#with a bigger sail

[thefearwithin]

The Suchoptera

The Suchoptera seems as though it's a chimera of different creatures. The overall body plan is that of a crocodilian, yet there are hints of a particularly spinosaurid nature as well. Its wings further set it apart, lending it the ‘ptera’ portion of its name. Despite these ancient (and giant) lineages, the suchoptera is actually of moderate size, able to sit across a person’s shoulders (even if only barely…).

This perching behavior should be taken with a dose of caution, however. Like any crocodilian, the suchoptera has a range of behaviors from snappy and aggressive to calm and, frankly, kinda cute. Though, while the creature can be much more curious and friendly than your run-of-the-mill alligator, it can also be much more aggressive with some reporting swarms swooping in to nip and bite at whatever they can reach. Even when in its good graces, it is advised for people to stay alert. As curious as the suchoptera can be - and how cute its resulting chitters and croons may sound - one must not forget that even a smaller crocodilian can pack quite the bite. This already nasty bite is made worse by the bacteria in the creature’s mouth, and withholding treatment is a surefire way to get an infection.

Thankfully, the suchoptera is uninterested in prey much larger than themselves, primarily targeting the smaller mammals and reptiles that share its marshland home. But its range isn’t just terrestrial, of course. The suchoptera has mastered hunting in all three domains of its habitat. While it prefers ambush hunting like traditional crocodilians, the suchoptera doesn’t have longer legs and large wings for nothing. In the water, it will gladly snap at any fish or frog it can get its jaws around. On land, it can wait patiently in the leaves, ready and willing to pursue its prey if necessary. This attack can also come from above, and the suchoptera will sometimes climb so high into the trees that it will dive down and snatch a bird out of the sky. Though the suchoptera is social with members of its community, it does not necessarily share its hunts. Until a large predator comes in and activates their swarming behavior, that is.

[changecomesforyou]

and who has been so close as we are now?

always returning to where we were& where we will be

[ltwilliammowett]

HMS Asia taking in her Sails, by Richard Brydges Beechey, 19th century

[theredontbedragons]

HMS Victory

[seagreenstardust]

No matter what happens in canon, bkdk are soulmates.

[raina-clipse423]

Dragon Neuvillette!

Almost forgot I was designing this, anywho dragon Neuvillette! I had the Red Bluster from the movie Sea Beast in mind while designing him. He's scaled from head to neck, but have whale like skin on the rest of his body and a whale underbelly fused with a snakes underscales!

[eerna]

I have come to the conclusion that I am not interested in AtLA spinoffs, but I love prequels. The comics, the next avatar, the adult Gaang story, none of them interest me enough to interact with them, but I am living for every detail the novels reveal. Like what do you MEAN the Fire Lord has a bastard half-brother scheming for power TELL ME MOREEEE

[thenatashapulleyuniverse]

okay LOOK i know i'm the resident pulleyverse fanatic on this goddamn site but if you think watchmaker is criminally underrated with the masses wait till i tell you about the spear cuts through water by simon jimenez i am using my platform to advertise this book with all of you please get on this please please please please i know this fanbase will fuck with it so hard

[carpe-mamilia]

You know what show I really hope the ghosts put on while they were all together? HMS Pinafore. Everyone from Fanny onwards most likely knew it reasonably well already, either by cultural osmosis or from being a theatre gay, and for the rest it's probably the easiest operetta to pick up that's ever existed.

I imagine it would have gone down something like this:

Josephine Corcoran- Kitty

Ralph Rackstraw - Thomas

Absolute no-brainers for the lead soprano and tenor. Ralph scores extra points for being one of the most dramatic and flouncy tenors Gilbert ever wrote. At one point he has a speech that's so flowery it's genuinely incomprehensible. Unfortunately his big aria is terribly dull (still in-character tbh) but both of Josephine's are brilliant. Especially "The hours creep on apace", where, having secretly accepted Ralph's proposal, she does waver a bit since, after all, he is a bit of a pleb.

Captain Corcoran - The Captain

Keeps the Pinafore ship-shape and Bristol-fashion. Would have a lovely father-daughter relationship with Josephine. Gets to be in lots of bangin' numbers, especially "I am the Captain of the Pinafore".

Captain: I do my best to satisfy you all -

Crew: And with you we're quite content!

Captain: You're exceedingly polite and I think it's only right to return the compliment.

Sir Joseph Porter - Julian

Marvellously smug and superior patter baritone who got to his lofty position via flattery and luck rather than merit. No direction needed.

Little Buttercup - Fanny

I think she would struggle playing someone who's meant to be lowly, but on the other hand she'd probably really get into every other aspect of the character, especially when she gets to drop mysterious hints all the way through, and dramatically reveal the twist at the end. (She also really reminds me of the mature student who played Little Buttercup for my university's Light Opera Society once, who was very definitely another repressed middle-aged horndog. Get it, girl.)

Cousin Hebe - Mary

Not much of a part, but I suspect getting Mary to concentrate on something like this for any length of time without going off on a tangent would be... tricky. Would be enthusiastic about helping Josephine and might have to be held back from headbutting Captain Corcoran when he tries to stop the elopement.

Dick Deadeye - Robin

Hunched, triangular bass Dick Deadeye growls his way through the opera causing chaos just... 'cos. Is far more perceptive than the Captain and has to really spell out that Josephine and Ralph are planning on running away together.

Bosun's Mate - Humphrey's head

Carpenter's mate and director - Pat

This probably required slightly delicate handling, since Pat is the better singer (and He is an Englishman is harder than it looks), but a) keeping rehearsals from descending into anarchy probably took all his energy and b) Humphrey might have been slightly grumpy being relegated to a really tiny role again. At least they both get to be in A British Tar is a Soaring Soul.

Chorus of sisters, cousins, and aunts - Humphrey's body

Carries the whole show on his back.

[fluentisonus]

so much respect for ye olde sailors I've spent all week hauling around about 80 sq m of canvas & I'm so sore

[winnie-the-monster]

[kneworder]

this is so embarrassing. crying over the death of a chocolate bunny. i will miss the deeply untapped potential for his character arc and for zac oyama to get to excel at doing something way more interesting than what anyone else is doing. mister lapin i saw your political intrigue!!!!!!!!!!

[peppermintfables]

On Monsters

So both Black Sails and One Piece have monsters as a theme (and so do many other pirate shows. Being a pirate and and being a monster are almost irrevocably linked). And since Im obsessed with both and no one else has magically written the exact essay I want I suppose I have to do it myself. The world is a cruel and unfair place.

Generally a monster is defined by two things. First of all they exist outside the norm/ society and secondly they are evil. Stories that deal with monsters as a theme are usually challenge one of those. What if monsters are evil but they also exist within society. Or in fact are more likely to exist as part of one? What if monsters are solely defined by their separation from society without them having to actually be bad and are often in fact only seen as evil because if condition one is true, condition two is presumed true as well. I think on this website we often go with the second option. I dont think I have to tell anyone here is a trend of looking at monsters and going „they are actually so nice and also my friend and we bake cookies and overthrow the government together“. Something something queerness and otherness. Smarter people have written smarter stuff than me and also i just want to talk about gay pirates.

I think the portrayal of monsters in One Piece and Black Sails is both very similar and has some difference that Im not quite able to pinpoint yet (which is why Im doing this in the first place). I think in both cases its about choice. Not only the choice to be a monster but the choice of what kind of monster you’re going to be.

The tag line of Black Sails’ monster theme is probably “Everyone is a monster to someone”. But that’s not where we start. We start with this:

“Monster” is not a thing you are. Monster is a narrative role other people put you in for their own benefit. It’s a tool used against you.

In comparison in One Piece we have this:

Chopper has been thrown out of reindeer and human society for not fitting in (and thus being a monster) and here we have Sanji calling Luffy a monster like it’s empowering. Luffy can fight *because* he’s a monster. And for the first time Chopper can see being a monster as something worthwhile and like he, a monster, maybe has a place amongst other monsters. And while in this scene Sanji is talking about Luffy specifically being a rubber-man and that being more of a monster in a physical sense (and doesn’t Sanji of all people saying that hit different now) we have plenty of scenes that talk about a different aspect. Specifically Usopp calling the monster trio monsters because they know no fear and are also maniacs who love fighting. Id argue that here too is a monster something positive and powerful to be.

Maybe that is the difference I was looking for. Black Sails starting with the term monster as something other people put on you and One piece starting with strength coming from monsterousness. I feel like that is also indicative of each shows tone and attitude towards piracy. So where do we go from here?

In Black Sails we are getting to “Everyone is a monster to someone” with Abigail realizing that pirates arent as inhuman and cruel as she was led to believe. Monster continues to be a narrative role but turns out civilization is not the only one telling stories. We are going towards “maybe monsters are within society as well.” And then we have Flint being iconic:

There it is! Choice! Power! So long society tries to frame Flint as a monster and they go to Ashe and Ashe is like “We can make you not the monster. You just have to tell your life story and that will make you vulnerable enough that people will see you as a person”. And Flint, who would rather have been seen as a monster than apologize, goes “This sucks but okay”. And then Miranda happens. Monsters *are* within society as well. Everyone is a monster to someone and you have the choice to make: Who are you going to be a monster to and what kind of monster will you be? And Flint takes that narrative role that people have tried to assign to him and makes it his own. He makes it into something that gives him power. Because if he’s going to be a monster either way he’s going to be one on his own terms. Im going to go insane.

Number one being Chopper choosing to be a monster.

Look at my boy go! Again: Embracing the monster you are, but making it your own. He’s doing it for his captain not just bc the Strawhats would do pretty much everything for their captain but bc it’s okay to be a monster amongst other monsters. Because that’s where he first learned that being a monster can be not just not bad but a good thing.

And then there’s Sanji. It’s kind of hard to analyze it because I absolutely do not think that Sanji’s arc concerning his modifications is over yet but let’s take a look at what we’ve got so far.

So in conclusion: It’s about being the monster you choose to be instead of the monster others want to make you and Im crying.

[sakitenmaenjoyer]

in my mind future ruikasa (and future wondasho in general) meet up once a month to vent about business and production nightmares

[adnirod]

Really clear and excellent digital modelling and explanation of a tall ship from the age of sail! Based on the HMS Victory.

[startanewdream]

I know we mostly ignore this scene in the movies, but I actually like the idea of the Marauders sitting on a boat.