Tag: the art of philosophy ( stephen headcanons )

It is important to note that although Stephen tends to bicker with Jack almost constantly, one of his primary motivations for doing so stems from a quiet fascination with the way in which the man views the world. Though there are certainly points in which they butt heads on a genuine level  –  and there are indeed topics to which they stand at polar ends  –  for the most part, Stephen holds a genuine respect for Jack’s ideology and passions.

It is in part for this reason that he constantly asks about the ships and sails and other bits and bobs – not because he can’t retain it – or even because he is all that interested in understanding the difference between a reefing line and a reefing cringle – but rather because it sets Jack off on tangental escapades that are a genuine entertainment for him. 

It is a harmless means of seeing the man’s more excitable edge without bearing the risk of argument, and in truth a part of Stephen incites these tangents to learn how to be more engaging when speaking about things a listener might not care about. He knows himself to be painfully monotonous even when he is talking about something he has spent years researching and believes that through observing Jack, he may learn to become a better public speaker. 

@seafaired

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.