#a character study of james norrington

[ari-the-arotistic]

So I was thinking about pirates of the Caribbean, and each characters unique moral code and way of approaching life, as one does, when I remembered a particular scene about our beloved James Norrington... the very first scene in which Jack and James meet. Now, as a long time Sparrington shipper, I adore the Sparrington fandoms adopted head canon of Jack's compass pointing directly at Jack when James is holding it as having a romantic connotation too it, but this is Disney we're talking about, and a Disney from 20 years ago at that, so it is of course just a head canon. And while it is a beloved head canon, I will always be a writer before a shipper, and what that scene says about Norrington from a writer's perspective is far too juicy not to share... So buckle up for a very long meta post about who James Norrington is as a person, and how it was set up in this scene(and later reinforced in the second and third movie). This is my first real meta post, and I'm very excited for it, so let's jump right in.

First of all, the compass scene.

As we can clearly see in the image above, since the red line that points to the object of the holder's desires is no where to be seen, its relatively easy to conclude that it's hidden from our view by the sun dial in the middle, and thusly is pointing directly at Jack. Elizabeth is off to James's right, and no one is standing behind Jack, so unless the compass was pointing at something in the far off distance that just so happened to be in Jack's general direction(unlikely) its pretty clear what(or who) the compass is pointing at. For most potc fans, this is fairly standard knowledge. But it's what this fact says about Norrington's character that I'd like to focus on. After all, what does it say about a man that a compass that shows you what you desire most is pointing at a pirate, and the very face of piracy at that, instead of your canonical love interest, when you're a Commodore of the Navy? As stated above, Sparrington shippers often point at this scene as proof that James has a bit of a pash on the ruggedly handsome pirate, or at the very least, a thing for men. But from a writer's perspective, this just simply isn't the case, and not because the writer's in this instance are the notoriously homophobic corporation we call Disney. The reason why this is so unlikely from a writing perspective is because given the context clues, we as an audience are meant to draw the conclusion that this is the first time that they meet(I have heard rumors of them meeting as children in the books, but having never read them, and focusing only on the movies, I'm not including that in this post). And since this is the first time they've met, it's highly unlikely that the compass is pointing at Jack because James has a bit of a thing for him. Even if James has heard of Jack's many exploits, he does not truly know the man behind the legend, so having romantic feelings for the pirate at this point in time just isn't believable. And even if James was a closeted gay/bi man, it's still unlikely that the compass would be pointing at Jack of all the men around the Commodore(of which there is a lot, some of whom he is incredibly close with) seeing as Jack is the poster boy of piracy, and at this point in the movie it's made abundantly clear that James vehemently detests the notion and all who practice it. If James were to be holding the compass in Jack's vicinity in later movies and it still pointed at the pirate, an argument could definitely be made that it was because he had developed feelings for Jack, but for their first meeting, it's just not realistic. So it's much more likely that the reason the compass is pointing at Jack is because of James's desire to send every pirate he meets to "a quick drop and a sudden stop" as he so eloquently put it to a young Elizabeth. This is further reinforced in the third movie when it is revealed that Beckett's desire to have Jack dead at his feet would prevent him from using the compass to find Shipwreck Cove if the pirate was not already at the aforementioned location, or, well, dead. This is again, relatively common knowledge. But like I said before, it's what this fact says about James that is the whole point of this post... and that is that James cares more about his career than anything else, even the woman he claims to love. Now for some, that statement alone might seem like a pretty obvious conclusion, but it's how this scene subtlety sets up this core aspect of Norrington's character before we even truly get to know who he is, and how it's brought to it's full height in the second movie, and the core aspect of his redemption and subsequent death in the third that I'd really like to talk about. Which brings us to the next segment of this post...

How James lost his commission to the navy...

And how he got it back

So let's start off with how James lost his commission... it's a story we all know pretty well, and one he tells to Gibbs in the scene shown above, when he plans to either join Jack's crew or get revenge on the man that(he believes) ruined his life. After Jack's escape in the first movie, James grew obsessed with capturing the pirate, so much so that he foolishly followed the Black Pearl into a hurricane, resulting in the sinking of the Dauntless, and the loss of countless lives that had been aboard the vessel. It's unclear aside from James himself who had been on the ship at the time, and who did or did not survive, but the death toll was heavy, with most, if not everyone who wasn't James, having perished in the storm. While it is not the most extreme example(which we'll get too in just a bit), this is a pretty clear example of James prioritizing his career above everything else, even reason and logic. And all just to capture a singular pirate, even at the cost of his own ship and crew, and rather ironically, the very career that he had been so desperately trying to hold onto in the first place. Which brings us to the next scene I'd like to discuss... James stealing the heart of Davy Jones. This moment is the absolute peak of this part of James's character. This is the moment where James takes his obsessive need for his career to the max. This is the moment where James truly prioritizes his career above everything else, even the woman he claims to love(and for Sparrington shippers, above the man he's reluctantly come to care about). At this point in time, when James decides to take the heart for himself to regain his old station, he's been on the Black Pearl long enough to know the full situation. That Jack is in some kind of trouble with Davy Jones, and that if Jack doesn't use the heart to bargain for his freedom, then the Kraken will hunt Jack, and subsequently the Black Pearl, down until he and everyone aboard are dead. And that includes Elizabeth. And yet, despite knowing that stealing the heart would basically mean sealing Elizabeth's death, he still decided to do so. Sure, the argument could be made that he thought Elizabeth would be able to escape somehow, but the chances of her dying at sea, or some other terrible fate befalling her before she could safely make it back to civilization would have been highly likely. Of course we as an audience know that this isn't the case, but James does not. So essentially, James was so obsessed with his career, and maintaining the image of the honorable Commodore that he didn't even truly register that he was putting Elizabeth, the woman he loves and has been trying so desperately to woo for the past two movies, in danger. And he won't fully realize the consequences of his actions until the third movie, in a deleted scene no less(I swear when I find whoever decided to delete some of the most important scenes to James's character...), when Davy Jones informs Governor Swann of his daughters untimely demise on the Black Pearl. Of course, almost immediately afterwards, Beckett retcons that statement by informing the Governor that Elizabeth was recently seen in Singapore, but for a few minutes, James has to sit with the fact that Elizabeth was dead, and it was his fault. And even after learning that she was in fact still alive, James has now finally come to the realization that if she had still been on the Black Pearl when it sank with its Captain, he would've been the one to send her to her death. And for Sparrington shippers, James has to sit with the unavoidable fact that he was the reason Jack had died(even if the pirate does come back), despite the fact that it was Elizabeth's betrayal that was the final nail in Jack's coffin, since she wouldn't have had to do that if the Kraken wasn't after them in the first place. Which brings us to the final scene I'd like to discuss...

James choosing a side, and paying the price

Now, before we fully delve into this scene, I'd like to take a moment to talk about James's own perception of himself, and his relationship with honor and integrity. From the very first scene in which we meet James Norrington, we are made aware that he has a strong moral compass. He firmly believes piracy is evil, and that all who partake in piracy deserve a swift end. He perceives his Commodore persona as being the paragon of honor and integrity, and the sole arbiter of justice. We can infer from the line "By remembering that I serve others, Sparrow, not just myself" that James does have honorable intentions when ridding the world of pirates, that being protecting the innocent citizens under his care, but as seen once again in the first time James and Jack meet, wherein James adamantly tries to arrest Jack despite the fact the fact that pirate had just saved Elizabeth's life, his actions to achieve that goal are not always quite as honorable as his intentions are. This is especially highlighted once again when James gave Beckett the heart of Davy Jones. James's intentions here were once again rooted in honor and integrity - he believes that the only way to keep people safe from pirates is too return to his old station, to the image of honor and integrity he had built around the title of Commodore, and the only way to return to his old station is to give Beckett the heart. But the action itself was far from honorable, seeing as James had to betray the woman he loved just to obtain the heart, and that he was now putting it into the hands of a dangerously unstable individual who planned on using it to commit mass genocide.

And now, we finally get to the scene above... Of course, it's made clear throughout his scenes in the third movie leading up to this one that James is already starting to regret giving Beckett the heart after seeing the damage being caused, but since Beckett is targeting pirates specifically(although we as an audience know that Beckett's definition of pirate is very loose) James figures that the ends justify the means, as he often does in situations regarding piracy. It is not until his reunion with Elizabeth, where he learns that Governor Swann is dead, and that Beckett lied to him about the Governor's whereabouts, that James truly realizes the enormity of his mistake. It is in this moment that James has a sudden realization that fundamentally shakes him to his core, and is the reason behind his change of heart later on. He realizes that the honorable Commodore persona that he had tried to cultivate and keep a hold of for so long had never been truly honorable at all, and that by giving Beckett the heart of Davy Jones, he had effectively tied the noose around the neck of his own honor and integrity, as well as the necks of hundreds, if not thousands of innocent people, with his own hands. And as that one vine goes, this was the moment James knew, he fucked up. Which leads to his decision to change sides in an attempt to redeem himself, and his subsequent death in the process. Of course, part of James's reason for helping Elizabeth escape was that he does care for her, but given everything I've detailed about him so far, I think it's safe to say the main reason that James decided to help Elizabeth and her crew was because he wanted to undo the damage he had done, and he had faith that Elizabeth, Will, and Jack would have some sort of plan to defeat Beckett, and stop any further damage to come from his mistake. And now, for his death scene itself... As much as I love the idea of James surviving and joining the pirates(whether at Elizabeth's side or Jack's is unimportant), I firmly believe that his death was a necessary end of this part of his character arc, and that if he were to survive he would still have to go through a major ego death for this part of his character arc to end properly. Because as Bill turner drives that wooden pike into James's gut, it's not just the physical death of his body, but also the metaphorical death of Admiral James Norrington, and the ideals that James had used to build the persona out of. So even if James survived, the Admiral would still have to meet his metaphorical end, thusly causing James to lose a core part of himself that had been guiding most his decisions so far, in the process, which would start the next part of his character arc, where he would have to deal with the loss of a key part of his personality, and rebuild himself from the ground up to finally, truly become the image of honor and integrity he had envisioned from the beginning.

And that concludes this very long post. I could probably wax enough poetics about this aspect of James's character to write a short novel, but I've said everything important to this post, and if I go on any longer, I'm likely to start repeating myself lol. Thank you for reading, and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments or a reblog! I will always love hearing more about our polished peacock <3

[piraterefrigerator]

Welcome to a senseless Ray ramble

Y'know two characters who have kinda similar vibes to me?

I don't know what it is, and I love Liam more than I love James, but there's just something about them that's so similar

It may be the way they move/speak or something but I needed to say this before it ate my brain

[amalthiaph]

✨ EDMON RAMPART (Amalthia's Version) ✨ You know I once swore to never draw him, well that was of course before he got the James Norrington treatment so it's the Alexsandr Kallus Effect for me again. Talk about from fuck this man to I wanna fuck this man.

Teeny weeny fandom salt and salt in general coming up so if you don't like that, you can go scroll down. There used to be a cut here but I removed it. I will always be polite, but I know WHEN to talk.

From now on, I will be calling my fanart "Amalthia's version". I hope I don't come across as tone deaf or insensitive about this, but I wish I was good at art.

I've seen posts that say "I wish artists would stop drawing [character name] with [this] or [that]" or "stop drawing [character] with [this]". While it's great to hear about your preferences, please bear in mind that at the end of the day, fanart CAN BE an artist's take on a character. For me, THIS is how I draw Edmon Rampart. This is with regard to the art style I developed and the color palette that I constantly use to keep up with my blog's theme.

Another ick is an ongoing issue in the TBB fandom. In my Hunter and Omega art, I did something I don't usually do, which is add a secondary light source. A few minutes after posting, I got an anon telling me to unwhitewash the characters. I immediately messaged one of my friends for their honest opinion and they said I don't whitewash the characters. I went on to the drawing file and tried to study my own drawing and see if I really did whitewashed the characters. Edit: There really are some artists who whitewash the characters and I was trying to do a SELF-CHECK bec maybe I'm one of them.

I found out that the thing that made the difference is the secondary light source that I added. This secondary light source is lighter in color than their skin, and it created the Contrast Effect. Due to the nature of the human eye and visual processing by the brain, there's an optical illusion that the same color will look different depending on the color beside it and/or the background. It's in psychology class, paying attention would help.

In addition to the secondary light, it could also be the brown background color that caused this effect. And before anyone goes, "are you sure?" Yes, I am. I sat with a Psychology major to discuss about this whole Contract Effect thing.

This does not only apply in colors, it could also be to objects, that why they say all things are relative. One thing could appear bigger or smaller depending upon the object beside it. One of the things they 'check' to see if a certain artist whitewashed a character is the size of the nose. Once again, please do apply Contrast Effect. Some artist really draw their characters stick-like so try to compare all the noses they had drawn in their entire lifetimes and maybe, just maybe they did draw the noses wide in comparison to their other artworks, it just looks like that because it's part of their art style.

Edit: Please do try to analyze things first before casting down your judgement.

It's so difficult to be an artist AND IN THIS FANDOM. We never seem to be enough. If we do the character with artistic freedom, you'll say "stop drawing them like that bec they don't have that in the show" and when we try to draw them as close to the show, you'll say "unwhitewash the characters". We are never good enough for you.

So yeah, I wish I was good at this.

Link to the rest of this series:

1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7 || 8 || 9 || 10 || 11 || 12 || 13 || 14 || 15

[quillofspirit]

2023 fic recs

If there's one thing to know about me, is that I love to read! and I love to share the good fics, so I figured I would put them all on one list💚

pssst! it's my first time doing anything like this, so if you have recommendations for the format, please do leave them in the comments or drop me a message! thanks xx

Key 🍬 fluff 🧯 spicy 🌡️ smut ⛈️ angst 🌪️ all

For people I have tagged, please let me know if there is anything you’d like me to add or remove — like a link to another account. It’ll be my pleasure☺️

Lord of the Rings (and related)

⛈️🧯Fuck the Forbidden pt. 1 by @entishramblings

Boromir x mermaidfem!oc Teens and Up but read the warnings carefully 9,500 words

Now I want mermaids in everything. why aren’t there mermaids in everything? The descriptions are so well done, everything is so vividly easy to visualize, oh I just loved it.

I am so hyped for pt 2!!

🍬⛈️ Healing Touch by @ass-deep-in-demons

Boromir x fem!oc Teens and Up 4,350 words

My film studies degree was very happy about the descriptions of movement in this one - it’s a little specific but hear me out. It’s much easier to see the actors playing the scene when it’s described this well! THAT ENDING, I have to say I joined Legolas, and I don’t have excuses.

I cannot wait to read the rest of the adventures of Joanna!

🍬 I Might Need to Kiss You by @fizzyxcustard

Thorin Oakenshield x fem!reader 400 words

I was squealing, this is so sweet. like the perfect little pick me up when you need a reminder, and Thorin is nothing if not a good king to his subjects 😇

🍬 Sweet Conversations by @glassgulls

Haldir x fem!reader Teens and Up 5,360 words

did I almost break my mouse when I clicked on this? noooo

Would I do it again? approximately 5 times since ☺️

Who doesn’t love sneaking around and kissing pretty elves, especially when they propose the idea so nicely… Just read it, you’re welcome

⛈️🧯Transformed by @sotwk

Thranduil’s son OC x fem!reader Teens and Up 2,400 words

There are at least two werewolves! When I tell you I read it three nights in a row, just to truly catch all the little things that made me go absolutely feral this so lovely to read. Yes, there’s gore (only a little bit) and there’s angst, but there’s also dialogue that would be made into gifs were it a movie.

Pirates of the Caribbeans

🌪️Catch the Wind by eriathiel (@esta-elavaris)

James Norrington x fem!oc Explicit 418,000 words

101 chapters of epic, pirates, and sweetness. The definition of you will suffer and you will like it. I finished this in like two days, because I couldn’t put it down, like a child on Halloween night going through their whole bag of candy.

⛈️🍬 Fallen Through Time by eriathiel (@esta-elavaris)

Catch the Wind AU Mature Ongoing; 34,000 words

12 Chapters so far, but it’s probably going to make me want to read everything about Theodora again. I am very normal about this character. 😌

Other fandoms

🌡️One of Those days by @capricornafterdark

Jason Todd x fem!reader Explicit 750 words

Sometimes you need to be taken care of, and sometimes its easier to take care of others.

🍬Patience by @velvetcloxds

Charlie Swan x fem!reader Just straight cuteness 600 words

A cute yet serious conversation with Charlie

🌡️That Takes Trust Darlin by @capricornafterdark

Jason Todd x transmasc!reader Explicit 1,950 words

It takes a lot of trust to tell a person about your desires, and even more when you spend your time catching villains.

🌪️ What Happens After You? by StrengthBeforeWeakness

Ominis Gaunt x fem!oc Mature 219,000 words

A badass Ravenclaw, sweet sweet Garreth, and dark!Sebastian. I am tempted to say it’s almost a Hogwarts Legacy AU because the lore in this fic is so incredible, it feels new again.

These are my headers and dividers, please do not use them.

[boltlightning]

Writing ask: 5, 7, 16 & 24

5. with description i'm proud of

mildly cheating, since monsters of men is a character study and 90% descriptions, but i was always very fond of:

Monster and man eye each other warily, the deck swaying under their feet. Jones’ pincer hand shifts. Norrington keeps one hand on the pommel of his sword, the other crossed behind his back. Beckett knows this is a feint; if Jones drew a blade, Norrington would pull his gun instead. Were Jones killable, he would instantly have the fatal upper hand. Beckett’s sister Jane had always said Cutler should be a duelist. He had the wits and the temperament, she insisted, and the only things he needed were a sword and a rival. He has many rivals now, and swords aplenty at his disposal. Yet Jane is gone, and still he does not duel. Beckett folds that memory up as neatly as a sheet of paper, folds it once more for good measure, and tucks it away.

7. that i nursed in a daydream before finally writing but ALSO 16. from a recent piece i want to brag about

one of The Absolute First scenes i imagined that led to the dragon fic(s) was this one, featured in the most recent chapter though it largely exists as an excuse to use the word "verglas"

Then he is falling. In all his years at sea, Norrington had fallen overboard only once, as a child on campaign with his father. He remembers little of the actual event — only the way fear consumed his every function, even that of his lungs, a process so automatic he did not know it could stop, drowning and drowning him. Well after he had been fished out of the sea did his cough linger, and his mother insisted the ordeal left a mote of cold in chest, one that young James carried every day since.  It has been many years since, years of camaraderie and valor that had seared the cold away. Yet now a reprisal of dread darts through him now, verglas over his lungs and heart. He is not afraid to die, had accepted it as a hazard of service, had steeled himself to the possibility the moment he stepped into his first commission. But — God and King forgive him — he does not want to. He does not want to die.

24. that makes me go "huh…i wrote that?!"

much about anything i wrote for assassin's creed is weird and liminal, but this bit is one i always find myself pausing at, as i don't remember writing it At All 🤪 (from this chapter of an AC3 longfic)

A slab of ice pins [Achilles'] leg to the ground, and he is bleeding badly. The blood is vivid against the blinding white of the snow. Haytham’s saber had been lost in the snow, so he instead draws his father’s shortsword and approaches slowly. The sound of his own heartbeat is deafening.  Do you truly fancy yourself a mediator? Birch sneers, an echo, a presage, a haunting. Look at you, dripping with blood and fury, and tell me your creed is not just as hypocritical. Achilles does not move to fight. The Templars gave him no tools but control to broker peace; the Assassins gave him no tools but death to remove tyranny. If this expedition has taught him anything, it is that his desire for compromise between the two groups is nothing but fantasy, and for all his experience, he is ill-equipped to bring it to fruition. Birch had always been correct — he is a killer, not a mediator. And he will grant Achilles the mercy of a swift death. He closes his eyes as Haytham raises his sword.

excerpt sharing asks

[wolveria]

At World’s Beginning - Ch 1

Pairing: James Norrington x Mermaid!OC

Series Summary: When a man dies, it's of the common belief he ought to be afforded the well-earned dignity of an eternity of peace. There's to be no more strange business with dread captains and monstrous Krakens and bloody thrice-Damned pirates.

When a man dies, the story of his life is ended. For better or for worse, the ink is dried and the book is closed.

...except when, as the unfortunate case may be, said man dies on a cursed ship that decides it's not done with him quite yet.

or

James Norrington's death is only the beginning of his problems.

Chapter Warning: Major Character Death (temporary)

AO3

“It’s too late to earn my forgiveness.”

Even now, after all that had transpired and all the hurts and injuries he had accumulated, she could wound him far deeper with words than any edged steel ever had.

“I had nothing to do with your father’s death.”

Regardless, he should have prevented it. He knew that, and his next words reflected it.

“But that does not absolve me of my other sins.”

And they were many in the counting. More than could warrant forgiveness. Or redemption, for that matter.

“Come with us.”

Those three simple words ignited a flame of hope he dared not warm himself with. Her eyes could almost make him believe.

“James, come with me.”

Do not make me dare to hope, he thought, heart pounding painfully in his chest. Do not be so cruel as to allow me to believe you ever cared for me the way I care for you.

But his traitorous heart made him believe, for an instant, that Elizabeth was asking because she could not bear to leave him behind. That there was a small part of her that truly wished for him to leave the ship, leave this empty life behind, and go with her into her world of lawless freedom.

“Who goes there!”

James pulled Elizabeth behind him and craned his head upwards, drawing his sword as he met eyes with the cursed sailor who had shouted the warning. He watched for a few seconds more and then vanished.

They were out of time.

“Go. I will follow.”

“You’re lying.”

Of course he was. If it was the only way to get her off the Dutchman, he would tell a thousand lies. Skew a thousand truths. He just wanted her to go. But she wouldn’t. The one time James wanted her dispassion and disinterest, she would not grant it to him.

James turned to the woman he had once wanted more than any honor, any commission, any damned medal or title. His heart weighed with the sorrow and the guilt that were the culminations of his actions. If he had not made so many errors and lapses in judgement, if he had lived a more honest life… would she have looked at him like this much sooner? Would they have ever had a chance?

She stared back at him, molten brown eyes in the dark, willing him to come with her. Silently pleading he would listen.

Why? he wondered morosely. Why do you look at me that way now, when it is far too late?

“Our destinies have been entwined, Elizabeth,” he intoned softly as he stared deep into those wide eyes. “…but never joined.”

He did then the one thing he had never been brave enough to attempt before. Too bound by propriety and chained by decorum.

James leaned forward and captured her lips in a kiss. It was a bittersweet thing, more bitter than sweet as its only purpose was to say farewell. He sensed his time was running short, and he was afraid, so afraid, and maybe this way… this way, a piece of him would go with her.

He pulled away and studied her face as if memorizing lines on a map—the shape of its slopes and curves, committing to memory the dark waters of her eyes. Elizabeth couldn’t seem to look away, as if she was seeing him clearly for the first time. Perhaps, she was.

“Go, now,” he ordered her, facing back toward the ship where he knew reinforcements would be coming any moment. For a moment he heard no movement from her, and he wondered if she would simply refuse to leave without him. But then he heard her climb onto the railing and then onto the rope, and something within him relaxed.

The respite was brief as a shadow separated itself from the darkness. The crewman had come to investigate.

James pointed his sword at the man, low and steady, ready to defend Elizabeth’s retreat with his dying breath.

“Back to your station, sailor,” he commanded, voice ringing out the way it used to when he would give orders to his own men. Back when he had men to command.

The crewman seemed perplexed as he watched Elizabeth shimmy down the tow rope. He looked between her, and James, and then back again, lifting an arm to indicate his confusion.

“No one leaves the ship,” he murmured in a low, raspy tone. James’ sword was now directed at the man’s misshapen face, and he noted there was an orange starfish bordering his right eye. James suppressed an involuntary shudder.

“Stand down. That’s an order.”

When was the last time anyone had followed his orders without question or complaint? Davy Jones, he thought, when James had ordered him to tow the Empress. How the good captain would be amused to see what was transpiring now.

“That’s an order,” the man muttered to himself, drawing his eyes down to stare at the object in his hand. It looked to be a wooden pike, or a spear, and James couldn’t imagine where he had gotten it. Then he looked up, his gaze more focused as he trained his pale, unnerving eyes over James’ face.

“Part of the crew, part of the ship. Part of the crew, part of the ship.”

His voice grew bolder with each repeat of the mantra, and James had to fight the urge to not retreat as his voice rose in volume.

“Part of the crew, part of the ship! Part of the crew, part of the ship!”

“Steady, man!” James ordered, but it did no good. A frenzy had taken hold of Jones’ crewman, and he shuffled forward, pale and unnatural and terrifying.

“Part of the crew, part of the ship! All hands! Prisoner escape!” he shouted so loudly there was no doubt he would be heard. James pulled out his double-barrel flintlock and pointed it at the sailor’s chest

“Belay that!”

“James!”

He turned at the sound of Elizabeth’s scream, no more able to resist it than the tide can the moon. His mind was embroiled in panic at thought of her recapture. Jones had taken them prisoner this time; next time, he would ensure there was no escape.

It was when Elizabeth began to crawl along the rope, toward him instead of in the direction of safety, that he made his decision. He spared one last glance at the cursed sailor to be sure he had enough time to act, and then turned back to Elizabeth and the tow lines that still tethered her to him.

Grief crumpled his features as he he aimed his pistol upward and pulled the trigger. The resounding boom sounded like a funeral cannon.

The tow rope snapped, dropping Elizabeth and the rest of her crewmates into the sea.

Safe. She will be safe now.

James turned back to the sailor who had sounded the alarm, raised his sword… and paused, confusion overcoming him. All the air seemed to have spilled from his lungs, vanished along with the strength in his limbs. It was really quite puzzling.

As he slid to the floor, his back braced against the railing, he thought he could hear Elizabeth crying his name.

The Dutchman crew came for him now, slowly moving forward from the shadows.

“The admiral’s dead?” one of them asked. Was he? He couldn’t really tell. Why couldn’t he move? Why did his bones feel so heavy, his hands full of lead, and his eyelids the heaviest of all?

As the crewman began to whisper that he was dead (“the admiral’s dead!”), James decided he should investigate the matter for himself. He lowered his eyes and was mildly alarmed to see the pike the sailor had been carrying was now embedded firmly through his sternum.

He raised his eyes again when he heard a sound, as dreadful as it was familiar.

Thump-clack. Thump-clack. Thump-clack.

James heard the cursed crew yell something else, but he was having difficulty focusing. What were they saying? It didn’t matter, nothing mattered, because now the cruel captain of the Dutchman was crouched beside James, and his monstrous face filled his entire world.

“James Norrington.”

His name was spoken almost softly. Respectfully. He focused on Jones’ face. It was quickly becoming the only thing he could see.

“Do you fear death?”

It was difficult to breathe. His lungs could only pull air in jagged spurts, disobedient as he willed them to expand and contract. As air became slowly denied to him, James realized that he did fear death. He was completely terrified. He did not want to die.

But he would never, ever give Jones the satisfaction.

James found his ability to speak was long past, so he answered in the only way he could: he thrust his sword into Jones’ chest, feeling the steel blade cut through the flesh with sickening ease. His fingers slipped from the grip and his vision of Jones’ baleful face receded into darkness.

A pair of eyes, the color of dangerous, capsizing icebergs, was the last thing James saw.

A pair of eyes, stormy as the waters of the Northern Sea, was the first thing James saw when he opened his eyes once more.

[victoriaholmeswriting]

Hello all!

I've been gone a bit. Inspiration for writing dwindled and when I finally got it back, I wanted to work on the novel I started in college. And once again, I hit a snag in the form of growth. I have grown a lot in my writing abilities since I started it (thanks in large part to all the practice I have gotten writing fics!) as has my interests in writing styles, themes, etc. So I scrapped the whole thing and, in doing so, realized that the story I want to tell is much bigger and will take way more work and possibly more skill and study to achieve. I am still working on it in the background, building the foundation so that the story, characters, etc will flow way better.

However, I am still writing now, but for a different book that will be familiar to those of you who have followed me for a while (hopefully those of you I am talking about are still here <3).

I was inspired by my good friend @lilythemadqueen who has been very hard turning her Sherlock fic Mesmerize into a novel that is now set to be released this fall!

I have been in love with Daughter of the Pearl since the moment I started mapping it out! I truly think that it is some of my best work (flawed as it is, as I have discovered recently xD) and I'm really proud of it. I kept wanting to continue it (and maybe I will someday) but after so much writer's block and so much time being away from it, I felt discouraged. But seeing leisha winter chase her dream with mesmerize kicked me into gear.

I went back to my original notes for it and reread the chapters I already have and realized I have so much potential with it to be a novel.

I have a lot of renaming and tweaking to do to it, but it's coming together so beautifully and effortlessly, I'm so happy! It's brought all of the creativity I've been missing for years flooding back. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

That being said, I would like opinions on what anyone thinks the fic was missing or needed. And name suggestions for any of the characters would be lovely! I have some changed already, but everything else is still in the works.

James Norrington is now James Hewlett.

Reader is now Victoria Banes

And Captain Barbossa is now Captain Edward Banes

I'm so excited for this project and I hope others will be too!

I am currently setting up a writing account on insta. When it is ready i will let anyone who wants to follow along on this journey know!

okay that's enough rambling for today lol

[little-engineer-who-cant]

I want know about your Black Sails aus!!

Ah, thank you for asking!! I have several so this is a very long answer.

I've written a one shot where Abigail Ashe comes back to Nassau in Season 3. She watches, learns and reconciles the events of Seasons 3 and 4 before going her separate way again to settle in the colonies and keep a quieter resistance alive in the Deep South (I love Freedom Fighter Abigail theories and the lack of information post-Charles Town is an excellent playground). It explores Abby's mourning for her innocence, as well as her more complicated feelings towards pirates (Flint and Vane especially) in regards to both believing in their cause and being angry about what happened to her personally. From everything with Ned Lowe (and how she hates Vane for taking her, is grateful that he killed Lowe) to the death of Miranda (and her father's culpability in it) and finally to Flint's role in her father's rise and fall, it's a study of the grey area she inhabits. Mostly it focuses on various conversations between Abigail and Vane because they share one scene together but the way Abigail answers him with such an emphatic "good" in that cell despite being completely terrified of him compels me. That entire scene is so good, from the conversation about Lowe to the asking if Abigail's father loves her and the detached certainty of her answer that he'll pay and Vane's reactions to that having really only seen Eleanor and Richard's father-daughter relationship, it's just a very good scene.

A concept that also fascinates me that I've started playing around with is an AU where Vane and Miranda actually meet and how a chance stumbling upon one another turns into a personal power struggle between them where Miranda is bored and wants to push back against someone who's not Flint while Vane wants her to be afraid of him and is peeved it's not working. That one's more for the sheer fun of it because I had a vision in my head of Vane trying to play it cool across an afternoon tea setup with Miranda and failing miserably. Miranda is just having a good time ruffling feathers all around, including Flint's.

I also have a Pirates of the Caribbean and Black Sails crossover series that's a bunch of characters ruminating on one another (James Norrington on James McGraw and the scandal that caused in the Navy. Elizabeth Swann on Abigail Ashe and being the daughter of a governor involved with pirates, etc.) Basically it's a small collection of short, mostly canon compliant character studies that I'm having a ton of fun exploring.

Similarly, one that I've been writing for a long time but that will probably never see the light of day is a Black Sails and Game of Thrones crossover solely inspired by Tom Hopper being in both shows (for like 5 minutes in GoT). The basic backstory is that magic has been waking up for a long time and sometimes, people get caught in the crosshairs. Dickon Tarly is being sent to foster, his ship is caught in an awful storm that dumps them somewhere with different stars and they run afoul of an English vessel, resulting in Billy Bones being impressed and eventually leading him to Flint.

The story itself focuses on Billy Bones washing ashore back in Westeros instead of Skeleton Island and having to reconcile his life as a pirate and revolutionary with his childhood, and assumed birthright, as a powerful feudal lord. I lean a lot into the fantasy elements of ASoIaF, including long dormant magic waking up, the roles of gods versus the possibility that none exist and Euron's entire eldritch deal as he invades the Reach. Billy Bones comes back to a war-torn Westeros as someone jaded by the system of civilization that he's now thrust into the middle of. But Billy Bones cannot be what Westeros requires, Billy Bones is an agitator not lord. He may not have any ghosts chasing him here, but he has to reconcile two very different lives, build new alliances with war torn children of former enemies and navigate his father's ambitious plans all while trying to come to personal terms with the ramifications of his actions throughout Season 4. Also, you know, there's a madman destroying the Reach, ice zombies coming from the north, the capital is on fire and as Tyrells start dropping like flies, a lot of people are looking to him for answers he does not have, nor does he want to give.

Overall, this one's a silly premise that I'm having fun exploring and it's a very good visual of how I have changed and developed as a writer over the years.

[emcads]

I posted 1,875 times in 2022

892 posts created (48%)

983 posts reblogged (52%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@norringtxn

@dying-suffering-french-stalkers

@emcads

@dimitrescs

@exitwound

I tagged 1,874 of my posts in 2022

#✘; i have seventy two exams and i have not studied for one ( ooc ) - 547 posts

#✘; in this world or the one below ( queue ) - 309 posts

#✘; letters ( answered ) - 266 posts

#norringtxn - 193 posts

#✘; loose，catch the wind ( meme response ) - 166 posts

#nsfw. - 102 posts

#✘; a merry life and a short one ( aesthetic ) - 100 posts

#✘; i am the swallower of sins. the lust goddess without guilt. the delicious debauchery. ( musings ) - 86 posts

#✘; your heart a frozen orange; my heart a feverish pomegranate，which might offer you its tender seeds with an enamored obstinacy (norvilla) - 81 posts

#✘; otp: i’m dreaming tonight of your face in the morning，of sparrows，not squalls，of my hand ‘round your waist ( james & esmeralda ) - 77 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#it's an entirely different rhetoric because esmeralda's rational is basically the same as an aristocrat's  –– they owed their loyalty to her

I sent 2 gifts in 2022

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

SCREAM

73 notes - Posted February 28, 2022

#4

81 notes - Posted April 8, 2022

#3

THINKING ABOUT JAMES NORRINGTON AGAIN

97 notes - Posted April 7, 2022

#2

comic by @ballisticpurple: black sails edition

150 notes - Posted November 8, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

esme’s use of fancy dresses for crimes confirmed ( source )

289 notes - Posted April 23, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[bcrncoldx]

Was that [OLIVER JACKSON-COHEN]? Oh no no, that was just [JAMES NORRINGTON], a [CANON CHARACTER] from [PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN]. They are [THIRTY-ONE] years old, use [HE/HIM], and [ARE] aware that they are not actually from Washington DC. Too bad they can’t stray from this city for long

ＬＡＳＴ  ＵＰＤＡＴＥＤ november 2024

ＢＡＳＩＣ  ＩＮＦＯ

date of birth: 11th October 1702 age upon arrival: 27 (nearly 28) height: 6'3" star sign: libra hometown: Petworth, West Sussex, UK significant other: Elizabeth Swann species: human

ＱＵＥＳＴＩＯＮＳ

how long has your character been here? James arrived in September 2021. what is your character’s job He's doing a PhD in Naval History, specialising in the Golden Age of Piracy and spends a few days a week working at the Navy Museum as a guide. where has your character been pulled from in their fandom After his death in At World's End. has any magic affected your character Not currently and any other information you might find useful for us and the other members to know!! - He has a dog called Banquo, a little border terrier. - Perhaps a bit too serious for his own good at times, with a very deadpan sense of humour - Spent the first four months of his time in the city without his memories, but was constantly dreaming about them. Initially he had put it down to his studies, but the skeleton pirates and fish men had him realising there was something more to it. - He will always do his best to try and help someone in need, and he's loyal to a fault

[tortoisesshells]

Made-up fic title: Unreliable Forecast

the urge to say this is the post-CotBP/pre-DMC sailing-through-a-hurricane-works-about-as-well-as-you'd-expect character study fic for James Norrington is strong, but - holy shit! two cakes! meme aside - other pens than mine have already written that much better than I ever could.

I think it would have to be a slice of life fic about Mansion House post S2. Just - the details of life. Laundry, meals, bandages. All the mundane things that still need minding as the events of 1863 force everyone's eyes and minds elsewhere - I guess it would be how our favorite hospital denizens cope with waiting for the spinning coin of history to fall one way or the other in early July of 1863?

send me a made-up fic title and i’ll tell you what i would write to go with it!

[ari-the-arotistic]

You discussed this already in your character analysis of James Norrington, but I was wondering what specific sort of ego death / metaphorical death James would have to experience if he did survive? Any ideas on what specifically would have to happen to him to achieve the proper character arc completion?

Ooooh that's a good question! Thank you for taking an interest in my original post :>

Now, what specific ego death would James have to go through to complete his character arc... well, let's get into it! To begin with, the most important thing that needs to happen is for James to realize that his Commodore/Admiral persona is not as just or righteous as he thought it was, and that most of the decisions he had made trying to hold onto that persona either directly or indirectly got people hurt, or even killed. I believe that James would begin to question his decisions up to this point as Beckett starts mass murdering people in the name of ending piracy, but he would try to ignore it and convince himself everything was fine, up until his reunion with Elizabeth where she informs him of her father's death and Beckett's deception on the matter, and he fully, completely realizes that he has let himself become corrupt and complacent to corruption, and that he needs to change.

After this, there are a few ways his "death" scene could go. Maybe he fakes his death so he can escape with Elizabeth without raising suspicion. Maybe he does get injured as he escapes with Elizabeth, and the crew of the Dutchman don't think he'll survive. Either way, the crew of the Dutchman need to think that the Admiral is dead - not just that he deserted, because he had done that before as a Commodore and still came back, but properly dead. Because as far as James is concerned, the Admiral is dead. Now that he has found a way off the Dutchman, James needs to come to terms with the death of his own internal identity. He is no longer Admiral James Norrington, Scurge of Piracy, and upholder of righteousness. He's just James. And he needs to fix the mistakes he has made. So he accompanies Elizabeth to Shipwreck Cove, and gives the pirates all the information he can about Beckett's approaching fleet. The number of ships, how well supplied they are, any weaknesses that could be exploited - anything and everything of relevance that could help the pirates take Beckett down. And then we get to the final battle - the Dutchman versus the Pearl.

Now, there are only two ways I can see this going that would be a satisfactory end to this part of James's character arc. Either he would die on the Dutchman, sacrificing himself for Elizabeth, Jack, or Will, or he survives the final battle, and pledges himself to Elizabeth and her unborn son, Jack and the Pearl, or Will and the Dutchman. Choosing to pledge himself to Elizabeth would be the easiest option, as there is no real moral dilemma or personal conflict there, and he'd be doing a good thing by looking after her and her son. Choosing to pledge himself to Will and the Dutchman would be a bit more difficult because of his personal conflict with both the ship and its new captain, but it would be rather poetic for his arc to end with him helping ferry the souls of the dead when so many had died because of his actions. Choosing to pledge himself to Jack and the Pearl would be the most difficult, both because of his personal conflict with Jack, and the moral dilemma of becoming a pirate after having spent so long in the Navy, even if the Navy turned out to not be as righteous as he had originally thought. It would definitely take him some time to come to terms with the decision, and he would need to find a balance between being a pirate, and being a good man(thankfully Jack already haa some experience in that department). Ultimately though, there is no correct answer for who James would end up choosing, and it's really up to personal interpretation. As a Sparrington shipper, it's clear who I think James would end up choosing, but if you think he'd be more likely to choose Will or Elizabeth, your opinion is equally as valid as mine!

And so, that's how I think James's ego death would go, and how he would reshape himself afterward. Thank you so much for the lovely ask, and thank you all for reading! I hope you all have a wonderful day <3

[ramrage]

A Mountain of Salt

reviewing the new thor movie, lifted from my messages in a thorki discord i’m in

So, my absence from this discord quite neatly shows the fact that I am *so done* with Marvel shit at this point. The characters I love are either dead or so different from how they started that they might as well be dead, the fandom is generally feral, the ship's popularity just ain't what it used to be, etc. etc. And in the meantime, I have found another dalliance. Yes, I am cheating on my fandom and OTP (scandalous!) and in doing so, I've come to the conclusion that Marvel tries and pathetically fails to make Pirates of The Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. Every fucking time. Think about it--there's a plot, for one, the humor works so well (perhaps because it's actually funny shit, the actors who deliver it do it well, and there's again that lil plot, solid characters, solid dialogue to carry it), the pacing is great, so many memorable characters, romance that's compelling, sick costumes, the fucking SCORE, oh. and the effects (mostly) don't look like dogshit. The movies are fun and light, but they're actually compelling despite that.

Also, the idea of Jack Sparrow, that crazy little rogue, messing around with (emotionally) constipated Commodore James Norrington is hot as fuck!

But the movie. Oh the movie. I had the terrible misfortune of actually seeing it and during my watch, I decided to make a tally of the things I liked and the things I didn't. I was trying to be generous. /Anything/ that I felt didn't suck went on my Like tally, and I decided to /not/ add a tally for every instance that shit was out of character, made no sense, was acted poorly, etc. Even so, It ended up being like. 12 to 37 or something.

The thing that broke my heart the most was Thor's character (obviously.) Straight up. I do not know that man. A pure stranger. Don't know him from dick. Who the fuck was THAT? and why in the world was he playing comic relief for this own fucking movie? Only in the end(-ish) did I recognize him--y'know, the scene where he was telling off Zeus. He was responsible, giving a shit, looking to take care of something bigger than himself and willing to be brave and bold to do so. That was a cool, like, two minutes, though. Everything else had him portrayed as a fucking buffoon, self-centered, idiotic, insecure. And the Jane romance. Hm. That's for another paragraph.

Surprisingly, I didn't mind Jane much at all. The scenes that earned the most Likes and the least amount of dislikes were solo Jane scenes. Natalie actually seemed to commit to this movie in ways she didn't in the first two Thor's, which was nice. Her scenes had emotional grounding and though the way they treated cancer in the movie was a bit iffy, I think she played it well enough. But yeah. The romance. First off, when the fuck did this even happen? Maybe I've been doing too much self-preservation in not studying the MCU timeline, but this long romance doesn't seem to fit ANYWHERE. The two have less sexual tension than a pair of spoons, perhaps better than previous movies, but still. The romance made no sense, the degree to which Thor was hung up on it made no sense, the idea that Thor had never really loved anyone except for Jane made no sense, either. Her loss had no weight (or not much) for me because I couldn't realistically believe in how deeply they loved each other. Made no fucking sense at all. And Thor not wanting her to die in battle and all? weird. Asgardians see death differently than Western humans, so why are they treating it in the way they do?

As for the rest of the characters... Darcy's little cameo felt genuine but not spectacular, Valkyrie was fine (I am biased because I am very gay about her), Korg was fine but seemed like fanservice if we consider Taika and his desire to be on-screen a fan, Zeus was a little too buffoon-y for me to get behind (also the accent seemed. In some way uncouth to me, but whatever), fuck those fucking GOATS OMG, and Gorr. At times the acting was a little /too/ funky for my tastes, but hey, I have to respect a blunder in the name of making a character seem /full/. He looked cool, badass, and dare I say a little sexy. However, given the fate of his daughter, y'know the thing that started his whole villainy, it didn't make sense to me that he'd be terrorizing children. But what do I know? On the topic of children, I feel like TW does like to portray the strength of children in his movies which is cool! That is good! People often overlook children as human beings, indeed, but lol I do not care. Not remotely. I have no interest in seeing an army of children (which sounds troubling, but I guess makes sense in as much as they are Asgardians. But if that's the case, why are they all absolutely clueless vis-a-vis battle? Where did that pillar of Asgardian culture go?) and let's be real, realistically one of them would've karked it in the fray, but none of them did.

Before entirely abandoning the ideas of Gorr and of children, I have to address Love. Silly fucking tie-in for the title. Silly fucking tie-in for one of the main themes of the movie, and ham-fisted at that. And ah, I don't feel great shitting on a child, but I remember watching the movie and thinking "God, this child actor really sucks. Wooden and all." Because kids /can/ be good at acting, they really can. Then I learned that Love was portrayed by Chris Hemsworth's kid and it all made sense. Like, nepotism sucks but it can be worked with. There are some very talented nepotism babies, but this kid was not one of them. This movie and all the shit around it has honestly put me off CH entirely. Like, he seems like a douche. And how everyone is treating this movie like Grown Ups in which bad actor guy who always gets a hot wife or whatever used shooting as a means to take a vacation with his buddies. Not cool.

I was confused to see New Asgard and how it was portrayed. I mean. The Asgardians were always a proud (if not straight-up arrogant) people but yet they've made their whole existence into being a Disney park (hm...) and somehow have none of the same values or tendencies as OG-Asgard. Very strange. I know imperialism and capitalism are buddies, but they are not the same, y'know?

The vfx for the final battle in the shadow realm or whatever the fuck it was called actually looked pretty cool. Like with the b&w, the intense highlights and shadows. Sort of comic-booky look. Not sure if that was intentional or just a product of Too Much Fucking CGI, though. The battle lost its flavor once the kids entered the fray, but I guess the movie did sort of turn out to be Thor 4: More Thor(s) than Ever Before. Eternity looked cool, I appreciated the parallels it drew from the desert in which Love bit it, but damn. People are bad at wishing for shit! Surely the wish could've been "I wish I and my daughter were alive and well, having the life I always wanted" or some shit instead of "I wish my daughter wasn't dead anymore." Like, what are the limitations of this wish? Might as well give it a go, no? Because Gorr didn't /just/ want his daughter to be alive, he wanted to be alive /with her/.

And Thor as a single dad. No. Nah. My face was screwed into some ridiculous grimace the whole time that shit played out. Thor has indeed become more responsible (only to then become irresponsible and then responsible again and then irresponsible and then responsible again and then...) but I wouldn't say it was ever in such a fatherly way. I also don't care to see family/parenthood in anything (my own personal hang ups, I understand), especially not in a superhero movie. And I don't think it particularly jives with the greater MCU so they'll probably have to unwrite it somehow.

Yeah, this movie was not only a personal nightmare, but it was also just a huge brainfuck in general. I wish that I could've been the one to reach Eternity first so I could make it so that it never existed or conversely, didn't suck major fucking nuts. The end.

[solari-writes-things]

🛑 WARNINGS: ANGST, character death, descriptions of sadness. 🛑

✨ requested by: @kind-wolf​

✨ Pairing: James Norrington x OC

✨ Summary: James makes a quick decision to preserve Zari's life.

✨ Solari Says: Another brief request, but I am trying to ease myself back into the swing of writing. I took a bit of a hiatus, due to some familial stuff occurring that needed my attention and my job giving me a bit of a break. I know you're not partial to angst, bb, but this was the only thing that I could think of for this prompt. Sorry ;-; I hope you enjoy! OC is mine.

✨ Prompt(s) -

Emerald - making choices out of love.

gif credit: to the OP below.

MORE JAMES | MORE PIRATES | > MASTERLIST < |

The crashing of the waves against the hull of the ship was a usually comforting sound for Zari, increasingly so since James had been a part of her daily life. Ever since escaping Davy Jones and dealing with Cutler Beckett, the two of them have been making the most out of beginning their life together on the seas.

Zari had never expected him to make the choice. When she was being held on the Dutchman by Beckett, they had admitted their feelings for one another that had inevitably developed. She was shocked when he ultimately shared her emotions, but nothing could surmount to the surprise stricken on her face when he insisted on coming with her.

Considering the circumstances he had been presented with, she could not fault him. Beckett had used James, playing the craving for his old life against him. Using James to wipe many innocent lives from the map, so that the East India Trading Company and the Royal Navy ruled the high seas.

The title, the offer of his old life, it meant nothing if it was under the command of Beckett. But rising against his Commander meant that he had been outlawed.

And luckily, none of that mattered to Zari.

She had been the only one to see through him. Help him navigate on such a path that would keep him safe and secure his future--as much as her abilities would allow.

After all, witches have their own limitations.

Zari could feel his arms around her, keeping her pressed against him. Even through the heartbeat drumming rhythmically in her ears, his calming aura surrounding her kept it from going deafeningly faster.

She could hear the shouting and groaning of the men outside of the shut Captain's quarters, trying to find some sort of solace in the present scenario.

In the beginning, she would have wondered how an event such as this would have occurred without a clear vision. Her mind was so sharp through the years, and it had no sign of slowing down. However, when her eyes laid on the ship that had quickly gained on them, the answer to that question had become crystal clear.

The Queen Anne's Revenge. He had found her again, and followed her invisible trail all the way to her ship.

Blackbeard knew that she had survived the first and only attack on her previous ship, The Devil's Scorn. It had been a stroke of luck, the crushing black of the waves hiding her away from those who had intended to kill her.

He was here to finish the job. Her existence, her knowledge of the tales of the Caribbean, it posed a threat to his rule--his control.

And they would not succeed in their mission, James would see to it himself. So he listens to the men beating on the main barricaded door, turning Zari gently with his hands and cupping her face between his palms. His bright eyes, they studied her closely. Intimately, like they did when they first kissed in the brig of the Dutchman.

"Zari, you have to leave," he tells her simply, his voice soft even through everything that was occurring around them.

The animosity practically bled through Zari's skin. When he instructed her, her first instinct was to push away and call him an idiot--but his hands held her in place.

"James, I'm not going to leave you behind," she says to him in response, her own hand placed against his right cheek. She kept his face still, so that his eyes trained into hers--so that he could understand how serious she was.

"I wasn't giving you a choice," was his retort, and she could feel his fingers trembling against her skin.

Her own hand tightened, but regardless of how much she wanted him to hold on, his hands dropped and he made way for the back window to unlatch it. It was her only way out, their only way out, with a chance to live.

When the windows are open wide, he turns to her sharply and takes her face once more.

It was then, when her green eyes scanned the details of his face, she could see the same kindness that he had for her then. When she saved him in Tortuga, when he saved her from Davy Jones and his crew. Freeing her, from the hands of Cutler Beckett.

There was so much growth in the small details of his face. So much evolution, from the James Norrington she had met some years ago on Port Royal. Fine lines, a dark beard, his brown hair swept back.

She could have sworn she had felt her heart flutter through the sadness she could feel in her stomach.

He brings her closer to him, his lips crashing against hers in a spur of the moment. Everything seems to melt, for just a few seconds, the orchestrated chaos becoming nothing but noise. For a moment, she was at peace--until he had to pull away.

However, his face only remained a few inches from hers. "I love you."

"I love you too," was her response, her eyes trained on him.

She flinches, however, when the Captain's Quarters doors burst open. Her heart practically shoots up into her throat when she feels James's hands flick to her shoulders, giving her a good push so that she began to tip backwards out of the window he had opened.

She hadn't even noticed it. She hadn't even noticed that he had shifted her in such a way, so that he could react without her fighting back.

As the wind began to press against her back during her fall, she hears the loud bang of a pistol shot ring out from where she had just been.

The crack of the waves against her back did not phase her as much as that sound. She knew what it meant, what he had done for her to ensure her survival.

She couldn't react, as the waves began to cloud her vision and muffle her hearing--secluding her in the familiar grief that she had felt all those years ago.

__ Pirates Tag List: @kind-wolf​​ General Tag List: @sazafraz :|: @tsumethedrifter​ :|: @angelaiswriting​

if you want to be included in the tag list, comment or message me!

[norrington-hell]

What are some of your favorite Norrington headcanons, and what are some things you think the fandom gets wrong about him?

First of all, please forgive me for taking so long to get to this ask! I’m just terrible at checking my ask box on a regular basis! But now that I’m here, it would be my absolute pleasure to list of some of the little quirks and idiosyncrasies I’ve ascribed to James throughout my writing him!

As I build my body of Norribeth work and flesh out the featured characters more and more, it’s safe to assume that any minor details I add in one fic about personality or habits or hobbies translates across all my aus. You’ll often see such details brought up more than once if you read all my fics.

Perhaps the most oft mentioned trait is that James likes to read. A lot. He has since he was a boy. It was always a goal of his to one day own a house large enough to have a dedicated library of his own.

Growing up, James spent a large portion of his childhood reading, as he had few companions his own age. His siblings were 12 and 16 years older than him, and had little interest in their younger brother, so he learned to entertain himself. He’d curl up on the sill of the library window in his family’s country estate for hours on end. Or, if his father was home and likely to stumble upon him, he’d ride out to the creek and while away the daylight perched in a tree somewhere.

Another oft-mentioned detail is that James’ favorite author is Shakespeare. He’s particular fond of Shakespearean Sonnets. Beneath that stern, sarcastic, and often inscrutable exterior beats a romantic’s heart. Though he would be mortified if anyone found out.

As for other traits, well, I think Elizabeth sums it up rather nicely in this quote:

She learns James prefers gin to whiskey, and whiskey to rum. He collects small, oddly shaped or colorful stones from the places he travels, displaying them in an orderly line on the highest shelf in his office so that, as tall as he is, only he can see them. He likes his teas floral and his coffee black, exhibits a habit of sucking on limes to ward off scurvy, even while ashore, and has a tendency to confuse Handel for Bach. He’s compulsively neat, keenly perceptive, and has a fondness for cats he only begrudgingly admits to when she catches him cooing down at an affectionate stray while he thought no one was looking.

And he sketches, has filled scads of books with his magnificent drawings, which range from intricate depictions of locations he’s been, to meticulous studies of local fauna. When Elizabeth expresses her captivation, she soon starts to stumble upon smaller versions of them tucked away for her to find…often of herself. They expose a fastidious attention to the planes of her profile she had not been aware he’d been watching close enough to warrant.

The discovery humbles her…in a way that evokes a yearning for more such discoveries.

A Worthy Opponent (Ch. 3 - Victory or Death)

James is a complex and interesting character, even in canon. It’s one of the first things that drew me to him. As I continue to write him, I find myself falling more and more in love with the potential of his character, with the depth of feeling and range of emotion he hides beneath a veneer of rigid control. I actually think that’s something that draws many of us to him. So thanks again, my friend, for your ask. I always enjoy talking about My Favorite Man.~

[generaleferri]

Gunpowder

James Norrington, bright young Detective Constable in Brighton, can’t even imagine how a murder case will lead him investigating in the University halls, where an unexpected meeting will completely upset his quiet routine.

Cristal Cooper studies Foreign Languages and Literatures at Brighton University, and she’s back in town despite knowing very well it is not a wise decision. What she can’t remotely expect is to be suddenly charged with murder.

Unlikely allies in a race against the clock, James and Cristal know that they must cooperate: between unsolved crimes and dangerous investigations Brighton hides a secret that’s been kept in the dark for too long, a secret that now threatens the lives of all the people they hold dear.

Will they find out the truth before it’s too late?

In the shadows of the creepy grin of Guy Fawkes, Bonfire Night’s approaching fast.

So, basically this is an AU I’ve had in mind for ages. I started writing it in Italian and I really hope one day I’ll be able to translate it into English. In the meantime, have some aesthetics of the fic and characters!

(Of course Liz, Jack and the others will be there too!)