#a good pyrate

[yronnia]

Look how proud Stede is about his foliage and how well he took care of the spoils of the first swashbuckling.

[askthechronoverse]

All rise.

We're getting off track... and way too mushy. I'm calling MetalBeard to the stand!

Hey! Big guy! Tell the court what RJ is really like!

Aye. He'd be an inconsiderate and annoying man who don't play by any rules! The scallywag has been nothing but a bane on the high space seas since the day he came into our lives! He deserves to be thrown in the brig for the rest of his life!

[shipwreckedwithcaptainmarrow]

Sinking of the 1715 Treasure Fleet

On the 31st of July, 1715, the famous 1715 Spanish Plate Fleet, consisting of twelve treasure galleons, was nearly entirely destroyed by a hurricane off the coast of Spanish La Florida, around 2 a.m. near present day Vero Beach.

The vessels had been carrying over seven million pesos worth of gold and goods from Veracruz when the fleet went down, with two of the ships being lost to open ocean, while the others were crashed into the shallow shoreline up and down the Florida coastline.

(A depiction of the Urca de Lima, one of the vessels of the fleet, wrecked upon Florida shores in the series Black Sails)

The Nuestra Senora de la Carmen was laden with gold bars, doubloons, and silver. An equal amount of wealth was on board the Nuestra Senora del Rosario in 1,000 chests, and the Senora de la Concepcion (also known as Urca de Lima) carried hundreds of chests of coinage as well. The Nuestra Senora de la Regla carried 1,300 chests of nearly three million silver coins, gold coins, chests of uncut emeralds and pearls, and Chinese porcelain.

Over 1,000 sailors would perish from the hurricane, including General Don Juan Esteban de Ubilla, commander of the fleet. In total, eleven vessels went down.

About half of the fleet’s Spanish sailors would survive the incident, and would create a salvage camp upon what is now North Hutchinson Island, and began collecting what treasure they could while waiting for rescue. Aid in the form of food, clothes, and tools came from St. Augustine to the north, sending a relief expedition.

(Myself visiting the site of the 1715 Salvagers' Camp earlier this year)

However, news of what transpired spread fast, and many pirates in the Caribbean and along the American coast flocked to the site for the treasure that was ripe for the taking. First on the scene was English privateer Captain Henry Jennings, along with crewmate Charles Vane in the Bersheba, along with four other vessels.

Jennings had been granted a commission from the governor of Jamaica to “Execute all manner of acts of hostility against pyrates according to the Law of Arms” with instructions to harm no one other than pirates. However, after learning the location of the salvage camp, from a Spanish mail ship, they would ignore their commission's rules and instead lead a ground assault at the still struggling camp - the plunder of which would become Jenning’s call to piratical fame.

(Treasure from the plate fleet. These pieces in particular, amid other artifacts, were discovered by diver Christopher James. Note that while mostly what is pictured are artifacts from the 1715 fleet, the keys and padlocks are from a later date) Today, those visiting the site of the Salvagers' Camp will find the McLarty Treasure Museum, a small maritime museum dedicated to the 1715 fleet. Beyond the museum is a boardwalk through overgrown dunes and out to a lookout post overlooking the coastline with a helm, mast, and a plaque for the fleet.

(My photos of the helm and sight at the lookout station) My venture to the site earlier this year was a success, was well-received by those operating it and they may have me return at some point to do an educational program with them.

[whencyclopedia]

Edward England

Edward England was an Irish pirate who operated in the Caribbean, the Eastern Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean between 1717 and 1720 during the Golden Age of Piracy (1690-1730). Captain England’s successful but brief pirate career came to an end when he was marooned by his crew on the island of Mauritius in 1720.

Early Career

Captain England has his own chapter in the celebrated pirate’s who’s who, A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates, compiled in the 1720s. The book was credited to a Captain Charles Johnson on its title page, but this is perhaps a pseudonym of Daniel Defoe (although scholars are still debating the issue, and Charles Johnson may have been a real, if entirely unknown pirate expert). As with many other pirates, the General History is an invaluable source on England’s career, even if there are fictional additions to the factual information laboriously garnered from such sources as court records, official documents, and letters of the period.

Edward England’s real name was possibly Jasper Seager (or Seegar). Like many pirates of the period, England was obliged to join a pirate crew after the ship on which he was serving was captured. England had been an officer on a Jamaican sloop when it was taken by Christopher Winter, who was based at the pirate haven of New Providence in the Bahamas. The General History gives the following not unfavourable assessment of England’s character:

England was one of those men, who seemed to have such a share of reason, as should have taught him better things. He had a great deal of good nature, and did not want for courage; he was not avaricious, and always averse to the ill usage prisoners received: he would have been contented with moderate plunder, and less mischievous pranks could his companions have been brought to the same temper, but he was generally over-ruled. (114)

Following the successful attacks on pirates in their haven at New Providence (now Nassau) by Woodes Rogers, Governor of the Bahamas from 1717, England sailed across the Atlantic to continue his piracy elsewhere. Several merchant ships were captured in the Azores, Cape Verde Islands, and off the coast of West Africa.

In 1718, England himself obliged an otherwise honest man to turn pirate when he captured the Welshman Howell Davis who had been chief mate on a slave ship, the Cadogan of Bristol. The captain of the Cadogan was murdered, and Davis was given command of the slaver despite refusing to formally sign England’s ship’s articles and become a part of his pirate crew. Impressed with Davis’ courage, England allowed him to sail off. Davis ended up in Barbados where he was captured. Davis managed to escape prison, and he continued a pirate career on both sides of the Atlantic, a spree that ended with his death on Principe Island in 1719.

England was, for a time, an associate of the most successful of all pirates in the so-called Golden Age, Bartholomew Roberts (aka 'Black Bart' Roberts, c. 1682-1722). In the relatively small world of pirates, Roberts had taken over the crew of Howell Davis after the latter’s death. Roberts and England operated off the coast of Guinea, West Africa. England operated two ships: his own sloop and another prize renamed Victory. Command of the latter was given to John Taylor and together they raided the western coast of India and took more prize ships. When required, provisions were taken on board at the pirate base on Madagascar.

Continue reading...

[amuseoffyre]

It makes me yell seeing how literally Ed leans when he goes back to "the old days" and so much of it is stuff he - or Stede - vocally rejected before:

"this is what they think I look like" - dons kohl around the eyes and trailing coat like the picture Izzy shows him

"The Demon Pyrate Blackbeard" - "I'm the fucking devil"

"nine guns? I have one gun and one knife" - a bandolier with half a dozen pistols on it

"cutting off peoples' toes and feeding them for a laugh" - so Stede thinks it (and Ed) is yuck? Well, let's be as Yuck as possible.

"drinking all the time" - all the booze and a lot of rhino horn

Man figures if he's not good enough for the person who said he was his friend, if he's not good enough as himself for the man who was his First Mate, then why be good at all? Just sink into the worst parts of all of it and drown.

[the-uncharted-cookbook]

Avery's Grand Punch

I had thought Nathan Drake was out of the game for good, but I should have known better. It had been years since I had last seen him and we both had death-defying stories to share with each other. Nate had done it yet again and found another legendary long lost city. This time it was Libertalia, a pirate utopia nestled off the coast of Madagascar, a place that people have been searching for since Captain Charles Johnson published A General History of the Pyrates in 1724. He pulled a gold coin from his pocket and told me a tale of pirates and puzzles, the return of lost family and old rivals, and of the fine line between passion and obsession.

Libertalia was founded by Henry Avery, Thomas Tew, and ten other pirate captains as a way to achieve true freedom for themselves and their crews, far away from the governments that would have them hanged for piracy. Their resources and spoils were pooled together and an idyllic colony was built. But greed led the founders to betray their community and hoard all of the wealth for themselves. Libertalia was broken. As the founders began to turn on each other, Avery and Tew hatched a plan to end the conflict permanently. They brought all of the founders of Libertalia together under the guise of peace talks, knowing that only they would walk out alive. With one final toast, ten of history's greatest pirates unknowingly drank their demise and perished in an instant, all at the same table.

Avery's Grand Punch is a red wine rum punch inspired by the romanticism of piracy and the promises of Libertalia. Pirates would typically drink whatever they could get their hands on but wine and rum were some of the most prevalent drinks in the Caribbean, where most of Libertalia's pirate captains roamed before turning their sails to Madagascar. Historically, rum was often cut with lime juice, sugar, and spices to improve the taste. Red wine was chosen to round out this punch as a representation of the opulence of Libertalia's founders. Avery's Grand Punch is a potent drink fit for a pirate captain, just be sure to drink it in good company.

AVERY'S GRAND PUNCH

Ingredients: 1.5 oz moderately aged Barbadan rum (Plantation Barbados 5) 0.5 oz light-bodied red wine 0.5 oz lime juice 0.25 oz Earl Grey syrup Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with pebble ice. Shake and strain into a wine glass. Garnish with an orange peel to help prevent scurvy.

Avery's Grand Punch calls for a moderately aged Barbadan rum. These rums are typically aged between 4-10 years and often have a golden hue. I used Plantation Barbados 5 for this recipe, but Real McCoy 5 Year, Mount Gay Eclipse, or other moderately aged Barbadan rums are all effective substitutes. I chose a light-bodied red wine because because their higher acidity plays well with the lime juice and their lower tannins and alcohol content help compliment the rum rather than overpower it.

Depending on your personal taste, you may wish to increase or decrease the amount of lime juice and Earl Grey syrup to adjust the sour and sweet flavors.

The recipe for Earl Grey syrup can be found here.

[serpentarius]

I'm on my S1 OFMD rewatch before I dive back into S2, and I'm only now realizing something.

So, we can pretty much all agree that Ed's transformation into the Kraken by the end of Episode 10 (and leading into 2x01) is an intense one, especially considering he's only known Stede for a few weeks. (I know the descent into detached violence is primarily egged on by Izzy, but for all intents and purposes, the pivotal trigger is Stede leaving Ed.)

Here's the thing though. Ed's depression and subsequent spiral into the Kraken isn't just about Stede the person. It's about all the things Stede represents.

Sure, Ed's fallen hard for Stede. And for any of us who have gone through a particularly hard-hitting breakup (or been ghosted by someone we really liked), we can easily understand the deep heartache. But there's so much more to it than just Ed's feelings for him.

When we first meet Ed in Episode 4, he's already at wit's end. He's fed up with life and searching for a new purpose. He's already reached legendary status as Blackbeard, so of course the question is: what's next? He even toys with the idea of dying ("Haven't done that before, have I?"), and actively acknowledges that his physical presence on a ship has become obsolete. Just the name and flag alone instil the fear of God into other sailors/pirates. And at this point in Season 1, it doesn't even seem like Ed's super keen on pillaging and plundering, except for when he and his crew get to go into teaching mode when they're showing Stede's crew how to raid. But even that scene goes to show that he only enjoys it when there's some larger purpose at play.

Ed wants to be known for more than the reputation that's currently out in the world. ("Is this what they think I look like? Fucking viking vampire clown with.... nine guns all over him?" & "I'm a ghost. There's no chaos, there's no drama, there's no fuckin' life!")

He's itching to be more than this. He doesn't want to be a ghost, or the "shell of a man" that Izzy later accuses him of being.

And Stede—Stede is the person who sees something more in him. Who allows him to be softer and sillier. A human; not the larger-than-life Mad Devil Pyrate Blackbeard. Ed feels seen, perhaps for the first time in his life. And he proceeds to spend a glorious, genuinely happy few weeks with Stede.

So then cut to 1x10 when Ed's staring into the flame of the candle, eating marmalade in his blanket fort and crying while wrapped in Stede's robe. He sees everything he's lost. He was on the cusp of something new, a chance to break free from the Blackbeard persona - but it was ripped away in an instant, ripped away before he even had a real chance to explore this path.

He desperately wanted to distance himself from Blackbeard, from the Kraken, and thought Stede was his ticket to this happier future. One filled with excitement (and warmth, and good food, and possibly even orgasms). Ed told Stede that the last few weeks were the most fun he'd had in ages, years, maybe ever. And now it's all gone; and he's mourning the loss of that hope.

Where does he go from here?

[ltwilliammowett]

hi, my sister is making a pirate costume and my family is now way too invested, so i'm wondering if you have a post about how pirates kept weapons about their persons? like holsters/belts/straps etc. thank you, love your blog!

Hi, Oh wow nice project. So to carry weapons, most of them carried a sash to which they attached them. Some also tied lanyards to them to prevent loss. This was actually just a piece of rope that sailors wore around their necks to carry a knife or marlin spike or something. But some also wore swordbelts. It is best to read A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates, by Captain Charles Johnson 1736.

(x)

There are many contemporary illustrations and you can use them as a good guide. Have fun with the costume and thanks for the compliment.

[earthwormspaghetti]

I feel simultaneously very sad about the Thing (ffs there’d better be an AU fanfic where everything’s absolutely the same, except Izzy’s still there) and very happy that Stede and Ed finally got to be silly little innkeepers together.

Also, why, though. Why Izzy, of all people? You just give him a lovely redemption arc, a good story of acceptance from the crew and the journey to self-love, AND a killer speech to that asshole with the wooden schnoz, but then YOU FUCKING RUN IT INTO THE GROUND LIKE A BOAT WITH A MADMAN AT ITS PROW!

Do you UNDERSTAND what you did? The character everyone enjoyed watching grow and hurt and feel happy and learn, who finally got a chance at happiness after basing his whole life off something that only hurt him, who survived all the curveballs thrown at him, you just ABANDONED him so the story had a bit of drama in it?!

Also, if I correctly calculate, Stede & Ed (the real people!) do only 1 year at sea: this is correctly mirrored in the show; they leave seafaring after about a year (1717-1718)

Meanwhile, Isreal Hands is said to have continued after Ed Teach and Stede Bonnet stopped; he’s on PHYSICAL records (for testimony against Ed’s corruption, but such details are not the most important in the show’s contents. [what IS, you mothers and sons of fuckers, is how long he fucking LIVED!]) as being alive and well after both pirates’ end of careers: he was recuperating from a bullet wound (see what you could’ve DONE THERE, you?! See how symbolic it could’ve been for him to recover from that bullet he took, this time not ferreted away in secrecy, but cared for by the crew, and, most importantly, in the place where he finally felt welcome? To heal and get better, becoming captain like he was [IRL] of Blackbeard’s ship the Adventure? TO FINALLY FEEL AT HOME AND SAFE?! To have CLOSURE?!)

But NOOOOOO, you just HAD to kill the guy off, and for what? Was the intent to make it more dramatic? To amplify people’s feelings while watching the show? Because what has been done here is a deliberate killing off of a very prominent character, with no obvious or logical reason for doing so in view.

Now, this is certainly a complaint against the writing choices for the show, but can’t we also blame HBO, who crammed it into 8 episodes instead of 10? Would it be better if they had more stuff to work with; would there have been less need for drama and melancholy? I would strongly prefer slower episodes, to cramming the storyline into only eight, and just throwing random shit at the whiteboard and seeing what sticks. You understand? That drama is not the answer? That having him recover, or better yet, just not have him get shot at all, would be so much funner to wrap up ROMANTIC COMEDY with?!

For fuck’s sake, we don’t even really know when Izzy died; the only record we have is from 1724, when Captain Charles Johnson said in his book “A General History Of The Pyrates” that he died a beggar in London.

See how fucking open ended that is? Just a questionable source, giving a rather vague claim? How EASY it would be to have him… well, pretty much do anything except get randomly shot in 1718? They did it for Ed and Stede, they could very easily do it for Izzy.

At least, if they wanted something exciting/dramatic, have him be captured by the English and testify against Ed as an innocent bystander who Teach maimed; and somehow build from there. Maybe he could become a craftsman and fade into obscurity, enjoying a quiet life on land. Maybe become a singer at a bar, having a good time as himself (he wasn’t bad at the party, he could sure use that to his advantage!) Maybe he could run into the crew, just as he’s about to be executed, or as he’s being hanged, and be liberated by them; to rejoin their crew as their beloved unicorn. Maybe he could get lost and presumed dead in the chaos, only to be found alive and his usual slightly damp, permanently cranky state of being a while later.

I now feel quite disappointed to be deprived of my, and a lot of people’s, favorite weird little one-legged grouch.

Godspeed to the fic makers, I wish you all the best of winds in your sails, which sadly appears to have left that small part of the story itself. Make me proud and use as many adjectives as you like; I’d love to learn how many words you can find to convey “strange and slightly greasy”.

[emabatis]

About a Zombie Working at an Amusement Park

This one's 923 words of drudgery. For the full working-at-a-theme-park experience, reread 60 times with loud annoying ambient noise in the background.

I've never been on this ride. The one I'm operating, that is. I guess I died before it opened. It's one of those spinny ones where guests go around in high, exciting circles in a metal container, instead of going around in boring circles with their feet. The line around the fence is one of those boring circles, which, since I'm kind of the one keeping them there, makes a lot of guests mad at me. I'm not sure how I would feel on either of these rides. Or, "feel," I guess. Guests go on these things to feel something in the speed, the height, the weather and good vertigo that can only happen because of this machine. I don't feel those things anymore, so what would the point be. I can hold this stick with the pointing hand on top, which probably isn't a real hand, and I know that it's slimy from sweat and years of grime on the peel-y paint, because I would see what it's made of if I could see, and I could hear how heavy it is if I could hear, but I can't. But I don't know what it's like to be tall and fast and spinning in the exact pattern I initiate every four to five minutes. It's weird, maybe. It doesn't feel weird, of course, but it is, and maybe if I had time off I could think it's weird, too, but as it is, it just is. I can only think spinny things.

I know, sometimes, but not how, that people who work with computers or in offices with copiers and printers, that those little machines get cute names and pseudo-personalities. Mine doesn't, even with the faces painted on the cars. It works too reliably to have much of a personality. It isn't anybody's, especially not mine. Same thing with the Uniform, The only thing keeping me different from the other yellow-shirts is the company hat that keeps my bald spot appropriate for guests.

There's a huge difference between the ground-rides that I usually operate and the roller coasters. The ground rides, there's only one of us, maybe two if it's big and un-understaffed, which isn't often. Roller coasters need a team. But when I work roller coasters, I'm always working. There's an endless stream of trains coming in and going out every time, and I like it when it rains because I'm allowed to stand still for more than a "second," I don't even talk to anyone or do an activity, there'd be no point, it's not allowed, I just stand. It's the closest thing to euphoria I have. I get to stand when I work ground rides, but I need to stand around guests, and no one else is there to chase them away. I don't know any of the other ride operators, even though we're all the same. I don't know myself, either, though, so it's more like "because."

Guests aren't allowed to bring certain things onto rides, that's on the signs, I know, but I can't read them, and neither can the guests but they don't know. In front of a few roller coasters, there's a glass case effigy, like the skeleton in a hanging cage holding a sign that says "pyrates beware," but instead of a skeleton it's scraps of glass and metal that used to be phones. Now they're one big broken phone that's only good at being a broken phone. They bring them on anyway and it's always my fault. Is it possible to be hungry without a working stomach?

The onboarding procedure is the worst part. Parents need to be told they're too tall to ride, even though there's words about that on the sign, too. Kids need to not unbuckle the restraints, I need to make sure. Guests expect to talk to me. They don't like that they talk at me. I lock-gats-turn-the-key-pull-out-the-E-stop-press-down-on-foot-pedal-press-start and guests still want to talk to me. It's part of my job to make sure none of the small guests turn into small hurt people. I'm only allowed to eat people, which is a shame, I never see them. Is that the amusement? That they get to be nothing but spinny wind and noise for a day? Why do they want to bring their backpacks and purses and phones onto rides?

At noon there's a chime that lasts too short, and I don't know where it comes from. I can't see anything, but I can see clocks even less. Sometimes I catch a glimpse of the numbers on a guest's phone, I actually look out for them, keeping a lot of my lack of awareness on the number of guests and the rest on their hands. I don't know why, it never means anything. It's never nine o'clock. I don't know how I get here. I don't know how I get home. I don't even know how I get to other rides. It's not surprising, though, I guess. I also don't know how to do something as simple as smell.

My job isn't to help guests have fun, that's up to the ride manufacturer and the guests themselves. My job isn't to sell tickets, people need to buy them in order to become guests and enter in the first place. I guess I have a million little jobs, but I can't put "doesn't rot too much" on a resume, if I ever get to make one. My job is to make this line shorter. And it spins and spins and spins.

[kinardgo]

please! anything but the mess that is motorsport today

Okay but honestly, best ask ever.

(CW: discussions of fairly gross medical procedures below)

SO. Here's the story about how Blackbeard might have had syphilis.

In the early eighteenth century, Edward Teach - Blackbeard - was sailing around the Atlantic in a former French slave ship called the Queen Anne's Revenge. Most people are probably fairly familiar with stories of Blackbeard - he's been in pretty much every popular piece of pirate media in the last century in some form or another. Icon. Burning fuses in the beard guy.

A lot of the stories we have of Blackbeard are directly drawn from a book, A General History of the Pyrates, which is one of the broadest accounts of piracy of this era, and then from personal accounts of people who knew him or knew of him. Remember that A General History is detail-accurate in some places, and totally fictional in others, and that Blackbeard had a serious reputation in the eighteenth century, so how accurate these stories are is really up for debate, and a lot of it has been blown up in sensationalism and fanaticism. There are almost no accounts of Blackbeard actually killing anyone, so reports of his untamed violence were probably landowners and local officials attempting to sway public opinion against him as they were so terrified of him looting them. However, one thing that people can generally agree on is that by the end of his career, Blackbeard had 'gone a bit mad'.

This is just historical context.

During the 1717 blockade of Charleston, South Carolina, as part of a random demand, he asked for a crate of medical supplies, including syringes and mercury.

The 1996 excavation on the Queen Anne's Revenge, just off the shores of Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina, revealed 240,000 artefacts, including a pewter syringe with mercury traces in it.

Getting to the main point: syphilis is a pretty nasty STD, caused by the bacteria treponema pallidum.

Now, today, syphilis is treatable with penicillin. However, in the eighteenth century - two centuries before penicillin was discovered - a common 'cure' for this was injected mercury into the urethra. This is not effective, I think it goes without saying. It would have been agony, and probably made things much worse, although I can't comment on what exposure to mercury actually does to treponema pallidum.

The thing is, when left untreated, syphilis can turn into neurosyphilis. This is when the bacteria starts to effect the nervous system though tissue in the spine and brain. I am not a medical professional so I can't explain the process with any degree of accuracy. However, what I can say is that neurosyphilis generally presents as depression, mania, personality changes, and dementia.

The latter part of Blackbeard's days mostly involve crashing his ship, finding a pardon, then returning to piracy and ultimately being killed.

However, accounts of his behaviour combined with the historical accounts and archaeological evidence do point to Blackbeard potentially suffering from syphilis. Normally, these theories are based almost entirely on folklore and slander, but I think this one has real credence. Which, as an archaeologist, makes it uniquely fascinating to me. Obviously, I'm not the first person to come up with this, and it's by no means proven, but it is very interesting.

Further reading for those interested:

This is a very good article from the Smithsonian on the last days of Blackbeard. It's quite long, but it's very readable. Please be aware that there are some discussions of slavery in this, and violence enacted against enslaved Africans.

And this is a medical report on a casestudy with someone with neurosyphilis if you're interested in it. Obviously, there are long discussions of medical ailments and procedures. However, the article itself is only 3 pages, and I didn't struggle with it as someone with next to no foundational knowledge of medicine.

I have a small library of other Golden Age of Piracy related texts because of my uni project right now, so if there is anything else than anyone would like to know, let me know and I can see if I can find the books and articles for you lmao. Anything to wring the most out of my university online library access for the last few weeks!!

[gaypiratepropaganda]

ok here are the most important ones (to me)

The Ballad of the Pirate Queens by Anne Yolen

this is a children's book in verse about Anne Bonny and Mary Read. responsible for my pirate obsession

Bloody Jack by LA Meyer

a young adult series about a girl who disguises herself as a boy, goes to sea, and becomes a pirate. these were the best thing ever invented to kid me but I haven't read them in a while so I don't know if they're actually like, good. I liked the atmosphere and the slightly antiquated way it was written. there are gay bits.

A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates: From Their first Rise and Settlement in the Island of Providence to the present Time, with the remarkable Actions and Adventures of the two Female Pyrates Mary Read and Anne Bonny

or A General History of the Pyrates by "Captain Charles Johnson"

A good starting point. a lot of our pirate stories come from this book. it claims to be a true historical record, but I have my doubts. still fun though. I think this guy just wrote down every story he heard about pirates. it has illustrations.

Sodomy and the Pirate Tradition by B.R. Burg

not super historical but it doesn't really claim to be. basically it's just this guy going. "so... pirates fucked, right? like, there's no way they didn't." and then he's correct. I mainly wanted this book as a teenager because I loved the cover and the title but now it's in my brain forever. look at Blackbeard. look at his gay little pose

Pirate Enlightenment or The Real Libertalia by David Graeber

this is the one I'm reading right now and I love it so far. it's about pirates in Madagascar and the real-life version of the pirate utopia from general history of pyrates (it isn't real but it kind of is but not.) I like the writer, he's written other good things. he's obsessed with the enlightenment for some reason but you can easily ignore that.

On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers, which is kind of like a magical realism type thing. I think it's kind of what pirates of the Caribbean is based on. this is where I knew Stede Bonnet from

Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb, three books that are part of a fantasy series. these pirates are dicks to each other a lot but they are gay and their ships are alive.

Lost Boi by Sassafras Lowrey is a queer sort of modern version of Peter Pan. captain hook is in there and he's like a leather guy. not literally pirates, but still.

The Dawnhounds by Sascha Stronach is science fiction with queer pirates, a monkey god, and mushroom houses.

[shipwreckedwithcaptainmarrow]

On the 31st of July, 1715, the famous 1715 Spanish Plate Fleet which consisted of eleven or twelve treasure galleons was entirely destroyed by a hurricane off the coast of Spanish La Florida, around 2 a.m. near present day Vero Beach.

The vessels had been carrying over seven million pesos worth of gold and goods from Veracruz when the fleet went down, with two of the ships being lost to open ocean, while the others were crashed into the shallow shoreline up and down the Florida coastline.

The Nuestra Senora de la Carmen was laden with gold bars, doubloons, and silver. An equal amount of wealth was on board the Nuestra Senora del Rosario in 1,000 chests, and the Senora de la Concepcion (also known as Urca de Lima) carried hundreds of chests of coinage as well. The Nuestra Senora de la Regla carried 1,300 chests of nearly three million silver coins, gold coins, chests of uncut emeralds and pearls, and Chinese porcelain.

Over 1,000 sailors would perish from the hurricane, including General Don Juan Esteban de Ubilla, commander of the fleet.

About half of the fleet’s Spanish sailors would survive the incident, and would create a salvage camp upon what is now North Hutchinson Island, and began collecting what treasure they could while waiting for rescue. Aid in the form of food, clothes, and tools came from St. Augustine to the north, sending a relief expedition.

However, news of what transpired spread fast, and many pirates in the Caribbean and along the American coast flocked to the site for the treasure that was ripe for the taking. First on the scene was English privateer Captain Henry Jennings, along with crewmate Charles Vane, in the Bersheba, along with four other vessels.

Jennings had been granted a commission from the governor of Jamaica to “Execute all manner of acts of hostility against pyrates according to the Law of Arms” with instructions to harm no one other than pirates. However, after learning the location of the salvage camp, from a Spanish mail ship, they would ignore their commission's rules and instead lead a ground assault at the still struggling camp - the plunder of which would become Jenning’s call to piratical fame.

(Pictured are multiple 1715 ships caught in a terrible storm at sea [from Black Sails], a 1715 Spanish treasure galleon wrecked onto a Florida beach [from Black Sails], treasure from the plate fleet [these pieces in particular, amid other artifacts, were discovered by diver Christopher James], and the historical marker of the salvage camp in Florida)

[mxmollusca]

For the author ask meme:

4, 11, 54!

You’re brilliant and I love your work.

Thank you 🙏

4. Where do you find inspiration for new ideas?

(I answered this one earlier)

11. Link your three favorite fics right now?

One of my toxic traits is that I'm woefully behind on my reading. My recs are not anything close to up to date. Lemme dive into my bookmarks and pull out a variety that represent my interests:

Different Names for the Same Thing by @oatmilktruther Summary: Their first anniversary is just around the corner and Ed has never been happier in a relationship. Stede, on the other hand, could be happier, if he knew he was in the relationship in the first place. (Absolutely gorgeous ace!stede rep, I reread this when I need to feel better about the world.)

whakapapa, or The Salamander Prince by brackenwife Summary: The Dread Pyrate King Blackbeard stands at the lip of an active volcano, considering all of his options. His new little buddy is interested in offering some input. Fairy tale-type shenanigans ensue. (A fairytale retelling that absolutely nails their voices. Adorable and heartwarming.)

Tasseomancy by @zacharybosch Summary: A modern AU where Ed saves Stede from embarrassment in a café, and then suddenly accidental sugar daddy happens. (It's perfect in every way. I am a connoisseur of pining, and this is SUCH GOOD PINING.)

54. What's your favorite part about the fanfiction writing process?

(answered this one before as well)

get to know your fic writer challenge

[twisted-tales-told]

Shelf three of the bookshelf tours <3

Welcome to: pirates and science fiction (with a bit of magic thrown in there for good measure)

I have 4 books on pirates! Raiders & Rebels, a general history of the pyrates, the republic of the pirates and the 4th u can’t see cuz it’s lying down in an annoying way: pirates of the 7 seas. My favourite is the republic of the pirates but the most informational is a general history of the pyrates. I really want more books on Indonesian pirates, china’s history of pirates (specifically Zheng Yi Sao) as well books about female pirates. If anyone has any recommendations I will take them!!!

I also have my complete work of Kafka there because I think it fits in well with the pirate books.

Moving on we have V.E. Schwab land. I love the way they write characters so much, and it transitions beautifully from pirates to magic. And. I finished the third book of the shades of magic series last night. I am book grieving right now. The ending. Holland. Kell. Rhys my baby. I feel so much right now.

Then I have my copy of the night circus, which if you’re a visual reader is definitely your cup of tea. I really enjoyed it! It blurs more into poetry than prose but that exactly what I wanted out of it so I was happy.

Then we enter Science Fiction land starting with the Area X series<3. I love Annihilation. I loved the movie and I love the book even more. It’s everything I wanted it to be and more. Beautiful, beautiful writing.

Then we have Dune and look away I haven’t read it ok?? I have it I’ve made it 100 pages in and put it down because I was getting restless. Not bored, restless. It’s a different feeling.

Then my maze runner books because I will always have such a fond place in my heart for that series. Newt was the first fictional character I got attached to & was a huge part of my identity back when I was a lil guy reading these.

Also honorary moment for the pulp science fiction books I keep behind the books on this shelf because I am also yet to read them.

[brigdh]

Five Fic Friday

somewhere in time by one_more_page (16k) Reunion fic, or rather, ‘Stede is trying to reunite and Ed is not having it’ fic. Until Stede falls overboard in a storm, and is sent through a dozen different AUs – always with Ed reaching out first, always with Stede breaking his heart, always with Stede making the wrong choice. Heartbreaking and lovely and with absolutely *fantastic* Stede characterization.* 

category five: a shatterdome romance by owlinaminor (26k) Pacific Rim AU (knowledge of PR is not necessary to read) with a fantastic, hilarious Lucius POV. Background Lucius/Pete, Frenchie/Jon, and Ed/Stede, but the focus of the story is Jim/Olu. There’s really not enough Jim/Olu fic in the fandom, and this one is SO GOOD. Really well-written and I loved the structure – the whole thing is set up as notes and transcripts and emails for a profile that journalist Lucius is doing on Jaeger pilots.*

#gentlebeard is trending! by regional_catastrophe (41k) Another great reunion fic, this one mixes silliness (Stede accidentally converts the Republic of Pirates into Gentlebeard shippers demanding a new update) and seriousness (Stede is captured! Ed falls overboard! Oluwande and Jim reunion!) so incredibly well. Really great adventure plot, and the Ed POV sections are just heartbreaking.* 

Escape From Alpha Manor by secretsofluftnarp (10k) Canon-era omegaverse. Ed might be an omega, but he’s still the Dread Pyrate Blackbeard, and when he gets captured so that a bunch of rich assholes can amuse themselves by hunting omegas, they’re not going to get off easy. Also featuring Stede as the least predatory alpha ever. This fic is just so much fun!*

Sex is Your Best Friend by Tipsy_Kitty (a short series; two drabbles and two ficlets) Modern AU: Ed is an incubus but Stede might just be immune to his magic charms. This is kind of a silly premise, but it plays out so well and so powerfully. I absolutely love it.*

* = Izzy-safe