lo-writes-things

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CHARACTER RE-INTRODUCTION: THEODORE

Details

name: theodore james grayson; theo species: half archangel half demon gender: male; he/him appearance: 5’9; brown hair worn short; complete heterochromia where his right eye is blue and his left is green; lack of wings, but they would have looked similar to his father’s misc: 7 october (libra sun / cancer moon / taurus rising); gay; his heart is located on the right side of his body; became a knight to protect the weak, but never truly wanted to fight; lost between two worlds he will never fully fit into

Backstory

theodore grew up in the forest of irrichor which would some day become the boarder between the great kingdoms of wintermire and fayburn; abandoned as a baby, he was found and raised by a human couple who could bear no children of their own; they kept him safely secluded in the woods and he was raised knowing nothing of his heritage

Relationships

memphia: biological mother; she abandoned him in the woods as a baby; she hates who he is a reminder of alinar: biological father; he never knew that he had a son; manipulative and uses him as a pawn linorra: adopted mother; she found him in the woods and raised him as her own; she believed he was a gift from the angels guinevere: half-sister (father’s side); while they grew up separate, the two share a special bond kieren: lover (origin life); slow burn romance; their relationship ends in tragedy

World of Skies Universe

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IM NOT GONNA ASSUME ANYTHING BUT…NEW GAY SHOW TO BE OBSESSED WITH?? COMING SOON??

I’m ready for my catradora/lumity ass to be ~fed~ ✨🌈✨🌈✨

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WORLD OF SKIES 101: WORLD MAP

Fayburn

capital: solaeris government: constitutional monarchy ruling house: iuscora region: landscape consisting of temperate coniferous forest, deciduous forest, and prairie; warm summers and cool winters; the capital is located between the ocean and the mountain range which is home to mount arneaira history: the land where humans first met the angels generations ago; the archangel neaira married a human and her children formed the kingdom of fayburn and house iuscora; the kingdom was occupied by wintermire for a time in the early 1900′s but was eventually taken back by king arlen iuscora

Ganaeshia

capital: suinlla government: absolute monarchy ruling house: kinsella region: landscape consisting of deciduous forest and montane forest; warm summers and cold winters; the capital is located along the great crater lake which was formed after a volcano collapsed in on itself; the palace was built on the biggest island of the lake history: the land here shares some influence from the angels; the kingdom was eventually formed by house kinsella with the help of house harper, a house known for its shapeshifter lineage; a strong ally with the kingdom of fayburn; went to war with wintermire when fayburn was taken over

Wintermire

capital: miria government: absolute monarchy ruling house: skylark region: landscape consisting of boreal forest/taiga, temperate coniferous forest, and grassland; cold summers and freezing winters with consistent snowfall; the capital is located along the northern seacoast nearby the island; the palace was built on the island who’s cliff walls serve as natural protection history: known for its long history of imperialism; started out as a smaller kingdom formed by house skylark; grew in size after nearby countries were taken over; enters a brutal civil war near the end of the 1900′s which lasts for about eight years; results in the loss of many royal family members, but also results in the crowning of its first female monarch

Renia

capital: luina government: oligarchy / puppet monarchy / anarchy region: landscape consisting of boreal forest/taiga and tundra; chilly summers and cold winters; the capital is located at the bottom left of the country near the boarder of wintermire history: the land where demons first emerged from the underground caverns; they were a clan-based people who figured out the art of leaned magic; the archangels destroyed their leaders centuries ago which left much infighting amongst the clans; the kingdom of wintermire took over the country within recent years; a puppet monarchy was installed, but was brutally overthrown around thirty years later; wintermire still claimed renia as a territory under its authority; the land was given back once queen elisven skylark ascended to the throne

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this is exactly how I feel. I haven't worn feminine clothing in 2-3 years, just because I'm afraid that if I do both cis and other trans people will invalidate my enby identity and perceive as female...

it’s like I DO want to be feminine in the way a man is feminine. if I’m performing feminity I don’t want it to be read as an inherent reflection of my gender and who I am. I don’t want someone to call me ma’am or be called a girl. like. it’s drag. only it can’t be drag for me, because it’s not actually subverting anything, is it? so I’m in this spot where I either cannot allow myself any femininity or I do and accept the consequences of perception. my wearing eyeliner isn’t a subversion, a quiet rebellion, it’s perceived as fulfilling an expectation. somehow I can never be masc enough to be percieved as I want to be, so any introduction of femininity feels like a defeat. and yet sometimes I want to wear the pretty things that are still in my closet! or play around with makeup. but it isn’t a young boy getting into his mother’s vanity and heels, it’s growing up into the fulfillment of the wants of the mother and the rest of society as a blank whole.

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Things to Consider When Writing About Royalty

How is the throne inherited? How strict are the traditions concerning transfers of power? How is the order of succession determined? Can commoners become royalty?

How are heirs trained?

How much, if at all, are marriages for power/political ties favored over marriages for love? How common are arranged marriages

What are the biggest threats to their position?

How good is there relationship with their subjects? 

What is their preferred method of interacting with their subjects? Do they prefer to interact with them directly or indirectly?

How long has the monarchy been in power? How did it originally gain that power?

What special etiquette is required when dealing with royalty? How strict is it?

How are princes and/or princesses that aren’t first in line for the throne handled? Are they given special responsibilities in the hopes of discouraging resentment?

How do they deal with assassination attempts?

How do they spend their wealth? Why do they prioritize certain aspects of their kingdom’s well being over others?

Would they rather inspire love or fear in their subjects?

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WHEN A CHARACTER GETS WOUNDED AND THEY GO TO THEIR LOVE INTEREST FOR HELP AND WHILE THEY’RE GETTING THEIR INJURIES CLEANED AND PATCHED UP THEY FLINCH FROM THE STING OF THE ANTISEPTIC AND THEIR LOVE INTEREST SAYS “HOLD STILL” IN AN EXASPERATED BUT TOUCHINGLY CONCERNED TONE OF VOICE AND THEN THEY ACCIDENTALLY MAKE EYE CONTACT OR BRUSH HANDS AND JUST FREEZE IN THAT POSITION UNTIL THE TENSION IN THE ROOM IS NEARLY UNBERABLE BEFORE BOTH LOOKING AWAY AND PRETENDING THE UNSPOKEN THING THAT JUST PASSED BETWEEN THEM NEVER HAPPENED

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“you can’t tell someone’s sexuality from their appearance” there was a girl on the bus with electric blue hair in an undercut, 6 piercings in one ear, rainbow converse, and a ‘punch a fascist’ pin on her backpack it’s physically impossible for that person to be straight

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i’ll be honest. part of the reason i’m not into sex is it’s a team activity and i hate those

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anxiety attacks don’t last forever, only a couple of hundred years. epiphany wilde 07 1 21

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WIP INTRODUCTION | WORLD OF SKIES UNIVERSE

genre: dark/high fantasy

status: brainstorming & drafting

pov: multiple third person limited

themes/tropes: coming of age • found family • horror • man versus nature • mystery • political intrigue • power and corruption • supernatural • tradition versus change • tragedy

summary

“There was a time when angels walked the same ground as we do. They came to us on glorious wings, their power only outmatched by the deities. They served as our guardians, our protectors. On this day, a long time ago, they mysteriously vanished from our world as if they never even existed in the first place. No one truly knows where they went. Many believe them all to be dead and gone.

But some hold onto the hope that there might still be one who remains amongst us. One who will someday guide the rest back safe and sound.”

excerpt

As she stepped beyond the boundaries of her property that morning, she could already begin to feel it. The familiar crisp coolness of the air, the way the winds relentlessly blew in the cold air of the north. Wildlife was sparse in the forest this time of year and the trees were beginning to shed their brightly colored leaves. All signs that autumn had come and that winter was soon to follow within her quiet footsteps.

Linorra had never been one to stray from the safety of her cottage around this time before. With colder temperatures rushing in, jucrite sightings were bound to become more commonplace as packs migrated down south. Hideous creatures they were. Locals knew well enough to keep indoors whenever possible, but naive foreigners were known to dangerously traverse the woods, never to be seen nor heard from again.

But she could hardly concern herself with such worries when she had heard the familiar cries of a baby. They floated upon the frigid winds to her while she was sat by the fireplace, almost as if she were meant to hear them and answer their call.

characters | discord | excerpts | general tag

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i am once again here to tell you how much i love books with fake media in them

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have some fucking tips for androgynous presentation that mixes femme and masc styles and isn’t just ‘be afab and wear trousers from the men’s section’

recently I wore some of those trousers with the wide non form fitting legs   and added small heeled boots. 10/10 would recommend I felt very high fashion. looked masc but was making the femme click clack heel sound.

basic loungy outfits can be made 100% more queer by adding colour. srsly jeans with a nice tshirt is queer as fuck if the jeans are orange.

wearing the femmest outfit possible, long skirt, cute blouse, etc. becomes a power move when you do so without a single shred of makeup. bonus if your hair is short. bonus if it’s not a pixie. bonus if your shoes are stompy

find all your Statement Pieces. wear them together. voila.

we all know about suspenders. now put them where they don’t belong. attach them to skirts. attach them to your trousers but leave them hanging

literally just wear stuff you think looks rad because if you enjoy both masculine and feminine clothing styles it naturally follows the stuff you think looks rad together will end up being genderfuck

embrace alternative fashion/weird charity shop finds/vintage/stuff that breaks fashion rules even if its ‘technically’ femme/masc. part of fitting into gender roles is wearing mainstream and current femme/masc clothes because gender roles and their associated accepted dress are always shifting so anything that differs from that is automatically subversive.

billowy shirts. undo them as much as you’re comfortable with. somewhat obvious but the howl’s moving castle vibes are v strong. am I a femme arts student or a dashing masc pirate type? who knows. 

floral patterns feel a billion times more masc if the colours are bold. 

personally after I stopped wearing makeup I felt I lot more able to just be like huh. that’s my face. and feel kinda triumphant  in the ugly parts of it and just be unabashedly weird. and if that’s not genderfuck idk what is. same w not shaving my legs tbh. I enjoy just existing.

that said if you do like makeup, using just (just. no foundation or shit) eyeshadow or just lipstick? also a power move. 

If you go for the classic dapper style of androgynous presentation but want something closer to androgynous than just weird masc, try adding a soft girly jumper to your manly trousers and etc.

adding an emphasis to your natural waist to a masc outfit (with a belt or something) is a good way to feminise it and vice versa with emphasising a dropped waist in a femme outfit to bring attention away from your smaller natural one (again with a belt or maybe low waisted trousers)

long coats are very good I feel my most formless and inexplicable when my outer layer goes straight past my knees.

obviously all this is gonna be slightly biased to my agab/personal style/body type/etc. but yeah. there’s my tips and hopefully none of them are weirdly unachievable or equate androgyny with masculinity 

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WRITEBOARDWALK FERRIS WHEEL DAY 1: PROTAGONIST

FENICE VI AETIER’S EXISTANCE IS AN ENIGMA. She had the entirety of her world at her fingertips before she was even born. A princess to one of the richest nations of the century and daughter to KING DANTALION and TITANIA OF TAUL, two of the most powerful mages of their generation and whose love story was once the stuff of legends.  She was conceived with the promise of unimaginable power, an experiment from which a god-child should have been born. Through her, Dantalion’s still contested claims to the throne would be stabilized. Through her, Dantalion and Titania would create a dynasty unparalleled.

And then, the young princess was born dead. 

Keep reading

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AVALYNN IRENE KINSELLA

Avalynn Kinsella was born into the royal House Kinsella of Ganaeshia on 7 January 1877. She is the older sister of Marian Kinsella by two years, and cousin to Queen Adeline Kinsella.

She married the heir of Fayburn, Prince Kyllen Iuscora, in 1895 but she wasn’t considered the princess consort until 1901 when her husband inherited his place on the throne.

Her first child Rosalie Iuscora was born in 1897, and her son Arlen Iuscora wasn’t born until the year 1904.

On 11 August 1903 when Wintermire took over the kingdom of Fayburn, Avalynn was the sole member of the royal family who was able to flee the capital, and attempted to seek refuge in her neighboring home kingdom.

This was around the time she discovered that she was pregnant with her second child. Since no one else knew, she was able to escape, as King Phenix did not perceive her to be a threat to his new rule.

Avalynn gave birth to Arlen in secret and had him hidden away under the protection of Kaelin Harper until the day her son was old enough to reclaim the throne.

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any other writers out there ever read a paragraph of your own work and just, in the least self centered way possible, think

fuck, i’m such a good writer.

if you haven’t, that day will come eventually, i promise. but until then, keep writing whatever your little working brain tells you, because one day you’ll consider it a masterpiece or absolute shit that’ll make you laugh and realize just how far you’ve come.

keep writing words so your future self has stuff to look back on and either compare to current wips, or to reminisce on. words are permanent as long as you let them be.

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How to enjoy writing more

I’ve seen, shared, and created plenty of posts about how to make your writing better, but I’ve decided, fuck that. It is 2020 and everything feels like crap and here’s a guide for how to enjoy your own writing more.

(Obviously! Like everything! Not all of these will work for everyone! These are just reminders for people who feel they could be a little sillier in their writing!)

1. Write at your own pace! It seems simple but deadlines that you can’t reach won’t help you. (And don’t force yourself to do Nano when it’s not your style.)

2. Write fanfic! All types of fanfic! Shitty OCs, OOC interpretations of characters, self inserts, etc etc etc. Write it without the intention of posting anywhere.

3. Write fanfic… of your own stories. Canon is a construct but that soulmates AU is real if only you write it.

4. Mercilessly switch between WIPs! Abandon them whenever you get bored! Write only the most interesting scenes!

5. Write without a plot! You don’t need to have conflict to have fun.

6. Fuck plot continuity. Write the scenes that make you happy. If they don’t line up? Who gives a shit.

7. If you read something you wrote and it’s not finished, don’t feel guilty. Just. Don’t. Your stories don’t deserve finishing; they provided you happiness as you wrote them, and that’s what’s important. (It’s the process, not the product.)

8. If you write something that’s sad, make it cathartic instead of depressing. Angst is great and all, but don’t stack sad scene upon sad scene for the sake of sadness.

9. Fuck genre. It’s okay if you aren’t sure whether your story is sci-fi or fantasy, it’s okay if you include random paranormal aspects in your historical romance, it’s GREAT if you blur the line between realistic and speculative. Don’t trap yourself in history which has been built upon marketability.

10. Write like no one’s ever gonna read it. It will help you in the long run. It doesn’t matter if it slows your “objective” improvement, it will help you feel less dependent on validation from others and make you write because–and only because–you want to write.

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Roles on a Pirate Ship

[by Mark Cookman / Tribality 1, 2, 3]  @we-are-pirate, @we-are-scarlet-corsair

Officer Roles on a Pirate Ship 

If you are running a game with pirates in it, then you should know what the job entails. It’s not all boarding ships, counting booty, and drinking rum like you might think. A great deal of hard work is required to run a sailing ship with a law-abiding crew, let alone one populated by pirates. In this essay we are going to examine the five principle officers on board a pirate ship, their duties, and their responsibilities. This is part one of a three part lesson. In the next lesson we will examine the duties and responsibilities of other officers and crew members with special duties. In the final lesson, we will look at one very special group of crew members that are almost always overlooked. Read on to learn what pirates expected of their primary officers.

The principal officers of a pirate ship were the captain, the quartermaster, the pilot, the boatswain, and the master gunner. On some ships these positions were all elected by an equal vote of the crew and on others the captain picked the crew members he wanted to serve in the positions. The captain on a pirate vessel was almost always elected by an equal vote of the crew. On a privateer vessel this was not very often the case. Privateer captains were often the owners of the ship or were given commission by their monarch to take a vessel to sea. So it follows with the other officers. If the captain was elected, then generally all of the officers were elected. If the captain was appointed or held his position by means of ownership, then generally he picked the officers. In either case, an officer on a pirate ship served at the whim of the crew. Even a man picked by the captain would be booted down to a simple crewman if he could not do his job. For the most part though, a person elevated to serve as one of the principle officers did so for life. The title of this article refers to the fact that most often the authorities that captured, tried, and hung pirates concentrated on the five principle officers of the ship. These officers were generally the most intelligent and skilled crewmen on board the pirate vessel. They were people that everyone else on board the ship admired for their ability to do their job. Diligent action is the mother of respect on board a ship.

Captain

The captain, however he came to his position, was chosen for his leadership, bravery, and cunning. The captain was responsible for the ship and everything aboard her; every item and every man. He was responsible for the overall decisions affecting the ship and her crew. The captain decided where to sail and what to attack. He was the voice of his crew to all beyond the ship. He often led his crew in battle. In terms of daily duties, the captain kept a log of the voyage, managed the affairs of the ship through the officers, and generally served a four to six hour shift at the helm. The captain stayed in power by being successful. As long as there are prizes to plunder, rum to drink, and food to eat, the captain will not be voted out or mutinied against. It is when things get lean that the captain must worry about crew voting him unfit for command.

Quartermaster

The quartermaster (or first mate on a privateer vessel) was the number two man on the ship. He was responsible for enforcing the ship’s articles and administering punishment when necessary. The quartermaster was the trustee of the ship and her crew. He directly represented the crew to the captain. It was his responsibility to serve as a counterbalance to the captain in decisions that might be hazardous to the ship or the crew. A wise captain made no decisions that his first mate didn’t support. The quartermaster took responsibility for prize vessels and picked the treasure that the crew would take from a prize. He was also responsible for counting the booty and splitting the shares. Each day would find him working with his subordinate officers the boatswain, the master gunner, and the master at arms to effectively run the ship. The first mate also served a turn at the helm, generally a four to six hour shift.

Pilot

The pilot was the number three man on the ship and often the most educated. He served as the ship’s navigator and was generally the best all around sailor aboard the ship. He was responsible for plotting the ship’s course and maintaining that course. The pilot maintained all of the ship’s charts and maps as well as the tools of navigation. He was charged with keeping a daily log of every event relating to the sailing of the ship. He recorded the depth, the currents, the wind patterns, the ship’s location, the locations of reefs and sandbars, and the state of the rigging. He reported directly to the captain. The pilot oversaw the work of the sail-master and almost always had at least one assistant (a pilot’s mate) to help him with his duties. The pilot and his mate both served separate shifts at the helm in addition to taking readings from the moon and stars to plot and maintain the course.

Boatswain

The boatswain was the number four man on the ship and often the most feared by the crew. He was in charge of the provisions for the ship. He maintained the stores of food, water, rum, gunpowder, shot, sails, rope, wood, and tar required to keep the ship and crew fit for action. The boatswain also directed the loading of cargo into the hold to maintain the proper ballast to ensure level sailing. He was in charge of keeping the watches on the ship and maintaining discipline among the deck crew. He was responsible for the ship’s longboats and for picking a crew to man the sweeps when the longboats were used. The boatswain was charged with maintaining the ship’s seaworthy status. He oversaw the duties of both the carpenter and the cook. The boatswain generally had a mate to help him with his responsibilities. In general, his duties were to make certain that all the work of running the ship was done. He reported to the quartermaster. The Boatswain was often the most feared man on the ship because his obligations often made him uncompromising. It was his responsibility to keep everything “ship-shape”. Leniency was something the quartermaster might give to the crew, but it was not something the boatswain was in the position to give. Day and night, the boatswain would drive the crew to do whatever work was required. He maintained the watch log and reported any problems to the quartermaster.

Master Gunner

The master gunner was the number five man on the ship. He was responsible for the care and cleaning of all firearms, culverin (deck guns), and cannons on board the ship. He was also responsible for training the crew in the use of both firearms and ship’s weaponry. The master gunner picked and ran the gunnery crew. He reported to the quartermaster, but was responsible to the entire ship to make certain that the cannons hit the declared target. He was also responsible for maintaining the inventory of powder and shot for all of the guns on the ship. The master gunner was the only crew member besides the captain and the quartermaster entrusted to carry a key to the ship’s powder magazine. Additionally, the master gunner often led or picked hunting parties when they were called for. His day to day duties mainly consisted of drilling the gunnery crew and maintaining the guns.

The Next in Line to Hang – More Roles on a Pirate Ship

In this second part of a three part lesson dealing with the crew positions aboard a pirate vessel, we are going to look at the responsibilities of the Sail-master, the Carpenter, the Cook, the Surgeon, and the Master at Arms. These were all lower officer positions and were either voted upon or assigned by the captain as discussed in the first part of this lesson. The sailors who served in these positions were skilled laborers and, as such, their skills were always very much in demand on a ship. They were almost always offered a greater share of the treasure because of their skills. These were definitely crew members that a pirate ship could not function without.

Sail-master

The Sail-master was the most experienced crewman in the rigging and usually one of the best sailors on the ship. He was responsible for maintaining the sails and the rigging. The Sail-master knew every knot, line, rope, block and tackle in the rigging as well as how to repair them all. He was also responsible for training and running the sail crew as well as overseeing the making and patching of sails. The Sail-master took orders from and reported to the pilot.

Carpenter

The Carpenter was a skilled wood worker, often with some shipwright experience, who did all of the woodworking required by the crew. He was primarily responsible for repairing damage to the wooden portions of the ship and for plugging leaks that got too bad. (Ye should understand right now, before ye go to sea, that all ships leak, mates. It’s just when they really leak badly that you have to worry about it.) The Carpenter was also responsible for the construction of barrels and crates, as needed, to store cargo, as well as maintaining the tools of his trade. He took orders from and reported to the Boatswain.

Cook

The Cook was one of the most important of the lower officers. He was in charge of all matters relating to food on the ship. He made certain there was enough food, water, and rum on board for the planned cruise. He cooked the meals and suggested rationing when it was necessary. The Cook butchered the meat brought back by hunting parties and was the only man trusted to light a fire below decks. He maintained the necessary tools for both cooking and butchering. The Cook took orders from and reported to the Boatswain.

Surgeon

The Surgeon was likely one of the toughest men on the ship. He served as the barber/doctor/emergency surgeon for the entire crew. He was equally capable of shaving your beard and cutting off your damaged leg. The Surgeon dealt with not only the sick and the wounded, but also the dead. He, like the other lower officers, was responsible for maintaining the necessary tools of his trade. The Surgeon took his orders from and reported to the Quartermaster. It was rare for a ship to have a real doctor and it was common for the carpenter or the cook to fill this role as needed.

Master at Arms

The Master at Arms was often the most skilled warrior on the crew. He was responsible for training the crew in hand to hand combat. He also led the ship’s boarding parties and hunting parties when they were necessary. The Master at Arms position was not a separate position on every vessel and often these responsibilities fell to the Quartermaster. When the Master at Arms position was filled on a ship, he took orders from and reported to the Quartermaster.

These 5 core positions represent the Non-Commissioned Officers of a pirate or privateer ship. These men all commanded other men on work details and so their words carried great sway with the crew. It was often from among these men that the next captain was chosen when a captain lost his position through a vote of no confidence. Thus, these were the men that the captain had to keep loyal to him to stay in command of the ship.

And Hang the Musikers, Too – Even More Roles on a Pirate Ship 

In this article, we will be looking at the makeup of the crew itself. Remember that the only rule with pirates is that there are no rules; no two crews of any two pirate ships were exactly the same. Even so, we can narrow down some roles common to pirate/privateer crews based upon the jobs that must be done aboard ship. Most simply put, pirate crews are a mixture of brutes, gunners, swabbies, and musikers. Let’s examine each category in turn.

Brutes

A great deal of hard work and heavy hauling is involved in just sailing a tall-masted ship. In strong winds the canvas sails must be man-handled by a deck crew that is stronger. Loading and unloading supplies, most especially cannons or chests of gold, requires a number of strong backs. This is why every ship has its share of brutes – big, strong men capable of handling themselves no matter the work or the fight. In addition to the tasks already mentioned, brutes would be key men in hunting parties, ship boarding, and raiding groups as well. Keep in mind that not all brutes need to be hulking bruisers. A wiry-tough and dexterous hunter, skilled with both blades and long rifle, could be a brute as well. Brutes, no matter their size, do not shrink from a hard task. Men of this sort make up perhaps as much as ½ of a pirate crew, but they will be mixed among the gunners and swabbies, not a stand alone corp. Most of the men on a pirate or privateer ship were probably gunners.

Gunners

Depending upon the size of their shot, each cannon required a crew of either 3 or 4 men to load and fire it. So a sloop carrying 4 small guns per side would require a minimum of 24 men to fully maintain them and that does not include the officers directing the cannon fire. On a large ship, like Blackbeard’s Queen Anne’s Revenge, a full gun crew would be 160 men dedicated only to firing the cannons. (It is important to note here that Blackbeard had a total crew compliment of 125 on board the Queen Anne’s Revenge.) These crewmen would have to be available 24/7 to do their job whenever required, but otherwise might have no duties on the ship. There was double-duty in most crews though. Most pirate ships didn’t keep a full compliment of gunners like warships of the time did because fewer crew members meant fewer shares and that meant more money for everyone when the treasure was split. Gunners could make up between 1/3 to 2/3 of a crew.

Swabbies

Swabbies, or actual trained sailors, are the crew members responsible for handling the rigging and the sails to keep the ship moving. These are the guys and gals who climb the ratlines into the rigging and walk the spars that jut from the masts. Swabbies sometimes fight from the highest position that they can get to on their own ship and then leap into the rigging of the enemy vessel when boarding. Often dexterous fighters, swabbies are known for leaping into the fray, but sometimes they hide in the rigging as deadly snipers. It might be surprising to discover that skilled sailors usually comprised less than 1/3 of the total crew compliment of the ship.

Musikers

It is difficult to prove that “musikers”, or musicians as we call them, were ever a stand-alone part of a pirate crew. However, two excellent examples from the pirate period demonstrate that they have been a common part of most ships of war, pirate and privateer ships included. The first example is from the early Seventeenth century. In Captain John Smith’s advice concerning how to conduct a one-on-one naval engagement he remarks when preparing to board one should, “… sound Drums and Trumpets, and Saint George for England.” The second example comes from the early Eighteenth century. In the articles of Captain Bartholomew Roberts it is stated: “The Musikers to have Rest on the Sabbath Day, but the other six Days and Nights, none without special Favour.” When thinking about the musicians on board a ship in the 16th to 18th centuries, one must not think of a band. That would be far too organized a concept. There is no way to know how many crew members may have been musicians, but one assumes that the number is not large.

It is likely that ships of this period had crew members who owned musical instruments as varied as brass horns, mouth harps, fiddles, bag pipes and accordions. Furthermore, sailors could gather numerous instruments from the various ports of call their ship made. Examples here are numerous: cowhide and goatskin drums from Africa, dried gourd maracas from Cuba, bamboo drums and flutes from Hispaniola, and even tambourines from Morocco. Pause a moment and consider the combined sounds of all of the instruments mentioned here. Now you know why a band is not the idea you want to have. The musicians were popular with the crew, as they were entertainment as well as a valuable battle element. The musicians played during meal times and during work breaks allowing the crew some entertainment to break the monotony of long hours of tiring work. This boost in moral was welcome at anytime, but was perhaps the most effective when used in battle.

From stories of Bartholomew Roberts crew and others, we know that when a ship with musicians approached another ship with the intention to fight, the effects of the music could be terrifying to the enemy. The musicians would play marches and other martial music. There were drum rolls, trumpet and bugle calls, and perhaps even a piper given the nationality of the crew. Add to this the noise of the ship’s cook beating upon his pots and pans and the crew stamping their feet or beating their weapons against the ship. Finally top this off with the sounds of shouting, screaming, and shooting, both pistols and rifles as well as cannons and deck guns. Your imagination can supply you with the details of the scene. The intended result is achieved: the morale aboard the pirate vessel is raised to a fevered pitch while the morale of their intended prize is shaken. So do not forget that pirates and privateers know the value of bardic inspiration when you run those encounters.