Jury duty: aaaarrrrrgh.

[dwgm]

Well, it's jury duty for me tomorrow: I requested a specific day, so I have to show up at the Ventura County Courthouse at 8 o'clock in the morning. Ugh. On the negative side I can't really afford to miss work: there is just TOO MUCH TO DO before school starts, and I'll miss a day or two setting up my office again as it is. And my new computer, if it ever comes (and who knows what kind of problems I'll have with XP....O_o)-- that'll take another day. I have a feeling my Labor Day weekend is booked.

On the plus side, I can take a book to read, or work on PLOTS for PotC stuff. Can't write without a plot. I've been reading some of the Character Meta & Theory posts on the pirategasm Help Desk. Some intricate thinking there: my simple mind is quite boggled. Who knew there were such depths to a Disney flick. Interesting stuff: plot bunnies are hatching right and left.

Don't need no stinking plot for a drabble, though. This is my reply to the current Black Pearl Library challenge, 'Beginnings'.

~ Shipping Out ~

Take care of him, the Captain had said.

He didn’t look like much, but Bootstrap had seen the type before. Climbing the ratlines, the thin frame would grow wiry and strong; that pale skin would burn, then bronze; the soft hands would blister and bleed, then finally callous.

But that face: too pretty by half, even with the shadow of a new beard and moustache, black as the neatly clubbed hair. Bill would have his work cut out there.

Hard to believe he’d been Matthew Deveral’s favorite apprentice.

“So you can draw a map?”

“Aye. But I know ships, too: I was cabin boy on the Lady Mae for a year before I was bound to Deveral. I’ll pull my weight.”

There was something about that crooked smile, the direct gaze of those dark eyes.

Bill nodded, and smiled back. “I believe you will, Jack Sparrow. I believe you will.” ~~

Comments

[the-dala.livejournal.com]

Oh, yay :)

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

*G*

[tseek-unique.livejournal.com]

Short and thoughtful. I always enjoy reading young Jack and how he was formed. *applauds*

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm glad you liked it.

[kho.livejournal.com]

Oooh. I loved this! Very short and sweet. Leaves me longing for more, as good drabbles should! If I can do anything to entice you into telling us more of this story, let me know! LOL. I LOVE Bootstrap fics, they're unfortunately few and far between.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

This is a teeny bit from the storyline from my long fics (and goes along with what was said in the writer's commentary on the DVD, I think). Quite possible I will write more on it. I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

[silly-walk.livejournal.com]

ah! lovely discriptions!
bootstrap is one of my favorite character. he's so amazing, and it's really scary how much personality you can get from all four lines about him in the movie.
huzzah!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

I know. Four lines, and we sort of have him fleshed out as a real person. I like Bootstrap fics, too, and have read several good ones. I should make a list or something. Glad you enjoyed the drabble!

[silly-walk.livejournal.com]

ohh! yes! archive!
have you checked out potc_archive, they have a bunch of jack/bill. but i havent been able to read them.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Actually I'm an archiver on that site. I'm doing Feb. '04. I'm up to the 10th of the month. Hopefully I'll get it all done this weekend. I keep going to save the fics to Memories, but then get to reading them, and it takes me ages that way. No self-discipline.

[silly-walk.livejournal.com]

self dicipline in highly overrated and usually leads to less fun. good luck with archiving!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

self dicipline in highly overrated

Yeah, that's what I've been telling myself for months. Unfortunately it catches up with you, eventually. *g*

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

I just may oblige--it's part of the storyline of my long fics.

"Blue Moon" is half done, by the way--just have to finish it. Maybe tomorrow morning. Have to zoom off to Jury Duty now. Hope all is well, you Busy Mom, you!

[hazelhawthorne.livejournal.com]

Enjoy jury duty. Use the time sitting around doing nothing to do something useful, like write more of this!;-)

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Hee! Actually I did write another drabble (off an old theme at Black Pearl Sails), began an outline for the plot of another Harry & the Pirate story (my long fics, which are on ff.net), made a flowchart for my new website I've finally started constructing, did some reading, took a nap, and shopped for shoes at lunchtime (unsuccessfully). Very productive day, considering.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Oh! I'm glad you liked the 'Beginnings' drabble, too.

Have fun at that party! Sounds like a blast. What a culture shock for the exchange student, eh? But ladymora will take care of him: she's the nurturing kind. :)

[watersword]

Ah, yes. Beginnings. They always seem to turn into endings, don't they? Jack-as-innocent always gets me. Every time.

In case you can't tell, I really like this. I think my favorite line was:

Take care of him, the Captain had said.

Heartbreaking, because of the way that Jack can't take care of Bill by the end, and tries to protect Will, i.e., "Stay here. Don't do anything...stupid." as if to make up for the way he failed Bootstrap. And I think that he's quoting Bill in that line, too. As if Bill told him not to do anything stupid, at one point, and now...oh, sod it, I'm babbling.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Jack-as-innocent always gets me. Every time.

Yes, me too. In my canon, he comes from a fairly good background and things happened in his life that eventually turned him to piracy. He's more interested in adventure than treasure for its own sake, though. That's what I get from the movie, anyway.

Glad you liked the piece!

Sympathy

[celandineb.livejournal.com]

on the jury duty. I've never found it to be a barrel of monkeys, but OTOH should I ever be in court, I'd like to think there are decent responsible people out there as jurors!

Liked the drabble-and-a-half. ;-) I'm still interested in potential collab at some point, btw, but right now all my muses have gone into hiding, except the Lecture!Muse who is tromping around my brain in big boots. Ew.

Re: Sympathy

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Oh, indeed a collaboration would be interesting, but I totally understand about needing to indulge the Lecture!Muse. It is the beginning of the school year.

I didn't get picked, and they let us out of the courthouse at 3 PM--highly unusual. Am home, going to answer email, then go swimming! (Joy!) I did bring home a mountain of stuff to type for my boss, and then there's all my personal paperwork, the spare room to clean out, and I'm going to the Hollywood Bowl tomorrow night with my niece, gingersnapps (a Disney concert--should be fun). And then, at the courthouse, I wrote another drabble, outlined the beginning of another Harry & the Pirate story, and made a flowchart for my website, which I started constructing last night.

There are just not enough hours in the day.

[celandineb.livejournal.com]

Don't you know that it's probably illegal to accomplish something worthwhile when you're on jury duty? *grin* Sounds like a very productive day, all things considered.

Out of sheer curiosity, what's the Disney concert?

Cute kitty icon btw!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Oooh! I like your kitty, too! Mine's a Laurel Burch picture--she is my favorite (or one of the top five, anyway). I have two framed, signed posters of hers in my office at school.

Here's the link to the Disney concert.

[celandineb.livejournal.com]

Nifty! Both posters and concert. Have lots of fun tomorrow at that!

(My kitty - limecat, I call him - is snaffled from an email joke that went around sometime last year. I use him for befuddlement, oddity, and general bizarre cuteness. Hee.)

[p0wdermonkey.livejournal.com]

I *love* that. Seems we agree on Jack/Bill in a way that goes beyond the whole to-slash-or-not-to-slash thing. This is *exactly* how I see their relationship beginning. And maps *too*!
*Happy dance*

Right. Time to pull myself together and Get Some Work Done.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

I do think the slash is optional when writing them, though I do love the problematic relationship in your J/BB fics. All my Bootstrap stuff was written before the sequels came out, of course, which makes the characterizations a little different.

Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed this!

[mary684.livejournal.com]

Sweet! Love Bill's view of him, and what a glimpse! He didn't look like much, the crooked smile, the direct gaze and then Jack's shiny confidence: "I know ships."

Indeed!