Matelotage
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Matelotage |
| Publisher: | MoonGlow Zine Productions |
| Editor: | |
| Author(s): | Glow and Moonshine ("Aphra Behn") |
| Cover Artist(s): | Suzan Lovett |
| Illustrator(s): | Bluespirit and Kate Nuernberg |
| Date(s): | May 2006 |
| Series?: | yes |
| Medium: | |
| Size: | |
| Genre: | |
| Fandom: | Pirates of the Caribbean |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Matelotage is a 225-page slash Pirates of the Caribbean novel by Moonshine and Glow ("Aphra Behn"). The title comes from the word Matelotage (mä-t-l-täzh'): a homosexual union wherein the partners hold their possessions in common, with the survivor inheriting; pirate marriage.
This zine is a sequel to Parley.
Summary from the publisher
The continuing adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow and William Turner resume a few weeks after the close of Parley, the award-winning slash novel that united our heroes in the bond of matelotage—marriage in all but name. Matelotage unfolds within the universe created in Parley and WILL NOT REFLECT EVENTS FROM THE NEW MOVIES. The action opens as Jack, Will, and the crew of the Pearl undertake their maiden voyage as newly minted privateers. Armed with what amounts to a license to steal, our jolly pirates are in hot pursuit of plunder. Unfortunately, whilst everyone aboard seems to have a special function, Will is wracked with doubt as he has yet to realize what his place will be aboard ship. Though it pains him, Jack knows he must give his William the freedom to find his way.
The Editorial
Welcome to the Caribbean, luvs!
Little did we know when we wrote what was supposed to be a 'short' story entitled Parley a multi-media zine that the journey would take us to where we are today. Much like our anonymous author in the story, wehad no idea the response to Parley would be so passionate. Popular demand prompted us to publish Parley as its own stand-alone novel, but it did not end there. The love story of Jack Sparrow and Will Turner had touched too many hearts, particularly our own, to let them sail off into the Caribbean sun never to be heard from again.
And thus, you hold in your hand, Matelotage, the sequel to Parley that continues the tale of Jack and Will.
Matelotage is an actual piratical term used to signify the joining of two men in a life-long, loving, committed relationship. Were pirates savvy or what?
Please be aware that Parley was written and published after viewing Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. We consider our universe strictly AD. As the first of the two movie sequels prepares to enter movie theaters next month, we want to make clear that our universe will vastly differ from the events of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. For those of you who loved the characters, situations, and relationships introduced in Parley, you should find Matelotage to your liking. If you're looking for movie canon, you may well be disappointed.
You can't create a novel of this size and complexity without a lot of help and support, so we'd like to take this chance to thank the people who helped make this happen:
First off, many kudos to our artists, Blue Spirit (pages 21, 76, 206), Kate Nuernberg (169, 243) and Suzan (cover). Thank you for allowing your beautiful depictions of these lovely men to grace the pages of our zine and enrich this story.
Next, to family and friends, including our kids, dogs, aunts, uncles, cousins, mother, and even Old Toby, too. We love you all. We appreciate your patience for putting up with us and allowing us this opportunity to realize our creative vision even though, at many times, it took away from our time with you.
The biggest, hugest thanks and accolades go to the two women whose roles in our lives include sister, partner, friend, confidante, fellow quad-conner, and above all, editor. Kelly and Merlyn, if not for your assistance, love, support, intelligence, skull sweat, patience, loyalty and editing prowess, not only would there be no Matelotage, but there might be no us either. You are both our heroes.
Lastly, we'd like to thank the supportive network of fannish friends who bought, read, enjoyed, and let us know about their fondness for Parley. We wrote with you in mind, striving to please you with this sequel because it was your encouragement and supportive response to our efforts that made this process so rewarding.
Enjoy the zine....
And now bring us that horizon!
"Forward"
Rather than write this Forward, perhaps it would be more appropriate to compose an Apologia. I had not intended to ever revisit the motif of pirates on the high seas. Indeed, my first such effort, Parley, came about as an equal mixture of accident and obligation. Having discovered a long-lost manuscript written by the famous early-modem writer Aphra Behn, how could I not bring her story of piracy and love to life for modem readers? Because the primary source material was unrecoverable, I had no choice but to craft a reconstruction of Behn's original manuscript based on memory. It was my pleasure to do so, despite the necessity of publishing the manuscript as so-called "fiction." Once the story was in circulation, I imagined I was finished with my self-appointed task.
I was wrong.
The swell of interest that surrounded the first novel was completely unexpected. Parley managed to touch a chord in readers around the globe—^the same chord Aphra Behn's original manuscript touched in me. Behn's work resonated with me long after I'd first read it until I could no longer deny its pull. It appears readers were equally moved by this sweeping tale of love in its truest form. After much musing on my part, and even more consideration of the intriguing love story of Jack Sparrow and William Tumer, it occurred to me that it just might be possible to find additional source material on the topic of pirates as penned by Behn. But where to start looking? The answer to my question came from a close study of Behn's life.
Behn was a most singular woman for her time, especially given that she was unmarried in an age when such a state made a woman fit for either a convent or a brothel. Fortunately, Behn's matrimonially challenged status afforded her the freedom to pursue a professional writing career. This career choice allowed her to be well traveled (having visited much of Europe and the New World of the Americas) and even something of an adventurer (she spied for King Charles II). Armed with this knowledge, it occurred to me that Behn might have left written records in any number of the well-documented places she visited. I determined that I would take a sabbatical from my teaching position, borrow some money from my retirement account, and take a trip to the Caribbean Isles, England, and other points as suggested by my success—or failure—in locating extant documentation on the lives of Sparrow and Turner and their adventures aboard the Black Pearl.
Thirteen months were spent searching trial documents, church rolls, shipping manifests, bills of lading, tax records, naval logbooks, insurance claims made by various trading companies, tombstone inscriptions, several private family bibles and their genealogical inscriptions (special thanks to the Turner and Swann families for their generous cooperation), and collections of letters belonging to Aphra Behn and her correspondents (now part of the London Historical Society Archives, without whose assistance I would have never been able to complete my research). I determined that I would present my findings as Matelotage — the French term for homosexual marriage during the era of the buccaneer.
Some of the dialogue between characters is extrapolated from Behn's notes; much of the remaining conversation is based on outcomes reported by third parties; and lastly, some verbal exchanges of a more intimate nature is inferred. As I must, once again, anonymously publish my work as fiction in circles far removed from academe, I find I care little if I am tarred with the brush of invention. I make no apology for my efforts, given that I have attempted to keep Jack, Will, and the crew in character—as reported by Behn in her earlier manuscript. I'd rather be hanged as a ram, than a lamb, as long as my efforts aid in drawing a more complete portrait of two fine and loving men from an exciting time not our own. But be warned: Unlike Parley, which was tale of pure love, Matelotage is also a ghost story, and—in the vernacular of the times— You'd best start believin' in ghost stories. . . 'cause you're reading one.
Given the creative writing conventions of early modem authors (wherein a given term may be spelled several different ways by a single writer within a source) I have taken the liberty of standardizing spelling throughout the document. Additionally, I have placed contextualizing quotes where they will hopefully act as guideposts, buoys to steer the modern reader through the shoals of history. I wish you safe harbor, as you dock now in the world of the Pirates of the Caribbean.
Interior Sample
Bluespirit
Kate Nuernberg
Bluespirit
Kate Nuernberg
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