recsforalloccasions | Pirates of the Caribbean - The Early Days

It's been two years since Pirates of the Caribbean hit the theaters and in that time the fandom has grown massively and is still attracting new writers and readers alike. There are a plethora of PoTC communities these days, too many to keep track of, all these different places where different bits of the fandom hang out. But in the beginning there was one place for PoTC fic,

pirategasm.

monkeypuzzle gave me the idea forever ago to do this and now I'm finally getting around to it. A recs set and guided tour of the early days of PoTC fandom on livejournal.

Much of that early fic gets lost in the shuffle these days and yeah, some of it is best left there, but there are certainly some gems. And in those months is our history too, the first attempts at now-popular pairings, early takes on characterization and relationships, the first writers with no knowledge of James' first name. I figure most of the people reading PoTC now weren't reading back in those first months, so most of this fic will be brand new to most of you and for those of us who were around then, well it's great to revisit old nearly-forgotten friends.

PoTC: the early months

There was PoTC fic months before the movie was released. This was a highly-anticipated fandom. The discussion community,

arrrrr was created in January of 2003.

pirategasm was created on April 1st, and the first Jack/Will fic was posted that very day by

leggyslove. Written with information gleaned from trailers and summaries, the characterizations bear little resemblance to the characters we'd soon come to know and love, but still it was a beginning. It didn't take long for the first RPS to come along, some Orlando/Viggo Lotrips set on the PoTC set by

bunnyfics was posted on May 4th.

There was a steady trickle of fic and drabbles both slash and RPS. All the slash was either Jack/Will or Will/OC. The first het posted to the community was an RPS Keira/Orlando ficlet posted on June 10th. The first RPS threesome was posted on June 20th, but it was a link to a now-deleted journal.

The movie opened in wide release on July 9th and there was an immediate upswing in fic posting beginning July 10th. The community went from 1 or 2 posts every couple days to 5 or 6 posts a day to 25 posts on July 18th alone.

The first Will/Elizabeth wasn't posted until July 10th, but it was a very good beginning and my first rec.

At Sunset by tigs, Will/Elizabeth, G. A lovely and lyrical portrait of the early days of their marriage, as they feel out their place in the world and their place with each other.

The first posted Jack/Will/Elizabeth and the first implied Jack/Norrington came together in one fic, also posted on the 10th.

Figuring it Out by serafina20, Jack/Will/Elizabeth, implied Jack/Norrington, PG-13. A sweet bit of estabished relationship humor.

Some of the best early fic was written by Malasita. Her journal is now deleted, but her fic is still online. The first 3 parts of the ...And a Bottle of Rum Jack/Will/Elizabeth series were also posted on July 10th

July, 2003 was a busy month on

pirategasm; there were 290 posts to the community. Here are some of the highlights:

Rum by ladyjaida, Jack/Bootstrap Bill, implied smut. A character study of a young Jack Sparrow, as seen through the eyes of Bootstrap Bill. A perfect mix of fluid, almost dreamlike descriptions and sharp clever dialogue.

Mirage in Blue and Green by darkeyedwolf, Jack/Will, PG. Jack/Will was the most popular pairing right out of the gate, and this is a lovely bit of post movie Jack/Will.

By Moonlight by circe_tigana, Elizabeth, PG. On the island with Jack, Elizabeth reflects on her present and her future. A perfect Elizabeth voice. Could fit into the movie without even a ripple.

The Longest Night by circe_tigana, Elizabeth & Jack, PG-13. Seven years post-movie, Elizabeth goes looking for Jack. I absolutely adore this fic and Circe's Elizabeth, this story is still a favorite of mine.

Dance in the Moonlight by sister_wolf, Jack/Will/Elizabeth, PG-13. They all have their scars to bear and the full moon brings out everyone's ghosts.

Aberration by tigs, Will/Elizabeth, G. Will always loved Elizabeth, but Elizabeth loved a pirate, and in the end, Will is only a man. Painful, yet completely believable as well.

Full Circle by mollita, Jack/Will/Elizabeth, PG-13. In the year after the wedding, Will fears he's losing Elizabeth. He cannot keep her on shore, and so he follows wherever she leads. A few short scenes that perfectly sketch out the transformation of Will and Elizabeth's relationship.

Sunrise by moonwhip, Jack/Will/Elizabeth, PG-13. Morning on the Pearl. A lovely, happy bit of established relationship threesome-fic.

First Warning by dorkorific, Jack/Will, PG-13. A thoroughly delightful fic with one of the best opening lines ever: Will always imagined that the shells and beads woven into the dark tangle of Sparrow’s hair served much the same purpose as a bell around the neck of a particularly vicious and ill-smelling cat: a warning for birds, the infirm, and the allergic.

The Wistful One by Collie, Elizabeth/Anamaria, PG-13. Anamaria is everything Elizabeth wants to be and maybe everything she wants as well.

The End of My Pirate Days by beanside, Elizabeth, PG. Preparing for the marriage of her daughter, Elizabeth still longs for the sea that she left behind all those years ago. Hopeful and lovely.

Of Shackles and the Sun by nilchance, Elizabeth/Will, hints of Jack/Will/Elizabeth, PG. Elizabeth and Will's wedding, as seen from Jack's vantage point hidden on a back balcony. I love Jack's perception of Will and Elizabeth and their continued ability to defy all his expectations.

A Scandalous Lack of Morals by ponderosa121, Jack/Will/Elizabeth, NC-17. One of the first good really smutty Jack/Will/Elizabeth stories. Seriously hot and just great fun.

Quickening by pearl_o, Will/Elizabeth, PG. Isolated and lonely in Port Royal, Elizabeth is becoming a stranger to Will. This reads very true to me, both Elizabeth and Will's actions.

The Wedding Gifts by fajrdrako, Jack/Will, PG. Jack comes back with a wedding gift for Will and Elizabeth and something just for Will as well. A delightfully bantering encounter.

Reason for Madness by penm, Jack/Will, PG-13. What is it that draws Will to the sea and to Jack? Short, but beautifully descriptive.

Hurricane Jack by shrift, Jack/Will, NC-17. One of the definitive early Jack/Will stories. Will shows up in Tortuga, refusing to discuss Elizabeth. Jack does what comes natural and gets him drunk. Everyone is the happier for it.

Alchemy by munchkinott, Jack/Will/Elizabeth, NC-17. Extremely sexy poly relationship fic, with the focus on the het sides of the triangle. Highly recommended.

The French Connection by gileonnen, Jack/Norrington, PG-13. Gileonnen was perhaps the most prolific early Sparrington writer. Most of her stories are light humor, and this is one of the best. Norrington has a bit of an obsession with catching a certain pirate, but maybe he's gone just slightly overboard this time.

Fear by gileonnen, Jack/Will/Elizabeth, PG-13. Another personal favorite. Jack and Elizabeth both have nightmares they can never share with Will and at night they take turns guarding eachother's sleep.