Black Sails Sorting (with season 3 spoilers)

badgersquared:

John Silver: Slytherin. John lives for adaptation. His silver tongue and quick wit are just tools he uses to survive. He oozes charisma and he knows it, but he is best at going in with no plan, flying by the seat of his pants. Though gutsy, and somewhat impulsive, he is no Gryffindor. He starts as a Slytherin with no people, then becomes beholden to his crew– they need him, and he in return, starts to need them. Using his adaptability and other charms, he does what he can for his crew’s best interest, even being tortured to save them. His loyalty to this select group marks him squarely in the Slytherin camp for me. 

Eleanor Guthrie: Gryffindor. Sure of herself, impulsive, and quick on her feet when faced with decisions, I originally struggled to put her into the Slytherin category. However, her lack of loyalty dissuaded me from doing so. Then, it hit me. Her instinct to fight (even towards self-destruction when she kidnaps the stolen governor’s daughter against Vane’s wishes) for what is within her moral compass started to cinch it for me. She feels Nassau should be free from England, not because they are equal, but because she can hammer law from piracy. To her, law is civilized, even through stealing and fencing. She finds an ally in Flint because their visions align, not because of shared morals and gut feeling. For Flint, a free Nassau is an obsession, whereas for Eleanor, it makes sense to her gut. This is an important distinction because her personal feelings get in the way of her own clumsy machinations more often than not. She grows bored of romantic entanglements when it suits her because she can’t find someone with her same values on the island. Though she in initially drawn to Charles’ power and self-possession, they are ultimately not enough alike because Charles’ inward compass points more towards loyalty and freedom while Eleanor’s points towards law, order, and she WILL be the one to put things to right–not because it’s good for her people, but because it is what needs to be done. Then she is drawn to Max, who shares her penchant for affairs being in their proper place– but Max’s innate Slytherin-ness for upward mobility and adaptability turns Eleanor off and she is cast aside. Eleanor is not adaptable. She goes by her gut, but she is fixed in what she is– a catalyst for what she feels SHOULD be in the world. 

James McGraw/Captain Flint: Ravenclaw. Though a brilliant tactician and strategist, that’s not primarily why I sorted him in Ravenclaw. The first real “Yep. DEFINITELY a ‘claw” was when he killed Mr. Gates for getting between him and his plan for the Urca Gold in order to make Nassau not beholden to England. It broke his heart, but his Truth that Nassau should be free just meant so much more than his own mental sake, or the life of anyone. Throughout the series, he strives to attain his current “truth.” First he finds his life’s truth in Thomas’ vision of Nassau– even as a pirate, he never lets go of that vision. He paints himself as a villain to the New World for that Truth, even to the point of turning himself inside out because even his own life isn’t worth what a Free Nassau is. THAT is the tragedy of the broken Ravenclaw. He is overshadowed by what he sees as the Ultimate, seeking it above all else. Flint doesn’t want to be a King in Nassau. In fact, he wears his Flint persona like a familiar coat instead of actually BEING Flint. However, this mutability is not Slytherin in nature. It’s not adaptability that makes Flint do this. It’s necessary in order to bring about Thomas’ vision, and he is willing to do anything in order to succeed. The singleminded obsession fits Flint squarely in the Ravenclaw camp. 

Charles Vane: Gryffindor. Charles is a reactionary. He is strong, and lets people know it. He charges to get a crew by asking his old slave-master for recruits. People rally behind his quietly seething confidence. Though not a braggart, he does follow through with his promises. He sees his reactionary nature and personal strength in fellow Gryffindor Eleanor, and loves her for it. Where they clash is HOW they Gryffindor. Charles fights for freedom and wildness because he knows what slavery and oppression feel. He rebels against “order” which he just sees as a stupid status quo. His two tenants are that the strong survive–whether that strength comes from the ability to lead men, physical strength, or strength of will– and that freedom is everything. With both strength and freedom, Charles sees the world ready to embrace him with open arms–and is willing to fight for that embrace. This chafes at Eleanor, who just as passionately believes in an orderly Nassau that breaks from England legally. While Eleanor laments at their differences, he just sees their difference of opinion as their mutual wildness and strength of feeling. He doesn’t care that they’re different of opinion, in his mind, they are made of the same fire, and he loves her for it– but ultimately, he has to break from her because she betrays his ideals. She makes him weak to his crew. Charles does come back with a vengeance, but it is his strength of will and passion that rules his actions. 

Max: Slytherin. I really don’t think I need to explain this. She and Silver are two sides of the same coin. Loyal, crafty, charismatic, and adaptable, Max needs to elevate herself from being “just a whore” to the Madame. She likes things neat, tidy, and in proper place, but only where it concerns her own affairs and the affairs of those she wants to protect. She is so loyal that she is willing to give up her own romantic happiness for the happiness of Anne, who she does love. She really is the planner of the triumvirate, and knows it. 

Jack Rackham: Ravenclaw. While Gryffindor’s Charles Vane and fellow Ravenclaw Flint butt heads, Vane does care for his Ravenclaw second-in-command… probably because Jack’s Truth is to simply have a Legacy– it is more flexible in nature than that of Flint’s truth. Jack doesn’t care WHAT his legacy is, as long as it will stand the test of time. Smart, and persuasive (though not as well-learned as Flint, or as persuasive as Silver) Jack knows that his truth is that he will be forgotten in time. He wishes to subvert this any means he can– which is why he and Max agree to have a partnership. For Max, it is stability and power. For Jack… he wants to build something bigger than himself. He willingly becomes demeaned in order to see this through, and though his plans to become the boss of Nassau fails as of the episodes I’ve seen, he still holds the universal truth of leaving behind a legacy as the highest form of success. 

Anne Bonny: Hufflepuff. Anne is so much a broken Hufflepuff that it hurts people, most notably including herself and those who love her. A fierce fighter, she becomes so to complement Jack’s noncombat wit. She, inside, is actually a broken baby bird cinnamon roll who just wants to be complete. She sees herself in Max as she is raped in the town square and rallies to save her, and when she sees Max is not broken the way Anne herself had been broken with her previous husband, she cleaves to Max as a way to fill the hole inside her. She kills her crew members at the behest of Jack because she and Jack don’t exist without each other in her mind– she is broken so badly that she only sees herself, Jack, and Max as her community. She will not choose between Jack and Max, as she believes they both are what makes her who she is. She is a Hufflepuff that only towards the end of the series, is so burned and broken, she can’t see herself without being a reflection of them. Finally, she snaps at Jack: she wants to be happy and left alone with him anywhere in the world, peaceful and not having to fight anymore. She just wants to live out her days with the one person she has left–how the hell is that bad? They have each other, they are loyal to each other. That’s all that matters.