Drabble: 'Illusions' (mid AWE Jack - Rated G)

[dwgm]

Actually posting a drabble for the current prompt at blackpearlsails for a change. This is unbetaed, but only a hundred words, so hopefully it's OK. Mid-AWE Jack here, for the prompt...



~ Illusions ~


"Jack, this is real. We're here."

Jack's illusion it's just an illusion suffers a killing blow, wafting away on the (blessed) sea breeze.

Elizabeth.

It's her, all right.

Sun-burnt, including her hair. Thinner. Intent. Fragile.

Fragile. That's a new one.

But he can feel his hair trying to stand on end as the eyes he remembers (and remembers, and remembers) bore into him, through him, through the Illusion of Captain Jack Sparrow.

He's too obviously skimming the edge of sanity and turns away to find Gibbs, who must be real, too. Gibbs, keeper of the Illusion, even when Captain Jack Sparrow's mislaid it entirely.

~.~

Comments

[pearlseed.livejournal.com]

Wow--this is very scary intense. Hurts it's so real. Such a thin thin line between insanity and worst.

"Thinner. Intent. Fragile.

Fragile. That's a new one." Might be Elisabeth, sounds so much more like himself at this time.

"...he remembers (and remembers, and remembers)..."for some reason this is a very chilling summary of his life in the locker--really knocked me back. And turning to Gibbs, well, what's a pirate to do--there has to be someone to hold body and soul together. Just awesome.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

He's skating on pretty thin ice here, though his sense of injured amour-propre will shortly see him through.

I'm so glad you liked this, and understood what I was getting at. Thank you so much for your thoughtful feedback.

[amenirdis.livejournal.com]

Ah lovely! As always, you capture Jack's though processes so well!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much!

[florencia7.livejournal.com]

This is STUNNING! Every line. You painted Jack in that scene so truly, deeply, with such terrific intensity, and yet in such an amazingly subtle way.

"Fragile. That's a new one." - I loved this.

And then the reality sinking in, the repetion of "remembers", this entire sentence is MAGIC. Finally, Gibbs as the "keeper of the Illusion".

Amazing AMAZING drabble! I LOVE it.

*saves to memories*

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! It's an intense scene, and it seems to me to be one of the few in AWE that can really be interpreted in the light of Jack and Elizabeth's relationship.

[woolymonkey.livejournal.com]

I love your take on this moment. You're really caught what I think is going on in the film here. OK, I probably see less J/E, but you convince me while I'm reading it. "Gibbs, keeper of the Illusion" just perfectly expresses so much of what Jack and Gibbs seem to mean to each other. You don't often see that in fic.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Being so partial to J/E, I tend to expand on the few nebulous hints we get in AWE, and this scene is one of the few, though it can certainly be interpreted differently than I have here. As for Gibbs and Jack, I think both really feed off each others' enthusiasm for Jack's legend. Gibbs seems to appreciate Jack in all his aspects, a true friend, something everyone needs. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!

Praise from Willofthewisp

[(Anonymous)]

So descriptive and poetic. "...as the eyes he remembers (and remembers, and remembers)..." LOVE that part. It's such a great literary way of describing being haunted. I'm sure boring through the illusion of Captain Jack Sparrow would be a little scary to not only the viewer, but to Jack himself! And of course he runs to Gibbs. "Fragile. That's a new one." How do you say so much in so few words? This was so intense. Great job.

Re: Praise from Willofthewisp

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for your kind words and very useful feedback. It is very good to know that those phrases worked the way I wanted them to! Poor Jack. He was pretty fragile at that point himself.

[hereswith.livejournal.com]

Oh, wonderful! The repetitions work well to convey how his situation has been, and I too liked his description of Elizabeth and Gibbs, keeper of the Illusion. You always write Jack so that it feels like him, even when, like in this one, he doesn't even speak :-)

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I was going to run this by you, but it was too late by the time I finished it, after midnight in your neck of the woods, I believe, so I took a chance. I'm very happy you feel it worked well.

I hope all is well with you as we head into the weekend. TGIF!

*hugs*