#iron fist s2 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

hotluncheddie · 1 year

Text

for @thefreakandthehair spring fanworks challenge! i chose the dialogue prompt “Listen, I’m a fern, okay? I need sunlight.” thanks so much lex for doing this again! so fun!!

(high school steddie, post s2 pre s3, 1.6k)

(now on Ao3 !)

🌱

Eddies Munson is the Marmite of middle ages female teachers. They either take his theatrics and short attention span in stride, seeing that yes he is trying he just needs things done a little differently. That he does genuinely think he’s funny when he spouts his little lines, the joke being aimed at the room and not at the teachers expense. That yes he is trying actually and does want to graduate, a lil’ help maybe?

They either see that for what it is. Or, they hate his fucking guts.

The theater teacher, much to his continued chagrin, seems to be in the latter. Which is abysmal, awful. Genuinely soul crushing for one Eddie munson.

Why? Because he needs to pass theater, with extra credit (for being ‘an integral and helpful part of the spring show’) in order to potentially scrape through and pass the year. Having to take senior year again you’d think some teachers would cut you a little slack, even to just see the back of you. But no, not in Eddie's experience. They fuck you over same as always.

That's how he’s sitting out back on the theater building steps, dying for the cigarettes in his van. But he doesn’t wanna go over there. Can’t go over there, because he's dressed like a glorified shrub.

‘Oof, what are you supposed to be?’

Oh how wonderful, beautiful, a truly glorious turn of events. Steve Harrinton is here. Eddie rests his face in his hands for a moment and resists the urge to scream. Steve Harrington in his stupid blue jeans and his new stupid glasses that he sometimes wears, which shouldn’t look as good as they do. Shouldn’t fit his stupid pretty face but they do. They do and Eddie wants to cry.

Squinting up at Steve, who's haloed by sun rays because his giant, massive head is directly over the spring sunshine, Eddie sighs.

‘I was supposed to be Puc, but noooo I'm the dry ass narrator with no creative freedom.’ He flings his arms up and glares down at the toes of his sneakers. Away from Harrington's big, stupid face.

Because that's the real kicker. He likes theater, wants to be in the play, but whenever he tries to act the teacher just seems to think he's goofing off. And sure, maybe he took some creative liberties with the audition script. Maybe they’ve been in a sort of stalemate with the tone of voice the narrator should deliver certain lines in. But that's art, man! Interpretation! But the iron fisted Ms Farrel is having none of it. So Eddie has to take regular breaks to seeth.

‘Puc? like hockey puck?’ Steve interrupts Eddie’s internal monologue, sounds actually confused. Oh to be pretty.

‘Listen, I’m a fern, okay? I need sunlight. so move outta the way would you. you're harshing my mellow.’

‘Geez sorry dude.’ Steve moves so he's next to Eddie, leaning up against the building wall. He messes with something in his jacket, moving it to the back of his jeans, then slips a pack and lighter out and lights up, talking out the corner of his mouth. ‘You want one? apology for the mellow? condolences for the outfit?’

Eddie rolls his eyes, fights down his smile. That was actually funny, maybe there were genuine reasons this guy was popular. Ones beyond generational wealth.

‘Apology accepted Harrington.’ Eddie hums, plucks a smoke from Steve’s carton. Tries to steady his heart rate at Steve lighting if for him, leaning in and cupping his hand to protect the flame from the breeze and everything.

Eddie inhales deep, closing his eyes to savor the taste. Feels a bit calmer now, less like screaming. ‘What are you doing here anyway? it’s Friday at 4, you not got fair maidens swooning for a romp with king Steve?’ Eddie peeks back over at him, sees Steve looking Eddies hand holding the smoke poised by his lips.

‘Huh?’ Steve’s eyes snap up to meet Eddie’s eyes, ears tinting pink. Weird.

‘You looking to score huh? Well, not right now, I’m wallowing.’ Eddie rubs at his eyes, glowers at the rustling of his costume.

‘Oh nah, no, I needed some uh, extra credit. Had to talk to Ms. O’Donald.’ Steve pulls some rolled up papers out of his other back pocket and wiggles them.

‘Ah a man after my own heart, I see.. Or are you just doing it to get into some Ivy League?’ Eddie cocks his head, sneers at the rich boy.

Steve just laughs, no anger. Scratches the back of his neck. ‘God no, I think I uh, missed the application deadline actually. Had, um, some health issues, so.’ He fiddles with his wire frames, looks embarrassed, maybe a little sad.

Eddie eyes him, The Fallen King. Steve Harrington. Eddie never really had that much of an issue with him. Always paid for his weed upfront and seemed to interact with Eddie with an air of vague boredom rather than, like, wishing Eddie was dead in a ditch. Plus there were those couple parties where Steve was wasted and spent some of the night just hanging around Eddie while he dealt. He was kind of a goofy drunk, kept asking Eddie what shampoo he used, refusing to take ‘whatever's cheapest’ for an answer. So, seeing him looking even slightly like a kicked puppy has Eddie’s “look out for people who know how cruel the world can be” radar going off. He doesn’t know the story but some shit went down with Harrington, you can't cover bruises like that.

‘Well, don’t sweat it too much. Doubt anyones gonna start calling you four eyes. You’re still the cream of Hawkins crop dude, Ivy league or not.’ Eddie heaves himself up to stand, crushing the but of his cigarette out under his shoe.

‘Plus, your extra credit looks like that.’ Eddie points at Steve's fist of papers. ‘While mine looks like this.’ Eddie holds his arms out, giving Steve a twirl and ending with a bow. ‘So cheer up buttercup.’

Steve dips his head and chuckles, looks up at Eddie through his lashes, grinning. It’s all sunshine and long days, sun warm skin and freckles.

Eddie swallows and looks away. Bounces his shoulders against the brick.

Steve clears his throat, mirrors Eddie’s positions against the wall. ‘Look, there is actually something I want to talk to you about. You run the D&D club right?’

Eddie hardens a little, see Harrington’s pretty chill, especially for the past year. But Hellfire is his baby. Eddie’s baby, full of Eddie’s people.

‘I do.’

‘Right, so there's these kids I babysit and uh, they really like that game. They start highschool in the fall and I just wondered if you’d tell the other members to maybe keep an eye on them? Let them join and like, you know.’ Steve gestures vaguely to the school around them.

Eddie can't help it, he moves so he’s back standing, facing Steve. Steve Harrington who just asked him to look out for kids, who he babysits for. Wearing glasses and looking like honey. While Eddie is covered in paper leaves and wearing what could honestly be argued as tights. What the fuck?

‘Babysitter huh?’ Eddie smirks but sees the way Steve squares his shoulders and turns to face him, daring him to keep going. Eddie’s smirk softens to a smile. ‘I’ll let the guys know Harrington. Or, uh, recruit them myself if, you know, the extra credit doesn’t work out.’ And Steve smiles, understanding but there's no pity on his face.

‘Thanks Eddie, appreciate it.’ Steve tugs on one of his leaves which makes Eddie blush because he's stupid and the straight boy in front of him is being nice. His name in Steve's mouth getting tucked away for a rainy day.

‘Anytime.’ Eddie says quietly, finally noticing how close they’ve gotten.

‘I’ll have to come see the play. Make sure to voice how “that narrator really puts on a show, truly spectacular”.’ Steve crosses his arms and brings a hand up to his chin, as if he's some snotty theater critic. Eddie snorts. ‘Butter up Ms Farrel for you.’ and Steve winks. Eddie's breath catching in his throat.

‘I’d like that.’ Eddie rasps. Lame. Why is he so LAME.

‘It’s settled then. See you front row.’ Steve smiles, boyish and charming. Eddie swears Steve's eyes flick down to his lips. But he's also willingly dressed as a tree so his judgment can't be trusted right now.

‘Munson!!’ A voice calls from inside making Steve and Eddie jump, moving so they’re no longer standing almost toe to toe. Breaks over it seems. Eddie is definitely not looking forward to going back in there but, needs must.

‘Well, uhm, duty calls.’ Eddie steps back. Giving Steve a little two finger salute, turning to go back up the steps.

‘Break a leg’ Steve watches him go, a little amused glint to his smile. Eddie only trips over his feet a little ascending the stairs.

Steve starts to walk backwards, towards the parking lot. He raises his voice slightly and Eddie stops in his tracks to listen. ‘Nice seeing you in a different outfit. You look a lot less scary.’ and that amused glint flashes in his eye, like he knows Eddie’s never really been scary at all. ‘I’ve been trying out a new look myself, sort of inspired by you.’ Steve winks again, turning on his heel and Eddie gets a full view of the light blue hanky shoved in Steve's right back pocket.

Eddie coughs, splutters, feels his brain fizzle and the blood in his body moves treacherously to one place. Sees Steve throw his head back and laugh as he walks away, must have heard Eddie choke on his own tongue.

He needs a moment, slumping back down on the steps. Steve Harrington who babysits. Steve Harrington who's gonna come see his play. Steve harrington who might not be so straight after all.

Maybe spring is his season.

#lets everyone have a moment of silence for my guy eddie here #steddie #lexsspringfanworkschallenge #my fic #hotlunch #highschool steddie #steve x eddie #bisexual steve harrington #*sponegebob voice* one year later eddie decides maybe spring isn’t his season #steddie drabble

418 notes · View notes

mejcinta · 3 months

Text

This scene will definitely be a set up of how Aegon rules (without motivation at first). I think, he still doubts Alicent's words that Viserys approved of him as king. And even if he did believe, he still thinks and feels like he's not cut out for the job and that brews some fear and insecurity.

You can spot some subjects that don't bow in this pic and Otto in the front waiting to steer Aegon. We could see how eager or not Aegon is to address his subjects as well as how he responds to Otto.

It's very probable that the scene of him on the throne here appearing pissed could be when a defiant lord, one of those that have not bowed to him in the throne room shot above, challenges his authority.

I mean, let's face it. Beesbury's death is being kept a secret and his house is probably there to demand answers. Aegon also looks a bit dishevelled, especially his hair...giving the impression he came later than expected and Otto is displeased with him, as well as some of his subjects who were waiting.

Should one of the lords speak out against Aegon, he could order they be detained, against Otto's directive not to do so. Aegon could use that chance to spurn Otto's control and show his subjects he's capable of ruling with an iron fist. Defiance will not be tolerated.

Ruling as King will begin as a game for Aegon, using power to serve vegeance to anyone that mistreated him, especially Otto, and maybe Alicent to a lesser extent.

However, Blood and Cheese could be the incident that finally thrusts Aegon into reevaluating the importance of his responsibilities as King. He's been warned by Alicent many times that the lives of his loved ones would be made forfeit if Rhaenyra took the throne. Loss, grief and vengeance will give him the motivation he lacks.

Since episode 9 of season 1 failed to show Aegon accepting to be king so as to protect his family, I imagine s2 will rectify this glaring problem by having Aegon take it upon himself to protect what remains of his family after B&C. Spite, guilt and anger will drive him into being more responsible if not more serious and proactive.

#hotd trailer #hotd season 2 #hotd theories #aegon ii targaryen #king aegon ii #otto hightower #alicent hightower #blood and cheese #helaena targaryen #jaehaerys ii targaryen #jaehaera targaryen #maelor targaryen #helaegon

77 notes · View notes

scaly-freaks · 14 days

Text

Rewatching the Murad era of Muhtesem Yuzyil: Kosem sure hits different now that I've obsessed about Alicent and Aegon's mother-son relationship a 100 different ways. Unfortunately, my baby Alicent is not the iron-fisted force of nature Kosem is, and Murad shares Aegon's impulsive brashness but his decisions pan out better. The mother-son dynamic though, and the fact that both mothers outlived the sons...plus, judging by the S2 trailer, just like Murad, Aegon is going to make a habit of not heeding the woman who enthroned him.

Sons as their mother's sword arm except the blade is poisoned, URGH!!!!

#muhtesem yuzyil #murad iv #kosem sultan #aegon ii targaryen #alicent hightower #muhtesem yuzil kosem #house of the dragon

29 notes · View notes

stealingpotatoes · 8 months

Note

Okay, here's the thing, I feel so bad for TBOBF in a lot of ways.

Cuz parts of it (albeit very short parts) are just Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen wandering around doing hot girl shit, or Boba hanging out with his adoptive Sand People family, or Cobb Vanth just showing up and flirting with anything that moves...But in a lot of ways, the show suffers from A) Being a backdoor pilot for Mando s3 which had already been confirmed which takes over the last 3 episodes out of nowhere and feels really shitty as they cast Boba aside in his own show and B) The show seems uncomfortable with it's own premise in a lot of ways. It falls into the trap that "protagonist = morally and ethically perfection" instead of just letting Boba be a crime boss? Like, sure he doesn't have to be as cruel as the Hutts, and he doesn't have to be okay with the Pikes moving in on his territory, but in the end...He's too nice to be a believable threat to anyone. (And in a lot of situations...is just bad at his job, or ill prepared for what he has to do.)

Which is a shame, because there could have been a really compelling story about Boba taking over Tatooine's mob scene, ruling it with an iron fist, while managing to win the love of the people. Hell, have a whole arc about him outlawing still totally legal Tatooine slavery and fighting all the people who would oppose people being free. But instead they just have him turn into this dude who shows up, not really kick as much ass. He was far scarier when he showed up in Mando s2 and beat the crap out of those stormtroopers then he ever was in a show meant to be about him.

Sorry this got long and rambly, I just...I feel like the bs robo-Luke stuff in TBOBF is only the tip of the iceberg. The urge to write an academic paper on the subject is strong.

WRITE THAT ACADEMIC PAPER YOU ICON!!!!!!! but also wtf that's so shit. i've heard from a couple ppl that they were rlly on the right track w some boba scenes so it sucks ass they didn't just. have the confidence to continue that and also TRYING TO MAKE BOBA FETT A MORALLY PURE GOOD GUY??????? DO. DO THEY KNOW WHO BOBA FETT IS??? DIDN'T HE BLOW UP A VENATOR WITH CHILDREN ABOARD??? HE WAS A BOUNTY HUNTER!!!! that is the biggest nuanced morality fail i've heard of in my life

#thanks for the ask!#the way they weren't confident enough to have a mildly morally reprehensible protag but the top show of 2023 was tlou and bestie joel #who just has a clip of fast&furious characters saying 'family' instead of a moral compass #but also LET!!! BOBA FREE SLAVES!!!!!!!!! THEY SO DROPPED THE FACT TATOOINE JUST HAS ILLEGAL SLAVERY AFTER TPM #ITS WHAT MENTIONED IN THE SLAVER ARC IN TCW AND IN THE PADME BOOKS BUT WHAT ELS

102 notes · View notes

giveamadeuschohisownmovie · 4 months

Text

35 notes · View notes

muchemovies · 3 months

Text

DEFENDERS' SAGA: DareDevil Jessica Jones (Alias) Luke Cage (Power Man) Iron Fist Daredevil S1 Jessica Jones S1 Daredevil S2 Luke Cage S1 Iron Fist S1 DEFENDERS Punisher S1 Jessica Jones S2 Luke Cage S2 Iron Fist S2 Daredevil S3 Punisher S2 Jessica Jones S3 (Hawkeye S1 She-Hulk S1 Echo) Daredevil: Born Again (?)

#defenders saga #daredevil #jessica jones #luke cage #iron fist #punisher #hawkeye #she-hulk #echo #netflix defenders #disney+ haweye #disney+ she-hulk #Disney+ echo

27 notes · View notes

shujubeelamoglia · 9 months

Text

Lewis Tan

Photography by Maarten de Boer

#lewis tan #mortal kombat #wu assassins #iron fist #shadow and bone #shadow & bone #shadow and bone s2 #about fate #fistful of vengeance #into the badlands

71 notes · View notes

onyxisnotuniqueenough · 4 months

Text

after finals, i want to finally watch s3 of daredevil

BUT

i need advice

cause during summer i dived into defenderverse

and got tired after jessica jones s2,

and stopped entirely after the first episode of luke cage s2

so i did all the watching JUST SO I COULD WATCH S3 and got tired of it before even seeing it so i'm dissapointed

to be clear : i watched defenders and i know matt "died" and i know that dd s3 starts with him waking up in church or something. so it's not like i'm that clueless. as i've said, i watched defenderverse until luke cage s2.

WITHOUT SPOILERS ABOUT S3! tell me what you think about defenderverse and how you watched it. give me tips or point to certain scenes from defenderverse i shoudl still rewatch if i end up not rewatching it entirely.

also let me point this out : i have never seen more than one episode of iron fist and i'm not planning to ever watch it. it was atrociously painful

thank you!!

#daredevil #matt murdock #the defenders #defenderverse #defender-verse #jessica jones #luke cage #netflix daredevil #netflix marvel shows #dd #the man without fear

20 notes · View notes

theclaravoyant · 6 months

Text

AN ~ Okay, Stede can have a little breakdown. As a treat. For me, to cathart my feelings into because Thursday is going to Kill Me Dead.

Also for @fictober-event’s Fictober 2023 prompt: “I may not get another chance to say this." Masterpost of my Fictober OFMD fics

Heavily inspired by the 2x08 trailers but written before it aired. Contains major S2 spoilers.

Fandom: Our Flag Means Death Characters/Relationships: Stede Bonnet, Izzy Hands. Tags: Whump, Hurt/Comfort. Content Warnings for Canon Compatible Everything (ie, violence, self loathing, references to mental illness and suicidal ideation) coz this is the Stede Bonnet Going Thru It Fic, ft. everyone else also going thru it

Also on AO3 (2700wd)

Panic // Pride

Stede tries to swallow the lump in his throat as he looks at himself in the mirror. He tugs at the jacket, but he can’t get it to sit right. Ironically, he thinks to himself, it’s kind of fitting. This is a navy jacket and he is a coward.

It’s my battle jacket, his mind supplies, and he thinks wistfully of his embroidered yellow robe. Another beautiful thing, lost to the ocean; just like the bright hibiscus and bougainvillea of the Pirates’ Republic is now lost; just like the delicate fanlike sails of the Red Flag and her sisters are lost.

Wistfulness abruptly turns to heartbreak. He still remembers the shriek, the wail, the way the utter despair tore its way out of Zheng’s chest. Everything she had built, in ruins, in moments.

History’s Greatest Pirates.

Stede’s hands shake on the buttons of the jacket. He clenches them into fists, trying to discipline them. He doesn’t have time for this now.

Little Baby Bonnet. Are you gonna cry? Baby Bonnet’s gonna cry?

Memories shoot through him like shrapnel through sailcloth.

“You did this to them,” Rick had hissed, holding the dagger to his throat, marching him into captivity. Smoke and gunpowder roiled around them. Part of it had been part of the plan. Part of it had been desperately, desperately, desperately, trying to avoid slipping into this exact spiral. “Gentleman Pirate. Ha. You’re all alike. You’re a snake. You’re a scourge.”

Stede Bonnet is not a human.

A violin splashed into the water, and its owner followed it into the depths. The spiral had started then too, but he’d pushed it down.

You’re a monster.

A plague.

Blood on his face.

He’d pushed it down like he’d pushed Ed against that wall. Drowned it in those big brown eyes who’d nodded and begged and needed just as badly as he did. Who’d whispered sweet nothings and filthy ones too and that was supposed to be beautiful.

You defile beautiful things.

“Last night was a mistake.”

Mary’s wedding dress had been beautiful too, in its way. It probably would have been more so if he’d been as desperately in love with her as he’d hoped, or she with him. God, he hadn’t thought about their wedding night in a while but ever since Ed he’d been thinking about firsts. He’d always expected the first time would be something like a dream. Not like a medical procedure, peeling back from each other only that which was strictly necessary to do what needed doing. She’d laughed with Doug, enjoyed herself. Never with him. It was always cold and quiet with him. He’d never quite shaken the way it had felt like something he’d done to her.

“You and I did this to him,” Izzy had said. “ And we can’t let the crew suffer any more for our mistakes.

The crew. Half abandoned, presumably to starve. Half dragged down with Edward in his damn-near-suicide-attempt and starving anyway. Crowded around the table where they’ve killed the albatross. Not to mention Lucius, who’s sharp around the edges now. He’s getting better but he’ll never be the same. He’ll never get the taste of rat out of his mouth, he’ll never look at a dog the same way again. He’ll probably never scrape another barnacle again and that part he’s probably not all that bothered about but the point is: it’s irreversible, the damage. The plague he’s wrought upon them.

Then there’s Izzy. Izzy Hands, who’d had his heart broken and his leg shot off and festered and cut and shot himself in the temple and somehow, somehow, dragged himself to life again to save the crew Stede had abandoned.

And unabandoned again. On a whim.

Your own family.

“I don’t want your old food.”

He remembers Alma storming off from the table. It cuts through him like a knife. Worse - Louis all but seizing in the night. Screaming and whimpering, caught in a nightmare. Mary sat on the side of his bed, glaring at the book he’d left there, glaring at Stede when he’d come in to try and help. Shielding his own son’s face from him like a mother bear shields her cubs.

“I told you, Stede!” she yelled. “I told you he’s too young for your stupid pirates! Look what you’ve done to him!”

“Who are you, again?”

You used to be a killer.

And here you are. Unscathed.

He can’t breathe. The room spins. His own words echo in his head:

“You’re panicking!”

He’s running through the forest in his nightclothes. He can still taste Ed’s kiss and he can still smell Chauncey’s gunpowder and the combination is sickening. He’s got to find a ship back to Barbados.

“You’re a coward!”

He’s running through a different forest; breath quick, feet not as light as they need to be. They never are. He’s praying he doesn’t fall flat on his face like last time. The boys are throwing things today. He isn’t ready. He’s running away.

He’s running away. Isn’t he always?

You’re a coward.

That’s all you’ll ever be.

Fuck the jacket, fuck the mirror. He’s running away. He’s fallen on his hands and knees and he’s running away to the nearest, smallest, darkest place he can find.

Little Baby Bonnet fucking cries.

–

Izzy flexes his shoulders with a scowl. His posture is perfect, that’s not the problem, but he hates how this thing sits on his shoulders anyway. It reminds him of that asshole’s smug smile when he’d come crawling back to quote-unquote “betray” Bonnet again. It was all part of the plan. Which unfortunately meant he couldn’t stab the fucker in the throat like he wanted to. The whole point of this was for the trap to snap shut around them first. To crawl into the belly of the snake and cut its head off from the inside. But the whole point of traps is that you don’t snap them on purpose. Once you do, you’re playing the hunter’s game. It makes him antsy, and he’s not used to being antsy.

“Are you done, Bonnet?” he hisses through the door.

He gets no response.

“Hurry up, ya twat, it doesn’t fucking matter if your epaulettes are off kilter. They’re only playing dress-ups to make you bow for them anyway.”

Still nothing. Nothing except the clench of the knot in his stomach that warns him something is wrong.

Fuck.

Izzy pushes open the door to the little chamber where Stede’s been getting dressed. His regular clothes are draped over the back of the chair as he’s wont to do - a habit kept from his days of dressing in finery - but it’s the lace cravat that lays abandoned on the floor. Its wearer is nowhere to be seen. But he can be heard, quietly sobbing from the closet in the corner.

“Bonnet?” Izzy calls, and resists the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose so hard he snaps it. “What are you doing in there?”

“I- “ Bonnet chokes, still clearly bawling his eyes out. “I’ll be out in a minute. Just dropped a cuff link.”

Izzy hears a crunch beneath the unicorn’s hoof. He sighs and scoops the offending cuff link into his hand. Part of him wants to throttle the man but he’s too exhausted and scared to make it a convincing walloping. He’s got to save his wolves’ teeth for the English. They never worked all that well on Stede anyway.

“Found it,” he says.

“Oh, okay,” comes Stede’s quivering voice. “Uh. Good.”

He’s still terrified. Still not coming out and probably increasingly giving less of a shit about a pretense for why. Christ. Izzy looks to the ceiling. Calypso be with him; he’s trying something new.

He drops himself to the floor outside the closet with his back against the wall.

“You’re not crazy to be scared, you know,” he says.

Stede sniffles.

“This is big. This is bad. Your learning curve has been, uh. Steep.” He winces. He doesn’t want to imagine this walking slapstick in a real fight either. But here they are. “But you’re a pirate now. This is the life of a pirate. Did you think Oluwande was kidding around about that Chauncey bloke? Life as a pirate is life under the Sword of Damocles, always.”

Stede sniffles again.

“You know about the Sword of Damocles?”

“Course I fucking know about the Sword, Bonnet. You’re not the only one who can read, you prick.” Izzy sneers. It bursts out of him in a rage and he’s trying to remember he needs a gentler hand. He takes a deep breath. “Sorry. I’m a bit of an arse when I’m scared.”

“You’re an arse all the time,” Stede retorts automatically. Ah, there he is.

And now he’s getting it.

And maybe Izzy’s coming to some sort of understanding too. It actually feels kind of nice, to admit he’s fucking petrified and know with deep and abiding certainty, for once, that he’s not going to get his throat slit for it. Not by Bonnet anyway.

He lets the back of his head fall back against the wall.

“What are you scared of, Bonnet?” he asks. “Can’t be the English or you never would have started with this pirate schtick. Contrary to popular belief I don’t think you’re that much of an idiot. So what is it?”

“I’m… scared…” Stede attempts.

“I’m… scared…”

Give the man a chance, Izzy. He clenches his hand into a fist and demands patience.

“I’m scared it’s all my fault.”

“What is?”

“Everything!”

Oh.

“Everything,” Stede repeats. “Ed. Mary. My family. Your leg. It’s all my fault. Even Zheng, I- if I hadn’t left Rick behind with Jackie he never would have-”

“Never would have what?”

“- had his nose cut off and gotten all weird about it and tried to take down all the pirates.”

Izzy blinks.

“Stede.” He’s so shocked he first names the man. He corrects himself. “Captain. With all due respect that is the stupidest shit I have ever heard. Do you hear yourself? You refused to endanger yourself and your crew over some no-name blowhard, Jackie defends her property, Prince Pricky gets a complex about it and that’s your fault?”

“Huh.” Stede thinks on it. “I guess if you put it like that…”

“The fucking English have been trying to kill us all since before you or I were twinkles in our mothers’ eyes. And Edward and I have been on and off trying to kill each other since way before you were a twinkle in his.” Izzy snorted, a pang of pain shooting through him and not just because of his stupid leg. "I meant what I said. You’re good for him. You saved his life, did you know that?”

“Yeah, he told me. I was a mermaid in his coma dream.”

“What? No, I’m talking about before that.”

“Before?”

Izzy sighs. If there wasn’t such a high chance he was about to be Hung By The Neck Until Dead he’d never fucking dare open his mouth about Edward’s business. But Edward isn’t here. Thank God. And they might not be here much longer either. So here goes nothing.

“When we found you. He was… drowning. He was giving up. He had no purpose, no joy. Not a care in the world, not for love or money or his crew or nothing. The only way I knew how to help was to piss him off enough to keep the fire going and try to stop it picking off the rest of us. Then he heard about you. I didn’t get it at first. But I think I do now. He saw what you were doing, leaving a life that was killing you, and he needed that. He needed you in a way that he could never need…” Me. He swallows it. “Anyone else in this world.

“And that goes for the rest of the crew too. Those fucking insufferable clowns have undying love for you for a reason. Even if they don’t know it. You wanna talk about Lucius? How long do you think he would have lasted in a port town before he picked the wrong pocket or sucked the wrong cock? Now he’s got a stable job, a roof over his head and a love of his life. And Jim? On any other ship - any other ship - they’d have been tossed overboard for the sharks the second that beard came off and it wouldn’t have mattered a flying fart what they call themselves. Fuck, and Buttons? The man would have spent his life locked up in Bedlam if you hadn’t vouched for him. Now he’s free as a bird - literally, if Edward is to be believed, and he may be a suicidal maniac but he’s not deluded. Face it, Bonnet. You’re special. You just are. You save people. It’s just what you do.”

Finally, he runs out of words. He might not have ever strung more together at once in his life. It’s exhausting, this emotional vulnerability thing. But apparently, it works.

The closet door swings slowly open.

A somewhat bedraggled Stede walks out. His body moves slowly, but his eyes are surprisingly clear when he looks down at Izzy. He asks:

“And what about you?”

The gold paint on the unicorn leg is speckled by charcoal from all the explosions, but still it gleams. And surely, they both remember him swanning, as much as someone fighting off a panic attack can swan, out onto the deck with a full face of makeup behind none other than The Goddess Calypso. What happened to him was more than pain and rot and cutting out the toxins. It’s change. It’s courage. Any other day, he’d have all but begged Bonnet not to make him say it. But he might not get another chance. And he’s trying something new. So.

“ Your crew,” he says, “on pain of death hauled my sorry stinking behind into your secret passages and cut my leg off to save my life. Then they sat around and told a story about a little wooden boy.”

Sure, they’d bungled it into a story about a demon child who thirsted for blood. Or was it life? But the point had stuck. Fuck, and Archie hadn’t even met the man yet.

Tears fill Bonnet’s eyes again. Gentler ones, this time. In spite of himself, Izzy has to smile.

“Guess that’s me,” he says. “Or maybe you. You’re a real Pirate Captain now, Bonnet. What are you going to do about it?”

Stede holds out an arm, and helps pull Izzy to his feet. The ground feels steadier beneath him now, but he can’t quite shake all of it off. It’s going to take a lot more than being orange and sparkly to save them from the English, and Izzy’d be the first one to remind him of that too.

“Is this you telling me to pull myself up by my bootstraps and get on with it, then?”

“No.” Izzy snorts. “It’s impossible to pull yourself upward by your bootstraps. They’re on your fucking boots. But this is me telling you that for my money, I think you’re ready to put your fucking noose back on and save our hides.”

Or die trying. But they’re on a roll, so he leaves that part unspoken and holds out the fistful of lace.

Stede draws himself up and makes sure his cuffs are done up tighter than any lawman would ever dare. He takes the cravat and fastens it around his own neck like he’s done every day for most of his life. He can tell Izzy Hands, in his own Izzy way, is fucking bursting with pride and he draws from it what strength he can and holds it out against his demons. He’s not used to people being proud of him. It’s nice. It’s powerful.

“Okay,” Izzy breathes, casting an eye upward. “Ready, Captain?”

It’s faint, but up on deck, a roll call of Capt. Stede Bartholemew Bonnet’s list of crimes is commencing. Ha. He has a list now. He’s kind of proud of that, too, actually.

He nods back.

“Let’s go.”

#fictober23 #stede bonnet #stizzy #stede & izzy #ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd s2 #ofmd spoilers #clara's fic tag

28 notes · View notes

fkmarrycill · 6 months

Text

One Shot: Bad Things

Full disclosure: in my head, I think Tommy and May would've been great friends with benefits, at least, but I understand why it didn't work out. Regardless, that scene in S2 E4 kills me, and that damn PJ Harvey song doesn't help. I had to write something around it, because that scene was way too short, IMO.

There are the beginnings of a smutty scene, so 🔞. Thanks for reading! ❤️

May cursed the anxious beating of her heart. She knew the sound of it reverberating in her head was probably drowning out the sound of any footsteps in the hall. She feared it might even be loud enough to drown out the sound of the grandfather clock one floor below.

His footsteps… She ached to hear his approach. She had been aching for him for the past few hours. Tommy Shelby, the striking Brummie man, had promised her a midnight visit for something she knew would be more passionate than their conversations about horses, even though they shared an affection for the large creatures.

"I do bad things… But you already knew that," he informed her at the end of their first conversation, and she now knew in full what that meant. She'd found out with some asking around. It was news she'd wished she hadn't known, but his intense charm absolved his many sins in her eyes. Besides, tonight, she needed his misdeeds in her bed to be as scandalous as they were in his urban kingdom.

Her life had its privileges, but it had no excitement, no adventure. That would come from Tommy, who'd deftly obtained an invitation to stay the night. What she'd told him about her servants was true–they knew he'd be sleeping over, and it was guaranteed that one of her staff would keep vigil in the hall, to collect gossip for the morning. They were as starved for excitement as May was, and the handsome stranger was particularly exciting.

She fingered the pale pink lace of her peignoir and sighed. She wasn't sure if his nighttime proposition was out of carnal interest in her, or pity for her, but she didn't care. Either way, when the clock struck 12–hopefully soon–he'd let himself into her bedchambers, and she'd be that much closer to the release she'd been craving for months.

She wondered for the umpteenth time if she should have a whiskey in hand for him when he arrived, but she was spared from making a decision when the doorknob turned and Tommy discreetly closed the door behind him.

He was down to his white Henley, suspenders and trousers, fitted clothes that showed off a strong physique. Her body responded in kind to his display of masculinity, propelling her into his arms. There was no reason to wait any longer.

"Allow me to be the first to wish you good morning, May," he murmured before they kissed. It started soft but soon intensified to something that made them both groan with need. Her tongue danced a duet with his, and they began to undress each other. She tasted whiskey in his mouth and smiled to herself because he'd be tasting the same on her.

Any anxiety she felt before he arrived rolled off of her with the same quickness as she and Tommy were losing their clothing. In the first minute of their tryst, she felt alive, a way she hadn't felt since she lost her husband.

When she'd gotten Tommy's shirt off, she marveled at his solid chest and arms, and then took in his tattoos. They were unexpected. None of her previous lovers had chosen to adorn their skin in that way. But, she conceded, none of them were quite like Tommy.

He continued to kiss her while backing her slowly to her bed. The whole time, he caressed her shoulders and arms and ultimately nestled his hands in her hair. She melted into his embrace, savoring his clear desire for passion and dominance. A velvet glove over an iron fist. She knew she'd enjoy exploring that side of him someday, if this thing between them lasted for more than one night, but her most pressing need was simple and urgent. She stared into his heavy-lidded eyes and pulled him onto the bed, on top of her.

"Like a fucking women's novel, eh?" Tommy intoned as he recovered and pinned her down. A smirk marred the impassivity of his face as he searched her eyes. "Very well, then…" He traced a finger over her lips before leaning in close to whisper in her ear: "Just remember what I said earlier… Let. Them. Listen."

#tommy shelby #may carleton #peaky blinders #cillian murphy #Spotify #fkmarrycill library

30 notes · View notes

agirlprince · 1 year

Text

Spinning Roses: The Cycle of Abuse in Revolutionary Girl Utena

This may not be the most comprehensive meta but my best friend and I were talking about the show and it got me thinking about cyclic abuse, abusive patterns, and how this applies to Akio and Anthy primarily. General RGU trigger warnings and major spoilers lay beneath the cut so be cautious!

The first question: What's interesting is later (I think the beginning of s2) Anthy makes a throwaway line on how akio has become like her father.... AND IT'S NEVER MENTIONED AGAIN Really made me think if he was good as a prince.... He's really more like a "king" now right? As the head of the school??

Akio as a King: Akio is a king now and maybe he stopped being able to be a prince when he became an adult because a prince is a boy (not looking at how nobility really works but looking at it from a fairytale perspective) which is extra interesting because when he met Utena and gave her the ring he was not yet a man and in the eternal flashback he kept being shown as different ages...of boyhood. Not as he is now.

Akio’s position as chairman solidified him as king - ruling with an iron fist but he's chasing the memory of prince hood (of boyhood) and forcing these boys into a "princely" role with the duels and then destroying them and they all lose their chance at princehood when he shows them adulthood (the trauma sex car) they're truly out of the game at that point. He shows them adulthood and the all have a final duel and lose.

(Side Note): It's also interesting that Juri is a duelist as a girl of her own merit but she's a lesbian and thus can occupy a prince role. Nanami is only a duelist as an extension of her brother until the end when she ditches the second sword and fights on her own merit. But I digress because this could be its whole own separate post.

Second Question: But then what does it mean for Anthy what was happening what'd he do??? Was it worse than first thought?? Was she inherited?? Why'd they have her in that little dress

Anthy and Dios - The Trouble With Princehood: So what does Akio’s eventual King status and Anthy’s role as the Rose Bride mean for the children they used to be? Let’s look at some relevant threads from the anime:

Anthy as a "witch" - she wanted her brother to herself, right? She wanted him to be her prince.

Anthy became a "witch" as a child after she "locked her brother up for herself"

Remember the shadow girls play when the dad says "come keep my daughter company she's lonely and it's Christmas Eve" there's only one kind of company he would be keeping a girl in the middle of the night which is fucked up on its own because he WAS still a child

Akio says to Anthy at one point, "Why must you continue to torture me?” which is very telling in terms of where he lays blame and is a potential hint as to why he labels her (unfairly) as a witch

If you're not a princess you're a witch and princesses are pure, right? And princesses only ever go to bed with their prince (and typically this would be when she's a queen)

In RGU our characters are reflections of either Anthy, Utena, or Akio

If we take the swords as a metaphor for eternal suffering and pain and sacrificing your own innocence and purity not literally swords…

Then the theory is that Dios was also probably being sexually abused (parallels to Touga and Touga is Akio in our cycle format) and Anthy having always been observant probably witnessed this and came to the thought process that if she wanted to be her brother's princess she would need to sleep with him. She sacrificed her innocence and her purity to "make her brother love her" and take her away from all other princesses to save HIM from the abuse, right?

He was probably selling himself to support them and to protect Anthy from the abuse the same way Touga did for Nanami) and Anthy interfered with that to protect HIM but that made her a witch (a succubus, a siren, a Lolita).

Alternatively Anthy sacrificed herself to the mob for her brother...instead of having sex with him she may have sacrificed herself to the CLIENTS of the prince because he was too sick/hurt to do so. Which....a thousand swords, right? I'm not saying a literal 1,000 but I am saying that sacrifice was probably the most traumatic thing anyone has ever been through. She's scared of crowds. Their faces blend together. This really doesn’t imply anything good.

Not to say that's ALL Dios did. I'm sure he did work for whomever. Build things, run errands, do chores for a little bit of pay etc. I'm sure he was chivalrous and valiant and made young girls feel special and maybe saved a couple from a bad fall or saved someone's life (he was protecting his sister, young girls probably reminded him of Anthy) and got a princely reputation...but what do adult men do to princes that they're resentful of because they lost that in their adulthood? The same thing Akio does to Touga, and Saionji and countless others. And it's implied he is used to selling his body (the chairman's wife) to get what he wants. Touga is again a parallel here.

Regardless, Dios agonized over it and hated her for it and abused her because of it but she's trapped, right? Because now she's a witch. And because now she’s ruined and nobody will ever love her. And she "did this to herself" even though she was a small girl and didn't understand adult behaviors or what she was doing but she's smart enough to know that she made this decision (and takes the blame for it even when it was not her fault) and that she has no choice now but to live with it.

She "ruined the prince" she "tempted him to do something taboo and unprincely" etc OR she ruined herself and his image of her and now must be punished for it because he feels so incredibly guilty and she’s his outlet for that. He blames her because he can’t live with himself if he sees it as his fault.

(Side Note): With regards to the dress, I think it was was symbolic of her "selling herself" to Dios and others; it's VERY likely that after they had sex and/or the mob situation he started selling her off to adults as well. It was clear they were poor. And she's "ruined" now. The dress is red for a reason.

This is what makes Anthy the Rose Bride. The spoils to the winner. A possession, an object, a “heartless doll”. She accepts her place because she is trapped by her sacrifice and her pain and her prince is dead and now there is nobody to save her. Kings rule, they don’t save.

She is disillusioned and jaded and I’m constant agony but that’s not to say that she doesn’t understand the game now, because she does. And she tries to save people from it. I stand by that the tricks on Nanami (while hilarious and often deserved) they were meant to teach her a valuable lesson and to guide her away from the path that Anthy took that she is blindly following. And it works.

This is why Nanami says "I'm not like you!" to Anthy. Because Nanami said no. She said she didn't want her brother that way. That was never what she wanted. At most she had a child-like crush on him based on admiration and adoration that would have faded over time if he treated her nicely and normally and she continued socializing with her peers because it is NOT abnormal for little girls to idolize their fathers or brothers and little girls to declare they will marry their brothers/fathers one day because all they know is that marriage = love. They don't have a proper understanding of romantic or sexual love as children, and they shouldn’t. It is an adult’s job to appropriately guide a child’s love and affection not abuse it.

Something Eternal: Dios showed Utena something eternal...right? Anthy's eternal suffering. He showed her being repeatedly stabbed with swords...which throughout the history of literature has almost ALWAYS represented penetration. She probably witnessed Anthy being raped, actually, and Dios showed her this "an innocent girl, a princess" to show her what happens to little girls who are witches.

Except that Utena just saw a little girl being hurt and vowed to become a prince that would save her and she DOES she becomes a prince who is willing to save a "witch" and loves her regardless of what she's had to do to survive, which is all Anthy needed. Someone to believe she was worth loving. Someone to validate her personhood and her agency. All girls are like the Rose Bride - but none of us want to be.

Abuse is a cycle; most abusers were abused children themselves. Dios is the abused child. Akio is the abusive adult. Dios is the prince. Akio is the King. The morning star. Lucifer. The fallen Angel. He has tasted the fruit of knowledge (adulthood) and he has forced the fruit on others. The roses keep spinning.

#revolutionary girl utena #rgu #utena #anthy himemiya #utena tenjou #akio ohtori #shoujo kakumei utena #meta #rgu analysis #my bestie literally sent me gun emojis for writing this and making it sadder

113 notes · View notes