#black sails tv show

[the-wanderer]

“I have survived starvation, a tempest, pirate hunters, jealous captains, mutinous crews, angry lords, a queen, a king, and the goddamn British navy.” - Captain J Flint, Black Sails (Toby Stephens)

[could-they-be-a-pro-wrestler]

How successful would Mr. Scott…

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[kuzuyamii]

happy anniversary to whatever is going on in this show

[mediacircuspod]

They really went to Toby Stephens and said, “We’re imagining the saddest man—completely regret ridden, absolutely terrified of his own passions, but also weirdly “dark nautical” in theme.

And Toby Stephens went, “That’s actually kind of my specialty.”

[burningvelvet]

[twinsarekeepers]

“This isn’t the Arch, seaweed brain. You’re not pushing me into the stairwell again.”

First of all, LINE DELIVERY?? Leah Sava Jeffries is an ACTRESS because ‘seaweed brain’ is actually so corny and it would simply feel like fan-service if they included it earlier or in another context but this was so natural and I was so swept up by all the other amazing things happening that I was excited about it but also keyed into the rest of the scene.

But the way this perfectly displays her fatal flaw. She will not let this boy trick her again (spoiler: he does). She was caught off guard at the Arch because she wasn’t familiar with his game but now she’s ready. She WILL die for him and that is final.

“Yes, I am.”

This was CRAZY?? Percy Jackson #1 mentally unstable man because how is he determined to win every ‘sacrifice myself’ off with her? And he says it to her face too. He does not care for the games anymore, he’s fully telling her that he needs her to live.

“I’m not going to let you this time. It doesn’t work that way!”

This made me so incredibly sad. Annabeth is still thinking in transactions. She’s thinking about how he made a sacrifice in the Arch so it’s her turn now. This is how relationships work. This is how every relationship she’s had works. She literally can’t comprehend how he doesn’t see it that way. How he could be selfless enough to sacrifice himself for her TWICE. How he could care about her enough to believe she deserves it even after she was the reason they were in the Arch in the first place (my baby my baby say it with me now you’re my baby).

“It’s why you’re here!”

“Excuse me?”

This was so soft like I just *screaming crying gif*. The last time she said ‘excuse me’ to him she was pissed off about him bringing up Athena but now she’s just confused and sad. Like, she trying to figure out what he means by this. Does he think she’s so heartless and robotic that she’d just let him die for her own gain?

I also love how they don’t have her say ‘what?’ because it just adds this extra layer of how Annabeth has trained herself to be more mature in everything she does, even her language, because she believes that if she’s not perfect, she’s not worthy of love and affection and maybe even existing (literally sobbing wtf).

“When I was choosing my team, I told Chiron I needed someone who wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice me if the quest required it. He agreed. That was you.”

I was confused at first about this because I thought Annabeth knew Percy thought this about her until I went back and watched the choosing ceremony again. He’s definitely keeping his voice lower as he speaks to Chiron and both Chiron and him are raising their voice as they address the other campers so makes sense that she wouldn’t have heard him.

But also, this just adds so much to literally everything. Because, in the beginning, Percy didn’t think him and Annabeth would become friends. He genuinely did think that she would sacrifice him if she had to and he thought he’d be able to curb it. He thought he’d be able to fight Annabeth if it came to it because she might choose the quest over his mom and he couldn’t allow that.

But now here he is, after getting to know her, and seeing her vulnerability and bravery and strength and courage and wisdom and passion and everything that makes her so beautiful and wonderful and amazing and his friend. She’s his friend and she’d never betray him. She’d never sacrifice him. She’d rather sacrifice herself before she ever did anything to harm him.

And he’s apologizing to her. Listen to the way Walker says the last line (again, THE ACTING). It’s literally a confession because he feels so bad that he ever believed that about her. And now he’s making her do it. He’s making her do this thing that he once thought she’d have done without hesitation. He’s thinking about the Fates cutting that string and he’s thinking about his own words to Chiron and how Chiron agreed and he’s thinking about how Annabeth said that prophecies aren’t always clear and he fully believes that he’s figured it out. This is fate. Annabeth would sacrifice him and complete the prophecy. She’ll be the friend that betrays him but not because she wanted to and he will fail to save what matters most, his own life.

This entire exchange was very insane. It’s my Roman Empire. I can’t stop thinking about it because it shows their motivations and their viewpoints and their internal struggles so so so well like I can’t even … I’m having a malfunction.

[fvckinggvy]

Flint: “You have no instinct towards earning for yourself a life more comfortable?”

Vane: “I don't. And had I that instinct, I would resist it with every inch of will I could muster. For that is the single most dangerous weapon they possess, the one they tempt. ‘Give us your submission, and we will give you the comfort you need.’ No, I can think of no measure of comfort worth that price.”

—Black Sails Season 3, Episode 8: “XXVI”

[mearchy]

classic trope that’s never worn out is when an enemy is your enemy because they are a shining example of everything you once were. they’re everything you would still be had you not descended into a dark mirror, a decayed shadow of your former self. they’re everything you choose not to be, that you gave up, and you love them for it and you hate them for it and you have to fight them, you just have to. the inherent romanticism, the inevitability of hating someone because once you were just like them.

[orionsangel86]

I like how in this era of excellent queer TV to replace the SuperWhoLock era, each light hearted comedy show of the trio has a dark queer mirror. Black Sails is to Our Flag Means Death, as Interview With The Vampire is to What We Do In The Shadows, just as The Sandman is to Good Omens.

I do find it odd how in each pairing its the supposed light hearted comedy show that has emotionally devastated its audience so far though...

[rosequarts94]

Poseidon: walks through the door

Me:

[renaissanceousia]

oh they're cooking

[maraferaventi]

portrait of queen Madi for Black Sails' 10 years anniversary✨🖤

[hastalahamon]

watching people obsess over toby stephens in pjo without ever even mentioning captain flint because some of y'all have NEVER SEEN BLACK SAILS is so fucking surreal

what's it like to not have been broken beyond repair by toby stephens as captain james flint?!??!?

[kuzuyamii]

how was this show real

[valtsv]

hello valthesiltverses! you put me on to this series (THANK YOU) and, in between episodes, i also finished i am in eskew. now that the silt verses is over, what would you recommend as a follow up? i listened to the first episode of magnus archive but it really didn't appeal to me, but aside from that i haven't ventured within the horror audiodrama space. i've seen old gods of appalachia and night vale get tossed around on reddit, but instead of venturing blindly i figured i'd ask the high prophet for direction. thanks in advance, and i wish us peace in our collective mourning of VAL

old gods of appalachia is a good shout in terms of themes if you enjoyed the silt verses. my personal favourite underrated horror podcasts, however, are archive 81 and the white vault (the first two seasons, at least). it's something a little different, but archive 81 plays in some of the same body horror and "storytelling as a form of power" space as tsv, and the white vault is amazing at building tension and getting you invested in blatantly doomed characters.

[alexwatchesshows]

A moment of appreciation for Jack Rackham's sunglasses, possibly one of the best props to ever exist.

Also a moment of silence for the fact that Toby Schmitz lost them after this episode, which is a tragedy even if it is the most in-character thing he could have done.