#wss366 #Hand #MastoPrompt #Vessel

Toriko screamed, and Sorawo closed her eyes. It was a long way down to the “Fate Gear’s” deck, and they were picking up speed as they fell. This was a problem they couldn’t shoot.

“Still idiots, I see,” Captain Mina said.

“Ship, hit them with an anti-grav beam,” Yuri typed on her keyboard, anticipating her captain’s orders.

“It’s Ship-san, if you must use that name, and I prefer Fate-sama.”

“Okay, okay. Got it, ship-SAN,” Yuri typed.

Her thoughts were less charitable. “Why’d we have to get a prima donna for a VESSEL?” A few colorful pirate curses followed Yuri’s thought. “Stupid, Ninny, Prissy pants.”

“Got to HAND it to you. That was quick thinking,” Mina said to Yuri.

“Aye, Cap, it’s been years. I can read you the back of my HAND.”

“That’s Cap-san to you,” Mina said, and they both laughed.

Meanwhile, Toriko and Sorawo drifted gently to the deck. Sorawo barely had time to reorient herself before Toriko’s arms wrapped around Sorawo.

“I — I was so scaaared.” Toriko’s voice trembled.

Sorawo shrugged her off irritably. “You’re not fooling anyone, you, you, Octopus! And watch what you’re doing with that HAND, PERV.”

Mina and Yuri muttered simultaneously, “Idiots.”

#microfiction #NMPrompts #NMV366 #OthersidePicnic #UraPi #Steampunk #Pirates #UraPiFanFic

#wss366 5/20 #Serve #MastoPrompt #Vessel

“PDA, PDA — how rude,” FATE GEAR screamed, scandalized by Toriko’s handsy behavior. Her old-fashioned rigging was taut, and anti-gravity engines whined.

“The pirate VESSEL’s voice was excruciating. It bypassed the ears entirely and bored straight into the brain.”

Everyone on deck clapped their hands over their ears — uselessly, except for Sorawo. Toriko might be dexterous, but her hands couldn’t be in two places simultaneously.

(Truth be told, Sorawo was a trifle disappointed. No, she wasn’t! People were looking.)

Only Yuri, the keyboardist, didn’t flinch. Ringing in her ears or not, she was already hammering her keyboard. “STOP IT! How often have I told you not to yell? Do it again and I’ll MUZZLE you until needed!” FATE GEAR usually obeyed Captain Mina, but the keyboard was the only way to make her comply.

“Sorry, very sorry.” Came a restrained reply. FATE GEAR’s rigging sagged. “I exist to SERVE.”

“Hogwash,” Captain Mina said. “You exist to torture us!”

“I’m hurt.” FATE GEAR’s voice was petulant. The ship directed her words only to the captain.

“Put on your big girl panties. A pirate ship needs to be tough.”

“I don’t wear panties, and I said, I’m sorry! I remembered what happened the last time those two disasters showed up. They let loose a sorceress, who threatened the existence of reality, and that assassin woman, the Thorn Princess. I was upset.”

“And who abetted them? You!”

“Uh… are you talking to yourself?” Toriko asked, her face slightly amused.

(Impressed, Sorawo thought, “That’s my girl, nothing ever fazed Toriko.”)

“No, the ship. (Worthless piece of junk.) Anyway, what are you two doing here? I hope it’s not like last time. You made quite a mess of things.”

“A friend, Benimori-san, invited us to a costume party, but we ended up here,” Toriko said.

“Benimori-san,” Mina bellowed, and in a few minutes, the diminutive woman in question appeared, a chef’s hat on her head and a large mixing spoon in hand.

“Yes, Captain?” she said, as batter dripped from her spoon onto the deck. FATE GEAR was not pleased. The engines rumbled in protest.

“Did you invite these two dufuses?” Mina asked Benimori.

“No, they invited me; only I landed on your ship.”

“Otherside shenanigans,” Sorawo whispered to Toriko.

Toriko nodded. The Otherside had tricked them again.

Captain Mina scowled theatrically. “Your fighting impressed me last time. So here’s your choice: SERVE under the #pirate flag, or rot in the brig.”

#microfiction #NMPrompts #NMV366 #OthersidePicnic #UraPi #Steampunk #Pirates #UraPiFanFic #FATEGEAR

#wss366 06/01 #Heaven
*** Return to the FATE GEAR ***
Chapter 4
Storm the Heaven’s – The Plan

Sorawo paused, carefully considering Captain Mina’s offer: (Escaping the brig had been easy. Did the ship help? FATE GEAR probably holding a grudge. Won’t be so easy this time, Sorawo thought. Brig, or orders from Captain Mina. Or... stay and keep looking at Toriko’s outfit. Brig or Mina.)

Unlike Sorawo’s careful calculation, Toriko went straight for the most important question. “Is Benimori the cook?”

Benimori saluted her with the spoon, leaving a batter stain on her forehead. (As well as flinging batter in the air that splattered the deck, resulting in the anti-grav turbine revving in protest again.)

“That sounds like HEAVEN!” Toriko said. “What are you making tonight?”

“Fufu cakes with maple syrup, stewed fruit, and American-style bacon,” Benimori answered. “We have lots. We’re fresh from looting Emperor Muskrat’s third-favorite air yacht, the Doge III.”

“Loaded with corporate welfare (‘and worthless crypto’),” Nana said as she joined Mina and handed her an anti-grav ball. “You left this in the mess, Cap.”

(“Capitalism never dies,” Sorawo thought, “it just floats higher and gets a better view.”)

“Fufu cakes! Bacon! HEAVENLY! You bet I’m joining! We eat good tonight!” Toriko had made her choice.

All the timbers of the FATE GEAR groaned, but the ship kept quiet after Yuri typed in, “Be quiet! This be the cap’s call.” It did sound “Tinkle Tinkle Little Star” on the galley steam whistle, signaling the rice was cooked and calling Benimori back to the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Sorawo frowned but had come to the same conclusion as Toriko—though for different reasons. (“Shouldn’t have insulted the ship,” Sorawo admitted to herself. “It probably logged it. Probably reads minds, too. Why didn’t I study up on sentient ships? I meant to read about the Yamato. Brig’s going to be reinforced with extra spite this time.”)

But to be safe, she asked, “What are you currently doing, Captain?”

“We shall unseat the pan-ultimate tyrant. The crew of the FATE GEAR sails for the HEAVENS! Let trickle-down begin!”

“Down with tyrants! Oye. Oye. Storm the HEAVENS! Oye. Oye.” The crew shouted and then broke into song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjiGGFW7jBE&list=PLghYzmkF89GlIUtG0vYqyludt0ZQYUTxj
https://song.link/us/i/1573875212

“We’ll join,” Sorawo muttered, hands clamped over her ears as the singing reached its second verse—one she suspected violated at least three Geneva Conventions.

“Welcome aboard, mateys,” Mina said. “Now scrub the decks, ya lubbers. Solidarity doesn’t exempt you from chores.”

#microfiction #NMPrompts #NMV366 #OthersidePicnic #UraPi #Steampunk #Pirates #UraPiFanFic #FATEGEAR #Metal #Jmetal #PoliticalSatire #ReturnToTheFateGear #NMRTTFG
@yon @Kingu

#wss366 06/05 #league
*****Return to the FATE GEAR *****
**** Chapter Five ****
**** Toriko Tigers ****
*** Part 1 ***

Mina paced the deck of the FATE GEAR, a music-powered, sentient sailing vessel. Far below, a tropical island lay in a blue sea. They weren't high enough to be above the clouds, but the fluffy shapes seemed close enough to touch.

As the newest members of the pirate crew, Sorawo and Toriko swabbed. “Doesn’t this remind you of high school cleaning duty?” Sorawo said.

Toriko needed a moment to think. “We had janitors in Canada to do this stuff,” she finally replied.

Sorawo remembered how little she knew about girlfriend. She’d made herself a promise, so she asked, “Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask about your past. What was school like in Canada?”

“Dull.”

“That was a flop,” Sorawo thought, eyes drifting back to the mop. Bubbles slid down the deck, taking her confidence with them. Then she remembered Kozakura saying, “Toriko’s dense. You need to be clear with her. Don’t give up. And you’re an idiot.” Sorawo winced, but began steeling herself up to try again.

<Continued>

#microfiction #NMPrompts #NMV366 #OthersidePicnic #UraPi #Steampunk #Pirates #UraPiFanFic #FATEGEAR #Metal #Jmetal #PoliticalSatire #ReturnToTheFateGear #NMRTTFG
@yon @Kingu

#wss366 06/05 #league
*****Return to the FATE GEAR *****
**** Chapter Five ****
**** Toriko Tigers ****
*** Part 2 ***

While she tried to work up the nerve to ask another question, Captain Mina climbed to the poop deck, hit a bass note on her guitar, and announced, “‘The League of Free Buccaneers’ has set sail to topple the Ultimate Tyrant—God. Prepare your instruments. We have many leagues to go. The wide open sky awaits our glorious ascent on the most noble mission of our career. Proletariat, intelligentsia, adventures, scum of the earth, freebooters, pirates—every one of you! Are you with me!?”

The crew roared. “Oi, oi, oi.”

(“I hate it when she gets like this,”) the ship muttered.

“Me too,” NANA said.

“I can’t hear you,” Mina shouted.

“Oi, oi, oi,” the crew yelled louder.

(“Why can’t she just say we’re sailing?”)

“Throw off your chains! Take back the excess value. Eat the rich!” Mina was warming to her speech.

(“Benimori, the captain forgot her meds this morning. Bring them to the Poop right away.”)

“Oi, oi, oi.”

“You have nothing to lose but performance reviews!”

“Oi, oi, oi.”

“Arise, the 99%, and strike down your oppressors!”

“Tiger! Fire! Cyber! Fiber! Diver! Viber! Jya Jya!” The crew started tigering like crazy.

Toriko beamed. “Come on, Sorawo, the idol mix is fun!”

“Tiger! Fire! Cyber! Fiber! Diver! Viber! Jya Jya!” The crew, plus Toriko, screamed.

“Wow, that was something,” Toriko said.

“What was that?” Sorawo asked. It was almost as bad as those Minecraft-inspired stories. Worse, even. Toriko was in on it.

“It’s something you do at idol shows. I’ll teach you.”

“No, thanks,” Sorawo said flatly, not hesitating. She thought, “That was weird. Toriko and idol shows—I can’t picture it. What if she ran into the Akihabara idol mirror?” Another story rose unbidden, the one with the cursed encore loop. “No exit. No audience. Just encores.”

Mina started ranting, reeling off slogans: “Black Lives Matter, Trans Rights are Human Rights, No Justice! No Peace!”

Benimori arrived just in time, carrying a glass of grog and a handful of pills. The captain swilled both without breaking stride.

“She gets like that off her meds,” NANA said.

NANA turned and barked, “To your stations! You heard the Cap. We’re sailing!”

Yuri struck a note on her keyboard. The turbines roared to life, and the crew launched into “Super Sonic Samurai.”

The ship explained the music to the mystified pair, Sorawo and Toriko. (“We have harnessed the power of metal.”)

Youtube: https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=SlsOe67JPp0
Sound link: https://song.link/us/i/1573875214

#microfiction #NMPrompts #NMV366 #OthersidePicnic #UraPi #Steampunk #Pirates #UraPiFanFic #FATEGEAR #Metal #Jmetal #PoliticalSatire #ReturnToTheFateGear #NMRTTFG
@yon @Kingu

#wss366 06/13 #train
*****Return to the FATE GEAR *****
**** Chapter Six ****
**** Throw Away Your Bicycles ****

“NINO,” Mina—captain of the airship FATE GEAR, a vessel of mixed sails and steam power—yelled, “train these lubbers!”

“To the capstan, me hearties.” A bassist in pirate boots grabbed the Otherside pair by the collar.

Toriko whispered, ‘This is fun. I’ve always wanted to be a pirate!’ That stilled Sorawo’s protest.

“Why on earth would you want that?” Sorawo thought, baffled. “They’re just thugs and robbers on ships.”

“Pull hearty, lubbers,” NINO said. “Don’t just stand there like great jellyfish. Grab a bar and push.” Then, speaking to the other crew at the capstan, “Body-surf them off the ship if they slack.”

“Up anchor,” Mina yelled from the bridge. “We are off to storm the heavens! Pull down the Ultimate Patriarch! Fish, throw away your bicycles!”

Each step forward by the sailors—Toriko and Sorawo included—came with a heavy clank.

“Why do we even need to do this?” Sorawo grumbled to herself. “Bloody ship should do it. It’s got metal-infused steam power. So use it!”

An angry steam whistle sounded overhead, and Sorawo heard, (“Because if I did everything, I wouldn’t need a crew. What’s a sailing vessel without a crew? You may be worthless lubbers, but even you must admit, I have my dignity. I’m no garbage scow. No seagoing tanker of earth-destroying ooze and tar.”)

“I’M FATE GEAR, A PIRATE SHIP, AND PROUD OF IT. Oi! Oi!”

“Okay, we get it. Every headbanger aboard recognizes your worth. Now stop flapping yur’ tin whistle and get us going,” the captain ordered.

“Hoist the sail!” she shouted. “Down with the Boss Man. Up with the proletariat.”

The Otherside pair followed the rest of the crew and began hauling on a rope.

“Wow,” Toriko said, looking up as the massive sheet of canvas arose, white as a seagull’s wing and majestic as a cormorant in flight.”

Then, behind the sail, a train appeared and raced across the sky, a comet of tinsel and stars.

The surrounding crew muttered, “A hype train.”

“I wonder where Captain Twitch is headed in such a hurry.” Yuri said, then typed, “Eighteen-whistle salute! Put yur’ steam into it.”

A deafening cacophony of steam whistles sounded. Deep train whistles, sonorous factory whistles, and two-penny tin whistles split the air and Sorawo’s eardrums.

(To be Continued)

#microfiction #NMPrompts #NMV366 #OthersidePicnic #UraPi #Steampunk #Pirates #FATEGEAR #Metal #Jmetal #PoliticalSatire #ReturnToTheFateGear #NMRTTFG #Twitch
@yon @Kingu

@NaraMoore @Kingu Unrelated but I want any behs player to speak in a Yorkshire accent on account of Danny Sapko (can be found on YouTube shorts).

Writing accents in text has got to be tricky. The written language spans a lot after all. At least it’s not as bad as Swedish with a different written and spoken language for many common words. God morgon (good morning) is often said as go morron or just morron:)

Extra fun is anything pirate as it’s some completely unrelated UK accent (somewhere in Welsh?) that an actor spoke and it took off.

What’s your approach to accents (and I guess spoken language) in general?

@yon @Kingu

Normally I avoid them. But for something like this they are required. Can't do pulp pirates with out an accent.

When I do them I say it in my head and then write what I. Then reshape till legible.

@yon @Kingu

After thought the main reason I avoid them is once you start you have to continue which is draining both for the writer and reader.

But also written accents are fraught with encoded meaning. There a message when the Kanto accent is rendered in a rural southern intonations. I am not good enough to write accent accurately and do not want to do parody.

No pirates are affected by my characture.

@NaraMoore @Kingu Seems they are pretty good at Kansai (so?) as it seems to have unique spellings and words.

But English accents mostly is just impossible to write down. And you walk for five minutes and you have a new one.

(One of my favorites are the various Scottish accents. And in the Glasgow one they say house as hus (or huus might be closer), as well as used it in some extra ways. Apparently it’s related to some great vowel shift they didn’t care about apparently.

It’s also the same in Swedish (hus) so I’m guessing the vowel shifts in Europe hit differently.)

@yon @Kingu

After thought to an after thought/

I wonder what effect that has on making groups invisible. How much does it signal that "king's" English and California Media are the only acceptable way for "real" people to speak.