#ofmd random commentary

[one-strugling-bean]

OFMD Random Commentary (Ep 2)

Ah yes the epítome of France: good bread

Why do I think BB will end up being either really shy or a huge himbo?

The crew's side-eye to Stede being earnestly into the story is marvelous

Oohhhh~~ the ghost of Badminton has come to haunt you, ohh~~

I love the way the scriber/quarter-master(?) was just like "oh ok then", fucking drops the journal on the ground, leaves

(it did hurt to see a book fall into sand tho)

Im gonna start calling Jim and his buddy the Sensible Duo. It fits them.

Let them check the gunpowder if they want to, it's their vacation

I hope the ghost of Badminton doesn't become annoying at some point, im enjoying him so far

Roach gave the prisoners a pee break, omg. He's already doing better than many companies out there

I should not find grown men playing with gunpowder as endearing as this show makes it seem

...whats a harpsichord?

Ohhh who are the newbies? I'm liking the all-black leather aesthetic of the main one

"Yer not ghosts, are ye?" I honestly love Buttons, he asks the right questions

Their cell is so pathetic-looking... They could probably break it...

Oluwande, Oluwande, Oluwande - he's important and he's one of the few sensible ones, I won't forget his name again

He's getting therapy! Good for him

Yeahhhhh leaving your family in the dead of night without a warning to lead a life of piracy and danger was probably not the best choice you could've gone for, ngl

(Assuming that's what happened)

((which yeah that's probably what happened, but i like doubting stuff))

"He's right, of course. Idiot." Idk why but that delivery killed me

You go Stede! I believe in you!

"I saw nothing! It's important you know how much I didn't see!" Hehe, that one was funny too

Diversions like this aren't done anymore. A shame really

"Sorry. You do. :/" I appreciate that hostage, he's been fairly civil thus far

I can't believe they actually pulled it off. Omg, they're almost competent :')

Izzy Hands is a great pirate name

Yayyy they kept the nice hostage!

"He's gonna get you all killed." Why does no one believe in Stede? Look what he just did! He recaptured his hostage! Without (too much) violence! He great

Aw, so Oluwande is in love. Nice

Yesss be a Gentleman Pirate!

Please tell me the scriber doesn't die... I liked his actor's deliveries...

Yessss finally meeting Black Beard!!

Conclusion of this episode? Gentleman Pirate does have a very nice ring to it, but I am afraid Stede's pirate life really won't last.

Very excited to finally get to see BB and Stede interact next ep!

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd random commentary #stede bonnet #feat. his crew #still dont know their name

[saltpepperbeard]

hi lets show some love for our mutuals. tag your favorite mutuals and tell them why you love them

Oh, anon <3. I so very love that you're spreading this loveliness around, because I ALSO love talking about dear mutuals so LET'S GOOOOO:

@ella-doe - My WIFEY <3. Arguably the #1 Stiddies Fan, and ASSUREDLY the #1 Daddy Jenki-(GETS SHOT). Talking to her is always such a delight; she's so lovely and supportive. Started from the bottom (occasionally screaming over something in DM's), now we're here <3 (married like 4 or 5 times over at this point idk).

@blakbonnet - MY PARTNER IN CLOWN CRIMES 🤡. Any time ANYTHING clown-specific occurs, Meow is like the first person I think of hsdjksds. And I think the feeling is mutual; we both have matching rainbow wigs at this point 🤡🤡🤡. Can't wait to start the clownery right back up after season 2 airs lmao like ALRIGHT, SEASON 3 TRAILER???? 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

@dickfuckk - Josh and I were having a time and a half when some footage of Taika in his S2 Ed getup dropped lmao. Like we Saw God for a split second there. So he understands me on like a fundamental and deep level. He ALSO has saved my life numerous times when it comes to panels, or any other sort of cast/crew-related video. Had it not been for his sacrifices and battles against Pop[redacted] lmao, I would've missed MANY a panel.

@bizarrelittlemew - Talented beyond belief, like holy SHIT. Makes immaculate gif sets (DJenks even reblogged one so like, 🎵can I make it anymore obvviousss🎵), and is also an INSANE writer. Need y'all to know that Keep Your 'Lectric Eye On Me, Babe is in my regular rotation, but I'm just always so SO astounded by everything she makes.

@snake-snack-stede - Regularly makes me laugh OUT LOUD with her memes and commentary. Like, if ever I come across a post with her name on it, I know there's like a 100000000% chance it will make me release some sort of "bAHAAAAA." The wheezes I've whoozed,,, So, she's always very much a welcome presence on my dash.

@sherlockig - If EVER you need a good screen grab/edit of OFMD, Alexz is 10000% your best bet. Has probably captured and edited every inch of the show, which is perfect for the times where you want to see a specific moment and cry/throw up/pass out over it being so wonderfully frozen.

@stedebonnets - The sweetest, loveliest darling of a human being I ever did know. Is always SO wonderfully supportive, and just radiates warmth and niceties. Also makes IMMACULATE gifs; inspired me to turn up the Coloring Heat on a lot of my own, really! And I also just learned that the first OFMD thing I ever reblogged was actually one of her sets, so she's VERY IMPORTANT TO ME SHDJKLS <3

@xoxoemynn - Speaking of understanding me on a deep and fundamental level lmao, EM UNDERSTANDS ME ON A DEEP AND FUNDAMENTAL LEVEL SHDKJS. We keep cracking each other up because like, we'll share the most random opinion ever, only for us to realize we align EXACTLY. she makes me feel Seen, okay. she makes me feel UNDERSTOOD SHDJKSL. Also, her writing is so so lovely, and her presence is even lovelier <3

@forpiratereasons - Produces some of my favorite writing in the entire fandom. I am so SO fond of so many of her stories, and regularly re-visit a lot of them. Insane to me that we regularly cross paths now, because I remember seeing her works before I was officially in the fandom. AND NOW SHE REBLOGS MY SETS??? AND I CAN ALSO SCREAM DIRECTLY @ HER???? #BLESSED HSDJKLS

@not-nervous-jester - And SPEAKING of favorite writing, darling Jams wrote one of my favorites aka Somewhere in the Water. YES, I bring this up a lot, but LISTEN LMAO, I NEED THEM TO KNOW 🔪. I NEED THEM TO UNDERSTAND HOW LOVELY IT IS/THEY ARE 🔪🔪❤️❤️ HSKDJS. And aside from their lovely writing, they also Hear Me Out and hype up my silly goofy screaming fits, which is ALWAYS appreciated <3

@skysofrey - AN ABSOLUTE RAY OF SUNSHINE. I see those 💛💛💛 in the tags or on a post, and just immediately feel so much sunnier myself. Just so so sweet and lovely, and just like Jams, ALSO furthers my hollering/analysis/breakdowns PFFFF. A Hypeman (gn) for the Screams™

@crueley - Yet another person who just Gets my Taika breakdowns, and has also been the DIRECT CAUSE OF MANY SHDKLSKD. Like sometimes I'll just wander into their gif tag, and lol oh no BOOM I've suddenly spiraled down into the abyss. But I can't even be mad about it because we bonded over Mostin Posts, and have been crashing downwards ever since <3 PFFF

@awkward-fallen-angel - Extremely fond of Heather, because he was one of the first people to ever try and talk to me when I first got into the fandom! It's always very daunting wandering into a fandom space, especially after the fact/after things have already dropped. So, she made me feel welcomed/included, and allowed me to find my footing a bit faster as a result. And even though he's busier with life, I still always think about her! Like, that one picture from last October-ish where it was all the spooky mutuals around the cafeteria table? STILL THE MOOD <3

@blackbeardskneebrace - Miles' art drives me bonkers bananas in the best way possible. They always capture the likeness of the characters SO freaking well, and have posted so many creative pieces that my mind gets boggled on the regular. Also, my go-to for FORGS,,, I really love froggies as well, so seeing Little Guys and subsequent facts about them on my dash is SUCH a delight.

@darkinerry - Regularly decks me upside the head with Taika footage I've never seen before, and I cannot express how happy that makes me LMAO. Like, I'll just be minding my business, and suddenly I'll be steaming in a Jodi-shaped crater in the ground because a Taika Gym Set or something equivalent from Marlena has slammed my sorry self through sheets of bedrock idk </3.

@adickaboutspoons - Writes the most poetic, and I mean, THE most poetic tags. I regularly get exposed to just lovely MASTERPIECES of thoughts, and it's like reading a beautiful fanfiction at the bottom of a gif set. Also, regularly backs Stede up, which is always appreciated because I'm holding him so tenderly in my hands at all times. So she GETS IT <3

@aha-my-villainous-thoughts - Creates some of the most striking art EVER. I've said this before, and I'll say it again; the usage of COLOR knocks my socks clean-off. like lol they're gone where did they go idk i am SOCKLESS OVER SUCH LUMINESCENCE. Every piece seems to GLOW, and it's just an absolute marvel to stumble across each and every time. I'm just in a constant state of being blown away, and LOSING MY SOCKS SHDJKLS <3

#Answered #Anons #OFMD #GASPS FOR AIR #worth it lmao #I will forever write essays on the kind and talented souls around here #It just makes me so so happy to be here #And makes me so so happy to be here with so many LOVELY people

[ladyluscinia]

I was too busy, uh, watching more Black Sails yesterday (😆) to really notice how huge the pirate poll blew up until the drama was all over my dash, but damn

Anyway... wait, pause to acknowledge a few disclaimers like a) Black Sails and OFMD are entirely different shows for different audiences with different messages, so the individual words "gay", "pirate", and "show" hit almost every similarity they have (and they both do what they are trying to do! - it's just a poor comparison to each other), b) even a little harassment goes a long way for OP so maybe Tumblr should do less blatantly mocking them, if only because there are thousands of us and they are kinda outnumbered, and c) voting Flint in a silly pirate poll is not bravely taking OFMD to task for problematic aspects no matter how you spin it. Ok, now... Anyway, I do think this whole thing is another great case study in how petty fandom drama can look so much bigger than it actually is.

Like, for all the current narrative is this huge wave of Black Sails fans jeering and joking in the tags in support of curbstomping Stede, real numbers paint a different picture. When I checked the poll this morning, a few hours after it closed, it had around 2300 reblogs. A lot, to be clear. Plenty to look overwhelming to the poll runner in their notifs. But compare that to the total votes:

2300 vs 21,500??? Stede lost with something near 4 times as many votes as the total number of reblogs. The vote difference was nearly twice the reblog count. Even if every reblog came with commentary (not true) and all commentary was Flint fans maliciously dunking on OFMD (not remotely true), that hypothetical "toxic" element still would never have been anything near the majority. And this makes perfect sense!

It's a random cross-fandom tumblr bracket! You look at two pictures and pick either your blorbo, your fandom, the best vibes, or the guy you don't have filtered for being annoying. Hell, just positioning it at all as OFMD fandom vs Black Sails fans / OFMD haters isn't accurate, because I'm a decently skewed OFMD blog and literally everyone I saw in my section of this (massively divided) fandom was voting Flint 🤣. He wasn't an underdog in any respect.

I'm sure there was enough notably aggressive hate to upset OP since they are the one who would be getting all the notifs and even anons (who I'm sure we all expect to come in with calm and well reasoned observations 🙃), but I'm not actually sympathetic enough to pretend they didn't react terribly and contribute to blowing it out of proportion.

Flint didn't win due to a harassment campaign or even a massive resurgence of dedicated fans, guys, and Stede didn't get unfairly curbstomped into oblivion. Tumblr just widely voted on their fave pirate the way tumblr does 🤷‍♀️

#fandom culture #black sails #our flag means death #i will say that *as* an ofmd blogger #seeing people accuse the toxicity of coming from outside the fandom is adjdjfhkfdnlk #tumblr #ladyluscinia #pirate poll debacle

[sixstepsaway]

Oh my god, that anon was genuinely hysterical. Are they a tiny little baby child? I wanted to defend your position and honor but it would genuinely feel like punting a toddler. I can't believe you had the AUDACITY not to come up with an imaginary first episode of OFMD S2 that didn't have enough of the main protagonist in it! (And seriously, I think Ed could be considered co-protagonist at this point anyway.)

fddskjfsd this made me laugh thank you nonnie

It makes me chuckle that they get so riled up because... I don't have any power here? Do I dream that David Jenkins sees my posts and my fic and goes, "Hey, random person, wanna come work in my writer's room?" Sure do. My actual dream right there. But it's unrealistic and I don't know anyone on the cast, I don't have an in anywhere. I am completely unable to force Steddyhands into becoming endgame. It's devastating, truly.

But they act like I, personally, can wreck the show with my metas and commentary and ideas. Man, I hope they never read my books because they would hate them.

(That said, when I come up with ideas like these, I always remember the final episode of Medium - spoilers, if you haven't or ever do intend to watch it.

I sat down with my parents to watch it, cozied down. I would have been about 18. As my dad lined up the last episode to watch, I turned to my mom:

"You know, if I was writing this, I'd kill Joe off in the finale."

My mom looked at me, aghast, "What? No! Why would you do that?"

"It'd be the right move for the show. She's a medium. She talks to the dead all the time! How else would you end a show like this? I'd kill her husband."

Anyway he died 10 minutes into the finale.

Which was a banger btw.

On the one hand, I will never forgive them for killing off Joe. On the other hand, it was the right decision and that finale was fucking amazing. I still bawl thinking about the kiss at the end. Also, unrelatedly, Patty Arquette is too good and we do not deserve her, thanks.)

And yes, I agree with you: Edward is definitely a co-protagonist at this point. Rhys is the lead, first billed and rightly so, but it's an ensemble show. It'd be like looking at New Girl (Jess is the lead in that) and going, "Well, there's just too much Schmitt." It's an ensemble! They're all required or it's just Zoe Deschanel making doe eyes at the camera for half an hour!

#ofmd #our flag means death #izzy hands #taika waititi #rhys darby #edward teach #stede bonnet #ask #anonymous

[petrichoraline]

hi petriiiii 🫶🏻 what dramas are you most looking forward right now? or not just dramas but other things too! i'm losing excitement and it's making me a little sad :c

hi, cutie!! right now i'm mostly looking forward to things that have finished airing haha, like a few jbls and dangerous romance. if it's a jbl released this year - i want it. the last bl i finished watching was, iirc, taikan yoho and i haven't been interacting with the fandom on here in terms of commentary in months. i've been out of the loop so getting this question makes me very excited and flattered but also a lil sad cause i might not have anything of substance to say.

i'm not too sure what is coming up in terms of shows but last twilight is smth that i hope i get to keep up with! @stormyoceans managed to get and keep me excited about it so that could be a bit of a comeback for me. i dare not be excited for supposed 2024 gmm releases for now (except maybe for the kieta hatsukoi adaptation uwu) and i'm not really aware of what the other companies are putting out.. oh, i am interested in middleman's love! although i never actually watched bed friend, idk why i'm so interested in tutoryim considering i never even finished cutie pie but here we are 😄

ohh, i want to watch the cute kbls!! sing my crush, why r u, love alarm s2 for example 🥰 also to finish love tractor but that's not up to me only @howitrulyam ˙꒳​˙ and to rewatch kinou nani tabeta? and proceed with the second season <3

as for other media - i'm interested in how ofmd s2 ends; i kinda want to watch miyazaki's the boy and the heron because it's gonna be released in cinemas here! trying to hype myself up to go to the movies alone lol; i'd like to watch a nice regular jdrama, maybe something like beni sasu life :) my happy marriage are a movie and an anime i'd like to get into as well; and lucky my love seems like it'd be to my taste!

anyways, there are plenty of fun shows out there, both older and newer <3 i personally have no desire to watch a lot of stuff so there are no personal recs i can give you about recent or upcoming shows. the dash seems to be full of lots of opinionated bloggers who are keeping up with everything that's currently airing so i'm sure goof stuff are being released and there's def a lot that you're going to like! sometimes synopses don't sound too promising but the series turn out to be really enjoyable so keep an open mind ☺️ in any case i can always recommend older stuff..? if you crave smth in particular i'm alwaysss open to digging through my lists💕💓💞 that being said, i get the desire to watch new stuff as they're being a topic of discussion in the fandom and it's a lot of fun so i'll encourage you to pick a few random shows - varying by country, genre, cast, company, and try to keep up with them weekly. maybe also look into het dramas or even anime? western series? books or games? sometimes you may need a palette cleanser and if the current catalog of upcoming bls isn't really doing it for you, direct your attention elsewhere for a minute. that's what i'm kinda doing rn after a bit of a burnout and it feels good. just mix it up <3

and let's keep in touch! 🥰

#what a lovely ask thank youu #petri replies

[showyoumyfavoriteobsession]

I finished going through the HL Alyx commentary track which was super interesting! Random (spoilery) thoughts:

They talked about how they struggled to keep the final twist a surprise for the player over the course of a 10-15 hour game, and realized that the best way to misdirect ended up being to mention Gordon Freeman bc literally every playtester dropped every other theory they might have been thinking about as soon as they heard his name. Extremely funny and accurate imo

Just all the stuff about the massive amounts of playtesting they do was really cool. Development was just an endless cycle of testing and tweaking and testing again and balancing for both advanced and struggling players so that they could all progress without becoming frustrated. Plus all the struggles of building for VR; because there are different movement options and more freedom of movement in general (traditional cutscenes aren't really a thing!) they had to work out a lot of strategies to get people looking in certain places, paying attention to scenes, and understanding concepts. One that stuck in my mind from the end of the game is during the strider battle, there's a point where you have to open a roll door and you end up facing the strider as it charges its cannon. The roll door was a solution to having the player standing in one place, both hands occupied (not teleporting or shooting), and facing a known direction so they could demonstrate how the strider cannon works. They could even track the exact moment the player can see the strider, when their hands pass their eyeline. Valve time pays off sometimes.

Similarly, during the last level, you don't have Russell to help you interpret everything, so they had to redesign a bunch to make it clear what you're supposed to do.

I have never thought especially highly of the HL music tbh? In the first couple games it always seemed very jarring and intrusive and didn't add much to the mood. But they talked a lot about the motifs they use to convey information throughout the environment (like Vortigaunt energy pulses), which was great

I'm also always a sucker for good sound design! My favorite tidbit was that the antlion sounds were based on European Starling calls, to give them that organic chirping/clicking quality, with lots of other processed sounds layered on top.

I didn't realize until watching the credits (for the 3rd or 4th time lol) that Russell is voiced by Rhys Darby?? I don't think I've seen him in anything else (I never watched ofmd) but he's definitely a standout performance in the game.

The whole pre/post credits sequence is still such a tease......... can't wait for 2040 when they drop the trailer for episode 3

#i just hope they dont do a tv show or smth instead of another game. that would bum me out tbh #anyway i think my hanukkah gift to myself this year is going to be a new graphics card so i can run this game at a stable framerate #without my computer leaving scorch marks on the floor lol #bit of a splurge? yeah. but gpu prices are finally coming down and it'll make me do some actual cable management lmao #j rambles #video games #half life alyx

[one-strugling-bean]

OFMD Random Commentary (Ep 10)

We have reached the end it seems - Let's make it count

Omg, of course, she's doing better by herself; I'm happy for her

I really feel bad for Mary, now

I really hope that orange survives until the show ends. Like, last scene of the show, Stede is writing some random letter in his study before going off to his wedding with Ed or something, and the orange is right there, as a paperweight, on his desk

Yeahhhhh the kids wouldn't be too happy with you - for good reason. You're a deadbeat, man

Huhm, I'm sure Ed's doing just fine, of course

When did Jim get back on the boat, what??

Jesus, okay, go for it guys

I am so proud of Mary, honestly

He's wearing Stede's robe, stooooop-

Lucius is everyone's therapist isn't he

Nononono, why are you going up to peak??

Ah, Mary's kind of explosion felt so good to hear. She's completely right, u go girl

They had a showing for Ed's lyrics, this crew is amazing

They're all so supportive, ahhhh, it makes me so happy

Mary, girl, just ask him to go away again, he probably will, it's easier

I enjoyed Jeffrey, he seemed nice

Jeez, Stede, way to damper the mood

Does Izzy have a crush on Ed? Or, well, Blackbeard? Why have I only thought of this now?

I'm gonna guess that by the end of the episode, Stede is gonna go back to sea - planning to find Ed and his crew

Why is he messing this up for her? Why why why, let her have her evening, man!

Ahhhhhh Stede, what are you doinggggggg

"I forgive you by the way-" Oh shut up Stede, you're making me mad now

I love Mary so much, you don't understand, in one episode she became top 5 for me

"I don't fit here anymore, do I?" No honey, you don't. Probably never did. It's just more obvious now

Oh, this scene makes me happy..... That hug made me so fucking happy, you don't understand....

Oof, meanwhile Ed is learning to let go...

Nonono, he can't be dead

Wtf wtf wtf wtf WTF Lucius!!!!!!!

I didn't mean that kind of letting go!!

He has a whittler partner to get back to!!!

And the books!!! All that literature!!!

Meanwhile, Stede is just, Stede-ing back home. Clueless to the chaos and destruction happening in his absence. Marvelous.

They're leaving them....? To die...? What the fuck

The orange metaphor was cute ngl. I'm glad the kids got some sort of closure at least

So they took Jim and Frenchie and left the rest. That's- that's- that's not right........

Omg, it had to be double death of course

No wait- triple death

Mary is amazing, I like her a lot. Don't think I've said that enough.

God, I'm so worried about everyone else though...

Lucius can't have died... right...?

Stede found them!!! Omg, I'm so happy Stede found them.......... I hope he has food in that boat

Aaaand roll credits..... just like that

I feel emotionally betrayed. How dare this show

Uhhhhhh, I'll do one last post after this. More collectedly, explaining some of my thoughts on the show. So uhh, stick around if you care about that, maybe?

#ofmd #our flag means death #btw in case this is your first post and you want to find the reactions to the other eps theyre all in the following tag #ofmd random commentary #this show was cruel at the end #the bitch #stede bonnet #edward blackbeard #gentlebeard #blackbonnet

[one-strugling-bean]

OFMD Random Commentary (Ep 1)

First time watching this show, hoping (and expecting) Tumblr suggestions won't disapoint

Stede Bonnet is a cool name, i like it

"What do we do?" "We bottle it up?" No!" Hehe, theyre cute pirates thats nice

Also loving the cyan of the Captain's (Stede?) jacket

Oh so they're idiot pirates, got it

"I'll be your rober today!" I like him

I want to live in that ship..... Captain Stede, please hire me

Theyre each doing a flag?? Please I wanna be in this boat

Im loving how focused they are on the flags

Buttons is a loyal one

He reads them bedtime stories?? Please let me iiiiiin

Not the animal death trauma... and all the other trauma

Points to those two whoose names I've already forgotten unfortunately for actually trying to talk to Stede

Captain Badminton is a great name

Ohhhhh i dont like where this is going anymore

Jesus freaking god, the bullying was bad huh

He has a family???

Omg not the singer of the crew pointing and laughing at the stabbed hand, i cant-

(i gotta memoraize their names dont i?)

"Do you want to live?!!" "I think so! Probably!" Such a mood, i love him so much already

This crew has precisely one braincell. Im not sure who it belongs too.

Well hello Jim. I wonder if her(their/his?) buddy knows, im not sure

Hm the thing with his family preplexes me. Not a big fan of dead beats...........

Okayyyyy so thats the first episode. Im honestly not sure what to say besides that I love everyone's acting and im really curious as to where this is going

I love Stede already but Im gonna be really sad if hes really just abandoned his family like the rumor means....

Anyway, only one way to find out :>

#our flag means death #ofmd #stede bonnet #feat. his crew #whoose names i gotta remember #ofmd random commentary

[one-strugling-bean]

OFMD Random Commentary (Final Thoughts)

Okay so. I finished OFMD in 3 days. Season 2 is right at the door and I'm super excited for it.

While I wait though, I thought "Why not make a huge ass essay about my thoughts on the 1st Season?" And now here we are! And trust me I have tons to say. So without further ado, let's start:

Before anything else, I want to say, I had so much fun. This show was hilarious most of the time while still easily hitting me in the feels when it needed. By the end of the season, I wanted to adopt pretty much everyone and give them whatever they wanted. The romantic relationships weren't born out of thin air (although I think Jim and Olu could've been explored a little more) and the overall vibe of the show was so freaking inviting.

Stede and Ed were very captivating and their scenes together are always so evolving. Their actors convey strong emotions so freaking well. It's like I'm right there, in their heads, as the scenes play out, and I can tell what they're feeling perfectly just by looking at their expressions.

That being said, Ed was a bit harder for me to figure out than Stede. There were a lot of scenes, especially in the beggining, where I was at a loss as to his intentions. But it works in his favor (and the viewers') because Ed is a mysterious person for pretty much every character in the show. It's fun when everyone on screen is as clueless as us. It also contributes to the welcoming vibe of the show - it's like I'm there, just as clueless and scared as everyone else, trying to figure out what exactly makes Blackbeard tick.

And speaking of everyone else! My gosh, I loved the crewmates... I think I even said that at some point in an episode, but my favorite moments of the show were just the crew interacting with each other. Separated, each of them is nice and kinda funny, but together? They gave me the best laughs of the whole show.

It was the little things. Wee John, Roach, and Frenchie messing up a cross sign(?) for Nana, the flag-sewing arts-and-crafts, the rehearsal for the Fuckery, the Fuckery itself- just, everything.

As the episodes pass, and you grow to know the characters - recognize their faces, memorize their names, figure out the traits and places they take in the crew - they also grow to know each other. In the first episode they seem to be pretty distant from each other - acquaintances at best. But by the end you realize that that's changed - and you watched it happen. In every little scene, every funny comment or near-death experience - almost imperceptible on a first watch I think. Most of the time they just seem to be fighting each other. But those bonds do happen, and not just between the romantic pairs but everyone. Even with you, the viewer.

I think that's what makes the last "we talk it through-" "as a crew!" scene, followed by (or before) Lucius reading Stede's journal out loud, so powerful. I don't think I mentioned it in my post of the episode, but it gave me chills. You get this feeling of "we came so far" that just completely warms your heart. And you can see, in each one of their faces that they're all feeling the same thing. They came full circle from the first episode - they're not just a rag-tag group of useless people anymore. They're growing closer to becoming a family, a real crew. And it's fucking amazing.

TL;DR - they figured out the Found Family trope really well. And Found Family is my kind of thing soooo.

But oh well. Nothing can be good forever - especially if that thing is a happy ending in a queer show, so the rest of episode 9 and episode 10 happen. And the feeling of betrayal starts.

From a Gentlebeard/Blackbonnet perspective, the way I see it, Ed calling out the Act of Grace for Stede is the ultimate sacrifice from Ed for Stede. In contrast, Stede abandoning Ed at the dock is the ultimate sacrifice of Ed from Stede. See the difference? What I'm trying to say? I sure hope so, because I'm not sure I do. It just seems right when I say it.

Then Ed goes to the ship and everything goes off the deep end - ft. Izzy Hands being his usual creepy self.

Izzy.... creeped me out honestly. The whole time, not just at the end. From my peak on the OFMD fandom, he seems to be a pretty loved character, but I honestly dislike him a lot. I dunno. He was creepy and awful and did many horrible things for not-that-worthy reasons and I just overall didn't vibe with him. So I guess having him be the one to break Ed felt like a big, personal slap to the face. I dunno. Just wanted to call him every name in the book, you know?

(I also decided to take personally the fact that his name is a very common nickname of my name. I'll never accept to be called Izzy again. The PTSD and rage would be too much.)

Then, of course, we have Lucius's "death". Honestly? I don't think he's dead. He is too iconic to die in the first season. There's no way the writers didn't know Lucius was gonna be a fan favorite. The cliffhanger around his death was 100% planned as a special, last-minute, sadistic gift for the fandom. It will also probably affect something in S2.

That being said, I will only feel rested when I see him alive and well, nestled in Black Pete's arms. I gasped so loud when Ed threw him out of the ship you have no idea. I was so worried. Still am. That's how important his character has become to me. To most people, probably.

(I do think I saw a bit of Lucius's face in a random shot of the S2 trailer. His alleged self is pulling at someone's legs with Frenchie. But do not tell me if I'm right. I've been trying to stay away from trailer dissections.)

Frenchie and Jim also worry me greatly, but they seem to be doing good in the S2 trailer, so that helps. (Not Frenchie conquering his fear of cats by becoming one).

As for everyone else..... God, I was so horrified about their situation until that last scene. Stede coming in the dinghy might as well have been the sighting of an angel (I like to call this feeling the Sanji-backstory-PTSD). I've come to care so much about these characters, how was this show capable of tricking me like this??

Honestly, after all is said and watched, I'm unsure if I'm glad I waited so long to watch it. Because on the one hand, I won't have to wait months and suffer from the cliffhanger like most of you guys did (I feel for you all). On the other, I'm afraid I might've missed a few years of glorious fandom history and events.

I dunno, it's complicated.

(Send me links to all the best fanfics you can find - as long as they're in English and have at least 2000 words I'll take them).

But yeahhhhhhhhhhh, think this might be it for now. I don't know if I'll repeat the Commentary for S2- would you like that? If I get enough responses, Ig I will ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

But in any case, for now, I close. Hope you had as much reading my reactions as I did watching this show.

Have a nice day! ^^

#i just thought of something #im european #theres a good chance the season wont be available for me on the 5th #.....does anyone know how i can know for sure....? #well #im sad now #boooo #ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd random commentary #stede bonnet #edward blackbeard #blackbonnet #gentlebeard

[one-strugling-bean]

OFMD Random Commentary (Ep 9)

Aw, he called him sweetie...

We trusted you Frenchie!

Bit of fan-fiction, I see

They're both confessing to the crime, what soulmates

Izzy's little wave to Ed during the trial was so soft, omg, is he expecting to be forgiven later

Badminton is still a great name

"The bill has come due" *proceeds to whine to not be killed* I love Stede

Everyone clapping over Ed punching Izzy - this crew truly represents the fandom (i hope)

Act of Grace is such bullshit though. As a thing that existed in real life. Makes sense, but feels so much like cheating

Everyone joining in to save Stede is so sweet, I wanna cryyy

"Calm down, Mr. Wavy Blade!" Have I mentioned how much I love Stede yet

"We talk it through,- " "as a crew!" Oh yep, I'm crying ;-;

Damn, Ed really threw it all for Stede huh...

Did... Mary really claim him to be dead?

His beautiful beard........ Nouuuuuuu

Salt-and-pepper beard is an equally great name

I don't really buy that Ed is that okay with everything, but I'm glad he's keeping his cool at least

God, Izzy's such a bish

"And what makes Ed happy?" Ohhhh you set yourself up there, Stede, admit it

Oh fick they bactyqlly kissedb, omg!

(decided to keep all the spelling errors, to further demonstrate my immediate reaction)

This scene was everything... I know shit will hit the fan eventually, but for now, I'm just happy for them

Yeah, Oluwande is the best choice - it makes me happy how quickly they all accepted it

Wtf, how did Badminton get there??

(heh, Badminton)

Oh my fucking god, you gotta be joking

Nou, don't leave him on the dock by himself.......

Do me a favor, don't go back home.....

Soooooooooo, some stuff happened.

Ahhhh, I hate it when I'm right

Fuck this show. Im gonna throw a tantrum

I might be feeling slightly sad at the moment as well. Maybe.

For the record, I'm not really expecting things to get better next episode, just further-y worse.

But I'm curious as to how.

We'll see. Hopefully, it won't be bad enough to cry.

#ofmd #ofmd random commentary #our flag means death #stede bonnet #edward blackbeard #gentlebeard #blackbonnet

[one-strugling-bean]

OFMD Random Commentary (Ep 8)

A friend, huh? Alright let's see where this goes

I'm sensing we're going to be dealing with jealousy in this episode

Brekkie!!!

I wanna give Olu a hug... Poor guy doesn't enjoy being the only sensible person aboard

Buttons truly is one of the good ones

Ngl, I wouldn't enjoy hearing about homicide over brekkie either

Whippies!!

Ahh, they look so happy to have a room for themselves! I'm so happy for them!

Hmmmmm, I'd love it if Jack didn't turn on Stede... But I'm starting to suspect it

Third time this year?? How do your crews keep mutining? What do you do to them??

"We were gonna mutiny on Stede." "Yeah, probably will again someday!" They're so earnest saying these things, it makes it so funny

Yardies!!!

"That was cool." "Yes, it was." Yes it very much was omg

Yeahhhh they're both kind of fighting the other, got it

Hmmm I kind of get both Ed and Stede in this issue. But Stede is getting disrespected...

Ahh, it makes me so happy to see Jackie and Jim just talk and bond over life, I love to see it

I just had a wild idea. Could Jack be one of the Gallos?

Karl..... no......

Karl's death is actually making me get emotional, what the hell

And now Ed's leaving too....? Oh, now I'm sad...

The two heartbroken lovebirds in each other's company

Yessss, Lucius, show these two who's boss!

Buttons deserves the world

"Neither of us will like you less or more than we did before." They're all children of divorce now

Of course, he would come back!

Livy, the true MVP

Wow, just like that, they're invaded

There are 2 episodes left. That's plenty of time for everything to go pear-shaped.

Can't wait to see what happens next~~

#ofmd #ofmd random commentary #our flag means death #stede bonnet #edward blackbeard #gentlebeard #blackbonnet

[one-strugling-bean]

OFMD Random Commentary (Ep 7)

"Eat an apple, for God's sake!" I really really enjoy his line delivery

Oh, poor Swede

Hm, is St. Augustine where Jim's from?

I repeat, poor Swede

Oluwande you go boi, fight for your friendship

Despite loving Stede and Ed, I think my favorite moments of this show so far are still the random little scenes with Stede's crew. Their vibes all mix so well, so naturally. I love them

"Don't worry sister, I'm in the tribe." "Yeah, just joined." *wild hand gestures* At least they're trying

Oluwande is having a field day and I'm right there with him

Lucius is wearing the wooden finger ;u;

Lucius sees right through Stede's lies

Heh, Nana asking if Olu is their husband or if they're living in sin, that's funny

The best part is realizing Oluwande also speaks Spanish

That poor snake......

I really wanna comment on that restaurant conversation, but I'm not sure I'm equipped for it

And I think Lucius is right there with me

"Oh my god, this is happening." Pfft, I appreciate this man so much

Only in shows are wild mice that cute

Geez, Jim had it rough. It doesn't surprise me, they're the textbook definition of someone with a fucked-up childhood but it's still different seeing it

Oluwande to the emotional rescue, as per usual

......Lucius, you're.... something else really...

I just noticed the shovel has a cute little purple protective bag

"That was very sweet." It waaaaas! Man, Lucius is one heck of a wingman icon

I want to see more of Jim and Oluwande. They're cute too

Ahhhhh so close, they were so closeeee

What's a petrified orange? Is that a thing?

I jinxed it with that comment of "i WAnnA sEE mOrE Of thEM" didn't I

I'll miss Jim...

"Life is pain" is a very heavy phrase. Nana, you're un-sillying the silly show!

(and yes, I am referring to the knife-throwing nun. She's very much not silly)

Geez, they're so in sync, my god

You know, three people are enough to start a fan club. Or a hate club. "Stede Bonnet Haters Association". They could create one. A place to share ideas and murder plans. And maybe some art-and-crafts with Stede Bonnet voodoo dolls

(did I go for too long with this joke? Maybe)

#ofmd #ofmd random commentary #our flag means death #stede bonnet #edward blackbeard #blackbonnet #gentlebeard

[one-strugling-bean]

OFMD Random Commentary (Ep 6)

"I stabbed you, ya nut!" We're starting strong I see

Sooooo, Izzy believes they fucked now?

Now, I wonder, how real is this story?

Oh okay, I got to the dad part, it probably is true

"How do you go about tapping into an enemy's fear?" I'm guessing it's something like "get close enough to someone so that they'll tell it to you themselves"

Buttons is honestly so wise, he always knows when there's something going on

Izzy feels like a tired dad/older brother

Ew, don't call Stede a pet

"But we go to different heavens! He goes to doggy heaven!" Q~Q Now I feel bad too...

"Lucius! We've got a fuckery on our hands!" I really wish I could've seen Lucius's reaction to that

Let's stop treating Stede like a dog, Izzy, ok?

Bad Izzy, bad!

(See how he likes it)

Aw, poor Lucius :(

"Knives are knives, meat's meat" I mean, can't argue with that

"Muse, why have you forsaken me?" Oh he's such a theater kid

"-perform like it's your last day on Earth." I know he practiced that line in the mirror beforehand, I just do

Where's Oluwande btw? Haven't seen him yet

Omg, I saw Frenchie's outfit and I died laughing - this is gonna go really well isn't it

Ed looks like he's trying to find the courage to ask his crush out

This crew is fucking amazing, not sure what else to say

"Yeah, that's our little Nordic angel" Aww

Nouuu, poor Ed, you gave him a flashback!

Wowwwww, I was not expecting that, okay, alright

On the other hand, ig I kind of called it in the third paragraph up there

"You don't belong in doggy heaven" Why is this a show and why am I loving it

Not Ed leaning into his hand after that super soft conversation...... Nononono, I can't do this, it's too fluffy, I cant-

Those were too many f-words, Izzy, someone sure is upset

Aw, all the crew members seemed to dislike the idea of a duel too - they're starting to care!

Okay maybe they are just worried about their jobs but I prefer the 1st option

"Just stab him- for fuck's sake!" Oluwande I missed you

Uhm, okay I'm also happy Stede won, but maybe please get him out of there? You know, before he bleeds out and all

Okay, that scene between Pete and Lucius was adorable, I loved it

And that kiss was so soft!! And they looked so soft!! Ahhhh, the fluuuuuff

Omg, someone please get Stede out of there

Izzy is still gonna cause many problems, isn't he..?

#our flag means death #ofmd #ofmd random commentary #stede bonnet #edward blackbeard #gentlebeard #blackbonnet

[one-strugling-bean]

OFMD Random Commentary (Ep 5)

I love that they expect Lucius to take notes in the middle of the battle

Let him take the books!!! The red one looked so pretty!

"The vengencear and the vengencee!" He's such a silly

To be fair, snails are pretty good. Recommend trying if you haven't yet

Ed's child actor is so similar to his adult counterpart

Aw, he wants to go to the party... Im afraid this won't go well

Pete and Lucius, alright, a new ship just dropped

Noooo...... not liking Izzy at all.......

"No thanks, Iggy. I only take orders from our Captain." I'm only loving Lucius more and more every time he shows up

The bows in Ed's beard and the flowers in his hair are so cute... I'm just imagining Stede taking care of Ed's hair and that seems like such a cute idea for a small fluffy one-shot

"What does a viceroy do?" "Whatever the fuck he wants babe." I uh, actually wanted to know too. Am I dumb for that?

Omg they're scamming the royals out of their money, this is gonna explode in everyone's faces spectacularly, isn't it

"Sometimes a quick death's the best way to end a bad conversation?" I appreciate that he's trying

I really wanna see one of Lucius' sketches now.

Oh, Stede is being the butt of the joke again... That makes me sad

At least Ed is having fun

Yeahhhh things are gonna start going bad.....

"Oh, they are such dicks about spoons." That was a guaranteed laugh

I like that Stede is able to stand up to Ed. Good sign.

"That was hot." Gotta agree with Pete here, Lucius was awesome just now

"What the hell did you do to 'em?" "Passive aggression" not Ed looking actually terrified of Stede for a second there

Aw they gave Abshir the money, that's nice of them

And hey, the pyramid scheme totally worked!

They're falling in loooooove~ and it's making me sad because it's almost definitely not gonna end well

I'm sensing this episode to be the "end of the Beggining, beggining of the End"

Also, Cat Bandits. is that their official name now?

Also also, can't help but notice Jim has been completely absent from this episode. Why's that?

Well damn, a lot happened this episode. From the lovely outfits, to Lucius absolutely slaying, to the pyramid scheme, to Ed and Stede finally hitting it off officially.

And the phrase of the day is "passive aggression".

#im going through these so fast #its unreal #ofmd #ofmd random commentary #our flag means death #edward blackbeard #stede bonnet #blackbonnet #thats such a cute ship name i love iy #gentlebeard

[one-strugling-bean]

OFMD Random Commentary (Ep 4)

I like that you can see that they are both extremely uncomfortable at the wedding

Oh of course he was a father that played with his kids...

Ah yes, very kind of BB to watch over Stede as he sleeps

Not Lucius beating on the ship's handrail with a tiny hammer and the biggest bitch pose in the world

"Izzy, Izzy, come, they've got a bird guy!" Why is he precious

Oh, but Mary is actually trying and putting effort into their marriage, nouuu that makes it even harder for me to like Stedeeeee

The painting is honestly quite pretty too

Yeah, this is not a relationship I can take sides in...

Okay, he's Edward then

And he's got anger issues alright

He's looking at Stede so tenderly, my god

My boy Lucius really came in at a bad time

Stede would wear a hat to bed

Mary really tried for them... I really do feel bad for her...

Wow that hellish dream sequence was super scary ngl

Ed. Ed is nice, I like Ed

"Fuck off!" "Fucking mental..." Ed is me right now

Also, of course, Stede would build secret passages into his ship for fun

Omg, I get why she's annoyed, but the crew's questions keep getting dumber and it's honestly a little bit funny

So, one feels trapped in the aristocratic life and the other feels trapped in the pirate life - what a match

"You're a fucking lunatic and I like it" I get what he means I think, I also fell for Stede's lunacy in ep 1

I will say tho, I won't be surprised if this ship goes up in flames by the end of the season. They've been hinting at it so much

Omg, they switched clothes, this is amazing. They are so silly I love them both now, it's official

Not Ed playing with the wavy sleeves - I would do it too

Hmmm but Ed is a ticking bomb waiting to explode isn't he

Lucius with the countdown..... that was very good

Damn, so Ed really is a genius sailor

I feel like we might see more of this lighthouse metaphor

He brought them breakfast.... that is genuinely such a sweet thing. Stede just won a few more points with me

Bringing more marmalade instead of gunpowder, I love him

Ed is playing double trucies..... I know he'll regret it eventually, but still, that's meanie

Or maybe not?

Yeah, Ed is very much playing for his own side here. Just can't tell which one that is, yet

Okay, it's time for predictions. I honestly have no clue where this story is going but I'm gonna take a couple guesses anyway.

Stede will eventually find out Ed planned on betraying him and he'll be sad.

Stede's crew will at some point have to choose between sticking with their captain (aka staying loyal) or betraying him - honestly not sure what they would choose.

The Revenge will catch fire, and it'll start in the library.

This season won't end happily. And probably it'll end on a cliffhanger.

Stede might go back to his family by the end of the season. Something along the lines of "You go back to your old life and we'll spare your crew and paramour (Ed)"

Ed will have a rage outburst in front of Stede and depending on how seriously it's treated, it'll push Stede away.

Izzy will fuck things up on purpose thinking he's doing the right thing.

Aaaand that's about it I think. I can already feel my future self laughing at my idiocy from beyond the veil of time, but we'll see how wrong I am when I get there.

For now, let's keep watching :>

#im watching this for the first time btw #not sure id said that yet #ofmd #ofmd random commentary #our flag means death #edward blackbeard #stede bonnet #gentlebeard #blackbonnet

[one-strugling-bean]

OFMD Random Commentary (Ep 3)

I'm glad BB actually has a long beard.

What happened to Lucius...? And yes, I went to search for his name

Again, Buttons being useful

Im glad Lucius wasn't killed, he seems like one of the good ones

He's holding the hostage with a rope around his neck.. i cant help it, it made me laugh. I might be going to hell now

"Listen, I think you might wanna adjust the pitch because it's quite unclear what you're selling" yeah i like Lucius, he's fun

Bonifacia is a really pretty name. Are we gonna start using it tho?

"Do we look like prostitutes to you?" "Well, not terribly sucessful ones at least" these two have really fun dialogues

You do not mess with a lady in a blood-red jacket. You just don't. This Jackie lady scares me

Okay forget it, she won me over, i like her.

Yeahhhh Jim isn't being very nice are they

Lucius and Stede continue being an amazing duo

He told BB to suck an egg in hell........ god i really cant wait for them to meet

That hostage is gonna end up a pirate by the end of the season, i swear

Lucius pickpockets? Whaaaa, thats cool

Yeahhhh Jim is being very bitchy - Oluwande deserves better

"Tapas are like catnip to spaniards" well they're not wrong there. And those tapas do look pretty

Wait wait wait, he was stabbed in the gut, how hasn't he died yet? At least of bloodloss if not from the wound itself. How was he getting ready for execution??

Ok, idc if Jim is pretty, they're being a bish

Oof, not the family memories, Im too soft for this

Oh yessssss here we go

Aww, he smiled at him

To repeat my previous statement: Oh yeahhh here we go! >:D

#ofmd random commentary #our flag means death #ofmd #stede bonnet #edward blackbeard #think i can add his name to the roster already