(Untitled)
Title: Tabula in Naufragio
Author: ballincollig
Pairing/characters: Jack (in his younger life as John Teague), Captain Teague, a whole slew of OMCs and OFCs, the Black Pearl (in her former life as the Wicked Wench)
Rating: R, for some language and adult situations
Prompt: #56: "how Jack picked up all that Latin"
Summary: Young John Teague of Dublin indulges ( Read more... )
Author: ballincollig
Pairing/characters: Jack (in his younger life as John Teague), Captain Teague, a whole slew of OMCs and OFCs, the Black Pearl (in her former life as the Wicked Wench)
Rating: R, for some language and adult situations
Prompt: #56: "how Jack picked up all that Latin"
Summary: Young John Teague of Dublin indulges ( Read more... )
Comments 33
Reply
It's weird, but Jamey and Kit almost wrote themselves--what a strange thing to say, eh? As a newish writer I was particularly concerned (worried as hell) about characterization, so I'm very, very pleased to hear their voices rang true to you.
Thanks again for reading and commenting!
Reply
"And the words they learned! Ah God, they were each like tiny, cunning riddles, fairly begging to be solved." Bestest line ev'r write, IMHO. Thank you for the joy in the reading and the glimpse of this character I choose to love. You done right by us, hope it brought you joy as well.
Reply
John's relationship with Latin is like my relationship with Latin on my best days...some days it all seems so magical, such a delight to puzzle out--and such a treasure when you do (and other days it makes you want to beat your head against a wall and weep blood *LOL*). And Jack's always struck me as the kind of person who's read a little bit of everything, simply because he can't stop reading. I imagine in his later years the Pearl filled with all sorts of wonderful books, running the gamut of genres. Seems right, to me :)
geekmama convinced me of literate!young!Jack about seven million years ago, and this seemed a good opportunity to try my hand at writing it. It was terrific fun.
Thanks again for your very, very kind comments, and for reading!
Reply
I'm also curious about his family. We know where Mum eventually ends up, but what of Jamey, Kit and the baby? Did Jack actually re-write the entire code, and if so, what sort of devious things did he write in it when he knew no one would know better? Is Jack's name still carved in the Pearl, even after Davy Jones resurrected her from the bottom of the sea? You've gone and gotten me all atwitter.
You have a tremendous gift, please keep sharing it with us.
Reply
I really, really wanted to write Jack's mum into the piece, at least more than she is, but I found it just broke my heart to get to "know" her and then to recall the next time we see her. So, basically, I chickened out with her, poor dear. ;)
The rest of the "clan" has burrowed into my head and now they refuse to leave, so chances are they'll be back. And as I mentioned to another kind commenter, I have already developed an embarrassing crush on Jamey; he needs his own story, perhaps.
And, yes, Jack's name is still down there in the hold of the Pearl. No doubt about that. Just, maybe, slightly charred-looking *LOL* ;)
Thanks once again for your wonderfully-detailed comment and for your incredibly kind words. It pleases me to no end that you enjoyed the story!
Reply
There's not only the basic idea of little Jack and how you got it so incredibly live-like, but the way you've arranged the words themselves that tell the story, is simply amazing.
I was giggling in all the wrong places just out of the sheer beauty of the wording and I got stuck in And the words they learned! Ah God, they were each like tiny, cunning riddles, fairly begging to be solved. , for the truth it withholds.
About the story itself, after marvelling at the richness of it, I am desperate to know how the tale continues. I'm joining the choir, asking about what happened to Jamey, where's Kit and furthermore, what happened to John , what made him Jack
Everything's so right here. Thank you apleanty for writing it.
Reply
That line about words as riddles: that sums up my experience with Latin right there. Each word in Latin holds so much grammatical information, sometimes I do feel more like I'm solving puzzles than reading the language--and that can make for great fun.
I'm glad you picked up on the John/Jacky distinction...I loved the idea that while the whole world was calling him a diminutive nickname, he consistently thought of himself as a very grown-up John. But you're entirely right: when does he leave behind John for Jack? And why?
I enjoyed writing this story so much, it's fairly assured we'll see more of the Teague kids, if only to satisfy my own curiosity about their futures *laughs*. Jamey, in particular, I can't get out of my head...*g*
Thanks once again for your lovely comment. It was much appreciated!
Reply
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment