Pirate

Piratecore is an aesthetic based around the themes of pirates, a person who attacks and robs ships at sea, especially during the 16th-18th centuries. It usually involves boats, the sea, and treasure rather than actual crime. The aesthetic may include things such as collecting shells/rocks/trinkets/bones/etc., studying maps and constellations, sea travel, and sketching. Some may even take pride in their weaponry, mainly consisting of swords and daggers. People valuing Pirate aesthetics either have strong aspirations to travel the oceans, or ties to beachside mountains and/or homes.

The aesthetic does get slight criticism due to the bad reputation of pirates in history. Though, the aesthetic itself does not value stealing and thieving. The community around this aesthetic instead value freedom, fairness, curiosity and balance. Loyalty is a large factor in Pirate, and a moral code is usually presented. They are interested in the unknown and the mysteries of the ocean, and believe in hard work and a strength of heart and mind.

Visuals[]

Pearls
Old/rusted coins and other gold trinkets
Rocks
Corals
Fossils
Waves
Marine skeletons/skulls
Sand
Vintage lockets and watches
Ships
Islands
Quills & ink
Hourglasses
Compasses
Keys
Sculptures relating to the sea
Seaweed
Coastal cliffs
Ship wheels
Old gunpowder flintlock guns
Swords

Decor[]

Pirate design uses a lot of rustic, beachy, industrial and vintage elements. Examples include:

Strong emphasis on exposed pipe, metal and glass
Natural timber
Rustic or thrifted furniture
Blues and neutral colors usually with splashes of gold
Statues of marine animals
Victorian mirrors, chairs or architecture
Old looking photographs or sketches of the sea
Jars of coins, bones, gems or rocks
'Cabinets of curiosities' filled with fossils and marine skeletons on display

Fashion[]

Similar to Cottagecore, Dark Academia, and Adventurecore with some aspects of styles considered 'hippie' or 'boho'.

Flowing maxi dresses
Corsets/corset belts
Ruffles
Breathable layers
Oversized blouses or breathable tops
Neutral colors of blues, browns, reds, greens, ivory, etc
Tight or baggy pants
Flannels
Lace
Leather jackets
Oversized blazers
Fingerless gloves
Heeled boots and sandals
Square belts
Tricornes
Justacorps

Accessories can vary but are usually scarves, beads, chains and handmade jewellery, and unlike the neutral colors of the clothing, will range from bright colours to metallics.

Music[]

A lot of pirate-esque music are modern shanties or maritime-based folk.

Genres[]

Traditional sea shanties/songs
Modern folk
- Folk-punk
- Folk-metal
- Indie folk
Alternative
- Indie
- Alternative rock

Artists[]

The Skallywags
The Longest Johns
The Dreadnoughts
Gorillaz (Plastic Beach album)
Storm Weather Shanty Choir
Flogging Molly
The Pogues
The Skullduggers
Ye Banished Privateers
Alestorm
The Growlers
The Irish Rovers
fin
Soundtracks from games such as Sea of Thieves or Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag

Media[]

Television[]

Treasure Island (multiple adaptations)
SpongeBob SquarePants (1999-present)
One Piece (1999-present)
Blackbeard (2006)
The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack (2008)
Jake and the Never Land Pirates (2011-2016)
Crossbones (2014)
Black Sails (2014-2017)
Santiago of the Seas (2020-23)
The Lost Pirate Kingdom (2021)
Our Flag Means Death (2022-present)
Black Lagoon (2006)
Fena: Pirate Princess (2021)
Granblue Fantasy: The Animation (2017-2020)

Movies[]

Movies with visuals of oceans, boats, treasure or sea myths:

Jaws (1975)
The Bounty (1984)
Splash (1984)
The Princess Bride (1987)
Iguana (1988)
Waterworld (1995)
Titanic (1997)
Treasure Planet (2002)
Peter Pan (1953)
Pirates of the Caribbean (2003)
Sinbad (2003)
Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure (2009)
Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012)
The Pirate Fairy (2014)
Song of the Sea (2014)
In the Heart of the Sea (2015)
Moana (2016)
The Shape of Water (2017)
Adrift (2018)
The Meg (2018)
Siren (2018)
Shotgun Wedding (2022)

Literature[]

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Seafire by Natlie C. Parker
Ship of Theseus by V. M. Straka (part of S. by Doug Dorst)
To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
The Republic of Pirates by Colin Woodard
Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

Video Games[]

Monkey Island series (1990)
Sea Dogs/Age of Pirates series (2000)
I Spy Treasure Hunt (2001)
Tradewinds (2003)
Gothic II: Night of the Raven expansion pack (2003)
Sid Meier's Pirates! (2004)
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
Poptropica: Skullduggery Island (2010)
Plastic Beach Adventure Game (2010-2014)
Risen 2: Dark Waters (2012)
Risen 3: Titan Lords (2014)
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (2013)
Nancy Drew: Sea of Darkness (2015)
Sea of Thieves (2018)
Skull and Bones (2024)
Captain Blood (2025)

Blogs[]

Podcasts[]

The Pirate History Podcast

Activities[]

Collecting rocks, shells and minerals
Collecting small bones, skeletons or fossils
Practicing in arts of fencing or using swords and daggers
Collecting constellation charts and maps
Stargazing
Sailing
Hand-writing letters
Sea travel or coastline travel
Collecting coins or stamps
Thrifting for trinkets and other items 'one man's trash is another man's treasure'
Sketching coastlines, horizons, mountains, etc.