#Sparrabeth love story

[zalrb]

for your recent ask on how to build relationships in movies where you used willabeth as an example i was just thinking of them as i read ur post lmao! what do u think are some underrated aspects of their relationship in the films ? and if you had to pick a favorite film of the potc trilogy based on just willabeth, which would you pick?

Oh, yay! A Willabeth ask!

AWE automatically wins on "At Wit's End" (aka "Will and Elizabeth's love theme") alone. That is the soundtrack to a cosmic, epic, transcendental, soul-moving, earth-shattering love story, that is the epitome of a romantic composition, it is everything. Like just listen.

But I mean, the scenes that they have in this movie?

I'm not sure that there's anything that shippers find underrated about them, it would just be in response to Sparrabeth shippers or people who are anti-Willabeth, which I just don't find merits a response but something I do quite enjoy about the Willabeth love story is the role Jack plays in it and how his respective bonds with Will and Elizabeth actually reinforce that love story:

Like, Jack helps Will come to terms with his parentage and history

and therefore who he is and Will, in turn, saves Jack from the gallows.

Elizabeth has faith in Jack, tells him he’s a good man, helps him see the morality of situations

and Jack does prove her right in Dead Man’s Chest by coming back to help the crew but I think the most significant way he proves her right is by going against a desire he wanted for all of At World’s End so he can do right by Will (and it actually goes further than his desire throughout At World’s End but to a fundamental passion like he sold his soul to Davy Jones to get the Pearl, that’s how much he loves the sea)

and then you had Jack speaking to Elizabeth’s desire for freedom

and encourages her obtainment of that freedom, of that agency, of that power

which ultimately leads back to her choosing to love and be with Will

which, despite what antis say, isn't a regression. The trilogy begins with seeing her discomfort in "polite society" and feeling pressured into doing what's expected i.e. an engagement to Norrington

which includes hiding her fascination with pirates as well as her feelings for Will

the two things are interconnected. In fact, when we see her being chastised for not behaving the way she should, it's when she's too intimate with Will

Her interest in pirates is signified with her keeping Will's medallion

her choosing Will is also her choosing her own freedom

Will even teaches her how to fight

and throughout the trilogy, it's them discovering more facets of themselves i.e. Will reunites with his father, Elizabeth actually gets to be a pirate but what even got them on those journeys was trying to find/help the other so they can be together

and those layers just bring them back together stronger. This has always been the point

This also isn't exactly underrated but I find when I go into the tag, there's a lot of emphasis on what Will does for Elizabeth, how he supports her, how in love with her he is, how devoted to her he is and I completely understand why but also Elizabeth's devotion to Will deserves a spotlight as well.

Going to fight undead pirates alone to save Will

Being both surprised and upset at Will even considering that she could be in love with Jack

Giving away the entire plan because she couldn't feign disinterest when Sao Feng acted as though he'd stab Will

Having to literally be carried away by Jack when Will was stabbed

Even the smaller, in between things like Will shouting at Elizabeth to shoot at the barrels of rum but her refusing because he was still caught in the net.

I just love them so much.

[user-needs-new-hyperfixation]

Thanks for the tag @seeingteacupsindragons!

Rare writer ask game: name three pieces of media that are not novels/short stories or movies/TV that were formative for you, and tag three people.

Oh damn, this is tricky and I love that. I don't know how much any of these are connected to my writing specifically, but they were formative to who I am and obviously that's always gonna tie into my writing somehow.

1. Ocarina of Time. It always will be one of my favourite video games, and the kind of games I like now are still often reflective of what I liked about it. Also, I said recently in another ask that Sparrabeth was my first ship, and it was definitely the first one I went all in on, but Link/Sheik was probably actually where I started (that Bolero of Fire bit, am I right?) Sheik was also probably technically my first queer fictional crush.

2. This feels cringe to admit 😅, but Adam Lambert's Glam Nation tour. I was 19 and juuuuust starting to internally acknowledge and accept myself as queer, and I would watch all the videos from the concerts and dance along in my room and sigh dreamily over Tommy Joe Ratliff's knees buckling while he got snogged within an inch of his life. It was the first time I remember being excited about being queer, because it seemed so damn cool. ("Fun" side note; writing this made me go "the heck ever happened to Tommy Joe anyway?" and apparently now he's a far-right Christian Trumpster, so that's a thing that happened. Somewhat disorienting that he was a little part of my journey away from that and then he went into it. Booooo.)

2. This song. One of my earliest memories is of my dad holding me and singing this song to me. I still can't listen to it without tearing up. And really just a lot of music I associate with being a kid in the 90s. There's so many songs that take me back to my mom hitting record on the tape deck when they came on the radio, to the way my dad whistled along to classic rock. But this one is right down at the foundation.

Tagging (as always no pressure!) @hergan416 @shreddedleopard @soapy-soartp

[swannposting]

OKAY I just read the last chapter of Condolences and it was FANTASTIC so now I have a few post-reading questions:

Where did the idea for this fic come from?

What were your favorite chapters to write?

Are there any hidden intricacies I should be in the lookout for on rereads? Because I WILL be rereading.

I will probably come up with more at some point but for now I just want to say congrats on completing another fic! It truly was a wild ride and a lovely read and I can’t wait to see what comes next!!

HELLO DEAR !!!!! ♡ first of all, thank you so much for being so engaged in this fic, it truly means the world to me. i'm so very pleased to know that you enjoyed, because your comments really motivated me to keep writing!!! now as for your lovely questions...

So I was really fascinated by the way that A.C. Crispin wrote about Jack and Teague in The Price of Freedom, and I just wanted to explore that some more on my own. Then at some point last winter I was listening to the album Fear Fun by Father John Misty, and the songs Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings and Only Son of The Ladiesman sort of put the idea in my head to write about Jack coping with Teague's eventual death. And so I actually wrote the first scene of the fic with only the intention to explore that concept. The Sparrabeth brainrot came later as I was working out just how I wanted dear old Teague to pass on. I knew that I wanted Elizabeth involved in the fic, particularly as Teague's "heir" so-to-speak, to really establish Teague's rejection of Jack. One of the first scenes I had envisioned was actually the conclusion to this fic, where I wanted Elizabeth to help Jack with the funeral arrangements/burial not out of guilt, but just as a compassionate gesture. That did not entirely change, but the twists that the story went through before getting to that point certainly did put that initial idea in a different light!

Ooh it's hard to pick because I really did enjoy writing Condolences more than almost anything else I've written. I'd say that chapter 4 was probably the most fun, though I did agonize over editing it. I really did not plan for chapter 4 to go the way it did (tbh I only planned for 3 chapters in the first place), but once I got to it, I had a really good time just going "okay how can I make this a little insane? >:) how can I make this kind of gross? >:)" I really want to contrast the idealized version of Elizabeth that Jack has got in his head with the more nuanced, flawed version of her that we know and love, and so I had a lot of fun with the shenanigans of chapter 4.

Haha I love this question- you've prompted me to skim back through my own work because there could be something like that, but I just genuinely do not recall at the moment. Something I did try to be intentional about is when and where Jack internally refers to Teague as "father" and when he uses other phrasings. Though I don't think that counts as "hidden". I don't usually plan for that sort of thing, so if you notice anything then it was probably a happy accident! :3 ♡

[sunshine304]

For the fandom asks, 3,4,19, or 20?

Oh I'll just answer all of them. XD

3. a character that fandom has helped you appreciate

Hm, I think Yu Ziyuan gained much more depth for me through reading meta about her/the family dynamics and genre conventions behind it. She’s a divisive character for sure, but I never saw her as extremely negative as some other fans seem to have. She always seemed like a commentary on the tiger mom stereotype to me, and I couldn’t help but also at times think she’s kinda justified in her bitchiness? Because Jiang Fengmian is like that… But yeah, her character definitely became more interesting and tragic to me through fandom.

None of the others needed any help, I think, I could appreciate all of them for what they brought to the story (I mean, except for Jin Guangshan, no-one appreciate shim and he can go die in a ditch).

4. say something nice about a ship you don't ship (it can be another ship in your fandom, a mutual's OTP, etc)

Sparrabeth. I very much refused to engage with this ship back in my PotC days because the shipping wars between Willabeth and Sparrabeth shippers became incredibly obnoxious after the second movie. As I really enjoyed Willabeth and was more of a Jack/Anamaria shipper (if we have to pair him with anyone… that was before I discovered slash XD), I did not like Sparrabeth at all.

I can see the appeal, though! Elizabeth became ever more of a pirate as the movies progressed, showing a side of herself that had mostly been suppressed in her previous sheltered, prim and proper life. She obviously had a taste for adventure and overall seemed actually more suited for and interested in this kind of life than Will, who gets rather reluctantly dragged into it all again and again. To have her as a counterpoint to Jack, as someone who can hold her own against his scheming and word games and teasing, can be intriguing. They’ll banter, he can teach her all kinds of stuff about life on the high seas, and they’ll definitely be a force to be reckoned with.

19. your current fandom(s)

Since 2020, it’s The Untamed/MDZS – still going strong, with no sign of slowing down. I tend to fixate on one main fandom for quite a while and it really takes a lot to make me switch to something else. And still, the old ones never really leave me – I recently reread some Teen Wolf fic, last year had a bit of a Sherlock revival with selected rereads. Now and then, I revisit some old PotC favs etc.

But yeah, now it’s CQL/MDZS with a side of some other cdramas/thai dramas like KinnPorsche or Word of Honor. It feels like the fandom is slowing down a bit as people move on to other dramas, but I’m still very much in love with it.

20. your very first fandom!

That depends a bit on how you’d define this. The first thing I was totally obsessed with was The Animals of Farthing Wood, a truly great animated tv series based on Colin Dann’s book(s). I drew so many fox pictures for that series, had a whole bunch of OC foxes and invented new stories with them (yes, only the foxes! XD). Of course, I was somewhere between 7 – 10 years old at the time and had no idea what “fandom” was!

I think I became aware of fandom as we know it when I looked for content for LotR online. I discovered message boards that were full of fans of the book and recently released movies.

The first fandom I was actually in, with the full awareness of it being a fandom, was Pirates of the Caribbean. That trilogy was incredibly important to me for many years and I’ve met a few friends through it that I’m still in contact with to this day. <3

I actually was asked this for a meme on Dreamwidth, so check out this post for a bit more on this topic.

Fandom question meme

[orionredstarr]

Insightful AWE memory of long ago which came to me this morning:

My two friends and I were sitting in the theatre – packed to the gills. We were all watching AWE, when halfway thru the movie, my one friend leaned past the other stuck in-between us and whispered to me:

“WTF is going on?”

The obvious pot holes in the plot regarding Elizabeth and Jack’s relationship was mind boggling. First they were at odds in the Locker, then sentimental when Elizabeth’s dad is deceased. Then being at odds; then Jack making her Pirate King. Jack was contriving with Beckett to have Elizabeth conveniently sail away with him…although he was not talking to her at the time (we were not yet privy to the deleted scenes, natch)….so, on and with head spinning au nausea --- you got the overall gist. We were bounding all over the damned place!

At the end of the film, the three of us were standing there after the Easter Egg scene of Elizabeth on the hill, and then the lights came on. We three stood up and remained there in place, unmoving with the exiting crowd blocking the aisles, poised there like deer frozen in the oncoming headlights. We were stunned. What the hell did we just watch? We were drowning in a flood of intense feelings running gamut of being ripped off, upset, feeling pissed, and duped…..when.........

Suddenly, in the row of theatre seats in front of us, there had been a mid-twenties something couple. This girl and obviously her date/boyfriend had been viewing the movie together. They were waiting to leave too. They’d been pretty quiet thus far during the ordeal, when THE GUY turns to his girlfriend, genuinely upset, had burst forth in a very loud voice and said: I quote:

“No! That cannot be right……but Jack LOVED HER!!” he lamented loudly. His girlfriend looked just as shocked as we three were at hearing his passionate reaction to the movie, but she had no explanation for him. So, while her paramour stood there shaking his head, he said it AGAIN, “Jack loved Elizabeth! I thought that he was in love with her???” He was clearly suffering from a Sparrabeth anxiety attack!!!! LOL!

And just short of laughing out loud at his expressive string of expletives following that announcement of how lame the movie was because of that reason, I remember thinking to myself: *(and no offence guys, but generally you all are not really that swift when it comes to the love/romance department)

Even a fucking GUY could see that Jack and Elizabeth were in love, and given the royal romantic shaft in AWE!! That one lone guy, whomever he was, had put it all into sharp perspective for me that very second --- what had been done to Jack and Elizabeth in AWE! (not to mention where they stuck Elizabeth and left her....don’ t get me started, a separate rant there)

But the point is: The impact from that experience in the theater reflected by that one guy’s remarks, are still felt to this day! The Sparrabeth debacle which occurred at the end of that POTC trilogy will forever be a profound memory!!

Thought I’d pass that POTC gem along……………………  :)

[asparrowandaswann]

I’ll never forgive the writers for diverting away from the too-short, too-vague Sparrabeth storyline of DMC in AWE, for hardly giving us any Jack/Elizabeth scenes in AWE and for failing to include any sort of discussion between the two of them regarding that little hiccup in their buddling flirtations/romance/otc-epic-love-affair which was Elizabeth kissing and sending Jack to the locker... and then immediately moving heaven and earth to bring him back again (ahem.. slight mixed signals, perhaps?).

Something that I do love about AWE, however, are the little reaction shots between Jack and Elizabeth. Not just the ones which are so often discussed; Jack’s reaction to seeing Elizabeth in the locker, Jack telling Elizabeth that her father is dead, and the parachute scene, but the tiny, silent glances and reactions to each other within scenes.

These three clips especially, I would love to question the writers, director and actors about. Why include a closeup of Elizabeth flinching when Jack is punched, highlighting her reaction compared to that of everyone else, when she’s right there in the wide shot - her flinch would still have been visible in the wide shot, while less conspicious; it would simply be a typical reaction to someone nearby being punched without warning. A close up only adds meaning!

Why did they decide to film a shot of Jack staring after Elizabeth, him being the only person who didn’t run to stop her from jumping off the ship after her father, when in the script it says that everyone, including Jack, runs after her, Will catching her just slightly ahead of Jack. Again, I’d love to know the meaning of Jack’s expression and lack of a reaction according to the writers, cast and crew who decided that the scene ought be filmed/edited in this way instead.

As for the last one... are they just leaving breadcrumbs to satisfy beady-eyed Sparrabeth shippers (if so, job done)? Did they feel they couldn’t wrap up the Sparrabeth storyline without peppering a few lingering looks in order to make their ‘love story’ more realistic? Are they all of the opinion that AWE should have had a Sparrabeth ending, even if, for whatever reason, they wouldn’t allow it to happen?

As a writer, a photographer and a film lover/geek/obsessive analyser, I need answers!

What are everyone’s own interpretations of these moments?

[norrington-hell]

Freedom. He tastes like rum and spice and freedom. As Elizabeth shackles Captain Jack Sparrow to the mast of his beloved Pearl, she feels him smile against her lips. Lips that found his for the express purpose of leaving him to die. ‘It’s after you, not the ship.’ He knows. And what’s worse, he understands. The gleam in his eye says everything. ‘I’m not sorry.’ And she isn’t. Not really. And neither is he. ‘Pirate.’ A compliment. A curse. A confirmation that he’s had her pegged since the very beginning. She senses it should hurt more than it does.

Redemption’s Promise (Ch. 23 - Opposition)

[piratestrash]

Who do you ship Elizabeth with? I liked Sparrabeth until she got Jack killed but I can’t see them together specially after realizing Jack is like 20 years older than her (even tho they were both adults). I’ve also seen some fans hating on Willabeth because they wanted Liz to be with Jack but I feel like these people forget the story is not just about Jack and Liz.

Personally, I think Willabeth is a good ship and has more potential for angst than people remember. I've heard the complaint that it's TOO perfect and therefor not realistic, but that simply isn't true.

From the time Elizabeth stole the medallion, there was a problem that would inevitably come to the surface. The whole point is loving each other DESPITE everything. And DMC and AWE also add onto this. Not to mention they have good chemistry and have plenty of similarities, but also differences to keep the relationship working.

I can see the appeal for Sparrabeth or Norribeth, as the writers did an amazing job with making each plausible when it comes to personality. Jack and Elizabeth both crave freedom and will say and do whatever they have to. They compliment each other well and would make a fierce couple.

Elizabeth and James both come from the upper class and deal with the expectations that come with that, and both are extremely smart in similar ways. I imagine both like to read, as well, so that could be a shared hobby.

But I ship Willabeth. Will isn't necessarily booksmart or good at making plans, but he can make a good split-second decision and he is very good at making something just sound a little less bad. Elizabeth IS booksmart and good at making plans, but I imagine she isn't very good with people, unlike Will. She is very blunt and will tell you exactly what she thinks. It makes them balanced. The similarities are that both feel the call of the sea, have a hunger for adventure, and will not take shit from anyone

[ohhthereuare]

Loved your tags on my norribeth post! I try to be nice bc willabeth is SO popular but I don’t like that ship 😭 I love seeing people salty about it in the wild bc I choose violence

then you've come to the right place 🔪🔪🔪

oh gosh oh gosh where do I even start

I completely agree with all of your points concerning norribeth even though I will fight for sparrabeth till my dying breath but I feel like arguments concerning both of these ships have a lot of common ground and most of them are rightfully pointed against willabeth

and since I have literally no-one to talk to about this and its been brewing inside me for y e a r s we're in for an essay

(of course I harbour no hate towards orlando's performance, he did a great job and it's not his fault his character is a whiny wimp most of the time)

even if they had ended the franchise on "the curse of the black pearl" willabeth's arc would have already been on thin ice. it made sense in a span of one movie and one story- the protagonist rescues and gets the girl, the girl sees something more in the protagonist and favourable circumstances let them be together in the end. except potc is more than just one movie and even that one movie was something more than that.

elizabeth may have been raised as a dame but she was never a damsel in distress therefor what william loved from the start was a false image of her. to his credit it was probably an imagine elizabeth herself believed in for a long time because she had no chance to prove herself wrong. he thought her proper. he thought her honourable. he thought her delicate and sweet and helpless. then we've got william who's just a simple blacksmith and as cute as he may seem, he's unattainable, with rough hands that know hard labour, with sweaty face and messy hair, and most importantly, he's somehow linked to pirates that elizabeth's secretly so entranced by. i'm not gonna go into too much unnecessary detail because we know how this story goes but i w i l l point out an important conclusion- this story is not at all what it seems. because will has never been a pirate and he will never be one. he may have ended up on a ship, may have been forced to work side by side with a real pirate, he may have even used his wicked methods in the course of the entire franchise but william turner is n o t a pirate. he only mimics one. and that's what enrages me so much about the ending of "at wit's end"- will has gotten a fate that he did not want, did not deserve, did not even appreciate. to him it turned out to be another responsibility that he had to take on himself, that he would dutifully follow. all he has wanted throughout these 3 movies was to save whoever he (mostly wrongly) thought needed saving at that time and he wanted to go home. he wanted to be done with it. he wanted to settle. he's never said a thing about a treasure, about a ship, about the sea, about freedom. at first it was a girl then it was his father. it was always an honourable goal and having reached one he was ready to sail back home and happily stay there. that's why the ending of "the curse of the black pearl" already feels spoiled, leaves a bad taste in my mouth. "a pirate" elizabeth says, while lovingly looking at will. no, sweetheart. never have been, never will be. you're in for a bitter surprise.

now, elizabeth. oh lord. never have been a truly proper lady, never will be. in the face of deadly danger she cannot handle a sword (yet) but she claws and bites her way out of a fight with whatever's at hand and she makes a deal with a deadly undead captain and she's ready to stab him with a kitchen knife, she's ready to kill this man before she even knows he cannot be killed. she may need a little help but she doesn't need to sit around and wait to be rescued. throughout the course of the first movie and then the second and then the third she becomes more and more vicious and at first she wants to be free of the corset then she wants to be with whomever she wants then she wants to sail to the horizon then she wants to become the goddamned pirate king and lead a fleet of these wobbly-legged, rum-soaked pirates against the east-trading company and also a very dangerous, damned lord of the underwater underworld. nothing ever seems enough to her. she thought she wanted, loved will because she thought he represented everything that she has always secretly craved- freedom and a little danger. william was neither of those things. i guess that's the biggest hidden plottwist of this franchise- elizabeth, expected to stay proper, doesn't, and william, not expected to stay a good, does. somehow they switch the roles of the archetypes they would normally be supposed to fullfill and that change was supposed to completely alter their previous motivations and goals.

and maybe she was too set on the topic of love to let herself let him go but their relationship surely felt the strain of their sudden differences. the whole of "dead man's chest" was elizabeth testing new grounds and desperately grasping at old ones and the whole of "at wit's end" was the heavy burden of disappointing discovery. they had very little in common. they couldn't trust each other anymore. they wanted very different lives and were willing to do different things to achieve them and the only thing keeping them together was "love" but at one point it became just a word, a new name for a habit fading away. hell the whole of "dead man's chest" was elizabeth redefining the word love into lust as you have rightly pointed out in your post. would they have gotten married had it not been for the burning need to just jump each other's bones? or more accurently, to jump anybody's bones for that matter?

i feel like elizabeth ending up with norrington or jack would have made a lot of sense for her character arc, both for very different and quite opposite reasons. norrington would have been the anchor keeping her morals safe and jack would have been the wind in her sails steering her towards the wilder, more chaotic, pirate side of her nature (peas in a pod, darling). both men saw her for what she truly was- strong, fearless, unyealding. will saw her for who she was in his mind and in the end that was who she was forced to become- a housewife bound to land, destined to tend to the treasure of her not-pirate husband that got to sail to the horizon. but at least she got to get married, right? 🙂

[bloomingcockroaches]

For the fandom ask: Jane Austen if you're into her works at large? If not just Pride and Prejudice?

oh geez, i know nothing about jane austen and am firmly not into her but i will answer this based on pride and prejudice (2005)!!

favorite character: lizzie of course!!!

least favorite character: MR DARCY GET TORN APART BY WILD DOGS CHALLENGE

brOTP: lizzie and her dad 🥺🥺🥺 wow keira knightley play ANOTHER headstrong young woman with a doting father why don't you

OTP: i don't have a ship for this story i'm sorry to say...me and lizzie bennet

OT3: me and lizzie bennet and oh it's me again standing on the other side of her holding her other hand

NOTP: LIZZIE/DARCY... WHICH MAKES THIS FILM AGGRAVATING

favorite storyline: everything with william collins tbqh!! tom hollander is delightful and hilarious. my friend who rly likes jane austen let me know that the film plays him for laughs while in the book he is much older and utterly wretched... but i do really like tom hollander so putting my eyeballs on him was great. also he and keira have great comedic chemistry.

least favorite storyline: literally lizzie/darcy i wish him a very die

what I wish had happened but didn’t: i don't think i had a real Goal for this story i just wanted lizzie to be happy and in the end she was. my Wrong™️ opinion is that i love the insanely horny us-only ending and it's the only part of the movie i liked... i liked it so much i made it sparrabeth

what happened that I wish hadn’t: you'll never guess

send me a fandom!!

[sparrabeth]

Oh, whatever you do Don't come b a c k for me (x)

[seaturtlesmate]

🏴‍☠️ ✣ Yknow I guess I’m just not much of a fan of Sparrabeth, as much as I do enjoy reading peoples theories because I just love when people put as much thought into the series as I do even if I don’t necessarily agree.

I don’t think Jack and Elizabeth were initially intended to be love interests. But the production was granted the coveted sequel, and what’s a franchise without a little love triangle? Plus, everyone was lusting over Jack Sparrow/Johnny Depp at the time and just really wanted to see him kiss someone on the big screen as the character so they could self-insert pretend it was them (young me included lol) However, I do think Kiera and Johnny had impeccable chemistry, which certainly lends a lot of credibility to the idea of the ship, but it always felt a little forced story-wise to me. Anyways, those are just my thoughts that I’ve been mulling over while reentering this fandom.

That being said, I’m not gonna yuck anyone’s yum so y’all go ahead and enjoy the hell outta your ship❣️🏴‍☠️

[swannposting]

Hi how is the writing going at the moment? And, if you want to, can you share a recent scene/moment you have written?

Hi!! :3 The writing is going slow as per usual, but I'm trying to keep at it. At the moment, I have a oneshot that is nearly finished, so I've been mostly focused on wrapping that up...

This has been a fun one for me. It's a Jack-centric story that I've been writing on and off for like six months. I want to call this a Sparrabeth fic, because it definitely is. But the premise has a lot to do with Jack and his relationship with his father. Here's a little excerpt from the beginning...

At dusk, a raucous bunch of pirates gather to mourn and celebrate an old legend of a man. Among them, Jack feels queasy. Too many drunken slobs call him Teague’s son as they slur their unsolicited condolences, reminding him that the memory of the unruly, undesirable ward that he once was still lives among the older crowd at Shipwreck. It seems the departure of the old man also means that the unspoken rule regarding any mention of Teague’s paternal ties has been scratched off the record, no longer to be enforced. As a boy, Jack yearned for such an acknowledgement. Now, becoming an old man himself, Jack wishes they would all go back to pretending.  Distractions abound— women, shanties, drink. In his usual way, he attempts to smother any opportunity to have an introspective thought by stepping jovially into hedonism. But the ladies watch him with their sad, enraptured eyes, the shanties taste bittersweet, and the drink does nothing to quell his unwanted musings. He cannot shake the image of Teague, eyelids held shut by coins, his arms stiff and forever still.  Just when he decides that it’s come time for him to slink away and cast off from this blasted graveyard of pirate ships and pirate bones, he catches sight of the pirate king. She finds him among the crowd. As she approaches him, he considers her mourning attire— an ebony waistcoat trimmed with tiny gold threads— and admires the lovely look of her hair when it is loose about her face, and notices the jingling of a very large ring of keys attached to her belt.  “You look like you would rather not be here.”   He will not deny that, though he ruffles at the realization that his discomfort is noticeable. She places a hand on his arm, and he remembers that she probably assumes that he is grieving (which he absolutely is not doing), for she half-smiles in a strange way, as if she is trying to pour comfort directly into his cup. “Come, let’s go somewhere quieter.” 

[dying-suffering-french-stalkers]

wendy’s great big pirates of the caribbean fic rec list

Hello, friends!  I’ve been meaning to make a Pirates fic rec list for years and the day has finally come.  This list is obviously in no way exhaustive and is very much indicative of my personal biases (*cough* lots of Norrington *cough*), but I can heartily recommend every fic that made this list and I hope you all enjoy it.  Making this was a labor of love and I would be thrilled to hear your thoughts on any you choose to read (though you should leave a kind comment for the author first)!

Other notes: I collected the bulk of these years ago, so there are a lot on FFnet and I have tried my best to screen them for various content warnings.  I believe only two fics on this list are explicit and are marked as such.  There is precious little slash on this list since that’s just not what I tended to read at the height of my Pirates phase; my apologies.

Under a cut to spare your dashes from this monster of a post.

“Mutiny on the Dauntless” by Marnie - Governor Swann and Lieutenant Norrington narrowly skirt disaster at the hands of a ruthless captain and dangerous crew on the crossing from England. [19k words. No ships. Warnings: seasickness, battle violence, minor character death, semi-graphic naval discipline.]

THE HONORAT COLLECTION in (hopefully) chronological order.  This author is my uncontested favorite Pirates of the Caribbean fic writer and I’m forever grateful to them.  Here’s to you, @honorat!

“Here’s Luck To You” - A collection of drabbles about Jack and Bootstrap Bill’s friendship, written in late 2005. [6k. Mind any posted warnings.]

“Homecoming” - Author’s summary: The young Captain Norrington has a rare moment alone with his beloved ship.  [1k.  No ships but the sailing kind.  No warnings.]

“Daring Rescue, Daring Escape” - A narration of Elizabeth's rescue following her tumble off the battlement and of Jack's attempted escape afterward.  [7k.  Can be read as Sparrabeth.  No warnings.]

“Worthy of His Steel” - Picks up where DR,DE left off, then flashes back to Will’s apprenticeship with Mr. Brown.  [44k.  Light Willabeth.  Mind any warnings: I remember minor character death, alcoholism, and general angst.]

“A Bargain At Any Price” - Elizabeth reflects on James’ interrupted marriage proposal.  [968 words.  Unrequited Norribeth.  No warnings.]

“Marooned” - A movie novelization of the time Jack and Elizabeth spent on Rumrunner’s Isle.  (If you haven’t seen the deleted scenes from CotBP, they’re now required viewing: Part 1, Part 2.)  [28k.  Can be read as Sparrabeth.  Warnings: alcohol; discussion of past injuries including burns, a brand, and a gunshot; discussion of death, murder, and suicide (latter related only to marooning and not seriously entertained or acted upon); mind any others.]

“Aboard the Dauntless” - Takes place directly after Marooned.  More movie/deleted scene novelization.  [20k.  Can be read as Sparrabeth and/or (unrequited) Norribeth.  Mind any warnings.]

“No Mercy” - Set aboard the Dauntless just after the battle at Isla de Muerta.  Have you ever been unreasonably hecked up by the sailor who rang the bell when he spotted zombie pirates?  I have because I’m Like That but now you can be too!  [1k.  No ships.  Warnings: blood, minor character death, funeral, survivor’s guilt, mention of execution by hanging.]

“For Remembrance” - Elizabeth visits Jack in prison the day before his pending execution.  [2k.  Can be read as Sparrabeth.  Warnings: brief mention of unsanitary prison conditions; death tokens; discussion of death, murder, and execution by hanging.]

“Balance of Justice” - The same night, Norrington struggles with the idea of Jack’s pending execution.  [990 words.  No ships.  Warnings: mentioned minor character death, survivor’s guilt, discussion of execution by hanging.]

“Crossing the Bar” - My all-time favorite PotC fanfic.  After the events of CotBP, Norrington thinks he has Jack cornered, but the pirate has other ideas.  A story of truly literary proportions ensues. [156k.  Canon divergent: written pre-DMC.  Light Jack/Anamaria.  Warnings: battle injuries, period-accurate first aid, minor character death. Other warnings posted in fic.]

“Just Between Us Dying Gods” -  Jack’s POV, takes place on the island of the Pelegostos just prior to Will's arrival.  [1k.  No ships.  Warnings: cannibalism, canon-typical ethnocentrism.]

“Bits of Shine” - A collection of drabbles (in the classic 100-word sense) spanning Pirates 1-3.  [14k.  Assorted canon ships.  Mind any posted warnings.]

“Christmas Reunion” - Author’s description: A Christmas reunion of several beloved characters set post-AWE. Jack's POV. Entirely fluffy.  [2k.  Willabeth.  No warnings.]

SCRUFFINGTON ANGST - Me, aged 15: but sir that’s my emotional support Good-ish Man Brought Low By Hubris (who am I kidding, that hasn’t changed a bit).  As you would expect, general warnings for this section might include minor character death, survivor’s guilt, self-hatred, alcohol abuse, unsanitary conditions, etc.  If you love Tortuga-related angst, this section is for you!  If you don’t go for whump and other unpleasant things, scroll on.

“Seven Deadly Sins: James Norrington” by Edoraslass - Classic drabble format, exactly what it says on the bottle.  Follows James’ DMC arc beginning in Tortuga.  [711 words.  No ships.  See tags on AO3.]

“Three Days” by geekmama - Several scene narrations following James from the pig sty to Isla Cruces.  Smelly bastard man.  [1k.  Several unrequited ships.  Warnings: unsanitary, alcohol abuse.]

“Interregnum: Icarus” by ConcertiGrossi - Follows James all the way from the hurricane to Tortuga, with an epilogue just after delivering the Heart to Beckett.  I dislike headcanons about Norrington ever employing sex workers - it seems very out-of-character to me - but other than that I stand by this fic.  Angst alert.   [16k.  Canon-divergent only if you read Sins of the Father.  Referenced unrequited Norribeth.  Warnings: near-drowning, vomit, mass minor character death, implied (but ultimately untrue) medium character death, funerals, survivor’s guilt, self-hatred, unsanitary, coughing, nightmares, pregnancy mention, parental death, under-eating, alcohol abuse, referenced suicide, suicidal ideation.]

“Birthday Wishes” by YouCantGetThereFromHere - A one-shot AU in which James has a twin brother and they celebrate their thirtieth birthdays, one in England, the other in Tortuga.  [4k.  Referenced OCxOC ship in the first half.  Warnings: alcohol abuse, self-hatred.]

“Eye of the Storm” by Edoraslass - Tortuga barmaid Kate is intrigued by the island’s newest barfly and strikes up a sort of friendship with Norrington until he moves on.  [4k.  No ships.  See tags on AO3.]

“Oil and Wine” by Argyle - Norrington’s descent during his time on Tortuga.  Everything comes with a price and a familiar face dogs his steps.  [500 words.  Norribeth.  See tags on AO3.]

“Absence and Memory” by Meddow - Post-CotBP, Elizabeth reflects on her relationship with Norrington over the years.  [3.7k.  Norribeth.  No warnings.]

“Penance More Will Do” by Meddow - Set directly after the hurricane.  While a wounded James is adrift at sea, he is visited by Hector Barbossa, who gives him a choice on behalf of Calypso.  [5.7k.  No ships.  Warnings: blood, vomit.]

“A Song for the Wretched and the Wrecked” by jadeddiva - Post-CotBP AU in which Will runs off to sea and Elizabeth consents to marry James after all.  They have a lot of growing to do, but it ends well.  [6.5k.  Norribeth.  No warnings.]

“Jack Sparrow’s Black Pearl” by Zath_Chauvert - A filk song in which Elizabeth and Will discuss Jack to the tune of “Tango: Maureen”.  [468 words.  Willabeth, J/W/E if you’re not a coward.  No warnings.]

“Of How a Lieutenant died at Sea” by YouCantGetThereFromHere - Foregoing the ending he's given in OST, Lt. Theodore Groves instead dies in the wreckage of the Endeavour in AWE and briefly greets Will in the afterlife.  [703 words.  No ships.  Warnings: implied major character death.]

THE ERINYA COLLECTION (I forgot that I saved a ton from this author as well!  Not arranged in any particular order.)

“Curiosity” - Elizabeth reflects on her growing feelings for Jack during DMC.  [828 words.  Sparrabeth.  Warnings: alcohol.]

“Sacrifice” - More Sparrabeth UST, Elizabeth’s POV.  [527 words.  Sparrabeth.  No warnings.]

“One Shot” - A collection of PotC drabbles, all written pre-AWE.  [6k.  Various pairings.  Warnings posted in fic.]

“The Game” - Jack and Tia Dalma play cards.  [600 words.  Can be read as Jack/Tia Dalma.  No warnings.]

“Frayed” - Will and Elizabeth, post-DMC, semi-compliant with AWE, but angstier.  I’m afraid this one isn’t very kind to Will but it sets up this author’s character dynamics/reasons for Sparrabeth.  [1k.  Willabeth, implied Sparrabeth.  Warnings: very poor communication.]

“Something Rich and Strange” - A Will/Tia Dalma one-shot, of all things.  A touch of destiny, indeed.  Written pre-AWE based on fan speculation.  [2k.  Canon-divergent.  Will/Tia Dalma, background Sparrabeth.  PG-13.]

“Ocean Heart” - Post-AWE, Elizabeth is visited by Calypso on that lonely beach.  [1k.  Implied Willabeth.  No warnings.]

“The Pirate’s Progress” - Post-DMC, Jack takes a jaunt through the afterlife, featuring all sorts of fun mythology/folklore.  [10k.  I’m gonna be real with y’all, I don’t remember if there’s anything shippy or triggery but I don’t think so?  Implied major character death I guess but he got better]

“Worlds Enough, And Time” - Futuristic AU in which Jack and Elizabeth both partook of the Fountain of Youth.  Our beloved pirates...IN SPAAAAACE.  Angst with a happier ending.  [3k.  Sparrabeth, implied Willabeth.  Canon-divergent in multiple ways.  Warnings: alcohol, discussions of death, suicidal ideation, referenced minor character death.]

“Janus and the Prodigal” - A conversation between Jack and Teague, a few years post-AWE.  [1k.  Can be read as Sparrabeth.  No warnings.]

“At Peace” by Rising Waters - Author’s summary: Elizabeth has been faithful for the allotted ten years, so Will is free of the Dutchman—but he is still plagued by thoughts of a man whose death he feels responsible for: James Norrington.  [1k.  Willabeth, unrequited Norribeth.  Warnings: referenced character death.]

“Second Chances” by geekmama - AU in which James was only wounded by Bootstrap, not killed, and Will drops him off at Shipwreck Cove to be with Jack and Elizabeth for the next ten years.  Fluff all around.  [1k.  Willabeth, can be read as Sparrington if you’re not a coward.  No warnings.]

“For Honour A Heart’s Demise” by Meddow - Another AU in which James is only wounded aboard the Flying Dutchman, only this time he gets to partake in the rest of AWE and becomes captain of the Dutchman instead of Will.  A goddess is defied and everything makes sense.  [10k.  Willabeth, unrequited Norribeth.  Warnings: brief suicidal ideation, survivor’s guilt, grievous bodily harm, major character death (but he gets better).]

“Between Wind and Water” by rexluscus - Author’s description: “England and Spain are at war, and Norrington needs a quick solution to the Jack Sparrow problem. Meanwhile, Jack discovers that the Caribbean he once knew is gone. The deal they make could solve both their troubles, or it might be the worst mistake of their lives.  This story is AU after the first film (sequels never happened). It's an experiment in dropping POTC characters into an actual historical event: the Battle of Cartagena de Indias in 1741.”  [90.3k.  Sparrington.  See tags on AO3.]

“betwixt the devil and the deep sea” by notbecauseofvictories - A character study of Jack Sparrow in an AU with angels and demons.  [2k.  No ships.  See tags on AO3.]

“coda” by notbecauseofvictories - Elizabeth during her time as the Pirate King.  [1k.  Willabeth, Sparrabeth.  See tags on AO3.]

FICS I HAVE NOT YET FINISHED but would nevertheless like to recommend:

The “Rash Actions” series by @blanketed-in-stars​ - I’ve been meaning to finish this for 7000 years but I thoroughly enjoyed the early chapters!  Nicole is a wonderful writer and is doing the Lord’s work in writing quality Turrington content.  [147k.  James/Will.  See tags on AO3.]

“In Service to the King” by sleepylotus/@apirateslifeforme123​ - An AU in which Elizabeth finds James in Tortuga after she becomes the Pirate King.  I loved the first few chapters!  [31.7k.  Norribeth, Sparrabeth.  Explicit.  WIP.  See tags on AO3.]

OTHER LINKS SINCE I HAVE YOU HERE

Curse of the Black Pearl early screenplay (first draft)

Dead Man’s Chest screenplay (final production draft)

At World’s End early screenplay (leaked draft)

Deleted scenes: (CotBP above in Marooned) DMC, AWE

[orionredstarr]

SPARRABETH CHRONICLES #32

We are a club of die-hard Sparrabeth fan fiction readers and authors who simply love this fandom. Every other week we will continue to present our selection of vintage, Sparrabeth fanfiction. We each have our own style, taste, and various interpretations—but one thread we all have in common is that we love Jack Sparrow and Elizabeth Swann as a dynamic team! So far, we have made it through THIRTY-TWO weeks and going strong! So, we hope you are enjoying the tales we select, and having a great time discovering a new story every other week….as much as we love bringing them to you! Feel free to let us know how we are doing, of if you have any suggestions! Also, if you would like to join us, please drop anyone of us a line here at Tumblr! @apirateslifeforme123​, @princesspenelopenerfherder, @colorblindly, or me @orionredstarr. The ONLY prerequisite is that you love Sparrabeth―that is it!

THIS WEEK OF February 1, 2017 We would like to present to you:

TITLE: 14 short fics/vignettes - starting with: Desiderata – What’s Past Is Prologue

AUTHOR: Djarum99 (on LJ) or here at Tumbler @thesandreckoner

PAIRING: Jack Sparrow/Elizabeth Swann

GENRE: M-F

Author’s RATING:  N-17 (each segment rated)

LOCATION: LIVE JOURNAL (navigating chapters click on WHAT COMES AFTER for next page)

LINK:  http://djarum99.livejournal.com/3803.html#cutid1/

Chapters: 14 vignettes/fics interrelated/standalone Author’s DISCLAIMER: owned by the mouse in the concrete jungle, but they live in our hearts

A/N: Post-AWE erotica, set after the events of Fiat Lux (posted at my journal) but reads as a stand-alone, Jack’s POV. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ CRITIQUE on "Desiderata – What’s Past is Prologue": WHY I selected this piece:

I have read just about everything Djarum99 / @thesandreckoner has ever written on Sparrabeth! Naturally, I admit to being prejudiced because I admire her skill and love her stories! I am positive that her chronicles will be exciting and contagious for you too! There is a raw genius to her craft; translated through spot-on characterizations, exclusive literary style and structure, and her intriguing plots. I love the sensuality too, the chemistry and spice which Jack and Elizabeth’s portrayals are so tangible, they become very real people in every sense.

I admire Djarum99’s pacing as well. Even the pictographic palate of each story is amazing. For instance, this series or block of ‘fics’ can be read as standalone literary pieces—or strung together as chapters within one longer fiction. I loved that concept instantly! Not only because it was unique and imaginative, but each vignette, chapter or story, has its own ‘flavor’ or ‘hue’. They are all immensely lyrical, and quite often the ornamentation of written passages morph into beautiful poetry! I am not sure if that was done intentionally, or if that was one of muse’s mysterious gifts which came naturally to Djarum99/ @thesandreckoner for being a truly talented artist! I must ask her! These scenes are painted so lavishly that you can vividly ‘see’ them. Superb dexterity in writing skill and magical story telling…delightful fun

Here in this instance, no matter your perception of length with these “stories” or “vignettes”—some people may view these as individual short stories, or one long Fanfiction. It makes no difference what your preference is, because each chapter is condensed; chock-full of different nuances so they will read quickly. As you become drawn in and vested, a bizarre quirk takes place….you are compelled to devour them all to the point of wanting more! So, no matter your choice—read a few or read all, they are ingeniously fashioned so that you come out a winner either way!

Whichever way you tackle these chapters/vignettes, I grant you this; all are teaming with sentiment, emotion, and all the Sparrabeth ‘feels’ we love and crave! These are shrewd anecdotes woven together for boundless entertainment and presented with panache! And as always, Djarum99/ @thesandreckoner is an author who has a flair for sensual script that is just outright enchanting, provocative and robust! Each segment is rated for content, and not recommended for the faint hearted or very young. Please keep that fact in mind before proceeding! 

A short tease or EXCERPT FROM Desiderata – What’s Past Is Prologue

He watches her in sleep, a guilty pastime made an irony in light of what they do together in waking hours. Midnight gives her silver, touching the curves of her face and the joy of her body with moth’s wings. Dawn gives her gold, outlining his love with the spare delicacy of a monk’s illuminating hand. He breathes her in, the scent she has brought to his bed, wanting to draw her spirit into his lungs, hold it for a moment, release his own to her.

Jack Sparrow has a mandate, an obligation, the word a foreign taste on his tongue and a sound like giddy angel’s song in his ears. He wants this woman to experience life as he knows it, draw her into its swirling sea of sensation and discovery. Wants her to defy reality as convention paints it, see beyond the surface, walk with him into new worlds. Wants to know what she sees there, what new doors she can reveal to him. He wants to be her guide, follow where she leads, know who he will be, with her.

He remembers the first time she put her hands on him. No longer a sheltered girl’s porcelain, but a woman’s strong brown instruments, playing over his skin and making something new of the runes life has drawn there. Remembers the first taste of her on his fingers, sea salt and sweet sunlight, remembers his mouth at her breast seeking redemption. The strength of her surrounding him, magic heat and the promise of creating a mystery that was the sum of them both, and more than that. She had laughed, holding him in those hands, circling him, stroking, teasing him with her own anticipation and delight. Elizabeth, his Lizzie, pirate empress, his equal and novitiate. The weeks since she had spoken her choice, come to his bed, had been a revelation of both her naiveté and her boldness. Somewhere in between lay trust of him, of what they were together, a treasure he’d never thought to hold. He was not yet certain he deserved it.

To be continued………

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I have listed them all separately below in sequence, just in case the Live Journal website format is too daunting to navigate. It can be a challenge due to its diary-type layout.

14 Short fics, set in the post-AWE AU universe of Fiat Lux and A Priori

LINKS to ENTIRE LISTING OF individual FICs / Chapters (hope all ‘took’)

Desiderata

Chiaroscuro

Practical Magic

Elegy

Vexed

Bordello

Vector

Archangel

Coda

Rain

Dance

Madeira

The Sand Reckoner

Memento Mori

So, there you have them—above are links to all 14 fics in the series! I do hope you will enjoy them as much as I have.

ORS

And do not forget @bybyeblackbird incomparable SPARRABETH FANFICTION ARCHIVE, a website created to organize all your Sparrabeth Fanfic needs in one place!

[reachexceedinggrasp]

Dead Man’s Chest is a movie with a lot of problems that does some hindsight damage to CotBP’s story, characters and ending but SPARRABETH KISSED sooooooooo

Pretty much.

(It does also have some very good scenes between them with huge amounts of subtext where the characterisation was actually perfect, some quality comedy with Pintel and Raggety, that score, and the ending where Barbossa comes back that blew the roof off the place. I want to like the whole epic ocean god/human love story thing because that’s my shit, but there wasn’t much there in execution.)