PIRATELAND

[cityship]

An area built over a bay, there is no actual solid ground anywhere to be found in Pirateland. It's a land made entirely of wooden walkways, nets to climb, and of course, wooden pirate ships to explore. And then there are the rides: A pirate ship that swings nearly upside down; bumper boats; a ride that starts out as a Tunnel of Love but quickly transitions into a drunken pirate-themed It's a Small World.

And then, of course, there are the souvenirs to buy in the many assorted gift shops. Flimsy plastic swords, pirate hats, stuffed parrots. Or why not go get drunk down at the tavern?

((OOC: Like with Kittenland, feel free to come up with your own rides and attractions at Pirateland in addition to these ones!))

Comments

[farfrom-tree.livejournal.com]

Devlin had worried at first when he saw the different rides available. He was recovering well from the beating Vilgax had given him, but it hurt to breathe too quickly, and thrill rides were definitely out of the question. But he still managed to have some fun.

He stood at the helm of one of the old ships, grinning. Having learned a couple of things after blowing most of his money on a pet last Shore Leave, he'd been careful to only get a couple of souveniers on his first stop--in this case, some dreads and a lock-shaped necklace (https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/284533_10150330189638185_609063184_9249784_2671495_n.jpg) (the pirate hat had looked nice, but was more than he wanted to pay if he wanted lunch at any point in the day).

[splendid_roman]

Ian had spent all his money on parrot. He had been tempted by an eye patch and a hook, but it was possible to go too far and fortunately for him, he couldn't afford all three. It was just a pity the parrot was stuffed, but it did come with a way of attaching it to his shoulder, and he grinned as he walked around with it.

"Pieces of eight. Pretty polly" he said to the boy, in his best parrot voice.

[farfrom-tree.livejournal.com]

Devlin grinned at Ian. So what if adults weren't usually supposed to be cool like this--it was pirates. Who didn't think pirates were cool?

That would be the ninjas, but he hadn't gotten to that park yet.

"Aye," Devlin responded in his best pirate captain voice...which was on the young side and cracking slightly from puberty. "We'll be sailin' the seven seas in search of that treasure!"

[splendid_roman]

"Don't mind the parrot, she can only say a few phrases," Ian said in his best pirate voice, which wasn't really intended for phrases that weren't typical pirate speak. He reached up to pat the parrot and nearly dislodged it.

"X marks the spot. If only we had a map."

[farfrom-tree.livejournal.com]

"Aye," Devlin agreed. "Cursed be the bilge rats who got to it first. I'll see them in Davy Jones's Locker before they get that treasure!"

At last, he broke into laughter. "Sorry. Watched a lot of pirate movies growing up. The name's Devlin."

[splendid_roman]

Ian laughed along with him. "Ian," he said. "Pirate movies are the best kind." Well, along with science fiction, but they had that on the ship.

"Aside from rides and souvenirs there's got to be some treasure here. How about we try and find it?" Not least because Ian didn't have much money left for rides.

[farfrom-tree.livejournal.com]

"Sounds good," Devlin agreed. With all the pirate stuff around, there was bound to be some kind of treasure--even if it was some kind of cheap giveaway. It at least would give them some kind of souvenier that didn't cost an arm and a leg. Or a kidney.

[encourage]

How in the seven hells she'd ended up in Pirateland (without it being someone else's fault or prompting) was beyond Sakura. She wasn't enamored of any particular concept of a pirate, and unlike some she knew, wasn't intent on seeing herself pitted against one for any real purpose.

What she did like, and what did amuse her, was the orange stand. "Free orange slices!" a buxom pirate wench called out. "Ye may be yellow bellied dogs, but ye ain't got to be scurvied ones, too!"

Someone had a sense of humor. Holding her own orange in hand (a stand back a few meters had been tossing them into the passing crowd), she nodded to the pirate wench, and then deftly sidestepped a stumbling drunk. He paused, leaning against a post, and asked her mournfully, "Where... where 'as the rum gone?" He paused, as if he had to consider his own question. "Other than down into me gullet?"

Considering he had his own answer, she kept moving, figuring the people manning the medical stand she'd passed earlier dealt with far too many cases of alcohol poisoning around here. At least in the adult section, which may have accounted for her moving into the themed rides area, where much younger creatures were darting around in groups and screaming as a pirate ship swung up and hung perpendicular to the ground, before repeating the motion to the other side.

Stopping to watch this for a while, Sakura leaned back against the railing. Behind her, a waterfall dropped down into a lagoon where a water-based pirate log (raft) ride promised to soak those who climbed on board. It felt cooler, and she appreciated that, if the color of the sky was giving her a strange, rosy-colored view of all the world.

She began peeling her orange, thoughts turning inward. She appreciated shore leave for being able to get off the behemoth of a ship that substituted for "home," if she wasn't enamored of the world itself. The distance from the ship itself was more important than what this world had to offer. Sakura had a sinking feeling she'd just end up running mazes again, and she was rather fed up with that course of action.

[a_mere_human]

She wouldn't be alone with her thoughts for very long.

"Haruno Sakura," the, by now, familiar voice interrupted with his standard greeting. How Setsuna ended up in PirateLand was also a mystery, though he was visibly not at all enamored with the concept.

Of course, Setsuna never seemed very enamored with anything other than his Gundam, so that was neither here nor there.

He leaned against the railing, quietly observing her for a moment, then decided to observe the crows as he took a bite of an apple (fuck oranges, really). "I wouldn't expect people to find the idea of being an outlaw this amusing."

[encourage]

She blinked back down into the present reality, turning her head toward Setsuna and smiling. He was the only person who bothered with her full name, and he never failed to say it properly. There was something to be said for that.

Flicking part of the orange peel into the near-by trash, she shrugged her shoulders just enough to demonstrate her own lack of understanding. "I'd guess the fictional idea is more appealing with distance than the reality. Outlaws don't live easy lives. All Earth historical accounts of piracy I've read doesn't add up to what I'm seeing here." Outside of rampant alcoholic tendencies. Pirates had a better excuse for it than most of those here.

[jesus_is_gundam]

"With fiction, you can leave out facts and details that don't suit you." It disgusted him, really, and a whole planet that basically revolved around that was really off putting, though he still only seemed as dour as he normally did.

"Very few of these people would have fun if they were faced with the reality."

[encourage]

She felt that was the case with far more than the idea of pirates. As a kid, hadn't that been the concept behind glory? Heroism? Right before the realization that most heroes were heroes for how they'd died, more than how they'd lived?

"That's the point of fantasy, right? Like any story. It's fun when you're not the one living it."

Which was partly a joke, considering the echoes of their stories across universes, including each other's. That thought made her shake her head. They were all living in someone else's story now, she supposed. She wondered if their readers enjoyed it half as much as she didn't.

[a_mere_human]

Setsuna looked around, and his eyes settled on a pair of guys. They were in their early twenties, both wearing plastic pirate hats that had a skull and crossbones on them, and were dueling with foam swords, laughing the entire time while they made fools of themselves.

"I think people have more fun when they are living the fantasy. It allows them to ignore everything about their lives that they don't like."

[magic-weaver.livejournal.com]

"Pirates!?"

Sandry was, to say the very least, completely appalled by the giant sign in front of her. Pirateland? Had the creators of this so-called 'amusement park' completely lost their minds? They must have, she decided. No one in their right mind would ever create an world of entertainment based off of the cruel and disgusting beings that were pirates.

The noble gave an uneasy glance toward Daja, who stood next to her. "What do you suppose they've created?" she asked quietly, leaning as close to the entrance as she dared. All she could see at the end of the dock was a ship, large and crawling with excited park-goers. If only they knew! "I don't see how any of it could possibly be good. Just look at that ship! They haven't cared for it at all!"

[fireforger]

"Why would anyone want to turn pirates into...amusement?" Daja said, horrified. She stared at all of the people passing them by. How could they look so happy? Didn't they know what kinds of atrocities pirates committed?

"And that ship couldn't possibly sail - look at those sails, they couldn't carry along a rowboat, let alone a fully sized ship. Not to mention they aren't even facing in the right direction." And just as Daja was speaking about it, that ship - or to be more precise, that ride - began. Suddenly, it was swinging form side to side, squealing patrons whooshing along with it through the air. Daja gasped, in both surprise and horror. "Sandry, what are they doing?!"

[magic-weaver.livejournal.com]

Sandry's eyes grew wide as the ship started moving, and she gave a horrified squeak in response to Daja's question. It had to be some form of torture, with the way the people on the ship were screaming. From where she and Daja stood, it didn't look like much until the ship flew up into the air.

She was just about to turn to Daja and explain her need to help the poor people when a scraggly man walked between them, bottle in hand and crooked grin on his face. With a loud, gruff, "Arrrr!" at them, he stumbled along down the dock, where he was almost immediately swarmed by children and parents with cameras. Sandry felt herself go pale, and she grasped Daja's arm quickly. "Oh, I don't understand! Let's find another place."

[fireforger]

Daja instantly raised her staff at the man, ready to bash his head in if need be should he move to attack them. But then he moved away...and was surrounded by children. Children!

"But Sandry, we have to help!" she said, still holding her staff at the ready. "There are children there! What if he tries to capture them as slaves?" She stared at the crowd, aghast. Those children's parents were there! How could anyone allow their own children to talk to pirates?!

One of the children moved forward to get a picture, and the pirate kneeled down on one leg, setting the child on his knee. Daja gasped. The pirate was holding the child!

[magic-weaver.livejournal.com]

If any other event had happened--a sudden canon ball whizzing past them, or a peddler with a strange array of pirate hats had shown up--Sandry would have turned on her heel and pushed Daja away. The only thing that had made her hesitate in the first place, besides her worried curiosity, was the children...

And now, any second now, she just knew that the pirate was going to take off with at least one of them. Daja was right: they couldn't leave, and they did have to do something to stop the inevitable.

"But what should we do?" She could definitely take care of the pirate via his clothing, but what if others showed up? What if the parents were spelled and turned on them? There were so many possibilities, so many scenarios that Sandry really didn't know where to start.

[fireforger]

"We should..." Daja said, trailing off. What should they do? Daja felt woefully unequipped to deal with this place. But they had to do something.

"We'll talk to them," she said, firmly now. "We'll explain to the parents that they shouldn't be allowing their children anywhere near pirates, and if the man tries anything then we'll do whatever we can to keep those children safe."

Daja shifted her staff in her grip. They'd faced tougher foes before - although she had to admit, she wished that Tris and Briar were with them too. They were always useful in a scuffle.

[nokosi.livejournal.com]

Pirates; he'd always seen (and disposed) of them, but he'd never had the chance to be one, except that time he'd faked it in service to Booty Bay. Then there was the day set aside in Azeroth to act like a pirate, but they'd never glamorized it like this place did!

Nokosi waited patiently at a table just inside the park, dressed appropriately for the occasion and humming a song to himself.

A purple, leather eye-patch obscured one side of his face and his hair was woven in a number of braids (that had taken forever, but it was worth it). He wore the same leather boots, belts and pants he usually had on over his plantsuit, but he was missing the leather tunic, instead opting for just the long-sleeved cloth undershirt that (that managed to show off his non-existent chest hair. sigh).

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

Ronnae had been really eager when Nokosi had proposed they go hang out at Pirate Land. It was one of the places he hadn't gone to yet and she hadn't had a chance to spend some time with him since he never showed up to the Water Park.

He had proposed that they fit the theme for the sake of adventure. She didn't mind at all and actually thought it would be fun. After all, dressing up sometimes gave her a bit more courage than when she was being herself. So that brought her over to one of the stores, where she mixed and matched until she had a design she really liked.

Soon enough, the girl was approaching Nokosi in her new outfit (http://images.wikia.com/guilty-gear/images/3/33/Ggxxac_cs_ma.jpg)! Smiling and hurrying once she caught sight of her friend.

[nokosi.livejournal.com]

Nokosi immediately hopped to his feet and met her halfway, an excited and awed look on his face. "Ronnae! You look completely adorable and charming in that!" he exclaimed, circling around her and giving the girl a once-over. "Are you going to be the captain, then? I think you should be!"

Without warning, he wrapped his arms around his much shorter friend and hugged her tightly, nuzzling his face against Ronnae's before he finally released her. He straightened her hat back in place, then flashed the orc a toothy grin that showed off his fangs.

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

Ronnae blushed and giggled, doing a little turn and pose for her friend and smiling.

"Captain huh? I c-can do that, sure! Should be fun!" she declared, returning the hug and nuzzle and taking a step back to look at him.

"You look dashing! Are you going to be doing nifty tricks on the crow's nests and sails? Maybe swinging from area to area and saying cool things?!" He reminded her of the swashbucklers from Booty Bay.

[nokosi.livejournal.com]

"...Dashing? That is kind of you to say," he replied with a smile. "But you are right, I could be doing many tricks!" That may or may not get him thrown out of the park. "I am not so sure about 'saying cool things' but I shall try."

Nokosi cleared his throat and reached to his side, withdrawing the fake rapier sheathed there. He neatly leaped onto the table and pointed the weapon at the gigantic swinging ship in the distance.

"Captain Ronnie!" Yes, that was the first time he'd used her nickname, ever. "First Mate 'Kosi reporting. Looks like there's a ship a quarter of a knot, off. Heavily defended but it appears to be a passenger vessel. What are our orders?"

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

Ronnie couldn't help but giggle and smile at him, doing her best to put on a serious face and failing horribly.

"I say we be takin' it for ourselves! Or at least check out tha booty! Onwards First Mate Kosi! Let us plunder the spoils of this here world!"

With that, she began to gracefully travel through all the rope nets and swinging ropes that made up the cross-bridges of the theme park, showing off a little of her great dexterity and strength.