Hector Barbossa

[Since exactly a month ago, the whole of Luceti has had the pleasure of being graced with the presence of a certain pirate captain who still thought that it was the most peculiar chunk of land he had ever seen, and yet, he found himself fitting right in among all the rest. For better or for worse, he found out that he stood out much less when his location was also supposedly a home for not one, but several bloody gods among mortals as well as the likes of talking dragon(s) and other strange creatures. And that was discounting the numerous certain humans who were not exactly normal either, some of them even brought here back from his own world.

Laying low for the duration of his stay here so far, Barbossa analyzed and read more about the village as a whole, what it offered him, and who exactly his enemies were. He had yet to devise a plan that would bring him back to his beloved ship back home and to the vast open seas that he was used to. It wouldn't be long now before those pesky, smug Malnosso folk were gonna start seriously regretting bringing him down here.

Today was his day out, however, and what was just about to happen couldn't quite be described as "laying low", oh, no.

Barbossa thought that if there was anything this place was good for, it was its seemingly infinite supplies of free apples and rum. Yes, here he was, in the middle of the day, out by the food store, an apple in his hand that he had just gotten for himself. It was quite a bright and enjoyable day too, even with the cold snap.]

Ah, this apple be a splendidly good choice, perfectly ripe! [Indeed it was, for he had already taken a single bite and was already enjoying it, even briefly standing still in the middle of the Luceti road so that he could simply savor the moment for longer. It was just so juicy and crisp.

He couldn't help but lean in for another bite immediately afterwards with a pleased look on his face, even closing his eyes dreamily when suddenly--]

What in the--?!

[The apple was bloody gone and he found himself trying to bite the air, which didn't taste nearly as good. His eyes snapped open, his pupils wide upon seeing that there was nothing in his hand, and soon enough his head swiftly turned in the direction of a suspicious sound nearby. That looked a lot like a--]

Monkey!

[And with that exclamation, he set off like a rocket right after the pesky complacent little creature through the road, his eyes on the precious apple that it had made the grave mistake of foolishly stealing from him. Thinking nothing of the possible collateral damage of this chase, Barbossa didn't shy away from lightly pushing people who were certainly taking their bloody time walking through the village.]

Arr, outta me way, ye bloody cockroaches! Come 'ere, ye thievin' little...

[Wait, he could just go back in the store and get another apple, right?... But no, this had been the perfect one, and besides, there was just something about this monkey that was oddly familiar... Perhaps it was the fact that it was dressed quite adequately, the outfit it wore ringing a bell in his head, along with its rather obnoxiously thieving attitude. Could it be...?

One way or the other, he was going to find out, and he planned on doing so before it could get the chance of disappearing into the distant forest and climbing up one of the trees there, in which case he wouldn't be able to follow. Barbossa may not have been the youngest of people here, but he was surprisingly spry, especially when either his hat, apple, rum or ship was on the line. And this chase right now? It was just the kind of emergency that warranted the pirate captain's best.

And for that reason, when the monkey began trying to lose him by attempting to climb on one of the house roofs and then jump towards the forest, Barbossa deftly pulled out his sword, skillfully swung it towards the apple and pushed it off the monkey's hand just before the animal could escape his reach. At the same time, he held out his own and managed to catch it, not letting it fall on the ground while also making sure he didn't harm the thief who had stolen it. His joy over regaining the previously lost piece of fruit was shadowed by the mutual recognition between a master and his monkey as the latter turned his head around with a set of puppy dog eyes Barbossa knew quite well.]

I knew it had to be ye, Jack!

Action I.

[One may stumble upon Barbossa wildly chasing Jack through the streets of Luceti (it was a sight that couldn't quite be missed), though unless they could keep up with the two, they shouldn't hope for small talk with the currently distressed, annoyed and preoccupied pirate captain. The character tagging can either be a passer-by, or somebody Barbossa shoved to get out of the way, or somebody who catches Jack first - go wild with this one.]

Action II.

[Once Barbossa and Jack were reacquainted with each other, the monkey was back where he belonged - on his master's shoulder, who had generously split the apple so that both of them would be able to enjoy it. As they walked through the streets of Luceti, one could tell that Barbossa was quite in a good mood after being brought back together with his pet, even if he was visibly tired from the chase. He couldn't explain how, nor did he have an idea as to why Jack was here as well, but he didn't particularly care.]

Water under the bridge, Jack! [His response to a brief sad look that the monkey gave him.] Puttin' up that kind of fight for a mere apple deserves some kind of reward, wouldn't ye say?

[Barbossa, now with Jack on his shoulder, can be found walking around Luceti basically anywhere, mostly to and fro the food store to procure another apple for him and his pet to share. Of course, he would celebrate the occasion later in the evening in the Good Spirits tavern as well.]

Luceti

March

3/21 - 01. Shipwreck [Action] (Captain Barbossa)

April

4/09 - [Written] And The Good South Wind Still Blew Behind (James Norrington)
4/15 - Brown Dragon Down (Draco)
4/21 - 02. Barbossa is Hungry [Action] (Captain Barbossa)
4/27 - Soap Opera Shenanigans (Captain Barbossa)

This is the post for IC Appointments with Captain Barbossa, and where you'll be able to reach him. If you want to do that, feel free to leave a message here!

I'd appreciate it if you also used timestamps such as Date, Time and Type of Action.

PLAYER

Name: Theodore
Journal Username: applepirate
E-mail: theodoricos@gmail.com
AIM/PLURK: theodoricos@gmail.com (AIM)
Current Characters at Luceti: Ai Nanasaki, Hector Barbossa


CHARACTER

Name: Hector Barbossa
Canon: Pirates of the Caribbean
Gender: Male
Age: 59
Wing Color: Completely black.

Canon Point: The end of the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, “On Stranger Tides”.
Canon Point Explanation: Firstly, I didn’t want to take Barbossa while he was still cursed – I would like for that experience to be behind him and for him to have repaid for what he did, along with the crew of the Black Pearl. I also want him to have gone through the plot of the rest of the movies as the protagonist he was, which would mean that he would be the captain of the Queen Anne’s Revenge at the time of him being taken to Luceti, having just returned to his pirate ways again.
History: Hector Barbossa

Personality:

Hector Barbossa is everything you would expect a pirate captain to be. Of all things to describe him, the words cunning, clever and dangerous come to mind first. There is certainly a reason why he was Jack Sparrow’s first mate aboard the Black Pearl, and later on, its very own captain after a carefully thought-out mutiny on his part. To do so would also require no small degree of confidence, which he certainly has as well.

The fact that Barbossa wanted to take the ship of his captain is also an example of his greedy nature, which is actually what eventually leads him to his undoing in “The Curse of the Black Pearl” upon retrieving the cursed chest of Cortés. As a pirate, seeking out such treasure is what compels him and the rewards that he may possibly find from the depths of the waters he explores. A man like him certainly would not be put off by the idea of possessing a good deal of material wealth.

In a lot of instances throughout the movies, Barbossa can be seen turning agreements to his advantage while still keeping to them – tricking Elizabeth to stay on the Pearl for example, or often following the guidelines of the Pirate Code that were favorable for him. More often than not, he is actually a man of his word – though one had better specify the terms of an agreement with him as much as they possibly could, just to be safe.

These traits, however, do not inherently make Barbossa evil. While he is the antagonist in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, it must not be forgotten that he fought alongside Jack Sparrow, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan as a protagonist himself after his resurrection. He is not a man without honor, and he fulfills his promise of freeing Calypso and respects the right of Parley.

That said, Barbossa is not somebody one would want to cross anyway –neither with swords, nor out in the waters. He excels at swordfighting, capable of holding his ground and being a real threat to anyone who faces him, even after losing his leg. In a ship battle, he will take advantage of a given situation and use clever tactics to defeat the opposing vessel – an example of him doing so and succeeding would be his fight with the Interceptor in “The Curse of the Black Pearl”. He was the one to oversee the boarding of the enemy ship while he gave commands to the cannoneers of the Pearl.

Barbossa is also curiously eloquent, as shown in a lot of the lines that he says and the speeches he gives to his crew, which is another sign of his intelligence. He is not exactly the humble, plain pirate captain that a person would expect.

It is also worth noting that there is not a lot that can strike fear within Barbossa. The waterfalls at World’s End certainly did not, nor did the huge whirlpool created by Calypso that he sailed right towards, not appearing particularly impressed. With that in mind, one could say that it would take a lot for something to truly frighten him.

There is no doubt that apples are Barbossa’s favorite food, for he can often be seen eating said fruit in every movie. Even when he died, it was an apple he was holding in his hand, and he himself said that eating a bushel of apples was the first thing he was going to do after the curse was lifted. While not as excessive of a drinker as Jack Sparrow, like any pirate, Barbossa is also a fan of the rum.

He also used to have a pet monkey called Jack – named after his former captain – that he genuinely cares for. More often than not, the little animal sat on Barbossa’s shoulder, leaving only in the sight of gold or other valuables, sharing his owner’s love for treasure.

Strengths

Physical: The pirate captain is very skilled in a battle with swords, as shown in all of the duels that he has throughout the movies – the one with Jack Sparrow in “The Curse of the Black Pearl” in the Isla de Muerta being the most prominent of them all. It would be very difficult to overcome him in a swordfight, for apart from his strength, he also has an intelligent, mostly defensive style of fighting that he can use to his advantage and outsmart his enemies with.

Mental: Captain Barbossa, as he continuously displays, is very cunning. That helps him in both physical and psychological confrontations. He often finds a way to work his way around the agreements he makes with his enemies while honoring them at the same time – like he does when he takes Elizabeth aboard the Black Pearl, and later on, maroons her and Jack Sparrow on an island, cleverly taking advantage of his bargain with Will Turner. Always being on the lookout for things that can work to his advantage helps him once more when he takes the Black Pearl away from Jack Sparrow at the finale of “At World’s End”.

Emotional: For the most part, Barbossa is very much in control of his emotions, rarely letting his feelings get in the way of thinking things through. It allows him to stay as perceptive and aware as possible during ship or sword battles, as well as fights that he wages with words alone. That worked to his benefit when he tricked a more emotional Will in “The Curse of the Black Pearl”.

Weaknesses

Physical: After the events of “On Stranger Tides” – the Black Pearl’s encounter with the Queen Anne’s Revenge in particular – Barbossa loses his right leg, having to use a wooden one as a replacement. Even if he learns to manage with it well, it still slows him down in combat, making his maneuvering harder and leaving him generally more vulnerable. Because of that, he lost his balance several times during his duel with Blackbeard in the same movie.

Mental: Being outsmarted by Jack Sparrow and having the map to the Fountain of Youth stolen from him shows that even with his own fair share of clever deceptions, Barbossa can still be fooled himself. He can also be angered easily when insults are thrown at him and when people do not acknowledge his authority as a pirate captain, which is a strategy they can use to lead him astray.

Emotional: Sometimes, things Barbossa’s opponents say or do can get under his skin and frustrate him, and it can lead him to lose some of his concentration and awareness. That was how Jack Sparrow managed to trick him, for instance, when he took one of the Aztec gold pieces right under the pirate captain’s nose. The fact that he can be particularly vengeful also makes him lose some of that focus.

Anything else?: I would also like Jack, his pet monkey, to be able to reunite with him early on at some point in Luceti if that is possible.

SAMPLES

First Person: Training Wings

Third Person:
Captain Barbossa stood silently at the Luceti beach with his wistful eyes gazing into the distance of the seemingly vast ocean. The familiar sound of soft waves on the shore was all around him while he was pleasantly hit by the spray of the water, his face touched by the warm sun. Unlike home, however, there was not much beyond the horizon he was seeing at that moment, for just like everybody else here, he was trapped.

The old man let out a long, deep sigh as he looked up to the sky, reaching out with his hand to adjust the hem of his round black hat, shielding himself from the sun.

If one were to try their luck and escape, before they knew it they would have to turn around and go back to where they came from. Barbossa knew that – and realized that even if he got himself a ship, sailing away from here was not going to bring him much good. Not that there was anything to look for, anyway – no goal in mind, no treasure to uncover and no bearing to follow.

While he had already indulged in fair share of adventures in Luceti that were certainly entertaining in their own right, the former pirate captain still missed having the opportunity to walk across a wooden deck, to feel his hands on a helm and to look up and see sails blowing in the wind. Being able to do that here still wouldn’t bring him true freedom, not really… but it would go a long way to making him feel like a real captain again.

Bringing back his gaze to the horizon, Barbossa’s lips started pulling into a smile as he continued his train of thought.

For what was worth, this still sure beat having a curse on him. Being around all these other folk was not an experience he was used to even back in his own world, and it proved to be a rather amusing one quite often. Most of them didn’t remotely look like the makings of a crew – not like the one he had, anyway.

Even if one could argue that it would be all for naught, Barbossa still set his sights on acquiring a ship. What was out there in the waters – no matter how little – he wanted to explore regardless, eager to uncover anything that may be hidden beneath.

There was no currency here and any treasure he might find would probably be of little value to anyone, yes, but as with everybody else, old habits die hard.