Mun Note: This is a long overdue commentary so – my bad. A lot of this has already been shared with my primary writing partners in regard to Vane, but it should probably be said and linked because it was supposed to be on his profile like, six months ago.

Firstly, although I do write Vane as bisexual I flatly refuse to at any point act as though his relationships with individuals in his canon storyline have any subtexts. As I stated very loudly in my approach to John Silver’s sexuality, I consider it a disservice to the very open discussions Black Sails has on shame and sexuality by openly exploring women who love women and men who love men by inserting commentary and analysing things to have a completely different narrative for the sake of a ship. 

In short: While Vane may develop relationships with men in alternative storylines and through threading, I do not consider the canon narrative to provide any evidence toward my decision and interpretation of his sexuality – nor will I, at any point, attempt to push the idea onto anyone that anything said or done in the canon narrative has anything to do with romantic feelings. 

Secondly, it should be noted that though Vane has a high sex drive and greatly enjoys fucking in general, he is generally a little wary of being treated like a human sized dildo. More often than not people will get away with it just because he really has a very low standard when it comes to how he expects to be treated in this case, but the more obvious it is to him that your interest in him only stems as far as he can physically satisfy you, the less likely it will be that he’s going to give a shit about anything you need outside of that particular relationship. 

In short: Vane is not a dumb animal and it is abundantly clear to him when he is being used as a sex object. Simply because he doesn’t object doesn’t mean he isn’t aware and has not classified the relationship as purely sexual as a result. Purely sexual relationships with Vane mean he is not obligated to give a flying fuck about your opinion, politics, or feelings. While he will ensure that both parties leave satisfied physically, expecting more from him after engaging him like this is sheer folly. 

Thirdly, everything with Vane is about exchanges – absolutely everything comes down in some way to a value transaction. Not all values are measured in coin – some are measured in aims and benefits of a more mercurial nature. As long as he believes that those aims remain in alignment and that the partnership is balanced, he will do all in his power to maintain that partnership and ensure that the other party benefits from his protection. 

However when it is made clear to him that the balance has shifted, and that his needs and aims are no longer being accounted for, he will address it – and no amount of manipulative bullshit will change the truth. Crossing Vane by going back on a deal never ends well, especially if that deal involves sexual intimacy. He takes it very goddamn personally, and will respond in a manner that is quite personal as a result – he can be very petty when he is enraged, and it never does well to forget that he is an extremely dangerous man. 

In short: Vane is a hedonistic creature. When he wants sex, he has no issue procuring it from somewhere. So if he is maintaining a committed sexual relationship with someone, guaranteed it has absolutely nothing to do with the sex part and everything to do with some other transaction in play. As the only time it has happened is on Discord, I cannot say if it is guaranteed, but that transaction can be as simple as a sense of emotional safety – the sex is simply part of that exchange, though Vane would have a harder time quantifying that in words. And I do have a canon example that goes with all this transaction shit but its going under a cut because it involves Cursed Things That I Hate A Lot.

So with Eleanor, the transaction was that in exchange for his protection, the removal of Blackbeard and the power of his name, she would in turn establish for Nassau the legitimacies required to make her sustainable long term. When it became clear that she had no intentions of maintaining her end of the bargain and was instead fully determined to treat him as an obstacle toward her goals as opposed to a partner in achieving them, he was viciously clear in his opinion of this betrayal. Had there been no sexual component, his displeasure would have meted itself out a little less drastically – but no less effectively. 

As I will probably never remember to write up the whole spiel on it and I have yelled about it enough with my partners, the TL;DR for Vane and Eleanor was they made a deal and Vane made a choice. He believed in her ability to obtain what he wanted and so he turned on a man he otherwise had no reason to challenge, and saw the success of Nassau as the price for his own betrayal. He refused to give up on Eleanor for so long because without her he did not believe his intentions would be manageable, and without her his sacrifice of Teach would amount to nothing, which was something he could not abide. 

Sex between them was always manipulative on her part, and he was not blind to that fact, but so long as it seemed their goals were aligned there was little he would not offer her. When it became clear their paths had diverged, and her betrayals became insurmountable, Vane had little issue burning the bridge because it was never about love between them – it was a transaction, and his sacrifices on the table were massive. He needed her, and he put his chips down – that’s on him. She failed him – that’s on her.