#and yet the fact that madi respects and trusts flint

[thelaurenshippen]

the way that silver said "I will stand here with you an hour, a day, a year" to flint and "I will wait a day, a month, a year, forever" to madi....I'm sick to my stomach. who is doing unhinged devotion like this man

[be-not-afeared]

Jaime Lannister and John Silver: of arcs and endings

Or, herein follows a possibly niche comparison between the character arcs of Jaime Lannister (Game of Thrones, HBO, 2011-2019) and John Silver (Black Sails, Starz, 2014-2017), in which I will argue that Jaime’s character arc fails not because of Jaime’s actions, but because of the way his story is framed to the viewer throughout the series, using Silver as a springboard to explore the requisites for a tragic yet satisfying ending.

(Yes, this is 5K words long. No, I am not sorry. Spoilers for Jaime’s and Silver’s storylines in their respective shows, and while I’ve tried to stay vague about the Bigger Picture, read at your own risk.)

Okay, so. I was, and still am, to an extent, a huge Game of Thrones fan. I’ve pored over the books, been to conventions, and spent a good couple of years while I was at uni discussing fan theories on message boards into the early hours of the morning. Jaime Lannister has been one of my favourite fictional characters for over a decade. Yet I certainly wasn’t alone in watching in horror as years of hopeful build up was thrown away in the span of one and a half episodes during the final season of the show. There are *many* things that hurt about season 8 of Game of Thrones. But the swift 180 we see in Jaime, from aiding the Starks in the Battle of Winterfell and finally choosing Brienne, to abandoning her to return to Cersei 20 minutes later, was, for me, one of the deepest cuts.

When I started watching Black Sails this August, I was immediately compelled by Silver – unsurprisingly, as someone who has exactly one favourite character type: Traumatised and Morally Grey Anti-Villain. Watching Silver’s character develop over the four seasons of Black Sails was an absolute joy, and his ending in the finale, though *incredibly difficult*, was nuanced and in character and satisfying. (Am going to try and keep as vague as possible on details here, because Black Sails is an incredible show that more people should watch and I don’t want to completely spoil the ending).  Silver and Jaime are two characters with a lot of similarities and their characters arcs appear to run in direct parallel with each other: both selfish and arrogant men who become more empathetic and invested in others as the series progresses, in large part prompted by the loss of a limb. However, the gulf in reception of their overall arcs can be pinpointed to one huge disparity between the way both storylines were framed to the audience, and that is difference between redemption and tragedy.

“I was that hand”

But first! Let’s start with the more obvious stuff.

When we meet Jaime Lannister and John Silver in the pilots of their respective shows, they are both introduced as arrogant and self-serving – yet charming – men, who place the needs of themselves (and Cersei, in Jaime’s case) above all else. Silver kills and impersonates the cook on the merchant ship Flint’s crew captures, and has no qualms about lying his way onto the crew whilst simultaneously planning to sell the Urca schedule to the highest bidder. For Silver, his own survival comes before any sense of moral code. We are told stories about Jaime before we properly meet him  – that he killed the previous king, Aerys Targaryen, that he has no honour – but nothing that we see first-hand contradicts this; at the end of the pilot he attempts to kill a child to cover up his and Cersei’s incestuous relationship. Silver is certainly supposed to be more likeable than Jaime, but both men, despite their lack of morals, are presented as charming, clever, and good with a one-liner. As we move through the early seasons of both shows, they are consistent in these traits, although Jaime is presented as an outright antagonist whereas Silver from the outset is a morally grey unknown entity, keeping viewers on our toes wondering if he’ll turn against Flint, against Billy, against Eleanor. Things change, for both men, however, with the direct lead up and fallout of the loss of a limb: Jaime’s hand and Silver’s leg.

The introduction of Brienne of Tarth as Jaime’s foil kickstarts his path towards becoming the honourable man he once dreamed of being. During their roadtrip across Westeros, she challenges him and is able to get under his skin in a way we haven’t yet seen before. This comes to a head when the duo are captured, and Jaime intervenes during her attempted rape, lying about her ransom worth and saving her from an awful fate. The result? The immediate amputation of Jaime’s sword hand, representative of Jaime’s identity (“I was that hand”). Jaime is punished for the first selfless act we see him commit on the show with the loss of the source of his power and self-worth.

Silver, in a similar fashion, finds himself in a position to save the crew he has spent two seasons disparaging. When he is offered the opportunity to betray his crew for an escape route, he refuses (the reasons for this refusal never outright stated, although I imagine Flint’s “where else will you wake up in the morning and matter” and Billy’s “that’s our brother you’ve got there” both factor heavily). Again, the result of this refusal is the brutal torture and eventual amputation of Silver’s leg – a man who in his own words is “not a joiner”, prone to taking what he needs and leaving, to reinventing himself, to always having an escape route. As actor Luke Arnold says: “He's a guy who's always had one leg out the door, and then they cut it off.”

What is interesting here is not only that we have two characters who are *punished* for moving beyond their selfishness, but that that punishment is specifically catered towards their defining characteristics. Jaime is left unable to fight, unable to defend himself, unable to uphold his reputation. Silver is left unable to run, unable to leave his past behind him, unable to remain without attachments. Both are left vulnerable.  The loss of Jaime’s hand forces him to reinvent himself in a world ruled by swords; as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, father to Tommen, and an honourable man working to uphold his oath, through Brienne, to Catelyn Stark. The loss of Silver’s leg, however, leaves him *unable* to reinvent himself; forcing him to rely on his crew and paving the way for the growth of his relationship with Flint and Madi. In losing their limbs both Jaime and Silver are set on paths towards gaining empathy, and are able to become invested in those around them.

 “Defined by their histories, distorted to fit their narratives”

Game of Thrones and Black Sails both engage heavily with ideas of myth-making and storytelling. Stories are woven into the mythology of Westeros; a world with thousands of years of history revealed to us slowly over the seasons to suit the narrative and the teller. We are told the story of Rhaegar Targaryen’s kidnap and rape of Lyanna Stark in the pilot, and at first this serves to provide a tragic landscape for Robert’s unhealthy relationship with his wife and his crown. It is only as the show develops and we hear more about Rhaegar and Lyanna that we realise there is more to this story; in season 5 Littlefinger recounts the events of the Tourney of Harrenhal to foreshadow the reveal of Jon’s parentage later that season, that Rhaegar and Lyanna had a happy and consensual relationship and that it is Robert who could be viewed as the villain of this sequence. We are taught through watching the show to never assume that any given story is true. Black Sails similarly plays with the idea of the power of the storyteller, combining historical pirates with fictional pirates and an origin story for Treasure Island, and going to great lengths to show that history is in the hands of the victor. Most of the primary sources of pirate history are from the perspective of civilised England, and in the process of watching the show we come to realise the bias inherent in these histories; much like in Game of Thrones, they are stories, and should not be assumed to be either true or accurate. As Jack says in the finale: “a story is true, a story is untrue […] The stories we want to believe, those are the ones that survive”.

Jaime Lannister and John Silver are both characters defined by stories that are forced upon them without choice: the Kingslayer and Long John Silver. We meet Jaime as the Kingslayer; our opinion of him is immediately formed by the story of him stabbing in the back the King he had sworn to protect, and cemented by the fact that our protagonist, Ned Stark, a man we like and trust, is the one telling this story. The Kingslayer’s presence is so strong in the first two seasons of the show that Jaime becomes nameless, reduced to this one defining act. It is only after the loss of his hand, and through his developing bond with Brienne, that he is finally able to tell his own story and we realise our entire perception of Jaime’s character has been based on an incorrect interpretation of events: that in killing Aerys Targaryen Jaime was saving the population of Kings Landing from destruction via wildfire. It is only after the truth of this story has been revealed to us that Jaime is able to begin moving past the Kingslayer and forging a new identity.

We see this in reverse in Black Sails, for the story of Long John Silver is not introduced until the season 3 finale, but like Jaime, this story is not told by Silver. Billy creates the myth of Long John, commits the acts attributed to him, and uses him as a figurehead for the pirate rebellion all without Silver’s knowledge or consent. Season 4 sees Silver wrestle with this identity of King of the Pirates, surrounded by people who want to use ‘Long John Silver’ for their own benefit: Billy, Israel Hands, even Flint. As the power and influence of Long John Silver the story grows, John Silver the man is disregarded, and his value reduced to how he can further everyone else’s individual causes. Though he does embrace this title (for a time, at least) to further “Flint and Madi’s war”, a cause he doesn’t truly believe in beyond his investment in Flint and Madi as people, we come to realise that the ‘character’ of Long John Silver that we know from Treasure Island is only that: a character, a story, a collective created for a larger cause that Silver himself eventually betrays.

I have seen some criticism of this scene, but for me one of the few redeeming moments of the Game of Thrones finale was Brienne writing Jaime’s story in the Book of White. Despite Jaime’s less than satisfactory conclusion, with this act he is finally able to move past the Kingslayer; Brienne has rewritten his narrative, and he will be remembered as a Knight who “died protecting his Queen”. Silver is offered no such release. By contrast, the story of Long John Silver is all that will be remembered; the worst fear for a man who cannot bear for his own story to be known. Indeed, we learn that “those who stood to benefit most from [Long John Silver] were the most eager to leave it all behind”. While Jaime is able to escape the story of the Kingslayer, the story of Long John Silver is what will endure, “all that is left of [him] is the monster in the story they tell their children”. Hello Treasure Island.

 “Reviled by so many for my finest act"

We can see here that Jaime and Silver’s narratives deal with similar themes, but often in contrasting ways. Just as with storytelling, Jaime and Silver’s backstories are key parts of their storylines in their respective shows, but operate with very different functions. (It is only as I am writing this that I’m realising how similar the themes of Game of Thrones and Black Sails actually are? If only Game of Thrones had the follow through of Black Sails... We were all rooting for you, etc etc).

Jaime’s backstory, and the truth of the act that earned him the title ‘Kingslayer’, is revealed to us mid-way through season 3. This comes at a very key moment for his character: Jaime has just lost his hand and is at his most vulnerable, and Brienne’s stubborn and persistent honour is clearly starting to affect him. “I trust you,” he says to her in the bathroom scene in 3x05, and we can assume that this is the first time he has said this to someone who isn’t a Lannister in quite some time, possibly ever. Essentially, the reveal of Jaime’s backstory comes at a moment where we are already beginning to soften towards him and are therefore open to hearing an alternative interpretation of events. While Jaime needs to be able to tell his story to begin to move past the identity of the Kingslayer, if this reveal had come too soon it wouldn’t have had the same dramatic effect, as viewers wouldn’t have been open to seeing him in a different light. All we saw of Jaime in the first two seasons was the “man without honour” that everyone believes him to be; by mid-season three we are already beginning to realise that there is perhaps more to him that meets the eye, so the reveal of his backstory has the most impact.

(This is exactly what Black Sails does with Flint’s backstory, and I firmly believe that if we had been told his story in season one as was originally the plan it wouldn’t have been anywhere near as effective. We needed to know more about Flint, and to see his uneasy partnership with Silver begin to develop as we delved into the backstory piece by piece, so that by 2x05 our hearts were ready to be broken. Buuut that’s a different essay.)

Black Sails loves a backstory. As we move through the show we slowly learn why and how our favourite characters came to be in Nassau , and universally these reveals add to our understanding of that character and their motivations: for Flint, for Billy, for Max, for Jack. We enter season four with Silver as the only character we don’t know anything about prior to the pilot. Surely then, we were about to get a ‘Jaime Lannister bathroom scene’ equivalent, a moment that will add depth and understanding to Silver’s character? Were any of the stories he has told about his past true? Who is Solomon Little? … Instead, what we get is one of my favourite sequences of the entire show, in which, after Flint realises that he knows nothing of Silver’s past, Silver reveals that Flint, and by proxy the viewer, knows “of [him] all [he] can bear to be known”. Silver is the ultimate storyteller, master of manipulating and deceiving others through the power of a narrative, yet he cannot bear to be the story himself. We never learn Silver’s backstory, and all he reveals of his past is that it speaks to “events of the kind no one can divine any meaning from, other than the world is a place of unending horrors”; he has chosen to repress his past, has rendered it unspeakable, and both Flint and the viewer are only left to wonder at what these “horrors” could be.

Although this lack of backstory adds nothing to our view of who Silver *was*, it is key to understanding who Silver *is*, and *why* Silver makes some of his more controversial choices further down the line. Silver’s need to repress his past is as key to his character as Flint’s need to define himself by his own backstory. We understand from this that Silver has experienced a level of trauma which is unspeakable, quite a feat for a show with plenty of other horrific backstories and especially pertinent given that Silver is one of our most gifted orators. Silver’s inability to process his past explains a lot of his actions in the early seasons; his coping mechanism has been to move through life without forming attachments, convincing himself that he doesn’t need (and shouldn’t need) other people. It is safe to assume that Madi and Flint are the first people he has let himself be truly vulnerable with, which paints his actions throughout season four in a different light; loving people is new for Silver, and he doesn’t know how to do it in a healthy or selfless way. The placement of this scene is as important to Black Sails as Jamie’s bathroom scene is to Game of Thrones; we needed to have already seen Long John Silver’s significance to the war spiral beyond Silver’s control, to have seen him become compromised by his love for Madi and the beginnings of the collapse of his partnership with Flint, for this scene to pack the punch that it aims for and to beautifully set up the culmination of his arc in the finale. How devastating, for a man who cannot bear for himself to be known, to be the one figure whose story will outlive them all.

Both of these scenes have stayed with me long past my first watch, and feel vital to understanding Jaime and Silver as characters. For Jaime, his backstory informs all his actions moving forward, his desire to transcend the Kingslayer, to become an “Oathkeeper”, or even “Golden-hand the Just”. For Silver, his lack of backstory informs all his actions up to this point in the narrative and prepares us for the choices to come. Just as Jaime is defined by his past, Silver is defined by his *lack* of past.

 “This is not what I wanted”

So, we’ve tracked Jaime and Silver’s characters throughout the show, but how do they both end? The answer, of course, is… tragically. Jaime is offered a glimpse at what could be a peaceful life, in Winterfell with Brienne, before turning it down to return to Cersei’s side only to meet his end while the duo try to escape the collapsing walls of Kings Landing. Silver betrays Flint and Madi in a horrific fashion, ensuring that they both survive though knowing that in doing so he was destroying his relationship with Flint and that there was a chance Madi would never forgive him his actions. (Or, this is my chosen interpretation of the ending, in any case, although the point still works if you prefer one of the other readings). Just thinking about Silver’s ending in Black Sails makes me want to cry. Thinking about Jaime’s ending in Game of Thrones makes to want to cry too, although for a very different reason. Neither are the ending we would hope for these characters in an optimistic and ideal world. But Silver’s decision to betray Flint and Madi feels narratively satisfying in a way that Jaime’s decision to betray Brienne and return to Cersei never could. Why is that?

Jaime Lannister’s character progression from season 3 onwards was set up as a redemption arc. We thought we were watching a jaded and selfish man become an honourable man. The show, admittedly, takes its sweet time with this journey in comparison to the book equivalent, and inserts some *interesting* deviations which I won’t dwell on here (looking at you 4x03 and the entirety of season 5). But, ultimately, the journey that Jaime finds himself on from the moment he loses his hand seems to be heading for a triumphant ending. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t expecting him to survive the series. But I was expecting him to go out in a blaze of glory – fighting side by side with Brienne, perhaps, or protecting Bran, or one of the other characters he had wronged in the past. There was also always the chance that he would end up fulfilling the much subscribed to book theory of the valonqar, although this admittedly looked less likely as that particular line of the prophecy was cut from the show. When Jaime finally leaves Cersei at the end of season 7 it is such a triumphant moment – after years of struggling with these warring parts of himself, his toxic love for Cersei and his growing moral conscience, a decision had been made and a tie cut. We enter season 8 assuming that there is no going back. We don’t get a hint of any conflicting feelings from Jaime about this decision in the first half of season 8; we are focused on preparation for the Battle of Winterfell, and revelling in the joy of having Jaime and Brienne in the same place for longer than a single episode for the first time since season 4. We get the knighting scene (which, let’s be honest, is where the season peaks). We get the battle. We get the sex scene between Jaime and Brienne (which I… don’t love, for many reasons up to and including the weird virgin shaming jokes from Tyrion in the previous scene and their level of intoxication, but still gives no hint that Jaime is battling an inner war). And then later in that same episode, despite Brienne pleading with him to stay, we get Jaime’s snap decision to return to Kings Landing to attempt to save Cersei: “You think I’m a good man? […] She’s hateful, and so am I”.

The issue here isn’t the decision itself, or Jaime’s choice of words. We know that Jaime isn’t a good man. We know that he’s done awful things for Cersei’s love. And, if we think about it, it makes sense that he wouldn’t be able to leave behind a lifelong co-dependent and unhealthy relationship without looking back, and that he would be driven to return to Cersei’s side when the reality of her impending death hit. The issue is that none of this decision making is presented in the show itself; there was no build up, no foreshadowing. Instead of showing us why this decision was made, the show presents this scene as a shock twist, leaving the viewer with whiplash wondering how Jaime’s story could have taken such an unexpected turn so quickly. The redemption arc that we all thought we were watching was not a redemption arc at all, and don’t think I was alone in finding this revelation deeply unsatisfying.

Let’s leave Jaime for a moment and turn to John Silver. Even for viewers who entered Black Sails without knowing they were watching a prequel to Treasure Island (such as myself!), we can assume that most people have heard of the fictional pirate Long John Silver: the ‘villain’ of Robert Louis Stevenson’s adventure who embodies what it means to be a “gentleman of fortune”.  When we meet clean-shaved, smarmy, two-legged Silver in the pilot most viewers will at least have an idea of the trajectory his arc will take – and that it won’t end with him and Flint skipping off into the sunset hand in hand. We know, because of history, that the pirate rebellion is doomed to fail, that slavery does not end in the West Indies, that Nassau does indeed fall back under English rule, and that piracy is eventually stamped out of New Providence. And we know, because of Treasure Island, that John Silver will end up hunting for Captain Flint’s treasure, while Billy Bones dies from a stroke at the very idea of a visit from Long John and Flint drinks himself to death in Savannah. In essence, we know that we are watching a tragedy.

The genre of tragedy dates back to Ancient Greece, and describes a narrative that presents an examination of human suffering while evoking a sense of catharsis. Aristotle defines tragedy as “an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude … through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation [release] of these emotions.” In other words, in order for a tragedy to achieve this state of emotional release, we as the viewer need to both anticipate (or, fear) the resolution and feel sympathy (or, pity) towards the tragic hero. Black Sails does this masterfully. The pathway towards the destruction of Silver and Flint’s partnership has its grounds as early as season 2, before it has even really started to develop, where Silver talks of his fears of being “used and discarded” by Flint. In the finale of season 3 it is made explicit during their conversation before the battle, with Silver interrogating what he sees as the pattern of Flint’s loved ones dying “not just during [their] relationship, but because of it”. Silver finds himself “unnerved by the thought that when this pattern applies itself to [Flint] and [Silver], that [he] will be the end of [Flint]”. As they lock eyes across the water later on in this episode, the setup of their opposition, complicated by the genuine care between them, is complete, and we enter season 4 dreading the crumbling of their relationship. Season 4 dangles this dramatic irony over us; every time Flint mentions the indestructible force of their partnership, the things they can achieve when there is “no daylight” between them; every time Silver mentions that Flint has his “genuine trust and friendship”; every time they both speak of their partnership in the same terms as the love that Silver holds for Madi, “I’m committed to Flint, I’m committed to Madi” / “he is my friend, too”, we dread the moment where this will all change. We may not know how it will play out, but we know it is coming. The “fear” is very much present. As, indeed, is the “pity”. We understand why Silver makes the decision he does, even if we don’t agree with it. The show has taken lengths to track the development of Silver’s ability to care and make himself vulnerable to others; we believe in his love for Madi, and understand why he believes that he is doing the right thing. Silver’s tragic flaw is that in gaining empathy his selfishness moves to encompass those he cares about; he will do dark things to protect them without consideration of their own choices or agency.  The finale of Black Sails is difficult, beautiful, and yes, tragic, but we end Silver’s story understanding and perhaps even empathising with the decisions he made, believing him when he says that “this is not what [he] wanted”.

 Tragedy vs redemption

John Silver’s story is a tragedy. And I believe that Jaime Lannister’s story is also a tragedy; a deeply flawed man who tries to escape the inevitability of an abusive and unhealthy relationship, only to eventually fall back into this cycle and become consumed by it. The problem is that this wasn’t the story we thought we were watching. The ending of Jamie’s character arc has none of the fear, none of the pity, none of the catharsis of Silver’s, because there was no signposting towards this end. If Jaime’s arc had been treated as a tragedy from the outset then perhaps it would have felt emotionally satisfying rather than rushed and unexpected.

Admittedly, as Jaime is not as central to Game of Thrones as Silver is to Black Sails, the show could not spend as much time detailing his inner world as Black Sails does to the latter. However, if the show had framed Jaime’s story with a sense of tragedy rather than triumph, then his decision to return to Cersei in season 8 would have had the same inevitability as Silver’s betrayal. In season 1 of Game of Thrones, as in the first instalment of A Song of Ice and Fire, Cersei tells Ned Stark that she and Jaime “are more than brother and sister. We shared a womb, came into this world together. We belong together”. However, the show doesn’t include Jaime and Cersei’s later, darker ruminations, that “we will die together as we were born together” (Jaime, ASOS), and “we will leave this world together, as we once came into it” (Cersei, AFFC). Jaime and Cersei’s doomed fate in the books is entangled in a way it never is in the show, and doubly so when you factor in the possibility of Jaime actively causing Cersei’s end due to the valonqar prophecy. In addition to this, if we had seen Jaime leave Cersei earlier in the narrative and then grapple with this decision, showing him struggling to be the man Brienne believes him to be and overcome his past actions, then his failure wouldn’t have seemed so out of the blue. With very little effort or changes on the part of the show, Jaime’s *entire* arc could have been framed in a way that would have made his death a tragically fitting end to his and Cersei’s story.

Jaime and Silver both end their respective narratives in very similar places to when they were introduced, or at least they do on the surface: Jaime unable to leave Cersei even in death, Silver alone and eventually chasing treasure (yes, Madi is still in the picture, but I don’t think we are meant to infer that their future relationship will be a trusting one). However, for Silver, this similarity is only surface deep, for we followed his growth and development and understand the tragedy of his choices. Although Jaime goes through a very similar pattern of growth, the framing of his arc as redemptive means that the unexpected nosedive into tragedy in season 8 doesn’t have the weight or impact that it intends, and we are left without understanding *why* he makes his choices. Jaime’s arc is a failed tragedy that doesn’t fulfil the cathartic requirements of the genre, but with a bit of reframing it could have been as emotionally resonant as Silver’s.

Long story short: watch Black Sails.

[scorchedhearth]

Character ask: Pick between Andy, Booker and your fav/least fav from Black Sails idk I'm undecisive lol <3

Undecisive besties, let’s go <3 Thank you! Black Sails is still very fresh for me so my opinions are very messy and rough rn but this was a great exercise to try and put words on my feelings!

So far my fav is Captain Flint, obviously since he’s the main character so here we go:

How I feel about this character

I think he’s one of the best morally grey character I’ve seen in a while, and morally grey as what it really means, someone with ideals that sees his methods blend right and wrong to achieve his goals. I also love how he dominates the entire narratives from season one til the very end, how even when he’s not in the scene he’s everything the characters are talking about, he’s always at the center of everything happening even when not there in person, you really feel how imposing and how heavy he weights on the mind of everyone and the fate and the story of Nassau and new providence. The design of the character is also really great, the small details in the costume, especially when turning from s02 to s03 and how his physic represent his state of mind. And the actor does an incredible job too! I love how his arc is written and how he evolves and changes, and especially how his and Silver’s relationship grows and what it becomes. Also love the s02ep05 reveal and how up until that point (aka 1.5 season which is a lot) you have no idea what is the main drive and the backstory of the main character, and how it unlocks everything. Up until then he’s just, very rough and unlikable and he still is after but you understand why and it’s just so satisfying from a storytelling point of view

All the people I ship romantically with this character

I don’t really ship him, I said a while back I didn’t want to see that show in a fandom lense I think I won’t do it, and in the show he has value because of his lack of relationships, the fact that he has nothing to loose anymore is what drives his character until the end and he doesn’t let romantic matters and things like that influence him. But lbr, Flint and Thomas are the only ship I can see for him, or the two of them with Miranda

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Flint and Silver all the way. The way their relationship evolves over the course of the 4 seasons is just perfect I think. It feels so real, how they slowly earn each other’s trust and respect and friendship and how it ends. The fact that they are the same, and the show makes sure to show and tell us that. They are a mirror to each other. And if not Silver, then Madi, if only for the way they work so similarly and the few scenes where you see how they share a mind toward their goal, even if not for the same reason they often agree and do thing together, and she’s one of the few to go up against him and stand her ground (or even make him back off)

My unpopular opinion about this character

Don’t know if it’s unpopular or not, I haven’t dipped my toes in the fandom’s pool, but I actually like his ending, it’s the total opposite of what you were expecting for this character and still it works. Because of how unexpected it is, it works really well and even if a part of me wanted to see him carry on with his devouring rage and grief, the fact that they choose to give him a kind end where he can find peace again (which he could never have reached with the war he was planing) despite how obviously set up it was for him to go down in battle/being betrayed, it feels like a good and satisfying twist

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I can’t really think of anything yet, I really liked how they used the character and what he’s done in the show. Maybe, just out of curiosity not really wanting to see it in canon the ending was really good for me, what would have happened if Silver hadn’t stopped him and Flint had carried on his war, how he would have ended and if he would have succeeded and how that would have impacted all the characters around him

Send me a character!

[laufire]

Black Sails s3

This one took me longer because RL got in the way LOL. I’ve loved it as much as the other two (even if I am IN PAIN over you-know-who’s death DD:). I don’t know when I’ll have the time to finish the last season, but I wanted to post about this one before starting it; otherwise it’d accumulate with the 10+ and counting metas I want to write about this show once I have the full picture LMAO.

Max

As always, I have to start with her because she’s THE FUCKING BEST. This woman is currently competing for the number one spot among fictional characters in my heart LOL (I mean. I have loved Caroline Forbes --who I actually think Max has a lot in common with lmao. Everything I love is the same, as I always say-- for too many years for her to ever be truly dethroned; unless something goes really wrong with Legacies I guess. However, it’s still remarkable that a character could make me doubt).

I’ve absolutely adored her plot this season; watching her growing sphere of influence, the way she affects and upends others’ lives. That’s very much being present since season one, especially with her and Silver in tandem (I have a lot of Thoughts(TM) about those too as a driving/disruptive force in the show --they’ll go to one of those metas--; I’m put off by the fact that I didn’t get to enjoy them conspiring together this season lol. Though her reaction to the fake Long John Silver letter was kind of hilarious xDD. Still. I kind of wish we’d seen the scene where Silver tells her he renounces to his part of the price. It could’ve been very interesting --I guess he could’ve told Jack but that wouldn’t’ve been as good, so this is my headcanon).

The most obvious storyline where this manifest is in her relationship with Anne and Jack. I love everything about it, but well. I have to admit, the ~betrayal/different sides element appeals to me xD. I like that Max prioritices herself and her safety. That she sees the writing on the wall with the English invasion or with Vane’s execution and acts accordingly, the way she calculates her decisions and forms alliances without letting past grievances get in the way --with Eleanor, Rogers, Mrs. Mapleton...--, the choices she makes because she doesn’t want to be “on the outside looking in” ever again and how they always end reverting in her benefit, ultimately (I’m getting ahead because I am spoiled of quite a few things about s4, but I LOVE that eventually she mends her relationship with Anne and Jack. Because it fits into this: how even the possible mistakes and emotional compromises she makes are within a very specific frame that works out for her in the end).

Her relationship with Anne gets even better this season. I think my favourite scene is where Max tells Anne that she nows Anne “cannot fathom leaving me”. Can I get this woman’s confidence LMFAO. But seriously. I luff them. I love how Max convinces Jack of going along her plan to replace the gold with good easier to transport (and how THAT ends up being Flint’s treasure asdñlfkasfj. MY GIRL DIRECTLY CAUSED THE EVENTS IN TREASURE ISLAND OKAY) by appealing to their mutual love for Anne. That she trusts Anne with the story about her father. That she knows just as well as Jack that Anne wouldn’t give up the treasure so easily and she’ll try to save him (and that Anne won’t stomach the thought of Jack being tortured because she couldn’t bear MAX’S torture. My heart).

Another highlight of the season for me was her relationship with Eleanor, which keeps being a huge surprise no matter what xDD (even if, again, never in a shippy way. I’m very glad the season doesn’t go there). I love the reversal of expectation in a general fandom landscape: how ultimately, Eleanor doesn’t have an emotional hold over Max (and that she lost it as early as 1x02, IMO. I’m not saying “Max doesn’t feel anything about Eleanor”, but the truth of the matter is, narratively Eleanor serves Max, not the other way around. And I’m happy and relieved about it, ngl), and that the same isn’t true the other way around. I thought two very telling scenes where a.) Max hosting parody trials of Eleanor that paint her under a completely undignified light, but clearly deriving no pleasure from it: it simply was yet another thing she does for practically, level-headed political reasons; and b.) that Eleanor orders Rogers’ men not to hurt Anne in the exchange because Max’s love for Anne.

Continuing down with Max’s relationships, I’ve grown to really like hers with Idelle. I think Max find Idelle fun, likeable, uncomplicated (the scene where Featherstone tells Idelle he hopes his pardon doesn’t diminish her attraction to her was hilarious and clearly the moment Max was enjoying herself the most in the whole season lmfao. BTW, I kinda liked Idelle/Featherstone since the moment he told Jack he wasn’t concerned because “he was in love with a good woman” and Jack was like “Idelle??”. Yes, it’s fun because client-falling-for-sex-worker is a pitiful cliché, but here’s the thing: he’s right xD. He didn’t say “I’m in love with a woman who loves me”. He said he was in love with someone GOOD and Idelle IS a good woman, dammit xDD).

Max doesn’t concern herself much with the idea of Idelle going behind her back because Idelle loves her, respects her, and is a loyal friend (and yet clearly sees Max exactly as she is and doesn’t have any delusions about it. Luckily for her Max is probably the type to feel angry but not vengeful about this lol, if only because it could reflect on her). And Max is right about that. But I love that Idelle still has it in her to take a different path by allying herself with the pirates. I’m curious about the reasoning being after Max makes Mrs. Mapleton madam again; it’s clear the girls aren’t happy about her and she didn’t seem like she took good care of them in s1, to put it mildly, so there’s some of that, but I like to think part of it was Idelle going, “seriously Max? I’m right here! I could be the Madam!” xDD.

Her dynamic with Mrs. Mapleton was really interesting too; I like how she too puts aside any old grudge and decides to put her bets with Max over Eleanor or Rogers, because she has confidence that Max and her methods (“I choose to let the players reveal themselves to me, least I make an enemy out of someone I might wish to call a friend one day”) will outlast them (btw, that line/her approach in general --as well as Silver’s “liked is a good as feared” MO--, kind of reminded me to Sansa Stark’s “If I am ever queen, I will make them love me.” line. Food for thought). Yet I think Mrs. Mapleton instructed Georgia to  attempt to ~seduce Max to get information out of her, which is very much in line with her. I loled at Max’s reaction basically being “gurl, who do you think you’re talking to. I practically invented this. GTFO” xDD

Basically, her entire storyline this season was pure gold. I love how all of those dynamics come from her maneuvers to keep herself safe, in power, and with influence (because those go hand in hand). I love her pride and her confidence, the way she refuses the scraps Eleanor and Rogers intend to give her at first (and how she firmly says to Eleanor “people do not speak to me that way anymore”, how she establishes a new normal between them), and how she pays her way out of trouble/into power with the gold she stole from Flint & co xDD.

My favourite moment of hers is devided between “in another time, in another place, they would call me a queen”, and “I AM Nassau” (that made me decide that if I ever write fic where Max needs a last name for any reason, it’s going to be Nassau. It is law), and how meta they’ll turn out to be :DD. I also have Thoughts about the evolution of her styles (beyond the obvious “omg she’s soooooo beautifuuuuul” lmao) but I’ll leave that for another show-encompassing meta too :P

Madi

She catapulted herself to Forever Fave status pretty quickly (I may have too many of those in this show.  W h a t e v e r  xDD). I love how self-assured she is (“when I speak my men listen, and they do as I say”), and how she always thinks of the big picture (like when she fought her impulse to order her men to fight against the pirates after one of them beat one of hers). And I have a lot of Feels about how this is explicitly linked to her heritage, her mother and father, their ~legacies.

Speaking of: one of the few major spoilers I seem to have avoided was that Mr. Scott was Madi’s father LOL. I was DELIGHTED by that reveal, and how it makes you reconsider his story. His relationship with Eleanor could’ve been a frankly off-putting cliché, but this completely circumvents that; it’s true that he’d shown more independence from her than I would’ve expected in another show, by leaving her side to do his own thing and further contributing to her vulnerability. But giving him a real* family, one that he prioritises over Eleanor and HID FROM HER, using her position to their benefit... That’s on a whole other level.

*I know some people are going to object to this qualifier. Fandom gets like that about found families, adopted families, etc. And I get it, but this is NOT like those situations. Mr. Scott was Eleanor’s SLAVE, FFS. That is incompatible with being her family, her father figure, no matter what she thought. And I love that the show made it explicit, when Madi tried to talk about his “two daughters” and he said “NO. ONLY YOU” in his deathbed (I might or might not have cried, okay. It may be one of my favourite scenes in the whole series). Especially when there’s a very obvious trend of characters of color COINCIDENTALLY being written as prioritizing white characters over their biological families, at the cost of their health and even their lives (I am still not over Monty being forced to kill his own mother to protect Octavia in The 100. Fuck that shit, seriously). Black Sails deciding to do the oposite here is FUCKING REVOLUTIONARY and I love it to pieces.

Another thing I loved is that they picked an actress that looks more like Mr. Scott than like her mother or Max (darker skin etc.): aka how the few black female characters that usually get what Madi will from Silver --that ~eternal devotion, willing to go against anything and anyone for her etc.-- tend to look.

Unsurprisingly, I like Madi/Silver VERY MUCH lol. I like that he is immediately ~drawn to her, in a subtle way, and viceversa (like in the scene where he’s still in the cage watching how she has trouble breathing after seeing her wounded father, or when they hug after his death). All their talks about power, responsibility, succession etc. are really good. And her concern for him is as palpable as probably inconvenient for her xD. I love the scene where she holds her hand as his leg is treated, or her worry one Silver calls himself a “one legged creature”. Though my favourite might be when he smiles when she shows concern for his state after killing Dufresne, and she’s like “well duh, if you fall apart the alliance between my people and yours is screwed” xDD

And though there hasn’t been much development yet on that side, I’m already so onboard with Flint/Madi/Silver lmfao. I love that nod of ~acknowledgment between Flint and Madi with the Maroon Queen’s voiceover about how Madi will have as much authority as Flint in his own ship xD. Her concern about Silver’s relationship with him is kind of ironic knowing that they’ll eventually find themselves more aligned between them than with Silver, by virtue of their many commonalities LOL. And there’s already traces of that ot3 feels, like when Madi tells Silver that the mistake of those “other people close to Flint” that he’s so scared of following to the grave was trying to deal with Flint alone (Madi’s seduction technique: kindness, understanding, and offers of partnership. I dig it).

I want more scenes of and with her mother, too. And between her mother and Silver, since apparently the Maroon Queen trusts him among all the pirates NOT to betray them for money (Jack saying the irony wasn’t lost on him and Flitn was hilarious xD) and that has to be thanks to Madi’s opinion of him. I’m kind of bitter we never got a Mr. Scott & Silver scene, too, especially after Silver and Madi become romantically involved. I love that stuff.

Miranda

I could just upload a bunch of gifs of various crying/in pain/etc. states here because WORDS CANNOT EXPRESS THE PAINNN. I was ~feeling Flint’s grief the entire time, I swear (though... did it have to express itself by shaving his head... asking for a friend). The violence he kept inflicting in her name (her word will be the last word); how he convinced his crew, Silver included, to go into the storm rather than surrendering, for her (and narratively speaking Silver is right, he did conjure it xDD). How fucking tired he is of it all (“you can talk your way part it”, “I don’t know that I have any more lies left in me”).

As far as I’m concerned he could be hallucinating her the rest of the show (I’m going to miss seeing her so much... especially in light of the ending), as painful as I find those scenes. At this point “But when I lost you... I am ruined over you” is an instant tear-jerker, ugh. So is Flint wantint to let go and “be with her”, and ghost!Miranda saying she’d resent him for giving up. Though my favourite is when Miranda basically describes herself as his “maker”, about how she ~shaped him *clenches fist*. I love those kinds of ships.

BTW: I think the moment Rogers mentioned Thomas, Miranda’s ghost, Flint, and I, yelled “HOW DARE YOU SAY HIS NAME” on the inside xD

Flint & Silver

Sometimes fandom gets it right because the relationship between these two is... A Lot. A LOT. I anticipate a lot of suffering on my part in the near future xD

I loved the evolution in the first half of the season, from Flint telling Silver that “in my head, you’re not welcome”, or Silver resenting that Flint’s words convinced HIM (HE’S the convincer!! It’s not supposed to happen to ME!! xDD) and rambling about how Flint is “able to ~conjure the reality he desires”, to Silver finally confessing about his part on the Urca gold robbery (which I’m at least 60% sure Flint suspected already tbh. That was not one of Silver’s best lies lbr) in order to force Flint to “account for ME” --but ofc still grabbing the nearest weapon as he confeses, just in case xDD. I am also incredibly delighted by the fact that the fandom calls that episode “shark date” asdñflkasjdf (*Flint and Silver barely manage to kill one shark*; Flint, challenging: again? *Silver grins*. Shark hunting = foreplay now, apparently).

I want it known that I end up ENRAGED every time they talk about their ~partnership lmfao. It comes off very intimate and gives me too many feelings xD. “When you and I talk with one voice, we can convince them of anything”; “your words opened that door [Flint convincing the Maroon Queen to spare their lives and join their fight]”; “you didn’t tell me the journey into the dark feels good”; “he doesn’t know how to say no to the both of us at the same time”; “I’m afraid I will be the end of you”. JUST STOP YOU ASSHOLES XDD

One of my favourite moments is when Silver convinces Flint to live. To go on, to talk to the Maroon Queen without a safeguard (that knife would’ve been his doom) and get her on their side (which Flint does with a super passionate speech about fighting England’s empire. ILH). Another is when Silver tells him he enjoyed killing Dufresne WITH HIS PROSTHETIC LEG OMFG (I personally think killing Dufresne was very valid of him lmfao), or Flint says Silver enjoyed punishing Dobbs (which in Silver fashion, worked perfectly for him because it made Dobbs MORE susceptible to him). Though obviously everything pales when compared to the scene where CAPTAIN FLINT COMES OUT TO LONG JOHN SILVER OVER A BONFIRE LMFAO. I loved that scene; it was so gentle. And then Silver made it about him and their relationship xDD (this show is not subtle). Flint’s apparent lack of concern about Silver replacing him is stressing me out though. I dread the series finale xD

Outside of Flint/Silver, Silver’s journey remains awe-inspiring. I just... love him. I love that he gave up his share of the Urca gold because he had to hold onto the crew, but that he is terrified of their bow to take care of him. His concern for his image in front of them was heartbreaking and hit waaaaay too close to home, too. And I wonder how he’s going to react to Billy’s King Long John Silver stratagem xD

BTW, I lowkey shipped him with Muldoon LOL. They should’ve had ~tender sex~~ (on screen, I headcanon it did happen off-screen, whatever) at some point (if only so there was one measly mlm sex scene in the show amidst all the rest. It’s troubling, to say the least, that there’s not a single one when it has a queer male lead tbh. And I get why they didn’t go that route with Flint outside of Thomas and can even see why they didn’t do it with Flint/Thomas even if I judge the hell out of them for it, but given how they go out of their way for the other options... yeah, I side eye them).

Jack

I LOVE HIM SO MUCH AND I WISH HE HAD MORE SCREENTIME, OKAY. Every time he opens his mouth the show gets just a little bit better, if you ask me xD. “If you’re going to behave like children, I will be your daddy” WHO SAYS THAT JACK XDD.

I loved him even more when he decided to deny Rogers & co the cache, Spanish invasion or not, to not give up and assure “his legacy”. And OF COURSE he could write his intentions in a way that only Anne would understand (Max reaaaally understimated him there). Their relationship remains the sweetest (weird adjective, maybe, but it’s true) part of the show, btw. I love that how Jack describes how hurt Anne would feel after knowing she might’ve unwittingly betrayed him. Or when he knew Anne giving up to easily meant she had a plan and he cheerfully told Rogers Anne would find a way to save him xD (the scene where he absolutely drags Rogers about his privilege --“but did I make up a lot of ground to catch you!”-- is perfect. And their reunion kiss was so, so cute.

Other highlights were when he threw away the key of the cache in front of Flint to secure it, or made his pitch to be his fellow captain in the fight. I also take a petty pleasure in the fact that Vane sacrificed himself when he went to his rescue LOL. 

I like that he convinced Blackbeard to fight alongside them, but sweetie, you have NOTHING to prove to that asshole. His opinion is worthless (between his “strife is good” and Vane’s “comfort is for women” takes... ugh. They remind me of the exact discourse among leftism I hate okay xDD. In Vane’s case I at least get where he’s coming from and I even agree in part, but Blackbeard is even more boring).

Misc

-I love Billy’s more and more insidious antagonism towards Flint lmfao (yes, Flint is also one of my Forever Faves. This is compatible AND the kind of thing that would make me appreciate Billy more. I love irreverence, period). It starts with subtle ways of trying to poison Flint and Silver’s relationship (telling Silver Flint doesn’t see him as an equal, sending Silver to deliver Flint’s message instead of Flint himself, etc.). I laughed at him saying he’s all for Flint sacrificing himself for the crew since it’d be the “first selfless thing I’ve seen him do!” lol. Or that he “wants a good view when things catch up with Flint and the world makes sense again”. And ofc, creating the legend of Long John Silver. You just know he remembered Flint’s out of left field “I AM YOUR KING” and said “not on my fucking watch” xDD. And I love the irony of him being the one delivering black spots LOL.

-Did it really took that long for Anne and Flint to share some freaking words smh. Barely, but I’ll take it. I liked the moment where Jack references Max as “Anne’s lost love” and Flint does that Closeted Queer Observing A Queer Couple Look lol (he did the same when he was witness to Max and Eleanor’s fight. You need more queer friends, Flint :P).

-I liked Mrs. Hudson from the moment that she told Eleanor that the only difference she saw between her and other ladies is that their families have better lawyer --which meant Eleanor was the first one she could be rude towards xD--, and accused her of living of her father’s nepotism LOL. I hope she ends up in a good place and safe back with her kids.

-I can’t say I care much about Vane or his relationship with Eleanor, but his death and her hand on it were very well written IMO.

-I find Rogers so inherently unlikeable in every way LMFAO. And as hypocritical as it might sound, part of it is the extramarital affair ngl. I hate storylines where a man married to a more “conventional” woman is ~attracted to one he perceives as “stronger”, “fiercer”, and more worthy of himself (as if his opinion on the matter is worth shit) --only to eventually try and make the new woman more conventional once he “has” her. This one hasn’t gone all the way there but it has traces of that trope and I loathe it with all my heart.

-The only moment I managed to pay attention to Blackbeard was when he mentioned he had shrapnel advancing towards his heart, and for anyone who knows me a little, you know it’s because my brain linked that to Tony Stark lmfao. *Sighs* I just never like any version of Blackbeard, period. I find them so boring. He’s the opposite of Long John Silver that way, because I’ve loved every single version I’ve encountered so far.

-The way Spain is portrayed in this show is so... unusual. Especially for USA content in my experience. One day I’m going to have to do some more research and write about how Spain (and in particular Spanish violence -inter and intranational) is portrayed across the ocean.

[vowel-in-thug]

i am going to be greedy and ask you for 45 share the synopsis of a story you work on that you haven’t published yet and 46 share a scene of a story that you haven’t published yet and 48 three spoilers for whichever yet unpublished fic you are working on that you want to talk about and also for #50 i am SUPER curious if you have any headcanons about silver's awful past that had/has him so fucked up, poor guy. you don't have to answer all of these i know i asked a lot :)

my own headcanons for silver are morbid ...i've never shared them with fandom cause they are prob triggering as shit and obviously silver did not(at least in the show)have a happy ending to his story which is bullshit when i think about what happened to him in my head before he ever met flint /madi .Also there is a fic on a03( Apology by Wind_Ryder is the coda)where the author put silver working in the coal mines and he suffered as an orphan in that kind of place would. that story rang true too.

wow! Okay let’s look at all this.

45 share the synopsis of a story you work on that you haven’t published yet 

summaries are usually the last thing i think of but this one spoke to me before i’ve even finished reading it.

“a s3 au where miranda lives because life is short and fuck y’all i do what i want.”

6 share a scene of a story that you haven’t published yet

now i’m not gonna post a WHOLE scene because, hey long, but here’s the opening:

When he opens his eyes, he sees the sunlight rocking steadily on the wooden ceiling. He tries to lift himself up onto his elbows, but he can barely manage an inch, gasping at the pain.

“Shhh.” A hand on his shoulder makes him jump -- or makes his heart jump. His body can’t do much more than twitch at the contact. “Lie back now.”

He obeys, and now he sees the sunlight on the ceiling and Mrs. Barlow. Equally pale, equally blinding, swaying with the ceaseless sway of the ship.

Her dress is torn, far dirtier than when he’d last seen it. She’s wrapped in a blanket, which doesn’t quite hide the bloodstains or the sling on her left arm. There’s a long scrape on her chin, but her face is washed and cleaned of any make-up. Her long hair is down. 

She looks just like every portrait of Mary that Silver has ever seen.

48 three spoilers for whichever yet unpublished fic you are working on that you want to talk about 

well since the last two ones answered the miranda fic and i don’t want to give EVERYTHING away, and i just answered this about the next smallpox fic, i’m gonna do you dirty and talk about the next NOIR fic, which i haven’t forgotten about!

1. An arrest is made.

2. The boys wear tuxedos

3. Turns out Silver can still dance with a wooden leg, if they’re dancing real slow. 

50. open question to the writer - silver headcanons

i’ve never read that fic, but it sounds appropriately tragic :(

so i’ve answered this before, sort of, here. (also specifically orange!silver here) and i kind of say it there, but i think all of these are true and none of them are true. some of them could apply to fics i’ve written, some could apply to canon, some apply to stories i’ve never written and want to but never will. they probably all contradict the stories i’ve written, but i feel like that is also true. silver’s own headcanons for himself contradict themselves.

i think he likely suffered abuse as a young child, and was made to feel unloved and unwanted by an adult meant to care for him. and i think he likely escaped that situation and is very proud of that fact. proud to know he can rely on himself. but i don’t think he escaped and immediately had a nice life. i think he probably was met with all the hardships, injury, hunger, abuse, misdeeds, horror that comes with living the life of a poor and lonely boy. but it’s important to remember how he is when we first met him. 

we know he’s survived abuse, but when we first see him, he is a healthy (dare i say STRAPPING) young lad with a decent enough job on a relatively respectable merchant ship. he’s alive and, most important, he isn’t broken by whatever may have happened to him. we know he was abused, and we know he’s a survivor. but i think how he survived is very important to his psychology. every trial he likely faced just kept on proving more and more that the only person he can trust is himself. no one else. he has no need for other people because they’ve only ever harmed him. he has no need to help his fellow man when pirates come a-calling, because when has his fellow man ever helped him? never, that’s when. 

so when he finally, FINALLY, meets people he can rely on, everything inside his head just goes fucking haywire. though i don’t believe there isn’t a happy ending for silver. he’s never broken. he’s a survivor. and if you want to believe THAT TRASH aka treasure island as canon or whatever, you can picture silver escaping with only a bag of the treasure he promised to try and find for flint and madi and furiously trying to come up with a story that doesn’t involve a snotty little brat named jim whatever outsmarting him for the money

[halflingkima]

ok i know i haven’t finished black sails yet but eleanor guthrie deserved better writing than to be married off as an ass-backwards ‘redemption arc’ and then fridged for the punishment of her new husband

oh god this got so long

i saw something about how the creators were talking abt how rogers was essentially her redemption arc for how she treated charles and how she betrayed basically everyone but like. Pirates. like. i know we’re positioning them as the “good guys” here but. Pirates.

[i don’t know how to find the source, but it was a quote from an interview where someone asked one of the creators basically ‘what’s the deal’ w the eleanor & rogers relationship (bc lbr it came tf outta Nowhere™) and the dude answered essentially ‘she wants to prove that she can be loyal and that she’s not an Entirely Shit Person and atone for her past betrayals’]

Flint fucking strangles his best friend to death; beats a crew member to death and proceeds to maim his body; lies to everyone because he refuses to trust them; is accused of throwing beloved Billy overboard; etc etc etc – and doesn’t need a redemption arc. A couple crew members try to lead a mutiny against Flint and are simply scared back into line. Billy leads his faction against Flint’s orders – putting huge numbers of black humans at life or death risk – and is just portrayed as a differing point of view in the main conflict with no redemption arc (up to 4.06). Silver’s entire personality is cunning, self-serving manipulation (until it turns into survival) and he needs no redemption arc. Max’s entire arc is revenge-fueled power-grabbing, relying wholly on manipulation and playing both sides and she needs no redemption. I could go off on every character and the endless betrayals bc get this – THEY’RE PIRATES.

Some may make the argument that Eleanor was not a pirate – which is incorrect. She may have maintained that she was not one, but she was the merchant power on the island who was originally in-line with Flint’s vision for the island. Everything she did in the early seasons was a calculated decision to gain her power and attain her vision. At the basest level, she facilitated acts of piracy for the entire island.

The only conclusion I’m able to come to about her arc after her capture at the end of season two is that the creators/writers didn’t know how she would fit into a narrative of the power shift between the free state and the Empire. 

Initially, I expected her to be manipulating Rogers to avoid sentencing/death, as she had shown prowess in manipulating Vane. But the quote from the interview showed that they were writing Eleanor’s alliance with Rogers as genuine and that was essentially baffling to me. How could Eleanor Guthrie – a woman whom Charles Vane saw at the very least as a worthy adversary if not as a genuine equal human, a woman who began a relationship with another woman (albeit monetarily compensated) and clearly demonstrated their certain shared experiences simply as women functioning in this society (though they were most certainly not socially equal in any other way) – be with a military man employed by the legal state of the British empire? No matter how socially conscious he was or how much he respected her, Rogers would never see Eleanor Guthrie as an equal – socially, politically, or any other way. Which is why I would never buy that she actually had feelings for him. (Potentially if there was a little more development in a conscious decision to abandon Nassau and retreat to a Domestic Life, as Flint did in his cottage scene, but that’s another post.)

Where was the creativity and character development (rather than character devolvement) in her narrative? Can there be only one queer woman manipulating both sides of the core conflict? Can there be only one man sexually and romantically manipulated by a woman?

And marrying her off to the enemy of her vision wasn’t enough; killing her off didn’t garner enough sympathy; killing her off while pregnant wasn’t effective enough – she had to be killed at the political orders of her husband, whom she [allegedly] genuinely loved.

First of all – pregnancy? Really? Was that necessary? If anything it’s a giant red flag that she was going to die; who would birth a child in that climate? who genuinely believe that the conflict would be over before the child was born? who truly believed that she would be able to raise her child peacefully in England at her husbands manor? Not Eleanor Guthrie. I don’t have any further thoughts on this bit besides it seemed to me like a p transparent grasp for sympathy that didn’t do its job. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

There was a point that I would have actually been happy if the end of the trail for just about everyone was death. I’m perfectly fine with the fact that Eleanor died. I am not fine with the reason she died nor with the physicality of her death.

Admittedly, it could have been worse; it’s a low bar but I’m very thankful the writers didn’t resort to r*pe (again; which – again, it’s own post) and at the very least I’m satisfied that she died fighting. However – Flint’s entire ship is stranded in the doldrums and survives. Billy Bones falls overboard in the middle of a storm, is taken/tortured by the navy for an entire season, is beaten within an inch of his life by vengeful, newly freed people, and survives. Vane was declared dead, dumped in a pit, and buried in sand, and survives. Anne Bonny turns herself into a DIY Wolverine cosplay with some random glass lying around in stores of a ship and gets beaten/slashed half to death and survives. (I haven’t seen it yet but) Madi is trapped in a house as it burns down and survives?? Yet Eleanor gets one sword slash to the abdomen, is still conscious by the time Flint returns, and dies?? It’s either ridiculously lazy writing or a direct comment on the physical stamina of men vs women. (and let’s not forget a slash to the abdomen immediately reminds viewers that she’s pregnant).

Full disclosure: I have yet to watch far beyond Eleanor’s death for my own unrelated reasons. Still it is already apparent that Eleanor’s death was at least initially intended as further motivation/development for Rogers, whose own orders and narrowed vision of victory resulted in the death of his wife and unborn child (that he had yet to learn about). As far as I can see, that’s literally all that her death amounts to. Which is the definition of fridging – killing off a woman for the development of a male character. Which is even more tragic considering how strong, developed, humanized, and well-rounded of a character she was at the beginning.

Ultimately: Eleanor Guthrie deserved better. A better character arc. A better death. A better role. A better end.

[blackgirlcouch]

Wow even Fathoms Deep is saying it's all a plan.

I genuinely feel like I missed something. I’m not even being sarcastic. Why is this theory so rampant and dont even both answering of you’re a silver/Flint fanbitch but I need solid facts before I will consider it. I mean I can see Silver having a plan but Silver wouldn’t tell Hands its all a plan? I don’t want to hear about they raised their voices for two people that didn’t have anything to do with the storyline to hear as a reason. They yelled before. In the preview Silver clearly says “ If Flint buries that cache, he’ll win”

All Flint’s POV were private and had no purpose other than for the audience. Any man on that boat would have helped. Hell Silver has trusted men that respect him and Flint. The need for secrecy when the secret is out seems pointless? Everyone knew the treasure was going to WR and no one had a problem.

Now I don’t think Silver have a kill order.

And pictures are just that. No context.

So other than those three thing that are easily dismissed what makes people believe this shit? As far as Fathom Deep I have to remember they thought Madi was manipulating Eleanor in the house so mayyyybbbeee I shouldn’t try to giving them as much credit because they be wrong. It came from Daphnes lips and she has been missing in her analysis this season and Liz doesn’t speak nearly as much as she should.

I honestly don’t see why this is all a plan when Silver and Flint are going to turn on each other regardless. Like even IF everyone seriously thinks this is a plan or even PROVEN so it DOES NOT END WELL BETWEEN THEM.

IT’S HAPPENING WHETHER ITS THIS WEEK OR NEXT. THEY DON’T END THE SERIES FRIENDS.

Might as well mourn now. If it’s not the end yet it certainly is the beginning.

If anything everyone needs to be focused on why the hell Billy dragged everyone’s ass out here in the first place .

[sweetsunrayssr]

Billy, pirate to the very Bones

Warning: 4x08 spoilers

Let’s for a moment forget the player you root for, or which goal you wish to succeed: Flint’s war, Woodes’ war, Maroons freedom, revenge. Let’s put that all aside and we might understand Billy’s choices and plans far better.

By the end of 4x08 we have two major plot parallels set up in Billy’s story to what happened previously in Black Sails. First there is a parallel to the earlier cache deal with Eleanor in season 4 and how that resulted in Silver making a choice between Flint and Billy. And secondly there is a parallel to Silver trying to tow Mr. Dobbs back in line by punishing him and how Silver uses Dobbs to pretend to be a traitor to Flint to lure Hornigold into a trap on the Maroon Island. 

The cache deal parallel

In 4x04 Eleanor proposes to surrender Fort Nassau for free passage of herself and her people and the cache. While Silver says absolutely not, Flint accepts the deal and says, “Trust me,” putting Silver in a position to defend Flint’s choice and action even though he himself is against it. Billy attempts to persuade him several times to not accept this deal and sacrifice Flint in the process, and eventually offers to kill Flint for him.

As a result, Silver pretends to go along with Billy’s plan and lied about who was responsible for their defeat in Nassau bay in 4x01. He orders Jacob Garett to kill Billy. And when Jacob refuses, Israel Hands steps in to execute Billy, with Silver staying Israel’s hands (pun intended) at the last moment.

Silver has Billy severely punished and explains that he turned on Billy, because Billy forced Silver to choose between Flint and Billy, implying that Flint did not force him to choose. But of course, that is exactly the position that Flint forced him into by going along with Eleanor’s deal in the first place, without even needing to argue or utter any word about Billy to Silver.

Later, Woodes demands a ransom for Madi’s life. Now it’s Flint’s turn to argue that this is meant to divide the both of them, but as the stakes are higher in Silver’s eyes he quickly ends up seeing it as Flint making him choose between Madi or Flint’s war, warns him not to make him choose. And when Flint runs of with the cache (like Billy would have ordered the men to take the cache if it ever arrived in Nassau), Silver meets with Woodes to tell him of Flint’s betrayal, that he sent men after Flint to retrieve the cache and admits he gave the order to kill Flint.

And more to the point, Billy anticipated it all, including Silver giving the order to kill Flint, and that without ever needing to speak or even see Silver himself. What we see here is a behavior pattern. Two men (Flint and Billy) use or create a situation where they can sit back, and watch from a distance how their rival tries to argue and force Silver into siding with them but will lose the argument. If Billy manipulated Silver into breaking up with Flint over the 2nd deal, then Flint manipulated Silver into breaking up with Billy over the 1st deal. And Billy could do so, because he recognized Silver’s pattern to such situations.

The Dobbs-Billy parallel

In season 3 Mr. Dobbs attacked one of Madi’s men on the Walrus for being the one who picked out the crewmembers that were tortured on the Maroon Island, at a moment when the alliance between the maroons and pirates was in its cradle and unstable.

The first obvious parallel to Billy is not just between Dobbs and Billy, but Madi’s guy that got beat up. We have similar injuries. And with both men Silver is reluctant to release them, before he is sure what they will say to the crew.

And then of course there is the repeated manner in which Silver tries to punish both Dobbs and Billy in the hope that neither would repeat the offense. 

Flint points out to Silver, after he learns of Silver dealing with Dobbs’ actions, that nobody knows whether Silver punished Dobbs not enough, too much, or just enough to accomplish his goal, aside from giving in to the darker and more selfish motivation behind punishment.

And that should be the question we should be asking ourselves in Billy’s case too, rather than wondering whether this is just another scheme between Silver and Flint. The screen evidence for 4x08 does not support a plot between Silver and Flint to fool Woodes and Billy. Silver’s last conversation with Flint about trusting him and supporting him in which Flint anwered “yes”, was very similar to Vane’s and Eleanor’s last conversation and Eleanor said “yes”, exactly before she rescued Abigail out of the fort. Silver would not allow his men to be killed for it. And he would not look devestated just for the audience alone. Let us not forget how Flint talks into Dooley, the way Silver and Flint plotted over food to take over the Man O War from under Dufresne’s nose.

Instead I question Billy’s plan and his alliance with Woodes. On Silver’s orders, Dobbs surrendered to Hornigold, pretending to be a traitor, saying how they all betrayed him for a maroon and now they would all pay for it. He shot one of his own brothers to prove to Hornigold that he was in earnest. Then he led Hornigold, his militia and the English soliders to the maroon camp, supposedly to the cache, but it was actually a trap.

Then in season 4, Billy surrenders to Woodes, helps him catch Kofi and pirates that intended to rescue Madi for Woodes to execute as well as leads Woodes and the Walrus crew to spooky Skeleton Island to acquire the cache. Even Flint points out to Dooley that Billy chose Skeleton Island for other reasons than just an unchartered island to make the exchange. Furthermore, we ought to recognize the fact that if Billy had not pointed out to Woodes that he had Madi in his possession, that she would have been sold into slavery without Silver or the maroons knowing that Madi is alive. 

At the very least the parallels are so striking that it is very unlikely that Billy has actually turned completely like Mr. Dufresne or Hornigold. If he is Woodes’ ally, it is only temporary and for his own ends.

Aside from the parallels, there are also differences between the two situations. Firstly, Silver certainly did not order Billy to do this, but Billy did it all on his own. And at the time with Dobbs, Billy was on Providence Island, first attacking the governor’s caravan, and then volunteering to rescue Charles Vane. We can however safely assume that Billy would have learned of Dobb’s fake treason.

The last difference between Dobbs and Billy is that Dobbs was just a crewmember with little power, while Billy built and led a large number of men who swore oaths to him all on his own and led those men into battle, like a captain. Even if the majority of men betrayed Billy, Jacob Garett refused to murder Billy and stood up for him. And Ben Gunn freed Billy from his chains at the Underhill estate. Billy has become a man who has come to believe he could captain a crew rather than be the quartermaster’s sidekick.

Billy’s plan

As I pointed out already, there is no evidence at all to support the idea that any of this is Silver’s and Flint’s plan. In fact there is plenty of evidence to the contrary. All of it is Billy’s plan. But what exactly is his plan?

Does he solely seek to push Flint out and become Silver’s second man again? Does he actually resent Silver more now, because he punished Billy while having the highest form of authority as pirate king, and therefore seek to become a partner to Flint? Does he wish both Flint and Silver to kill each other? Does he wish Woodes, Flint and Silver to kill each other?

I think it is far more likely that he wishes all three of these men to destroy each other. And here is my argument for it: Billy is a proper pirate through and through. In season 1, Charles Vane orchestrated Singleton’s attempt to challenge Flint for his captaincy to get Billy on his crew. The sole reason that Billy turned it down when captured by Charles at the end of season 2 was because at the time he knew they needed Flint to marshall a defense against England once they would arrive. In season 3 Billy expresses doubts and weariness over Flint’s war, calls Charles the “best of them” and begins to plot to depose Flint from his power seat. Instead he props Silver as a pirate king, and yet in 1x01 Billy expressed the belief that pirates have no kings. Does that strike you as a man who is fully willing to be a repentant pirate and permanently work for the English, because Silver and Flint screwed him over, like Dufresne and Hornigold? Dufresne was never a proper pirate. And Hornigold always felt uncomfortable with hunting English merchants, which was why he preferred to sit in his poxy chair in the Fort.

Billy is still a pirate at heart, and I believe he will always will be. But his entire arc through the four seasons has become one where he gained the experience to captain a pirate crew, to lead men into battle, as a captain should, and to hunt, rather than support another captain or pirate king. Meanwhile, he has no interest in Flint’s war, has no personal attachment to a love interest, does not actually care much for Nassau either, certainly not the maroons or slaves or any such alliances. Billy followed Flint and Silver and aided them in their goals, but they never were his personal motivations. His purest motivation has always been to be free and be out on the sea. He loves the pirate life for the pirate life. In that respect it is interesting that Captain Flint visually hands the reins to Billy in 3x08.

Regardless whether Billy succeeds, I conclude that Billy’s intentions are to end Flint’s war, Silver’s kingship and throw Woodes as the one committed to end piracy into the mix, just so he could amass a crew together and be a pirate captain.

[arzani-fuchsia]

Madi exists...

bana05 hat auf deinen Eintrag geantwortet “I guess my biggest fear for Black Sails is that when James finds his...”

Are we assuming Madi won't be with him?

That was no entierly what I meant. I do believe Madi is with him (even though there was a point in the story I assumed it wouldn’t be Madi who’s Silver’s “African wife” but Max, yet after Madi’s talk with Eleanor I guess it is Madi. We will see about that.)

However, for this explanation I will take it for granted that Madi is with Silver and still I guess it doesn’t make much difference. Because a person can feel alone and more so broken, even with another person around.

I always wondered what drove the Silver in TI back to that place to get the treassure. I mean, the Silver in TI is not in the slightest the pirate king he is at the current point of BS. In TI Silver has to lie and scheme again to make his fellow pirates follow him. Nothing like Dooley, who just did what Silver asked of him without question. Instead they turn against him, Silver has to save his life and is basically alone again. I think that says a lot, especially for Silver who in BS treasured to have people and NOT be alone.

By this point we can assume Silver was on his own most of his life. He always cared for just himself until he met the Walrus Crew and the crew started to care for him. He started to care for them. He gained trust and friendship over the passing months (and years? I have no idea how much time passed since 1x01) and in the last also love. I mean, I don’t think 1x01 Silver was even able to fall for Madi, and it just emphasizes how much he has changed.

But in TI he is back to being a thief and a liar, a person who is on his own and has to talk his way out of dangerous situations. It left a sour taste in my mouth when I read TI again. I don’t think this is a positive thing.

Silver never had a reason for himself to fight this war Flint and Madi are fighting. He does because of them, litterally. In the beginning he wanted the Urca Gold to make a good living. An imbition i could follow (not that I approve of it, but I understood where he came from), but now he fights are war he gains nothing from. In fact we’ve seen Silver being the one to criticize it the most. He knows it’s a very personal thing for Flint and he questions him, when he asked for Thomas. Because what person would make it Flint to just leave everyone behind to get back Thomas. And yes that would mean happiness for Thomas, but it would leave thousands of people’s life as sacrifices for what ... one? We all know that is not what Thomas would have wanted.

Then he asks Madi if she would leave with him, leave the war behind. And he is rejected. At this point I guess Silver had either the choice to be alone again (as both Flint and Madi wouldn’t come with him) or fight the war. And I believe he decided to fight a war instead of being alone. Because he fears being alone the much, now that he knows how it is to have people in his life.

In the preview we saw for 4x08 he questions the war again. Asks if it isn’t the war itself that is the horror.

Silver was pushed into the position to play pirate king, he hadn’t had a chance to prepare for the position. I don’t think he ever wanted it, because in the beginning he didn’t even want to be a pirate. But he has tasted the darkness of the position and the power and he has to deal with it. I don’t think it leaves a person unaffected to have such power.

Silver always has to choose between people and ways to go, and every decision costs him a bit of himself. He carries guilt. We saw it when he spoke with Billy after he betrayed him. There was a lot of guilt in the way he spoke and in what he said. He couldn’t kill Billy, he just couldn’t bring himself to do it, because he cared for Billy.

I think Silver has a great conscience and no matter he is good in telling lies, he also always did it to people he doesn’t care for. Even back when he lied to Flint about the Urca gold Silver couldn’t keep it to himself, but told Flint in the row boat. He didn’t have to do it, but he did.

Then followed Billy... I wonder how it will affect him, when he betrays Flint. We know at some point they fall out. At least they’re not together in TI. Something must have happened. And while I think it will have nothing to do with Madi, I guess the reason will be the war itself. Silver will want to walk away from it and there must happen something when Flint follows his example. At this point I guess Thomas is the deal here.

But when Flint walks away from the war, Silver will lose him. In one way or the other. And by now we can definitely say that Flint is a part in Silver’s life Silver doesn’t want to miss. They are incredibly close and it must have affected Silver. Flint is probably the first real friend he ever had. The first person he could trust, he could count on to stand up for him, to care for him.

I found it interesting in TI that while everyone spoke of Flint in terms of him being a monster, Silver never did. He said a lot of times that it’s good that Flint is dead, but he never described him as a bad person. Instead there is that one line that stuck with me, where Silver said “I think he respected me even.” Don’t tell me this comes from people who don’t care for each other, or at least have once.

I can’t believe it will not affect Silver to not have Flint around anymore. And what I also believe is that Silver doesn’t know yet how much he cares for Flint. Because Flint was always around. We have several moments in which Silver wonders how Flint did it, survived the storm, got into the doldrums. I have the feeling Silver sees Flint as kind of immortal, a person who rules and is a force and always goes and goes forward. Because he came out of so many situatiosn in which he should have died but didn’t. I guess when in the end he sees that Flint is only human and indeed able to die, he will realize that he can also lose Flint. And I fear that comes at a point when it is too late and Silver can’t change losing Flint (in whatever way, I don’t necessarily speak of death here). And that will leave Silver broken and basically gets him back to a point where he just cares for himself as a kind of self-preservation.

Back to Madi (I’m almost done, I promise).

When we look at Flint and his ten years of rage before the story began, he also had Miranda. And no matter she was a comfort to him, we all can see that Flint was broken in a way. She couldn’t stop him from becoming Flint, from going the path of rage and darkness, no matter they loved each  other.

I guess with Maid it could be the same. Silver can go a path he doesn’t want to even with Madi by his side. I mean she promised him to watch out for him and not allow Silver to be consumed by Flint’s darkness and still he is slowly. He killed Dufrense, he is basically angry most of the time and becomes Long John Silver more and more while Flint gets softer with every episode.

I do love SilverMadi a great deal. I love the dynamic of them, I adore Madi, but I think Silver needs Flint... and TI doesn’t leave great options for them to be together, which makes me in fact fear for Silver.

[constructedstories]

      “This has nothing to do with reason and you know it. You only want them following me to the extent that I, in turn, will follow you. I’m convenience. Designed to aid you in ruling over Nassau with the same uncompromising grip you’d vilify from Flint.”

      “A war that is sooner or later guaranteed to end in defeat. You know I’m right.”

      “I’m committed to Flint. I’m committed to Madi. Yet the road they intend to travel is one I’m losing the ability to understand.”

      as Billy points out, John Silver is a rational man. he’s not a Madi or a Flint, he’s not an idealist or living out his own psychodrama, but he's rational and realistic. In regards to these scenes in 4x05 it’s INCREDIBLY important to point out how Silver got involved in this war in the first place: he lost his leg, he put his lot in with the men of the Walrus because he saw their loyalty as more valuable to him than a share of the Urca gold ( as he says, without them he’s nothing but an invalid ). He has had to play a role, that of the quartermaster -- he did not originally want to be a pirate. Arguably, he still doesn’t put much stock in being a pirate -- he’s no free spirit who partakes in piracy because he loves the freedom of it all. He doesn’t care about that. His desire at the beginning of the show was to walk away with wealth and prosperity and, even now in s4, that desire hasn’t completely waned. 

      Hence why he asks Madi whether, at the end of it all, if everything was to go to shit, he, as a man, as a potential husband or partner, would be enough for her. And because of her commitment to her people, she hesitated to answer, and he realised that she wouldn’t because of her men. Also important to point out is that Silver has no motive to be in this war. He’s not like Jack, who wanted vengeance, nor is he like Madi who wants to liberate slaves across the free world, and he’s not like Flint who has an egregious grudge against England for what happened with Thomas. He has no reason to plausibly hate England, and so his getting involved in this war was only because of the potential benefits for himself: loyalty, a place to belong, and power.

      I’ve seen people asking why Silver would have even considered siding with Billy in the first place and I would point out that Silver and Billy were close before he made grounds with Flint in 3x03. They were unified under the assumption that they would bolster Flint’s position while they didn’t particularly care about him as an individual, and then Silver grew to respect and trust Flint over the rest of season 3. Also, Billy spoke a lot of sense in that passage above. The war against civilisation that Flint is suggesting would have disastrous consequences -- and it already has. We know from history that England is inevitable: Nassau is eventually occupied by British forces and all of the pirates are hanged. Silver is a realist. He can foresee this, to some degree, throughout s3 but he pursues Flint’s agenda -- partly because he’s taken in by Flint, partly because he’s taken in by Madi, but also because it benefits his own position to advocate for this war.

      Now, in 4x05, he’s beginning to realise that at the end of this all, at the end of Flint’s war, is utter ruin. Flint and Madi cannot conceive of it, yet ( if they ever will -- particularly in Flint’s case ), but Silver is not stupid. Even without knowing that Woodes had gone in search of Spanish aid to raze Nassau to the ground, he knows that what they are fighting for is just not realistic. But he’s evidently also torn because he respects Flint and Madi so much, because he wants to protect them both from this path they are on and because he would be perfectly happy to maintain Nassau’s defences and control and govern it for as long as he was able to, as Billy said. 

      Basically, in this last ep, the light finally started to dawn on Silver that this may all be the road to ruin for everyone -- but he makes the choice to side with Flint because of his love for Madi ( and clearly, to an extent, his respect for Flint as well ). I have my ideas as to how he’ll develop over the next few eps ( particularly with Israel Hands’ influence ), but from here on out I feel like Silver is going to be faced with choices that only lead to bad outcomes. He’s essentially in Eleanor Guthrie’s position at this point, as the ‘boss’ or king of the island and he has to make choices in order to maintain his throne, choices that will put certain loved ones of his at risk -- so far, he’s avoided a choice like the ones Eleanor has made, but hers and Anne’s comments about Nassau forcing people to hurt those they love will eventually apply itself to Silver, too.

[theoddesttea]

XXXVII

so i finally FINALLY got to watch this ep and.......i dont even know...............

lets just start with the positives. which is MADI!!!!!!!!!! my god she didn’t have a lot to do this episode but that speech......brought fucking tears to my eyes (the only time i cried this ep, astonishingly). like everything, EVERYTHING i was thinking of when that asshat rogers was speaking she just fucking served to him, like she ripped him a new asshole and i was Here for it. she better play a pivotal fucking part in the last ep though!!! because that was not nearly enough screentime!!!!!!

(speaking of which my loves max and anne weren’t there at all and i am getting increasingly worried about how this is all going to be resolved. especially because jack hasnt even made it to the island yet????? fuuuuuuck pls writers.....ive always believed in you..............pls resolve all of the storylines with the respect they deserve.........pls give my ladies a final say.......)

but as much as i missed the ladies, this was about silver and flint and lemme say. holy shit. well first of all i was completely fucking wrong about them planning it....but i was (kinda) right in how flint was still doing what was best for silver and everyone (in his mind) and i mean...he’s totally right. like madi literally said in the ep that she would never trade the war away just to avoid a fight/silver’s death (which makes me feel kinda bad for silver but like cmon man.....think of the big picture.....don’t pull a rogers and ignore your wife’s wishes because that will lead to her death and i swear to god if madi dies because of you)

the fucking sword training cut ins though. i know for a fact that there is a list of s4 wishes out there with flint teaching silver how to fight and i never thought it would happen. that i would see it with my own two eyes. i have had wishes for a scene like this even back in fucking merlin days where i hoped arthur would teach merlin how to fight because why the fuck else would you keep bringing your defenseless servant into battle. not that silver’s defenseless. but i have WANTED THIS. but of course, because its black sails, it is drenched in many many complicated feelings, most of which are sad (even though they smiled. they smiled!!!!!!!! but it was just even more fucking sad because of the context in which these memories were appearing!!!!!!!!!!! fuck me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

like how dare u make them talk about how much they respect and trust each other in the middle of this. how dare u. at the very beginning though i thought it might jjust be a vision/silver’s imagination/a dream or some shit, where silver’s subconscious was gonna have a chat with flint to see what was up. but this was good too.

god just....the moment where they finally come to blows...and flint speaking as he duels in the memory like. fuck me up. and then dooley (i think thats his name?? im ashamed i dont know for sure. but fuck him, no one replaces silver) comes up from behind and i literally gasped out loud, thinking he might nonfatally wound silver or some shit, but then flint fucking shoots him and just....and then silver attacks anyway!!!!! like bitch!!!!! he cares aabout you!!!!! fuck!!!!!

im real fucking mad at hands. how dare you sow the seeds of destruction for this relationship. this couldve been good.......

and holy shit RIP Joji and DeGroot. literally my two favorite crewmen, dead in one ep......at least Joji went out with a super awesome fighting scene. ngl, totally thought he was gonna join with flint and im upset he didnt.....i also expected him to say a thing. im not sure if im relieved or sad that he didn’t. either way, i love you joji. u did ur best. i hope u have a good time in pirate heaven. at least you’ll be reunited with miranda, your secret lover through whom you birthed me. your child. love u dad