forum "I'm the captain, darling, and this is my ship. Welcome aboard." // OxO // Open

Started May 18, 2021 by @ElderGod-Icefire

tune

Selena Savant is the captain of the pirate ship called the Red Tide. One of the fiercest captains around, she has a reputation for being both simultaneously bloodthirsty and fair, ruling her crew with an iron hand. It is said that she, unlike many other captains, accepts both men and women and treats them equally.

So of course, when the daughter of a nobleman runs away to escape an arranged marriage, she heads for the pirate city of Arran to join Savant's crew. Things don't go as planned when her father puts a bounty on her head just before she arrives in Arran. Now, instead of being undercover and covert, she's being hunted by nearly everyone in the city. Including Captain Savant.

Savant is the one who captures her and takes her onto the Red Tide, but can she convince Savant to let her join the crew before the captain gives her back to her father and fiance, all while fighting an attraction to the pirate captain?

Hnnng basically lesbian romance in a fantasy world with pirates (and maybe some magic). All the best things. I'll be Selena, you'll be the runaway noblewoman.

Rules:

• andrew (Our Supreme Lord and Overseer)'s rules apply
• sixteen and above only please
• smut will be taken to PMs
• this RP will have potential triggers, including blood, violence, sexual assault, and other such time period accurate things (like uh, homophobia too)
• three sentences minimum please :)
• I reserve the right to say no

Hey! This looks! Awesome! I really love how it's such a creative spin on an old trope. May I?

Hello! Can I see a sample of what your normal RP style is like, please?

Of course, dear! Just give me a minute, haha.

(It's a little Oscar Wilde pastiche-y but hey, what more can a girl ask for? This is my general writing style, by the way, for both books and RP.)

"Oh, dear, you must show the governor this! It's beautiful!" Lady Sybil chuckled, tossing herself on the chaise-lounge with a dramatic sigh, still holding the papers. Lillian danced across the room skittishly, pacing with a girlish daze that held her head high and shoulders low, skirts flowing out around her long, gangly legs that made her movements more awkward and overgrown than whimsical.

"The world doesn't have the right to my heart, Lady Sybil." the girl said as she galloped over to the fireplace, tending to the flames. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I thought I could trust you with this. As a friend?" Lillian snapped. Her temperament had changed rapidly, as tended to do with youth of her disposition.

"Oh, I wouldn't share it with the world. But governor Bradley is more than the world dear. He finances artists from all over to create pieces for him. Are you sure you won't-"

"I won't even consider it?" Lillian let out a barking laugh and a cruel sort of smile that seeped into your skin and made you, too, just the littlest bit crueler. "I won't give up my soul to a man like him, nor to a man at all! I'm much too busy for that sort of thing anyways, always working, always keeping up my estate."

"And what a small estate it is, with just two servants running around the place when you could have thousands tending to your every need!" Lady Sybil pointed out harshly, waving her cigarette wildly, the smoke tainting the room senselessly. She stood up, thrusting the papers back to the girl with the force of a juggernaut. "Miss Lillian, you really don't see, do you?"

"If I sell my art, I sell myself, Lady Sybil. I betray my senses completely. Can we please just change the subject?"

Looks good! Do you want to do templates or just jump right in?

I prefer to develop characters inside roleplay, thanks. So jumping in would be good.

Alright, great! Any questions before I get a starter up? I was thinking we can begin shortly before your character arrives in Arran

Absolutely! That sounds wonderful!

Alright great, I'll get the starter up later as I've got to go to work now :)

Understandable, I hope it goes well!

(I'm on break rn, so here's the starter!)

Selena Savant and her crew were sailing back towards Arran. The winds were fair and the tides were good, and they would arrive by nightfall if all went well. She herself was currently standing at the wheel, her wavy red hair loose around her shoulders, her blue-grey eyes squinting at the horizon. The hat perched across her head was slightly crooked, and the white shirt she wore billowed in the breeze. Her sword was belted at her sides, and she wore pants like a man, rather than a skirt or dress like most women. As was culturally acceptable. Pirates were unique, though, and besides that, none of her crew was going to question her clothing choice.

Arran itself was definitely a pirate town, full of pirates, smugglers, and their associates. Prostitutes, taverns, inns. The town had a certain charm to it, but it was the kind of charm that a well made, sharp sword had. Lovely, but dangerous. However, where a sword had an elegant danger to it, this town had no elegance to it, not like that. It was a good place to disappear, though.

Lucia Berkley was a noblewoman, whatever that was supposed to entail. She certainly didn't know herself, though that was obvious from the way she dressed and held herself. She always dressed up in men's clothing, chopped her hair off whenever it grew too long for her liking, and always shook like an oak in a storm when anyone mentioned marriage. She'd traveled many hundreds of miles to reach this town, as dreadful as it was, just so she could escape the reality waiting back home for her- a man by the name of Hector Mulligan. Lucia hated him. He was her second-cousin, firstly, and secondly he was two decades older than her, already two factors in why she would rather die than marry him.

But the worst of it was that he was cruel. His last wife he had apparently beaten to death, and when questioned of it, he had said that she'd refused to lie with him, so of course he'd had to beat her for it. Lucia could see why. He was ugly inside and out, and disgusting as a crustacean with it's organs strewn around the beach, like she'd seen her brothers do to the poor thing as a girl.

She hadn't many problems in being seen as a man, the most convenient way to travel. Her hair was usually this short, and she had little in the way of a chest that mattered, so bindings were unnecessary. Hips weren't much of a problem either, she had been blessed in that realm too. And her face could pass as a young cabin-boy out for work, she was short enough to seem much younger than her actual age. Now, to find someone who would take her on for work. Unfortunately, her father had placed a bounty for her, so Lucia would have to move quickly in order to get away, far, far away.

Most of the people in Arran left Lucia alone, at least at first. Once the news of the bounty reached them, along with posters, people started to pay closer attention to every newcomer. Including her. It didn't take long before she was recognized by someone, and that word spread around town until it would be nearly impossible for anyone not to know. Bounties were a big deal because they were a semi-easy way to get money, or letters of marque. And letters of marque were a big deal, for pirates. Letters of marque made you a privateer, which meant you were now a legal pirate, and so long as you didn't attack ships from the country of your letter of marque, you could do whatever you wanted.

When the Red Tide docked, Selena came off ship and asked around about what, precisely, was going on. A runaway girl? With a bounty? Ah, this would be a piece of cake for her and her crew. All she had to do was find this Lucia before everyone else did.

Lucia pulled her hat down and bent her head so her face would be more concealed. She couldn't be recognized, it would kill her to be returned to her family, returned to slimy, sluglike Mr. Mulligan. She hurried through the streets, not too slow as to draw attention but also not to fast as to do the same thing. All she had to do was find a ship, preferably one that wouldn't ask questions. Lucia slipped into a dark alleyway, however, when she spotted two of her father's men walking around asking… questions. Questions were the worst, they made things impossible to do.

Selena alerted her crew, showing them one of the bounty posters with the girl's sketch. She warned them that the girl may have cut her hair, and may look like a boy, so everyone needed to be suspected. And then the crew of the Red Tide fanned out, heading into Arran in pairs or alone, until only Selena, her first mate, her second mate, and those being left on watch remained.

"You sure this is worth it?" Her first mate, Puck, questioned, his eyebrows raised. The young man was tall, dark haired, with a scar through the left side of his lip. "Lotta work for one girl."

"The bounty is worth a lot, Puck." Amira, the second mate, spoke up. She had blonde hair cut in a short, ragged bob, and her right eye was blinded, cloudy and pale. "Her father must desperately want her back."

"Aye." Selena took off her hat, setting it on the railing while she pinned her hair back in a ponytail. She had already exchanged her sleek pants for a long, ruffled skirt, though the skirt was shorter in the front than in the back. She still looked deadly and ready to kick ass, though. "Amira is right, Puck. Now let's head out." She put her hat back on and headed towards the gangway, boots hitting the wood with solid thumps.

The picture, upon seeing it, wasn’t very recent. It had been drawn when she was nine, and she was twenty-nine now, much past being eligible for marriage but she was still being forced to anyways. It was when she had still looked decent, according to her father at least. A great puff of smoke flew into her face and she turned, upon seeing the gentleman looked a lot like that scumbag Mulligan she ran off… and ran straight into a woman with the most beautiful red hair she’d ever seen. “Hello!” she squeaked, then lowered her voice. “I mean, hello. I’m looking for work, er, any pointers, ma’am? Perhaps I could speak to your Captain?” she was safe here, fortunately, this woman couldn’t possibly recognize her even with the picture. Nobody could, Lucia was much more scarred and mangled now, from accidents with swords to even falling out of tall trees.

Selena's eyes examined this young person in front of her, cocking her head slightly. "I am the captain, thank you." She said, her eyes flashing about the docks for a moment before returning to the person before her. After a moment, she turned to Puck, tossing him a small bag of coins. "Pay for docking fees, will you?" At nearly 32, Selena had been doing this for a long time, and knew the rules of Arran just as well as any captain.

He caught the bag easily. "Aye, will do." The tall pirate set off to find the harbormaster and pay their docking fees. Even pirate towns charged for docking.

Amira sauntered down the gangway, her ragged hair hanging around her face. "Who's this, Captain?"

"Don't know yet." She turned back to Lucia. "You got a name?"

"Lucan, ma'am. And judging by the way you present yourself, I must have ran myself into the famous Selena Savant," she gulped. Lucan? Was that the best name she could come up with? Really? She cursed herself internally, looking up to meet the woman's gaze. "It's an honor to meet you, ma'am. I'll be on my way." she said, slowly backing away while keeping her eyes perfectly trained on Selena, watching her sharp sword and minacious pistol.

(how tall is Lucia, btw?)

"I am." Selena confirmed, dipping her head and then arching an eyebrow at this Lucan. "I see." When "Lucan" was out of earshot, she turned to Amira. "What do you think?"

"I think that could definitely be her. Want me to follow?" Amira questioned.

"Yes. Go." She flicked her fingers, and Amira set off, stealthily following after Lucan.

(Approximately 5’0”)

Lucia walked down the rows and rows of ships, all of them looking equally dreadful. She shuddered, thinking how horrible it would be to have to stay on one of these. It was far from luxury. She’d been on a luxury ship before and that still had made her queasy by the end of it. She approached one of the “agreeable” looking ships and walked up, trembling as she did so.

(alright! Selena is like 5'6")

Amira followed quietly behind the person, her blonde hair hidden beneath a tricorn hat. She didn't speak, and didn't follow too closely behind so as not to catch "Lucan"'s attention. Or Lucia. Perhaps this wasn't the girl they were searching for, but it was always possible. If she were Puck, this would be easier. His magic was perfect for tracking. Her own was…less subtle.

Lucia had some magic, but it was mostly performative, glitter and illusions. She couldn't do anything in a real fight, but she could certainly make some pretty lights if that was what was desired. She was a noblewoman, and that besides healing magic was the only kind she was permitted to learn. She approached the foul vessel of death and disease, and the smell wafted into her sensitive nostrils in waves.

(is she approaching the Red Tide or a different ship?)

Amira still wasn't sure the captain was right, that this kid was Lucia. Could just be a young boy looking to sign on as a cabin boy, but in any case, she was supposed to follow and see what happened. So she followed.