Where in the world was Josef Kostan? Speculation on history

[Lucy]

I've been putting together some ideas for a Lola-pirates story, set in the 1700's. I've always wondered if Josef sailed with Lola, and if so, what sorts of adventures they had...

I figure Lola would hijack ships, sell the cargo, hold the wealthy passengers for ransom, and eat the crew and the poorer passengers. She couldn't have had too many vampire pirates on her ships, as it would make sailing by day awfully difficult. So we can assume that maybe the boat captains were vamps, but most of the sailors were human. What would life have been like for a sailor in Lola's pirate army? How much did they know, and were they used as freshies (or "salties" perhaps) when it had been a while since a ship had been captured?

Would Josef have captained a ship, or perhaps acted as her agent in port, handling the aforementioned cargo and ransom business? I'm getting an image of Josef living on a plantation in Jamaica, not too far from Kingston...

Considering the human sailor's diet was a lot of salted meats and fish, I'll bet they were "Salties"

[librarian_7]

Well, I've been making noises for about two years now about writing a "pirate epic" with Josef...I probably need to take the plunge and start writing it at some point. (Like after I finish "A Game of Chess," maybe.) But I've never been able to really firm up a plot.

I was thinking he might have headed out after the London Fire of 1666 (which I put the poor vamp in the big fat middle of, in "Fire")....and that might be a good time for him to sail the pirate seas.

Definitely that "Lola and the pirate army" is an intriguing idea to play with.

I have never had much idea of how he spent the 18th century, though. Was he in the American Revolution? And as a loyalist, or not?

Lucky

[allegrita]

Or was he in France, discovering about the Cure...?

[librarian_7]

Possibly...although there were a hundred years there to fill. And he could easily have left America after the revolution, and gone to France, before THEIR revolution.

I'd had to think he'd have such lousy luck in picking residences, though, given the ML re-write of French history.

Lucky

[eris]

I'm going to put J in Austria around the turn of the 20th century where he met a young writer named Kafka who immortalized the immortal in a novel called The Trial. The reason we're never told what Josef K. was accused of is because vampirism wasn't something spoken of or recorded. Of course, for the sake of the novel, he was executed. However, in reality, his "uncle" (read: sire) paid his "executioners" to smuggle him out of the country. After that, he decided to stick to the US for a while. (And that was the last vacation he ever took with Coraline. )

[RangerCM]

I can tell I'm going to love this thread!

[francis]

I'm going to put J in Austria around the turn of the 20th century where he met a young writer named Kafka who immortalized the immortal in a novel called The Trial. The reason we're never told what Josef K. was accused of is because vampirism wasn't something spoken of or recorded. Of course, for the sake of the novel, he was executed. However, in reality, his "uncle" (read: sire) paid his "executioners" to smuggle him out of the country. After that, he decided to stick to the US for a while. (And that was the last vacation he ever took with Coraline. )

Oh my, eris, we read Kafka's The Trial in high school and it was sticking with me for a long time.

Do you think he met Berthold Brecht? Because Brecht wrote about a Mister K., a cheeky and very wise man...

[Catmoon]

Josef certainly likes to live undeath in style and it's easy to imagine him hob-nobbing with a lot of famous/rich/influential people over the centuries. I know it sometimes can seem like a contrived plot device to have the immortal vampire knowing all the historical figures, but in Josef's case it really does fit and not outside realm of possibility imho.

I've always seen him coming to America fairly early because he foresaw getting in on the ground floor of a wonderful business opportunity, a New World just starting out, ripe for investing/exploiting, etc. (not that he wouldn't have gone back and forth over the centuries, of course). I see him as having gotten into the stock market at it's beginnings, with San Francisco and the Mining business. Of course he's so good at it, he practially invented it!

What the heck could he have been doing in Afghanistan do you think? Any ideas?

[francis]

Interesting question, CatMoon. I guess he got into the opium trade once the country was occupied by the Brits. I guess he helped the people to smuggle opium out, that way he would have another pirate business that was highly profitable, high risk and possibly very very satisfying.

[Catmoon]

Interesting question, CatMoon. I guess he got into the opium trade once the country was occupied by the Brits. I guess he helped the people to smuggle opium out, that way he would have another pirate business that was highly profitable, high risk and possibly very very satisfying.

Oh, now it makes sense. I know he used to hang out in the opium dens in San Francisco, but he didn't tell me he was also supplying them. Figures though.

[AussieJo]

Hi Cat!

[Catmoon]

Hi Cat!

Good news I'm back. Bad news so is Josef.

[AussieJo]

Yeah, well there is that!
But I am becoming much more tolerant in my old age, so 'sigh'....I guess Josef can tag along.....

[redwinter101]

You're such a trouper, AussieJo.

Red

[AussieJo]

Thank you Red.
It's gratifying to know that my sacrifice is appreciated!