charlesvain

[charlesvain]

BLACK SAILS + horror

[charlesvain]

those early black sails promo pics were so bad but literally so incredible i cannot even begin to express in words how much i love this photo

[charlesvain]

do you all see my vision here

[charlesvain]

The Wire is an American crime drama television series created and primarily written by American author and former police reporter David Simon . . . Set and produced in Baltimore, Maryland, The Wire introduces a different institution of the city and its relationship to law enforcement in each season while retaining characters and advancing storylines from previous seasons. The five subjects are, in chronological order; the illegal drug trade, the port system, the city government and bureaucracy, education and schools, and the print news medium. . .

Simon has said that despite its framing as a crime drama, the show is "really about the American city, and about how we live together. It's about how institutions have an effect on individuals. Whether one is a cop, a longshoreman, a drug dealer, a politician, a judge or a lawyer, all are ultimately compromised and must contend with whatever institution to which they are committed."[5]

The Wire is lauded for its literary themes, its uncommonly accurate exploration of society and politics, and its realistic portrayal of urban life. During its original run, the series received only average ratings and never won any major television awards, but it is now often cited as one of the greatest shows in the history of television.[6]

. . .

Salon has described the show as novelistic in structure, with a greater depth of writing and plotting than other crime shows.[27]

Each season of The Wire consists of 10 to 13 episodes that form several multi-layered narratives. Simon chose this structure with an eye towards long story arcs that draw in viewers, resulting in a more satisfying payoff. He uses the metaphor of a visual novel in several interviews,[7][48] describing each episode as a chapter, and has also commented that this allows a fuller exploration of the show's themes in time not spent on plot development.[5]

. . .

"We are not selling hope, or audience gratification, or cheap victories with this show. The Wire is making an argument about what institutions—bureaucracies, criminal enterprises, the cultures of addiction, raw capitalism even—do to individuals. It is not designed purely as an entertainment. It is, I'm afraid, a somewhat angry show.[52]"

[charlesvain]

(referring to this poll)

Ok I'm here to make a strong case that Silver is definitely lying to Madi (and maybe himself!) in the finale, but that doesn't necessarily mean Flint is dead.

So here is what Silver actually says:

He resisted... at first. But then I told him what else I had heard about this place. I was told prominent families amongst London society made use of it. I was told the governor in Carolina made use of it. So I sent a man to find out if they'd used it to hide away one particular prisoner. He returned with news. Thomas Hamilton was there. He disbelieved me. He continued to resist. And corralling him took great effort. But the closer we got to Savannah, his resistance began to diminish. I couldn't say why. I wasn't expecting it. Perhaps he'd finally reached the limits of his physical ability to fight. Or perhaps as the promise of seeing Thomas got closer... he grew more comfortable letting go of this man he created in response to his loss. The man whose mind I had come to know so well... whose mind I'd in some ways incorporated into my own. It was a strange experience to see something from it... so unexpected. I choose to believe it... because it wasn't the man I had come to know at all... but one who existed beforehand... waking from a long... and terrible nightmare. Reorienting to the daylight... and the world as it existed before he first closed his eyes... letting the memory of the nightmare fade away.

Now that's a fucking lie right off the bat. "He resisted" oh, buddy, no... he didn't... and I think this is fairly textual. He just killed JOJI. He coulda took that gun from you in a heartbeat. If he had resisted, one of you would be dead. (Related: if Silver killed Flint, its because Flint made a choice to allow it, I will die on that hill.)

And then all the stuff about "Reorienting to daylight," and referring to his experiences as a pirate as "a long and terrible nightmare" this is SILVER'S understanding of the world, not Flint's. This is the conflict between them. Whatever happened if they went to Savannah, whatever Silver saw, it was NOT THAT. That was the POINT of the dragons speech. Those things are incompatible, and I cannot imagine that Thomas being alive would change Flint's mind about any of it. But SILVER thinks it would, because for him, Madi being alive would. For him it's personal, and he could never accept that for Flint it wasn't entirely personal as well.

I just don't think that Silver constructing this narrative about what happened which allows him to assuage some part of his guilt necessarily has any bearing on whether Flint got on a boat to Savannah. Either way, I think Flint made a decision that, without Silver by his side in this, he would accept defeat. And either way, it WAS a defeat. And Silver lied to Madi about it, and she knew.

Schrödinger's Flint Forever, perfect fucking tragedy regardless.

[charlesvain]

I LOOOOOOVE BLACK SAILS

[charlesvain]

RUPERT PENRY-JONES as Thomas Hamilton, LOUISE BARNES as Miranda Barlow, and TOBY STEPHENS as James McGraw in Black Sails, Chapter XI.

[charlesvain]

TOBY STEPHENS as James McGraw and RUPERT PENRY-JONES as Thomas Hamilton in Black Sails, Chapter XII.

[charlesvain]

TOBY STEPHENS as James McGraw and RUPERT PENRY-JONES as Thomas Hamilton in Black Sails, Chapter IX.

[charlesvain]

There's treasure inside that box, a handful of which could provide a lifetime of prosperity. Facing that kind of temptation, there are few men I would trust to self-deny. But it is not the treasure that concerns me most. Charles Vane's sacrifice is in that box. If your man is unsuccessful in seeing to his rescue, Charles Vane's death is inside that box. Along with my good name. Along with her lost love. Along with your late quartermaster's life. All the awful sacrifices made to assemble that box are now part of its contents, and those things are sacred things that I trust in no man's hands.

Black Sails, chapter XXVII.

[charlesvain]

JESSICA PARKER KENNEDY as Max in Black Sails, Chapter XII.

[charlesvain]

Silver and Muldoon share a moment. Click for better quality. Please do not repost :)

[charlesvain]

Would you still recognize me?

After the match with Singleton, Captain Flint takes a moment to clean up the blood and collect his thoughts. They end up drifting to Thomas and Miranda again – and the dreams they once had for Nassau…

At some point this reminded me of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s beautiful painting “The Laundress” (one of my favourite paintings ever), so I continued to took some inspiration from that… Please, do not repost elsewhere :)

[charlesvain]

A Farewell Good riddance to Skeleton Island

Felt like drawing Silver longing again… although not the island itself, but all the lost things and people orbiting it’s pull, I suppose. The skull might be a bit on the nose, but I have always thought about making one of those skull-mountain-fantasy-island-paintings, so… why not tie it into (post-) Black Sails art again :D

Please, do not repost elsewhere.

[charlesvain]

A study of Edward “Ned” Low (Tadhg Murphy) from Black Sails

I was going through my wip folders and realized that hey, this is actually quite finished… so, after some reworking, here you go! Please, do not repost elsewhere :)

[charlesvain]

Anne Bonny (Clara Paget) saving her crew in Black Sails (XXXII).

I have only been able to watch that badass scene like, twice (it’s the hands, I can’t look at her picking up those glass shards and squeezing *shudders*).

Working music was mainly “Eden” by Battle Beast and I like to imagine that if Anne was singing in a metal band her voice would sound something like that… Please, do not repost elsewhere :)

[charlesvain]

So - can we talk about Admiral Hennessey for a minute?

Good. See - I’ve been thinking, y’all. I even broke out the y’all so that we can have this convo. Please picture me sitting back against a counter of some kind, glass of something in hand, arms crossed, ready to have a Chat. 

Here’s the thing. I have a theory - a headcanon, really, and since @candlewinds did a lovely post with his wigged head in it today, and since I’m getting ready to post a chapter that features him rather heavily, I thought I’d do some airing of that headcanon. You’re by no means required to agree with me or give a single crap about my weird theories, but here goes one of them. *Takes a deep breath*

I don’t like what Hennessey does in canon, but I don’t think Hennessey does either.

I can’t reconcile Hennessey that sits in that tavern, that sees James beating the shit out of someone for insulting the Hamiltons, that gives him that little knowing smile and catches James’ use of Thomas’ given name so easily, with the man that stands in that office and condemns him as if he had no notion that the man he refers to as son is gay. I can’t reconcile the man who says, so gently, “I thought you’d heard me, son,” with the man in that office, and I think I know the difference - what changes his tone, his attitude, everything. Alfred fucking Hamilton. The minute that Hennessey enters that office, he becomes a different man. Hennessey outside that office pretty clearly knows that James isn’t straight. James as good as says it. “I know what you’re thinking,” he says, based on their earlier conversation. It’s never said out loud, but it’s heavily implied that Hennessey knows and while he may not approve, it’s not because he disapproves of James being into men. It’s because he disapproves of him becoming involved with a noble, given that James himself is nobody comparatively. He has no protection if Thomas turns out to be another noble shit in it for laughs and a good time and not up for standing up for his partner if anything goes wrong. Hennessey has no way of knowing what Thomas is like - he’s never met the man, and worse, he has no way of protecting James if anything happens, and he knows it. Hennessey at least once refers to the nobility as “these people.” He’s not of noble background himself. He has no standing in the peerage - in fact, he’s very much like James in the respect that he’s a transplanted Irishman who’s probably worked his way up the ranks much as James did.

Now, granted, that conversation could be read a lot of ways. The thing that really convinces me, though, is the gentle way that he addresses James two seconds before they enter his office. By that time, he’s talked to Alfred Hamilton. He knows that James is gay, without any kind of doubt. Hennessey knows what he’s done, and he still refers to him as son. There’s no trace of disgust in his voice when he talks to him. He doesn’t speak much, but what he does say is telling. He leads James into that office knowing what’s about to go down, and he doesn’t warn him because he can’t. He needs in that moment to try to force James to leave London quietly - to believe that he has no recourse to any kind of patron that would support and fight for him, which is accomplished both with what he says and with the removal of Thomas from the situation. I hate to say it, but I have the terrible suspicion that Thomas’ imprisonment in Bedlam might actually have been Hennessey’s idea, although I’m more willing to believe it was Alfred or Peter Ashe that came up with that particular godawful suggestion. In any case, Hennessey’s concern is with getting James to not do anything stupid and, even more importantly for him and for England, to protect the rest of the officers and seamen under his command. He cannot, absolutely cannot, allow Alfred to start raising questions about whether or not the Navy is harboring sodomites. He can’t allow that witch hunt to get started, not for James or anyone, because there are hundreds or even thousands of men under his command who can’t defend themselves against that kind of accusation. They’re in the middle of a war, and the last thing anyone can afford is for Alfred Hamilton to destabilize the Navy by using Hennessey’s protection of James to his own ends. If Alfred starts making accusations, no one is safe, because he could accuse who he wished and bribe anyone he liked until everyone jumped to his orders for fear of being accused of sodomy and hanged. As much as I think Hennessey hated having to do this to James, he couldn’t act as a father in that office. He had to be a commander, with the lives of all the other men under his command coming first since there was nothing he could do to save James save to get him out of London.

Again, you’re free to disagree with any of this. It’s just personal headcanon based on how I read the scenes. It could be that Hennessey really didn’t know until Alfred told him and is just a godawful, cruel asshat and a very good actor, but I’ve chosen to interpret the character a little differently for fun. And because I like politics.