El Nysa

[drinkupmehearties]

OOC

Handle: Cee
Contact: PM or heathenpancakes
Over 18? Yes
Characters Played: N/A

THE CHARACTER

Character Name: Captain Jack Sparrow
Series: Pirates of the Caribbean
Canon Point: The end of At World's End
Character Age: About 44
Background: Wiki link.

Personality: He's the pirate who sacked Nassau Port without firing a single shot, the man who vanished from under the eyes of seven agents of the East India Company, who escaped off a desert island using only ropes and turtles, who cheated death itself and came back from the bowels of the mighty Kraken. The worst best pirate anyone has ever seen. Known best and most (in)famously as the illustrious Captain Jack Sparrow.

And that's the core of what Jack is, in a way. A storyteller, a man of half-truths, full on lies, and honest words -- all blended perfectly into an inscrutable mess, so much so that it's impossible to separate fact from fairy tale. This helps to keep everyone an objective distance away from the truth at hand, but also feeds nicely into his ego. He's the infamous Jack Sparrow, the notorious pirate of the Seven Seas, "captain" of a ship (that is frequently absent or in the hands of another pirate). He constantly tries to cultivate the image of the invincible, untouchable, dreadful pirate -- whether that's through insane, unnecessary stunts that leave people confused and speechless, or by the creation of all these ridiculous legends about himself.

Despite these efforts, people constantly underestimate him. Because while Jack has his own self-perpetuated mythology floating around, in actuality, most people can't take him or the stories seriously. He drinks booze like water, constantly slurs his speech, and most of the time can't stand on two steady feet. He's a womanizer who invariably flirts with any pretty face that he comes across, especially if it will gain him something in the long run. On top of this, he's managed to hurt, piss off, and run up debt with an extraordinary large amount of people -- and when confronted about this, tends to pretend it never happened. Jack also regularly embraces that "oldest and noblest of pirate traditions": running away. To most people, that's all reason enough to dismiss him.

Yet that's a common mistake that people make. Physically, Jack can handle his own in a fight. He's able to stand toe-to-toe with those that fight him with both a sword and pistol. And while his constantly drunken demeanor may suggest otherwise, Jack is actually quite a shrewd and intelligent man. The plans that he concocts are almost always insane and sound impulsive, but nearly always tend to work out in his favor. He regularly depends on a glib tongue, an extensive and confusing vocabulary, and quick wit to get him out of situations, preferring to talk himself out of a tight spot than use brute force. Many times people assume they know his motivations, or have guessed his intention, but time and again it turns out their assumption is wrong. He's a hard man for most to figure out.

On the surface, and like most people expect of him, Jack can appear to be a downright scoundrel. Everyone has a hard time keeping track of the pirate's ever-changing loyalty, and as a result find it hard to trust him. The people around him are frequently manipulated and used as pawns to his own purposes, ensnared by the tangle and twist of the words that flow from his mouth. Even those who have become close to him are are not exempt from the pirate's inconsistent morality; Will being trapped aboard the Flying Dutchman is one good example of this, as is the unflinching ease in which Jack agrees to damn one hundred souls in exchange for his own freedom. And at perhaps one of his worst moments, Jack even abandons his entire crew to be devoured by the Kraken.

However, all that doesn't outright mean Jack is a horrible person. While Will is trapped aboard the Dutchman solely because of him, later on the pirate abandons his own selfish dream of immortality and allows (even helps) Will to stab Jones' heart and thus survive his fatal chest wound. And even though Jack does initially abandon his crew to the Kraken, he returns to help in the battle and perishes with his ship. So of course, being a pirate, there are parts of him that aren't good; he does make a living off of lying, cheating, betraying, and stealing from others. But Jack can be heroic, sometimes. And even a good person.

All of Jack's showmanship -- the tall tales, the eccentricity, the insistence that everyone call him captain even if there is no ship to speak of -- shows Jack's deep need to be perceived as important and impressive to others. He becomes disappointed or irritated if people don't recognize his name and face, and makes sure that everyone around him is well aware that he's the one and only Captain Jack Sparrow. This front that the pirate presents to the outside world, however, helps to conceal a very real desire for approval from others.

As much as Jack has built himself up to be a fearsome and terrible figure, he shows a noticeable reluctance when it comes to killing others -- particularly people who wish him no harm to start with. Even when cornered, Jack will knock out or distract an opponent and escape rather than full-on engage them. In his own words: "Why fight when you can negotiate?" Which is not to say that the choice is always muddled in some sort of altruism felt for his fellow man. Sometimes it's the easier route to take, sometimes it allows him to turn tail and run faster. However, this facet of his personality even extends further into a "heroic" side. Because Jack doesn't wish death to those around him, he's taken on the odd habit of saving people from harm, especially those lucky few that have become close to him.

So despite it all, there actually is, to everyone's surprise, an undercurrent of morality and loyalty that lives in Jack. And most times he keeps to it, even when it potentially comes in conflict with his own self-serving actions. He may see himself as not necessarily good -- an irredeemable pirate, at that -- but his actions sometimes prove otherwise.

At the end of it all, Jack values his freedom. To him the life of a pirate, a life aboard the Black Pearl, is complete freedom. It's worth living and fighting for, no matter the cost. Even when offered a chance to become a privateer for the EITC, an opportunity that would grant him the ability to sail as a pirate without consequences and even be paid for it, Jack refused.

Powers/Abilities: For all the legends and notoriety, Jack is actually just your run-of-the-mill human. He doesn't have any inhuman special 'abilities' to speak of, and is also susceptible to what all normal humans are: cut him and he'll bleed, stab him in the heart and he'll die.

- Sailing: Jack is an accomplished captain with many years of experience under his belt.
- Combat: He's good at wielding both a cutlass and flintlock. He is an insanely good shot, which makes up for his somewhat subpar swordsmanship.
- Smooth talker: Jack is a fantastic manipulator, able to twist most situations into his favor using a glib tongue and a heavy dab of charm.

Power Nerfs (if applicable): N/A

Inventory:
- Flintlock pistol
- Clothes (with all his various baubles) + tricorne hat
- Spyglass

Incentives: Above all, he'd be very insistent on having the Pearl. His compass (with its imbued magic), his cutlass, and a hefty monetary reward will also help to convince him.

SAMPLES

TDM top-level + TDM overflow!