"X" Marks The Spot Fer HubNuggets, Mateys!

There be so much talk about pirates around HubPages lately, I thought it be high time we took the Nuggets out to sea. I think it be only fair to be warnin' ya that the sea she be a harsh mistress. We be leavin' port with a full host o' HubNugget wannabes (ten, to be exact), but ye can bet yer last doubloon that only half will see safe harbor, me buckos. That's right, five o' these brave souls will come aboard the Hubpages newsletter. The rest will be thrown in irons and flogged with ye olde cat o' nine tails (ok that probably won't happen, but it sure did sound all piratey).

Now, ye may be wonderin' what this all means, and I'll tell ye right now. Whether ye be a wannabe or not, you've been shanghaied and brought aboard the HMS Nuggeteer and each and every one of ye has a job to do. Tis a fairly simple task, but the plank awaits ye if a shirker ye be. All ye need to do, is read the ten wannabes' hubs (the easy part), and vote fer the one ye likes the best (the not so easy part). Move smartly now, lest ye be feelin' the sting o' my cutlass!

Afore ye get too involved in yer readin', I'l let ye in on a little secret. If ye got the latest newsletter, ya mighta noticed a bit of a hole in the winners' list.

Tis just as ye may have feared. When Cap'n Shirley saw the winner had built a boat, she set a course straight for that hub. When the good cap'n saw how purty that vessel was, she couldn't help but to comandeer her. That poor hubber put up such a commotion that we had to maroon him on a nearby island. I wish 'im the best o' luck, but I be fearin' ye won't be seein' that scallywag around the ship no more. At least he took first place afore his unfortunate departure.

As fer the number 2 HubNugget winner, well...let's just say we shanghaied us an extra crew member this week. I looted the hub as well as the hubber right outta the newsletter afore it ever even made it to yer inbox. Our newest Swabbie goes by the name of Wendi M, and you can find her 2nd place hub here: http://hubpages.com/hub/My-Last-Drunk-Not-Drink-The-Story-of-an-Alcoholic.

I hope I didn't cause no headaches. T'were just a bit o' piratey fun on the high seas, Y'aaaarrrr!

This 'ere be Admiral Ryan "Dogface" Hupfer. He be called Dogface on accounta that dog lookin' thing what's growin' outta his shoulder. It even has its own hat, as ye kin see fer yerself.

Ryan be the only swabbie among us who works fer HubPages proper, and he likes ta call hisself the "Communicator of Awesomeness", but we mostly just call 'im Hup.

Cap'n Shirley "Bluebeard" Anderson be at the helm. Aye, we can all see plain as day that 'er beard be brown, but we know better'n to say it out loud. The boatswain's mate did that once, and she sent 'im straight to the Fiddler's Green, by way of keelhaulin'. Twice!

They say she be firm but fair, and that's why she be our cap'n. Ya might wanna stay on her good side, though. Just fer good measure, ya see.

ProCW be the ship's first mate. The CW stands fer Davey Jones, in case ya didn't know. I know Davey Jones don't start with no C or W, but most pirates don't spell so good. Even if he can't spell, he be doin' a fine job at writin' hubs and drawin' up whatever pichers needs to be drawed.

Patty Inglish be a dangerous one! Sharp as a tack and schooled in the ways o' war, ye want to give this one a wide berth. If ye look at 'er crossways, she'll likely consign ye to the briny deep. Apart from that, though, she be a real sweetheart.

 Ripplemaker be the politest buccaneer I ever come across. They say she be havin' the heart of an angel, and I believe 'em. Even when she be out pillagin' a town, I personally seen her thankin' the locals fer the booty she took.

I be the one and only B.T. Evilpants. Most people have never heard of a jackalope swashbuckler, but I've swashed a buckle or two in my day. I also help sniff out buried Nuggets and do whatever dirty work needs doin', and all I ask in return is a few pieces o' eight.

 Cap'n Shirley wanted me to send this message to the wannabes. I don't suppose ye know how to decode semaphore, so I'll spell it out for ye. If ye be wantin' to see yerself in the newsletter, ye needs to promote yer hub!

Get out there and tell everyone at the Salty Dog, or the Bloated Goat or wherever it is ye likes to meet yer friends. The more votes ye get, the better yer chances o' winnin' a place at the Captain's table!