Horace Horrible

> As long as we're together, there is no navy in the world that can stop us! With your immortality and my magic, we'll have all the gold in the world and then some! We shall be the most notorious pirates on the seven seas!
>
> Horace to the Skin-Taker, "Partners in More Than Crime!"

**Horace Horrible** is a major character in Candle Cove. He debuted in the unaired Pilot, and in the episode "Welcome to Our Happy Ship!" in the main series.

## Horace Horrible

### Nickname(s)

Handlebar(Poppy),
Captain dad{The Rubberfishes Crew),
Father, papa(Sunny),
Darling, Love, Treasure(the Skin-Taker)

## Personal Status

### Family

the Skin-Taker (husband),
Sunny(daughter)
Hoody Hans, Joe, Kurt Klawyu, Philip Fly, (Adopted children)

## Characteristics

### Weapon(s)

Rapier,
Hook,
Pistol

## Media

### First Appearance

Pilot!,
 "Welcome to Our Happy Ship!"(Series)

### Voice Actor

Jeremy Kirby

The captain of the infamous Rubberfishes Crew. Originally characterized as a cartoonishly evil and heartless villain. However, in episodes focused on him and his crew he starts showing more and more depth, being a genuinely caring captain to his crew and a loving father to Sunny. He is also seen sharing surprisingly wholesome domestic moments with the Skin-Taker.

His redemption arc was never fully resolved in the main series, with the show being prematurely cancelled before season 3 could air.

## Appearance

Horace is a puppet made of russet felt and patches of dark pastel blue fabric. He has a big handlebar moustache, glowing green eyes, and very long, yellowing teeth. He wears a captain's hat with a golden skull on it and a maroon opera cloak with golden accents.

After he is captured by the Earl, his design changes to a more disheveled look. His pastel blue patch looks stained and more beige in color, his opera cape is tattered, making his white (Now stained and a bit off-white), frilled shirt more visible. He also temporarily sports a beard, but he shaves that off as soon as he is back home.

## Personality

> It is I, Horace Horrible; the greatest pirate, sorcerer, and vain villain in all seven seas!
>
> "Welcome to Our Happy Ship!"

Cunning and persuasive, dangerous, but not merciless, Horace is one of the most feared pirates in Candle Cove. He is very elegant and theatrical, but can also be very rough around the edges and irreverent. Despite rumors painting him as heartless, he is loyal to his crew and will risk his own safety to keep them safe. Especially Sunny, whom he calls his little princess.

His ambition is to become the most notorious pirate-sorcerer in the world and "Get filthy, stinking rich!" (which earned him the nickname "the Magpie"). It is revealed in "It's an Ambush!" that his obsession with wealth and status is because he grew up poor and was looked down upon by high-class people. He wants his daughter and crew to lead good, comfortable lives after he is gone. His greed tends to get the better of him, and he often makes dangerous and impulsive decisions in order to get treasure.

Once he finds out how ruthless Skin-Taker is, he switches his ship's flag from a black one with a fish to a red one with a Jolly Roger as a warning to everyone.

## Relationships

### Pirate Percy

Horace doesn't view Percy as much of a threat at first, but as the series goes on, he learns to not underestimate him.

### Poppy

> This reminds me of the summer of '42!
>
> The Whalers, yes! [laughs] We had waffles after.
>
> Poppy and Horace bantering whilst sword fighting, "Welcome to Our Happy Ship!"

The two of them seem to go way back, often quoting vague events that happened before the start of the story while they fight one another. The nature of their past relationship is never specified in the series itself, but it has led fans to theorize they are ex lovers. Which is further fueled when Poppy vehemently refuses to answer any question about how the two knew each other. They seem to have a hostile relationship now, with Poppy seemingly indifferent to Horace's safety.

### Calvery Stankoff

Calvery holds a deep grudge towards Horace for abandoning him when the Earl of Wax captured him. Though, it's revealed in "Catch and Release!" that Horace meant to go back for him. He had been planning an attack on Tartar Prison for a while, but the Laughingstocks just got Calvery out first. Calvery is unsure how to react, but won't go back to the Rubberfishes because of the Skin-Taker.

### Salty Jojo

The two don't interact with each other a lot, but when they do, it's mostly Jojo yelling at him for injuring her beloved ship.

### Bradford Kenny

Horace isn't too fond of him as he considers his "childish buffoonery a disgrace to pirates everywhere".

### Sariah

At first, Horace is not so fond of the idea of her being part of the Rubberfishes, as he fears her innocence will make her a victim of other pirates. Despite this, he is sad when she leaves after confronting Milo about killing Black Chin. Once she makes a name for herself among the Laughingstocks, he admits he was wrong about her.

### Milo

Initially, Horace is skeptical of Milo, seeing that he betrayed his own crew for selfish gain. As time goes on, they bond and he warms up to the lad, eventually beginning to accept him as part of his crew/family, filling a paternal role to Milo. However, in "It's an Ambush!", Milo injures and leaves Horace behind during a Pirate Hunter attack, deciding a new leader would be better for the crew. Horace is devastated and shocked by Milo's actions. By the time he escapes from Tartar Prison, he finds out Milo is dead, leaving him with a mix of confused emotions to deal with.

### Janice

Horace isn't a fan of Janice at first, but he warms up to her as the series goes on. It doesn't help that she keeps trying to be nice to him, which he hates because it makes him feel bad for repeatedly putting her in danger. At first, he pushes his empathy for the girl aside for the sake of revenge and making the Skin-Taker proud, but by "Catch and Release!", his heartless facade falls away.

### The Skin-Taker

When the Skin-Taker is first summoned, he views Horace as nothing more than a powerful tool to enact his revenge with, being cold towards him. Horace reveres the Skin-Taker for his legendary power. With time, however, their dynamic changes. By the end of season 1, the Skin-Taker respects Horace, and Horace no longer idolizes him. This makes them equal, not master and servant, enabling them to behave like a married couple, not a villain/henchman. They even have matching rings by the start of Season 2.

In the episode "It's an Ambush!", Milo deceives the Skin-Taker into believing Horace fell in battle, causing him to become despondent. Because of the Skin-Taker's grief, Milo briefly takes over as the main villain until the Skin-Taker finds out about his betrayal and kills him in a fit of rage. Once Horace returns to him alive and well, the Skin-Taker drops his cool and collected look and embraces Horace, kissing him all over his face. (This is censored in the official re-runs, but not in the Hijackings).

### The Rubberfishes

He loves all his crew members like his children and they call him Captain dad in response. He would do anything to protect them and they would do the same.

## Trivia

* Horace rolling his Rs is based on Jeremy Kirby's father, who tended to trill his Rs that way when he spoke (In a less exaggerated manner).
* Although his hook is removable for most of the show, it's later seen sewn into his arm after his capture, suggesting the Earl amputated his hand.
* He says "Bilgewater!" whenever he is annoyed or angry.
* The sound of poorly played piano causes him physical pain. The Earl uses this to torture information about the Rubberfishes and the Skin-Taker out of him.