I admit it, I’ve only been to one Renaissance Faire, but in my defense I was in costume. I still have the costume. I just need a new bodice for it. And while there are a lot of different things to go see at a Renfaire, jousting is probably at the top. I mean, where else are you going to see that?

Okay, Medieval Times.

But let’s face it, nerds need to get out in the sunshine somehow, and Renfaire is one of the best ways to do it. This summer, if you head on over to the Renaissance Pleasure Faire in Irwindale, CA, you can watch Virginia Hankins become the first woman jouster in RPF history cross lances with the rest of the knights.

For the past 20 years, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — better known as MIT — has unofficially been offering a super secret athletic “program” for students who take a certain group of courses. Upon completing all of these course, they achieve a certain “scurvy-scum” status amongst their less inclined peers. Indeed, students who take and pass courses in “pistol, archery, sailing, and fencing” are deemed pirates. And while this was done by students just for kicks, MIT has decided not to ignore the swashbuckling that’s been going on and will now issue these students actual, physical pirate certificates.

With her astounding genre cred, one’s first reaction to hearing that producer Gale Anne Hurd is producing anything is usually joy, excitement, and eager anticipation. Like when we found out she was producing a show about Area 51. And then, you find out that Hurd is going to be producing a show about pirates for FX, and one can barely even contain themselves. And that is exactly what’s happening: following her runaway success as a producer of AMC‘s The Walking Dead, Hurd will lend her talents to a new series about the infamous Jamaican town Port Royal. Heavens to Betsy, imagine all the zombies vs. pirates vs. aliens arguments we’re going to get to have!

Sword-fight choreographer and fencer, Bob Anderson, has passed away. You may not know him by name but the talented man worked on many films and franchises we love including acting as Darth Vader’s stunt double in Star Wars. 

Back in 2009, Amelia Andersdotter, then 21 years old, ran for a seat in the European Parliament as a member of Sweden’s Pirate Party — and that June, she won. Now 24, Andersdotter is finally about to take her seat after years of bureaucratic delays, becoming the second member of the Pirate Party to become a MEP and the youngest person ever to do so. Among the major parts of her platform: a united Europe and a focus on telecommunications.

Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. It is also Adam West‘s 83rd birthday.

So please enjoy this video of Pirate Adam West trying to sell you on aftershave; the video blurry, the voice unmistakable. Likewise, the following image of Pirate Batman, from an issue of Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne in which Batman does not appear as a pirate.

Steve LeCouilliard‘s upcoming webcomic Una the Blade was brought to our attention by Comics Beat this morning, and we’re impressed and intrigued by this Lone Wolf and Cub story that stole Red Sonja‘s clothes. Una is a barbarian warrior trying to find her way back to her homeland, but she’s neither the maiden nor the crone of this story. This hero is a single mother with two toddlers to deflect arrows away from.

Image Comics‘ The Vault has officially been optioned by GK Films. In case you’re wondering why this is intriguing news — besides the fact that a science fiction comic that takes place underwater is a fun change of pace — “GK” stands for Graham King, a name very closely associated with Infinitum Nihil, the production company of one Johnny Depp. King and Depp are frequent collaborators (they produced Rango together) and will be bringing The Vault to the big screen. (At least we know Depp has some experience in the sea, amirite?)

If you don’t know Song of Ice And Fire (better known to the mainstream as Game of Thrones), like I do, you might not be that interested in Brienne Tarth, but here’s why I am suddenly interested in her:

Brienne Tarth is the only daughter and heiress of Lord Selwyn Tarth of Evenfall Hall; she had three siblings, none of which survived childhood. Larger and stronger than most men, Brienne is a skilled warrior and longs to be a knight. She has an awkward personality, but is also honest and stubborn. She holds a naïvely idealized notion of knighthood despite the insults she receives from many knights, who call her “Brienne the Beauty” to mock her ugliness.

So, yeah, I have a weak spot for not-overtly-sexualized skilled fighting women with giant swords.

When I was a kid, pirate makeup was toasting the end of a cork on the stove and then rubbing the ash on your face to make a five-0′clock-shadow.

But we’re guessing neither of those techniques, while adorable, were used in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

(via The Hairpin.)