#charles vane

alkdjkjskkkkskkk no but this is literally so funny to me

“Put a man on an island, give him power over other men, and it won’t be long before he realizes that the limits of that power are nowhere to be seen. And no man, given that kind of influence, will remain honest for very long” is THEE thesis statement for Black Sails/Nassau in general and goes hand-in-hand with Jack’s, “we’re all villains here. Don’t think that just because you’re new you’re different.” But now, thinking about Jack, I am (as the non-practicing Jack/Charles shipper and ruefully fond of Charles person that I am) am thinking about how these concepts apply to Charles himself. At first glance, and for most of the first 2 seasons, Charles fits this bill completely. He goes and finds himself a group of men that will follow him, overruns the fort, and sets himself up with the absolute intention of being handed limitless power; but by the time 3.09 arrives, Charles being a selfish asshole obsessed with power and indifferent to the opinions and plight of the people under him couldn’t be further from the truth. He leaves Nassau, the only place that has ever been home to him, only to discover that the world is a much bigger place than he thought it was. That ocean that separated him from London and the New World and everywhere else had created this illusion of power that he *thought* he had when he was sitting up in the fort. He realizes that the true power rests with the people and those most affected by the issues of injustice and prejudice. I think that Charles has some kind of leg up on everyone else who has ever tried to change Nassau in that he had never known life elsewhere. Because it was his whole world, he was willing to die for it. Show me one other man in all of Black Sails for whom that would hold true. (maaaybe Flint but that’s a whole other discussion and also hinges on how one reads the ending of the show itself.) Show me another man in all of Black Sails who, by the end of the show, is remembered by everyone he knew as “a good man” despite what the world would like to believe. The power certainly did corrupt but Charles has perhaps the most beautiful redemption arc that I have ever seen. He’s the only person who managed to escape the 100 years or so of history and dishonest men lording over Nassau.

BLACK SAILS + my favorite lyrics from Mitski’s Laurel Hell.

3.07 / Valentine, Texas | 2.07 / Stay Soft | 2.05 / Everyone| 4.10 / The Only Heartbreaker | 4.04 / Should’ve Been Me | 2.10 / I Guess | 4.09 / Heat Lightning

theironarcher:

PSA every character in Black Sails is a Slytherin except for Charles Vane who is Gryffindor and Billy Bones who is Hufflepuff. Send tweet.