#yeah yeah the superbowl is on in the other room i've just also got potc on

[boltlightning]

i love elizabeth swann for a lot of reasons, but i especially love that she’s allowed to become a more active participant in the plot — without ever losing her heart.

potc is fun because the heroes and the villains all use the same tactics against each other. everyone makes and breaks deals to serve their own interests, regardless of how noble or juvenile. elizabeth starts as a spoiled noble, but like everyone else, she’s incredibly savvy. she’s already studied up on pirates. as the plot trudges on, she learns their game, she pursues selfish desires, and she does whatever she needs to, be that violent or morally dubious or otherwise. over the trilogy she goes from kidnapped damsel to pirate king; we’d call that a girlbossification these days. but she is allowed to feel things, even if it doesn’t fit the classic image of a bad ass pirate.

yeah she runs around in the best costumes in the series — all practical, period appropriate, and reflect her station (or disguise) as appropriate. she’s in battle wear for most of the series. yet she wants to get married! she wants a pretty wedding!!! she admits this in the same scene she mentions learning to use a sword!! it’s very good!!!!

every second elizabeth talks to beckett, she is as rude and belligerent as possible. there are no comments about how a proper lady would do no such thing. shortly later she kills jack. but she’s allowed to feel remorse over it. she knew it needed to be done but didn’t want to do it, and she carries the weight of that decision all the way to the end. she finds out her father dies in the worst possible fucking way ever, and she’s allowed to wail and mourn and seek comfort. she’s relieved to see norrington again, angry at him for his actions, and devastated when he dies. she argues with will when they both act behind each other’s back, and feels conflict over it for most of AWE.

she’s got all these complicated feelings on the back burner all the time. she’s allowed to fail. she’s allowed to feel bad about failing. she screams and cries and panics and pouts and snarks and it’s all completely natural. she is so unabashedly human.

becoming a pirate captain and subsequently king isn't borne purely of her own ambition, but because she does what needs to be done. it's empowering not because it shows how weak she was as a governor's daughter, but how she flows so seamlessly into pirate life because of it. her pragmatism doesn’t make her cold. her caring doesn’t make her weak. taking on a new mantle doesn’t make her become someone else. it’s her. it’s always been her. she’s just been through a lot. she just has a way to express it now.

i don’t know that i have a nice little bow to tie this point into. i just love that elizabeth is a strong character and gets to hold onto her empathy and femininity. it is never, ever played as a weakness or source of shame. shes not the best fighter or the most fearless leader, but she doesn’t need to be. she’s the heart of the series. i love her so much. long live the king