It is mentioned ( albeit vaguely ) in Gillette’s profile that his return to duty after the hurricane is counted as miraculous. This will be linked in to provide the context that Gillette himself is unaware of.

Daniel’s survival was touch and go for nearly two months after the Dauntless was destroyed off the coast of Tripoli. Though he was stabilized by a local surgeon, he needed to be transported and tended to by a specialist back in England. It was predicted then that if he lived, he may likely wish he had died.

For six months, Daniel could not walk and was in fact near to that point of depression and misery where he did indeed resent his survival and the efforts taken to preserve his existence when he saw so little to do with it. Eventually his father managed to convince him he could continue to be of service from a clerical standpoint – and though he was bitter and tired, Daniel applied himself to the task all the same.

His mother, however, could see the life draining away from him. She knew well what the loss of his legs meant for Daniel – and seeing as they were not removed so much as simply not responding, she believed she knew a way to return the spirit to her son if she played her cards right.

Unbeknownst to Daniel, his mother made a deal with a witch known both for her miracles and her curses. Everything comes with a price, and what Sarah Gillette paid is not something that need be discussed – what is best understood and addressed is the results of the bargain she struck.

Eighteen months after the hurricane, Daniel was encouraged to try to stand one more time by his mother – this success shocked him, and lead to him undergoing a recovery period as he regained his strength and his trust in his ability to walk again. Less than seven months later, he was back in service to the Navy and convinced his recovery was no more than luck and a blessing unexpected.

Though he has had little reason to wonder about it, despite the damages his body took, he has suffered no ill effects. His immune system, in fact, is stronger than it has ever been. As part of the bargain, the witch strengthened his abilities to withstand infection – which in essence, includes such small irritations as colds and flus.

However, she could not repair everything – not without it being suspicious, and drawing attention to the Gillette family in an unfavorable manner. Thus, the pains and swellings he suffers from are the price he pays, for a deal he doesn’t even know was made. Nevertheless, were he to learn of it chances are he would not be alarmed; having personally fought undead pirates, being healed by a witch seems a rather minor bit of magic, all things told.

First allow me to direct you to this friendly reminder concerning Lieutenant Daniel Gillette. Now let it be known that this man is considered the undisputed heavyweight champion of both his division and Lieutenant Groves’ division, and has only once been truly challenged by anyone. The legendary drinking challenge of Groves and Gibbs will likely go down in sailor history as a sure fable, but that is a whole other story.

Seeing as his reputation keeps anyone from challenging him while on duty, Daniel plays his games during shore leave against unsuspecting sailors at various pubs. Indeed, men of his division often pub crawl along with him to enjoy the spectacle and even throw their own money in just to encourage the hapless they swindle to throw down far more than they should and thus, lose spectacularly.

The men are abundantly supportive of Daniel’s games, as the lieutenant’s proceeds from these matters are always split equally and sent toward any widows made during the latest of seafaring adventures. ( He has, on lower paying evenings, added from his own pocket as well, though few know of this. )

His men also on a low key level fear him, for Daniel Gillette has never once awakened from these events with a hangover. Never even once. He has no sympathy for men with raging headaches induced by alcohol for he has never experienced one and that, in and of itself, is terrifying.

Daniel Gillette transferred to the Dauntless as soon as he passed his lieutenants examination at the age of twenty seven. He had been serving as the active lieutenant aboard HMS Euterpe as a result of the previous lieutenant being killed in action.

Coming from a past of exemplary military service, his rise to midshipman and then to lieutenant taking place in less than three years was not considered too terribly surprising, however the fact that two others aboard Euterpe managed to pass the examination was considered noteworthy.

Desperate to be free of Euterpe and it’s nosy crew, Daniel swiftly volunteered himself for transfer, and was consequently shipped off to serve the Dauntless. He has since been a great deal more at ease, as the rumors of his past are very quiet aboard her and few see fit to talk too loudly of a man of his rank and status in any case.

As of CotBP, Daniel had been serving the Dauntless for two years; this means that Groves is in fact his senior, despite being the younger of the two, as he was aboard the Dauntless four years prior to Daniel’s arrival. Daniel, thereore, is second lieutenant to Theodore’s first.

An important point of interest regarding Lieutenant Gillette is the fact that he came to the Navy quite late in life and after having established something of a career for himself in the armed forces.

In a time when it was common to see boys as young as twelve pressed into service of the Royal Navy, and able bodied sailors were practically treated as trade goods, a man in his mid-twenties boarding a ship for the first time with a midshipman rank was rare enough; coming from the background he did, Gillette was subject to no small amount of scrutiny ( when he wasn’t getting sick on deck and facing punishment for refusing to answer superior officers’ inquiries toward matters he deemed immaterial to the missions at hand. ) Perhaps had he served among the marines, matters would not have seemed as unusual – but prior to boarding his first vessel at the age of 24, Gillete had never once been on deck of a ship.

Nevertheless, he persevered both out of his internal sense of duty and his familiarity with chain of command and general tactics and strategy. Although hardly familiar with the workings of a ship, he understood warfare intimately well and over time, earned his way through the ranks through wit and in no small part, his skill with sword and gun whenever boarding prize ships or being boarded by enemy combatants.

Gillette’s skills lie in equestrianism, swordsmanship, and long game planning. He comes from a politically aligned family, and has a strong sense of decorum and diplomacy when it suits him. He is intimately aware of propriety and generally will not do anything to besmirch the dignity of another. However, in times of duress, his top priority is always the preservation of life before the adherence of rank and dignity. If he sees a threat to a superior his responses are instinctive, and damn the fallout.

This is a permanent starter call for Theodore Groves, of Pirates of the Caribbean explicitly.

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.

RULES.  share four songs  /  pieces of music that represent your muse.  
THEODORE GROVES EDITION
( repost, don’t reblog )

Try Everything – Shakira

I wanna try everything
I wanna try even though I could fail
I won’t give up, no I won’t give in
Till I reach the end
And then I’ll start again

No Prejudice – Pollapönk

Life is way too short for short-sightedness
And tell me who has got the time for narrow-mindedness?
Listen to what I say
‘Cause everybody looks the same on the inside
And it pays to wear a smile

I Am What I Am – John Barrowman

There’s one life, and there’s no return and no deposit;
One life, so it’s time to open up your closet
Life’s not worth a damn
‘Till you can say “Hey world, I am what I am.”

It’s My Life – Bon Jovi

It’s my life
It’s now or never
I ain’t gonna live forever
I just want to live while I’m alive

Flowers

Theodore loves flowers – especially bright ones. He loves vibrant purples, sunshine yellows, pastel pinks, lavenders – honestly he simply adores all manner of flowers! He has learned to weave them into hair for his sisters, and to craft them into flower crowns for the same reason.

These skills have been put to use during tims ashore in the Caribbean, as he has a way with children and tends to spend his time off feeding cats and overseeing children for tired mothers. He is always happy to do a little girl’s hair or teach children in general how to make the crowns his sisters showed him how to weave years ago, and it is not uncommon for him to tuck a flower behind his own ear from time to time and claim a child did it if questioned.

Heat

Theodore is straight up a rüppell’s fox; he is hardy against the heat and tends to hate the cold because despite being born and raised in England, he is simply not built for it. He has acclimatized to the Caribbean so well that returns to England are quietly dreadful, as more often than not he feels frozen to his very core whenever he is there.

Theodore’s sisters took years to realize the reason for the sweltering sauna he produced in their home when he arrived stemmed from this, and they’ve built a special space for him so that he can keep warm without slaughtering them under the heat wave.

Generally speaking after about a week in England, he gets himself recalibrated and is able to cope like a normal person with extra layers. However, a part of him is always longing to return to the warmer climate across the sea – as much for adventure, as the heat.

What does Theodore smell like? ( Thanks to @the-empires for this! )

Theodore is cleaner than most men what with the fact that he swims every chance he gets and even when he probably shouldn’t. There is a distinct air of salt and brine that never truly escapes him at sea, even more so than his fellows.

He freshens often, and makes use of an ambergris wax to bely less savory scents such as tar and gunpowder. His clothes give off a slight whiff of cassia, more affordable than amber or cinnamon, though no less pleasant. When landed, he often smells of bergamot and occasionally of rose, as it is easier to utilize scented waters on land than it is at sea.

Once again, Theodore can be caught making use of more affordable perfumes, despite having wages that could easily permit him to go for higher end products. Though he is very particular about his hygiene he refuses to cost his sisters more than he must of his wages. ( As he sends them about 90% of what he makes, though they would survive perfectly well on 40%, he wishes them to have excess wherever they can because he himself has no need of it. )