Lucius Spriggs

> I think I'm just so-so but I've decided to carry myself like I'm cute”
>
> Lucius Spriggs

**Lucius Spriggs** is a character in *Our Flag Means Death,* played by Nathan Foad.

## Physical Appearance

Lucius is a young white man with dark curled hair and sideburns. He usually wears a red jacket over a striped shirt accessorized with a scarf. He loses a finger on his left hand after it gets infected following Buttons biting it. He replaces his lost digit with a wooden replacement whittled by Black Pete.

## Personality

Lucius is gay and remained closeted to his mother for 'years' but is openly queer at sea. Despite his young age he is more experienced in relationships and breakups than most, and uses this experience to advise both Stede and Blackbeard when they go through emotional difficulties. He is very flirty with people around him, including Black Pete, Fang, and even Izzy Hands.

Considering himself an artist, Lucius abhorres physical work and is willing to go to great lengths in order to avoid it. He is quick to say what he thinks even when it's rude. His favorite weapon seems to be flattery, but he doesn't shy from weaponizing gossip either.

As well as being a visual artist, he is also a strong reader/writer (double threat).

## History

Lucius works as a scribe on the Revenge whom Stede employs to record all of the crew's adventures as well as some of Stede's personal stories about life at sea. His official job title seems to be cabin boy, as proved by most of the crew referring to him as "boy". Before being employed by Stede, Lucius used to work as a pickpocket, a time of his life that he considers "not cute".

He is the first person to learn that Jim is posing as a man and pretending to be a mute, landing him in deep trouble when they kidnap him to keep their secret safe. On their first trip to the Republic of Pirates, Stede forces Lucius to officially introduce him into the pirate community, which Lucius reluctantly does.

When the captains attend the fancy party along with Frenchie and Oluwande, Lucius stays on the Revenge and quickly gets in trouble with Izzy when he refuses to scrape barnacles off the side of the ship and decides to sketch Fang naked instead. Izzy tries to bully Lucius into compliance, but Lucius stands up to him using gossip he learned from Fang. When Blackbeard presents his theatrical skills to the crew, Buttons bites Lucius' finger in a moment of panic, leading to it getting infected. After some debate on how to proceed, Lucius cuts the finger off himself using scissors before collapsing unconscious. He recovers quickly and starts wearing a wooden prosthetic he gets from Black Pete.

As Blackbeard and Stede's relationship develops, Lucius becomes their cheerleader. He accompanies them on their field trip to St. Augustine, during which he realizes the two men have romantic feelings for each other. When Blackbeard decides to leave with Calico Jack, Lucius comforts Stede while confronting Blackbeard about his treatment of Stede. After Stede abandons Blackbeard, it is Lucius who becomes Edward's closest confidant and manages to help him heal a little. These efforts are however destroyed by Izzy's meddling. Upon embracing the Kraken persona, Ed decides to get rid of Lucius and pushes him off the ship.

He is rescued by an unnamed ship and goes to live the lonely life of a man without a crew, moving from one ship to another, often forced to perform dangerous or humiliating acts in order to stay alive. He eventually ends up aboard the Red Flag, where he is reunited with most of Stede's crew.

## Relationships

### Stede Bonnet

Lucius is employed by Stede to keep his journal. Because of this, he soon becomes the captain's closest confidant. Often annoyed by Stede's absurd ideas, he is always quick to make his opinions known, yet he still follows orders every time. When Stede and Blackbeard's relationship becomes more romantic, Lucius is very pleased with this development and tries to help the two find their happiness. It is Lucius who convinces the Royal Navy that Stede is a real pirate, allowing him to take the Act of Grace and thus saving his life.

### Blackbeard

Lucius is quick to see through Blackbeard's persona and start treating him like a human rather than a legend. In his campaign to bring Stede and Edward together, he confronts Blackbeard about his treatment of Stede, a feat most would think too dangerous to even attempt. When Stede abandons Edward, Lucius takes care of him, helping him through the grieving process.

### Izzy Hands

Lucius and Izzy clash right from their first meeting due to their very different personalities. A strict disciplinarian focused on efficiency and hierarchy, Izzy is determined to make Lucius comply by whatever means necessary. When the captains are away attending a party, Izzy tries to force Lucius to scrape the barnacles off the side of the ship after catching him in an intimate situation with Black Pete. Lucius manages to talk his way out of the task by complimenting Fang into letting him go, which angers Izzy very much. As Izzy threatens to out Lucius to Pete by telling him Lucius sketched Fang naked, Lucius stands up to him, revealing that Pete knows about his thing with Fang and then weaponizing gossip about how Izzy got very seasick during a storm. A tense moment follows as the two stare at each other before Izzy storms off in fury while Lucius celebrates this moment of triumph.

### Black Pete

Lucius and Pete are lovers, although it's not clear when their relationship began. They are open about their relationship and claim to like having an audience during sex. When Lucius cuts off his finger, Pete whittles him a wooden prosthetic, and the two kiss. It appears that their relationship isn't exclusive.

### Jim Jimenez

Lucius is the first person to discover Jim's true identity. This lands him in trouble, as Jim first attacks Lucius, who barely manages to escape, and then kidnaps him to keep their secret safe. Upon his release, Lucius doesn't seem to have any hostility towards Jim over this and steals their family dagger from Spanish Jackie. When he hands it over, Jim kisses him, and he states he's strangely into them. After this, the two remain friendly.

### Fang

Lucius befriends Fang quickly. When ordered by Izzy to clean the barnacles off the side of the ship, Lucius compliments Fang's cheekbones in order to be set free. Fang is clearly flattered by this and lets Lucius back up onto the ship, which leads to Lucius sketching Fang naked. Following this, Fang displays a lot of affection towards Lucius, taking care of him when his finger is infected and organizing a sea burial for the amputated digit, during which he calls the scribe "our beloved Lucius".

## Trivia

* Assigned “girlboss” by Nathan Foad himself.
* Nathan Foad revealed that to play Lucius, he needed his hair to be curled every single morning.
* The character's look was inspired by Boy George.
* He has severe back problems.
* He has a missing finger that he lost to infection in Season 1, Episode 6: Art of Fuckery.

## References

1. ↑ Kristian Nairn Instagram live with Nathan Foad and Con O'Neill at 32:15