Latest Posts by dragonsinthedarkness - Page 5

I heard we're doing fancasting, yes? So. I've been waiting for this chance for months. I know the actresses probably won't be them but damn, I'd pay to make it so.

AKASHA : ANOK YAI give her a chance.

I know she is a model, ok? But just watch the Alien spot and then tell me if you wouldn't kneel and give her your life give her a chance.

Moreover, she already dressed as Akasha! I screamed when I found the pics. She was absolutely perfect, even if I hope the show will give her a different look than the movie one. I don't really like that dress, something closer to the book's description would be better.

But pics talk better than me, let me show you.

Last one is more how I'd like to see her. ANYWAY, I believe I have a point. She's so stunning.

GABRIELLE : TRICIA HELFER

I loved her Charlotte in Lucifer, and I admit that that role as Lucifer's mother probably influenced my choice a bit, but still...I think she would be great for the role also aesthetically speaking.

MAEL : JAMIE CAMPBELL BOWER

Ok I'm already thinking to Queen of the Damned adaptation, honestly the thing is that I like him and I just wanted to find a role suitable for him and this came to my mind. However, I'd just like him to be a vampire.

And then we have CODY FERN and my previous words about Bower apply for him too. I just want a part for him. I think I'd have liked him as Nicholas, like this

but we already have an actor for that role and I think they won't change it.

Anyway, c'mon, this guy is too cool to not make him play a vampire role.

He would probably be great to play Astarion if there was a movie adaptation of that too.

What do you think about these actors/actresses? Who else would you suggest? I'm still seriously pondering the Mekare/Maharet question...

Don't tell me, I can't wait for it. If someone has their own candidates please share! I already have mine...

Every so often I remember we’re likely going to get casting announcements for Gabrielle and Akasha within the next two months and I get so dizzy I have to sit down

She's absolutely a great character. I've always loved her and her relationship with Lestat (yeah, all of it to the end). I'm really curious to see what they are going to do with her in the show.

She is 'The Wild' and I can't wait to see how they'll make that real on screen.

Gabrielle De Lioncourt is such a cool character I cannot wait to see them on the tv show preferably played by a non-binary person maybe? There's no character like them, like being forced into the performance of womanhood and motherhood out of the constraints of the time period. Being so apathetic to her children and husband because it's almost like they belong to someone else. She's one of the only characters who was given a choice about her turning and she's the one who takes to vampirism the best, immediately viewing it as an opportunity to disregard all the shackles of societal expectations, directly opposite to someone like Louis who tries desperately to hold on to whats left of his human life. And the pure agony of her hair growing back every time she cuts it that scene felt so tragic, the betrayal of her true self by her own body.

That last gaze between them...the complicity, the understanding, the solace, the love between the romantic kind and the friendship and way above both of them...one of the best couple ever❤

I found it, Miranda. Parrish’s ship? You found the schedule?

for @ellelan

They were so beautiful together. Such a true connection there was between them💔

Tell me we’re not crazy, you and I. Crazy? To put ourselves through all this when the outcome’s so uncertain. The outcome is only uncertain for those who disbelieve. I believe in this place, and I believe if there’s anyone who can do what’s necessary to make it something better, it’s you.

Black Sails + things and places that feel like characters 

"From the moment he started speaking I couldn't stop thinking about her. She died for this. She believed in this, and if it all goes away then it was all for nothing. I can't let this be for nothing. I just can't.”

I just listened to Silver's words in ep.XXXV and they reminded me at once of Flint's final ones: “All this will be for nothing. We will have been for nothing.”

Sorry to all Silver's supporters, but I couldn't help thinking…how selfish is that?

I mean, the war had a meaning as long as it was the only thing left and the cause Madi had died for, but it suddenly doesn't anymore as soon as she “comes back to life”? When even her own mother understood the meaning of her sacrifice. Of course I was glad she was alive, and I'm not saying Silver should have believed in a war which didn't belong to him (‘cause it never belonged to him, he just joined) but EXACTLY for this, who gave him the right to decide when to put an end to it?

He should have remembered how it felt like to have that war as the only thing left, to know that who you love has died, even if not for it specifically, at least for the same principles, trying to gain the same results, and what did he do? He deprived Flint of that only thing left. He deprived Madi of something she had been ready to DIE for, even without having ever suffered directly what she tried to save all her people from. Who was him to take that decision? How much arrogance does it need to do that?

And ok, he told Flint about Thomas (but ONLY when it came useful to himself to do so) and probably granted him the only thing he still really desired (admitted this is really how things went), but I’m not considering this because this is not the point. The point, just for me of course, is that that scene when Flint says that phrase is probably the most haunting of the last episode, because the treason and the injustice there cut so deep that it really hurts.

Despite everything, he should have left Madi her war and -if he really was a friend to Flint- should have told him about Thomas, regardless if it was useful or not.

Guess it's the main reason why the final is so conflictingly sad and beautiful.

It isn't even about whether the revolution could work or not, it's really only about selfishness.

"Just because I will always love you"

Sorry, the Elephant love medley (from Moulim Rouge) always comes to my mind each time I "hear" one of the song inside it. I had to continue it lol

Anyway, this song is just perfect for SQ!😍

(x) ‘Cause we’re lovers, and that is a fact      Yes we’re lovers, and that is that      Though nothing, will keep us together      We could steal time, just for one day      We can be heroes, for ever and ever      What d’you say?

-gifs aren’t mine.-

I'd have renamed it. Like...you conqueered it, what's the point in keeping the original name? Though the name is definitely important, so it's strange they didn't specify it in the show. Even if I've noticed they generally haven't given too much importance to the ships per se (Urca being the exception) or to the captain/ship relationship as much as one would find it in other pirates story. I mean, they are important for who owns them or for the action they are brought into but there's not really that... almost "personification" of the ship (what brings us to use the "she" pronouns for them after all). Don't know if it's clear what I mean, it may be only my perspective of course, but like...poor Walrus gets wrecked once, almost destroyed twice (if not more) and burned in the end, and they barely spared her a though in season 4 (when Silver talks to Billy about her resilience). So that's probably also why the man 'o war disappears. Like...it wasn't important, they didn't need it anymore and the show just...forgot about it😂

The Man O'War

One of the mysteries of Black Sails is where the Spanish man o’war captured in season 1 vanishes to after Captain Flint and his crew return to Walrus…but another mystery is exactly WHAT is this ship. I’ve seen her referred to as a frigate, but now that I’ve captured a good screenshot (season 2, episode 4), that this is definitely no frigate.

The man o’war has three full gun decks. Counting gun ports, it looks like each has approximately fifteen guns, plus a short gun deck back aft near the main deck. This averages to 45-49 guns per broadside, which makes this grand bitch not just a ship of the line, but a first rate ship of the line. That's the age of sail equivalent of a battleship! Take a look at the gif below of the man o’war savaging Walrus and Ranger.

(Frankly, if she was a frigate, I don't think Flint would've worried much; Walrus has the throw weight of a sixth rate frigate and would've stood a good chance; with Ranger along, they would've been just fine and no one should've panicked.)

So, what ship is this? The Urca de Lima was a real ship, though Urca was only a nickname for Santissima Trinidad, and she was part of a combination of two flotillas that made up the 1715 Treasure Fleet. This fleet consisted of eleven ships, of which at least two were ships of the line.

The first was ex-Hampton Court, a British built third rate ship of the line of 70 guns that was captured by the French then sold to the Spanish. Sources say that she was renamed Nuestra Señora del Carmen, but contemporary sources such as the governor of Jamacia, Archibald Hamilton indicate that this was a separate ship and the flagship of the second part of the fleet. (More on that in a moment.)

The second confirmed ship of the line was the French Griffon, which was the one and only survivor. (Cool fact: the captain of this ship was also likely the informant who gave Hamilton his information).

The third ship is the mystery ship that brought up the rear of the formation. This ship is harder to place, and was either a different "massive war galleon" or Nuestra Señora del Rosario, a third ship of the line. This may have been a third rate or fourth rate ship of the line, but sources make it very hard to tell. Given that the wrecks that have been found have never been positively identified, it's even harder to determine which ship was which.

Back to Black Sails. Historical evidence says that there wasn't a first rate ship of the line in the 1715 Treasure Fleet, but the show does also indicate that the Urca was traveling alone, so a bit of dramatic license says that we've got a first rater along for the ride. It's far from outside the realm of possibility, given the contemporary evidence that the Spanish definitely did use ships of the line as escorts for treasure ships.

I think it's safe to say that the ship isn't Hampton Court, however. An ex-British officer like James Flint would 100% recognize Hampton Court, who would've been captured (1707) after he left England but was a distinctly British design. Additionally, the characters continuously refer to her as a Spanish man o'war, which indicates she's Spanish-built.

Spanish-built ships of the line with three decks have 94 guns or greater. Until 1700ish, they frequently were referred to as galleons, a term that faded out of use and was replaced by navíos. If I'm going to be a real history nerd, Spain didn't really have a three deck ship of the line in this era; they'd scrapped the only one they had in 1705, Nuestra Señora de la Concepción y las Animas. But prior to scrapping, this ship was sent to the colonies to harass settlers around Panama, so she was on the right side of the world in the early 18th century.

Historically speaking, Nuestra Señora de la Concepción y las Animas (Our Lady of the Conception and of Souls) is the best candidate for the Man O'War in Black Sails.

In-universe speaking, that big bitch is a three deck, first rate ship of the line of somewhere between 94-100 guns, just based on the number of gun ports and the mincemeat she makes of two ships at the same time. Why did she vanish? Probably because it'd be hard as hell for anyone to beat Flint if you let him keep that ship, and Woodes Rodgers would've had a much harder time taking Nassau when she was protected by a ship of the line.

Have you seen this post before? Probably a close cousin of it. Dimwit me deleted my tumblr and had to remake it.

Additional sources:

1715 Treasure Fleet Information

Ship resting places, armament, and educated guesswork

Archibald Hamilton's information

So interesting, thank you! I'm going to see what you linked too, as I was saying, I'm not skilled in history but I might be interested in some topics in particular (like this one), so thank you for sharing such precious infos!

Yeah they never named that ship, the original name is beautiful but a bit long I'd say. Still it would have been interesting to know, you're right.

The Man O'War

One of the mysteries of Black Sails is where the Spanish man o’war captured in season 1 vanishes to after Captain Flint and his crew return to Walrus…but another mystery is exactly WHAT is this ship. I’ve seen her referred to as a frigate, but now that I’ve captured a good screenshot (season 2, episode 4), that this is definitely no frigate.

The man o’war has three full gun decks. Counting gun ports, it looks like each has approximately fifteen guns, plus a short gun deck back aft near the main deck. This averages to 45-49 guns per broadside, which makes this grand bitch not just a ship of the line, but a first rate ship of the line. That's the age of sail equivalent of a battleship! Take a look at the gif below of the man o’war savaging Walrus and Ranger.

(Frankly, if she was a frigate, I don't think Flint would've worried much; Walrus has the throw weight of a sixth rate frigate and would've stood a good chance; with Ranger along, they would've been just fine and no one should've panicked.)

So, what ship is this? The Urca de Lima was a real ship, though Urca was only a nickname for Santissima Trinidad, and she was part of a combination of two flotillas that made up the 1715 Treasure Fleet. This fleet consisted of eleven ships, of which at least two were ships of the line.

The first was ex-Hampton Court, a British built third rate ship of the line of 70 guns that was captured by the French then sold to the Spanish. Sources say that she was renamed Nuestra Señora del Carmen, but contemporary sources such as the governor of Jamacia, Archibald Hamilton indicate that this was a separate ship and the flagship of the second part of the fleet. (More on that in a moment.)

The second confirmed ship of the line was the French Griffon, which was the one and only survivor. (Cool fact: the captain of this ship was also likely the informant who gave Hamilton his information).

The third ship is the mystery ship that brought up the rear of the formation. This ship is harder to place, and was either a different "massive war galleon" or Nuestra Señora del Rosario, a third ship of the line. This may have been a third rate or fourth rate ship of the line, but sources make it very hard to tell. Given that the wrecks that have been found have never been positively identified, it's even harder to determine which ship was which.

Back to Black Sails. Historical evidence says that there wasn't a first rate ship of the line in the 1715 Treasure Fleet, but the show does also indicate that the Urca was traveling alone, so a bit of dramatic license says that we've got a first rater along for the ride. It's far from outside the realm of possibility, given the contemporary evidence that the Spanish definitely did use ships of the line as escorts for treasure ships.

I think it's safe to say that the ship isn't Hampton Court, however. An ex-British officer like James Flint would 100% recognize Hampton Court, who would've been captured (1707) after he left England but was a distinctly British design. Additionally, the characters continuously refer to her as a Spanish man o'war, which indicates she's Spanish-built.

Spanish-built ships of the line with three decks have 94 guns or greater. Until 1700ish, they frequently were referred to as galleons, a term that faded out of use and was replaced by navíos. If I'm going to be a real history nerd, Spain didn't really have a three deck ship of the line in this era; they'd scrapped the only one they had in 1705, Nuestra Señora de la Concepción y las Animas. But prior to scrapping, this ship was sent to the colonies to harass settlers around Panama, so she was on the right side of the world in the early 18th century.

Historically speaking, Nuestra Señora de la Concepción y las Animas (Our Lady of the Conception and of Souls) is the best candidate for the Man O'War in Black Sails.

In-universe speaking, that big bitch is a three deck, first rate ship of the line of somewhere between 94-100 guns, just based on the number of gun ports and the mincemeat she makes of two ships at the same time. Why did she vanish? Probably because it'd be hard as hell for anyone to beat Flint if you let him keep that ship, and Woodes Rodgers would've had a much harder time taking Nassau when she was protected by a ship of the line.

Have you seen this post before? Probably a close cousin of it. Dimwit me deleted my tumblr and had to remake it.

Additional sources:

1715 Treasure Fleet Information

Ship resting places, armament, and educated guesswork

Archibald Hamilton's information

I've been wondering about Urca de Lima's true story for a bit, and after reading some pirate history I thought it was the Hampton Court.

I'm greatful for this explanation, it's very interesting to me to know all these details about those magnificent ships they used to have (also, I'm not very skilled in history, so...if someone else offers their researches it's way better lol).

thank you!

The Man O'War

One of the mysteries of Black Sails is where the Spanish man o’war captured in season 1 vanishes to after Captain Flint and his crew return to Walrus…but another mystery is exactly WHAT is this ship. I’ve seen her referred to as a frigate, but now that I’ve captured a good screenshot (season 2, episode 4), that this is definitely no frigate.

The man o’war has three full gun decks. Counting gun ports, it looks like each has approximately fifteen guns, plus a short gun deck back aft near the main deck. This averages to 45-49 guns per broadside, which makes this grand bitch not just a ship of the line, but a first rate ship of the line. That's the age of sail equivalent of a battleship! Take a look at the gif below of the man o’war savaging Walrus and Ranger.

(Frankly, if she was a frigate, I don't think Flint would've worried much; Walrus has the throw weight of a sixth rate frigate and would've stood a good chance; with Ranger along, they would've been just fine and no one should've panicked.)

So, what ship is this? The Urca de Lima was a real ship, though Urca was only a nickname for Santissima Trinidad, and she was part of a combination of two flotillas that made up the 1715 Treasure Fleet. This fleet consisted of eleven ships, of which at least two were ships of the line.

The first was ex-Hampton Court, a British built third rate ship of the line of 70 guns that was captured by the French then sold to the Spanish. Sources say that she was renamed Nuestra Señora del Carmen, but contemporary sources such as the governor of Jamacia, Archibald Hamilton indicate that this was a separate ship and the flagship of the second part of the fleet. (More on that in a moment.)

The second confirmed ship of the line was the French Griffon, which was the one and only survivor. (Cool fact: the captain of this ship was also likely the informant who gave Hamilton his information).

The third ship is the mystery ship that brought up the rear of the formation. This ship is harder to place, and was either a different "massive war galleon" or Nuestra Señora del Rosario, a third ship of the line. This may have been a third rate or fourth rate ship of the line, but sources make it very hard to tell. Given that the wrecks that have been found have never been positively identified, it's even harder to determine which ship was which.

Back to Black Sails. Historical evidence says that there wasn't a first rate ship of the line in the 1715 Treasure Fleet, but the show does also indicate that the Urca was traveling alone, so a bit of dramatic license says that we've got a first rater along for the ride. It's far from outside the realm of possibility, given the contemporary evidence that the Spanish definitely did use ships of the line as escorts for treasure ships.

I think it's safe to say that the ship isn't Hampton Court, however. An ex-British officer like James Flint would 100% recognize Hampton Court, who would've been captured (1707) after he left England but was a distinctly British design. Additionally, the characters continuously refer to her as a Spanish man o'war, which indicates she's Spanish-built.

Spanish-built ships of the line with three decks have 94 guns or greater. Until 1700ish, they frequently were referred to as galleons, a term that faded out of use and was replaced by navíos. If I'm going to be a real history nerd, Spain didn't really have a three deck ship of the line in this era; they'd scrapped the only one they had in 1705, Nuestra Señora de la Concepción y las Animas. But prior to scrapping, this ship was sent to the colonies to harass settlers around Panama, so she was on the right side of the world in the early 18th century.

Historically speaking, Nuestra Señora de la Concepción y las Animas (Our Lady of the Conception and of Souls) is the best candidate for the Man O'War in Black Sails.

In-universe speaking, that big bitch is a three deck, first rate ship of the line of somewhere between 94-100 guns, just based on the number of gun ports and the mincemeat she makes of two ships at the same time. Why did she vanish? Probably because it'd be hard as hell for anyone to beat Flint if you let him keep that ship, and Woodes Rodgers would've had a much harder time taking Nassau when she was protected by a ship of the line.

Have you seen this post before? Probably a close cousin of it. Dimwit me deleted my tumblr and had to remake it.

Additional sources:

1715 Treasure Fleet Information

Ship resting places, armament, and educated guesswork

Archibald Hamilton's information

~ Who's afraid of little old me?

They should be.

How true their relationship was. An honest alliance and, as strange as it may feel to define it like this, a disinterested one.

Jack struggle to avenge Charles is really touching to me. Like...for people living like they lived, a loyalty (and a friendship) such as that really is the most precious treasure.

VIII | XIX | XXI | XXII | XXVI | XXVII | XXIX | XXXV

anne bonny scene of all time. woman of all time

insp.

This is a great analysis, and one I'm very glad to read too. I've always been on his side and have always supported -or understood at least-  his decisions (except Gates), though with time I've started to understand also how most of his people could not trust him completely or doubt his choices.

It's undenyable that he would be ready to give up A LOT (including members of his crew. I mean, if he killed Gates for it, we shouldn't really be surprised about any "lack of interest" towards the others) in order to get what he wants, and it is also true that he keeps most of his plans for himself, partially because he has often reasons he can't voice, partially because he know he can't really trust anyone (and I mean, can we really blame him, considering the environment?), so I can understand why someone would not put his own life in his hands without seconds thoughts.

Still, as long as it's not strictly necessary, he does his best to save as many as possible, or better, to save the situation as much as he can.

It's the reason why he can be captain when no one else of his crew can (in my opinion at least): he knows how to look at the bigger picture, and this of course means making the most difficult decisions and taking the responsability for them (which I was so glad was underlined in this post).

I think that what his crew thinks about him depends not so much on his direct actions, often infallible (in fact every time he regains his power over them it's thanks to his smart moves, of someone who /knows/ how to rule a ship), as much as on his reputation (things they have only /heard/ about him) and on his character (which we know is not of the most sociable kind).

And always through his actions he shows how he actually cares to keep them alive at least.

I wouldn't say he cares about them personally, not at the beginning at least ("who is Billy?" says enough XD), but I think that with time, as the crew becomes more central in his war plan, and as the war becomes (at least for him) not just...plundering searching for gold but fighting for a cause, his attention towards them grows too. I felt this especially in 4x6, when he says he isn't going to leave anyone behind (that statement actually surpirsed me, honestly, and he wasn't even talking about the men of his crew alone, but about whoever had joined their fight).

Probably it is a selfish kind of attention, probably they are just soldiers to feed his lines or the last humans he still have left on his side, but still, as long as it is not inevitable he would reduce the losses as much as he can.

Anyway, I'll keep saying that people should have listened to him more, even if probably we wouldn't have had the show at all if they hadXD.

The thing is, I rarely deem his actions foolish (or reckless at least) but also when I do, it's easy to forget about it when I listen to his speeches, which is basically what his men often experience and probably the whole foundation of his character. I'm just saying that they built him /so well/! It's amazing.

I am also of the opinion that he didn't push Billy, btw. That would have been a silly move. Flint doesn't make silly move. Change my mind.

I have a take that might be lukewarm at best and boiling at most, but:

Captain Flint has ALWAYS cared about the Walrus crew.

Hear me out.

Many of the characters in Black Sails have this perception of Flint as kinda aloof, distant and reserved, and he DOES prove time and time again the lengths he's willing to go to accomplish his goals regardless of the welfare of his crew. I mean, by the time the show is done, only three original members of the Walrus make it out alive (RIP to our girl, she put up such a fight until the very end). Everyone else is very much dead.

But like, remember the episode when they beach the ship to scrape the barnacles off the hull and make her faster and more nimble before the Urca job and some crew guys tie off the ropes on the wrong fucking trees before going off to the fuck tent for Gods know how long? And then the trees get uprooted under the weight of the Walrus while Randall and Morley are under there and Randall gets stuck UNDER AN ENTIRE SHIP AND IS ABOUT TO GET CRUSHED TO DEATH??

Who was the first among them to run under that ship while everyone else, including Billy Bones, the Eternal Defender of His Men™ (until season 4 that is lmao) scramble to get away and save themselves?

Flint did. FLINT.

He rushed in there without thinking in the hopes of saving at least one of the men under there, despite the danger to his own life. And if it hadn't been for him and Silver, both those men would have died. He saves Randall's life by cutting off his leg, which takes a looooong time, and hauling him away just in time before the rest of the ropes give up. Poor Morley though, he died trying to save Randall too.

And like, throughout the show he's always making decisions that he knows will save the most lives, as difficult as they might be for everyone else to accept later. He's the captain after all, it's his job to make the hard decisions. He'll always sacrifice the few to save the many, but that doesn't mean he doesn't give a shit about them. There are exceptions of course, like Mr. Singleton and Mr. Gates, whom I will never forgive him for bc Flint deprived us of the joy that is Mr. Gates for the remaining three seasons and he was the GOAT, but back to topic - note that both those men severely threatened his position as captain and therefore his suicidal revenge mission against England before he murdered them. It's like Silver himself says later: he only wants things done so long as they are done HIS way. But that's a conversation for another post.

Which brings me to the whole "did he or did he not push Billy overboard that night during the storm" question.

Personally, I don't think he did. He had every reason to do it, of course: Billy found out about Miranda and how she was pushing for a pardon to be given to Flint so the two of them could go to Boston and live the rest of their lives in peace, and if the crew found out about it, Bad Things would follow. Then Billy slips and Flint reaches out for his hand just in time to stop him going overboard (on an aside, I love that the writers didn't let the audience see what happened next, leaving all this doubt about what actually happened). Even Billy himself recounts later that he's not sure whether his hand slipped from Flint's or if Flint simply let go.

In my opinion, and this is just MY opinion, I believe he did try and haul Billy up and save him because up until that point, Billy was going along with Flint's plan. I mean, he lied to the crew about the blank page taken from Singleton's body and he knew about Miranda's pardon plot and the Maria Aleyne story for at least one episode. If he was going to tell the crew, he would have done so already. Saving Billy's life would have been a risk, sure: Flint would have to trust that Gates would convince him to keep his mouth shut and that he would obey. In fact, I'd argue that saving Billy's life would be much more advantageous in the long run than letting him drown at sea. Flint is a master strategist and would have taken all these things into consideration before making a decision.

Maybe that's why he ended up failing in saving Billy: he was so preoccupied trying to decide the more desirable outcome that Billy just... slipped and fell. And as we see as the season continues, Billy's "death" brought more problems than it solved. It wore out the crew's trust in him as captain, it destroyed his relationship with Gates and put in jeopardy the entire Urca mission and his plans for a war against the British Empire.

I guess, it doesn't really matter whether he intended to save Billy or not. Everyone thought he had let him fall or even pushed him. Given his past actions, who could blame them? The lies, the falsehoods, the secrets... They all had a cost, and this was the straw that broke the camel's back.

What do y'all think? Sound off in the replies/reblogs/tags.

Still, TL:DR - Flint always cared about his crew no matter his decisions and worst impulses, and that's the hill I will die on!

That's what's so special about him!

That he is not the kind of character (for his role, in fact) one would expect to have this deep, actually introvert kind of personality. And it clashes so much with his 'shouting order-self' we get to see while he is on action, but I think that EXACTLY because he has actually that kind of personality there wouldn't have probably been any other ways than that for him to relate with people around him.

Also, it's such a great depiction of how in the end everyone has to morph their own selves -even painfully- in the shape more fitted to survive in the enviroment they have to be. Which is sad but it's exactly how his character came to be and it's what makes him special because it makes him not only a vengeful warrior but also a broken neurodivergent human who has to face a world that has not enough space for people like him.

A dragon in the darkness, indeed.

thinking about flint's awkwardness around people, one of my favourite acting choices made by toby stephens (who truly never misses) is in the scene where thomas goes to kiss flint. he cups his face, holds his gaze and flint looks at him trapped. but when he comes closer flint just. flinches. his face jerks slightly back as if to avoid a blow. his are eyes pained like he's already been hit. it's such a panicked little twitch, instinctive and quickly tamed, that i hesitate to put it to rational considerations about the consequences of kissing a man. i always felt it was a moment of profound shyness and unease in the face of tenderness. again, i find it really endearing and i am forever surprised they went for this complex mix of sweetness, vulnerability and strength and competence in a male protagonist of a show covering the role of a warrior leader.

Someone please tell me how this scene was not meant to be what it looks like.

After all these years I still can't get it.

thinking about flint's awkwardness around people, one of my favourite acting choices made by toby stephens (who truly never misses) is in the scene where thomas goes to kiss flint. he cups his face, holds his gaze and flint looks at him trapped. but when he comes closer flint just. flinches. his face jerks slightly back as if to avoid a blow. his are eyes pained like he's already been hit. it's such a panicked little twitch, instinctive and quickly tamed, that i hesitate to put it to rational considerations about the consequences of kissing a man. i always felt it was a moment of profound shyness and unease in the face of tenderness. again, i find it really endearing and i am forever surprised they went for this complex mix of sweetness, vulnerability and strength and competence in a male protagonist of a show covering the role of a warrior leader.

10 YEARS OF BLACK SAILS (2014–2017) – Created by Jonathan E. Steinberg & Robert Levine

Oh well, with her even death would be a photoshoot.

Regina’s favorite hobby: pretending life is a photoshoot

Black Sails - update on Captain Flint’s reading list - quick thoughts

I’ve been working my way through what I’m calling Captain Flint’s reading list - or the key books he either owned or were key to the plot of the show.  To keep things fresh I have been reading more than one book at a time.

A few books were hard to find as e-books or based on the original formatting that has been maintained for the copies, I chose to purchase the hard copy.

After getting my Covid booster shot, I popped into a bookstore and got a hard copy of Meditations.  I’d been getting tired of the free ebook with rather over the top language.  This copy is hailed as the first translation in a generation from 2003 by Gregory Hays.  I’ve been taking my time with it and find this translation to be more direct in its intentions.  It still keeps the true feelings of the text, but it does shy away from the more dramatic:

- You should be like a rocky promontory, against which the restless surf continuously pounds.  It stands fast while the churning sea is lulled to sleep at its feet.

which is what Miranda reads to Richard Guthrie as her favorite selection.

The Hays translation instead goes with:

- To be like the rock that the waves keep crashing over.  It stands unmoved and the raging of the sea falls still around it.

The ebook version has this variation from a translation by Casaubon, which is edited by someone who isn’t credited in the document.  It is clear though that Casaubon took liberties with the translation - including paraphrasing things for the current reader of 1634 or 1635:

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Black Sails - Captain Flint’s reading list.

Books are a key point of the storytelling in the first two seasons of Black Sails.  They help to reveal various aspects of characters and their relationships.  Being the nerd that I am, I decided to create a reading list based on Captain James Flint’s key books.

Not only did I bother to compile this short list, but I’m actually reading the books in the list.

The list in sort of the order that they are introduced to the viewer.

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This aspect, at least for me, is definitely what did the magic. I mean, I don't think I'd be here talking about it if it hadn't included such an important theme (current for those times but still very current today too).

Probably is because I understand it personally , but also I think you don't necessarily have to experience something first hand in order to understand it and emphatize with it. So yes, I think there are also people foreign to this problem who can appreciate it.

Moreover, I heard also of a lot of people which are part of this problem on the other side, the one which causes it, that however enjoy very much the show, so I guess each one can find their own attractive aspect in it.

Just...don't know, maybe emphatize with it about this subject specifically makes the like for the show way more personal, in a way. But it's not necessarily the only way to like it.

I wonder what the cishet experience of Black Sails is like — or more accurately I suppose the experience of the show for people who have not known shame and who have not been made to feel like monsters, for one reason or another.

Because there is something so compelling to me about Flint's rage—and his ruthlessness. There is something so satisfying to the way he turns into a monster because that's what England tells him he is, and the way he lies and kills and believes in a better, different, impossible world and will stop at nothing to fight for it—even if the fight is doomed from the start. "This ends when England apologises to me," he says and all I can say in return is go off king.

I wonder what this show is like for the normies who never felt that rage—and that shame—burning under their skin and had to swallow it down.

miranda barlow - cassandra, florence + the machine

literally i cannot stop making amvs to florence songs right now sorry not sorry. anyway this is literally her song so like. yeah.

This is the last thing Flint says to Miranda in a private conversation and I think is one of the most revealing things about Flint as a character he directly states.

Flint was created to be ephemeral and that explains where his fear of being perceived as the villain comes from. Up to this point, what James has been doing is compartmentalizing the actions and feelings of his two versions: McGraw and Flint. And since his intention has always been to get rid of Flint because he is not who he believes himself to be, he can't stand the thought of people only taking into account what the latter has done.

But it's inevitable, James McGraw and James Flint move in completely different circles, they are known to different people. Only one person has lived with both of them: Miranda. She is the anchor to his past life, the one who reminds him that no matter how many years he has been called Flint, he was McGraw before and he still is.

So that's why what is about to happen at that dinner has huge implications for him that will turn him into what he was so afraid of becoming.

It absolutely is one of my favourite episodes too, even if it's so sad. Like...Miranda /shines/ (she always does, but damn, here she is *blinding*) and the closeness between her and Flint is so evident here, two survivors who has become each other's survival until one of them is not anymore.

My goddess, it hurts so much.

Episode 17 of Black Sails is peak television. It's arguably my favorite episode of the show and Miranda's death (I didn't put the entire thing because it's too long but it's so fucking great, the scene itself for me starts when she asks about the clock) is my favorite in the history of television: how we are lead to it throughout little moments in the episode, how it happens and the massive implications it has on Flint as a character and in the show itself.

Because this is it, Flint was betrayed a second time. Every time he tries to do the right thing, it backfires. And now he has lost the only person as important to him as Thomas, there is no one who really knows him anymore.

He now has no reason to hold back anymore.

PS: If Gates and Billy made me sad, you wouldn't believe how devastated I feel about Miranda and Thomas.

Flint and Eleonor’s “reunion” in ep.4x4 honestly got me so emotional since the moment when they look at each other through the fort's doors.

Despite being on opposite sides, despite having both lost and conquered it all multiple times, that connection between them, that trust, that understanding is still there.

I loved their relationship in season one and two so much. I think what they shared and actually kept sharing until the end was some really special bond.

They've been working together to reach a shared goal, of course, a goal that just the two of them seemed to see and believe in, or to care about, but I think there was more to it than just that.

Nassau itself, and the freedom that it would have allowed them, had a different meaning for each one of them and the chains that kept them from truly gaining that freedom were of different nature, but I think that above all they were two persons able to recognize one another.

They were very different, but also very similar under some aspects, and I think that what they had most in common was their loneliness.

They were often surrounded by people, and had also a few ones strictly related to them or that sincerely loved them (just, very few), but over that, they both had a dimension of their own when they were fated to be forever lonely. Those special parts of themselves (good and bad, just parts of their personality) that no one had been or would ever be able to truly see or understand. They both had this and even if they themselves couldn't reach that dimension of each other they could just feel that they both had that. This is what I mean when I talk about recognizing one another. Just looking at the other person and knowing that, despite all the differences, they will always be able to understand you, even without necessarily approving your choices, just because they are just the same as you, because they know that feeling of having to make that choice -dealing with the world and with your own self- all alone.

And this, joined with their incredible ability to survive and to (almost) always end up “ruling things” somehow, definitely generated also a great deal of respect towards each other, and is what I think bound them the most for so long.

I found very endearing that Flint was in the end the last one she saw before dying: the tenderness with which he lays her head on the ground, the sadness of the moment (both for her death and for him losing yet another one of his loved ones), the meaningful burning house on the background…it really felt terrible, even if it's a great scene. It has such an emotional impact on me. 😢😢😢

did anyone notice emma’s face in this scene? i mean…

I loved all the hints to Eleonor's true nature that are given in ep.4x6 (the one of her death), at least the one that I think it to be. I felt like in the end she came back to what she used to be, somehow (even if she never really changed, she was just pretending), and as always, everything ends just like it started (even if not exactly).

First Flint asked her if it would be impossible for her to join them once again and yes, I think that would be impossible because she had lost and given away way too much as a price to her previous life as a “pirate”, but the thing is that the independence of the pirates is in her true nature. And she claims it back each time she is left by her own or just each time she has the chance to. It happens for different reasons and under different motivations, but basically it's just breaking free from any kind of power which may try to control her.

In fact, she regained control on the situation as soon as Rogers went away, even if she did it for him too.

I think she was just searching for a wayout after all, because all her life she had had to be with the pirates’ side or with the “civilized” side but neither of them could offer her the freedom she really needed.

And I believe that with Madi she found a third way. It's very endearing to me how soon and naturally they get close to each other once again after so many years.

When she talks to her she says:

“I've found myself thinking about it. Of walking away from Nassau, from England, from civilization. One can be happy that way, can't they? A life of isolation and uncertainty as long as it is lived with someone you love and who loves you back. It is possible, isn't it?”

This is her third way. And I think that by this point (having almost nothing to lose anymore and feeling deep inside of her the real possibility of WR's betrayal) she was seriously contemplating the possibility of just leaving it all behind and going away with Madi, back with the only family she had ever known.

And it's so sad because she tried as a ruler, tired as a daughter, tried as a friend and tried as a lover, tried as a wife and tried as a sister and in the end it was never enough and way too much at the same time.

…yeah, they have been too mean to her. She deserved at least the chance to try as a mother.