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[msevelynsilver]

Hey so I know Black Sails was a while ago and I’m late to the pirate party but I desperately need your attention for a moment because I’m losing my MIND.

Obviously the show is a fantastic no-holds-barred blend of history and fiction, but there’s one historical connection that I thought was half my imagination at first, but every second I look at this shit I’m sliding downhill into acceptance.

The Hamiltons and their complicated and scandalous relationship with a Naval officer…..

…are based on the Hamiltons and their complicated and scandalous relationship with a Naval officer?

Yes, that’s a picture of Horatio Nelson on the end. I know, and I’m sorry. Please give me a chance to explain myself.

We have, right to left, Admiral Nelson, Sir William Hamilton, and Sir William’s wife, Emma Hamilton, mostly remembered for her extraordinarily blatant and scandalous affair with Nelson. It was a hell of a thing.  There were contemporary rude cartoons about William Hamilton being so scholarly and oblivious that he didn’t know his wife was openly carrying on with Nelson. There’s even a movie about it starring Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier, for whatever that’s worth.

But it’s a little ridiculous, the extent to which their torrid affair is remembered for having happened under William Hamilton’s nose. Nelson lived with the both of them for extended periods, traveled across Europe with them, wrote incessantly to them. In fact, they referred to themselves fondly as the Tria juncta in uno– that is to say, three joined in one.

Look me in the eyes right now.

 Letter from Sir William Hamilton to Lady Emma Hamilton Burford, Eighty Miles from London. Saturday Night, [July 27th, 1801.]

Here we are, my Dear Emma, after a pleasant day’s journey! No extraordinary occurrence. Our chaise is good, and would have held the famous “Tria juncta in Uno,” very well: but, we must submit to the circumstances of the times. … Amuse yourself as well as you can; and you may be assured, that I shall return as soon as possible, and you shall hear from me often.

Ever your’s, my dear Emma, with the truest affection,

 Wm. HAMILTON.

My kindest love to my Lord, if he is not gone.

I’m sorry but I don’t know what else to tell you.

Excerpt, letter from Sir William Hamilton to Admiral Horatio Nelson Palermo, May 26th, 1799

Above all, take care of your health; that is the first of blessings. May God ever protect you! We miss you heavily: but, a short time must clear up the business; and, we hope, bring you back to those who love and esteem you to the very bottom of their souls.

Sir William Hamilton ending a letter to his wife:   Adieu, my dearest Emma! Your’s, with my whole soul,       W.H.

Sir William Hamilton ending a letter to Nelson:    Adieu, my dear Lord! Your Lordship’s truly affectionate, and eternally attached,       Wm. Hamilton

This has been driving me completely bonkers wrt the attitudes of the historical accounts for a hot minute now, particularly since Emma became a social pariah for their highly-publicized presumed affair after Sir William, and then Nelson, predeceased her, but I honestly cannot, for a single eight-hundredth of a second, imagine that the concept of the Hamiltons and Lt. McGraw came about without some awareness of the self-proclaimed Tria of the actual married Hamiltons and their very dearly loved Naval hero.

And, for one final small item of infuriatingly minor but TOO CONVENIENT connection– Sir William Hamilton had been married once, prior to Emma, and was widowed by his first wife’s early death. His first wife, with whom he was eventually buried, was named Catherine Hamilton, née Barlow.

[msevelynsilver]

Some of these are canon and some are fanon, but which is your favorite?

[msevelynsilver]

Please reblog so more people can vote!

[msevelynsilver]

[msevelynsilver]

This is fascinating. I didn’t vote in the first poll, but I think Silver is right, which seems to be the unpopular opinion regardless of what people chose themselves.

Why do I think Silver is right? I don’t know. Morally, I’m with Flint all the way. But I think part of me agrees with Max that they had to try to create change from the inside. And I think part of me just felt trapped by the narrative, even as the viewer, knowing they were doomed to fail and wanting Silver to make the choice that would end with the most characters alive, even at the cost of Flint’s possible death.

no one is allowed to say ".... well its morally complicated" we all know the subtitle of Black Sails is It's Morally Complicated . choose

[msevelynsilver]

I worked at a wedding today and the bride’s and groom’s names were Miranda and James. So like every normal person, my mind immediately went to these two:

[msevelynsilver]

“The story is his, the story isn’t his. But the power of the telling, that is clearly his.” (2.8)

“A story is true, a story is untrue. As time extends, it matters less and less. The stories we want to believe, those are the ones that survive despite upheaval and transition and progress.” (4.10)

Mr. Scott says the first quote about Silver (telling a Solomon Little story) and of course the second one is Jack’s famous speech. I think it’s interesting how similarly they start. But they provide the power to different people: Mr. Scott gives the power to the teller of the story, while Rackham gives power to the listeners and the society who controls which stories survive.

On a meta level, Black Sails is a story about stories. Both the teller and the listener have power. But if the show has done what it can in telling a wonderful story, then it is up to us as the viewers/listeners to make sure that this is a story that survives and that people remember.

[msevelynsilver]

The parallels between the two dinner scenes where Flint literally stands up to defend Thomas against his father (2.05) and Miranda literally stands up to defend Flint against Peter (2.09). Both dinners happen when one group is presenting a somewhat outrageous proposal to the other. And yes, Miranda is defending all of them and accusing Peter of betraying them long ago. But she is also keeping Flint from following through with Peter’s plan, which would have shamed him.

James McGraw’s life changed when he stood at that dinner table, because he found something he was angry enough about to forego propriety. He cared enough about Thomas to do something truly stupid and infuriate a lord.

Miranda’s life would have changed too, if she had lived longer. For ten years, she had wanted to put the past behind them. She had been sad and lonely and devastated, but she hadn’t been angry like Flint. That was the first moment she truly understood him.

For both characters, it marks a reversal of what they’d earlier said or condoned. And for both characters, their righteous rage in defence of another proves to be their undoing and the undoing of the life they had all been living.

[msevelynsilver]

Vane must have really trusted Billy, or at least Billy’s intention to save Flint, in 2.10. Billy gave Vane Abigail Ashe’s diary to be read at Flint’s trial, but Vane is illiterate. He wouldn’t have known what was written in the book. Billy could have been handing him anything, even some sort of trap, and Vane wouldn’t have realized. Which means that his admiration of Billy wasn’t just a ploy he was using when he boarded the ship, but a genuine belief. AND it means that he was wholeheartedly convinced by Billy’s speech, enough to put blind faith in him.

[msevelynsilver]

There are a lot of funny moments in Black Sails but a truly unappreciated one is when Jack says “Beware the women, Mr. Featherstone, they bite” and Featherstone says “I’m in love with a good woman, sir. I’m not concerned.”

The look on Jack’s face when he realises Featherstone is talking about Idelle is comedic gold. This is a man who, only a few episodes ago, listened to Max instruct Idelle on how to make Featherstone fall in love her with by acting believably in love with him. And exactly what these two women plotted has come to pas.

Jack’s face just says “we’re all fucked.”

[msevelynsilver]

In 2.3, Vane says to Anne and Jack “Look at the two of you. Every reason to run screaming from each other, and yet you’re still as thick as the moment I first found you fucking behind the galley. You’ll either be the death of each other or we’ll all end up working for you someday. Doubt there’s any third outcome.”

This line is insanely prophetic. And Vane was right. They were always going to succeed or fail together because neither was capable of separating themself from the other. The only question was if they’d both succeed or both fail. Both outcomes were likely. They’re smart and strong and loyal, but between Anne’s anger and Jack’s pride they had a real chance of failing too.

What Vane failed to account for was Max. Max, who gave Jack a captaincy when he had nothing. Max, who covered up Anne’s murders so she would face no repercussions. Max, who came up with the idea to go to Boston and who secured Marian Guthrie’s aid in creating a prosperous Nassau with herself in the seat of power.

Jack and Anne had something really good as a duo, but the triumvirate of them and Max was even more powerful. Vane, at that point in time, didn’t know who Max was to them and didn’t know to account for her. Yet she is the one who ultimately ended up running the place and it is because of their relationship with her that Jack and Anne ended up on top as well, secretly continuing piracy in Nassau and living out their dreams.

[msevelynsilver]

"I believe you are the best of us. The two of you together are the world in balance" tell me why straight people have yet to have a scene as utterly romantic as a man about to give another man the means and, worse, the permission to kill him for a chance at living with and loving someone else I'm going to die

[msevelynsilver]

“Jack Rackham… the crew killer.”

[msevelynsilver]

In 3.2 Eleanor says, “To slay Nassau, you must know her.”

oh hey the idea that you can only be slain by someone who truly Knows and Understands you, what a concept.

Silver was able to end Flint because he knew and loved him. Miranda and Gates were unsuccessful in their endeavors to Stop Flint b/c they each only knew half of him and tried to keep their toes out of the Darkness whereas Silver just jumped right in there and in time was able to know/understand both Flint and McGraw.

Flint in 3.10 espousing his own sort of Narrative Godhood and Magic: “I have survived starvation, a tempest, pirate hunters, jealous captains, mutinous crews, angry lords, a queen, a king, and the goddamn British navy. So to whatever extent you may be concerned that some day we will clash, worried that though today we be friends, some day you will have no choice but to be my end, I wouldn’t worry too much.” 

It’s like, yes, you can only be ended by someone who loves you and who you love in return, a friend who truly understands you. A disciple if you will.

Anyway I hate it here

[msevelynsilver]

I’ve decided that Fourth of July by Fall Out Boy is a Silverflint song. Mostly from the perspective of a post-canon Silver.

“You are my favourite ‘what if’ / you are my best ‘I’ll never know’”

“I said I’d never miss you, but I guess you’ll never know / may the bridges I have burnt light my way back home”

“In between being young and being right / you were my Versailles at night”

“Cutting open old scars / again and again ‘til I’m stuck in your head”

“I wish I’d known how much you loved me / I wish I cared enough to know / I’m sorry every song’s about you / the torture of small talk with someone you used to love”

[msevelynsilver]

i like how in s3 of black sails there is this conversation between madi and silver, where silver admits to knowing fuckall about sailing, and just largely repeating de groots words phonetically to keep up the appearance that he knows what he’s doing. and knowing how silver is kind of good with social stuff and crew management it gives this impression that he might be succeeding at that, with him being unchallenged quatermaster etc. however later in the same episode hornigold shows up and silver is agitated and gives command to move to pick up flint and co. and he shouts “ready the launches”, to which de groot kind of quietly and patiently says “lower the courses”, and which is then repeated by the rest of the crew on the ship.

[msevelynsilver]

Like I'm sorry but what if Max had brought just one more man, or Hands had been just a little less successful, and she had captured Silver. And Flint would think he's dead and end up bonding with Madi in their shared love and grief and war, just like he did Miranda. And just like before, the dead man is not dead at all. Imagine the look on Silver’s face when he arrives at the plantation, beaten bloody, cast out from his own society right as he was about to change it for the better, and the first man to help him to his feet says "My name is Thomas Hamilton". What if instead of taking Flint to the plantation, Thomas and Silver rally the plantation and bring the fight to Flint. What if right as all hope seems lost, Flint and Madi look at each other, and then look to the beach, and leading another army of newly freed men are the ghosts they love. Like literally what the FUCK.