Melo

Legends of Carnation Island (SHELVED)

_{Seriously wtf is this guy doing}

Tonight was a night for a party, but not for Nate. Nate had run for the hills. He had found himself a nice, cosy bench, surrounded by some soothingly aromatic flora, that overlooked the fire-lit beach beautifully. Indeed, it was quite a sight. Perhaps it would be even better if that blasting VIP tent wasn’t covering half of his view. Who had a freaking VIP tent on a party that was just about 99% inhabited by their own invited friends? Apparently Rachel flipping Ashford was too amazing to be among her own people.

Pre-ten-tious.

Did that surprise anyone, though? Did it? Alas, not all was lost! Indeed, there were enough ways to make your own fun on a beautiful island like this. Contrary to popular belief, you didn’t have to kiss Rachel flaming(ha!) Ashford’s undoubtedly pretty ass to have fun here. Nate was never without his own means of enjoyment, and only half of them involved work! Huh, maybe his secretary was right. Good ol’ Patty had been telling him for the last two years to go to therapy. And that was before that… accident… at Indie’s 19th birthday party.

But how did Nate make his own fun, you might ask. Well, the answer was quite simple. Nate always had a plan B. And tonight that plan involved a high spot and his trusty violin. Add a bit of imagination and… voila. Now he was the conclusive emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Well, the tale that Nero fiddled while Rome burned in the great fires were a total myth, but that didn’t make it any less fun to act out. His imagination did not project a view of the island burning, of course. Not even Nate was that far gone. He wished the people down there a jolly good time with their blazing(ha ha!) party.

Nate was just going to fiddle… well… playing a violin wasn’t really the same as fiddling but it came close enough. He enjoyed playing the instrument (definitely more than he would attending that party), and he didn’t want to get sloppy. Somehow he always played at his best when his imagination was running wild. And right now his mind was playing Beethoven’s ninth sonata as the decadent Nero from the great palace’s balcony.

Would Rachel let him build a statue of himself on the beach if he asked nicely? Probably not.

He wondered if - fuming hell, that was so out of tune they probably heard him at the party, teaches him for wondering – if Theo and Indie were having fun down there. They probably were. They were in the zone here. Maybe he’d just shadow one of them tomorrow. Maybe, just maybe, he’d find out what enthused them so about Rachel fracking Ashford. Probably not, but they couldn’t fault Nate for not trying!

God, somebody end his loneliness right here. He would kill for a small audience. Was he the only one who wasn’t drawn like a moth to the flame? Could nobody appreciate the peacefulness of a beautiful view over the hubbub of the noise down below? Nay, for now his music was simply gone with the wind.

Legends of Carnation Island (SHELVED)

A grin adorned Nathan’s face as he grabbed the glass Farah just delivered to him and rose it in return to his friend. He then put down the cash for the drink and then some. He nodded friendly at the bartender and muttered a word of thanks. Theodore wasn’t the only one thinking the bartender was cute. Maybe he’d look for an opportunity to chat with her lately. (The longer he could avoid the rich brats, the better.)
He slowly savoured his cocktail, though he couldn’t help his face slightly twisting at the sourness of the lemon juice. It indeed had been quite some time since he had enjoyed this classic. He had a soft spot for sour. Where other people had a sweet tooth, he had a sour one

”Crazy, yes.” He had a lot of other words for this place. But crazy definitely would apply. Some of those other words would make him sound too much like a party-pooper. Seriously, why did Nate always find a reason to complain. What was there to complain about when you were chatting with a friend, drinking a good drink and had cute girls in view? Perhaps Nate was better off swallowing the sour attitude – just like his drink!

(Let’s be honest, that was not going to last for very long. But we can let the guy dream, can we?)

Wait a second, hadn’t Nate met Theodore’s cousin before? Well, he really only said hi to her, but whatever. He knew who Theo was talking about. Indie and Lottie in one cabin… oh wait… oh no. ”Well that must be awk-” He cut himself off. He nearly forgot that Theodore didn’t know about that. ”I heard she and her boyfriend broke up recently, didn’t they? I guess she can use the distraction, huh?” He quickly said. Yeah, let’s absolutely not give him any details about Lottie’s post-Luca sex life, yeah that was probably a good idea. You’re an absolute genius Natey-boy. Maybe he should just throw himself into the ocean and be done with it. ”So when you say chaperoning, you really mean being anywhere she isn’t, right?”

He took a sip, only to find his glass empty. When had he finished it all? Had Theo taken his drink while he wasn’t looking? He turned back to the bar, and waited until he once again had the attention of Farah. ”One stout, please, heaviest one you have.” Maybe the alcohol would give him the courage to talk to anyone that wasn’t the only person on this island (besides Indie) that he could call a friend. If he was lucky, they might even come to him. Whoa there Natey, calm down, don’t go getting any crazy ideas now.

Well, if anything else failed, he could always just drink himself to oblivion. Let’s just hope it didn’t come to that.

Legends of Carnation Island (SHELVED)

One half of a boat ride was plenty for Nathan why he had been so reluctant in the first place. It really wasn’t just Indie’s unlimited energy that she channelled purely into getting a selfie with him. He liked the girl, truly, but he was still fighting his own inner battles at the moment. Could she maybe talk about something else than her Instagram for two seconds? Well… that wasn’t fair. Without her ceaseless conquest for popularity, she’d have far less reason to hang around Nate as long than she had already. Maybe he should just give her this one picture. One to get her to move on.

But being the good friend that he is, he could not stop himself from saying cheese to a positively disastrous outcome (Confirmed: Indie likes sausage better). He knew exactly the scornful look she was hiding from him at this moment. It were little things like these that kept Nate sane at the moment. An opportunity to turn the mess of his mind into one insanely focussed attempt to annoy his friend. She didn’t mind, really.

Now where was he? Oh yes. ‘Why the hell did I go with her in the first place?’ One part of his brain, probably the right half, echoed through his skull. What did Nate have to gain from going to fucking Carnation island? It weren’t the parties, really. Nathan did enjoy a good party, albeit in moderation . Moderation had clearly missed this boat.

This also wasn’t his crowd, really. Sure, there would be people he could get along with. He just had to avoid the druggies, pompous asshats and spoiled daddy’s girls clinging onto their fleeting college-time popularity until the very last second before it faded post-graduation. Ah, the sad fate of the early bloomer.

’Oh, shut up and enjoy your free vacation.’ The much less cynical half of his brain retorted. Thanks, leftie, for reminding him of the things that were truly important. Surely somewhere on this island he could find something he could call a good use of much-needed recreational free time. If not, well there was always alcohol.

As for the crowd. Surely he would find someone to get along with if he played nicely, right? At least he had Indie to fall back on. And he believed Theo was coming too. That was a relief. Okay, maybe this was actually going to be enjoyable! Yes Nate, be optimistic damn it!

Now he just had to set the endless stream of work e-mails, that were causing his phone to buzz to a degree that put Indie’s to shame, out of his mind and he was completely sorted. That was something both brain halves agreed on as they laughed in his face. Maybe he could muster the willpower to turn the damn thing off when he wasn’t fighting world war three in his mind.

Indie buzzed him back to reality for a bit. Frankly, he didn’t really give a damn about social media besides the insane business prospects it offered. But Nate was more than willing to set that aside for a friend. Apparently some Belladonna appreciated his show of optimism and wit.

”It’s a flower… Pity her, her mom’s probably an ex-hippie.“
At least it was very different from the kind of shade he thought he’d get from Indie’s followers. (I swear I’m funny)

Then the boat stopped. There was truly no way back now. Well, there hadn’t been the moment he stepped on this boat, but that wasn’t what he was telling himself right now. He blended himself into the crowd and joined the stream of people to the welcoming party.

Barely three steps onto the island’s soil later the masses were greeted by the way too excited queen-mistress of clove pink (For a moment he considered pitching that title to her, considering she wasn’t to be the queen of woodford for much longer). There was a very real possibility that Nate was the only person in this crowd who didn’t give a single shred of a miserable damn about Rachel Ashford. Regardless, it wasn’t polite to be rude to your host, and so he saved himself the energy of rolling his eyes at this speech.

He accepted his envelope questioningly. How did they even know who he was? It was then he noticed he had lost Indie in the crowd. ’Never get pets, Indie.’ He sighed, then opened his envelope. The map was probably his new best friend for this journey. He made a mental note of his cabin number, and figured dumping his stuff there was probably the best course of action.

Twenty minutes later, Nate walked into a bar. Maybe a drink would set him straight. He contemplated the other name on his cabin’s plaque. Were his parents a fan of fine art, or the teenage mutant ninja turtles? Not something he’ll likely ask Michelangelo directly, unfortunately.

Fortunately for him, he would not be alone at the bar. He found the one other friendly face he knew. Only one seat next to him was occupied, and Nate made no qualms about taking the other side. He saw lips moving as he approached, but didn’t quite catch anything that was said. ”Theo!” he said as he sat down. ”Already found your new favorite spot, I see.” Then he turned to the bartender and added to the workload..”One whiskey sour, please.”

Legends of Carnation Island (SHELVED)

Nathan Alexander Kirch

Relation to Rachel

A friend of a friend, really. Nathan did not mingle with the same people as her often, though he thinks they did share a course or two. He never met her before himself, and honestly he does not really care. However, he wasn’t going to refuse his friends that were invited that wanted to take him with them.

Appearance Details

• Hair: Brown | Short and messy, but with a good bit of gel
• Eyes: Blue
• Height: six feet and one inch
• Body Type: Athletic
• Clothing Style: Casual wear; Shirts and jeans. He has notable brand loyalty

Personality Traits

Charismatic Altriustic Kind-hearted Considerate	imperious Presumptuous Judgemental Outspoken

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Upbringing Synopsis

Nathan’s first memory was of his adopted parents, roughly one year after being taken in. He wasn’t the first in their care, and neither was he the last. They were amazingly selfless people, and devoted to giving as many children a good home as they could with their modest living. He didn’t have much, but Nathan couldn’t have asked for any better role models in his life. All they wanted was to leave the world in a better place than they had found it.

Nathan sought to do very much the same thing. He started to volunteer in animal shelters, raised money for charities and many more of such activities. Regardless, it never felt quite impactful enough. However, he did meet a lot of likeminded people. Together they sought a more large-scale way to make an impact. Their first project would be Amity designs, brand clothes made 100% slave-free. On this project at age 16, Nathan learned he had a knack for business. Indeed, many more similar projects would follow through his high school and college career to variable degrees of success.

Nathan excelled at school, and securely landed a scholarship that allowed him to attend a far more prestigious college than he’d ever thought he’d be able to attend. His courses primarily focussed on business management.
Woodford was something of a revelation to him. How were people so wealthy yet so uncaring about the wickedness that happened around them? Then again, these were often the children of people made rich through terrible practices, so why should they care? Nathan did make a lot of friends in college… just not in every circle.

Nathan did attend a reasonable number of parties, though he is far from a party animal. But with graduation looming, why not attend one hell of a party before heading headfirst into business? His friends just happened to know the best place…

Misc.

Andres Ceballos | 6bbbc5

• Plays the violin, which he was taught by his adoptive father
• Practices Tennis as a way to stay fit and competitive
• Owns two hamsters. One day he wants more and larger animals, when he can accommodate them
• It’s past midnight… so I didn’t have lunch today!

One Piece: The Scarlet Pirates

Zarya Samedra

The orange light met Dereck at face value as he ran, stinging his eyes that were still filled with shock. What would his captain do to him once he told him? If he were lucky, he might be get off with a dozen lashes. Maybe he’d take his finger as a warning? Maybe he’d string him up by his feet on the highest mast for a day? He hoped his mood was well after all the drink that was in him.

Dereck entered the bar signalled by the creaking noise of the old doors opened with force, followed by a gust of dusty wind. The scent of wares outside that were close to their spoilage date did not much good to the taste of the grog, but grog wasn’t Dereck’s concern right now. For a second he found himself addressed by a young woman, but he brushed past her. She wasn’t his captain. No, that honor went to the fat bastard at the frontmost table. The captain was clearly the most sober out of the three, if only because not enough time had passed for him to drink enough to get his fat ass drunk. He’d need about two barrels of this cheap stuff to even get him tipsy.

“Captain, we’ve got a problem!” Dereck shouted, loud enough for the entire bar to hear. “Our treasure got stolen, it did! ‘T was some crazy woman, bit my sword right in half!” He bore his shattered cutlass, as if it was some kind of evidence. Dereck barely held back tears as he feared the fury of his captain’s no doubt merciless response.

---

With a splash a figure leapt from the water and onto the shore. Her silvery hair seemed almost unfazed by the salty water of the ocean – the most convenient and important of fishwoman benefit genetics, she could tell you. She hoisted her burlap sack of pillaged booty over her shoulder. Gold and glimmer stuck out from several sides, bound to catch the attention of the greedy. Zarya paid it very little heed. In her mouth was a large, pink fish that lively struggled against her grasp. She was also deaf to the fish’s pleas; not that any human could hear the poor fish beg, anyway.

Zarya looked around her, noticing the many vendors that had set up shop by the waterside. Some glanced in her direction, but most appeared to just go about their usual business. There was no bread to be won in staring at some stranger, after all. But they had duly noted her. She looked like a troublemaker, and bounty hunters might pay a fee to whomever pointed them at troublemakers, after all.

With her free hand, she scratched the side of her head. From her filled mouth escaped a few noises that indicated moderate confusion. She wandered about slightly, aimlessly. ”This isn’t where I docked my raft…” she murmured inaudibly. She jerked her head, flinging the fish into the air and swallowing it whole as it came down. She wondered what to do, but decided quickly and approached a nearby vendor. ”Hey you, do you know where I can exchange this?” With this being such a popular destination for pirates, there was no doubt there was someone who would be able to curate and buy the treasure from her person.

One Piece: The Scarlet Pirates

@Shadow Daedalus I'm not arguing to make your character absolutely useless at close range, so I think leaving gunkata in is fair in my opinion. ^^ His mother could've definitely taught him some tricks in that.

My problem was mostly with the martial arts part since most of those techniques were far above east blue level and handpicked from a variety of unrelated styles. (which sounds like a very difficult feat, which is why I made that the end goal of my character).

Thank you for understanding. I think I came off as fairly aggressive in my other post, so sorry if I sounded particularly harsh xD

One Piece: The Scarlet Pirates

Martial Arts - defenceless without a gun and with an abhorrent detest for swords and other melee weapons, Nero learned to use his own body as a weapon out of necessity. Using a hybrid style incorporating techniques from across the 4 Blues, such as Fishman Karate, Rokushiki and Ryusoken, he can overpower most foes, but those specialising in Close-quarters with win most of the time against him. To give him an edge up, however, Nero can combine his gunplay and martial arts into a special series of 'Gun-kata' techniques.

Martial Arts

A free-form style of fighting with moves borrowed from several major martial arts styles. (Moves are explained on respective One Piece Wiki pages, so I can't be bothered to re-write them all)
Hyakumaigawara Seiken - Borrowed From Fishman Karate
Karakusagawara Seiken - Borrowed From Fishman Karate
Geppo, Tekkai, Soru, Kami-e - All Borrowed from Rokushiki
Ryu no Kagizume - Borrowed from Ryusoken

Let me know if anything needs adjusting

@Shadow Daedalus

I'm leaving the rest of the character to the jurisdiction of Noodles, but I'm calling this part out. I'm wondering how he got to learn all these martial arts techniques from around the world WHILE ALSO being a sniper and a doctor.

Not only does it eliminate his greatest weakness, which is being without weapons/in melee range, these skills are also way too advanced for an east blue character.
Karakusagawara Seiken has only been done by Jinbe (literally the strongest fishman karate user in the series). The rokushiki techniques are extremely powerful, and he learned himself all the defensive ones (why would he need the offensive ones? He has guns and fishman karate. So he basically knows everything he'd ever need from rokushiki).
Ryu no Kagizume has only been shown by sabo, who is the vice commander of the entire revolutionary army so obviously strong. And this technique took down a vice admiral in one shot.

I also want to point out the dream of my own character is to travel the world and learn various martial arts. Yet here comes a character who basically already knows all prominent martial arts displayed in the one piece world to a pretty good extend. This makes my own character basically moot.

I'm really not sure why you need martial arts. You can be strong enough with just gunplay. Sorry if I'm sounding rude but I just can't agree with this being accepted.

One Piece: The Scarlet Pirates

I'm assuming that post was more aimed at the people who haven't posted yet, but I'm indeed waiting on things being moved forward. ^^

One Piece: The Scarlet Pirates

Zarya Samedra

It was a beautiful and warm day in the east blue’s Brown Isles. The orange hues of the twilight were a fabulous sight that were of a small consolation to an unfortunate deckhand named Dereck that was stuck on guard duty while his crewmates feasted on the ill-gotten gains they acquired on their latest exploits. It was a well-deserved respite for his crew, surely, but why did he have to be stuck on this ship by his lonesome? It infuriated poor Dereck the deckhand, but who was he to oppose his captain, who was undoubtedly drunk on litres of grog by this point. One day they’d have a new newbie, and he could bully them into guard duty! That was the only thought that kept him going right now. That, and the thought that one day he’d commit mutiny and become the captain of this goddamn ship himself. Such were the lofty dreams of Dereck the deckhand.

Poor Dereck was then disturbed from his dreams by the sound of something shattering. The part of his soul that died inside him told him it was his favourite mug, the one he had gotten from his mother! He wondered who he had to throw overboard for this heinous crime, but then he recalled that he was alone on this ship. An intruder? No, surely someone else had just stayed behind! Someone had stayed behind to sleep, of course! Right? No, he was very sure that he had seen everyone leave for that pub. However, Dereck’s eyes hadn’t looked away from the gangplank even once, how was someone else besides him on this ship?

Cautiously he approached a door that’d lead him below deck. Curiously he noticed the orange shimmer of water reflecting the sunset into his weary eyes. How did that get here? He heard a thumping sound, a cabinet opening and a barrel tumbling, and he was certain now that his mind hadn’t been playing tricks on him. With a haste he opened the door and rushed down the first stairway. His eyes caught the faint light of a lantern accompanied by a moving shadow. Faintly he heard a rustling sound. It was coming from the kitchen.

Without pause Dereck barged into the kitchen with a roar. His eyes fell upon long silvery hair covering a brown cloak of which the hood had been pulled back. The figure looked up, her young face stuffed with the crew’s latest catch of fish. Was she a stowaway, must be. Without hesitation Dereck unsheathed his cutlass, pointing it straight at the intruder. “Who are-“ Before he could finish his sentence, his eye caught something behind her, a huge burlap sack with the familiar shimmer of their rightfully stolen treasure. “Thief!”

The young woman looked at the man with a face most unimpressed. The sound she made was one of the dullest surprise. She looked Dereck into his eyes, her eyes looked dull despite of how they shimmered in the light with a slight violet. But that was but for a split second as her eyes shifted into something more dangerous. Dereck had barely time to utter a shriek as she bared monstrous teeth that snapped around his blade, leaving him with barely the handle. His blade was reduced to mere fragments of iron that now littered the floor. He let out a loud shriek as he stumbled backwards as the woman stood up, who was fingering the last bits of iron from her teeth. Her face was eerily familiar, but he had never seen it before in the flesh he was sure. A wanted posted? Yes, he was sure of it now! And realising that, he fled from the scene as quickly as possible. There was no way he was facing a wanted criminal alone.

Seeing the pirate flee, Zarya Samedra let out a sigh. “Guess it’s time to skedaddle.” She said with a grin as she quickly rounded up the final scraps of food. Her mother had taught her to never be wasteful. She laughed gleefully as she went back on deck. She could see the man running in the distance, almost stumbling over himself as he headed to the only good pub in town. She wasn’t going to wait for him to return.

With little hesitation, she jumped over the railing and disappeared into the water.

One Piece: The Scarlet Pirates

I'd like to know that as well. Are we already formed or still coming together?