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darkfire359 · 6 months

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What could have been: sympathizing with Ed in season 2

I've talked before about how much I love Ed and all his complexity. I've written more fanfic about him and Izzy than any other characters, in my entire history of fandom. And unlike many people, I wasn't unprepared for the dark direction his arc took in season 2; I wanted him to commit MORE atrocities, and I happily made comparisons between him and another one of my favorite characters, Hannibal Lector.

But one of the key things I wanted after he committed atrocities was for him to feel bad about it. And I thought we'd see that! After all, S1 Ed was so tormented about killing his dad (who was abusive and violent towards) him that he never killed (directly) again! He was so broken up about trying to kill Stede in s1e6 that he ended up crying in a bathtub. Just like he cried in the window sill after committing all the kraken horrors in s1e10. It seemed like this was a guy scared of his own inner darkness, convinced he was a monster, who would go around saying things like "I'm not a good person" and "You were always going to realize who I am."

And so even when s2 went darker than anyone expected—when he cut off more of Izzy's toes, and shot him in the leg, and made crewmen fight to the death for experiencing love, and sailed the entire ship into a storm to murder-suicide his crew—I was still ready to accept all that moral ambiguity and give him a hug afterwards. Because of course, I figured that after Ed was brought out of that dark place and those suicidal urges, he would feel horrible remorse. How could he not?

I was looking forward to seeing him break down crying, convinced he was an irredeemable, unforgivable monster. (Which of course, would make it all the more touching when people inevitably did forgive him, and when he did redeem himself). Maybe Ed would even go too far with trying to atone, like in Mercy, one of my favorite post-s1 fics. Probably, I figured, Ed's quest for redemption would be one of the main themes in the second half of season 2.

So it was strange to watch e4, when Ed looked nothing but annoyed at everyone for chaining him up and banishing him, and then he went to hang out with his old friends like he'd done nothing wrong. When after the crew unanimously voted him out, Stede brought him back to the ship literally that same evening, and Ed saw no problem with that. Okay... maybe he's still processing?

Then e5 came, and that episode was about Ed's redemption. Yay! Except... Ed didn't seem to care? Other people made him wear the bag and the bell. He asked how long it'd take people to get over it, guessing "like a day." He gave an influencer-esque non-apology to the crew. He said "I took a man's leg" rather than calling Izzy by name. He literally doesn't remember the circumstances of pushing Lucius off the boat. He does ultimately give a real apology to Fang—for tormenting him years ago, rather than anything from his actual kraken era. I love e5 for the Izzy+Stede dynamic, but watching Ed be an unrepentant asshole here is painful. There is nothing about this that convinces me Ed wouldn't slide right back to being evil if Stede were to leave again.

And the thing is, it didn't have to be like this! We could have gotten Ed breaking down crying with guilt like in s1e6, and it would have made him much more sympathetic—not to mention the fact that Ed really is just an adorable cryer. Alternatively, we could have had some real deep diving about why Ed never apologizes (is he afraid of seeming weak?) or why he's so uncaring about others' pain (has he seen too many friends die over the years, to the point of going numb?)

By episode 6, it seems like most characters have moved on. Stede says something about Ed turning poison into positivity, which feels completely unearned. He pays for the party—but he'd previously tried to make the crew throw their cut of the loot into the ocean. He makes some attempts to best Ned and protect Stede, but Stede ends up saving the crew instead—from a pirate who only showed up in the first place because Ed was intentionally trying to piss him off. Ed is sad that Stede kills someone, and this would be a great time to again make Ed sympathetic! To have him talk about how he doesn't want that for Stede, because his own violence has weighed on him so deeply. But nope.

E6 does see Ed actually apologize to Izzy—and he's terrible at it. He's just like, "Sorry about your leg," makes no eye contact, and flees immediately afterwards. We do see some hints that this shitty apology isn't really indicative of Ed's true feelings, given how he has those flashbacks to the scenes of hurting Izzy seemingly haunting him; but it's very brief. It would be a great time to address Ed's horrific tendency towards conflict-aversion and avoiding awkward conversations in relationships—the same tendency that made s1 Ed never inform Izzy that the plan to kill Stede and the Revenge crew had changed. This would be another great opportunity to help us sympathize with Ed again—to have us see how it's not that he doesn't want to communicate these things, it's that these conversations are terribly stressful and anxiety-inducing for him. But nah, why would OFMD need to include those things for Ed?

E7 happens, and still nothing. If anything, there was a great opportunity for Ed to at least show himself to be a kind person to Stede—maybe nobly stepping in to save the day, even though he's annoyed that Stede's getting all this attention now. You know, like Stede did for him back in s1e5, when the situation was reversed. But nope, Ed runs off to be a fisherman, not having learned any of the earlier season's lessons about whims. He only stops being a fisherman because he's bad at it.

I was still hoping for something big in e8–some huge selfless, gesture that Ed would do to cover for all of his inability to do the little gestures. Ed is good at grand gestures! Swimming back to the ship after he left, then taking the Act of Grace in s1 was HUGE. Very selfless, very sweet! He could have done something like that for Izzy, Lucius, and the traumatized crew. Some kind of heroic gesture to help others more than himself. But nope. In some sense, Izzy dying is one of the greatest indications of Ed's wasted potential, because we narratively had a great opportunity for Ed to be able to save someone... but he didn't.

(Admittedly, Ed is not a complete dick here—he helps Izzy when he's limping, he says some genuinely apologetic stuff when Izzy's dying, and he finally gives Izzy his attention and care. But then after the funeral, he's still like "Well, that's that.")

It's so frustrating. It's not that I don't want to like Ed, or that I don't want to sympathize with him. I really, REALLY do! I don't even need Ed to successfully do anything to earn forgiveness! I'd take Ed trying and failing. I'd take him wanting to try, but being so convinced of his monstrousness that he never makes the attempt. But give me something. Anything other than the unexamined apathy that he has so much of the time.

The thing is, s2 lost the ability for Ed's mistreatment of people to be just another "of course he's violent, he's a pirate" quirk. They were pretty explicit about how abusive Ed was (Jim's comment in e1, the joke in e4 people assumed Ed had hit Stede) and how much he traumatized people (Lucius and the whole crew very clearly have PTSD in episodes 4 and 5). This is serious stuff, which he did to other main characters, which is going to make a lot of viewers look at him pretty harshly.

And that's manageable—Hannibal Lector managed to be most textbook-abusive asshole in the world, committing atrocities and generally being unrepentant left and right, and viewers STILL found him lovable and sympathetic. You can do that! But you need to:

a. make it clear that anyone with the relevant information calls them out for being awful, even multiple episodes later

b. make it clear that they care deeply and genuinely about their wronged loved ones

c. make them willing to actually make REAL sacrifices

I watched so many people start to dislike or outright hate Ed in season 2. It made me really sad. But I couldn't blame them for feeling that way. For all that Ed is supposedly one of the two protagonists in OFMD—a character whose mistakes should be the most understandable, whose mental state should be the most resonant—the show seemed to entirely drop the ball on writing him as such.

#edward teach #ofmd critical #ofmd season 2 #ofmd season 2 spoilers #ofmd #our flag means death #izzy hands #arguably the writers' mistake with Izzy is easier to fix in fanfiction #just undo the last 10 minutes #but now I feel like Ed fics after s2 have to fix huge chunks of his characterization #I also think it'd be more reasonable to make Ed not give a shit about the crew if the show just like... admitted that directly?#but we've got Stede making comments about Ed turning poison into positivity #we've got Izzy saying the crew loves Ed and is his family #and while it's not OOC for either of them to just be delusional and overprojecting their own love for Ed #it's weirdly unexamined #same thing with Ed's “I don't kill people thing” after he murders British officers left and right in s2e8 #was Ed's whole talk with Stede in s1e6 just a lie?#obviously Ed was stretching definitions / using it as a coping mechanism but I thought he was at least telling the truth as he saw it

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tsams-confessions · 24 days

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im not hiding myself, I send an ask a long time ago saying how, as someone who liked to ship, I was doing my best to keep Moon as Ace representation as best as I could (Im demi- who loves silly lovers) I speak to some Ace artist and they had guide me, I been follwing a nice blog too! that often responds to my ask, but I leave this ask now to say.. what Im doing wrong? I keep reading these ask saying "how aphobic people are when removing the sex repulsed out of NewMoon!" when.. all I do is going by how he is acting in canon and what he said- the "I dont swin any way" was to a literal monster showing his ass.. but but , im not here to get yelled at. im here to know, to ask those anons who say me and others artist are being aphobic, to please guide me, what Im doing wrong? maybe is my like to proyect into characters I like? is it because I view im as Ace-Sex favorable? is it because I just like him to be with Solar? I ask those who leave those type of ask, to please tell me, and by extent. others that will read, what is it aphobic to view NewMoon as another "type" (hope is ok to say it like that) if Ace, please because I care to know..

#sun and moon show #the sun and moon show #tsams #sams #tsams confession #< block this if you dont want to see these #mod 1blood #im trusting people to be nice about this #i cant personally comment because i havent seen your work but #in my experience a lot of artists/writers forget the ace and/or aro part of the character's identity when making them sex/romance favorable #i dont think this is intentional and again i have no basis on your work in specific #but i would stop and think in depth about how his ace identity affects his relationship with sex #you say he's favorable! what drives him to it? enjoying the feeling? high libido in general? maybe he just finds it entertaining?#because him being ace *will* affect the motivation to do it. it doesnt necessarily mean it'll make him want it less/not at all #but id definitely put some thought into *why* he wants to. since from my understanding attraction is most often what makes allos want it #<- take that last bit with a grain of salt. im ace so thats mostly and educated guess on why allos do it #if anyone wants to add on feel free. if this is worded badly its because its late as fuck as of queuing lmao

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sevencardigans · 15 days

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MIKAELA AND ALEKS ARE ENGAGED!!

#alpine skiing #mikaela shiffrin #aleksander aamodt kilde #kildrin #AHHHHH as one of the comments under that post says #I’ve never been happier for two people I don’t know #like I feel like we all knew it was gonna happen this summer with how the last couple of months have been #but I thought he might propose over the summer and not IMMEDIATELY #god that makes me so happy #also she was definitely wearing her ring in that sponsored car post #and Megan even commented 👀#but somehow only one person responded with the ring emoji we were all just ignoring it

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waugh-bao · 8 months

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#I honestly don’t know what’s funnier here #the person who is somehow still ‘on the fence’ about Liberace being gay #or the Jerry Lewis/Dean Martin stan #I can definitely tell you who is more annoying #(who gives a shit that Jerry came first. Frank was with him five times as long as Jerry. And it was always a healthy fruitful and mutually #supportive relationship. also Dean 100% kissed Frank on the lips more than once)#not the stones #youtube comments #dean martin #frank sinatra #((I can just feel the angry comments from the jerry lewis people coming. I had to block someone last time I posted a gifset of Dean and #Frank that had nothing even to do with Jerry))

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lavenderjewels · 7 months

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saw a comment about how Gojo’s afterlife could’ve actually been a product of his imagination that was his acceptance of death—I never even considered it, although now it feels like an obvious option on the table. Haibara mentioning him butting into Nanami’s death is the only thing I can see going against that, but Gojo knows of their past that affected Nanami his entire life, so it doesn’t debunk it. When Jogo was dying, he spoke of reincarnation with Hanami and Dagon, and that too was vague in how real it was (at least for Hanami and Dagon being there), but was likely Jogo himself accepting his and their ends. A surprisingly similar end to Gojo’s. That interpretation does make everything 10 times sadder though.

#both takes seem valid but now I kind of like this one more 😭 I feel dumb for missing that interpretation completely #with maki and mai that seemed like an innate connection similar to when yuuji died and met with sukuna before reviving #pandas siblings end are also vague. but since their souls are stored inside I wouldn’t be surprised #if their moments saying goodbye were also in an innate landscape that they’re connected to #whereas in scenes where the character of focus is dying they often see other dead #and it’s unclear if hanami is actually there for jogo. or if haibara was there in nanamis last moments #the latter DOES seem like nanamis imagination #so honestly I could see how everything in gojos afterlife scene was 100% himself dying and conjuring his ideal version of passing over #jjk spoilers #gojo satoru #thanks to the random person who commented that #maybe a ton of people think this and I’m late to knowing but it’s a fun interpretation #and unless there’s definitely proof against it. it’s 100% a valid reading #jjk 236

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shikai-the-storyteller · 4 months

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Sideblog shenanigans

Love the attitude I have towards my sideblog's Tumblr community vs the Twitter community.

When I look at RA, I'm always fondly scrolling through the tags and laughing at people's reactions or jokes, meanwhile when I look at Twitter I'm like:

"So help me god you WILL all be polite and well-behaved or else."

#i talk #I already sent one person to the void for a weird comment (“joke”) about one of the girls #Back when I worked with kids (and college students) I feel like I was firm but fair #and I was always the favorite teacher / assistant #whenever I open RA's Twitter I definitely do feel that teacher mentality rear its head #sideblog shenanigans #...was that my tag for it #well I haven't used it in 4 years but might as well use it now #Anyways it's really nice using RA's Twitter because I literally just open the app post stuff then close it #and I also literally ONLY follow CCs so that's also very helpful #I do very light moderation just to make sure no one's trying to pick a fight with anyone but that's about all I do #I did however have someone inform me of some very unfortunate stuff when I last opened RA to post stuff and I'm like ah. cool. that sucks #didn't want to know that but thanks #* today

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aroaessidhe · 7 months

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2023 reads

The Princess and the Fangirl

YA contemporary prince & the pauper set at a convention

follows a fan who wants to save her fave character from being killed off, and the actress playing her who’s desperate to be free of the intense franchise

when they’re mistaken for each other they instantly hate each other - but after a script is leaked, they swap places to try solve each of their problems - and start to see the fandom from the each other’s perspective

light (since they know each other for like 2 days) f/f & m/f

this is so deeply mid-2010s fandom tumblr. lmao.

#a little cringe yet nostalgically entertaining....#The Princess and the Fangirl #aroaessidhe 2023 reads #i read this bc i was looking for available audiobooks and this was vaguely on my backlist of aspec books #bc the sapphic girl is supposedly demi-coded - tbqh there’s like maybe one and a half lines that vaguely implies it #I don’t feel like it’s worth recommending on this basis (and since the thing is set over a weekend I would call her greyspec not demi)#it definitely has the silly drama that i praised the last 2 ya contemporaries i read for not having skdjgkjf #the fangirl mc is. a little bit of an insufferable tumblr fangirl. also her parents are con parents so maybe it's inevitable #there’s a ‘my makeup is my armour’ moment….lmao #it kinda talks about misogyny directed at female stars but not about racism which. felt like a bit of a gap #FAR too many HP references.#‘this only happens in kdramas or YA novels’ beloved. this is a ya novel #would have loved more of the artist alley content LMAO #i will say the artist gets an 'ugh too expensive I'll just print it' comment and just shrugs it off without bitching about it. unrealistic #one thing about the AA is ppl love to bitch about things privately LMAO #there's no way you could spend a weekend with someone you've known for years online and not realise it's a different person...#there’s definitely some stuff about fandom and fan culture that’s still relevant #anyway. I think this is more entertaining to read Now than it would have been when it came out (which was only 2019 tbf but..)#and I wouldn’t have read it not on audio.#the thing is people are like ‘wahh pop culture references will age your book!!!!’ but everything ages every book.#and having a book be such an encapsulation of a certain time can be fun and interesting actually…….#obviously sometimes it can be an uncomfortable way (the hp refs in here were a bit) but like.#you know what i mean. nostalgia. that WAS how things were. still are in some cases. why not have books reflect that #will say im so glad i spent those tumblr fangirl years mostly with 0 local conventions LMAO #by the time i started doing cons regularly (not long before i started selling in AA) i was a bit more mature #have to say when it references TAZ i had to pause and laugh for a second akjfhjkds

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homosociallyyours · 7 months

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#one of the great little joys of my life is that when i lived in austin i managed to befriend one of my favorite musicians #the first time i met her i literally cried bc i was so overwhelmed lol #fortunately she has kind of a bad memory and didn't remember that interaction #anyway it's her 32nd anniversary with her lovely longtime wife #(i saw an Instagram post about it)#and i wished them a happy anniversary and mentioned that hearing this was compelling me to listen to #one of my very favorite songs of hers/one of the best love songs #to the lady c #and she commented back thank you and said i should also listen to honey i feel so good immediately after #and it was the most perfect suggestion #the artist is gretchen phillips #(originally of two nice girls)#but those songs are from a solo album called 'i was just comforting her' that is honestly such a gem #anyway if you're big into a specific sort of quirky lesbian storytelling lyricist style you'll love her #and you should definitely listen to swimming. i spent my last $10 on birth control and beer. and queer bars.#ok long tag post over i realized halfway thru i should've made it a text post but oops oh well

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llondonfog · 4 months

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💚

#tbd #thank u all for the tags/comments/asks about my last post!!#definitely helped me feel not so alone and strange about my reaction to this update 💚#will do my best to answer them tomorrow!! this time zone change is getting the best of me so far aaaaa #anyways also thank you so much to all my new followers?? not sure what created such an influx but!!#so happy you're here and i hope you enjoy my foolishness 💚 can't wait to engage with you all!!

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tarragonthedragon · 1 year

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am i the only one feeling like behaviours that used to be like, reaching out and making friends on the internet are now viewed as creepy and intrusive but nothing has really replaced them

#like i'm the only person my age or younger i know IRL who's made like #lasting friendships on the internet #fandom and otherwise #and i have friends who have acted like its super weird or like its some crazy achievement on my part #but like im just. messaging people. saying hi. commenting i like their things #but ive had people in the last couple of years be super weirded out when i like comment on things that theyve said #on their public blog #not tagged with anything to indicate that its private or not seeking engagement #and ive definitely noticed a lot more people who just dont respond to comments or messages which like you dont have to lurkers are welcome #but i feel like its more than it used to be #theres been a boundary shift but i have literally no idea where the new one is #i miss making new pocket friends #and i am deeply sorry if i make anyone uncomfortable but i have no idea what the rules are now

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omegamoo · 8 months

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found some of my essays from a world history class i took... you know the essays you spend two nights prepping and panicking for and then scramble to write during the bell period... well i found one about the universal nature of war in response to a class project and What the Fuck was I On when writing that. What The Fuck

#THATS WHY I SCORED ABOVE AN 100% IN THAT CLASS. OKAY #I UNDERSTAND NOW #ramblings #this started because i found my class notebook. which i took very good notes in #so i was like oh lets see whats going on here and then my brain exploded #i love history classes so much im so serious #ive also super lucked out in terms of teachers both this year and last year. and the year before truly #but my brain just goes WHAHAH at info like this. i love looking at the world and Figuring It Out. also like. its a humanitites story yk #my teachers are always very good at showing that aspect too. asking you questions that make you think about it all.#anyways i was looking up illiberal democracy definition bc it got tossed around in class a while back and like Ohkay. i understand #referring to jan 6th as jan 6th and like having the understanding that that Date alone means something symbolic and important. lack of a #smooth transition into power. yk #specifically thinking about the universal nature of war response cuz like. yeah. its universal #histroy repeats itself blah blah but also the people living are intrinsically linked by circumstances that don't seem like they have any #affect on each other but they invoke such a similar feeling #also i ended that essay by tying in the idea of hope like seriously how did i do that #what on earth was i on. i hope i made my teacher's brain explode #i did get an 100 on that essay and a proud comment too i think so it was worth it all #annnnd nobody will ever see these tags. good

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iamthecomet · 10 months

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Feeling like absolute ass tonight. Please send me things (ghoul thoughts? Papa thoughts? Random questions? Literally anything) to help keep my mind off of how my body feels like it's trying to actually kill me.

#comet comments #I did not take care of myself properly for the last two days #and now my head feels like its going to explode #its definitely not because the only drinks I've had in the last 36 hours have been caffeinated #not at all

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paimonial-rage · 2 years

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Ekolu! Can I get some quick drabbles or headcannons for how Ayato, Xiao, and Venti react when a reader calls them out for doing something dumb/mean? I mean, I’m an idiot and a hothead on the best of days, but I still want to (have the confidence to) call out others.

Like, Ayato… you shouldn’t just send Thoma gross concoctions. At least ASK if he’s curious about it first.

Xiao could you maybe please hold up instead of just disappearing?! Like, at least give us a chance to say hi!

Venti… maybe performing on a rooftop surrounded by the creatures you’re allergic to is a BAD idea.

Heck, I don’t even mind if they react negatively. I love how you portray Zhongli reacting to things and I want more.

Um anon, no offense, but how are you able to speak to the very depths of my heart? I honestly adore this idea. We must have something in common because we are both hot-headed idiots. I think our archetype needs to be represented more in the genshin x reader community. No more doormats and gushy lovey-dovey relationships. We need an temperamental dumbass revolution. All them characters are morosexual anyway. uwu <3

No but seriously, I'm excited to try this out. I'll do my very best! I struggle a lot with trying to figure out how to characterize the characters properly, so honestly knowing you like my rendition of Zhongli makes me very happy!! I'm gonna get started tonight. I may throw in a few other characters too if I get the inspiration. :D

#anon #i'm not sure if this is the lovely person that regularly comments on my stories #but if you are pls know that your comments make me really happy and serve as such amazing motivation #like i was not feeling finishing that last zhongli chapter but then your reblog and comment just put my motivation into overdrive #i write most of these for my own amusement so i don't really need support #but knowing that even one person enjoys and looks forward to them just means so much #for the zhongli story he will call them out eventually #i'll try throwing it in in future chapters but he definitely will call them out after they find out his identity #it may not happen for a while tho bc this will be a slow burn... maybe #everything is still in the planning stages and I have a lot of fillers so actual relationship shifts will be every 3-4 chapters or so #hopefully you don't mind waiting #but anyway this request may take me a little bit #i gotta do research #along the same lines i'm thinking of doing a set of short drabbles with a 'secret identity' theme l #aka reader talking shit not realizing the actual person is right in front of them #but i like this idea better #okay i'll stop rambling in the tags aaaaa

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