Okay, so I have confirmation that pirates are simply cool.

I went to Masked Ball today and it was great fun. I wore my (just completed!) pirate coat, that I'd actually started for a Halloween costume three years ago, but got derailed when my dad broke my sewing machine. Anyway, I didn't have time to make the shirt, sash, or breeches, but I borrowed a shirt from A (thanks!) and used leggings with my high boots. And I found my old cavalier hat in the spare bedroom at Mom's house. I completed it with two old sashes at the hip.

And there was a young man at the event, I'm going to guess about 9 years old, who was also about half-way to pirate garb. He had the pants, shirt, and boots, anyway. At some point he decided that I was the best because I was dressed as a pirate. He asked if I had the P tattoo, which I explained was only branded on pirates who get caught. He told me that he met Jack Sparrow (at Disneyworld, I assume) and a bunch of other things... then he was looking at my sash and said, "I just need a belt and I'll be a pirate too."

Of course, I took off one of my scarves and tied it around him, pirate-sash style. Yep. I had a friend for the rest of the night. Bouncing from topic to topic, too. "Did you see that there's a live-action Thundercats movie coming out?"

"No, but I think I remember hearing something about it. Which one is your favourite Thundercat - is it Lion-O?"

"Uh... I don't... it's been a long time since I saw it," (he says. He's, like, nine. I bet he's seen it more recently than I have!)

Then he talked about a couple other things I didn't recognize and got around somehow to a live-action (or maybe it was 3D?) Link (as in Legend of Zelda), and how cool it was.

"Oh, well, Link was a snappy dresser," I said.

"Yeah, with that green hat!" he said.

Heh.

Clearly, I hate children. And they obviously can't stand me.

And pirates are cool.