withered.

I know this guy from somewhere, somewhere relatively recent, but I am unable to place him. I am not interested enough to look him up.

I'm so irritated by the lazy cynicism of "If the Rebellion got into power they'd be useless." They're not the Democrats.

so now everyone's just wandering around in the blazing sunlight on hot black lava flats. Sorry Greef, your planet sucks.

And now... is this Jurassic Planet? yep, so I hope he doesn't get eaten by a serpent while he's here. Dude. Sir. You're standing so close to the bay that the mosasaurs like to pop out of. You've got your back to it. Please.

please help me

why does Paz address Teva as "Blue Boy"? He is dressed from neck to ankle in the most garish orange. Paz's own armour is predominantly blue. Is he fucking colour-blind?

Why does the Disney+ subtitler still head up Din's dialogue as "THE MANDALORIAN" when we've known for actual years that his name is Din Djarin?

they pride themselves on their secrecy... and their idiocy.

You know, this would never have happened if you'd stuck with your plan of repairing IG-11. He was no snitch.

Din calls him "Blue" too! HE IS DRESSED IN ORANGE

I CANNOT RECALL THE COLOUR BLUE EVER BEING SIGNIFICANTLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE REBELLION OR NEW REPUBLIC

HE HAS SOME BLUE STENCILS ON HIS HELMET BUT HE DELIBERATELY TOOK THAT OFF AND LEFT IT IN HIS SHIP WHEN HE GOT OUT TO PARLEY SO DIN AND PAZ CAN'T SEE IT

anyway BK's doing her swaggery walk again and while we're at it WHO ELSE PROMINENTLY WEARS BLUE?

and now we're going to have a long, leisurely meeting to discuss because what is time? what is urgency?

"and our children can feel what it is to play in the sunlight" - which we already let them do because we take absolutely no safety precautions about living right next to a bay where dinosaurs regularly pop out of the water or swoop from the sky to devour our young

"Does anyone else wish to speak?" No, because we are all just elaborately dressed extras. We know our place.

I'm... skipping stuff.

So the pirates are boozing it up in the school, like they wanted to. I'm happy that someone got what they wanted.

I like that one warthog pirate!

Did a Salacious B. Crumb monkey just tip off the Mandos?

I know they want me to be excited for the big battle, I know they do... I'm just too grumpy. I have a glass of wine, though, so that's good. Recognisable salmon pink in colour, The Ned Pinot Gris 2022 showcases classic aromas of quince, pear drop and vibrant stonefruit. The palate is lush with juicy nectarine and Braeburn flavours supported by an underlying hint of spice that leads to an unctuous ripe finish. A versatile wine when it comes to food matching with its notable fruitiness and gentle acidity. Try pairing this silky wine with succulent chicken thighs added to a creamy, lemon fettuccine pasta sauce.

you know, I don't usually tolerate words like unctuous and succulent being thrust at me by a mere product description, but I'll allow it

So... there wasn't much point to the mossy pirate at all, was there? Unless he bailed out with a parachute, he blowed up.

yes, the Anzellans are very cute. Always a pleasure to see them.

You know why I have a problem with this effort to do a whole thing about Bo-Katan and reuniting Mandalore and everything? It's the problem of trying to link up with the sequels, which were made before The Mandalorian was a consideration and gave absolutely no hint that the Mandalorians were a consideration either. Did they just "retake Mandalore" and then become totally isolationist, neither fighting the First Order nor supporting the Resistance? Did they get wiped out for keeps? Where were they when shit went down? You don't have to engage with that if you're prepared to just tell a small story of one dude and his kid, and a personal saga of family and faith, friendship and love, but once you commit to doing a big political historical story, you've gotta and it seems doomed to be unsatisfactory.

anyway if people are just whipping their helmets off now I reckon Din should pop back to Tatooine and show Cobb his smile

[talesofdricarro]

Tales Of Dracarrio: Act 2: Session 1 Recap

Deep within the reaches of space where the Gods themselves can never reach, a ship carrying 2 convicts on a voyage to the planet of Dricarro. It is there where the Federations plan to end the lives of these two individuals for crimes they do not yet know the severity of. Poblo, a shifty gnome was sadly caught in the biggest heist of his career. But even masters make mistakes and await his destiny alongside his hard skinned cellmate. A Thri Kreen Samura, chained to a federation ship for a crime he has very little idea of. And as the days turn into weeks, a light begins to form inside their Cell.

Far from the lands of Kansas City Kansas is a boy who was taken from his suburban lifestyle and thrown into a dark and dreadful portal. But a light broke through the endless void, cutting the boy free and imbuing him with magical powers. As his body shoots through the cosmos, he appears directly between the two prisoners. Dazed and confused, Kyle, Julio and the bug known as The Wanderer were brought together by mysterious circumstances.

It’s not long until the guards flood into the brig and interrogate this cosmic intruder. And who else to lead these lines of questioning by none other than Captain Craydon. But before any answers can be drawn, the ship is attacked by pirates. A large boom shakes the ship and the lights go out. As guards leave the brig and flood into the halls of the ship, within the darkness a bright red light shines through the room and into the halls. Emergency power kicks in and everything begins to work again. Except the Cells energy field and the chains keeping the prisoners bound.

With their freedom, our three heroes manage to find their way into the storage room where the two prisoners had their valuables taken from them and stored away. They both found all that was theirs except for The Wanderers katanas. Furious that the Federation misplaced his weapons of choice, he stomps off and rushes down the hall, passing a threshold where Kyle was keeping an eye out for. Down this hallway that The Wanderer rushed past were two pirates. And with the loud noise attracted aggression from these two. Kyle and Julio stood ready for their first fight for freedom, but as The Wanderer rounded a corner, he ran into two goblin pirates that were playing with his katanas. The Wanderer spent no time taking out these little green thieves, while Kyle and Julio weren’t so lucky. After suffering a devastating blow from one of the pirates, Julio was on his last leg. And with a mighty swing from Kyle, gave Julio a concussion with his Etsy bought flail to the back of the head. It was hard, but they managed to survive their first encounter, letting one of the pirates run off to what they assumed was a trap. After healing up and looting the various rooms around them, Kyle, Julio and the Wanderer made their way to the command deck where the captain and 2 other crew members were fighting off more pirates.

Not being spotted yet, Julio took this opportunity to sneak up on one of the archers and take him out quietly, but misses entirely, causing everyone to notice them except for The Wanderer, who at this point hasn’t said a word to either of them. The fight was long but the victory was achieved. Julio and Kyle helped as much as they could to fight off the remaining pirates and The Wanderer stood back and watched, only until finding an opportunity to strike at the last minute alongside the captain himself. With one enemy remaining and dropping his weapon in surrender, the Captain orders The Wanderer and Kyle to execute the pirate, which they do without remorse.

Captain Craydon, impressed with their choice to help out in the fight, offered the party freedom if they helped in cleansing the rest of the ship of pirate scum. With no other choice, the party accepts. But it’s here when things begin to unravel. A pulse of magical energy shoots through the entire ship, forcing everyone to rewind 5 minutes in time. Now standing where they were 5 minutes ago, the captain changes his expression from stern to concern.

“You all need to follow me, now!” He barked at the remaining crew members as well as the party as he rushed back down the hall where they came from. Taking a turn where they let the previous pirate go, they run into a large room with a giant dome-like machine in the center. Cracks within the machine's design glow a bright blue as it begins to move and unseal. A door is revealed as the party witnesses the remaining pirates on board the ship be granted entrance to what’s inside this machine. As all members flood into the room, they all get a glimpse of what is inside this dome. An artifact pulsing the same magical energy, suspended in the center of the dome as their vision begins to come into focus. The pirates don’t seem to pay them any attention or know that they’re there. Unable to move, before they can react, another large wave of energy shocks the room. At this moment, Julio begins to see visions. Visions of the room he’s currently in. He can see himself as well as the rest of the people here but with different outcomes. He sees himself dead in one of them as well as the others. The fabric of time and reality begin to break down within Julio’s mind. And within an instant, everyone is sent back in time again 5 minutes earlier. Now back in the room they were in previously, the captain begins to panic but steals himself. A sudden jerk of the ship is felt by all and attention is brought to the windows of the command room.

“We have arrived…” the Captain proclaims as he steps up to a console.

Each of the members look out into the reaches of space and are greeted with their ship's destination. The planet of Dricarro. Only, there is a slight issue. Just as they gaze at the majesty of the big blue sphere, a giant land mass begins to peer over the planet's horizon. Moments pass as each of the party members try to make heads or tales of what they are witnesses to. Above this planet is a chunk of land suspended within the planet's orbit. Within this land mass is a large continent of various regions. Grasslands, mountain ranges, frozen tundras and scorching deserts. And as this land mass orbits the planet, the glint of a large dome can just be seen as the light from the sun makes it more apparent. But before any questions can be asked, a sudden pulse shakes out through space coming from this orbiting land mass. What looks like pure magic and star light, just above the dome protecting this floating chunk of rock forms a large cosmic dragon made of pure magic energy. It rests above the dome like a dragon would hoard its treasure. The dragon begins to raise its head and stare right at the ship our party is aboard. Shocked, confused, and unable to do anything, the party feels one more shake of the ship and all power goes out. The ship is now in a free fall. Julio and The Wanderer strap themselves in a chair while Kyle latches onto Captain Craydon. Sparks and flashing lights fill the room as they approach the dome covering this floating island.

The ship passes through the magical barrier with a violent shake and Kyle loses his grip. But luckily Captain Craydon catches Kyle by his ankle. Looking up, Kyle notices that the once void black color of space is now a bright blue as his gaze is forced to look back at the hallway they originally came from. The entire ship is gone and all that remains is the room they are all currently in. It’s not long until mountain ranges and trees zip past this speeding ship. And with a violent crash, it’s over.

The only people left alive aboard what’s left of the ship are The Wanderer, Kyle, and Julio, while The Wanderer is the only one to remain awake after the crash. Stranded on a strange floating island in space. The ship they came in on appeared to have got itself stuck in vines and tree branches. The Wanderer gathered his surroundings and noticed shortly after they landed, deep off in the horizon, 4 mushroom clouds could be seen, brightening the already bright blue sky. Looking back at his unconscious companions, he wonders if he should leave them behind. But even he knows wandering an unknown land can be dangerous, so he chooses to wait. And as he waited, he could feel the rumble of 4 large quakes within the land. And as the day turned into night, his companions began to wake. Lost, injured, and more importantly hungry, they make the obvious choice to descend into the jungle and find out if there is anyone they could turn to for help.

As they wandered the jungle in the dead of night, they ran into a group of adventurers by a campfire. Unable to sneak up on them due to Kyle’s Etsy bought chainmail, Julio had no choice but to buy his way into getting information out of these adventures. After getting what they need, a name to a town and where to go, Kyle asks the campers if they know who Zeus the God of Thunder is. Julio promptly grabs Kyle by the wrist and drags him into the night. Hours pass and the weather begins to worsen. A thunderstorm hits the party hard, forcing them to find shelter. Kyle spots a rotting shack within the brush and they rush inside to find a sentient friendly flower. Annoyed by its voice, Julio snips the flower's head off. Kyle rushes to the corpse of the flower to try and heal the freshly dead flower. Reviving it for only a few seconds and then dying again. He repeats this several times until the flower screams in pain to let him die. Kyle and Julio argue while The Wanderer stands out in the rain, annoyed at the situation he is in.

Later that night as they sleep through the storm, they are attacked by a wild Lizard man. Wanderer suffers a nasty bite to the neck from the beast, but they manage to fight off the monster and take the look he had on him.

The next morning they find a man hitting a tree with a sword out of frustration. The party learns that this man is named Gert and his wife says that he’s not a good swordsman and that he should just give up and continue his fishing business. Julio fails to try and cheer him up and The Wanderer says that he should just give up on his dreams. Sad and shameful of himself, Gert drops his sword in the mud and sulks off into the jungle. Julio, annoyed at the situation, takes out his bow and aims it at Gerts back. Only to be disrupted by Kyle, Julio shoots off an arrow and it ricochets off several trees and rocks and sticks right into Julio’s knee. The feat was so inspiring to Gert that he now has dreams of becoming a legendary bowman instead of a swordsman. Kyle and Julio argue again while The Wanderer laughs and they head back down the path towards town. It's not long after this encounter that they all make it to the humble town of Lolita. Most if not all the residents of this town are Kobolds. Dog like humanoids wearing rice hats and common wear for this town's culture. It's midday and the main street where our party finds themselves is crowded with the residents of Lolita in what the party figures out is the main shopping district. But this doesn’t stop Julio, who manages to find a black smith through the dense crowd. After using their items and gold they found on their wild adventure the night previous, the party finds themselves in a bar. The Wanderer instantly begins to order a massive amount of drinks and sits at the bar, not really talking to the friendly bartender or any of the other patrons surrounding him.

Julio however had other plans. He managed to get some information out of the bartender and learned that the Shogun of this town is looking for help. Thinking this could be an amazing opportunity not just for the party but for himself, he stands up and marches towards the shogun's palace while Kyle follows. As he steps into the Shogun's palace, he is greeted by a long entrance hall. Bright red pillars lift the room higher than he could imagine. Ornate and vibrant designs fill the room in glorious patterns, leading his eyes right towards the end of the hall. There the large Shogun sits. Another Kobold wearing what Julio can assume is the outfit of royalty. Julio as he approaches, he greets himself with manners and gets straight to the point. After a few minutes of talking, Julio has managed to get a quest with a reward too big to refuse. As well as possible leverage within this town. Satisfied, Julio and Kyle make their way back to the bar where they left The Wanderer. Sitting down at the bar, they all make a toast with their bartender. Fate has brought these three individuals from across time and space. Crash landing on a strange land with an even stranger mystery to uncover. Will they manage to achieve their goals unscathed? Or will this world send them to an early grave. Only time will tell.

[casspurrjoybell-21]

Pirate Chains - Volume 1 - Strong Tides

*Warning Adult Content*

Chapter 13 - Sweet Confusion - Part 1

Nyx

We awoke a few hours later, the sunlight still pouring in through the window. I couldn't help but feel my cheeks flush a deep red. It was so embarrassing to wake up entangled in each other's arms, especially with our faces so close together. And to make matters worse, I realized that I was completely naked. I quickly searched for my pants and scrambled out of bed to retrieve them. As I bent over to grab my pants, Agenor's voice startled me...

"Nice view... if you bend over more, we'd finish what we started earlier..."

I groaned in annoyance, trying to hide my embarrassment. I looked back at him. He lay on his right side. His head rested in his palm. His black hair traced his neckline and fell on his chest. Involuntarily, I slowly followed his abs down to his lower abdomen then to one perfect V... He had his right leg stretched beautifully on the dark sheets. His left leg though, it was half folded and his knee aimed for the ceiling making a perfect demi-plié. And... his member rested on his right inner thigh... I felt a thump in my heart as I mentally took a step back to admire his sexy pose all together...

But his perfection was spoiled by a blue mark on the side of his nose. It's the punch I threw earlier. I hope he doesn't walk by any mirrors... I couldn't help but feel confused. How could I be admiring my captor, someone who took me and keeps me against my will? His chuckle brought me back to reality. He had the most annoying smirk ever and his eyebrow was raised as to tease me and accuse me of watching his nude body. I was confused about how I felt, admiring my captor's body and at the same time feeling embarrassed.

I instantly looked away, pretending not to care but my blushing face exposed me and Agenor gave into one of his evil victorious laughs. I hustled to wear my pants, I had one leg of the pants up to my right knee when suddenly the door of the cabin opened without any warning. I instantly dropped to the floor and used the bed as a cover. I landed right on my bare ass and groaned as Agenor amused us with more of his arrogant laughs.

"Nyx, you're awake? NYX..."

'God, it's Maren.'

"Captain, where's Nyx?"

"Hiding. Looks like he doesn't want to talk to you, Maren."

"I'm here."

I lean on the bed and show my upper half.

"Hello, Maren. Sorry, I tripped."

I continued to fight with my loose pants but as I looked over, I saw that Agenor didn't even flinch. He just lay there, unabashedly displaying his bare ass towards the door.

"God, Agenor. You're indecent, cover yourself."

I grabbed the end of the bedsheet and threw it over his waist.

"Relax," Agenor said with a smirk.

Maren rushed in...

"Hey! Is this a nude party? I want in."

"What? See what example you're setting for him. He's still a kid, for God's sake," I muttered under my breath.

"You're shameless."

"A kid. Maren?" he laughed boorishly.

"He's been on more pirate ships than I have. Believe me, he has seen more than you could ever imagine."

"Still. You should have some dignity."

"I have plenty of dignity. In fact, I have such a massive amount of dignity that I'm not afraid to show it," he said with a wicked piercing look that made my blood rush to my face.

Why was I the one blushing? I grabbed Agenor's pants from the previous day and threw them at his face to shut him up. Maren just stood there, clearly amused by the banter between Agenor and me.

"You two seem to be getting along well," he grinned.

"Of course, we are," Agenor replied, stretching his arms behind his head.

"We've been through a lot together."

As Agenor chuckled at my embarrassment, he couldn't resist teasing me further.

"By the way, Nyx, your pants are still undone," he said with a sly grin. Mortified, I glanced down and quickly tied them up as Maren joined in with his own amused laughter.

Just as I thought things couldn't get any more bizarre, I turned to face Maren only to find him half-naked with his shirt in hand.

"Maren. Put your shirt back on," I scolded, feeling more exasperated by the minute.

"What? I want a naked party. I miss those... Captain, we should all do it. Remember Captain Kier?" he exclaimed, grinning mischievously.

"Aye, that asshole," Agenor muttered, his tone dripping with contempt.

Maren's eyes sparkled with delight as he reminisced...

"After successful raids, he used to invite women on board and we'd all get naked and spend the evening quaffing booze."

"Lord, he was a pain in the ass," Agenor grumbled.

"What an irresponsible Captain he was. That behavior of his was what brought him down."

I was surprised by Agenor's reaction. Perhaps he was capable of considering the well-being of his crew after all. Agenor continued...

"Bringing women on board is a bad omen. It's asking for trouble."

"That's what bothered you," I exclaimed with disbelief.

"God, you're hopeless."

I turned to Maren and said...

"Please put your shirt on. It's still chilly outside."

Maren's voice cut through the tension.

"I'm fine, Nyx. Pirates are used to hellish weather conditions. It's you who should be careful since you're not used to living on a ship and all."

I couldn't help but fire back at Agenor.

"Well, tell that to your Captain."

Agenor looked bewildered.

"What did I do?"

I didn't hold back.

"You're an asshole."

I could feel Maren's shoulders tense up at my words but I didn't care. Agenor deserved to be called out.

"You chain me here with nothing but oversized pants to wear."

Agenor smirked in response.

"You could grab something from one of the boxes near you. But I guess you've come to like walking half-naked around me, haven't you, Nyx?"

His insinuation made my cheeks flush with embarrassment. My eyes widened in disbelief. Did Agenor just insinuate dirty talk in front of Maren? I couldn't believe this unprincipled pirate's audacity.

"I don't. And I don't touch other people's belongings," I snapped back at him.

"What? You really didn't open any of those boxes?" Agenor asked, clearly surprised.

"Do I look like someone who'd disrespect other people's privacy?"

I replied, trying to keep my tone steady.

For a moment, Agenor's usual smirk and arrogance disappeared. I saw a flicker of surprise in his eyes. It was rare for me to come out on top in a conversation with him and I was determined to score some points.

"I'm not like you, Captain," I added, feeling a sense of satisfaction wash over me.

[songofnoheart]

"Oh yeah! Jean Bart-san!" The skeleton snapped his fingers, remembering the hulking man that has been partying with them for a while now. "I see, that must have been such a relief for him!" Brook smiled. The musician himself felt incredibly lucky that when building Thousand Sunny, Franky didn't skimp out on the wood and made the ceilings tall enough for the lengthy skeleton to feel comfortable. Though some doorframes were still a little small, but Brook wasn't the one to complain.

"Yohohoho! Oh, we angered Big Mom waaaaay before we came to Whole Cake Island!" The old pirate shook his head. "Would you believe it, Luffy managed to start a war with her back at fishman island!" The skeleton wasn't there to witness it himself, but the tearful story he heard from the members of his crew left quite an impression on him. Brook sighed. "We've been jumping from one troublesome situation to another, constantly on edge ever since Punk Hazard in fact... Ever since we have encountered your captain actually!" The skeleton softly nudged Ikkaku with his elbow in a teasing manner.

"Well, Luffy-san is certainly having all the fun he can and the rest of us... We are just relaxing before the final stretch, I suppose. The target on our backs, as you say, will become even larger as we set off towards Raftel. And after that? We will probably be the biggest reddest target in the whole wide world! Yohohohoho! But I suppose I sound a bit too optimistic there."

"Oh, how dare they tell you to cut it off! Your hair is absolutely gorgeous!" The old pirate shook his head.

The skeleton paused as Ikkaku made her assumption. A slightly sad look on his face as he gently held the rest of onigiri in his hand. "Oh, well, that too, of course. But the main reason is different. You see, there is someone out there on the other side of the world that is waiting for my arrival. I am making my way to him as we go, but I also realize that... I am quite hard to recognize now that my face has no flesh on it. This afro is the only thing that's left that might remind him of my old self. He liked this afro very much and... As long as I have it, I feel like he will always recognize me."

The musician looked at the mechanic with a gentle smile. "Plus, I would look positively goofy without it! A bald skeleton! Now that's absolutely ridiculous, don't you think?"

"Yohoho! Is that so? I am sorry for assuming!" The skeleton chuckled. "It is pleasing to know that someone has gone through the same thing as myself! ...Uh, hair-wise." He added.

Brook obediently followed Ikkaku through the metallic corridors. Looking around he noted that he didn't have to bend once to get into doorframes or fit into a hallway. "Hoya! What a pleasant surprise. Your lovely ship is big enough for me to stretch! That is truly rare." Many other ships he has been to would force the tall musician to constantly remain in the bent position. He didn't complain about it, but it was definitely a killer on his backbone.

The old pirate took the ingredients from Ikkaku in a gentlemanly gesture. He wouldn't allow a lady to carry all the stuff on her own, especially since she was doing him a favor. Brook beamed and waved at the two other men in the kitchen, before redirecting his attention towards the beautiful mechanic again. "Yohohoho! I would imagine! And no offense taken! Trao-san seemed very frustrated with Luffy-san a lot of times. Not that I can blame him, he was so very meticulous about his super important plans of revenge and our captain turned things upside down every step of the way." Brook nodded with an understanding look.

"Himself and your crew definitely deserve a huge break! You've been through so much and had to manage without your captain for months! It must have been tough." The skeleton assumed, handing the ingredients to the mechanic one by one. "Oh, well, and the whole Onigashima fight as well. Everyone must be awfully exhausted!" Brook as usual thought more about the plights of others than himself. He could use a break as well, considering that he was on the team that happened to fight one yonko right after another.

With his hand, trained for a quick draw, the musician snuck an onigiri from the big pile that the other Heart Pirates were making and bit into it. "Nom... Pardon for the additional request, but when you put the mask on, could you perhaps check for any burnt patches for me, Ikkaku-san? I've been worried about those ever since I was attacked by Prometheus the first time."

[valtsv]

omg please tell us about your first dnd character (if you want ofc)

so my first dnd character was a homebrew half-siren named Nephthys Varuna (Neph or Neff for short). they were a rogue (swashbuckler subclass) with a couple of charm spells at their disposal due to their siren heritage. in their backstory they had been the child of a lighthouse keeper who was seduced by a siren, who abandoned the resulting child at his doorstep when they were born. they had human siblings, all of whom were kidnapped by pirates along with them and their father. Neph escaped captivity by charming some of the crew and leading a mutiny against the ship's captain, and was able to free their siblings, but was unable to find their father and has been searching for him ever since. they also couldn't go home with their siblings as by defeating the pirate captain they inherited his cursed sword, Deadman's Cutlass, a sword that deals necrotic damage alongside standard piercing damage, making it incredibly handy in a fight, but also binds to the life force of its wielder, meaning they physically cannot be parted from it without it causing immense pain and eventually death, and which can only be wielded by the person who kills the previous owner (anyone else will take necrotic damage for every turn that they wield it in combat, or over a period of time if they hold it passively), making it a dangerous item to carry, and turning whoever carries it into a dangerous person themself due to the paranoia and defensiveness keeping it leads to.

Neph was the party's 'antihero' character; although they liked the others well enough they were the most willing to disregard conventional morality and ethics and go against the other members' principles in order to achieve their and the party's goals (at one point, for example, they tortured a merchant for information because it was taking too long to intimidate her - she was an antagonist, but what Neph did to her was still awful, and the woman lost several fingers to necrotic damage). this was partly due to their difficult history spent fighting to survive and moral outlook based on their life as a pirate captain, a role they were unwillingly thrust into but which they had learned to accept the dirty reality of, but also partly because as a half-siren they possessed some instinctual traits of an ocean predator. the rest of the party did work towards trying to put them on the path to redemption, and Neph did improve as a person over the course of our campaign, but they never entirely lost that darker side, and when our campaign ended they chose to join their siren brethren in the ocean as they felt they couldn't deny their true nature as a creature motivated by bloodlust and survival of the fittest, and took the sword with them below the waves where it would have less chance of falling into the wrong hands.