Drabble: "Inspiration"

[veronica_rich]

Title: "Inspiration"
Rating: G
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters, nor do I make a profit off their likenesses. Or even their un-likenesses.
Summary: Foolish, foolish Will. Written for the "Fool" challenge at blackpearlsails.
A/N: Unbetaed. Just an exercise, like drabbles be.


The woman he loved, had offered blood to save, had set sail in little more than her promise and Swann’s old greatcoat to liberate. The man he’d thrown rules aside for, had risked his life upon.

Friends.

Kissing each other.

Will had been foolish for love, foolish for principle, foolish for filial duty. Resentment roiled beneath his skin, because even now, he couldn’t strongly hate any of them beyond a few hours.

Perhaps he was just a fool in this congress of misfits. But fools are often underestimated, he cogitated, scoring the table with Bill’s knife.

Think like Jack …

Comments

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Those two last lines are killer. Great drabble.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

He's beginning to take his lessons quite nicely, I think. There's a great deal that happens in Will's mind between DMC and AWE, perhaps not all of it pleasant.

Thanks for reading!

[florencia7.livejournal.com]

OH the ending was scary! lol Awesome drabble!!

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Thanks for reading!

[p0wdermonkey.livejournal.com]

That kiss was a double betrayal - from where Will was standing at least.

And yes, it they're underestimating him (and you know I think they are) then he has to know that. I like your Will. He's scary.

Why have I never seen a J/W drabble or story about the moment Will learns what was really going on with that kiss? Perhaps I just don't read enough J/W...

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Why have I never seen a J/W drabble or story about the moment Will learns what was really going on with that kiss?

Maybe because he never really learns what was going on with it? Neither one sees fit to explain much. And Will does have other things on his mind in the Locker, especially after he sees the Pearl is still fit to sail; in fact, it may be wholly reasonable to speculate that if he'd had his own compass, it might be spinning just as badly as Jack's at that point.

He's scary.

He's learning that mild-mannered gets you nowhere. It's taken a while, but he's learning ...

Thanks!

[yoiebear.livejournal.com]

That's great! You really captured Will in this.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked it!

[yoiebear.livejournal.com]

You knew I would.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Someday, I'd like to write Will as mean as he deserves to be and as uncharitable as some think he is. I'm not sure you'd enjoy that so much, LOL. (And, I'm not sure I could.)

[yoiebear.livejournal.com]

I know I couldn't write that. I would probably read it and respect it, but it would be a hard pill to swallow. And, yes, he deserves to be very uncharitable. Too bad he's too much a nice guy to be how he should.

[justawench.livejournal.com]

I'd like to read that.

[kseenaa.livejournal.com]

I second that. I'd love to read it to. :-)

[giselleslash.livejournal.com]

Love, love, LOVE this!

I think what stands out to me most is the fact that even though he believes they betrayed him Will can't make himself truly hate them for any real period of time...really speaks for who Will is as a person...and the last three sentences??? Perfect!

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I think that would be the worst part of having a noble nature - feeling guilty about hating someone no matter how richly they may deserve it at any given time. Because it does set you up as a doormat if you're not careful. Luckily for Will, there are glimpses here and there that he is appreciated - and that's what makes the difference between hero and doormat/martyr, I think.

[giselleslash.livejournal.com]

Very true...and I agree with you on the "glimpses" of appreciation as well :)

[klear0bsession.livejournal.com]

Ohhh, that ending... this is great, a sharp little peek into Will's mind at that moment.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Someone just needs to figure out the rest of everything in his mind at that point ...

Glad you liked it!

[gryphons-lair.livejournal.com]

Oh, I like this! You've caught Will's voice (thought?) so well I can almost hear him.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Will's thoughts tend to leak out all over the place, it seems. At least until the third movie, when he's a little more circumspect, learning to play more like Jack. *G*

Thanks!

[tiamary.livejournal.com]

It's interesting that T&T implied that Will be was being noble when he agreed to go get Jack at the end of DMC...he did it for Elizabeth; she broke his heart but he was being the bigger person. (Personally, I think Orlando played it that way as well, and it came off as one of Will's finest moments.) Then Will said in AWE that he only did it to get the Pearl to save his father.

Either motivation makes an interesting story, but whyyyy couldn't the creators have remained consistent? (Too many cooks spoiling the broth, mate.)

There's a subtle moment I love before the Kiss of Death, I only noticed it when zooming. When Jack says abandon ship, five people put their two cents in: Gibbs, the big E, Pintel Ragetti, Ragetti's boyfriend, and Will. Jack looks at every one of them as they speak. Except Will. When Will speaks, Jack stares straight ahead, his face and body tensed. It's the second time in the movie that he looks ashamed. (The first time was after E called him good.) It's too bad I had to zoom to get that moment, because it shows the continuing story of Jack and Will's friendship. I think it was important for the audience to know Jack was ashamed of what he did to Will but they didn't make it clear enough.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

See, I didn't think it was really that much nobility for Elizabeth that drove him to go along with the mission to find Jack - but then again, I'd read a couple of interviews with Orlando months before DMC came out, when (model of restraint that he was) he would only hint that Will's motives become "darker" in AWE ... so I figured there was something more to it. Plus, you have Tia Dalma reminding him at the end of DMC that the Pearl is the only ship that could catch up with Jones; I still don't know what all was in his brain at that point, but I like to think it was a roiling mess of things, not the least of which were his conflicting emotions regarding Jack's death (he has every reason to hate the man, but he also has a few reasons to not want to see him dead) and what the hell he was going to do about fulfilling his promise regarding his father.

I think it was important for the audience to know Jack was ashamed of what he did to Will but they didn't make it clear enough.

That's an understatement. Jack does come off as very blithe and unconcerned about it - especially when he has no problem making advances all over Elizabeth on the way to Isle Cruces.

Thanks for reading, as always!

[tiamary.livejournal.com]

I wrote you a long answer to another post, hit send and remembered if I access yahoo from AOL, I can't reply directly from yahoo. Well, now I'm accessing Yahoo from Internet Explorer, so here is the answer. (I saved it. Is that OCD or what?)

I don't remember what I was agreeing with but maybe you will. ;)

"I agree with all you say above, with the caveat that it gives me the wiggins to think of Elizabeth still being considered married to Will now that he's gone to the next world. My feelings are probably largely due to the fact that a month before I saw AWE in the theater, then rented DMC, I lost someone very close to me and I've been working hard on going through the grieving process and then moving on. I guess for me, that's resulted in feeling that if Elizabeth thinks of herself as still married, she is bound to someone who is, for most intents and purposes, dead, and so she can never complete the grieving process. (Superimposing my personal issues on the story somewhat I suppose.)

Now I still think she can meet him and have great sexual times with him every 10 years. I think she would, and will, even if she is with another man the rest of the time. Her motto is hang the rules and she'd find a way to make that work. (One of many reasons I'm a J/Eer is I think Jack would be fine with that, in fact would encourage it.) I just can't bear the thought of her "having" to. If that makes any sense at all. "

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Because you haven't been in this fandom very long, you wouldn't necessarily know it, but a lot of the same people you see regularly bitching about J/E around LJ who've also been here for a good while used to read - and sometimes write - it ... or at least variations of it. Many of us, me included, had a healthy appreciation for J/W/E, including combinations thereof, before the summer of 2006. I think I can safely represent a fairly large group by saying what killed some of that interest (and variations thereof) was the unsavory nature of the J/E "flirting" in DMC (given Will's predicament and Jack's role in it), and the subsequent behavior of some J/E fans toward others in the fandom - mostly the latter. (Yeah, I've seen them tell you and other new fans they didn't do anything to earn the enmity fandom has toward them. Some of them didn't. Some of them did. Some of the latter have cleared out since AWE.)

Am at work and forgot to add: The long and the short of it is that there are a lot of us who wouldn't necessarily disagree with your sentiment about the combination of J/W/E and Elizbeth "having" to wait, etc. ... except that we've just been put off somewhat by indications that we weren't smart enough to see onscreen the things that were so *obvious* to the "smart" people in fandom.

[tiamary.livejournal.com]

I can see why you'd be put off. The dynamic between Elizabeth, Jack and Will is disturbing. Because the dynamic was well done, that makes it interesting to me.

I didn't think Jack was good for Elizabeth when at first... I enjoyed the story and their scenes together but I wasn't thinking "Boy oh boy, fresh young Elizabeth needs to hook up with the alcoholic career criminal". What made me want them together (well, besides their first meeting when he saved her from drowning) was the mast scene. At that point, for me, Elizabeth becomes way too dark for Will; and there's the tragic element (quite deliberate I'm sure) of this being done to Jack when, at long last, the good in him rises above the selfishness/quasi-evil. At that point, Jack is the only man wicked enough for her who isn't "too" evil for her.

Jack pays a just price for his sins during his time in the Locker -- it frustrates me a bit that Elizabeth got away with hers pretty much unscathed but she was T&T's Mary Sue, in my opinion; even when she was wrong, she was right. (Let me just add quickly that I don't think E was wrong to make sure Jack stayed on that ship. It was the way she did it that was evil.) But because E did what she did, and Jack did turn himself around, I wanted to see a positive balance to that scene, and it never came.

Will pays a ridiculously heavy cosmic price for what little wrong he does; if anything it's a cautionary tale about being overly loyal to your deadbeat dad and narcissistic girlfriend.

This may sound ironic considering I don't care for Will's "personality" in DMC and AWE, but I honestly think he's way too good for Elizabeth. Jack and Elizabeth are a good match because they share the same darkness and together, they can't corrupt anyone else. Since they both got it together at least somewhat by the end of AWE, they wouldn't be a destructive couple either. Kinda like two reforming ex-cons.

So if I see Jack and Elizabeth that way, why do I romanticize them? Probably all the cliches about letting your inner bad girl live vicariously through fictitious characters. I live such an upright life it's nauseating even to me. ;)

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

At that point, Jack is the only man wicked enough for her who isn't "too" evil for her.

See, I know it's Disney and therefore, the girl has to end up with someone; but I wish she would've done her own thing, really. Who says you have to be hooked up with a man, especially if you're a victorious pirate king? I'm waiting for the Disney princess who elects to be a single woman and is satisfied with it.

Will actually hits a pretty good balance for me. He's faithful to Elizabeth and dedicated, but he's not all over her or sappy, and he appears to largely stay out of the way of what she wants to do. I've heard he's "too idealized." Well ... yeah? What's the point of fantasy if it's going to be exactly like real life? Jack has some assholish tendencies, and I've dealt with those enough in men, thanks. He's pretty to look at and imagine with other characters, but if he were real, I'd run screaming in the other direction. He is Bad News on legs. LOL. Will is loyal without being clingy or whiny.

This may sound ironic considering I don't care for Will's "personality" in DMC and AWE

You're not the first J/E-Elizabeth fan I've seen this from. If you wouldn't mind expounding, what is it that puts you off? Do you mean more devious? Considering the things the other characters have done, I figured Will was just trying to keep up and play with everyone else on their own turf. (I also figured he was entitled to do a little backstabbing in AWE considering what all was done to him in DMC, but that may just be me. *G*) Don't get me wrong, I like CotBP Will, but to be honest, I like him better in the sequels - he's the only character I can say that about.

[tiamary.livejournal.com]

Oh no, not that. I literally mean personality, as in way of walking, talking, facial expressions, etc. They made him kind of the Aryan, macho action hero (Wham Bam thank you Van Damme!). I've never had anything in common with guys like that, though I've dated a couple and I've found them -- in real life -- to not always be the good guys they seem to be when you meet them. Will himself truly is an honest person who'd treat his woman well, but he reminds me (in walk, speech, carrieage, etc.) of people I've known for whom I can't say the same.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I can't argue with personal preferences like that. All I can say is that I know the kind of guy you're talking about, "cock of the walk," because I had those back in school myself and I've known several in life. But I figured out fairly early on that for them, it was a defense mechanism (as much as deflecting humor and the tendency to be the first to bring up a mutual problem is mine) and not to be taken threateningly, so I largely ignore it. I didn't see that on Will, except maybe somewhat in AWE (and with the dice game in DMC), and then I figured it was all show on his part to try to "fit in" with the characters he was having to negotiate and backstab with. I just figured the difference in Will's carriage was probably owing to the actor having filmed other movies after CotBP - including "Kingdom of Heaven," in which Ridley Scott has said he pushed Orlando to "grow up" and put aside his boyish image for a more "manly" character.

[cymbeline.livejournal.com]

Volumes said in just 100 words. Will is a very complex character and I would have liked to see more exploration in the movies into his evolution. Guess that could be a series in and of itself. lol

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I think the point of the first movie was just to tell a fun story and introduce this one really weird character; then, when it turned into three movies, the point was to describe the beginnings of what might become, in a century or two, a handful of larger-than-life legends. Thanks!

[justawench.livejournal.com]

There's nothing worse than not being able to stoke up the flames of hate enough to keep you warm in that kind of situation. He might not be able to stay angry, but at least he tries to look out for #1 after that.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I know! It really sucks not to be able to keep a good hate on!

I like his self-preservation that kicks in after DMC. FINALLY.

[ainsoph15.livejournal.com]

The prompt may be 'fool', but how I love your insights into the wisdom of Will.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Will's young, but he's had a rough life so far and he hasn't turned bitter; that's gotta say something for how he'd bounce back after a minor glitch like finding perhaps his two best friends apparently stabbing him in the back. *G*

(you online or is it terribly late?)

[mistress-pirate.livejournal.com]

For a small piece, it definitely says a lot about Will's state of mind, and the changes that start to take place in his way of thinking. Great job!

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

As I told someone else, I believe he underwent many changes between the sequels, both out of necessity to keep up with everyone around him, and to deal with his sense of loss and possibly betrayal.

[venusinchains.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, we all knew Will wasn't thinking Good Thoughts as he steadily chipped that table into kindling.

And, of course, I <3 the last line. :D Wonderful.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I still can't imagine what all was in his brain while he dug the knife into that table. I would imagine hurt and anger, but there's sort of a half-feral, half-resigned smile at one point, too, that I can't quite figure out. Go, good acting! LOL

Thanks!

[elibad.livejournal.com]

I'm a very bad eli, since I have been re-miss on commenting on your lovely little drabbles.

This is marvelous, it's pretty obvious that our poor boy has a lot of shit going on at the end of DMC, and this just highlights it.

Brava!

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

You ARE very bad, but I suppose I shall forgive you. But it'll cost you extra rum. *sigh*

Over time I've come to appreciate the extra shit he has to put up with, as it reveals his true character - which is what we suspected all along, noble with an edge of piracy. *G* I need to read more about Will.

Glad you liked it.

[sitaray.livejournal.com]

That was a great drabble!

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Thanks for taking the time to tell me!

[kseenaa.livejournal.com]

So much said with so little. I really, REALLY like how you wrote Will there. Loved it.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Thanks for reviewing it - I misplaced this comment and just came across it in my inbox again today. *embarrassed*

[pktaxwench.livejournal.com]

What they all said...

I am just going to say

What about that poor table? He's abusing the table!

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Will's not the nicest guy about inanimate objects (unless they're his swords), is he? Guy's gotta have a vice, I suppose. *G*

[immortal-jedi.livejournal.com]

Wow... those last two lines... this is lovely, and I don't know how I missed it before now.

Lovely look at Will at his one of the most unhappy moments of his life.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

It's a very late reply, but I held on to it in my inbox because at the time I think I was handling another post. At any rate, I'm glad you liked what I did with it!