Captain Dee

Uhhhh... well, for those faithless naysayers among us... actually, this has most certainly been done before, and while not exactly perfect (or purist) I must confess that I was impressed with the overall look, mostly because I expected it to look bad. I invite you all to look at this old and gigantic split-prefab copy of HMS Victory. You'll need to click the MOCpages link to see the work up-close, and read the builder's comments. It doesn't really have an overly accurate model-like appearance, but it definitely preserves the LEGO ship look for people who prefer that. So yeah, it can be done. I won't give my opinion of the practice.

Nice looking barracks. Those earth tones work well together, but they might look better if they were more interspersed. The roof is nice too. The ground level slits are an interesting feature. Your army looks great and the practice scene is fine; it seems two can play the game of firing at fully-dressed targets, aye? The ground texture makes perfect sense to me: after firing, wouldn't the soldiers check the targets? It seems this would result in a roughly linear back-and-forth wear to the ground surface. At least that's what came to mind when I saw the first pic. Anyway, nice addition to the colony.

Hmmm... I like it. I like it a lot. Why don't more people build shipyards? I find them fascinating. The vessel looks great in incomplete/WIP form and all the activity on and around it looks very realistic. The water may be pretty basic but I don't care; overall the scene is fine. As for the size, I'm convinced it's hard to do this well with anything very small - these scenes just tend to grow big really quickly. Good collection of minifigs, both the number and diversity. The latter can be tricky but you've done well with it. It's a very convincing outfitting process. But for some reason the second pic isn't showing; all the others are. Excellent work.

Interesting story and nice collection of builds. The palace gate looks great for an old-world build and the "strange ambassador" is actually an expected character by now. I love that throne. Where have I seen it before? Seriously, the first two scenes are some excellent reproductions. You have a good eye for detail. About the throne, I think it looks better here with the grooved bricks in the top center than the smooth ones in its original form. And of course that study is superb as well even though I can't point out what's different about it. Good work.

Pillage the (Pirate) Village!! Yarrrgghhhh!! Very good once again. I like the "Forbidden Island" look of this - even the classic colors - and the vessel looks lovely. It looks like a lot of fun to play with and those spoiler pics are perfect. This ongoing story just keeps getting more interesting. Keep it up.

It's been a good run at the helm and a job well done, aye? Sorry to see you go, but then life is full of changes. Maybe you can walk the plank into a big chest-o-gold.

Yep, faked. And quite literally a big "F-U" by the person claiming responsibility. The other faked stuff doesn't bother me, but faking PotC - now that's downright sinful. Oh well. Maybe another time.

Thanks for the additional comments. I knew I was forgetting something in my last post. First, I need to thank Ska for allowing me to use his charater, Admiral Woodbrose, in this story. And I failed to identify him in the chandelier-swinging pic: he's on the left, with the future King Arlin (Queen Annetta's late father) facing him on the right. (Using Photoshop, the saturation of color is reduced to -50 in that pic, if you're curious). Regarding the conversation, I wanted to show that Queen Annetta is a normal person and would have normal conversations with the people she's close to when talking privately, away from the stiff customs of the royal court. The long book title is a combination of The Art of War, War and Peace, and Peace In Our Time. I have never read that Fifty Shades nonsense and I never will. (Carve it in stone - I said it and I ain't taking it back!) But I wish LEGO offered 50 shades of bluish grey! Well, okay, maybe not 50 - perhaps 40 would be more reasonable. No, in all seriousness, one or two more shades would be awesome! The next theatrical performance in Belson will probably be Macbrick. Or Hamletgo. Or Romeo and Julego. Or... I really need to do some more/better palace interiors... Thanks for your input. And patience. - Captain Dee

Nice church. The overall design makes it look massive but it also works really good at minifig scale, which I often find to be challenging. Good work in that regard. The stained glass is lovely, especially from inside, and the architecture is nice throughout. Perhaps the dark grey columns would look better if they were consistent in design, but it looks pretty good anyway. And the gleaming white statue is a nice focal point to literally top it all off. Good work and keep it up.

Neat little build, and a nice addition to your ever-growing layout. The height of the building is nice, and the steep roof looks great with those old panels. It has a good classic look to it and the workers and their accessories look nice (love those saws!) Keep it up.

This bank is beautiful. Those colors look great and the central roof pyramid in gold provides a striking contrast to the black around it. The interior is very nicely done as well and your overview pics do a good job of displaying its qualities. I do have one minor gripe: the glass doors and pretty much the whole interior look modern to me. If I ignore the exterior and the historic minifigs it looks really similar to some of the banks near where I live. That's not really a problem - it's beautiful regardless - but it just doesn't strike me as a colonial-era interior. I'll finish with a bit of trivia, since this is a bank with lots of gold-colored accents and people carrying in their chests of gold. Pirate lore almost always ignores the extraordinary density of gold, which at approx. 1206 pounds/cubic foot is nearly 2.5 times greater than iron (approx. 494 pounds/cubic foot). In other words, a chest the size of the standard LEGO chests filled with gold ingots (or even coins) would be extremely difficult to move, let alone carry, unless a multitude of strong men all got their hands on it. And the chest would have to be extremely robust to handle the weight. But that's enough talk. Nice bank.

Those men may be lost, but that jungle looks rather inviting anyway. The vegetation and rocks look lovely but the waterfall is just fantastic. It's a beautiful setting.

Very nice factory. The overall design is really nice and the removable upper level shows the inner workings very well. I also like the cutaway black roof - it's a neat idea that also aids visibility while reducing the parts requirement. And the way you built up the terrain outside is another fine touch as well. Good work.

Fine looking plantation. That's a lot of bananas! The trees look nice and I can live with the non-purist approach to bunching the bananas. The best way I've seen is to hang a small leaf piece with a banana in each hole; it doesn't look as good as what you have here but it works. The vegetation on the ground, soil texture and horse-drawn wagon all look nice. Keep it up.

Nice army display, and a fine field gun even if you didn't design it. Looks like a sharp lot.

Beautiful tavern. It shows your building style really well. The door may be a bit modern; otherwise the facade looks perfect for that time period with the earth colors and latticed windows. The two Hussars look really nice too. Good work.

This is a lovely restaurant. The black and dark red colors are beautiful and the interior details are great. I especially like the windows and tables. That road technique looks good once again. And of course any story involving Uncle is going to be a good read. Keep it up.

Lovely tavern. It definitely has the colonial look. Those palm trees look great, especially the big half-barrel trunk. The tavern owner may be just a bit... different perhaps but it's still a fine build.

Neat concept. That baseplate is perfect for this, and I'm really impressed that you could build such a good representation of a mine with only 99 pieces. It looks great.

Beautiful church. It's really a fairly simple design but it looks great and shows you can build some nice things without resorting to advanced techniques all the time. Those windows are lovely and the interior turned out really nice as well. Keep it up.

Ahoy Mateys!! Here is Part 2 of the story that I promised about a month ago, right after the results of the build-off were announced. This is mostly an exercise in writing dialogue, and I’d like to know what you think about it. Feel free to comment on the images as well, but all I have to say about the B&W pic is that the final product will look slightly different than what you see here. Enjoy. At the Royal Palace in Belson, Her Majesty Annetta, Queen of Corrington, stood along her uncle, Admiral Woodbrose, on the balcony overlooking one of her private chambers and shared a moment of quiet conversation. Below them on the polished tiled floor several of the royal attendants were busy dusting and cleaning the large chandelier that hung from the center of the room. He was in a festive mood - the case of Corrington vs Carno had been ruled in favor of Corrington, and he was about to share the news with the young queen. But first he had a treat to share with her. “Glass of wine, Your Majesty?” he asked while taking a bow. “Yes, thank you,” she replied. “But you don’t have to call me that, you know.” “Of course I do!” he exclaimed. “If an admiral won’t, then who will?” “An admiral who happens to be my mother’s brother,” she said with a smile. “I would prefer you simply call me ‘Annetta.’” He smiled back. They’d had that conversation before. If ever a modest or graceful queen had ruled Corrington it was she. He poured them both a glass and held his up to offer a toast. “To our continued health and the destined might of our great Corrington.” She touched her glass gently to his. “Yes. And to Corrington’s natural position as ruler of the seas.” “Naturally,” he said and they both took a sip of the wine. After a moment he said, “What do you think? It’s my own vintage, and I’m rather proud of it.” She made an awful face and looked down into the glass. “I don’t know about drinking it, but I believe it would be perfect for the groundskeepers to clean their paintbrushes in.” He laughed heartily and shook his head. “Annetta, you’ve always had your father’s sense of humor.” “Who said anything about humor?” she asked, her face still twisted into an awful expression. “Oh, come now,” he said with a chuckle. “Have another sip.” She smiled, pleased that she’d gotten him to laugh - he had such a jolly laugh after all - and said, “No, no, I jest. It is really quite lovely.” “Why thank you,” he said, bowing again. “And I think so myself.” They were silent for a moment as they each took another drink. Finally she asked, “What was it you wanted to see me about?” He took another sip, paused, and finally began by saying, “I hear you were directly involved in that case against the nation of Carno.” “Yes,” she said softly, giving him an amused glance. “And I thought it might interest you to know that we rightfully won the case,” he continued. “Rightfully, yes,” she said, pursing her lips. “It couldn’t be any other way.” “Of course not. Outright piracy if ever I knew it,” he said, shaking his head. “Outright,” she echoed. “Although...” he said, then allowed his voice to fade off. “Although?” she questioned after a brief pause. “The scoundrels agreed only to return the captured ship, but otherwise made no promise to cease and desist from their lawless activities.” Her left eyebrow arched high upon hearing the news. “Most unfortunate,” she finally said, shaking her head. “Most unfortunate indeed.” “It is in essence provocation to war,” Woodbrose continued. “Unless the absence of such a full statement was simply an oversight on the part of the court. I cannot believe that Carno would risk engaging us directly when there is simply no other reason for hostilities.” “An oversight?” Annetta asked. “That would be rather strange. But it seems everything involving Carno escalates into a carnival before it’s over. If all her citizens are as ridiculous as that Captain Whoknowsnothing fellow, or even that eccentric king himself - why, anything would be possible.” “About this Whoknowsnothing fellow...” he said with a questioning look on his face. “What about him?” she asked tersely. “I understand there was direct communication between the two of you.” “Yes,” she said flatly but offered no more explanation. “I can’t understand why, considering that he was responsible for the whole affair,” he said, fishing for information that she didn’t seem willing to reveal. After a short pause she said only, “He seemed keen to insult.” “Insult? Who? You?” Woodbrose asked, incredulous. “All of us, myself included,” she answered. “I gather he fancies himself a witty fellow; I dare say he’s an oaf and a dim-witted dunce.” “And you took it to heart,” he suggested. “Absolutely not,” she declared. “But the matter was to be addressed by the court of law, and seeing as he had begun the pleasantries, I thought it only proper to respond.” “Ah, yes. I see,” he said, nodding his head. After a moment he said, “I hear you responded in part with a pair of pistols.” A tinge of color appeared in her cheeks and she admitted, “Yes.” “Your father’s, I assume?” “Yes.” “Both of them?” “Yes.” “They found their mark?” “Yes.” “Both of them?” “Yes!” she exclaimed, then admitted, “I don’t know.” “One hole?” “Yes.” “So it’s possible they both fired dead true, one following the other.” “It’s possible, yes.” He was silent for a moment, and then, with a look of mischief on his face, he said, “A crack shot, you are. Remind me never to engage you in a duel.” She laughed at the absurdity of the thought. “You needn’t worry. I don’t even know how to reload them.” “Oh, so that’s all that’s stopping you,” he said with a grin. “That’s no consolation.” “Oh, stop it, you,” she protested, swatting him on the arm. He chuckled to himself. “I didn’t know you had it in you.” “A bit childish, perhaps?” she asked. “Well, I don’t know what he said, but when the dignity of the throne is challenged...” his voice faded off. “I suppose that judgment is best left to you.” “Thank you,” she smiled, feeling relieved. “As I understand it he was rather impertinent about the whole situation,” Woodbrose continued. “You could say that, yes,” she agreed. “Arrogant and cocksure to the core.” “He seems like a rather colorful character then. And the king as well, as you already said.” “It appears that way, yes,” she nodded. “But entirely too colorful for my taste, both of them.” “Naturally,” he concurred, “we being Corries, they couldn’t possibly measure up.” “Naturally,” she agreed. “But I was speaking more for their absurd behavior.” “Oh, but of course,” he replied. “I know very little of Carno though. I wonder what the rest of her citizens are like?” “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a brick separator,” she quoted forcefully. “Annetta!” he exclaimed, chuckling to himself. “What’s gotten into you?” “Honesty is the best policy - correct?” she asked. “Why yes, of course, but that delivery had all the finesse of a china cabinet tipping over,” he said, still chuckling. “That was as blunt as a brick through a stained glass window.” “Good,” she said tersely. “I meant for it to be.” “Oh, come now, Annetta, give them a chance,” he said. “They can’t possibly be an entire nation of crazed idiots. Most of them, perhaps, but surely not all!” “I suppose you’re right. I suppose the ones still in their mothers’ wombs haven’t gone completely mad just yet,” she stated. He laughed again and finally continued his prior thought by saying, “Annetta, my dear, you’ve been attending theatre again.” “Possibly,” she said cooly. “Possibly." “And that line came from - uh, let’s see, don’t tell me - that Brett Brickler fellow in Gone With The Window.” “No, no, no,” she said, rolling her eyes. “His name was Rhett Brickler and it was Gone With The Win.” “Aha!” Woodbrose exclaimed in triumph, punctuating his remark with the short jab of a finger. She blushed faintly in recognizing that she’d fallen for his trap. “You wouldn’t enjoy teasing me at all, now would you?” she asked, smiling. “Whatever gave you that idea?” he asked, feigning ignorance. Then he took a deep bow and said slyly, “Guilty as charged, Your Majesty. Guilty as charged. As your father isn’t here to do it, I freely take it upon myself.” “Freely and abundantly, yes,” she smiled. After a moment a mischievous glint appeared in her eyes as she decided to turn the conversation to him. “Tell me, what do you know about toppling china cabinets and bricks going through stained glass anyway?” she asked. “I was a boy once, you know,” he said with a grin. “What?!” she exclaimed, astonished. He chuckled. “Oh, nonsense. I know nothing of the sort. They were just the first two examples that came to mind.” “Oh,” she murmured. “But... I may know a thing or two about crashing chandeliers.” “Uncle!” she gasped, struggling to suppress a giggle. “Oh yes. You know your father and I practically grew up together. We were very close in age and I spent much of my childhood in the royal court.” “Yes, I know,” she replied. “But you don’t know the story of the chandelier?” he asked. “No, I don’t. He told me lots of stories, but none of them involved chandeliers,” she said curiously. “I suppose it never hurts to be a little mysterious,” Woodbrose said. After a brief pause he continued. “It happened right here in this very room, with this very chandelier,” he said. “Seeing it on the floor from this balcony brings back those memories. “We were about six or seven years old, as I recall. The room was typically used for private recesses then, just as now, and was rarely occupied for very long. For reasons that were never clear to me, your father and I were briefly left alone, and as boys are apt to do, we got into a little mischief, despite our upbringing to the contrary.” Annetta smiled knowingly. “One of us - I don’t remember which - had the idea to sneak in here and swing from the chandelier. I plainly remember your father went first. We could just reach it by standing on the outside of the balcony - rather foolhardy for sure - and we pulled it back as far as we could and away he went. When it came back we grabbed hands and I pulled him off, and when the chandelier stopped swinging I took my turn. It was quite a thrill, I assure you, and I remember briefly being fearful for my life as I went soaring out over the room. After I’d taken my turn, he suggested that we both ride at once, and that’s when it happened.” Woodbrose stopped. “And?” Annetta asked. “As we swung out over the room it started creaking and groaning under the weight of both of us, and we’d barely made it back to the safety of the balcony when the whole thing broke loose and went crashing to the floor. It made a horrible clanging noise which we were sure half the kingdom must have heard. Then we saw the bottom had snapped off, and we fled the scene. We raced back to the study, making sure no one saw us. When they found us” he paused, chuckling to himself, “we were diligently studying our books and had absolutely no idea what had happened.” “Oh!” Annetta gasped and then laughed. “That’s awful!” “It was indeed,” he continued, “but we were fearful of having our hides tanned if the truth was known, and we promised each other to never tell anyone as long as the older generation was alive.” He chuckled again. “I suppose your father kept his word if his own daughter didn’t know.” “Apparently so,” she said. “I wonder if he ever told mother?” “Now that I can’t say,” Woodbrose said with a twinkle in his eye. “But knowing him, I doubt it.” “It seems the chandelier suffered no lasting effects,” she mused. “Pity. It’s such a gaudy thing.” “Yes, perhaps a bit gaudy, but that’s just a reflection of the times it was built in," he replied. "I’ve always liked it, if for no other reason than it was the key to my little secret. They toiled over it for a while but finally pieced it all back together until it was good as new.” “No one ever suspected anything?” she asked. “I don’t know. We weren’t too keen to ask questions, your father and I. But they did secure it with extraordinary care after that.” “I should think so,” she said. “But you never told anyone?” “Not until now. Annetta, this will be our little secret,” he said with a wink. “Our little secret,” she agreed with a smile. “Good, good,” he nodded approvingly. After a moment he noticed a couple of books stacked up beside them and changed the subject entirely. “Tell me, did you ever finish reading The Art of War and Peace in Our Time, or do you need a little more time? There’s no rush, but I want to keep track of it. It was terribly expensive.” “Well, actually... no,” she admitted. “I didn’t make it through more than the first few paragraphs.” He smiled. “I understand. Not exactly your cup of tea?” “Not exactly,” she said. “It’s quite a tome. A bit weighty for my taste.” “Weighty reading, yes, both literally and figuratively. But despite being very well-written it’s just a bit dry if I may say so.” “Just a bit dry, yes,” she agreed. “Pair it up with a dry wine and a dry cheese and you’ll be all set. I think it would take a lot of both for me to ever read it in its entirety,” she smiled. “But I suppose it’s good reading if you’re an admiral.” “On occasion, yes. It requires a certain mood,” he said with a grin. “I see it’s on the bottom of your stack.” “Yes. We can retrieve it before you go if you wish.” “Splendid,” he replied. As he looked over the other titles in the stack his eyes lingered on the top one in particular. “Fifty Shades of Bluish Grey. Interesting title. What’s it about?” “It’s about... it’s scandalous, that’s what it’s about,” she replied sharply. He picked it up, opened the cover and exclaimed, “All the pages are missing!” “They made a lovely fire,” she mused. “Oh my!” he teased. “I’d better start screening my books before I loan them to you, or I might end up with a big collection of empty covers!” “Knowing your interest in books, you needn’t worry,” she smiled. “But there’s one title you won’t have to worry about screening, because all the pages are completely blank.” “Oh?” he asked suspiciously. “What’s that?” “The Wit and Wisdom of King Philip of Oleon,” she stated. Woodbrose erupted into laughter, pressed a hand to his face and shook his head. “You’re going to get us both in trouble,” he finally managed to say, still chuckling. “I hear he has a particularly fragile ego.” “Who’s going to tell?” she asked. “You’ve got a room full of maids below us,” he reminded her. “They have ears, you know. Word travels fast.” “Yes, I know, but no word leaves this room if they value their positions, and besides, I think they’re too busy to notice anyway.” In fact they had perked up at the sound of Woodbrose laughing, but none of them had heard what Queen Annetta had said, and so they were left to wonder... “It’s a good thing he’s already married,” Woodbrose teased. “I’d hate to break his heart by informing him that you aren’t interested.” She rolled her eyes but couldn't keep from smiling. “I can always count on you to look out for my best interests.” “You’re not getting any younger, you know,” he said in a more serious tone. “There’s plenty of time,” she countered. After a brief pause she said, “But what were we talking about? Oh, yes, books.” She returned to the prior subject. “Another title you don’t need to send me is The Economic Policy, Military Strategy and Intellectual Secrets of the Eslandolan Empire.” “Why not? That sounds like an excellent read,” he said. “Uncle!” she exclaimed, as if the thought was absurd. “It’s a connect-the-dot coloring book.” He burst into laughter once again and finally said, “Annetta, Annetta, my dear Annetta, what am I going to do with you, what am I going to do with you?” She smiled but said nothing. “I believe you’ve been eating too many bananas,” he teased. “Eat enough of them, and they’ll make you act just like a monkey.” “Oh, really? Weren’t you just talking about swinging from a chandelier?” she teased back. “Ooh, touché,” he grinned in surprise. “But I’m too old for that anymore. You’re still young and spry, so I’m going to tell the chefs to limit your consumption just to be safe.” She smiled and shook her head. “It won’t work. I have other sources.” “Really?” he asked. "You sneakly little devil, you." “The black market has everything,” she stated. “Annetta! Tell me you’re joking,” he said. “Oh, stop it, you,” she smiled, amused. “Of course I am.” Relieved, he studied her expression for a moment and then said, “Actually, I must correct you on one thing: the black market doesn’t have everything.” “No?” she asked. “No. It doesn’t have this.” He reached into his coat and produced a small white box with a ribbon wrapped around it. “Chocolate, fresh from Cocovia.” Her eyes widened. “Oh, you spoil me so.” “Anything for you, my dear,” he said and handed her the box. “Thank you,” she said graciously and gently tugged at the bow, loosening the ribbon. She carefully lifted the lid to reveal the sweets. With a twinkle in his eye he said, “Don’t eat them all at once, or you’ll ruin your figure.” She looked up at him and immediately replied, “If that’s true, I think I’ve already ruined it.” He laughed. “You’re too quick for me. Enjoy the chocolates.” As she gently returned the lid to its perch on the box, she noticed a slip of paper on the floor. “What’s this?” she asked and reached down for it. The upturned face was blank, and she flipped it over to reveal a drawing of an enormous ship. “Oh, that,” Woodbrose said upon seeing the illustration. “I’ve been carrying it around for some time it seems. It must have fallen from my pocket when I retrieved the box.” “The new class of first-rates under construction, I assume?” she asked. “Yes it is. But this was an early drawing, and they look a little different than what you see here.” “It looks gigantic,” she said. “And all those gunports...” “Yes, they’re big,” he agreed. “And powerful. We’re naming the class Sovereign of the Seas for a good reason.” “This says HMS Eternal Sovereign of the Seas,” she said, sounding confused. “That’s a mouthful.” “That’s the prototype. She’ll be commonly known as simply HMS Eternal Sovereign. Her sisters will be called Majestic Sovereign, Royal Sovereign, and so on.” “Ah,” she said. “That sounds better, and it’s certainly easier to say.” “I gather you haven’t been to the naval yard to observe the progress?” he asked. “No, I haven’t,” she said. “Of course I will attend the launch ceremony, and will also attend the departure ceremony when the fleet sails.” “Excellent,” Woodbrose nodded. “Perhaps I can accompany you, if I am on hand at that time.” “I look forward to it,” she smiled. “As do I,” he returned the smile. “As an admiral, those things bring out the boy in me. But I must confess that I hope we don’t have to use them. Carno returns to mind, unfortunately. And the far-flung nature of our growing empire lends itself to confrontations, whether we like it or not.” “Unfortunately, yes. I suppose those ships are like young children – best seen but not heard from?” she asked. “Something like that, yes,” he agreed. “It’s only peaceful when the guns aren’t firing.” “How are they progressing?” she asked. “Slowly. Very slowly,” he replied. “But that’s just the nature of large ships, and large warships especially.” “Yes, I know. Patience.” “Yes, patience,” Woodbrose said. He checked his pocket watch. “Oh my, look at the time. Well, I’d better be going. I’ve got several things to tend to before the day is out.” She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you for stopping by.” He smiled and nodded. “You’re welcome. And I rather enjoy our little visits myself.” Then he cautiously moved aside the stack of books to retrieve the one at the bottom. As he turned to leave, he said, “Oh, Annetta?” “Yes?” “Promise me you won’t be out dueling anyone in my absence.” She laughed. “I promise.” “Good, good,” he said. “I’ll see you at dinner then?” “I’ll see you at dinner,” she replied. And with that he bowed, excused himself and left. The End Notes: I’ve added a few more bonus pics to the original post (in the spoiler), including a breakdown of the main components of the chandelier. I hope you enjoyed the dialogue. I just kept writing until I ran out of ideas! If I don’t hear howls of protest from some of you, I’ll know you didn’t read it! We finally get our first glimpse of King Arlin, albeit a young and mischievous version of him. I have deduced that Queen Annetta is a very photogenic individual. And Woodbrose is a handsome fellow himself. Happy building and thanks for viewing!!

Me saw list, me no comprehende, me rememberz Headstone and mezinks, "Ahr-har! She iz ze Capstone!" Either that or the pirate captain had so much gold he needed a CPA to count it all, and paid the fellow handsomely with frequent visits from, uh, "Mary Jane," and decided to name the vessel Cpastoner until one of his fellow pirates stole the "r" off the end of the name. Arr!!

I'm curious about the name "Cpastone." Is that supposed to be "Capstone" or am I missing something?

I'm with narbilu on this one: best not to interfere. When the accused is guilty (per the story), there's enough evidence for conviction, no evidence whatsoever of innocence and the the outcome looks rather predetermined... I see nothing to gain by getting involved. Good thing I'm not a prospective juror.

Beer-induced? That's funny. My recent delays have all been deer induced!