Tumgik
#and when stede died ed might as well have too
areyoudoingthis · 5 months
Text
"So," Ed says while the crew gets the ship ready for Lucius and Pete's matelotage ceremony, shyly swaying his shoulder as he leans towards Stede in what is rapidly becoming Stede's favorite bit of Ed body language. "Zheng's offer."
And Stede hears the question he isn't asking. Hears the plea this time, too. This time he isn't drunk and coming off the high of being worshipped for killing a man to protect his loved ones. The renewed threat on their lives and watching Ed sob brokenly while Izzy died in his arms have sobered him up fast, instilled a new understanding of the way Ed views piracy in him and rearranged his priorities one more time. He thought he had this right when he left Barbados. No matter, he'll keep learning as he goes, keep listening and trying his best to do right by himself and by Ed.
"You wanted to become a fisherman." Ed winces. Stede doesn't hold a drop of resentment towards him, understands how easy it is to panic when faced with something as immense as what they share while the burdens of their pasts still plague them.
"I think I wasn't as well suited to fishing as a I thought," Ed says, ruefully.
"Nonsense. You're great at fishing." He beams at him, knows that Ed is capable of excelling at anything he sets his mind to. But it doesn't have to be fishing, it can be anything they choose. There's a whole world of possibilities open before them now. "What if we explored a different avenue?" he suggests.
Ed's eyes open wide, excited. Stede knows he's on the right track, the way his heart settles in his chest at the look in Ed's eyes tells him he can't go wrong if he follows this instinct for the rest of his days.
"Yeah? Like what?" He sounds impatient to get started.
"I remember you expressing an interest in becoming a restauranter once?"
"Eh, the food industry might be a tad too much work. We'd have to catch the food first, then cook it and serve all the customers..." he looks bashful, like there's something on the tip of his tongue that he's hesitant to speak out loud. "What if-?"
"Yes?" Stede asks, quiet and a little breathless with anticipation. His blood is thrumming, he wants to take this leap with Ed with every fiber of his being, is leagues more eager for this than he was when he first commissioned a ship and set off to sea.
"What about an inn?"
The memory flashes through his mind of Ed gifting a couple of kids on the Republic a bag of gold and a pair of knives, and claiming they weren't pirates but inn owners afterwards. How long has he been thinking about this? How long has this been a dream of his?
"Sounds fun." He smiles, radiant. He's thrilled to join Ed on their next adventure, inn ownership or fishing or bar and grill management. He would go anywhere with him.
"Yeah?" Ed sounds exhilarated too.
"Yes."
And there isn't an ounce of hesitancy in his voice this time around. He knows himself at last, knows the bottomless capacity for loving Ed his heart possesses, doesn't intend to ever let him go again.
Ed leans forward as if he intends to kiss him and Stede's heart starts beating faster, always greedy for Ed. But Ed stops, pauses halfway to Stede and looks doubtful all of a sudden.
"What about this?"
"This?"
"The ship. The crew. Piracy." Stede thinks he means the last one most of all. And god, what a fool he was to almost lose this to a fantasy. What he set out for a lifetime ago wasn't piracy, it was a dream of freedom and a place where he could be himself. He's never more himself than when he's standing next to Ed, looking the future in the eye together. This is his home, where his body and soul belong forever. The ship will continue to house their family and carry them safely across the sea, and they'll come back to visit as much as they want to. He can't wait to see what they get up to, either.
"You're the only adventure I need, Ed."
And Ed melts into his arms and kisses him sweetly.
294 notes · View notes
roz-ani · 5 months
Text
Tumblr media
Izzy deserved to hear that from Ed.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
That's Izzy's family. It's Izzy whom the crew loves.
That was Izzy's arc, not Edward's.
Now, please, don't get me wrong. It is a part of Ed's growth. Still, the main focus has always been his relationship with Stede and his identity. You can absolutely dive into the captain's relationship with his crew, but you don't replace a character's arc with another one's, especially at the last minute.
I understand the symbolism of Blackbeard "dying" with Izzy. The gatekeeping, gaslighting, feeding the persona of the world's greatest and most merciless pirate staying in the past... I am also fully convinced that Blackbeard's right-hand man actually passing away to achieve that was unnecessary.
Tumblr media
What this season did for Izzy was absolutely incredible. That man abandoned his ego and changed the way he perceived power, respect, loyalty, and support for and because of a group of people he despised at the beginning.
His main purpose has always been looking after any crew he was a part of. He had more contact with them than the captain himself, especially aboard the Revenge when Blackbeard was going through his mental breakdown. In the first season, we saw Izzy wouldn't be the best captain, but he did have the experience and eventually learned how to look after his subordinates. All because he finally experienced proper care himself.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
He got his heart broken in more than one way, yet managed to find his people, his family. Izzy finally got to know what real appreciation looks like. He got it from the people he initially mistreated. The crew decided to look after Izzy because "he's their dick". They stopped fighting after seeing him at his lowest. They made him a new prosthesis out of the figurehead of all things, showing the audience how they see him - the crew's protector, the spirit of the ship.
Tumblr media
At first, Izzy kept pushing them away. Not out of hatred for them, but for himself. Because healing is difficult, it hurts, it takes incredible strength and willpower to admit to yourself that your environment is harmful and that you might be the problem as well. Especially when leaving it seemingly deprives you of your identity or purpose in life. Besides that, come on, it's Izzy Hands. A man who wasn't heartless, but also not "soft", as he would have most likely put it himself. He was still rough around the edges and cynical. However, after all this time he finally allowed himself to let go and feel comfortable, so some of that bitterness disappeared over time. I still don't believe he was fully healed, but he was on the right path.
Tumblr media
Despite changing his outlook on life, Izzy was still respected. He knew what mattered and what to do and say to make sure his crew's issues were properly resolved.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Now, Ed's apology. At first I felt like there didn't need to be any deep talk between the first mate and his captain, because they understood each other well enough. That's not what communication is about though. It's not about taking something or someone for granted. Especially is the conflict escalates to such extent. There should've been more to that. They should've both had a conversation about their relationship and what made them bad for each other. Most importantly, how they could fix that and heal together. If that would require them to part ways, so be it. At least they'd separate on good terms. Now we can only speculate.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
I would say my biggest problem is not with Izzy Hands dying. It's about how he died. Although I doubt I'd support this decision in season 3, at least it wouldn't be so rushed. There was no proper build-up to it. Izzy and Richard, of all people, had a deep talk about understanding piracy, a concept that is a base for one's actions. This was probably the biggest red flag, which tragically appeared in the same episode Izzy died. The crew didn't thank him or bid him farewell. He wasn't properly mourned. He was buried in the ground.
Tumblr media
"You should've expected that. Things were going too well. A mentor character always dies after regaining hope". I have two HUGE problems with that.
First of all: a mentor character? I guess? For two, maybe three episodes at best? Izzy did meet some mentor archetype points. He was Stede's mentor for a bit, I mentioned his experience and position as the first mate, but I wouldn't say that's his main purpose. The writers did, but we're going to talk about it in a second.
Second of all: this was many people's comfort show. Especially when it comes to the LGBTQ+ community. I myself have praised this show for its take on communication and found family portrayal. It was fun, light-hearted, safe.
I understand the need to tell your story, I truly do. I know that people don't have the right to tell someone how to create, because the audience, especially the more pushy members, can be very often self-centered and don't know what's planned for a show's future. Except that these days you really have to be careful with how you plan your story with the corporations holding all the power - that's why we need to support the strikes. You need to be prepared to disclose necessary information in a proper way if needed. You need to pay attention to what you're portraying.
Now, I also believe that media literacy is dead (exaggeration) and people really can't for example understand that stories develop over time, seasons, or chapters unless they're consuming a media piece that has already run its course. They do have the tendency to take things literally and not search for the context.
Still, in the postmodern era of creativity, you need to know you don't hold all the power, despite not owning people anything. Your audience can interpret things on their own. What you believe to have no power or significance can mean the world to your audience. Remember how difficult it was for people to believe this show actually has LGBTQ+ characters and a love story in it? Or how the creator admitted he was surprised by the scepticism? I don't. Not only because I started watching the show quite late, but also because I don't consider myself to be a part of this community. It didn't mean so much to me, because I currently focus on different aspects of the content I consume. However, I know how they perceive media and their products. I may not have the same experience, but I know where theirs comes from. And I know that this show was just different. TV series, books, etc. do not belong only to the creators nowadays. Yes, they are their products, but they are made for an audience that has the right to individually approach and criticise them. And even though overinterpretation is a thing, there is no one right answer to certain issues.
BUT THEN AGAIN: THE MONEY. Was it the budget? I honestly have no idea. Perhaps it was, because literally everything is dependent on it these days...
See, we could argue back and forth about the behind-the-scenes, but I don't think I have enough knowledge of that. I also don't want to get into the topic of disability, suicide, abuse, etc., because I am not the right person for it, even though some of those things are a part of my experience. There are people out there who can give you their thoughts on their perception of Izzy's character and his significance in those areas.
I suppose my point is... I'm mad and genuinely disappointed. I can't remember the last time I was so attached to a character. I absolutely adored Izzy's character and was drawn to him in the first season. I related to him struggling with his toxic environment and finding a safe space. I was ready to see him become a captain. Heck, even if that wasn't planned for him, I still trusted the crew to let the character be happy after everything he's been through. Instead, I got this: "As long as you turn over a new leaf and heal, your death is a good one... Redemption equals no happily ever after... Remember that life isn't fair..." Aren't we tired of such narratives? What does it say about us and the media we consume? Isn't hypernormalisation of such issues exhausting?
I'm disappointed because I had hope. Even after getting betrayed by so many stories in recent years, I still had it. I had hope for a different character. Hope for a different show.
Edit: Just wanted to make something clear because I see more and more people focusing on Buttons sitting on Izzy's grave and David Jenkins liking a tweet about him being a witch. You could call me a hypocrite for pointing out people's lack of media literacy and not even considering the possibility of bringing Izzy back. That was my first thought. I would absolutely love for Buttons to do his magic and revive our man. There is something inside of me still holding onto that hope. I'm just really, really, REALLY tired of having hope in shows nowadays. I'm choosing to remain sceptical. Who knows, maybe I'll be positively surprised. Still, I stand by what I wrote: I think killing Izzy was unnecessary in the first place.
119 notes · View notes
xoxoemynn · 2 years
Text
Tumblr media
Get off my ship. Now. 
Just want to talk for a hot second about what a critical moment this was for Stede as a captain.
Now, obviously by this point the crew is fond of Stede. The dynamics have significantly improved from when the show first started and they were plotting mutiny. But still, when Calico Jack showed up, they reverted a bit too their old ways. Because just when they were starting to get comfortable with having the legendary Blackbeard on their ship, his ole bestie had to show up and remind them all again HOLY SHIT WHAT LEGENDS. THIS is the life of a pirate they signed up for -- rum all day, flying coconuts, devil-may-care stunts on the ship that may end in death but WHO CARES, it’s an ADVENTURE, what a STORY! And when Stede attempts to raise Jack’s constant acts of massive passive aggression, resulting in him sharing a sob story of being mutinied (again), the crew is quick to comfort him by throwing Stede under the ship, letting Jack know they were going to mutiny against Stede and probably would again some day.
But then Calico Jack kills Karl. And listen, everyone knows Buttons is a bit of an odd bird, but he’s their odd bird. There’s a lot of obvious respect for him, and by extension his bird friend, Karl.
When Karl is killed, all the laughter dies as well. Nobody is amused by Jack’s “oops.” He might as well have killed a member of the crew. And then when Buttons responds by placing a hex upon him and Jack laughs?? With utter scorn and derision and mockery???
There’s this suffocating tension because the crew is obviously on the side of Buttons and the dearly departed Karl, but how do you rise up against Blackbeard’s best friend? Sure, they’ve all become somewhat of friends in the past few weeks, but it’s still Blackbeard. It’s like Ed and Jack were the too cool for school seniors, and the crew were the gangly group of misfit freshmen, and they were all having a great time hanging out together over the summer, but now they’ve returned to school and all the old power dynamics are back and it’s scary and uncomfortable and they’ve lost any kind of even footing they had.
But then who emerges? CAPTAIN STEDE. And he IMMEDIATELY tells Jack to get off his ship. 
It’s the firmest we’ve ever heard him speak, leaving absolutely no room for questions or debate. Jack is GONE.
The crew has seen Stede and Jack interact. They may not know the full story, and they may not grasp all the nuances at play, but it’s pretty clear Stede isn’t a big fan of Jack. But he put up with his insults, put up with the changes to his routine, put up with behaviors he found juvenile and cruel...but he would not put up with anyone harming his crew. And by kicking Jack out, Stede was fulfilling his role as captain: to ensure his ship, and his crew, was safe.
And the crew recognizes this. The next day, when Stede tells them Blackbeard will no longer be sailing with them, they’re all disappointed, yes, but they also understand why and that Stede’s upset about it so they’re not going to press the issue...except for Black Pete, who lacks a bit of tact, but he’s roundly told to read the room and not be a dick. Now’s not the time to whine about how they wish Blackbeard were still on board. Now’s the time to respect their captain, who’s hurting. 
Anyway this turned out to be way longer than I thought it would, but it just struck me what a meaningful moment that was, with Stede truly stepping into his role as captain and his crew recognizing it. Such growth in a relatively short amount of time, both with him as a leader and with the crew as a bonded unit.
1K notes · View notes
izzysillyhandsy · 5 months
Text
It's only suicide if we die
... and Izzy's second suicide was planned to set Ed free.
Tumblr media
I've loved the wonderful lyrics of Seabird in connection with Ed and Izzy since Ep5, but they fit even better now
with my completely unhinged
Izzy died for Ed theory (but he might not be dead at all).
I think somewhere around Ep6, Izzy realized that both of them could never be truly free while the other was still around (and they tried so hard to untangle themselves!).
Suddenly, you're with me I turn, and you're not there Like a ghost, you haunt me
Even though they hadn't interacted much after the breakup, Izzy still got to Ed via Stede. He just couldn't keep away.
This world isn't big enough To keep me away from you
Izzy realized that to heal, Ed had to completely let go of his old life, and his old life didn't only include Izzy - it was Izzy.
So Izzy had to die.
Like an untied dog You just had to run Seabird, seabird Fly home
But - and this is the unhinged part - I think it's not completely impossible that Izzy isn't dead at all - it was just really important for Ed to think that he was.
Is this crazily overdramatic? YES. But have you met these two?
Izzy doesn't let Ed see his wound. Ed even says "It's not even that bad" trying to have a look, but Izzy "Stop stop"-s him and starts with "Eddie" which completely distracts Ed.
Then Izzy says exactly what Ed needs to hear from him to be able to move on.
Everything was Izzy's fault. He fed the darkness. Blackbeard isn't Ed's true personality like Ed feared - it's them. Without Izzy, Ed is good now. He is ready for "true Ed" to come out again ("Just be Ed. There he is.").
Izzy leaves willingly ("I wanna go") to absolve Ed from guilt.
"Eddie's surrounded by family" as opposed to relying on Izzy and Izzy alone for love (I can imagine a very young Izzy saying to a very young Ed: "I'm your family now"). He's not unloveable, he never was.
Izzy dies.
Ed is finally free (at least that's what Izzy thinks. I don't agree. But this is maybe a topic for another post)
But how on earth is he not dead?
Well I don't know! He probably is. They've buried him after all.
Still -
the shooting scene was weird. No blood, no bullet going in, Izzy just standing there (there was enough time to somehow react when Ricky pushed him back).
noone checked the wound, everybody stayed right back except for Ed who was distracted by Izzy.
Am I clinging to straws here? Yes.
But, even if Izzy died, everything else is still valid. It's just much, much more tragic and fucked up. Izzy Hands, living his life for others, finally dying for another to have at least a shot at happiness.
But I still hope this isn't that kind of a show. I am quite confident Izzy will return in some shape or form (Buttons is such a clear symbol for rebirth, and he was put there for exactly that reason).
Conclusion
Izzy lives. Change my mind. No, don't. Please.
---------------------------------
Here are the complete lyrics:
Ed:
There's a road I know I must go Even though I tell myself That road is closed Listen, lonely seabird You've been away from land too long
Izzy:
I don't listen to the news no more Like an unwound clock You just don't seem to care This world isn't big enough To keep me away from you
Both:
Suddenly, you're with me I turn, and you're not there Like a ghost, you haunt me You find warmth in a one-night bed
Izzy again:
Sunsets, full moons Don't turn you on Like an untied dog You just had to run
Seabird, seabird Fly home
25 notes · View notes
house-afire · 11 days
Text
Storied Life (AU, outsider POV)
Prompt: 100 words of valets
Dennis had been excited to land a plum position like being Stede Bonnet’s valet. “Dire fucking turnover with that one,” a friend of his had said, but Dennis had gone straight ahead and applied anyway. He didn’t have any regrets. The work itself was shit—wasn’t it always?—but Mr. Bonnet could be staggeringly generous with those haphazard tips of his, and the wages were decent (when Mr. Bonnet remembered to pay them).
Mostly, though, Dennis had wanted the job because he’d figured it’d be nice to serve under a man like himself, for a change. Mr. Bonnet wasn’t exactly standard-issue aristocracy—wasn’t in lots of ways, really, but particularly the way you could tell just by looking at him, if you had any sense. Of course, Dennis soon found out that a boss was a boss no matter what you had in common—but all the same, he could have done worse.
At least Mr. Bonnet was interesting in his own sad, daft way, so that sometimes just going into the drawing room would feel like grabbing some serial fresh from the printer.
And when he was in his cups—which was often enough—he didn’t mind Dennis asking him questions.
“I heard a rumor,” Dennis said, “that you once took to sea to become a pirate.”
Left, mucked about a bit, and came back to his old life with his tail between his legs: Dennis had heard the tale often enough that he was starting to find it plausible. And Mr. Bonnet did have his whims.
“I did,” Mr. Bonnet said. “I did do that, Dennis. The Gentleman Pirate, they called me.” He looked down into the dark depths of his wine glass. “Do you know, I even met Blackbeard? Ed. I called him Ed. One of the only people in the world to ever do that.”
Dennis didn’t believe that Ed part any more than he’d believe that Mr. Bonnet had once stuck his head in a lion’s mouth, but he supposed that man could have met Blackbeard.
“I left everything behind when I came to the sea,” Mr. Bonnet said. “Everything except myself.”
(Everything, Dennis knew, included his wife and kids.
“Gone,” was what Mr. Bonnet had dramatically said of them, whenever someone asked—as if he’d shipped them off to England, they’d all fallen to consumption, or both. So far as Dennis could tell, they were still in Barbados, but Mr. Bonnet moved house like mad so his wife couldn’t find him even if she wanted to.)
“That’s one of the things Ed found so appealing about me,” Mr. Bonnet said. “I was so much myself. You’ve got to be bold, to be yourself.”
You’ve got to be rich, Dennis thought.
“What was he like, sir? Blackbeard?”
“Nice guy, really,” Mr. Bonnet said. He sloshed his wine around. “Or no, actually, probably not. He wasn’t always—wasn’t always the man I knew. He had a darkness in him, eating away with sharp teeth. But do you know what? The time I spent with him was the happiest of my life, and it was the happiest of his, too. That’s got to count for something.” He drained the last of his glass. “But everything ends. Everything dies. So, you know, why should he be an exception?”
Dennis wasn’t sure he understood all that, but he could see he’d be fetching bottles from the wine cellar all day, so he might as well resign himself to it and get a few more stories out of it.
“How did he die?” he said, reaching for Mr. Bonnet’s empty glass.
“It was brutal,” Mr. Bonnet said, looking somewhere past Dennis. “He never saw it coming. Skewered by—by some fucking traitor.” His lips curved in an expression that was nothing like a smile, and for the first time, Dennis could see why Mr. Bonnet had had such trouble keeping his servants. You wouldn’t want to stay too long around a smile like that. It was like Mr. Bonnet had sawed open a gash in his face, and it was bleeding white and red. “By the time they found him, the fire had ruined him. His first mate only knew him by his leathers. Whole face burnt right off.”
He touched his own lips, very lightly, not cutting himself on the edges of that smile. His eyes were wet.
“And that,” Mr. Bonnet said, “was the end of my career as a pirate. That was the end of him.”
19 notes · View notes
ccl-c · 5 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
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.
21 notes · View notes
sabra-n · 6 months
Text
Very long OFMD thoughts under the cut once I really taste this soup...
Okay, that was A Lot. Possibly "too far too fast" a lot? But mostly my overriding thought is: I missed this stupid show and its deeply stupid crew so, so much, holy crap. I haven't rewatched the first season in like ten months, so just hearing their voices again was wild. Rhys Darby remains great at Faces and holding the sad and ludicrous and silly center of this show, and from there, everything else follows.
But also - WOW, LOTS GOING ON, GANG. This might be a side effect of the needlessly long hiatus and the twenty quadrillion fics I've read, and I get that there was a time skip, but man, I felt like we skipped some vital shit in there, especially with Izzy. With Jim we got to see them being broken down step by step and it still felt pretty fast - Izzy is just such a calcified character I really think he needed to get poked for at least a full episode before he started talking about his love for Ed.
That said, even the Izzy trying to be on the crew's side can't help being a stupid asshole and saying Ed is mistreating them because of his "feelings for Bonnet," which is a) only a wee fraction of the story and b) real ill-advised, my guy. He says he knows Ed as well as anyone ever has, but that doesn't mean he knows him very well at all. And hey, I pretty much guessed right about how the Izzy ranting about namby-pambys last season would become the one in the trailer talking about belonging - Jim and Frenchie saved his life, at great risk to themselves.
Well, actually, I missed part of it: The important bit is that he died. Like Stede did before him, and like Ed would after. Stede opens the season by dreaming of revenge, stabbing Izzy in the gut for betraying him to the English. In a way, Ed gets revenge for that when he thinks Izzy is finally dead. Then Izzy and the crew get their revenge in turn, killing Ed for everything he put them through. But through sheer ridiculous happenstance, both of them live. So how do you live when your old life has been murdered? These crusty motherfuckers are going to have to find out.
This isn't Ed's first time through that door, exactly - his first life ended with murder, too. Once again he's being compared and contrasted with Jim, who's been living their third life since last season and spends this season finding how much they'll fight to ensure it doesn't end. They'll try to help fucking Izzy, even at great risk to themselves. They'll tell the story of the wooden demon boy that thirsted for life, and do the voices, too. They won't murder a friend. But they will murder the man who stopped the Revenge being the place where the crew lived for each other and not just to survive. (Once upon a time, there was a boy, and they wished on a monkey's paw to be human...)
I was faintly surprised to see Jim and Olu's relationship status settle on "???", but I guess they didn't have a ton of time to talk things through in the frantic end of last season before being separated. Vico Ortiz and Samson Kayo's chemistry remains ridiculously good, and one of the greatest things about the crew being fully reunited is that those two will get to have more scenes together.
But really, the only couple that's fully thriving is Pete and Lucius, which: good for them! Stede dreamed of a ridiculous knock-down hug attack reunion with Ed, but it's Pete who gets to tackle his man instead, and show a much more accepting attitude to facial hair variations, too. Take notes, Stede!
I'm interested in those two as an Ed/Stede parallel in other ways, too, with Lucius's trauma and the way talking it through can be "too far too fast" for a sensitive partner. That's not really a problem Stede and Ed have had, with the former not saying shit about anything that happened to him ever and the latter only really breaking down the once, but it's certainly one that looms on the horizon the longer they stay together.
So hey, remember how the ever-present fear in piracy is mutiny and Ed had never failed at piracy? Well, he made that failure happen, by golly, which annoyingly almost loops back to success again. But mostly I'm bummed that we didn't get more of him and Frenchie together because I think Joel Fry's canny intelligence in the role plays off of Taika Waititi really, really well.
Anyway, Ed is my Darlingest, but I wasn't even mad when the crew mutinied, beat the shit out of him, and had a good go at murdering him once and for all. It's like Mary with the skewer: Ed fully deserved that, up to and including Izzy shooting him. He made Fang cry! That's my bellwether of dickitude on this show; deal with it.
But: How good is it that that third episode was called "The Innkeeper." Ed once more conjures up the fiction of Boring Guy Jeff, but this time it doesn't even take full social mortification for the veneer to crack. Just one slightly dickish customer and Ed is fucking Done. (What a contrast with Stede the cheerful maitre d' at Jackiez! We finally found something Stede absolutely does better than Ed, and that's eating customer service shit.) I'm sure that scene wasn't intended to read coffee shop AUs to filth, but it sure felt like it, and that made me happy. Ed can't be that guy!
And no, it's not because he's "just broken," like Lucius said. Or if he is, it doesn't have to be a bad thing. What is the Revenge but the ship of misfit toys?
Other bits and bobs:
I went into the tag a few days ago and caught a glimpse of a review that spoiled the Stede-mermaid thing despite my best efforts at blocking spoiler tags, which was a bummer. That said, nothing could have prepared me for the reality of it: this is why Leslie Jones thought Rhys Darby's hair was a wig.
I caught that Gnossienne when Stede was clearing the knives out of his cabin! That's Stede's love song, and Stede is fully insane, so of course it was playing as he unwedged like thirty daggers from the walls.
Meanwhile, the end of Ed and Izzy's former relationship merited the second movement of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony, which is some of the most beautiful music ever written, but also: Yikes.
I don't know how Taika managed to pronounce both ns in "inn," but he did!
The thing with this show is that I can't fully rule out Buttons being a sea witch who's going to turn into a bird. But for now, he's just a man who can't be relied upon for a getaway dory, has no inside voice, and immediately knows what to do to get the Revenge up and sailing again.
Anyone notice the moon in the first episode not quite being full? I can't remember if it was waxing or waning gibbous, which feels kind of important for determining how long it's going to be until Ed and Stede really reconcile.
I was watching late at night, so I needed to have the captions on, and come on, HBO. Calling Zheng Yi Sao a "suit seller"? Really? The soup only gets mentioned like twenty other times.
"I thought you'd be taller. You know - muscly. Charismatic." Slaughter him, Archie, you absolute delight.
Which: I'm guessing the soup stand was a front for her to scout out the Caribbean as her next realm to conquer? She really is a fascinating foil for Stede and Ed - she has the former's graces and the latter's strategic viciousness. And I can't fault her taste in men, though I'm worried that she'll just go Woman Scorned after Olu did his runner. She even has her own superior Izzy!
Stede may not know what an abacus is or how to dive, but today we found out he at least knows how to swim. Good for him! I was genuinely wondering if he could, because he was just that unprepared to be a pirate last season.
Judging by the person steering Zheng Yi Sao's ship, leaning dreamily on the wheel is a sailor thing, not just an Ed thing. Also, truly hilarious how we all cooed at how good Ed looked in that bit of the trailer when in context he's steering the ship into a storm.
That said: He did look really, really good, as did every non-Izzy person on the Emo Revenge. Why so many hot pirates. Why.
"All love dies; I'm just hastening the process." And there's our confirmation Ed separated all the Revenge couples on purpose.
Meanwhile, Stede dreaming of Ed in his full beard is confirmation that on some levels he remains a chucklefuck. But he's one who's changed and changing; Ricky is a very clear illustration of that.
And what a twisty little mirror he is - like first season Stede, he left his old life of wealth but isn't fully willing to let go of its privileges. But unlike Stede, he's fully a classist shithead about it - I don't think it's happenstance that he's a "minor prince" to Stede's nouveaux riche landed gentry. He's Stede without the swagless charm, so it'll be interesting to see what happens when his noseless ass shows up again.
20 notes · View notes
beautitudes · 4 months
Text
while writing the follow-up to the kraken and the teller of tales, i started thinking that stede likely grew up in a religious family, and i think faith was something that could comfort him. no one would confront him and call him weak if he spent his time praying, and while doing that, he could discover and rediscover himself, understand himself and his needs better through his internal monologue directed at god. and while he had no one but himself to rely on, he could utter his grievances in his praying. come on, stede is one of those boys that become monks, isn't he?
ed is another story. he grew up in the proximity of rich people, but never too close. still, he knew their habits and of course he knew their gods. i think at some point of his life he tried taking it up without really delving into the notion of religion, he tried praying to the unfamiliar god, hoping he would make his problems go away (as it usually happened in the religious texts he might have encountered), and then nothing changed, his father got even worse than before, and white god as a notion of something designed to bring salvation and erase problems died for ed. moreover, i don't see him as religious or showing interest in the religion his mother likely practiced (as she never got help she needed as well, in his opinion) at all, as a child or when he started living on the ships.
(not ignoring that one (?) time in s1 when ed refers to god as female 🫶 it's a whole different topic for me and i will discuss it at some point.)
and then... then edward met stede, to whom maybe god was still somewhat important. maybe his memories of god, praying, the calm of the church he went to were the only happy memories he had of his childhood. and... you know, ed would never mock him for it. he would never understand stede's need for faith and god. but he would never mock him.
12 notes · View notes
riversmelody221 · 5 months
Text
SPOLIERS FOR OFMD SEASON 2 FINALE
Izzy's death has me PISSED, y'all.
They really set him up to grow in this season, to live through absolute hell and come out on the other side stronger, softer, more open, and then took that away? Izzy strikes me as this man who has always had to survive, never being able to truly relax, to live, and this season we get to see him let down his guard a little. We get to see him bonding with the crew, easing up. We got him in a GORGEOUS drag look, inching himself into unfamiliar, exhilarating new waters, and then the finale comes along and suddenly he's ready to die? It doesn't sit right with me.
Izzy should've been fighting tooth and nail to make it out on the other side. He should've been dragging his ass out of purgatory like the indestructible little fucker he's been shown to be. ESPECIALLY after his speech to that pathetic little no nose punk ass bitch. He found his family, he found a soft place to rest a little. And yes, I get the argument can be made that with Izzy in the picture, Ed might not have ever been able to let go of Blackbeard. But to me, that argument is undercut when Ed and Stede leave the fucking crew behind anyway to open their inn! I'm happy for those two, of course, but they couldn't have done it anyway and let Izzy fuck off with the crew? Izzy literally told Ed he was surrounded by people who love him, and then Ed promptly fucks off with ONE of them and let's the others sail off.
To be clear, I'm not too upset with Ed and Stede staying behind. I don't think Ed could be himself on the waters, tbh, so that was probably the best call. He's been sailing the seas for years as Blackbeard, so it makes sense that when he reinvents himself, he goes to land, sure. Stede following is a little strange to me, but I do get that he wants to be with Ed, and right now I'm focused on Izzy, so I'll let that slide.
TLDR; I don't know who tf they buried bc Israel Hands is alive and well, even if I have to write it into being myself.
But to make the catalyst for this decision the death of a character you spent an ENTIRE SEASON redeeming and making people adore (I've been an Izzy stan since day one, but I do get not liking him) just doesn't sit right with me. And his death didn't even feel that impactful. We get a short, quiet scene of them passing his cross, Ed hardly looking bothered despite crying over him when he died, and then we jump straight to a wedding!
17 notes · View notes
quiet-compassion · 4 months
Text
OFMD Fluffvember Day 14: Friends to Lovers
https://archiveofourown.org/works/51779614
“Roach, you’ve really outdone yourself with these, man!”
“Yeah, you’re like some kind of culinary genius!”
Stede hears a chorus of agreement as he painstakingly makes his way down to the mess hall.
“Ah well, I just figured it’s a special occasion. We pulled off our first-ever fuckery! That’s reason to celebrate!” Roach declares to a round of raucous cheers from the crew.
Clutching at his still very much punctured left side, Stede finally lumbers in.
“There you are, Captain!” Frenchie says, mouth half-full. “Glad to see you up and about. We were worried you might have died.”
“Nope, not dead. I was just having a lie-down and must have drifted off,” Stede explains somewhat bashedly.
Ed rises from his spot at the table, crossing to Stede and helping him into a chair. “You lost a lotta blood, mate. I reckon you’re entitled to a good nap. Plus with all that sword fighting, defeating Izzy, you must have been knackered!”
His words wipe away the embarrassment Stede had been feeling. He sits up straighter, only to sag back down when his stitches twinge in protest. “Yes, I suppose so. I have worked up quite an appetite! What’s all this I hear about your culinary genius, Roach?”
The crew exchange somewhat guilty looks.
“Uhh, you missed dinner, Cap,” Oluwande says apologetically.
“Yeah, and we worked up appetites too, with our performance and all.” Black Pete gestures around the table.
“Real hungry,” Frenchie agrees.
Oluwande tips his head towards his empty plate. “We’d already moved onto dessert.”
“Ah.” Stede’s stomach gives a rumble of disappointment. “Well, that’s alright! I could do with a sweet little pick-me-up. What’s for dessert?”
“Roach made these ginger biscuits. But they were shaped like little men,” Wee John explains.
“Ooooh! That’s maudlin, isn’t it?” Stede says appreciatively.
“Yeah, but they’re all gone Captain. Sorry.”
As much as he tries to appear unaffected, Stede’s dismay must be clear. Ed gives a small chuckle and claps him lightly on the shoulder.
“No worries, mate. Here, take mine,” he says picking up his biscuit and handing it to Stede.
“Really? Are you sure?”
“Course I am. What are friends for?” Ed assures, shooting him a small smile and a meaningful look. Stede stares back at him, sure that they’re both replaying the same moment from last night in their minds.
“...That’s why I don’t have any friends.”
“Hey, I’m your friend.”
He accepts the proffered cookie from Ed and says, voice small, “Thank you.”
All around them, the chatter of the crew resumes. An hour or so later, as Ed helps Stede back to his cabin, he’s still thinking about it. He sits on the couch as Ed pours them each a brandy, lost in thought and savoring the taste of ginger that lingers on his lips.
“Ed?” he ventures, softly.
“Yeah, mate?”
“Earlier…that is, before…you offered me your dessert and you said ‘What are friends for?’”
“Did, yup,” Ed nods dropping into the chair beside the couch.
“Well, it just occurs to me…I don’t actually know.”
“Know what?”
“What friends are for,” Stede confesses.
Ed looks up at him, mouthing falling open in surprise. Stede forces himself to continue on.
“Last night, I told you I’m your friend—and I am! I want to be. Only, it occurs to me now…I’ve never really had a friend before. So, I’m afraid that in spite of my best efforts and intentions, I may prove a poor one to you.”
He’s flushing, he can feel it. The room is warm and the longer Ed goes without saying anything, it seems to Stede that the temperature is rising. Thankfully, after another moment or two Ed breaks the silence, clearing his throat.
“Well, the first thing you did after calling yourself my friend was forgive me for planning to kill you. Pretty top-tier shit if you ask me. If anything, I’m sorry for you. You deserve better, especially from your first friend.”
“Nonsense!” Stede says immediately. “You’re excellent. You shared your biscuit with me! And you’ve taught me so much about piracy. And you put up with all my idiosyncrasies. No one else ever has.”
Ed scoffs. “I don’t put up with them. They’re one of my favorite parts about you, man! What did I tell you when we met? You’re doing things your way! Fucking fascinating!”
Stede’s blushing again, though this time it isn’t out of embarrassment. 
“Well,” he says with a pleased smile, raising his glass, “to friendship.”
“To figuring it out as we go,” Ed says with an answering grin.
It takes some persuading but, eventually, the crew agrees to let Ed back aboard the ship for the night.
“Just keep him the fuck away from us!” Jim hisses, one arm around Oluwande’s shoulder, the other around Archie’s waist. Together, they leave to head below deck; the rest of the crew disperses in their wake. 
“That went well, all things considered,” Stede says cheerily.
Ed gives a noncommittal hum, looking over Stede’s shoulder to where Lucius is once again flipping him the bird.
“And I’m sure the tension will thaw even more after a good night’s rest. Speaking of, shall we turn in?”
“Yeah, alright,” he agrees with a nod, following Stede through to the captain’s cabin. It’s the first time they’ve been in here together since…everything. Ed feels a tangle of emotions well up inside of him. He is at once abashed by the dismal, derelict state the room has fallen into and childishly glad that Stede is being forced to see just how much destruction he had inspired.
For his part, if Stede is bothered by the loss of all his fine things he doesn’t show it, except to remark, “I’d offer you a brandy, but I don’t seem to have any.”
Ed shrugs.
“Listen, I don’t want to pressure you or anything, but I’d quite like it if you stayed aboard. Beyond just tonight, I mean.” Stede eyes him with that nervous slightly skittish expression he gets when he really wants something he thinks he might be denied.
“Could do, I guess,” Ed says looking down at his boots. “I mean, I don’t have any other plans really.”
Stede beams then struggles to school his face into something more neutral. “Right. Good. But uh, in order for that to work, I think you’ll probably have to address the crew. Clear the air.”
Ed feels as though a bucket of cold seawater has been upended over his head. 
“Shit,” he groans running a hand over his face. “What do I—I don’t know what I would even say.”
“Well, I can help you. We can have a think together about it tonight and get something scripted out. That way you feel more prepared when the time comes,” Stede offers kindly.
“You’d do that? Really?”
“Of course!” Stede says at once. “What are friends for?”
Ed’s eyes snap up to Stede’s at the turn of phrase. Stede offers him a shy smile.
“Are we still friends?” he hears himself ask, pathetically.
“We’ll always be friends, Ed.”
And really, what can Ed say in the face of that? 
They sit together (on the floor, what with the room’s distinct lack of chairs), scribbling down notes and pitching each other lines, collaborating to craft the best possible apology. In some ways, it feels exactly like it was before. Stede scooches in closer at one point to get a better look at the paper between them and their knees touch. Even though it’s a breezy night, the room suddenly feels warm.
“See? I told you we’d figure it out!” Stede says, reading over their finished draft.
Ed watches him fondly, an ember of hope glowing in his chest. “Yeah, mate. I think we will.”
12 notes · View notes
camillescreations · 6 months
Text
Has anyone else watched the leaked Archie audition clip from a while ago? Archie is the new female crew member we see next to Jim in a lot of scenes. I've seen one other person do a recent analysis based off of Izzy's amputation. But I just wanted to talk about it, too!
Tumblr media
In this clip, Archie is obviously interacting with Izzy, who is likely laying down, Izzy calls her a cunt and twat, and she responds with some snarky remarks back, seeming to knock Izzy out with the belt lol. I'm not sure if every aspect of this audition will play out in the show, but it's worth mentioning. So there is a good possibility we will be getting an amputation scene. It's unclear who the other person Archie is talking to (not Izzy) is. I'm thinking it might be Jim, I think the line "Sorry, man, we got orders" would be in character for them. But that line is worth mentioning, as well. Who are the orders from? It would make sense for the orders to be from Ed. Ed wouldn't want Izzy to die. Whoever it is, the "chopper" must be someone with some sort of medical knowledge. But what's interesting is that Izzy says something along the lines of "just let me die." So has Izzy given up? Did he let his toe infection become worse on purpose? Or, if it's not the infection and another injury that mangled his leg, is this after he maybe realizes how hurt Ed is and he feels like he did the wrong thing, thus wanting to die? I'm dying to know this context and if it happens when Izzy has met up with Stede yet or not! But I'm thinking it might be before, like episode 1.
Then at the end of the amputation scene, the "chopper" says, "well that was um... that was intense." And then Archie responds with "Yeah, super intense...super intense" while staring into the other person's eyes! Sexual tension, anyone? And then Archie softly goes (i think this is what she says), "d'you want..." and looks like she gets pulled by her hand and goes with the other person. That, I'm guessing, is what leads into the next scene in the audition clip, which I'll talk about now.
So the next clip has Archie talking to another person (let's call them Person 2) not the "chopper" I'm guessing, who says "its not about you, specifically. It's about love. All love dies, I'm just hastening the process along. But I must admit, I'm disappointed in you (bro?)" I think the person they're referring to is the "chopper." I'm paraphrasing since I can't understand every word and I don't have context lol. But anyways, then Archie responds with "what happened down there, that was just for fun. That was just eating each other out. That was not love." Then the other person goes "it wasnt?" And Archie says "did you...aw man this is awkward...is that what--did you think that's what that was...?" Then the other person seems to scoff and go "no! (Unintelligible, something about love)"
Then a third person (person 3) chimes in and says " I hate to interrupt this amorous quarrel, but if you don't start fighting each other to the death I'm gonna have to kill all of them, so." (The " all of them" in that sentence implies there are more people in the room than the ones ive already mentioned) And Archie seems to wave to another person (not chopper or person 2, it seems like) and then silently mouth something I can't quite make out, but she seems to be saying she won't do something? There's some head shaking and stuff. Then who I assume is person 2 says "Look man, I'm not fighting Archie to the death, alright, (I'm?) just not--" Then Archie punches them in the face and headbutts them lol.
SO THAT WAS A LOT. I'm gonna give my best guess as to what in the world is happening there and who the different people are (btw, I have no idea if Archie is actually talking to one person or two before the person who says they're gonna kill everyone comes in. I'll touch on some different possibilities.)
My guess is that Archie and another crew member have a "sexual connection," and if Jim is the one who chops Izzy's leg off, then the connection is with them. That would make some sense, considering how close Archie and Jim are always standing in the trailer. Maybe Jim and Archie grow close in Olu's absence.
So then we have the more confusing scene. My guess is that Person 2 is Oluande or some other member of the crew. It could be Ed. Let's look at both possibilities.
So if Person 2 is Olu then he must have somehow walked in on Archie and Jim. Olu is hurt, since this means that Jim cheated on him, which is why he says that all love dies and he's disappointed in Jim. I don't know if that dialogue is all that in character for Olu, though.
I guess it could be Ed, and Ed knows heartbreak so that's why he talks about all love dying and stuff. And I assume he knows that Jim and Olu were a couple if he says he's disappointed in Jim.
Ugh I just don't know who is who! But now let me try to identify person 3.
My first guess is that if person 2 is Olu, then person 3 could be Ed. He makes the murder joke because he's still in his Kraken era and is mad at everything, especially things to do with love. But I don't know about this.
My second guess is that Person 3 is a villain, and that villain has the crew captured or something?
I honestly am so confused by this clip, it's so hard to tell who is speaking because the guy talking in the clip, the womans scene partner who we never see, doesn't switch voices or cadences for each character. It all sounds like the same guy talking, but it's obviously not. Well let me know what you guys think and sorry if this was confusing to anyone!
16 notes · View notes
sethmacenzie · 5 months
Text
So I've said my part about ofmd season 2s finale and that I didn't even care anymore that my favourite character died, but the show had such an insane decline from season 1 to season 2 it was simply not as enjoyable for the entire time.
So here's a quick critique of open issues that stuck with me:
-they killed Ivan off-screen and he's only mentioned once in passing, no one cares or questions where he is when they meet again, they were fine with Izzy there, but didn't even bother asking about a crew member they were much closer with -Buttons turned into a seagull (which I didn't think was bad) and it's only questioned once by Roach and then never again brought up, and Roach asks if Ed didn't simply kill him and it's just ignored -Ed doesn't really become part of the crew, he doesn't pay up for what he did and why is Izzys deathbed apology more sincere than Ed's non apology about Izzys leg? He doesn't deserve to come back at all, because he doesn't do anything to earn it. He spends a day with Fang and that counts for the whole crew, Fang who isn't even angry at him -Izzy actually earns his place within the crew and still has to apologize to Ed, his worst abuser. Sure Izzy was part of the problem with Blackbeard, but in no way does it justify what Ed did to him (and everyone else while he was Captain of the Revenge) -remember last season when Ed made it clear that he only ever killed one person, and then in the finale he coldly pushed Lucius over and it was therefore a big deal? Yeah Ed just randomly kills like it's nothing now, and "go back to what you were good at", it wasn't killing, Ed was never good at killing
-they barely paid attention to the non ships aside from Izzy and it sucks. We had such a wonderful balance in season 1 of crew live, that we got to love them all, we didn't have any of that in season 2, it's so plain when you look at Archie, she just didn't get what her crewmates got to the point you don't care about her all that much -speaking of Archie, that relationship something with Olo, JIm, Archie and Zhang Yi Sao was a mess, they sank of the biggest relationships from season 1, which had such a well done ark in the first episodes, and many, myself included thought we might get a poly relationship, but we didn't, we got the mess we had. We had a well developed relationship that took an entire season to build and it got removed during the first three episodes in favour of two new underdeveloped characters getting with them in no time
-I know we are not historically accurate and don't bother too much with it, but Zheng Yi Sao is the most powerful female pirate in history and they nerved her for nothing, I did like how Richard got rid of her fleet, but they should have used someone else than a pirate known for dying peacefully because she got so powerful she made a deal
-the pacing was obviously bad, and I want to give them as much nicety about it as possible, but Owl House got cut from an entire season to three episodes and they still manged to nail it, ofmd lost 2 episodes and it doesn't excuse this pacing
-honestly Izzys redemption ark was rushed, just so he could be killed off, it was too much, too fast. I do love the first few episodes of him, but doing drag was a bit far fetched for episode 6, but it's a small complain, loved the singinig and dancing
-"bottle it up" is the new solution to problems, after "talk it through as a crew" from season 1. Lucius, Frenchie and Izzy just bottle everything up and nothing bad comes of it, we're supposed to believe that's a good thing? -everyone knows Stede is alive, Mary relies on him being dead and it's never brought up or important whatsoever
-this season feels like there aren't proper consequences, Ed can leave and come back and it's fine, Buttons can turn into a seagull and no one cares, Auntie gets blown up with the fleet and survives, people get stabbed multiple times and survive, but Izzy gets shot and dies, it's all over the place -there is always the whole: we have a suicidal character, they try to kill themselves, they fail, they get over their depression, they finally get happy, and we kill them off just after they found happyness. It sucks as a trope, it gives every last person that is suicidal the feeling that being happy is not worth it, because you're going to die anyway and well, maybe don't have the characer that tried to kill himself this season a line about wanting to go and in the same episode that had "it's only suicide if we die", it's tasteless at best and ill-intended at worst
-Roach is in the main cast now, but I swear he had more scenes in season 1 than seaosn 2
-having a tiny funeral scene and bam wedding, like there was no decent emotional impact on either of these moments, any why would they bury him without his leg or ring?
-Stede has a panic moment when he kills Ned and it seems like that's why he and Ed slept togeher, but it's not brought up that killing is still an issue
To end it on a few positive notes, I liked -Swede becomes Jackies husband and Roach going Mrs Bettet about the whole thing -most of the first three episodes in general -Buttons turning into a seagull and being recognized as a seawitch -having more historical figures -Auntie -Susan (mostly) aside from the issue I brought up -Wee John getting into knitting -Izzy sining and dancing -the entire leg arch of Izzy -pretty much all Izzy/Stede interactions -Frenchie sceming again and the rest all going with it -indigo! -everyones new looks -Fang going fishing and his and Roachs spa day -the after credit scenes -Ed freaking out because Stede moved too fast -Stede having a killing flashback when killing Ned Low -Spanish Jackie in general, but especially poisoning everyone and getting Swede a new look -Richard as the main antagonist -Clocks -Stede getting Hellcat Maggie and the to mutiny -the entire cast was amazing
And I shouldn't have to say this, but: don't harass people over this, critiquing is fine, threats are not. And no it's not bury your gays, everyone here is gay and that is not one of the issues this season had.
11 notes · View notes
adzeisval · 5 months
Text
Bloody Knife
Izzy is badly wounded on a raid. HAPPY ENDING. Also on AO3.
Ed pushed the English bastard off the edge of the ship and turned around to see if there were any more to be dealt with. It looked like the battle was winding down and that they had won.
“Ed!” 
“Stede? Stede what’s wrong.” Ed hadn’t seen Stede that horrified in a long time, maybe not ever. 
“It’s Izzy.”
Ed didn’t need to hear anything else and he ran after Stede, his heart pounding, his stomach in a knot. By the look on Stede’s face and the urgency there was something really, really wrong with Izzy. They made it to Izzy and Ed thought he might faint. Or throw up. Or something. 
Izzy was lying on the deck with Jim and Roach at his side. He was pale and shaking a little bit. And…fuck…there was knife in his chest. A knife in the center of Izzy’s chest below his ribs so it had missed his heart but…fuck…Fuck!
Ed knelt by Izzy’s side, “What are we looking at Roach?” Ed didn’t want to hear the answer, didn’t want what was before him to be real. 
“I’m going to have to pull the knife,” Roach said, “And if it’s in the artery or vein…there won’t be anything I can do.” 
“If it’s not?” Ed asked. 
“It’s still a bad wound but he might survive it.” 
Might survive. If it wasn’t in a major blood vessel. Ed looked at the knife even though he really didn’t want to but could see why Roach was concerned. The knife was twitching slightly to the rhythm of Izzy’s pulse. If the knife wasn’t in it was close.
Izzy reached for Ed’s hand, “Ed. Just in case. I love you.” 
“I love you too Izzy. You’re the best first mate a Captain could ask for, and I’m going to be by your side no matter what alright?” 
Izzy nodded, “If I’m going, can you hold me?” 
Ed looked at Roach who gave a little nod, “I will Izzy, and if Roach needs to work on you I’ll stay here and hold your hand alright?” 
“Yes,” Izzy said. Ed wished that he could stop time. He didn’t want things to move forward. He didn’t want Roach to pull the knife and potentially kill Izzy. He didn’t want to either hold Izzy as he died or watch him struggle to survive such a horrible wound. God but he hoped it was the later, that Izzy would live. 
“Ready Izzy?” Roach asked. 
Izzy nodded, “Ready.” 
“This is gonna hurt Izzy, I think you know that,” Roach said. 
Izzy nodded and a tear slipped down his cheek. 
“Just look at me Iz, alright?” 
Izzy focused on Ed and fuck Ed hoped the news was good. There was still so much strength and life in Izzy’s eyes and he didn’t want to see that fade away to nothingness. 
Roach pulled the knife and Izzy tensed and cried in pain. Ed didn’t want to look to see how much blood there was and it didn’t look like Izzy wanted to look either but they both ended up looking down at the same time. 
There was blood but it didn’t look like a fatal amount.
“Roach?” 
“It missed the artery and vein, I can work with this, I might be able to save him,” Roach said. Ed felt relieved and Izzy sighed.
“Hear that Iz, just hold on mate, keep fighting for me please?” 
Izzy nodded. He looked a little pale, maybe a little weaker but he was clearly willing to fight to stay alive. Roach worked on Izzy and Ed tried to encourage Izzy and keep him awake. 
When Roach was finally done they carefully moved Izzy to the Captain’s cabin. By that time Izzy was struggling to stay awake.
“Can I sleep now?” Izzy asked. 
“Yes,” Roach said and Ed felt a little scared but he held Izzy’s hand and smiled as he passed out. 
“Roach?” 
“He’s doing well, strong pulse, but we need to watch him carefully. We might have to try to rouse him if he starts having trouble breathing,” Roach said. 
“I’ll watch him,” Ed said. 
Roach sighed, “That was too close. Fuck I thought for sure we were gonna lose him.” 
“I’m glad you were wrong.” 
Ed stayed up all night long watching Izzy to make sure he kept breathing. Stede sat with him most of the night. Izzy was breathing steadily all night long. It was looking like he had been extremely lucky. 
Izzy woke up the next morning, Ed could see that he was in pain but he was also so happy to see Izzy alive and awake that he thought he might cry. 
“Fuck this hurts,” Izzy grumbled. 
“I’m sorry Iz, we’ll get you something to help. I’m just glad to see you awake.” 
“I’m glad too,” Izzy said.
10 notes · View notes
lindsayribar · 2 years
Text
oh no an OFMD headcanon
I have a theory. Well, more of a headcanon, since I doubt this was actually the show’s intention. But what if it is? Okay. Hear me out.
What if the scene where Chauncey Badminton pulled Stede out of bed at gunpoint, dragged him out into the woods, and told him that he ruined everything… didn’t happen? What if, much like all the stuff with Nigel in episode 2, it was all a figment of Stede’s imagination?
Because the one thing I can’t quite wrap my head around in that scene is this: Chauncey’s dialogue is really on the nose in terms of how it syncs up with how Stede’s mind works. A little too on the nose, maybe. Remember that list of things Chauncey claims Stede has ruined? It’s three things. 
The first is Nigel, his dear brother. Fine, good, I believe that he would say that!
The second is “your [Stede’s] own family.” A bit of a stretch—why in the world would Chauncey care about Stede’s abandonment of Mary and the kids? But I can buy it, if I squint. Maybe Chauncey knew Mary; he certainly knew Stede as a kid, so it’s not that far-fetched. Maybe he’s concerned that Mary got left behind. Again, a bit of a stretch, but you can headcanon it away.
The third, though, is his claim that Stede “brought history’s greatest pirate to ruin.” The phrasing there—history’s greatest pirate—implies that Chauncey has some level of admiration for Blackbeard, and has negative feelings about him being “ruined” by Stede. That doesn’t fit into anything that we know about Chauncey, as far as I can tell.
But it sure as shit feels like a fear Stede might have. He never says it out loud (beyond “I think you’re right” in response to Chauncey’s dialogue), but there’s been a ton of meta about Stede’s facial expressions during the kiss scene on the beach and everything that follows, most of which points to, at very least, Stede being conflicted about the entire situation—and, at most, Stede literally thinking that he has ruined Ed’s life by making him “less than” he was, long before Chauncey shows up and says anything.
There’s also been a lot of talk of, like, why didn’t Ed hear the gunshot and go investigate? Well, if there wasn’t ever a gunshot, that question is moot.
And it sure is convenient that Chauncey died the way he did, isn’t it? He comes out of absolutely nowhere (literally how did he get into that barracks thing?) with a gun in his hands, and instead of killing Stede in his sleep, he takes him out to the woods, gives him a speech that mirrors all of his deepest fears, threatens to kill him… and conveniently trips and kills himself. It’s not an exact parallel to the way Nigel died, but it’s definitely close enough that it’s easy to see how Stede might have pulled that right out of the same Barrel Of Fears that Nigel’s ghost lives in.
A few months ago, someone posted on Twitter about Stede showing up at Mary’s place with no shoes on. “How hard did he dissociate?” the Twitter user asked.
Pretty fucking hard, everyone seemed to agree.
I think we’ve all been working on the assumption that it was Chauncey’s speech, and his subsequent death, that made Stede dissociate and run. I don’t think it’s hard to imagine that it happened while he was trying to fall asleep instead. I imagine it’s hard to fall asleep when you’re still trying to reconcile this new-and-improved version of the man you love with the man you thought he was when you first met him. And when you can’t stop thinking about the family that you abandoned with only a note left behind. And when you haven’t fully put to rest the ghost of the man you killed—the man who represented everything that was “wrong” about you in the society that raised you.
I’m just saying, I fully believe that a speech and a gun and another Badminton dying in front of him would have made Stede react the way he did. But I also think it need not have taken that much to put him over the edge. 
100 notes · View notes
asoulwithadream · 7 months
Text
ALRIGHT MATES. OFMD PREDICTION S2 TIME. I've gathered me theories, and am ready to put 'em down fer yer enjoyment so I can regain me sanity fer the oncomin' weeks. If I be right on anythin', I reckon I can safely say that I be an oracle.
Stede sets off to find Ed with the help of "Susan" (who I am convinced is a mermaid), and possibly Anne Bonny. In the scene where Stede is looking off into the distance with Ed on the other side with his nine guns, you can see Buttons in the background rowing. This starts the timeline of the red scarf*, which has to have been found somewhere on the island or on the water. They are rowing in any direction, which may be how they get to China, if it China at all. How they survive is beyond my estimation prowess.
They get off the island, and now in search of a proper ship. This around the time where he throws the bottle into the ocean. Might even be in episode 1: he wants Ed to know as soon as possible that he's coming. However, they get to China pretty fast. But again, it may not be China. A bit confused about the location and how long it would take them to meet up. Maybe they do a longer time skip (this could add to the effect, if Stede has been searching for Ed for a while.) But maybe not. The timeline between event 1 and 2 is confusing.
Edward raids ships, finds the one with the marriage (or maybe he's actively searching for it?)— cue depressed topper decoration. Izzy tries to speak to him, but it doesn't go well. This is also where he stocks up on pearl decorations, since many wedding guests are wearing pearls in this scene, and we can see it when he's stranded.
Something happens to the Revenge. It's maybe caught in a storm, or suffering damages from a battle, but either or Ed falls off the ship, and while Jim tries to reach out for him they don't reach. I'm not sure how many of the Queen Anne's Revenge crew survive, but Izzy, Jim and Frenchie surely do. (Blackbeard's actual ship is called the Queen Anne's Revenge, so I think Ed may begin calling the Revenge that after the divorce.)
Ed washes up on Ocracoke beach. This is important, and relevant historically. Ocracoke was Blackbeard's favourite inlet, and where he ended up as a "semi-retired pirate." He has no way of contacting anyone else, and therefore builds a camp there in order to survive. Perhaps it aids his process of acceptance that Stede isn't coming back, and maybe even to help in his grief if he thinks that Stede has died.
Enter Hornigold. The man dressed in sails and ropes on Ocracoke where Ed is may be Hornigold, who has been hiding out there all along. He is shooting at Hornigold because if you look at the easer with 0.25x speed, after Ed shoots, Hornigold kind of flinches backwards, but it cuts to another scene quickly. It may be a ghost, but we can see him later on with a different outfit on. But I have a theory on this: Ed thinks it's a ghost, but he isn't, and he has to nurse Hornigold back to health after the gunshot wound. We know that that is possible, after the multiple stab wounds from s1.
Izzy sets off to find Stede; he realises that Ed has turned into something he wasn't expecting- he isn't Blackbeard, he's the Kraken. Izzy needs help finding Blackbeard, and goes to Stede, because he knows, he's accepted that they need each other. It's part of Izzy's nauseating personal journey that will make me go insane. This is where Stede gets his red coat and sparkly disco pants, and he begins to receive training from Izzy aboard the Revenge.
Both they and the British marines find out that Ed is on Ocracoke. Somehow- it may be sailors stopping for a while seeing him on there, or if there is a village there have been reports of a tattooed man, or the Revenge was sighted near during the accident. They both get there at the same time, and that is why they're fighting. Ed's being attacked by the British, and Stede is fighting them off too– they see each other across the battlefield.
Stede is injured. The scene where he is screaming, even thought the running joke is that he's dancing with no space for Jesus, I think that he's been injured during the battle on the black sand. EVEN THOUGH, Ocracoke has golden sand, it's NZ, and it's pretty. We already know from the automatic gaydar and leather jackets that OFMD does not have to make sense. Maybe it's Ed tending to him.
Of course, a lot of things may be happening in the meantime, before, or afterwards, that I can not guess. *The Red Scarf Dilemma: We still have to take into account the timeline of the red scarf, which very surely happens during event 1— but we don't see it during the punch scene, which is later on, around 6 (he may have just taken it off to store it, or to hide it from Izzy). Furthermore, in some scenes the colour, pattern, and shape seems a bit off, more closer to Lucius' scarf or the one from the guy he's punching in event 6. However, I don't think it's Lucius' scarf either, because it would be Pete wearing it instead, since they were boyfriends. I want to believe that it's Ed's though. I really do, but there are just some things aren't just making sense— however, they don't have to. ❤️ In addition to Stede's clothing, in the scene where he is screaming you are able to notice a pearl earring. Perhaps it's the same one that Ed wears later on? A gift? Lucius: He's alive, and I know it. He's on the cast for season 2, and he's too much of a character to be killed off. The only thing I want is an episode where it's not clear whether or not he appears as a ghost or is actually alive— Ed maybe catches him (either in the walls or at Ocracoke) and Lucius has to pretend that he's dead and haunting him either because he's sassy and bitchy like that, or out of fear. That's all. Spanish Jackie: I think she comes after the events describe in this rant. They're in a better place, they've found Ed, he may not be fine but he's healing, and perhaps his clothes are just so incredibly dirty and foul after the time he's been at Ocracoke that they lend him Buttons'. Drag Queen Wee John Scene: That one scene on the decorated Revenge with Hornigold(?) and Wee John is so incredibly confusing, and perhaps the part which I'm the least sure about. I'll just list of what I've noticed from the scene: Hornigold is holding a string instrument bow, and looks like he's singing. Wee John, while looking absolutely snatched, is being held in a form of medieval hand stocks? There is someone tied against the mast of the Revenge, who might be Stede, because of the dark blue shirt. Oluwande and Roach are being held with their heads in some sort of weird contraption, which makes me think that the crew of the Revenge are being tortured. On the other side of the mast, however, there is something with long hair, which I think may perhaps be another female pirate? Perhaps the one in charge of the torture, but maybe not, since I can't tell if she's tied to the mast or not. What if it's Mary Read? My hopes for lesbian pirates are being raised exponentially. However, since Hornigold(?) is the only one not really seemingly in any distress, and is singing and possibly even playing a string instrument, it may be him whose instigating this. Additionally, after his time of piracy, he did take up the offer to become a privateer, and later on a pirate hunter, which does antagonise him quite a lot at this point in time before proven otherwise. Plus, where are Governor Spotswood and Lieutenant Robert Maynard, AKA the guy (Spotswood) who employed the other guy (Maynard) to kill the last guy (Blackbeard)? Will they be making an occurance in season 2, or will we have to wait a bit longer for them, if at all?
Then again, we have take into consideration the date. At the start of s1, it was June 3rd of 1717. Based on an estimation made by another Tumblr user, historically from the time that Stede hired his crew till episode 10, it has been a year. However, for the sake of the OFMD canon, it is more correct to assume that the timeline was as follows:
May-June: Stede hires the crew of the Revenge a bit at the time, and maybe has them at full capacity a week or two before June 3rd.
On August 31st, Stede is almost hanged by the Spaniards, and saved by Ed and the crew of the Queen Anne.
On September 1st, that is the day where Stede wakes up and Ed and Stede have their first genuine interaction. I say that Stede has only been unconscious for a day, because the crew's first meeting with Ed was shown directly before Stede woke up, and almost no progress on the sorry state of the ship was made. (However, the latter can't really be used as evidence, because of the The Crew "Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" of the Revenge.)
They are together for a few weeks (few being 2 - 9), as Edward puts it at the end of episode 10. Therefore, in the longest case scenario, that would put them being captured at the beginning of November, however historical accounts report that Stede and Edward split around December, so we can just extend the time for a month or two for shits and giggles.
So, I would say very loosely that season 2 begins around new years, in 1718. Did I mention that 1718 is the year that both Major Stede Bonnet and Captain Edward "Blackbeard" Teach die? Blackbead dies in the end of November, while Stede lives only for 1 month minus 1 day. If they follow history, they only have 11 months before one of them dies.
I really want to know how David Jenkins is going to take this into account, if he's going to take creative liberty and fake their deaths, or stick with history and have them actually pass away. I think it may be the former, since there has been discussion about a potential season 3 in the works if the WAG/SAG-AFTRA strike is a success.
BUT he has the possibility of making it appear that one of them dies, maybe Blackbeard since his death is historically before, and keeping it a secret until season 3, where his death is revealed to be one giant fuckery for both Stede and the viewer, possibly due to the actions of the unknown BBEG of s2.
That's it. I'm not insane over the silly gay pirates.
10 notes · View notes
jewelsinthesky · 2 years
Text
we don’t know for sure if Stede’s father is still alive or not, but assuming he hasn’t kicked the bucket just yet, please consider a fic where he meets The Gentleman Pirate out on the open sea.
Post-canon, post-reconciliation, The Revenge raids a merchant ship and discovers Mr. Bonnet on board. They take him hostage, or rather invite him to stay on the ship as a guest and quickly realize that they probably would have been better off killing him. He constantly belittles Stede, both to his face and behind his back, calling him a fake pirate and demeaning him for leaving his old life behind and tarnishing the family reputation. The crew watch as Stede shrinks into a hollow shell of himself and loses all the confidence he has gained. Ed offers to help get rid of Mr. Bonnet, preferably in a way that’s very permanent, but Stede won’t let him. Even if he’s a dick, he’s still his father. And besides, Stede reasons, he wouldn’t be saying all those things if they weren’t at least a little bit true.
The issue is that Mr. Bonnet is also a racist, classist asshole and isn’t just cruel to Stede but the whole crew as well. The only one he even vaguely approves of is Izzy, because “if you’re going to be a pirate, Stede, you might as well be a proper one.” And maybe Ed was once Blackbeard but the version Mr. Bonnet meets is much too soft, and in his opinion, not white enough. Stede does eventually stand up for himself, and it is initially because he hears the crew complaining about his father’s treatment of them. Because while he can stand people insulting him, he will not abide anyone making his crew, his family, feel like they aren’t welcome on their own ship.
However, once he gets the ball moving, it just won’t stop and he soon ends up ranting about how he hates all the things his father says about him. How he hates that he’s spent so long hating himself because of his father’s words. How he hates that he managed to overcome that self hatred and make a life for himself, a life where he’s happy, just for his father to come back and ruin that peace. How he hates that a part of him wishes his father had died in the raid before Stede saw him. Stede pours his heart out to his father, with tears in his eyes and Ed and his crew by his side. He speaks his truth and at first, it seems like it might make a difference.
Except it doesn’t. Stede finishes his speech and Mr. Bonnet isn’t impressed. Instead, he just begins scolding him, getting angry at Stede for “giving him backlash” and after everything he’s done for him too. Ultimately, the only difference is that this time Stede refuses to listen to that crap.
He may not be willing to directly kill his father, but he has no qualms leaving him in a dinghy with a couple days’ worth of rations and a pair of oars. They’re on a trading route, a ship will probably come by and pick him up soon. And if one doesn’t, well, it won’t be easy, but the shore is still in rowing distance. He’s sure his father will be fine.
Although that doesn’t prevent him from crying into Ed’s chest the moment they’re alone. He’s unsure whether they’re tears of grief or relief or both, but they’re loud and messy and wet. It seems that cutting off a loved one is always difficult, even when you know they probably never loved you back.
78 notes · View notes