What a fan wants

[veronica_rich]

This is going to smack slightly of reduxing elibad's recent post in one of my communities titled What A Will Wants, but I hadn't looked at it in two weeks (or whenever it was posted) and actually had to go looking for it, for the URL, when I thought of this, just to make sure I wasn't completely copying her post.

This is not a spoiler, for I really know nothing about the outcome of AWE, and I think it's speculation that everyone by now has heard about Will - becoming captain of the Flying Dutchman. (So I'm not putting it behind a cut.) And I tend to believe a fellow fan who is neutral on the whole 'ship issue that this movie will go the way of traditional Disney fare, with the Hero and Heroine ending up together - in this case, Will and Elizabeth.

I want to get those out of the way. Let's just think about Will, alone, for this post. I was reading another community and for the 1,233,234th time it was brought up whether he would end the movie with Elizabeth. And that got me to thinking: How much do I really care if he makes up with her or not? I'm not belitting any fan who really wants this. I'm not even belitting any fan who really wants to see him on the Flying Dutchman ... though frankly, I think that's become more of a "default" position for those of us who like Will, who would rather see that instead of a dead Will Turner (obviously this doesn't include the fans who just don't like Will and want him out of the way - but, I presume nobody would reply to this who doesn't like him at least a little, anyway *G*).

What would you like to see for Will after AWE? It can be more than one thing - a blacksmith and a pirate? A merchant sailor and a father? Please try to think of something other than who he'll end up with. Aside from a relationship with a romantic partner - or instead of it - what can you see WILL doing (preferably happily, or at least with some satisfaction)? I'd like to see him in the American Colonies or somewhere similarly "new" in terms of law and order, a place where he can reinvent himself and make his own little fortune based on his abilities, not his former social strata - perhaps running a metal/farrier/swordsmith shop and employing an escaped black family as paid employees to help him out. (Don't ask me why that last part popped into my head - I've learned with creative writing to just go with whatever shows up. Plus, I like that Will would totally do something like that.) I suppose he could also play some part in local politics/lawmaking, since he's a smart guy and has learned some savvy from Jack that I'd hate to see wasted only on work.

Comments

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

That is a nice picture. And, to contradict myself in my own post (I know, I know), I don't think Will's the kind of person who would want to remain alone doing this. I think he'd be happy if there were someone to occasionally pat him on the head and praise his craftsmanship, such as a wife (or a same-sex mate, if you're into that sort of thing like I am).

[erinya.livejournal.com]

I think Will would make a great dad, because he would be careful to be the things his father wasn't. (Such as, you know, THERE.) And I think he'd be happier not to be alone. Not to shock you or anything, but I can totally see him with Jack in this little scenario. A much older Jack, retired from pirating. Meanwhile Elizabeth has taken over the Pearl and is terrorizing the seven seas, and Will and Jack happily raise the kids she really doesn't want much part of...

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Of course, the idea of Will waiting around for years on someone else's pleasure (Jack to join him, Elizabeth to hand her kids over to him) is still contingent on him being too nice to say "no." And the more I think about things, the more I don't like that part of his personality anymore ...

[erinya.livejournal.com]

True. But maybe he's not waiting around. Maybe he just does his thing. (I was thinking more that the kids are his and Elizabeth's, actually. This is getting rather elaborate in my head. *thinks about writing it and confusing all her regular readers*)

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

But yes, he would make a good father. And I don't think he'd be terribly concerned about whose kids he was raising, unlike a lot of men. (But I still don't like the idea of him putting his personal life on hold for years until people decide they want something to do with him. That's what I'm referring to.)