#But then I saw a post that was like ''It's a Treasure Island prequel'' | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

burningvelvet · 2 months

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to cope with my post-binge blues from watching black sails, i just finished the treasure island audiobook. it's my first time with any treasure island media - now i have to watch the muppets movie. any way here are my thoughts:

- i knew the character of trelawney had to be based on the romantic era edward john trelawny of byron/shelley fame and I WAS RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! sources: WONG, AMY R. “The Poetics of Talk in Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘Treasure Island.’" A Sandison Robert Louis Stevenson and the Appearance of Modernism

- i know that black sails isn't fully intended to be a perfect prequel or meant to be taken as filling in all of the gaps to treasure island but i'm still going to compare & contrast the two lol

- billy spending his whole life obsessed with flint and having alcohol withdrawal induced hallucinations about him. OMG. and i'm shocked that they just casually dropped that he visited flint in georgia to get the map like did flint request to see him before he died, was it just about the map, or did he want closure about the whole thing, did billy seek flint out, why didn't they kill each other, how the fuck did that whole thing go? i need more information dammit

- saw another post on here talking about how in black sails flint has that speech about the drunk guy named flint asking his grandpa for rum before disappearing into the sea and then in treasure island we find out flints last words were asking a "darby mcgraw" for rum before he died SO IN THE BLACK SAILS UNIVERSE DARBY IS HIS GRANDPA and so im wondering DID FLINT 1.0 EVER EXIST AT ALL OR WAS IT SIMPLY FORESHADOWING ALL ALONG but at the same time it doesnt matter because the black sails creators said the ending is intentionally canonically up to interpretation and black sails canon and treasure island canon dont match up any way but still it gives us so much to think about bc we never canonically find out who the fuck darby is

- the doctor is the funniest character ever and him giving zero shits about billy or silver is hilarious LMAO

- rly enjoy the descriptions of the contents of billy's pockets and chest. i love old shit and that whole nautical aesthetic ugh. im currently wondering about the significance of the five sea shells billy had (jim wonders abt them too) if they were souvenirs from the island or what... but we never find out!!

- and what the fuck was up with those black spots I NEED ANSWERS! It worked on Billy but not Silver?

- having grown up on PotC i'm very enthused at the references (the song, the rum, "dead mens chest," etc)

- wish we saw more of jims mom, she was lowkey a badass for a moment there telling everyone off and willing to face the wrath of the pirates with her son lol

- love how the men just take jim on for his valour and then decide to make him a cabinboy and the mom just gets a replacement son to help her around the house lmaoooo i wonder if that was a common thing for single women to do though?

- long john silver has a sort of jekyll/hyde personality (btw the author stevenson also wrote jekyll/hyde for those of you who dont know!) - also why the fuck did they leave him to his own devices toward the end and not have a gun on him 24/7 like? i was also shocked that he didnt run off with all the gold only some of it. most chaotic character ever

- my biggest questions are why did black sails take out the alcoholism and the sea shanties? but importantly the alcholism - if they were going for gritty, as they were? flint and billy's alcoholism is integral to their characters (defines their characters actually) in the book as contrasted by silvers moderation & thats rly interesting. and the lack of singing is just boring - pirates rly did have sea shanties - however i can understand for time constraints per episode and whatnot them taking out the singing for practicality - but the alcoholism again is integral to those characters as well as being historically accurate and realistic & would have added a lot imo

EDIT: immediately after posting this i realized that since there are a few years between the treasure burial and flint's supposed death in georgia, he could have become a drunk in that time if we're creating a black sails to treasure island timeline, and billy wouldn't have become a drunk til later on since black sails is set roughly 20 yrs before treasure island.

HOWEVER - by the talks of it in treasure island, and all the pirates referring to flint as a drunk etc., it would still seem that flint was always that way when they knew him, prone to drinking... but at the same time i guess you could say all the characters are jollier than in black sails as indicated by their singing and their more stereotypical piratey ways.

however i still think the alcoholism & addiction theme would have added an extra layer to everything especially after flints sad drunk scene with eleanor. also in toby stephens deep fathoms interview he said flint is essentially like an addict when it comes to his delusion & desires. anyway i digress

transcript here, audio is on youtube: https://www.justsaypodcast.com/blog/2018/12/18/transcript-interview-with-toby-stephens-of-black-sails

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sydneysageivashkov · 4 months

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I haven't seen BS so I was like "lol mood" reading "bs silvermax lavender marriage" but then I pieced it together and I gotta say I am curious despite having no context aside from Pirates 👀

lmao I am just bullshitting everything so like. it still works.

for context, black sails is a prequel to treasure island and silver is long john silver. max is his narrative twin, they rise and fall in parallel with each other, and even though they only get to meet up about once a season, their scheming is always a highlight. in treasure island proper, silver is said to have a wife, and max is one of two characters that meets the description but it certainly wouldn't be a romantic marriage. max actually ends the show on a high note, being the power behind the throne in nassau, but the governor she got sent to debtor prison historically got a second term after getting out and I doubt he'd be happy to see her, so fleeing to bristol with silver sounds like a distinct possibility post-canon for me. it's set after madi kicks silver out for good when news of woodes rogers' return comes and anne has completely vanished after jack's hanging, so both of them spend their marriage tormenting themselves and each other about lost loves and hoping the partner they've lost is still out there and will take them back one day until eventually silver goes after the treasure to take to madi despite max warning him against it

“What,” hissed Max, “are you doing here?” Silver leaned against the banister, devil blue eyes staring up at her. “Word is that our new governor isn’t looking to make use of the Guthries' gold,” he said. Max narrowed her eyes at him and he continued, “I’ve secured passage for two on the next ship off this island. It leaves at dawn.” Max crossed her arms and took one step down towards him. “And why would you waste one place on me?” She saw the shadow of grief in his eyes, a snarling beast of a thing. He swallowed and turned away. As he made his way to the door, he said over his shoulder, “First light at the beach.”

#ask games #fic #black sails

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manabombs · 4 years

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doing this meme for mr captain jack rackham because I think i’m finally ready to try to articulate my feelings, even if no one asked (i’m sorry this post is so long)

Why I like them: So... here’s the thing...

I’m kind of known for dressing like a fancy gay pirate. I’ve made a lot of cosplays over the years, but my pirate outfits are what I’m most infamous for. I met my partner over a decade ago while dressed like a fancy gay pirate. Many of my friends have seen me in pirate outfits more often then they’ve seen me in normal person clothing. Once upon a time I went to art school to study fashion design and I said “yes this is the aesthetic I’m going to cultivate” and now here we are.

When I first heard that they were making a big budget period drama that was a prequel to Treasure Island, I knew that it was going to be My Next Hyperfixation, long before I had any notion of how much queer representation there would be or even how well-written the show would be. But it took me a couple years to finally feel like I was Emotionally Ready to delve into the series (Sometimes I’m bummed that I missed out on participating in the fandom while the show was actively airing, but I’m also glad that I was able to binge it all in its entirely, because the time waiting between seasons would have made me too crazy).

And within those first two or three episodes, I saw that greasy rat man with his mullet and his avant garde facial hair choices and whatever the hell was going on with his wardrobe

and I said to myself “wait... Calico Jack... as in, the pirate known for his fashion sense...”

and I had one of those moments where I realized that this character was so much My Type that I was mad at myself for being so predictable. and I questioned some of the life choices that I made that led me to the point that this greasy rat man the sort of character that I immediately knew that I was going to fall in love with.

But that was only the beginning, because as I watched more of the series, I related to him more and more-- I think it was mannerisms at first, and things like “having to explain the vocabulary you just used to your coworkers” and “I would also like Anne Bonny to be my wife”, but gradually I began to relate to him for increasingly personal reasons. I first watched Black Sails after I had gone through a particularly rough couple years, and the catharsis of watching Jack go from “they pissed on me” to being the character who is ultimately victorious over the series’ main antagonist was an emotionally intense experience. I was already projecting on him by the time that he delivered the “great art has felled empires” monologue, which was the moment I knew that I was deeply invested in this character, and he hadn’t even started showing off his best looks yet. There are, of course, moments where his actions are... morally dubious, but even those instances just managed to make me more attached to him, because I respect the hell out of how well the writers succeeded in making him such a well-developed character.

By the end of the series I realized that I related to this character on an intensely personal level, in a way that I haven’t connected with a fictional character in years, except it felt more profound than the times I’ve connected with fictional characters in the past because this time I was an Adult with a deeper understanding of the Self. I don’t want to sound like a soulbonder or a kinnie or whatever the kids are calling it these days but it really felt like this:

tl;dr I came for the wardrobe and stayed for the waxing about art philosophy and historiography

Why I don’t: ... undermining the revolution wasn’t great...

Favorite episode: I’m a big fan of 2.06 because... you know...

but also because we had to wait 14 episodes to see this pirate on a fuckin boat

Favorite season: Season three features so many of my favorite tropes it feels unreal... Jack and Charles as co-captains sharing authority and declaring their undying loyalty to each other... the way he goes full dandy the moment he has money to burn... Jack has to gain the approval of his judgmental father-in-law... his homoerotic rivalry with Rogers... getting arrested and then rescued by his significant others in the most dramatic way possible... I choose to believe that there was a brief, shining moment right before the beginning of season 3 where Jack was able to just chill and be optimistic about the future and bask in Charles Vane’s approval amidst his pile of gold and new wardrobe while Anne and Max were off doing lesbian stuff...

Favorite line: “It’s the art that leaves the mark, but to leave it, it must transcend, it must speak for itself, it must be true,” I mutter to myself as I draw vampire pirates at 1am

Favorite outfit: oof what a question...

This look is probably my overall favorite and there’s a good reason why it’s the outfit he’s wearing for the final climactic battle. He has so many amazing coats, but the details on this one make it my favorite, and I also love that gradient scarf and the pink embroidered shirt. The color and pattern mixing here is impeccable. It makes me appreciate his hot mess of a wardrobe in the first season more, seeing how his first outfit just looks like plain boring muslin and then more color & patterns gradually get introduced.

This is my runner-up just because I love the shade of blue and the prince charming vibes that are happening here, so I’m sad that we only saw this look for like 3 seconds.

OTP: I can’t remember the last time I cared about a ship as much as I care about VaneRackham.... sometimes I get mad that they succeeded in making me have these Feelings about fictional characters... I watched a show with multiple canon gay relationships and ended up fixating on the queerbait white man ship where one of the characters dies, because I have questionable taste and I love making myself suffer. 😩

Brotp: Jack and Max’s relationship means so much to me 💕

Head Canon: This might be me projecting, but because of his background in textiles I headcanon that Jack was more competent at sewing than anyone else on the Ranger and that skill came in incredibly useful on more than one occasion. The fancy coats that we see him wearing in seasons 3 & 4 most likely would have been custom tailored specifically for him, but I imagine that all of his earlier ones were acquired secondhand (one way or another) and he sometimes did patching/adjustments on them himself.

Unpopular opinion: I respect the artistic liberties that were taken with his character design, but he should have been allowed to wear some silk stockings and show off his calves at least once tbh

A wish: Obviously my #1 wish is that Jack and Charles had been permitted to kiss, but I also wish that we had been able to see them on a ship together clearly I have no choice but to assume that whenever they were on a ship together there was lots of kissing going on An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen: man it would sure suck if Jack was executed for piracy within like three years of the series finale 5 words to best describe them: this adam ant looking motherfucker

My nickname for them: my guy/my dude

#black sails #jack rackham #long post

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chenqingssuibian · 3 years

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thanks for tagging me @xueyangs-pinky-finger !!!

rules: post your 2 favourite episodes of 3 of your favourite shows and tag 6 people!

ahh... alright then! I'm adding another rule - only shows I've finished!

the untamed, season 1, episode 14

does this surprise anyone? it shouldnt. this, if memory serves, is the episode of the xuanwu fight, making it Also the episode of this iconic line:

"Lan Zhan... do you like MianMian?"

oh, Wei Ying..... you're so fucking stupid.

the untamed, season 1, episode 44

there isn't really a reason. wen ning just looked Spectacular this episode. really. that's it.

cherry magic! season 1, episodes 1-12

i can't pick. cherry magic is so, so good, guys - it's impossible to pick a favorite episode!

my favorite moment, though, is probably a tie between when minato tells tsuge his feelings are mutual, and when kurosawa first confesses to adachi, reaches out to touch his face, and then drops his hand. that is a trope that always gets me. ahh, I want someone to reach out to me like that too!!!

second season wHEN-

iljimae, season 1, ~episode 8?

it has been two years since I watched iljimae (which is a classic kdrama, by the way, you Should watch it if you like lee joongi, who plays the lead) so I cannot remember which episode I liked best. however, I do remember my favorite moment!

I'll recap the plot up until the scene mentioned: iljimae whose real name I can't remember I'm so sorry baby boy was born into a noble family, but his father was framed for treason and executed. as the family of a traitor, iljimae and his family were to be sold or killed - it's implied, irrc, that iljimae, as a male, will be killed, while his sister and mother will be sold as slaves. thankfully, his life was saved by a lower-class family with connections to his father (which I won't get into here because spoilers, lmao.)

iljimae fell ill soon after his father's body was drawn and quartered (an event which... he saw. poor baby) and when he woke up, he had entirely forgotten his past. he grew up without the knowledge of his past, as a result.

shenanagins happen, and iljimae becomes, well, iljimae, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. he gets trained in martial arts, remembers his identity, and ends up finding out where his sister is! hurray! except... well. his sister is still a slave and the daughter of a traitor. I can't remember if she is framed or if she tries to escape, but either way, she is set for public execution. iljimae comes up with a plan to save her by sabotaging the rope, but the executioner changes the rope out at the last minute.

as iljimae watches from the crowd, his sister is hung. her neck snaps instantly.

morbid, right? why is this your favorite moment, you ask? well, I'll tell you - it's the acting. lee joongi is stellar, he always has been, and 2008's iljimae was no exception - the way his face twists as iljimae's sister dies, the anguish there... it was so heartwrenching. but he couldn't scream, because then he would be found out, so he's just standing there, shaking, staring at his sister's body. ahh, it was heartbreaking... I need to go rewatch it sometime.

honourable mention: black sails

this is another case of ly not being able to remember what episode her favorite moment is in. please forgive me. it is, however, in season two!

black sails, in case you don't know, is sort of a prequel to treasure island - it follows the pirates of the story, showing how they became the villains they became. in my favorite scene, captain flint, the mainest of main characters at this point, has watched the most important woman in his life, miranda, die, and is on trial for piracy. the man who ruined his life, an old friend, governor ashe, tells him to confess so that the execution may be private.

flint glares up at him, and in a speech that you really have to watch performed to get the impact, says basically this: "everyone is a monster to someone. if I am to be your monster, then so be it." (i cant remember the exact quote off the top of my head,,, oops)

this quote-this MOMENT, really-hits so fucking hard. you have no idea how hard it hits. go watch black fucking sails, y'all.

tagging: @bitterfrosts , @yiling , @goldencorecrunches, @lanzhanshands.... @treemaidengeek ! feel free to ignore, guys!

#tag game #this was fun!!!#black sails #the untamed #cql #cherry magic!#iljimae #dont watch the return of iljimae its. it pissed me off to say the least #doesnt even have joongi...... smh

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goldelocks-and-mr-beard · 4 years

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Prequel Part 2: Dayln

Damian fled Oak town, and took the first flight to the furthest city he could find. And this is where the story of Lady Darklyn begins.

Warning: This post may be disturbing to some viewers, contains Violence, drug use, torture, and murder.

Sophia Darklyn was the young noble daughter to the Duke of Dalyn, a city that resided in the small elvish nation of Thesilin. Her mother was the sister to King Rosen Amistacia, and her father, Lord Mordici Darklyn, was a human man, who was known for his inventions. Sophia’s mother, Duchess Liotha Amistacia, was a very spirited woman who would often travel away from home, sometimes years at a time exploring and visiting other countries and cities. This left Sophia’s father to rule the city of Dayln on his own, but Sophia, 17 at the time was nearing the age where she could begin to assist him, and one day take over.

King Rosen was known to be a Xenophobe to outside races. He did not wish the culture of the elvish people to be tainted. He came from a time where his nation had nearly been wiped out, but through his prowess, and ruthlessness, was able to stop the orcish invasion. He was a celebrated war hero, but from that time, he wished to keep his borders closed to other races, other than trading and the occasional tourism.

So King Rosen was not pleased with his sister Liotha’s decision to marry, and then leave her title to a human man. However, he did respect Lord Darklyn’s intelligence, innovative decisions, and care for his people. And so he allowed him to maintain the position. But very rarely did King Rosen come to Dayln, it was so rare, that Sophia had never once met King Rosen, or much of the royal family.

Lord Darklyn was very protective of his daughter, perhaps it was because of how absent his wife was, that he didn’t want her to disappear as well. This gave her a bit of rebellious princess syndrome, and she really wanted to see the outside world. She spent a lot of time reading adventure stories, and playing the violin. She also had her eye on the stable hand, who was not bad with the violin himself.

When Sophia heard about the new millionaire who bought out the abandoned vineyard mansion she was intrigued. She was further excited when she learned that this Lord Sinbad had been an adventurer, and was going to throw an incredible party to welcome himself to Dayln. She had to be at that party, but she knew her father would never allow it. And so she snuck out.

The party was one like she’d never witnessed before, dancers, illicit substances, heavy drinking. It was exciting and frightening at the same time. She’d heard that Lord Sinbad had found a lot of treasure from his adventuring, and that he’d decided to settle down, at least for now.

She broke away from the party, to snoop around the house only to meet him in the hall. His perceptive gaze hadn’t missed anything. He told her he’d be happy to show her around if that’s what she wanted. Embarrassed, but trying to save face she told him "It’s not as fun that way." He seemed to enjoy her quip, and showed her around. He was charming, and handsome, this scarred wood elf from the north.

She went home that night wanting to find a chance to meet him again. Little did she know, that this wood elf, was Damian Hollilum, and he knew exactly who she was. He had his eye set on her, and most importantly, on that title her father held.

Damian’s plan was simple, seduce Sophia, marry her, and then kill her and her father. However, this wasn’t going to be as easy as he was hoping. Sophia already had her eye on the stable hand, and though she took the bait when it came sneaking out, and coming over to his place, she didn’t seem too interested in him sexually. He would have to figure out a way to change her mind.

Damian was good at exploiting the seedy underbelly of any city, and quickly discovered the rampant drug problem that was coming from the Crescent islands. Lizard folk were growing and brewing cocaine, and then shipping it on quick speeds boats into Dayln during the night. However the Lizard folk were not the brains behind the operation, but a human man who went by the name of Mr. Pink.

Damian used his unground knowledge to invite Mr. Pink to his house personally, under the guise of making a big purchase. He then attacked him and took him hostage. Mr. Pink quickly relented, allowing Damian a sizable portion of the profits, and a leadership role in distribution on the island. This is where Damian quickly began amassing income.

But this wasn’t good enough, he didn’t want to just have a leadership position, he wanted to be the boss. And so he went to the Crescent islands and defeated the chief of the lizard folk, Black scale, a half dragon. This in their eyes made him the leader now. And within a few months he had total control of the the drug operation. And this, would be part two to his plan for Sophia.

He invited Sophia, and her now boyfriend the stable hand to his house. He offered to sponsor her boyfriend since he seemed good with the violin, which gave him them the excuse to come over to his place more regularly. Since Sophia didn’t want her father to know about her relationship with the stable hand this seemed like the perfect place where she could hang out with him unsupervised.

And then Damian began drugging them. Putting cocaine in the wine, in the food, anything that was given to them. This would solidify their dependence on him. And it worked. The two teenagers became quickly addicted, and their visits became constant.

However, Damian didn’t go unopposed. Officer Elizabeth Wallow soon found him increasingly suspicious. Watching his home, the people coming and going. She quickly became a thorn in Damian’s side. She was very intelligent and knew he was up to no good. She caught shipments of drugs, which hurt his income. She would uproot his entire plan before long. She had to go.

A Yaun ti came to Damian one day, wanting to make a massive purchase. He was clean cut, and a perfect gentleman. Bringing gifts for Damian, and making a very appealing deal. Damian learned from this Yaun ti, Lucian, that the drugs were being used in a human trafficking organization. Damian took the deal, and began working with the Yaun ti on the side.

As for Sophia’s boyfriend, now a hopeless drug addict, he fell deeper for the stuff than Sophia had. He lost his stable hand job because of it. However, Damian would take care of him, he would fly him over to a renowned orchestra where he could play for all sorts of professionals who would want to hire him. He never returned from this trip. Damian arranged a fatal mugging to occur while he was there.

Sophia mourned his deeply, spending more time at Lord Sinbad’s house, she saw him as a good friend. Someone who always supported her. And the drugs he gave her made the pain go away. Damian had her where he wanted her, completely dependent on him. He ‘confessed’ his ‘love for her’ one night, and she hesitantly told him that she’d give him a chance.

Elizabeth had caught onto the fact that Sophia had been visiting Damian’s estate. Damian had tried to have her killed, but had failed on multiple occasions. Elizabeth suddenly sent a message to him one night to meet her alone in the park. Suspicious he came armed and ready. However as promised, she had come alone.

She pulled out a file, somehow she’d found out about his past, she knew that he’d been to prison, she knew that he’d come from Oak town. And she knew that he’d grown up in Elestril. She had become very somber, and then told her story. "When I was a girl, I was kidnapped by an organization that specified in making compliant slaves by drugging them until they forgot about everything about themselves. I lived like that for a very long time before I was rescued by authorities in the area I was in. For a long time I was a very broken person, I had learned that my parents had been killed by these same people, but my little brother still lived.

I found the prison he was in, and I went there to see him. I saw him step into the room on the other side of the glass and pick up the phone. I stood in the corner and watched him, knowing he couldn’t see me.

He waited for me to come, but I couldn’t move, I was too afraid. And so I stood there until he got up and left...

I never went back again. I never told him I survived. I was scared of him, I was broken. And by the time I had found myself again, he was no longer in prison."

Damian was stunned. He listened to the entire story in silence. "I remember that day... I’d gotten a visit, but no one was there..."

"Brother... I’m sorry it took so long."

To be continued.

#artists on tumblr #dnd #original character #rpg #dnd homebrew #dnd ideas #dnd stuff #dnd art #dnd 5e #dnd oc #dnd talk #dungons and dragons #dungeonmaster #dungeons and drawings

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goldelocksandmrbeard · 4 years

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Prequel Part 2: Dayln

Damian fled Oak town, and took the first flight to the furthest city he could find. And this is where the story of Lady Darklyn begins.

Warning: This post may be disturbing to some viewers, contains violence, drug use, and enslavement.

She pulled out a file, somehow she’d found out about his past, she knew that he’d been to prison, she knew that he’d come from Oak town. And she knew that he’d grown up in Elestril. She had become very somber, and then told her story. “When I was a girl, I was kidnapped by an organization that specified in making compliant slaves by drugging them until they forgot about everything about themselves. I lived like that for a very long time before I was rescued by authorities in the area I was in. For a long time I was a very broken person, I had learned that my parents had been killed by these same people, but my little brother still lived.

He waited for me to come, but I couldn’t move, I was too afraid. And so I stood there until he got up and left...

I never went back again. I never told him I survived. I was scared of him, I was broken. And by the time I had found myself again, he was no longer in prison.”

Damian was stunned. He listened to the entire story in silence. “I remember that day... I’d gotten a visit, but no one was there...”

“Brother... I’m sorry it took so long.”

To be continued.

#dnd talk #dnd art #dnd homebrew #dndads #dnd campaign #dnd shenanigans #dnd ocs #dnd ideas #dnd stuff #dnd #dnd oc #dnd tag #dungeons and dragons #dungeons and drawings #dungeons and doodles #original story

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eva-writes · 4 years

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I was tagged by @danwritestuff (a million years ago and only now I actually got to finish this thing) so here it goes:

1. How did you begin writing? Technically I started when I was like seven or eight and was working on an illustrated story about a dog and a magical bone. Yup, true story. But I think I actually started to get into writing when I was in seventh grade and a teacher told us to write a short story as homework. I don’t even want to think back on what I wrote because it probably wasn’t good, but I will never forget that my teacher told me that she enjoyed my story and that I was good at writing. There’s literally nothing better than having someone believe in you. And I initially only wrote in Spanish but funnily enough after getting into roleplaying my brain kind of made a switch and it comes more naturally to me now to write in English.

2. What was your first writing project? Tell us a little about it. Again, the story of the dog and the magical bone. But the first serious project that I still hope might see the light of day when I stop planning and actually sit my ass down to write it is a fantasy trilogy. I started it in 2008 and needless to say my mind has changed a lot in a decade, so as a result that story has changed very much from my original idea. I think that’s why I haven’t really done much writing and I’m stuck in ‘development hell’, because the thing just keeps mutating and my ideas for that world and those characters keep growing and changing.

3. What is your preferred medium for writing first drafts? I’ve always used Microsoft Word.

4. What rituals or habits do you have around writing? I always have a cup of tea next to me. And I say stuff out loud too, especially when it’s dialogue. I also sort of act out certain stuff to find words that could describe that. Definitely not rituals, just weird habits I have.

5. We all have a “type”– of character, plot, theme– what is yours? Well, I always go for fantasy or scifi stuff because it’s easier for me to make up shit than do extensive research about things that are real (also it scares me that I migh portray something in an inaccurate way). So yay, I’m lazy like that. I tend to include reserved, quiet characters (even if not the protagonists, they’re there). I don’t know, I just have a deep appreciation for introverted people that are more of the observing/listening type than the talking type.

As for plots or themes, I like to dabble into the ‘self-discovery’ paths for the protagonists and the ‘change established structures’ in the world. As for important themes, family bonds are always there in one way or another (both biological families or ‘found’ families amongst the characters). Also I have this weird thing about names. In every story I have characters that are called a certain way by most but then they are given a different nickname or are revealed to have a different name by someone that is/becomes close to them. For some reason the way other people call each other has always had such a deep meaning for me.

6. Introduce us to one (or more!) of your OC’s. I have an army of OCs, I have no self-control when it comes to creating them... my latest one is a gentle giant of a man stuck on an island where people don’t age and those stranded there can’t escape (shoutout to Mira and Ally for @timelessrpg!). And this guy is mute and deaf because I’ve learned a bit ASL and I wanted to integrate that into a character, explore different ways to have him interact with those around him without having to rely on speaking.

7. What’s your favorite genre to read? Fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction and psychological thrillers. But I’d give a shot at every book that sparks my interest regarding of genre.

8. Your favorite genre to write? Fantasy and science fiction. I like creating my own playground rather than using our lovely little world.

9. How do you conduct your authorial research? Google searches to start off. Then once I get a general overview I start to look for more specific stuff in books, videos, etc. I use YouTube a lot. That thing is a treasure chest of information and it helps with ther ‘overview’ part so then I can do more digging about specific subjects.

10. What does your editing (gasp) process look like? I’m such a jerk to myself when I edit, so I guess that’s another reason why it’ll take a while for my stories to see the light of day. If you look up the word perfectionist in the dictionary you see my picture... But I’ve been trying not to be so hard on myself lately and instead of staying stuck on that endless cycle of writing and erasing, I’ve been allowing myself to just write on. I’ve also made a deal with my roomie: I have to pay her $15 pesos (little less than $1 usd) whenever I got back to edit a chapter I had already finished. I’ve only paid her once, but it’s a good incentive not to go back an edit stuff too much and just go ahead to write.

11. What are your favorite tropes? I have too many, especially with romantic/platonic relationships. Enemies to lovers, is definitely one. Also any sort of yin yang/light and dark representations in character dynamics, I’m such a sucker for those. Any kind of trope that involves characters not seeing it coming and then just knowing they’d do anything for the other person (not just necessarily in a romantic way, I love bonds like that with people who become siblings to each other). Any sort of trope that involves a ‘partners in crime’ or ‘ride or die’ dynamic, I’M SOLD.

12. Show off your writing space. It used to be a desk when I still lived at my mom’s place. It was in it’s usual state of controlled chaos, as I like to call it (because there’s stuff everywhere but I know exactly where everything is). Now my roomie and I share a desk, and most of the times I just end up writing in bed, using a folding bed tray as my desk.

13. What is the most useful piece of writing advice you’ve ever used? Sit down and write is one. And also something that I saw in Victoria Schwab’s instagram: “I’m not writing a book, I’m writing a chapter. I’m not writing a chapter, I’m writing a page. I’m not writing a page, I’m writing a line”. That helped me feel more confident. The work put into trying to write a book always felt so overwhelming and like something I would never really get done. But thinking that even a little bit counts has made it feel like a less impossible feat.

14. What is the least useful piece of writing advice you’ve ever ignored? That it’s wrong to repeat a character’s name or identifier (the queen, the thief, etc). I used to think it was wrong to it because ‘being repetitive means you’re a bad writer’ and you’d have me do mental gymnastics to figure out different ways to refer to my characters which, honestly, end up coming off as forced. So yeah, I’ve definitely begun to ignore that now.

Another one is that writing ‘said’ is wrong. I’d rather use ‘said’ a hundred times than throw in random shit like ‘ennunciated’ just to avoid using ‘said’.

15. Your writing beverage/snack of choice? Tea, always. Either black tea or rooibos with milk.

16. How do you compile your ideas? Quick notes on my phone when I don’t have a notebook at hand. Word documents. And notebooks. Lots of notebooks. I have a specific notebook for each story. Lately I started posting stuff on my wall. I have a summary of each chapter that I’ve already written in little pieces of paper, kind of like a timeline. Above each ‘chapter’ there’s a blue post-it note with the stuff that led to the events of that chapter, and below there’s a green post-it note with the plot points that chapter will set in motion. It’s kind of to keep in order all the information I’m dealing with. And then above the timeline I have even more pieces of paper with specific events that must happen eventually and I just keep moving them around to construct the rest of the story. It might sound weird and confusing, but I swear it helps. I’m a visual person and it’s very damn helpful to see those pieces of story and ideas have some order.

17. What are your controversial opinions ™ on the craft of writing? That being a best-seller means the book is good. I don’t know if it’s controversial or not, but I don’t think quantity equals quality. Also, LET STORIES END. I get it, sometimes as readers we love a group of characters so much or a world that we want more, but that doesn’t mean there should be more. I feel that a lot of prequels, spin-offs and extended series end up taking away from the original story/saga because they were clearly not in the author’s mind from the beginning. There are exceptions to this, I’m sure, but I just feel authors should know when enough is enough rather than try to milk their series for all they’re worth. And I might get shit for writing this, but I’m also against the idea that all characters have to be woke and politically correct 24/7. I believe characters should be allowed to be ignorant and say wrong things and make mistakes, because then they get to learn and grow and become better people, and yes, possibly get called out or educated throughout the story. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me having faith in people learning and growing, but I happen to like characters that start out not so great and begin to really become better human beings during the story.

Tagging: @azianxpersuasionwrites, @briannaswriter, @allywritestuff, @proserpinewrites, @theichthyostegawrites, @montaguew, @loeswrites, @eridawrites, @roshwrites, @rjwrites, @ashlaaaywrites, @trishywishy & @dude-im-batman

#*about me

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ericfruits · 5 years

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Lisa Henson on revisiting “The Dark Crystal”

MANY PEOPLE may feel as if they were raised, at least in part, by Jim Henson. “Sesame Street” provided a pre-school education; “The Muppet Show” offered an introduction to theatre and celebrity. Young viewers learned about myths and legends from “The Storyteller”, and were enchanted by the fairy tales of “The Dark Crystal” and “Labyrinth”.

Lisa Henson, as one of the late puppeteer’s five children, really was raised by him and, to some extent, by the endearingly fuzzy characters he and his colleagues brought to life. “My brothers and sisters and I basically grew up on set,” she says. “My father loved to put us to work on whatever interested us. We built puppets, we performed. We were engrossed in it all.”

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Little surprise, then, that her brother, Brian Henson, is also a puppeteer and director, helming “The Muppet Christmas Carol” (1992), “Muppet Treasure Island” (1996) and “Muppets from Space” (1999). Ms Henson, for her part, was always more intrigued by the financial and logistical bigger picture. “I’m so awkward on-camera,” she says, “I couldn’t even be a puppeteer off-camera. Even my hands would be awkward.” Her latest venture is a ten-part Netflix prequel to “The Dark Crystal”, a Tolkien-esque fantasy adventure which Henson co-directed with Frank Oz in 1982.

After studying folklore and mythology at Harvard University, she became an executive at Warner Bros and then president of Columbia Pictures. Her father “offered [her] a job every year”, but it wasn’t until after Henson died in 1990 that she eventually rejoined her siblings in the family business, where she is now CEO and president. The company’s new series, “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance”, sees her coming full circle. In the early 1980s, when Ms Henson was in her early 20s, she was a production assistant on two Henson films in London. “I was on set in Elstree Studios with ‘The Great Muppet Caper’ while ‘The Dark Crystal’ was in pre-production across the street from our house in Hampstead.”

At the time, “The Dark Crystal” was Henson’s most ambitious project, partly because its entire cast was made of latex, with not a human being in sight, and partly because of its bleak, post-apocalyptic mood. The story was set on the mystical planet of Thra, where the snaggle-toothed Skeksis sucked the life out of the Podlings who served them, and where the heroic, lamb-faced Gelflings had been hunted to near-extinction. “Sesame Street” it was not. “He’d been making such funny and light-hearted entertainment with ‘The Muppet Show’ and ‘The Muppet Movie’,” Ms Henson says. “People were surprised that he wanted to do something dramatic and scary, but he didn’t hesitate to go in that direction.”

As dark as “The Dark Crystal” was, its fans never gave up hope that they could explore Thra again: the magical world had so many different races, rituals, languages and landscapes that a 93-minute film felt like a flying visit. “It’s a bit of a cliché to talk about ‘world building’,” says Ms Henson, “but ‘The Dark Crystal’ really did create a world. Lord Lew Grade, who produced ‘The Muppet Show’, funded my father and Brian Froud [a fantasy illustrator who was the film’s concept designer] to do seven years of research and development, something which you couldn’t imagine these days, so the world was developed and designed even before the story was worked out. The mythology you see in the movie is just a small slice of the mythology which stretches back thousands of years.”

That mythology is explored in more depth in the Netflix series, a politically savvy swords-and-sorcery steampunk soap opera about a populace realising, at last, that it can no longer collude with its tyrannical rulers. It is everything that Henson could have wanted, not that he would have wanted to make it himself. “My father was quite restless as an artist,” says Ms Henson. “He saw the Muppets as a franchise that would continue, but otherwise he always moved onto the next thing. But we feel it’s very, very natural to make more of ‘The Dark Crystal’.” No doubt fans both young and old agree.

“The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance” is released on Netflix on August 30th

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#IFTTT #Feedly

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slowlyandrogynousmiracle · 7 years

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Long Ass Rant About Black Sails/LJS/Flint/Madi and Why Treasure Island is the God in which The BS Producers are Honoring....

Look, seriously, I can be an ass when people make me but I’m going to say my last piece ( probably not lol) on current events happening in Black Sails. This show was never about ships though as with all shows one starts shipping. The Silver/Flint fandom has had dominance for two years and midway through in pops Madi...John Silver’s actual love interest from the books and people are either ok and rolling with this or ignorant, bitter, and using the most transparents excuses available to devalue her meaning not only to the story but the Flint. She’s the one “ getting in the way” making Silver “ do things he wouldn’t” when that is so far removed from the truth I realize that a great deal of these people have championed and rallied behind this ship so long that they literally have had two years of warping the story in their head without much direct competition from the idea. I get that. I actually do. I recently had my heart shattered by Bamon but like Silver/Flint I clearly saw what the show kept saying but I chose to ignore it because I had hope they would put these two together but they didn’t.

I’m not in anybody’s tag screaming bloody murder. Actually this is the first time I have even brought up my disappointment because in the end I am an adult and despite me being salty af about it I also know that the show didn’t really deceive me when I step back and actually look at it. They kept hammering nauseatingly that Delena was endgame and that Bonnie and Damon were best friends. I wanted something else. The writers however were ALWAYS (grrr) telling a different story and I am mature enough to accept this despite all the million reasons I can list that make my ship more valid. It doesn’t matter. TVD doesn’t owe me anything. Black Sails does not owe the Silver/Flint fandom anything.

This show was constructed around the mysteries in Treasure Island. It does bother me that a great deal of people don’t even comprehend the character LJS. You don’t have to read the book to know that he is the most infamous pirate for a great deal of reasons. One being his ruthlessness but that is attributed to his cunning and charm. Tes, LJS is the most charming person one can meet. He’s also smart. When we are introduced the the pirate world, the “ Golden Age” has diminished because no one is rallied behind a common cause or desire. Pirates are slothy creatures that are major alcoholics and spendthrift theifs with no rules or honor code. LJS has made something of himself or I should say, John Silver has and it is mentioned for all of five seconds bu Hands that LJS cares about two things in the world; his fortune and his wife. He is a pirate but he leads no pirate resistance.

I am not sure what TS meant when he said LJS turns into a miserable person. I have no why he interprets the character as such but as the guy playing Flint and what he stood for I could see him having a biased opinion of the character. LA has never stated his character as miserable and again the source material is that. *SPOILER ALERT* but LJS gets his part of the treasure, Flint’s portion to be exact. Maybe TS meant LJS becomes more cold and heartless and cynical. I don’t see that as a bad thing considering he’s been a pawn between two men for a great deal of time. The point is, the mysteries this show is addressing as the prequel is Flint’s story, the reason Flint feared LJS, the story of Silver’s African wife , the story of the treasure, and the story of how did Billy Bones piss off LJS to the point of stroke.

That’s the story they are telling and yes while there are historical changes the the events that happen to these characters are going to have to coincide with the source material. In the words of James S.A. Corey who is currently doing the show Expanse of whom they wrote but also adapted the TV series format and made changes stated, “ you want to make changes that tell the story better but you don’t want to mess with it too much, Especially a successful story less you take away from the story the fans are fond of. If it’s not broken leave it alone” Point being that while Shotz and company have changed death scenes and added characters to this world it will all tie back to T.I. ultimate canon. Flint will die. He will die alone. You can imagine a Thomas Hamilton reunion all you want (hell they may do fanservice and make it seem Flint goes away to find him) but he doesn’t die happy.

Flint’s character is the most fascinating of the show there can be no doubt of that but lets not rewrite history just because you like a character or you just happen to empathize with them in all things. You have to accept that whole you make overlook his flaws I personally and others cannot and don’t think Flint deserves a happy ending. He has put people through SHIT. Billy’s mad descent came because of Flint attempting to kill him that led to his TORTURE. He didn’t come back whole from that. I still blame Billy for Billy’s actions but his hatrad is well deserved. He killed Gates when it became clear Flint would bring them into harm. His BEST FRIEND. He killed him when it came between his goal and him. You can romanticize all thee wants about how this is all for Thomas and what happened but Gates was also Billy’s mentor. What makes Flint’s pain more important than anyone else’s? He terrorized his crew and pushed even when he was all fucked in the head. He was a tyrant! He is a murderer. He’s also selfish and completely manipulative. I joke about the Koolaid but like LJS in the books, Flint has a certain charm that is sincere but also very motivated towards his own ends.

Does he care about Silver...sure...in the same way he cared for Gates. And we all saw what happened to Gates. I think Flint feels he owes Silver because he DID help him come out of the fog after Miranda but again, can we not actually remember the show;s motivations. Silver jumped in because the crew was screwed and everyone was desperate and Billy begged Silver to be the “Gates” for the crews sake. Silver I correctly recall balked, didn’t want to do it, was afraid of Flint and overall though the was nuts. Facts people. Facts. There was no pining looks of longing. Flint saw Silver as a shit who he needed and Silver saw Flint as the Captain who was straight up cray and concocted a plan with Villy to shove him out.

Then Maroon Island happened and Silver met Madi. Only when Silver speaks with Madi regarding his concerns and she offers herself as a tether does Silver make an actual attempt at friendship with Flint without so much trepidition. Facts. They are literally lining it up for school children to follow. I mean they legit made a scene just to show Silver WATCHING MADI as if he just found God. We call these turning points.

Since then this show has shown that Silver has been able to find a real connection with Flint ( in friendship. I can’t be bothered to hide the fact that that’s all it’s ever been.) due his very real connection with Madi. Both Billy and Flint both wrote off his relationship with Madi. Flint by never really believing Silver told her about the treasure and Billy by throwing her name in his face as if it was a non factor. Now I think Flint IS trying to be better but that’s his tragedy. He is too consumed by the darkness. He can longer shake it off even if he wanted to. Which is why Silver cannot confide in him about his grief because in some ways he doesn’t feel Flint comprehends that what he lost of so much bigger than what he suspects due mostly to his soon to be revealed backstory. But Flint also knows Silver is more than he allows him to be. And the minute he is off his leash it will NOT be to Flint’s benefit so that shades his concern.

I just am tired of people acting like this is brand new. That Silver is the “bad guy” now when Silver has made one of the most unselfish remarkable turnarounds in the show. Here was a man living on his luck and smarts who cared about nothing and no one who got involved with a pirate crew just for the stake in a claim of a massive treasure that Flint was hiding btw. Since then he has found some place with the pirate brethren, has conquered his fear and can stand next to a man like Flint while holding his own, and has opened himself up to the only love he’s probably had and been returned in his life. He is NOW WILLING to give up the one thing that got him involved in this in the first place for the chance to have a life with this woman. That doesn’t sound like the bad guy because his desire no longer matches up with Flint. He didn’t BETRAY Flint (look up the definition please before you start posting it la di da). If anything he’s taking a play straight from the master’s playbook. And Silver is right! Flint was all willing to give that gold up for a completely completely dismantled Nassau but not for the part of the slave alliance that leads the slave alliance. Julius sure as hell ain’t playing ball. Madi is important to the cause in her own right. She’s also been going to BAT for Flint so the hate coming her way is equally ridiculous.

The influx of recruits has completely reorganized what Flint wants now. He knows he can win which means he isn’t willing to let the treasure go because now he can use that to fund something bigger. He has already moved on from Nassau now that it is within his reach. He’s done the one thing Julius was afraid of. The minute his troops move off to Boston the British swoop right back in and put them back in chains. Or are the slaves journey completely meaningless? If so, then you know what you are.

Lastly, and oh my favorite of course is Madi will side with Flint and leave John in the dust because this isn’t what she wants.

Like, I’m not even trying to be funny but as much as Madi has been supporting Flint it’s VERY recent and if you think she’s going to shun Silver ( and her mother since I’m pretty sure she helped dig up that treasure. She probably agreed to let Flint have his plan and if he doesn’t work, all bets off and save her daughter) for fighting for her life. And that’s not say she wont have any words but if you think she’s going to betray Silver when she could have literally betrayed him and Flint and got what SHE wanted for HER people then it doesn’t take a genius to figure out she’s probably going to see her way to why Silver made the choices he do. I mean this is the same woman who has belaboring that Flint cant be trusted, Like Silver said, Flint didn’t force the choice between Billy and Flint because Flint was smart enough not to give Silver any reason to doubt him. Now he has, and the word is “Boston”

Stop ignoring James McGraw’s cray. God you gotta love him because he don’t STOP but this man has intentions we...just...he need to retire but he clearly ain’t tired of the fight. That’s bullshit. He even stated out of his own MOUTH that it will get interesting when the moment comes when they aren’t of like mind. This man stay ready for the backstab because he know how to wield that knife better than any. What’s worst is people are rooting for him. Like Flint is the worst thing for what Flint wants. You doesn’t take small steps, he takes this unheard of leaps with sheer force of will and while in part that’s admirable it’s mostly reckless and suicidal for anyone following him. Ya’ll know this. Stop playing. Stop bullshitting. You can love him without defending him always.

And to say Silver’s change is sudden and how can he go from trusting him to not....lets go back in time....to a day ago if that when Flint said “ trust me.” Grab my hand and lets count it up. WR went and got the Spanish due to him accepting Eleanor’s dumbass deal because he completely underestimated Woodes bloodlust, Eleanor died, Madi “died” Silver was forced to hand over his friend to the slaves because of Billy’s dumbass but to repair the alliance for Flint’s war, and he had to fight for his damn life completely outnumbered while he mostly sat and walked around the countryside miraculously unscathed. Now, just take your feelings out of the equation for a minute and honestly say, would you once again trust him? Last time was an epic fail! So now, Silver has every right to side eye the fuck out of Flint for even asking because everytime Flint says so, everything goes to shit. He’s be an idiot to continue to follow him down a path only he can see.

Back to Madi, the Underhill estate was the first encounter she had with the real world and it affected her severely so it pushed her to Flint who is the older wiser man of the world. He starts shoring up his new alliance. Silver is dead and he kept it moving. So Madi keeps referring to this one event that changed her mind about Flint. I don’t think Silver wants to kill Flint. If he couldn’t kill Billy, he’s not immediately thinking kill Flint. Outwit him and making the final call, yes. But not kill him.( Hands sure as hell does but he wants to kill everybody and Flint is in his spot) but he def isn’t following him anymore. As with all people, eventually you have your own ideas of what your life will be. Madi wants to lead her people but she is curious as John says and she is not meant to be hidden away. That was the biggest nod to the fact that Madi will indeed get her canon fate with Silver. So no worries there for me. She is going to come out of this more aware of what she wants. They paralled their story for a reason. Two crowns rising at the same time and neither not really made for the world in which they are the rulers of. Madi has conflicting desires and because of who she is she will maintain both.

Its soon to be Silver versus Flint and I already know the malarky about the be spewed so I wanted to get this long ass rant out so I don’t have to come back to the feeling. Flint has been dodging his comeuppance for a good long while now. Silver has done NOTHING wrong even when it has been clear his “friends” have been using them for their cause that he isn’t even invested in but out of love for them he tried to play the mediator. Now both men have made it clear the ONE THING he cherishes above all else is not as important as their own ends which is fine but I don’t know how anyone can blame him for choosing after thinking he lost her, this woman he loved more than anything. He could not even breathe thinking she died for nothing. The only reason he still stood next to Flint is because SHE could not have been wrong and died following this man.He was NOT OK without her. The Silver/Flint bond was destroyed the minute she was “gone” His tether means more to him than anything because it’s something he’s never had and spewing hate his way for this is just butthurt because you didn’t get your beloved ship. Fuck the ship. It’s about the characters and if you actually cared about anyone besides Flint you’d want him to have what you so badly want Flint to have. The hypocrisy is beyond ridiculous. Love Flint all you want but stop victimizing him.And stop trying to twist everything to produce your happy ending. Hell I may not get everything I want as well. But I am following the story as it is presented and what I know of the book and overall what TV shows do.

They don’t write based on peoples shifting ideas of whats happening in the show, They wrote this with an idea of connecting it to the book with the hope of in a few years actually doing a T.I. I see no reason to have a fake Madi death, only to reveal she’s alive just for her to say screw you Silver I got my own peeps and move on. Wishful thinking for some but for the still sane you get the gist.

“In the many sequels to Treasure Island Silver tends to be a more gentle rogue who always seems to do good in the end. We know in the end of Treasure Island, he manages to slip away with part of the treasure.”

“Long John Silver is unlike all the other pirates in this novel in two ways: he owns property and he has a wife. (Three if you count the fact that he's smart, and most of the others are total idiots.) Long John Silver is the legitimate owner of a pub in the coastal town of Bristol, and he's married to an African woman. (Stevenson calls this woman a derogatory term for a black woman; we won't reproduce it here because we find it offensive.) Neither of these facts takes up a huge amount of space in the novel, but they indicate something special about Long John Silver: he blurs boundaries.

Where the other pirates of the novel drink their fortunes away and go back to begging or crime all too quickly, Long John Silver is planning for the future. He's settling down and trying to become an actual gentleman, not just a gentleman of fortune. Even Israel Hands comments:

He's no common man, Barbecue, [...] He had good schooling in his young days, and can speak like a book when so minded. (10.14)”

“ For readers of Robert Louis Stevenson's day, Long John Silver's mixed-race marriage would have been a part of that mystery. He is married to an African woman at a time when mixed-race marriages were not common or even considered acceptable. So he lives both inside and outside the law. He owns property (inside the law), but is still a pirate (definitely outside the law). And he is married (inside the law), but to a woman of a different race (socially unacceptable in the 19th century). He breaks rules and challenges the simplistic binaries of good guy/bad guy in multiple ways, which makes him all the more alluring.”

This is LJS that many of us knew before this show started. The man who was both the light and dark. Who was Flint without falling prey to Flint’s demons. He has his tether. Madi remains.

http://www.shmoop.com/treasure-island-book/long-john-silver.html

http://pirates.hegewisch.net/whosilver.html

#silver x madi #long john silver #Black Sails

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hamiltonthomas · 7 years

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My thoughts on Thomas

Here is a list of reasons why I believe that Thomas Hamilton is alive and Flinthamilton will be endgame (because apparently, I never learn not to get my hopes up). I’m sorry if I’m rambling and I’m not a native English speaker so I apologize for any mistakes. I made this list mostly to organize my thoughts but feel free to add to it if you want to. :)

- We never saw his body. Neither did James or Miranda. We (and James) are led to believe that he is dead because Peter Ashe says so. Peter lied about numerous things and was involved in Thomas imprisonment. He is not trustworthy and there are plenty of reasons to doubt his word.

- Toby Stephens tweeted this. There is no reason to even bother replying to someone that asks if a dead character will reappear if the character is dead. And there’s certainly no reason to say “no spoilers” if you choose to answer it. ;) (unless they are trying to kill us by teasing us)

- Alfred Hamilton traveled to Charlestown under an assumed name. Unless he knew that James had taken the name Flint and was after him, there is no reason to do this. Unless, of course, he didn’t want to bring attention to his journey for other reasons – like bringing his “dead” son to a camp north of Florida. I’m uncertain whether Alfred knew about James’ new identity or not, Peter seems skeptical that James managed to become a captain in less than 4 months etc. I’m not even sure if Peter knew that Captain Flint was his old friend, and he had the extra clue that Flint killed Alfred.

- Max’ description of the people in the camp fits perfectly with Thomas. It’s ridiculous how perfect the description is. Even Silver, who is one of the smartest characters on this show, thinks that there’s a possibility that Thomas is kept there.

- As Flinthamilton pointed out in this post, Rupert had a beard at the time Black Sails was filming. Rupert never has a beard otherwise (thank god) and it doesn’t seem to have been for another role. It’s very plausible that Thomas would have a beard now, if he is alive.

- In Flint’s hallucination, Miranda tells him “you’re not alone”. The most common interpretation in fandom seems to be that he has Silver now, which he does. But I have always hoped that it’s his subconscious telling him that Thomas is alive, it just seemed like a crazy idea until now. Since it’s a hallucination, it’s his own brain that comes up with it. What if it means “we couldn’t trust Peter and he lied to us about everything, including Thomas’ death – he is out there somewhere”?

- The constant hinting at James wanting to return Flint to the sea, find some peace etc. I won’t even bother quoting because this post is long enough already. I thought it was a lost cause and he stopped wanting those things in S3… But in S4, he’s been the closest to James McGraw since his time in London. I am certain that he would retire Captain Flint and become James McGraw again if he found out that Thomas is alive.

- Thomas wouldn’t be the first character to return from the “dead”. Everyone in the crew thought Billy was dead but he turned out to be alive. We are supposed to think Madi is dead but we know better. We were kept wondering whether Anne survived or not, many fans were convinced that she died. What do they all have in common? They never showed us their dead bodies. They “died” off screen, just like Thomas. There’s been plenty of deaths in Black Sails, but no one have died off screen and stayed dead. They show us every single death when it’s a somewhat important character. We even have flashbacks to Alfred’s death. Thomas is 1000x more important, since his death is the reason Captain Flint exists and we have a show. And still, we only have a traitor’s word that he is dead.

- In Treasure Island, Flint is said to have died in Savannah, north of Florida. In Black Sails, there’s a possibility that his long-lost love is being kept north of Florida. According to the story we’re told in the book, the person who was there at his time of death was called Darby M’Graw. That name sounds familiar, right? I also think it sounds terribly much like one of Silver’s stories, he would have so much fun coming up with this story and using Flint’s old name. Flint dies and the only person present at his time of death is McGraw. In reality, it’s James McGraw. In Silver’s story, it’s Darby M’Graw. (Btw, Darby means “free man” so Darby M’Graw is basically “free man McGraw” which I love) The creators didn’t choose to make James’ last name McGraw for nothing, they are making a prequel to TI and obviously know about Darby M’Graw. In my opinion, that they choose to make James’ last name McGraw is very strong evidence that his death, as described in TI, is in fact a cover story.

- As Steinberg said: “We are categorically opposed to deaths for shock value. They need to create more story than they close.” Thomas’ (presumed) death had a purpose, even though I hate it… It certainly brought the story forward. But James? What purpose would it have to have him drink himself to death in Savannah like he is said to have done in the book?

#Thomas Hamilton #Black Sails #Flinthamilton #black sails meta #captain flint #james mcgraw #sorry this is my first meta and I know it sucks #but I wanted to post it so I can go back to it when I doubt #I didn't learn anything from being a part of the Sherlock fandom #I will not accept that he is dead until they pry his dead body from my cold dead hands #black sails spoilers #mentions some things from the latest episode #I wanted to post this before the next episode airs tomorrow

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yoyo-inspace · 7 years

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Black Sails 4x01 thoughts

So here it is, the last season.

While I’m happy that it’s one of those rare times creators can finish a show on their own terms, I’m also sad. Because I’ve followed this show for years. I remember when the first trailer came out. “A prequel to Treasure Island?” I remember thinking. “Well, I’ll have to check that out.”

And here we are, three seasons later. What a journey. Now let’s see how we finish it, shall we?

I really really enjoyed the opener to this season. Just on a purely aesthetic level, the cinematography and filming in general were amazing and there were some truly claustrophobic moments that really came through on screen.

I was thinking of how to present my thoughts on this in the best way, and I decided to go through character by character. These are going to float into each other a bit, and I’ll get sidetracked, but it was my attempt at organization. I put it under cut because it is kind of long. Hope you enjoy!

Flint “If it makes you feel any better, I haven’t thought of killing you in months.” “A little bit.” Bless.

Flint feels like he’s in a slightly less dark place than last season, at least in the beginning of the episode, and I have no doubt that’s thanks to Silver. He is so fixated on this idea of his revenge being larger than he ever dared to imagine before, and he’ll stick to that idea, as we saw at the end with Billy. I don’t think this episode fully showed us what Flint is without Silver at this point, but we got a taste. Silver was Flint’s filter.

When Silver goes in the water, I loved how his first impulse was to throw himself after him. I don’t believe what Madi said that Flint harbours no real feelings of friendship (or more) towards Silver. I think he truly sees Silver as his friend. But he knew that to fulfill his goal, which is always first in his mind, he couldn’t jump in after him there. I’d heard about this scene before, from people who had seen the beginning of the episode ages ago. I was a bit worried that it was going to be Flint being calculating and cold and perhaps thinking that they were better of without Silver. I was so happy that wasn’t the case. He’s clearly conflicted over his decision but does what he knows he has to.

His conversation with Madi was incredibly interesting. I know the shipper in me appreciated it greatly, but even outside of that. He knows that he need her on his side now and he goes for what they have in common - their affections for Silver.

His visit to Miranda’s house and holding that broken teacup was heartbreaking and I got teary-eyed. Nothing ever goes right for this man.

Silver John Silver is one of my favorite literary characters of all time. To see his legend being built up is going to be such a treat. As I said before, I do believe that the feelings of friendship between him and Flint are legitimate (and perhaps even more). But I still haven’t figured out what exactly Silver is referring to when he mentions that he needs Flint just as much as Flint needs him. I have guesses but none that I can really articulate at this moment.

Speaking of that scene: wow. A romantic, post-coital scene between a black woman and a disabled man and it’s presented in a completely normal fashion. There are critiques to give this show, but them constantly expanding their views is not one of them. Very well done. Also, I didn’t feel like we got much on the Madi and Silver relationship last season, but what we saw I like, and now I can definitely say I will like it a lot. They’re a very interesting contrast to Silver’s relationship to Silver, and this is basically acknowledged in the show. I don’t know if there will come a point where Silver will have to choose, though that’d be interesting. I have no doubt at this point that [SPOILERS FOR TREASURE ISLAND] Madi will become his wife, which I’m incredibly excited about. I’ve been a Mr and Mrs Silver shipper way before Black Sails was ever thought of. I’m glad it’s a story finally being told. Only think I can see myself disliking about it is that it means Madi will have to willingly abandon her people. I’m trying to think of a situation that would make me not upset about that. Haven’t come up with one yet.

While I’m growing fonder and fonder of Silver and Madi, of course, my big love in this show is Silver and Flint. I have no idea where they’ll take it. I have many directions I wouldn’t mind or would be happy with, but I feel like it’s still to early to say, though there was a lot of stuff in this one could call suggestive. I just still don’t know if I want an actual confirmation of feelings from Flint’s side just to have it all end in tragedy or not. I guess we’ll have to wait and see. In either way, it’s an excellently written complex relationship, and it gives plenty of shipping material.

However, I think it’ll be quite some time before we see Silver reunited with either Madi or Flint. First he’s gotta deal with Mr Hands, and I don’t think he’s going to be the best influence. This season is clearly going to be about whether or not Silver will step into the role of Long John Silver and how he’ll play that part and I think Flint and Hands will pull him in very different directions on that. He doesn’t seem completely comfortable with the role now as it is though.

Also the scene where he was almost drowning was truly horrifying to me, because that’s one of my big fears and they made that scene feel so claustrophobic it was almost a bit uncomfortable.

Madi Madi in this season is very much defined by her relationship to power and the others with power in the show, and she goes in strong this episode by showing that she is not to be discounted.

I’ve already talked about her obviously sexual/romantic relationship with Silver. And even though we haven’t spent much time with them like that, her reaction to Silver falling overboard was heartbreaking and her and Flint waiting at the beach almost even more so.

But my favorite Madi moments of this episode was when she called everyone out on their bullshit. Silver about his relationship with Flint. Flint about his doubt in the cause and his apparent inability to lead. Billy and Flint about their sense of grandeur. Her speech in Miranda’s house was A+. I don’t know at this point if she actually knows where the treasure is. It would be kind of great if she just straight up played them by bluffing and they believed her. But she could just as well have gotten the information from Silver, which would also be great because she shows to these two men who both want to use Silver in some way (though Flint to a lesser extent, clearly) that she can also play this game. Fantastic.

I still really want her to meat Eleanor. And my worry for her, as expressed above, is that she’ll have to leave her people and how that would be written. Would it be out of love for Silver? Because it’s the only way she can get away alive? Because of an impossibility to go back? Who knows at this point.

I also love how absolutely “WTF” she was about the Long John Silver nickname.

Billy and the Nassau pirates I like Billy but I also don’t like Billy, you feel me? Like I understand what he’s doing. But Flint is just such a compelling character to me, and so anyone trying to make things harder for him will get a side-eye from me. Also I don’t like Billy Bones in TI at all, so I guess it’s a childhood thing as well.

Speaking of that, here we can truly see Billy starting to transform into who he is in TI. I have an entire post written about this show and it’s relationship with the original book, but I’ll post that in a while. It’s obvious that Billy is out to make Flint obsolete.

Featherstone’s betrayal came as a surprise to me. Is it truly a betrayal? Is something else at work here? What about Idelle? Also WHERE’S BEN GUNN??

Howell and De Groot were captured and I want them protected but I am not sure anyone’s listening to what I want anymore.

Jack, Anne and Blackbeard I’m enjoying this trio way more than I thought I would. They’re amazing. Even Blackbeard is capturing my interest now. Jack is brilliant as always and Anne is not putting up with this bullshit.

I really loved her and Blackbeard watching over Jack and talking about how he has something to prove, and how Anne completely disagrees.

I also love the talk about how personal motivation and how it can clash with their goal. I think this is something that will happen to everyone in this show eventually. Flint, Silver and Eleanor especially. But clearly, the one who’s fucking it up mostly with that at this point is Blackbeard.

He wants to kill Eleanor, and nothing else. If he can have that, he’ll stand down. And that is going to cause a lot of trouble, I can tell.

Woodes, Eleanor and Max Wow I was so confused at first when Woodes referred to Eleanor as his wife. But that got cleared out in the end. I’m still not sure if they’ve officially married or not? Who knows.

I’ve seen a lot of people saying that they basically want to smash Woodes face in, and I understand the sentiment. But I also have a certain level of understanding. Like, I don’t agree, but I think his motivations make sense. He’s becoming one of those characters I love to hate, which makes me not really able to fully hate him in the first place.

I’m also positively surprised he actually divorced his wife instead of just continuing having an affair. Even though that now has come back to haunt him, clearly. Kind of want to applaud Sara previously-Rogers though. She cut him a new one.

He’s smart and he’s getting desperate. This will probably make for some interesting choices.

Eleanor is trying her best to fit in here, but Max sees right through her. I don’t know if it will ever be possible for Eleanor to truly fit in in this civilized world. Whatever people say, I honestly have a bit of a soft spot for her and Rogers’ relationship, and i can’t wait for it all to come crumbling down on them. I doubt either of them will make it out unscathed. Eleanor might die, and Woodes get swept off to prison most likely. But who knows? Oh, and I think Eleanor hinted that she might ask her family for help. Does that mean we could possibly see Grandpa Guthrie or any of her father’s older brothers? That would be kind of cool. Also YAY for her standing up for Max.

Speaking of Max. Poor girl. She cannot catch a break, and I don’t see bright things in her future, though I’m still hopeful that she’ll survive, as she always does. I was angry with Woodes when he was talking like that to her, and I completely agree with Eleanor about why it was strategically a bad idea. Hearing Woodes’ explanation made me understand why, but I still kind of wanted to punch him, you know? Because threatening Max won’t end well.

Israel Hands Hands is here and has one line and I love it and I hate him. I mean, this man has one of my favorite lines in TI (”I’ve never seen good come from goodness yet”) but I hate him with a passion. And he doesn’t mean well for anyone in this show. But it’s going to be very interesting to see what part he’s going to play.

So all in all I really enjoyed this season finally. I’m terrified for these characters, but it’s a good kind of excited terrified, not the terrified I’ve been feeling about the real world recently. So it’s good to have a break from that.

Please come and talk to me about this show, and what you’re expecting and what your thoughts are about things. I need it. And poke me if you think I missed anything!

#black sails #black sails spoilers #bs spoilers #black sails season 4 #john silver #who I think I wrote most about #james flint #madi #billy bones #jack rackham #anne bonny #edward teach #woodes rogers #eleanor guthrie #max #all these feels #oh and #israel hands too I guess

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