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gentlebeardsbarngrill · 7 days

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05/20/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Cast & Crew Sightings; David Jenkins; Taika Waititi;Vico Ortiz; Rachel House; Kristian Nairn; SaveOFMD Event Calendar; Fuckery Reminder; Adopt Our Crew/Articles; Watch Party Reminders; Voting; Emmy4RhysDarby; In Person Events: PA: Calypso's Birthday Part Two; Fan Spotlight; MerMay; Love Notes; Daily Darby/ Tonight's Taika

= David Jenkins =

Just a lovely artsy photo with David's lovely girlfriend Kinga.

Source: David Jenkins' Instagram

== Taika Waititi ==

Taika is still out and about in Japan! He got several pictures while he's been there! (PS: Where is our Taika In Japan Series)

Source: Chimichangus Instagram / JensenDiedrich's Instagram

= MORE TAIKA NEWS =

Apple TV has officially announced the date for the TV adaptation of Time Bandits (Which is Taika and Jemaine's new baby!)

Custard TV Article

Entertainment Weekly Article

== Vico Ortiz ==

Vico's excited for this upcoming weekend at Phoenix Fan Fusion! May 24-25-2024. For more info visit phoenixfanfusion.com!

Source: Vico Ortiz' Instagram Stories

== Rachel House ==

Rachel posted lots of family and friends pics with the title: "Legend portrait series…"

Source: Rachel House's Instagram

= Kristian Nairn =

More photos of Kristian's performance at Basingstoke Comic Con! Courtesy of Dan_Clarke_Photography!

Source: Kristian Nairn's Instagram

== Save OFMD Crew Calendar ==

Reminder! Tomorrow is time for a Fuckery! Join the SaveOFMD Crew for some polite menacing with the hashtags #WelcomeToMax #DontGetAttached! Instagram / Tumblr Info

== Adopt Our Crew / Articles ==

Our dear friends over at Adopt Our Crew shared an article from Laist about scripted TV! Please visit their twitter if you have access! You can check out the article below:

Less Scripted Content A Common Theme As Networks, Streamers Pitch Advertisers At The Upfronts

Our crewmate @ meowzawowza_ on twitter was kind enough to share more articles regarding scripted TV going on right now.

ICYMI: Scripted TV's Vanishing; YouTube Stars Snub Showbiz; Rushfield's Hope

== Watch Party Reminders ==

Dates: May 20 - 26, 2024 Times: 3:30 pm PT / 6:30pm ET / 11:30 pm BST The #RhysDarbyFaction will be hosting OFMD Season 1 on the RDF Discord Server. Don't have access? Reach out to me on @gentlebeardsbarngrill on tumblr, or @aspirantabby42 on twitter.

== Voting ==

More of our dear crewmates have found another voting opportunity for folks to weigh in on. If you visit the link below, you can choose to Stream it, or Skip it! We think you know which one to choose! Buzzfeed - Underrated TV Shows

Thank you to @ norakitty9 on Twitter for the link!

== Emmy 4 Rhys Darby ==

As you've seen floating around, various crew members are trying to help get Rhys Darby nominated for an emmy! Attached below are several graphics you are welcome to use! You don't need to credit anyone, just use them liberally with the hashtag #Emmy4RhysDarby! Graphics Google Drive

== In Person Events: PA : Calypso's Birthday Part Two ==

Hey crew! Are you in the area of Millvale, PA (greater Pittsburgh area)? Well if so, please consider stopping by Harold's Haunt this Saturday May 25th from 6pm-12am! They'll be hosting Calypso's Birthday Part 2!

They were kind enough to give me lots of info on previous birthdays as well as the upcoming one with more info! Thank you @ringasunn for all your help with this!

Please visit the repo event document for more information!

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Cast Cards =

Tonight's cast card is the Red Flag Crew's foreperson! Thank you @melvisik for spotlighting Ma'aola Faasavala!

== OFMD Colouring Pages ==

Oooo tonight we have the iconic first raid of Stede Bonnet! Thank you @patchworkpiratebear!

Source: PatchworkPirateBear's Tumblr

= Our Flag Means Fanfiction Podcast =

New episode of Our Flag Means Fanfiction! This week is "The Ed Teach Episode"! Wanna give it a listen? Visit their linktr.ee!

Source: Our Flag Means Fanfiction Instagram

= MerMay =

= Blueberreads =

More pixel art from our talented crewmate @blueberreads! I love that we get Chaos Dad rowing back with a bunch of mannequins! I can just hear the yelling!

Day 19: Rowboat / Day 20: High On A Rocky Ledge

= Snejpowa =

More lovely submissions by the super fantastic @snejpowa! Some "Could have beens" in the rowboat to China! Also loving all the versions of flags we're getting! Day 19: Rowboat / Day 20: High On A Rocky Ledge

== Spencer Does Art ==

More Mermay submissions from our delightful crewmate @spencerdoesartt on Instagram! I'm digging their sweet style and vivid colors! Check them out below!

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== Love Notes ==

Wow! Today was a busy day in the fandom! I feel like Mondays always are, but today feels particularly busy! There's so much going on, and everyone seems to be having such a great time with the new press release photos that were found yesterday!

It's so lovely to see this kind of energy and love being injected back into the fandom. I was mentioning this to a friend recently... that it feels almost like OFMD itself is a giant puzzle that we all have access to, and every time we think we're nearing completion of it, some cool new footage, bts, stills, information, interviews, anything-- shows up and suddenly we have all these new pieces to fit into place.

The puzzle is never really finished, but it gets bigger and more intricate with every discovery, and I absolutely love spinning the pieces around and seeing where they fit with all of you.

Whether you are brand new to the fandom, somewhat seasoned, or an ofmd fandom elder, I hope you know that you bring so much joy to this place! I know sometimes we have our spats between fans, but what family doesn't have those? We have so many talented, brilliant members on this crew, and I love coming back online every day and getting to fit another piece into the puzzle with you.

I hope you all are having fun crew, because that's what fandoms are all about. Remember to take a break if you need to, and scream loudly all your love if you feel up for it. We love hearing it <3 Happy Murray Monday lovelies!

== Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika ==

Happy Murray Monday all! Tonight's theme is Flight of the Conchords (with Murray Hewitt and Larry Pritchard)!

Gifs courtesy of the fantabulous @ fandomsmeantheworldtome and @ semisweetshadow!

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traeumenvonbuechern · 3 months

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Which books would the Hallowoods characters read?

Happy HFTH season 4 day! I'm so excited for the new episodes, and I want to celebrate by recommending some books I think some of the main characters would love.

Diggory Graves - Unwieldy Creatures

I have a feeling that Diggory might be interested in a nonbinary Frankenstein retelling...

Percy Reed - The Spirit Bares Its Teeth

A transmasc protagonist, ghosts, a t4t love story - Percy would relate to this book so much.

Nikignik - This Is How You Lose the Time War

Even aside from the whole Bigolas Dickolas thing, I think Nikignik would really love this book. It's an epic, complicated, super emotional love story, written in a way that almost feels like poetry - I have a feeling that Nikignik would like that.

Lady Ethel Mallory - Lady Susan

It's short, it's funny, it's a classic, it's from the perspective of the villain and said villain uses the title "lady"? Lady Ethel would love this book.

Riot Maidstone - Gideon the Ninth

It's about a butch lesbian with a sword. That alone would probably convince Riot to read it, but I think she would love the story, too.

Olivier Song - Infinity Alchemist

This book is about an alchemist who is rejected by the magic school he tried so hard to get into, and one of the love interests is genderfluid - Olivier might relate to it a little too much.

Clara Martin - The Grimoire of Grave Fates

It's a murder mystery set at a magic school that moves around the world, and it's told from 18 (!) different perspectives. I think Clara would love reading about all these different types of magic and trying to solve the mystery.

Polly - Good Omens

Polly reminds me so much of Crowley sometimes - to quote this post, they're both "demons sent on a celestial audit of earth and catching more feelings than they signed up for" - so Polly would probably either love or hate Good Omens, no in-between.

Yaretzi - The Salt Grows Heavy

I can't really explain why I think Yaretzi would like this book, but she would. Something about the main character being a murderous mermaid, probably.

Mort - All Systems Red

Mort would definitely want to be friends with Murderbot.

Hector Mendoza and Jonah Duckworth - Silver in the Wood

This is my go-to "Read this if you like Our Flag Means Death" book because the main characters remind me a lot of Stede and Ed, but the book also reminds me so much of Hector and Jonah, especially with the magical sentient forest setting.

Zelda Duckworth - The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher

This book is about a 83-year-old Chosen One who has to save the world armed with nothing but gumption and knitting needles - I think Zelda would enjoy that.

Mx. Morrell - What Moves the Dead

I think a fungal horror book with a nonbinary protagonist would be perfect for Mx. Morrell.

Danielle O'Hara - Pet

Pet is about a trans girl who has to reconsider everything she's been taught and save her friend with the help of a terrifying creature - everyone should read this book, but I think Danielle would especially like it.

Book titles:

Diggory Graves: Unwieldy Creatures by Addie Tsai

Percy Reed: The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

Nikignik: This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Lady Ethel Mallory: Lady Susan by Jane Austen

Riot Maidstone: Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Olivier Song: Infinity Alchemist by Kacen Callender

Clara Martin: The Grimoire of Grave Fates, edited by Hanna Alkaf and Margaret Owen

Polly: Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

Yaretzi: The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

Mort: All Systems Red by Martha Wells

Hector Mendoza and Jonah Duckworth: Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh

Zelda Duckworth: The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher by E.M. Anderson

Mx. Morrell: What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

Danielle O'Hara: Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

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dancing-with-the-madmen · 2 years

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The Massive Aggression of Calico Jack, redux

Several kind souls have complained brought it to my attention that my failure to use cut tags is, in fact, not optimal. I don't have any good reason that I don't use cuts - mostly I'm just throwing these thoughts out here so they don't endlessly rattle around my brain. Frankly, I'm endlessly astonished anyone but me can be arsed to bother wading through them at all. So, after a truly epic tantrum thoughtful consideration, I've decided to edit my longer posts to add cuts. If you've already read them, (may endless blessings rain down upon you) there's no new content (vile lies and calumny. I'm going to take this opportunity to fix errors and add a line here or there, but nothing major). Just making it more scroll-friendly. You'll know it when you see the word "redux" in the title. So without further ado...

I’ve been trying for a while to put my finger on exactly what it is about Our Flag Means Death's Calico Jack that makes me want to crawl out of my skin and smother him to death with my own abandoned ecdysis.

I mean, I normally love me a spurned admirer/cock-blocking ex. Romantic comedies have their beats, and there’s obviously no serious danger the love interest will end up with anyone other than their intended, so I may as well sit back and enjoy the machinations. After all, the course of true love never did run smooth, and these bitches are here to rough some shit up for sure. I also love Will Arnett. Hands down favorite recurring character on 30 Rock. The second best Batman after TAS (fight me). I can even cheerfully bear his Reese’s commercials if I must bear commercials at all.

Real-life Calico Jack? One of my v. favorite pirates. He wore floral-printed cotton from India as a fuck you to the British tax man. He had an affair with Anne Bonny and offered to purchase her divorce when her husband found out. The two ran away together into piracy when Bonny’s husband refused to quit her and had her whipped for her infidelity. Mary Read was part of Jack and Anne’s crew, and possibly their lover. We love a hopeless romantic, possibly polyamorous king.

So what is it about OFMD Calico Jack that makes him so acutely punchable?

I’ve rewatched the episode several times (oh my v. dears, I really hope this write-up is worth it. I am SO BRAVE to subject myself to this), and I think I’ve finally got it. It’s not just that he’s a loud, vulgar, hectoring, drunken jackass of a bird-murderer. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I have as little patience for his brand of mindless destruction and violence-for-violence-sake as Stede does, but that’s not all. It’s that he’s also a master of passive aggression.

Jack does the little whisper-y “Sorry! Sorry!” when Stede wants to know what’s with all the cannon fire, but immediately starts grinning like an unrepentant varlet as soon as he drops his hands.

And then accepts Stede’s introductory handshake with clear derision.

When Stede says he wasn’t expecting guests and there’s only two settings at brekkie, Jack doesn’t wait for Stede to sort things out, and he’s already lowering himself into Stede’s chair by the time Stede invites him to take his spot. He then purposefully keeps steering the conversation to topics that exclude Stede from participating, and cuts Stede short when he tries to reign the conversation back.

He insinuates Stede is less of a pirate for being “store bought”

He refuses to get Stede’s name right, even when corrected. Twice.

And is just SO insincere when calling him back.

And, just, the whole pissing contest scene.

But so what? We’ve had other passive aggressive assholes on the show; Badminton with his cracks about Stede’s tiny dick ship, the French captain’s slurs, Gabriel simpering about Jeff the Accountant’s dining manners. I’m not shedding any tears for their respective fates, but none of them made me want to crawl through the screen and sew all their face holes shut. Because Jack isn’t just passive-aggressive (and aggressive-aggressive), he might just be the most savvy reader-of-rooms we see on the show, and purposefully and systematically leverages his passive aggression to manipulate the actions of those around him for the purpose of making Ed and Stede betray their better selves and make them do the work of driving a wedge between themselves. That was a lot in one sentence. Let me break it down.

Jack uses passive aggression to achieve one of four goals: to nettle, to undermine, (seemingly paradoxically) to reinforce connections, or to coerce. And, if he can manage to achieve different goals for more than one target with the same attack? So much the better. And he’s frankly just astonishingly good at doing so. Like, I’d admire him for it if it didn’t also make me want to make him swallow all of his own teeth.

The basic gameplan goes thusly (this is not a strictly chronological list, a lot of these tactics take place concurrently and recurrently): Stede is the primary target, so Jack nettles him with passive aggressive comments, which puts him on the back foot and undermines his self-confidence. He reinforces his relationship with Ed in ways that excludes Stede and undermines Stede’s relationship with Ed and Ed’s relationship with Stede. Jack uses coercive tactics with Ed and the crew, which undermines Stede’s relationships with them, isolating and othering Stede, which further tanks his mood, which leads him to self-isolate. When Stede eventually lashes out at Ed for falling for Jack’s bullshit, Ed has no idea what’s got Stede so out-of-sorts; Jack has so carefully lead Ed to making the choices that have alienated Stede that they seem like they were Ed’s ideas in the first place. And if Ed has made the choices to do these things, then they are clearly just a reflection of who he is, which, if Stede is lashing out against them, then Stede is rejecting him. Wedge set and match.

So let’s look at the specifics.

Jack’s interactions with Ed are like a masterclass in neurolinguistic programming for evil. First, he plys Ed with booze from the very start. Just look at the bottle in this shot from right after they blow up the dresser drawer.

That bottle or rum is over half gone, and the sky in the background is the peachy-pink of sunrise. This isn’t the bottle Jack had with him in his dinghy; that one he drained and then threw in the air and tried to shoot before coming aboard the Revenge. Which means that they’ve consumed over half the bottle between just the two of them in a very short amount of time. Alcohol, of course, is a social lubricant - the physical warmth it produces mimicking the “warm, fuzzy” feeling of true comradery, and, more importantly, decoupling the decision-making process from inhibition (that is to say, Ed isn’t necessarily doing anything he absolutely wouldn’t otherwise do, but he might otherwise think twice).

But it’s more insidious than just having a few drinks with an old friend. Jack specifically gamifies the consumption of alcohol to reinforce the coupling of the feeling of inebriation with the comradery engendered by teamwork and excitement of success in order to encourage Ed to drink more than he necessarily otherwise would. Ed confirms to Stede during his apology that the idea to use the drawers of the armoire for target practice came from Jack, and we saw that a bullseye meant that Jack had to take a drink, but Ed didn’t. Presumably, there would have been some consequence for a “miss”, and it seems likely that it would be Ed has to take a drink and not Jack. In this way, Jack is able to exert a measure of control over how much Ed is drinking (by missing on purpose) while making it look like the responsibility lies with Ed and his skill as a thrower. This pattern of sneakily controlling Ed’s actions while making it seem like Ed is the one who made or is responsible for the decision will pop up again and again during their interactions.

After the apologies for waking Stede, Jack steps into the space where Ed is gesticulating to make himself readily available to be touched, reenforcing the bond between them, but letting Ed be the one to instigate the touching.

At brekkie, he pours rum into Ed’s teacup without asking or being asked while Ed’s attention is diverted by getting food.

Jack’s collaring of the conversation does not just function as a means of making Stede feel excluded, he’s also refreshing and reinforcing the bonds he and Ed forged under adversity. Talking over Stede also demonstrates that what he has to say is more important than anything Stede might contribute.

Note that just before Jack cut him off, Stede had referred to Ed as Blackbeard (“Blackbeard and I met on a ship”). This may be innocently explained away; if you meet a person from a facet of a close friend’s life with which you do not intersect, you might refer to said friend by their given name instead of a nickname that the other person might not know, for the sake of common frame of reference. But this is the opposite of that - referring to a friend by a nickname instead of the given name that you both presumably know. That suggests to me that the seed of the Ed/Blackbeard dichotomy has already been planted in Stede’s mind by the morning’s shenanigans. And when Jack invites Stede back into participating in the conversation by talking about something he knows Stede would find upsetting (the wanton cruelty of Ed purposefully trapping people to be burned alive, couched in what sounds like sincere admiration for his friend’s piratical prowess), Jack has picked up on that distinction and is leaning into it HARD. He WANTS Stede to see Ed as a collection of behaviors he finds palatable, and Blackbeard as a collection of behaviors he finds repulsive, and then coerce Ed into performing those “Blackbeard behaviors” in order to coerce Stede to drive the wedge by rejecting him. Fucking diabolical.

When Jack is calling Stede a “big girl,” or “store-bought,” or purposefully getting his name wrong, he’s not just throwing barbs that play on Stede’s insecurities (and with such harrowing precision, too; calling on the effeminacy for which he was tormented as a child, his body image issues that we’ve also seen him struggle with under the tender mercies of Badminton - both brain-ghost and original flavor - and the authenticity of his claim to piracy, which we’ve seen him confess that he fears he’s ill-qualified to claim to Jim, Oluande, and Ed. I mean,triple bullseye for this fucking guy). He’s also using these public declarations to undermine Stede’s authority in front of his crew, and establish himself as the real authority on things like piracy and masculinity. He further reinforces this idea by withholding the story of how he saved Ed’s life under the guise of false modesty; people never want something more than when they’re told they can’t have it. And what they’re being told they can’t have is the story of how Jack was so amazing that he even managed to save the life of the coolest, most legendary pirate they know. This withholding primes the crew to think even more highly of Jack and hang on his every word.

This puts Jack into a position where he can pressure the crew into things that sound fun at first blush (like diving off the yardarm or having a snowball fight, but with coconuts), but end up hurting more than anything. Of course, within this dynamic, no one wants to admit they aren’t having a good time, or don’t want to do it; to do so would be tantamount to admitting you are less of a man or not a real pirate. So when Stede refuses to participate, or admits his discomfort or disgust with the proceedings, he’s doing Jack’s work for him, and further alienating himself, and solidifying the roles Jack had put into place where Jack is the fun, cool guy, and Stede is the killjoy that no one should listen to.

Stede unwittingly plays right into Jack’s design when he tries to stand up for himself and wrest back a modicum of respect before things get too far out of hand. He’s well-versed in the world of passive aggression, and sees what Jack is doing. He also knows that you can’t call it out because passive aggression comes with a built in cover of plausible deniability gaslighting. So instead, he tries to push back with a little passive aggression of his own, suggesting that a real pirate has a ship and a crew. Sadly, Stede is not nearly so adroit at wielding passive aggression as Jack is. Jack uses the story (and we know that Izzy sent him, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole mutiny thing is just a story; I could even easily read that slight hesitation after Stede asks his question as Jack deciding on what would be the most effective cover story, instead of hesitancy to admit to something shameful) of his crew’s mutiny to casually re-sow the idea of mutiny on the Revenge. It’s played for comedy when the crew starts talking about how they almost mutinied on Stede and probably will again, but you can’t tell me this hasn’t been a major concern for Stede ever since the first episode. So Jack’s not only got the crew trying to buoy his spirits by assuring him that his crew mutinying on his doesn’t mean he’s a bad person; it’s just something that happens! He’s also got them low-key committing to a future mutiny WITHIN EARSHOT OF STEDE.

Additionally, while Stede is well-steeped in the ways of passive aggression, his crew and Ed are not. They are not particularly sophisticated at identifying passive aggression on its own merits as opposed to the reaction it provokes, which can make it look like they don’t care when it’s being leveraged against Stede, undermining his ability to trust they will look out for him. Stede stoically putting up with Jack’s jibes makes them even more difficult to identify as hurtful. Jack’s (fake) emotional reaction to Stede’s sally might make him look momentarily weak, but allows Ed and the crew to unequivocally identify who is in the wrong and react accordingly. By positioning himself as a victim, he villainizes Stede, further undermining Stede’s authority, and placing him in a position where he owes Jack recompense. Thus, Jack is able to manipulate Stede into the trap of Dead Man’s Cove and make it look like it was Stede’s own idea. I mean, the Xanatos Speed Chess of it all.

What’s heartbreaking to me is how Jack’s wedge-driving and othering of Stede is working so well that at this point we start to hear it from other sources. As they approach the island and Stede suggests going for a swim or taking a nature walk, Ed is the one who tells him, “I think with this crowd, I think they want something a little more…” Not Jack would want something more exciting, this crowd. Jack’s exclusionary rhetoric out of Ed’s mouth.

Which is exactly the time Jack decides to up the ante.

I want to take a minute to look at the immediate lead up to yardies, because I think it’s an excellent illustration of how Jack looks like a lumbering boor, but his actions are actually so carefully considered and nuanced. He runs up from behind Stede and Ed and throws his arms around them shouting “Yardies!” literally insinuating himself between them, which interrupts anything that was going on between them, puts them off balance, and focuses the attention on him. Then, when he says “Who’s up for yardies?” he makes eye-contact with Ed - the implicit social expectation being “You, Ed, are up for yardies.” When he turns to Stede, it is to literally laugh in his face. I mean, the absolute cheek.

Until this point, the crew of the Revenge have been passive participants in Jack’s hooliganry. They watched him perform whippies, and got whipped at without encouraging him to do so. They listened to his and Ed’s stories. But now Jack is cashing in on his established expertise of what real pirates do to coerce the crew into taking part in a dangerous stunt. It’s more of the “Blackbeard behavior” dichotomy he started sowing in Stede’s mind at brekkie, but now he’s extending it beyond Ed to the whole crew. He wants Stede to feel like he’s all alone in a sea of idiocy, but he wants him to come to the conclusion on his own by making it seem like Ed and the crew are doing things of which he would disapprove of their own accord.

Once we get to the island, we see the activities take a turn from the careless Jackass-ery of whippies and yardies to the abject cruelty of turtle vs. crab. There’s no saying that Jack organized the fight, but we do see the crew handing him various trinkets to be used in gambling on a winner, which certainly suggests he was the central figure in how the game was established. We also see that, though he has been presenting himself as a drunkard, there’s no bottle in his hand or around him in the sand. There is, however, one in Ed’s hand, who is directly to his side. I can easily see him handing it off so he could handle the gambling stakes, the real intention being to keep Ed readily supplied with booze.

And then we have the pissing contest. Jack’s got Stede literally and metaphorically isolated, and now it’s time to really drive it all home. Every moment of their interaction is designed to drive Stede to distraction; the amount of derision he lays on the phrase “Your good, close buddy,” the insinuation that he and Ed are just alike, and then being as rude and crass as possible. And because he’s read the room - the intimate breakfast for two, Ed’s little touches and the way Stede smiles at them, the way they keep going off together for little chats - of course Jack’s just got to twist the knife and allude to his and Ed’s former sexual history. So now that he’s got Stede primed, it’s time to name the fear: “Maybe you don’t know him at all.”

At this point, Stede is left to wonder: does he? Blackbeard’s reputation preceded him, after all. And he’s been acting so differently since the appearance of one of his oldest friends. It’s not the violence qua violence, per se; Stede is by turns delighted and impressed by the violence he’s seen Ed and his crew employ in the heat of battle in the pursuit of piracy. It’s the cruel and senseless violence that Stede objects to, and that’s exactly the brand that Jack has been peddling, and which Ed has gone along with so enthusiastically. And it’s not JUST the violence; Ed apologizes for Jack when he recognizes Jack has crossed a line in a typically agro way (destroying Stede’s belongings, and insulting Stede to his face), but it never occurs to Stede that his insistence on persevering with quietly aggrieved dignity in the face of Jack’s slights would make it nigh impossible for Ed to identify that Jack has crossed all sorts of other lines, and Stede is hurting because of it. For Stede, it must be frustrating and mystifying why Ed keeps letting his friend get away with his passive aggressive bullshit. Doesn’t he care?

Is it any wonder that one more failure to notice how Jack has riled him, and one more act of coconut-flavored Jackass-ary is enough to break the dam, and for Stede to spill all that built-up hurt on Ed? Is it any wonder that Ed is bewildered at where all this is coming from? I’ve talked before about Ed’s tendency to fawn on people, and how, as an emotional chameleon, he would have difficulty identifying when the motivation for his actions is self-directed or externally dictated. Jack has further confounded this distinction by manipulating scenarios to make it seem like participation in all the Jackass-ary he has instigated was voluntary instead of coerced. When Stede says “I don’t like who you are around this guy” what he means is “I don’t like how this guy is able to manipulate you into acting on your very worst impulses”, but what Ed hears is “I don’t like you”. For who is he, if not the collection of behaviors he chooses to exhibit? And were those choices not entirely his to make? With the rift clearly established, if in its infancy, of course Jack is going to do everything he can to foster its growth. So again, he interrupts Stede, again implicitly signaling that Ed should pay attention to what he says and not Stede. By lobbing the coconut at Ed at that moment, he forestalls any possible clearing of the air between Ed and Stede, and causes Ed to literally turn his back on Stede, in the way Ed feels Stede has emotionally turned his back on him just moments earlier. Jack reinforces this idea of turning his back on Stede again moments later when he says “Don’t go!” and immediately turns Ed around by the shoulders.

I know that I’ve been laying it on a bit thick and prolly sound like the written embodiment of the red string conspiracy meme, but I’m about to get a whole lot worse, and I’m going to ask you to stick with me, oh my v. dears. I think Jack killed Karl on purpose.

I know, I know. It was an accident! He was flailing drunkenly! But was he?

Have we seen him take so much as a single drink since the cannon fire at the beginning of the episode? Even though he’d been drinking earlier, did he not have devastating precision and accuracy when he first demonstrated Whippies - shattering every glass, snapping the cards from the Swede’s fingers, and ball-tapping Ed without permanently maiming him or even splitting the leather of his pants? In fact, while nearly every other crew member on the deck has a bottle in hand, just like on the beach, Jack does not.

Jack knows he has to get Ed off the ship before the British show up, but he can’t just say “Let’s ditch these losers” and expect Ed to agree, especially since he’s spent most of the day roping the crew into his schemes. The most effective way to get Ed to follow is if Jack is rejected for just being himself and doing what he does, just like Ed feels he was earlier by Stede. I think the original plan was to goad Olu into seriously hurting the Swede, the fallout of which would be recriminations that Jack made them do it, and Jack getting aggrieved that he was just trying to show this ungrateful lot how to have a good time, skulking off and leading Ed to follow him and reassure him that he’s really a good guy - how could he have known it would turn out like that? But when Buttons calls a halt to the proceedings and it looks like everyone is going to pack it in, Jack has to think fast. If HE maims a crew mate, that would be a bridge too far, painting him as the bad guy. But Karl? He’s just a bird. And if Jack can get a little revenge on the weird bird guy who made him change his plan, so much the better. AND, as people with far fewer auditory processing issues than I have pointed out, Jack mutters that he expected there to be more feathers. Could the evidence be any more damning?

Of course the whole ship turns on him, and then here’s Stede to order him off, explicitly rejecting him the way he metaphorically rejected Ed. But when even that isn’t enough to get Ed to follow him, Jack pulls out one last, desperate manipulation - the debt of life.

Jack’s tragic flaw is that he can’t turn it off. Once he and Ed are alone, he turns his passive aggressive assault on Ed, pressuring him into drinking the morning away by sarcastically saying he didn’t know he had an audience with the pope when Ed expresses disinterest, and, ultimately, giving up the game when he mentions with casual derision how he’d heard of Ed shaking up with Stede, and then deriding Ed for his failure to spot Jack’s machinations.

Too bad Jack didn’t know that the punishment for passive-aggressive fuckery on this show is death…

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd meta #calico jack

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absolutebl · 9 months

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This week in BL - Gay Boy Turf Wars Galore!

Also, ALL the guest couples: TutorYim & MacNat showed up in Korea. Korea also reused the Love Class pair. And Wayne Song & Huang Chun Chih (H3:MODC) popped up AGAIN. (To be fair, when does Wayne not show up in a Taiwanese BL?)

Entirely subjective yadda yadda. Organized by favs in each category. No numbered lists anymore, tumblr be buggn'.

Aug 2023 Wk 4

Ongoing Series - Thai

Laws of Attraction (Sat iQIYI) 7 of 8 - Plot reveals galore + all the penultimate tension we could want. (How many different kinds of smiles does Film have in his arsenal?) OMG I LOVE the unhinged idiot bloody tattooed ex bf - intro music and all. He is my precious psycho-bunny-snookums. Also Tinn, baby-boy, communicating about your honest feelings in a BL? What madness is this? I sense doom incoming. Smart Chan, always tell him he’s better in bed than your ex. The sides getting caught! Noooooo. I mean we knew it would happen but still noooooooo!

I Feel You Linger in the Air (Sat YT) ep 2 of 12 - I like the surreal slip-stream dream-sequence openings. Is it a cerebral examination of temporal paradox or just designed to creep us out? The pace has picked up a bit and I'm delighted that external threat, stressors, and conflict are driving this plot. Refreshing. I love historicals - every touch and action can have such lingering significance, it’s very elegant. Thai BLs can often feel clumsy but not this one. I’m really enjoying it.

Dangerous Romance (Fri YT) ep 2 of 12 - Sailom is great. I love a smartass who’s actually really smart, reminds me of Bai Luo Yin in Addicted. (The real Addicted.) Never a bad thing. Kang is nasty bit of business, I look forward to his redemption arc. I love his grandma. (BL is giving good grandma right now.) Nicely executed narrative twist into sympathy too: rich kid sees how rough life really is. The complexity of character depth needed for this script makes me so happy it's Perth & Chimon, they both have such expressive nuanced faces.

I do keep wanting to rewatch LBC tho.

Only Friends (Sat YT) ep 3 of 10 - It remains a blast. Boston is king of red flags, cutting down Ray because he is the easiest punching bag? Going after his friend's bf just to prove he can? No thank you. I know Ray is lovely when he’s soft but danger zone, Sand. Be careful upon entering a minefield, every little step forward may cause an explosion. I don’t think being master of snark is gonna help you avoid getting blown up.

Sand is the one I feel the worst for - bi guy strays into cesspit of gay toxicity. He ain’t gonna make it out alive.

Hidden Agenda (Sun GMMTV YouTube) ep 7 of 10 - The boyfriends date ep! Zo’s past explains a lot about his behavior. Flirty Zo is v dangerous to all our hearts. Nice kiss. Poor Joke. Meanwhile, the side couple gave good kiss too! However, why is Title playing the bad guy again? Did GMMTV bring him in just to be resident jerk face in all their BL? Makes me sad.

Be Mine Super Star (Mon Viki) ep 8 of 12 - This should be a 8 or 10 ep show, 12 is too many. I think I just don’t like the lead couple's character dynamic and personalities. (No shade on JaFirst.) Side couple went startlingly high heat allasudden. And while their sex scene was good, I wish Daddy and the Hot Doc were being given a lot more script, screen time, and character dev. Sigh. I guess I just wish they were the mains and the others were the sides.

Can't have everything, I suppose.

Wedding Plan (Wed YT & iQIYI) ep 6 of 7 - Nuea is a saint and next week everything comes to a head (that didn’t already get head this episode). Trash watch here!

Love in Translation (Sat iQIYI) ep 2 of 10 - The side couple is everything. They are so cute and my favorite trope. Plus hugs with neck kisses! I love big brother using his adorable boyfriend to try and help his annoying little brother’s business. It’s just perfect. Unfortunately, that annoying little brother, is too fucking annoying. I remain largely unable to watch the main story arc.

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) 1 of 24 eps - Sampler pack BL, 12 pairs, each pair gets 2 eps, so this show will run all the way into 2024.

First installment is Casanova Begins. Dead boy wakes up in his enemy’s body, 2 years after his own death. Has to make things right with the boyfriend who thinks he was abandoned. Everyone has secrets. No one can be trusted. And the dead kid can never tell anyone who he really is. It’s … different? Unique take on the My Ghost Boyfriend trope.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Jun & Jun (Korea Thur Viki) ep 6 of 8 - Random moment of TutorYim. Hi cuties. Simon is my favorite, I love him and his flirty irreverent ways.

Who does he actually like?

Or is he just flirting with everyone?

Can he have a crush on anyone but himself?

He’s a house cat among the pigeons. Clearly wouldn't know what to do with the bird if he managed to catch it. Or would he?

The 4 boys dodging around each other and re-shuffling is so funny. I can’t tell you how delighted this show makes me. I do feel sorry for Lee Jun, he’s just the toy everyone wants to play with. I understand his frustration, do any of them really want him or is it all because the others are interested? Kiss! Yay! Good kiss! Even more yay!

Stay By My Side (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 9 of 10 - Poor baby doesn’t think he’s good enough and is holding JC back. They are THE CUTEST BOYFRIENDS. It hurts. The sappy.

Kisseki: Dear to Me (Taiwan Tues Viki & iQIYI) eps 1-2 of 13(?) - From screenwriter Lin Pei Yu (We Best Love, H3: Trapped) formerly known as Miracle, features a student doctor forced to take care of a gangster. I love the premise and like the writer. This one could be sad. Never forget Taiwan will go there.

Shall we get tucked in?

Gay boy turf wars! Main couple is cute. Sunshine gangster (turns out to be a sweetie who cooks) meets broken brilliant tsundere student who wants to be a doctor. Side couple is the leader of the gang and his rabid Pet. Also, all praise the guest couple de jour (baddies). Nice to see you 2... again. All actors are clearly having a blast with this script.

Triggers for knife play, child abuse, lingering trauma.

Love Class Season 2 (Korea Fri Viki) eps 5-6 of 10 - Aw guest couple from Love Class original, that is very sweet. The tutor and returning student, aka couple 3, are the best. So funny. But the whole thing remains engaging in a messy way.

Why R U? (Korea Wed iQIYI) eps 1-2 of 8 - Oh, it’s very odd. Certainly a lot more comprehensible if you've already watched the Thai version. As with that version, I still dislike the SaifahZon couple and love the FighterTutor couple. And once again I hate the weird IRL shipping sister. HATE HER. I’m not mad at the "Man who Fell into the World of BL" overtones but I wish they went at it more intentionally. (They’re not using NPC the way I would, are they? Cause that’s hella cruel.) MaxNat are fun. I love that Fighter went to his girlfriend's birthday party, didn’t even say hi to her, picked up her drunk bestie, and took him home.

This show is WILD. It’s very Korea tries to do a Thai BL. And, I gotta say, I kind of like the absurdity of the whole scheme. Do I think it will ultimately "work" as a stand alone piece? No. But as a very odd kind of parody? Sure.

Minato's Laundromat Season 2 AKA Minato Shouji Coin Laundry Season 2 (Japan Thu Gaga) ep 7 of 12 - Truth always comes out in hot springs. It's a rule of life. Coming clean is coming clean, I suppose. Still, moving very slowly for me and I need sake to get through this season. It's certainly suffering from sophomore slump.

Stay Still (Hong Kong Tues YouTube) ep 4 of 5 - Sad episode is sad.

In case you missed it

My Personal Weatherman AKA Taikan Yoho (Japan Sat Gaga) ep 3 of 8 - didn't air this week

Dinosaur Love (Sun iQIYI) ep 9 of 10 eps - Didn’t drop this week? MDL thinks it should have. Everyone is confused. But also… who cares?

Low Frequency (Thai iQIYI) Finished it's run - NO SINGING as flirty boyfriends they very cute actually, but this final ep was V E R Y slow.

All in all this was not a great show. Classic pulp with an interesting twist on “ghost boyfriend investigates his own not-murder” but ultimately not very good in any arena. 6/10 Only if you have nothing better to do.

Sing My Crush (Korea iQIYI) Finished it's rerun

This a cute coming of age drama around music and 2 kinds of self acceptance and actualization journeys. This was basically Korea’s version of About Youth, and was perhaps a bit too soft and ungrounded by comparison, like a marshmallow sculpture. Sweet but somewhat lacking in discernible flavor. Inoffensively unmemorable. 8/10 RECOMMENDED especially if you enjoy KBL's style

8/24 Man Suang (Thailand movie, domestic cinema release) - historical drama about Thai burlesque with KP’s MileApo. Do I know where to get it? Nope. Do I care? Nope.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Coming September

I have 4 on my radar:

9/2 Naughty Babe (Thailand Sat ????) - MaxNat back on our screens. We think iQIYI but aren't confident.

9/15 You Are Mine (Taiwan ????) - it's taking over from Stay By My Side so likely Gaga. Secretary has to deal with grumpy boss.

9/26 I Cannot Reach You AKA I Can't Reach You AKA Kimi ni wa Todokanai (Japan ????) - Adapted from the manga, childhood best friends: The cool, smart one who’s good at everything, and his average, dorky friend who struggles. Always by the other’s side, but not together in the way they truly want to be. No matter how hard they try, their hearts cannot reach each other.

9/27 Absolute Zero (Thai iQIYI) - from 2021, Studio Wabi Sabi and New Siwaj finally bring us this “time loop to prevent tragedy” romance. We don’t always get HEAs from them, so I'm on my guard.

9/?? Venus in the Sky (Thai iQIYI) 10 eps - ????

2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED).

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

No you aren't, Lom. You don't even know what that means. (Wedding Plan)

Minato comes out to the best person.

Trope spotlight! (Low Frequency)

I Fell You Linger in the Air

So true. (Only Friends)

I love them so much, as @heretherebedork would put it, Tiny Idiots!

(Last week)

Gotta say I am hating this new UI so much I'm not bothering to tag with shows. We shall see what that does for ROI.

#this week in BL #bl news #BL reviews #korean bl #japanese bl #taiwanese bl #thai bl #Rakutan Viki #gagaoolala #GMMTV

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fuckyeahizzyhands · 4 months

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youtube

Con: I think the show deserves a season three whether I'm involved in it or not. It was always David's dream to make three seasons. I would be gutted for him if season three didn't happen. As far as Izzy being involved, that's entirely up to David Jenkins.

Screen Rant: I did some Googling, and I found articles. One of them was titled “Our Flag Means Death Season Two's Best Character Isn’t Who You Think”, and it was talking about Izzy. The other one was “Izzy Hands is the Real Star of Our Flag Means Death Season Two”. Those were both headlines I found. What was it like to find out what Izzy’s journey this season was going to be? It’s had such an impact on so many people.

Con O’Neill: David and I spoke about it quite a lot before we shot, about the redemptive qualities, and I was delighted that we didn't suddenly turn him into a saint overnight. I was delighted that the redemption was complicated and layered, and I don't feel that Izzy disappears in any of it. I think he's very much who he always was, but with slightly more of an open soul. I was so grateful to David and the writers for creating an arc that was playable rather than Hollywood-ized and too easy. It was challenging; it was a very, very lonely shoot for me. I found myself gravitating towards my own company most of the time, mainly because of the hours. And, because if I wasn’t shooting, I was learning to walk on that f***ing leg. If I wasn’t doing that, I was sword training, and if I wasn’t doing that, I was body training, and if I wasn’t doing that, I was recording a song in French. So, I was busy. Our group is a group of beautiful people, and we would meet every Sunday for lunch. Christine used to arrange that. I found myself initially quite hesitant to join that, because it felt like I had this weight on my shoulders, certainly for the first four episodes. I loved it as an actor. I found it really challenging as a man on his own in New Zealand, where it rains [a lot].

Screen Rant: I'm a music nerd, and kind of a musical theater nerd; my favorite episode of this is the one where you're singing in it. I love those sequences so much, your voice is insane, and it's such a good character moment. How did the decision to make that happen—singing, and specifically that song--come about? Did they write that for you because they knew you were a singer?

Con O’Neill: We’re all walking around backstage, telling jokes, playing music, and singing; that’s just what happens when you shoot a show. David called me up while I was in Wellington. I was in Wellington for a week shooting something else. He called me up and he asked me if I knew “La vie en rose”; I knew it, vaguely, but I don't speak French at all. Then, he mentioned that they wanted to do it in an episode. So, I learned the English version, Dean Martin’s version, and then they asked me if I could learn the French version. I don't speak a word of French, not a word, but my partner does, and I had a friend who just played Edith Piaf piano—Jenna (Russell)--and between the two of them, they taught me the French version of the song. If somebody had asked me prior to this, “What song would Izzy sing?” “La vie en rose” would never have entered my head. And now, there's no other song that fits. That's the genius of David. David's very clever with music. We know that--we’ve all experienced how clever he is—but to pick that song for him, at that point in his life? Yeah. F***ing hell. That was genius.

Screen Rant: Your character died this season. How far in advance did you know that, and did that affect how you approached or thought about the season?

Con O’Neill: No. I mean, to be honest, I felt it was going that way. I've been around a long time, and when a character starts this kind of arc, especially in something as interesting as our show is… When David took me out for dinner, I kind of thought this was where it was going, and, partly, I was relieved. I'm not an actor who likes to just repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat. And, I knew that Ed and Stede were going to end up together at the end of this season, so Izzy, as he stands, wouldn't make any sense to still be there. So, it was a relief that the decision was being made. I was a bit upset because I love playing him, but leave them wanting more, you know? I will be eternally grateful for what they gave me; how they played him out in the show. The beautiful speech they gave me, the opportunity to do “La vie en rose”, and the opportunity to die in Taika’s arms and to be able to honor that relationship… I couldn't have asked for a better play-off, really.

Screen Rant: This season did introduce, with the Gravy Basket, the potential for someone who has passed on to return. If there was a season three, do you think your character would have anything else to impart on Stede or Blackbeard in a similar scenario?

Con O’Neill: You’d have to ask David Jenkins. I don't know where David wants to take it, and I wouldn't preempt that with me making up stories for Izzy in a flashback or ghostie Izzy, or whatever. I have no idea where David wants season three to go. I think the show deserves a season three whether I'm involved in it or not. It was always David's dream to make three seasons. I would be gutted for him if season three didn't happen. As far as Izzy being involved, that's entirely up to David Jenkins.

Screen Rant: So much of this season and Izzy’s journey is his relationship with Edward and his love for Edward, and so much of the conflict is about how much Edward is changing. Did you have an understanding of what version of Blackbeard, or Edward, that Izzy was looking for, and wanting to be around?

Con O’Neill: That’s a great f***ing question. Between season one and season two, in the interim, Izzy experiences a broken Blackbeard, and a Blackbeard that's never going to go back to what he was, because he's heartbroken. Everyone who's been heartbroken knows that you never go back to who [you] were. He just wants to fix Blackbeard. That's why he takes his life in his hands by confronting Blackbeard; he just wants Blackbeard to be fixed, to find his soul again, [and] to find his heart again. Whether he's involved in that is not relevant. What's relevant is, he loves Blackbeard so much that he wants him to find himself again. So, it's never Izzy’s version of Blackbeard that Izzy’s looking for. He's looking for Blackbeard to find himself again, and that's only through Stede.

Screen Rant: I was looking up the real-life Izzy Hands, who testified against allies to get a pardon and supposedly died a beggar in the streets of London years later. Would you have been interested in that, dramatically, if that was how his story ended on the show?

Con O’Neill: No, that's not our show. We're not historically [accurate to] those times. If we were, they wouldn’t have cast a guy who is 50 to play a 16-year-old pirate. I don't know. I'd love to be able to tell you what area that season three, if it ever happens, would go, but I literally have no idea. I don't think we're going to go down the historical route. I’d be very surprised if we do that.

Screen Rant: I don’t know if you’ll have an answer for me, but I saw that you initially auditioned for a different role. I love Taika so much; I feel like you would have also made a great Blackbeard. Is that who you were going for, initially?

Con O’Neill: Absolutely not, but thank you for saying that. I don’t see anyone else as Blackbeard but Taika. When Taika was announced, I knew what our show was. But no, it wasn’t Blackbeard. And no, I’m not going to tell you.

Screen Rant: Okay. Perfect. Well, clearly it all worked out for the best. I mean, you're incredible, and the whole cast is so perfect in their roles. It's been a pleasure to watch you and… yeah, congrats on the show.

Con O’Neill: Thank you so much.

#our flag means death spoilers #our flag means death #ofmd #con o'neill #izzy #izzy hands #con interview #interview #season 3 #video transcript #david jenkins #screenrant #Youtube

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ivyblossom · 2 years

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The Triumph of Mary Bonnet, Strong Female Character

One of the saddest, and most telling, commentaries about film and television in general is that the request that stories contain more strong, female characters resulted in creators giving us female characters who are literally strong. Like, they can lift heavy stuff, or punch really hard, or can face dramatic, difficult situations with ease. That wasn't what we meant.

We have the Bechdel test (do two named female characters talk to each other about something other than a man?), which was never meant to be a deep measure of the quality of a film, or of the characters. It comes from a comic strip, and is a kind of a wry commentary on how sparse the inner life of female characters is that even this is asking too much.

It took me a minute to decide I was going to even dive into Our Flag Means Death, partly because the title is ominous, and partly because it looked like yet another sausage fest, which to be honest with you I'm getting increasingly tired of. But I was already a fan of Rhys Darby and Taika Waititi, so I didn't hold back long.

About 15 minutes in, I realized I was actually very much in favour of a sausage fest if they were going to do it like this: address toxic masculinity head on, rip it to shreds, pour one out on its grave while dancing on it, and portray multiple, more complex and humane versions of masculinity for the audience to fall in love with instead. That, yes. I will watch that. Bring me all sausage fest stories if they deconstruct and then reconstruct masculinity in an anti-racist, anti-colonialist, feminist way. We need it. I'm here for it.

But what about the women?

I absolutely love Mary Bonnet. She is a complete human being with her own personality, inner life, and hopes for herself. She is a victim of the same circumstances Stede is, but she faces different pressures and expectations, and she processes it very differently. She is not (and does not need to be) physically strong, or emotionally strong, or morally strong. She is compelling as a character, and that's what she needs to be.

Mary Bonnet has her own story, one that intersects with Stede's without being dominated by it. She has a role to play in Stede's story, and she is not a main character, but she is palpably not a minor character in her own life.

Finally. Someone understood the assignment. Mary Bonnet is a strong, female character. This is what we meant all along.

There was every reason to paint Mary as the villain of the piece, because Our Flag Means Death is the story of why Stede chose to run away from a life with her. Making her mean or difficult, or too domineering when she should have been demure, would have made sense. But they didn't go that way, and the story benefits from that choice.

It's hard not to empathize with Mary. The story gives us her perspective even though Stede can't see it. We love Stede as the audience, but we can appreciate how absolutely infuriating he would have been as a husband. He gives the kids nightmares. He has no interest in the things that Mary does, or the things she loves (painting). He waltzes off in the middle of the night to become a pirate, and then has the audacity to come back and try to take back the life he rejected so dramatically. Mary's perspective is perfectly summed up by the shots of her in her own bed, happy to take up all the available space, and then getting pushed to the edge of the mattress by the entitled, self-centred, and self-absorbed Stede upon his return.

Mary has her own take on this situation, and the story lets us see it. It's not hard to picture another 10 episode series about Mary Bonnet having to marry this odd man she has nothing in common with, who doesn't connect very well with his children, who then promptly abandons her. You can imagine how she has to face the horror of that, the questions, and how she took the situation by the horns and found a way to make it work. She declares him dead and secures her financial independence. She explores her passions in life. She gets into a loving relationship that doesn't infringe on her independence. She raises her kids without interference. She finds her own happiness, and then the bastard shows up again. It's right there in the text. When she decides to murder him, she even does that in her own way.

Mary is her own person and has her own story, and it's not there just to mirror Stede's or to make Stede's story work. The writers took Mary seriously as a complete and independent character. They gave her rational, reasonable thoughts and motives that align with who she is, what her life has been about, and her version of the world, not with Stede's. The fact that Stede's story and Mary's story conflict with each other makes them both better and more interesting.

Shine on, Mary Bonnet. We saw the whole person that you are. And you are fabulous.

#OFMD #our flag means death #Mary Bonnet #Strong Female Characters

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stacotto · 1 year

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I shouldn't be surprised when the episode title is, "The End of Hope", but.....fuck. I can barely keep my thoughts together as I write this, but, here we go.

Watching Earth House deal with the fallout of Aerial being the new poster child for the evil Spacian overlords was damn sad, Aliyah pretty much nails how I feel about it, though Lilique going "not our problem" is both a mood and unexpected (not in a bad way ofc). It was really sweet seeing Petra be nice to Suletta, on top of commiserating over their love lives, really added some nice depth. Her dialogue was Death Flag city tho. For those that care, the post-episode radio program hinted that she might still be alive, though just judging by the rubble she was under she might not have working legs anymo- OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Clever.

Love to see Guel finally show off why he's always been an Ace in the making; my man faced off in his still school-spec'd Darilbalde vs a freshly upgraded Michaelis set to full power, and came out on top. Really appreciating his ability to use his drones, he's definitely the series' Quattro. Feeling bad for Lauda tho, dude just learned big bro just killed their father then gets the call at the end probably about what to Petra. Can already tell he's going to have a lot of internalized guilt over this happening because he skipped out on their date (for an admittedly important reason) unless she gets the chance to tell him otherwise.

RIP to the Earth House hangar and Chuchu's Demi, but I take solace in the fact that I called the Barding being her next custom suit the moment I saw the Gunpla images (obviously the Barding we saw in the episode was missing some details from the gunpla like the second head mounted on the backpack which is definitely going to be salvaged from Chuchu's old Demi but yeah, called it). Also now feeling the Felchu vibes, ya'll got me.

Speaking of new ships...why did I have to get so rabidly attached to 5nore only for her to get Anew'd literally one episode later, it's not fair. They were going to run away and see the things she drew then the rest would come later. It's not fair. 5 is either going to have a Guel arc or just go absolute villain mode, and I'm not ready. It's not fair.

Okay I'm going to ramble a bit because I have been absolutely normal about the fact that Suletta has been a rescue pilot for a significant portion of her life and that detail is only really known to those that read Cradle Planet but they absolutely showed that off right at the end because this girl is tearing her hands apart moving heavy concrete slabs because goddammit there are still people that could be saved and she did not memorize the canyon patterns of Mercury, learn to wield a beam saber with the precision of a scalpel and earn Eri's complete faith that if she said she could complete a mission in 4 minutes then it'd be done in 4 minutes for her to not put all that experience to good use. I hope her effort gets recognized. It probably won't, Gundams just attacked the school again and killed likely scores of students if not hundreds this time around, but she's gotta get some respect for this.

"What We Can Do Now" is a hopeful title, and probably another TitleDrop episode like "Not the Best Way", so here's hoping that it's either a breather episode gearing up for a descent to Earth or said descent episode proper. I mean, it's either that or Mio and Prospera coming back up to Plant Quetta to send Quiet Zero...into...oh no.

#mobile suit gundam the witch from mercury #g-witch #g witch #the witch from mercury #g-witch spoilers #petra itta #suletta mercury #elan ceres #elan 5 #norea du noc #5nore #we are in for a wild ride #guel jeturk

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gentlebeardsbarngrill · 24 days

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05/03/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Samba Schutt; Nathan Foad; Erroll Shand; AdoptOurCrew Convention Guide; Our Flag Makes A Difference; Fan Spotlight; MerMay; Love Notes; Daily Darby/Tonight's Taika

== Cast & Crew Sightings ==

= Rhys Darby =

Samba did some great impressions of Rhys in his video below, but as much as we love those impressions sometimes there's no replacement for the real thing! So here's some Darby for you today!

Img Src: Samba's Instagram

But wait-- there's more! New Cryptid Factor Episode! Check it out here on Spotify.

= Taika Waititi =

A quick additional photo from the shoot Taika did not too long ago! Photography by @atibaphoto Creative direction by @justinoshea

Img Src: christinecentenara Instagram

In addition, Rita uploaded some quick photos of Taika today from the other TYPEBEA launch at a Sephora in NYC-- they were quickly deleted, so maybe they'll show up later again on her instagram. Thanks to @taikaarchives for catching them!

Img Src: The Taika Archives on Twitter

== Samba Schutte ==

Samba's still raising money for @everymomcounts! You can still get access to his Crew For Life Shirt, as well as his Mother's Day Weekend baking class where he'll be making Rhys' favorite: Rosy Maple Moth Pie! Wanna get it on it? Head on over to: Stands for the shirt/cooking class, or just the cooking class here.

== Erroll Shand ==

Just a quick snapshot with Erroll and his pups <3 Always good to see him pop up on our feeds.

= Nathan Foad =

Nathan's always gotta look cute for the camera doesn't he?

Img Src: Nathan Foad's IG

== Adopt Our Crew ==

Our friends over at Adopt Our Crew have created a Convention Calendar for 2024! First up is Basingstoke Comic Con May 10-12! Remember to tag them on IG and Twitter if you want to share pics, videos, etc!

Source: @adoptourcrew Twitter

== Our Flag Makes A Difference ==

Some of our lovely crew over at Our Flag Makes A Difference have started a new fundraiser, this time for the student protesters across the country who have been wrongfully arrested. If this is a cause you're interested in / have the capacity to hhelp out with, feel free to visit the GiveButter page. They're already at $1245 of their $10000 Goal.

== Articles ==

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Cast Cards =

@melvisik's Cast Cards tonight is for James Barrington! One of the English Soliders that deserved to get slapped by Roach!

Src: @melvisik's Twitter

== OFMD Colouring Pages ==

More title cards from @patchworkpiratebear! Have some free time and need something to relax to? Pull out some crayons or art supplies and get those creative juices flowing!

= Stede & Ed (Calvin & Hobbes Redraw) =

More Stede & Ed comics by our magnificant @blakbonnet! She's given us so many adorable Calvin & Hobbes Redraws! Thank you Meow for giving us something silly and fun to look forward to in these crazy days. Please head over to her blog and send her some love <3

== MerMay ==

= Day 3: "A curse is a curse" =

= @blueberreads =

It's an older model-- but it checks out! Our kind and creative crewmate @blueberreads submitted a gif they made previously for today's MerMay! I'm not complaining! More cursed suit please!

= @snejpowa =

Our glorious and generous crewmate @snejpowa has been participating in the SaveOFMD Crew's MerMay as well! Check out some of their submissions below!

== Love Notes ==

Hey Lovelies, it's been another very long day-- but we made it! We made it to the end of the week! Tomorrow is Saturday (it already is for some of you) so please oh please take some time to relax and get outside for a few minutes if you can.

I am fading fast, but I wanted to still send some love, so here's some notes from some other folks. Love you crew, take care of yourselves and do whatever you need to do to unwind this weekend (cry, draw, write, scream into the void, go outside for a walk, whatever you need).

Stay soft lovelies <3

Art below by @thelatestkate

== Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika ==

This weekend we're going to be watching WWDITS 2014 + Rhys' episode of Wellington Paranormal, and Love birds on the RhysDarbyFaction server, so those movies are the theme tonight! Wanna join us? They start at 1 pm MT / 12 pm PT / 3 pm ET each day.

Tonight's gifs are courtesy of @ deliciousnecks and @ fandomsmeantheworldtome

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number-0-iz · 11 days

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Live thoughts of Bridgerton

Season 3, episode 1

Colin getting dressed in the carriage lmao

He is definitely better looking but I still don't think he's all that hot. Sorry not sorry. Maybe I'll change my mind.

Ah yes big ass feathers

SIGN LANGUAGE CHARACTER YES.

I love that. I don't speak ASL (also mainly cause English isn't my first language) but it is so cool.

The queen be bored lmao.

Charlotte as fierce as ever.

SINCE WHEN IS ELOISE INVOLVED WITH SEASONAL STYLES?

Me the whole time Fran was walking: don't fall don't fall don't fall

WHAT'S WRONG

Player Colin is...a little weird lma

ANOTHER ONE OF PEN'S SISTER FOUND A HUSBAND OH I'M SO HAPPY FOR HER.

NOW IT'S PEN'S TURN!

Oh shit the sister doesn't seem to like him 😭

Rip aunt Petunia, she seemed cool.

Oh u feel like the truth from last season will come out about the Featheringtons.

ELOISE SEEING PEN ELOISE SEEING PEN

Ugh friendship with Cressida? Eloise?

This is probably why she suddenly keeps up with seasonal styles?

God I hope they didn't change her too much or that she didn't lose herself.

I am not even 15 minutes in.

At least Violet seems to know something is up with Eloise.

"Tender young ladies." 😭

Damn all of the flirting jesus

CRESSIDA'S MOTHER IS SUCH A BITCH

Damn Portia has it all planned out huh

PEN AND COLIN MEET UP OOP

OOH HOW SHARP

I too would take a deep breath like that if I had to share a carriage with Portia

I AM A SUCKER FOR BOWS

"NO! Outside. Where our mother can't see." He says with a grin.

Lmao I love this man.

ELOISE IS READING EMMA

Please don't tell me Eloise has given up on being keen to learn and intellectual and a feminist

Because if she has, I will throw my phone at the wall.

"I lost the battle and I have no appetite for the war. I've joined the winning side."

So you mean to tell me that you have truly given up on your principles Eloise?

I wish Eloise would listen to Pen and they would be friends again.

"She was a very cold lady."

"She is colder now, I'm afraid."

AYE YO WHAT THE FUCK 😭

That was so savage.

Please let Mondrich and his family get a lot of cash as an inheritance.

A TITLE GOR MONDRICH'S SON?!

THIS IS EVEN BETTER 😭

They deserve it

NEWTON COCKBLOCKING KANTHONY LMAO

Aww their hands.

Ah another fantastic ball of Lady Danbury.

Oh Kate looks beautiful!!

PRETTY PEN IN A PRETTY DRESS

Aww Mr. Finch is so proud of his sister in law. Greenest flag.

UGH NOT A CONTESSA

I got distracted by Instagram reels when I went to look for the playlist of classical music covers used in the new season.

OH PEN US SO AWKWARD MY SWEETIE

Oh awkward Eloise

Ugh rude men

KANTHONY DANCE

PEN AND FRAN FRIENDSHIP

Oh Debling seems interesting.

NOT CRESSIDA STANDING ON PEN'S PRETTY DRESS! WHAT A BITCH.

And Eloise tried to apologise and Pen ran away 😭

OH THE SCENE FROM THE PREVIEW

"I overheard you." OOOOH

OH MIGHT THE FEATHERINGTONS LOSE EVERYTHING.

Cressida is a bitch. Eloise should not approve and be angry.

Oh sensitive Cressida? Damn.

How did I only now notice that Kate is left handed lol

COLIN VISITS

"BUT FRIENDS DON'T LOOK AT EACH ITHER THE WAY YOU DO."

Oh no not Penelope's scathing Whistledown letter

This'll be bad

GO MONDRICH FAM

Footman: Lord Kent. *proceeds to bow* welcome to your new home.

The kid: aye yo what the fuck

"I will never forgive her." Oh Colin if only you knew.

Well that was quite something! I really liked this episode if I am being honest! God I already wanna turn back to my season 2 Bridgerton AU with my OC that I made a few years ago but never posted. Am I going to watch episode 2 rn? Yes because I cannot wait. Will I leave yet another long reaction list like this one? Probably not cause I want to get a handle on my phone usage. But maybe another time! Until then!

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toastedwrittenthoughts · 1 year

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First of all; Damn.

Man... Looking at the titles to these episodes has my head whirling with ideas of where this show is gonna go...

After reading these I decided to make projections for the future and see if I am close or not.

Episode 6.... Sloppy Seconds Ain't My Style..

All I can hear is Johnny from Grease saying this ass a dig to Rizzo so I would want to put money on Richie taking a jab at Jane for not choosing him first, but I think that boy is too far gone for her to really dig in.

The second thought and one I'm REALLY hoping for is the potential Olivia x Gil relationship that's brewing.. He's gotten glimpes of Olivia and Mr. Daniels and when/if an opportunity to talk to Olivia, about this budding romance between them, he will be the one to pull away and say that he isn't the kind of guy who wants to be second choice to a teacher or something.

HOWEVER!!

Richie has yet to have a solo song! And since this perfect boy has just gotten his heart crushed a bit, he's well due for one... Just hope that it's a great deal better than Sandy. I am not hoping for sad and mopey. I'm almost expecting anger, bitterness that ends on a sad note.

Anger because of how he caught HIS girl with Buddy, bitter that HIS girl didn't want to wear his jacket, and I can't unsee him feeling that gutteral heartbreak at the thought that he LOST HIS GIRL, BEFORE SHE EVEN WAS HIS GIRL.

Do you know what I mean?

Cruisin' for a Bruisin'

Buckle up if ya can folk, I get a feeling we're gonna see a race or two but with a catch! Now if the creators of the show keep with the theme, Richie and Gil are our Zuko and Kenickie.

Now if I recall correctly, Danny races in Kenickie's place since he takes an injury to the head; but our boys Richie and Gil share the car but Gil hasn't really had a chance to shine as the Co-founder of the Tbirds. This I think is where he shines. I have a feeling that the Birds/Socs/jocks will get into an argument that ends with them racing, slips or bragging rights, don't matter.

What matters is that Olivia is going to be the flag girl. She is the one with neck ties that could work and honestly I would live for it. Gil sees here getting between the cars, share a look and the race is on. I'd want Gil to win just so that when he does get out of the car and everyone rushes around him to congratulate him, he sees Olivia and amongst the adrenaline, kisses her. Richie gets all protective like the good brother he is...

Though I would like to say that I think Gil would respect both Olivia and Richie enough to say that the way he acts with Olivia isn't because she's almost like forbidden fruit. Best friends sister and all that..

I would almost want Gil and Richie to sit down and for Gil to explain to Richie that he's cared about Olivia for a while, to which Richie would agree and that he's noticed...

I'd almost want a confession out of Gil in that moment where he tells Richie that he'd want Olivia to be his girl.

Or At The High School Dance.

Just classic getting ready for the dance and another time for our lovely lady Nancy to mak some AWESOME outfits for our lovely ladies and maybe get a special date all her own.

Cynthia I hope would rock a funky suit and perhaps I even be seen dancing with Lydia?

Anyway, that's all for now.

I look forward to the upcoming episodes.

If you have any predictions, let me know!

#grease: rise of the pink ladies #i’m so fucking hyped #richie x jane #olivia x gil #i'm ready for it #grease #predictions #i love this show #feel free to add more #cynthia #Nancy #musicals

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time2memedrjones · 7 months

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Predictions for the season finale

So this part of the finale teaser has me worried. Could it be Ed's eminent death or Ed showing the crew all is well a "fuckery" he and Steve devised worked as planned. Though the crew are blurred it does appear that the Swede, Zhao and Auntie, Lucius, Archie and maybe Jim. Where are Ed and Izzy?

@ineffablecollision mentioned Ed and Steve would get back together and by the teaser this is a sure thing. Ed will always try to save Stede. He still loves him despite his trying to push him away. The pirates face extinction by the British navy so they have to band together to survive. It is most likely one last job for Ed hence his black leather outfit being back in the mix.

The title of the episode is called Mermaids. Have mermaids become a harbinger of death on the show? Death is part of history even when the show plays fast and loose with history. History tells us that Blackbeard dies followed by Stede a month later. The show most likely will deal with history in a Tarantino sort of way, a rewrite of sorts. If season 2 is the middle of a 3 part story, I believe Jenkins has said that if they get a season 3 it would be the last then this season mostly likely would end on a cliffhanger like season 1. What could the cliffhanger be? Ed "dying" effectively killing Blackbeard to permanently becoming Edward Teach Inn properiter? Would Stede continue pirating until it becomes another day job?

Could Ed "die" with only Stede knowing while the rest of the world think he's dead? It's hard to say but the show is called Our Flag means death so some death has to be involved. Right?

#ofmd s2 #blackbeard #blackbonnet #gentlebeard #stede bonnet #edward teach

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menaceanon · 2 years

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Thinking about the title “our flag means death.” I never really bothered, not in any in-depth way, but now I have and I would like to kiss whoever came up with it on the mouth.

On the surface it just seems like a silly little “ooh we’re scary pirates” title—much like how, on the surface, the show seems like a silly little “ooh we’re scary pirates” show.

But like. What is a flag?

A flag is ownership, collective pride, a statement of intent usually rooted in shared history and purpose and symbolism. It can be a symbol of oppression, but it can also be a statement of defiant optimism—it can be a Union Jack, but it can also be a rainbow.

And in the very first episode, practically the very first scene is about the crew creating their own flag(s). Right at the beginning, the show asks the question: who are you? What do you stand for? Where do you fit?

It’s not a mistake that the English mock those flags! They’re not scary, they’re not real, they’re not good. England is at the height of its colonial power. Any flag but it’s own—any banner but that of violent straight white male power—is, of course, utter nonsense.

And the crew of the revenge sends the dead English captain back to the shipped wrapped in one of those “silly” flags. Our flag is very serious, they say. Our flag means the death of oppression in the face of defiant self-actualization.

(It’s not a mistake that the ship then flies every flag.

It’s not a mistake that their bloodied flag is then carried around with Chauncey, mocked by the king himself, and used to hunt down its creators.)

—

The first glimpse we get of Blackbeard is, in fact, a panning shot that shows his flag above a violent, probably-made-up battle narrated by Black Pete. The second glimpse, the moment we know Blackbeard has arrived for real, is a pan UP to the flag at the end of the same episode. We don’t even see Ed. We see this thing that represents him.

The spear it carries is the spear that “Blackbeard” uses to stab Stede in his dream before he wakes to find the reality of Ed beside him, gentle and kind. And in a way, Ed is trapped under his own flag—something he made himself but designed to only represents the violent parts of him. People surrender at the very sight of it!

And when he returns to being Blackbeard at the end, he changes that flag. He adds a bloody heart. A reminder for himself: you have been altered, and not in a good way. You will harm all those who try to get close—before they have the chance to harm you.

—

And then there’s death. What does death mean?

Death is what pirates bring.

Death is what pirates face (pirate’s life, short but nice; most of the pirates I know? They’re dead).

Death comes to the oppressors, to the men who tried to snuff out Stede and Ed and the Crew.

But death is also how Stede escapes the life he hates.

I’ve talked elsewhere about how Stede and Ed were both yearning after each other’s worlds because the ones they lived in didn’t fit them, didn’t let them be themselves, didn’t allow them ownership of themselves and expression of their purpose. Stede wanted to rebel against a world that demanded conformity and obedience, that put blood on his hands just by living, where he benefits from that blood. Ed wanted a place where he could be soft and vulnerable and not suffer for it, where he didn’t have to spill blood to survive.

But they don’t want to trade the flags they live under, not really. Stede is liable to get killed, and Ed finds himself surrounded by hateful racist sharks in ep five, and discovers he hates that world. But he does find a place he LOVES, and that’s in the middle somewhere, with Stede. Under their own flag.

(I’ve also talked about how, if queerness is illegal, then the simple act of being alive—of living under that flag—is itself illegal.

And so, if you can’t live under that flag, die and make your own.)

—

What do I think this means for the future of the show? Well, I’ve got two main predictions.

First, Ed will fake his death. That’s what his flag means, after all, and I’d bet good money on it. (On a related note, I’d even bet I know how he’s going to do it! I’ve talked about it before: I think he’s gonna stuff a fake head with hair. Yes really.)

The second relates to Stede’s flag. I note that Stede never actually made one for himself, despite it being his ship. He shares so little of himself throughout the season, holding back and hiding when others, especially Ed, are open and vulnerable.

And I think a huge theme of the show is about the balance of things, the need for marmalade and gunpowder, the push and pull of embracing love and vulnerability with the people who love and are vulnerable back—and of sticking it to the people who want to hurt you.

Do no harm, take no shit. The dagger and the heart.

May I present Stede Bonnet’s flag:

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd meta #stede bonnet #blackbeard #edward teach #gentlebeard

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