An Update on Updates
It's been a couple of days since my last post. Blame Rockstar Games for making a truly addictive console game which pretty much devoured my entire weekend, and I'm not even halfway through it yet. However, it's time to get back on track.
Pirates of the Caribbean
Note: I'm posting this from work, so I'm not going into a lengthy summary of the movies. They're fairly recent, they were big blockbusters, and unless you've been actively avoiding them, you probably saw them. I may write some plot notes later, but I don't think they're as necessary as with the older films. (When Prince of Persia and The Sorceror's Apprentice come out, I'll probably skip plot notes altogether to avoid spoiling them for those who don't see them before I do.)
Instead, I'm just going to focus on the things that I think make a difference in the setting.
The Society of Pirates
Pirates in the POTC movies are all part of a fraternity with its own laws, customs, and leaders, even if those laws are really more like suggestions. The idea that a pirate fraternity exists into the modern day is pretty tempting, especially if it expands to include all sorts of crime. Additional inspiration might be found in the "Ten Rings" organization of the Iron Man movies or in the secret society of pirates in The Phantom.
And, yeah, they can be bad guys. While Captain Jack Sparrow and his companions were the heroes (more or less) of the movies, the pirates as a whole weren't terribly nice people.
Magic and Tone
The movies are full of magic. Not only is there the Inca curse which turns the crew of the Black Pearl into the undead, but there's Davy Jones, voodoo, and an actual goddess, plus a trip to the afterlife. All of this adds a darker undertone to the magical setting of the universe, and makes the existence of pagan gods a reality.
Tonally, the POTC movies are frequently gruesome, but definitely lighter in tone than Dragonslayer. However, it's less light in tone than the completely bloodless Bedknobs & Broomsticks. That said, B&B had some darker elements, too, especially the fate of the wizard Astaroth who, if you recall, was murdered by the animals he experimented upon.
I guess that in the WW4C, magic is a holdover from a time when the world was a darker place. As a result, stories based around magic (rather than just magical superheroics) have the potential to get a little darker than usual. (In Wild Talents terms, drop the Black rating by a point or even two to reflect a grayer morality.) Think of it like DC's Vertigo imprint.
Immortality and the Afterlife
The Afterlife depicted in POTC, and the role of the Flying Dutchman in that Afterlife, likely only applies to those who die at sea. However, it's also clearly possible to avoid dying altogether. Captain Barbossa and the crew of the Black Pearl became undead without the unpleasant part of dying first. Will Turner also becomes immortal, though at a price: he can only set foot on land once every 10 years, and the rest of the time guides those who die at sea to the Afterlife.
The best bet for "no strings attached" immortality might still be Captain Jack Sparrow who, last time we saw him, had found a map to lead him to the Fountain of Youth. (Note: This will be the story of the upcoming POTC: On Stranger Tides, which is--very loosely--based on the Tim Powers novel of the same name. I imagine the story of the novel will be all but unrecognizable.) The Fountain of Youth (or something like it) also plays a part in the non-pirate movie Tuck Everlasting.
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So perhaps the society of pirates were responsible for the doings involving the Robinson Family on New Switzerland, and if they are still around, they make a wonderful foil for the Robinsons. If you have Davy Jones/Will Turner guiding souls lost at sea to the afterlife, perhaps the souls of those lost on land are someone else's providence. And perhaps Captain Jack Sparrow still lives in our time, as a kind of "cosmic wild-card."
ReplyDeleteI've also been playing with the idea of using Evil Hat's "Truth & Justice," as a system for WW4C, and with some of the ideas here, I will also be looking at the "Legends Walk," arrangements that were done for T&J.
I figure the pirates from Swiss Family Robinson were involved in the brotherhood of pirates, yeah. In the modern day, though, any villain might also be a member.
ReplyDeleteWill Turner, I figure, is kind of like a seafaring, swashbuckling Phantom Stranger. He has his own role in the world, but he might turn up from time to time when there are really strange things afoot.
Here's a twist, Capt. Jack Sparrow, who is still alive, is a close friend of Patrick Gates, the father of Ben Gates.
ReplyDeleteI think that the idea that Jack Sparrow and Patrick Gates are old friends is a great one. Anytime that a string of Caribbean beads appears, it signals that something hinky is afoot. And perhaps that Pirate Brotherhood is something along the lines of an International Crime League, though there are some folks who are more like Robin Hood (the descendants of the famous Captain Swann).
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