"With pirates you have the carefreeness [sic] of the sea," said Wade Finch, a network administrator for Georgia Tech who cosplays as "Captain Jack Sparrow."  "Of course you have the killing and the pillaging and all that, but we don't celebrate that side of things. We celebrate the happy-go-lucky nature of things being free and the camaraderie of your fellow man like the crew aboard a ship," he said.  A thriving community of pirate fans has turned foul-mouthed, rum-fueled revelry into a lifestyle.  Not satisfied with piratey puns or bad jokes about the "poopdeck," these people express themselves through cosplay -- the fan-centric practice of dressing up as fictional characters -- and take great pride in their imaginative creations.  "The most fun I have is when I'm a pirate, because you can drink and carry on and act out and stagger, and guys will throw their girls at you to take a picture," said Robert Bean, a master technician for Toyota by day and "Pirate Cutthroat Robert" -- "Pirate Bob" for short -- at festivals, conventions, parades and pirate events.  "For me it's a lot of fun. It's like a mask, you get to act out behind it. You get to be someone you're not or you get to embellish the characteristics you have in yourself. As a pirate you can go in and create your own character. Get yourself a hat, some boots, a sword and a gun and you're there," he said.  Andrew Duncan, a graphic designer who cosplays as "Captain Drew," a space pirate, said pirate personas offer fans a way to regain some control of their surroundings. "All the people I've met through the world of piracy, they're just frustrated with modern life," he said.
Want to party with a guy who looks like Johnny Depp? How about carouse with "rock stars" from the 18th century who wear heavy eyeliner, speak the King's English and keep flasks of rum on them at all