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Concerning Julienne’s Crew.

Requirements:

Generally speaking, the crew aboard Tromperie is only replaced in the advent of death. Well over ninety-percent of Julienne’s crew are his original men from France – military trained merchants, dignitaries and disenchanted naval officers. However, the ship needs to maintain herself and that requires a crew of 250to manage in an adequate fashion, however a full complement aboard her would be 600.

Tromperie is operated with the same efficiency as a military vessel. New recruits are expected to have discipline, focus, a willingness to learn and an understanding of the Pirate Code. There are modifications to the Code aboard Tromperie that are discussed with those familiar prior to signing on – those with no familiarity with the code are inducted to it, as well as taught where basic pirate law and law aboard Tromperie differs.

Prior to being signed on, men ( and women, should they be so inclined ) are interviewed first by Evrart Regnault, the Quartermaster. After him, they are introduced to Julienne’s daughters, who will take turns asking questions – responses to their presence and them in general will weigh heavily on one’s approval aboard the vessel. After this, information is brought to Julienne and he will personally speak with each who have passed the preliminary portion. Generally upon making port, anywhere from fifty to a hundred will be interviewed, with perhaps ten making it aboard.

This can be straining after particularly horrific battles, but with the community aboard Tromperie it is absolutely essential. Julienne’s ship operates very much like a floating town, where everyone is quite familiar with everyone else after years of working together, and dispositions as well as skills need to be matched. Julienne can afford to be discerning, and as a result, he will be.

There are unique cases when rescued men and women from other vessels may appeal or be invited to stay aboard Tromperie as a result of their time aboard and the impressions that were either made upon them, or by them.

Uniform:

Despite being pirates, Julienne’s crew is exceptionally distinctive in the fact that every man and woman aboard his ship wears something resembling a uniform. The base items are polished black boots, pale cream pants, and black shirts. ( These can be embellished as the crew members see fit, being as plain, as frilly, as open or as closed as they please. They must, however, be full sleeved – rolling to the elbow is permissible in high heat. Shirtlessness is only permissible at the captain’s decree – which is generally granted when becalmed or when the heat is truly unbearable. )

From this base, further embellishment is permitted in the form of red sashes or bandanas, black or red silk cravats and queues, and jewelry / hair beads of gold, brass or silver to as lavish an extent as each person pleases. Rings, bracelets, bangles, necklaces, earrings are all permitted, and there is no limit to a crew member’s artillery provided it does not clash with the aesthetic of the crew.

Coats and cloaks for the crew must be black and plain. Only those of station are permitted to wear red coats or gold brocade on their over-wear during colder temperatures or ceremonial situations ( be they marriages / matelotages or the boarding of particular ships where a certain air of dramatic flare is encouraged – generally reserved for French ships, because these assholes are extra af ) Those permitted these extremities are:

The Captain ( Also extending to his hat, which may be black with red plume for boarding, or red with black plume for ceremony )
The Quartermaster ( Red coat / gold brocade )
Gunner & Sailing Masters ( Black coat, gold brocade )
Division Heads ( Black cloak, red inner lining, gold trim )
Captains Daughters ( Black cloaks, red trim / Red coats, black brocade )

Julienne’s previous first mate had himself a dalliance with a stowaway many moons past, resulting in a child born at sea that neither were prepared to deal with. To their surprise, Julienne offered to take her from their minds and concerns, and hold her as her own. They both agreed readily and, perhaps afraid he would change his mind at some point, deserted the ship when she next made port.

Dubbing the infant Aspasie, Julienne hired a midwife to join the ship until they next made berth in Muzillac, where his daughter was left with good friends to be kept safe. A ship was no place for an infant and he well knew it.

Two years later, Julienne returned with another child – this one his own, reputedly. There was no certainty of it, but he did not question the mother and simply accepted the burden. Named Andromède, she too was taken in by Julienne’s friends.

The couple were so well compensated that they eventually moved themselves, their two sons and two charges, to a well fortified village further inland to better ensure that none would question just where their money came from. Julienne visited one last time, with a daughter he knew for certain as his own, deemed Angelique.

Though he visited when he could, it was not until the girls were eleven, nine and six respectively that matters changed dramatically. Napoleonic rebels and royalists were up to devilry in Muzillac, and Julienne received an emergent missive from his friends informing him that they may no longer be safe in their village.

Returning post haste, Julienne took the entire family upon his ship and fled them all across to England – where his friends and their sons disembarked, but his three daughters remained with him at their insistence. The girls were assigned to sailors familiar with Tromperie and her captain, and were taught the way of the ship.

For reference, Julienne’s daughters joined his crew as of Reckoning to be Reckoned, when he was thirty-five years old, and may be present in threads taking place in that verse, or any afterward.

This is a permanent starter call explicitly for my original character, Muharrem “Matthew” Ben Ali. Anyone who is interested in interacting with a midshipman whose service aboard the Vanguard ended when Nelson left with Hardy, feel free to let me know.

Muharrem is fully integrated into the Hornblower verses set upon the blog, but easily interchanged to be set aboard the Surprise.

These calls give me a heads up on who is open to interacting with whom (which is handy for those who have exclusives among my crew! ) and gives me an excuse to kick you starters whenever something crosses the mind, or blow up your inbox knowing who would be most wanted.

These calls also serve as a final tag dump – when this call is posted it indicates a character has been fully moved into the blog and is ready for action!

For other starter calls, check the tag HERE.

Muharrem has been Matthew for so long that there are times when he feels as though holding on to his true name is little more than an exercise in futility. He wonders if, should the day ever come that he achieves his goal of making a name for himself – a name that is proudly his in every way – will he recognize the sound when it is called?

The idea of not trying however, tastes too much like defeat for Muharrem to accept. He entrusts his name to those who prove to be friendly with him on a consistent level in order to keep it alive, beyond the lips of his parents and the memories in his own mind.

It feels strangely like a secret in his own heart, which is all the more reason to rise in the ranks against all odds and despite all those who would prefer he stay low – out of sight and out of mind. And if he dreams of being Captain Muharrem Ben Ali one day, can he really be held in contempt for wanting more than the mere scraps offered to the colonized?

This is a permanent starter call for Stephen Maturin, of Universal Pictures’ Master & Commander: Far Side Of The World explicitly.

These calls also serve as a final tag dump – when this call is posted it indicates a character has been fully moved into the blog and is ready for action!

For other starter calls, check the tag HERE.

Forgiving

This is not Stephen’s virtue of choice. Indeed, one might even go so far as to say he is utterly incapable of forgiving a sleight. This is particularly notable when one considers the terrifying fact that Stephen is by far one of the best shots around – he practices his aim by having a coin thrown into the air and shooting it down, to put that into perspective for you.

This has lead to him winning most every duel he has ever partaken in – and there have been a fair few. However, following the torment he was forced to endure while he was captured, his aim suffered more than he bargained for. With considerable nerve damage to his hands, this is understandable – but the time between Stephen coming to realize the extent of his damage and the time in which he got himself into another dueling situation was brutally short.

Though Stephen aimed to maim, he ended up killing his opponent over something he normally would not have wished a man dead for. ( That is not to say he would not have been perfectly content with the aforementioned maiming, which once again illustrates the ruthlessness Stephen embodies when he is slighted. )

Stephen has a long memory – he catalogues wrongdoing over time and is known to lash out at unexpected intervals toward those who accumulate a certain wealth of grievances with him. This, however, is minor offenses and annoyances – greater things, such as successfully harming him or those he cares for in any significant fashion ( be it financial, physical, or emotional ) more often than not will lead to the death of the perpetrator in good time – or at the very least a slew of misfortune sent their way.

Stephen never forgets, and very rarely forgives.

Stephen is a man loyal to his ideals and to broad concepts such as the country or the people. He is dedicated to improving the scientific community’s understanding of the way the world operates as surely as he is to benefiting the countries he has aligned himself with over the years.

When it comes to these grand scheme convictions, little can budge Stephen from his chosen paths. He has made his lines in the sand and come to peace with the awareness it will doubtless cost him his life one day. What is a little more mercurial is his loyalty to people in a more direct sense.

Stephen has lost everyone related to him. He has also lost what he believed to be the love of his life. For these reasons, he has issues committing himself too closely to others, for he is all too keenly aware of the lack of permanence such attachments provide.

Marriage, to him, is more like a binding contract than a commitment of loyalty – it guarantees certain amenities for both parties and is the social expectation of the era. For this reason, he generally does not hesitate to offer marriage to women of interest. He holds no loyalty or devotion to them, so much as an awareness that their company is tolerable enough to do the ‘done thing’ as it were. Needless to say, his rather unfortunate personality quirks and at times clear lack of passion tend to have these offers spurned swiftly, but he makes them all the same as he does recognize a wife would make matters simpler when it comes to sleeping during times ashore.

Though it would be like pulling teeth from a rabid bear to get him to own it in any spectacular or notable fashion, Stephen has committed himself in ferocious spirit to Jack Aubrey, and the men ( and boys ) of the Surprise.This is remarkable as it means he will stop at nothing under his power to ascertain their survival and wellbeing. This includes but is hardly limited to:

Alleviating their debts on the sly
Manipulating the admiralty in their favor
Making independant note of their creature comforts
Providing said comforts when they are ill or injured
Deceiving their rivals into abandoning disputes
Killing outright those who would or have harmed them

And just straight up purchasing the Surprise so they can continue sailing together, through the use of both his fortune and his spyhatting connections to excuse the expenditure. To name but a few things. Stephen’s commitment and willingness to go above and beyond for those whom he considers himself loyal is very much part of the reason he does endeavour to avoid making such commitments in the first place.

Generally speaking, Stephen tends to be a very light sleeper. He suffers hypervigilance as an aspect of his ptsd – something that plagued him years before he ever met Jack Aubrey, though was certainly exacerbated as a result of his capture and torture that occured while working with the man. ( Through no fault of Jack’s – Stephen was made out as a spy, and in fact it was Jack who came to his rescue in the end. )

There are several elements that factor in when it comes to Stephen and sleeping. His position must be furthest from the entry points as possible and generally facing the door. On a ship he is not as vigilant – he holds faith in the command Jack holds as much as he does the respect the men have for him as a physician – but he still makes certain to arrange his cot in a manner that makes swift exit simpler and is facing the entry. Even in the case of his study, his desk is positioned so his back is to a wall (never a window ) and always angled to see the entry points fully.

Another thing to note about this is that whenever Stephen goes out anywhere, he positions himself strategically. At the symphony or a university lecture he positions himself nearest the aisle, whilst at a restaurant he would take a seat in a corner nearest the door and angled so that he could see who was coming in and out.

That all said, generally speaking Stephen does not sleep well alone. Though nightmares do not plague him every time he closes his eyes, it is the fact that he cannot predict them that causes his anxiety toward the habit to rise. Especially after his torture, as he gained nightmares of confinement that sometimes are shiftless – there is no real event happening in the dream, only sensation – the feeling of being tied down and unable to move, and a pervasive sense of terror that borders on the primal.

To combat this situation, Stephen works and keeps his mind busy. He has an abundant love and dependence upon coffee, but eventually the body will make its demands known. If he truly feels he cannot sleep safely, he will find a means to conveniently fall asleep in Jack’s cabin, or seated among the lieutenants. The surrounding comforts of others, and the awareness that they will be vigilant while he cannot, assists him in achieving a relatively peaceful reprieve more often than not.

However, he does not like to misuse these methods often, lest he draw attention to his issues. So he will find other, stranger places to sleep – ranging from as simple as his own desk to as unusual as propped against the balustrade somewhere, citing sun and work as his reasons behind it. He’s also known to pass out on beaches, but that genuinely is the sun – and dehydration to boot!

The best sleeps Stephen ever obtains are the ones in which someone is sleeping beside him. For this reason, he does have a habit of pursuing romantic engagements on occasion if only to have the excuse to keep someone close for a week or more ( as long as he can manage, really )for literally no other reason than the desperate need to rest properly.

He is aware this self serving management technique is unfair to those who share his bed, and does generally attempt to be both a giving partner to make up for it, and perhaps a bit too quick to offer commitment to assuage his own guilt ( thus, generally, running people off unintentionally and thrusting him back into his cycles. )

NOTE: For those familiar with the Aubrey-Maturin books, please understand I operate on a film basis primarily and have taken hints from the books only. The canonical addictions Stephen uses to self medicate have been eradicated. For more information, please see the important notices on addiction, and this post for Stephen’s canon in particular.

Due to the fact I am film based, I have taken some time to consider what I have learned about Stephen Maturin from the perspective of the books and have come to the following decisions.

First and foremost, the devastating relationship shared between himself and Diana Villiers will take an immediate turn following the death of Dil. While he will always hold love for Diana, the consequences of chasing her have reached a height he can no longer ignore. Which means that while their relationship will remain amiable, it shall also remain platonic.

I love Brigid, as well as the fact that Stephen adopts literally everything that moves – but I am not confident enough with my limited knowledge of the books to portray his relationship with his daughter and adoptees from the novels. Nor am I even remotely interested in exploring the mess of him with Diana more than I have in my research thus far.

Diana is a gem, and she’s resourceful as fuck, but frankly she and Stephen both deserve better than what they were drawn up with and again, I am not confident enough to explore it in a way that will respect Diana and the book’s designs to the point I would be comfortable.

What this means, is that my Stephen is a bachelor of ambiguous orientation who has a parental streak a mile wide that he pretends does not exist within himself. We do see it come forth in the film and that is something I will absolutely portray for any who wish to be taken under his wing. Biologically, he is childless. Legally, he is unmarried.

Secondly, Stephen’s addictions are nixed. I will not go into this in particular depth but here is the PSA on addictions for those of you wondering wtf on my stance here. He does, however, have self medicating techniques when he is stressed, which include burying himself in projects, avoiding sleep like the plague until it drags him under, and engaging in reckless activities to distract himself and ( admittedly ) gain that thrilling chill of mortality that reminds him he truly is still alive.

He is a survivor, a man who has been tortured for his work, tortured for his secrets, and kept them behind clenched teeth. He suffers from a severe case of vigilance and struggles considerably with a limited sense of the future. He does at times distance himself when his sense of hopelessness strangles his wits and leaves him depressed – this can result in either an increase in his focus on work, or an utter refusal to do anything at all, laying in his cot and staring at nothing until his humors realign and he finds the will to stand once more.

Lastly, I will not reference the books outside of these points, and his frequent spy hatting, as it is a favorite aspect of him I gleaned through my research. That said, due to my limited knowledge, any spying he gets up to is bound to be AU to a fault so please bear that in mind.

Master & Commander: Timeline Adjustments

Up until recently I have been playing pretty loose and fancy free with timeline placements for the M&C crew; everything was set to a pirate’s life and that was the catch all with the exception of specially designed ship-related verses.

However, now that I am a bit more focused in what I am doing here just in general, I am declaring all prior threads to this post as ‘under revisement’ – they all still stand and nothing is being dropped, but some details may change in order to place them more properly into the timeline going forward.

These details will be addressed in coming replies and will not affect anything written prior to this announcement – if you notice what seems like a continuity error in our thread, please consult this timeline.

Pre-Acheron: Falling under To Free The Sea Of Piracy, Do Only What You Can Live With, Chasing Shadows And Drinking Gold. These verses cover a twenty-six year span.
For threads taking place a year prior to Acheron, it will be tagged under Chasing Shadows. For threads taking place two – seven years prior to Acheron, it will be tagged under What You Can Live With. Anything earlier ( which is highly unlikely, but worth noting ) will fall under To Free The Sea.
Chasing Acheron: Falling under Chasing Shadows, the chase of the Acheron takes place over the course of a year and a half.
Post Acheron: Falling under We Are The Renegades, which is a thirteen year span. Stop Blowing Holes In My Ship takes place eleven years after the Acheron’s events.

Thomas Pullings spends nearly two years press-ganged and tortured before being rescued by the EITC. These ships are later attacked for slaving by Robby Greene and his fleet – Thomas, despite being rescued by them, finds himself in opposition of the EITC for the practice and aids the pirates. He is transferred aboard Renegade Freedom under Captain Sparrow.

Thomas serves Renegade Freedom through to Stop Blowing Holes In My Ship at which point, he transfers to Sparrow again after meeting up with him and Gibbs in Tortuga, thus making him available through most POTC shenanigans. His profile has been adjusted to the solidified timeline.