Drabble Challenge: 'Drift'

[dwgm]

A double drabble written for the current challenge at Black Pearl Sails. Theme: 'Drift'.

~ Spindrift ~

He sat in a shadowed corner of the Black Dog Tavern, Port Royal, Jamaica, nursing his third grog.

The sidelong glances and furtive discussion had both diminished over the last two weeks. After the last hanging, he reckoned they’d cease entirely.

The last hanging. Jack Sparrow’s. Two mornings hence.

They tolerated him, but he was no longer one of them. He knew it. They knew it.

Oh, he still was, in fact, Brown’s apprentice. And his… regard for Miss Swann: that would never change, as long as he drew breath. But these facts that informed his life paled in the face of The Fact.

Pirate’s whelp.

He could hear him now…

Pirate is in your blood, boy, so you’ll have to square with that someday.

Jack.

Will drained his mug.

When he set it down again he was no longer alone.

“Gibbs!”

The man put a finger to his lips. “Hush, young Bootstrap.”

Will stiffened. “That… that’s not my name.”

“Is it not?”

Talk about a ‘sharp eye’…

“What do you want?” Will muttered.

Gibbs nodded. “I’ve a bit of a proposition for ye now, haven’t I?”


~.~

Comments

[linaelyn.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is WONDERFUL!

You've drawn Will here perfectly. ANd Gibbs' voice! YAY!

This line, especially, packs a punch for me: Pirate’s whelp.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Wow, you're fast!

I've had it in mind to write a short story involving this gap in the movie for some time, although maybe just a double drabble will do...

So happy you liked it!

[linaelyn.livejournal.com]

Oh, it would be SO GRAND if you would do this up as a story! (You don't do the longer pieces nearly as often as I'd like... which is your prerogative as Queen of the Drabble Format)(hunh. I just learned how to spell "prerogative" for the first time. I love my spell checker.)(um, sorry. rathole.)

Seriously, "missing scene" stories are some of my very favorites. Please?

[benevolentround.livejournal.com]

Yay! Agreed.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

'Prerogative' is such a good word, isn't it? Is 'rathole' an idiomatic term for 'non sequitur'?

In the face of such kind entreaties (and knowing how my friend kahva loves Will!fic) I may just have to expand this, as originally planned.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

I can't believe I posted that comment THREE TIMES and still screwed it up by not changing the icon. Arg. I need to go back to bed.

[linaelyn.livejournal.com]

I've done that, more times than I care to admit.

[linaelyn.livejournal.com]

Yay!

"Rathole" has more of a sense of "sidetracked into a tangent issue that leads far away from the original issue, and make us wonder what were we talking about in the first place." I first heard is used here in the software industry, in reference to Bug Review Boards, where insignificant issues could take up the entire meeting hour, and little progress made on the major issues facing the software's development.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Ah! So that's what a 'rathole' is. I took the minutes for our School Site Council for six years, and so have vast experience with ratholes. I am so very glad I don't have that job any more. There's a real knack to keeping meetings short and on-topic, and unfortunately it's a rather unusual attribute among school administrators. We finally resorted to a stopwatch and a 5-minute limit for discussion of a given topic, which worked pretty well.

[linaelyn.livejournal.com]

I thought you might know exactly what I was talking about!

Ahahahaha. Notice how I messed up the html there in the comment above? I'm fine at night, but between the sun's rising and noon? Not so hot.

[kahva.livejournal.com]

I've already said this to you, but it bears repeating. :)

Expand on this? Yes, please!!! :) Do it do it do it do it do it do it do it do it do it do it do it do it do it do it do it do it do it do it do it do it do it!!!! :)

Why yes, I did like this, why do you ask? :)

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

OK OK OK OK. I thought you'd like that one. *G*

[kahva.livejournal.com]

{looks innocent} I'm not that obvious, am I?

Don't answer that. :)

[ceria-taliesin.livejournal.com]

WOW. very well done. I love that this suddenly doesn't make it Will's idea to recue Jack.

Ditto to Lin's request for a story.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm glad you liked this.

After repeated viewings of the movie, it seems to me there was some sort of Plan afoot.

[honorat.livejournal.com]

Lovely between the lines filler. I've never seen this particular interpretation of this part of the movie before. You do capture Will's anguish over his identity. Nothing has changed since before Jack Sparrow showed up in Port Royal and yet how everything has changed! This is a fascinating twist, that Will might have been expecting that parrot signal. It's great to see Mr. Gibbs again--he's one of my favourite characters.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

I've been thinking about this one for months -- way before I finished Harry IV in mid July. It seemed to me, after (countless) repeated viewings of the movie that there was A Plan, and Will could have been in on it. Thought I'd better write something about it before you stole my wind, so to speak. *G*

Glad you enjoyed this!

[honorat.livejournal.com]

Me? Steal YOUR thunder? Mwaahaaahaaahaa! POTC will be all mine when I'm done with it. Actually, you don't have to worry. I'm a very small cloudburst compared to the epic storm you sweep through this fandom. I do have designs on Will for missing scenes but this is a truly original interpretation.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

I'm a very small cloudburst compared to the epic storm you sweep through this fandom.

This is a gratifying sentiment, in spite of its dubious accuracy. Personally, I think the 'storm' is all yours -- you have given us an amazing wealth of excellent writing illuminating the PotC canon in an astoundingly short time. You are one of the most prolific writers in the fandom, and, as one of your happy readers, I can only say, "Well done! Keep up the good work!"

You had mentioned something about writing up some of that big gap at the end of the movie in some comment or other, I think. Not that there isn't room for more than one interpretation, but I didn't want to be working on something that would end up being redundant, you know?

[honorat.livejournal.com]

I am much gratified that you enjoy my contributions. Part of the illusion of speed that I give has to do with the fact that I was writing fanfic for several months before I ever had the nerve to post anything. I've still got chapters of material in various states of disrepair floating about. Summer vacation for a teacher is another bonus. I imagine I will be less of a machine gun writer and more of a muzzleloader now that school has started.

That movie gap at the end is a wonderful space for the imagination. I keep inserting little bits and it gets more and more complicated. But your stories always have that little something in them that keeps me saying "MMmmmmm. I wish I had written that." Maybe if I make mention of other gaps in the movie on which I have designs, it will inspire your muse to produce more lovely little filler like this in the race for gaps? *Makes Shrek kitty eyes at geek mama's muse*

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Uh oh. Shrek Kitty Eyes are, indeed, a deadly weapon.

Your comment about writing a lot before getting up the nerve to post anything reminds me of me -- when I started writing Harry & the Pirate it was for my own enjoyment. I wasn't even planning on posting it. But then I had written so much of it, and had actually developed and outlined a plot for that and for Swann's Revenge, so I thought what the heck, it's as good as most of the stuff on ff.net: maybe someone else would enjoy it, too. Boy, that was terrifying, posting it for the first time. I posted the first 17 chapters all at once, and then the other ten within the next two weeks, and then I wrote and posted the twelve chapters of Swann's Revenge all within the next month. So yeah, everyone thought I was way speedy, too, where in reality it took me about three months to complete them, and that included the Thanksgiving holiday and the two weeks off at Christmas in which I did almost nothing but write. It's such huge fun, when you have the time to really get into it, as you know.

I've occasionally written gap-fillers, but nothing on the scale of yours, which are truly fascinating character studies and examinations of what might have been. But that gap at the end... that's really too big to ignore. And the angst inherant in those two weeks! Such drama. I'm usually more for the humor (as you know), but the whirlpool of emotion before the hanging would suck anyone in!

[honorat.livejournal.com]

Whoa! Seventeen chapters at once! You really do go for the dive off the highboard into the deep end! I was a little more the toe-dipping type. Post one little story. See if anyone likes it. Okay. Whew! That wasn't too bad. Now a little more. Rapidly becoming addicted to comments and drabble-challenges, I made it to the deep end. I really admire those of you who complete whole multi-chapter stories outside of the movie. The mind boggles at the amount of writing you've done. Someday I'll get mine finished--it features, among other things, the inevitable war of Mrs. Fitzbrace-Pennythump of the rubies and puce vs. Jack Sparrow. The minute I'd invented her, that plot bunny took off through the sagebrush. I'm pretty fond of humour myself.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

That sounds hilarious! Can't wait to read it! I am, of course, your ready and willing slave beta. *bats Puss-In-Boots eyes*

[thekestrel.livejournal.com]

Oh yes! Please finish this as a longer scene, it's soooo missing. Love and save all your stuff.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It's wonderful to hear that you think it worth saving. I'm very glad you enjoyed this one. I agree with you that the gap in which this scene occurs is much too big to leave alone.

[lj_stowaway]

Oh, very neat slant on that bit! Now that you mention it, it *does* seem a little too pat to have been completely spontaneous.

Well done!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

If you watch that part of the movie (over and over and over) this seems like the way it must have been. At least it did to me.

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[azziria.livejournal.com]

Lovely! And in a three lines you've really caught Gibbs' voice :-)

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Gibbs is always easy to 'hear', he's such a distinctive character. I hope we get LOTS more of him in the next movie!

[doolabug.livejournal.com]

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!
*loves*

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you kindly, ma'am!

[corrielle.livejournal.com]

So very nice. I've not been able to read much fanfic for the past week, and this was the first bit I stumbled across. Lucky me! The idea of Gibbs and Will sitting in a dimly lit tavern planning Jack's escape is marvelous. I particlularly liked Gibbs calling Will "Young Bootstrap." Interesting that he's still having such a problem owning his heritage, though I suppose one could argue that Will doens't really work through that until the day of Jack's hanging.

As many other reviewers have said, I'd love to see a longer story here.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

I suppose one could argue that Will doens't really work through that until the day of Jack's hanging.

That's what I think, too. And perhaps a longer story will soon be in the works.

Glad you liked this one. Thanks for letting me know!

[hendercats.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is wonderful!
*scurries to far side of room and puts in DVD ... watches hanging*
No, wonderful's not good enough ... it's perfect!

Armed with your idea of a single, connected Plan (as opposed to two "must do something" plans and a lot of coincidence), I see that when Will glances over his left shoulder, he could easily have been scanning for Parrot - had always presumed him to be looking at Elizabeth ('specially since we see her next) but your idea let me look at it with new eyes. And Norrington (could I really have missed this? or is it another case of just seeing differently?), hanging his head when Governor Swann reminds Elizabeth that they are all bound by the law.

The Fact.
Pirate's whelp.
Fabulous. And I adore his... regard for Miss Swann

Joins chorus: you really should go into this in more depth. Pretty please? I'll bake you cookies....

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Wow! Those cookies look great! Yes, as soon as I get finished with my last drabble/ficlet meme request (from Captain Tish on ff.net, who has been waiting patiently for months -- she wanted a bit of the last chapter of Harry & the Pirate I from Harry's POV, except PG-13 of course... 0_0) I'll probably start a longer version of this, which I've also been planning to do for months. I am very happy you enjoyed it, and made you think enough to zoom off to view the DVD for reference!

Mmmmm...cookies! Many, many thanks!

[erinya.livejournal.com]

Nice "lost scene." I always wondered what happened behind the scenes of Jack's escape/rescue. Somebody had to choreograph that, right?

I love Gibbs calling Will "young Bootstrap."

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Somebody had to choreograph that, right?

That's what I thought. And that the gap was pretty big in the movie -- a lot could have happened during that time.

I'm glad you liked this. :)

[hereswith.livejournal.com]

Aha! So there was a Plan! ;-) It's a great idea, you've mentioned writing about this period of time in the movie before, I'm glad to see you're doing it, and I'm looking forward to you taking it on in a longer fic, as well. I really like that it's Gibbs who takes the first step, seeking Will out, and, as erinya said, that he calls Will young Bootstrap!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

So there was a Plan!

That's the way it looks to me, after repeated viewings of the scene. So, yes, I'm planning on doing a longer story, soon. Glad you liked the drabble!

Wondering if you'd be willing to beta a H&theP short story in a day or two? I'm almost finished with the draft...let me know, OK?

[hereswith.livejournal.com]

Some sort of plan, at the very least, all things considered. Can't have been pure luck and nothing more, though luck had a part to play in it too, I suppose, what with Jack falling and not getting hurt.

Yes, of course, I'd love to, just send it over when you're done!