clairegregoryau

[clairegregoryau]

A love like ours can't disappear in an instant.

[clairegregoryau]

You know, when Season 1 ended, and this show gradually consumed every single thought in my head, and I started thinking about it enough to want to write fic for the first time in two decades, the very first scene I sketched out with absolute certainty was the reversal of this sequence.

I was so, so sure that Season 2 was going to see Ed in mortal peril, and Stede sitting vigil over him, because this show cares about parallels and it does them so beautifully. I could never have predicted merStede, and the circumstances are different, but the scene the ended up in Here Be Monsters caught so many of the right vibes, right up to the key line (this written in May 2022/ published in July 2022). The rest of the story (including multiple elements of the ending) also nailed parts of how it all went.

This is partly me patting myself on the back, but it's MAINLY to say: they gave us so many wonderful surprises in S2.

But they always told us where they were going, from the start. For me, I might not love every single choice they made- but in almost all cases, they really followed through on what I expected to see.

Ed spends three episodes looking for Stede and Stede spends three episodes looking for Ed, and the first thing they see when they wake up is each other.

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd fanfiction #gentlebeard #Here Be Monsters #Finders Keepers #ao3 #parallels

[clairegregoryau]

Smutty Sunday Fic Recs

While I continue to procrastinate on my WIPs, here are some of my favorite smutty stories I've recently read. Also, I almost exclusively read long-fic, I love a good binge, so I'm trying to keep the recs relatively short, but there are a few I couldn't resist because they really are just that fucking good. All of these are Ed/Stede. If I follow you on tumblr, I tagged your blog, I hope that's okay!

Show Offs by @piratecaptainscaptainpirates One-shot, 3.6K Kink clubs. Cat collars. Ed whimpering. 10/10

Here Comes the Bride by @piratecaptainscaptainpirates One-shot, 4.1K Weddings make Ed and Stede very horny. This is one of my all-time favorite one-shots. The number of times I have come back to this fic is actually obscene.

Synchronicity by @clairegregoryau 9 chapters, 82.6K Ed and Stede are Olympic divers at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. This is probably one of the BEST long-fic AUs I've read, it is so much fun! This is part of the Love Beyond Borders series and every last word is just perfect. Love it.

Tree Change by @clairegregoryau 12 chapters, 166.2K I read Synchronicity because I read Tree Change, so it felt appropriate to add it here too. A beautiful meta love letter to fandom, fanfiction, and OFMD. And of course, lots of sex.

But If I'm All Dressed Up by @impossiblebird One-shot, 5.1K Rockstar Ed shows his new boyfriend, Stede, off at the annual Kraken Awards. They do not behave themselves. Delicious.

Beach Body Ready by @libroseitm One-shot, 11K Ed meets a blond beauty at the poolside bar while in the Bahamas for Izzy and Jack's wedding. Stede wears a speedo and conveniently forgets how to button his Cuban-collared shirt. Gorgeous art included.

Clean Slated State by @justkeeptrekkin 7 Chapters, 42.6K After Mary helps Stede set up his Grindr account and a series of truly disastrous dates, the bartender he's been lamenting to finally asks him out for a drink.

#ofmd #our flag means death #gentlebeard #ofmd fanfic

[clairegregoryau]

imagine finding an abandoned house and thinking you can maybe take some stuff from it but instead you find a troupe of the worst theatre gays you’ve ever seen putting on the most unconvincing and disorganized production and the scariest serial killer you’ve ever heard of who seems to be just hanging out with them enjoying the show. like what was going through the minds of those dutch merchants. are they okay

[clairegregoryau]

so.

i guess fanfiction wasn’t a phase….

#I was 14 when I started writing X-Files fics #And after a couple of years of that I felt like I'd built the skills to move into original fiction #So I did! #Many happy original fiction years ensued #26 years in fact #And then Our Flag Means Death crashed into my life in 2022 #First time I felt I could write fics again #Thought I'd be one and done #Two years and 1.3 million words later #Still going #And I've recovered so much joy I'd lost #And remembered the value in playing for the pure joy of it #And it's been life-changing in the best ways #Long live fanfic at any age ❤️

[clairegregoryau]

The thing about Ed and Stede is I don't think they would've ever guessed someone like the other could even exist before they met. I can't even call their story "love at first sight" because they honestly started falling for each other before they met.

From the very first time we see Stede hearing Blackbeard stories, he's trying to figure out the man behind the myth. He has an instinct to pick Pete's stories apart, not just because he's trusting enough to believe they're true but because he has such a natural curiosity and willingness to look deeper. Ed, too, is absolutely fucking gone for this weirdo right away - when was the last time he met anyone who went against the grain, let alone someone who dared to talk back to Blackbeard? Before they even meet each other, Stede's interested in teasing out the truth about Blackbeard this perfect pirate, and Ed's fascinated by someone who doesn't seem afraid of him.

And when they meet, you can just feel it. Never have I seen two characters immediately seem so drawn to each other on screen before. You can feel the click. And as they learn more about each other, they never, not ever, get disappointed when the other doesn't quite match those first expectations.

Ed absolutely adores all the things Stede's been made fun of his whole life. Stede does not expect people to care about his interests or put up with him without complaining; Ed is enthusiastically curious about the things Stede likes and whole-heartedly thinks Stede is fucking incredible. Stede easily sets his expectations for Blackbeard aside as he learns more about Ed, letting Ed know that he can indulge in softer things and just be Ed around Stede with zero judgment. They're always so supportive and gentle with each other.

Both of them were so resigned, at the beginning of the show. They're both weird and dramatic and goofy, and they'd so desperately been longing for someone to play with, someone who got them. Their support for each other is so unconditional. What a beautiful story, that these two weirdos got to find each other, and we get to see them start their life together.

#ofmd #our flag means death #love before first sight #This is why they work in so many AUs I think #Just absolutely made for each other in every universe

[clairegregoryau]

WELP one of these plot points was a very significant part of my post-S1 OFMD reunion fic Here Be Monsters, and I have had Several Flailing Moments today parsing that it really could have been canon, given what a complicated concept it was. Anyway, if you'd like a canon-divergent reunion story that hit many S2 canon beats (and apparently some alternate ones, too!) and also let Jim retain and expand their b-plot in exciting and satisfying ways, you should maybe check it out!

The S3-equivalent sequel, Return to Sender, will be posting later this year.

so a few months ago I went to the WGF library in Los Angeles and read all the scripts for ofmd s1, some of them were later drafts and some were earlier, idk how early but a lot changed. they were good scripts but the final product is MUCH much better, the actors really brought the characters to life and I suspect there was even more improv than we thought there was. anyway I wrote down some of the stuff that I thought was kinda fun or interesting:

-Izzy/Fang/Ivan helped get Stede's ship unstuck in episode 2, their dynamic was less antagonistic and more kinda silly

-Blackbeard was described as having David Lee Roth vibes

-lots more of Pete's Blackbeard stories

-Buttons started the trend of pirates having birds on their shoulders by bringing Karl to the Republic of Pirates

-the crew had a Ye Olde Chore Wheel for the ship

-Jim inspired Ivan to explore his gender identity

-Roach was part of Lucius' little polycule

-there was a cute line where Stede was talking to his daughter and said "your Uncle Edward would love you"

-Alma had slightly more screentime in general, they were playing up her being a tomboy, wearing pants, and working in a stable iirc

-Stede was even more incredibly chill about Doug replacing him lmao he referred to Doug as "your father" when talking to Louis

-the Ed/Stede kiss was NOT in the draft I read!! it was still romantic but they just like bumped shoulders or something

-Stede picked up a waterlogged Lucius before he made it to the desert island to save the rest of the crew

-Izzy was revealed to be one of the Siete Gallos at the very end

#our flag means death #ofmd #ofmd fan fic #call me Nostradamus apparently #Here Be Monsters #Finders Keepers series #ao3

[clairegregoryau]

rip stede bonnet and edward teach you would have loved spending your entire morning booping each other back and forth and getting into a cutthroat competition on who can boop each other the most

[clairegregoryau]

Crucial aspect of Ed and Stede as a couple that we learned in s2 is they can NOT stay mad at each other. They might try but they just can't do it. At worst they're gonna be a little bit catty and snippy with each other, but Ed's big sad eyes and his cute little grumpy face and Stede's earnest whimsy are gonna break down walls in no time. They just want to have fun with each other and enjoy each other's company so they just can't stand being upset with each other.

All their fights as a couple are gonna be like. Ed's got his arms crossed and he's sulking and pouting SO hard but he keeps inching closer. Pretends it's a coincidence and he just wants to sit next to Stede on the couch because that's his favorite seat in the house. The first thing Stede does after an argument is make tea because he knows it'll help them both feel better once they calm down. They're holding each other's hands and sitting with their backs to each other because they get sad when they fight and they hate thinking about the other one being sad.

Within twenty minutes Ed's going to say something like "you know. if you were actually a mermaid you'd be nicer to me." And Stede would be all "well you don't know that. I've read some stories about mermaids that are real dicks." And Ed's like "well you were a real dick just now. and so was I, I guess." But then Stede would be like "hey. hey. we mermaid for each other. D'you get it" and Ed would go "... :3" and then they'd forget about whatever their little spat was in the first place because they'd be too busy making out

#ofmd #<Archie voice> Facts

[clairegregoryau]

Alice Te Punga Somerville, Always Italicise: How to Write While Colonised - Kupu rere kē

[clairegregoryau]

my love for ofmd has not gone down at ALL. if anything it’s gradually growing. i crave all the content i can get my little mitts on, hand it over. put it in an iv drip and let me consume it all babey

#100% same #It's settling in to be a long-burning flame #Already was #Even moreso now

[clairegregoryau]

OFMD resources post

(Yes, you can reblog this post - no need to ask!)

I have both seasons here.

@chuplayswithfire puts the episodes here

@msilverstar puts the episodes here

@merryfinches puts the episodes here

@smol-ish-rose puts the episodes here

@solar-powered-potato puts the episodes here

@hubblegleeflower puts the episodes here

@bookshelfdreams has the first season with English subtitles here and recommends opensubtitles.org as a source!

@dickfuckk has a wealth of links to episode hosts and more here

For those who may have encountered messages saying you can't watch or can't download the files because the limits have been exceeded, there's a neat workaround that will allow you to watch in your browser or download to your device, so long as you have a gmail account. (And you can make one of those for free, if you don't have one.)

How to help your fellow fans by circulating the tapes

Here's a post about why you can trust me as a source

[clairegregoryau]

First line meme

post the first line from the last 10 fics you posted (and are there any patterns?) - I got tagged by the lovely @spirker! Thank you for thinking of me ❤️

(I cheated a little bit. If the first sentence was five words or less, I grabbed the whole first physical line, through to the end of the second sentence).

~

Wants To Be Caught (rated E, modern AU, Love Beyond Borders Olympic diving series)

Ed’s got that look on his face when Stede walks into the aquatic centre office—the one that makes him raise his brow immediately.

~

Handle With Care (rated E, modern AU, sex toy mishap x mailman)

Stede’s had a hard month. It’s been a hard year, honestly, ever since that whole you think our lives are monotonous? argument with Mary had bloomed and burst into a million stinging shards of yes and don’t you? and is this all there is? Seriously?

~

'Til We See the Sunlight (rated E, modern AU, collab with @ghostalservice and @mossgroves, Olympic figure skating AU (we're aiming to get the last chapter of this one to you all soon!)

The text pops up on Ed’s phone as he’s walking by the river, trying to kick some feeling into his bad knee that isn’t just fuck that hurts.

~

Parallel Placement (rated E, modern AU, Love Beyond Borders Olympic diving series- first line of the last chapter since it was a long-running fic)

Finally, finally, the last of these seemingly endless days rush past, and all at once it goes from a mind-numbing wait to fucking panic stations.

~

Naughty Office Guy (rated E, modern AU, Ed gets caught out by IT guy Stede watching spicy videos at work...)

Mondays suck, all right? It’s just a fact, and everyone in Ed’s office has different ways of dealing with it.

~

The Treasure Trove (rated E, modern AU, reality TV AU)

Ed Teach is a man of good taste and professional cultural brilliance.

~

These Golden Days (rated E, historical AU, WWII/ London Blitz-set- mind the tags and notes!)

Ed Teach stands at the edge of the Underground platform, freshly shined boots lined up all neat, staring down at the gleaming rails.

~

Tree Change (rated E, modern AU, ecological mystery x FWB x Kinktober-inspired- by complicated deduction process I decided to post the last line of the second-last chapter, since it was a long-running fic and the last chapter's one is a little spoilery :P)

Ed knows there’s something wrong before his eyes are even open.

~

Rinse and Repeat (rated E, modern AU, Grindr buddies with Cinderella vibes)

“Yes,” Stede moans, perched on Ed’s lap, that broad freckled back of his shining with sweat, Ed’s fingers tangled in his curls. “Oh god, yes, right there—”

~

Shadow and Shine (rated E, magical/fantasy canon-alternative AU)

Ed wakes up with solid ground under his back for the first time in years.

~

(There are definitely patterns and I will continue to ignore them all and write the same five kinds of opening lines to many very different fics 😂)

I never know who to tag for these so throwing it wide open to anyone who'd like to play ❤️

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd fic #ofmd fanfic #ofmd fanfiction #gay pirates #so many different flavours of spice recently

[clairegregoryau]

Taika Waititi & Rhys Darby in Our Flag Means Death BTS Footage (x) vs. scenes they were shooting

#ofmd #our flag means death #taika waititi #rhys darby #ed and stede

[clairegregoryau]

favorite part of the smug 😏😏😏 face ed makes when stede calls him his boyfriend is u know he’s like “that’s right bitches i’m Stede Bonnet’s Boyfriend” but literally he is the only person in that room and maybe even in the entire world of ofmd who thinks that’s a flex

#ofmd #our flag means death #edward teach #gentlebeard #ofmd bts

[clairegregoryau]

IIIvie, by Edward Teach (2004)

From Ch14 of the incomparable Constellationism, by Shearwater.

~ Ed was standing slightly behind him, looking over Stede’s shoulder. “There she is,” he said.

“There she very much is. I love her expression.”

“Yeah,” said Ed, pressing a finger to the glass, “and that’s me. When I was young.”

“I thought so. Even with the eyes closed he’s unmistakably you. You can see it a mile off.”

“Heh, yeah. And that’s Mel, on the other side. Evie’s son. He’s 23 now, does Events.”

“You both look like you’re protecting her.”

“We are.”

“She doesn’t look like she needs it.”

“She does not.”

“I gathered that from the dagger.”

“Correct.”

“But it’s nice though, isn’t it? To have something met beyond our needs.”

Ed looked at him sideways, consideringly. “I guess it is.”

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd fic #ofmd fanart #Constellationism #Temptation 'Verse #This story is breathtaking #Had to have a go at artist Ed's vision

[clairegregoryau]

I thought Valentine’s was a good day to share some lighthearted fic recs.

These are all Ed/Stede, under 6k words and zero angst.

🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷

Naughty Office Guy - @clairegregoryau / Rated E / 5.8k words - this is a modern AU PWP where Ed is caught watching porn at work by IT guy Stede. Very hot, with a cute twist at the end. I’m currently working my way through this author’s latest work ‘Synchronicity’ which is an Olympic diving AU that I am absolutely loving so far.

Like An Angel - @piratecaptainscaptainpirates / Rated G / 1.7 k words - a very sweet modern AU meet-cute between T4T Ed and Stede. All of this writer’s work is brilliant, I recommend checking out their multi-chapter fics as well.

A Day in the Life of Model Employee S. Bonnet - @xoxoemynn / Rated T / 5.8 k words - another adorable modern AU meet-cute. Stede is a postie who abandons his route to join famous hair model Ed Teach on a photoshoot.

The Sea Beast - @hibyefics / Rated E / 2.3k words - a post season 2 fic where the boys enjoy reading an erotic novel of questionable quality. This story is one of the funniest things I’ve ever read in this fandom. I love all this author’s work so much 😆

Truly Docked - @ofmd-alsaurus / Rated E / 4k words - idk what to say about this one. If you like your smut to be a bit weird and funny then this writer has got you covered. I gave myself a stomach ache laughing over this one.

Dear Ed (sorry, wrong chat) - @chaotic-neutral-knitter / Rated T / 3k words - this one is sooo good. Mary and her widows reading group find some of Stede’s letters to Ed. They try and decipher the (not so) hidden meaning.

🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd fan fic #ofmd fic recs #ed and stede #gentlebeard #valentine's day #this is a lovely little list to be part of! #thank you for including me OP ❤️ #all of these stories are delightful