Drabble: "Birdwatcher"

[veronica_rich]

"Birdwatcher"
Rating: G
Pairing: W/E ... others, if you squint
Disclaimer: Belongs to Buena Vista and Bruckheimer. I derive no profit from this.
Summary: Post-AWE, Will's POV - response to "Fly" prompt at blackpearlsails, inspired by the screenwriters' allusion to a William Turner in history who studied avians.


Turner’s eyes opened as salt water swirled over them; oddly, he could see clear as a well-cast bell. Against the gray sky was an askew square of sail, ropes gathered to two figures.

He’d heard Swann’s protests to Sparrow’s insistence they leave, even as he was being anchored to the sea, over the rush of waves replacing the tympani of his own heartbeat.

He could stay Below, relinquishing all he’d loved, become the ghost of Calypso’s Will. Or he could remember Beckett and the awful ships, and defy the downward current.

Turner knew which would keep his two birds flying.

Comments

[venusinchains.livejournal.com]

Awww, you went and made me tear up. That's beautiful.

I suppose I haven't spent much time thinking about how much choice, or even defiance, might have been necessary for Will to remain and fight. (That damn curse never does get explained fully. Maybe he wasn't supposed to get that first "one day" until after his first 10 years.) But Will, being Will, could do no different than what you described here.

Thank you! :D

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Since Jones is careful to point out at the beginning of AWE that the Dutchman does as its captain commands, I figure if it's coming back topside with guns at the ready, it must be something Will wants.

Sorry I made you sniffle (not really!). Thanks!

[captsparrow4evr.livejournal.com]

Very sweet and beautiful. I love "become the ghost of Calypso's Will" and "Turner knew which would keep his two birds flying." So much said about Will's character in such a small space.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you picked the two lines I liked, too. :-)

Thanks!

[elerrina-amanya.livejournal.com]

This is just...wow. If I try to give my favourite lines, I'll probably end up quoting the whole thing—but hey, I'll do it anyway =)

For some reason, the almost throwaway simile clear as a well-cast bell really appeals to me and the ghost of Calypso’s Will is perfect on several levels.
I love the way so much is encapsulated in the final line; Will's "heart", his goodness and love for Elizabeth were his driving characteristics throughout most of the story, and now even when he has lost his physical heart, it's still his loyalty and love for his two birds that directs his decision. There also seems to be a sense that Will, who is now something a bit beyond human, is going to watch over and protect the pair of them...not exactly possessiveness, but an acknowledgement of the bonds between them.

Beautiful, thanks!

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I figure Will basically died for both Jack and Elizabeth - he went to the ship to help Jack get the heart in the first place, then he stabbed Jones to save Elizabeth, and Jones stabbed him while Jack was diddling over his Dramatic Pause in stabbing the heart. If he's going to go that far, he wouldn't want it all to be in vain at the end.

Thanks for reading!

[ainsoph15.livejournal.com]

Your drabbles are always such perfection. And I love how it is Will's choice to act that gives everyone (his birds in particular, of course) their freedom. He gives everyone wings.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

He may not have the name for flying, but he was blessed with a brain and the ability to invent a way around it, yes. *G* Thanks!

[the-dark-snack.livejournal.com]

Here's the Midnite Spank commercials we were talkign about last night:

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

That is some disturbing shit right there.

[compassrose7577.livejournal.com]

A very touching insight of those final moments of the most pivotal person who gets overlooked the most, torn between the pull (and safety) of Calypso and the security of his beloved bird being carried away by another. I'm not so sure he would have seen the second bird as being quite so benevolent as a sparrow...sparrowhawk might be a better analogy, considering Will's trepidation towards Jack's intentions and character. But Will was hardly in a position to split hairs.

A very chilling yet inspiring moment.

[sharklady35.livejournal.com]

> I'm not so sure he would have seen the second bird as being quite so benevolent as a sparrow... <

Considering that Jack has just saved both Will and Liz, I am sure.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

considering Will's trepidation towards Jack's intentions and character

Depends on what you think I mean by "others if you squint" qualifier under Pairing, I suppose. I have different intentions than may be wholly acceptable for posting on blackpearlsails, even if I'm inspired by the prompts there on occasion. ;-)

Thanks for reading!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

This was beautifully done, and a great use of the theme, too. Perfect Will.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

One of the things you and I do agree on is that he looks out for his own even before himself. That's why he's my Squishy. *G* Thanks!

I really need a Will icon of my own; I seem to have a sad lack of them. :-P

[sharklady35.livejournal.com]

I've got to echo what everyone else said; this is a very effective portrait of Will's central nobility.

Here is a man worth waiting ten years for.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

He's certainly proven himself even before this part, IMO - as I told someone above, he basically died helping Jack and protecting Elizabeth both at once.

[tiamary.livejournal.com]

That did my heart good.

I would ask how big a sliver of the One Day Jack got, but this forum isn't the place. ::halo::

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Hey, that's why it links to my journal. You're free to speculate all you like. *G*

Thanks for reading!

[kseenaa.livejournal.com]

That was wonderful. :-) Can't pick anything favorite since it was all so good. :-) It does show a great deal of Will. Well done!

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked reading it!

[hippediva.livejournal.com]

OOOH that is LOVELY! Just beautiful! I really like the use of words----'askew'...'anchored'....'tympani' (WONDERFUL!) and most of all 'awful', used in its oldest and most potent form. BRAVA!

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked my efforts at vocabulary - seems to matter a lot more when you have fewer words to offer up!

[lady-di75.livejournal.com]

So many beautiful turns of phrase in such a short piece -- I loved this one:
the rush of waves replacing the tympani of his own heartbeat.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

"Tympani" is one of those words you just don't get to use too often, so I try where I can.

Thanks!

[ladymouse2.livejournal.com]

So short and so much said.

It takes the reader immediately aback to see through will's eyes as he sinks with the Dutchman, looking up seeing Jack and Elizabeth as they soar from BENEATH the water.

By adding simply "well-cast" to the standard metaphor of the bell, you remind the reader of the MEANING of a too often used one; you link his clear sight with the pure sound of the bell and add to the atmosphere of his being underwater and of his sudden sharp awareness like a tuning fork struck.

Sure touches throughout such as the reversal inherent in: >even as he was being anchored to the sea, over the rush of waves replacing the tympani of his own heartbeat< Them soaring clear while he is enwrapped and pulled down.

Also, so far uniquely, you speculate on the effort of "will" it took the new Master not only to make his ship return to the battle but on the side of the pirates and the Pearl. Calypso has already made clear she is against the pirates. In fact, she seems to be having a general temper tantrum with the maelstrom that actually creates a level playing field.

His response is so very much in character, and the very best of his character at that. Not only resisting becoming nothing more than Calypso's slve but making his own choices stubbornly still.

And making them with instinctive generosity and love:

>Turner knew which would keep his two birds flying.<

It's almost a benediction, as if they can fly FOR him too.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Gee, I don't often get a feedback that's longer and better-phrased than the fic itself. *G* I'm very glad you enjoyed it enough to think on it so much and let me know. I like the challenge of a drabble, to see if I can cram into 100 words what I'd like to put into 10,000. Conversely, it also lets me do stories/pairings I may not wish to get into in a longer fic.

[mistress-pirate.livejournal.com]

WOW. I love your use of imagery here.

Ahh, Will! Always so willing to be grounded to give others wings...but that's one of the reasons I love him.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Gotta love the boy ... I dislike martyrs as a rule, but he doesn't act like your typical sufferer, so maybe that's what I like about him.

(I saw your "Chicago" post at your journal. I may have to friend you. *G*)

[idle-curiosity.livejournal.com]

He could stay Below, relinquishing all he’d loved, become the ghost of Calypso’s Will. Or he could remember Beckett and the awful ships, and defy the downward current.

Turner knew which would keep his two birds flying.

The Dutchman sails as its captain commands. And its captain will always look out for the ones he loves and cares for first. He'd never abandon his own. He's done it for Elizabeth time and time again, he did it for Jack.

This was amazing. You've put so much into such few words, and gotten Will's character across perfectly. I read this early this morning before I went to work, and it stayed with me all day. Brava.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

The best thing a writer loves to hear - producing something memorable. Makes me happy all week!

And its captain will always look out for the ones he loves and cares for first.

It's sad to think that possibly, Jones used to be like this, and you realize how much stronger Will would have to be if he faced similar circumstances after ten years as Jones, NOT to turn into a monster, too.

[danglingdingle.livejournal.com]

...and I didn't even have to squint :)

But, seriously, I didn't want to comment on this just off the top of my head after first reading. That's some fascinating and captivating dichotomy you've curled into those sparse words, and it's an accomplishment in itself to have the answers to it in those words too.

I'd love to know what happened in Will's mind after that moment (well, after AWE, when he had more time to think again...), because people rarely go undisturbed after a revelation as profound as that.

And I'm anxious about the J/W W/E series that you've mentioned. More so now than before reading this, which wasn't little even then.

At any rate, this was a great thought, applause are in order.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I think one or two people have written fic about Will at the moment of his rebirth, but I don't have links handy for you. But yes, I wish more people would address it.

I hope to someday finish that series. I know what I want to do, but it's wrapping my brain around it so that it doesn't come out as terribly OOC. (I used to just write the fic and not worry so much and it was fun.)

I'm glad you liked it. Thanks!

[yoiebear.livejournal.com]

Perfect.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

*bows*

[kseenaa.livejournal.com]

Nice. Really, really good. :-)

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked it. You been hiding from fandom for a while?