The World Behind the World: Part I

[likeahurricane7]

Title: The World Behind the World: Part I

Fandom: Pirates of the Caribbean; Sparrington

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I have no claim on POTC or the lovely characters who populate it, even if it seems that James Norrington has, somewhat disconcertingly, made himself quite at home in my head with no apparent plans to leave. Jack Sparrow's habit dropping

Comments

[smithkingsley]

His world was an all the more wondrous place, for his thinking that no one had designed it, but that awe-inspiring beauty had been created anyway, with more complexity than he could account for in a lifetime of dreaming.

Beautiful sentence!

The chemistry between them is captured here so well: James looking at the drop of rum trickling down Jack's throat, and Jack so taken with James's 'cat-eyes'. Love the bit about Jack's fingers 'making love' to James's wrist. Thank you for the pretty chapter and looking forward to more.

[likeahurricane7]

Heh; yeah, I was hoping that sentence wasn't a little over-the-top, since in retrospect it sounded a little bit Origin of Species but it was too pretty for me to leave out even if I'd wanted to.

That's actually the first time I've used the often-awkward phrase "making love" in anything I've written, and I'm just glad that it came about with suitable humor. Leave it to Jack Sparrow...

You're quite welcome; thank you for the lovely compliments as usual; and the next chapter is on the way.

[smithkingsley]

Ah, Darwin. I can't remember the exact quote but he said something lovely about how he would have to be content to remain an agnostic. I remember reading a fic in which James is in terrible danger, and starts praying for help. I suppose some might see that as plausible, but it just made me sporfle. I much prefer your Darwinian James. :-)

[likeahurricane7]

Yes, I've run across the same thing. There's just something about James that exudes an aura of 'I am convinced that I am a man of reason' that makes it difficult for me to imagine him as terribly religious. I'm glad you like my version.

Darwin and Spinoza are my homeboys: they make me happy, and I can have James be a fan of the latter without anachronism, which is cool for me, and something I've already exploited at least once.

[smithkingsley]

I dabbled a bit in Spinoza while studying George Eliot, since she was so influenced by him, and I much prefer his version of rationalism to the Cartesian type. That's way too solipsistic for me, and I suspect it would be for James as well.

[likeahurricane7]

I've just dabbled a bit here and there, read a bit of Richard Dawkins, been a fan of Douglas Adams forever, and enough of my recreational media (even, surprisingly, webcomics) led me to Spinoza that I ended up spending a day or so studying him for the sake of making references to him from my own super-skeptic characters (one of whom is a werewolf transvestite who can tell personal anecdotes about dealings with everyone from Machiavelli to Oscar Wilde, and recalls Spinoza fondly, but that's a long story) as I've got a bit of an affinity for historical fiction. Considering how matter-of-fact and practical I perceive James to be, I can see him rather looking down his nose at more solipsistic theories.

[smithkingsley]

Douglas Adams is just brilliance personified. <3 A trans werewolf who's met Machiavelli - wow. That's some character! Yes, I would agree that James is much more likely to appreciate theories that account for the empirical as well as the abstract.

[likeahurricane7]

He's one of my favorite writers, and since I've been exposed to his work since middle school, he's also been a big influence on my education and thinking style.

And Mariana (the werewolf) did a little more than meet him, but that's a long story, too. She's a very fun character indeed, as a sort of cross between Hannibal Lecter and Cassanova, and thus by far the most devious gentlemen I've ever written.

James and empirical thought go together very well in my mind.

[smithkingsley]

Mariana sounds adorable. In a werewolf sort of way. You know what I mean.

James and empirical thought: definitely. I should add though that I love the idea of him having an aesthetic sense as well. I think he'd love books and music and poetry (I'm thrilled that he can like Aphra Behn and Vivaldi while remaining historically accurate).

The rational side of him would be strongest in terms of his being a ship captain and a leader, I think. E.g. in a crisis, while others were running about screaming, he'd probably reign in his instincts (even if he were afraid) and focus on the most rational solution (ruminate rather than run, so to speak).

[likeahurricane7]

She is indeed.

I like an aesthetic!James as well, but my historically accurate information in that area is more limited, so I can't really give it the attention it deserves. I've been similarly hesitant to go in-depth into philosophy: this the first time I've really looked into his more philosophical side and explored its potential, since I feel myself on firmer footing.

I also see James as distinctly cool-headed, and capable of impressive sangfroid even under fire; it's one of my favorite things about him, actually: probably to do with my love of dry wit and other examples of understated but elegant self-control and intelligence.