Barely a Ficlet

[cruisedirector]

Title: Satellites
Author: cruisedirector
Artist: tootsiemuppet
Rating: Same as the books.
Disclaimer and Notes: For esteven, who said, "I guess that Stephen might like to talk (?) to Jack more closely after their Ganymede conversation in The Thirteen Gun Salute?" That conversation belongs entirely to Patrick O'Brian, and is included in italics for clarity's sake. Happy birthday, perfect_duet!

Comments

[tootsiemuppet]

*squeaks with glee*

I love that someone wrote fic about this! It's one of my favourite scenes in the entire series.

Now Jack was smiling; Stephen would have known it from his voice even fully in the dark.

*love*

[cruisedirector]

Mine too, which made it incredibly hard to write fic...I really wanted to GO somewhere with Jack's double entendres but because I was trying to stay in consistent O'Brian voice (where no one ever bursts out and says, "YOU IDIOT! YOU'RE THE ONE I WANT!") I just could not make them cooperate!

Thank you!

[tootsiemuppet]

*ahem*

[cruisedirector]

Ooh! Ooh! You are so awesome and Jack's expression is wonderful!

Can I post it with the fic, pretty please?

[squeeful]

Oh this is lovely. Goes beautifully with the double meaning of the scene.

[cruisedirector]

Thank you. I really thought the double meaning of the scene should have led to someone showing someone else his telescope, since Jack is so obviously flirting. But they wouldn't cooperate!

[gritkitty]

Ah, ha ha ha! That quote! Beautiful.

And so is your ficlet. ; )

[cruisedirector]

The quote is lots better than my ficlet, but it was worth writing just to get to reread it over and over. :) Thanks so much!

[gillianinoz]

This is great - and it follows on beautifully!

We should do a whole series of these, everyone pick a conversation and expand on it. I like the one where Stephen asks Jack if he ever thinks about sex and Jack instantly returns that no, it has never crossed his mind in the least. :-)

[cruisedirector]

Thank you! I find it really hard to follow O'Brian directly. My favorite scene not in any of the books is the missing one in Post Captain where Jack and Stephen make up after they almost duel and then Jack is wounded and Stephen calls him "brother" and tells him to come below. My favorite scene in any of the books is in the same as this one, when Jack has just told Stephen that he can't land him on an island Stephen wanted to see, and Stephen says, "Never grieve, soul...we shall go there at our leisure in the Surprise once that Buonaparte has been knocked on the head." I wish O'Brian had ended the series with them doing that!

[gillianinoz]

Co-incidence! I just listened to that coming home on the bus - and I thought the exact same thing. I do believe that's what O'Brian intended, and in my mind that's what happened.

Thanks again for your ficlet!

[cruisedirector]

I am pretty happy with where 21 breaks off, with Jack an admiral traveling with Stephen and their entire families. In proper historical romance style, I also assume O'Brian would have had George Aubrey grow up and marry Brigid Maturin...

[sidlj]

All perfectly innocent and honorable. Zero sodomy going on here! (But how quick they are to wonder about each other, hee.)

And such a perfect picture to illustrate your story. :-)

[cruisedirector]

Thanks so much! Jack was really quite huffy when I suggested naughtiness to him. He believes such things should be left to the reader's imagination. :)