(no subject)

[elisha2kings.livejournal.com]

Title: Long Live the King
Characters: Sandman!Death, Roger, brief!Dragon
Genre: Fiction
Rating: PG
Word Count: 280
Prompt: Crossover
Summary: There were some people who knew her and were unafraid.

Long Live the King

No one noticed her as she wandered through the packed square. No one stopped to stare at the strange pale dark-haired girl dressed in torn black clothes. She glanced now and then at the spectators, all transfixed at the sight of the magnificent figure in red that walked proudly to his execution. He briefly glanced her way. A confident smile touched his rakish face at the sight of her. She smiled back brightly, the strange markings around her eyes crinkling in amusement.

Another man, wrapped in a cloak with a grim thoughtful expression, also noticed her. He scowled as she brushed by him. She just gave him a flirtatious glance as she turned back briefly, her ankh shining brightly in the burning sun.

Oh don't worry, you'll know when it’s your turn.

As his voice echoed across the square, the spears of the executioners furiously tried to silence him. But there were some things even Death could not stop. Try as they might, they would never kill what that man had stood for and what he created through his death. She saw and laughed with delight even as his blood soaked the platform.

Really! She laughed as he joined her, his red coat billowing about him with all the regal authority of the King of the Pirates. You and the rest! You make life so interesting for Us.

That's the idea. He grinned at her, proud and unabashed as a child. Out of curiosity, anyone I know due soon?

That's entirely up to them. She took his gallant arm and quietly walked off with a legend, destined never to truly die so long as his spirit…or rather his will remained.

So I used to be am a Sandman junkie! Death was one of my favorite characters from that wonderful series. I briefly debated between using her or Terry Pratchett's Death, but ultimately decided that I wanted more drama/fluff and less humor.

Omake:

I DO ENJOY LOUD GOODBYES, BUT YOURS PRACTICALLY DEAFENED ME.

"You'll get over it. By the way, you're all bones, right?"

CORRECT.

"So do you...?"

WE'RE GETTING OFF-SUBJECT. IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO BE HEADING OFF.

"But I've seen you eat..."

COME, YOU'VE GOT LOTS OF OLD FRIENDS AND ENEMIES WANTING TO MEET UP WITH YOU.

"But..."

One afterlife later...

"Rude bag of bones. I guess I'll just take that as a yes."

Comments

[velshtein.livejournal.com]

Awww Death. Vertigo. ♥ I was just reading Hellblazer yesterday and felt like rereading Sandman. Very nice!

[elisha2kings.livejournal.com]

Thanks. While I'm firmly converted over to the manga side, I do love some of the better-written comics/graphic novels, Sandman only being one of them. :) Hellblazer any good? I've only ever flipped through it in high school.

[velshtein.livejournal.com]

Hellblazer is fantastic. It's a long series (and still on going) and the artists and writers change frequently but the story is still great. It's about John Constantine, who made a an appearance in a Sandman chapter (the one about getting Dream's pouch of sand back) and it's spooky and amusing as all hell.

[eiliem.livejournal.com]

Not familiar with Sandman's Death but this was awesome.

Although the "Anyone I know due soon" made me ;_; (Rouge...)

The omake though! You sneaky sneaky sweetheart! "So do you...?" ROTFL Luffy! That is a Luffy question and you had Roger ask Death and... bwahahahahaa

[elisha2kings.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :D

Yeah, I was kind of referencing Rouge's later death. I guess it would kind of be on his mind what with the execution being only the beginning of the Great Pirate Era. Tom-san will also be arriving soon. :(

You sneaky sneaky sweetheart!

I know, I know! Couldn't resist, mate! ;) I have two favorite personifications of death, and I just had to have them both meet up with the crazy crazy Pirate King! And it's canon that Luffy's a lot like Roger, so of course he'd ask the obvious question of Death himself! :D

[naye]

Ooh~! Shiny. Roger and Death, and - yes, of course he would smile at her. (And she would like him, too - a pirate! And a legend, of course.)

The omake - heeeeeeeeeee~! XD Oh, these Ds and their questions...!

♥

[elisha2kings.livejournal.com]

Shiny! *Glees* I'm shiny?? *glomps* Thank you so much!

Death always loves the people who know what they die for and why! And a dashing pirate on top of it all...

Yes the omake was just some self-indulgence! Death in another world is a little more self-conscious. Comes of being bones and all, with a grand black steed named Binky of course!

[shayera.livejournal.com]

COOL. I haven't read Sandman, but Roger's interactions with Death like this... Of course he'd smile. And of course he'd be all cool and regal after dying. And I like that she is so very amused by him.

The Omake - BWAH! "YOU'RE A SKELETON! DO YOU POOP?" I love Roger overlapping with Luffy. XDDD

[elisha2kings.livejournal.com]

Death of Sandman is actually an awesome character. I'm actually a little worried I'm not doing her enough justice in this fic. She's very cheery and wise in her own way, and doesn't hate her job in the slightest because it's just part of life and how things fit in the universe. She's a bit like a D in that way! :) I'd imagine that she'd love meeting one of the D's who never fear or loathe death, but rather just treat it as another part of life. She'd really appreciate their attitude!

I love Roger overlapping with Luffy.

Yes, we've seen so many parallels between Roger and Luffy that I had to imagine Roger would've asked this type of question if faced with a more conventional vision of Death! :)

[elvenarchress.livejournal.com]

haven't read Sandman either but I like this Death! :D nice and cheerful instead of grim and horrifying... I guess it helps that the sould she picked up was so cool and dorky

She'll get Deja vu when she picks up Luffy (hopefully a long time later) who'll have so many inappropriate questions of his own XD he knows answer to the poop thing already thanks to Brook!

[elisha2kings.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the review! :)

Yes, Sandman's Death really is a great personification of Death as someone just trying to do their job. I really recommend the series, even though it does get quite dark at times.

I'm sorry if it wasn't clear, but the Death in the omake was a different character from the Sandman's Death. He's actually Death from Terry Pratchett's writings. Both are awesome characters, though!

And yeah, she'll definitely be reminded of Roger (as it seems does everyone else who met the former Pirate King!) when she finally meets his successor! :D Hopefully not too soon!

[featheredtips.livejournal.com]

♥ RIGHT. SO. I AM, LIKE, COMPLETELY IN LOVE WITH THIS RIGHT NOW. AND AM TAKING THE OPPORTUNITY TO GUILT YOU INTO A... EXTENDED REMAKE OF SORTS. Though, to be fair, very, very, very amused by the omake because I'm more familiarly endeared to Pratchett's Death. Gaiman's is less familiar, but I do know her. Who wouldn't? XD

That was a brilliant use of Death, by the way. I was wondering who to expect because I clicked on the link without looking at the tags (I know, right. Props for observation.), and was glad I took the time to read it because it completely fit.

HOW. How did you make the concept of death so bloody fitting and warm and fuzzles? No fair. Now I need to go dig up my Pratchett and Gaiman stash and try to fit them into One Piece or die trying.

I can see why you chose Sandman's Death over Pratchett's though. It really made the atmosphere more poignant and fitting for Roger. Luffy, on the other hand... Let's just say the omake worked and I'm terribly tickled and let's leave it at that. :D ♥ Amazing work!