Day 2 - "Kid" Pirates

Fri Oct 27

Doodles from the last week. I might clean some of them up and scan them properly but ive always been bad at that part... pencil sketch is my strong suit.

I also have about 25k of fanfic of these losers(affectionate) typed and 50 pages of untyped fic in my notebook from this month. I wasn't joking when i said the creativity dam burst recently. There's also more doodles in that notebook too.

5. Laugh

Kidd - 20 | Killer - 24 | Heat - 25 | Wire - 26

Tags specifically for this chapter:

Violence | Death

minor little reference to food scarcity

Outsiders think Killer is the safest one to make fun of

because he'd not as intimidating at first appearance

that's their mistake

Read at A03 linked above or here below cut

Drabbles from Pocket Jack's KiKi-tober Prompt list

"Why aren't you laughing anymore? Here I was under the impression you thought our vice captain was funny?"

Wire was already a towering man, and his face was perpetually set to an expression of not giving any fucks. He was still wearing that bored look as he knelt down next to one of the horrified men that was pinned down by a trident prong through his leg.

Out of the four of them, Wire was never really sure why Boss Killer seemed to generate the most whispers and mockery when they went out on the town. He was almost normal looking compared to the rest of them, even if he was a little on the shorter side, and personally Wire thought he was still too skinny. And yet...

He hadn't even taken his helmet off this time when the captain of the man now pinned under his weapon had made a wisecrack about it when the barmaid had arrived with the first round of their food. Captain Kidd had heard it, teeth grinding when he turned to glare, but remained where he was when the woman made a frightened sound next to him and nearly dropped one of the plates. Heat had caught it, no harm no foul, and she'd run back out of miasma of brewing tension that was filling the tavern.

However, Boss Killer just pushed his untouched plate of fettuccine at Captain with a shrug, muttering something about not being hungry. Which was not necessarily unusual, as both he and Heat had noticed that Boss Killer tended to order extra food specifically for Captain in some weird dynamic they had where Heat was pretty sure he was trying to trick Captain to a more balanced diet. In general, the Kidd Pirates had all dealt with some from of food scarcity and still had the habits of never wasting it, even if it wasn't something they particularly liked to eat. Captain Kidd was still the best reflection of that - he would eat anything put in front of him, even if he bitched about it the whole time.

"Don't know why they even bother bringing a plate out for the toy solider," one of the men at the other table had remarked, followed by ruckus laughter.

Captain had nearly snapped his fork in half, but Boss Killer calmly rose first. The two of them shared a look, before Captain relaxed, sitting back in his chair. He calmly looked around the room, and caught the barmaid's attention. She looked like coming over to see what he wanted was the last thing she wanted to do; and instead of beckoning her over, Captain Kidd held up a hand to shoo her away.

She grabbed the bartender and the two of them disappeared to the back of the house with the cook.

Smart woman.

One of the men laughing had gotten up to make like he was stiffly marching in place, and Wire admitted, he did look like those little trinkets some of the winter islands like to sell that was dressed up like a rank and file solider. He didn't really understand why they thought that a good insult for Boss Killer unless they though his mask implied he was some kind of animatron.

Boss Killer strode over, not pausing for a second in his forced casual saunter, and grabbed the back of the man's head and slamming it down amongst the half empty plates of his laughing crew.

The whole tavern was so quiet a pin drop could be heard. Boss Killer said absolutely nothing in his own defense, turning pointedly to turn to the crew's supposed captain. The man's face was twisted red and furious, spurting as he failed to form words.

"Laugh," Captain demanded, "My toy solider did something funny, after all."

Heat chuckled at least, stretching out his neck and shoulders, preparing for the fight to come. Wire causally finished eating the last bit of his diner.

Boss Killer let go of the twitching man on the table, standing up straight over the table's leader, daring him to retaliate.

The man took the bait, pulling a pistol from his hip; Captain narrowed his eyes, but Boss Killer was faster, twisting around so the bullet passed harmlessly by and smashing his knee into the man's temple.

And the fight was truly on, Captain flinging the metal silverware out as impromptu shrapnel as he casually got up to cover Boss Killer's back, Heat bouncing up on their own table to kick a plate across the way and into one of them who'd been laughing's face. Wire grabbed his trident from where it had been resting out of the way by the wall, and used the pole to bat one of the angry men away with a blow to the face.

And then the tavern devolved into blood-lust and chaos. Apparently it wasn't just the two of their groups that had beef with each other and fights between other groups started immediately.

So long as they didn't get involved with theirs, Wire thought dryly.

And with little overlap they had not. Those who'd laughed at the mocking found themselves being turned around and shoved right back at the foursome when they tried to use the havoc to sneak away; The Kidd pirates had clearly called dibs and no one was too interested in meddling in that.

It was a great brawl. But, like all fights, a man's stamina only lasted so long, and the price of laughter had finally been paid.

Now the fighting had continued out into the streets, but that was someone else's business at the point, The Kidd Pirates having proven their point and dealt with those who'd harassed them; the rest was all the other parties, and Wire hoped they enjoyed their night as sounds of the brawl faded into the night.

The hall was in shambles, a massacre with abandoned corpses scattered about, and Captain Kidd frowned, dropping a few more gold coins on the abandoned bar counter as he helped himself to another bottle or four of whiskey, plopping them down at their original table and kicking his chair back upright.

Wire absently-mindedly tapped his weapon on the ground to try knock some of the blood and gore off the ends, before retaking his seat, Heat back at his side, legs crossed under him, looking content.

However, once Boss Killer sat back down, Captain dropped a bare palm to the top of the helmet. The two said nothing for a moment, Heat coughing as he found anything else to look at for the time being, and Wire glanced around to confirm they were really alone.

"fwa.. Fine." Boss Killer chuckled, "Whatever Captain wants," and let Captain pull the metal off, ducking his head down and messing with his bangs once it was free, trying to tame them back from the sweaty mess they'd clumped up in.

"Eat your fucking pasta." Captain said as he set the helmet on the table, fishing through the assorted tableware until he found a fork that was probably clean - or at least hadn't been one used to murder anyone in the last hour, and stabbing into Boss Killer's discarded fettuccine with it.

30. Tears

Kidd - 17 | Victoria 22

Tags specifically for this chapter:

Victoria's death

Read at A03 linked above or here below cut

Drabbles from Pocket Jack's KiKi-tober Prompt list

He knows her.

Well.. he knew her.

Kidd stares at the body, still partially buried in garbage.

Hip and Hop are quiet behind him, solemn and still.

Its bad enough someone murdered this woman. Then they brought her out to his turf and threw her away.

Like trash.

Before Kidd took over, bodies got dumps in the Heaps all the time. He'd put a stop to that years ago.

But then someone decided that they could waltz in and do as they liked. Very few had the egos for it. Only one group on the island still  willing to openly disrespect him like this.

It wasn't just that it was a body. It wasn't just some poor soul that was discarded to prove a point.

But that was Victoria.

It had been four years. Last time he'd seen her she'd been so upset she'd left crying, and never looked back.

He'd never shed a tear for her leaving.

He's shedding them now.

Compo had gently taken his elbow, as if to lead him away. He jerks himself free, stumbling closer to the body.

They brutalized her, her face bloody, body broken. Her neck is broken, deep dark marks, a solid thick line left by a belt. Burned her and cut her and broke her. Stripped her bare and threw her away.

He's struggling out of his coat, tries to cover her, give her some dignity back.

"Boss," Boogie is murmuring at his side - no ... above him... as Kidd sinks to his knees. He doesn't know what to do; He can't do anything. She's already dead.

Kidd looks over the scrapyard, the Heaps, His Realm. His Domain. And none of that mattered, because Victoria is dead and nothing he's accomplished stopped it from happening. Nothing he's done will keep the next person from being thrown away by Kutsukku's undercity.

He looks to the city, taunting him, just as tall and imposing as it's been his whole life. Mocking him with things he's never allowed to have. Things it's gladly ripped away from even it own people - not because they've done something wrong - but that they've gotten in the way of the boss' games.

Kidd's going to burn it to the ground.

6 books folded. They’ll go in the press next time I go upstairs #bookmaking #bookbinding https://www.instagram.com/p/CFTWfg4ll_F/?igshid=mnl8u9dvthvb

So life is a bit up and down right now, so I'm probably going to be taking a bit of a hiatus again at least as far as polishing up or finishing anything

Im going to still try and keep the sketches going on @mekachuo4 and sharing and rebloging other one piece art and general silliness over on @soyala04

Take care y'all and ill be back soon, dont worry =^.^=

Done for the Good Omens Holiday Swap 2019. I was lucky enough to be chosen to create for the awesome @holycatsandrabbits (go read her fic omg). These were done for the requested prompts: Crowley awake while holding a sleeping Aziraphale and Aziraphale & Crowley with halos and wings. Yes I did two, I am weak.

Cross-stitch on 32 canvas pikachu image edited from Pokemon dreamworld. Used in conjunction with stitchfiddle.com. Next step is to turn it unto a small wallet 8 colours. 4 1/2 inches by 3 3/4 inches (145 x 120 stitches)

XPosted To DA and Newgrounds

Gloria, you’re always on the run now

St. Louis Blues win the Western Conference final

31. 磁気

Kidd - 6 | Killer - 10

Tags specifically for this chapter:

Killer watches a public execution

one that turns rather gruesome in the end

Killer steals food/money

brief mentions of food scarcity

Kidd gets first dibs on the pilfered goods

Read at A03 linked above or here below cut

Drabbles from Pocket Jack's KiKi-tober Prompt list

Killer had learned long ago that public executions were one of the best times to steal things - not just from the shops, but lifting money right out of people pockets; adults to wrapped up in the brutal displays to care much about his tiny wandering fingers.

And while Kidd was great and begging, and a perfect distraction for Killer's thieving the rest of the time, big groups like today's had Killer feeling uneasy, and the boy was left to play in the Heaps alone.

With pockets stuffed and a bag of fresh fruit and bread sung over his shoulder, Killer was ready to skulk back to the safety of the junk yards when another cheer went up in the crowd. He heard someone making some kind of announcement, but couldn't really understand it. The crowd seemed to because the cheering was deafening.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Killer climbed up onto the low roofs of a shop patio and tried to understand what had everyone so wound up.

There was a man in a white uniform on the center stage, and some of the men Killer recognized from the City Guard dumping water on him. Everyone cheered when they did.

"Seanmhair,” he called over to one of the women standing off on her own in a balcony above him, "Who is that man?"

She wore a large smile, beaming down at him with her round face, "Marines sent another of of their devil fruit men to bring us to heel. Poor bastard thought we'd be an easy mark with the Heaps - guess he forgot just how much lead they dump on us." She cackled.

Killer didn't really understand what she meant, but she clearly found it funny, so he laughed too.

"Why do they keep pouring water on him?" He'd watched people bigger than him die face down in a barrel of water, but to keep upended it on the Marine-man confused him.

"Seawater dear," the woman explained kindly, gesturing him to climb up and watch from her railing, "When you steal power from the sea, she never stops trying to take it back. Makes devil fruit eaters prostrate themselves before her no matter what form she takes."

They were fitting a noose over the man's head, the crowd seaming to hold their breath. Killer did too, clutching his bag in his lap as he leaned forward on his precarious perch on the old wood beam to watch.

There's more talking, the man trying to scream at that around the gag, and then someone waves their arm and the floor dropped out from under the marine man. He fell, the rope make a 'wrhiip' noise and the he was left thrashing at the end of the line.

The crowd went wild. The lady next to Killer just tutted, shaking her head. He looked up at her curiously.

"Didn't math it right." she told him, voice pitched like some kind of warning, "Really is best for everyone when the neck breaks - now he's gotta dangle. If he had any friends, they'd pull on him to hurry it up, but the Marines have no friends here."

Killer watched as it seemed to take forever. Sometimes, the joints of the buildings would whine, and a few people in the crowd would reach for their weapons, and then someone would dump more water on the man and the world went still again.

In the end, someone either got bored or sympathetic, and a man climbed up on the stage and pulled his knife out.

The crowd cheered and the man made a grand display of strutting around with his knife overhead.

"Dear, you should look away now," the old lady said, hand reaching over to pat his head kindly, before stopping to consider what might be living in the dirty tangles. She tugged lightly on the lip of his bag where it peaked under his arms instead, to get him to look up at her.

"They gonna kill him finally?"

"Yeah, but it'll be messy."

Killer found himself looking back, enraptured. He'd seen men die before; beaten, drowned, burned. Never cut open though. The lady just tutted again, but let him be.

The man with the knife stepped forward to the dangling Marine. And then he draw the blade quickly across the exposed neck. And there was so. Much. Blood.

Killer found his mouth going dry, watching the red get everywhere. The man stopped jerking around under the rope very quickly after that.

All that time spend dangling, and so quick to die once the knife came out.

The crowds below started to break up, and Killer realized his window of getting out of town unnoticed with his pilfered goods was closing quickly.

"Bye Seanmhair!" he called to the lady as he started to lower himself over the railing, judging the drop to the street below as he dangled. She said something back, he wasn't sure what, and he was dropping down with a mostly controlled landing, falling on his ass at the end but unhurt. And then he was darting through the streets, bag clutched close, pockets still stuffed, and today must have been a lucky day, because no one messed with him all the way home.

Later, as Killer emptied his pockets, he described - if somewhat abridged - the execution, though Kidd has a lot more questions about the hanging than Killer knows how to answer.

"Auntie said they didn't math it right. So the rope was wrong."

Kidd looked at his suspiciously. "Math?"

"I guess." Killer shrugged, not really sure himself, "Like... I guess the rope verses how heavy the guy is or something? You want his neck to snap, so it's quick."

"Math someone to death.." the kid muttered, looking in awe of the idea.

"Sure..." Killer chuckled.

Kidd found Killer's laugh funny sounding, and it caused him to join in. But the kid's laugh was.. kind. Not mocking like the other boys, and Killer liked to see him happy.

Killer counted through the money he's lifted that day, counting out some of it and handing it to Kidd. "Hold on to this for a little bit, I'm gonna go hide the rest of this." - It wasn't safe to keep this much money with them, even if hiding it didn't always guarantee it's still be there later. But Killer had a few good spots no one had found yet, and the only others who'd known about them long dead, and he slipped out to go distribute today's money.

Kidd stuck the coins he'd been handed into the bag Killer had left with him as to not loose it, before rummaging though the fresh perishables Killer had loaded up on. Bread and fruit were delicious, and hard to get a hold of, but also not worth stealing in large amounts because they went bad so quick. But Killer had though it worth the risk today, and they had a wonderful feast when he got back.

The problem was waiting for Killer to get back. Kidd's stomach grumbled irritated as he  looked over one of the bread loaves, biting his lip. He set it aside, pulling some of the fruit free for inspection.

They weren't rotted or bruised at all, and the kid set them out in a line - some he'd never even seen before. A few had hard peels or something to them, and others were fuzzy. And then there was the one that looked like a bunch of grapes, its vine twisted up all around it still, crooked little spines on the fruit, but curiously not spiny or sharp.

Unfortunately, even if it didn't stab him when he plucked one and bit into it, it sure didn't taste very good. Kidd was glad this was the only one - he didn't want Killer to have had to go though all this work just to find out he stole gross fruit. Kidd would eat all of this one and hope Killer wouldn't try and steal more of them again in the future.

jikijiki