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eiseryn · 5 months

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Mafia/ Crime AU

Synopsis: Remember that yandere! Vail picture I drew way back? Well this is the collection of notes which are the plot as to why that type of Vail came to be! It is a tragedy so... TW character death? But not in the way you expect? Hopefully? This takes place in a crime/mafia AU (which I am not well-versed in), so note there's not much description about that. These notes are mostly focussed on "romance" and written in a very messy style.

Under the glamour of the city of Mertalline lurks the underdark where organized crime is rampant, and there are many gangs fighting amongst themselves. Rarely do citizens get caught up in their actions, and some aren’t even aware of the darkness that lies underneath…

A small but prominent group — Lexi’s Red Dragons have been catching the attention of bigger and older groups due to their excellent work. Everyone in this group has insignias/ tattoos of a red dragon with horns on them.

Lexi (boss)

Rose (2nd in command?) + sniper

Zoey (classic muscle(wo)man/hit(wo)man who goes on the frontlines), Keeper (works behind the scenes, mostly runs the comms line + rarely goes on the front lines. She also often is their strategist.), Vail (often sticks to things in the shadows/stealth missions, but does go on the frontlines)

They also later recruit Liam as a standard muscleman for their work who also goes on the frontlines

For funsies Elik + Tiger are here too XD (in my AUs they will NOT be villains)

Elik is an assassin ofc, classic hitman — he is #1 in terms of damage tying with Lexi.

Tiger is a hacker ofc

PEOPLE WHO ARE ALSO IN THIS GROUP FOR PLOT REASONS

Maric — we need more Runner bodies to fill up the hitmen slots LOL

Flash — getaway driver :3

The reason they are powerful is because they also have backing from Maria, one of the richest in the city. This might also mean they do dirty jobs for Maria.

The order they were recruited in:

(Starting members) Lexi, Rose, Vail, Keeper, Elik, Tiger. Then Zoey was recruited, and then Flash, and then Maric, and Liam is the newest recruit.

Underground doctor group — Elise, Lei, Ceres.

Elise, who has a mysterious past (would be revealed in plot) as to why she’s an underground doctor.

It is likely because her company did illegal experimentation/ unethical experimentation and she ran away somehow? She might still be hiding from them.

Ceres — got caught up with the mess due to her relation to her brother Rose, who hid his criminal activities from her for a long time. Unfortunately, she is now also hiding from whatever forces are going after Rose.

She often stays indoors, as forced by Rose and Lei so that she stays “safe”.

In this AU she got trained to shoot — by Lei and Rose.

Lei, formerly falsely accused of making illegal drugs in her company, and thus had to turn into underground doctoring after this stain in her records. She probably did go to jail for this but got a reduced sentence.

She is popular because she cooks the cleanest drugs on the black market. They’re so clean people wonder how she got here.

Under her cold bitchy persona there lies a soft heart.

Carries a gun strapped to her thigh for “self-defense” but also can kill in self-defense.

Only wears dresses/skirts, almost never wears pants. Often wears heels as well because she used to have a sort of agreed immunity by the gangs as a doctor… until some gangs thought she was favouring a certain group a little too much.

Plot:

Due to competition from the other gangs/groups, Lexi’s group is being targeted and many other crime groups are trying to wipe them out.

As an underground doctor, Lei is supposed to remain impartial to those who show on her doorstep — as long as the money is there. But she may have favoured Lexi’s group a little too much and is now being targeted by the mysterious forces after Lexi’s group.

Lexi assigned a bodyguard for her — Vail.

Vail does his job diligently but Lei isn’t so pleased with this set up (in the beginning) b/c she doesn’t want someone to die for her and she knows people are going after HER life. This responsibility makes her a little anxious.

Lei: Why did they send you? I can shoot better than you.

Vail: Just think of me as a meat shield then.

Lei: This is a waste of your time. I can take care of myself.

Vail: Just following orders from the boss (Lexi).

It is hinted that there is a mole in Lexi’s group — they don’t know who at the moment but they suspect someone is betraying them.

Early in the story, Liam might look sus since he is the newest recruit but it will be soon proven false.

Throughout the plot the red herring for the suspect is Maric, who is the second most recent recruit.

Smoking scene (kinda spicy?)

Aside from her doctoring duties and selling the drugs she makes, Lei often does networking (which Elise is actually better at but Lei feels like she’s at less of a risk than Elise).

In the alleyway, Lei takes out a cigarette and lights it up and smokes it. As her loyal bodyguard, Vail is standing basically beside her.

Lei: Hey, you know second hand smoke is bad for you right?

Vail: Yes, and?

Lei: So stay a little further away.

Vail: I’m your bodyguard. I can’t protect you if I’m far away.

Lei stays nothing, because she begins to shiver a little. Nights in Mertalline are cold, especially in sketchy alleyways. And yet she also often wears sleeveless dresses. Vail takes off his suit jacket and moves to put it on her shoulders and she kind of flinches away as he approaches.

Vail, confused: You said you’re cold.

Lei: I didn’t ask for your jacket.

Vail: Yeah, you didn’t. I’m just giving it to you.

She shivers again, so he drapes it over her shoulders.

Lei: It’ll smell like cigarette smoke.

Vail shrugs: Most of the Red Dragons smoke, so it doesn’t matter.

He doesn’t tell her that he usually stays away from them when they smoke. But she doesn’t ask why his jacket smells devoid of smoke either.

Sedatives

Vail needs sleeping pills to sleep b/c he has some insomnia → trauma of his job?

He gets them from Lei usually, so this is how they knew each other before he became her bodyguard.

When it gets really bad to the point it’d become dangerous on the job (unable to sleep at night, falling asleep on the job?), he asks her for better/more effective ones.

She has a new recipe she’s trying out but she’s not sure of the risk/side effects.

He tries them and they’re quite effective, but they don’t really seem like there’s that many side effects … that are obvious.

The amount of dosage needed is lower

And it’s less addictive/ barely addictive at all.

But they will later find… there is an issue with this new drug

Sometimes after eating these drugs and falling asleep he also has strange dreams…

In some dreams he is having a spicy time — he’s touching her (hands on thighs? Face? etc.), kissing her, she might be whispering sweet nothings into his ears as her hands wander lower (and also more spicy things happen that I will not describe… in this doc LOL). He probably feels guilty after waking up and wonders why he dreams these things.

In some dreams he’s killing her — sometimes he’s choking her, sometimes he slits her throat, once it was a gun to her abdomen and he watched her bleed out.

He doesn’t realize he only has these dreams when he’s eating the drugs, because dreams are strange like that / doesn’t make the connection.

He does not tell anyone about these dreams.

These dreams he has… start to bleed into reality… (the spicy good ones not the killing ones)

Guns

Vail hates guns. That’s the truth. He hates using them and he hates that he needs to use them sometimes.

Maybe his parents were killed by one, and a gang, so he first became part of the scheme to avenge his parents?

But either way, whenever he doesn’t need them, he will not use them.

Lei also hates guns but it is the only way she can protect herself, being physically weak otherwise.

She is good with them though, it’s so easy to aim and pull the trigger. Concerningly easy → cold bitch Lei let’s go.

Of the doctor ladies she’s killed the most. I think maybe Ceres has killed more than Elise directly though :3

Maybe their mutual dislike in guns is revealed in the story and this brings them closer

Lei: Why didn’t you use your fucking gun? You almost died!

Vail: … I…

Vail: I hate using them. Sorry.

Lei: …

Lei: (sighing) That makes two of us.

Flash saving Lei :3

This might happen very early in the story — one of the first events, which is why they discover she’s being targeted.

Lei is walking in the sketchy alleyways and she notices someone is following her, so she begins to run and they also run after her. There are possible gunshots that she manages to dodge. She also shoots back and manages to land 1 shot on her pursuer, which is why she escapes from the situation.

Coincidentally, Flash pulls up and tells her to jump in so they escape the situation.

This high stress situation → getting saved by Flash → makes her very grateful to Flash and she finds herself trusting him more quickly/easily than she should.

Although, she doesn’t seem to be aware of this being the reason why, as Flash seems to have high emotional/social intelligence

She does find that he seems to always say things that SHE likes to hear, but she feels like he’s not like this with others, which reassures her a little.

He also gives her rides sometimes when he’s not on jobs from Lexi. He even opens the door for her when he does so like a gentleman.

She ends up talking to him more than she anticipates because he makes the situation seem comfortable.

Liam being scrutinized as the newbie

Liam gets recruited because his goal is similar to Lexi’s goal — to get rid of the scum of the city (Maybe?) — him to make the city a better place for his brother, Lexi just because she is a hero (main protag energy).

Other than Zoey, the rest of them were not so keen about Liam at first and there was a bit of a distrust for him.

Zoey and Liam might be childhood friends in this because their homie energy is too strong.

He also quickly hit off with Tiger + Elik — probably didn’t get along with them at first, but after doing a few jobs with them… they found out they got along quite well, especially him and Tiger.

Rose might have been one of the people who distrusted Liam the most at first, but warmed up to him eventually when they slowly found out about each other.

Keeper probably started out neutral with him but like tsundere, he does end up having a place within her circle.

Maric, Vail, and Flash were pretty neutral about him. I imagine most of them would still be neutral about him, but more accepting of them.

As the newbie, he was first to be accused/suspected of being the mole, but Rose, Elik, and Vail probably all took turns tailing him and found his sneaking around was him trying to stalk his bro

Maric as the red herring

He is the second suspect after Liam is “cleared” of his suspect status.

Personality wise he’s a little rash → jump into action type. I also think he’s the type to follow instructions / not think too much because he’s just the muscle. Other people with bigger brains can do the thinking.

But the fact he follows instructions well makes him more sus maybe?

Maybe sometimes he even messes up a little, which makes him a prime suspect.

I have no idea why he was cleared of being the suspect but they just find out he’s kinda just a guy. And then they’re like why did we even suspect him… he’s the most normal jock type person ever.

Protection

For like the first month-two months nothing really happens when Vail is bodyguarding Lei so they lessen the amount of that so he can work on other things Lexi needs him to do.

One time she’s walking alone and she actually does get attacked. She manages to take down her pursuer but also gets injured in the process — luckily just a sprained ankle (from running in heels LOL)

When they inspect the pursuer’s dead body, they do find an insignia of a rival gang/ tattoo on him — Rats maybe? XD

She does stop wearing heels as frequently after and opts for lace-up boots.

He finds her at the clinic later where she is doing her own treatment.

Vail: Sorry…

Lei: It wasn’t your fault. We got too comfortable since they didn’t make any moves.

She sighs, taking off the ice pack from her ankle and binding it to reduce the swelling: I guess you’ll be stuck with me a little longer.

Vail: …

Lei: Well, don’t get too excited there.

Vail: Don’t worry, I’ll protect you next time. So it won’t happen again.

Lei laughs a little: That is definitely supposed to be your job. I’ll be looking forward to it then~

He’s just keeping his eyes on the treasure

Since he often walks behind her and slightly to the side of her, when he’s not paying attention to his surroundings, he’s watching her from behind.

Lei: You could stare at my ass and legs less often, you know.

Vail, surprised: How did you know that?

Lei: … Well I didn’t but now I definitely do.

Vail: …

(She’s always wearing like short dresses and skirts — sometimes with stockings, sometimes her legs are bare — anyways there is a reason he is looking)

Lei: What do you like better?

Vail: What?

Lei: Stockings or bare legs?

Vail: Stockings (because it’s more fun to imagine taking them off :3 and it looks less cold)

Lei: No hesitation… Alright.

And then starting the next day she starts to wear stockings/ tights more. Vail doesn’t ask but she explains it like

Lei: Since you’re guarding me, I thought that I should give you some motivation, y’know. You can look — you just can’t touch.

Liam in this world

In this AU, similar to canon, Liam would do anything to make sure his younger bro Alba has a good future so after their parents’ death, he turned to crime to make a living for Alba.

Possibly went to jail a few times for pettier crimes. Eventually starts doing organized crime as a grunt/hitman.

Alba eventually found out about Liam’s criminal activities and cut Liam out (same as the canon LOL) but Liam is okay with this more so because he wants Alba to live the best life he can, untainted and pure as he is.

Liam still kinda stalks Alba creepily though, whenever he can or hires someone to do it/ gets someone from the gang to do it (maybe Rose or Elik? — whoever is willing)

Tiger + Elik

The twins, for as long as they knew, only had each other in life. So it makes sense that after all these twenty-something years, they still stick together as much as possible.

Part of the story for them in this AU is to learn that yes, they will always be important to each other, but also learning that they can be independent of each other

Liam gets close to both of the twins in different ways!

Elik cuz they’re both big bros. And they’re bros. And maybe more than just bros XD

Tiger because they just have similar ideologies and their personalities mesh well together so they’re very close friends! Liam also becomes her big bro (cute vibes only)

the twins are still very girlboss in this AU so they are like some of the #1 in Lexi’s group. (obviously).

Rose + Ceres

In this AU, Rose and Ceres grew up together and their parents were really bad so Rose took Ceres and escaped as soon as he could (maybe he was 18 and Ceres 10)

Rose had to turn to crime to ensure he could raise Ceres. But he would do anything for his precious younger sister…

They’re quite close in this AU but Ceres feels guilty that her brother went to such lengths so that she could grow up… and Rose feels guilty he got Ceres involved in this mess.

At some point Ceres almost got taken which made Rose have a bad time and break down but it’s okay she was okay in the end and Rose trained her in shooting after so she could protect herself

She doesn’t like using guns but she’ll do anything to ease her bro’s burden

Ceres does feel like a little trapped bird in a cage sometimes though… it suffocates her a little.

Ceres + Elise + Lei

After prison (?) Lei had to turn to doing underground doctoring which was pretty dangerous since she was a lone young woman. Elise heard about her and asked if she wanted to work with her (and Ceres)

Of course there is no reason not to accept so Lei did and thus they opened their own little underground clinic, mostly catering to the organized crime groups.

Lei got particularly close to Ceres because they were close in age and they spend the most time together in the clinic. Ceres because she’s not that allowed to leave and Lei because she’s cooking drugs.

Sometimes Lei would joke with Ceres that she could be her older sis (instead of Rose LOL)

Ceres: My older sister? Like… my sister in law?

Lei: ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Lei makes a disgusted face: I love you, Ceres, but I would not marry Rose for you. I’m sorry.

Ceres: A-ah… o-okay…

Lei: We don’t have to be sisters by law. After all, when has the law ever done something good for us?

Lei: Instead… we can be sisters by oath (smiles)

Ceres smiles back: Okay… sisters by oath.

Sometimes Lei helps Ceres sneak out… because if Ceres is with her she’ll be safe right? :) Lei will protect her.

An intended promise

Lei: You know, I don’t think it would be too bad, if the three of us stuck together for the rest of our lives.

Ceres: Y-yeah? You think?

Lei nods: The prospects aren’t high, but…

Ceres: Pro-promise?

Lei: Well as long as I don’t croak early and the two of you don’t get married, yes I promise.

Ceres: D-don’t say that! We will all be fine…

Lei: …

Lei: Yeah….

(in her thoughts) Hopefully…

Since the red dragons all carry red dragon tattoos/ insignias… I think it would be cute if the doctor gals also have their own little symbol they carry. I have not decided what this symbol is, but probably a bird like a dove (Elise is an eagle, Lei a swan, and Ceres in this AU is a bird in a cafe. Doves are supposed to represent peace). It’s probably a little keychain though.

Elise hangs it on her stethoscope

Ceres on car keys (when she is allowed to go out LOL)

Lei’s is on her keys to the clinic.

It would be a shame… if anything happened to anyone in this group. They are very tight-knit and all of them play very important parts in the running of their little underground clinic…

Big Bro squad

Liam, Rose, Elik. They hang out a lot and do missions a lot together XD they can all relate that they are big bros who would do anything for their younger sibs…

POSSIBLY AN OT3??? Age gap between Rose and the other 2 is concerning but let’s handwave this for funsies. Maybe they are just FWB who knows this is a spicy dark AU so anything goes.

THEY CAN ALSO JUST BE SUPER GOOD FRIENDS. Not everything has to be a ship. I said. Me LOL. But no, I just want them to be a squad for sure.

Ceres gets kidnapped by one of the rival gangs.

Against Lexi’s wishes, they (Rose, Lei, Vail) go on a rescue mission to get her back.

They might also convince Liam + Elik/Tiger for this rescue mission due to big bro squad camaraderie.

It’s very dramatic and epic — stealth mission after all to break in and get the girl

Rose actually doesn’t miss many shots this time and he snipes a bunch of people. He first takes out some guards at a distance before the others go in.

Liam goes in guns/sword ablazing —what is stealth? He tanks again.

Elik is very calculated about the way he approaches this. He doesn’t need to stealth though cuz everyone will die as soon as he steps in #girlboss

Vail stealths… it’s in his kit to ambush people from the shadows.

Lei is also just shooting cuz she does not have stealth. She even wears pants for this mission. (She only wears pants when she’s serious LMAO)

They get Ceres, who is in a little room on her own, knocked out (sedative), tied up to a chair, and gagged. She is otherwise okay.

It is concerningly easy to get to Ceres once they kill everyone and the way back seems unusually clear…

As if it were a trap :3 Or a set up for something :3

Lexi shakes her head at them when they return… saying there will be repercussions for their actions…

After this rescue mission, Vail and Lei grow a little bit closer. They start to talk more over the few months and sometimes also borderline flirt. This flirting is in Lei's personality though — she’s used to sucking up a little.

Jacket

Vail, putting his jacket on her again because she’s cold: Why do you never bring a jacket?

Lei: It wouldn’t go well with my outfit. Besides, why bring my own jacket when you’ll give me yours~

She’s right though LOL he will give her his jacket.

Collar

I just think this would be hot. There's no particular reason why Vail ended up with a collar from Lei. It’s a very simple choker — like a stretchy durable piece of durable fabric with a silver clasp… TRUST ME BRO

Someone may have called Vail Lexi’s dog or Lei’s dog or just a dog in general

Lei: Don’t listen to that drivel. You aren’t anyone’s dog.

Vail: Well… essentially I am your guard dog right now.

Lei: Bodyguard. You’re a bodyguard.

Vail: I dunno, sometimes I think dogs are better than people…

Lei: … You’re not wrong about that… but…

Lei: What, you want a collar, too?

Vail: If it’s a gift from you.

around here is where Lei starts to suspect something is wrong.

She still gives him the collar though :3 cuz it’s sexy.

Lei: Since you asked so nicely, here.

Lei: It’s really simple though, so you can throw it away if you want.

For some reason, Vail is exceptionally touched by such a small tiny action.

Vail: I won’t.

And then he puts it on right away. He only takes it off when he’s showering, and cleans it immediately if it ever gets bloodied.

Name

In the beginning, he simply called her “Doc”.

But at some point during the bodyguarding (close to like 4 months and almost every day too?) this changed.

Lei: You know, you don’t have to keep calling me “Doc”. I’m not your doctor right now.

Vail: Yeah? What do you want to be called?

Lei: Just call me Lei, at least we are alone.

Since it is her request, who is he to refuse?

Jealousy

canon Vail doesn’t get jealous but this AU’s Vail… is a spicy meatball also for legitimate plot reasons.

Specifically, this event takes place where after Lei treats a patient, they’re extra touchy with her, which she shuts down quickly, but the patient is generally being a sleaze?

Lei asks Vail to show the patient out the door and he does, but as soon as he and the patient are in the alleyway, he kills the patient in cold blood.

He doesn’t even realize — he’s doing this subconsciously — until the blood is on his sword and hands.

He just realizes after that, he didn’t like how the person was treating her… and in cold anger he decided that such a person was not needed in the world.

He has to get rid of the body first before returning

When he comes back a little later, Lei notices the blood on him and after confirming it’s not his injuries… she realizes he’s just killed someone.

Lei: Who was it? That you killed?

Vail: …

Vail: The guy just now.

Lei: Why? Was he from a rival gang?

Vail: … He touched you.

This is more evidence that allows Lei to realize something is wrong with Vail.

She used to feel safe with him… but now, she just feels dread… and fear.

“More Addictive than Any Drug”

Lei is not blind, she notices him looking at her mouth, so she says, mostly as a joke.

Lei: You want to kiss me so bad it makes you look stupid.

Vail: And what if I do?

Lei raises her eyebrow, clearly not expecting him to admit it. With a smirk, she beckons him forward with a finger.

He obliges, and once he’s right in front of her, she pins him to the wall, presses her knee between his legs and then leans in to kiss him, hard.

“Fuck” he thinks. Because her kisses are more addictive than any drugs he’s taken before. And he suffers withdrawal symptoms every time.

His fantasy (dreams) and reality blurs a little when it comes to this. But a dream is no longer enough…

I don’t know where this scene fits in the plot but it’s spicy so it has to happen. Also that previous point is important. :3

“First Time”

Things get spicy real fast… not sure why this happened but I need it for plot reasons… plot reasons XD

Maybe they just gave into the desire — what is self control when there’s always a chance you’re going to die the next day?

The other option is she got drunk somehow (maybe the stress of the situation) and called him up LOL cuz she has a diff personality when she’s drunk.

Canon Vail would not do anything to her while she’s drunk/ under the influence, but this AU’s Vail has a reason why he’d give in…

It's Vail's first time so it’s still spicy in that regard because Lei is still leading.

Spicy things happen and he finally gets to touch the legs and thighs he sometimes looks at.

He whispers the words "I love you" before he passes out which makes Lei freeze up and realize she’s made a huge mistake.

If she’s drunk this is what causes her to have a moment of being not drunk → cold water to her face

Spicy scene: Morning after

He wakes up alone the morning after and finds no notes left for him or anything — no trace of what happened last night. He goes to find her, but when he goes to her workplace, he finds Liam standing outside the door.

Vail: What are you doing here?

Liam: I’m Doc’s bodyguard.

Vail, frowning: No, I’M her bodyguard.

Liam: Not as of this morning. Ask Lexi for details.

Vail, bristiling with anger: Are you fucking with me right now?

The door opens and it is Lei who has her hands on her hips. For once she’s wearing pants: You two are making a ruckus while I’m trying to do my work.

Vail: Why the fuck is Liam your bodyguard now?

She seems to hesitate for a little bit but she exchanges nods with Liam and finally invites Vail to come inside the room where she’s working on drugs.

Vail: Lei-

Lei: Doc. Call me Doc.

Lei: … Last night was a mistake, Vail.

Vail is deeply hurt by these words: What do you mean a mistake?

Lei: … A temporary lapse in judgment. We were simply giving into our animalistic desires.

Vail: Animalistic desires? I said I love you.

Lei: … Love doesn’t exist for people like us, Vail. I’m sure you didn’t mean it. You just got caught up in the moment.

Vail: What if I mean it?

Lei: You don’t.

Vail: How would you know that?

Lei: …

Lei: … Well, either way, you definitely can’t be my bodyguard anymore.

Vail: Why not?

Lei hisses: It’s for your own sake. This is supposed to be a job for you — you can’t just bring your personal feelings into it.

Vail: Then what was last night supposed to mean?

Lei: … You’re right, I’m sorry. If I had known it was your first time I wouldn’t have played around with you.

Vail: … Is that all? Just that you wanted to “play around” a little?

Lei: …Yeah. That’s all.

He is silent, the hurt stinging, so he says nothing. They both stay in this tense silence for a long time — the clock continues to tick tick tick on the wall and it is the only noise for a few long minutes.

Lei, more gently: You can love anyone you want, Vail. It just can’t be me.

“I don’t want anyone else” Vail thinks, “I want you.” But he doesn’t say this. He cannot, because he knows she would shut him down even further. He simply clenches his fists.

“Alright.” He says instead. What else can he do?

Lei seems to smile at him, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

Lei: I need to do my work now, and I’m sure Lexi has tasks for you to do. Let Ceres or Elise know if you want any drugs on the way out though.

His voice is empty when he says his second “alright". And it takes every fibre of effort in his being to walk away, but he manages to leave.

He doesn’t see how when she turns away, her hands are shaking as they grip the glassware she’s working with.

Withdrawal symptoms

Time passes. They do their jobs separately.

Everytime he gets injured (and he seems to get more injured during this time, especially because he gets distracted a lot and keeps thinking about her), he goes to their clinic hoping to even just get a small glimpse of Lei but it’s always Ceres and Elise who treat him.

Ceres treats him silently and rarely, only for minor injuries (first aid lower than Elise + Lei)

Elise is usually the one who treats him, and usually tells him Lei is 1) not here, 2) busy, 3) seeing another patient.

Elise usually doesn't say much but once she tells him that he needs to stop coming here to try to see Lei because she has been firm she won't see him.

He asks why.

Elise: Lei… she thinks it's best for you if you can forget about her as quickly as possible.

Vail: I'm trying but it's not working.

Elise: Hmm… clearly. But she is right, whatever you’re feeling… it isn’t as you think it is.

Vail: Why does everyone keep telling me what I should feel?

Elise: …

Elise: Our advice comes with experience. Of course I cannot control what you feel, but, just err on the side of caution when it comes to these things.

Elise: After all… this world is cruel to those who show weakness.

Vail: I'm strong, I can protect her.

Elise: Maybe you are. But you haven't considered that if you’re the one showing weakness… she might be the one to get hurt.

Elise no longer elaborates as the treatment has ended. On the way out she does say something else

Elise: If you really do care about her… it’s best to stay away.

Vail still doesn’t understand but just generally feels bad as he continues to stay away. There’s a constant sort of small pit in his stomach as he’s separated from her and even though spending time away should make it fade — it doesn’t…

It is also heavily hinted during this period that the sedative he gets from her has trace amounts of the yandere/obsession drug in it (but if you see previous parts, this has been foreshadowed). This is why he is extra obsessive / why he developed feelings so fast. He is not aware of this at the time and Lei began to suspect it later.

Elise has also been told by Lei of the issue and now she is seeing it in action.

Re-meeting

Liam gets busy / assigned to do stuff with Tiger + Elik (in terms of trying to crack down whom exactly are the rival gangs trying to take them down) so Vail is reassigned to be Lei’s bodyguard

It has been ~2-3 months and the first re-meeting starts off a bit tense…

From Vail’s POV he is immensely excited though — as though it’s a natural body response from him and he cannot explain why.

Imagine like a dog wagging his tail — but he tries his best to hide this.

Lei is like: Oh good, you seem to be well.

Vail, in pain is like: Yeah I got over it. Don’t worry about it/ about me.

He is lying, but he got better at hiding it… he used to not lie at all… but he has to now.

Because in his eyes, being just a bodyguard is better than being nothing at all…

Lei: … Good. I’m glad to hear it.

She thinks MAYBE the drug is wearing off and she’s relieved but she’ll still work on the “cure” if she can.

She later finds out the drug has not worn off.

She does get attacked eventually by a group of people durin this time.

Vail does his bodyguard duties all cool and he gets injured in the fight, so he gets treatment by her ASAP.

He goes unconscious from blood loss but when he wakes up, he finds himself lying in a bed and she’s like there with him, asleep on the floor beside the bed.

For extra spiciness she might be holding his hand, which she planned to retract before he woke up but she fell asleep from the hard work of making sure he didn’t die.

He’s like “don’t play around with my feelings like this” but he takes the hand that’s holding his and kisses it.

She doesn’t wake up.

Because of fatigue, he does end up being able to fall asleep and when he wakes up the second time, she is gone, like she was never there to begin with.

Tiger finally breaks into the systems of the rival gangs and they figure out the main gangs that are after them. Lexi + Keeper + Rose and some of the higher ups decide it’s time to get rid of them because they’ve been a pain in the assforever → final battle/ big confrontation time.

They’ve been doing plot stuff in the BG but I’m not actually that well-versed with mafia AUs so just know the plot is going on in the BG but… the action is NOT the focus of this story :3 it’s just the setting for something else I want to convey.

“Dinner”

She’s changing his bandages for the last time before the final battle — he’s basically healed enough to fight and there is no choice.

Vail: If I live, let’s go out for dinner.

Lei: … That’s a death flag. You shouldn’t say those things.

Vail: We deal with death flags all the time. I’ll be fine.

(his thoughts) And as long as you’re alright… then that is what matters.

She is silent for a long time. Because he can’t see her expression right now since her face is downturned, he has no idea what her face looks like. Is it angry like it has been before? Is it disgusted? Is it sad? He will never know.

Lei: … Maybe. (she finally answers very quietly. She is still looking down and shadows obscure her face.)

Vail: Maybe?

Lei: I didn’t outright say no.

Vail: If that’s the case then it just might be enough to get me through this.

She doesn’t reply. (She is too scared that she will say her true feelings if she opens her mouth, so she keeps it shut).

There’s a super epic final battle with Lexi’s group vs some other gangs. Lexi’s group wins of course with no casualties — although there were some close ones.

almost deaths: Keeper, Zoey, Rose, Maric, Tiger

The rival gangs found the hideout that Keeper + Tiger were in doing comms work and hacking work, but they manage to escape. Maric was probably the one with them, and so also got caught in the crossfire. They then join the main battle, Flash brings them.

They are injured so Elise/Lei/Ceres patch them up… well as best as they can cuz this is semi-realistic and there are no magical regen stims.

Maric is the most injured, he unfortunately cannot participate in the battle after but he did his job of guarding their squishy girlies so y’know give him some applause please.

Then both Keeper and Tiger go in guns ablazing as well — when I’m talking epic I’m saying gunshots explosions everywhere LOL

Keeper steals one of Zoey’s shotguns and uses that.

Zoey and Rose almost get taken out by a bomb / explosion/ cave in but somehow Liam saves them (just like in the canon universe)

Lexi is of course on the frontlines with the other DPSes — Elik, Zoey, Liam, Vail. They are all girlbossing their way through this.

Ceres even goes out and shoots some people — I imagine she takes down someone who almost killed Rose. Sibling bond uwu

Elise is in the corner providing medical care. Lei and Ceres are with her — although Lei is shooting at people who come too close XD.

“Support? Yeah I support the enemy’s right to die” — Lei, probably.

Lei probably ends up fighting a lot/ not standing in the corner in the end cuz she is capable of that.

Everyone lives :3 well except for the gangs they decimate. They uh destroy a lot of gangs one by one… it’s only the remnants that are really in the final battle, trying to get revenge on their fallen brethren. Lexi’s group has been slowly whittling the forces of the scummiest over time.

They celebrate after with drinks + dinner party

People who drink: Lexi, Rose, Elik, Tiger, Liam, Zoey, Vail

People who do not drink/ drank nonalcoholic beverages: Maric (he’s in the hospital bed LOL) , Flash, Ceres, Keeper, Lei, Elise (she’s watching over Maric LOL)

Lei leaves early to “go sleep” but she’s really going to work on developing a cure for the Bessenheit symptoms and Vail notices and tells her he’ll walk her home.

She’s like “You don’t have to guard me anymore.” (thinking the gang situation is resolved)

He’s like “I want to, though.”

Again, she is silent and feeling hella guilty.

During this time he asks her about dinner again and she’s like “... I will think about it carefully. But I also have something that I might need to tell you so please give me a few days.”

This sounds more hopeful than he was expecting so he’s like “Alright. I will wait.”

And so she gets dropped off at her workplace?, but they don’t notice there is a car following them with someone watching very carefully…

The “End”

They think because they uncovered and eliminated the groups that were after Lexi’s group they’re safe now.

A few days pass uneventfully and some of their guards lower, although strangely, they never discovered the mole.

Lei still hasn’t responded to Vail’s dinner request. She is too afraid and she knows that his feelings are all but lies, so she doesn’t want to complicate it, but she’s thinking of telling him why / informing him of the likely contaminant in his sedatives. She’s already stopped giving him those sedatives but knows the effects are still lingering based on his reactions toward her…

She’s considering telling him why she cannot accept the dinner request after she goes to black market that day.

Lei gets into the familiar car of the gang’s getaway driver, Flash… she had asked him prior to take her to black market so she could get the materials for a drug she’s trying to figure out what is wrong with Vail’s sedative.

He opens the backseat door for her, which he has done for her before so it is not unusual and she’s busy thinking about what to do with the Black market.

But instead of going to the driver’s seat, he overpowers her with his strength and injects her with a sedative she had given to him days prior…

Specifically he sometimes does deliveries for her + maybe for the gang in general, so it was not unusual for him to have access to the materials she was using…

It is also possible he simply managed to steal one, but I think it’s spicier if he simply got Lei to trust him enough to believe his word that Lexi or someone else needs 1 dose of the sedative.

She thinks: Fuck, the mole was Flash all along… I shouldn’t have trusted him…

And she goes unconscious…

When she wakes up, she finds herself in an unfamiliar location — a dirty and abandoned barn, likely far away from the city. She is tied up and cannot move, Flash looks at her with surprise. Her gun is in his hands, pointed at her head.

Flash: Thought that sedative was supposed to knock out a grown man for 12 hours.

Lei: It should. But I built up a resistance to it. I like to be prepared.

Here it is revealed she also needs sleeping pills in this AU. Cuz trauma.

Flash: I’m surprised you’re not screaming your lungs out. I didn’t gag you.

Lei: What’s the point in that? No one will come save me.

Flash: Oh, you’d be surprised.

Lei: …

Lei: Well, what? Is this where you’re going to monologue like a villain?

Flash: A villain?

Flash: Believe me when I say, I didn’t want to do this.

Lei: Whether you wanted to or not, it doesn’t change that you did. Intentions mean nothing in this world, only actions matter.

Flash: That’s true. But I am sorry. It wasn’t supposed to be you. It could have been anyone else. But I’m out of time and my hands are tied.

Lei: Say whatever you want to make yourself feel better. But it doesn’t change what happened.

She tries to struggle a little more in the ties, but she truly doesn’t have the strength to escape. And she’s tired, and she’s cold. She wasn’t lying when she said no one will come to save her.

Lei (tired voice): Why don’t you get it over with?

Flash: Maybe I’m just trying to buy you some time.

Lei: (scoffs) Buy me some time? Or maybe you’re just having fun trying to torture your prey before her death?

Lei (sigh): Just kill me already…

Flash: You really that eager to die?

Lei: Don't really have a choice here, do I?

Flash: Maybe, not. But what about those you’ll leave behind? Don’t you think about them at all?

Lei: …

Lei: That’s not my responsibility.

Flash: Maybe, but what might they think? Elise? Ceres?

Flash: … Vail?

Lei: …

Lei: They shouldn’t think anything of it at all. We are all not strangers to death. They will be fine.

Lei: Please… just get it over with, Flash.

She finally hears the safety click OFF and wonders how long Flash has been keeping her here for, without just shooting her while she was unconscious. He could have even done so in the car, or could have dropped her body off a cliff. Maybe he was not lying in saying he tried to buy some time for her, or maybe he was just getting off to torturing her a little before her death. That is something she will never know.

As she closes her eyes and braces herself for the gunshot that will finally end it all, she wonders how much of her words she’s just said to Flash are lies and how much is the truth.

She hears the ringing gunshot

But she feels nothing.

There’s a crashing noise of wood breaking and when she opens her eyes, she sees Vail crashing through the barn door, eyes blazing. He is holding a gun in his hands as well — the very weapon he hates.

They exchange fire for a while, but Flash is fast and dexterous and Vail is not adept with his gun. Vail also manages to dodge the gunshots Flash fires at him.

But unfortunately, Flash manages to land a shot at Lei who is still tied up and hits something in her abdomen.

Through the red mist of pain, she sees Flash mouth the words “I’m sorry” and he promptly runs away.

You can see the internal conflict where Vail starts to run after Flash, but he sees the amount of blood pouring out of Lei and goes over to her instead.

He holds her in her arms but she’s bleeding too much… A doctor cannot administer first aid on herself, and he’s essentially useless as she’s quickly bleeding out. Even if Elise were here herself, the wound is in such a vital area it would only really be a miracle that would allow her to live.

Lei: Why… did you come?

Vail: To save you.

Lei: Sorry… you wasted… your time.

Vail: Don’t say that I’ll get you to Elise and you’ll be alright… you’ll be alright.

Lei: Not enough time.

Vail: Save your strength. You just need to hold on a little longer.

Lei laughs bitterly but it turns to hacking coughs and she coughs up blood.

Lei: That dinner… I wanted…

Vail: You can tell me later. We have to get you out of here.

Lei: I wanted… to say…yes.

Vail: Don’t say these things… why did you-

Lei: But… your feelings… it’s all… a lie… I'm sorry.

Lei: Vail… Forget me… and.. goodbye…

And thus her green eyes flutter shut and they do not open again. She lets out the softest and shakiest sigh — her last breath, and no more air enters or escapes her lips. Like a candle extinguished out by the tiniest breath, the life in her has been snuffed out. This bud has wilted before it had the chance to bloom.

Vail: Lei?

There is no reply. Only the sounds of his own harsh breathing.

Still holding her in his arms, he bends his head over and tries to listen for a heartbeat. There is none.

Alone in the barn, holding the body of the woman he loved, Vail bends his head over and cries.

He could not protect her.

He could not save her.

“The Truth”

He brings the body back so Elise and Ceres and the others can see, holding it like it is something precious.

Before they burn (?) the body, he gently brushes her hair from her face. If it weren’t for the blood, it would look like she’s sleeping.

Ceres is heavily distraught and unstable over this so they have to sedate her over this. She straight up breaks down when she sees the body.

Elise seems unaffected on the outside but she breaks down when she's alone later.

Elise: I see.

and that is all that you get from her.

Later (maybe a few days later?) Elise shows Vail certain pages from Lei that were in her lab notebook. They state:

"The sedative I have been giving Vail seems to have trace amounts of another drug. Elise suspects it has been contaminated with Bessenheit or related family of drugs. Likely, raw materials have been contaminated with it, possibly from Chemical Y because it is a liquid reagent that may have Bessenheit dissolved into it. Further investigation is required.”

There are many drawings of what appear to be metabolic pathways of how drugs affect human systems, lots of complicated diagrams of the brain, thyroid, etc. and very neat handwriting. There are also various chemical names and recipes listed.

There is a list of objectives written on the side:

Determine the contaminant → likely Bessenheit

Determine the source of contamination → likely raw materials? Check out Black Market?

Determine a possible solution to reverse the lingering effects of the drug → possibly xxx hormone pathway + xyz metabolic pathway + chemical X

Tell Vail about the situation when prior objectives are mostly complete.

A sticky note says: Go to Black market — Flash — xx pm. It is dated for the day she died.

Elise tells him about a drug her and Lei’s former company was developing that causes the taker of the drug to develop an obsession with the giver of the drug… = Bessenheit

Elise also tells him since he’s only been getting trace amounts, it should not affect him as much as it did the other test subjects, but clearly, he suffers from some symptoms.

She explains she and Lei started suspecting that he was under the influence of this drug around 3-4 months ago, hence why they had him stay away from her until they could find a solution to it but… unfortunately they were still working on it when Lei died.

She does not explicitly tell him Lei was looking into this that day she died, but he can see from the sticky note that was definitely the case.

So how much of his feelings were real and how many were from the drug? There is no clear distinction between them — it is muddled and murky…

Lei died believing that his feelings were all a lie fed to him by the drug. That is why she could not accept them, because she believed they were not real.

She died believing that she ruined something for him when she was trying to help him (with the sedative). She died believing that it was all her fault…

She told him to forget her because she wants him to no longer be affected by the drug. She wants him to live his own truth, untainted by all the lies.

He will never be able to accomplish her dying wish to forget about her… Is that due to the drug or did it simply enhance his true feelings?

They will never find out this truth… because she no longer exists in this world.

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asgardian--angels · 6 months

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Izzy Discourse Masterpost

Hey all, given the amount of awful splintering and wank happening in ofmd fandom rn regarding Izzy's death, including the flat-out immature and unacceptable harassment of David Jenkins and Co, I wanted to just make this one all-encompassing post to address the various grievances and complaints I've seen (almost entirely on Twitter). If I've missed anything, please feel free to add on. I'm putting most of this under a read-more for length.

Please be aware, I say all of this as an Izzy fan. I've loved his character since season 1, and while I was sad to see him go, I completely understand and support David & Co's reasons for concluding his arc, and I think it was done respectfully in a way fitting to his character. So let's break down some of the takes I've seen. I am not referencing specific posts or people here, I just want to address the general themes that I keep seeing about why some people are upset.

Izzy's death served no narrative purpose.

Look, this is one that I'm sure fans will debate for the rest of the hiatus. It's completely within your right to disagree with this writing choice, but Izzy's death did serve a narrative purpose in the story that David Jenkins is telling - and he has spoken to this end in several interviews already. I can only summarize here, and fans may find other perspectives in time as well. What we need to remember is that Our Flag Means Death is, at the end of the day, Ed and Stede's love story. That has been made abundantly, explicitly clear. The show has been fantastic at fleshing out the other supporting characters, but that's what they are - supporting characters. They often have their own subplots but ultimately the narrative seeks to move Ed and Stede's story forward and they are tools to spur Ed and Stede's growth or mirror their struggles. Izzy has been a wonderfully complex, multifaceted character but we must remember that all characters are vessels through which stories are told, lessons are imparted, and metaphors are established. He's not a real person who 'deserves' any particular fate. David said he's always intended for Izzy to die at the end of his arc.

Firstly, Izzy (now canonically, through his own dying words) represents part of Blackbeard. He enabled and encouraged Ed's darker side, they were mutually toxic forces to each other. Ed is attempting to cope with and move on from this phase of his life, and like Stede in season 1, set out a free man, unshackled by expectations and loose ends of those he's hurt and been hurt by (though we realize this is an ongoing process that takes time). This lovely gifset sums it up nicely, with Izzy being the Mary parallel, and making s2 mirror s1. Blackbeard is both Ed and Izzy; Ed cannot be free of Blackbeard while Izzy is in his life, and when Izzy is gone he will never truly be Blackbeard again. They are each other's rotting leg!! Yet, they love each other - and David has said that for Ed, this has developed into a mentor and father relationship, and where Ed has previously despised his father figures (his actual father, Hornigold) he does not want to lose Izzy. This time, Izzy brings out Ed, not Blackbeard - and that's where we get the callback to 'there he is', bringing their impact on each other full circle, freeing Ed, getting approval of sorts that he never had, to be soft, to be loved (and there are parallels to Zheng and Auntie here as well that others have made) from that force that drove him to stay in line all this time. David has said in multiple interviews now that he was going for the idea of the mentor/father figure dying and the hero living on and trying to do justice to them.

From Izzy's side, Izzy cannot be free while Edward remains either (Mary cannot find peace while Stede remains). The scar never truly healed, the leg will always be a reminder. At this point the argument becomes 'yes, but why did he have to die? Why not just sail off with the crew of the Revenge?' David has stated that he feels they've done everything they can with, and for, Izzy; he's come leagues from season 1, he's found community, he's found hope, he's found new parts of himself, and he's made good memories. He's found worth outside of what he can be to others. That's more than most pirates could hope for. Where would his character go from there, when the Golden Age of Piracy he belongs to has burned to the ground? Would he stay around and whittle on the Revenge? If he were a real person, yes, that would be lovely, and he'd deserve all the quiet peaceful happiness in the world. But as I explain several points below, he's not interested in being a captain. He's not up for the hard physical labor of regular crew, and he's extremely overqualified for that besides. He has served his narrative purpose, and symbolically, to enter a new age, everything must go. He's connected to the old age of piracy, to the Republic of Pirates, that is now demolished. To him, fighting for what he believes in, for the family he's found, bringing down an army of British twats in the process, is how he should go. It's a pirate's death, and as Izzy's said, he's a pirate - unlike Blackbeard who's succeeding in breaking away from piracy, Izzy never wanted to stop being a pirate, throughout his arc. To me, that's why Izzy remains trapped in the narrative, trapped in history, whereas Ed and Stede will escape history. They leave piracy, and canon, behind, while Izzy was content to remain a pirate and face a pirate's fate.

Burying him on land, right next to Ed and Stede's beach house, shows that his sacrifice was not in vain - they start this new life together, thanks to Izzy's mentorship, his role in their lives that sometimes for worse, sometimes for better, made their love what it was and made their breakaway possible. The new age is built on the foundations of the old age, and is stronger for it.

As we're well aware by now, David tweeted that there's no version of ofmd without Izzy. Whether that's literal or not, symbolically it's true. Izzy's arc of growth affected everyone on the Revenge. Jim fondly remembered fighting for a time when life meant something on that ship; the crew helped give Izzy new meaning in life, and he helped them in return. When he dies, they mourn and have a funeral; that wouldn't have happened under Blackbeard's watch in episode 2. His life meant something to them. He influenced Ed and Stede immensely, and they will take that with them. As David's said, they're all a family, and Izzy was a part of that family, and his loss unites them and brings them closer to continue to fight for that family they've built. It's a tragic, sudden death of someone they've all grown to care for, and that steels their reserve to keep the torch lit. They literally sail off into the sunset to hunt down Ricky to avenge Izzy; he will always be a part of this show. And, of course, with the brief appearance of seagull Buttons, the door is left open for anything.

If this was The Izzy Show, then sure, we'd be content to see him simply engaged in shenanigans every episode. But the plot, and therefore the characters, need to keep moving forward, and Izzy got his growth and development. He got what he needed for his character to have closure, and he served his symbolic narrative purpose in Ed's (and Stede's) story. You may have your own ideas and perspectives, and that's great - that's what fandom is for. But we cannot say his death was pointless when David Jenkins and the writers clearly had a well-defined motive for pushing the narrative in this direction. I actually think the narrative around Ed and Izzy is the most well-developed in the entire show. I for one am so happy we got such an interesting and complex character, and had the brilliant Con O'Neill to portray him.

Izzy's growth & healing arc was rendered pointless by his death.

As this post so eloquently puts it, it's pretty bleak to have the outlook that taking steps to heal and find meaning in life is worthless if it's later lost. Seeking happiness and self-actualization is worthwhile for its own sake; no one knows what's down the road, and we all die eventually. Find meaning in life now. Would you rather have had Izzy not miss with his bullet in ep2? He was given the chance to experience joy, freedom, and hope for the first time in potentially a long time, and when he died he did so with those happy memories. As mentioned, Izzy's death was decided long beforehand given the narrative, and the point of storytelling is to make you feel emotions. We were given impetus to connect and relate to Izzy's character through his process of healing, so when he did die, we felt it keenly. That's how stories work actually! We felt what Ed felt. It moved us. It's not a bad thing that Izzy's arc made him more likeable to fans before his death. It's not a bad thing to lose a beloved character - guess what, it happens constantly in stories - and it's not bad to grieve over it either, but to say that it made his journey pointless is just not true. People saying that Con must be upset that they snatched his character away from him after getting to develop him so much - again I say, would you rather him have died in ep 2 before he had the chance to grow? Or how about in s1, when the crew tried to mutiny? How'd you feel when Stede killed him in his dream, in the very first scene of the season? I think Con's probably glad for the opportunity to have explored this character so much in season 2. Ask him if he thinks it was pointless.

Killing off Izzy was bad for queer rep/burying your gays/"Izzy was the queer heart of the show"

I'm putting 'bury your gays' on the top shelf so people can't use it when it doesn't actually apply. Most of the main cast of characters in this show are queer, and it's a show about pirates with a good amount of violence. Ergo, chances are a queer character will die in the course of Things Happening In Stories. Izzy didn't die because he was queer, and he wasn't the token queer rep. Please turn your attention to the boatloads (literally) of queer characters that are happy and thriving (how about the LuPete wedding immediately afterwards??). As for Izzy being the "queer heart of the show," this is literally the Ed and Stede show. You know, the two queer leads whose queer love the show revolves around, per David Jenkins himself. I'm glad folks connected with and derived joy from Izzy's growth and especially his performance in Calypso's birthday, but he is not the main character of the show. The queer heart of the show is in fact, the entire show, all of their characters and the community & found family they create aboard the Revenge. Not to mention the fan community as well. Izzy was never carrying the show's representation on his back, and frankly that's an absurdly wild take to have (esp when he spent most of s1 actively working against the main queer relationships in the show, attempting to maintain the oppressive status quo of pirate society).

It was bad and irresponsible to have a suicidal character die

Are we forgetting the entire first half of the season where Ed, who was suicidal, kept trying to passively kill himself because he felt he was an unlovable monster, only to be shown that he is in fact loved unconditionally and it gives him the strength to fight for life and triumph against his own self-doubt? The show has spent quite a lot of effort telling viewers that despite feeling damaged or broken you are worthy of love and that you are loved even if it may be hard to see it when you're in a bad place. That you don't need to be fully healed to deserve love and care, and that love and support will help you along your journey. It's incredibly wild to disregard this major plot point and fundamental message of s2 to try and spin this the opposite way for Izzy's character.

Secondly, where are people getting 'Izzy is suicidal' from? Are we going back all the way to episode 2, when he's at his lowest point and fails at his suicide attempt, only to be figuratively reborn after removing the metaphorical rotten leg? By the time of the finale he's shown to be in a good place, thanks to the arc of healing and growth he's gotten, through the support of the Revenge crew and his 'breakup' with Blackbeard allowing him to find his own way in life, realizing he doesn't need a purpose to have value and enjoying his time on the Revenge and the bonds he's made with Stede and the crew. He is, in the words of Ivan, "the most open and available I've ever seen him" by the finale. To take episode 2 as evidence he's suicidal is to erase his whole season of growth, which is an ironic thing to do in the context of these arguments. There's no canon evidence Izzy Hands was suicidal post-'Fun and Games'.

As for 'irresponsible,' once again I say, David Jenkins is not your therapist, he's not 'Dad,' and has no responsibility to tell his story any other way than he intended to tell it. Please find media that gives you what you want or need, and if the death of a fictional character causes you this much distress please seek help. I mean this kindly but seriously.

Killing off Izzy was ableist/bad for disability rep.

I point once again to the rest of the characters, several of which are disabled in varied ways. There are literally multiple other amputee characters specifically. It's not good storytelling to wholly avoid killing off any character that is disabled/queer/poc/female or [insert marginalized group here], especially when a) it makes sense narratively, and b) there's plenty of representation of these groups in the media in question. The answer isn't making such characters invincible and immortal, it's increasing the number of these characters in shows so it's not devastating when some do die in the course of natural storytelling.

OFMD was my comfort show/safe space show, now it's ruined for me

I am not trying to be insensitive here when I say that's a problem that is yours and nobody else's. David Jenkins created this show with a three-season vision and a story in mind, and he is telling that story to the best of his ability the way he wants to. It's already been said that he and the crew did not anticipate the fandom becoming as large and passionate as it has. The plot of the show was never intended to be 'fan service,' and it's ironic that there were people complaining this season that there's been too many fanservice tropes, up until David and the rest of the writers room made a narrative decision they did not like, then the complaints changed to not coddling the fans enough.

We as viewers can derive joy from this show, it can be a comfort to us, it can be important to us. But it was not designed specifically for that purpose, therefore it cannot fail in that respect. We do not have the right to harass writers for not steering the ship in the direction we want - it's their work of art, and we can choose to either come along for the ride or not. It's rare to see creators actually given the chance to tell their story the way they intend (budget cuts aside), so let him do that. He should not cater to fans, or cave and change the story to appease us. Respect his right to create his art, and remember you have the right to create your own. That's what fanfiction is for - write fix-its to your heart's content, but keep these realms separate. David Jenkins and Co hold zero, and I mean zero, responsibility to you. He could not please everyone no matter what he did, it would be fruitless to try, and it would certainly compromise the quality of the story he set out to tell.

You are absolutely allowed to dislike choices made in any show. Curate your media experience. If this show no longer brings you joy, stop watching. But it was never David's purpose nor responsibility to juggle the mental health of millions of fans. Trying to put that on him will only make him less enthusiastic about interacting with fans or continuing to make this show. This isn't rocket science. You're responsible for yourself, not this guy you call 'Dad' that you've developed a parasocial-therapist relationship with.

Izzy should have become captain of the Revenge.

Really?? Firstly, we did actually get that already in s1. He was tyrannical and the crew mutinied. But even if you think 'well after his character arc he'd be better suited to it,' it goes against the point of this arc. He's found value in not having a distinct role or purpose on the ship, decoupling his worth from the job he's expected to perform. He's found his place amongst the crew, not commanding it. There's no narrative reason to put him in charge when he's expressed no further interest in slotting himself back into a role full of pressure and expectations.

Con O'Neill was only told halfway through filming, it's cruel to just kill off the character he loves so much.

Guys, he's an actor. More than that, an actor with a theater background. I think he's used to characters dying. You don't need to look out for him. Con and David spoke one on one about it at length so they were on the same page, and David even said that Con took it well. I'm sure Con had input, just as other members of the cast have influenced their characters' stories, costumes, backstories, etc. Do you really think David Jenkins hurt Con's feelings or something? The writers (remember, it's not just David, it's a whole team of hard-working people coming up with these ideas) gave Con such a chance to shine this season, really developing Izzy beyond what he was given in s1 and letting Con show off his full acting range. Why are you only focusing on the destination rather than the journey? Sure, Con's probably sad to see Izzy go, but please do not project your distress onto him or try and accuse David & Co of being 'cruel' to their cast. That's really ridiculous. It's constantly evident how close they all are.

More importantly, do you actually, seriously think that Con O'Neill would want fans to harass each other or the writers over his character? The man who preaches being kind above all? There is no better way to make an actor uncomfortable about a show and its fanbase than to start treating fictional characters like they're more important than real people. He would not want you to bully people over Izzy Hands, and it's mind-boggling that some of you have convinced yourself otherwise.

Lastly, I just want to talk about the fact that some people are holding OFMD to absurdly high expectations.

Our Flag Means Death has been a pioneer series for its diverse representation, earnest storytelling, and themes of hope, community, and love. It's fine to discuss aspects of the show with a critical eye, but so much of the discourse has truly felt like folks are trying to find fault in a show that is leagues ahead of the average tv series that we still enjoy. How many fan favorites are killed off all the time? How many plotlines are scrapped, or drawn out without closure, or contradicted the very next season? How many shows are indifferent or actively hostile towards their fanbase? How many have any queer characters, or actually do bury them? The bar's so low, and OFMD has risen above to give us so much. Some are holding the show to astronomical expectations, waiting for it to fall from the pedestal it's been placed on. If something you don't like happens in the show, it's not suddenly ruined or demoted to being ~just as bad as those other shows~. Give them some breathing room, have some perspective on how progressive the show is, and that perfection is impossible, especially meeting every single viewer's idea of it. This is basically a repeat of the recent Good Omens drama, with an absurd number of people harassing Neil Gaiman for breaking up Aziraphale and Crowley and leaving the second of three acts on a very predictable cliffhanger. Let stories be told, let them unfold as they may, and you are free to leave anytime. It's so wonderful that more queer love stories are becoming popular and even mainstream, but let's not shoot ourselves in the foot by tearing them down when they don't go exactly the way you want it, which often seems to mean no drama, no character deaths, and therefore no conflict or even plot!

Just, please be civil human beings, and while this seems to be a difficult thing for so many fandoms to do, just keep your fan opinions in the fan space. Never bring your grievances to the writers, never bully them and persecute them for telling a story that you opted into viewing. That's something that goes entirely against everything this show, and this cast and crew, have imparted onto us - the importance of kindness, support, community, and love. I'll say it again because it bears repeating: the fate of a fictional character is never more important than how you treat real people. Just be kind in real life, which includes the internet. Thanks.

Now please, let's work together to ensure we get a season 3. There's so much more story to be told, and if you want to see Izzy back, whether that's as flashbacks, as a ghost haunting the inn, or in the gravy basket, we'll need more episodes! #RenewAsACrew

#our flag means death #ofmd #ofmd s2 #ofmd s2 spoilers #and after this i will speak of it no more ok #now once we're all calmed down i am really looking forward to meta about izzy's role in the narrative #i truly think izzy's one of the most well written characters on not just this show but on tv lately in general #suicide mention tw #I tried to put a read more under the first bullet point but tumblr's formatting basically deleted it #by automatically overriding it with an Expand #so sorry about the length and such

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