#think about how good it must feel to stede also

[alexibeeart]

Ed Teach being clingy and Stede Bonnet happily and reassuringly indulging is something that can be so personal

#Gentlebeard #everytime yall write or draw ed being a clingy wife and stede lovingly responding #10 hp is added to my life bar #ofmd #our flag means death #think about how good it must feel to stede also #heres someone who loves and needs and wants to touch and hold him #after an entire life spent feeling unwanted and ignored and shoved aside #sigh #everything they want and need from each other #just flows so naturally between them

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

Been thinking about why the argument that OFMD is inherently a bad show because it's based on historical slaveowners so often feels disingenuous to me as a person of color.

HUGE disclaimer up front: if you don't wanna fuck with the show because of that premise right out the gate, that's 100% valid and I completely get that. I'm not talking about that. What I'm specifically talking about is White fandom people in particular who argue that OFMD must be "problematic" because of this, especially when they say this as some kind of virtue-signalling trying to win points in fandom wars, stuff like that.

My big thing is that the resemblance the characters in OFMD have to their real-world namesakes begins and ends with having the same name. The show feels more to me like it's playing with the vague myths around these names, not the people themselves. Can you make an argument that they should have come up with original characters instead? Sure, but let's be honest, even people who study the irl counterparts have very little knowledge of their actual lives, and the average person has all but none. To add to that, this show has absolutely zero interest in historical accuracy; the moment they cast a Jewish-Polynesian man as Blackbeard that became obvious. No one is saying the real-life Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet were good people, least of all the show itself; the point is that OFMD's versions are basically original characters already.

It always feels like an incredibly disingenuous claim to parallel the show to Hamilton, because Hamilton both did care about historical accuracy and also brought up the slave trade. Hamilton is uncomfortable for so many poc because it writes poc into the story of otherwise very faithfully portrayed racists, colonizers, and slaveowners and just handwaves the racism. In OFMD, racism exists, but the stance is always explicitly anti-racist and anti-colonialist in a way that is just so fun to see (whom among us has not wished to skin a racist with a snail fork?).

The other thing that sticks for me is...there's an appropriate amount of slavery I want to see in my romcoms, and that amount is none. I am so sick of historical fiction where Black characters are only there for trauma porn about the horrors of the slave trade. You can make a legitimate argument that OFMD is handwavey about the slave trade, but I'd argue that including discussion of the slave trade is something that should be done with such incredible care that it would leave us with a show that can't really be a comedy at all anymore. OFMD's characters of color are allowed to be nuanced, complex characters with their own emotions, and it's incredibly refreshing to see, and I'd much rather have that than yet another historical fiction show where the only characters of color are only there to make White audiences feel virtuous about how sad they feel for them.

In conclusion, I guess: every yt person who makes this argument to win points in a fandom war owes me and every other fan of color a million dollars

#ofmd #our flag means death

[micronopher]

GENTLEBEARD LOVE-MAKING

Completely self indulgent thoughts here and going to ignore the fact that you cannot and should not attach your entire well-being to one person but oh my god how Ed got to have sex with his beloved Stede Fucking Bonnet...

I mean yeah shit timing and this is still kinda the proverbial honeymoon stage, but jeezus this isn't just some tumble with a fling that Ed's probably had dozens of times (or a familial obligation like Stede's had to fulfill in the past), this is some goddamn love-making with someone Ed truly desires and loves, and who adores him just as much.

Stede doesn't even have to touch Ed to make him feel good...

Like, just the sound of Stede's voice is enough to bring Ed back from the grave(y basket)...

This is a person Ed wants to protect...

...and who wants to protect him.

Ed was constantly giving Stede those sweet shoulder pats in the first season (plus that frickin foot touch), like he was blatantly advertising his wish for physical contact with him.

Now Stede has the emotional freedom to reciprocate, and he treats Ed with such tenderness and respect even when the desire for him is overwhelming.

I mean, look at the switch here - how Stede roughly grabs Ed, slams him against the wall and then immediately becomes so gentle cradling his head like that, like Edward Teach is the most precious thing in the world.

Ed holds onto Stede tight here, but by god does he also want to treat his sweetheart just as tenderly...

Even without the sex part, just thinking of they way these two touch each other -- or how they want to touch each other -- is so sweet and sexy.

Fuck, lookit Ed...

He is literally trying to get as close to Stede as he can here within the boundaries he's just set. He's caressing that hand like "These beautiful fingers clasped in mine belong to the person who gives me butterflies in my stomach and brings light into my life." As innocent as it is, he wants that touch. And it's there, he is right there.

From Ed's point of view, Stede is the one who plays games with him.

He calms him down.

He gives him comfort.

He defends him.

He avenges him.

He loves him. Everything about him, beyond just the physical.

This outrageous, ridiculous, bizarre man makes the dread pirate Blackbeard, scourge of the seven seas...

...go all him...

And this guy can cut Ed's heart to shreds, but Ed still misses him like hell.

Stede can be Ed's despair...

...but he's also his hope...

...his happiness...

...his joy...

All of that and more wrapped up in a tangible warmth that Ed can cherish, kiss, hold close, and in return be cherish, kissed and held close.

So yeah that sex/love-making must have been absolutely mind-blowing even if they probably were fumbling around awkwardly in the dark for a while. Anyone looking for some awesome, hot fics of that scene, highly recommend this and this by darkshrimpemotions (jujubiest)

#ofmd #ofmd s2 #our flag means death #gentlebeard #blackbonnet

[forpiratereasons]

i found a genre of longform videos that is just 8-10 hours of someone driving around freeways during thunderstorms and i have a lot of thoughts about this but also: stede the driver who films long pov driving vids and extremely stressed ed who gets addicted to his channel

it's meditative, and it reminds ed of being in the car with his mum, driving across aotearoa. he feels like she's there with him sometimes. but the more he watches, the more he becomes aware of the driver--a sigh here, the shuffle of fabric in the seat there.

there's almost no information about him on his channel, the gentleman driver, not even a name or a pic, and ed becomes a little fixated on picking up details about him. doesn't happen often, but once or twice ed catches the driver humming a few beats before falling silent again, clearing a throat, sighing, clicking his throat like he's talking silently to himself.

once, on hour six of a ten hour vid, ed's rewarded by the view of an elegant hand reaching across the screen to grab something that must be on the dash in front of the camera. four seconds ed plays over and over.

"is there someone in the car with you while you drive?" ed asks in a comment. "or is it just you?"

the gentleman driver writes back, "just me and the open road!"

maybe it's the format that makes ed ask, the anonymity. maybe he's just half asleep. "don't you ever get lonely?"

it's days before the gentleman driver writes back again. "do you?"

ed's not got an answer for that. or, he does, but not one he's willing to face head on. he asks instead how the gentleman driver chooses his routes.

the driver doesn't get very many comments and definitely not very many questions, and soon they're having little conversations in the comments of every video. ed gets another glimpse of that elegant hand, with a big turquoise ring, freckled forearm; hears another few bars of 'here comes the sun' hummed.

then the driver does something new: he stops at a rest stop.

and he leaves the camera rolling.

ed watches in rapt fascination as the driver crosses the screen in front of the car, goes into the rest stop. blond hair, broad shoulders, floral shirt. he's actually wearing jeans for an eight hour drive which is insane, and ed gets a glimpse of his profile as he smiles. insane.

if the driver's ever stopped before, it's been very carefully edited out. maybe he forgot this one. maybe he wanted ed to see. that's delusional, ed thinks, but he still navigates to the driver's about page and pokes around until he finds an email address.

nice shirt, he sends.

oh god, the driver sends back, and the video disappears from his page half an hour later. i forgot the editing. i'm sorry if it was distracting.

no, i liked it, ed tells him. it was nice to see the man behind the steering wheel. and then, hesitating only a bit, he adds: i'm ed.

hello, the driver writes. i'm stede.

the emails go on, and on, and eventually they turn into texts too, and promises from stede to check in on his longer drives, to "call if you ever need someone to keep you awake."

"i'm supposed to be sending you to sleep," stede argues.

"i'll sleep better knowing that you're safe," ed writes back.

the next video stede posts, he lets the camera run all the way until he's pulled into a parking spot at a roadside motel just outside of denver. the camera runs one minute, then five, and any reasonable person would've turned it off by now, but ed waits until he hears, very quietly: "safe and sound, now. go to sleep. goodnight."

is it stupid, to think you can fall in love with someone after just one sentence? is it still stupid, if that one sentence repeats at the end of every new video?

then one night the phone rings. it's late, dark out, and ed knows stede was doing a drive that wouldn't have him at his next stop until nearly one in the morning. he picks up. "hello?"

"oh, ed," the voice says. "you've no idea how good you sound just now."

it's a voice he's only heard before in hums and whispers, but it doesn't matter. lots of things about love are stupid, ed decides. this isn't one of them.

stede's blown a tire. "i'm okay," he insists. "i was just hoping for some company while i wait for the tow."

"where are you?"

"middle of nowhere," stede says, but when he names the spot, it's only two hours out. ed can be there faster than a tow probably would, and there's a note of anxiety in stede's voice he doesn't much like.

he's got his shoes on and his keys in his hand before he can think twice.

stede hems and haws but in all his fussing he doesn't actually tell ed not to come, and he stays on the line while ed piles blankets in the car and as he gets behind the wheel and as he sets out on the freeway. he stays on the line and they talk until they're both creaky with exhaustion and dry air, and then they're quiet, just like in stede's videos, but together this time. then ed crests over a hill and there it is: a car pulled off to the side with its hazard lights blinking. reminds ed of a lighthouse. 'i'm here,' the lights say. 'i'm here.'

he pulls to a stop behind, starts his own hazards. the driver side door of the car opens, and then there's a leg, and a body, and there he is. stede. he's still got his phone pressed to his ear; ed can hear him breathing.

"i'm going to get out," ed says.

"okay," stede says.

it takes another long moment, watching stede stand there in the dark, waiting for him. stede, with his hair and his voice and his hands and the way the quiet in him already feels like home.

"i might kiss you," ed says.

he watches stede swallow, hard. eyes widen. "okay," he says.

ed reaches for the handle. pops the door open. puts one foot out on the pavement and looks up to meet stede's eyes as his cabin lights come on, as the car starts to ding its door-open warning.

"oh," stede says.

ed takes a step. they both still have their phones in their hands, their breathes in each other's ear. ed takes a step and takes a step until he can reach out to take stede's phone from him. press the call end button.

"hi," he says.

stede kisses him.

after that there are other, shyer hellos, and other, more awkward ones too. there are ten minutes to a 24-hour macdo drive-thru for coffee and another ten to a motel and a late night that becomes an early morning by way of conversation. there's laughter, and more kisses, and careful fingers learning the planes of each other's faces. in the morning there's breakfast and a tow truck and an invitation to a place just two hours away.

and there's a long break in updates to the gentleman driver's channel.

when he comes back, weeks later, his update schedule isn't quite as frequent, and his drives don't usually go as far. there's giggles sometimes, in the background, like there might be someone else in the car with him.

"do you miss it," ed asks. "driving the long drives?"

"no," stede says. "i found what i was looking for."

*

@ kninjaknitter also podficced this one!

#darcy writes pirates #long post #ofmd #gentlebeard #cross posted from twitter

[vonnawithav]

I don’t like romance in movies

Now, this is totally personal opinion and preference, so please keep that in mind when reading.

“I don’t like romance plots in movies”

That sounds so weird I know. Especially when this entire blog I dedicated to one ineffable couple I’ve hyper fixated on ever since I offhandedly watched a random show on prime when I was bored.

There’s lots of things I don’t like about the idea of stereotypical *ahem, usually heterosexual* romance, and one of those things is the perceived intensity of attraction.

While I understand it to an extent, I also don’t. On the few occasions I’ve been romantically interested in someone I’ve never had the urge to rip their clothes off and jump their skin, or marry them that afternoon.

I do however, want to show them my book collection, send them obscure memes, talk about that one scene in that one show I can’t move on from yet, listen to them talk about their passions, share romantic but subtle moments, and just generally enjoy each other’s company.

Maybe this is because my lack of neurotypical tendencies, my demisexuality, or just my queerness in general, I don’t know.

But this type of romance is rarely shown in media, (again, in my personal viewing experience), especially in straight media.

You’re probably wondering what the fuck this has to do with movies. Same honestly I lost my train of thought one sec-

Ah yes.

Romance in movies feels immensely rushed to me. There is no time to sit and talk while you watch the sunrise, there cannot be an entire episode where the entire plot line is your traumatic childhood and how you two can bond over the fact both of your dads left for milk and never came back, or your wooden frog collection.

Noooo, instead, there must be this instant inexplicable attraction that causes both of your hormones to go haywire, because the plot only has two hours to not only get through this plot line BUT the other three in the background.

For romance to work in my head, 👏🏾I 👏🏾 Need 👏🏾 Bonding 👏🏾 time 👏🏾.

That’s one of the many reasons I love OFMD and Good Omens so much, we get to see that bonding time.

Ed and Stede chilling while having breakfast in bed while they look at each other lovingly?

Goals.

Azira and Crowley sitting and enjoying a good bottle of wine while talking about the end of the world?

Never seen anything better.

I think romance is at its best when subtle and calming, not frantic and unnerving.

Don’t get me wrong, I think franticness has its place in romance, especially once sexual tension has begun, but there needs to be large spaces of comfort and safety in between. (In my personal opinion)

Alrighty then, I’ll be off.

Lmk if you see where I’m coming from, or if I’m just posting insane ramblings because I’m sleep deprived and recovering from a cold 🥲.

#genderqueer #lgbt #david tennant #good omens #crowley #asexual #aziraphale #crowley is so gender #michael sheen #crowly x aziraphale #our flag means death #ofmd #ofmd s2 #i’m so tired #ineffable idiots #I want calm romance #am i asking for too much? #anywho #goodnight #i’m exhausted #i’ll probably delete this later

[izzysillyhandsy]

It is finally time for me to try writing about The Scene.

There's so much happening and changing within seconds. I feel that the whole history of Edward and Izzy is played out here, for (from their point of view) the last time.

We start off with Ed waking Izzy up, taking out his pistol (to Izzy's confusion) and then handing it to Izzy.

They are close, Ed is calm and fully in the moment. It is such an intimate moment, the way Ed tilts his head down in line with the pistol, never breaking eye contact.

And Izzy, who at first was trying to fend Ed off, now looks at him like this:

What is actually going on here? It seems like a return to something they've done before, like a memory of a tender moment. Of course, this is right after Ed tells Iz about the dream. Maybe it's just the closeness, or the fact that this must be the first moment in forever where Izzy is the sole focus of Ed.

But I feel that there is a story there, something in their past that makes Izzy - what is it - happy? Nostalgic? Regretful? I don't see turned on here, it's much softer than that.

"Good for you." (slightly sneering) "It was good for me." (completely sincere)

You don't need me to tell you this has more than one meaning.

Ed touches Izzy's hand as he stands up, "It was just what the doctor ordered."

The first half ends - these were the good times. Spending time together with weapons aimed at each other :). I think this was when both were young and relatively innocent, when life was exciting and the two of them were best friends, possibly even closer than that.

But now the second half starts.

"Anyway, it wasn't even like that."

Also has a double meaning.

"No, in my dream - I was standing. Just like this."

Ed turns his back to Izzy, making this an execution instead of an act of intimacy.

Izzy first raises the pistol, laughs brokenly and desperately. It feels like this was also a situation they'd both been in before. The laugh sounds like "No, we're not doing this. Once was enough."

I think a similar scene happened when they were young, and the next bit strengthens this theory for me.

Izzy puts his hand over half his face, his voice changes and he calls Ed "Eddie" for the first and only time in the show:

"Oh, you're scared, Eddie? To sc- to scared to do it yourself?"

Hornigold also calls Ed "Eddie", and I think Izzy is kind of channeling Hornigold here. Maybe, back on Hornigold's ship, Ed was ordered to execute someone and couldn't. And maybe Izzy had to do it for him. Maybe Izzy had to do lots of traumatizing things for Ed. Maybe the person executed was someone Izzy and/or Ed cared about. And maybe Ed started to resent Izzy for it. The way Ed is spreading his arms out, the way it seems almost staged - it's like Ed is saying "kill me like you killed him".

OR maybe this is how Izzy pep-talked Ed into becoming Blackbeard, which would be much darker (and harder for me as an Izzy apologist). But Izzy telling Stede that Ed's complete breakdown is like 50% his fault may point to events in the past where Izzy thought he had to push Ed into the Kraken-zone to secure their and their crew's survival. Maybe he did this often, especially at the beginning of their Blackbeard fuckery.

What is remarkable though is that Izzy hides his face with his hand, then forces out the words, almost choking on them. This clearly has importance and history - nothing so far in the whole show was forced out so violently - so I am heavily leaning towards a traumatic experience for Ed and Izzy both. It definitely crashes Izzy down from his nostalgia-high real quick.

Now Izzy's voice changes back to his own, but he speaks really fast and without inflection, trying to get everything over with:

"Go on clean up your own fucking mess I'm not doing it I've been doing it all my fucking life."

(without thanks I might add)

"Fuck off."

Izzy's finally, finally had enough.

Ed acknowledges, resignedly, and leaves. I think he expected it to go this way.

Izzy shoots himself. I think Ed also expected this.

Ed says he loved him best he could. It's over. He goes to his own death.

This scene is only a few minutes long, but as I said in the beginning, I think they're reliving their whole relationship here, first the good times (which are quickly devalued - "But it wasn't even like that") and the bad times (I did this for you, but for nothing - "Fuck off").

As Ed says to Frenchie, he's had closure with Izzy. He's shown him what it was like for him. Izzy's also had closure with Ed. From now on, Ed has to carry the weight of his decisions himself.

Both die.

(and then both indestructible fuckers come back)

#ofmd #ofmd s2 spoilers #ofmd season 2 spoilers #izzy hands #edward teach #extreme closure with Ed and Iz #ofmd meta

[celluloidbroomcloset]

I keep coming back to the breakfast scene, re: Jack, and noting that I don’t think it’s Jack's intention for Ed to be ashamed. He’s working on pointing out Stede's inadequacies as a pirate and reminding Ed of the good old days, assuming that Ed will fall right into line next to him. He also assumes that someone as apparently delicate as Stede will be horrified by the burning people alive story (and we have to remember that Jack’s knowledge of Stede comes from Izzy, who definitely thinks Stede is effeminate and weak).

Jack's right in a sense—Stede is horrified, but it’s more about what he’s seeing as a part of Ed’s past and his struggle to reconcile that with the Ed he knows. He’s also questioning Ed’s honesty, since this was the man who said that he didn’t actually murder anyone. So there’s a whole layer going on between Stede and Ed that Jack isn’t and can’t be aware of.

But Ed’s reaction IS TO BE ASHAMED. I don’t know how his expressions throughout can be read any differently. This is not him having fun reminiscing, and his eventual excuse to Stede that “technically, the fire killed those guys” is weak and he knows it—he will not look at either Stede or Jack as he speaks. Jack is accidentally shaming Ed in front of Stede, under the assumption that Ed will see how Stede isn't a real pirate and will reject him. But it’s the start of Ed’s spiral into the fear that he is a monster, not good enough for Stede, and that Stede is already starting to see that.

You can’t read what happens later in the episode as independent of that scene. It’s not Ed’s slow realization that he’s outgrown Jack. It’s Ed trying to fit back into the mold that Jack and Izzy are constantly telling him is the only place he fits.

Throughout the early part of the episode, Ed is constantly switching back and forth between “it’s fine, I’m a pirate, Jack’s a pirate, we’re all pirates” and “I don’t want to be like this and Stede is seeing this and I’m not good enough for him.” Right from the start, he tries to rationalize away Jack’s behavior because he 1) sees it as hurtful (and apologizes to Stede for it) and 2) doesn’t want to see it as hurtful because he sees himself in Jack. He’s trying hold onto two things at once and isn’t able to reconcile them.

To say that Ed isn’t aware of what’s happening to some degree, and that the entire day with Jack only starts going wrong for him when Jack kills Karl, is to miss Ed’s character progression and the reveal of his deeper psychology. He leaves with Jack because of the shame that was developing right from the start, when they woke Stede up. He can’t hold onto the contradictions any longer and decides that he must be what Jack makes him out to be and it’s better for everyone if he abandons himself to that before Stede can reject him.

(Stede also shouldn’t have to stand around telling Ed that what he and Jack are doing isn’t hurtful, just in order to make Ed feel OK. What they’re doing is hurtful. It hurts Stede and it increasingly hurts the crew. Ed is absolutely participating in that and trying very hard to pretend that it’s all OK when he is increasingly aware that it isn’t. So when it all comes to a head, he sees all that he’s done and the pain he’s caused to someone he loves and he thinks that’s all he can ever do.)

#ofmd #our flag means death #stede bonnet #edward teach #calico jack #gif #ofmd meta #i'm probably just repeating points that have already been made #but the persistent “ed is having fun” narrative is getting to me #anyway #i don't know why the entire opening of the episode gets discarded like it's not important #since i did have someone get very mad at me for not providing evidence #here's evidence

[chuplayswithfire]

Edward Teach knows who he is. i think this might be a bit controversial in the analysis perspective, because the idea of Edward teach, fractured identity, doesn't know who he is, is pretty prevalent, but i think this comes from a fundamental lack of familiarity with the experience of being non-white in white society.

what Ed struggles with is the ability to find a landing zone where he can stop code switching. sure, Ed is a social chameleon and changes things up depending on who he's with, but this is a common strategy for people of color in survival mode - managing expectations, experiences, and presentation are essential for not just surviving but thriving in a white world, and that's what we see with Ed -

he's Blackbeard the charismatic celebrity pirate when he first meets the crew because he's putting on the job. he's Jeff the Accountant when he's trying out finer things and high society. he's Blackie with Calico Jack, his oldest living tie to the past, a man who went through hell with him in their youth and a man who clearly thrives on high adrenaline high aggression masculinity. at the end of season 1, he's the Kraken for Izzy, pouring on the danger to keep a known liability at bay (Izzy has betrayed him twice, now. Izzy is a liability) and this isn't a sign of fractured identity, this is a sign of a man who has never been able to show all of himself to anyone and be accepted, and a man who knows he must be in community with others to survive.

no pirate stands alone. you're in a crew, you're a captain, you're a first mate, you're something to someone at all times. Ed can't be on his own if he wants to survive as a pirate, which is all he knows, but he also can't find peace as a pirate, because he isn't known. its not that he doesn't know who he is. he's all of these identities.

it's that it isn't until he meets Stede that he finds a place where he can show all of himself. That's why they bond so closely - they're able to connect because they have common interests. Because Stede isn't scared of Ed, and when he learns more about him he's curious, he asks questions, he shares. Ed is able to relax and share more of himself, to the point that when he panics, he shares too much. He gets nervous. That's why he wants to leave in episode 7 - he has shown too much and they haven't talked about and Ed hasn't been that vulnerable with anyone in a long time.

But then Lucius helps him see that Stede likes him, that Stede is doing this whole outing for him, that everything is good, and he's settled again. And then in episode 8, he's nervous again, because he codeswitched to hang out with Calico Jack, to enjoy some of the old bygone times, and without the context of the conversation Stede and Calico Jack had and the context of Stede's background, he's left to assume that Stede has seen that Ed isn't classy and doesn't like him anymore. So he backs off.

But he comes back, and knowing himself and what he wants is why Ed can walk away from his whole life to be with Stede. Because he knows himself and what he wants. He starts the season knowing himself and what he wants and how he feels - Ed's arc in the first season is not about finding himself but about opening up, settling into his skin, and understanding where he wants to go next. Stede's arc is coming to terms with what he's done, and then finally gaining base knowledge of himself. Stede and Ed are on totally different levels throughout the season, because Ed knows who he is. He just doesn't know how to navigate to where and who he wants to be next.

So all of this said? At the end of the finale, Ed loses sight of who he is. He regresses and falls back because it's easier to be feared than laughed at, and because Stede has broken his heart and Izzy has made it clear that no one will ever stand by all of him, so he might as well be the self that still has people.

But Stede didn't reject Ed. Stede ran for his own reasons. Which means when he comes back to Ed, when he fights his way back to Ed, he's not going to be all, oh darling I can help you sort out your identity. He'll be like oh my fearsome darling, you really are beautiful as he looks at Ed's frankly terrifying visage (or exhausted visage, who knows how long it will have been since this man took a nap) and he's going to be fully accepting of who Ed is. Because Stede knows and loves Ed for who he is. He's seen him violent. He's seen him aggressive. He's seen him vulnerable, soft, sweet, sorrowful, overjoyed. He knows Ed.

When Stede comes, he won't be fixing Ed. It's not Stede's place to fix Ed. It's Stede's job to walk beside Ed, and be at his side, (and apologize) and navigate with him the pitfalls and ups for their relationship, and continue to be the first person that Ed Teach could ever be all of himself with.

#blackbonnet #ofmd #stede bonnet #edward teach #our flag means death #i might have lost the thread there in the end but look look look its about the recognition of the self in the other #its about loving in others what you cannot love in yourself and thus learning to love yourself #its about KNOWING who you are #but finding space to be #ofmd meta

[iamadequate1]

Thinking about that one post I saw that claimed the fandom is too hard on Iggy because he "didn't do anything villainous" until he sold the crew out to the English. Never mind that he is a minor character, and that whole cozying-up-to-the-English thing is his storyline from the end of 1x6 to the beginning of 1x9 (i.e., one-third of the time he was in the series at that point): claiming this has to ignore how his 1x3 story was lying and trying to sabotage Ed's interest in Stede, his 1x4 story was yapping after Ed to "come up with a plan" (and not trying on his own even though he said he was going to) and abusing and threatening to kill the crew just because, his entire 1x5 story was stomping around and screaming and trying to shame and intimidate for petty reasons, and how his entire 1x6 story was bullying Ed into trying to kill Stede and then how he "must" do it himself because... reasons?

(Also: an extreme escalation like that doesn't just appear one day... pay attention to the story! He called the cops on the queer community because of his abusive control issues. How comfortable he was doing so really feeds into the theory that Iggy is former navy, is used to some sort of privilege, and is just a dick, not some Tragic Backstory.)

Thinking about how there is a fervent need to invent a "protection" arc for Iggy because he brought up in a throwaway line in 1x4 that some of their unnamed crew died offscreen... a throwaway line (about lost resources, not a deep human connection, btw) just minutes after he said he wants to kill the entire crew that we actually know. He then spends most of the rest of the season trying to kill the crew that we knew, but doing a wayback search, that didn't stop the proliferation of "protection" claims, long before S2 was a twinkle in our eye. (Doing crappy things for "someone's good", isn't protection, btw; doing harm and claiming "protection" is actual abuser behavior.)

Thinking about the complete confusion of consent in how relationships work in people were saying they were "teased" with Iggy x Ed, Stede, and/or Lucius relationships that never materialized in canon. Ed thinks of Iggy of an angry father/mentor figure in a long string of angry father/mentor figures he picks up, Stede barely knows Iggy exists, and Lucius laid a smackdown on Iggy's homophobia and went to flirt with the guys he actually likes and never thought of him again. If Iggy had a thing for any of them, that's irrelevant to the outcome because the other party's feelings matter, too. Hope that helps.

#fandom critical

[weirdo-in-a-galaxy-far-far-away]

I feel like both Aziraphale and Stede Bonnet could be the “damsel in distress” stereotype, but they’re not. Zira and Stede are the more “womanly” characters in their respective shows and relationships, but that doesn’t mean they’re weak and shallow like many, many poorly written female characters.

What I think is great about Good Omens and OFMD is that they transcend the “damsel in distress” character archetype in a few ways. First, both Zira and Stede are men (or in Zira’s case, presents as a man) and thus they break the gender binary. They also have more traditionally effeminate appearances and personalities while still being men and generally treated like men.

Second, Zira and Stede are far from the shallow and stupid girl-in-trouble who lacks resourcefulness and must rely on a man to save her. It’s true that Zira and Stede are often saved by their partners, but I honestly think that reflects more on their partners than themselves. Crowley and Ed (bless them both) sort of see their respective partners as the “damsel in distress” who doesn’t know shit about anything and requires saving.

At the end of GO S2, Crowley tells Zira that he understands what’s going on far better than Zira does, and he believes that Zira is being stupid by thinking he can change Heaven. And to be fair maybe he is, but what strikes me the most about this conversation is that Crowley has no faith in Zira. He just automatically assumes that Zira is making a giant mistake without reflecting on the possibility that Zira might have a plan. Maybe an ineffable one that he should really communicate with Crowley about, but a plan nonetheless.

And all throughout OFMD, but especially during scenes like the duel with Izzy and the Art of Fuckery, Ed immediately thinks that Stede isn’t up to the task and can’t be practical or aggressive enough to do what needs to get done. In lots of stories, practicality and aggression are associated with male characters, and female characters are the exact opposite.

But back to the idea that these shows are wonderful and are smashing those stereotypes to bits: GO and OFMD show that ppl can change. And I have a feeling that in their next/final seasons, both Crowley and Ed will realize just how strong and virtuous their partners truly are. Especially when Zira and Stede do something epic (hopefully while wearing something very stylish and using effeminate gestures) to show their partners just how deserving of respect they are.

#I could be very wrong and misinterpreted everything oops #also to be clear I adore Crowley and Ed #I just think they don’t give Zira and Stede enough credit #but I’m sure they will one day and I can’t wait to see it happen #these shows are brilliant and I love them #good omens spoilers #good omens season two #good omens s2 #good omens season 2 #good omens 2 #ineffable husbands #aziraphale #aziraphale and crowley #our flag means death #ofmd #ofmd stede #stede bonnet #blackbeard ofmd #ed ofmd #good omens meta #ofmd meta

[katsaturnwhatever]

Finally returning to Tumblr after a long vacation because I’ve got the brainrots all over again.

So I’ve gotta say it. Ed didn’t really mean it.

Ed didn't really feel that sleeping with Stede was a mistake. He may have wished that things had unfolded differently, but he absolutely does not regret the act itself. But also, there was nothing shocking or out of character about Ed's decision to leave.

1) While the wall-slam definitely caught him offguard - he came to Stede's room likely just expecting to offer comfort and lighten the man's spirits after a traumatic event - he absolutely consented to what ended up happening. I love that they gave us that tiny, nearly-imperceptible-but-definitely-there moment when Stede waits to see how Ed will react, and Ed looks into Stede's eyes and nods.

2) Ed seemed 1000% happy and satisfied the morning after. There's no sense of regret in their conversation in bed. But, in typical Ed fashion, he goes "all in" wayyy too quickly, seemingly incapable of stopping himself. We saw it back in S1 with the "I'm folding socks and that's okay" conversation. One taste of life with Stede and he's ready to chuck his entire identity overboard... AGAIN.

3) After the emotional rollercoaster of the previous 24 hours, my man is a total mess. If you think that we, the fandom, are experiencing some seriously painful whiplash, just think of how it must feel for Ed - he had to watch the love of his life being tortured, then watch him make an enormous mistake (killing Ned), immediately followed by finally experiencing the loving intimacy and desire he's craved all his life. So he decides in the morning to leave everything behind, his whole persona, and make a clean break because that's the only thing he knows how to do. But he has no regrets about doing so, telling Izzy it feels "fantastic".

4) At first, Ed doesn't seem to mind that Stede is enjoying the spotlight, even giving him pointers of how to deal with fame. At this point he's still hoping that Stede will be able to have his moment and walk away, not realizing quite how much Stede has wanted to be "known" (remember "you've heard of me"?) and respected his whole life.

5) As all of this unfolds, he has a series of incredibly harsh realizations - and he knows how this will end. Piracy only ends one way: violence and death. If they stay together, it is very likely that he would have to watch Stede die a horrible death. He can't deal with that idea at ALL. It's the same reaction he had in S1 when Stede is about to die by firing squad. Ed would give anything to save Stede's life, but he comes to understand that Stede is on a self-imposed trajectory that ends in death (much as Ed himself was in the beginning of S2 - these boys are SO much alike, which is why it's so painful that they never quite seem to get on the same page). He doesn't try to talk Stede out of this trajectory because he already tried that tactic the night before - telling Stede not to kill Ned - and Stede ignored him and did it anyway, which really had to sting.

6) He's feeling a lot of the same things that Stede felt at the end of S1 - that he's ruined the man he loves, that he's been nothing but a bad influence, and the only way to set things right is to remove himself from the situation entirely. So Ed does the only thing he knows how to do - make a clean break, reducing the damage as much as possible by saying something that makes it feel final: "I think last night was a mistake." But he's lying. We all know he's lying. I think even Stede knows it, since he calls Ed out for panicking - which is absolutely the truth, but that doesn't stop everything that's been set in motion.

Bonus: It's interesting to me that you end up with a similar situation as in the end of Good Omens 2 - you have these two people who obviously love each other more than anything, and desperately want to be together, but in the end, they each end up feeling betrayed - feeling that their partner is choosing a different life over them.

Bonus 2: The episode's title is Man on Fire - on the surface it's a reference to the dude who gets literally set on fire, but thematically the Man on Fire here is undeniably Stede. He's "on fire", having finally made it big as a pirate. But Ed craves the cool relief of the water. He's drawn to the life of a fisherman, and he imagines Stede as a merman. But water will kill you just as quickly as fire, if you thrown yourself into the deep end. Both of them are drawn to extremes, when what they really need is to meet each other in the middle (Izzy even says that they balance each other out - the most astute and accurate way to sum up their whole deal).

This went on wayyyyy too long and I’m sorry. I can’t think about anything else today. 😂

#our flag means death s2 #ed x stede #our flag means death spoilers #our flag means death season 2 #ofmd #ofmd analysis #ofmd s2 #ofmd s2 spoilers #ofmd season 2 #ofmd 2

[camillescreations]

EDIT: I've edited some points because I've watched the trailer more and understand things a bit better! So reread if you want!

So loved the trailer but I don't really feel like doing an in-depth analysis like I did for the teaser, so I'll just point out some things that I thought were interesting!

1. Stede is adorable and looks great in his outfits, I love his "I didn't dump him," and "we're on a break." I also love how it seems like people around Stede are teasing him about his rocky relationship. And on that note I'm SO EXCITED to see how Stede tells the crew (or maybe just Olu?) about what happened on the beach!

2. Ed is equally adorable and I love the hint that he'll be a total bitch to Stede for a while lol

3. Izzy is missing half his left leg! Huh. I know people speculated it but it's cool to have confirmation! The missing toe must have gotten infected. I wonder if that will play a part in Izzy realizing he made a mistake in bringing Blackbeard back.

4. Stede saying he's been a failure his whole life really hurts my heart

5. There's a scene of Stede in his Chinese garb looking horrified at what the Revenge looks like. This must be after the storm damaged it. Poor guy

6. Izzy and Stede training together! Love to see it. I'm excited to maybe have a reason to like Izzy more and see Stede become better at... well a lot of things lol

7. STEDE EARRING STEDE EARRING I wonder who pierces his ear, I hope they show it haha

8. Ed standing on the rocks with what people have speculated to be Hornigold, or his ghost, I wonder what the context of that scene is

9. There's the bunny from the poster! (Note Ed says "new best friend," hinting Stede isn't his bestie anymore aw). I wonder if this is from Ed's island days or maybe when he's trying to figure himself out again (aka the trying something new scene?)

10. What kind of wound does stede have on his shoulder when he's tied to the mast? Doesn't seem to be a stab wound, it's more of a hole. Bullet perhaps? Hot cigar burnt into his skin?

11. Seems like the "torture" scene may be comical after all? It looks like Jim is smiling?

12. In the scene where they're on the "torture" boat, seems like before the "torture" happens, Stede is smiling! Good to see him happy for a moment, since pretty much every other scene he hasn't smiled lol

13. Who is this weird-nosed character? Is he the villain of the season? Seems like he's leading the Navy officers, so probably.

14. WEE JOHN LOOKS SO GOOD IN DRAG OMG WHAT A QUEEN

15. Jim and Olu are together again awwww

16. Why is Stede running along the shore? Is he running to someone? Ed perhaps?

17. Yeah that headbutt from Ed was definitely on purpose 😂 But we love to see bedside vigil worried Stede! Is this where they officially reunite?

18. LOOK AT SWEDE THERE HE ISSS BABYGIRLL (so is he one of Jackie's husband's now?? I'm excited to see the story of how he ended up working at Jackie's lol) Also his little "are you poor now?" is so funny

19. I love how Ed sputters after taking a puff of the joint or cigar or whatever it is, shows that he's not used to it lol

20. The Ed crying scene probably happens around the same time that the painted cake topper scene does, since we see the bride topper in the right corner. Also I really want Stede to find the cake toppers (or at least Ed's if Ed throws the groom overboard)

21. When Ed says "no more booze, no more drugs, and no more" the "Stede" at the end is clearly not from that same line. So I wonder what he actually says at the end?

22. What are Stede and crew escaping from during the crossbow scene? I've watched the trailer again and I think they're firing the crossbow for the zip line rope! And they're escaping from a ship to the Revenge. I hope Stede gets to shoot the crossbow!

23. The "you two know each other?" scene must come around the same time that Stede reunites with Ed after Ed is hurt, since Ed has the same split lip. Or maybe the headbutt scene comes after that? I'm not sure. I would bet that the headbutt scene is first.

24. Why are Jim and Olu and that other person warding off vampires lol

25. We finally see a glimpse of Lucius!! In the scene where he and Frenchie are under a log. He has a beard now! We definitely know it's him becouse of the wooden finger. Yay the boy is back! Can't wait to see how he survived and the Lucius x Black Pete reunion!!

Anyways that's all, I'm even more excited for the new season now and I hope we get a clip or two or more photos! But we only have 3 weeks left guys hang in there!!!

#ofmd #our flag means death #edward teach #ofmd s2 #ofmd season 2 #our flag means death season 2 #stede bonnet #stede x ed #analysis

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

Rewatching all of OFMD today (#Renew As A Crew) and one thing that's sticking out to me immediately -

Until we see in s2 how relieved Ed is to lose the responsibility of being captain, it doesn't really stick out how fucking...tense Ed is.

When he meets Stede's crew, look at his body language! He's trying to be cool and smooth and everything, and he's charismatic enough he can pull it off, but his body language is borderline nervous, honestly. He's very stiff and cautious in his movements, always keeping at least one hand on his weapons, always glancing around. It's striking to compare it to how he acts when he's alone with Stede - you can almost see the weight grow on his shoulders when he's in front of the crew. No wonder Lucius thinks he doesn't know how to relax!

He's also extremely theatrical and showy, and part of that is Ed being tied with Stede for Most Dramatic Bitch on the Seven Seas, but it's also immediately obvious that he expects every eye to be on him, always. He acts like he knows he's the center of attention, always. Almost every movement this man makes seems so calculated.

You can see some of the weight lift when he tries telling everyone to just call him Ed, although a lot of the time he still looks pretty guarded and often holds his hands in front of himself almost protectively. Sweetie pie is trying so hard to be vulnerable but his body language still reads like he's not fully comfortable. It has to be very scary for him but he's being so brave and trying so hard anyway!

We don't see the big change until he's back on the ship in s2e5 and the crew have put him on probation. Although many of the crew are still pissed at him, Ed is, very explicitly, no longer captain. The crew don't hate him (they're mad at him, but he never lost their love), but they'd push back against orders even if he tried giving them. And what a relief that must be! Ed looks so light this episode! It's no longer his job to make the decisions, all he has to do is fix things up. He gets to talk with Fang as friends, not as The Legendary Captain Blackbeard and Loyal Crewmember. He gets to play, doing a cannonball off the ladder, and have a good time learning how to fish. His body language is absolutely night-and-day.

And after he gets out of probation? That stays consistent. In s2e6 he gets to play along with the crew, encouraging "the moving of the tub - it's a sacred tradition!!!" getting him a cheer from the crew ("yooo, this dude's devout as fuuuck!!"). He just gets to have a good time. Compared to the first time he meets the crew in s1e4, he's obviously so relaxed and willing to unwind in front of everyone - they were about to dance, and Ed doesn't even fucking hesitate to agree when Stede suggested they join everyone (fuck Ned Low for stealing that from us, honestly).

Ed wants so fucking badly to be free of the massive responsibility that's been weighing on him - think about what he said to Stede in s1e4: "they're all going to die, all the men who trusted you, and it'll be all your fault!" He has been living with so much weight on his shoulders, not just incredible responsibility but feeling unsafe to be the softer, gentle, sweet man we know he is.

He just wants to be free to be Ed.

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd ed teach #in conclusion his dream job is absolutely trophy wife who gets to stay home all day and look at stede's butt

[ccl-c]

some things i wanted to draw a while ago but never had the time because work has been so intense. now that s2 ended this way …

long rambling below:

i had been having a very bad feeling about the “devastating loss” and fuck it really happened (it being foreshadowed from ep1 is kind of funny but fuck).

i did enjoy the episode, and if this is the end of the show i'm good with that. ep8 isn't just about izzy's death obviously, nor is the season or the show about izzy, and i know it's a bridge season where problems are not solved, but i need a way to get over this, so.

within the episode i think the death is beautiful, but within his whole arc, for me it's the timing and david's explanations that i found kind of awkward and disappointing. it might be because the budget got cut but i think also because izzy's arc was a bit too prioritised especially if david wanted to stick to the mentor-death-in-act-two trope (izzy is my favourite character but i have been feeling the unbalance since ep3).

izzy's last speech sounded almost too early for ed's arc. letting a repressed traumatised amputated (also talented and romantic and sometimes humourous) elder apologise for what he believed half of his lifetime and die voluntarily (to some extent; i think he said “i wanna go” mostly because he knew the wound was fatal, but then why must it be fatal it was on the left side?) when he was just physically and mentally getting better is tragic but it also could have been a more satisfying death. i am very biased and very bad at literature, but i think if izzy and ed got to earnestly communicate about their relationship and past issues, if ed had more interactions with the crew to (re)build the mutual love, and maybe if besides telling ed to “just be ed” izzy really got to see it (when he's not dying), his story would be more complete and he would really be leaving at his happiest.

of course death is inevitable in life and unpredictable in piracy, of course there are tropes in tv shows, and of course it's part of the journey for the audience to feel devastated. but i read multiple interviews and the central idea just seems to be “the mentor often dies in the second act” which is valid in itself, but then s2 becomes “how can we make the most out of his last moments” (after posting this i heard that “funerals strengthen families” dropped; i'm just so disappointed i don't know what to say). honestly i was confused about how david said “let's give con all the toys he could play with” (yes if i had con in my show for one last season i'd want to let him do everything possible as well and i am grateful david did, but after all con played a side character; also it's cruel to “give him everything” while hiding the ending from him until halfway through the shooting); it's supposed to be a story and not a talent show (um). if time is too short for his ideal arc then maybe he should do fewer things but each better paced, or maybe the mentor-death-in-act-two trope needed to be adjusted, or maybe it wasn't the right trope at all.

i might be dumb but i didn't see the mentor-hero relationship before stede said blackbeard said izzy made him the captain he was, and even then i honestly thought it was mostly stede talking for ed. when david put it like that i can see little traits of it in s1, but i find the jesus-judas (jcs) dynamic much more obvious. let alone the father figure thing; didn't see it at all.

there are many ways to mark an end and for a recurring character to leave (buttons turning into a seagull was beautiful; the swede temporarily leaving to become jackie's husband was also lovely; but ivan's death mentioned by fang just looked like they had to get rid of him); ultimately what frustrates me is that it's unclear what the concept of death itself brings to izzy's arc at this point. major character “deaths” in this show is often associated with change or rebirth, and i'd expect a realistic humanly death from severe wound to also open up something new in his story or in general, even if his life ends here. maybe that's for s3. but for now he died just because their power-thirsty enemy hated him and his gorgeous speech and piracy; ed did not seem to consider the crew his family, nor did the crew seem to bother. piracy did become more about belonging though but that's not his legacy.

on a side note, letting a disabled elder (who was previously seen seriously irritating ricky) escort ricky and no one noticing ricky hid a gun? izzy was playing with fire (ha) to talk to ricky like that but at least ed and zheng and jim and jackie could have been more alert. then roach was asked to look for bandages and nothing happened afterwards? that was the guy who replanted his own arm back and who was ready to chop off lucius's finger. if he just came up to izzy's side and tried to take care of him and then izzy said “no it's too late i want to go painlessly”, or if someone said “let izzy and ed have their moment”, then okay, but having roach try to save izzy with no follow up is kind of disrespectful to roach's character.

with how much david loves izzy and con there probably was a better version of this story that didn't fully make it into the show. that said, i do work in a creative industry with various constraints in many directions; it happens that creators have intentions and priorities that the audience does not understand and vice versa, it happens that budgets got cut and what you deliver is not what you would have made in better circumstances, but when a mainstream tv show got such polarised reactions about one specific part of the story, there might be a real problem and the budget or the creative direction won't be enough to justify it.

then if all this is for izzy to be brought back in s3 i'm curious to see how it will be played out. his death was shown in such an explicit way and he even got buried on land (honestly the burial was weird and a bit creepy for me but well) it doesn't seem likely he survives again; it might be fun if he reincarnates as a creature or appears in new flashbacks, or in the gravey basket.

(also, now that izzy's dead, i hope con can share his version of the backstory of izzy's ring.)

my point is, maybe, that i think izzy's arc in s2 was so saturated and glamorous and full of potential that it felt too important to end, while the main romance and the crew's arc could have used some more time to address more context or some issues underlying since s1 for example. also lots of things weren't consistent and many interesting points were never addressed again, but i hope it's left open for s3.

but it doesn't undo what has been great about this show. the death scene itself was beautiful too, and the whole cast and crew deserve an hour-long standing ovation.

i guess it's just a bit like you went on a really fun roadtrip with a beloved friend but had an unexpected misunderstanding leading to conflict with said friend at the end of the last day. eventually you probably stay friends because you always had a good time, but you will be thinking about the conflict.

#ofmd #ofmd s2 spoilers #izzy hands

[knowlesian]

fuck it i want to talk about the kiss.

because this kiss is perfect. absolutely perfect.

regardless of the exact level of experience these two actually have with the mechanics of kissing (and i would guess it’s not much), kissing like this is new to both of them.

stede has been accidentally giving ed an entire ocean of mixed signals. because this say fellas, is it gay when involves a list of things like ‘leans in close and treats you kindly and wears your pants and so desperately wants to make you happy and offers to co-captain a ship’ as well as ‘picks up zero hints, does not seem to be aware of the way you want to kiss him, there’s some chick named mary up in this, fuckin for REAL is he gay or from new zealand???? i cannot fucking measure this ratio, it’s so weird’ & etc

so ed has been making aborted moonlight leans and being like STAB ME! THE STABBING IS A METAPHOR! PLEASE WOULD YOU GET WITH THIS, MY THIRST IS INTENSE and staring at stede like he’s made entirely out of red silk handkerchiefs, etc.

and now that the shit has truly hit the fan ed finally, finally, is like. fuck it. here we are, alone on a beach together, my beard is gone and your ship is gone and everything is fucked up, but just being with you makes me happy. 

literally at this point why not? worst case, stede clarifies that ed has been misreading the feelings building between them. 

(it must be said because thinking it hurts and i am nothing but generous with sharing the pain: that he misread stede like he misread the party at first, because the rules of the social road ed learned require a whole different set of skills than stede learned in his fancy world of melon spoons and tureens.) 

ed knows that if stede rejects him, he can always skip out to nurse his wounds alone. this is a perfect fuck it, shooting my shot moment.

so he pushes past the false start where he gets derailed by turtles and toes (and neatly sets up the finale at the same time, i love good writing i really do) and just lays it all out. right now, he doesn’t want to curve to fit around the spaces somebody else wants him to fill: he wants to do what makes ed happy.

and then because stede is at his core so fucking kind, he comes through in the clutch here and says the exact right thing once again, just like he did when he told ed he wore fine things well. there are a lot of responses stede could give here that would be... fine, or terrible, but this is the perfect one.

what makes ed happy means: i care what makes you happy. i might even want to be the one making you happy, on a longterm and regular basis. 

it also means: i’m not going to staple my narrow, not you-approved idea of what makes you happy on your face and then get pissed when you’re not 100% into it, because that is a clear pattern in your life.

literally the best and most beautiful thing stede could have said. unerringly hitting the heart of the things ed wants most, and totally on accident.

and then ed delivers the favor in kind, finishing it off with the absolute perfect thing he could say to stede, slowly because hooooly shit this is much scarier than getting stabbed and also totally on accident: stede makes him happy.

not just the fun they’ve had together, or the access to shared fancy pants and plans to match. just stede, existing in the world at all, and being by ed’s side.

which implies, even in these much less pleasant circumstances stede makes him happy. (and the unthinkable thought: if stede makes ed happy when things are generally not going well, maybe ed could still feel that way even if stede himself makes him unhappy once in a while.

you know: like how people are when they say they love you and they mean it.)

so stede bluescreens a bit because this is the first compliment of his life on this calibre and also he has no idea what to say to that, since he’s never heard it before! literally nobody has been like: hey stede. the fact that you’re in the world is very cool. you yourself are a net positive, and you make me happy just by existing.

AND THEN. THE FUCK IT TIPPING POINT. SHE IS HERE.

it’s not a teenage first date thing, though the vibes aren’t far off: but these are two men who just heard and said the thing the other most wanted to hear.

what makes you happy, ed? / what makes ed happy is you.

they both emphasize the other in that moment; they both receive everything they’ve ever wanted. 

(also it’s just some super fun wordplay. hate this team.)

anyway: the best slightly awkward but incredibly perfect first kiss.

i love that neither of them are in the perfect position for this; i love that stede is 100% not prepared and ed has to shift to keep it going and drops his hand slowly to the middle of stede’s back while he raises the other to touch his neck, and his FINGERS BRUSH STEDE’S THROAT which, fuck that. throats are vulnerable; thin skin, jugulars, the place where the pulse beats, etc. vampires like throats, weird serial killers like throats, lovers like throats. it’s all very metaphors gone wild and tender, because you have to feel pretty safe to let somebody touch your throat on purpose. 

anyway: i love stede’s little ‘mmph!’ sound, it’s all just so fucking perfect. 

and then ed cups stede’s face and i want to gnaw on SHEET METAL and he KEEPS IT THERE? KEEPS IT THERE. “your hand on my chest is my hand” style? look. i just. i hate the little details each of the actors on this stupid mean to me show emphasizes. the physicality of this cast is fucking insane and it makes me want to go full red stringboard doing a rewatch for each character and only paying attention to what they’re doing so i can really appreciate all these ridiculously talented people.

this show ruined my life, news at eleven, i will never think about anything else.

so yeah! ed is STILL CRADLING STEDE’S JAW stede is saying you make stede happy, i am throwing my fucking tv out the window, etc.

aaaaand then they start making the kind of plans that don’t have great longterm feasibility and the narrative starts to get the road ready for chauncey to royally fuck things up for everybody-slash-probably make things better in the long run but turns out we do not, in fact, have to hand it to chauncey for derailing a plan that would eventually have led to things going sour and then i cry, but that’s for the recaps etc.

#our flag means death #ofmd spoilers #my ofmd meta #how obsessed with this show am i? normal amount #hbo JUST RENEW IT ALREADY #they better give us the nod on s2 and 3 at once or i s2g #fuckin corporate fucks gimme our pirates

[naranjapetrificada]

I came to this hellsite to talk about gay pirates and my therapist, and my next therapy session is still a few days out.

The problem is that I still need to finish processing In Favor With Their Stars, and it only raises even more questions about things that engaging with the show and its fanworks have prompted discussions with my therapist about recently. Why I didn't think to avoid fiction guaranteed to raise existential questions in the middle of a prolonged moment of IRL existential turmoil is beyond me, but here we are.

(it's not beyond me, I seem to have an unconscious drive to test the limits of my emotional regulation and resilience that makes it incredibly difficult to avoid looking into an abyss, even knowing the second half of that Nietzsche quote.)

It's remarkable (and appropriate) that this fic has received the kind of attention and discussion that it has, but that has left me feeling like so many others in the AO3 comments: what could I possibly say that hasn't been said dozens of times? I guess the only "unique" things I can offer on it is the Therapy Stuff it brings up. Also profuse apologies to my therapist that yes, we do once again have to talk about fanfiction that wrecked me, why it managed to unlock things that nothing else in my 3[redacted digit] years of life ever had, and what questions it's left me wrestling with.

Namely:

Why does the question of Stede's personhood makes me feel compelled to try to resolve an ethical debate that people who have spent their entire careers studying AI and consciousness and self-concept and science fiction will never agree on?

Also related to compulsion: what is that drive to engage with devastating media like wiggling a loose tooth?

Why do I assume I'm being judgemental just for asking myself if Ed's "happy ending" could actually be read as incredibly, distressingly lonely in some ways depending on how one feels about the origins and nature of Stede's consciousness?

How will Stede survive without the very of-biological-origins Ed? Will he want to? Should I actually write that fic I had an idea for that would wrestle with that question?

Why in the world is so much of my experience in this fandom wrapped up in grief? I can't seem to shut up about it.

How do you decide if the strong feelings art provokes in you are something you need to unpack or are just part of the experience? Especially as someone whose response to beauty is to cry with the same intensity as when she's crying over actual emotions?

Anyway thanks @mxmollusca for the emotionally fraught questions I can't stop mulling over right now and for the profound beauty of the story that provoked them. I may not be able to distinguish between potential reasons it all made me cry but I'm still so thankful for the chance to shed those unidentifiable tears regardless.

And thanks to everyone else out there making OFMD stuff too. I've never been part of any other fandom with this level of skill and creativity, nor with so many creators doing so much good work. If there's something in the water it must be the source material.

#ifwts #in favor with their stars #go ahead and grieve yourself #spoilers #ifwts spoilers #in favor with their stars spoilers #ofmd meta #ofmd #our flag means death #gentlebeard #edward teach #blackbonnet #stede bonnet #my therapist will be hearing about this #therapist: 1 me: 0